A Little February 7th Fast Five! Got Some Unusual Stuff to Talk About

 

1.     It's called Ferropolis, City of Iron.  Germans love technology and building things.  In Lutherstadt-Wittenberg there is an old brown coal mine.  The larger than life machines were built to use at one of Europe's largest mines, and now that the mine is closed; it's become an enormous open air museum.

I find it a bit strange that the other thing the area is famous for is being the home of Martin Luther for many years and one of the hotspots on the Lutheran Trail.  There's a lot of varied history in the area, complete with beautiful buildings and churches.  There's also lots of outdoors to explore in that part of the country.

Ferropolis is one of those side spots to check out if you're visiting anyway.  You can climb all over the machines and check out so much about them.  If you come on the right day at the right time, you might see a music concert.  Ferropolis is one of the most interesting venues you'll ever attend a music concert or festival at.

https://www.ferropolis.de/en/

https://lutherstadt-wittenberg.de/en/

https://www.erih.net/i-want-to-go-there/site/ferropolis-town-of-iron

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g1185847-d3141470-Reviews-Ferropolis-Grafenhainichen_Saxony_Anhalt.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SQVIZxUrDg

2.  The Warche Valley, Belgium.  This is one for outdoor enthusiasts.  Belgium isn't as small as it seems, and this area is along the German border.  You might be in the area to take a drive or see a small town and get out of Antwerp or Brussels.  Don't sell this area short.

If you like history, you'll love this place.  There are walking trails, waterfalls, scenic overlooks and a castle.  That's right, a castle.  Most of history it was called Reinhardstein Castle.  It has a history beginning in the 1400's.  It's belonged to nobility from Luxembourg, Austria, Germany and Belgium.  The area itself has belonged to Germany and France as well as Belgium over time.  Most recently, a professor took the dilapidated castle and made it great again, and lived in it until 1994.  Now, you can visit the castle and the surrounding area of great beauty while you're visiting the area.

https://www.amazing-belgium.com/blogs/travel-blog/hiking-route-through-the-idyllic-warche-valley

https://www.ostbelgien.eu/en/fiche/hiking/genusstour-wanderweg-mit-panorama

https://www.eupedia.com/belgium/reinhardstein.shtml

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g1045441-d2648114-Reviews-Chateau_de_Reinhardstein-Ovifat_Liege_Province_The_Ardennes_Wallonia.html

https://www.reinhardstein.net/en/

3.    Bang Pa-in Palace, Thailand.  There's so much to see in Bangkok, that it seems like overkill to add another item to the list, but I like this one.  Everyone knows how crowded Bangkok is and this palace property gives you a chance to take a little day tour and go north a bit to see a palace that's a little bit less crowded.

Built in the 1600's, it wasn't used as a royal property until the 1800's.  There are several buildings to explore and the grounds as well.  It's been refurbished again and again by those in power at different times.  It's a beautiful place and a great reason to get out of the busy city for the day while visiting Bangkok.

https://www.tourismthailand.org/Attraction/bang-pa-in-palace

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g303901-d550426-Reviews-Bang_Pa_In_Palace-Bang_Pa_in_Ayutthaya_Province.html

https://www.timetravelturtle.com/thailand/bang-pa-in-palace/

http://thailandforvisitors.com/central/ayuthaya/bang-pa-in/index.php

https://www.getyourguide.com/bang-pa-in-royal-palace-l33886/

4.    Take a cruise in Milford Sound, New Zealand.  Is there anywhere more beautiful than New Zealand?  I doubt it.  Milford Sound is nature's masterpiece outside of Queenstown on the south island.  It's pristine.  It's wild.  The best way to see it is by cruise.

You can choose from many cruises, most of them are day trips.  Some last a few hours, some most of the day.  You can cruise with sails, yachts, or even add a helicopter flight to your package.  You can also add a kayak or canoe trip to your tour.  The peaks, the waterfalls, the sheer beauty of the area is worth seeing.  So, if you happen to be all the way across the world in New Zeland, don't miss it.

https://www.milford-sound-cruises.com/milford-sound-tours/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA8YyuBhBSEiwA5R3-E2Dgf5ks0_Pl0bxlyOHH1I3YXb85YXA6EChPVXS2WUDEzx08tQcnMhoCLjIQAvD_BwE

https://www.getyourguide.com/-l4468/?cmp=ga&cq_src=google_ads&cq_cmp=6647659807&cq_con=78725093266&cq_term=milford%20sound&cq_med=&cq_plac=&cq_net=g&cq_pos=&cq_plt=gp&campaign_id=6647659807&adgroup_id=78725093266&target_id=aud-1393039795340:kwd-15088081&loc_physical_ms=9003419&match_type=b&ad_id=395290348715&keyword=milford%20sound&ad_position=&feed_item_id=&placement=&device=c&partner_id=CD951&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA8YyuBhBSEiwA5R3-E2U3Z1PCfwIf5mzOaNTChHkN-AH1RLshoYIwm2144Kp5Y2t0TN4OoRoCm-wQAvD_BwE

https://www.realnz.com/en/destinations/milford-sound/

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g255121-Activities-c55-Milford_Sound_Southland_Region_South_Island.html

https://www.realnz.com/en/experiences/cruises/milford-sound-cruises/

5.    The many hot springs of Rotorua, New Zealand.  Let me clarify.  Milford Sound is on the South Island.  Rotorua is on the North Island.  It depends on where you are exploring.  Rotorua is a great place to get an authentic Maori experience, but the hot springs are a great way to unwind, be one with nature, and for older folks, relieve pain.  

Rotorua is an area, and there are hot springs all over it.  There are several different kinds to choose from and it depends on what your flavor is.  It's scenic, it's natural, and it's a great way to enjoy the part of the Ring of Fire that New Zealand is parked on.

https://www.newzealand.com/us/rotorua/

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g255111-Activities-c57-t61-Rotorua_Rotorua_District_Bay_of_Plenty_Region_North_Island.html

https://www.rotoruanz.com/things-to-do/hot-pools

https://www.newzealand.com/us/feature/top-10-hot-pools/

https://nztraveltips.com/hot-pools-rotorua/

There you have it.  Get outside and see some of the best scenery in the world.  Soothe some aching pains in one of the most beautiful settings you'll ever be able to soothe pain in, take a hike to somewhere amazing in a country known for it's cities, take a trip to a quiet and beautiful palace,  and climb around in some of the largest machines in the world.  There's a lot of offbeat things out there to enjoy.  You don't have to see all the usual stuff.  So pack a bag for that normal and popular location and while you're there, do something unusual, get off the beaten tourist path and enjoy!

Traveling vs. Tourism and Why You Should Take That Plunge

 

For those of you who have followed my travels and ideas for the last decade or more, you know that I don't always go where hordes of  people go.  I don't frequent Paris, make a yearly pilgrimage to a Disney park, or try to cram myself into Times Square at New Year's.  It's not my style.  It's more my style to go with my parents to Los Algodones, Mexico to refill their expensive prescriptions.  I tend to go my own way, and I've often encouraged others to do the same.

A guided tour or a cruise with options that the staff on board can help you with is a good way to get started.  I say that because the few tours I've taken I've noticed that while the information was good; they do take you to where they get kickbacks.  Long story short; you never get to have your own adventure with someone else in charge.  This is why I encourage folks who want to have an adventure to actually have one.  Guided tours are easy, but are they really the things you want to see?

The time I took my family on a four country trip to primarily Switzerland, I had a lot to organize.  We spent a little time in Helsinki, because we got a great price for our flight.  Finnair was having a huge sale to celebrate their anniversary.  I didn't look to visit Finland, but we had a great time there.  Helsinki was a beautiful city with a lot of things to do and great history.

We spent the bulk of that trip in Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland.  This is a fabulous location, and as we discovered, it was full of tour buses and vacationers.  We watched as the tour groups were herded from attraction to attraction on a schedule that barely allowed them to enjoy the sights.  I was happy we didn't take that trip that way.  

There were two requests that I had from my family for that trip and neither one of them had to do with Lauterbrunnen.  Therefore, if I'd booked a tour, it might have been a disaster.  My husband wanted to tour the supercollider at CERN.  My son wanted to make a brief visit to Italy.  Both requests were last minute.  Both requests were granted. Thank God we weren't on a tour.

One year, my son and I took a drive to Vermont to look at the foliage, and once again, we encountered tours.  There were buses everywhere, and they tended to really get in the way.  Once again, the leaf peepers were herded from location to location on a very strict schedule.  My son and I ended up staying overnight in Brattleboro, because the traffic was so awful with all those buses.  The truly sad part of the event was that we enjoyed a lot of places that the tours didn't go, and all those paying customers missed some of the best stuff.

I've had many such experiences over the years.  I have friends who go to Disney every year.  I have friends who like to take cruises.  I get it.  It can be a lot of work and a little scary to plan your own itinerary to a destination of your choosing to see and do what you wish to see and do.  But, it's so worth it.  If you take the time, do the research and planning, and take that scary plunge into actual travel; you'll love it.  You'll feel accomplished.  You'll feel far less like you've missed something.  You'll have great stories to tell when you get home.  You'll have powerful memories that will last a lifetime.

The beauty of traveling at your own pace is that you can see the same attractions as everyone else, but in St. Lucia for example, you won't have to put up with your tour guide tapping his watch because you have to go to the next stop.  You can rent that apartment and car, see things at your own pace, and have time to do whatever silly thing you want; even kayaking.  You can eat at local restaurants with real food, real people and learn so much about the location you're visiting.  I promise you,  I saw what the tour customers went through in St. Lucia and was happy I didn't have to deal with it.

Taking the plunge actually means taking control.  It frees you up so see and do what you want.  You'll have more time to talk to locals and see what life in your travel location is really like.  You'll have a chance to try more local food.  You'll have more time to understand what it is you're seeing.  In my experience, tours left me with a lot of questions.  When I guide myself, I answer all my questions.  It's a huge difference.

The bottom line is, if you want to do something; just do it.  You know, like Nike says.  I recently decided that I wanted to see the northern lights.  My decision based on where I live was that Iceland was the easiest and best place to go to see this natural phenomenon in action.  People thought I was insane because I was going to Iceland in January.  Then the fissure at Grindavik started to act up and I got more messages, calls, texts and so on, asking me if I was still going because of the volcano.  I'd never had friends and family so concerned about an independent trip I'd planned.

I went.  I saw the northern lights.  It was cold, because it was the North Atlantic in winter.  The sun rose at 11 and set just after 4, because it's January.  It snowed.  The wind blew.  It was everything everyone worried so much about for me.  What did I think?  I loved every minute of it.  I enjoyed the long sunrises and sunsets which were a good two hours long each every day.  I enjoyed the people.  I enjoyed the view.  I enjoyed the Northern Lights very much.  Do I have any regrets?  Maybe that I didn't plan to stay longer.  It was a wonderful trip, and I do not regret going.

Just remember, you only regret the things you didn't do.  I believe that.  Do I regret the time I went to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada for Valentine's Day to stay in a super mall?  Had the time of my life and got a little sunburnt at an indoor water park when it was below zero outside.  It was cool.  Do I regret going to Greenville, Maine to watch cars race on Moosehead Lake?  Nope, it was cool.  I do what I want, I experience what I want, I do things in my own time, and I enjoy my own bucket list.  

So, remember; do some work.  Decide what you truly want to do.  Don't dance to anyone else's tune.  If you want to do something, do it.  If you don't, that's the thing you'll regret.  I'd rather have a list of fabulous memories that other people think is insane than a list of things that were normal, but not what I really wanted to do.

Don't take the easy way out.  Don't settle for a cruise that only let's you see the tip of the iceberg in a location.  Don't take the guided tour and see what someone else wants you to see.  Do it yourself.  travel, don't be a tourist.  Enjoy experiencing what life is like in a place you visit.  Go to find the unusual.  Go to see the beauty.  Go to learn what a place is like.  Experience is something you can't buy.  You have to live it to get it.

So, take the advice of someone who's toured and who's traveled.  I learned.  Do it your way and enjoy!

https://triptile.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=DSA_RLSA&utm_content=436340262120&utm_term=&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA_OetBhAtEiwAPTeQZ1dFN2QEX7LCZ6wh7-ZpK2EGpiYNC_uG_pr6Ds4GaKOT-CATOTi-mxoCZEsQAvD_BwE

https://www.tripit.com/web/free

https://wanderlog.com/

https://portico.travel/

https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/trip-planning

https://wonderplan.ai/

https://www.routeperfect.com/trip-planner

https://www.purewow.com/travel/best-off-season-winter-travel

https://www.projects-abroad.org/blog/why-travel-off-season/

https://www.explore.com/1102831/destinations-that-are-even-better-during-the-off-season/

https://www.visiticeland.com/things-to-do/?category=5ec7d096a90548233654d4ba&page=0