Robyn's Wanderings

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” – Mark Twain 

Girl in Peru herding sheep when she should be in school!

I am sorry to start this week at the end, but this is my last column in The Royal Gazette. 

Why? I am told it is costs, so now your Bermudian wanderer will be found on her website www.robynswanderings.com.

For my last column, I thought I would leave you with some lessons I have learned from my endless traveling that began before I could walk.

I recently had the chance to completely embarrass two of my cousins at their school with a presentation on this very topic and how it relates to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which are eleven goals the UN declared the world should be working towards.

These are good, vague goals such as empowering women and ending child mortality, however, the problem with many of these goals, is that they are based on very Western notions of “right” and fail to consider a family’s financial and cultural position.

So I introduced the 200 bored students to a six or seven-year-old girl I met while biking through the Peruvian countryside. She should be in school, but instead her family needs her herding sheep through the fields to survive. Luckily me and these sleeping students have gone to or are going to school so, we have choices.

Which is ironic when we come to my first lesson for you today and to these students: never let studying get in the way of learning! I have lived in New York, Florence, Rome, Arcachon, Istanbul, Prague and London. I traveled around India and Sri Lanka for three months in 2003 and in 2009 I took my longest expedition yet: 23 countries in 12 months.

And during these years, I also finished college with a double major, completed a masters in International Relations and a Journalist degree from the National Council for the Training of Journalists in Newcastle, England.

My studying was never sacrificed for my travels…..it became part of it. Florence was a semester abroad, London was too and New York was the base for my Masters degree.

Study in London? why not!

Travel, unfortunately, is too often seen as separate from “real” life or an escape from it, superfluous and indulgent. But travel, living or studying abroad should be seen as a requirement and valued because how can you feel compassionate about eradicating poverty if you have never actually seen poverty? How can you understand the complexity surround the MDG that states we should ensure primary education for children, if you haven’t seen my little sheep herder? Travel makes these situations a reality.

Travel will also teach you strength! There are really two types of strength: an inner strength that I learned while I was sitting with my head in a toilet in Egypt thanks to a salad!

Recovered from food poisoning and ready to take-on the world!

As I wished that I could die, or at the very least go back home to my mom, something inside me changed and I decided that I had to keep going. Two days later I visited the Pyramids and I got through the food poisoning.The second type of strength? Seriously,…do you know how heavy a 20 kilo backpack can get? I didn’t think so. Do you know how those 20 kilos feel when you have to walk a mile to leave a Greek ferry terminal and find your hotel?

For my third lesson, I draw directly from the MDG’s: the promotion of gender equality and empowering women. Sure, in Bermuda we have some work toward empowering women, but as I found myself traveling solo around the world, I also started recognizing how much being a woman truly mattered.

I began my travels with a travel buddy, but we separated in India so I found myself traveling solo throughout Southeast Asia and South America. At first I was scared and then I realized the world was not as scary for a single woman as I thought; it was easier for a single woman to find friends to travel with than a single man. Women are less scary.

But I also realized how much my safety was up in the air when I was on the back of a motorbike to go to a boxing lesson in Thailand and the driver went a separate way from the friend I was going with. I made him stop, I got off and I walked back to my hostel.

You learn that women in certain areas of the world have to be dressed from head to foot and if you are a woman in these countries, men will not speak directly to you. Empowering women is given a global perspective when you travel.

My lesson four came with some difficulty for me. I am a runner. It’s my stress release and conditioning, but when I began traveling I wasn’t able to run, so I had to find other ways to exercise, like hiking for five days through Patagonia, Chile!

Hiking through Patagonia (notice the famous towers behind me!)

Where am I going with this? Well I am telling you that travel will teach you in many ways, that you have to roll with what you have. Sure, initially I got annoyed at the lack of running, but then I found ways to supplement it by riding a bike through Vietnam or boxing in Thailand and walking….everywhere. I also realized that only foreigners were the ones working-out. The locals were like the teenagers in Battambong, Cambodia waiting opposite the restaurant I was eating in for scraps and it started to put some things in perspective.

Which brings me to lesson five and appearances. The more you travel the less you care and I don’t mean, not keeping yourself clean.

Well, unless you’re in the middle of the woods in Patagonia and the closest warm shower is not the glacier you sleep next to! Believe me, five days of dirt is better than an ice shower!

What I mean is that it does not matter is if you are wearing “Seven” jeans or Miu Miu dress or carrying a Louis Vuitton bag. Instead, you start to look at people as people. You start to understand how little other countries have and how that $1,000 bag is a year’s work for some families.

Sleeping next to a glacier? Probably not going to shower there!

And you start to learn my lesson number six: trust. Like I trusted a Laotian man who walked onto our overnight bus and told me and my Californian travel buddy that he knew we were going to the 4,000 islands and we were to follow him. We did and we had the easiest commute to these Laos-Cambodia border islands of any travelers we met.

Before you trust everyone, however, my lesson seven is as you travel you learn there is a balance to trusting and trusting your instincts.

Like the time I was in Varanasi, India and my travel buddy decided we should take the offer of guidance from an Indian boy to a hotel.

Varanasi sits on the holiest river perhaps anywhere, the Ganges. It is also an auspicious town where you are forever blessed if you die there because your body will be cremated on the ghats and sent back to its maker in the Ganges.

Beautiful Varanasi!

With this background, we were led, to my reluctance, by my travel buddy’s trust into a tiny hole in the wall where we were shown scarves and drugs, not a hotel.

I was out of the hole in the wall in a shot, marching far away from a situation that I knew would only go badly for us.

It’s a fine line, trust, that becomes trickier when you travel and you are trying to understand a new culture without insulting everyone you meet by running away.

Which brings me to lesson eight: do not fear different cultures. For this lesson I have to warn you against my kind, journalists, as well as, politicians (though I am definitely not the later). Often, minor conflicts in countries or strikes become national tragedies with a stroke of a pen.

Example? The Iraq War. I could have listened to George W. Bush when he lampooned almost every Muslim country in the world and launched an attack on Iraq, but I didn’t.

I moved to Istanbul, Turkey at the beginning of the war and was met my some of the kindest people I have ever met. The sky is pierced by minarets where the call to prayer echoes five times a day and the people on the ground will stop you on the street just to speak to you out of interest.

I am proud to be a Bermudian, too, but I also learned from travel not to be too proud to appreciate and try to learn from other cultures. These are sometimes frustrating differences, but they make life interesting!

Rome is not Rome until you live there

And the best way to understand is lesson nine: living in another country. Rome is not Rome until you try and run errands on your lunch hour. While the tourist areas of the city will remain open all day, where I worked was traditional and a siesta in the afternoon was the norm. So, study abroad (and my column on how to do that is on my website www.robynswanderings.com) and/or get your TEFL certificate and teach English and make money while you live abroad! What could be better?

And finally, let’s be honest: travel teaches you how truly beautiful the world really is. From the lush green tea plantations in Sri Lanka, to the highest capital in the world where women wrestle, La Paz, Bolivia, or the best steak you will ever eat in Buenos Aires, Argentina, a bone church outside of Prague in the Czech Republic or floating in the dead sea in Jordan, the world is a weird and wonderful place that you should not squander.

Tango in Buenos Aires!

We are really lucky we can travel to see all of this beauty. Many people will never be allowed to leave their countries. So, do not waste your time on this lovely planet, working or reading this column – get traveling! I will be on www.robynswanderings.com from now on.

Take it slow in Bali....or anywhere you go!

“He who does not travel does not know the value of men.” – Moorish proverb

“Ok, we have 15 minutes at the Pyramids and then we have to be back here,” said an American-sounding tourist at the prime historical site of Egypt.

I could not believe my ears for two reasons.

One, I could not believe a guide would only give their guests 15 minutes to visit one of the marvels of the world. And two, because the guests were OK with it.

Me? I took a taxi from the centre of Cairo and, though I had to ignore more than enough camel salesmen, I also had all the time I wanted to enjoy the Pyramids.

What has this got to do with this week’s Rock Fever column? Well, actually, this is a column that has been waiting in the wings for some time, but also reared its head on my recent trip to the Netherlands and Belgium: traveling slow.

Perhaps you are more aware of the slow-food movement, which proposes actually taking the time to enjoy your food?

Well, I say it is time to start actually enjoying our travel and I think one of the best ways to do that is to: take it slow!

Which brings me to my first tip this week on traveling slow: slow does not mean long! What do I mean? Taking your time while traveling does not mean you need a year-off to see the places you want, but rather it require quality traveling. If you have a week holiday then take that time in one city rather than trying to stuff four cities in one week.

Because reason two is: traveling is not a contest. Sure I went to 23 countries on my trip around the world, but there’s no need to compete! I’m kidding. The point is, I was lucky to find a year to do that and even then I probably rushed through too many places. I think the best thing to do is to spend more time in one place and try to immerse yourself in the culture. It’s something I tried to do in Bali, where I spent almost three weeks (but really I needed years).

Seriously! Only 15 minutes?!?!

And that brings me to three and if you want to travel particularly slowly than mix business with pleasure: teach. Any teacher or someone with a strong background in a subject can find a job in private, English-speaking schools around the globe. I found a job teaching Biology (that’s another column) in Rome, Italy for a year directly out of college. Failing that and if you want to go the more traditional route then, you can also take the Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) course too. I completed this in Prague (after Rome) and then went to work in Istanbul, Turkey. The beauty is you make money while also experiencing another culture.

Which brings me to four and you never really start to know a country until you live in it (ask any expat living in Bermuda). I can tell you from my own experience that I would never have understood some of the intricacies of Turkish life if I didn’t live for five months in Istanbul (and again those five months only, really scratched the surface).

Tip five for keeping things slow on trips is not to bother signing-up for tours. These tours try to be helpful, but they also cram as much as possible into every waking hour. With that kind of schedule you will never meet any locals (any that aren’t trying to sell you anything anyway), you will get 15 minutes at the Pyramids, you will have to eat at “tourist spots” and you will never truly find time to enjoy the country you’re in!

So skip the packaged tours and listen to my tip six: travel independently and do your own research. Traveling independently is not as scary as you may think, even if you are in a country where English is a second language. And planning your travel really does not require much more work than booking a tour. In order to book a tour, you have to know what you want to see. Why not just go see these things on your own schedule? The bonus of going tour-free is that only you really know what kind of hotels you want to stay in, the places you want to eat and the sights you actually want to see. Need advice on what to see? Ask me at www.robynswanderings.com or post something on Facebook. Someone will be able to give you tips!

But if you do plan your own trip and if you have very little time i.e. a weekend, tip seven is plan three attractions you want to see and organize your weekend around them. A minimal amount of planned visits will give you leeway to “get lost” in a city while also ensuring that you also experience the places a city/country/town is known for.

And when should you plan your trip? Well, I will let you in on a secret….I rarely planned more than a day in advance, the entire year on the road. Why? Because there was no point and it was more important to be “Present” for tip eight. If our lives require us to juggle work, Facebook, emails, Blackberries, computers, kids, homes, etc… why not take your vacation time to actually focus on what you’re doing rather than what you will be doing next? Hotels do not need to be booked months in advance anywhere in the world (well, unless you’re going to Octoberfest) so chill-out and enjoy Amsterdam when you’re there.

Enjoying a long lunch in Brussels!

Lack of forward planning also helps if sickness, late planes, broken trains or general travel mishaps occur! My tip nine is: rather than get stressed on your HOLIDAY, leave “carved-in-stone” plans aside. Example? I got sick in the Hague and because I had not booked any further plans, I could rest in a hotel for three nights and recover! I did not lose any money, nor did I worry I was missing anything.

Which brings me to the last tip for traveling slow: you can always come back! I remember when I managed to fool my parents into sending me away for the summer on a French exchange trip and worrying that would be the last time I would see Paris. I’ve been back at least twice. The point is, be an optimist and rather than feeling like you have to cram everything into two days, take your time and actually enjoy your holiday. Just don’t go home more tired than you arrived. What would be the point?

Antwerp's Stadhuis (town hall)

Ships forced to pay a giant’s fee?

That giant’s hand being chopped and thrown into the river Scheldt?

Gruesome? A kid’s tale?

Both and Rock Fever’s destination this week: Antwerp, Belgium and visit my photo gallery here.

According to the city’s legend, a giant called Antigonus used to exact tolls from all ships passing the city along the Scheldt river. Tired of this toll, a Silvius Brabo tore-off Antigonus’ hand and threw it into the river and thereby naming the city “hand-throw” or Antwerp.

There is now a statue to Brabo in the centre of Antwerp and, though the giant may be of legend, Antwerp was, in fact, the city that managed to end taxes along the river.

The River Scheldt flows through Antwerp

It was just as tax-less to arrive in Antwerp from the Schipol Airport in Amsterdam. Why was I coming from the Schiphol Airport?

As you may, or may not know, I am traveling through the Netherlands and Belgium for three weeks and after finishing one week divided between Haarlem and the Hague it was time to visit Belgium (don’t worry I wouldn’t dream of leaving without visit Amsterdam!) My travel buddy was arriving from Bermuda, so we met at Schiphol where we could jump on a train to Belgium. Easy.

Only have a week to travel? Enjoy speaking Dutch before crossing the border for all the chocolate and beer you can handle. What more can you ask for?

So why Antwerp? I had been to Brussels before. I wasn’t impressed. Logistically, Antwerp, which is Belgium’s “second” city and the de facto capital of Belgium’s Flemish North, was also 50 km north of Brussels i.e. closer to Schiphol.

Two hours by train from Amsterdam and sitting on a river and prime trade spot, Antwerp had attracted many of the well-known trading families such as the Habsburgs, in the 15th Century. Antwerp, which was a protestant city, also survived the onslaught of Catholic Philip II, who inherited Spain and the Low Countries, the rebuilding of the port by Napoleon and WWII where both sides bombed the city.

Now, the city is dripping in diamonds and decorated by the innovative fashion designers that inhabit the varied old and new houses. I’m not a fashionista nor do I care much for diamonds, but I had also heard it was a gritty and impressive city so I needed to check it out.

Antwerp's neo-Baroque train station

Still not buying my reasons for Rock Fever’s destination this week? Well I can give you another ten! And I will start with Reason one: the Antwerp City Card, purchased from the tourist office (though it can be purchased online), cost us about €31 and gave us free access to museums, churches and great discounts to various attractions (including the Zoo)! What could be better?

How about a discount on chocolate? Oh, yes the card does that too from various stores. Before I could consider indulging in the sweet that Belgians go through by the kilos every year, however, I have to give you reason two: a visit to the gothic Cathedral of our Lady (or Onze Lieve Vrouwekathedraal). The Cathedral, the spires of which can been seen from most places in Antwerp, was also right next to the tourist office in the centre. Inside, the seven-aisled nave offers enough room to four paintings by Antwerp’s homeboy, Pieter Paul Rubens, so religious or not, the Cathedral offers a beautiful viewing.

Reason three: Antwerp’s Grote Markt, which has the Brabo Fountain, a pile of roughly sculpted rocks and surmounted by a bronze Silvius Brabo.  Remember him from the intro? The Grote Markt is also home to the Stadhuis or city hall, which offers a counterpart to the Cathedral opposite.

Rubens hanging inside Antwerp's Cathedral

Around the Grote Markt are also the restored Guild houses with sixteenth century reliefs with finely cast, gilded figures and reason three: cafes after cafes, where you can sit and enjoy an overprice coffee while watching the crowds and carriages carrying fellow tourists. The view is worth the extra Euros.

From the Grote Markt it is time for reason four and the journalist in me to visit the Museum Plantin-Moretus. This is the mansion of the printer Christopher Plantin, who rose to fame during the 1500’s when he was awarded the printing missals for the entire Spanish Empire by King Philip II. The mansion also includes some of the oldest printing presses and the famous 36-line bible of Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the moveable type printing. I’m a print geek.

Old Printing Presses

Of course Antwerp is more than old buildings and printings, which is reason five and the four-day Bolleke de Konnick Beer Festival! This festival held outside in front of the Royal Fine Art museum honours Belgium’s well-known beer, while also offering cuisines from around the world to soak it up. The festival is an annual event in August that brings city dwellers out for one last, summer party!

After indulging in corn and not beer at the festival, (being a celiac in Belgium is not easy) it was time to find some food. Luckily, Antwerp is nothing if it’s not reason six and filled with lovely restaurants, cafes and bars (even for celiacs).

Of course you could take your pick in Groenplaats, the open square that is behind the Cathedral and used to be the municipal graveyard (though hopefully all the bodies have been removed), but I found the history slightly off-putting.

Luckily reason seven is the twisting corridors of Antwerp’s tiny streets stretching from the Groenplaats to the river Schedlt that are filled with everything from expensive cafes to homey restaurants filled with Belgian specialties including beef cooked in beer and veg with mashed potatoes.

Entrance to Antwerp's Zoo

Reason eight to visit this lovely town, is there is not enough time to visit everything! There is so much to do that the three days I spent in Antwerp were barely enough time to visit the Zoo (so large and filled with everything from gorillas to elephants, I almost forgot I was in a city) to the Meir (a pedestrian street filled with shops) to Rubens’ house (actually successful during his living years, Ruben had a beautiful house/studio in the centre of Antwerp), this city is spilling-over with things to do.

Which brings me to reason nine and the innovative edge of the city. It starts with the designers everywhere to the recently built, the Museum aan de Stroom (MAS). A modern, red-brick building with a facade that is interwoven with clear waved walls throughout to offer a stunning view of Antwerp, it also offers a historical tour of the city. The panoramic view of Antwerp from the top of the MAS, however, was the best part of the entire visit.

MAS

Finally, Antwerp is fantastic because it does not have tourists! Ok, it does have tourists and a great B&B offering if you want to go, but it is not Disneyland. People actually work and live in this thriving city as is clear by the designer clothing stores, the gourmet restaurants and innovative architecture. The locals are building things for themselves, and not to attract tourists!

After throwing-off the “gritty” title usually afforded Antwerp, it was time to head to somewhere that does, unfortunately offer the tourist everything they want: Bruges. Enjoy photos on www.robynswanderings.com and until next week I say: Tot ziens.

Battered Passport holder

Battered? Yes. Worn-out? Yes. Faded? Yes. Am I talking about me after my trip around the world? No.

Don’t laugh. Come on, be nice! Yes, I was tired, (ok, worn out) I needed a haircut (ok, faded) and my arm injured from a hike (don’t ask) was swollen (ok, battered), but I’m not talking about me. Nope. I’m talking about my tattered, but trusty, travel side-kick.

“Robyn, that’s no way to talk about your travel buddies!”

Yet, again I am not. Nope. I am talking about a little, leather passport case that traveled with me around the world. Well, actually it has been with me since I was 19.

Our relationship started after a my summer cooped up in the air-conditioned offices as I attempted to work in Human Resources. Not sure exactly what I was thinking. The next summer I served drinks on the beach (far more appropriate).

While the office wasn’t entirely up my alley, it did have one perk – a “Good-bye gift.” While I might not have known what I was doing in the Human Resources’ department, the HR President did (sort of). I was given a backpack for school; I traded it for my scrap-book (well, my way of scrap-booking!) – a leather passport holder.

Which is what I stumbled upon this weekend as I set to finally clean my apartment (and ended-up finding a column topic). Fortunately the mammoth task of cleaning the tiles became side-tracked with my discovery.

Discovery, Robyn? Yes and that’s part of the beauty of travels……remembering them. And that brings me to my Rock Fever column this week: how do you record your travels?

Me? Well as I wandered around the world I was lucky enough to print them in this paper which my parents could collect for me. But on a personal level, I also had papers, business cards, flight stubs, etc…. building-up in my passport holder. And not just from my year abroad.

Heck, no. Hiding in the back is my I-20 Student Visa so that I could attain my Master’s in International Relations in New York. Folded on top? The Italian Visa that allowed me to work in Rome in 2001 (I taught at an American boarding school).

But it’s not just the exotic. I’ve kept boarding passes from my trip to Boston, my trip to New York, luggage tags from the trip to London and even a Best Western Hotel agreement to a free stay after they left me at the airport (another column all together).

It’s also filled with cash. Before you try to nab it from my bag next time you see me at L.F. Wade International Airport, I warn you…..all together it probably only amounts to BDA $2. I’m afraid while Egypt might be in turmoil this week their pharaoh-lined currency is worth even less than when I was there in 2009.

The beauty of my passport holder is not that it just manages to zip with my paper bulging it’s seams, it is also handy. Obviously….it holds my passport!

And it holds more. Every Bermudian and Island resident knows those pesky, yellow, customs’ papers that will save you from small fortunes in fees. But where do you keep them? Your wallet? Sure so they can go flying when you take it out to pay for a taxi or stolen when your wallet goes walking. What about a passport holder? Perfect.

Under your yellow no-IOU’s? Now you can keep your frequent flier cards sorted.

Sure I could actually create a scrapbook, but who has time? And it’s not just time. Creating them, relegates them to the shelf. I mean how many photo albums do I have sitting on the shelves and I never look at them? Lots.

But the passport holder? Well that comes with me wherever I go! (well off the island anyway). My old passport is there. My tickets to Machu Picchu? there. My tickets to the pyramids? there.

And for Bermudians? Get tired of having to answer the triangle question? You know what I’m talking about. Well you can also harbour your travel cheat sheet from my travel column two weeks ago (check my website www.robynswanderings.com for your copy)!

“But Robyn, that’s all so old school.”

Not selling you on this? You looking for a way to regale your travels to others? As I traveled the world I printed mine in The Royal Gazette, but now that I’m home, I’ve also delved into the adventures of blogging. Intimidating? He…ck yes! But it shouldn’t be.

There are so many sites out there right now offering free and easy blogs. But maybe I should start with what is a blog? (just in case

Essentially? A diary online. It’s a space where you get to voice your opinions, experiences, photos and even abilities (I have one site that is just my portfolio! www.robynskinner.com). Even better is that anyone with the internet can look at it!

Need to know where to go? Well I use www.wordpress.com. It’s an easy site that will take you five minutes to create your own blog. Of course your site’s address will have wordpress in it’s name, unless you upgrade your account, which is what I did to have robynskinner.com or robynswanderings.com. Those can be purchased on a site such as godaddy.com. But that’s not necessary for your private blog, so let’s get back.

Use WordPress for your travels?

Choose your background (and they give you plenty to choose from) and then it’s your time to play (or write)! Others have also used www.blogspot.com. To each to create their own, but I didn’t find their offerings gave me as many options for tailoring my site or ability to be creative.

If you’re interested (and the blog doesn’t have to be about travel, obviously) spend 10 minutes snooping between the two and see which works better for you.

Then you can make sure you family and friends can follow YOU around the world! No, it’s not Facebook; it’s better. A blog gives you the space to explain to people what you’re doing. It’s taking the pain out of those ancient slideshows

And it can immediately update to your Facebook page! Blog-on (or like me keep your old-school passport holder for your own walk down memory lane)

Menu from Firestones in Quechee, Vermont

Yes, a Bermudian, a Canadian, a Brit, and two Americans walked into a pub (Firestones) in Quechee, Vermont and we ordered three Dark n Stormys, a gingerale (definitely not for the Bermudian) and a Vermont Ale (for the Brit).

No, this is not a joke. Well what transpired was a comedy of errors, but it was never meant to be. Nope, this was supposed to be my New Year’s Eve.

I had planned ahead. I never do that, but this time I had four other people depending on me. Why? Because I decided to drag two friends who live in Bermuda (the Canadian and the Brit) and my college roommate and her boyfriend to a house in Quechee, VT.

Some skiing, New England quaintness and a place where I wouldn’t know anyone was just what the doctored ordered. I had rock fever.

Unfortunately this ailment is nothing that a doctor can cure. Nope. Instead, it is what Bermudians feel after spending too much time on our 21 square-mile island. That and my travel column every Wednesday in The Royal Gazette, of course!

After Delta delayed our escape by five hours we arrived in Boston by 7 p.m. and began our trek to Vermont. It’s only two hours so it wasn’t too bad.

The Americans had already made it to Quechee and we found them ensconced in beer and nibbles at the Firestones’ Pub waiting for us. It was busy, but our waitress was so amazing it made the time fly.

She even carded me! I felt young again. Heck maybe I’m a questionable 21-year-old at 31? Works for me. This was going to be a good vacation.

Even better, we had a little bit of Bermuda waiting for us on the menu. Yes I wanted to escape, but I always love seeing my home country featured somewhere. Well especially because we’re so small!

There it was listed on the Firestones’ menu: a Dark ‘n’ Stormy. Arguably Bermuda’s National drink,  the Dark ‘n’ Stormy consists of our Black Seal Rum (a dark, rich

Quchee's Waterfall/Glass Blowing Company

and smooth alcohol) mixed with Barritt’s Ginger Beer. Any other ginger beer just simply will not do.

I was sure Firestones did not have Barritt’s, but I thought I would give Firestones’ the benefit of the doubt (the friendly waitress who carded me, helped) and we decided to book our New Year’s Eve dinner here.

There were not many other choices. I mean, I love Quechee. It’s quintessential New England. But as far as eating on New Year’s Eve we were at a loss.

Sure we could have chosen Simon Pearce and spent $80 on a four course meal, but that would not have included drinks, tax or service. We didn’t have that kind of money.

The 31st came. We put the skis down, showered and even donned some make-up for the occasion. At 8p.m. we were ready for a good night.

Too bad our Firestones’ waitress wasn’t. Our friendly, first night waitress had been replaced with another.

“What do you want to order?”

Well, hello to you too. Yes, we would love to have a great New Year’s Eve, thank you for asking, I belittled the waitress in my head. I bit my tongue and we gave her the drinks order.

Three Dark ‘n’ Stormys, a gingerale and a Vermont ale.

“Ok, now do you know what food you want to order?”

“uhh, I mean, uh…no!”

She was starting to get downright pushy. I was getting tired of it. She left.

Five minutes later, she returned.

“Ok fine we’ll order.”

That meant our starters. We were still holding out on her. I mean we planned to be there for midnight. We were not going to get so lucky. As soon as she placed the order in the kitchen she was back.

“Now do you want to order your mains?” Not much of a question really. We did. Three Kobe steaks at various levels of cooking, a sea bass and chicken parmesan.

Easy, right? Nope.

The starters came, they entered our stomachs and the cutlery was taken away….never to return. Well not until we’d already had the steaks and the chicken.

Robyn, you forgot the sea bass?! Nope, nope I didn’t. Actually the waitress did.

I remained gracious: “Dig in guys. Please don’t wait for me.”

Drive-by photo of Firestones

“Ugh, mine’s cold. Mine’s not cooked enough,” echoed around the table.

We called over the waitress. Our conversations turned from borderline impolite to downright rude.

Us: “Sorry, but our steaks are all cold and we still don’t have the sea bass.”

Waitress: “What do you want me to do about it?”

I get it’s New Year’s Eve. I get that no one wants to work, but well, we would have spent a decent chunk of change. She would have done all right if she had managed an iota of pleasantness.

“Are you sorry they’re cold?” I asked her.

“Yes, I’m sorry. So what would you like me to do?”

Fly to the moon, solve world poverty, find the cure for cancer, I don’t know, maybe cook new steaks?!

The men at our table decided to confront the manager; I had already tried to no avail.

Manager: “Oh, yeah well I only heard about this five minutes before. I’m supposed to have dinner with my wife of 27-years. Um….let’s see how this turns out.”

It turned out that after fixing the steaks, my sea bass came out colder than before, the chicken parmesan had congealed cheese and we were done.

And so was her tip and half of the bill! We bid Firestone’s farewell.

A quick trip to the gas station delivered a few beers and some wine into our party and as we arrived home fireworks erupted on the ski hill!

I think we had the last laugh!

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!

Where is Rock Fever this week?

You might be able to find Bermuda on a map (look really close. It’s pin-pointed with a green thumb tack), but you might not find it’s Rock Fever. What am I on about?

Rock Fever is the term Bermudians endearingly call the need to leave their island. At 21-square-miles we’re just a little dot in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. With 65,000 people we barely have enough fans to fill stadiums. It takes about an hour to drive from one tip of our fish-hook-shaped island to the other.

When we go for coffee we will run into at least three people we know and when we start or finish relationships everyone knows. We have a grapevine that few other places have.

And yet we still have two newspapers, lots of radio shows and two evening news shows. If anything goes unknown…..well you aren’t living in Bermuda.

Hence the need to escape this little island home every so often – Rock Fever. While we Bermudians might try and place roots on their fish-hook, we are also some of the best travelers out there. We have to be.

Now not only have I been traveling for the past month – hitting the likes of Sweden, Germany and Britain – so is my travel column in one of our island’s newspapers – The Royal Gazette.

Yes even my column can’t sit still. From Monday it’s going to Wednesday! So every week now there will be Rock Fever Wednesdays and Monday?!?!?!

So what should I fill Monday with? Where are you going next? Where did you just come from? Remember I am always looking for a new addition to the Bermuda’s Postcards’ page!

Stockholm's waterways

Beep. Beep. Slam. Beeppppppppppp

Is there a fire? Oh my go…sh…it’s three a.m. already? It can’t be. I hate my phone alarm. Yes I spent a year away from home without a phone and while traveling around Europe I have let one of these little cell phones dictate my life. Both a way to stay in touch and alarm, it can be helpful. Maybe I shouldn’t have been so rough with it.

It was three a.m. though. Why? Why am I waking myself up at 3 a.m.? Any other time I would be going to bed….especially since it was the day after my birthday. But not now. Nope. Why? Because I am on a mission to find cheap trips from London. This cheap one? Well that was my mistake, but it required a 6 a.m. flight from London Stansted Airport to Skvasta Airport in…..Stockholm! There was a flight at 9 a.m. but somehow I booked the earlier flight. Go figure.

In any case I had found a £20 flight to Sweden and I was trying to get myself out of bed to get my bus to the airport. I did it. Begrudgingly. But I did it. I made my flight.

Ryanair might be persistent about their weight gain (see last week’s column budget airlines), but to be fair to this low-cost/budget airline they did get me to Stockholm on time. Which is what this week’s Rock Fever Column from The Royal Gazette is all about.

I landed in this capital city that spans 14 islands of an archipelago by 9 a.m. (two hour flight plus one hour for time difference). Didn’t know Stockholm covered islands? Yeah me neither and sadly I had been here before. To be fair to me I had been here over New Years about ten years ago. There was so much snow and ice I’m surprised I ever left the hotel room. But more importantly that means the archipelago’s waters freeze over. In fact an ice-breaking boat storms through the solid water in winter months. Otherwise the ice actually helps those that live on Stockholm’s distant islands commute in the winter.

In any case, September was a far more friendly month to travel through Sweden. The weather had started to

Stockholm's boardwalk

cool down, but I didn’t always need a jacket. Not even on a night out. And it wasn’t too busy tourist-wise. A perfect time to hit this Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula. It is also a member (the third largest by land area) of the European Union and ranks first in the Economist’s Democracy index and seventh in the United Nations’ Human Development Index.

I would say life is pretty ideal. And that is definitely what this capital city exudes – idealism. Welcoming me to the centre of the city was an hour bus ride complete with lush green countryside dotted with horses and lakes. The city was equally ideal. The taxi driver actually offered NOT to rip me off when I tried to get a lift to my friend’s place. He told me the cabs outside of the bus station were cheaper. More than nice taxi drivers, Stockholm also has nice-looking people too.

By that I don’t mean the stereotype of blondes. I mean there were a lot in this most populous city of Sweden (more than 800,000 live in the centre, 1 million on the immediate outskirts and 2.5 million on the outer, outerskirts). But what I mean is the Swedes wandering the streets could have just walked out of a catalogue. The babies could be featured on Gerber bottles. No wonder Ikea (the perfectly constructed furniture store) is Swedish.

Economics of Weddings in the National Economic Museum across from The Castle

These perfect streets and people of Sweden founded Stockholm in 1250, and it is the site of government as well as the official residence of the Monarch. Technically the king lives outside of Stockholm and just keeps the Royal Palace in town for his official business. That’s what I like to do too.

This mammoth palace dominates the Gamla Stan island (Old Town) and yet it only offers to open its doors for a couple of hours a day. I missed them. Only from 12 to 3. Oh well. I had seen the snippets of the castle when I had visited before. It was the warmest thing to do in Stockholm over New Years.

But more than a hand warmer this castle has 610 rooms just in case the Royal family manages to get bored in their place. It is also the site of the (I would say) dinners for the most famous of prizes – the Nobel Prize. While the jewels….the crown’s of course, also rest here. So much for my dinner accessories that night. Don’t be like me though. By that I mean jet-lagged and too late for the castle. Get up in Stockholm and make the visit. There are tours, but be warned entering can get expensive. One hundred Swedish Kronas ($15) to see each segment of the castle i.e. the Treasury or the Private Quarters, etc…. I saved my Kronas and decided to head across the street to find out about where they came from.

I couldn’t resist the National Economy Museum. I know. Go Figure. I’m one crazy tourist. What drew my attention? An exhibit on weddings and the economics behind it. Yeah it wasn’t always about love (is it?). They do say finances is one of the main reasons marriages end. Good thing I got some tips. Besides the wedding dresses, the museum was worth it’s weight in….well let’s just say it was interesting.

Did you know that the first European banknote was printed in Sweden? Or that the largest coin is here? Or how about the history of the pesos? Or how about the fact that the Swedes have one of John Steinbeck’s signatures because that’s the only way he could cash his Nobel Prize cheque? Yes. The equivalent of more than $2 million dollars used to be handed in cheques to the successful Nobel person.

Enough of the economics in museums. Stockholm’s economy doesn’t make this country break from your

Bermuda-budget (prices for food and drinks are the same). Nor does it give you a break from the Bermuda water border. But I liked that. Not the prices. Those were fine. Not as expensive as everyone whispers about

Largest minted coin with the lightest wallet on it.

Scandinavian countries, but I love being in a city where water dominates.

I felt right at home even if the boats used wooden logs for bumpers rather than heavy plastic. Yep even if Stockholm requires dodging H&M’s (the clothing stores) which dot every corner like Starbucks in London it’s still a dynamic city. A city my friend swore up and down was much like New York with its various neighbourhoods. From the Old Town (similar to New York’s soho) to their Sofo neighbourhood, which is more like New York’s village, Stockholm offers everything.

And there are cheaper things to do in this town. Which is exactly what I needed after my schooling at the economics museum. So I headed for the rest the old town with my camera ready. Picturesque doesn’t describe it. IN fact the Old Town sums-up Swedes for you. I don’t think I ever saw anything out of place – perfection.

Well except for maybe their ships. One would have though the descendants of vikings would have been able to build a boat. Unfortunately they couldn’t. But now there is a museum relegated to this. After spending a few hours wandering around the old town with camera (best way to see this town and capture your memories) it was an easy ferry ride to see the ship- Vasa.

Built from 1626 to 1628 it was supposed to be a Swedish warship. Sent to sea on August 10, 1628 it promptly sank one nautical mile from home. Oops. Dug-up in the 1960’s there is now a museum to it. Ok it might not have made the best sailing ship, but it is a decent recorder of history. So I guess it was worth it going to see it.

I wandered around the Vasa hoping that the boat tomorrow would be better built. Why? Well my friend would be off work and we decided to navigate the Stockholm Archipelago! Nothing a few layers couldn’t handle. So make sure you check My Photos page for documentation of my cheap Swedish trip and check back here next week for more on Stockholm’s islands as well as Sweden’s oldest town!

Walking through rice paddies in Laos

I was with my California travel buddy; the one I met over a cooking course in Thailand. We decided over spring rolls that we would conquer Laos together. It turned-out to be a successful coupling.

Especially when we had to contend with knife-wielding youths.

Yes. A knife. We were innocently trying to walk from our B&B to some caves in Vang Vieng, Laos. This town is known for its drunken, tubing experience (i.e. bars along the river banks which are accessed via inflatable tubes), but it is also known for spectacular scenery as well as caves lodged in rice paddies.

Me and the California travel buddy decided after one day of tubing we were going to work-off the various buckets (a bucket filled with rum, cokes and red bulls) with a wander. We found ourselves lost and a six-year-old sitting in a tree yelling at us.

“You must pay. You want to go to the cave? You have to pay. Hey. You have to pay.”

We had been told to ignore the kids waiting by the caves. Why? Because they were running a scheme. So we did. We continued walking, found a dead-end and had to turn back.

Our heckler had found a knife by the time that we returned.

“You find the cave?”

We kept walking, which became speed-walking as I noticed him slapping his hand with a knife. We picked-up the pace and made it back to the main road and to our B&B.

We never did find caves, but that is not to say we didn’t find a way to exercise while abroad. Which leads me to my Rock Fever Column in The Royal Gazette today: Exercising Anywhere.

I offered some of my own advice, knife’s excluded, but I also conferred with Bermuda-based, personal fitness trainer, Jenille Devenson-Smith for back-up. With her own business, Heart Core, she regularly trains people without the use of gyms. In the National Stadium, the botanical gardens or other “free” spaces are her work-out stations.

Getting away from the mirrors offers her clients the chance to focus on themselves as well as offering exercises for those who may need to do them in imperfect positions – travelers.

What does she have to say? Here’s a quick Q&A from the expert herself:

1. For someone who travels often, do you have any tips for maintaining their exercise routine? Exercise and diet are a marriage. So when you travel and want to exercise don’t forget that in order to see the benefits of your exercise you need to eat properly. This does not mean “no cake” I am an advocate of cake, especially coconut cake with vanilla icing… But I am also and advocate of moderation. Allow yourself to indulge, but don’t allow yourself to fail. There is a difference. On vacation a lot of people just give up on eating right. Diet is a life long challenge. You are in control, even when you are not. So don’t forget, you are what you eat.

When you travel there are simple weightless exercises you can do. Squats, lunges, jumping jacks, push-ups, crunches and sit ups. I prefer to travel with a jump-rope as well. Jumping rope is a complete body workout that can burns a lot of calories. If you don’t have time do 10 min here , 10 min there, til you reach 30 min of cardio. Use the stairs in your hotel. Most people don’t use them, so you will find you have them all to yourself. A lot of hotels these days are also equipped with gyms, so you may jus commit  to a few gym visits while you are on vacation, and of course, walk, walk, walk.

2. Is there an easy and quick “maintenance” work-out that someone could do in their hotel room/hostel room? When you travel there are simple weightless exercises you can do. Squats, lunges, jumping jacks, push ups, crunches and sit ups. I prefer to travel with a jump-rope as well.

Eating on the road

3. I know that diet is also an important consideration when it comes to exercise. Do you have suggestions for those on the road to how to eat healthy?

Try to eat protein, while on vacation I try to eat clean, but I still indulge. Sometimes the fish I order may be breaded, or have a wonderful sauce on it. For me this is a luxury I allow those luxuries but pair it with a nice clean vegetable. Try to limit your carbohydrates to your daytime meals, ie breakfast and lunch. Then for your remaining meals chose protein and vegetables. Try not to go to sleep with a belly full of pasta or baked potato. Eat fresh, go to the grocery store, buy fresh fruits, veg and nuts to snack on. Keep them in the fridge in your hotel room. Just because you are on vacation does not mean you are not in control. Don’t forget to drink water. So many empty calories are consumed in beverages. Save the calories for something you really want to eat.

Don’t be afraid to customize your meal. If you are dining out, and you see something you want don’t be afraid to add and take away ingredients or dressings to make the meal acceptable. You are in control or your results.

4. What should we do at home? And why is it important to eat healthy for travel and other activities? Try a class when you are away. Sometimes it helps to be anonymous when u exercise.  It is a good way to meet people and gain confidence.

5. How would you encourage someone who, perhaps, has not been very active and wants to start working-out? Working out can be a little overwhelming for someone who has never done it before, or who is self-conscious. Gyms tend to be intimidating to a lot of people. Everyone in the gym seems to be advanced, experienced or even fearless. Intimidation can offset the average person and prevent them from achieving their goals. If you are not comfortable in a gym, go outside, away from the mirrors and away from the on-lookers and get fit. You don’t have to start at a high level, the main thing is just to begin. You must walk before you can run, so by all means, walk. Take long walks, short walks, fast walks, slow walks, walk upstairs, downstairs, up hill and down hill. Alternate, one day power walk, one day distance… Have fun with it. When you are comfortable jog a little, then jog a little more. Fitness and exercise should be a life long journey and in life you grow so be patient with yourself and allow yourself to grow. You can not run a marathon in a day. There are things you can do in everyday life to enhance your fitness level as well. For example, take the stairs instead of the elevator, ride a pedal bike to work, or walk to work avoid short cuts…

If you are entering the gym for the first time, it is so important that you know what you are doing or you could lose the battle before you begin. If you have never set foot in a gym before I highly recommend you hire a personal trainer for your fist few sessions. Just to make sure you do all the exercises properly and that you make the best use of your time. If you hire a trainer, don’t be afraid to speak up. You know your body better than anyone and you know how far you can push. Your relationship with your trainer will not work if you do not have open communication. It Is a team effort.

Workout DVDs are also a great start for those who wish to start working out. You can learn in the privacy of your own home. I would advise watching it all the way through before attempting. A good workout DVD will let you know the proper posture and position for each exercise to ensure that you do not injure yourself. Be sure to listen carefully to all instruction.

Running through the Valley of the Kings

6. Finally, why should exercise be part of our everyday activities? Exercise is like maintaining your car, you body is an amazing machine that requires daily maintenance. It does not have to be intense or grueling you just have to keep your body in motion. You know the saying if you don’t use it you lose it, well through simple excercise, and diet regularity you can keep your body healthy and humming. Eating well and staying fit helps fight diseases diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis and as we age these are all things we must think about.

For your own training session don’t contact me. I’m no trainer. Try Jenille at heartcorefitness@gmail.com or 504-336 and get fit anywhere!