Tag: Europe

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Two Days in Copenhagen

We spent two days in Copenhagen and were very lucky with the weather. Although it was sunny for the most part it was still chilly. We have been to Copenhagen before so we didn’t really hit the tourist spots.

We caught the shuttle bus off the ship, £5 each way per person! The cruise terminal was about 7.2 kilometers from the city centre.

The city centre is charming with lots of buildings from the 1600’s and 1700’s. We were looking forward to visiting the Tivoli. Unfortunately it was closed for renovations which was  disappointing.

Some photos as we wandered about. We walked to Nyhaven a charming canal with lots of old and colourful buildings. We chanced upon a building where Hans Christian Anderson lived.

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A bridge to Sweden

We are in Copenhagen today and decided to do a side quest. In have always wanted to cross this Bridge since we watched the TV series  called The Bridge.

We caught a train across to Malmö in Sweden. The train leaves from the central station in Copenhagen every 35 minutes. The train goes through an underwater tunnel and onto a bridge that is 8 kilometers long. Only about 35 minutes on the train.

We spent a couple of hours mooching about before heading back. . Our ship went under the bridge last night and we can see it from our cabin.

A few photos are attached.

At night from the ship
The bridge from the train
View from our cabin
Malmö
Town hall
Malmö University
Himself in Malmö next to an Icebreaker
Malmö canal
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The Twelfth Department by William Ryan (Captain Korolev)

The Twelfth Department (Captain Alexei Dimitrevich Korolev, #3)The Twelfth Department by William Ryan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The third Captain Korolev series by William Ryan. This continues the series but could be read as a standalone novel.. There is enough background explained so that a reader new to the series so you don’t have to read them is order. I have read all in order and enjoyed all three enormously. I have a fascination for the interwar period in Europe. All the plots including the current volume are engaging with enough twists and turns to keep the reader engaged.

What really stands out is the way  creates a sense of the paranoid state of 1930’s Moscow. Who do you trust? This theme pervades the narrative. I really feel that the author had captured the atmosphere of those times.

Our hero Captain Korolev is a determined character whose flaw is having a strong moral compass in a world where political dogma is everything. For fans of the inter war period this will be an enjoyable read.

I look forward to the return of Captain Korolev.

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A quick highlight package of our holiday

We are back from our epic six-week holiday in Europe. A 24 day cruise in the Mediterranean and two weeks in Croatia. I will do a series of posts with photos soonish. Here is a video to start with.