Mittwoch, 25. Dezember 2013

Stockholm Archipelago II - Spring 2013

Day trip to Grinda



Safety first!



Stockholm Archipelago - Spring 2013

Hiking on Rindö and Värmdö


Skogskyrkogården - Spring 2013

Skogskyrkogården (Forest Cemetery) is an UNESCO World Heritage Site about 20minutes south of central Stockholm on the metro. 

Dogs on a leash are most welcome to walk around the grounds.  And Greta Garbo is buried here, too.

 




Stockholm in Spring


Yes, Spring.  Really.

On the grounds of Drottningholm Castle, there are two islands in a large pond that are off-leash areas.  The Castle can be reached by metro + bus or a boat in the summers from the city centre.


Malmö - February 2013



On the way home from Copenhagen, we stopped to see friend in Malmö, Sweden just over the Öresund Bridge.  


The northern part of Riberborgsstranden, centrally located and overlooking the bridge,  is off-leash for dogs, and there is a dog beach for the summer months, too.









Copenhagen - February 2013



 

Copenhagen is very dog-friendly.  Although a Nordic country, Denmark is more continental than Norway and Sweden and I found dogs were allowed in more places than at home in Sweden.


I googled 'dog-friendly Copenhagen' and found a few places that take dogs, including Sommersko og Cafe, Zoo Bar i Kronprisengade, Den Blå Hund, Optimist Cafe, Amalie
Cafe Retro on Knadbrøgade  - but we didn't visit these, so I can't vouch for them.

We did eat at Cafe Norden and Cafe Europa, both on Amargertorv. Both are lovely, and Cafe Norden is particuarly famous for their desserts. 


Plus, Nyhaven has outdoor seating year-round with heaters.

Montag, 28. Oktober 2013

Dogs in hotels

It was very nice of this hotel to put out a bed for Fritz.  Little do they know he sleeps in my bed ...


A couple of times there have been hotels that have asked me not to let Fritz stay alone in the room.  This can present challenges.  Sometimes he's allow to come to meetings with me, but sometimes he needs to stay.  Also, he does not like to be alone and will bark.  A lot.

My solution is that Fritz is crate-trained.  In addition to his Sherpa bag, I have a transport kennel that we bring with us.  It's kind of a pain to have one more thing to carry, but it's worth it.  Fritz is quiet when he's in the kennel and most hotels just don't want to have a loose dog in the room unattended and will let you leave your dog if he's kennelled. Usually, too, the airlines will not charge extra for the kennel, as it is empty and very light when it is checked in.


Les Mosses

On the back of a Geneva trip, we went to Les Diablerets and Les Mosses.  Les Mosses has a 6.5km cross-country ski trail that allows dogs.  Also, the ticket lady was very friendly and apologised profusely that she had run out of dog treats.

Despite initially hating his snowsuit, Fritz had a good time.




Geneva - January 2013

Back to Geneva, one of our favourite cities.  Dogs allowed most places, but not in the Botanical Gardens.







Amsterdam - Winter 2013


 We went to Amsterdam in the winter of 2013 because Fritz was giving a lecture at the university.


Amsterdam is very dog-friendly. Dogs are allowed in restaurants, cafes and most places.  Although they should be on leash in shopping malls!



There aren't too many parks in central Amsterdam, but there are some wonderful parks in the Netherlands more generally.  The Amsterdam Forest outside the city is great!


Just remember two tips:
1. Watch for bicycles when you cross the road!
2. Marijuana is bad for dogs, so don't take them into coffee shops.

Dogs in airports


Some airports are very dog-friendly, especially Stockholm-Arlanda, our home airport. When we went up to the KLM desk to check in for a flight to Amsterdam we were welcomed with 'we've been expecting you.'  Other times, we've been let up to the front of queues and, well, they're just great.  Cabin staff on another flight were most understanding when Fritz escaped from his bag and started running up and down the aisle ...



Unfortunately, US airports we found were not so dog-friendly.  Most places have dog relief areas, but they're outside of security and can be a hassle to get in and out of.  After a total of about 13 hours (getting to the airport, flight, going through customs and immigration) Fritz ended up peeing in baggage claim in Newark. And most US airport have carpet... 

Anyhow, I've been yelled at for letting him walk around in Newark and Atlanta which I think it quite unfair. If you have a three hour layover after an eight hour flight, it's not fair to keep a dog cooped up in his bag :-(


Dayton - Christmas 2012

We also travelled to Dayton, Ohio for Christmas - and for Fritz's first birthday.

He got to experience his first American fire hydrant.






Mittwoch, 23. Januar 2013

Chattanooga - Rock City



In Chattanooga, we also visited Rock City on Lookout Mountain.  Technically in Georgia, the area was developed as a rock garden in the 1920s and 1930s.  There are several neat trails and dogs are most welcome!

I love places with dog poo bags!



Chattanooga - December 2012


We travelled to Chattanooga over Christmas.  Generally speaking, the US is not that dog-friendly.
However, Chattanooga is one city that is trying to buck this trend.  We visited Bone Appétit, where the store clerk told up about a grassroots movement to make the city more dog-friendly.




Cesar Millan also listed Chattanooga as one of the top five places to summer vacation with your dog.  Although, I must say that coming from Sweden - even in December it was quite good weather for being outside!



Getting into the UK - Update

As of 2013, P&O Ferries no longer allows footpassengers to bring dogs.  This means you must hire a car and drive it across the Channel on the ferry.

Supposedly the Dutch Flyer is another option, going between Amsterdam and London.  We don't have any UK travel planned soon, but I am sure we will try this in the next few years.