As always, there's a time for planning an itinerary, and there's a time for winging it. I'm a firm believer in not overplanning. I find that when I do that, I'm running from place to place and activity to activity. On the other end of that thought; sometimes you have a chance to work in a little something when you don't overplan. Here're some great add ons for your not overplanned trip.
1. The Beer Tunnels of Nuremburg, Germany. This is a German beer tale at its best. In the 1300's beer was already around in Germany, or what would be called Germany later on. Nuremburg is built on red sandstone and having an underground cave to ferment beer was something that was normal at the time. There was a law saying that each brewer had to carve their own cave for the storage, which they did in the sandstone under the city.
Fast forward several hundred years and today there are 20,000 square meters of a labyrinth of these caves under the city. Parts of the underground are still used to store some of the city's famous red beer and whiskey. If you happen to be in Nuremburg, you can't miss these breweries, distilleries, and the caves underground. You can take a tour of the caves and have a tasting of the beverages while learning about how the locals spent a lot of time hiding in said tunnels during the air raids of WWII.
https://tourismus.nuernberg.de/en/discover/places-of-interest/location/historic-rock-cut-cellars/
https://www.historische-felsengaenge.de/en/start/
https://fromplacetoplace.travel/germany/bavaria/nuremberg/felsengaenge/
https://www.germany.travel/en/cities-culture/nuremberg.html
2. Port Gamble, Washington State. Port Gamble is an unincorporated community of just over 600 residents that has been inhabited since the 1850's and is on a peninsula not far from Seattle somewhere along the Puget Sound. Why would you bother to visit someplace like this? Excellent question.
Port Gamble is a time capsule. Everything there looks pretty much like the 1850's. They have a general store, handicraft shop, bed and breakfast and a water tower that looks like it came right out of "Petticoat Junction." The houses are old, the lifestyle is old. It's something a little off the beaten path that could add depth to your trip to the northwest.
https://explorewashingtonstate.com/visiting-port-gamble/
https://visitkitsap.com/outdoor-recreation/port-gamble-forest-heritage-park/
https://www.portgamblegeneralstore.com/pages/cafe
3. Linen Mill Studios, Banbridge, Northern Ireland. Are you a "Game of Thrones" fan? Have I got a place for you!
This studio is where a good portion of the iconic television series was filmed, and today it's kind of a museum to the series. There are tons of sets, costumes, and so much more to see on a tour of this studio. You get a guided tour and a behind the scenes look at everything from Winterfell to the throne itself. You can spend the better part of a day here learning all you ever wanted to know about "Game of Thrones" and how it was made. It's a fabulous cross between an adventure and a museum and a must see if you happen to be spending time in Northern Ireland.
Just a note; there are all kinds of local sites that were used in the series, and you can get a list and map of other sites to visit while in the area. If you need a shuttle from the city, they have one on the tour. There's a lot of great ways to do this side trip.
https://gameofthronesstudiotour.com/our-story
https://nitourismalliance.com/nita_members/linen-mill-studios/
https://visitbelfast.com/partners/game-of-thrones-studio-tour/
https://www.ireland.com/things-to-do/attractions/game-of-thrones-studio-tour/
https://www.getyourguide.com/linen-mill-studios-ltd-l168280/
4. The Ruin Bars, Budapest, Hungary. This is something that as a fan of Budapest; one of my favorite cities; makes perfect sense. This is a city that often makes silk purses out of sows' ears. The Ruin Bars are repurposed old dilapidated buildings, primarily in the Jewish Quarter of the city. They are now open for business as modern bars and pubs.
This phenomenon began in the early 2000's and has led to 15 to 20 of the most creative pubs you'll ever visit. Some buildings have multiple ruin bars in them and you can visit them all.
Budapest has some of the most magnificent views of any city in Europe and this is just a cherry on top. So, if you happen to be visiting one of my favorite cities; don't forget to look for the ruin bars and have a snack and a drink.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Articles-l3sYwXrSQd2k-Budapest_ruin_bars.html
https://budapestflow.com/history-ruin-bars-budapest/
https://ruinbarsbudapest.com/ruin-pub-crawl/
https://www.viator.com/tours/Budapest/Ruins-and-Bars/d499-51057P10
5. The Te Papa Tongarewa Museum, or just Te Papa, Wellington, New Zealand. Visiting the capital of New Zealand must be exciting. It's the country of adrenaline junkies, with bungee jumping and Hobbiton if you need to get your geek on. In the capital is what is really the National Museum; Te Papa.
What makes this any different than any other history museum that you'd see in any other capital in the world? Well, New Zealand has quite a history. There have been a lot of people come and go as far as the habitation of this country. What you have in this museum is an evolution of the land's history, but it includes the fascinating history of the Maori. New Zealand's indigenous people are one of a kind, and learning something about their history is a must while in the country.
If visiting the capital of Wellington, New Zealand; don't leave out the national museum.
https://www.wellingtonnz.com/visit/see-and-do/museum-of-new-zealand-te-papa-tongarewa
https://www.youtube.com/user/tepapamuseum
https://www.audleytravel.com/us/new-zealand/things-to-do/te-papa-museum
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/destination/wellington
There you have it; this week's fast five. Whether it's a museum with walls, a museum with studios, or a museum that's a town we've got you covered. Whether you're looking for a great drink with a great story or you are the world's biggest "Game of Thrones" fan; we've got you covered.
Remember, when you're out and about, there's always that little something just around the corner that could add great stories to your travels. You need to check it out, look around, leave a little time for something that you didn't plan ahead of time. Take the road less traveled and a side trip to something fascinating and enjoy!
And don't forget to follow me as I learn how to make videos on my new YouTube channel, amazingly named Adventures for Anyone.
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