TravelStream™ news feed for member shirlbell on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/shirlbell en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:00:50 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shirlbell/5/1250098870/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shirlbell/5/1250098870/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shirlbell/5/1250098870/tpod.html Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:00:50 -0400 Big Beautiful Belloli Baltic Bash

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Bergen, Western Fjords, Norway

Bob -one more thing about our expensive dinner last night, Bob had Norweigan cod, a non endangered species, while Shirley had a whale steak which tasted and looked just like beef. We do not know what kind of whale it was. We walked through the outdoor fish market today where they had all sorts of fresh and smoked fish and the whale looked ghastly, all black, yuck. I somehow pictured it as whitish.

We took a brief city tour up and down the narrow cobblestone streets up and down the hills and visited a historic museum and church. Bryggen is the word for wharf and is along the harbor in Bergen. The colorful wooden buildings that line the harbor date back to the 1600s and are now leaning in all directions with supports on the sides holding them up. Bergen is unlike the other major cities we have visited in that it is surrounded by 3000 foot peaks heavily forested. The other cities and surrounding countrysides were all very flat. We English speakers are very lucky because this is now our 7th country this trip and we have hardly ever encountered anyone who did not speak English and many of the signs are also in English. Thank goodness for ATMs which also have an English option because in addition to the ruple we have had to deal with the Kroner, Krona, Krone, and the Kroon as well as the Euro.

The most fascinating thing in the outdoor fish market were the many stalls selling fur hides of all sorts of animals, reindeer, lots of different colors of seal pelts, wolf, coyote, sheep, etc. - not exactly politically correct but beautiful. I was really tempted to get a reindeer hide because they were beautiful and the meat is eaten here so it would be just like buying cow leather in our country. I may still do that . from Shirley.

Think of the fish market as a more authentic Fisherman's Wharf. It was also fun to go around to the different fish stall and taste samples of 3 different colors of caviar, the usual black, red salmon and yellow cod. My favorite is still the black. I also tasted reindeer sausage, yuck,

Tomorrow we start Norway in a Nutshell with spectacular train rides and a 2 hour fjord cruise. We end up in Flam and may or may not have internet there. Friday there are more train rides to get us to Oslo.

Ate various fried fish and chips (very mediocre) and a delicious creamy Bergen fish soup which is a specialty here in town. We ate outside at picnic tables at the fish market at the harbot and this only cost about 40 dollars but better than our more than 100 dollar dinner last night which seems to be the average for a dinner out in a restaurant.

McDonalds is everywhere. They even have McDrive and a Big Mac meal here in Bergen is about 16 dollars!

All for now-

Bergen Bellolis
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Bergen, Western Fjords, Norway

Our ship docked in Copenhagen early this morning and we flew to Bergen, Norway, a one hour flight. There was a HUGE traffic jam getting out of the dock area as about 6 large ships had come in at the same time. We ended up getting some helpers to walk us out of the immediate dock area so we could catch a cab for the airport otherwise we would never have made our noon flight.

Cabs are VERY expensive. We paid about 75 dollars in Copenhagen to the airport and about 65 from the airport here in Bergen but the alternative is local buses which are impossible with luggage. We have a very cute hotel here in Bergen with a sideways view of the harbor. We just checked in about 3 and crashed for awhile but will go out later for dinner at a Norweigan restaurant right on the harbor.

If anyone has e-mailed me since I left, please forward it to my hotmail account at sbelloli@hotmail.com because I cannot access e-mails here for some reason.

Weather is cooler here (hooray) and cloudy but no rain today. We stay here 2 nights and then take the train, ferry and bus to Flam for one night. More later. At least the internet is free here.

Baltic Bob
In addition to checking the Eurodam web site, you might also check out the Vasa Museum in Stockholm ,
certainly one of the most outstanding museums of its type. Not only are cabs expensive but I paid 3 euros or more than 4 dollars for a Coke Zero on the SAS flight. There is a fish market and historical street (Berggyn) a few minutes walk from our hotel where we had dinner at a restaurant listed in Frommers as "inexpensive" , it was about 100 dollars but was excellent and tax and tip is included in the prices. Tomorrow we will do some museums, a funicular railroad, and some other city things around the harbor. All for now.
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Sigtuna, Stockholm, Sweden

We are in Sigtuna, a historic village outside of Stockholm. Shirley is shopping as I type this in the tourist info center (free). You can check out our ship at ´Holland America's site under our ship the Eurodam and take a virtual tour. It is near 80 today no rain in sight and the Baltic Sea has been as smooth as glass. Stockholm is more impressive than Helsinki or Copenhagen. Built on many islands with dramatic waterways everywhere. We have a sea day tomorrow so we just stay on the ship. Had room service this morning as we pulled into the Stockholm Harbor.
We have a deluxe veranda (balcony) cabin and it could not be nicer. Others are waiting to use this so I will sign off.
Baltic Bob
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St. Petersburg, North-West Russia, Russian Federation

We found an internet cafe in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg (STP) where we are now. Internet on the ship is very expensive, 75 cents per minute, and very slow so we have not been able to send you anything until now. We could not be more pleased with the ship, our cabin with its 80 square foot balcony, the food, entertainment, etc.

Our first visit was to a location in Northern Germany which used to be part of the old East Germany. Then, onto Tallinn, Estonia, a world heritage site, with a well restored Old Town. We are now into our second day in STP. Yesterday, we visited Catherine's Palace and Peterhof, Peter the Great's Palace, with its amazing fountains. The weather has been terrific. One day with a few showers, otherwise temps in the low 70s.

Tonight we leave for Helsinki, Finland.

Baltic Bob

Like Bob said, and I typed, we are sitting in the internet cafe in the Hermitage Museum in STP.
We had prearranged a separate tour with outside agency for the 2 full days we are here. We made arrangements through the web site we booked our cruise through and they made the arrangements and gave us a 25 percent discount off the cost of the ship's price. Boy, were we surprised when we got off the ship in STP to find out that we had a PRIVATE tour in our own car with private driver and guide. We waved at the people lining up to get on the big buses as we cruised past in our private car. Our guide is Luda, a woman who is a native from STP. We have had lots of interesting talks with her concerning life in the Soviet times as well as post Soviet and lots of back and forth about politics, life, etc.

Note from Bob - STP is a city of almost 5 million, and one can see how capitalism is replacing the old communist regime's influence. it is not a particularly attractive city with its many Soviet era delapidated apartment buildings.

Back to Shirley - Yesterday we had a wonderful lunch, the three of us, in a very cute restaurant out in the country - borsht (beet soup with sour cream - excellent), beef stroganoff (named for the Russian Duke of Stroganoff).

We were exhausted after over 8 hours of touring around, mostly walking outside and inside of the palaces outside of the city. Today, we are concentrating on the city itself. It is so much fun to just run around in our private car - we get dropped off at one side and then walk quickly through and Albert, our driver, is waiting for us on the other side. No buses or long lines for us!

Bob - We saw the highlights of the Hermitage with Luda as our guide in about 2 hours - she knew all the short cuts so we bypassed all of the big groups. It would take years to see everything, sort of like the Louvre. This internet cafe is 20 minutes for less than a dollar and our time is just about over. We should be able to send blogs possibly from Helskinki or Stockholm and if not there, for sure from Bergen, Norway in about 5 days.

We did a short 4 hour tour in Wandemunde, just around the countryside at our first stop in Germany. We rode in a historic small gauge steam train for about 20 minutes and stopped at a very beautiful seaside resort area where we also had tea and strawberry cake. Beautiful.

All or now. Better get off and send before our time is up.

STP Shirley









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Copenhagen, Zealand, Denmark

Hello everybody,

I arrived one day earlier than Bob with only a slight mishap at the Newark, NJ airport. As they were calling to board my flight to Copenhagen, I opened my backback with all of my important stuff to retrieve my book, I discovered that my recently refilled water bottle had opened up and spilled ALL OF ITS CONTENTS into my pack. In only slight panic, I started scooping out all of the sopping contents onto the carpet next to the entry, then rushed the dripping pack over to a trash container to dump it out. Meanwhile, they were calling for last entry for my flight so I ran back to my pile of soaked stuff and gathered everything up in my arms and ran on the airplane, dropping items every few feet or so. Luckily, everything made it on board in time although dripping.

I took a cab from the C. airport to the hotel, a very IN little hotel near the central plaza. Rooms are very small, bathroom even smaller but very HIP if they still use that word. I think Bob and I are the oldest guests and the only ones without tattoos, piercings or black leather. They serve a free breakfast. European style, lots of cold cuts, cheeses, great fresh breads but also scrambled eggs, beans in tomato sauce for the British, and little sausages. They even have two espresso machines to make your own espresso, capuccino, etc. There is also an evening light buffet which consists of usually a hot pasta, and two thick soups, more cold cuts, salads, yogurt etc but you have to buy something to drink, even water, you cannot get a glass of water you have to buy a 5 dollar bottle about the size of a coke bottle or a glass of wine for about 12 dollars, the cheapest.

Bob arrived the next day and took a train from the airport and then a taxi to the hotel for a fraction of what I paid, standing room only, luggage everywhere but my taxi was about 45 dollars and his was 16 dollars total but I would never have made it hauling my luggage up and down flights of stairs, etc, with no sleep.

I will let Bob continue the travel narrative from here, there is only one computer operational and it is 530 in the morning so he is anxiously awaiting his turn to blog. Will try to add more later. We do not know what the situation will be on the ship which we board today.

Copenhagen Shirley

Arrived no problem. Weather has been fine, high in the low 70s, low in the low 60s. Cloudy but no rain. Walked around first evening to the Radhus, main city plaza, very attractive and European. There is an Out Games Festival here and there are lots of young people here but not all covered with tattoos but also many alternative life styles obvious. '

Took a hop on hop off bus stopping at Rosenburg Castle, the castle where earlier Danish royalty lived, which exhibits the Danish crown jewels. Then onto the famous Little Mermaid statue and then onto an interesting museum on the Danish resistance to the German occupation in WW2.

Then onto a walk along the Stoget, the longest pedestrian only street in Europe. This is lined with very expensive shops - editorial comment from the typist, not me - I, shirley, bought a beautiful silver pitcher and earrings at the famous George Jensen store, the most famous silversmith in Denmark .- bob sat outside so as not to see what I spent - a very wise man.

Back to Bob's commentary. Crashed back in the room for a few hours and then went to the famous Tivoli Gardens. Sort of like a simpler Disneyland and it is said that Walt Disney used it as a model for Disneyland. Many of the restaurants there cost over 50 dollars for a simple meal. It is sort of like a giant beer garden, beer served everywhere and everybody is smoking. Cost about 12 dollars to get in.

Our hotel is in a great location, a minute's walk from most of the places we want to visit. Yes, it is expensive. A bottle of coke in the lobby is 5 dollars. We are going to take a harbor and canal brief cruise this morning and check out to embark on the ship this afternoon.

Baltic Bob
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Lima, Peru

Hi everyone,

Left LAX yesterday afternoon and arrived, non-stop thank goodness, in Lima just before midnight. The hotel I am staying in provided a free taxi transport if you stayed for 2 or more nights so that saved me about $50 so Jose was there at the airport with my name on a sign - mucho gracias Jose! . It was about a 30 minute drive to Miraflores the part of Lima I had staying in. It was sort of foggy but very humid and about 65 degrees which is typical of Lima according to Jose - he said that many have compared the weather in Lima to San Francisco - yes it is foggy but much more humid and warmer.

The hotel or should i say hacienda i am staying in is very cute - a converted hacienda with about 20 rooms, or less; that is very old and decorated all in peruvian antiques - just my kind of place - very small, very friendly and very local. Not fancy at all. I slept well - left the windows open - cute double pink windows with a flower pot in the middle looking out over a very small beautiful little garden with a fountain which runs all day but not at night.

Breakfast comes with the room and it is quite a choice, juice, coffee or tea, fruit and delicious home made rolls which I thought was everything until the little lady brought me the menu for the rest of the breakfast, a choice of about 15 items, everything from americano with eggs, bacon, etc to the peruvian which i had which was a home made chicken corn tamale which was OK - not much chicken.

The breakfast room is very small, about 9 tables, and there were some people there from another OAT group who had just arrived - 6 am - and it was now about 11 am - that is why i came in early to rest up the first day. Anyway, it was nice to chat and I may be going out to eat with them tonight. Very cute room, floor is all tile back and white checks, 20 foot ceilings, all table bottoms are from old sewing machines and you can actually sit there and pedal if you want while you eat - i did not. Beautiful wood trimmings and antiques.

The breakfast room is actually a restaurant at night with an amazingly long list of items from peruvian specialities to sandwiches to international (pasta, etc.) - i may eat here tonight. I actually spent all day resting in that i had a little bit of a plumbing problem after breakfast so felt it best to take it easy so I just rested in my room overlooking the beautiful garden listening to the fountain water splashing. Very relaxing and a perfect start - I will be up to speed tomorrow I am sure.

I finally felt better about 4 pm so got up and went for a walk around the neighborhood. Nothing special, not really a tourist area so no cute little shops but found a very nice grocery store where I bought water and a few supplies.

Note to Bob - the currency here is the solis not the peso but it is 3 to 1. I actually found about $50 of Turkish currency in my pocket and cashed that in at the airport in LA.

There is a very nice little shop in the hotel run by the Bridge of Hope which is a nonprofit cooperative that sells native handicrafts with all of the money going back to the people who make them - I LOVE THESE KIND OF PLACES. I met an American young lady there who works for this organization and she talked about them - she described some of the more unusual items in the store, one of which I am going to buy - guess what - it is a bracelet - surprise, surprise - but it is silver boxes filled with beautiful little red seeds from a plant native to peru - i forget the name.

Free internet here so i am taking advantage of it. I will be here at this hotel tonight but will move and join my OAT group tomorrow morning at another hotel near by- this one sounded really great so I wanted to stay here first, also they had a free taxi service.

Buenos noches!

Lima Shirley
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Istanbul, Turkish Aegean Coast, Turkey

Back to Istanbul for the last 2 nights - hotel is beautiful overlooking the bosphorus (water). - will bring blog up to date when i get home - bye for now - am ready to go home (finally)
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Canakkale, Turkish Aegean Coast, Turkey

Saw the sites of two ancient cities (3000 BC) or as Bob says, lots of piles of very old rocks. Most of the ruins of Pergamon were transported to the Pergamon Museum in Berlin (remember Chris - i dragged you there one day and actually have a great picture of you lying on a stand outside the temple
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Izmir, Turkish Aegean Coast, Turkey

Toured Ephesus today which is probably one of the largest restored Roman ruins - it was a major city in those times with over 200,000 people which is absolutely amazing - it was pretty chilly even for me (in the low 40s when we got here with a breeze) - lots of cruise ships dock nearby and come here so there were many big buses with tour groups - some who came in shorts and flip flops - obviously misinformed and very uncomfortable - walking is very uneven at these sites - all uneven rocks and steep climbs up dirt or stone hills - the front of the library there has been restored partially to 2 stories and is the most photographed site in turkey

Later went to what many consider to be the house where the Virgin Mary came with John after the death of Jesus - it is in the hills fairly close to Ephesus and is a Catholic shrine - the last 4 popes have said mass there - they were in hiding because christianity was outlawed at that time so they had to live in the hills
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Kusadasi, Turkish Aegean Coast, Turkey

Went back to see Pamukkale this morning in the sunshine - beautiful white terraced cliffs (sort of like in Yellowstone but whiter) - created by water with lots of calcium something (Bob, where are you when i need you for this kind of info) that creates amazing terraced brilliantly white pools and large plateuas going down the hillside - also they actually had a man made hot springs (this is a thermal area - the hotel we stayed at had thermal baths and was very popular) where you could go swimming in a pool with ancient pillars, stones at the bottom - very neat - but it was too cold to go in (in the 40s) - i took pictures though -

Our hotel in Kusadasi was amazing. This is a major sea front resort town in Turkey and our hotel was on a bluff just above the water with a beautiful pool area and terrace overlooking the ocean - took many pictures -
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