Europe April – July 2026
It is July already, well into the 2nd half of 2026. How does time fly so fast?
As we headed over to Europe, we said we were slowing things down a bit. Let’s do less house-sitting this time and see where the wind takes us when we get off the canal boat. Well… so much for that idea. We just can’t help ourselves.
We are allowed 90 days in Europe as NZ passport holders but we only the first 3 weeks planned. So, the rainy days on the canal boat saw us slowly but surely filling that calendar up again. We were accepted for a couple of house-sits and made our “pencilled” plans to visit friends into firm bookings.
Since arriving in Europe we have taken 5 train journeys, 3 bus rides, 1 car-share ride and 3 flights; 1 of which was supposed to be a train, but I booked the wrong month and a slow, meandering boat ride.
During those planning days there were times where I couldn’t remember exactly what we had booked, what mode of transport and what company to look up a confirmation email to find out. It is hardly surprising that I got our spectacular train journey from Oslo to Bergen f@#*up!! We zig zagged our way back and forth across Northern Europe to land in Bergen, our last planned stop.
It felt very strange having no bookings coming up, our calendar was free. But that didn’t last for long. There are many rainy days in Bergen, so out came the laptops again, and suddenly we have 6 flights booked on 6 different airlines, taking us all the way back to the Sunshine Coast in Australia. Whew, now that felt better.
So, what happened with the slow down? We always keep an eye on the two house-sitting web sites that we belong to, it is a bit of a habit now. We found 2 house-sits we felt we could not ignore, and what a treat they were.
Potsdam, Berlin. 2 lovely cats. We made a bit of a mistake with the dates (not surprisingly!) so we ended up with Sushma and Michael for 8 nights, looking after the cats, on our own, for only 3 of those nights. We feel this was so much more than just a house-sit. To meet people and be welcomed into their home as complete strangers and immediately connect and become fast friends is a gift, and this is what we found here. We enjoyed our time immensely.
Potsdam is a beautiful city, very fresh and clean. It has fascinating history with having been communist (East) Germany, until the wall came down in 1989. Everything is relatively new.
We spent a day in Berlin and went to Hitlers Bunker Museum. This was so fascinating and as always, it is such a thrill to be standing on “that” spot where such important history was made.
The weather was amazing. We were there during one of this year’s European heat waves and it got to 36/37°C.
We spent many hours chatting with Sushma and Michael, and their 2 lovely teenage daughters. Swapping history lessons on Germany and New Zealand, swapping recipes and sharing wonderful food and of course sampling the best German beer.
Our 2nd house-sit was in Ghent, Belgium. We always look out for house-sits in Belgium or Holland as these are some of our favourite places. We were lucky enough to be chosen for a 4-night sit in Drongen, Ghent with 2 awesome rescue dogs to look after. This was a real treat. The dogs were lovely, and the home was gorgeous. It rained the whole time – that’s the heat wave over! We were able to sit back and take 5. The dogs were so sweet and great company and we feel we have made another great friend.
In between these house-sits we were able to visit with friends in Holland and France, and a stop off to see the Eiffel Tower!! These were whirl wind visits but so amazing, making more great memories. It is always fabulous to see them all and catch up.
And did I mention the Eiffel Tower?? What a night! The logistics of getting from A to B were starting to wreck our heads, we seemed to be going backward to come forwards. We usually have the route a bit more streamlined than this. We usually have all the ducks in a pretty straight row. But as our plans were being formed on the run, the duckies we all over the place.
I have to say though, it was so worth the extra effort to get into Paris city for 1 night. We booked a tiny room for a small phenomenal fee and nearly died getting our bags up the 7 flights of tiny stairs. We could see the Eiffel Tower from our window. I was beside myself with excitement. We spent the evening by the tower, having a picnic dinner drinking in the atmosphere. There were so many people out. Families, couples, groups of friends, even people getting engaged. Everyone was happy. Laughing, playing games, sitting on rugs. It was a beautiful night and so warm, we even got the almost full moon. It was quite a night.
It was so lovely, I was up the next morning at the crack of dawn, before Chris woke up, to see it all again. One more look before we had to get back down those stairs with our bags and make our way to the train station.
Then it was off to Norway. House-sit No. 3. We flew to Oslo as we had booked the most amazing train journey across the mountains to Bergen. We had read all about it and done our research. We were so looking forward to this experience and it was not cheap, you know the one, “once in a lifetime” thing. We arrived at the Oslo train station and checked to see if we were in the right place, to discover that I had made the biggest mistake when booking the tickets. I had booked 1 month earlier. One of those rainy days on the canal boat….. So, there would have been 2 empty seats on that train in May, it is now June. How could I have made such a mistake! There were no seats left on the train for today, so we had to book a flight. Back to Oslo airport we go and fly over the mountains, above the clouds, no view whatsoever! So very very sad!!
It was wonderful to see Cristina and Paul in their new home, Kvalvika (Whale Bay) just up the fjord from Bergen. This trip has been a long time in the planning for them and as their plans were coming together, we happened to be in the right place at the right time. We spent a month on their property. A few days prior to our arrival Cristina arrived with the first 10 of the 46 dogs they are planning to relocate from Thailand. The day after we arrived, she left to go back to Thailand to pick up another 9. They all arrived back safe and sound 6 days later, that made 19 dogs on the property. 10 days before we left, she went back to Thailand again to pick up another 10. We left Norway the day they returned. We got to say a quick hello to the dogs at the car park and helped load them onto the boat, then sadly, off we went. This has been an exhausting mission for them both and I will have the whole story coming soon.
We left the property after 2 weeks and had 2 nights in Bergen city. Norway is a stunning country, so picturesque. It looks a lot like New Zealand, we have similar geography in places. It was quite cold, only getting to 16°C at the most and this was mid-summer. Being mid-summer, it hardly got dark. The sun went down just before midnight. We had brought warm clothes, hats and jackets for here and we were so very glad we did! Fun fact: it rains 200 – 240 days per year in Bergen.
Next stop for us in Scotland and a big trip down memory lane as I lived in Aberdeen for 8 years in the 90’s – this will be so much fun.
Then it will be time to make our way East. Next stop Vietnam. Due to being unable to travel through middle east at the moment, we found we could go through Turkey. OK! Why not!! Haven’t been there before. So, a little break in the journey in Istanbul and a visit to Gallipoli – that is coming up.
We have had a fabulous time in Europe. From the canal boat to house-sitting, visiting dear friends and making new ones, the big cities to the remote fjords. It has been quite a trip!
Kiwis Do Fly 