Posts In The “Destinations” Category
Den Helder is the main naval base for the Royal Netherlands Navy and the harbour is packed with large and imposing naval ships. Within the port is the Royal Netherlands Navy Yacht club, where we stayed for several nights in sight of all the navy ships plus many large commercial and Coast Guard vessels. From…
The beach Vliehors is an 8-sq-mile (20-sq-km) sandy plain, exposed to the North Sea, along the west side of the Dutch island of Vlieland. The Vliehors Expres carries visitors the length of the beach, leaving wonderful poems in the sand. Or you can visit by bicycle, as we and many others did. Below are trip…
We departed Heligoland shortly after daybreak on a 132nm run to Vlieland, Netherlands through the German Bight. The body of water, at the southeast corner of the North Sea, can be a nasty stretch and is our last offshore run off the year. We had blissfully calm conditions through much of the trip, with the…
The tiny island of Dune was connected to the Heligoland main island until 1720, when a storm flood destroyed the land bridge between them. As the name suggests, sand dunes cover much of the island and beaches ring the shores, making it a popular summer destination. The island’s healthy seal population also is a major…
On our third day in Heligoland, a storm came through bringing southwest winds over 40 knots. In the large port basin, Dirona was moving around a bit in the wind and waves, and the boats in front of us on the dock were really tossing. The harbour would be removing the dock for the winter…
Heligoland is a dramatic archipelago thirty miles offshore from mainland Germany. Attractions include incredible natural beauty, extensive seabird life, seal colonies, naval ruins and many excellent restaurants. On our second day in Heligoland, we toured throughout the main island and particularly enjoyed the views and scenery from the cliff tops at the north end. Below…
Heligoland, Germany is part of the EU, but is not inside the EU Customs Union or VAT area. The duty-free sale of fuel and luxury items such as alcohol, cigarettes and perfume make up a big part of the island’s economy. This is the reason we’ve stopped here for fuel three times in the past…
From Lake Flemihude, just inside the Kiel Canal, we made a 97-nm run to Heligoland, a small island 30 miles offshore from mainland Germany. Despite adhering to an 8.1-knot speed limit in the canal, the delays in locking through, and an initial negative current in the river Elbe, we got enough positive current later on…
After an excellent week in Copenhagen, we reluctantly departed to continue south towards Amsterdam. Over two nights, with an overnight stop in the Smalandsfarvandet, we ran 153nm to just inside the Kiel Canal at Lake Flemhude. Shortly after departing Denmark and entering Germany, our US registration again attracted an official inspection, this time from the…
Copenhagen’s Orestad neighbourhood, southeast of the city center, is known for its spectacular modern architecture, so much so that companies run architectural tours of the area. On our final day in Copenhagen, we made our own architectural tour of Orestad by bicycle. We were really impressed with the modern and innovative architecture, including several by…
We were lucky to be in Copenhagen for the city’s annual culture night, where over 250 museums, churches, theatres, libraries, city buildings and businesses host a public open-house. After going through the list of participants, we selected a tour of the world-wide headquarters of Danish shipping company A.P. Moller – Maersk and the Copenhagen Opera…
Kastellet (the “Citadel”), just north of the city center, was commissioned by Frederick III in 1662 to defend the port of Copenhagen. The pentagon-shaped structure is today one of Northern Europe’s best-preserved forts. On our fifth day in Copenhagen, we walked north of Nyhavn to visit Kastellet. On the way, we toured Amalienborg Slot and…
Danish architects and designers have long been internationally known for their innovative and striking creations. The iconic Sydney Opera House, for example, was designed by Danish architect Jorn Utzon. Copenhagen, of course, is full of spectacular examples of their work and a great way to see many of them is from the water. On our…
Amager Bakke is a cutting-edge waste-to-energy plant with a year-round, no-snow ski hill and walking and running paths built onto the roof. The slope-roofed structure, completed recently this year, dominates the skyline northeast of Copenhagen and was a prominent landmark when we approached the city from the north. The innovative design is the product of…
Christiansborg Palace, now the seat of the Danish Parliament, is the fifth castle built at the same location in Copenhagen. The first, built in 1167 the city’s founder Bishop Absalon, was destroyed in the 1300s. A second castle, completed later in the 14th century, was demolished to make way for Christian IV’s grandiose baroque palace…
Copenhagen has been the capitol of Denmark since the 15th century and is the largest city in the country, with more than two million people living in the metropilitan area. It also is the governmental, economic and cultural center of the nation, and has a wide variety of museums, theaters and galleries. Despite its size,…
We’d enjoyed watching the electric ferries running back and forth from Helsingor, Denmark to Sweden and and decided it would be fun to take one and visit Helsingborg, SE for a day. We also were keen to watch the robotic arm that attaches the charging cable at each end. Helsingborg is the oldest city in…
Kronborg Castle at Helsingor, Denmark evolved from a 15th-century medieval fortress to a magnificent Renaissance castle. The Danish King Frederick II constructed the castle in the mid-1500s using funds gathered from the tolls that ships had to pay Denmark on passing through the Oresund. It was these tolls that prompted the Swedish to build the…