Planning for 2023 completed

As the end of this year ends, we are already thinking of the next. In the middle of that year, my sister takes her retirement and from then we'll be free to travel whenever we like, without having to take account of the school holidays.

We've lined up a bunch of trips. Now that corona is not a problem anymore, travelling has become easier (although more expensive, especially air travel). In February we are going to Iceland. We love cold and ice, and hope to see the northern lights this time. Last year in Tromso, we were not so lucky. In April there will be a two week trip to Egypt. We will visit several places there, and will see a lot of antiquities. In May a shorter trip to the Netherlands (Den Haag) will follow, as well as a city trip to London. In July comes a trip to Albania, a country that is little known but is worth exploring. In August follows another short trip to the Netherlands, to Rotterdam. And than in September, we'll make a trip to Morocco. Finally, at the end of October, we'll do the trip we've dreamed about for ages (and never expected it to become true): we go to Australia. We plan to see all the territories and will probably stay away for quite some time. We have more or less gathered info on hotels, things to do, excursions to make and which airline offers the best connections. We'll be flying around quite a bit, starting from Brussels to Perth. 

2023 will be a pretty exciting year. And the next one, hopefully, as well. We already start at the beginning of it with a trip to South America, from where we begin a two week cruise to the South Pole. And most likely we'll be visiting the southern part of the US later that year. The rest still needs to be decided...

Slovakia - Bratislava

Last August we made a trip to Slovakia. We took a flight to Vienna, from where it is only about 45 minutes by car/train to reach the capital of Bratislava.

One of the main attractions of this town is the castle, perched on a hill and overlooking the town. Bratislava Castle. You can visit it for a low entrance fee (prices in Slovakia are in general on the low side, as in all the former East European countries) and it's certainly worth a tour. When we were there, the annual Crowning Procession was taking place. Bratislava is the place where many kings and emperors were crowned, and this is celebrated by a procession in traditional costume.

The procession left the castle grounds around noon and arrived at the market square in the Old Town some town later.

The Old Town is picturesque and has some beautiful old buildings, like the old Town Hall. You can easily spend some hours there, just walking around. Plenty of restaurants and bars to sit down and enjoy the local specialities. Hidden between the buildings and streets are little figurines, which are quite famous here. But you have to look well to spot them!

For those who love to visit churches, there's St. Michael's Cathedral and the Blue Church.

When staying in Bratislava, it is easy (and not expensive) to make a day trip to Vienna. Just take the hourly train in the central station and when arriving in Vienna, the underground to Stephansplatz. This brings you to the heart of the Austrian capital. Stephans Dom and the Graben.  We have been in Vienna before, but at that time the Dom was being renovated and you couldn't take a decent picture.

Another trip I can recommend is taking a boat trip on the Donau to Devin Castle (or rather the ruins of the castle). The boat brings you there, but you have to do some walking (up mountain) to reach the castle ruins. Not a hard walk though, most people can do it. Admission is nearly for free. Where the boats arrive and leave, there are also some small cafés and places where you can have something to eat (and you can do as well on the boat).

So, all in all, we enjoyed our time in Bratislava. The food was excellent and the best part was this trip didn't cost us a lot, as we were able to switch Hilton Honor points to have five free nights in the hotel. This Doubletree hotel was situated near the Ice Rink, and from there it was easy to take a tram into the town center.

The Maltese Islands: Malta and Gozo

Early in July my sister and I made a trip to Malta. We got a direct flight from Brussels, which delivered us at the Maltese airport late in the evening. Got to our hotel (situated at the seaside, in the St. Julian's area), freshened up and quickly got to bed. The first day, we decided to being lazy and spend the day at the poolside, having a nice lunch and dinner there and also enjoying swimming and drinking cocktails.

As of the next morning, we were ready to explore Malta. We had contacted a private tour guide, Joseph, and he took us to the main attractions of the islands. I wouldn't say you can spend two weeks in Malta, not until you are satisfied of lingering at the pool or the beach and getting a tan. But a week is good when you get around, and then you can say you've seen most of what's worth visiting.

Joseph took us to Mdina, and old town sitting on a hill, dating back to the Middle Ages. It's specially known for its quaint streets.

Walking those streets is very relaxing, but can best be done in the early morning. Two reasons why: in summer it gets pretty hot later in the day, and also hordes of tourists arrive by bus to visit.

Another drive brought us to to the Dingly cliffs. From there you have a beautiful panorama over the island and the coast line.

In Mosta, another village, we visited the church. A miracle happened here, according to the Maltese. During World War II, a German bomb was dropped on the roof of the church. It went through it, but did not explode. The roof has been repaired, but there's a marker to see where the bomb hit.

Another site you need to visit is the archeological site of Hagar Qim, dating back to the monolitic era, thousands of years ago, way before the Egyptians, the Greeks and the Romans. 

For those who love nature, there's the Blue Grotto. Not far away from Hagar Qim, you come to a place near the sea where the water has a most spectacular color. You can take a boat trip to explore the grottos and snap as much pictures as you like.

The capital city of the Maltese Islands is Valetta. There is the seat of government, a cathedral and the Boboli gardens (Upper and Lower, with a lift connecting the two). Valetta was  not far from our hotel, so we took a taxi and spend some time there, doing the things that Joseph had recommended. At the upper level, you have a spectacular panorama and also there is a little cafe, where you can have a drink and a rest.

Gozo is the second biggest island of the archipel. It's quite different from Malta, more rugged, but it possesses a rare charm. Things worth seeing there are the salt mines, where salt is won in the ancient fashion and still by the same family.

We also visited the Citadel, which was the main defence in the old days. High on a hill, with a great panorama.

Typical for Gozo are the windmills. Not like the ones you see in Holland, but used to grind the flour to make bread.

Also on Gozo you can find temples and buildings, dating back a couple of thousand years ago. 

Conclusion: a visit to the Maltese islands is certainly to be recommended. The people there are kind (although they have a dialect nobody but them understands). Younger people know English and everybody will help you (be it with sign language).

Chris and I were very glad we took this trip!

France - Versailles

Early this month, my sister and I spent an extended weekend at Versailles. It's altogether not a bad idea to stay in Versailles itself, instead of Paris. The distance between Paris and Versailles is easily around 40 minutes by car or by metro. 

There are various hotels in Versailles, but the grandest is the Trianon, a Waldorf Astoria hotel that is actually divided into two different hotels: the chateau (5 stars) and the pavillon (4 stars). It hosts a 2 Michelin star restaurant too. We were lucky to have been able to use hilton honors points (saved up quite a few) to secure a room there for three nights.

We left on Friday afternoon and arrived early in the evening in Versailles. On Saturday we visited to palace of Versailles (we had booked our tickets online). Must say, though the palace is grand, it did not make an impression on me. We've seen prettier palaces and castles. Only the Hall of Mirrors lived up to its expectation.

That being said, you can easily spend a day at the terrain. The grounds around the palace are vast. You can walk in the gardens, visit the Grand Trianon and the Petit Trianon, as well as the Grande Epicurie (where the horses were stabled and you also find the carriages.

Versailles is a village, but not a small one. There are enough restaurants and cafés. On Sunday morning there is a market in the center of the village, which is worth seeing.

On Saturday the weather was sunny and warm, but in the afternoon we got a heavy thunderstorm, which flooded parts of the country. On Sunday it was more overcast and you could expect rain. 

All in all we had a good weekend, but the next time we'll head to France we'll stay in Paris itself.

Spain - Barcelona

During the last week of May, my sister and I took a trip to Barcelona. We had planned to do this before, but had to cancel, first due to unexpected surgery, then due to corona when it was forbidden to travel.

The weather during our stay was wonderful. Sunny and warm, but not too warm to be comfortable. I always enjoy sunshine and hope for nice weather when we travel. 

The flight from Brussels to Barcelona took about 2 hours. We stayed at the Alexandra hotel in the center of town. This hotel belongs to the Hilton group. The Ramblas were just around the corner. By the way, the Rambla wasn't crowded at all and we didn't spot any pickpockets, as we were warned for. I guess it was still a quiet period to visit Barcelona.

As it was our first time to visit this part of Spain (excuse me, Catalonia) we did and saw the obvious sights. Our first visit was to Park Güell, designed by Barcelona's most famous architect Gaudi. You can easily spend a couple of hours walking through the gardens and admiring the architecture. There are also places to sit down and have a drink.

Next we took a tour of the Sagrada Familia cathedral, which is still under construction after all these years. A very special church, and I can recommend climbing (going up there's a lift) one of the towers. From there you can see construction going on and also have a wonderful view over the town. 

Another day we made a visit to Casa Mila, one of the famous buildings Gaudi created (along with Casa Batllo). It is possible (which a small entrance fee) to enter the apartment building to see the special architecture and view some rooms as they were years ago. Casa Mila also features a nice cafetaria, where you can sample local sweets, like pancakes with Catalonian creme and fruit.

On another occasion, we took the cable car to the top of Mont Juic, where you can visit the fort. Also worth a visit as it allows for great panorama's. From the fort you can take the cable car halfway down, descend at the half way station, walk some and then take another cable car down to the old harbour of Barcelona. From there it is not far to the beach.

Needless to say we had a great time, and we also enjoyed the local gastronomy. Nearly everywhere you'll find little eateries that offer tapas. The restaurant in our hotel also had a good reputation for its preparation of meat. In the bar, you could taste some of it while having a drink.

Last thing to say, Barcelona is not all that expensive. Spain in general isn't (but that's easy to say, as we in Belgium live in one of the most expensive countries in the world). Suffice it to say the budged for this trip wasn't fully used, so the money can come in handy for future trips.

The Netherlands - Utrecht

When you live in Belgium, and you want to go away from a weekend, the Netherlands are ideal. Crossing the border takes only a train- or car-ride of two, three hours. When you go the first time, the most obvious choice is Amsterdam and the second one Rotterdam.

But of course the Netherlands have many more cities that are worth a visit. This time we picked Utrecht as our destination. Utrecht is also one of the more populated cities in this country (about 1/5 of them are students) and is known for its university. All in all, it's a mix between Amsterdam (there are canals in Utrecht) and Rotterdam (architecture and people).

We had a hotel next to the main railway station (which is an example of modern architecture, like the railway station of Rotterdam) and this was quite near to the old town city center. 

A weekend (from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon) isn't long, but enough to get you a feel of the city. On Saturday morning we made a nice walk through the center, along the canals and took in the sights. One of the main sights is the Dom church with its high tower (alas, under renovation which won't be finished for the next couple of years). Enclosed between the buildings is a nice garden.

As the weather was very nice (sun and a decent temperature) we could take our lunch outside, in a restaurant along one of the canals. It felt a bit like being in Venice!

In the afternoon we made a cruise on one of the many canal boats. The skipper told us about every building we passed and a lot about the history of Utrecht. Most interesting. 

Later on we walked a bit more, had a drink at a terrace and spent a quiet night at our hotel room. We're getting older, so we need our rest after a day full of exercise. We bought some bread and spread in the supermarket next door (the entrance of the hotel is actually inside a shopping mall) and made coffee in the room. 

On Sunday we went for another walk, and then it was time to head back to Dendermonde. We had a nice weekend, though. 

Norway - Tromso

 During the spring break at school (late February-early March) we made a trip to the north of Norway. Our destination was the town of Tromso, well into the polar circle. You'd think that it would be icecold there, but in truth it was not. The temperature was around 0° Celsius, and you didn't feel anything of it when you wore the right clothes. Which means: thermal underwear, a warm pullover and trousers that are resistant to snow and water. You also need good sturdy boots.

The people in Norway are friendly and welcoming to strangers. In all of the Scandinavic countries, we found the Swedes (especially the islanders) the less friendly. 

Nature in Tromso is breathtaking. Our hotel room had a magnificent view over the harbour and the hills behind it. 

One can easily spend a couple of days in Tromso. There is enough to see and to do. If you have never been in colder parts, you might enjoy a sleigh ride with huskies or raindeer, make a trip on a snow scooter. Here in Norway you could also go in search of the Northern Lights (due to the weather conditions, we only managed to see a small sliver of it) and make a cruise in the fjords. We did this in a small fishing boat and it was an absolute great experience.

In town, there are enough restaurants and cafés and also shops. Tromso is a port for the Hurtigruten and also cruise ships can stop there. There are a couple of interesting musea, like the Tromso museum and the Polar museum. In the Tromso one you can view the history of the town and get a look at the lives of the Sami, the people who live in the north. By the way, it is also interesting to visit a reindeer farm inland, where you can make sleighrides, feed the reindeer and learn about Sami Culture.

In the Polar museum there is info about the polar expeditions and the first of by Amundsen.

Tromso in on an island, and you need to cross a bridge to go to the mainland. You can take a tour that takes you further north on the mainland, to visit the Ice Domes. Also worth it's money. The bus ride takes you through the mountains and you haven't got enough eyes to catch every wonderful sight.

 

Inside the Ice Domes is a hotel, where you can stay and sleep on ice (don't worry, the beds are soft and warm). I'd think this would be nice for young people. If you're a bit older, you prefer a room where everything is at hand (bed, shower, toilet). When you stay at the ice hotel, it's a bit like camping and you need to go to another place to wash and eat.

The best thing, however, was that all corona measures in Norway were lifted just before we took our trip. On the inland flight from Oslo to Tromso you needn't wear a face mask anymore and also nowhere else. You could freely walk around, to into a pub or restaurant, or a museum. A nice change from two years of being obliged to cover up.