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 …

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.

There are a few sights in the world that can take your breath away and leave you speechless … Uluru in the Red Centre of the Australian outback, is one of those places. Whether your first glimpse, like mine, is from high above as the plane comes in to land, or maybe at sunrise on the distant horizon or perhaps from the back of a docile camel, you will very likely feel a strange sense of awe and incredulity at this enormous domed rock thrusting up out of one of this planet’s most inhospitable environments.

On the flight from Darwin via Alice Springs I’d been fretting about whether this iconic (yes, one of the few places that truly do justify the use of that word) place would disappoint.  For as long as I could remember, Ayers Rock, as many of us know it, had figured in my mind’s eye any time anyone mentioned ‘Australia’. It evoked wonder and intrigue but so had the Pyramids -and they were a big disappointment.  (If you’ve not been, be prepared for a tourist bun fight with a lot of hassle and the suburbs of Cairo nudging up cheek by jowl with the Sphinx …)  However, I was not to be disappointed; my first glimpse of it from the plane window, reassured me of its superb isolation.  Further acquaintance enabled me to get some idea why it is such a sacred site for the Aboriginal peoples who live nearby and why it has inspired countless visitors with its impressive grandeur.

At 5am the next morning I was having a welcome bacon buttie and coffee on a sandy hillock in the dark waiting for the sun to rise and get my first proper look at Uluru.  About 15 of us plus our guide on The Desert Awakenings Tour  huddled around our hot mugs and there was was a definite frisson of anticipation in spite of the chilly morning air. The only sounds were the murmur of sleepy conversation, the wind swishing through the grass and the quiet munching of early breakfast.  The whole world seemed suspended in time waiting, waiting, waiting …

Slowly a thin streak of reddy-orange appeared, the carpet of stars started to fade and the dark was gradually ushered away by the sun struggling  to break through the distant layer of haze along the base of the skyline.  We were transfixed by this simple, everyday event, cameras at the ready, when someone said “Look – it’s over there,” and we all turned round.  There, far away on the horizon, across scrubby flat desert, was the unmistakable outline of the sight we had all come to see.  It gradually came into focus like one of those old photos in a photographer’s dark room, beautifully delineated yet magically elusive.

The sky morphed through a pastel palette of colour.  All thoughts seemed to disappear as I sat and watched it become more clearly defined and – simply breathtaking.  It’s really impossible to put into words what I felt during the time it took for the sun to rise fully and the Rock to be cleary visible in its reddish glory … but whatever it was, I suspect many others felt the same as hardly anyone said a word for a very long while.

Our guide then regaled us with fascinating stories relating to the Aboriginal Song Lines and the ancestors’ journey.  “As they travelled they formed the world as we know it, creating trees, rocks, caves, boulders, cracks, waterholes.  These features are the physical evidence that these events really did take place; they are the Tjukuritja.” From ‘Palya! Welcome to Anangu Land’.

There was a final burst of photography, we tramped back down the little hill, through the red sand and prickly grass back to our 4WD transport.  The atmosphere had changed so much in just an hour. A few birds were clearing their throats and practising their dawn warble.  A quirky-looking pigeony-type bird wandered in behind us to peck up our leftovers.

Slightly disconcerting rustlings indicated the presence of … not sure what and wasn’t going off the path to find out.  The ttransition from the cool night air to the dry heat of that extremely hot sun was taking place as we walked. It was now about 7.30am and we were heading off towards Uluru to have a walk around and learn why this ancient monolith is venerated by the Aboriginal peoples of this region.

Over the next couple of days I was lucky enough to get really close to the rock, see it by sunrise from Kata Tjuta (The Olgas), at sunset at the exclusive Tali Wiru dining experience and very memorably in a light rain shower from the back of a feisty camel called Spinifex – but nothing compared to that first morning when, for a fleeting moment, all seemed right with the world and our place in it but an insignificant dot on the landscape in comparison to the vista before us …

I stayed, courtesy of Tourism Northern Territory, at the Voyages Ayers Rock Resort, which is a reallya mini village.  It’s the only resort in the area, but fortunately there are a number of options to suit all budgets, from camping and hostel to self-catering and the 5 Star luxury of the Sails in the Desert Hotel where I was lucky enough to stay.  Just be warned – Bill Bryson and companion turned up without booking and there was no room at the resort – having driven all day from Alice Springs, they had to turn round and drive the 5 hour journey back and missed the Rock!

Neither words nor photographs can do justice to this place but I would encourage you, at least once in your life, to experience the natural wonder that is sunrise at Uluru …

2013 looks set to be one of the best years to gaze up into the skies and be awestruck by nature’s very own fireworks display.  Here are some of the key dates for stargazing in 2013.  Make a note in your diary, clean the lens of your telescope or brush off your binoculars and better still, book a holiday somewhere different for the Greatest Show Above Earth.

Stargazing events 2013 – imgur.com

Apparently many of us in Europe, Africa, Australia and most of Asia will be able to see the partial Eclipse of the Moon in April, but not if you’re in North America. If you want to experience May’s ‘Annular Eclipse of the Sun’ then Papua New Guinea, along with some of the nearby Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean or southern Australia look like your best bet for a memorable holiday. If you’re lucky enough to be in Hawaii you should get a sight of the partial eclipse as well as some excellent surfing.

Here’s a simple explanation of Solar Eclipses – even I could vaguely understand it

Solar Eclipses Observer’s Guide – space.com

If you missed the total eclipse then there’s a ‘Hybrid Eclipse’ (see infogram) which you might glimpse from the balcony of your all-inclusive villa on Bermuda.  Apparently viewers on North American Atlantic coast will not be very impressed but holiday-makers (and locals of course) on Cape Verde Islands should get a great view from their hotel.  Liberia is the place to be for longest ‘totality’ but may not be top of everyone’s vacation list … You’ll may be better off booking a nice little hotel in Gabon, Congo, Uganda or Kenya – or preparing for sunset at the Ethiopia-Somalia border – or maybe not …

If dancing’s your thing then it looks like Mars, Venus and Jupiter will be tripping the light fantastic for a week later in May and in the year’s biggest Full Moon in June should make you swoon, wherever you are …  The Moon’s ‘Penumbral’ eclipse (whatever that means!) will apparently be seen in most parts of Asia, Europe and Africa with central and eastern area of North America getting a darkened Hunters’ Moon early evening.  Werewolves and vampires take note …

Comets and meteor showers showcase their astronomical charms beauty throughout the year but the biggest STAR (sorry) is the rather unromantically named Comet ISON, apparently called after International Scientific Optical Network telescope that found it in 2012.  It will be passing within a gnat’s whisker of the earth (40 million miles) and you should be able to see it from your very own backyard, wherever that is on this glorious planet …

The reason I wrote this article is because a friend sent me a copy of the dates and asked me to share it. Hope you enjoy it Sandie! I did a bit of research and found Mother Nature Network from where I got all this fascinating info – minus the holiday tips … Apologies to any serious astronomers and Prof Brian Cox You can find out about BBC2 Stargazing Live Events around the UK here

In this article for the World Travel Blogger series, Darren Cronian encourages us to visit the great outdoors in and around his home town, the Yorkshire city of Leeds.. 

There are a great many pleasant green parks and open spaces in Leeds and nearby, where you, your family and friends can get active, roam around the gardens, discover wildlife and nature or simply relax. I think Leeds has some of the best parks in Europe, and I love to explore them.  Here are six of my favourites and come highly recommended when visiting the city.

Roundhay Park

One of the most popular parks in Leeds has to be Roundhay Park with its superb expanses of parkland, gardens, lakes, and woodlands, as well as the stimulating Tropical World, which includes a vast collection of tropical plants, its stunning profusion of colourful butterflies, and its magnificent aquariums.   While you are walking around Roundhay Park make sure you visit the award winning Chelsea Flower show gardens, including the impressive Alhambra Garden, which is was inspired by one of the world’s most famous gardens, the 13th century garden at Alhambra, Spain.  Add to this, bowling greens, a canoe club, tennis courts, football and cricket pitches and a grass cycling track, and you have one fantastic day out.

Golden Acre Park

Six miles from the centre of Leeds is Golden Acre Park at Bramhope, with gardens and woodland around a beautiful lake. Golden Acre Park is home to lots of wildlife including wild birds, deer, fox, rabbits and squirrels. Next to the park is Breary Marsh, a local nature reserve, and an important conservation site.

Meanwood Valley Trail

Meanwood Valley Trail runs seven miles from Golden Acre Park to Woodhouse Moor near the University of Leeds, taking in Meanwood Park and Adel Woods on the way. Adel Woods are totally fascinating in themselves, with old aqueducts, and an old bunker the purpose of which seems to have been lost in the mists of time. The path is well-signposted, so no need to worry about getting lost.

Rodley Nature Reserve

Not a park as such but a hidden gem of a place that the kids will love. Situated outside of the city centre, but accessible by car, and public transport is Rodley Nature Reserve. Located next to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, it is a great place to find wildlife with species such as dragonfly and woodpecker often found here.  Have a picnic, or walk around the reserve. Kids can hire nets and visit the ponds to discover local wildlife.

Otley Chevin Forest Park

About ten miles from Leeds is Otley Chevin Forest Park. Explore the slopes and paths of this huge park which is dominated by rock formations that rise to a height of 280m above sea level. Climb to Surprise View and admire the breathtaking scenery of the market town of Otley and the Wharfe Valley. The park is a great place to participate in activities like orienteering, geocaching and mountain biking.

Hollies Botanical Gardens

The Hollies Botanical gardens consists of twenty-two hectares of land and is home to four National Council collections for the conservation of plants and gardens. The site also benefits from flowering rhododendrons and azaleas, herbaceous borders, mature plants and large woodland walks.

Park Square

Finally, back in the city centre is one of the best place in Leeds for relaxing. Park Square is quiet and seldom crowded; there are plenty of sandwich shops just around the corner where you can lay on the grass in the sunshine or sit on a bench and read a book. The remarkable St Paul’s House on the south side of the park was built in 1878 by Thomas Ambler, its parapets and minarets were inspired by drawings of the Alhambra, the Moorish palace in Granada.

The city is literally on the doorstep of the Yorkshire Dales, a beautiful, scenic part of the country and well worth a visit, especially, Bolton Abbey which is only a short car journey from the city centre.

I hope this guide has given you an idea on some of the parks and open spaces, which makes Leeds a great place to visit if you want to let the kids run off some steam. I am biased being Leeds born and bred, but I seriously believe that the city has some of the best open spaces and parks in Europe.

Darren Cronian is the editor of an online guide called My Life in Leeds. The guide is written by local people who love sharing their experiences and recommendations on things to do in Leeds. You can also find Darren on Face Book and Twitter

In the fifth of our series of interviews with holiday homeowners from around the world, Martin and Christine Drew talk about how they fell in love with a less known spot in France, the Lot et Garonne. 

When Martin and Christine Drew finished a self-build project for their own home in the UK, they decided to look for a renovation project in France; an old barn, farmhouse, or other ruin that they could slowly bring back to life and restore to its former glory. Little did they know that they would end up buying a ‘little piece of France’, a building plot in Lot et Garonne with stunning views over a gently sloping valley and build Valmar Gite, a beautiful two-bedroom house with swimming pool that was completely different to what they had anticipated and which they now love to share with holidaymakers.

Valmar Gite, France

1.       What first made you fall in love with Lot et Garonne and why should people come here?

We had holidayed in various parts of France, the Riviera, the North Coast, Languedoc, but we found the North to be a little too much like home back in the UK and the South to be a little too hot and arid for our liking. So, when we visited the Lot et Garonne and discovered the beautiful green rolling hills, quiet country lanes, almost free of traffic, vineyard after vineyard and fields full of cheerful sunflowers, we really did fall in love with the area.

2.       What’s the ‘best kept secret’ you would tell any visitors not to miss?

One of the best kept secrets of the Lot et Garonne is found at the nearby village of Le Temple-sur-lot. Just 10 minutes’ drive from Valmar Gite, the ‘Jardin des Nénuphars’ (Garden of Water Lilies) was created by Joseph Latour-Marliac in 1875 and is said to contain the oldest and the most prestigious nursery of water lilies in the world. The gardens are most famous for their association with the artist Claude Monet who visited the nursery many times and it was from here that the inspiration sprang for his creation “Les Nymphéas”, a series of approximately 250 paintings, devoted to water lilies. There is a café perched on the side of the lake where you can sit and relax and partake in a snack and a beverage, or favourite tipple.

3.       Where’s the place to go to just hang out, people watch and generally soak up the atmosphere?

Night Market at Pujols

There are 152 villages classed as ‘Les Plus Beaux Villages de France’ (the most beautiful villages of France) and two of them are in the Lot et Garonne. One is called Pujols and is an ancient village perched high on a hilltop. Once occupied by the Romans who fortified it, Pujols has superb views towards Villeneuve-sur-lot. It is only a 15 minute drive from Valmar Gite and a favourite of ours to visit for either lunch or the fantastic weekly ‘Night Market’. By day you can stroll around the quirky little side streets and alleys, before sitting down for a spot of lunch and to take in the superb views. Then by night you can bring along your own food, or buy at the night market in the central square and experience great live entertainment and join in the fun family atmosphere, whilst experiencing a taste of the ‘real France’.

 4.       What would you recommend visitors either treat themselves to or take home as a   souvenir?

One of our favourite pastimes is, of course, eating out.  Whether it’s dropping in at a café or brasserie, to grab a bite to eat at lunchtime, or going for an evening meal at a nice restaurant, we love eating out in France. And you mustn’t visit the Lot et Garonne without experiencing at least one of the local culinary delicacies. For starters Martin enjoys his chevre chaud (melted goats cheese on toast) and Christine loves her escargots (snails). Magret de Canard (duck breast) is also a great favourite and for something to take home as a souvenir, the area’s main town, Agen, is world famous for its ‘Pruneaux D’Agen’. You are unlikely to find prunes as tasty as these anywhere else.

5.       Finally, what are the most ‘quirky’ things to do, see, eat, visit or experience in this place?

If you’re looking to do something a little unusual, then how about a bit of prune stone spitting. There is an annual event that takes place in a nearby small town, Sainte Livrade-sur-lot. Each year, normally the last Saturday in July, the 6,000+ inhabitants of the town, along with entrants from just about anywhere, gather together to compete in the prune stone spitting world championship. Around 100 participants take part and there are separate competitions for adults and children.  If you don’t fancy having a go at this somewhat quirky event, you could always just join in the fun as a spectator!

Valmar swimming pool & countryside

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