Countries Archives - Jim Murty’s TravelTravelTravel

And it will come as little surprise that Finland have won for the ninth year out of the last ten but the world’s happiest country… where are you?

Because I just know that my old pal Paula has used her infinite influence to push Suomi’s charms on the voting board on the Good Folk of the World Happiness Report.

Now on the basis that we are all of us ambassadors for our countries wherever we go then Paula has spread the word for Finland admirably on her travels.

An adopted Scot after marrying fellow journo Graham Murray.

He’ll forgive me that I have come to know Paula as ‘Missus’ after a misunderstanding when myself and Paula found ourselves on a group trip to Orlando back in the day.

Now when we turned up for the wellness treatments at the Disney hotel where we were staying the host jumped to a wrong conclusion because of our surnames.

And assumed that we were a couple, which I wouldn’t wish on the delightful Paula.

Well, that’s why

Now it is virtually impossible to stress out in the surroundings of a spa treatment.

And perhaps that is the secret to Finland’s perennial happiness.

With Finns seemingly spending most of their free time in their 1,000 lakes.

Helsinki mayor Daniel Sazonov clearly extols the virtues of a good sauna.

Which every Finn has, with an estimated three million saunas for a population of just 5.5 million.

‘I suggest trying out the different saunas in Helsinki and maybe even a plunge into the cold Baltic Sea,’ he suggests.

And because we always see ourselves as a public service, here’s the top 20 of happiest countries.

Twenty with plenty

Irish eyes: With queen of Spain Teresa, Eoghan Corry and Sharon Jordan in Dublin

Finland
Iceland
Denmark
Costa Rica
Sweden
Norway
Netherlands
Israel
Luxembourg
Switzerland
New Zealand
Mexico
Ireland
Belgium
Australia
Kosovo
Germany
Slovenia
Austria
Czechia

And outside looking in

Now if yours isn’t there then you know what to do about it.

As a postscript the Irish will, of course, be happy to see that the Brits don’t make the top 20, in 29th.

And behind even the USA, in 23rd.

Countries, Food & Wine, Ireland

How to drown the shamrock on St Paddy’s Day

17th March 2026 funtime65

You no doubt have already but here’s how to drown the shamrock on St Paddy’s Day.

Because it is a thing where you drink the last shot of the night through the flower.

Although maybe make sure you take the soil off it first.

You might not immediately shamrock as something you might eat.

Although it would not be the first edible flower.

And long before it became a bougie thing to do.

The Dutch were eating their tulips to stave off the Hongerwinter of 1944-45.

Eat your greens

If you want to get an authentic taste of the Irish sod.

Then you can always meld its most famous vegetable with its national flower.

In Keogh’s Shamrock and Sour crisps, which are described as herbal and garlicky.

But if you want to go even further why not put a twist on this Shamrock Pesto Pizza from Parade.com.

With some real edible shamrocks for garnish.

While for dessert then we lift our hat to their Leprechaun Hat Reveal cake.

Which they promise us reveals green shamrocks hiding inside a white cake.

And drink your greens too

Of course no Paddy’s Day would be complete without a booze theme.

And you should demand that the bartender put a shamrock on the froth on your stout.

Or you can do it yourself.

Alternatively you can get the crème de menthe, Midori or any apple-green liquor.

And mix up a cocktail or give yourself a Shamrock Shots chaser.

However you celebrate a Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona duit from all of us either Irish or in the Irish diaspora.

Countries, Culture

How Ireland is taking over Greeningland

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And this is how to do it without upsetting anyone, or how Ireland is taking over Greeningland.

It’s the Irish way, just to smile politely and win over the world through charm and then put your own cultural imprint on it.

Which is exactly how the Irish have been doing it for hundreds of years.

And since 2010 how they’ve been marking St Patrick’s Day through Tourism Ireland’s Global Greening initiative.

With sites lighting up in green for 2026 including the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Empire State Building in New York, Niagara Falls, the CN Tower in Canada.

And The National Wallace Monument in Scotland, Heidecksburg Castle in Germany, the Cibeles Fountain in Madrid, La Croisette in Cannes, the Grand Place in Brussels and the Sky Tower in Auckland.

Green for go

Of course, each new year Tourism Ireland persuades more countries to bring new landmarks to the party.

Last year it was the polar bear sculpture in Longyearbyen in Norway.

And one of our favourites The Kelpies, the largest equine statue in the world, in Falkirk.

And this year the Jelling Stones in Denmark and the Bergisel Ski Jump in Innsbruck, Austria.

A bit more about the newbies.

A high old time

The Jelling Stones being two Viking Age rune stones from the 10^th-century,

And the Bergisel Ski Jump, well, it does what it says on the tin and has been for 100 years.

So wherever you live have a word and see if the powers that be can add a touch of emerald to their sites.

Which is what they did in the Chicago River to get the party and the water flowing.

And remember that there’s nothing stopping you limin’ and wearing green.

In your own household and with your own party and you don’t have to be Irish or part of the diaspora.

MEET YOU ON THE PADDY’S DAY PARADE

America, Countries, Europe, Music

Our five fab films for Mother’s Day

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And you can put money on Jessie Buckley gushing about being a mum in her Oscars acceptance speech, and while Hamnet is a tour de force, here are our five fab films for Mother’s Day.

With a nod, of course, to the mumdoms where they ruled the roost.

Let’s start at the very beginning

The Sound of Music: And if a mother’s love is unconditional then all the more credit for women who take on another man’s children.

And seven of them at that.

But when you’re an Austrian singing Julie Andrews nun turned governess then you have all the tools for motherhood.

Maria and Captain Georg took the train from Salzburg down to Italy.

Not over the mountains because they’d have ended up in Hitler’s Lair, and then onto America.

Where Georg and Maria added to their Von Trapp brood with three more Kinder.

The mothers of all mothers

Nonnas: And let’s hear it today for the grandmothers because every Nana is a mamma.

Or in Italian culture a Nonna.

Cue this charming real-life movie, starring Vince Vaughn, about a grieving son who honours his mum by opening an Italian restaurant.

With nonnas on Staten Island, using the recipes of Mamma which has become something of a tourist stop-off in the New York borough.

Some mothers do ‘ave ’em

Throw Momma from a Train: And because sometimes our mums can be overbearing, this Danny DeVito and Billy Crystal classic has to make the list.

A homage to Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train, DeVito has his usual dark fun with the original.

With Griffiths Park, Los Angeles and Hawaii adding to the enjoyment and the plot.

Magic Mum

Harry Potter: And when you are a poor orphan child with the weight of being a boy wizard you need an adopted mum.

And where Aunt Petunia was ghastly Molly Weasley was magical.

Taking in Harry as one of her own along with her ragbag children, while also facing down Bellatrix Lestrange.

And for the best place to discover how she did it all and what magic tricks she invoked.

Then you’ll need to immerse yourself in the Wonderful World of Harry Potter at Universal Resort Orlando.

A mother in life and death

Who will love my children? And have the box of tissues at hand for this ultimate of Mother’s Day tearjerkers, again based on a true story.

Lucille Fray faced the worst fate any mother could endure, knowing she would die and would have to leave her ten children.

Because her husband would not be able to cope… and no snide remarks here because there’s a man in the room.

Add to that the homespun, earthy setting of Iowa and that the real-life children appeared on the TV show That’s Incredible.

On the night of the film transmission back in 1983.

Countries, Europe, Sustainable Tourism

I spa with my little eye they’re five years as a World Heritage site

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They’re the original holiday resort and I spa with my little eye they’re five years as a World Heritage site.

The 11 sites of the The Great Spa Towns of Europe.

Now for those who imagine that wellness tourism is a a 21st century indulgence they’d be wrong.

With water treatments, or thalassotherapy, dating back to Roman times.

When Roman soldiers took the waters in modern-day Belgium to ease their weary or injured bones.

And the acronym SPA was formed from salus per aquam, or health through water.

A spin on your own spa

Now as well as the Belgian town Spa, which has been welcoming water wellness visitors since the 14th century, there are six other countries celebrated now by World Heritage.

With Austria, Czechia (famous for its Spa Triangle), France, Germany, Italy and Britain on the WH spa map.

All of whom are marking this year’s five-year celebrations with their own spin on their own spa.

Our friends at Great Spa Towns have identified what’s going on across the Eleven.

Water party

Bath time: English spa city. Picture: Colin Hawkins

Including 100 years of the Art Deco Thermalstrandbad Lido in Baden bei Wien.

Twenty years of Thermae Bath Spa in Bath, Britain’s only thermal waters.

And 235 years since The Women’s Revolt in Františkovy Lázně, a women’s protest that founded the spa town.

While Vichy in France, runs spectacular birthday festivities every July.

So, let’s hear it for the Eclectic 11 and splash it all over if and when you get there.

The Eclectic Eleven

Spring time: Vichy. Picture: Christian Parisey

1. Baden bei Wien, Austria. | The Spa of Emperors
2. Spa, Belgium. | The Cafe of Europe
3. Františkovy Lázně, Czech Republic. | A European Model Spa
4. Mariánské Lázně, Czech Republic. | Grand Harmony with Nature
5. Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. | Europe’s Open-air Salon
6. Vichy, France. | Queen of the Spa Towns
7. Bad Ems, Germany. | The Picturesque Imperial Spa
8. Baden-Baden, Germany. | Summer Capital of Europe
9. Bad Kissingen, Germany. | Between Classicism and Modernity
10. Montecatini Terme, Italy. | Garden Spa of Europe
11. City of Bath, UK. | Georgian Spa City

Countries, Food & Wine, UK

Whisk yourself off to Britain’s best hotel

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Want to know where the best hostelry is… well, we suggest you whisk yourself off to Britain’s best hotel.

Maybe not where you expected but whisky island Islay is The Times’s choice of best inn on our islands.

With Ardbeg House, attached to one of the ten distilleries on the island.

Which means there is a whisky home for every 300 of the isle’s inhabitants.

And which is why it’s a magnet for those of us who love the uisge beatha, or water of life, the Gaelic euphemism for whisky.

Gael force

And big reveal here, that’s probably as far as my mastery of the Scots language stretches.

Not that you need it on the Inner Hebrides but it does help you feel more of an islander.

And which is why we bring my old schoolfriend and Gaelic scholar and wordsmith Martin around with us!

That and the fact that he was our friend Stewart’s best man when he married his Japanese sweetheart Hisayo back in the day.

With the wedding party all decked out in kimonos.

And us breaking bread and sake and wine and, yes, of course whisky at the Ardbeg.

Drams are made of this

The Ardbeg boasts 12 bespoke bedrooms and suites inspired by the distillery’s history.

With the owners promising that each has a secret miniature dram tucked away for you to find.

With clues to local myths embedded in the artwork, and subtle touches that nod to the island’s characters and folklore.

Several of the bedrooms can be set up with a king bed, or twin single beds in the Fèis, Creation, Legend, Wild or Rebel rooms.

Four rooms boast a separate sofa-bed – the Legend, Monster, Untamed, and Invention rooms with a third person costing an extra £65/night.

Signature dishes and nips

Of course you’ll be wined and dined with the best local produce.

Which means the Signature Restaurant.

With its pan-fried Islay sea trout, Ardbeg smoked venison pie, Islay cauliflower schnitzel.

Local hand-dived king scallops, and Islay duck cannelloni.

While the Islay Bar is the holy of holies for Ardbeg’s distinctive smoky, peaty whisky.

And altruistically they serve the best offerings from the other Islay distilleries.

As well as craft beers, small-batch gins, and island-made produce.

You can bus it, ferry it with CalMac or fly with Loganair with our friends at the Islay tourist board always there to help you.

Superior rooms at Ardbeg House are from £297 per room per night and £341 per room per night for premier suites.

America, Countries, Culture, Pilgrimage

The Indian roots of Route 66

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And as we continue to follow the journey of the Mother Road on its 100th birthday it’s important to follow the tracks of the Indian roots of Route 66.

With the great American thoroughfare winding its way through more than 25 Tribal Nations.

Half of which, 1,372 miles, are native American lands

So, while we celebrate the neon diners and roadside attractions.

The American Indigenous Tourism Association is reclaiming the native American history of these lands through their A Sovereign Journey campaign.

On the right trail

We were here first: Native American women

From the Pueblos of New Mexico to the Hualapai Nation in Arizona and the 39 distinct Tribal Nations in Oklahoma.

The road is a gateway to a vibrant, modern Indigenous landscape.

With Sherry L. Rupert (Paiute/Washoe), CEO of the American Indigenous Tourism Association painting another picture.

‘For too long, our stories were treated as an afterthought or a marketing gimmick. The American Indigenous Tourism Association is proud to provide the tools for travelers to journey with intention.

‘Honouring the sovereignty and resilience of the Native Nations who remain the heartbeat of the Mother Road.’

And your Indian guides

With the centre of the initiative AIT’s guidebook, American Indians and Route 66 originally published for the 90th anniversary in 2016.

This comprehensive travel guide, created in partnership with the National Park Service is funded in part by the National Park Service Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program.

It provides historical context on the road’s impact – both the economic opportunities and the challenges of land displacement – and offers travelers essential etiquette for visiting tribal lands.

Digital footpring

To support the centennial, AIT has launched dedicated digital resources to help travellers plan their Indigenous-focused road trip:

Dedicated Route 66 Portal: Visitors can access a wealth of historical materials, trip-planning guides, and educational resources.
Native American Travel App–Route 66 Map Initiative Designated Official Route 66 ACentennial Project: It does what it says on the tin.

While our Indian friends helpfully map out more.

Destination Native America and Route 66 Interactive Map: The Destination Native America website (DestinationNativeAmerica.com), provides an interactive map to discover Indigenous-owned businesses, cultural centres.
Route 66 Events: Discover ways to celebrate this road-tripping milestone with Only in Your State, the official publishing partner of the Route 66 Centennial.

Countries, Food & Wine, UK

An Edinburgh beach resort that is the home of ice cream

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Bergamo’s is bellissimo, America’s awesome and the Caribbean’s chilled but it’s an Edinburgh beach resort that is the home of ice cream.

If you’re in and around the Scottish capital just now, then get yourself down to Oscar’s Gelato in Portobello.

And sample from any of their 30 flavours from Biscoff (not a clue) to Bubblegum, in the best ice cream store in Britain.

Or their Best Open Flavour pistachio sorbet and Best Sorbet lemon and butter sorbet.

Although we all scream a different sound for ice cream, and our choice would be rum’n’raisin or strawberry.

Oscar’s ceremony

The choice of Oscar’s, which has been drawing in gelatophiles from far and wide since 2020, is fitting.

As Portobello has long held a special place in the ice cream world.

As it was here at 99 Portobello High Street that the 99 ice cream originated.

Back in 1922 when Stefano Arcari responded to a visiting Cadbury rep.

By breaking a large Flake in half and sticking it in an ice cream.

All of which fills the residents of my old stomping ground with pride.

Ice cream Porty

Alas, Cadbury doesn’t give Porty the credit it deserves.

And get this they would rather big up a rival claim, the Italians of mountainous Veneto.

With a rather more dramatic and histrionic story.

Italians party like it’s 99

That the 99 honours the final wave of Italian First World War conscripts.

Born in 1899 and referred to as ‘i Ragazzi del 99‘ (‘the Boys of ’99).

With the chocolate flake said to remind ice cream sellers of the long dark feather cocked at an angle.

In the conscripts’ Alpini Regiment hats.

All of which seems a little far-retched.

Countries, Europe

Venice L’elisir d’amore

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And because it’s a natural stage. for romance then sing your love from the rooftops in the Floating City… Venice L’elisir d’amore.

Like the random bella figura Italian who broke out in opera in front of us near the Grand Canal.

Because opera belongs to everyone in Italy, in a way that it doesn’t in our buttoned-up bit of an island in the north-west of Europe.

And, of course, our friends at Institute for Culture Travel know what we want.

Which is a Donazetti melodrama which you and I know as being Bergamo’s favourite son and songsmith.

The Phew Lagoon

Venice: And let’s catch a gondola back to Padova

Every culture vulture loves to take in their surrounds and all the better when you have someone to guide you.

Which ICT will do on your first full day in La Serenissima, taking in Doge’s Palace, Rialto Bridge and a swathe of churches.

Your five-day tour will take in the picturesque island of Burano and the glass-blowing hub that is Murano.

While, of course, you’ll be wined and dined with the best seafood in the Adriatic and reclined in the charming Hotel Santa Chiara.

Now you always learn something new every time you visit Venice.

And ICT will give you a half-day Bacaro tour you’ll never forget.

Through its most historic wine-bar district where your guide will take you into authentic bacari.

Talk like a Venetian

The beloved gathering places where real Venetians go to chill and chat.

And savour a delectable cichetto—a classic Venetian bite—perfectly paired with a regional wine or refreshing spritz as you immerse yourself.

The highlight of your Venetian venture is that evening of opera at the Teatro Malibran and pre-opera fare.

The Malibran, inaugurated in 1678 on the site of Marco Polo’s former residence, played a central role in the development of Italian opera throughout the 17th and 18th centuries.

In 1835 the theatre was renamed in honour of the legendary Spanish mezzo-soprano Maria Malibran, who refused her fee to help improve the venue’s condition.

Carefully restored over the centuries it now seats around 900, including you.

You will fly out on August 23 with Aer Lingus and return on August 27. From €2,109pps.

Countries, Culture, Food & Wine, UK

The world’s oldest check tartan really is English

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Geordies are oft tagged Scots with their heads bashed in… now add to that their claim that the world’s oldest check tartan really is English.

The back story is that we’ve just spent International Women’s Day with The Scary One and her mum in their English homeland.

In Alnwick in Northumberland, only an hour and a half from our North Berwick home on Scotland’s south-east coast.

And learning about how fluid our stories are, with Northumberland having changed hands countless times in Borders skirmishes.

Which must explain how check tartan plaid first showed up in the third-century AD before more northern peoples took it on.

On track in Alnwick

It has in truth been a two-way street between Scotland and the north-east English county.

And our venture into the Alnwick institution that is the repurposed train station and now bookshop/cafe, closed after the war, Barter Books … and which reveals all.

The best story: With the Scary One and her mum

With iconic Scots Oor Wullie and The Broons showcased on the shelves and Billy Connolly to the fore.

Read all about it

On the shoulders of giants: The greats of literature

Barter Books is of course, more than a second-hand bookshop.

One of the biggest in the country and expanded since it first opened 35 years ago.

With its most notable addition its renowned buffet from a room they never even knew they had but fell upon a dozen years after first opening.

And which we sit in today by an open fireplace and historical pictures from Northumbrian yore with The Top-Hatted Station Master purveying the scene.

The rest is gravy: The famous roast beef sandwich

It is here that we sit eating our roast beef and onion gravy sandwiches, recommended as indeed Barter has been by Daughterie, and coffee stout.

Everybody screams for ice cream

And if that doesn’t fill you up you can reward yourself with ice cream, cakes or speciality coffees from Paradise, the former Stationmasters office.

We are glad to have got a table at all as Barter Buffet can become busy and visitors have been known to queue to get in.

Perhaps it is because regulars to BB, 45 miles north of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, clearly linger over their food, with a good book from the shop.

Of course, in the best company, it would be rude to read although when the conversation drifted I took in the artefacts, the top-hatted lamp shades.

And the pictures of what look like Scots but are really Northumbrians in those 3rd-century black-and-white check tartans.

Wham bam Bamburgh

Now you can easily spend the whole day, and Barter is open every day but Christmas Day, but any day tripper must take in the dramatic Bamburgh Castle before heading home.

Of course, we haven’t left ourselves enough time, and anyway we must always leave ourselves another reason to return and we will.

But before we go we take in the celebrated wooden-panelled Copper Kettle cafe in the quaint village.

And high teas with pots of tea that would sate any hungry hiker and scones and jam reserves or cake treats.