Robyn's Wanderings

Overlooking Green Berlin

The water was freezing. That would have been fine if I was in Bermuda in August, but I was in Berlin in October. It wasn’t refreshing, it was a necessary sacrifice for the morning shower.

“Are you crazy Robyn?”

Maybe, but I was also feeling guilty. Why? Well I was in Berlin on part of my mission last year to find ten trips from London that cost under $100. As I researched Berlin, I found a hostel for $15 a night that would also save on the environment.

How could I pass?

I couldn’t. That’s because when I traveled around the world in 2009, I changed continents mostly by plane. I calculated that I flew at least 50,000 miles in one year. That’s a lot of atmosphere that I contributed to depleting (obviously if you are not one to believe in global warming you will probably stop reading here, sorry).

I started feeling guilty somewhere over South America, but I am no Michael Palin (Around the World in 80 Days? Without a plane? Remember?) so I descended onto Bermuda’s soil via American Airlines. Which brings me to this week’s Rock Fever column: Traveling Green. So what in travel is going green?

Everything, is the easy answer. Yes, even (dare I speak the word) hostels. My hostel in Berlin, Jetpak Forest, was 100% run by renewable energies. Maybe that’s why I didn’t have hot water first thing in the morning? Ok so it’s not perfect, but I felt perfectly good about myself as I used the wifi, watched TV and enjoyed being ensconced in the Grunwaldsee Forest (wild pigs are included for free viewing at dusk!).

And Jetpak Forest is not the only hostel that has turned “Green”. The international organization for hostels, Hostelling International (www.hihostels.com), has committed itself and it’s worldwide network to sustainability i.e. socially, ecologically and economically. Backpacker’s are already on the economic doorsteps of sustainability since we generally stay in hostels run by locals (no chains for us). But we are also more likely to use water bottles, stretch the limit of sewer systems (i.e. Turkey and a clogged drain that was more than 500 years old!) and waste paper as part of our tours. We have a lot to answer for when we are traveling….maybe starting with an eco-lodge could help?

The path to an environmentally-friendly hostel in Berlin

Not into hostels? Want to find-out if your hotel is environmentally friendly? Check out www.environmentallyfriendlyhotels.com. Want to know if a Bermuda hotel is listed? I won’t spoil the surprise.

But perhaps all of the “green” talk should start before you travel? Well, and Bermuda really has only one question to ask, as you know: how can we fly green? Unless you take one of the very few cruises from our island every year, you’re going to be flying.

To start you can take a non-stop flight. It cuts down on the carbon offsets. Ok, Robyn, that’s great, but if we want to leave the island we have to stop somewhere on America’s East Coast before moving inland and we have to stop in London before going continental!

You’re right, but you can make that second flight a non-stop flight! And when you take your flights you can ensure you have an e-ticket (i.e. no printing necessary)!

Why waste all that paper? It’s just not necessary. I had at least 10 flights going around the world and not a single piece of paper printed before I boarded. You can do it too.

Want to book a flight and feel good about it? Well use: http://gogreentravelgreen.com/searchgreentravel.html and they will donate 50% of profits to an Environmentally friendly organization!

What about carbon off-sets the airlines like to tout? Well that’s a tricky one. To be honest I don’t know how much I believe in them and nor do most experts out there. What is a carbon off-set? Essentially it allows travelers to donate money to an organization that will plant a tree, while you fly to China.

Ok maybe not that absurd, but the problem is the companies that are offering these carbon offsets are not all that accountable, nor are they all non-profits! So where does your money go? Well as much as 80% can go into their admin costs and the rest? Well you get a smaller tree and that flight to China? Well, stay at home and save the planet. Want to learn more about it? I found this useful site: www.gogreentravelgreen.com

Berlin's train station....a greener way to travel?

And finally when you land, check-out the options for public transportation! Which is why, I also believe, backpackers are greener travelers: we haven’t got the money for private transportation! Hanging onto a public Thai bus is the only way we’re going to make it North.

But more than waste-spewing buses, there are cities that have introduced the idea of renting a bicycle! In London, now, you can use your credit card to “pick-up” a bike at one of the Barclay’s docking stations (i.e. bike rack) and return it to another when you’re done. Visit: www.tfl.gov.uk for more information on the scheme. Paris also has a similar gig.

Or you could be like Australian extreme eco travelers Dirk Gion and Stefan Simmerer and sail a car some 3,000 miles across their continent! Yes I wrote sail. That’s because these inventive duo decided kite-surfing on sea wasn’t good enough and instead could be harnessed to “drive” them to Sydney. Visit: www.wind-explorer.com for a view.

Ok, so most of us are not going to do that, so go plant a tree, buy a re-usable water bottle, fly in a plane and feel good about the environment! Because next week we’re going green again! It’s St. Patty’s Day!

Kissing Fish in Boston

“E tu Brute?”

So greeted me my editor at The Royal Gazette, Bermuda’s National newspaper, two days after I had handed in my notice to the Editor and Chief in December 2008.

“Uh….sorry,” is about all I could pitifully squeak out. Stabbing in his back is not exactly what I planned. No, I had planned to go travel around the world. Slightly a different affair.

Luckily he recovered from the wound and attempted another approach: “How would you feel about writing about your travels? It wouldn’t have to be on a regular basis or long.”

That offer required no thinking: “Yes, of course!”

What transpired was a weekly column, which followed my trials and tribulations through 24 countries in one year.

When I returned to Bermuda (my home) one question remained: “Would the column continue?”

I didn’t want to give-up my new-found love. I fought for its continuation, but from the point of analysis and any small trips I might take, rather than from around the world.

Now it’s been almost a year since I have been maintaining the Rock Fever Column and I have one question: Can a travel writer take a vacation?

No, seriously. I can hear you accountants and desk hounds scoffing. “Robyn, seriously, you have to have adventures for your job. How can you ask us this?”

“I told you, yes, I am serious.”

I might be serious, but I’m not naive. I get that I have a good gig writing a column about travel. But what about

The smallest violin in the world playing "My heart bleeds for you" as my father would demonstrate

when I don’t want to write? Or think about writing?

Yeah, yeah I hear your heart strings playing for me. Or as my father would demonstrate like the photo to the right: “My heart bleeds for you” played on the smallest violin in the world.

But seriously, (have I said seriously enough? ok enough questions) when do I get to turn my brain off?

The weird thing for travel writers (I humbly include myself here for arguments sake) is that when we head to vacation spots it’s not a holiday.

When accountants head for the beach (what is my deal with accountants today?) they are heading for a relaxing time. Instead for the writer everything in front of us is possible substance for a travel column or article.

Well, at least for me. That hotwire booking in this week’s Rock Fever Column? Oh that derived from my New Year’s trip to Vermont and Boston.

But with deciding to write about the actual trip to Vermont and Boston I was stuck by a conundrum and this blog post. That’s because I traveled with two friends from the states, a friend from England and a Canadian friend. I knew if I was going to travel with this many people I would never get a break to write something.

I also knew that I wasn’t going to be able to do whatever I wanted to do i.e. investigate things for my column.

I would not be able to travel simply to ensure I had the best priced options for Bermudians or travel simply to discover some new place simply to write about it.

Well, I can’t place all of the blame on my friends. I also felt like having a vacation. I know, crazy, right?

“But how can you go away so soon, you were just on a trip?”

Technically, you are correct. I was in London for a month working on ten columns about ten trips that someone could take from this capital city.

Visiting Vermont

But there again you see the important word, right? No, not London. Not trips. Nope. I am talking about “working”. Believe me I love traveling. I love discovering new places and having my senses bombarded by new experiences.

When I am traveling for my column, though, it’s not the same thing. I experience things, but I also look at everything as: “how will I write about this?”, “Will this make a good entry?”, “Will anyone really want to have some suggestions for visiting Dover?” “What about Berlin?”

I swear! These are all questions (and more) that run through my head while I travel. I never stop thinking about who might read about my adventures.

So what was I going to do in Vermont? Was I going to be able to take a vacation? It didn’t sound, with four friends joining me, that I was going to have much of a choice.

While they may have turned-off my choices, they couldn’t turn off my brain.

As soon as we arrived we had to pick-up the car. “Hmmm he booked the car for a discount price. That could be a column!”

My friend Lauren is a photo buff. We couldn’t keep her contained inside the house for long: “Best places in Vermont for photography?”

Out of the five of us, only one could ski. Yeah, that was me a Bermudian. Go figure. I was with four others from cold places and the sub-tropical girl knew how to use two planks to get down a ski hill.

Next Column: “How to teach beginner skiers to ski.” (Hint: don’t teach them! Hire an instructor!)

The tap wouldn’t turn off. We visited Sugarbush farm. “Sunsets in Vermont,” “Family farms to visit.”

Visiting Boston

Ok getting ridiculous. I know, but I couldn’t stop…..what did stop me? Well that would be technology. My little lap top that traveled around the world with me? It decided to throw a couple of keys out and I couldn’t type.

By the time Boston creeped-up on me my little typing fingers were itching! MUST…TYPE…SOMETHING! I missed writing.

I missed being able to analyze and look at where I had been through words. And therein lies my answer: I might stop writing. I might not travel for anyone, but myself (and my five friends), but I will always be a travel writer.

I can’t stop and I can’t take a vacation! Thank goodness for blogs!

The Bath Abbey

“Can you make some room,” yelled a man from the platform.

“Can we get through? We have seats!” screamed a frazzled traveler trying to bypass the compartment.

Another passenger surrendered and sat in the bathroom. I found a foot of empty space next to the train’s door. With my bag resting on my two feet I prayed we would be moving soon.

Rush hour on London’s commuter trains. I had, clearly, not thought-through my travel plans to Bath, England. It  was only supposed to take only an hour and a half. It – trip number nine out of ten from London for less than $100 – felt like five hours as a I grappled for an inch of space.

Where else have I been for less than $100 for my Rock Fever Column for The Royal Gazette? Good question. It started with a ticket for $65 (one-way) from Bermuda to London with my frequent flier miles. Make sure you get them! Next I hit Stockholm and Sigtuna in Sweden; Sachsenhausen and Berlin in Germany; Hampstead, Dover and Brighton in England.

Now, with number nine, it was time to come clean. I was heading to Bath. Silly me decided to try and go at 7 p.m. on a Friday night.

After extricating myself from the mass of bodies I found myself stranded on the streets of Bath. Luckily it is not a large town and I managed to find my Y.M.C.A. hostel after negotiating very drunk college students in about 20 minutes. The Y.M.C.A. might be easy to find, but it’s not exactly inviting so I plunked down my bag and hit the town.

Roman Baths

Some 2,000 years ago the Romans also arrived here. Rather than the Y.M.C.A.’s pathetic shower they decided to channel Bath’s hot sulfurous waters into elaborate pools. These really took-off in the 18th Century when England’s ladies and gents began coming here for the waters and enjoying the season in terraced houses! These iconic homes that line Bath’s streets were featured in the musings of Jane Austen who lived here briefly in the 1800’s. And of course what else do you do with really old, beautiful buildings? UNESCO makes them a World Heritage Site!

I believe the city more than earned the right; even at night. As I walked through the varied lanes and roads of Bath, the yellow street lights illuminated a city haunted by visions of 18 and 19th Century England from Austen’s books. This includes the 18th Century, Pulteney Bridge which crosses the River Avon and is filled with shops. If you have ever been to Florence and witnessed the Ponte Vecchio, then you’ve seen the inspiration for this gorgeous bridge. Walking along the river’s edge and listening to the falling water was soothing, to say the least, after my horrendous train ride.

Ahhh Bath, I think I could get used to you.

With my train stress washed down the river, it was time to relegate myself to my bed for a full-on assault the next morning. First I would have to try my hand at the breakfast. Ugh. the crumbs of bread and poor attempt at an English Breakfast ensured that next time I go to Bath I will save my pennies for one of the quaint Bed and Breakfasts I continually walked-by.

Fully famished, I decided I would have to visit, well where else? The Roman Baths! This complex built by….the Romans (see you’re getting this) are essentially as they left them. In 75 A.D. they channeled the waters into this complex that rivals the baths in rome (and I should know I have been there). Visitors, unfortunately, are no longer allowed to bath in the waters that are 116 degrees Fahrenheit. At least the modern complex has built a terrace for visitors to watch more than 240,000 gallons pump through each day before descending into the underground chambers that offer a historical guide to the baths. With a ticket that cost about £11 I was able to walk around wishing I could jump in, but it also offered me an entrance to the Fashion Museum. Well I mean after you bath you need to dress, right?

Exiting the baths (not Bath, you get it, right?) I was bombarded by the Bath Abbey. This cannot be missed. I

More Abbey

don’t mean go inside, though you should. I mean it is the centre of the town. Established in the 8th Century, the first English King, Edgar in 973 was crowned here. Through the years it has been built and then fallen until Elizabeth I ordered it restored. The Abbey has been the same ever since her meddling.

Around the Abbey and the Roman Baths is a mix of modern shops in old buildings. I thoroughly enjoyed getting lost with in the Upper Borough Walls, Union Streets and Barton Street among others filled with shops and little cafes opening onto the side walks. Bath is, among other things, a town built for luxury! Eat your fill in the famous restaurants that include English Chef Jamie Oliver’s Italian restaurant and then, if you’ve got it, bath in the actual complex for it – the Thermae Bath Spa. It will cost you though! £24 for two hours!

I did not have the cash for this luxury so I enjoyed a free walk up to the Circus. No, not Barnum and Bailey’s. Bath’s Circus is  comprised of three semicircular terraces of Regency houses surround a circular park. It was designed by architect John Wood the Elder, who built much of 18th century Bath. I tried to get my landscape photo and decided to use the rest of my Roman Baths’ ticket and head for some fashion.

Not much to note here. A very small museum, Bath’s Fashion Museum main focus is, of course, a whole spread on Princess Diana’s fashion through the years. At least I did not waste the rest of my £11 ticket!

Before I could wish Bath good-bye, there was one more museum I needed to visit. Jane Austen’s of course.

The Royal Crescent in Bath

This illustrative author was a resident in Bath between 1801 and 1806 and the city features heavily in Persuasion and Northanger Abbey. She ended-up hating Bath when her, her mom and sister fell on hard times here. Perhaps that is why the city devoted the sad little home on Gay Street as a museum to the artist. My guidebook had warned me, but I couldn’t miss one of my favourite writer’s museum! It was dull.

Oh well, I was almost done with my trip to Bath. I wandered through some of the green and stunning parks including the Royal Victoria Park in front of the Royal Crescent and meandered back on the train. Luckily Friday’s rush hour was over and I could comfortably ride back to England’s capital fully refreshed.

Refreshed and ready for next week’s column: finding things to do in London for under $100. It can be done! I promise.

And of course visit www.robynswanderings.com for more all of your daily travel tips!

Brighton's Lanes

Perhaps it was the salty air of Dover’s Cliffs. Maybe it was the email from a friend encouraging me to experience it. Was it the notorious name?

Brighton. I had heard the name so many times and even though it is only about 50 miles or 80 km from London, I had never been to this seaside town. As a Bermudian I never quite understood the point. I’m afraid a beach will never impress. Ok, maybe not never. I was impressed by Sri Lanka’s….but that’s another story.

Back in Britain, my emailing friend assured me Brighton was more than beach. I decided it was time. It was time to add its infamous name to my list of trips under $100 from London. Yes, if you have been following the Rock Fever Column I write for The Royal Gazette for the last few weeks I have been to Stockholm and Sigtuna in Sweden; Sachsenhausen and Berlin in Germany; Hampstead and Dover in England. For photos of these trips and Bright visit my photos page.

I was further encouraged to jump to Brighton because the train-trip was less than an hour from London Bridge Tube Station and it cost less than £10! Just a tad cheaper than the £50,000 the iconic Brighton Royal Pavilion sold for in 1850. The creation of George IV, the Royal Pavilion was originally a farmhouse before he decided to reinvent it. Now the Pavilion is a draw for crowds visiting this seaside town. Well, at least, it was for me!

However, I’ve never been a map reader. Yes, I admit. I am one of those people that has to literally stand in a map before orienting myself. Luckily for directionally challenged people like myself, Brighton has Visitor Information Centres dotted around the city. I found the closest one to the train station hiding in a Toy and Model museum. I gave the models a miss and followed the man’s directions.

They sent me meandering through streets lined with multi-coloured stores, organic cafes and leather markets, that might have looked more comfortable on Middle Road, Bermuda rather than North Laine, Brighton.

Eventually, I found it! Well, the Pavilion Gardens first and then the Royal Pavilion.

It was a witches’ castle. What am I talking about? You know you’ve made them. Every kid in Bermuda has. You’ve held the wet sand in your hands and made drip castles.

Brighton's Royal Pavilion

What you were making has in fact been sitting on Brighton’s seaside since the1800’s: The Royal Pavilion. And for £9.50 you can experience one of the most ridiculously over-the-top, formerly private, homes in Britain. Originally a farmhouse when George IV the Prince of Wales, rented it in the 1780‘s, it grew along with his lifestyle of drinking, womanising and gambling and Brighton’s! A former fishing town, Brighton also started to transform into a seaside retreat for the rich and famous.

When George was sworn-in as Prince Regent in 1811 because his father George III was incapable of acting as the monarch, the villa grew. John Nash stepped-in. He introduced minarets and domes to the exterior while lathering the interior with enormous dragons and seashell-encrusted ceilings in the red-walled Music Room. No expense was spared, which is all I could think of as I walked through with my complimentary audio guide.

Queen Victoria ended-up inheriting the Palace, but even with all of its grandeur it could barely fit her growing family. Plus she was all about austerity. The opulent palace didn’t quite fit with her vibe so she decided to sell it.
The City of Brighton was quite happy to purchase the former Palace to ensure somewhere for tourists to visit. Hey, I bought a ticket.

Thoroughly impressed by George IV’s ability to spend money, I decided it was time to learn a little more about Brighton in the last couple of years. Sitting right next to the former Palace is the Brighton Museum. Convenient.

Random. Free. Both are reasons to visit this museum that offers some insight to the more-recent history of Brighton. The museum documents the growth of this capital of clubbing in Britain as well as its trend-setters. Of course there is the Fashion and Style section with random outfits provided by everyone from the gothic icons to the grunge mixed with Egyptian antiques. I did say random. Feeling thoroughly acquainted with the history of Brighton I figured it was time to head to the seaside.

Of course the seaside is what Brighton is about! I mean that’s why the rich and powerful people started coming here. The seaside was more than just a beach. It was a health clinic. Yes, a health resort of sorts. In the early 1800‘s Dr. Richard Russell created these ‘dippings’ which included a total immersion into the sea water to cure-all. I can imagine he was paid a pretty penny for these! Heck I can do that. Ok no I can’t. I’m Bermudian. I wasn’t going anywhere near the water.

Brighton's Pier

So luckily for me, the Brighton Pier is still standing and could keep me well above the frigid waters below.

The Pier is the epitome of traditional British seaside. Painted white, filled with an amusement park, rows of junk food and, of course, a candy store, the Pier is somewhere to sit and enjoy the views if you’re lucky and find a nice day. Other than that? It’s not much and the day was too cold for me! I hit the end and headed back to the interior to find a coffee and somewhere warm.

Luckily I could take my pick in the narrow streets in the area called The Lanes i.e.old, bricked buildings creating human-size mazes. Cute stores filled with antiques and clothes called my name. I ignored them and found a tiny coffee place to enjoy watching the fellow lost souls.

The light was fading. It was time. Time to finish my enjoyment of the beachside retreat and head back to London. Which is why Brighton is a great trip from Britain’s capital. It’s an afternoon, it’s a weekend, it can be both. I know, I know, there are supposed to be great clubs in Brighton. I didn’t have the energy. I will have to see them next time.

That’s because I still have to find a few more trips from London that cost under $100! And I did it. Perhaps it was time to come clean. To Bath it is next week and, of course, check back here tomorrow for more suggestions for your own trips!

Entering Dover Castle

The quiet beep awoke me from my Channel daze.

“Welcome to France. You’re phone calls with now cost…..”

What? But I’m not in France. I’m still in England and yet my phone calls and texts have doubled in price?

Cell phones. The bane of my existence while I travel for a month to find ten trips for my Rock Fever column in The Royal Gazette, for under $100 from London. So far I’ve been to Stockholm and Sigtuna in Sweden; Sachsenhausen and Berlin in Germany; and Hampstead in London.

Now this little piece of technology had interrupted my sunny view of my sixth trip or the white cliffs of…. Dover! Perhaps I should not have been surprised that the French had invaded my phone. The neighbour is about 20 miles or so across the Dover Straight from this strategic southern tip of England. Check out my photos here.

Overlooking the Channel

A town, castle and cliff, Dover was little more than an hour train ride from the St. Pancreas train station in London. Do not, however, make the mistake of shelling-out for the fast trains. With a ticket salesperson’s slight of hand, what should have cost me only £15 pounds ended-up costing me close to £30! Even worse? On the fast trains I also had to switch vehicles outside of London. The slow trains, on the other hand, would have been more direct and less costly. In any case, I arrived around 1 p.m. A little late, but luckily the walk to the Castle from town is only about 15 minutes.

This British Border town has been critical for Britain’s safety for more than 2,000 years, which is why Henry II built the Castle in 1180. After he built the Keep, the Castle became known as “the key” because, of course, any enemy that took it would have full access to Britain.

I seized the Castle via the signs that led up the hill. Luck gave me a sunny day and a man in a ticket booth allowed me to enter for £11.80. For those who do not want to or cannot walk there are buses from town into the castle and inside there is a free land train. I crossed the moat with barely a stone thrown at me and was met with a view of the bustling docks below. Large ferries and cargo ships fill with cars and then expel cars in England’s main port to Europe.

I turned from the sights and set mine on the Secret War Tunnels. Henry II might have built the Castle on the hill in 1180 for strategy, but the Napoleonic Wars in the 18th Century demanded more. Tunneling began to hide troops fighting against the French. Then in the 1940’s the tunnels were resurrected as the command centre for Operation Dynamo i.e. Britain’s retreat from France when they could not immediately defeat the German army. In less than a week, Vice Admiral Bertram Ramsay, from his Dover cliff operation centre, had organized the removal of 340,000 men from Dunkirk, France. By 1942 the British War Cabinet realized these tunnels were bomb proof and started expanding to create an underground city of sorts.

Now these tunnels house a slightly Disney-ish tour of the barracks, hospital and officers’ quarters, complete with sound effects. No, I’m not kidding. As the tour wanders along the halls, voices of the war time effort echo above your head. Not as interesting or as informative as, I thought, the museum that is attached to the tunnels.

While the tunnels protected the military, the civilians were left within reach of the German guns based in Calais. The museum takes pains to explains the extent of bombing on Dover during WWII. Between July 1940 and September 1944, these poor souls were subjected to 2,226 shells landing in the town and 686 in nearby areas. More than 3,000 air raid alerts were sounded and more than 10,000 buildings were damaged. Two hundred and sixteen civilians were killed and 344 were severely injured. This British town was on the front lines. It only became safe in September 1944, after which the guns at Calais were captured by the advancing Allies and finally fell silent. It’s too bad this suffering was not better portrayed in the tour, but luckily it was free.

I left the sound effects and continued my assault on the hill and eventually landed in the Keep of Dover Castle.The entire Castle complex is 70 acres with the highest point containing a pharos, or lighthouse, that was originally built by the Romans to guide their ships across the Channel. Those Romans, always ahead. It’s little more than a circular stone tower standing next to a small stone church (St. Mary-in-Castro), but it is striking set within a beautiful green expanse. More interesting to me, however, was walking the former path of its light rays to see the Channel extending in front of me and the infamous white cliffs stretching to the left. No wonder the Romans built here.

Retreating to the Keep, which includes the Great Hall and two stone chapels, I was bombarded with another history lesson. “The 1216 Siege Experience” is a sound and light show that depicts the French attempt to seize the castle. By 1216 the French had, in fact, invaded southeast England, controlled London and the Tower. Dover held strong, rallied the troops and in 1617 ran the French out of town. Dover was “the key” after all.

The Keep now also contains a 12the Century, replica kitchen, a modern restaurant and a shop. I navigated the knighted plates and spoons trying to come home with me, saved my pounds and took the final batteries that looked across lush, green fields and white cliffs. It was time to head for the open air.

Dover Cliffs

If I could find the way. Other tourists jumped into their cars. I had no choice. I backtracked to the guard who let me in, who told me to head left. I have said this more than once, but thank goodness for the Brits and their signs.

A half hour of following these signs brought me to the National Trust-run cafe overlooking the famous cliffs that were painted white by fossilized marine life. These are transcribed with 4 km of paths that lead to the South Foreland Lighthouse.

At this point, however, I had been walking around the 70 acre castle, up the cliffs and I preferred to sit and watch the ferries meander through the channel. The sun was setting. It was getting cooler. The lighthouse would have to be reached another day.

“Your calls will cost…”

Ok. Ok. I get it. I’m going! It was time for the journey back to London and to my next trip for under $100. Forget the war time history. It’s time for some “cultural” inheritance of Britain at where else? Brighton of course.

John Keats' House

“Away! away! for I will fly to thee,

Not charioted by Bacchus and his pards,

But on the viewless wings of Poesy,

Though the dull brain perplexes and retards:

Already with thee!”

John Keats’ Ode To a Nightingale.

Chaos. That is the nicest way I can describe my attempt to leave Berlin. I had been there for three days and even cut my third day short to get to the airport. Bus – train – Bus I arrived at the bottom of an escalator, glanced up and saw a bundle of people waiting. What are they waiting for? I tried to negotiate around them. No luck. I would have to join them.

Why? To get into the airport! Yep. We had to scan all of our luggage before entering a second “line” to pass through a second security clearance. I use the word line loosely.

Moon over London at 1 a.m.

Hundreds of people circled the entrance. Pushing ensued. I tried to ignore while reading my book, but the man next to me seemed intent on starting a fight with the massive rugby-looking men in front of me.

Just get me back to London. Oh Easy Jet would. Easy Jet was delayed yet again by another two hours. This was becoming a trend.

A trend I was ready to buck as I arrived back in London at 1 a.m. and began my mission to find another excursion for under $100 from London for my Rock Fever Column in The Royal Gazette newspaper. I’m trying to find ten! So far? Stockholm, Sigtuna (both in Sweden), Sacchsenhausen and Berlin (both in Germany).

So after this Schonefeld Airport expenditure I needed something closer to London. Somewhere I had never been in London. Hampstead Heath. Check out my photos for more glimpses of green.

Perfect. This 800 acre Heath is in the heart of Hampstead about a 20 minute tube from central London. Not an airport in sight. Originally Hampstead was a village that eventually became swallowed-up by the giant London metropolis that attracted many writers, artists, architects, musicians and scientists. Some of these included John Keats, Robert Louis Stevenson, painter John Constable, D.H. Lawrence, Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud and John Le Carre. It seemed a no-brainer for the next stop.

Ahhhh! Green. It wasn’t quite a 20 minute Tube ride but it wasn’t bad. After negotiating the Northern Tube Line I followed the signs for my oasis from the chaotic of London. Immediately trees enveloped me and carried me along dirt paths that are better associated with the hiking trails of Patagonia. No wonder so many artists retreated to Hampstead Heath. I meandered until I found myself on the great expanse of Parliament Hill, the highest point on Hampstead Heath. Resting myself under a tree I could watch the silver building tops of the city while comfortably enjoying the sun, grass and fresh air.

Ahhhh, why don’t more Londoners enjoy this? I would be here every day! There is more than fields in the

Sitting in the Heath

Heath however. Jogging trails lead to ponds – one for males and one for females – kite flying and even mansions. I decided to find one of these mansions.

While Londoners seem to enjoy labeling every square metre of the city, the Heath was a jumble of dirt paths with only the path-end delineating where you are going. At the end of the fifth path I tried, I was suddenly struck by a picture from a scene from Victorian days. Kenwood House stretched above a wide green expanse. This home in the northwestern part of the Heath was built as a gentlemen’s home and is now filled with an art collection that includes Rembrandt’s self-portrait and Vermeer’s The Guitar Player. Even better?! Admission is free and during the summer (which I had apparently just missed) there are open-air concerts beside the house’s lake.

This was entirely too much country glamour for this island girl so I decided to explore away from the green expanse that is the Heath to wander through the actual village. A quaint and posh part of London, the hilly and red bricked homes and pubs of Hampstead provide a beautiful neighbourhood to enjoy a beer and watch life go by. I was part of that life going by as I tried to find Fenton House.

Up down and around, I eventually found this home built in 1693 and filled with the likes of Handel’s harpsichord. Or, well, at least a harpsichord from 1612 that he probably played. Unfortunately I wanted to kick myself. I had signed-up with the National Trust in Bermuda only the week before my trip. Of course I left my membership card in Bermuda so while the entrance would have been free it now cost £5.20. Oh well with my day so far only costing the £1.80 for the Tube, I think I could swing it. I was under $100!!! There was really only one other place in Hampstead I had to see.

Odd architecture at 2 Willow Road

Keats’ house. Of course along the way there was the odd place of 2 Willow Road. Why odd? Walk through Hampstead Village. It’s filled with homes from Jane Austen’s novels. But 2 Willow Road, this home of Hungarian architect Erno Goldfinger (yes his surname was Ian Fleming’s inspiration for one of his most famous novels) and his wife Ursala Blackwell, built in 1939 and filled with his furniture, books, modern art collection it is more modern art itself.

I had no desire to enter here so I meandered on further to find the beautiful and garden-entrenched home of John Keats. This timeless and simple home, which now nestles in the village, used to sit on the Heath! He lived here for only two years, but these were some of the most inspired years, writing his most popular poem Ode to a Nightingale here. It was also where he fell in love with Fanny Brawne his neighbour’s daughter. They were engaged, but he died of tuberculosis before they could marry. The home is quaint beyond words and amazing that one of the most famous writers of all time called it home with one of his friends Charles Brown.

Walking away from Keats’ homestead it was time to find some food. Good thing Hampstead is more than just beautifully bricked homes. With the Wells, a stylish gastropub  between the High Street and the Heath, I could find yummy food that still fit in the budget. Relaxed from my Berlin fiasco and a day of culture, green and high society it was time for me to head back to the centre of London.

And next week visit Robyn’s Wanderings Wednesdays to return to the battlefields. It’s back into the fray of WWII. To the cliffs of Dover it is!

Rain for Beauty!

What am I posting about today? Well hopefully you got your beauty sleep this weekend? No? Oh right it was Bermuda’s annual Rugby Classic.

I’m sure most people are feeling a little less than light on their feet today. Maybe there are a few bags under the eyes that were not there before?

Need something to pick you up? Perhaps you’re having a better day than Oleg Mavromati (read my previous post for understanding) who appears to be alive!

Have no fear the Bermudians are on it and have been “on it” since our creation. As you can see in the pic I have chosen for you today, the Brits thought they were ahead.

What am I talking about?

Today’s Robyn’s Wanderings draws from my next column for The Royal Gazette (in on Wednesday now!) I was meandering around the house of John Keats in Hampstead Heath, London and noticed this sign.

“Rain Water in Beauty Treatments”

Now who would have thought? Well the Bermudians certainly have! We catch the rain off our roofs, store it in our tanks and use it for everything from washing our faces (hello beauty!) to washing our vegetables (beautiful tummies?).

Apparently this was  new trend in the time of George IV i.e. late 1700′s and early 1800′s. Kinda an odd concept, really. Not washing?

But then again who would have thought about catching water on our roofs to use it for every day affairs? A small island nation in the middle of the Atlantic is who!

It’s always a fun fact to share with people, even people who work for eco-lodges in Berlin. He couldn’t quite get his head around it!

“You mean you catch water on your roofs? To flush toilets, right?”

“No. Well yes. But we also drink it and shower, etc.. It’s why we have roofs shaped like stairs and painted white!”

White, water-catching Bermuda roof

“That’s crazy! Why don’t you write about that for your blog.”

Ha. Well here I am writing about it. Trendsetters that we try to be, Bermuda was way-ahead in the beauty treatments that the British then “came-upon.”

So remember your beauty treatment today. In Bermuda it’s no further than your tap and stay tuned for my next Rock Fever Column on Wednesday!

Happy Monday.

Berlin's Wall

I said I wanted to go back.

Back where? Back to Berlin.

What better time than for Christmas? I can’t think of any which is why it’s cool that Globus through CTravel in Bermuda offers affordable trips to some of the most beautiful Eastern European cities.

Departing on December 17th the nine day trip will cost only $1,449 and will include everything from the my favourite, Berlin, to Prague, Budapest and Vienna.

And do you know what you would be seeing? Eating? Drinking? Well everything! These European cities know how to do Christmas right.

Try the beiglie, a Christmas cookie made of walnuts and regional spices in Budapest; savor the Glühwein, a hot spiced wine, in Vienna; and sample the Stollen, the traditional Christmas cake originated in Dresden, Germany.

But this is more than eating, drinking and shopping. Though those are good things. It will also be a vacation filled with the beautiful history that haunts these European cities. That includes the infamous St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna to the Hradcany Castle in Prague.

Or maybe you’re trying to find somewhere for New Years. Yeah me too! I’ve been trying to organize a trip with

New Years in London

a group. Talk about a full time job.

So why not get someone else to do it for you?! Perfect. Globus also has an affordable alternative for you.

For nine days you will enjoy a Christmas Eve dinner in one of Paris’ fine restaurants, before wandering to London to celebrate New Year’s Eve with dinner at a local London restaurant.

Need something more? How about visiting the top of the Eiffel Tower while you’re at it before a fast ride on the infamous Eurostar train through the Chunnel from Paris to London. You also have plenty of free time in both cities to explore the museums, historical sites, and optional excursions.

And why not take advantage of the sales while you’re there? And if that’s not quite in the books, enjoy the window shopping at the infamous Harrods in London and Galleries Lafayette in Paris. These stores know how to decorate for the holidays and CTravel knows how to help you book your trip. So what are you waiting for?

Create your own?

Or maybe you are interested in creating your own tour? You want to travel independently, but you don’t want the hassle of booking your hotels, tickets, etc…

Yeah me too! Perfect. CTravel and Virtuoso are here to help.

With the new Monograms site these can be affordable and creatively coordinated. Want to build an eight day vacation in Paris? No problem. They are here for you picking what you want and what you are interested in and the best part: It’s just for you!

So remember to visit CTravel on their website or their offices on Queen Street for all the personalized vacation help you need.

Decorating the Divisive: Berlin's East Side Gallery

“It’s so cool to be here. I remember watching the wall fall on TV. It’s so amazing being able to see parts of it in person.”

The girls sitting across from me were clearly confused.

“Oh, you watched it on TV. Robyn, we learned about the wall in history class.”

Wow. I had seriously dated myself while sitting in one of Berlin’s more traditional restaurants, the Zur letzten Instanz. Heads of state such as Mikhail Gorbachev had dined here and yet I almost choked on the delicious and not ridiculously priced food (i.e. €20 for dinner). The beauty of Berlin.

It was an apt setting, at least, for my history placement by my two travel buddies as I continued on my attempt to find ten trips from London for under $100 for my weekly travel column, Rock Fever, in The Royal Gazette. So far? Stockholm and Sigtuna in Sweden, Berlin’s Sachsenhaussen and now? Berlin extended. Check out my updated photo page for more pics from these travels.

After not choking on the rest of my dinner, I took my historic self back to the eco-lodge I was staying in, negotiated with the wild pigs and fell asleep. Good thing. The next day was a long one. The beauty of Berlin is it is a city that is in constant renovation.

Demolished by both World Wars and then a communist take-over, the architecture is sporadic at best. Nothing quite fits. Which is why I felt the need to start with a tour to try and piece it together.

Luckily New Berlin Tours, a syndicate of New Europe Tours, offers free tours of the city. Even better? It meets outside of Starbucks in front of the iconic Brandenburg Gate.

Before I got there, however, I had to negotiate Berlin’s alphabet soup transportation. Take the U to the S to the B…us. Like Berlin’s history, its transportation is overwhelming at first. A quick breakdown? The S-Bahn is the metropolitan train line and appeared, to me, to be the trains above ground.

The U-Bahn is also there just for fun. It’s the rapid transit railway and 80 percent of it lies below ground. Then there are trams and even more fun buses. Luckily once you grab a free map from the array of places that offer them and look for the stop you need, deciding which letter you need is easy. And luckily one ticket (day, short trip, single trip, week ticket, whatever) will cover all of the alphabet soup.

I took a B…us to an S to a U and arrived in front of Starbucks and, more importantly, in front of the

The Brandenburg Gate

Brandenburg Gate which offers a stately entrance to the neo-classically lined, Unter den Linden street and Pariser Platz Square. This is the “centre” of Berlin if there is one. Buildings here include the French Embassy, the American Embassy and the Adlon hotel which is famous for its prices and a baby being held over its balcony. (Remember Michael Jackson?)

The structures are organised and sorted by the state of the architecture. None in Pariser Platz were, and are, allowed to be flashier than the gate, which Napoleon walked through in 1806 and promptly took the horse-drawn carriage from on top. It was returned, obviously.

Around the corner from this modern square is another square with a more sobering message. The Holocaust Memorial, or officially The National Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, was created by a New York architect and was unveiled in 2006. It incorporates 2,711 grey gravestones of varying sizes above a multi-faceted museum. Relating the individual stories of those who were lost, the most poignant moment was in the darkened quotation room where sniffles and sobs of visitors orchestrated thoughts from varying aged prisoners including one 12-year-old who wrote in a letter:

“To father I am saying goodbye to you before I die. We would love to live, but they won’t let us and we will die. I am so scared of this death because the small children are thrown alive into the heat. Goodbye forever. I love you tremendously.”

A block away? The bunker of the leader who sentenced these innocents to death Hitler. When the Soviets entered Berlin to drive him out, Hitler married his secretary Eva Braun, wrote his final testament and committed suicide here. Aptly the bunker remains below ground under a parking lot no less where no one enters. Only a miniature sign reminds visitors of what was here.

From the haunting images of the Nazis we moved to the Communist Era. Buildings that were the haunts of the snooping communists are now a tax office. Fitting? I don’t know.

Then we made it to the Disney-style representation of Checkpoint Charlie. This allied military post marked the border between East and West Berlin. It was removed in 1990. Now there are posters of miserable looking guards who would have greeted those trying to break through.

Next to it is also one of the most disturbing museums, The Topography of Terror, which I would suggest to anyone trying to understand the disturbed psyches of the Nazis. There is also one of the longest stretches of the Berlin Wall, which I surprisingly discovered was a circle! Who knew?! Well those trapped on the other side I suppose.

The National Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

After completing my free tour (which of course demands a tip at the end) which also included the Bebelplatz, where Nazis burned some books, and the Museum Island, I felt the need to find the iconic length of the wall. The East Side Gallery is 1.3 km and has been decorated by political and satirical images which had been done just after the wall fell.

From here it was an easy wander into the bohemian Kreuzberg neighbourhoods. East and West, this area is filled with cafes, bars and nightlife that could keep anyone entertained something to come back to. After all the walking it was time to relax in my eco-lodge before my departure the next day.

Luckily my flight did not leave until the evening so I still had time to fit in perhaps the most famous building in Berlin the Reichstag. With a line of potential visitors stretching an hour from the entrance, this neoclassical building was a fitting final destination of this hodge-podge city.

The building has a second place in history, which includes being the site of a fire in 1993 that allowed the Nazis to suspend rights (they claimed a communist set the fire) and introduce a death penalty for political offenses Hitler finally found his way to the top.

Now, to get to the top requires a lengthy line, an elevator and a walk around the glass cupola designed by Britain’s Sir Norman Foster. The idea was that people could look down on their government (the Reichstag is the parliament building) and the politicians could look up and realise who they were supposed to be representing.

Unfortunately it was all I had time for this day before my return to London. So to Berlin: you are a weird and wiry place that will be on my Return List.

U-Bahn

“All you have to do Robyn, is take the U to the S to the Bus.”

“Oh right. Ok. Do you think Berlin could have anymore letters I could memorize?”

“Ha. Don’t worry it gets easy once you try it.”

I didn’t believe them. I had just landed in Berlin and I was trying to figure-out how to wander from my Eco-lodge in the Grunewald Park that comes complete with wild pigs, to the centre of Berlin.

Even though I had only given myself three days in Berlin, I decided to try and redeem my flights with a stay in a solar-powered lodge. Bring on the environment! Just please leave behind the cold showers. No wonder this place closes in the winter. Only October and already I couldn’t get any hot water in the morning.

Nothing like an icicle shower to open my eyes to the alphabet soup that is Berlin’s transportation system. I don’t think I’ve been to a place that has quite so many names for a similar thing.

So what have we got in our Berlin soup?

There is the S-Bahn. What is it? It’s the Suburban metro railways and the S actually stands for ’Stadtschnellbahn’ (meaning “urban rapid railway”) and it was introduced to Berlin in 1930. These are actually trains and are mostly above ground.

They criss cross (and make you wanna jump) around Berlin and into the surrounding state Brandenburg. It

U-Bahn in Berlin

also consists of 15 lines and is integrated with the next letter combo – the U-Bahn.

Got it?

So where U Bahn? Well you’ll have been negotiating 173 stations across nine lines and 147 kilometres of track on the U-Bahn in Berlin. They travel 132 million km (83 million mi), carrying 400 million passengers every year.

But it was not always so unified. Like the city it helps commute, the U-Bahn was severed during the East vs. West fight until 1989. Back together, the U-Bahn is now the most extensive underground system in Germany.

Even better? For the environmentalists out there in 2006 it was calculated that the use of the U-Bahn amounted to the equivalent of 122.2 million km (76 million mi) of car journeys!

What else does Berlin have? Buses. Night and Day. Just make sure you look for the N for the evening or you might get lost.

These are so convenient and all the drivers spoke some English when I got on. That made it a lot easier to buy my tickets for the day.

Well for the day, for a short trip, a week, a single trip, etc…take your pick! And you can. That’s the beauty of Alphabet soup. One ticket will take you on all of it.

All you have to worry about is making sure that you have the right zones. Yep.

Adding to the soup are the zones. A to B to C. Luckily most things to see in Berlin only require learning about A and B. C? That’s for the Schonefeld airport and Oranienburg where you can visit Sachsenhausen concentration camp.

Finally?! Trams. I never took one and I don’t think most tourists would, but if you do your ticket will still work. I love Berlin.

M…..is the last letter you need to learn in Berlin. Map – make sure you pick-up a free map from the various areas in Berlin! I had to pick-up two. It’s helpful with tips on how to get around and a well-used map.

Just make sure you go! Berlin is ridiculously interesting and filled with everything you could want. And even as directionally-challenged as I can be I figured it out!