posted on 11th August 2010 under History, Reiseblogg2010, Summer, Travel Abroad
A boat trip with M/S Marianne from Sjötorp on Göta Canal to Mariestad, the pearl of Lake Vänern, was a breath taking experience. It was done while having a visit from the in-laws from USA and we took them for a four day trip to our vacation home in Sweden. Of course I will share some of the highlights with you – lets start with the dock where the boat was anchored:
The lower Port docks in Sjötorp on Gjöta Canal
Sjötorp and Gjöta Canal:
The village is the most frequently visited place in the rural district and the start of the Göta Canal with all that this implies; leisure-boats, passenger-ships, car-tourists, bicycle-tourists, fishing-trips etc. Here you’ll find shops, restaurants, sleeping accommodations, wharf, museum and tourist-office.
Göta Canal is one of the largest construction projects (1810-1832) ever undertaken in Sweden. The canal stretches from Sjötorp to Mem, 190 km long and has 58 locks. To learn more, read my post about it: “Summer at Göta Canal” (click pic to bigyfy & enjoy):
The last lock before the boats enters Lake Vänern.
M/S Marianne:
The Motor Ship was built in 1897 in Gothenburg for personal use of Captain Fredrik Pettersson and rebuilt as a passenger boat in 1926. The vessel is built of iron in the clinker. It’s a two masts beauty in 24 meters length and 4 meter wide – just take a look:
Below: Fine hard wood interior on and below deck
Lake Vänern:
Geologically, the lake was formed after the last ice age about 10,000 years ago; when the ice melted, the entire width of Sweden was covered in water, creating a strait between Kattegat and the Gulf of Bothnia. It’s northern Europe’s largest and covers an area of 5,655 km². It is located at 44 meter above sea level and is on average 27 m deep. The maximum depth of the lake is 106 meter. A Viking ship was found on the lake’s bottom on May 6, 2009.
On our way to Mariestad, in warm and sunny weather, we had some nice views of the shore line:
Fast pleasure boats – Family cottages
Campground at Torsö – Clean and safe recreational use
Torsö Bridge:
You reach the island of Torsö by a gently rounded bridge with a beautiful view overlooking Mariestad. It offers several beaches as well as a camp ground and private cabins for rent. Click to read my last post about this beautiful place: “Torsö Island at Mariestad”
Mariestad, the Pearl of Lake Vänern:
Our vacation home town of which I have posted from often is called “The Pearl of Lake Vänern” and for a lot of reasons (see related posts below). Knowing the area quite well, it was kind of special to approach this city from the water. It’s easy to spot the Cathedral; build in the 15th century by the city’s founder Duke Charles, who later became King Charles IX of Sweden. The city is named after his wife Marie of Pfalz:
The boat trip ended in the harbour, a place we frequently visit to have an ice-cream, a snack or even a nice meal now and then:
Talking about it; here is a pic I took with my new Nokia x6 when we had dinner at the harbour restaurant the other day – I just could not resist trying to capture the golden beauty of the sky:
Some related post from Mariestad:
-> Wandering through time in old Mariestad
-> MidSummer or Summer Solstice in Norway and Sweden
-> Red hot sky and icy cold Scandinavian beach beauty
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posted on 9th August 2010 under Reiseblogg2010, Travel Abroad
An experienced traveller knows what the words “full service hotel” really means. In this case it meant service beyond the front door also out in Brussels city. Since travelling a good deal both in business and our free time, it’s also interesting to hear others experiences. So repeating his previous success, I have the pleasure of a new guest post from Edgar about how he and his wife were helped out of a bit of a sticky (or at least wet) situation. Edgar, the floor is yours:
In my previous post I included an endorsement for our hotel in Brussels, the Sheraton Brussels. I have stayed there before, and my recent experience lifted it to one of our all-time-favorite-hotels. The story is that while out sightseeing one afternoon, we were caught by a terrible downpour not far from the EU offices in the Berlaymont building. We sought refuge in a doorway/driveway to some official building manned by Military Police. It was raining so badly so that we couldn’t even stand outside to try and hail a taxi. The MP’s gave us a number to call, but there was no answer at the taxi-central, understandably enough.
The rain continued, and we were getting desperate, it really was so bad so that I thought Noah may be coming back with his Ark to pick us up. And it didn’t look like it would be letting up for the next couple of hours.
The I suddenly realized that being a full-service hotel the Sheraton would have a dedicated guest-service-position known as a concierge, so I decided to call him (they’re very often male) for help. I politely asked if he could possibly arrange for a taxi to come and pick us up. I thought this would possibly be stretching the limits for his duties, but he was all help and no complaints. It took less than ten minutes before the taxi was there and took us safely (and dry!) back to your hotel.
From the web link above you can see that there are virtually no limits to what you can ask for, and from guest-point of view it came out as excellent service. This is the type of service that makes me argue for the benefits of paying more to stay in a full-service hotel rather than a B&B. And the type of service that will make me come back – rr at least write a post (he he….).
It could be interesting to hear your thoughts about this episode; How many of you have stayed in a hotel like the Sheraton, and have you actually used the services of the concierge? What is/was your experience?
Thanks Edgar, I can really understand you giving your full endorsement to Sheraton Brussels. I am not sure all hotels offer such good service outside of the establishment. I agree totally that this hotel deserves two thumbs up and the loyalty of its customers. We’ll send them a link to this post and make sure they get the praise they deserve!
Seems to me that Edgar is getting to like this blogging thing! Glad to see it can be contagious sometimes. Make sure you link up with him on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn (etc) and follow along as he is quite active in Social Media. Participants at our OsloBG will meet him in person and I know he’ll looking forward to it!
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posted on 2nd August 2010 under Food, Travel Abroad
Brussels in Belgium with Manneken Pis, Grand Place, not to forget their chocolate; has a lot more to offer – especially Norwegian seafood lovers. A good friend red my post “Brussels Fish Market” and wanted to give it a try when on vacation this summer and found even more than I did and was kind enough to enlighten the subject with a guest post. So Edgar, the floor is yours:
Some time ago Renny wrote a wonderful post about the Brussels Fish Market. When my wife Kirsten and I visited Brussels a few weeks ago, being fond of seafood we wanted to explore the same. And yes, there it was, right in the downtown of Brussels, we found the street Rue des Bouchers, and the place La Bergerie.
Belgium seafood delight.
However – we went on one of these HopOn-HopOff Sightseeing tours (I’m sure you’re familiar with the concept), and during the tour, the guide on the tape directs us to “The old fish market of Brussels on your right-hand-side”, when Renny’s place was definitely on our left. Strange, huh? Could be because it was pre-recorded, and played back at the wrong turn, or simply misguided (pun intended)? So we decided to check with the helpful concierge of the Brussels Sheraton. He confirmed that the guide, even though pre-recorded, was indeed right. The original Brussels Fish Market is indeed on the right-hand side of the Boulevard Anspach when you have the Brussels Bourse on your left side. In the evening we walked down, found it quite easily, a nice open square called Place Saint Catherine (take note of the name), with numerous delightful seafood restaurants around.
After having read menus back and forth and back again we chose a nice place called L’Huitrie. It was really good with a menu full of delights and excellent service to go with it. The price was slightly higher than in the Rue des Bouchers , but we felt the food and the service was worth more than the difference. Another point is that in the Place Saint Catherine there are no tourists, only locals. When Kirsten and I travel we tend to prefer the “not-so-touristy” places, even though we are tourists ourselves. Could be because we think we blend in so much better than all the others that speak English and take pictures of each-other at the restaurant-table.
Anyhow, we enjoyed our evening out and are only too happy to share the tip with Rennys entire readership. And if you’re looking for a good place to stay overnight, I’ve already mentioned the Sheraton Brussels – happy to endorse that as well.
Thanks Edgar – Back to RennyBA:
This was some good tips on how to get the most out of a trip to Brussels. We have of course been there a couple of times and find the city quite charming and people friendly. We will have to visit L’Huîtrière the next time we are there. This was also a good opportunity to introduce you to Edgar who will be joining us at the OsloBG since we are still busy entertaining my in-laws and showing them around the Norwegian countryside. I will be back with the details from our adventures in a couple of days!
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posted on 3rd July 2010 under History, Reiseblogg2010, Summer, Travel Abroad
Vaholm covered bridge from the 17th century, is Sweden’s only covered and leads over river Tidan – a suspension bridge in two spans. Bridges of this kind are otherwise very common in the US, but in Europe they are just a few examples in Germany and Switzerland. In Scandinavia there is only similar bridge in Norway; The Hammer Bridge in mid Norway – looking almost the same as this Vaholm:
Vaholm bridge was renovated in 1992 after having been close to collapse.
Located in the courtyard Vaholm it has been discussed as a possible location of the former royal farm, which gave its name to the local area. The farm’s current main building is from the start of the 1800s. Last weekend, when in Sweden, my wife and I took a little road trip looking for this well known covered bridge and we gladly take you with (click pic to bigify & enjoy):
The suspension wooden bridge is a two-span, totalling 34 feet of the main girders of round logs. The land attachment, like bridge piers in the center, built of hewn stone brick and is held together by tension straps of iron. On the main studs are longitudinal spans of wood with wrought iron hangers carrying the bridge deck:
The bridge house itself is independent and built in the traditional manner with a single pole design works. The house is covered with a Falu red paint panels, and the bottom decorated with a carved scallop design. Neither the bridge nor the house is particularly remarkable on its own – but the combination makes a unique facility.
People who have crossed over the bridge late at night report feeling strong feelings of discomfort and the feeling of evil or death present.
Others have reported seeing crying child faces on the wall while others said they felt like someone wanted to kill them while standing there. Some have even said that they felt someone tried to strangle them when standing in the bridge house after dark, and it is rumoured that something very terrible may have happened here.
Tidan is a locality situated in Skövde Municipality, Västra Götaland County in Sweden which has about 1000 inhabitants and only 20 minutes from our vacation home in Mariestad. In spite of the ghost stories I didn’t notice anything about the bridge except how lovely it looked in the nice summer weather. I didn’t feel anything while crossing it, although Diane was a bit sceptical to driving the car over:
Whatever its history this fine bridge over Tidan river didn’t seem to mean us any harm. How about you – do you know or have heard of any of these kind of bridges?
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posted on 24th April 2010 under Culture, History, Reiseblogg2010, Travel Abroad
Traiana Columna or Column built in Trajan’s Forum in Rome, inaugurated on 12th of May 113, is one o f the best preserved monuments of antiquity – erected “for eternity”. It is to be admired at the National History Museum as a copy, brought into being by archaeologist Emil Panaitescu’s – the director of the Romanian School in Rome at that time.
When I was in Bucharest at the museum last weekend, I become aware of that it tells a lot about this country’s history and why it’s called Romania. With some of my photos and a bit of research, I gladly share it with you. Let’s start with the base of this monument:
Romanian History:
Romania is situated in Central Europe and its territory is marked by the Carpathian Mountains, the Danube and the Black Sea. With its temperate climate and varied natural environment, which is favourable to farming, the Romanian territory has been inhabited since time immemorial.
The territory of today’s Romania was inhabited as early as 513 BC by the Getae or Dacians, a Thracian tribe. Under the leadership of Burebista (70-44 BC) the Dacians became a powerful state which threatened even the regional interests of the Romans. Julius Caesar intended to start a campaign against the Dacians, but was assassinated in 44 BC. The Dacian state sustained a series of conflicts with the expanding Roman Empire, and was finally conquered in 106 AD by the Roman emperor Trajan, who defeated Decebalus. Faced by successive invasions of the Goths and Carpi, the Roman administration withdrew in 271.
All of this and a lot more are told as history engravings from around the monument. They are reconstructed at the museum, so let me give you some examples:
A group of low rank Dacian warriors beg for mercy to the merciless Emperor Trajan
Dacians returning to their homes
Different people from other kingdoms (or empires) lived with the Romanians, such as the Gothic Empire (Oium) from 271 until 378, the Hunnish Empire until 435, the Avar Empire and slaves during the 6th century. Much of Romania fell under the First Bulgarian Empire during the 9th through 11th centuries. Subsequently Magyars, Pechenegs, Cumans and Tatars also raided and settled in the lands to various extents. Let me give you some other photos from the museum to exemplify (click to bigify and enjoy):
Left: Chimney crowing from the Walphard – Right: Funerary Lion at Micia, Hunedoara County.
Modern Romania since 1989:
The Ceauşescu couple, fleeing Bucharest by helicopter, ended up in the custody of the army; after being tried and convicted by a kangaroo court for genocide and other crimes, they were executed on December 25, 1989. The events of this revolution remain to this day a matter of debate, with many conflicting theories as to the motivations and even actions of some of the main players. It still shows at the Revolution Square where I took some photos too:
Ceauşescu lifted from the top left of this building.
In December 1991, a new constitution was drafted and subsequently adopted, after a popular referendum, which, however, attracted criticism from international observers who accused the government of manipulating the population and even of outright fraud. A new constitution which took effect October 29, 2003, follows the structure of the Constitution of 1991. However it made significant revisions, among which the most significant are extension of the presidential mandate from four years to five, and the guaranteed protection of private property. Presidential and parliamentary elections took place again on November 28, 2004. In 2004 Romania joined NATO and then the European Union (EU), alongside Bulgaria, on January 1, 2007.
The photo to the left is kind of a monument symbolising the past and the present: The pyramid of victory as a part of the Revival’s Memorial – Eternal glory to the Romanian revolution and it’s heroes from December 1989.
So this is my last post from my wife DianeCA and mine’s trip to Bucharest last weekend. I hope you’ve enjoyed us taking you along and you may read the other three here:
About our culinary adventure – Bucharest in Romania a city of architectural contrasts – and Bucharest People or Parliament Palace in Romania.
I also recommend that you read DianeCA’s post from our trip too – in quite a different but interesting prospective: Bucharest, Romania in Spring!
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