Home again

After Copenhagen, we left Denmark and went on to Germany. We could have driven home in one go to The Netherlands, but it’s a lot nicer to have two shorter drives than one very long one. We spent the afternoon strolling through the city and after that, we went back to the hotel.

It was the most luxurious hotel room of our holiday. The view outside our window was perfect. We could watch the ship sail past and we we woke up in the morning and opened the window we saw little snowflakes falling on our windowsill.

We were sad to only stay here for one night, because the bed lay really well. On the other hand, we were very glad to be back home in our own bed that night. After cuddling our pets at home, we went to my parents to eat dinner and tell our stories. We almost couldn’t get back to our own home, because after all these kilometers the car decided not to drive anymore. That’s going to be a trip to the garage…

Storm in Copenhagen

We left the snow behind and went over the longest bridge I have ever seen to Denmark. Leaving Sweden after only a few days felt weird, but we must go home.

There is one last city we are going to stay in for two nights and that’s Copenhagen. We went to the little mermaid early in the morning when most of the travelers were still sleeping. She had to sit through rough weather as a storm started picking up.

We walked through the city and found some lovely stores, mostly bookstores. They like books more here in Scandinavia than in the Netherlands. The bookshops are big and many of the books are in English.

As it started to drizzle outside, we found a museum to go to, The Military Museum. Inside, we walked through the Afganistan wat and later we got to see everything of the Navy and even some Knights and their horses’ armor.

New Years Eve in Stockholm

We left Oslo and Norway behind us and went over Swedish roads. We didn't leave the snow. Even in Sweden, there is more snow than I have seen in the last ten years.

We were in Stockholm on the last day of the year and sadly found that most places were closed due to festivities and it being a Sunday. We were glad that the museum we most looked forward to was open.

The Vasa Museum! It was quite impressive. The ship is massive and most of it is still original. It sank within only a thousand kilometers of its home port and was lifted out of the sea 333 years later. You wouldn’t believe that the ship is from the 17th century.

With us being in Sweden we had to get a bit in the Swedish New Year’s spirit and what better way to do that than eating cinnamon rolls and watching the fireworks from our balcony.

Happy New Year!!!

A white world and an even whiter Oslo

After sleeping in Kristiansand for the night, we woke up to a white world. It had snowed through the night and about 15cm of snow was left on the road. We got out of the parking garage and went on our way.

It kept showing and showing, but there were snowplowers everywhere. On some roads, we had to ride quite slowly, but when we got to the main roads it was fine to ride just a bit below normal speed. We took a few breaks and saw some magical views. Whole lakes were frozen shut.

After driving most of the day we went to our rented apartment and took some time to wind down. It gets dark a lot earlier here than in the Netherlands. We went to bed early to have a long day tomorrow to explore.

At first, we went to one of the biggest waterfalls in Oslo and when we got there we were quite surprised to see it was almost completely covered in ice. Only in the places where the water had the most speed, was it still flowing, but where it slowed down, it froze. It was quite surreal to see.

After strolling through the city for most of the day. It got darker again. It was a bit of a hassle to get on the road again because it started snowing more and more when we walked around. To finish the day we went to the Oslo Polar Museum. It is one of the best museums we have seen in Norway so far. Two Polar expedition ships are in the building and you can walk through them.

Kristiansand in the Winter!

We had a lovely night in the hotel but left early in the morning to get to the ferry on time. We were there a bit too early but were not mad about it because we saw a wild fox for the first time. It was just walking over the waiting area of the ferry.

On the ferry, we had a nice time. We had a great seat by the window and the sea took it easy on us this time. In the 4 hours onboard I read half of my book. I am glad I took my e-reader with me otherwise I would have had a problem carrying all these books.

After arriving in Kristiansand we went for a stroll through the city. It was quite cold, but it felt cozy with all the Christmas lights on. They even had an icerink. We didn’t have skates so we will have to skate some other time.

We are back in the apartment to warm our hands and eat dinner. We can make ourselves some dinner this day. We have a small, but nice kitchen and tonight we can sleep high in the loft.

On our way to winter wonder land!

After only half a year we were already missing Norway and decided to return during our Christmas break. We left early in the morning after celebrating Christmas with our family on Christmas Eve. This time went with our car instead of the boat. That would be a bit too cold and would take too much time.

We drove for eight hours and took a small break every two hours to stretch and walk around for a few minutes. Around five o’clock we arrived at our hotel in Hjorring. With room number 313 we had to climb a few stairs, but after sitting on our butts for quite some time we were happy to be moving.

Sadly it’s already dark, but with all the Christmas lighting on the houses, it was still beautiful to drive through. Our next challenge will be to find somewhere to eat dinner.

Back in our home port!

It was another misty morning, but not as bad as yesterday. Because the bridges only open after 9 o’clock, we were able to sleep in a bit.

It wasn’t a long way back home. First, we had to go through the cities for about 1,5 hours and then it was time for the Wadden sea. There we were able to sail a bit, which was quite lovely, and again after 1.5 hours, we went through the lock to the Lake IJssel.

On Lake IJssel, we were met by my parents. They sailed a bit with us towards Makkum, the wind was almost nonexistent so there was lots of time to take pictures. After that, it was only through a lock and a few bridges before we got home.

After arriving it was time to clean up the ship and to get all the stuff out. We still have enough food in there to survive a few months. No need to go to the supermarket in the coming weeks.

One last city…

This morning we woke up in a foggy world. It was beautiful to look at, the only downside was, that we had to wait for it to clear. A little later the sun came through and we were free to go.

In the morning the sun was not too hot yet, so even the cows were enjoying their time outside. We took the same route back home, as we did on our way here. We planned to go back over the Wadden Sea, but with no wind that isn’t really fun to do.

For our last night before going home, we chose to stay in Franeker. It was possible to get back home today, but we are enjoying our time onboard and didn’t want to go home yet.

Franeker is quite a cute city to walk through. There are almost always people playing music in the city and they got some beautiful old buildings.

Back at it!

After a week of work, it was time to go back to our ship. She was on her own for long and we wanted her back home again. After our workday was done, we got in the car and drove one hour towards her. Within fifteen minutes of arriving, we left the harbor.

With the sun high in the sky and no clouds at all, it was pretty hot. With our feet in the water, we sailed towards the lock. We arrived at a great time at the lock and in 10 minutes we went through.

One other bridge later we found a nice place to stay. We were welcomed by some cows that walked along with us to the end of the pier. With only two other boats it’s the perfect place to wind down for the night.

Back to The Netherlands…

It was already time for our last journey off this holiday. We needed to get back to our home country. We already new we wouldn’t make it back to our home port, but if it’s in riding distance to our home it would be okay. The day started beautifully. They expected fog, but non came, which was a big plus for us.

We left Cuxhaven at 6 o’clock and the first part we had to use the engine. There weren’t a lot of waves, so this wasn’t a problem.

After a while, when we were around cuxhaven, we were able to put up the mainsail and after a while the Genua could also be used.

We didn’t use the Genua for a very long time, because we were going way to fast. We couldn’t go too fast, because we would arrive at the wrong time in Lauwersoog. Because off the tide we would get the current against us.

We enjoyed a beautiful sunset and at 10 o’clock we arrived at the lock, went through it and at 10:45 we were laying in the harbor of Lauwersoog.

Tomorrow we are both needed back at our jobs, because of this reason we aren’t able to bring the ship back to her home port. She will stay in the harbor for the next few days and in the the next weekend we will bring her back home.

Last day abroad…

While the sun didn’t rose yet, were we already on the water. At 5:50 AM we left, because we needed to be at Cuxhaven before the tide turned. At 6:14 we were in the lock, but when we were already into the lock and the doors closed behind us, the doors on the other side had some kind of malfunction. The stayed locked and wouldn’t open. We got a bit nervous, because we were on a timeframe and were a bit scarred we had to go back through the same site we got in. After a hour of waiting they got it fixed and were were able to continue our journey.

It was really busy. Lots of ships were on their way to the Kiel Canal. Luckily for us the depth was deep enough that were were able to sail outside of the main fairway, but it was definitely a day to keep one off us on the lookout.

The reason why we needed to leave so early in the morning, was because of the current. Normally when we have the engine on we go around 4,5 knots, but even with the wind against us we were going more than 8 knots. Something we even hit the 9 knots mark. We really felt like we were flying over the water.

At 9:33, 5 minutes after low tide, we arrived in Coxhaven. For the first time since a week we arrived in time to go and see the city. We went on a stroll trough the shops and on our way we found a lovely park to have a look around in. In the afternoon we took the time to organize the boat and had some time to relax.

So many ships!

Our holiday is slowly but surly coming to an end. We only have a few day left to get back home. This morning we left together with the Greyhound. It was an early rise, but we didn’t leave at ones. There was a dieseltank that needed to be filled and it was a bit messy onboard from the day before. Nothing a little work can fix and at 7:50 AM we were on our way.

Today we went to the Kiel Canal, but first we need to go through the lock. This was really an unbelievable experience. First we had to wait, because two large freighters had to go into the lock. After they laid steady, we were aloud to get in. We were a bit nervous, because normally we try to stay as far away as possible. Now we had to sail by with less than five meters to spare. If you lay right next to them, they feel even bigger.

The lock went smoothly and quite quick and we were aloud to come out before the freighters and were given a ten minute headstart. We thought the would be around us before the first bridge, but it took them till 6:30 PM. But there was a lot to see in between. There were some really cool bridges like the Rendsburger Hockbrucke. On top there is a railroad for the train and under need there was suspension ferry. A platform that hangs under need the bridge with kabels. There is even place for cars on it.

About half way on the channel we saw four marine ships. It’s always special to see those, because they look so differently as other ships. We are always curious were they are going and we think that they are going to Norway, but who are we to tell. Something we learned this holiday is that marine ships never use AIS. Probably so we can’t track them down, but it is something to be aware of when you're sailing trough the night. But something that was even stranger to see is a enormous ship sailing in one direction, with a pilot boat behind it sailing in the other direction just to slow it down to the maximum speed limit.

The ship here really are massive and and after seeing al that we were happy that there still was place left in the harbour for us. We have a nice spot, but we will not be here for long. After a very nice dinner with the Greyhound (Thanks again for that!), we went off to bed. Tomorrow will be a early rise again, but who wants to sleep anyways. There are so much more beautiful places to see.

Arriving at Night!

The day started early in the morning for us. At 6:25 AM we left the harbour and found our way back onto the sea. This would be our last day in Denmark. We haven’t seen much of it, so we will have to come back some day.

Finally we had a day that we were able to sail most of it. The wind came from the direction we needed to go. We had to tack our way to Kiel. I think we have seen every lighthouse on every Island there, but slowly we made progress.

In the evening the wind picked up and we were able to make a last sprint tot Kiel. We were happy with the extra speed, because behind us was a storm coming. Tree times we saw the lightning strikes, but heard no thunder. It was still far away.

We put the engine on and found our way, through all the ships, to the harbour. It was pitch black outside and the full moon decided not to show today. At 11 PM we arrived in Kiel where the Greyhound awaited us to guide our ship to the right place. With the ship safely in the harbour we went to bed. Which was very much needed. After sailing for more than 16 hours we were quite exhausted.

Porpoises!!!

Another early rise for us. Getting up to sail at 7 o’clock is not so nice, but we are loving the sunrises we get to see each morning. It always manages to set a smile on our faces.

The weather today was incredibly calm. I have never seen a sea so calm. At a certain time it became almost impossible to sea the difference between the sea and the sky.

Without all the waves it became a lot more easy to spot the sea life. We saw all kinds of it. Seagulls, Albatrosses and even a seal. I belief it was a bit curious, while filming it got closer and closer to our ship.

But the most special thing we saw, were the porpoises. We already saw a few during the sunrise, but we couldn’t believe it and later in the day we saw even more of them.

After a full day of no wind at all, there came a big dark cloud towards us and with it a bit of wind to guide us to the harbor of Aarosund. Were we arrived at 7:15 PM.

Long hours on sea!

After a night full of thunder and rain, we were able to leave this Island at 7:30. The wind was great, so before we were even out of the harbor we put the sails on and wend on our way.

The wind did start to behave a bit strangely. We went from a lot of wind, to no wind at all, to even more wind. We were a bit nervous that we would get a storm again, but luckily nothing happend.

After sailing for quite a while we arrived just as the sun had set. The sunset always feels special when your sailing.

Another Island!

We left very early this morning. Before the sun was up we left the harbor. The wind was still going in the right direction at this time, so we had to take what we could.

She pulled us quickly through the morning, but in the start of the afternoon it went down. After a bit of heavy rain, she came back.

This time right in front of us. Not ideal, but with the motor on and while sailing as straight as possible, we arrived at the next place. The island of Anholt. After 11 hours of sailing we where happy to be on shore again.

In the evening we went for a walk over the beach. Would have loved to go for a swim here, but it was a bit to cold today.

We were back just in time. We didn’t expect it but there came a big thunderstorm.

Stuck on an island…

With rain and thunder on its way, we couldn’t go anywhere. Most of the day we stayed inside, because it was raining. We would have been soaked within minutes. Later in the day we were able to get outside.

The water was extremely clear and a lot more see through than we had thought. I get why this is a place where often go to snorkel. There are some strange birds I have never seen before. It’s something in between a duck and a goose.

And at the end of the day there finely was a bit of cloudless sky. We went to the beach close by and took in all the sunshine we could get.

The dry weather didn’t take long and when the rain started again we were back inside. We did have something nice to look at, because the Greyhound send us some beautiful pictures they made yesterday.

Norway, Sweden and now Denmark!

We left Sweden behind us in the rain and went on our way. We again had some seasickness on board, but it is a strange thing. In the morning we had a lot of wind and the highest waves of this holiday and I was not the one getting seasick.

A few hours later we had to say goodbye to the Greyhound. The were going way to fast. When the passed us, we thought we were laying still on the sea.

In the afternoon we arrived at Osterby. It was quite the way here, with first lots of wind, then lots of traffic and at last almost no wind at all. We past two cruises and at least five containerships. In the harbor there was another ship. This one was quite impressive.

We docked our schip and were rewarded with a bit of sunshine. And yes we did change the flag to the flag from Denmark after the picture. Because off all the traffic we forgot to do it while we were on the sea.

We arrived quite late, so after dinner we threw the drone into the air and made a few pictures of the island. Tomorrow we will have to leave early so there’s not much time to explore.

Exploring the biggest city yet!

We started our day at the Museum of Gothenburg. There were lots of interesting thing to see at this museum, but I think we found the stories about the Vikings the best. These stories were all told around this massive display: the remains of a Viking ship. We were told this is the only Viking ship in Sweden at the moment, so quite special to see.

We even found something from The Netherlands here. They think this heart is from Johanna van Sassen. Given to her as a love token from her husband.

After exploring the first museum and the city, which was very big, we went to the next museum we wanted to see: The Maritime Museum and Aquarium. There we found more than 50 models of ships, some of sailboats and others industrial ships and we found the biggest model I have ever seen. Had my boyfriend stand next to it for comparison.Otherwise I don’t think you would have believed me.

The aquarium was very nice too. We read about all kinds of sea life, where they live and how the live there. There even was a section were we could learn about what climate change is doing to the different kinds of sea live, which was quite sad to read. After that we went searching for Nemo, found him hiding in the coral.

Rocky road to Gotenburg…

Yes we were a day off the radar. We had to sail over the North Sea from Norway to Sweden. Even tough it doesn’t looks that far it is still 24 hours of sailing and about 22 hours without the internet and I don’t mean WIFI. I mean everything, 4G and calling are also impossible.

We had to motor a little bit to get outside of the fjord, but after that we put up our sails and it went perfect after that. We would even go so far as to say it was champagne sailing. A term we sailors use for a nice and stable windspeed and direction.

Sadly for me, I got sea sick again. Although this time we may have found part of the problem. I seem not to be able to handle bread very well on the waves. Next time we will try something else to eat. There also was another thing that didn’t help my seasickness. A second before it happend we were enjoying the seals on the rocks and then we heard it. A loud noise like thunder. We hid a big rock, hidden under the swell. Our panic levels rose and our heart were pounding. The impact had been hard enough that the floorboard had come up from there normal spots.

We sailed further and after an extensive search trough the hole boat, we were glad to have walked away from this without any damage. Just a bit of panic and a few grey hairs perhaps. We arrived with daylight in the marine. For everyone planning to go here by ship, if I were you I would plan to get in with daylight. There are rocks and spicks everywere. After arriving at 8:30 it was time for a few hours of sleep and for a deep clean of the boat. The salt always makes everything super sticky.

We met up with the Grayhound again and they took us on a hunt trough the city. Our first time going with a tram and it was quite the adventure. Wrong lanes, Trams that stop working while you're on them. But got to the city and more important we got back on the boat.

The city is extremely big and we will have to go back tomorrow to explore some more, but for now we found a beautiful ship and in the evening we climbed up one of the higher hills to ways the sunset.