Places I've been in Europe

Austria
Vienna. Went with Rotary Denmark in 1997 and spent 2 nights and 1 1/2 days here. The first night we was a Johann-Strauss Orchestra Concert, which was fantanstic. Then the next day we saw The Imperial Palace, The Museum of Fine Arts, strolled downtown, St. Stephen's Cathedral, The State Oprea house, and to the Town Hall. Then that night we went to the The Prater and rode the rides. I rode that big Ferris Wheel, which was in a James Bond movie. We also drove through the Austrain Alps, which was very cool.

Belgium
Brussels. Visted in 1997 with Rotary Denmark. Was there for a 1/2 day. We saw the Manneken-Pis, Statue of Eurard't Serclaos, the Grand Palace, and the Gate of Hal. Again went with DIS Business class in 2001 and spent 2 nights and 1 1/2 days there. We walked to the the Museum of Fine Arts for a guided tour, saw the Royal Palace, at the Palace of Dynasty saw a carillonn and a clock with an animated dial, Manneken-Pis, statue of Evard't Serclaes, and the Grand Place (heart of the old town), giving views of the Town Hall and the King's House. Also walked along the narrow streets in the quarter of L'llot Sacre near the Market Place.

Czech Republic
Terezin. With Rotary Denmark in 1997 we stopped at this concentration camp before we got to Prauge. It was an interesting visit but very haunting.
Prauge. Visited in 1997 with Rotary Denmark and we were here 2 nights and one day. We saw the Phara Castle, Golden Street, old town astronomical clock, Wenesias Square and monument, Charles Bridge, and St. Vitus' Cathedral.

Denmark
Copenhagen. Visited it for the first time in 1996 with Rotary Denmark. Came back by myself to visit people 1998 and 1999 Went to DIS for the of 2000 - 2001.
Valby. Lived here with Thomas in 2000-2001.
Roskilde. Visited here with Thomas 1999.
Helsingør. Visited here by myself in 1998.
Holbæk. Went with Rotary Denmark in 1996 and then again in 1998 to visited a friend.
Hillerød. Went with Rotary Denmark in 1996.
Humlebæk. Went with Thomas in 1999.
Odense. Visted by myself in 1998 and then went again with DIS in 2000 and 2001.
Næstved. Went with Rotary Denmark in 1996 and then with Thomas in 1999.
Fåborg. Went with Rotary Denmark in 1997.
Svenborg. Went with the Tholander's in 1996 & 1997.
Jelling. Went with DIS in 2000 and 2001.
Silkeborg. Went with DIS in 2000 and 2001.
Aarhus. Went in 1996 with my 2g class. Went with my last host family in 1997. Went with DIS in 2001. Thomas's family lives there so been through in New Years 1999 and through 2000-2001.
Skive. Went with my last host family in 1997.
Aalborg. Went by myself in 1997 and then again 1998, that's when I met Thomas.
Billund. Went with my last host family in 1997 and then went again with DIS Business class in 2001.
Skagen. Went by myself in 1997.
Thisted. Went with DIS in 2000.
Ribe. Went with my 2g class from Sonderborg in 1997.
Rømø. Went with my last host family in 1997.
Sønderborg. I lived here in 1996 -1997. Came back 1998 and 2000 to visit friends.
Austenborg. Visited here with last host family in 1997.
Nordborg. Visited friend here in year 1996 - 1997.
Go to Denmark Section. It gives a more in depth look including pictures at the best places to visit.

Estonia
Tallin. Went with DIS in 2000 and spent 2 days there. We arrived at 6am in the morning after taking the night train from St. Petersburg. Now that was an experience to remember!. Once in Tallin we took a guided tour of the city seeing the old city focusing on the cathedrals, churches, and old style buildings. We also walked down the Long Street, saw the Concert Hall, and the City Hall Plaza. We also walked down the pedestrian only streets and I found the SWEATER MARKET. You have to visit that place because you can get nice sweaters at cheap prices. I got three but I wanted more. The second evening we went to a beer festival and clubbing afterwards.

France
Avignon. Went with Rotary Denmark in 1997 and spent an evening there. I walked around the city and saw the famous half bridge and the wall around the city showcasing it's Roman influence. Also the Rawren River runs through the city.
Paris. Went with Rotary Denmark in 1997 and spent 3 nights and 2 full days there. Our first full day was a bus tour. I don't like bus tours because you can't really see the sights but it gives a good overview of what there is to see. So we saw Notre Dame Cathedral, Place ud Chatelet, Carrousel Aquare, Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, Basilica of Sacre, and some other things. The next morning started off with a trip to Versaille and the rest of the day I went to see the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre, and Arc de Triomphe.

Germany
Hamburg. I went here with the Sonderborg Rotary Club in 1997. It was a day tour. Took a boat ride, eat a a nice resturant, and walked downtown.
Berlin. I went here in 1997 with Rotary Denmark on a bus tour. We spent one night and one day here. We had a bus tour of the city plus some free time. We saw the Berlin Wall, The Brandenburger Tor, Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedachtnikirke, which was bombed during WWII. Drove past the Siegessaule and the radio tower could see the past of the divide. The west was more modern and the east was more run down looking. I would have liked to stop at the places we drove by.

Great Britain
London. I went by myself in 1998 and spent 4 nights and 3 full days. I would have liked more time to explore the areas outside of London. While in London on I saw the Hard Rock Cafe, Trafalgar Square and Nelson's Cloumn, Big Ben, St. Paul Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, and Buckingham Palace all in a half day. The next day I went back to Bickingham Palace to see the changing of the guards, the Tower Bridge, Tower of London and saw the crown jewels, and finally took a bus tour of the city. My third day there I went to Piccadilly Circus and saw Sega World, Planet Hollywood, and did the Pepsi Max Drop of 170ft inside the building.

Italy

Lido di Jesolo. Went with Rotary Denmark in 1997 and spent 3 nights and 2 full days here to enjoy the beach. Just laying in the sand enjoying the weather and water, the salty water. It was fun.

Venice. Went with Rotary Denmark and spent one full day here in 1997. Took a boat into the main island since there is no car allowed by tourists. We walked around the St. Mark's Square and noticed the famous buildings. There were so many pigeon it was frightening to walk around. You could also feed them right from your hand, which was pretty neat. We also went to the Ducal Palace to take pictures. I got my picture taken in front of the Bridge of Signs. I also had my picture taken on the Rialto Bridge providing a nice view of the canal and the buildings. 4 people including me let a Gondolier take us on a tour of the canals. That was okay but the water was very dirty and I thought it smelled.

Verona. Went with Rotary Denmark in 1997 and spent 1/2 day there. Toured the Arena of Verona, known as the amphitheatre. Took an rest in the Piassz Bra Arena featuring a nice garden with a fountain. We also went to Romeo's and Juliet's house. At Juliet's house is a branze statue of her.

Rome. Went with my 2g class from Sonderborg in 1997 and stayed a week. We saw the, The Spanish Steps, the Vatican (The Sistine Chapel) and the museums, some catacombes, the Pantheon, Colossuem, Forum Romanum, Fountain of Trevi, and many of the plazas and piazza's. I shopped on Via del Corse street since our hotel was on that street.

Luxembourg
Luxembourg. Went with the DIS Business class in 2001 and spent a day there. We had time on our own to explore the city. I walked around the pedestrian streets, went inside the Cathedral to the Blessed Virgin, found places that had great panoramic views of the city and the Fortress and bridges nestled in the mountains. We also visited the American Military Cemetery. We aslo had a meeting with the European Investment Bank.

Monaco
Monaco. Spent a few hours here in 1997. We took pictures of the Palace with guards in white uniforms and St. Mary's Tower and the Clocktower, saw The Cathedral. Then we had some free-time to walk around the city. There are many aerial views of the port with all the houses built right into the side of the mountains.

Netherlands
Amesterdam. Went with Rotary Denmark in 1997 and spent 1 day there. We arrived and took a 1 1/2 hour canal tour and then we had free time to go explore in the city. I looked around in a mall and then took a tour of the Sex Museum. There wasn't time to go see Anne Franks house, which I would have liked to seen.

Norway
Oslo. I went by myself in 1998 and spent 2 full days there. It took about 7 hours by train to get here from Stockholm. The first day I went to the Domkirke, the Royal Palace and saw the changing of the guards, walked along Karl Johanns Street, the National Theater, and took a fjord tour and saw the Aker Brygge. Then I went to Bygdoex to see some Viking Boats. Then I took a the city train up the mountain to see the Holmenkollen Ski Mesuem and Jump. That was awesome and the scenary was great! My second full day I just stayed at the hostel getting over my cold. To get from Oslo to Bergen I would really recommond the "Norway in the Nutshell" tour.

"Norway in a Nutshell" tour. This tour requires that you change trains at Myrdal. Here you descent into the Flaam Valley, which is a 50 minute ride. The train goes through spiral tunnels in the mountainside and stops at the steepest stretch so visiter can see the Kjosfossen waterfall before to arriving at Flaam. On the train ride down there are so many break-taking views of the mountains, the valleys, and tiny waterfalls trickling down the side of the mountain. Once in Flaam you board a scenic boat tour to take you Gudvagen. This section of the trip takes you between sheer mountain walls, mighty waterfalls, and tiny clusters of farms. You will also pass through the world's narrowest fjord, which is Nearoeyfjord. Then at Gudvangen a bus climbs the steep Stalheimskleiva hairpins turns to arrive at Voss. At the top of the mountain there are magnificent views down into the valley. At Voss you board the train that takes you to Bergen.

Bergen. I went there by myself in 1998 and spent 1 1/2 days there. Finally arriving in Bergen after the tour I went to find a youth hostel. The next morning I went to the Fish Market. That was neat, all the fresh fish you could ever want to eat. I walked around the city seeing Bryggen buildings, Nykirken, Johannes Kirken, and Damsgaard Manor. It was really cool, cold, and chilly. This is a nice chamring city to visit.

Kristandsand. I went there by myself in 1998 and spent a night there waiting for the ferry boat to take me back to Denmark.

Russia
St. Petersburg. I went there with DIS in 2000 and we spent 2 nights and 1 1/2 days there. We arrived by plane in mid-afternoon and had some freetime. So I walked down Nevsky prospect. Then the next day was our whirl-wind tour of the city with a funny tour guide. The main sights we saw were, The Church of the Resurrection of Christ, also known as the "Our Saviour-on-the-Spilt-Blood", The Cruiser "Aurora", St. Isaac's Cathedral, Kazan Cathedral, and an opera in the evening of "Tosca" by Puccini in the Maly Opera Theater. Our last day there we saw the Winter Palace, including the Hermitage Mesuem, Smolny Cathedral, and Statue of Catherine the Great. We also saw other littler sights. My first impression of the city was the buildings look the same in shape, color, and size (looks dull and worn-down) expect for the buildings that needed to reflect power and importance, such as, the Palaces, Cathedrals, and other important buildings.
Moscow. I went with DIS in 2000 and we spent 2 nights and 1 1/2 days there. We arrived in Moscow by the night train from Tallin. We got breakfast and then had a guided bus tour of the city. We stopped near the Moscow University because there was a nice panoramic view of the city. Then in the evening some of the group went to the Moscow Circus. The second day there we passed by the Cathedral of St. Basil the Blessed (our hotel had a nice view of it), saw the Red Square, including a visit to the Kremlin, seeing the Tsar's Bell and the many catherdals. Then we went to the Armoury to see the Crown jewels, old clothing, carriages, and the famous eggs. Also visited the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in my free time.

Sweden
Stockholm. I went by myself in 1998 and spent a 1 1/2 days there. I took the night train from Copenhagen, Denmark to arrive in Stockholm by the morning, since it's like an 7-8 hour train ride. I went to the Hard Rock Cafe, walked around the Sergels Torg (a large mall area), saw the City Hall, and went to Gamla Stan to see the Royal Palace, Slottsbacken, and Oesterlaanggatan. I also took the city bus to see Drottningholm, the Queens Palace. The next day I took a bus and canal tour of the city to see the overall feel of Stockholm because I didn't feel like walking that much. I also saw Riddarholm Church. I had planned on staying in Stockholm for 4 days but I got sick because it was raining so much that I decided to go onto Oslo hoping that the weather was better.

Lund. Thomas had a diving meet there in 2000 and I came along to cheer him on.