July 10. It took our little ship BERLIN five days to reach the Lofoten. Arriving shortly after midnight, under a thick carpet of clouds, the blue hour makes the scenery look impressive and mysterious. What would the next day bring? The Lofoten islands are located above the polar circle, which [...]
When you visit Bergen by ship, and you only have a couple of hours to spend, then a good advice would be to go to the fish market. When you visit Bergen by ship, and you only have a couple of hours to spend, then a good advice would be [...]
Summer holidays are coming soon! Why not choose Ghent? Some time ago Lonely Planet called it Belgium’s best-kept secret. A perfect moment would be the long weekend around 21 July, because we're having the Belgian national day. You will be here during the famous Gentse Feesten (14-23 July)! During this ten-day event [...]
After a very busy period, a week of slow cruising on the Rhône River sounded indeed very appealing. This time my parents were coming too, for their first river cruise. There was also a group of media friends that would be on board. In short, an interesting week ahead! We embarked [...]
Nobody could believe what a stunningly beautiful day it was, on May 10th 2017, for the christening of AMAKRISTINA, AmaWaterways' newest river cruise ship. After too many days of cold and grey weather, summer-like conditions had finally arrived in Europe, and in Lahnstein, a town with an idyllic view on the river [...]
Much to my own surprise I suddenly found myself excited about a cat café, in the middle of Tokyo. Our discovery tour of Tokyo was abruptly interrupted when my good friend Nobuko pointed at a fourth or fifth floor of a building. She said she wanted to visit the "MoCha Cat Café", [...]
Sometimes in life you meet somebody briefly, and you know it will be a friend forever. No need to see each other frequently; the friendship is there to stay. Our ship, the VOLENDAM, was only in Shanghai for two days. But after day one I already realized that my bond with Shanghai [...]
Do you think skyscrapers, and skyscrapers only, when one says "Hong Kong"? So did I. However, much to my surprise I saw an almost poetic entente between the dazzling concrete towers and a wide array of beautiful trees and city gardens. Do you think skyscrapers, and skyscrapers only, when one [...]
Probably it was the oldest cruise ship I have ever been on. The Swedish JUNO was built in 1874, and she is still operating on the route she was built for: the Göta Canal. The Göta Canal was one of the largest civil engineering projects ever undertaken in Sweden. The excavation [...]
What makes cruising so attractive? That is something I often have to write about, or to include in presentations. Different persons, different reasons, and there are many. However my main reason for being a cruise addict can be shown in these twelve pictures. And you'll understand. The above photo shows: Ship: OOSTERDAM, [...]
