We had an early start with our local guide for a walking tour of the city. “Tall” Piet, there were 3 Piets guiding hence the nickname, proved a knowledgeable man with a lively sense of humour. I think some locals were startled when 20 tourists burst into laughter simultaneously, with our headphones being connected to the guides commentary.

Cologne is dominated by the twin towers of its Cathedral, started in Medieval times, it took 600 years to complete, and was the highest building in the world, for a while.

As it was still early we had plenty of room to stroll around, whilst absorbing all the facts and figures Piet gave us. To a medieval pilgrim it would have a miraculous sight.

The gargoyles were an amusing feature on an otherwise formal building. The golden shrine inside, housing relics of the three wise men, was equally impressive, along with the stained glass windows.

A most impressive building, bound to struck awe into pilgrams and their purses ! I had signed up for another Cathedral tour later in the afternoon…….to the top of the crossover spire, an interesting choice as I’m not great with heights, and a definite no from H ! On the way back to the ship Piet showed us 2 other essentials, a Bakery and Brewery…..we tried a pretzel, but skipped the beer.

I walked into the city that afternoon for my “top of Cologne tour”. Allowing plenty of time for the 20 minute walk, with the meeting point next to a camera shop 😳

Sure enough the shop was directly attached to the Cathedral! With a spare half hour a Voightlander VSL1 35mm film camera and 2 lenses somehow found their way into my backpack….

There were 7 other victims, participants for the tour, and after a nondescript door we started climbing. This was via a stone spiral staircase, barely wide enough for one person, and dimly lit. H had made a wise decision!

Emerging out on the first level balcony we discovered we had barely started…….this was going to be interesting! For the next level we went via a balcony looking over the exterior at first, then the interior.

Onto the next level, more spiral stairs and scarier balconies.

More stair climbing, then out onto that scary platform…..optional but I did it, hanging onto the handrails. Not for the faint hearted !

Our final ascent took us above the vault ceiling, a tangled mass of iron beams held together giant nuts and bolts. This was a real suprise, being the first such iron structure, and was much admired by a Mr Eiffel…..of tower fame.

Then onto a slightly incongruous steel spiral staircase into the cross over tower.

Where we emerged into the sunshine, and spectacular views of the city, and surrounding spires of the Cathedral.

It had taken us over an hour to ascend, but was throughly worth it, and I had enough energy to walk back to the ship as well. Desert with tonight’s dinner had been earned, and was eaten guilt free.

We left Amsterdam last night just before midnight, apparently, because I was fast asleep ! The ship is so quiet and stable you would hardly know we were afloat. We will be traversing 8 countries over the next 3 weeks, but it’s in 2 parts…..

Amsterdam to Budapest to Bucharest. I did wake up at 3 am, looking out there was a surreal moon lit landscape of the canal, lines of pollarded willows and full moon, simply stunning !

Shortly after brekkie we moored up alongside the 19 Kinderdijk windmills. These are arranged in 2 parallel lines, pumping water up each level before being discharged into the river.

Our guide took us to the gift shop first, where we resisted all the pottery knick knacks. Upon leaving that the sun broke out, and one of the windmills started turning. Only 2 of the 19 mills are open to the public, so that’s where we headed next.

Our excellent guide described their inner workings and use since inception. Replaced by modern pipes they are now retained for the tourism, but are still in full working order.

Up close the sails were fairly whizzing around, and provided a challenge to photograph them.

Inside was a mixture of mechanical beams and cogs, surrounded by the family living quarters of the miller.

Back on the ship it was soon time for lunch, whilst viewing ships of varying sizes whizzing around us. Compared to an Ocean Cruiser the large windows really bring the surrounding landscape inside, providing a more intimate experience.

I did a bridge tour this afternoon, a very impressive set up. Hybrid electric rear azipod thrusters, electric bow thrusters, ballast tanks to lower the ship in the water and a hydraulic wheel house that can completely sink into the top deck for very low bridges. Our Captain has 35 years experience, so we are in safe hands.

With time to spare before boarding our ship, the Viking Vadar, we walked into town to look around. You must be very vigilant when crossing roads, bike lanes and even the pavements. Bikes were everywhere, even having their own escalators !

We found a beautiful second hand camera shop, full of Leica gear, that was CLOSED…….talk about frustration 😁 However a little coffee shop inside the Central Station was open, some chairs and a hot chocolate providing some respite for Hazel, who is still a bit sore from the flights.

Talking to the Viking rep back at our hotel confirmed Vidar’s location, quite a way away, so we Uber’d over just before lunch. Things seem to be a lot more casual than ocean cruising, we just wandered aboard up the gang plank. “Leave your bags there”….check in took 2 minutes….“have a bit of lunch whilst we ready your room”…….all very easy.

Lunch in the restaurant was good, and we soon started meeting Aussies, with a couple from Mandurah joining our table.

Sure enough our cabin was soon ready, and swallowed all our gear with loads of storage areas.

There is a very convenient coffee station and library at the end of our corridor, and with seating areas scattered around the ship it looks very comfortable and is in pristine condition.

The sun deck above us has a walking track, herb area and plenty of seating for all. It should be a great place to panoramic shots !

We are all settled in and are shortly due in the lounge to meet our fellow travellers and share a drink before the safety briefing.

So a great start to what hopes to be a memorable trip !

After 8 hours solid sleep I’m able to add a few more pictures and words to yesterdays cruise. By selecting a local guide you get a much more personal look into their country, and Remco certainly did that. Rather than Edam cheese and Windmills, nothing wrong with that, we learned about how the farming community is under constant pressure from the Government, with signs against wind farms and re zoning scattered along the canalside. Not that much different from home really.

There were lots of windmills though, and some beautiful homes and towns spread along the canal banks. A few hire and private boats passed us, all boaters give the same casual wave…..which really means how lucky we are compared to those on the land !

It was a highly enjoyable tour, with the Hasselblad shooting in Xpan mode for those panoramic photos, so suited to river shots.

Last night talking to the Viking rep we learned our boat was unlikely to be moored in the passenger terminal area next to our hotel, so much for selecting it due to the location ! We will have another chat with him today to confirm it, and then Uber over for an afternoon embarkation. I suspect there will be an Amsterdam Part 3 blog coming, after a morning stroll around the city.

After over 36 hours travel we arrived in Amsterdam early this morning ! The 6.5 hours stopover in Singapore was a bit trying, along with a bit of turbulence, and over crowded lounge we are both done with air travel for a while.

I had organised a private guide to fill in time before the afternoon hotel check in, and sure enough Remco and his black S type Jaguar picked us out of the airport and into the countryside. Canals, windmills and boats were perused in leisure before he made us coffee at his canalside small house and suggested a cruise in his boat. What a perfect way to start…..

I had intended to add a few more pics, but I can hardly focus my eyes, let alone process Raw image pictures, Part 2 tomorrow.

Tasotter and H will soon be back on rivers, with a cruise from Amsterdam to Bucharest, then back onto our narrowboat Prime Thyme and the River Wey.

But first we have to get there……so I’m writing this at a Melbourne Airport hotel, with our flight from Melbourne to Amsterdam via Singapore tomorrow. Autumn morning fogs in Lonnie frequently disrupt connections, so we always play it safe with an overnight stop ! It was short but eventful flight. With the fastest meal service, curry in a hurry, and a spectacular sunset.

As the indigestion settled in we flew directly over the city and promptly landed after a 45 minute flight. It took longer to collect the luggage and walk to the hotel.

As usual I’ll share our adventures with regular blogs and photos. This trip I’ll be using a crop sensor Leica TL and versatile 16-300mm lens, a full frame Hasselblad X1D MKII with a 35-75mm lens, and a very rare Voightlander 667W medium format, wide angle, 120mm film camera.

Stay tuned for further updates, we have a tour straight out of Schiphol Airport organised first.

Celebrating our 30 year wedding anniversary we revisited Cradle Mountain last week. Unlike our honeymoon, when we got snowed in ! the weather was perfect.

Our first walk on the day of our arrival was the King Billy track. The walkway snaked uphill thru bush and scrub, finally entering a magnificent stand of old King Billy Pines.

Shafts of sunlight pierced the gloom, providing excellent photos.

After an excellent meal at the lodge that night, we set about the Dove Lake circuit the following day. You can no longer drive your classic car down there, but the buses were very frequent, and probably safer. It’s been an excellent photo opportunity though !

The Dove Lake Circuit is graded as moderate, starting out easily there is a steep section towards the end, which provided H with a challenge, but she completed it much to her credit.

With no wind and a blue sky the reflections were stunning.

It was a little too early for the native beech colour change, just a few leaves had that bright orange colour they are famous for.

Finally the boat house came into view, on the home stretch !

The spa was given a good workout that night, and did its magic because H was up for 2 more walks the next day.

We finally took a wandering drive home via Mole Creek and the excellent Cethana Road. A big thank you to our NZ house and dog sitters, plus Peppers who spoilt us with a bottle of bubbly and a free drinks at the bar to celebrate 30 years ! I wonder where we will be for the next milestone ? Hopefully Cradle Mountain again!

So it was a sad goodbye to Le Soleal this morning, with the crew turning out in force to wish us well. Our Dunedin friends picked us up for a few more hours holiday, before our afternoon flight to Auckland. We drove to the Moeraki Boulders, strung along in a stunning beach setting. The fog provided perfect light for pics.

We also stopped at Shag Point, a favoured haunt of NZ fur seals.

We had time for a quick lunch in Dunedin, it felt rather strange to pay for food, before heading to the airport. It was great to catch up with Steve and Lisa, thanks so much guys, see you soon in Tas.

We are safely ensconced in the airport hotel, ready for an early flight to Sydney, then Lonnie. The seal below sums up our Antartica and New Zealand trip, it’s been absolutely amazing but we need some sleep and are slightly overweight !

The last day onboard is always a bittersweet moment for us. Whilst we are glad to get home and see Cooper and Rosie, it’s a wrench to break out of the cruising lifestyle.

Apart from packing, the day was taken up by lectures, lunch and our final expedition briefing. This turned into a few hilarious presentations, and really reinforced what a great team we had.

All too soon the lighthouse at the entrance to Dunedin Channel appeared with attendant Royal Albatross. It seems ages ago that we had visited there.

There was a lot of sea mist and low cloud about, giving me some moody photographs. I’ve really enjoyed taking them this trip, helped by choosing the right equipment. Hopefully my panoramic film shots will turn out ok. I’ll post the best of them once they have been developed and scanned.

It’s been an amazing journey, hopefully you’ve enjoyed the ride and might be inspired to try a trip to the White Continent yourself. Tomorrow we will spend a little time with our Dunedin friends, then fly to, and overnight at Auckland Airport. It’s an early start the next day to Sydney and home, Launceston. However we are on the move again, with a European river trip and a cruise aboard Prime Thyme scheduled soon. See you then !

The geology of the Snares has produced an island full of character with plenty of micro climates resulting in an abundance of life. Our guides, Penny and Lindsey provided plenty of information, and were appreciative of the almost perfect conditions, again !

It was another location where penguins, this time Snare Penguins, seemed to lurk around each corner with their “runways” going up cliffs.

We also saw numerous seals and abundant bird life, especially albatross.

Plant life was in abundance as well, with kelp swaying in the currents, and mega herbs growing in soil pockets along cliffs.

However the jewel in the Snares crown were the Sea Caves.

Our adventurous guides took us through a couple, revealing stunning colours in the crystal clear water, and a few drips !

The Snares certainly didn’t disappoint, smiles all round 😁

We finished off the day with a Gala cocktail and Dinner. The Captain and his crew have done a magnificent job in looking after us, whilst keeping us safe in a hostile environment.