Sunday 7th May - Arnhem, The Netherlands

Roland had been keen to visit Arnhem when we arrived in Amsterdam, especially as it was only a short hop.  So on a dismal afternoon we set off to Arnhem.  The town was all but obliterated during WWII so very little remains of the original town.  It is not a very inspiring town to visit and we were not sure that there would be much tourism if it were not for the WWII connection.  The famous Pegasus Bridge is not the original, in fact it is the 3rd Bridge on the spot.  The first was blown up in 1940 by the Dutch and the second bridge (the one associated with “Operation Market Garden” was blown up by the American air-force in 1945.  The bridge now bears the name of the commander of the British forces that tried in vain to capture the bridge (they succeeded only in capturing one end).
We visited the nearby information on the river, which tried to personalise the conflict with information regarding a British, German and Dutch combatant.  Apparently the airborne museum in oosterbeek is excellent for WWII history buffs

         
                                       Random cows on the roofs

         
                    Roland and Angela on Pegasus Bridge (now John Frost Bridge)

         
                                 Views of the Nederrijn river from the bridge

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Saturday 6th May - Amsterdam Day 2, The Netherlands

Angela had been wanting to go to the Rijksmuseum for some time, so as soon as we had our breakfast we made our way into Amsterdam and to the Museum.  We arrived early to avoid the queues and this proved to be a good move.  The art was just breath-taking and all the more enjoyable because we were not crowded out by other tourists and tour guides, as we had been in Italy, and the blessed “beat the line touts.

We spent a lot of the day in the museum just servicing for an hour for lunch.  It was well worth the time invested

         
                                                             The Rijksmuseum

         
     The iconic “I amsterdam letters”                             Typical street scene

Another interesting building was the English Reform Church reputed to be one of the oldest buildings in Amsterdam.  The Begijnhof as it once was, was the 14th-century residence for the sisterhood of the Catholic Beguines, until it was confiscated during the reformation.  It is in a hidden away courtyard so one has to search for it.

         
    English Reformed Church


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Wednesday 3th May - Bremen, Germany

From Roskilde in Denmark we were going straight to Amsterdam, but at over 550 miles we decided to stop off at a Knaus Campingpark - Oyten outside Bremen (just 223 miles).

The campsite had an unremarkable lake and some surrounding woods, which may have been good for dog walking.  Most of the site was taken up by 'permanently' sited caravans, complete with sheds, patios and gardens. Obviously, touring was not their main business.

We had had a long day and neither of us was keen to sample the delights of Bremen, so we just relaxed on site.  Tomorrow Amsterdam!

Monday 1st May - Roskilde, Denmark

         
   The “famous” Ragna Rock stadium             A “local” musician practices air guitar


                    Roskilde Sunset

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Sunday 30th April - Copenhagen, Denmark

The weather has decided to be kind to us and the stormy grey skies of yesterday have given way to brilliant sunshine; perfect for our trip to Copenhagen.

         

                         View from Hojbro bridge                     “Agnete and the Merman” in the Slotsholm Canal

         

                                        Street view                                                       Christiansborg Palace

                           

                               Church of our Savior                                                     Saddle sore?

         

                 Boats leaving Nyhavn for the Sea                                   Container Homes

         

                                                                             Harbour views

         

                That famous mermaid                             Bustling promenade along the Nyhavn

We had the very best of days, including the best sightseeing boat trip we've ever experienced (and we've experienced many in the past ten months).


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Saturday 29th April - Roskilde, Denmark

Hoorah!  Catherine and Karen have arrived.  They seem to have brought the rain with them which is particularly unfortunate for them as they are sleeping in our very tiny backpacking tent!  Their first night was a stormy one with torrential rain, so they must have been very glad when morning arrived.

Nothing daunted we walked up to the bus stop to catch the bus into Roskilde.  It's a pretty town with a good selection of modern shops as well as plenty to see of  historical interest.  We took a walk around the harbour and the fjord and then visited the Viking Ship Museum which has an 11th Century Viking Ship as well as an active boatyard. In Roskilde centre the Gothic, twin-spired Cathedral holds the tombs of many Danish kings and queens.

         
             Typical homes in area                                         Our friends join us

         
                                                  Around Roskilde harbour area
                                       




         
                                            Long ships at Roskilde Viking museum
                                                  



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Wednesday 26th April - Hamburg to Roskilde, Denmark

We were both looking forward to getting to Denmark and meeting up with our friends, Catherine and Karen, in Roskilde.  Roskilde is a place we have camped before on a previous trip to Norway some years ago.  We were sure that our friends would enjoy the experience of camping by the Roskilde Fjord.  It is an idyllic spot.

It was a longish journey from Hamburg to Roskilde when towing a heavy load, but we were blessed with some fine weather, so the journey was not as stressful as it might have been.

Travelling from West to East, we had splendid views from the box girder bridge, which leads from the island of Funen to the tiny islet of Sprogo (see photo below).  In the distance we could see the suspension bridge from Sprogo to Zealand, which we were soon to cross.

         Storebæltsforbindelsen (Great Belt Bridge)


The campsite was every bit as good as we remembered it, except that they now provide campers with superb indoor kitchen and dinning room facilities and fabulous individual wet rooms for showering and ablutions. We couldn't wait for our friends to arrive.


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