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America, Countries, Sport, Sustainable Tourism

Mais oui, the biggest bike museum is where?

15th July 202415th July 2024 funtime65

Mais oui, the biggest bike museum is where? Well, Steeltown, Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania.

Not that you’d want to parler that around France where the biggest cycling competition, Le Tour, is currently raging.

But the sports-mad blue-collar East Coast American city might just have stolen a wheel on you here.

Morrow belongs to me: Craig in his museum

Especially Craig Morrow, who opened Bicycle Heaven in 2011, and has filled it with more than 3,000 bikes.

All of which I ferreted out from a nugget of knowledge from the Visit Pittsburgh team.

And who visited and sponsored the American Soiree travel symposium in Dublin last week.

And showcased their route from Pittsburgh to Washington DC, the Great Allegheny Passage.

Tour de Pittsburgh

Off on a tandem: The Monkees contraption

The 333.3-mile week-long track that adjoins C&O Canal Towpath… or maybe 45- to 60-mile bicycling days.

All of which requires the back-up of a Tour de France support team… or in the absence of that then Craig Morrow.

The thing is that you probably know about Cycling Heaven without realising it.

From Russell Crowe movies (A Beautiful Mind) or Viola Davies (Fences) to The Monkees and The Beatles.

To tread through Cycling Heaven is a ride through cycling history.

From the early wooden bikes, with the oldest in the shop, built in 1863, termed the ‘boneshaker’.

To the carbon-based frames of today.

With the novelty contraptions such as the ‘Hercules’ where you bounce on the seat to get going.

And I reckon I’d be a natural having pedalled my own Margaritas in San Antonio in Texas.

Now if you’ve got a spare $18,000 to $50,000 then you could leave with a 1940s fibreglass Bowden Spacelander.

That it’s Pittsburgh that boasts the biggest cycling museum in the world shouldn’t really surprise us.

Because the Penn city combines its industrial heritage and the eclectic vision of its favourite son Andy Warhol to draw the world.

How to get there

Fun and Games: With a Paralympian champ Mark Rohan in Quinta do Lago

And Aer Lingus will fly you there through Ireland with pre-clearance and JetBlue get you back.

So that if, as is my case, that means starting in Edinburgh, until my Scary One relents and allows us to return full time to Wicklow.

For now though I’ve dug out my own return flight Edinburgh to Pittsburgh knowing your departure point may be different.

From under a grand £957 round trip for the sample month of September.

Countries, Sustainable Tourism

Save our seas (and travel) on World Oceans Day

8th June 20248th June 2024 funtime65

Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside, which is why I want to save our seas (and travel) on World Oceans Day.

Living on these northern European islands, Britain and Ireland, all my life global warming always seemed to be happening somewhere else.

Until that somewhere else became somewhere I came up close and personal to, when I made travel my life’s mission.

Barbados beaches

My old uni pal, party animal, conversationist and conservationist, Jevan first flagged up to me its threat to the Caribbean.

With ocean warming a real and present threat to the sea-life and island life.

Of course, at the height of the Barbados Crop Over carnival, the message perhaps didn’t land as it should have.

But it did eight years later, on my return to Bim, when I looked out of the plane and witnessed the seaweed on the coast.

An eye-opener, of course, but worse still when denied the chance to swim on some stretches.

Unless you want to try to wade through the reeds, as I did, and ended up with it in my mouth.

Now the larger hotel chains have the wherewithal to clear the coastlines in a way smaller businesses have not.

The seahorse has bolted

Of course, any cleaning and clearing up exercise feels very much after the seahorse has bolted.

Because these smaller islands, atolls and countries around the world are being hung out to dry by the richer stronger states.

Who give lip service and pledges at COP summits before rowing back on them.

Atoll order

For every Barbados though there are those for whom the clock is ticking even louder.

The Maldives are a dream destination for couples and globetrotters.

But as the flattest country in the world at just 3ft elevation they are more susceptible than anywhere to rising sea levels.

The Union of Concerned Scientists report that the teardrop isles, made up of 1,200 atolls and home to around 540,000 people will dwindle if we don’t act now.

Because a rise of just 1.5 feet will see them lose around 77% of their land area by 2100.

All worth reflecting on as we buggy, around the Maldives and swim, snorkel and scuba dive in the Indian Ocean.

That we might not be affording that luxury to our great-grandchildren.

Now we may feel powerless to effect our favourite coastal destinations’ future.

And these countries do rely on our visits to sustain their economies and their future.

We trust then in our cruise companies and airlines to prioritise sustainability and cleaner fuel.

What we can do though in this biggest election year in history.

With four billion people, half the population of the planet, going to the polls… is VOTE.

Because if we don’t exercise our democratic rights in this cycle we only have ourselves to blame.

Motion of the ocean

My home: And keep it cool for the turtles

Countries, Sustainable Tourism

The Big Reveal… the passports to access

2nd January 20242nd January 2024 funtime65

And as we plan our destinations for the year I’m reminded of my globetrotting Bangladeshi pal Asmery.As we post Big Reveal… the passports to access.

We met, where else, than at a Caribbean night in Barbados.

Where impressed by my Dad dancing (it’s all from the bum I was told in Soca class years earlier) we got talking.

And she told me how she had sold all her jewellery years earlier to begin her global odyssey.

But that possessing a Bangladeshi passport had proved a major obstacle along the way.

Which only made me think of the benefits of our own UK passport although that has been diminished by Brexit.

Meaning an Irish one, something I could apply for through my Dear Old Mum is a New Year Resolution I must finally follow through on.

Particularly as new travel friends have first-footed us with advice on the best passports to have.

Quality street

Global Citizen Solutions, a data-driven immigration advisor has unveiled its Quality of Life Index 2024.

Which they say is a tool guiding those seeking not just a change of scenery, but an elevation in the quality of their lives.

Of course, as with everything, Finland tops the list, and the Nordic countries take the first three places.

The Finns, due to their low-income inequality, social support and infrastructure, freedom to make decisions, and low levels of corruption.

With the Swedes on the same page and the Danes especially noted for their work/life balance.

All of which translates into the hygge which is so attractive to visitors.

Index finger

As for the UK, it holds its own in fourth, followed by Germany, neighbours the Netherlands.

Then Ireland, Austria, Spain and New Zealand.

The Index, as you’d imagine, highlights social well-being, but also sustainability.

In all there are six main weights of indicators:

Sustainable Development Goals, Cost of Living, Level of Freedom, Happiness, Environmental Performance and Migrant Acceptance.

With The World Bank, the World Economic Forum and the Sustainable Development Report weighing in with their knowledge.

From the horse’s mouth

‘We believe that a passport is not merely a document; it is a vessel of potential, a gateway to a life well-lived,’ says Patricia Casaburi, Managing Director for Global Citizen Solutions.

‘The Quality of Life index encourages users to explore the boundless possibilities that a passport can offer if you are looking to relocate.

‘But it is also a fantastic tool if you just want to plan your next travel destination.’

All of which is good to know as we plan our next trip this year. The Big Reveal… the passports to access.

Countries, Europe, Sustainable Tourism

Electra dream for Astypalea

15th November 202315th November 2023 funtime65

And it’s no surprise who the bright sparks were who came up with the electra dream for Astypalea.

Electra, as if I even need to tell you, is Greek for ‘The Bright One’.

And, of course, we’re all familiar with her story.

Electra, the daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, saved the life of her brother Orestes by sending him away when their father was murdered.

And, of course, when he later returned, she helped him to slay their mother and Mum’s lover, Aegisthus.

Now as was the way of the Classicist-loving English Victorians it was to Ancient Greece that they turned for inspiration.

When Michael Faraday was looking for a name for his new magic fuel.

Green Greece

It is apt then that it is a Greek island which is at the centre of a bold experiment to prove that we can live entirely fossil-free and electric-full.

The Dodecanese isle of Astypalea is crossing over entirely to green sustainable energy using too the power of wave, air and sun.

Much like its esteemed antecedents did.

VW is removing gas vehicles from the island and replacing them with its e-up, ID.3, ID.4 and Seat Mó e-Scooter electric vehicles.

And has installed an electric ride-sharing program on the island.

The smart isle

All of which I learned on my odyssey around the Greek islands, the myriad of stands at the World Travel Market at the Excel in London.

About the Butterfly Island, so called because it resembles a flutterby split into two parts.

The starting point, as it must be, is that the locals are on board.

With the islanders given substantial grants, more than two-thirds of the cost, to buy EVs.

And it doesn’t stop there with ride-sharing, public transport schemes and a handy app complementing the initiative.

Leccy heaven by 2027

The target is that by 2027 all cars will be electric and all chargers on the island will be up and running.

While the culinary that the Greeks are famous for puts sustainability and local produce to the fore.

Now Astypalea is a seven and a half hour sail from Piraeus.

And that will allow you a much gentler voyage on the wind than our old pal Homer.

Before you go native and live and endorse the Electra dream for Astypalea.

Countries, Europe, Sustainable Tourism

Fjords to the world

17th August 202317th August 2023 funtime65

We’ve all been left open-mouthed, like Munch’s Scream, at the beauty of Norway but today we celebrate the man who brought the fjords to the world.

It’s no exaggeration to credit JC Dahl with bringing tourism to Norway through his landscape paintings.

But I only stumbled across JC (and it was not the only thing I fell upon that day) on an MSC cruise lay-off in the fjords in Bergen.

When we took in the troll caricatures and Munch retrospective on the walls and Dahl’s panoramas at the Kode gallery.

And was tripped up by one of those shape-shifting trolls when I tumbled over a stone on our cliffside walk above Bergen.

The good news then is that the first of two Havila Polaris ships has arrived in Bergen.

Before it will head directly to Tromsø in a few days and put into service on August 21.

While the sister ship Havila Pollux will enter service from August 23.

Fjords game-changer

And this is a fjords game-changer.

Your ship accommodates 468 beds and passengers can choose whether to sail from port to port.

Or embark on a comprehensive journey along the Norwegian coast.

And here’s where things have changed with sustainability at the heart of fjords sailing.

Havila operates on a combination of liquefied natural gas and battery packs.

And that allows them to sail emissions-free for up to four hours at a time on battery power.

This means that Havila sails emissions-free in Geirangerfjorden and Hjørundfjorden.

Watch the waste

Now Havila are clearly committed to cleaning up the seas.

And cutting down on waste and, of course, leftover food is high up on that menu.

Theirs is a food concept where everything is served à la carte.

That will reduce food waste by a whopping 60 tons with four fully operational ships, compared to ships with buffet.

With the two new ships in operation, the number of departures from Bergen will double from six to 12 departures per month.

The ships dock in Bergen at 14:45 before embarking on a new journey northwards at 20:30.

Now, of course, since Thomas Cook first clapped eyes on Dahl and introduced Norway to British adventurers we’ve been capturing its beauties ourselves.

And that was always going to be a bigger draw to the award-winning photographer Mrs M was always going to pick that.

Ahead of the Med or the Gulf states.

Which is why we have our own photo homage to Dahl hanging in our wall.. bringing the fjords to the world, our world.

Countries, Sustainable Tourism, UK

Tree cheers

15th August 202315th August 2023 funtime65

Now we’d always put the Dark Hedges from Game of Thrones No.1 but as the Woodland Trust reveals its tips for top timber we say tree cheers to these wooden wonders.

The Trust’s panel has shortlisted 12 contenders from across Britain and Northern Ireland for Tree of the Year 2023.

And they’re concentrating on urban which is probably why the Dark Hedges don’t get on it.

It’s strange, of course, that we take for granted the rich landscape under our noses or above our heads.

The cherry blossom whose pink leaves would shed onto our garage roof and driveway in our family home in Glasgow.

Or the Botanical Gardens in our cities.

Ulster says trees

And when we would routinely drive through the Dark Hedges en route to my Aunt Breid’s in Ballymoney, Co. Antrim.

So it is important that our green-fingered friends keep feeding the earth and our souls by flagging up trees’ place in our world.

Of course, it was never more timely as the climate change crisis reminds us that without our sustainable rain forests we have no world.

Rain forests, of course, are increasingly sought out for travellers for their itineraries particularly the sustainable adventurer.

And so we have had the wood fortune of trekking through the trees of Tobago and Tenerife and all points in between and around the Eden of Ireland, Powerscourt.

But you can escape to a forested funderland in your own backyard.

Now the Woodland Trust has identified 13 trees for the Great British and Northern Irish public to vote on.

But we’re leafing through a few of them to give you a firry four and let you do the rest of the work.

Green Greenwich

It helps if you’ve got large royal parks to let your trees breathe.

And the 6m sweet chestnut in Greenwich Park, London, has been inhaling for 360 years.

Since Charles II’s gardeners had it built for him.

Its put on the timber over the years and now has a 6m girth.

While its contorted, decomposing trunks have their use for wildlife habitats including invertebrates and fungi.

The Elizabethean Age

Addlestone in Surrey, south of London (no, us neither) smirks at quite such a young tree… their 7.3m crouch oak is 800 years old.

This giant is also known as the Queen Elizabeth I picnic tree after Good Queen Bess was said to have dined under its great boughs.

John Wycliff gave sermons under the tree in the 1800s, earning it the moniker Wycliff’s Oak.

And popular baptist Victorian baptist Charles Spurgeon preached there in 1872 adding ‘Speakers Corner’ to the list of aliases.

Surviving the Blitz

Now you can mess with the people of the West Country in England but they will prevail.

And England’s green and pleasant land stood up to the might of the Luftwaffe in the Second World War.

When 20 bombers hit Exeter and destroyed many a building, among them the Southernhay United Reformed Church on Dix’s Field in the city centre.

But the oak tee, mere feet from the front door somehow survived and still stands strong today as a symbol of hope and strength.

Tree Scotland

Scotland is rightly proud of its rich forests and wildlife but our urban landscapes also boast towering trees.

The Highland Gateway Walnut in the car park of Inveralmond Retail Park on the A9 at Perth is an oasis amid the concrete.

And is at its best in the summer when its boughs offer shade and relief from the hustle and bustle as well as the sun’s rays.

Countries, Ireland, Sport, Sustainable Tourism

Dip your toe in Dublin’s Forty Foot

26th July 202326th July 2023 funtime65

It’s a rite of passage if you relocate to Ireland… to dip your toe in Dublin’s Forty Foot.

Take it from me, the Sandycove bay is all part of the odyssey, like it was for James Joyce’s great creation Leopold Bloom.

The Irish as we all know are a hardy bunch and think nothing of swimming in the sea, no matter the weather.

And no matter the weather, even on the hottest day of the year, the Irish Sea is challenging.

But they’ll expect that you dip your toe in Dublin’s Forty Foot.

Better then to make an experience of it from the Anantara Marker Hotel, one of the Leading Hotels of the World, overlooking the Waterfront on Grand Canal Square.

Swim on the wild side

Wild Swimming is part of the ‘Dublin Like Never Before’ menu of experiences.

They bill it as an unbeatable mix of adrenaline and tranquility.

With potential spottings of wild seals and dolphins, although in my one and only swim in the Forty Foot I only saw budgie… smugglers.

They promise too seals popping their heads up above the Craggy Rocks in Vico Bathing Place down the coast.

Where you may also catch sight of Vico’s most famous resident, the black-eyed Bono.

And we top off the adventure with a delicious breakfast or beach picnic for all to enjoy for €295 per person.

Spoon playing

If culinary is your thing, and it should be as this is Ireland, then the Marker offers a Spice Spoons package in Howth.

With a sail around Dublin Bay on a fishing boat, seal and dolphin-spotting.

Before you stop off at Kish Fish, home to one of Ireland’s most prestigious salmon smokehouses.

And then return to the hotel to try your hand at baking Irish soda bread. €

From €1150 for two, €75 per person for additions. €150 for the cooking class alone.

One more cuppa coffee

For the road… and when in Ireland learn to make an Irish coffee.

A coffee master and mixologist will talk and drink you through an immersive lesson with this Crafting an Irish Coffee class. €50 pp for Discovery Members – join here.

And there’s more

Now, we’ve been here before back in Bono’s backyard in Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel where we were regaled by a seanachai, or Gaelic storyteller.

In this case Derek Brennan who will introduce us to Ireland’s hidden secrets and legends in his Docklands Walking Tour €75 per person.

An Irish stud

And no we’re not reverting back to Bono here, we’re talking pure thoroughbred racing stock at the Irish National Stud and Gardens in Co. Kildare.

You’ll see the wonder horses in their stables or out in their paddocks and learn about their breeding and pedigrees with the help of a private guide.

Go one step further with ‘The Irish Racehorse Experience’ and become the owner, trainer and jockey in an immersive experience which offers the chance to partake in an interactive, virtual race. €250 per person.

Another kind of handicap

And this one is for the golfer in you, at the Royal Dublin Golf Clu b in Clontarf.

You’ll be chauffeured to the club and then hook up (sorry) with a professional at Ireland’s second oldest golf club, located on Bull Island in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

A whiskey tasting awaits post-game on the hotel’s picturesque 360-degree rooftop. €210 per person.

All dram good fun.

Countries, Deals, Europe, Sustainable Tourism

How happy on the mountains

25th July 202325th July 2023 funtime65

How happy on the mountains are those of us who head for the hills in the summer.

As Corfu burns we are reminded of the searing heat of our honeymoon there back in the day (behave!)

And the locals tell you that the Greeks would flee the heat of Athens and Thessaloniki for the mountains in the summer.

Murphski: Ski specialist Catherine et moi in Isere

It is an exodus played out across the world and history.

For now we’ll leave our Greek friends then to head for Mount Olympus where we guess the Gods will look after them.

And we will set our sights on an old new favourite nearer our British and Irish heartland we know better on our ski travels… Isere.

Cool Isère

Vaujany in Isère, the French Alps (18°C): Of course we’ve packed away the ski jackets and salopetttes and boots of the winter.

Where you can see the village too stripped of its winter clothing.

And the free ‘Petit Train’ trundles around the resort allowing guests and visitors to hop on and off.

Vaujany boasts charming beginner climbing trails.

An aquatic centre home to a children’s area; kids shows in the centre of the village.

And the opportunity to learn how to ride (and groom) a pony.

Think petanque

This summer, Le Collet, a multi-activity family area at 1,700 metres, has re-opened after a refurb.

There are tennis courts, pony trekking, archery ranges, a bike park, petanque bowling green and more.

Scooters, bikes and skateboards can be used on the new pump track.

Brand new water games have been designed.

And shady picnic areas are now provided for parents and children to relax.

Flat de resistance

Stay at Résidence Les Épinettes**** in a spacious, modern apartment with Summer France in the centre of Vaujany.

You’ll be just minutes from the main cable car.

Guests can make the most of the fully equipped kitchenette, large sitting room with television, balcony or terrace.

Plus, Ski France also offers flexible arrivals and stays.

A week’s stay, from 4 August 2023, costs from £521 total for up to four people sharing a self-catered cabin studio. Accommodation only, flights / ferry, transfers, food and activities extra.

America, Countries, Sustainable Tourism, UK

America’s Wild at Hampton Court Flower Show

29th June 202329th June 2023 funtime65

If you can’t get out to the Great Outdoors then get into America’s Wild at Hampton Court Flower Show.

And that’s how my own little green-fingered one will be getting her fix of America’s heartland.

On her annual trip down to London to see The Son and Heir.

Which incidentally would be less stressful than going Stateside.

Particularly if she’d been planning to train it down Britain which can correspond to the cost of a flight to New York.

Rant over and military-style planning to negotiate a trip from Scotland to London over it’s time to zen out among the plants.

And transport ourselves in our minds and with our senses to America with expert gardeners and travel providers.

In our old friends Visit USA, and American specialists Trailfinders from July 4-9.

Land of the flora

The show-garden will take you from the dusty Californian desert…

To the fiery Aspens of the Colorado forest and the wildflower prairies of North Carolina’s sweeping plains.

While Oregon and Charleston will also be exhibiting show gardens alongside America’s Wild.

My little flower will also get the Texas vibe I’ve been telling her about since returning from San Antonio.

With Austin musicians Natalie Price and Jo James performing for gardening fans on the RHS Festival Stage.

Special relationship

Our old friend from the American Travel Fair, IPW, Chris Thompson, CEO, Brand USA said: ‘America’s Wild is a snapshot of the spectacular landscapes that shape the United States.

‘We hope that as visitors wander our garden, it will spark curiosity and inspire adventurers to discover more of the U.S. beyond the gateways and into our great outdoors.’

My own heavenly horticulturalist will be interested to discover that the America Wild Garden is designed by fab flora females like her.

Inspired Earth’s Jude Yeo, Emily Grayshaw and Imogen Perreau Callf, who won RHS Gold last year.

America on the move

A little corner: American Museum & Gardens

When they pack up the tools at Hampton Court Flower Show, fear not.

America’s Wild will relocate to the US Embassy in London and the American Museum & Gardens in Bath.

The trees of the ‘forest’ will be transplanted to create a new Aspen grove on the hillside at the American Museum & Gardens.

And the desert and prairie planting will be housed in both existing collections.

Countries, Deals, Sustainable Tourism

Polar opposites

26th June 202326th June 2023 funtime65

One jumps headlong from even warm sea waters, the others dive into the icy drink… we are, of course polar opposites.

But us humans and our penguin pals waddle along nicely together.

We most of us have early childhood memories of penguins from feeding time at the zoo.

But it is only really when you get up close and personal in their colony.

Say, in SeaWorld Orlando.

Penguin suits you

Best maybe visit before they’ve eaten as they make quite the smell.

While you’ll also need to watch where you stand as their poo is white.

Of course down where they live, the Antarctic, they don’t need to worry about anyone other than themselves.

Those who do visit them in their natural habit keep a respectful distance (maybe their whiffs are their safeguards).

Our old friends Hayes & Jarvis have been going there for years and want us to come too.

Parad-ice found

They are offering savings of up to 50% on some of their most immersive Polar expeditions.

They will accompany you as you glide past a penguin colony on a Zodiac boat or take in sprawling views of glaciers from the deck of your ship.

H&J pride themselves on caring for the environment in which they sail.

They support several sustainability and wildlife conservation initiatives in the region.

And their guides will present a wide range of activities from short hikes and boat trips to incredible wildlife viewing.

H&J’s Antarctic Express: Flying the Drake, starts from £~~12,890~~ £6,590, a saving of 49%.

With a booking period of June 26-July 7, valid on trips from February 27 to March 5 2024.

Passport to success: My H&J passport holder

Now they say opposites attract… and we reckon polar opposites are made for each other.

And we have our Hayes & Jarvis personalised passport holder ready for the off.