17th April
Departure to Munich via Dubai. The travel time was 29 hour and 30 min with stops in Sydney and Dubai.
18th April
Arrival in Dubai after a 14 hour flight and I had an onward flight to Munich my final destination. After a heavy rainfall the previous day, thousands of travellers were stranded in Dubai and waiting for connection flights. My flight had only a delay of 7 hours. I am here, but lost halve a day of sightseeing.
19th April
I joined a city walking tour for this morning. An extremely knowledgable guide walked us through Marienplatz, Townhall, Hofbräuhaus, Viktualienmarkt. There are 6 large breweries in Bavaria and Augustiner brewery is still owned privately owned. They donate 51% of their yearly profits to charities. So 51% of every beer you drink a donation. I can recommend www.guruwalk.com, these are free guides you can find a larger cities around the world. At the end of the tour you can give a tipp as a thank you.
20th April
Train trip to Vienna, my next place on the list, I need to mention that I have never been to Vienna before. It is all new to me. The train took just over 4 hours, sometimes the max travelling speed was 230 km/h. Unfortunately the visibility was not great as it was a rainy day with hail, which spoilt the view of the mountains. My accomodation is fabulous, a spacious 40 sqm apartment just 2km from the old city center, easy to reach by bike or bus.
21st April
Vienna, Austria’s capital, lies in the country’s east on the Danube River. Its artistic and intellectual legacy was shaped by residents including Mozart, Beethoven and Sigmund Freud. The city is also known for its Imperial palaces, including Schönbrunn, the Habsburgs’ summer residence. In the Museums Quartier district, historic and contemporary buildings. This city has a charming and southern flair to offer. Population about 2 million.
Today I had a good look around to get a feeling for city I will explore within the next week.
22nd April
Today I met with Magdalena a Vienna Greeter. Vienna Greeters taking visitors for free city walking tours. To my surprise it was the two of us. We visited the Naschmarkt – open air market groceries, Opera House, Musikverein – best place for Mozart, Brahms, Vivaldi concerts. Vienna is famous for cozy Gemütlichkeit. This may perhaps have even led to a very local architectually peculiarity the “Durchhaus” or passage. Small cafés and atmospheric bar gardens line the Durchhaus – “voluntary passage”. Built between 1848 and 1856, some buildings includes three courtyards and six Stiegenhaus -“staircase house”. You can find a greeter at 150 worldwide destinations click > International Greeters
23rd April
A day trip to Budapest, about 240km/2.5 hours away. Budapest is considered the most beautiful city in Eastern Europe. The unique Art Nouveau buildings, the blue Danube, the thermal springs and the coffee house culture: the Hungarian capital would like to be compared to Paris. We paid a visit to the Buda Castle District, Heroes’ Square, impressive Parliament Building and many more.
24th April
Another day in beautiful Vienna. The Kunst Haus (Art House) has displays of Hundertwasser artwork. Very impressive as the area around the Kunst Haus is dedicated to Hundertwasser who was born in Vienna and buried in New Zealand. An evening spend at a classical concert Mozart, Brahms and Strauss. The Vienna Musikverein is home to one of the best concert halls in the world, the famous Great Musikvereinsaal, known as the Golden Hall with a fantastic acoustic.
25th April
First sunny day and I took the advantage visiting the Burggarten and Hofburg. The Hofburg is the former principal imperial palace of the Habsburg dynasty in Austria. Located in the centre of Vienna, it was built in the 13th century, it also served as the imperial winter residence.
For lunch Wiener Schnitzel, Apfelstrudel mit Oberschlag (whipped creme) and a Wiener Melange (Cappuccino). Next stop Schönbrunn Palace which was the summer residence, built id the 16th century. A vast 180ha palace park, with zoo, a maze, a Orangerie and kilometers of paths.
By the way, I love the public transport system here. Easy to use with a very frequent service and my 7 day pass gets me everywhere using trams, busses and subways. It seems very one is using it – locals as visitors. It blows me away the amount of international tourists and the international flare of this city.
26th April
A sunny day trip to Bratislava on the Danube River. By highspeed catamaran in 1 hour 45 minutes from Vienna to Bratislava. I love Europe. Everything is so close and cultures change straight after the border. As usual for a start a 2 hour city walking tour to get an overview, culture and different customs.
Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, is set along the Danube River bordering Austria and Hungary. It’s surrounded by vineyards and the Little Carpathian mountains. The pedestrian-only, 18th-century old town is known for its lively bars and cafes. Perched atop a hill, the reconstructed Bratislava Castle overlooks old town and the Danube.
Population about 420,000. A very attractive and inviting township with a great flair and extremely welcoming people.
27th April
Sunny day 20C. My first day since my arrival in Europe I can wear shorts and T-Shirt and not being rugged up and still freezing cold. And my last day in Vienna. The Freihausviertel is one of Vienna’s hippest districts: exciting galleries, casual bars, classic taverns and exceptional second-hand shops. More click > FREIHAUSVIERTEL
I couldn’t leave without visiting The Prater. The Prater is home to one of the oldest amusement parks in the world.Its ferris wheel was erected in 1897 and is over 65 m tall and one of the symbols of Vienna.
One more coffee and cake at the “Vollpension” Facts 100,000 eaten Oma Cakes – 50 grannies and poppa’s working here– at least 50% of the staff are over 60. More info click > VOLLPENSION
For now good bye Vienna, I will be back as there is so much more to see and discover.
28th April
The train trip Vienna to Hamburg took 10 hours and was very relaxing as we traveled with a max speed of 230km/h. In Hamburg I was picked up by my friends Alex and Erk who I will be staying with fro the next few days.
29th April
Nature walk in Boberger Deich and afterwards coffee and cake Elbe river view.
Back home at St. Pauli the Bunker (second WW air raid shelter) has been transform to Green Bunker. This is a fascinating project. I am looking forward to the progress. For more click >> Green Bunker
30th April
Bike Tour through the city of Hamburg with Ise-Markt a huge produce, flower and other things market. Evening spent “Tanz in den Mai” Dance into the month of May a old German tradition.
1st May
Another bike city tour to Landesbruecken, City Süd and Speicherstadt. a new part of the harbour here, with lots of promenades along the waterfront and new apartment buildings. It is very impressive.
2nd May
Another day in Hamburg with family and friends
3rd May
Travel to the Island of Foehr. Click here
The island population is 8,000 locals plus 50,000 tourists. 12km of golden sandy beaches and 24km of dike, 1 town, 13 villages. Two languages (German and Friesian) and one dialect (low German) are spoken on the island.
4th & 5th May
Sailing to the neighbour island called Amrum. Föhr and Amrum are that close one can walk from one to the other island at low tide.
6th May
Another sailing day in Wadden Sea National Park which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the German federal states of Schleswig-Holstein. It covers a vast area of tidal flats, salt marshes, dunes, and islands along the North Sea coast. The park is renowned for its unique ecosystem and rich biodiversity, including numerous bird species, marine life, and plants. It serves as an important breeding and resting ground for migratory birds and supports various rare and endangered species.
The Wadden Sea is characterized by its dynamic interplay of tides, with vast areas of mudflats being exposed during low tide and submerged during high tide. This dynamic environment supports a diverse array of life forms adapted to the extreme conditions, making it a significant area for scientific research and ecological conservation efforts.
7th, 8th, 9th, 10th May
Finally golfing on Foehr. This a one of the top 10 German Golf Courses. A very picturesque 27 hole course. Also catching up with friends and family, bike rides, lots of cream cakes, currywurst/pommes.
Today I played in a local golf tournament, unfortunately not very successful.
11th May
47th years school reunion. Beautiful sunny day, meeting old friends and cycling to “Adventure Golf”. Fun evening, excahngig memories form old days.
12th & 13th May
Returning back to Hamburg for the night.
Taking over the motorhome and driving to Luxembourg to catch up with my former banking college and friends.
14th May
Luxembourg my old stomping ground 1987-1989. City tour with Gary, absolute fantastic. We walked over the bridge at Langsur/Germany to catch the bus to Luxembourg City. All public transport is free in Luxembourg! I realised that lots has change since my last visit. Kirchberg which was just paddocks is now plastered with new office buildings.The “Grund” (bottom), old city, remains the same, but is nowadays very popular.
15th May
On the road again. Getting some supply in Luxembourg, I was hitting south, Burgundy was my next stop – Morey Saint Denis a small village. Morey-Saint-Denis is a village in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, France, renowned for its exceptional vineyards and wine production. I found myself a parking with vineyard view and had a good look around in the old village.
16th May
Early start with a very yummy almond croissant from the local bakery. On recommendation of my friend Gerd I stopped at La Roque sur Ceze ( I can’t pronouce it) La Roque-sur-Cèze is a picturesque village located in the Gard department in the Occitanie region of southern France. Nestled on a rocky hill overlooking the Cèze River, it is renowned for its scenic beauty and historical charm. The village is characterized by its narrow, cobbled streets, stone houses, and historical buildings, many of which date back to the medieval period. The remains of a feudal castle add to the village’s historic charm.
I finished my day in Le Gray du Roi. Le Grau-du-Roi is a charming seaside resort in southern France, known for its beautiful beaches, lively marina, and rich cultural heritage. For the night, I parked the van at Port Camargue, which is one of the largest marinas in Europe. I strolled around the marina, admired the yachts.
17th May
Bike ride along the vast marina to the old town of Le Grau. It was about 2.5km along the waterfront, there must be at least a 1000 yachts in the marina and they are all huge. In the old town beautiful old buildings and a very vibrant atmosphere.
Late afternoon I arrived in Spain, staying at a campground in Capmany a small village just a few k’s behind the border.
18th – 22nd May
Driving further south towards Benidorm. Overnight at a beachside (packed) campground Platja Llargo.
Next day I have arrived in Benidorm after 2,300 km joining my little family for mum’s 85th birthday and a few more days.
23rd May
On the road again. Driving through Province of Valencia global warming impact is very visable. The country side is bone dry and hardly any vegetation. It is looking pretty much like a desert. Very sad. The next region I was passing through was Andalusia. It was much greener and a lot more vegetation, but the area was on an high altitude. Hunderts of kilometers the median strip and side have pink and white oliander There was still snow on the High Sierra Nevada. Stop tonight is 20 min before Granada in a small village. Camping in Europe is very different. The camp space a very tiny in size, underfoot is gravel or sand and it is just packed. I am surprised/shocked every time, but my fellow campers are just relaxing in front of their campers. They haven’t had the chance to camp in NZ. We are just sooo spoilt, nice grass underfoot, a great view most times and no one to share the vast space with.
24th May
Sevilla is world-renowned for its beautiful architecture, monuments, flamenco, and tapas scene. This lovely Andalusian city oozes a rich history through its quaint neighborhoods, historic churches, and palaces. I was blown away by the incredible sights Seville had to offer. The cathedral is the largest gothic cathedral in the world. It is a Catholic cathedral and a former mosque. The queues for the Alcazar and cathedral tower were 50m plus long and the temperature today 32C. Unfortunately I missed out. Instead I went through shady parks, small alley ways and visited the Plaza de España. Later I joined a city walking tour.
25th May The camper is parked 10 minutes bike ride from a carpark of a car dealer with 40 other vans. I love my bike and it comes more handy by the day. Second try to get into Alcazar or Tower, but today the queues are even longer. I biked around the old township and later traveled to Portugal. It still fascinates me zipping from one country to another. As there is no passport control anymore, it is instantly visible as the building style is different. Algarvian houses are mostly painted white with orange roof tiles. Andalusian houses are beige/orange brick with similar coloured roof tiles. The culture and also food changes as soon as you enter a new country. So far I have paid for a cup coffee in Vienna 7.90€, Spain 1.30€, Portugal 0.80€.
26th – 28th May
Lots has happened in the last few days. I love Fuseta a fishing village just 40 km north of Faro. On my first day here I explored the village, beach and bordering wetlands by bike. The wetlands here are similar to the well known Ria Formosa Wetland in Faro. A humid zone of international importance. It is a labyrinth of canals, islands, marshland and sandy beaches that extend 60 km along the algarve coast.
Fuseta became my base for the last few days, as I can reach from here lots of activities and I don’t have to drive and search for a carpark. The next day I took my bike on the train to Faro and joined a 2 hour city walking group and explored Faro afterward. Dinner is at a popular fish restaurant in Fuseta. Back on the train again today 28th visiting some cave at the Algarve coast at Marinha, Benagil and Algar Seco with an organised bus tour. I think I have to move on tomorrow.
29th May
driving towards the Atlantic Coast and finishing at Santo Andre Lagoon for the night. It is much cooler here that at the Mediterranean side.
30th May
Setúbal lies at the mouth of the river Sado on the coast just below Lisbon. I parked the van outside the city center and rode my bike to the market and the very picturesque old township with lots of beautiful alley ways. From the shore I could see the opposite beautifully filigree sandy Troia Peninsula, which protects Setúbal from the Atlantic.
31st May
Foz do Arelho is one of the prettiest beach towns on Portugal’s silver coast that absolutely deserves a stop. Huge white sandy beach, 30C, nice beach cafes and the fish restaurant Tavola Lago. My German camping neighbours joined my for the dinner and we shared the insanely large fish platter.
1st June
Driving along the Atlantic scenic route towards Porto. A lunch stop at Nazaré. They were drying and selling dried fish at the beach. I preferred a pastry and a coffee at a small local cafe. Stayed the night at Espinho and moving to Porto/Gaia tomorrow.
2nd & 3rd June
Arrived at lunch time and parked the van at a campground 200m cross the beach of Gaia. Bike ride along the beach and further along the river Douro to get a glimpse of Porto in the distance. I past inviting restaurants and a very lively scene in a suburb. Restaurants cooking fish on bbqs. This was a place I would like to have dinner, so I did later on.
For my second day I had booked a city walking tour. The guide was fantastic. Universidade of Porto, Lello Bookstore, Bolsa, San Bento train station with lost of story telling painted tiles. The painter painted the tiles in his studio, numbered them on the back, transfered them to the train station where the got installed on the walls. Clerigos Tower and Cathedral of Porto. Ribeira was the place to explore in afternoon.
4th June
Vila Nova de Gaia is located on the other side of the Douro/Porto. A hub of the port wine industry. Gaia is peppered with Portwine cellars offering tours and tastings. It’s also known for sandy beaches like Praia da Madalena, where my campground is.
Only 6km fro the campground is the suburb of Afurada. The old fishing village of Afurada, has small restaurants serving grilled fish and seafood, where picturesque tiled houses line narrow streets.
5th & 6th June
driving from Portugal to Valladolip in Spain and the following day to Santander at the Atlantic Coast. Driving on country road through different Spanish regions, lots of grain field left and right of the roads. I saw some walkers on the Camio and stopped in a few medieval towns. Everything is so old here.
7th June
Santander Capital of the Cantabria region on Spain’s north coast The Palacio de la Magdalena, once royal summer residence. A 4km promenade runs along the Jardines de Pereda and the waterfront which is great for biking and mostly flat. The historic center lacked a bit a vibe which can be found in other Spanish cities. My campsite was close to the lighthouse with an adjacent park. The Basque food is not appeeling to me, lots of filled omelettes, and the prepared fish is not liked by my tastebuds… therefore spaghetti tonight.
8th & 9th June
Driving towards Bilboa on country roads I am now parked at Playa de Isla for a couple of days. It’s a campground with a view and on grass! A good spot to go biking and hiking along the coast.
10th June
And again change of plan. As the Guggenheim Museum is closed on Mondays and I didn’t want to spend another day in the Basque Country, I drove on and I am now on in France. I left the motorway at Barbezieux and it turned out that it was only a short way to Cognac. Cognac is THE cognac town, Hennessy, Martell, Remi Martin just to name a few. The beauty of the nearly flat countryside just blew me away. Vines / grapes for Africa!! For dinner I went to a French fine dining restaurant. The earliest I could make a reservation was 7.30pm. In Spain and Portugal lots of restaurants opened from 9pm onwards, so this was an early dinner.
11th June
Fresh baguette for breakfast, one can’t beat that. Exploring the medieval city of Cognac. This famous little town on the banks of the river Charente, gave its name to the most famous brandy in the world. I booked a tour at Hennessy and learnt about cognac. Just Hennessy, stores 9000 barrels ( about 300 liter each) of cognac and the oldest is from 1800! There is a team of 7 tasters, they meet every day 11am to put together a new blend of cognac. The most expensive bottle in the show room was priced at €25,000…nice looking bottle, too.
12th & 13 June
A drive through beautiful and stunning landscape I have arrived in Saumur. Still vineyards for Africa. Saumur is a town in western France. Overlooking the Loire river, the Château de Saumur is a medieval castle with a museum displaying archaeological finds, ceramics and tapestries. The region is noted for sparkling wines produced by the traditional method, and for red wines made primarily from Cabernet Franc. The main variety in the white wines is Chenin blanc. Easy biking around this area and along the Loire river.
Visiting the Cave Louise de Grenelle a sparking wine cellar. They produce a top quality sparkling wine and the nearest to Champagne. Only sparking wine produced in the Champagne Region can be called champagne. The cellar is located 12 m below ground. As shown on the photos the wine bottles are stored in niches, 3,000 bottle/niche. A total of approx. 900,000 are store in this cellar.
I have never heard of a mushroom museum – “Musee du Champignon”. It’s a century-old tradition… In the 19th century, button mushrooms were grown in the Parisian catacombs. But at the time of building the metro, these underground occupants became troublesome! At the same time, the activity of quarrying tufa was abandoned: the Saumur region was thus home to an important network of vacant troglodyte galleries. The high humidity in the cellars, combined with a constant temperature of around 13°C, provide ideal conditions for growing mushrooms. This Museum has 250 different mushrooms on display and also harvests 10 million tons per year.
14th & 15 June
Rigny-Ussé a fairy tale castle nicknamed the “Sleeping Beauty Castle”. It was built from the 15th to the 18th centuries on the banks of the River Indre. The Château d’Ussé is the only big private Loire châteaux that has been home to the same family for over two centuries. Furnished and occupied by the Duke of Blacas.
Later that day, woohoo a small campground along the river Loire, trees and grass in the small village named Savonnieres was waitiong for me. Lucky I only have to write the french names and don’t have to pronounce them. There are lots of cyclists here, who cycle on the famous cycle path which starts in the centre of France, near Nevers and ends on the Atlantic coast in the small town of Saint-Nazaire. You have to cover about 700 kilometres of cycling if you want to say that you have cycled the entire Loire Cycle Path. I only do parts of the trail and they are so beautiful. I would consider the whole trail, but that has to be on an e-bike.
The Château de Villandry is a grand country house, especially known for its beautiful gardens and and is one of the most visited châteaux in France. The gardens cover 9 hectares and include six distinct gardens: a water garden, with ponds and fountains; an ornamental garden with intricate patterns of clipped box filled with different flowers according to the seasons; and an enormous vegetable garden. The photos I took, just don’t pay any justice.
16th, 17th & 18th June Experiencing Amboise the place Leonardo da Vinci lived for the last three years f his live.He worked for the king on a range of projects. Paying a visit to the da Vinci museum housed in the Chateau du Clos Lucé was worth it. The Chateau Amboise with its small St. Hubert chapel overlooking the city and Loire. Grand views of the Loire Valley and really good for cycling. There are also lots of good restaurants and patisseries.
Things I have noted in Spain, Portugal and France cars stop at all pedestrian crossings and are very respectful towards cyclict and give them lots of space when passing.
19th & 20th June
Château de Chambord is a fairly well-known attraction in Centre and Loire Valley, and is known for its grand Renaissance architecture and royal history. It is a popular palace in Centre and Loire Valley. I call it my favorite castle and is visited by over 1 million people per year. The plan of the castle and its decors stem from a central axis, the renowned double helix staircase, inspired by Leonardo da Vinci, an ascending spiral leading to a profusion of chimneys and sculpted capitals on the terraces. Chambord has over 426 rooms, 83 staircases, and 282 fireplaces, making it one of the largest châteaux in the Loire Valley.The castle’s construction took over 28 years and was not completed until the 16th century. Driving through the country side towards Chambord and the next day thru the champagne region towards Luxembourg I was rewarded with stunning scenery. Watch a short video click here .
21st – 25th June
Meeting up with my friends in Trier. Trier is in the Moselle wine region and Germany’s oldest town, near the Luxembourg border. Founded by the Romans in the late 1st century BC, it contains several well-preserved Roman structures like the Porta Nigra gate, the ruins of Roman baths, an amphitheater just outside the center and a stone bridge over the Moselle River build by the Romans. It is also the birthplace of Karl Marx. A philosopher, who developed the theory of international communism and co-authored ‘The Communist Manifesto’.
In the afternoon I meet up with my friends in Luxembourg. Hiking through the Muellertal brought back memories
During my visit I was cycling every day along the river Moselle, Sauer and Saar. Also I explored the City of Trier with all the history.
26th June – 7th July
On my way to Hamburg to drop off the campervan and spend my last 10 days in Hamburg and on the island of Foehr. Catching up with family and dear friends I know from kindergarten. Unfortunately the weather is a bit too cold to go to the beach. But there are lots of other things like the Friesian Museum click here and the Museum Art of the West Coast click here I have visited and even more catching up with friends.
I have played in a fundraising golf tournament. We played very well until the tournament had to be canceled due to a heavy storm with hail, rain, lightning and thunder.
8th July
I have to say good bye to my island of Föhr and leaving behind family and friends until the next time. Nice train trip through Schleswig-Holstein with lots of spinning windmills and thousands of solar panels on paddocks as they replace the nuclear energy in Germany.
9th July
On my way to New Zealand.
My luggage carries lots of fond memories of so many places, family and friends I have seen over the last three months.
It was an incredible trip. Europe has so much to offer, I will miss it.