Quirky Traveller's Tales

‘Is it not strange, this madness that has gripped us?’ asks Cornelius.

‘What madness?’ asks the painter.

‘Have you surrendered to the passion yet?’

The painter pauses. ‘It depends what passion you are talking about.’

‘This speculation on tulip bulbs …. Great fortunes have been made and lost. These new hybrids that they have been growing – they fetch the most astonishing prices.  Thousands of florins, if you know when to buy and sell..’ Cornelius’s voice rises with excitement; he too has greatly profited from this tulipomania.

‘Why, the Semper Augustus bulb – they are the most beautiful and the most valuable – one bulb sold last week for six fine horses, three oxheads of wine, a dozen sheep, two dozen silver goblets and a seascape by Esaias van de Velde!’

Taken from Deborah Moggach’s imaginative novel ‘Tulip Fever’, this extract sums up the emotions and financial risks that 17^th century Dutch merchants were subject to when the desire for this simple flower overtook the world.  On a visit to the Keukenhof Gardens in Holland you get an idea of why the beauty and variety of tulips enraptured so many.

Mondrian-like blocks of colour flashed by the window as I travelled to Keukenhof by coach from Amsterdam.  We were passing the famous Dutch bulb fields.  On arrival, the luscious scent of hyacinths hits you as you queue to get in – it’s a place of sensory pleasure even on a chilly spring day.  Keukenhof means ‘Kitchen Garden’; in the 15^th century, herbs were grown here for aristocratic Countess Jacoba van Beieren’s Castle .

Every autumn seven million spring flower bulbs are planted – not just tulips but crocuses, daffodils, narcissi, hyacinths and lilies. Covering more than 30 hectares with 15 kilometers of footpaths you need some good walking shoes and plenty of stamina to take in all the attractions.  In the Historical Garden you get a feel for the history of the place with its grey stone walls showcasing older varieties of plants as well as herbs and flowering trees.  Stroll down Beech Lane, designed around 1850; on either side the flower beds flow in scented grace,  tempting the visitor to pause for a moment to take in their natural beauty.  Modern day tulip fever takes over as people jostle to get the perfect photo.  It’s a photographer’s dream – impossible not to be seduced by the colour, artistry and sheer exhuberance of this spring tapestry.

Each year Keukenhof chooses a different country as the central theme for the park.  When I went (2012) it was ’Poland – Heart of Europe’  This was particularly significant as it’s an increasing market for Dutch flower bulbs and many Polish tourists now visit Holland.  The show highlighted key figures such as the astronomer Copernicus, scientists Marie Curie and Fahrenheit, Pope John Paul II and the composer Frédéric Chopin. One of the most popular displays was the floral mosaic of this brilliant pianist.

As well as the meticulously laid-out gardens there are 5 large pavilions hosting flower shows of azaleas, lilies, orchids, anthuriums, bromelliads and many other exotic plants.  The Willlem-Alexander Pavilion is the largest, housing magnificent daffodil and tulip displays and before the Gardens close, a grand finale –  the world’s largest Lily Show.

There are whackily creative displays of the florist’s craft in the Oranje Nassau Pavilion which change every two weeks. They also reflect the annual theme, so musical notes hung from the ceiling to celebrate Mozart and Copernicus was remembered with starry baubles.  Used to the more conservative atmsosphere of British Flower Shows, I loved the exhibition in the Beatrix Pavilion where haughty models bedecked with all manner of vibrant flowery garments posed with insouciant charm.

In a corner of the grounds is a huge wooden Windmill, given to the park in 1957.  From the top you can take photos of the surrounding bulb fields and you get a great view of Mill Square and the gardens.  When I was there, a lively brass band was delighting the audience with their musical antics.  It was so different from our somewhat reverential brass bands seen in public parks around the country, usually watched by old folk falling to sleep in fading deck-chairs.  In their patriotic bright orange jackets and mischievous smiles, these musicians encouraged the audience to dance and young tourists dared each other to have their photos taken with this crazy gang of Dutch fun.

Dotted around are unusual and thought-provoking sculptures.  Artists are given the opportunity to exhibit their work to an international audience and their locations are carefully thought out.  The Zocher Garden in the centre of the park has a tranquil lake with elegant swans, a trefoil fountain and huge stepping stones.  Much to everyone’s delight there were a group of ‘swimmers’ bobbing up beside the huge stepping stones – a very quirky sight!

There are plenty of places to eat and refresh yourself in the Keukenhof gardens – search out the delicious Dutch waffles with syrup.  Should you wish to indulge in your own tulip fever, souvenir shops are available, selling everything from tulip bedecked ties, bulbs of every imaginable hue and scent, table napkins and the wooden flowers if you’ve not got green fingers.

I travelled to Holland on the Stena Line ferry from Harwich and stayed in Amsterdam at the uber-cool Citizen M hotel courtesy of Laterooms.  I can recommend the Pocket Rough Guide to Amsterdam by Martin Dunford.  Thanks to iamsterdam for organising the coach trip with Viator. The Keukenhof Gardens are open from mid March until May – check their website here for further details.

Tulips: as Cornelius says, ‘Do they not remind us of the transitory nature of beauty?’ Visit Keukenhof in the spring before they fade away …

With winter on its way out and summer fast approaching, many of us are starting to think about that long awaited holiday. For time-poor families, getting away from it all offers the perfect opportunity to reconnect with loved ones.

According to a recent Daily Mail article, a holiday really is good for you. Aside from the obvious benefits of sunshine and fresh air, we eat better on holiday, exercise more, laugh more and sleep better, so investing money in the right break for you and your family is important.  Holidays add to our general sense of wellbeing, but it’s also important that it’s relaxing. This means finding the getaway that suits our family’s needs.  Seasoned parents accustomed to travelling with the tots in tow know that picking the right venue for the yearly getaway is vital when holidaying with children, and ensuring that the whole family will have plenty to keep them entertained while they are away is the key to a fun filled, stress-free break.

Weather is also an important factor. While the UK is great when the sun is shining, the unpredictability of our climate is often a major turn off for families, especially those with young children and teenagers.  With this in mind, the Canary Islands continue to rank in the top five holiday destinations for families looking for a chilled out week in the sun.

 Tenerife, with a manageable average flight time of just over four hours, is a popular choice. The largest of the Canary Islands, Tenerife offers year-round sunshine, modern resorts and various opportunities for day-trips and sightseeing.  The island is famous for its unusual lunar-like landscape, and a trip to Teide National Park is not to be missed: a cable-car ascent to the top of Mount Teide provides spectacular views of the surrounding landscape and great photo opportunities for the family album.

Siam Park – Tenerife

Another attraction to add to your Tenerife hit-list is Siam Park Tenerife. This is Europe’s biggest water-park and offers something to entertain all ages, from tots to teens. There’s a wave pool which will keep the toddlers happy, scream-inducing rides and slides for those hard-to-please teenagers, and a mini-aquatic park just for the kids.

Siam Park is extremely popular so it’s wise to book your family tickets in advance to avoid disappointment and to get the best price – sites such as Attraction World enable you to pre-order tickets and have them sent straight to your email inbox. It’s fast and convenient and will save you time and money while you’re away.  There’s also the option of purchasing a Siam Park twin ticket which combines entrance to Siam Park and Loro Parque, another top Tenerife attraction.

But that’s just the start: there’s plenty more to see and do on the island for days away from the beach. Families looking for educational days out may wish to take a trip to the Pyramids of Güímar – six rectangular pyramid style structures which are thought to date back to the 19^th Century.  The Botanical Gardens, one of Spain’s oldest botanical gardens, is also well worth a look with over 3,000 specimens of the world’s most unusual plants and trees.

They say that families who ‘play together stay together’, and with the options of sun, sea and sightseeing, Tenerife and its attractions ticks all the right boxes  when it comes to family fun in the sun …

This article is brought to you by Attraction World.

Did you know Tenerife has one of the biggest Carnivals in the world? Every year thousands of people visit the island for a lengthy festival of craziness, colour, exhuberance and yes, quirkiness.  You can read about my magical day at Tenerife Carnival here.

When writer and entrepreneur, Martin Dunford and his family went travelling round Australia, they discovered a haven of natural beauty in the heart of Queensland.  In our latest World Travel Blogger article, he describes some of the highlights of that trip.

Before we arrived at Rose Gums, Queensland we had thought there was only one kind of kangaroo. In fact there are several and, as Peta has promised, we are lucky enough to see several musky rat kangaroos the morning after our arrival at the rainforest.  They emerge from the bushes to feast on the corn she has put out for them, before being chased off by the omnipresent brush turkeys that roam everywhere around the compound. Afterwards, we sit on the terrace and watch hoards of rainbow lorikeets fight it out for food – a gloriously colourful sight that keeps my daughters rapt with attention.

Rose Gums Wilderness Retreat is an eco-friendly place in the heart of the rainforest in tropical Queensland’s Atherton Tablelands – a mixed highland area an hour inland from Cairns that varies from dense rainforest to green rolling pasture to bare outback sprinkled with banana groves and orchards. Peta and John bought the 230 acres that makes up Rose Gums almost 20 years ago, replanting much of its indigenous plant life and building themselves a dream home in the process, the first of the stunning treehouses that hide among the trees at Rose Gums.  It’s beautifully done, the houses comfortable yet rustic and close up to nature. They’re also well spaced out; indeed you could come here and barely notice any other buildings at all.

Peta provesto be a knowledgeable and genial host, pointing out the best walks and chances to spot wildlife. We are on a quest to spot platypus, and go off in search of them our first morning, following a well-marked path down to a creek, where we swim in crystal clear waters below overhanging trees.

We are disappointed on the platypus front – not just that morning but every morning; but perhaps we had been a little spoilt on a previous trip, when we witnessed a multitude of the little critters happily splashing about in a highland creek at the fabulous Yungara park to the south of here.

No matter: the rain-forest walk we do is gorgeous , the canopy alive with life and movement as we tread carefully along the path like pith-helmeted explorers of old, desperate for a glimpse of a snake or exotic birdlife.

We catch a glimpse of a large grey monitor lizard on the path in front of us, but he’s gone in a flash as he clocks our approach; down by the water there are turtles and enormous frogs, and something slithers up the bank as we approach – who knows what? We shush each other and the excitement builds as our eyes try to pierce the dense forest undergrowth and see deep into the muddy waters; but as Peta reminds us, although Aussie wildlife is fabulously abundant, most of it was hunted by the Aboriginals for centuries, some species to the brink of extinction, and most creatures don’t hang about long enough to discover whether we’re friend or foe.

Our lodge is, in any case, reward enough, its balcony facing a magnificent stage-set of forest birdlife, which we fixate on over drinks early evening, accompanied by the constant call of the well-named whipbird and chattering kookaburras. We never see either of these, but the host of other birdlife more than make up for it – honeyeaters of myriad colours and varieties feasting on the flowers that overhang our treehouse, blue-chested drongoes, red-faced king parrots and shrieking white cockatoos – the unruly hooligans of the rainforest – before the cicadas raise the volume to number 11 just after dark – an extraordinary loud and rhythmic sound that we mistake at first for a kitchen alarm.

The immediate area is full of interest, too – we swim in the clear waters of volcanic Lake Eacham, afterwards spotting the amethystene pythons that bask on its banks, snakes that we spot from a boat-trip on nearby Lake Bureen, along with forest dragons, erect and alert on overhanging tree branches, more turtles, ranks of cormorants arranged on logs, and big black eels which emerge from under the boat hoping for scraps of food.

Afterwards we repair to the balcony of the elegant boathouse for a cream tea of scones of jam – a peculiar juxtaposition you could only find in Australia. Nearby are one-horse towns like Yungaburra and Malanda – large villages, really, which cluster around vintage hotels, and where we come across the extraordinary sight of Yungaburra’s magnificent Curtain Fig  – actually a majestic turpentine tree, strangled by the tendrils of a strangler fig years ago, in its full triffid-like glory.

The platypus remain resolutely in the burrows, but who cares? We have our treehouse to go back to with its glorious views and, as we stroll up to our front door, our resident big-bottomed bandicoot scuttles by in shy, silent greeting ….

Martin Dunford is one of the co-founders and the former publisher of Rough Guides, and now works as a writer and independent consultant and investor. Find out more about his two digital travel businesses at Cool Places and Tripbod.

Other articles you might like about Australia include Sunrise at Uluru, Aboriginal Bush Tucker Walk and Best Beaches around Sydney.

The scenery whirling by outside the window was reminscent of Narnia before that bad witch got her come-uppance.  Endless pine forests gracefully clothed in brilliant white snow spread out in all directions, with the occasional wooden house breaking up the vista. We were on our way to the Finn Jann Husky Farm, where, according to the holiday blurb, the huskies “… are eagerly awaiting your arrival to whisk you off on your unforgettable safari.”  

I was on a Mighty Fine Winter Adventure Holiday  in Finland, just within the Arctic Circle at the fjell-top resort of Iso-Syöte.  I had already been on a snowmobile excursion to visit a reindeer farm, stooped low into an igloo and discovered curious facts about local life.  Today we were to experience a Husky Safari.

Well, those dogs were certainly eager.  There are over 70 cross-breed Huskies here and it seemed every single one of them was ‘eagerly’ yelping to be chosen to take us out… the noise of their barking could surely be heard at Santa’s home at the North Pole.  In spite of the noise,, they were really friendly and quite happy to have a hug from a besotted English woman.

Gerralda, the Hotel Iso-Syöte Marketing Manager and I were put together and owner Timo showed us how to operate our sleighs.   Then … we were off.  It was exhilarating and exciting – the dogs go really fast and the scenery whizzes by in a snowy blur.  I enjoyed being a passenger very much, lying back and simply enjoying the drive.

The only sounds were the swish of the sledge runners, the panting of the dogs and the snapping of twigs as we hurtled through thick pine trees cushioned on either side by deep pillows of snow.  In front of us our six strong dogs, bred for their speed and stamina, enthusiastically strained to keep up with a caravanserai of sturdy sledges.

I did have a rather scary experience when I tried driving.  You only have a small metal bar at the back of the sleigh to brake 6 powerful, enthusiastic hounds to stop them careening off across the countryside.  When we were crossing a frozen lake, a sleigh in front overturned and their dogs raced away out of sight.  Timo caught them on his snowmobile whilst the rest of waited with our packs of dogs almost beside themselves with energy to escape too.  As our sledge slipped and slid below my feet, I wondered if I could keep the brake on… Eventually Timo caught the runaways, the lead couple got back onto their vehicle and we set off once more. It was a huge relief when we were all back together again and I quickly returned to my reclining seat and let Gerralda do the driving.

Relaxing on comfy blankets, covered in smooth, soft reindeer skins, I felt like the Queen of Narnia before the thaw – in the nicest possible way of course..  As we returned to the farm, the sun was sinking low in the sky and there was an ethereal glow all around.  It was a snapshot that will linger in my memory for a very long time.

Thanks very much to online travel agents The Mighty Fine Company  for a truly exciting Winter Adventure in Finland.

In this fascinating article in the World Travel Blogger Series, Linda Wainwright tells how a 1990s film triggered a trip to one of America’s more out-of-the-way places. 

The movie “Message in a Bottle” inspired my interest in the Outer Banks of North Carolina and via subsequent reading of Nicholas Sparks, I realized that location is as much a character in his work as  any protagonist.  So what was so special about this skinny string of islands off the North Carolina coast?  During a trip to the USA, I decided to see for myself.  With a couple of free weeks, I flew to Raleigh Durham and drove to Nags Head, in the middle of the island chain. Sitting in my hotel room, an electrical storm raging overhead, disappointment set in. What I’d seen so far was nothing like the remote area I’d imagined. The main drag appeared to be tourist tat and surf shops. Was I, I wondered, a victim of Hollywood hype? 

By morning, the storms gone, I strolled the beach in peace, collecting shells, taking snaps and dreaming of living in one of those wooden houses with steps down to the white sand. In the afternoon I drove to Kitty Hawk, scene of man’s first flight, and the Wright Brothers’ Museum, and wondered at the dearth of equipment and excess of ambition which drove them.

The next day I crossed to Roanoke Island, where I began to appreciate the area’s complex history. It’s one of pirates, shipwrecks, and ghosts in an area known as The Graveyard of the Atlantic. Along its shores lie wrecks from the early pioneers, treasure ships, the American Civil War and from World War II. The name ‘Nag’s Head’ is said to come from the wreckers, who tied lamps to horses tramping the shoreline, fooling ships into thinking they were the lights of boats bobbing safely in habour, luring them to break up on the coast. But the biggest mystery of all is the Lost Colony. The first English settlers arrived in 1587, but when a supply ship returned three years later they had disappeared without trace, and no-one has ever discovered exactly what happened to them. There are theories, of course, but no proof.

Nag’s Head may have disappointed, but my mood lifted as I wandered south along the islands, and away from the busier spots. I explored beaches where fishermen lined up along the tideline; saw a lighthouse which was moved in its entirety some 2,900 feet when the coastline shifted; walking through woodland one day I came across a tiny, pretty graveyard, marked by picket fencing, discovering that it was a British war grave. Finally, at the southern tip of Hatteras Island I came to the point where the road ran out, and the only way to Okracoke, the next island, was by ferry, a larger version of the one which plies Lake Windermere in the Lake District, UK.

Landing on the thin sliver of 13.5 miles, where the infamous pirate Blackbeard met his death, I finally felt that sense of isolation and differentness apparent in Sparks’ books. Here was a small community, a mixture of locals proud of their history and a vibrant group of new-comers, artists, writers and folk seeking a simpler life.

I found dunes of white sand where turtles return to lay their eggs; another immaculate Commonwealth graveyard dating back to WW2; wild horses; more pirate history; an iconic lighthouse, and craft shops full of the handiwork of local potters, artists, photographers and writers.  I was so happy in Okracoke that I didn’t go on to the even quieter islands further south, and finally I understand why the area plays such an important role in Nicholas Sparks’ books – and they definitely qualify as “quirky.”

Linda Wainwright left the damp coast of North West England over 20 years ago and is currently based in the Canary Islands. She says that she’s “re-inventing” herself  for her “Third Age”, which includes indulging in writing and photography, passions she has had since junior school.  For more, visit her blog Island Momma’s New Life, find her on Face Book and follow on Twitter.

In the fourth of the ‘Challenge Zoë’ activities for The Kendal Courier I had a sailing lesson with Outrun Sailing, based in Bowness on Windermere, on England’s longest lake in the heart of the Lake District.  Here’s the original of the article that originally appeared in the magazine.

“I can’t find the wind …” There was a slight note of hysteria in my voice as I wafted the wheel from side to side with no visible effect.  “Don’t worry – it’s gone away so let’s just relax and enjoy the view.” So said Simon, the totally chilled instructor for Outrun Sailing, where you can get RYA certified, charter a yacht for a celebration or organise a business day out.  I was having a couple of hours’ tuition to brush up my skills.  I love sailing on Windermere and used to race every Sunday, but hadn’t been out for ages. 

We took a nippy zodiac out to the mooring near Windermere Marina and got on board ‘The Adventurer’, a sleek 32 foot yacht with plenty of space to move around and a good sized cabin.  Simon gave a safety briefing that included what to do if he fell over – “don’t panic!” – then we motored out into the lake.  Simon demonstrated how to use the winches for the sheets (ropes) and gave a quick lesson in the quirky nautical terminology that all sailors like to baffle land-lubbers with.

It was an overcast afternoon but the morning’s rain had cleared and there was a light breeze. We hauled the two sails up - I’ve always found it difficult to know which way to turn a boat to make the most of the wind but Simon explained it all really clearly and soon we were slipping across the lake at a fair rate of knots.  With a large wheel which responded smoothly to the touch it was easy to steer the yacht.  There can surely be no lovelier place to spend time on the water than Windermere, with its little green isles, wooded shores, luxury Victorian houses and the glorious Lake District fells hovering above it all.

As we meandered from side to side along the lake, I got more confident and started to enjoy that wonderful sensation of being at one with the elements.  The rain held off and the skies gradually brightened.  Tacking, when you zig-zag from side to side to catch the wind, can seem annoying to those who love to go in a straight line and zoom along – but for those of us who like to take our time, with a light zephyr helping along, it’s a great way to enjoy the scenery.  And if there is a strong wind blowing then it can be both  fast and exhilarating – and occasional dangerous!  Not the case today …

Eventually we had to turn back; and it was then I got a tad panicky as I tried to find the elusive breeze.  The sun had come out and the wind had dropped completely.   Simon said, “Just relax. There’s nothing we can do – it’s the Zen of Sailing …”

So we sat back and enjoyed the scenery, birds wheeling overhead, a graceful ferry taking visitors around the lake and children shouting with glee as they paddled about in kayaks. Eventually the breeze picked up again and we slowly made our way back to shore, relaxed and invigorated by the little adventure on the water.

Read about the three previous Challenges: fun Tank Driving at Holmescales,  brilliant Golf Lesson at Carus Green and conquering a Lakeland Climbing Wall