Journeys Near and Far

Christmas in Royal North Zealand, Denmark

The Christmas Market in Hilleroed Town Museum - Image/VisitNordsjælland Hillerød

Happy holidays to all from Journeys Near and Far! 

 

One of my favorite places is Denmark, so I thought I'd send holiday wishes to everyone with a photo from the Christmas market in Hilleroed, in Royal North Zealand, Denmark.  I visited the country last November and can't wait to go back as there is so much I want to see. I spent a few days in Copenhagen, then took a  trip to Elsinore (Helsingør) where my friends Finn and Henrik showed me around. 

Elsinore, in Royal North Zealand, began it's days in the year 1231 as a small market town. Not long after that, the town grew wealthy when "Sound dues" were initiated, and all foreign ships that passed through the strait had to moor at Helsingør and pay a toll. Revenues went directly to the king.

Kronborg Castle, built at the seaward approach to the Sound Øresund, was the result of this wealth, and it is one of northern Europe's most important Renaissance castles.

                              Kronborg Castle

Kronborg, the most famous castle in Denmark, is known worldwide from Shakespeare's Hamlet.  Each year it becomes the ethereal setting for Shakespeare at Hamlet's Castle.  That's an event I'd love to see.

Enjoy the holidays and keep an eye out for more posts about Elsinore and Denmark!

 

A music-themed walking tour in Tallinn's Old Town

 Tallinn, Estonia...

This week, instead of Scenic Sunday, I thought I'd do a photo post about a walking tour in Tallinn's medieval Old Town.  Themed "Estonian music through the ages", the tour began outside the boutique Savoy Hotel. 

As soon as I saw our guide, I knew it was going to be a good tour:

That's him, staring at the modern picture-taking contraption around my neck.  He looks perplexed, no?

Scenic Sunday: A view of Tallinn, Estonia

Tallinn, Estonia    Image: Visit Estonia

Yesterday I returned from a week in Estonia and Latvia, two beautiful countries replete with verdant forests, cobbled medieval towns and miles of untouched coastline.  

During these long summer days (dark didn't fall until 10 PM at night) we had plenty of time to spend outdoors.

One of my favorite experiences in Tallinn, Estonia's capital, was a bike journey through the city's cobbled streets, where we meandered along ancient roadways, ducked beneath crumbling stone archways and admired the town's pastel-colored churches. Along the way, we peeked in shop windows decorated with brightly colored Estonian handcrafts.

Tallinn's Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  Here you can see us as we stopped outside the city gates to admire the view.

At Tallinn's port, we rode by the Tallink ferries, which carry passengers daily to nearby Helsinki and Stockholm, Finland. 

We then visited Tallinn's song festival grounds, where the main gatherings of Estonia's national song festivals take place. 

As our guide told us about the significance of these events to the people of Estonia, it became clear how important music is to the people of Estonia.

Scenic Sunday: Nyhavn, Copenhagen

Nyhavn Canal, Copenhagen

In Nyhavn (Newhaven) follow in the footsteps of sailors, maritime merchants and Hans Christian Andersen

In November when I went to Copenhagen for the Travel Blog Exchange (TBEX) conference, I made sure I had a couple of days to explore the city.  Copenhagen is a beautiful place, even on windy, cold winter days.  One of my favorite scenic spots was Nyhavn.

Once upon a time

Nyhavn is a 17th century canal lined by Dutch style houses.  It was built so ships could bring their cargo from Copenhagen's harbor to the city's new square. This street is where the sailors lived back then, and many of the buildings housed maritime businesses.  Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen lived in three different addresses here, beginning with number 20, where he wrote many of his famous tales.

Later, the area declined, but in the 1980s Nyhavn's sunny side street was pedestrianized, transforming the area into a festive destination bursting with life.

Become an Untourist and Live Like a Local

Buenos Aires City Hall 

Do you want to live in another country, rather than just traveling through it?  If you're short on time, Untours has the solution.

I first heard about Untours from a seminar travel guru Arthur Frommer gave at the Adventure Travel Show in New York City. 

What's an Untour?

It's an interesting concept, especially for people who like to have a bit of help planning their vacations but don't want to be constricted to a tour bus. 

Untours provides your vacation essentials, namely, a vacation rental, flights, transportation at your destination, a local contact and information on what you can do while you're there. I haven't done an Untour yet, but it sounds like a relaxing way to go on vacation and still be in control of what you do once you get there.

While browsing their site this morning I found several Untours I'm interested in, including a cute apartment in Nafplio, Greece, which includes a "stash of groceries" upon your arrival.  How cool is that?

Scenic Sunday: Brno, Czech Republic

Brno, Czech Republic

I found this cool restaurant sign on a side street in Brno, Czech  Republic while exploring the city one weekend.  

I had been taking a six-week TEFL course at the Boland School, so I had the chance to live in someone's house, which the school called "the Pink House" as it was painted a very bright pink, and I had plenty to free time to explore Brno and the surrounding countryside.

Traveling slowly

Usually when I travel, I'm time-limited.  I may have a week to take a trip including two days in the air.  It doesn't give me much time to relax and move slowly through a town and take in a little bit at a time. 

Not so in this case.  Every weekend I explored the town's streets or climbed the hill to Špilberk Castle.  And then I either hopped on a bus to visit friends in nearby Veverská Bitýška, or went with them to local festivals and to places like the Moravian Karst.

Monday Site: Spotted by Locals

With the tagline "Experience cities like a local," I had high hopes when I visited this site. It turns out my expectations were met.

I love original content created by people who really know an area well.  And that's exactly what Spotted by Locals delivers.

I learned about the website while in Copenhagen last November for the TBEX Europe conference, where I met one of the site's creators, Bart van Poll, as well as several of the site's Spotters.

European Cities

With a focus on 33 European cities, including,  Ljubljana, Zagreb and Bucharest, I was happy to see (I will be traveling to these cities soon), Spotted by Locals has won numerous awards such as the Guardian and Observer “Best Travel Website” award and the Lonely Planet "Best Group Authored Travel Blog."

How does it work? The site is actually a series of blogs, iPhone apps, and PDF city guides which are kept up-to-date by local bloggers known as 'Spotters'.  The Spotters live in their city and speak the local language, and are all hand-selected by Bart and his wife, Sanne.

Paradores – Spain’s Historic Hotels

Unique properties introduce visitors to a history-rich Spain

Today I'm happy to present a guest post written by Holly Maguire of escapio.com:

Many peoples’ visions of vacations in Spain are overwhelmed by crowded beaches, partying teenagers and being harassed on Las Ramblas in Barcelona. The Paradores hotels rewrite all these preconceptions – the group of truly unique properties scattered across Spain’s rural, unspoilt regions and towns introduce visitors to a history-rich Spain. Originally built as castles, convents, fortresses, monasteries, churches and palaces, walking into one of these converted properties is like stepping back in time.

The idea to convert these ancient sites into modern accommodations was first introduced by King Alfonso XIII in 1926 who commissioned the Royal Commissary of Tourism to realise his concept. These exquisite hotels are steeped in Iberian history and offer some of the most spectacular settings. Here are a few exemplary properties to whet your Spanish appetite.

 Parador de Oropesa, Castile La Mancha

Parador de Oropesa, Castile La Mancha- This was originally the ancestral home of the Alvarez de Toledo (Counts of Oropesa). Situated in the Castilian countryside, west of Madrid, it was often used as a refuge for soldiers, noblemen and monks and has a spectacular backdrop of the phenomenal snow-capped Gredos mountain range. There are some quite extraordinary panoramic views of the many vineyards and olive groves, which are best viewed from the top of the Homenaje Tower.

This beautiful castle underwent restoration in 1402 to produce the building that can be seen today and now as a 4 star hotel, provides luxury accommodation whilst managing to retain many charming and historical features.

The courtyard features original columns, arches and authentic embellishments, whilst common areas like the restaurant feature unique vaulted wooden ceilings and antique lighting. The hotel is known for the game and seasonal produce which forms the basis for many of their fantastic dishes.

Ride the Jacobite Steam Train for a Scenic Journey through the Scottish Highlands

There's a reason the Jacobite Steam Train was chosen to portray the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter films.  The movie makers know what they're doing when it comes to scenery.

 

The route is lined with jaw-dropping vistas -- waterfalls plunging from tall mountain peaks, heather-strewn moors hugging the edges of  lochs, and hills swathed with trees in endless shades of green -- it's no wonder that this 84-mile journey from Scotland's Fort William to Mallaig has been voted by  Wanderlust magazine readers as the most scenic railway on the planet.   

The train is called the Jacobite Steam Train because much of the countryside it passes through is associated with Bonnie Prince Charlie (Prince Charles Edward Stuart) and the Jacobite Rebellion.  You can learn more about the Jacobite cause onboard the train by reading the passenger route guide, or by purchasing a souvenir map or Northern Books' little guide called The Mallaig Railway.

Fort William to Glenfinnan

The 90-minute journey begins in Fort William, a picturesque town known as the outdoor capital of the United Kingdom. 

Harry Potter fans be warned, there is no platform nine and three-quarters at this station, so please don't try running through any barriers.  Just head outside to the platform and you'll see the train.

As The Jacobite chugs away from the station you'll see Ben Nevis, Great Britain's tallest mountain, and the waters of Loch Linnhe will appear on your left as you pass through wooded shores and heather-clad hills.  It's typically beautiful Scottish Highland scenery.

On the right, you'll pass the banks of the Lochy and the ruins of Inverlochy Castle, which dates from the time of Edward I.  It is said that this is the site where King Achaius signed a treaty with Charlemagne in 790 AD.

Just past Banavie, the train rumbles over the Caledonian Canal on a 50-foot span swing bridge.  The canal's series of eight locks is known as Neptune's Staircase; the canal, designed by Thomas Telford, was completed in 1822, linking the East and West coasts of Scotland.  Steamers sail through here from Loch Linnhe on their way to Inverness.

At Corpach you can see Fassiefearn House, where Prince Charlie slept in 1745.  Legend has it that he picked a wild white rose here and pinned it to his hat.  The white rose later became the symbol for the Jacobite cause.

Scenic Sunday: The Tower Bridge, London

Tower Bridge, London

Dark clouds scuttled across rain-drenched skies during my visit to the Tower of London last week, from where I looked out at the Thames and took this photo of Tower Bridge. 

But this post is about the Tower of London itself, where even the ravens seemed a bit put out by the weather. 

Legend says that the kingdom and the Tower of London will fall if the six resident ravens ever leave the fortress.  Luckily the Ravenmaster keeps a spare (7th) raven.  After all, they do sometimes go missing. 

I read that one raven, named Grog, went mysteriously absent, and was last seen outside an East End pub.  No doubt trying to warm up and get out of the rain. 

Of course, during the commotion of the Second World War the ravens were absent from the Tower, and the kingdom didn't fall then.  But why take chances?

Personally I thought the gloomy weather was the perfect setting for a visit to this stone-walled fortress that William the Conqueror began to construct in the 1070s, being that it's the scene of murder, mystery and beheadings.  Yes, it also houses the Crown Jewels, but I'm more interested in the stories of the people who lived or were imprisoned here than valuable gems.

Which is why, standing on the peaceful Tower Green, it meant something to me when I closed my eyes and, with the patter of rain and the caw of the ravens in the background, I imagined the day in May of 1536 when Queen Anne Boleyn stood close to this spot awaiting her execution.  Nine others were beheaded here as well.  I wonder what their last thoughts were? 

The new (since my last visit) execution site memorial beautifully reads:

Gentle visitor pause awhile. Where you stand death cut away the light of many days.  Here jewelled names were broken from the vivid thread of life.  May they rest in peace while we walk the generations around their strife and courage, under these restless skies.

-- Brian Catling, creator of the execution site memorial

 The author received no compensation, discounts or products in exchange for writing this post.