Robyn's Wanderings

From Bermuda to......

We have to say: “Welcome Back!” to our wanderer Emily Ross. She’s been busy getting back into school so….we can cut her slack! 

I’m so glad she touched this topic….Bermudians around the world. For such a small island, we manage to get around…..the world. Emily we’re happy to have you back!

I am a disgrace. Apologies, bloggers. I should stop get off of http://kimjongillookingatthings.tumblr.com/ and type my blog that I’ve been planning for weeks.

Wherever you go, you will find a Bermudian. Or someone who knows a Bermudian. Or someone who’s been to Bermuda. Used to work in Bermuda. Their brother married a Bermudian. They like the rum.

We are everywhere. Bristol (where I’m studying at the moment) is overrun with Bermudians. I’ll never forget that day in first year where I ran into three Bermudians in the space of 20 minutes – one in the library, one outside the library and one in the gym (which is next to the library). We all have stories like that – you’re on holiday, escaping the rock…and BAM. Bermudian.

For an island filled with 64,000 Bermudians, we can be found all around the world

Even studying in Hong Kong, another Bermudian (a very good friend from high school) also was on exchange there at the same time!

In the middle of Times Square in New York, we ran into my mother’s violin student.

In a mall in Hong Kong, a friend’s parents (who used to live in Bermuda) happened to stroll past and spot us in line for the movie theatre.

In Johannesburg airport, of all places!

In the middle of Waterloo Station in London I ran into a family from home who were going to see Rebecca Faulkenberry (another Bermudian, of course!) in a West End show! The friend I was with was not only amazed that out of all the people in London we ran into some Bermudians I knew, but also that we were name-dropping other Bermudians!

Bermuda's beautiful hibiscus!

So I asked my readers: Where have you unexpectedly run into a Bermudian whilst travelling?

Jenny 

- In London, outside of the Palladium

- In malls in Toronto

- ‘Sitting on Primrose Hill last summer, a man came up to me with a cassava assuming my friends and I wouldn’t know what it was and I was all like “that’s a cassava.” And it turns out after some chat and bafflement that he was Bermudian’

- ‘On my birthday in New Zealand I ran into this guy who’d spent like four summers in Bermuda and knew all of the people who I hang out with…And he was like really close with my brother back in the day.’

Sarah

- On the stairs at South Kensington tube station

- When a Bermudian friend visited ‘we went to a nightclub near my house and when she was holding out her ID some guy behind us in the queue shouted “BERMUDA BERMUUUUUDAAAA”. Turns out he used to work over there.’

- ‘My brother James was running the Chicago marathon in his Bermuda vest and some girl screamed “WOOOOOOO BERMUDA! I’M A BERMUDIAN!” and they high fived as he ran past.’

- ‘My mum ran into some Bermudians in a Pyramid in Egypt.’

Bermuda's sunset!

Chelsea P

-  In a hospital room in Baltimore

Paige

                – ‘I was serving a woman in the cafe in Highgate woods, and at the end of her meal she saw my surname on the bill and asked me if I knew Paige Hallett, to which I replied, “quite well, actually” [She is Paige Hallett] and we had a nice little chat; apparently she spends half her year in Bermuda and the other in London, and she knows my sister quite well.’

                – ‘Have had quite a few Bermudian kids in the cafe. One little boy even dared to tell me that MSA was better than BHS! Needless to say he got a very pathetic scoop of ice cream that day.’

                – ‘In accent and dialect classes in LIPA [The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts] I found a Bermudian accent recording on IDEA (an accent database) and played it for the class…Imagine my surprise when I actually listened to the recording. Halfway through the recording I yelled, “THAT’S DEVAUNE!”

Adrienne

                - In a market in Florence – ‘Turned out she lived right by the villa we were renting!’

Nicholas L

                – ‘In La Paz, Bolivia whilst mountain biking down death road.’

Euan

                - Llunenberg, Canada in a shopping mall. ‘He may have been the only other living person in that town, it was empty.’

Miriam

                -‘One of my favourite customers in the underground, and some random Bermudians I didn’t actually know but got talking to on a bus in New York…’

Nadia

                – ‘Coming out of a chocolate shop in Berne, Switzerland and bumped into one of my sister’s former classmates. It’s the timing that astounds me. We had only stopped to have lunch and to keep on travelling to Beaune in France.’

                – ‘Another time was in that venerated establishment, Mickey-D’s, in the wee hours of the morning in Leicester Square, London – when the guy in front of me ordered his meal there was no mistaking the accent. I hadn’t been home in ages at that point and it was music to my ears. We chatted briefly. It was very amusing because he was gobsmacked I recognised the accent as I sounded English to him.’

Fishing in Bermuda, but they could be in.......

Robyn

                – ‘In a bar on the side of a mountain in Zermatt, Switzerland! And, to top it off, she was a colleague!’

Chelsea M

                – ‘In the Vatican!’

                – ‘Tube stations in London, of course.’

Jack

                - In JJB Sports in Manchester

                -Disneyland!

Karriem

- Eaton Centre in Toronto

- In a Guelph nightclub and at a Guelph bus station – ‘That was super random, being that I only went to Guelph once.’

Nicholas H

                – At the Olympics in Greece

                – At the Commonwealth Games in Italy

                – In a variety of pubs in Manchester, Edinburgh

Ben

                – At an optician’s in London

                – At a pub in Euston

                – ‘There’s one in my uni course in the year below me. I didn’t realise until a guy from the course came down to Bermuda and I recognised him…and thus discovered a fellow Bermudian law student at Kings.’

Kyle

                – In the Topman shop at Westfield

Rebecca

                – UB40 concert in Southampton

Matthew

                – Eaton Centre and Yonge Street in Toronto.

                – University of Toronto campus

                – In the crowd at a parade in Toronto

Johnny

                – In the Ramada Hotel in Atlanta. ‘Doorman, slight accent, called him out on it.’

“All travel has its advantages. If the passenger visits better countries, he may learn to improve his own. And if fortune carries him to worse, he may learn to enjoy it.” – Samuel Johnson

The Bellavista neighbourhood in Santiago, Chile!

I don’t normally do this.

Honestly, I have tried to stay away.

But when I saw Lonely Planet’s list of 2012‘s top ten cities they published this week, well….I couldn’t resist.

So for this week’s Rock Fever, we are going to break my self-imposed ban on Lonely Planet and examine their choices.

Why, you ask, have I banned guidebooks from this world-renowned publisher? Well, because I was scarred one too many time by prices wildly mis-reported and a focus on guzzling alcohol rather than actually traveling.

So instead of Lonely Planet, when I travel I find my hand lingering over the pages of Rough Guides for Europe and Footprints for South America. By the time I finished my round-the-world trip, I ditched travel guides completely for the wise words of fellow travelers and locals!

Ok, I will now step off my soap box and explain why I have suddenly returned to the Lonely Planet suggestions: because they’re not half bad!

Reason two? More than any travel guide, what you will need to plan interesting travel is variation and a list/friend/guide who can give you those new suggestions.

So here is your ten travel suggestions for next year (with my own comments, thanks to my very own travels in most of the cities).

London for the Olympics this year!

Lonely Planet’s top city? London, England of course. Seemed like a no-brainer, really. What with the capital city hosting the Olympic Games next year. I hear what Lonely Planet is saying: it will be multi-cultural, the red carpet will be rolled-out and the East-End will be featured, but….I worry. I’m not a crowd person and London is not the kind of city where public transportation is reliable on any given weekend let alone during the Olympics. My suggestion? If you have not been, make London a stop in 2012, but don’t bother for the Olympics. London will always provide culture and diversity, so you will also never be let down!

Number two: Muscat, Oman. Huh? My thoughts exactly. The capital of Oman, Muscat has a population of a little more than a million people, it also lies on the Arabian Sea and along the Gulf of Oman with the Western Al Hajar mountains dominating the landscape. Now we have geography, but why visit? According to Lonely Planet, Muscat is revamping with trendy, designer outlets, Old Town souks and “wacky water sports” enlivening the coastline. Apparently the Muscatis are also genuinely interested in visitors! When are you booking your flights?

Next, we head to Asia and Bengaluru (Bangalore) in India, which Lonely Planet calls the Elvis of South Asian megacities. The site of much of India’s information technology development and the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka, Bangalore is also known as the garden city. Accordingly, a lively music and art scene, as well as, a state of the art metro have grown to entertain and save the population from growing traffic, respectively. So why not add a little spice to your itinerary in 2012?

Of course if Europe is closer for you, number four is Cadiz, Spain. A lovely little city in the south of Spain, complete with cobblestoned streets leading to cafe-lined squares, Cadiz is also a destination for surfers! But all of these delights, which I experienced while awaiting to board a tall ship in 2001, are not why Lonely Planet picked it. Nope, instead in February Cadiz transforms to host a 10-day “bender” of drinking, singing and dancing otherwise called carnival. The locals? Well they will be donning lipstick and neon wigs to perform satirical skits! Even better? Unlike Seville or Cordoba (Cadiz’s neighbours), Cadiz is more budget friendly while also offering a “true” Andalucian living!

Take a boat ride in Stockholm, Sweden!

Number five is one of my favourites too: Stockholm. What a stunning city that should attract every Bermudian! An archipelago, Stockholm offers islands to lose yourself and sailing for days! But when you are not water logged, you will have to dodge the perfectly coiffed, beautiful Swedes (it’s not a joke or rumour, they really are all beautiful!) to visit the designer shops, bohemian bars and the extensive parks that dominate this beautiful city. My only addition would be to visit outside of Stockholm! While I was there I went to see Sigtuna, which is the oldest town in Sweden. Read about it on my website: www.robynswanderings.com!

Six takes us to Guimaraes, Portugal. A northern city in Portugal, Guimaraes has a place on the UNESCO World Heritage list, yet receives very few visitors. Odd. According to Lonely Planet (LP) we should go because the city is a filled with red-roofed, colonnaded buildings, punctuated by mansions and palaces that centre onto a spiky, crenellated castle. For 2012, this city was also anointed the European Capital of Culture!

Overlooking Santiago, Chile

I’m sorry to see my city was only listed at number seven: Santiago, Chile. Yes, my city. I loved Santiago when I visited in 2009. It is one of the most under-appreciated cities in South America and is often overshadowed by Buenos Aires. But you should give this city a chance! It is surrounded by the Andes, giving you a glimpse of these white peaks anywhere in the city. Fancy some wine? Well the vineyards of Concha y Toro are only a hop-skip away from the city and if skiing is also your thing, you will also be in luck! Many tours offer one or two day trips from the city for some of the best skiing. Fancy staying in the city and you will love the bohemian Bellavista neighbourhood which features outdoor bars, gallons of tiny restaurants and a mountain to climb afterwards with stunning views of the city and the Andes. Honestly, I don’t know why you wouldn’t spend a week here!

Next on LP’s list is Hong Kong! Technically part of China, Hong Kong is constantly struggling for further democratization and this year should see rallies infused with theatrics, songs, dance and poetry! With 11,000 restaurants, I cannot believe I haven’t been to Hong Kong! Offering everything from shopping to gallery and bars in Soho, there are also walled villages and hiking easily accessible! Read about some of a fellow wanderer’s travels in Hong Kong, Emily Ross, on www.robynswanderings.com.

LP’s next pick is in the US: Orlando. This choice struck me as odd, but ok, let’s hear it LP. Their first explanation is on February 25 and 26, the city will be hosting the 61st NBA all-star weekend, which “brings much of the basketball and music worlds together.” Of course there are the theme parks (which, honestly I thought of), but apparently Orlando is also getting hip. The boho ‘Milk District’ is a neighbourhood on the rise and is filled with a “motley crew” of eateries, soaked in microbrews and tattoo parlours (perhaps in that order!)

Finally LP visits “down under” for their last pick: Darwin, Australia. According to them this frontier town has a great nightlife filled with markets and restaurants, with a world-class wilderness area nearby. The waterfront precinct even has wave pools, bars and eateries and on the East Coast there are galleries filled with Indigenous art.

Ok, well I think I have found my next stops! Have you? Which city(ies) would you add to the list?

Until next week, stay warm, dry and visit www.robynswanderings.com.

Emily needs to stop looking at my food photos.

I hope you ate your breakfast this morning because our wanderer Emily Ross is opening her food photos from around the world!

Her move from pastry in Amsterdam to pad Thai in Thailand will entice the tummy and, hopefully, your tastes for traveling! Annnnd it’s on to Emily:

Aaaand Emily emerges from the darkness yet again.

Bermuda has an effect on me, causing me to procrastinate yet simultaneously make obsessive compulsive routines. God forbid I go a DAY without my Lindo’s hummus, but my suitcase remains unpacked and the blog remains neglected.

It’s time for me to get off the island. Getting out of Somerset (one end of the island) is feeling like sightseeing, let’s be honest. I’m off to Toronto this weekend to visit the younger sibling and MAN, am I psyched. I’ve been googling Chinatown restaurants with mounting anticipation.

Go to Amsterdam for the pastry Whove thunk it

I truly hope you all take some time to watch the brilliance that is ‘An Idiot Abroad.’ Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant send their idiot/idiot-savant radio colleague Karl Pilkington on a journey to the Seven Wonders of the World and document his reactions to travel.

Before he begins his journey, Pilkington expresses concern at the prospect of travelling to China because he worries he may develop a ‘taste for toad’ and then not be able to get any toad when he returns to the UK. Brilliance. And, I find upon my return to ‘the West’ – a fair point.

There are SO many foods I miss. I had a rather pitiful experience late night in London’s Chinatown – I bought dumplings from a random restaurant and well…they were ALL wrong.  Sigh. I miss the Asian respect for the eggplant. I miss chopsticks. My aunt gave me a family set of chopsticks for my birthday but they seem so misused when applied to roast chicken and peas. Woe.

My kingdom for xiao long bao

Toronto has a reputation for being one of the most multicultural cities in the world and the food scene really reflects the demographic diversity. The fact that there are restaurants sporting xiao long bao, my beloved soup dumplings, truly bodes well for my quest to find The Foods That I Miss.  We’ll see if I’m disappointed.

Perhaps I subconsciously find certain products or foodstuffs to fall in love with when I travel so that I have a greater incentive to return.

Peru – Ambrosoli mint toffees. Oh, the pain when I finally ran out of the stash I brought home.

South Africa/Botswana – All Gold Tomato ketchup. That stuff brings Heinz to shame. Oh, and impala and warthog weren’t half bad either.

France – Speculoos spread. As magical as the name implies.

These barrel pastries in Prague were amazing. Still need to find out the real name

Czech Republic – Activia Aloe Vera yoghurt. Thankfully I can find this in other European countries.

Germany – So. Much. Haribo.

Spain – There was this beautiful, beautiful pasta dish which was SO simple – just a runny fried egg, salt, pepper and pasta. You broke the egg yolk and mixed it in with the pasta to make a ‘sauce.’ Sure, I could make it at home but I could never recreate the pasta my host mother made for me.

I will never forget this pad thai.

If I continue my descriptions into China and Southeast Asia I think I’ll depress myself. Hopefully I’ll find the answer to my cravings in Toronto.

And I suppose if not…well, I have no choice but to return.

Right?

Icelandair offered us some language pointers on our plane journey

Ice Queen? No, it’s no comment on Robyn’s Wanderings’ blogger today, Katie. In Bermuda it’s a greasy “diner” that helps quell cravings of crispy fries and burgers (especially after a night of drinking).

In her recent vacation Katie, who is a Bermudian living in London and is a sister of our regular Saturday blogger Nicola, discovers ice also refers to an amazing land.

During her visit to the northern, frozen country Katie discovered everything from a new language, new lights and amazing museums. Here she tells us what not to miss:

Nicola, my sister, immerses herself in blogging about her travel adventures. As with all siblings, there is a healthy degree of rivalry between us so you can imagine her reaction when I told her I was travelling to a place she had never been …Iceland!

In Bermuda, where I grew up, the ‘iciest’ place I know is the Ice Queen – the fast food place that is anything but icy! So here is my ice journal, from ICE QUEEN to ICELAND!

Iceland boasts many charms: northern lights (also known as aurora borealis) – the blue lagoon (the famous geothermal spa) – spectacular scenery, including inland glaciers and erupting geysers. These were some of the reasons that instigated an idea, which led to a plane ticket, which resulted in a few days of exploration.

A welcome break from the city lights of London to experience the northern lights (aurora borealis)

Let me break ‘Iceland’ down …

I – initial impression: my first impression of Reykjavik through senses: ‘sight’ – flat, snow-covered ground, blue-black water, distant looming mountains. ‘Smell’ – fresh air with a hint of sulphur (due to all the volcanic and geothermal activity). ‘Taste’ – the national dish is ‘Hakar’, fermented shark meat. Does that sound appetising? It would take one much braver than I to sample this. ‘Sound’ – Icelandic language is soft and pleasant to listen to. The language is Germanic in origin.

C – coping in the ‘ice’ land. In one day, we experienced: sun, wind, rain, sleet and snow. Travel tip: ‘be prepared’ (just like Scar advised Simba in The Lion King!). My luggage included: thermal gloves, long johns, vests, skiing socks, hoodies, woolly hats and snow boots… and I thought I was being overly zealous with the packing!

E – exploring Reykjavik. This city is easy city to walk around and has some beautiful sights to see, such as Hallgrimskirkja, the fish-bone statue and Tjörnin pond. Also, since I began with a reference to Bermuda’s favourite fast food joint, it is only fitting to mention the ‘most famous hot dog stand in all of Iceland’, which makes delicious hot dogs. What is so special about a hot dog stand? This particular one was visited by both Diana Princess of Wales and President Bill Clinton… so it is the place to be!

Hallgrímskirkja, the Lutheran church in Reykjavík is modern-meets-gothic, and looks like an ice cave!

L – ‘land of fire and ice’. Iceland has inland volcanoes (FIRE!) and inland glaciers (ICE!). Geothermal heat is used to heat 90% of the houses. Excess heat is pumped under the pavements and roads to stop them from being covered with ice. Using ‘fire’ to halt ‘ice’!

A – artistic Iceland. Iceland is known for a quirky art sense. This is evident in saying in their language and in art galleries around Reykjavik. A few Icelandic sayings:

• ‘a red Christmas’ If it is not a snowy Christmas, then Icelanders refer to it as a ‘red’ Christmas.
• ‘ to soak your head in water’ Icelanders believe water is vital to all growth and soaking ones head in water for a moment facilitates fruitful thinking!
• ‘a nation knows when three know’ Iceland has a small population, and news and gossip have always spread fast… (May I be as bold as to say, a bit like Bermuda?!) If you keep secrets to yourself, they are safe!

Icelandic art:

• Icelandic artists get inspiration from nature and the energy of the country as well as its supernatural inhabitants like elves, trolls and hidden people.
• The most imaginative piece of ‘wearable art’ I saw: a blanket that has two hoods sewn into it. It was Icelandic tradition, in centuries past when there was no home heating, to invite any visiting friends to hop into bed with you to have a chat and keep warm! This blanket is a tribute to those times.

Vroom, vroom... jetting off on a snowmobile excursion.

N – NORTHERN LIGHTS! Almost at the bottom of the list, but one of the top reasons to trek to the world’s most northerly capital city of Reykjavik! Seeing the Northern Lights is a huge stroke of luck. So, did I see them? Yes, but… I was slightly disappointed. In my mind, there were neon green lights in a pitch-black sky, a phenomenon that would be accompanied by the works, ie: angels singing, electrifying excitement and jaw dropping ‘wows’. This particular night was cloudy, so the lights were a hazy greenish grey.

D – driving a snowmobile across a glacier. For Bermudians, or those who have driven bikes in Bermuda (or mopeds, or scooters)… imagine this as driving your bike across Elbow Beach, except trade the sand for snow and trade the Atlantic Ocean for mountain ranges. It was the highlight of the trip!

London, ....England?

“But I’m from England, NOT BRITAIN!”

“All right. All right. I give up” and I slowly backed away.

Usually I have the fight the other way around. You know…..I’m Welsh, but I’m not British. Or the more staunchly anti-England…the Scots.

“We’re Scottish NOT English.”

But there I was in a bar in Pai, Thailand (a northern town filled with hippies and overgrown with green-filled hills) trying to speak sense to an English man.

Well there are many reasons why that was never going to work. For one: I was in a bar. For two: I was speaking to a man. Sorry, but it’s true.

The thing is the United Kingdom, Britain, & England can all be quite confusing affairs. Even for those who are born in one of them, apparently.

Mind the Gap (between what England and United Kingdom is)!

I am the first to admit my mistakes. So maybe in my recent Rock Fever column I should have said Bermuda has a parliamentary government like the United Kingdom and not like England, but it was an honest mistake.

And technically I wasn’t wrong. I just could have been more correct…right?

Well and this is why it gets so confusing. The United Kingdom of Great Britain (aka United Kingdom or UK) is small and nit picks even smaller pieces of land.

Do you know what it’s made-up of? Ok well to start the United Kingdom is a sovereign state is made of England, Scotland, England and Wales and….a Northeastern chunk of Ireland.

The United Kingdom is governed by a parliamentary government in London.

But this is the confusing part: there are three devolved national administrations with varying powers in Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh (capitals of Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland).

So when we hear about Scotland releasing the Lockerbie bomber it’s confusing. What did London have to say? How much responsibility does Scotland get?

It looks like they’re still trying to figure that out! Even here in this video the BBC refers to the London Government….so who is that?

But then again, perhaps being from an island that remains one of United Kingdom’s Overseas Territories, I shouldn’t be confused.

How often do I have to explain what Bermuda’s role is to the world? i.e. little and a territory for the UK which means some of our responsibilities are governed by the them.

And even the Queen is our head! And we’re not alone. So the Government’s aside we haven’t even tackled the monarchy.

Bermuda is an overseas territory!

Queen Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch for 16 independent sovereign states which are the Commonwealth the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica,Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Kitts and Nevis.

That doesn’t even touch the 14 Overseas Territories, which she is the Head of State, but are not included in the United Kingdom package. These are: Bermuda (my home), Anguilla, British Antarctic Territory, the Falklands, British Indian Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia (Cyprus), and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

And that doesn’t even include the three Crown Dependencies: Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man!

So needless to say there are just a few things you might not have know about the United Kingdom!

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:)

Through London's Eye

“Here’s your bill. No rush, though.”

My friend rushed, certain that the total for four eating and drinking would exorbitant.

“How is it 60 pounds? Aren’t we in London?”

“Are you sure they got everything?”

There on the waiter’s income paper was: six beers, a bottle of wine, four appetizers, four entrees, two coffees and the total.

Yes, yes the waiter had recorded everything and still our dinner only cost 60 British Pounds and yes, me and my friends are in London. But we were not eating from a street stall or even on the outskirts of England’s capital.

Instead we, well I, had planned ahead. I was determined to go out for a nice dinner, but not spend more than $100.

Why? Because I am on a mission to try and find ten trips from, and in, London for under $100 for my Rock Fever Column in The Royal Gazette newspaper. So far I have been to Stockholm and Sigtuna in Sweden; Sachsenhausen and Berlin in Germany; Hampstead, Dover, Brighton and Bath in England and now I am in London.

London's Parks

My first trip to London for under $100? That was the flight I bought with my frequent flier miles on American Airlines, transferred them to British Airways and flew to London for $65 one-way.

But now it was time to try and discover this capital city for less than $100. My first attempt was to eat-out in a nice restaurant for less than $100. Not to be done, you say, in London. Especially if there is alcohol involved?

Well you would be wrong. The four of us managed it in a restaurant near Convent Gardens (i.e. central, central London). How did we do it?

Well that is the trick of a handy website: toptable.com

Earlier that day I visited the website, chose a type of food I wanted (Mexican), picked a location convenient for everyone and the website then found an offer for 50 percent-off the food at Navajo Joe’s! Perfect.

Even better? The website made the reservation for me. I was hooked! I used their service over and over again in London to find better and better deals. Their customer service is incredible too! When a place I had reserved cancelled at the last minute they emailed me multiple times and even called me to offer to book another restaurant for me.

And toptable.com does not just book in London. Going to Glasgow? Edinburgh? Birmingham, Manchester, New York or Paris? This cheap-eats at gourmet restaurants website is there for you!

But London is not all about eating (though that’s a very large part!). I also wanted to go and see places, people and things, right? Well I could have taken a taxi. One ride, however, would probably destroy my $100 budget.

Instead, what I needed was an Oyster.

“But Robyn, you said it wasn’t about eating.”

It’s not. Oyster, for some reason, is the name of a card that I use for the London Underground. It’s refillable providing convenience, but it gives me discounts on my journey. Using the Oyster ensures that I never pay more than the Day Travel card price for any trips I took in London! The card was £3 pounds to purchase, but I could get that money back when I left London. I held on to it. The card and any of my money on it does not expire. Where do you hear that anymore?

I always, however, prefer to walk around London if I can. After escaping Bermuda where sidewalks are almost non-existent, walking through a chaotic city can inspire. Plus it’s also great exercise! Besides sidewalks there are plenty of parks to enjoy the fall/winter/spring in. So I like to check-out another website: www.walkit.com for advice. The site can give me the most direct route, distances and even walking tips.

There are, however, very few places that I enjoy walking-into more than a coffee shop. One of my favourite (sadly, perhaps) things to do is sit in Starbucks reading or writing while I am abroad. Ok, perhaps they do not have the best coffee in the world, but they do have an endless time-limit on their tables!

For £2.50 pounds I could sit all afternoon with a book! And that’s exactly what I did. Well until I had to write a column for The Royal Gazette. Then I needed the internet. Good thing Starbucks has that too for….FREE! Yes, free. All I had to do was sign-up for a Starbucks card (which is FREE) at the store and register it. Once registered I could use the internet at any Starbucks in the UK (that has it of course).

Without an internet connection of my own this was a godsend for keeping in touch, writing my blog (www.robynswanderings.com) and sending my column all for the cost of a cup (or vat) of coffee – £2.50!

With all the caffeine and some spare time, I also needed to do some shopping. Good thing London was filled

Visiting Camden Market

with markets to keep me busy and entertained on the cheap. Of course there is the Borough Market on the South side of the Thames near Tower Bridge. Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday it fills with cheeses and freshly pressed apple cider. Then there is also Camden Market (up north in Camden of course) with its cheap coats, scarves and all sorts of accessories I most definitely needed.

But perhaps the most mammoth and new of shopping experiences in London is, of course, the Westfield Mall in Shepherd’s Bush. Of course, I wouldn’t normally subscribe to this beast, but I couldn’t resist having a snoop. For £1.80 on my Oyster Card I was in this mall/small town.

Good thing free internet also fits-in this town! Yes, no Starbucks card is needed. Only online registration and I had free internet anywhere in the Westfield Mall. There is also an enormous Sainsbury Grocery Store attached where fresh sushi and all the gluten-free products I might have needed  could be found for a small price and a picnic.

I’m back on food. Fully stuffed, caffeinated and with a book filled with experiences for my ten columns on cheap trips from and in London it was time to depart England. For my last trip for less than $100 it was back to the flat (but check-out www.lastminute.com for good hotel deals) to pack and say adieu to friends before the trek to London Bridge train station.

Sure I could have taken the Gatwick Express train to, uh, Gatwick Airport of course, but that would be expensive. Instead From London Bridge my ticket was about £7.60. The express? £16!

Not only that, but my trip to the airport was fast. Only 20 minutes or so. The express? About the same. My final cheap train and it was time to board the plane. Back to Bermuda on my $65 flight and to green Bermuda. Well greener than London! But that’s all the hype! Stay tuned next week for Traveling Green and for all of your travel tips, tales and random stories daily visit here.

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!