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Fortress Museum

Within the walls of the Salzburg Fortress are a number of exhibits and museums.  The €25 family pass takes you up to the Fortress on the funicular, and gives you access to the whole place plus an audio guide which is great.  This place was  time spent well –  dry, warm and very interesting.  

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Salzburg Cathedral

Salzburg Cathedral is a17th century Baroque Cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Salzburg and is dedicated to Saint Rupert and Saint Vergilius. Founded by Saint Rupert in 774 on the remnants of a Roman town, the cathedral was rebuilt in 1181 after a fire. In the 17th century, the cathedral was completely rebuilt in the Baroque style to its present appearance.  Salzburg Cathedral still contains the baptismal […]

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Depeche Mode!

As always they are absolutely brilliant.  Almost two hours with encore!  There was an interesting take on But Not Tonight which Martin sang just with a piano.  I think we should go and see this show again, anyone interested in joining us?  Prague comes to mind in February.  I will drive.  We wish you could […]

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Something Modern

We have walked past this street about one hundred times, literally.  It’s on the way to the Lego among other things.  Not only did we find these very modern looking buildings right within the castle walls but we also found one of the best Sushi restaurants in the city called Sushi Glas.  In Alberta there […]

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Malmo – Old Town

Malmo has two distinct districts, the old town which is not very traditional or conventional  in the sense of old European towns.  The other part is The Western Harbour which is being built on the peninsula and is ultra modern. Since the construction of the Öresund bridge, linking Sweden to Denmark,  Malmö has undergone a major transformation with […]

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Viking Museum Ladby

Kerteminde is Denmark’s only ship grave from the Viking period. Around 925 AD, the king of Ladby was buried in his ship, which was 21.5 meters long and 3 meters wide. A burial mound was raised above the ship. His grave was furnished with all his fine possessions, including 11 horses and 3 or 4 […]

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Kerteminde

Kerteminde, is a small town about 10 km from Odense and is located  on the island of Funen and  has a population of 5,880.  This place is famous for its fish restaurants but to us it is famous for meringue.  Danes like meringue in three forms, cookies, ice cream with meringue topping or fresh meringue covered in […]

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Valdemars Castle

Valdemars Castle is a small palace on the island of Tåsinge near Svendborg in southern Denmark.  It was commissioned by King Christian IV for his son Valdemar Christian who never moved in. He was killed in battle in Poland in 1656.  Today the castle is owned by Baroness Caroline Luel-Brockdorff who was at one time married to Ian Flemming’s nephew.  Small world.  

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Ulriksholm Castle

This small castle is located approx. 6 km. SW of Kerteminde.  It was built for one of Christian IV’s  many sons, in a typical Renaissance style.  The castle was completed in 1645.  The young Count Ulrik Christian GYLDENLOVE only managed to enjoy his new home for a few years. He died in 1658 , at the age of 28.  Today, the castle is a private residence which […]

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Modern Copenhagen

Originally a Viking fishing village founded in the 10th century, Copenhagen became the capital of Denmark in the beginning of the 15th century.  Copenhagen metropolitan area is home to almost 2 million people out of 5 million that live in Denmark.  It’s a beautiful city, its home to the Danish royalty and a whole set of stunning […]

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Old Town Copenhagen

Part of our 15km walk around Copenhagen included the old town.  We went by the Round Tower which was an astoronomical  observatory built by King  Christian IV.  Instead of stairs, a 7.5-turn spiral ramp forms the only access way to the tower top observatory as well as the Library Hall and the Bell-Ringer’s Loft, both located above the church. […]

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The Marble Church

Frederik’s Church, popularly known as The Marble Church (Marmorkirken) for its architecture, is an Evangelical Lutheran church located just west of Amalienborg Palace.  Intended to commemorate the 300 years jubilee of the first coronation of a member of the House of Oldenburg. Frederick’s Church has the largest church dome in Scandinavia with a span of 31m. The construction of the church was delayed for 150 years due […]

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The Royal Palace

Amalienborg is the winter residence of the Danish Royal Family.  We made it here just before 12:00 to see the change of the guard.  The Royal Palace consists of  four identical classic palace façades with rococo interiors around an octagonal courtyard.   In the centre of the square is a monumental equestrian statue of Amalienborg’s founder, King Frederick V. The first time […]

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The Opera House

Located, across the Royal Palace, on the island of Holmen in central Copenhagen is the Copenhagen Opera House.  The Opera House is the national opera house of Denmark, and is among the most modern opera houses in the world. It is also one of the most expensive opera houses ever built with construction costs well over 500 million U.S. dollars.  

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New Harbour

Nyhavn or New Harbour  is a 17th-century waterfront, canal and entertainment district in Copenhagen, Denmark originally constructed by King Christian V from 1670 to 1673, dug by Swedish war prisoners.   It is a gateway from the sea to the old inner city at (King’s Square), where ships handled cargo and fishermens’ catch. It was home to  Hans Christian Andersen  for some 18 years. […]

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Hans Christian Andersen

Even if you have never been or heard of Odense you know someone from here.  Hans Christian Andersen was born and lived here until he was 14 years old.  His mother used to work at the royal palace and on occasion Hans Christian would be invited to play with the young prince at the palace. […]

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Chestnuts

Chestnuts are everywhere at the Vyšehrad Castle grounds.  Like a lot of people in Prague we too spent some time collecting them in the park, perhaps a bit more than others.  We each took our turn throwing a stick at the trees to shake some down.   Then it got a bit windy and we went […]

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Vyšehrad Castle

Vyšehrad is a historical fort located in Prague. It was probably built in the 10th century, on a hill over the Vltava River. Situated within the castle is the Basilica of St Peter and St Paul, as well as theVyšehrad Cemetery, containing the remains of many famous people from Czech history, among them Antonín Dvořák, Bedřich Smetana, Karel Čapek, and Alphonse Mucha. It also contains Prague’s […]

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Prague at Night

  We are wasting no time sitting around in the hotel.  About 15 min walk from the hotel is  the Prague Castle, the Charles Bridge, Old Town Square, the Jewish Quarter, and Petřín hill. At almost 1100 years old this city is full of treasures which we are eager to find, explore and experience.  It promises to be a great weekend. […]

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Tights

Never underestimate the power of creativity, imagination, determination and a pair of worn tights with a hole on the big toe.  Evelina is in a creative mood today and with a pair of scissors she made a ‘creation’ which she proudly modelled for us.  Evidentially proving that there is a way to put on tights […]

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Library

Close to the underground movie theatres is the public library.  Today, on the way back from the Altstadtfest, we circled around the library  to get signed up.  The service is free, you are allowed to keep stuff for 4 weeks and if you are late the penalty is € 0.10/week for each late item.  There is […]

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Going Home

The drive is very slow.  It seems everyone in Italy is sticking to using two lanes at the same time.  Austria is all under construction so most of the drive through Austria was at 100 km/h – shame.  We stopped for a quick dinner in Austria in Tyrol then set off on our way.  Finally, […]

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