Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Boarding a Ferry Boat from Germany to Denmark with an ICE Train

One of the surprises of my recent two-week trip to Germany (Munich and Frankfurt), Denmark (Copenhagen), and Sweden (Gothenburg and Stockholm) was my train ride originating in Hamburg and headed to Copenhagen.  Denmark is connected by land to Germany at the very northern part of Germany.  I expected the train would go through the land route, and I assumed that this was the only option.  This was not the case.  There is a special ferry boat departing from Puttgarden, Germany to Rodbyhavn, Denmark that a train (two wagons in length) may board.  The ferry boat is equipped with built in rails that the train slips into.

It was a nice surprise since I did not expect to board a boat, and travel thru the Baltic Sea on this trip.  The trip takes about 45 minutes.  You can leave the train compartment and go to the upper deck levels of the boat, including the outside viewing areas.  The boat has a full service restaurant, coffee/snack shop, a currency exchange center and duty-free shopping area.

Our train about to enter the ferry boat in Puttgarden, Germany.



The boat leaving Puttgarden.




The train inside the ferry boat.





At the viewing deck of the ferry boat.





Inside the boat.




Approach to Rodbyhavn, Denmark.


Monday, October 3, 2011

Autumn Season Is Upon Us

For most of my two week trip to Germany, Denmark, and Sweden, the weather has been nice. Munich, Hamburg, Copenhagen, most of my Gothenburg stay, and the first 2 1/2 days in Stockholm had been sunny. The afternoon of my second day in Gothenburg turned gray and fog moved in later that evening. The afternoon of my third day in Stockholm also turned gray. Today, my last full day in Europe, it started to drizzle in Stockholm; it was overcast the entire day and probably the coldest it had been on my entire trip.

Although it had been sunny most of the time, the temperature during the evenings has been a bit crisp and nippy. Autumn, my favorite time of the year, really is upon us. Not only is it noticeable from the cooler temperature, it has been fairly obvious from the changing of colors in the flora.

The vine leaves creeping up Stockholm's City Hall are bright red.



The vine on the trellis and the leaves of the tree behind the metal sculpture, both at a park in Gothenburg, are crimson red.




The onset of autumn season has turned the maple tree leaves red and the tree on the front to yellow, taken at a park in Gothenburg.



Also telling that autumn is upon are the types of blooms you see.  The hardier asters, amethysts, calendulas, etc. are the flowers you see blooming.








Stores and markets display their autumn wreaths, and various colored, shaped, and textured gourds for sale.







On my last full day in Stockholm, I got to use my favorite head cover, my head hugging ski cap, for the first time since the cold spring of Seattle.  Picture is in the center of Gamla Stan, Stockholm's Old Town district.