Robyn's Wanderings

“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.

“I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within.” – Lillian Smith

Bermuda's Halloween with a pumpkin!

There were going to be no carved pumpkins, no candy corns and definitely no costumes. Why?

Because I was in Chile for October 31 and while I might be used to Halloween traditions like trick or treating, South America had a different way of greeting me during my trip around the world: Days of the Dead.

Perhaps holidays are not something you consider when traveling, but it’s amazing how sentimental I could get while on the road. Never one for Halloween (yeah, ok as a kid when candy was the game!), when I arrived in Chile I started pondering how I would spend it.

Well, the first thing to learn is that not everyone celebrates Halloween as Bermudians, American and Canadians traditionally know it. Originating from the ancient Celtic festival of the dead, Samhain, the tradition was/is celebrated as the time when strict boundaries between the worlds of the living and dead became thin. Ghosts of the dead could, therefore return to earth.

When the Romans conquered much of the Celts land in France and England, the Roman day of the dead at the end of October became incorporated. With the spread of Christianity, there was an attempt to subsume this into All Saints Day on November 1 and the festival the night before was Alls-Hallows. Anyone see where this is going?

Well, for the country where these traditions all started, Ireland, parties, bonfires and fireworks spread through the country on October 31; while, Dublin hosts its annual Halloween Festival and parade.

The UK? Well Halloween has taken to the mainstream throughout the UK too. Yep children are asking for candy and adults get lost in outfits and parties. But what is definitely a highlight is the London Zombie Walk where hundreds moan and groan through the capital while visiting twelve pubs.

Head North to the Scandinavian countries of Norway and Sweden and you will find that Halloween is relatively new holiday and there will be a few parties and themed events around the countries.

Let them eat candy for Halloween or.....Julebukk

What they do, do in Norway that is similar to our Bermudian Halloween is run around the neighbourhood between Christmas and New Years to ask for sweets. It’s called Julebukk and it hails back to the Viking era. No dressing-up is really required….well beyond the layers of warm clothes required! I can attest to this having taken part when I visited family friends when I was 13-years-old.

Moving further East to Russia and the rise of Halloween is not welcomed by all. In 2008, in fact, lawmakers here sent a bill to their lower house to consider banning not just Halloween, but also Valentine’s Day. Why? They are worried about protecting their “conservative ways”. So in place of Valentine’s Day, Russians would be able to celebrate the Day of the Family, Love and Fidelity. No word on what Halloween would be called.

While Russia might be turning away from Halloween, other countries have never celebrated Halloween, but have ceremonies that draw from the idea that spirits of their ancestors abound. The Malagasy people of Madagascar have one of the most unique ways to honour their dead. Though Halloween (as we might know it) is little celebrated on this East Coast of African island, they do honour their dead by ‘turning the bones’. This ritual, ancient it is, requires the opening of the tombs of the dead dressing the bones in fresh clothes and passing them around to dance with friends and relatives.

Um….I think I’ll head to Cambodia now, which is my favourite South East Asia country. Here, the whole concept of Halloween does not really exist! Instead the country focuses on the lunar calendar and the tenth month which usually falls in September. During this time the Cambodian Buddhists celebrate the Pak Ben, 14 days during which they wake every morning before dawn to prepare offerings of food and other gifts to monks living in the local pagoda and to their ancestors.

On day 15, Cambodians visit the Pagoda with sweet sticky rice (the best food in the world) and bean treats wrapped in banana leaves and other special foods to mark the P’chum Ben or festival of the dead. P’chum Ben also marks the close of Pak ben.

Do you see how it all comes around? Sweet rice or candy corn? Ok it’s a stretch, but this is why I love traveling: different countries have draw on the same ideas, but it translates for cultural understanding.

Let’s stay in Asia and head to Japan! If we go now, however, we would have completely missed their equivalent to Halloween, the Obon Festival. That’s because Japan does not celebrate Halloween, but they do have this mid-August Festival to honour the deceased and often ends with candle lit paper lanterns floating down a river which symbolize the departure of their ancestors.

Heading further East (from Japan of course) to Mexico and you’re also celebrating the Day of the Dead on November 1 and 2nd. Well, that is now. When it was celebrated during the Aztec years, the festival would last two months! With the introduction of Catholicism, however, the celebrations were whittled down to two days! During these days, it is believed here that lost ones return to the earth to celebrate with their families and friends. Visits to grave sites ensue where offerings of food, photographs and drinks are offered to the dead.

Moving to the South of this world and we hit Peru, which celebrates more than 3000 festivals a year and also finds time to recognize their Day of the Dead on November 1 and All Saints Day on November 2. These are days for Peruvians to honour their dead with Mass, bringing flowers to the cemetery and sharing food with the dead. It’s a tradition that stems back pre-Hispanic years!

All dressed-up to tackle Patagonia for Halloween!

And finally what did I do in Chile? Well let’s just say I looked like one of the scary masks in the Phoenix as I tried to hike for five days through the Torres del Paines National Park without a shower. However, with the natural beauty of glaciers, bright blue lakes and avalanches, I did not miss Halloween one bit.

Which brings me to one last point: yes, our holidays are fun, but use these holidays with days-off from work (yes, even Cup Match) as a chance to see what other places do. You’d be surprised how little you miss home as you become inspired by a new culture. Ok, enough for this week, ciao ciao!

Flying home for Easter....

We’ve all been there before – stuck in an airport with nothing to do. For those with laptops we push open the screen and log-on to whatever network we can find for free.

Our wanderer, Nicola Arnold found Toronto’s airport has a sense of humour, while other details caught her eye in her silly travels back home to Bermuda for Easter! Let her show you the way:

Have you ever heard of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum? It’s a musical by Stephen Sondheim, which I saw a number of years ago on Broadway in NYC… with Whoopi Goldberg in the starring role, no less. Check it out here, or perhaps on tour!

It’s a great tale filled with farce, puns, comedic errors, and mistaken identities. These are common twists in entertainment, but they also factors that played a part in my recent return to Bermuda for Easter holidays. The trip was fun, funny (& sunny)… and a tad bit confusing: Was I a resident? An overseas worker? A visitor? Returning home? I was not too sure… so let’s just say half an hour later my bag had been searched and I was let loose on the 21-sq-island I call home (home?).

These are the funny things that happened on my way to the… Rum (well, it is Bermuda after all, home of Rum Swizzle, Dark n Stormy and rum cakes):

At the Toronto Pearson Airport, browsing the shops helped to kill some time. Nothing spectacular, but can be entertaining when you come across aprons such as this…

Funny Apron

These days, you expect free WiFi at airports, and you can easily hop online with a laptop or smartphone. As the WiFi networks showed up on my phone, I was quick to choose “Toronto Pearson Airport” over “ReallyItchyBum” (hmm… really?!)

Itchy bum wifi?

Breakfast & Easter holidays are two great events – one more common than the other! I was in touch with some friends over my break, one in India and one in Sweden. They both sent me photos of their respective Easter meals, noodles in the Himalayas and cake and champagne in Sweden.

Champagne in Sweden for Easter

Noodles in the mountains for Easter

While out & about, I noticed an interesting set of clothing labels… although… I always thought I was “priceless”!

Nicola's priceless?

Easter didn’t come complete with an Easter egg this year, but it did come with chocolate. Not just any chocolate, but HAPPY COW chocolate. Yes indeed, it made us happy :)

Happy Cow

As I was somewhat a “visitor” over the holiday, I attended a traditional Bermudian ceremony that I have never been to before (as far as I recall): the Peppercorn Ceremony. With all its pomp and circumstance, it honours the rent of one Peppercorn by the Freemasons of the Old State House of St. George. Think Bermuda Regiment marching band, horses and wide-brimmed hats.

Peppercorn Ceremony

Lastly, following the Peppercorn Ceremony, we were able to catch the historical re-enactment of the ducking stool… beware of being a “gossip and a nag”, or else you shall find yourself dunked into Bermuda’s waters way before May 24^th (Bermuda’s kick-off day to swim).

Dunking in a stool!

Swim in the warm waters of the Caribbean!

You know you are! So what are you going to get that special person? Sure you could get them chocolates or waste your money on flowers.

Yep, you could do that.

But why would you when you could………BUY A TICKET TO THE CARIBBEAN! Yes it sounds expensive, but here’s the best part – it isn’t.

Sail from Tampa, Florida to Cozumel, Mexico with the Royal Caribbean Cruise line for four days in a State Room (i.e. nothing but the best for your loved one) for just $529 per person.

And if you’re feeling even more adventurous and depending on how much you have to save things, you could splurge on the Love Affair package for an additional $327 per couple.

The package includes: Private Cocktail Parties – Special Gifts – Couples Workshops on Romance, Finance & Commun- ication – Wine & chocolate covered strawberries in your stateroom – Private Events – and more…

But this cruise is not just about, perhaps, salvaging a relationship or strengthening one, it’s also about visiting a new place.

Cozumel

Explore the ruins’s park in Cozumel or the markets festooned with the local and native produce! That is if you can get yourself away from the pristine beaches.

You’ll be happy you do book this, especially if you do through CTravel who are you local experts on cruises and ensuring you get the best deal!

Since today’s post is all about cruises and because those are where the best deals are these days of economic tightening, why not treat yourself to a second one (after Valentine’s of course) and sail with the Norwegian Cruise Line!

Only it will have to be a small treat because the cruise will only set you back $399 per person for seven days!!! Well that’s for an inside room. If you really want to up your game then you can book the balcony for $599 per person. That is still an incredible savings.

7-Day Eastern Caribbean from Miami Norwegian

For seven days sail in pure luxury from Miami to Nassau to St. Maarten to St. Thomas and ensure you get the best deal you know you need to contact CTravel!

Of course if you’re looking for something a bit more exotic and long distance there is really only one cruise for you: The Baltics!

Yes for just $106 a night per person you can sail from Copenhagen, Denmark to Stockholm, Sweden, Tallinn, Estonia, St. Petersburg, Russia, Helsinki, Finland and Warnemunde, Germany over nine days.

Cruise the Baltics

You would set sail on June 4th and return on June 13th into Copenhagen for the prices starting at $949! What are you waiting for?

Oh the temperatures?! Well have no fear, by then the weather should be warming and the ice should be melting. Heck it’s June right. The average temperature in Stockholm is 70 degrees (Fahrenheit of course).

So call or visit CTravel today for more information and book your cruise for 2011!

Brighton's Lanes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Brighton's Royal Pavilion

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

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

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

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

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

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

Brighton's Pier

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

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

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

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

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

Entering Dover Castle

The quiet beep awoke me from my Channel daze.

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

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

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

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

Overlooking the Channel

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dover Cliffs

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

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

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

“Your calls will cost…”

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

"Work will Set you Free": the ominous statement on the main gate to Sachsenhausen

I had one day. One day for what? To get back to London from Stockholm (my previous trip that was under $100 a day. You know? Ten trips from London for under $100. My latest travel attempt) and prepare for my next cheap trip.

It required some laundry, some emails, and of course printing out my boarding passes before the airport – the trade-off for traveling on budget airline EasyJet. That proved more difficult in London than I figured. Now that everyone has wifi no one needs computer labs. The fear of missing my flight grew as people I asked in coffee shops and stores looked at me as if I had two heads.

“Do you know where I can find a internet cafe?”

“Huh? Um…well there might be one. Turn left at…..”

I went on my goose- chase and an hour later I found my hole-in-the-wall, paid 80p and exited with two boarding passes for……BERLIN! It’s time for another Rock Fever Column for Monday!

Clothes were thrown into another carry-on. This time I made sure that I packed even less than I had for Stockholm. I didn’t want another run-in with a troubled, low-cost carrier worker (remember Ryanair and my clothes layering? visit here for the story if you missed it.)

A train from London Bridge to Gatwick took only half an hour and cost a lot less than the Gatwick express. Try £16 return vs.  £16 one- way!

I was ready for Berlin. Too bad EasyJet wasn’t. For a delay of three hours I received  £3 to spend on whatever I wanted. How generous.

I had a good book so I wasn’t worried about killing time, but on the other end of the trip, i.e. Berlin it made it difficult. Not because there was no transport. Nope. Berlin has a great metro which stops around midnight, but then night buses kick-in to pick-up the slack.

Unfortunately as I looked at the night bus schedule the directions given by my Eco-friendly hostel did not seem to translate. Luckily I had my cell phone.

We decided I should find a taxi.

I’m glad I did. He was very friendly and immediately I realized Germans were going to be more approachable than the Swedes (I’m sorry Sweden. You were not always the most welcoming). The entrance to my hostel was hidden down a 100 foot path through the woods with no lights. Horror film came to mind and I was glad I was not walking down it on my own.

I had decided for my Berlin trip I would try and save the environment. Well or at least pay-back the carbon footprint of some of these flights. I found an Eco-friendly youth hostel -Jetpak – located in one of the beautiful parks of Berlin. Doesn’t really jive with your view on Berlin does it? I mean the park thing.

It should. I had never seen such a green city. My hostel was located in the Grunewald which is 32 square kilometres of mixed forest and lakes, even a beach, in the city! I know crazy. Even crazier? They still have wild pigs running around this forest!

After a solar powered shower and heated water for my coffee, I decided to hike back along the wooded path to

Wandering near the Eco-Friendly Hostel

find my bus. I felt better already about the airline fumes.

No exact change needed on the buses and for about €4 I could travel on all the public transportation I wanted too for that day. Berlin was getting better and better.

My flight to Berlin was $40 one-way. My hostel was €20 a night. Transportation €4. I was on my $100 budget.

Now for entertainment. Berlin is a city piled high with history. With every corner turn you peel away another layer. I was in heaven. Berlin is also beautiful….in segments. Thanks to Hitler and his successors – the Russians – buildings were destroyed at various times and rebuilt with very different aesthetics. This makes Berlin an interesting city to explore.

The most disturbing architecture of the regimes?

A former concentration camp – Sachsenhausen – on the outskirts of the city. This was a prototype prison that Nazi’s use as an example for every other they would build, it was also used by the Soviets when they took over parts of Berlin. It was where I felt I needed to begin my travels through Berlin. With New Berlin Tour – a company that offers affordable and even free tours of various European cities – I had a PhD student as a guide with nine other people for €14. A 40 minute metro ride delivered us to this triangular-shaped, work camp turned concentration camp and its ominous gates with the “Work will set you free” slogan.

At one point 60,000 workers were trapped by 200 soldiers here with various methods including a watchtower that could overlook the entire triangular layout and a death strip where prisoners were shot – no questions asked- if they tried to leave. Besides physical constraints, the SS Guards inflicted psychological constraints too. Prisoners were sectioned into various groups – homosexuals, political prisoners, jews, etc… and the guards would treat the different groups better or worse depending on their status.

By the end of the war as the Soviets moved closer to Berlin and the Nazis became desperate, Sachsenhausen’s ovens and death marches away from it, turned into systematic killing machines of Soviet POWs and Jewish Prisoners.

Entrance to Sachsenhausen

The grounds are now bleak and filled with very few structures to actually see since much was destroyed during de-nazification. There are, now, two reconstructions of the sparse prison blocks that would be filled to overflowing and a specialized prison where cells kept high-interest internees – i.e. the man who tried to kill Hitler – in solitary confinement.

A depressing and conflicted site. The difficult history is further depicted across from the “Work will set you free” Gate. The former SS Guards’ training site now houses the area’s Police Academy. But therein lies the debate and controversy that continues in Berlin and Germany as a whole. What to do with Nazi relics? These are useful buildings that could be reused and should be reused. But what about what they stood for before?

It was a thoroughly sobering afternoon that silenced any complaints I had about the cold in the air. It was time to return to the centre of Berlin.

Stay tuned for next week when I travel in the Centre of Berlin and visit here for daily wanderings by Robyn!

Sweet Tooth

Fantastic. Sweden might stop selling their alcohol at 6 p.m. every day in specially assigned stores. They might not even sell alcohol on the weekends.

But when it comes to candy? They will get you drunk on sweets 24 hours a day, in every store you can find. I don’t even want to know what the dentists in this Scandinavian country are paid!

I just returned from visiting Stockholm and I couldn’t resist these candy cornucopia. Well for both Photo of the Day and, well, my sweet tooth!

I mean how do these Swedes stay so fit? Clearly they can’t be indulging in these candy trays? They must just be for the fat tourists.

Nope. Not at all. Every time I went in for a scoop so did someone named Sven with blonde hair (just kidding a Swede) dove in too.

I noticed something. They didn’t take much. I was ready to fill the bag to the brim with chocolate raisins and sweet strawberries……my Sven? A couple of pieces.

Ahhh moderation. That’s where we all left it. In Sweden! But have no fear! There is another way to keep your waistline in check and it has everything to do with the people you are with.

Yep a study recently showed that College kids (cause you know that freshman 15 sneaks on) who have chubby roommates are less likely to gain weight.

I’m not kidding. It was done by the University of Michigan and their explanation? The chubby roommate probably watches what they eat more closely. So how’d they get overweight? Want to read more. Check out the article here.

Happy Friday everyone!

The King's Hunting Grounds from the water

We were late. Why? I had decided to go running in the Djurgården park (actually an entire island) near my friend’s house in Stockholm. It used to cater to King Karl XI’s hunting raids. Now it catered to my pathetic attempt at some exercise. As me and my friend manoeuvred around the grounds that now include a theme park, an open air museum, and art museums that some five million other people visit each year I was wondering the lunacy that encouraged me to go running as we had to speed up. We were late for our boat trip.

What am I doing? Besides trying to run in Stockholm? Right now I am on a mission. A mission to accomplish ten trips from London that cost under $100 for my column, Rock Fever in The Royal Gazette. And check out this link for more photos from Sweden.

Last week I had found a flight to Stockholm for $47 on Ryanair. Just my luck I also had a friend who could put me up in Sweden’s capital. So I decided to stay a while and find a second trip. It had to be visiting Stockholm’s Archipelago, which cost less than $100 – actually it cost $30 to be exact.

It was an adventurous outing for both of us (my Swedish friend had never visited the archipelago). I thought I had sussed out our plan of attack the day before, but jet lag and not knowing the city very well meant I got the wrong inlet (there are lots of them in Stockholm) filled with boats. After running like the wind, we missed the boat.

We had an hour to kill over a coffee next to the beautiful Royal Swedish Opera house. The sun went away and the wind picked up. I wasn’t sure I had dressed properly. Too bad, we had the boat tickets.

Side note for planning your own trip: By September many of the boats visiting Stockholm’s archipelago and beyond have stopped running. It’s too cold. That’s because the archipelago extends from Stockholm 60 km to the east. It is also made up of 24,000 islands and islets. Some of the larger towns, besides Stockholm of course, are Gustavsberg and Vaxholm – which you can visit if you book before September. There is also a trip through the archipelago and to Sweden’s oldest town – Sigtuna – but again we missed the boat by a month this time. Which is maybe better. During the summer months the islands out here which host 50,000 holiday homes become swamped. Which is a fairly new phenom. Until the 1950s these islands used to be mainly inhabited by farmers and fishermen.

Islands in the Stockholm Archipelago!

More than just difficult to keep your farm going, what with ice that isolates you from the mainland, these farmers also had to row their cows. Row their cows, Robyn? Yes. As we watched the craggy islands covered in green and sprouting colourful homes we were told that seven of these islands were named for Monday to Sunday. Trying to maintain the grass on these islands cows would be moved to the respective island by their respective farmer. A hell of job when only one cow fits in a boat.

I’ll take the blanket provided by our cow-free motorboat any day! Oh and some of the vodka! Yep we passed the island were the first Absolut vodka was served. I’m sure it was an Absolut pain to serve in the winter. Ha ha…ok not funny. Too bad we didn’t have any to warm our frozen hands.

Archipelago visited it was time to meet her boyfriend for a concert. We also had to eat. So we made our way to Stockholm’s answer to New York’s Village – Sofo. No not really New York’s Soho. The Village. Small restaurants flank bars, which open to Swedes not dressed quite so conservatively as their Gamla Stan compatriots. Relief! Not everything Swedish is in its perfect place!

I was hoping for some Swedish food. A typical dish? Potatoes, lots of meat and gravy. But my friend swore up and down that they rarely eat this food. Luckily in Stockholm there were plenty of other options. We chose a Mexican restaurant/bar. That finished it was time to head for another port. It was random music time provided by the band Ara in the Munchenbryggeriet club called Dislocated hidden under the stone hills of Sofo. Interesting.

We chose to spend the last day I had in Sweden visiting its oldest town – Sigtuna – not feeling old. So after our random concert we went to bed.

Good thing we did. An hour from Stockholm and $40 roundtrip (which fits my $100 budget perfectly) Sigtuna should have been easy to reach. It wasn’t. Good luck trying to find the right train in Stockholm’s main station. “Go up. No down. Round. Go up”. We spent half an hour scaling the same stairs repeatedly. Our elusive train eventually dumped us at its last station to find a bus. An hour and a half later we were walking along the oldest street in the oldest town of Sweden.

I was shocked by Sigtuna. I walked into the tourist centre with its pinned map and there was Bermuda pinned. Someone had been here before. And not a surprise. With quaint, coloured houses I could almost be in Bermuda. Then the wind swept off of Lake Malaren and I remembered I wasn’t. And I needed food.

The oldest street is luckily peppered with plenty of restaurants, bars and pubs to choose from. There is even a

Oldest Street in the Oldest Town of Sweden: Sigtuna

grocery store if you wanted a picnic. I didn’t want a picnic. It was too cold.

We chose a cafe with $10 salads and jacket potatoes (I’m still under my budget). Tummies full we decided to hunt down the runic stones we had targetted on our map. Built more than a 1,000 years ago, it was the royal and commercial centre for some 250 years. Sweden’s first coins were even minted here! Unfortunately it was ransacked in the 1100s and never gained back it population or importance. Well until an airport was built nearby – Arlanda. Now there are about 7,204 Sigtunians. Also important are the former Sigtunians –- the Vikings which left the runic stones. We hunted these down. The stones of course.

Besides a basic museum about the towns history, Sigtuna offers a beautiful backdrop for photo enthusiasts with the lake and colourful wooden houses and green outstretched arms of the apple trees. It was lovely escaping from the city confines of Stockholm.

We had to leave, unfortunately and another bus-train combo landed us in Stockholm and back in my friend’s apartment. She had an exam to finish so I made a very Swedish risotto and I waited for my early alarm.

Remember to check back here for all of your Bermuda-based travel tips all week and next week for all you need to know about planning a ski vacation!