This Week's Five!

 

1.     Portsmouth, New Hampshire's Waterfront.  You don't think about it much.  As a matter of fact, I've driven pretty much right over Portsmouth 20 times and only stopped at the state liquor store.  I had a chance recently to take a look around and all the kitchy shops, the parks, the views of the harbor, river and bridges, and Tugboat Alley.  This was one of the nicest walks I've taken in a city in a while.  The views are great, the stores are a lot of fun to visit.  The food is excellent.  If you like books, you can shop, read, drink and eat all in the same place.  It's scenic and a lot of fun, so don't miss out on the waterfront you never really thought about.

https://www.goportsmouthnh.com/explore-portsmouth/guides-maps/waterfront/

https://cruisingodyssey.com/2020/07/01/portsmouth-nh-a-historic-and-charming-waterfront-town/

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g46209-zfp43-Portsmouth_New_Hampshire.html

https://www.bostonmagazine.com/restaurants/best-restaurants-portsmouth-new-hampshire/

2.    Petra tou Romiou or Aphrodite's Rock...Cyprus.   The closest city to this wonderful mythological beach and rock is Paphos.  The area is along the south coast of the island of Cyprus in the Greek region.  Cyprus is one of those interesting spots, because there's still a wall dividing the country between the Greek and Turkish parts.  Bet you didn't even know about that wall, did you?  Well, The Paphos area is full of sunshine, shoreline, beaches, great food and outdoor activities.  It's a spot not to be missed and one of the more beautiful sights to see.

https://visitworldheritage.com/en/eu/birthplace-of-aphrodite/d4a87816-4a22-44d0-adbd-695bf3ad7d52

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-and-where-is-aphrodite-s-rock.html

https://www.cyprusisland.net/cyprus-cities/paphos

https://www.visitcyprus.com/index.php/en/

3.     Have you heard of Play Airlines?  This is the new up and comer taking international discount flying by storm.  They fly out of multiple airports in the US and go to many places in Europe.  They tend to connect through Iceland on the way.  They don't have a lot of frills, so if you want that, they aren't for you.  However, if you have time, as some of the flights are a bit lengthy; you can save quite a bit of money on your flight.  Worth checking into as flights continue to climb, particularly to Europe.

https://www.flyplay.com/en?origin=SWF

https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2022/05/04/play-airlines-cheap-flight-test/

https://www.cntraveler.com/story/play-airlines-flight-review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LR9vu4IzsGA

4.   Go skiing in Copenhagen, Denmark on Copenhill.  How to explain this.  Denmark is flat.  In 2020 we had a pandemic, and borders were closed all over the world.  People in Denmark wanted to ski.  Hence, the government was building a recycling and waste power plant and center and decided to kill two birds with one stone.  They designed the building to be a wedge and put a ski slope on it.  There's steps up the sides.  There's a lift.  There's a snack bar at the top.  It's designed for snow as well as for summer skiing so that the Danes don't have to worry about where to ski anymore.  Check it out!

https://a-r-c.dk/amager-bakke/

https://www.copenhill.dk/en

https://www.skimag.com/ski-resort-life/skiing-copenhill-copenhagen-denmark/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21ijLduW0nw

5.    The Falkirk Wheel, Tamfourhill, Scotland.  This is yet another ingenious solution to one of life's tougher problems.  There are canals all over Britain.  Needless to say, the land isn't flat, so at times you have to change elevation.  In Falkirk, they decided to try something completely different.  They made an elevator for boats.  It's called the Falkirk wheel and it takes the idea of locks out of the equation.  Your canal boat goes on the elevator and your day of dealing with locks turns into less than 15 minutes of change.  If you ever get a chance to take a boat up or down this wheel, or maybe just take the tour, it will be one of those great adventures of a lifetime.  So, when in Scotland, try this out.

https://www.scottishcanals.co.uk/visit/canals/visit-the-forth-clyde-canal/attractions/the-falkirk-wheel

https://www.visitfalkirk.com/things-to-do/family-days-out/the-falkirk-wheel/

https://www.visitscotland.com/info/see-do/the-falkirk-wheel-p248061

https://www.secret-scotland.com/place/falkirk-wheel

So there you have it.  This week's five ideas.  I realize that a few of these ideas were merely solutions to problems in the area where the attractions are.  I love it when problem solving creates something worthy of a visit, so they are some of my favorite attractions.  At any rate, keep checking back and I will continue to post little ideas to go along with vacations in my quick fives.  Enjoy!