Robyn's Wanderings

Living near the CN Tower in Toronto

What do you know about your fellow traveler? Well for most of us we have been following our weekly blogger Nicola Arnold so we know a bit. But you others?

Well here you go. Her very own, “About Me” page. Where has she been? You just have to read and find out:

Last weekend, I met up with some university friends for dinner in downtown Toronto. That’s the great thing about being based in Toronto, now, – having attended a university one hour west of here, a lot of former school friends and housemates live in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area).

We work, study or live in/near the city, so it’s great to catch up on news & relive the good old days! One of the girls was my roommate from our first year of school. According to her, when I moved in to our dorm room I asked her which countries she had been to, to which she awkwardly replied, “Well, I haven’t travelled much… but I’ve been to Florida!”

Starting university, my travel experience was a little bit different (although I had been to Florida too!). I was fresh off a European travel whirlwind from my Rotary Youth Exchange year in France, where I had spent 10 months exploring not only northeastern France but also Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg which were all bordering the region of France where I was: Lorraine.

Say hello to Köln (Cologne), Germany

The “where have you travelled” question popped up again recently in my Toronto wanderings. I found myself talking to a representative at the Adventure Travel Company in downtown, where I was looking into several products they offer.

At his desk, the guy had an “About Me” page relating to his travels. It was a neat way to learn more about him, where he had travelled and where he hoped to go next!

So, I decided to mirror the “About Me” with my own travel experiences for this week’s post!

I’ve seen a lot so far, luckily… but there is so much more to conquer in the world.

Here it goes:

Title: Adventurer/Wanderer

Location: Toronto

Country count: 27 Countries visited: USA, Canada, Bermuda, England, Wales, Scotland, Sweden, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Spain, Italy, Greece, Austria, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Vatican City, Monaco, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Netherlands, Zimbabwe, South Africa, India, Japan

Favourite country: hmmm… France. 

Next trip in my dreams? The Maldives. Realistically? New York City

The Maldives.The Maldives in my dreams... one day!

I don’t travel without… a Swiss Army knife, a spork, a water bottle and toilet paper (hey, you never know).

I travel because… Bermuda is a rock in the ocean, there is so much more to explore in the world!

My favourite travel moments are… the spontaneous adventures with travel buddies, especially when the unexpected happens and you have much to laugh about.

Beware of dodgy people along your journeys (like her?! Nicola...for anyone who has not followed her posts!)

As an aside: If you find yourselves in the Canadian cities of Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver or Victoria… hunt down an Adventure Travel Company for more interesting travels, tours, and adventures!

The ATC offers many tours and excursions that are a great way to see the world. With slogans like “Epic Destinations. Epic Activities. Epic Hosts” and “It’s your life. It’s your adventure. What are you waiting for?” they seem to be experts in their field.]

In the words of Julius Caesar: Veni, Vidi, Vici!

Sticker-clad door in Amsterdam

“Reality is a sliding door” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Every traveler has it: those pictures you take everywhere you go. What am I talking about? Well, for me I like to take pictures of my food. It’s weird, perhaps, but I could do a food diary around the world!

Hmmm…maybe that’s tomorrow’s post! But for today it’s our wanderer Nicola who highlights her own photography obsession – doors! When one door closes another one……goes to read about Nicola’s adventures:

While browsing through my photos, I realized that I often take shots of one thing in particular: DOORS. Hmmm… why? I’m no budding photographer, but doorways captivate my amateur lens. While travelling, you are bound to come across doors that speak of history, culture, war, elegance, abandonment and traditions. Whether lavishly painted or shabbily chipped, wrought iron or wooden, doors speak volumes.

The gigantic door to my friend's apartment in Rome

On an everyday scale, doors are just a part of life. But think about all the possible situations you can get into…

- We may have had an awkward encounter at a revolving door, shuffling along in a small space with a stranger.
- We may have watched the film Sliding Doors and wondered about parallel storylines/situations in our lives.
- We may have ran right into a glass or screen door (or worse yet, watch this video… poor guy!).
- We may have been serenaded by Guns N Roses and/or Bob Dylan singing this smash hit.

A door inside the Forum in Rome

Children have a lot of interactions with doors: don’t open the door to strangers; sell cookies or raffle tickets door to door; play with the next-door neighbours; read The Chronicles of Narnia and imagine another world behind your own closet doors; slam the door when you’re angry… well, that doesn’t just apply to children!

And what would be the reason for this door in Athens??

This Other Side of the Door is a blog post with an interesting take on all that doors symbolize, including:
- opportunity
- exploration
- history
- barriers
- cultural differences

Well, that’s all for now, folks. It’s time to go “outdoors” and enjoy the last weekend baseball games of the season: Toronto Blue Jays vs. New York Yankees!

“Simple exchanges can break down walls between us, for when people come together and speak to one another and share a common experience, then their common humanity is revealed,” President Barack Obama.

Where in the world would you study?

“Why do you want to go to Florence for a semester?”

I was not quite sure how to answer my parent’s question. Why wouldn’t I want to go to Florence, Italy? More importantly, why wouldn’t anyone want to live there?

I was tempted by sarcasm, but I resisted realizing my study abroad choice would be quashed if I did. So, instead I mounted my case.

My problem? My university in the United States did not have a programme in Florence, Italy. Did that stop me? Have you followed this column?

Of course it did not stop me. I went online and started my research. I found a great programme through Fairfield University, which had a partnership with a college in Florence and courses so I could finish my double major and graduate with my peers.

My case was mounted and I presented my research.

“Plus, a semester in Florence would give me a chance to continue learning Italian and it will cost the same as sending me to college in the United States for this semester.”

I was given the green light and applied for the Fairfield programme and years later I sat down to write this week’s Rock Fever column: studying abroad and why every student who about to leave Bermuda in the upcoming weeks should apply!

Before I go any further in this column and you tell me that Bermudians are already studying abroad when they choose to leave the island for a college, I will say this: studying abroad, in this column, refers to taking a semester or two away from “regular” college to “try” a different country, culture and community.

And now I move to reason one leads me to the timing of this column: don’t procrastinate! The applications are going to be due soon, are easy and take no time with the help of your college’s study abroad office or, failing an office, this website: Global Student Experience: http://www.gseabroad.com/can help.

Add stamps to your passport by studying abroad!

Which brings me to reason two for study abroad: it is a chance for college-age students to experience a culture that is completely different from their own in the safety of a college setting. Case in point? I studied in Florence which allowed me to live in Italy without having to organize my own apartment, figure out transportation or traveling alone.

Ok parents, you have your child safe in school abroad, but you’re worried about finances. Well reason three for a study abroad programme: you will be paying the same if not less for the school programme your child would be attending in the US, Canada, or England, but now they will be in Morocco, India or Italy! Possibilities also abound for students to receive scholarships for studying abroad too! They can ask their study abroad office for more information (or work two jobs before studying in London like I did).

Worried about their studies? Well reason four for travel abroad is: the programmes are so developed that your child will be able to find courses abroad to satisfy their degrees in economics, english or even social work! Don’t believe me? Visit here: http://www.studyabroad.com/ for more information.

Which brings me back to you, students. Reason five: you will be able to finish your degrees so do not give up studying abroad no matter what your programme of study. I managed to complete a double major in English and Women’s Studies while studying in London for one semester and Florence for a second semester in my four-years of studies. Visit your study abroad office at school or failing that, visit the websites I have already suggested in this column.

Reason six brings me back to Florence, which is: do not give-up on studying abroad if your college does not have the country or programme you want. I was able to study in Italy because I found a programme through a different college. Yes, my application process was slightly more intense and I had to do more to ensure my credits would transfer, but I spent three months walking past the Duomo in Florence and traveling to Rome for the weekend. Fair trade? I would say so.

Which is why you, students, should go abroad and Rock Fever reason seven: Three days or three months in a country, which would you choose? Without a doubt three months! Be a tourist no more and take the chance to better understand a different culture, learn the language, meet new people and actually enjoy weekend trips into countryside you previously only saw on the covers of olive oil bottles.

Now for reason eight parent/s, sponsors, basically anyone supporting a college student financially, close your eyes. Ok, students seriously when in your life will you be able to live in another country on the bill of someone else???? Fill-out the application already!

Ok parents open your eyes and let me win you over now. Reason nine is: a study abroad programme will make your daughter or son more attractive to employers. With an international workforce and clientele in Bermuda who would be better to understand the different cultures than someone who chose to live in a different country? Those who have studied abroad, of course! They will be more confident (they would have to be to travel to a completely different country) as well as being better placed to understand these different cultures and the rules!

Travel to India for a semester and enjoy an entirely new culture!

Which brings me to my last reason for a study abroad programme (which, by the way could be a semester at sea) is for you students: a chance to expand your worldview and therefore better yourselves. Ok, when I spent three months in India I wasn’t studying abroad, but I could have been. The lessons I learned traveling through that country changed me forever. I had never seen poverty like that before or since and I found it very difficult to return to Bermuda. The trip also gave me a very different view on my life ambitions.

Before I finish this article I want to apologize for not taking you on a vacation as I promised last week. So I will next week. But only if you have applied for your study abroad programme! Until next week, adios.

Santorini offers black sand beaches, blue waters, and Connect Four

It’s Sunday and our wanderer, Nicola Arnold has been caught-up in….games! Of course travel is not always fun, but it is always filled with games.

From the haggling for the best price to the divide tourists in groups and conquer them with sales and even more typical games to keep you from being bored like scrabble! Here Nicola tells us all about her travels and games:

What is your defense to ward off boredom and tiredness during long flights/road trips/delays… and just to have fun whilst travelling?!

Try packing a deck of cards… it works wonders whether you are backpacking Asia, on a train in Europe or road trippin’ in the USA. Despite possible language barriers if you play with new travel buddies, you may learn new games or tricks along the way. [Of course you could occupy yourself with a puzzle book, an iPod or a Nintendo game - and you have every right to do so - but it may be more social and friendly to team up with others in combating idle time!]

On my travels in June, we brought along Travel Scrabble for a bit of enjoyment. Travel games are great since they tend to be magnetic and the little pieces don’t fly all over the place. Even when energy was low, we attempted to come up with half-coherent words. Sometimes, though, you just have to chalk it up to luck… and a bit of strategic board placement!

[However, I must admit that while my sister and I duked it out in Travel Scrabble, another member of our group (who shall remain unnamed), was playing Angry Birds on a smartphone. Sometimes you just have to let sleeping dogs lie... or in this case, let Angry Birds fly!]

Concentration levels were high in the search for clever words

And you know what is better than travel games? GIANT VERSIONS OF GAMES! You never know when you might stumble upon, say, a life-sized chess board at a park in Switzerland, or a 4-foot Connect Four game on a beach in Greece. Don’t believe me? I can bear witness to both! Who says they are just for children? We are all young at heart.

Don't mess with the Saturday chess players in Geneva

However, if life-size games elude you on your journies, be prepared to whip out some paper & pens for some good, old-fashioned, never-ending games of tic-tac-toe, dots & squares, hangman, or pictionary… whatever floats your boat! For even more simple ideas, start up a guessing game such as eye spy or twenty questions to entertain yourselves.

So in the words of Michael Jordan, “Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game.”

Taboo in Thailand

“Good Afternoon”

“Oh, Hi. Could I….”

“Good AFTERNOON”

“Oh, um….Good Afternoon. Could I please find out….”

We certainly have our ways here in Bermuda. One of those ways includes our traditional greetings, which will require a Good followed by the appropriate time of day.

Should this social norm be ignored or brushed aside (“Oh, hi” is not going to cut it) it seems an affront and you are certainly getting nothing done without it.

Other taboos? Sure there might be some turned heads, but walking around our capital, Hamilton, in bathing suits…..it’s just not appropriate. Yes, our businessmen might show a bit of calf in their shorts, but tourists in their swim suits? Wrong.

Another taboo? Questioning the sacred Cup Match! Yes, another taboo. Are you American? Then you understand Thanksgiving….same thing.

And people say Bermuda doesn’t have it’s own culture.

The problem is, other countries have their own traditions and taboos that are completely different from ours. Sure, you could argue when you visit these countries that you’re a tourist and you should be given a pass.

My question to you is: “Good Afternoon, do we, as Bermudians, give our tourists a pass?”

“Uh….”

“I SAID, Good Afternoon!”

So you get my point. Now what travel etiquette should you know before you travel? How about shaking your head? Tip One is that in many countries including Bulgaria, Sri Lanka, Albania, Macedonia and India shaking your head from left to right means “Yes” or an agreement, while up and down means “No” or disagreeing.

Tip two: In Iran raising your head and eyebrows is considered a “no”! Yep, while eyebrows raised here might be surprise or even a form of agreement, it’s not in Iran!

I will let you sit for a minute and think about it. Don’t worry your boss will understand.

Think how tired you are at the end of the day after dealing with that boss! What do you do when you get home? Tip three is: while you might put your feet up on your coffee table or lie-down on your couch with your feet over your head, that’s a massive insult in many Asian countries. Yep, the soles of your feet are considered the lowest and dirtiest part of the body.

And so Tip Four is: your feet should never be above the head or be used to point, touch etc… (fair enough, really) in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, well most Asian countries and even Egypt. Of course on the other end, the head, then, is the container of the soul so you should never touch the head or point to the head of another person in Cambodia and other Asian countries.

You should als be careful how you do call someone over or point-out a direction. Tip Five: in Indonesia, India, Japan and China it is considered vulgar and inappropriate to scroll the index finger up to beckon someone over and you should never use the index finger to point. Instead in China put you palm downwards and make a scratching motion to call someone over and also use the entire palm to point in to particular direction. In India use your chin, whole hand or thumb to point.

Thumbs-up is not always appropriate!

Then there is trying to paying a compliment in another culture. Well Tip Six is our Thumbs-up and “Ok” signs we make with our hands (i.e. a thumb up and our thumb and index finger touching) are fine to use in France (except you will be communicating zero not “Ok”), but in other countries these signs are considered vulgar. In Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Argentina, Peru or Iran you might just start a bar fight not start good international relations.

Now of course, Tip Seven is: if you’re visiting Britain do NOT make the V sign with your index and middle fingers and show the back of your hand. You will have, again, just started a bar fight. Instead turn the palm toward whomever you are speaking to and ask for two beers.

Speaking of hands, Tip Eight is that your left hand is considered unclean (for reasons I cannot go into here. Let’s just say toilet paper is sometimes difficult to find) in India, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Nigeria. So never use your left hand to eat or receive objects.

Countries also managed to differ dramatically on the size of their…gestures! While tip nine is not to get offended in Italy, it is be careful in Japan with how loud and aggressive you are with gestures. When I sailed across the Atlantic on the Italian Naval Ship, Amerigo Vespucci, I thought the crew were always furious. I mean it was close quarters, but nope. Instead it is customary in Italy to speak loudly and make large hand gestures. In Japan, on the other hand, facial expressions are kept in check. A mere frown could be interpreted as a disagreement! So careful!!

Bali is beautiful, but don't try to argue!

Which leads to tip ten and: in many countries raising your voice to disagree with what is happening is disgracing not only yourself, but also the person you are speaking to. i.e. you will not get anywhere! Thailand is one country where this is the case. Another? Bali. No matter how much I tried, arguing was a waste of time. Smile, nod and move-on. They will never change their minds.

Want some more advice on a country you are going to? visit: www.expats-moving-and-relocation-guide.com and visit my blog www.robynswanderings.com and until next week I say as-salaamu ‘alaykum.

Coffee in Buenos Aires

Do you know who imports more than 900 million pounds of coffee a year?

No it’s not France. No, not even the obsessed Argentines. Not even my favourite Vietnam.

It’s Japan.

Yes, it’s true. Apparently Japan imports more than 930 million pounds of it each year, which is more than France and less than Italy.

What does this have to do with travel? Well, sure you could ask, but that would mean you haven’t been to Turkey for their sticky and thick coffee that lines the cup.

Or to Vietnam when they fill the bottom of the cup, which turns out to be enough to keep you up through the night.

Coffee in Cairo

How about sipping in Cairo (when they’re not protesting) at one of the oldest cafes in Egypt? One where the Nobel Prize winning authors sit.

It’s a drink that keeps the world ticking and one that you will never be far from where ever you are. Sure there is tea, but coffee is my poison.

Tea in Turkey!

Of course, I am sad to say that my favourite is Starbucks. Yes, I have been around the world. I have tried coffee in lots of places, but my favourite coffee stop is Starbucks.

Plenty of caffeine in their regular coffee and the quality is guaranteed to some degree everywhere you go. Of course that can’t guarantee the Inca Bucks in Peru!

Inca or Star?

Nicola Arnold (left) taking in the marvelous Coliseum in Rome with her sister Katie

The holidays have come and gone and it’s back to the grind.

Or, well, for Robyn’s Wanderings’ latest columnist back to “de rock”.

Nicola Arnold has been scavenging the world over her holidays to bring us the latest in her adventures from South Africa to Italy and everywhere in between.

We welcome you back to your regular blogging program: Nicola’s Saturday posts:

Honey, I’m home… home sweet home… and for us Bermudians, back on de Rock… and I must admit it is nice to end up at home, even if it’s windy & rainy at the moment! I did manage to hope on a computer every now & then to write my Saturday postings while I was away.

See if you can work out the riddle below that explains the journey:

BDA-LGW/LHR-FCO-LHR-JNB-CPT-JNB-LHR-AMS-LGW-BDA

If you understand the riddle, you might be in the in travel industry, travel frequently, or admit to being an aviation geek… although you may have just been left thinking “what the heck?” Don’t worry, I had to Google a few that I did not know myself. That string of letters is the list of airport codes for each leg of my journey. 10 Flights in 21 days!

To break it down: Bermuda-London Gatwick/transfer to London Heathrow-Rome Fiumicino-London Heathrow-Johannesburg (transfer)-Cape Town-Johannesburg-London Heathrow (transfer)-Amsterdam Schipol-London Gatwick-Bermuda

In Rome, we joined-up with my older sister Katie, who lives and works in England. We stayed with my dad’s uncle who lives in Rome as a Jesuit priest, and we were also joined by Jenna, an American friend of mine studying in France who hopped on an EasyJet flight to Rome! We witnessed wedding party photos being taken outside the Coliseum, inadvertently jumped into rivers of rain that flooded down the cobblestones by the Trevi fountain – and of course enjoyed our share of pizza, gelato and marocchino coffees (an espresso with foamed milk and cacao, to be taken 2-3 times daily!).

In & around Cape Town: Within 36 hours we had accomplished a visiting marathon … we had afternoon tea

Nicola spent Christmas day chilling out in the pool with family & friends

with the friends who met us at the airport, enjoyed breakfast at a café with my mom’s uncle & aunt (who she hadn’t seen in 30 years), went to lunch with the parents of my dad’s best friend from college, ate dinner with my mom’s college contemporaries – PLUS stopping by a busy restaurant in the afternoon to see the daughter of a South African friend we know in Bermuda. We may travel light, but we certainly pack-in the travel adventures!

Next was Johannesburg, which is known locally as Jo’burg, Jozi, or eGoli, where we stayed for 8 days right up until New Year’s Eve. Christmas was upon us so the catching up, preparations and feasting were off with a bang! As I had not seen some of my relatives in 7 or 8 years, it was an absolute delight to spend a week eating leftovers by the pool (Jo’burg summertime meant 25-30°C days and nightly thunderstorms), go on day trips to historical sites such as Pretoria (we visited the Voortrekker monument to the Afrikaans’ pioneers), Soweto (an abbreviation of South Western Townships, where the famous Soweto Uprising took place in 1976), the Soccer City Stadium from the 2010 FIFA World Cup (designed to look like an African cooking pot), and even a day spent peering through binoculars to see the wild animals at the Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve in Kromdraai, an animal reserve where we drove a few feet past fabulous animals such as white lions, cheetah, wild dogs, rhinoceros, kudu, warthogs, jackals, and buffalo.

The Lion King (live!) during Nicola's visit to the Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve

[In Africa, people flock to see the “Big Five” game animals on safari or in game reserves. These five include the lion, the African elephant, the Cape Buffalo, the leopard and the rhinoceros, as these were historically the most difficult and dangerous animals to hunt on foot. A neat fact is that on the Rand, the currency used in South Africa, banknotes published since 1990 portray a different animal of the Big Five for different denominations.]

The return to Europe meant a crash in temperature, but after New Year’s Eve on a plane and seeing an electric pink sunrise on January 1^st from 35,000 feet in the air, we started the New Year in style. 2011 began with a 2-day stay in Amsterdam, and sight-seeing by boat cruises, tram rides and on foot,but  not by bicycle. There was plenty of Christmas cheer about with ice skating rinks in vary city squares, Christmas markets selling sugared donuts and mulled wine (yes please!). Rather unfortunately, empty champagne bottles were strewn across frozen canals and bobbed up and down in watery canals… such is city life.

Last, but not least, in London we had 3 days to catch up with my sister Katie, our cousin Michael who also hosted us, and my Bermudian friend Kerri-Lynne who joined the Arnolds for a meal in town! Being the end of a 3-week journey, London was a bit of an energy struggle for me but the sites were seen atop the famous red, double-decker buses, where we always clambered to sit on the top, in the front. We even managed to squeeze in some shows in London’s West End, including Wicked which was fantastic even 9 rows from the back of the theatre!

Sure, we incurred delays and cancellations, upgrades (yay!) and downgrades (boo), various aviation hurdles

Hiding in the "m" is a little Bermudian in the city of Amsterdam

(taking off in thunderstorms, de-icing the plane) and at one point a finger infection (I will not expand all of the details, let’s just say I’m glad my dad could ‘doctor’ it).

Anxious to know what travels await me in 2011. Nothing is booked yet, but ideas are being put into place, and I am looking forward to the opportunities. Right now, I’m going to plead “jet-lag” as an excuse to return to my book. Not surprisingly in the genre of travel literature, it’s called “A Trip to the Beach” by Melinda & Robert Blanchard, a couple from the USA who set up a restaurant on the Caribbean island of Anguilla. As I read, I imagine myself in a hammock, sipping on a fruity drink with a tiny umbrella inside…

Fireworks over the Charles' Bridge in Prague!

Kielbasa? Check. Champagne? Check? A bridge that was not destroyed in WWII? Check. Thousands of people from Italy, France, China, and the USA? Check? Fireworks? At midnight.

I was knee-deep in freezing temperatures, but that’s ok. I could work with the frost. It was nothing a couple of glasses of gluwein and a lot of jumping, couldn’t fix.

As I found myself at the beginning of my trip around the world celebrating in Prague the welcoming of 2009, I realized I was glad I chose this spot. With the Christmas Market still doling out the famous sausage dish (kielbasa) and hot wine, coupled with the thousands of tourists in the Czech Capital there was a sense of unity among nations.

Well, unity until we all tried to head for the Charles’ Bridge. This structure survived WWII and just about survives the onslaught of tourists and Czech’s alike every New Years; it’s the best place to watch the fireworks. On the way everyone jumps into the shops on the corner to grab their champagne, absinthe, or the Czech liquor, Fernet.

Then the count-down begins. Five, Cinque, Cinq….Four, Quatro, Quatre…..three, tre, tre, Two, duo, due….One, uno, une!

But not everyone enjoys their New Years on a bridge. Of course I have never been in New York for New Year’s Eve but, as everyone knows, they drop a ball…in Times’ Square of course!

Sure the New Yorkers drop a ball, but that’s nothing compared to our onion in St. George’s, right?

Neither of those, I’m afraid, touch on the interesting New Years tradition in Peru, however. In this South American country, they dress-up a doll (yes I know machismo is gone for a night) in old clothes and then burn it.

Talk about cleaning your closet! To ensure there are replacements, markets spring-up catering to everything you need. New clothes not an option? Then at least new underwear is!

But, of course, yellow underwear is the only colour you want if you need happiness and luck (good thing that’s my favourite colour!) or red if you want love or green for, of course, money.

Red, green and….white? Well those colours will have you wishing: “Buon Capodanno!” That’s what I heard in Florence as I celebrated a New Year before starting my semester of studying in these Renaissance-lined streets. Of course the greeting came with the crescendo of bottles crashing onto these streets (perhaps a hangover from the Southern tradition of throwing your old things out of the window showing that you were ready for the new).

We didn’t dodge the bottles until after a massive fiesta! La Festa di San Silvestro to be exact. For my experience it was based on sea food and fish.

Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy!

Perhaps that was because I was up North and the Italians I was celebrating with were from the coast (sailors actually). In other parts of Italy the feast is based on lentils and pork! Of course once you indulge in these feasts only the Italians know how to work it off. That requires cracking a spumante or prosecco and finding a club to dance and then waiting for the new born sun.

A ray of light is exactly what you might think you see if you celebrate the new year in India. Parties have themes – colour codes or unique dress codes – filled with food and even the lighting of bonfires and the burning of crackers. Of course if you visit the tourist and hippie mecca of Goa (a province on India’s West coast) then raves are all the…rave!

Heading back for Silvester, or the feast of St. Silverster is the name of New Year’s Eve in Germany. Who was Silvester? Well, he was a pope who lived in the fourth century and apparently healed leprosy and baptized the Roman Emporer, Constantine the Great among other things. Fair enough. I guess he should get a celebration. In Berlin, however, the world-famous bash Brandenburger Tor is held and at midnight everyone wishes everyone else “Gutes Nue Jahr”. The next day, there is, of course, the need to know what is coming in the next year so the Germans enjoy Bleigiessen. A tradition, it requires dropping molten lead into cold water. Shaped like a heart or a ring? A wedding is in your future.

While we, in the West, might be celebrating New Years’ Eve in a couple of days, in Cambodia New Year or Chaul Chnam Thmey is not until April 13th or 14th and it is celebrated for three days! Yes, three days. That’s because it represents the end of the harvesting season. Makes sense, no? To celebrate means visiting temples to get blessing from monks and priests while building a sand hill on the temple grounds and decorating it with five religious flags – it represents the Buddha’s five disciples. Each of the three days also have their own significance.

Harvesting is what it’s all about in Korea, China and Vietnam! Only their’s is celebrated at sunset on the day of the second new moon after the winter solstice (that was on December, 21 this year). It’s a three-day celebration too! Heck they know how to party out there. Almost all Koreans, apparently, head back to their hometowns to celebrate. On the eve, or Sut dal kum mum, people clean their homes and light them with colourful halogens. You think our New Years Eve is long? The Koreans don’t sleep! The belief is everyone needs to stay-up to see the new year coming in or….else.

The next day it’s all about eating and spending time with family even including the ancestors. Known as Chesa, a clean room, a table altar is places with food items and on a special paper their names are written. On a special paper called Chi Bang, the names of the ancestors are written. With the rituals done, it’s time to have fun with games and hanging-out.

The only tradition for their friends south, Australia, is a party of course! Beaches, pubs and clubs are all filled with crazy cappers and as soon as church bells ring at midnight loud noises also ring-out! Recovering from this fun, the New Year Day is a public holiday and people spend it with their family and friends. To get an idea of how much fun it is more than 3,00,000 tourists celebrate their New Year in Australia. I suppose that’s a party.

The Matterhorn can provide the background for New Year's Eve!

Of course the best I’ve seen/experienced was in Zermatt, Switzerland! I had the luck of having a friend with a house there. But that’s not where we stayed….well for New Year’s Eve anyway. Instead the party was taken to a five-story restaurant/bar/club in the middle of this traffic-free, mountain ensconced town. The Swiss know how to party.

Of course the next day the party the night before was nothing a little skiing with the backdrop of the Matterhorn mountain couldn’t take care of. Let’s hope I have the same luck this year in Vermont! So wherever you are and whatever you are doing this year, enjoy it! And come back next week for my next Rock Fever column for The Royal Gazette on traveling by book! (those following the blog will have seen it before:)

Egyptian Pyramids

Yeah tell me something I don’t already know.

No, I’m not talking to the 80′s hit by The Bangles. I haven’t quite lost my head like that yet. Though….No no I haven’t lost my head like that at all.

Who was I talking to? Well just about every Egyptian man who lined the streets of Luxor desperate to get hold of me or catch my attention.

I’m not being vain. Believe me. The last think I wanted was to catch their eye. It was just something they did! To everyone!

What am I talking about? Well I’m talking about my trip around the world last year, that landed me in Egypt for two weeks. I went from Cairo to Aswan to Luxor and back to Cairo again.

It was an incredible trip that I did by train. Have you ever woken-up to see the Nile drift by you? I didn’t think so. It’s stunning.

Which is why you should book to go NOW! Don’t delay. Why? Well for one reason the CTravel agency in Bermuda can get you a great deal.

In fact if you book by December 31st you can received a discount of as much as $700 on a ten day trip through Egypt! Four of those days will be on a boat.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_Up0c7YohU]

Need I say more? Well you’d be traveling the same route I did. But unlike the backpacker I was, you will travel from Cairo and along the Nile, in the company of distinguished Egyptologists, who will happily explain both modern and ancient Egypt.

Visit bazaars alive with color and fragrant spices, and gain an appreciation for Egypt’s unique diversity. And the best part? Sailing along the Nile on the 47-guest Salacia.

So make sure you contact CTravel today to book your discounted tour of Egypt.

Or do your cultural tendencies lean toward the musical kind? Perhaps a little Jazz will lighten your day? How about for nine days?

Jazz Cruise

Yep well through the company My Escapades and CTravel, you could be sailing with 80 Jazz greats for nine days!

With the likes of Johnny Mandel, James Moody, Wycliffe Gordon, Jeff Hamilton, Jon Gordon, Freddy Cole, Shelly Berg, and Ernie Adams to name a few.

Imagine listening to the soothing sounds of Jazz while navigating through the Caribbean! From Fort Lauderdale to Nassau, San Juan, St. Maarten and Half Moon Cay, you’ll have an amazing time for the price of just $2,599 per person.

The best part for Bermudians is that price includes flights from Toronto to Ft. Lauderdale to begin the trip. With the introduction of WestJet that’s an easy and cheap connection to make!

Or are you looking for something more hardcore? Maybe a trip up and down the world? How about from Cape

Rome

Town, South Africa to Rome, Italy?!

Well Princess Cruises through CTravel are offering a cruise in April next year that costs only $5,499 per person and is 26 days!

How cool would that be? It would be.

You’d be taken to Namibia, Ghana, Senegal, Togo and then to Spain, France and of course Italy!

And the price starts at just $5,999 per person for the 26-day cruise!

Of course I’m missing some of the countries in the list, but you wouldn’t when you travel in style with Princess Cruise lines!

So make sure you enjoy your holidays now, book your holidays for later and of course come back tomorrow for more Robyn’s Wanderings!