Author: tarakauffman
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Mariehamn, Åland, Finland
Even though Mariehamn has Swedish as their native language they are a autonomous territory under Finland. They try to sustain themselves, with cattle, farms and apple orchards. The main industry is the sea. They have two harbors one on the east and one on the west side of the isthmus, many ferry services and a…
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Kayak and Palace
For our first morning on the ship Viking Jupiter, we were up early and out the gangway to kayak. Not exactly in my comfort zone, but an experience to try. After a quick lesson in the proper way to hold an oar and how to get in and out, we were off. Our fearless bohemian…
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City Hall & ABBA
City Hall was built from 1921 to 1923. The population had grown so much that they needed more space for their government functions. They built the voting/meeting hall first in 1921. They currently have 101 representatives. In 1970 the country made it so that there would be an even split between men and women. The…
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Packed Day
We had a list and really we checked a bunch of boxes. Our hotel is right next to the Modern Art Museum. Once again their signs suck. We sat outside for about 15 minutes waiting for it to open. We knew we were on the backside of the museum, but they unlocked the doors, so…
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Moving Day
We landed in Stockholm mid afternoon after our early morning flight was cancelled. It wouldn’t be a vacation without a few hiccups. To get from the airport to center city should have been a simple train ride. The main train was not running and the second choice was sold out. So we had to take…
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The Two F’s
Today we learned about fires and the way they shaped Bergen or an area within the city called Bryggen. From the start of the Viking time there were many fires caused by the buildings being made from wood, close proximity and open fire within the buildings. The process was that they would then rebuild directly…
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Moving Day
This morning we caught a train in Oslo and left for Bergen. It is about a 300 mile trip with quite a few stops along the way, so it takes 7 hours. The elevation changes from sea level up to 4,000 feet at Frinse, which is about 2/3rds of the way to Bergen. It is…
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Munck and Park Day
Today we started at the same little bakery for breakfast. I had a cardamom roll and Bryan a blueberry pastry. Both were really yummy! The Munch Museum, pronounced Moonk, is a really new building (2021) that is a tribute to their best known artist. Edward Munch was born in Oslo on December 12, 1863. He…
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Ready, Set, Oslo
After running on four hours sleep on the plane, we slept in until 10:30 this morning. To start the day we decided to purchase an Oslo Card. It was $60.00 each for a two day card. It was worth it for what we saved today in trams, ferries and museum costs. Close to the central…
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Frankfurt/Oslo
In the last few weeks the Texas panhandle has seen buckets of rain. It only goes to figure that we would have a delay out of Dallas due to a thunder storm. Flying into Frankfurt this morning though, we saw just sunshine and beautiful weather. Victor picked us up at the airport and treated us…
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Scandinavia
We are getting excited for our next trip to the north in June. This trip will include Oslo, Bergen, and Stockholm… and much more!!
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Heading Home
The Têt New Year is right around the corner on the 22nd of January. It will be the year of the cat for Vietnamese and the year of the rabbit for the Chinese. They are so smart, because we think every year should be the year of the Cat. We started the morning watching our…
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Back to Hanoi
We slept in this morning and then had a walk around the hotel grounds. Gardeners were everywhere working on planting and trimming. This island was man made and they have boats to take guests to the hotel. They scan for face recognition to get on the boat and into the dining room. This would be…
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Ha Long Bay
Today is a long travel day, about 3 1/2 hours by bus. Traffic in Saigon and Hanoi looks like motorcycle ants swarming around cars and buses. Yesterday we were starting to load our bus and a motorcycle tried to cut between us and the bus at the exact time when the bus driver opened the…
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Hanoi
Staying at the Lotte hotel is an elevating experience. To get to breakfast it is up to 63 from 44. Then to get out for the day it’s down to 44, pick up the backpack, down to 38, switch elevators and down to 1 and out for the day. I miss our last hotel on…
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Golf and Moving Day
Up at dawn to play 9 holes at Phokeethra Golf Course or in English the dragon course. We both had a caddie and it was a beautiful place. After our first charter flight from Siem Reap to Hanoi we had a drink on top of the Lotte Hotel’s 65th floor rooftop bar. I tried not…
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Angkor & Back to School
Angkor Thom means “big city”. It is not a temple, but where people lived. Bayon Temple inside the gate had 54 towers with only 39 left. It only took 5 years to build this temple. We were a bit distracted from Bayon Temple by the trimming of trees with scaffolding. It was a tall job…
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Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat was built from 1113 – 1150 as a Hindu temple. It was only later that it became Buddhist. It is the largest religious site in the world. It is the size of 400 soccer fields. The intricate carvings and stories told on the walls are amazing. The steps are at 70 degrees, very…
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Moving Day to Siem Reap
Once we made it to the hotel we had a relaxing afternoon and evening at the beautiful pool.
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Kampong Cham
Just outside of Kampong Cham is a little impoverished village. We were able to walk all over the village and look into their homes. Some were cleaning fish and others were preparing sugar cane. Our guide showed us the types of fish sauce that they ferment. One woman shared her soup with us. The children…
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Farewell to Phnom Penh
This morning our boat pulled out of Phnom Penh. We traveled about an hour upstream to an island in the middle of the river. This island, about 1 3/4 miles wide and 3 1/2 miles long, is home to 1500 families, 7,000 people and 2 public schools. It is also home to a silk workshop,…
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Phnom Penh, Udon Monastery, Silversmith
There are more than 5,000 Buddhist temples in Cambodia. Udon Temple is newer, built in 1996. Boys can begin the process to become a monk at 12 years old. Monks must follow 110 rules and cannot be touched. There were priests and nuns who lived at this temple. They have a retirement community there too.…
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Phnom Penh, Cambodia
The capital of Cambodia is known as the “Pearl of Asia”. Both Khmer (Cambodians) and french influence can be seen together in Phnom Penh. It can be seen through the architecture and education systems. Before the French there was basically a pagoda education, meaning the boys were educated by the monks. The girls were not…
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Tân Châu, Vietnam
This town is on the border between Vietnam and Cambodia. It is known for producing high quality silks. They produce a special black silk called “Heavenly Beauty” which is dyed with locally grown mulberries. Tân Châu means “New City” in English. We took a Sampan boat from the ship to Evergreen Island, just off the…
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Cái Bè and Sa Déc
Life is so fascinatingly different along the Mekong. The markets, ferries, fishing boats and Sampan boats are normal sights. We took a Sampan boat from the ship to take our tour today. The Mekong is 4350 km or 2700 miles long and goes through 6 countries. China, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is…
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Moving Day to the Ship
Today we went from the big city to the countryside. Even the outlying areas are very busy. Lots of cars, trucks and motorcycles still. The French had introduced many things to the country: rubber trees (for latex), cashews, pepper and coffee. Between Saigon and the port is the area where the VC dug and fought…
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Sights of Vietnam
First stop today was the President’s Palace or Reunification Palace. This is where the Viet Cong drove two tanks through the gates in 1975 to declare themselves victorious and force the South Vietnamese to surrender. The original building was bombed and rebuilt in 1966. This Bell Huey sat on the roof for the president’s use.…
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So Long Siam, Good Morning Vietnam
We will miss the morning breakfasts in Bangkok. The best mangos! We took a flight to Vietnam this morning. It is just an hour and 20 minutes. Nothing much to do today, so we attempted to walk and do laundry, but it started raining buckets. Plan B, we grabbed a taxi and went to the…
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