Daydream Tourist

Jul 31

Retailers and Themed Travel

Maybe this is a new trend or I am just now noticing it, but I am starting to see retailers sponsoring travel tours. Obviously there are retail travel companies that run tours, but this is something new. What I am talking about are companies that actually make a product and are offering trips for their connoisseur customers. These trips almost strike me as pilgrimages for committed fans. Here are a couple that caught my eye:

Pub Tour of Ireland

See if Guiness really does taste different in Ireland.

Obviously a brewery sponsoring trip to Ireland is no stretch of the imagination. But if you combine the fun folks from Harpoon in New England with like-minded beer enthusiasts, you’re in for a fun four days in Galway and Dublin in November 2010. With airfare it’ll run you $1445, and I’m guessing that doesn’t include the bar tab.

Chocolate’s Homeland

Magical Belize (without Oompa Loompas)

If you crave rich dark chocolate, then you have probably already heard of Taza Chocolate. They are offering a chance to see how chocolate is made – like really made, starting from cacao farming to harvesting to bean fermentation. While in Belize for 13 day “Chocolate Week”, you’ll also be able enjoy the jungle and relax in a pretty nice looking lodge. I still have not heard back on the cost and inclusions but since this isn’t until March 2012 you have some time to save up.

Study Russian Art in Russia

There is plenty more of this in Russia.

This is not exactly a retailer but the specificity of the tour made it too good not to mention. I am actually really mad I missed this one. Not because I have already been to Ireland and Belize but because this would be the height of nerd art-lover travel! The Museum of Russian Icons sponsored a 17 day Russian Sacred Art Trip which just wrapped up (July 15-31, 2011). From the itinerary, they visited what seems like every well-known cathedral and obscure rural church between Moscow and St. Petersburg. And since they do not even go to the Hermitage (it has to be added in a trip extension), you know this is a legitimate, hard-core Russian Icon educational tour. Just about everything is included and its only $3800. Sign me up for next year!

Jul 28

India Temple Treasure

16th-century Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

This week, I was reading about the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Trivandrum in the far south of Indian. After allegations of mismanagement and poor security, the temple’s vaults were opened to inventory its holdings. It is apparently not uncommon for temples in Indian to own golden or jeweled precious objects donated by rich patrons over the centuries. But at Padmanabhaswamy, they found what can really only be described as a Treasure – with a capital T! Estimates range from $11-22 billion US dollars worth of gold, diamonds and gems. The Indian government quickly stepped in to protect the site and arbitrate how this wealth is spent and/or protected. I am looking forward to the final inventory and more photos of the art in the vaults but it’s mind-boggling to think that all of this was hidden underground for so long!

Jul 27

London 2012 Olympic Preview

One year from today, I will be watching the Opening Ceremony for the 30th Olympiad! I should say I will be watching at home and not in London, but I will be excited nevertheless. I love the Olympics: the drama of competition, the national pride and the awe-inspiring athletic performances. I also think it is a really great opportunity to show off for the host nation (you got it mostly right Beijing) and to rejuvenate the host city (look what it did for Barcelona and Athens!). Since the summer Olypmics requires such a face-lift for the host city, I was not exactly excited to hear London had won. My worry at the time was that there was no way a city with an incredibly congested downtown and limited free space for construction could pull it off. (The same thing goes for New York City, etc.) Checking in with London’s progress one year out, I think they’re going to pull it off but as usual it will require planning on the part of visitors and patience.

Venues

Smells like victory...

I suppose it should have been obvious, but London has a lot of athletic and exhibition venues already and did not need to build a lot more. What the planners have done is use as many existing spaces as possible to I think a good result. For example, the tennis competition – of course, it will be at Wimbledon. Other sites include the Wembley complex (badminton, soccer), North Greenwich Arena (gymnastics), Earls Court (volleyball), the Lord’s Cricket Ground (Archery), Hampton Court Palace (cycling), and ExCeL’s five arenas (Boxing, Fencing, Judo, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Weightlifting, Wrestling). Even people who do not want to brave London can catch soccer matches in ManU’s stadium, Glasgow, Newcastle and Cardiff. In London, several temporary venues are being set us such as Greenwich Park (Equestrian), The Royal Artillery Barracks (Shooting) and elsewhere. Rowing is sadly not on the Thames but 25miles north near Windsor Castle. The major construction has been for the Olympic complex which will contain the Stadium (ceremonies, track & field), Athletes Village, Aquatic Center (Swimming & Diving), Basketball Arena and a few others. This whole complex is located 5-6 miles from the City Center near the Statford tube stop. Major compliments to the organizers too for a VERY cool marathon route. So all in all, things are location fairly concentrated without shoving in building or rolling over neighborhoods. Visitors will be heavily depended on public transport, which brings me to my second point…

City lay-out from the 2012 Organizers

Transportation

This from the offiicial 2012 London website which has lots of clear (if not obvious) information

Getting around London, to quote the Bard, “ay, there’s the rub.” On top of London’s vehicle congestion laws/fees, there will be no public parking at the venues. The official 2012 web-site basically advises not to even think about driving to London events. One nice plus for Olympic attendees is the Travelcard for rides through zone 1-9 in London which accompanies your event ticket. My instinct is to try and walk between cluster of venues but a lot of these distances are 6-8 miles which is really not feasible, meaning the Underground and buses are going to be very much at capacity even with extra service. There will be still longer transit times if you’re staying in a hotel outside the city. Beyond the time need to take public transport, the organizers are advertising considerable walks from the tube to the venues and airport-like security lines once you get there. Frankly, like any Olympic games, plan on leaving your hotel in the morning, spacing out your activities throughout the day and do not plan on getting back before dinner.

And if you live in London, at some point between June 27 and Aug 12 you may want to take a little vacation outside the city. You might even be able to rent you flat for a nice profit!

Jul 24

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Habsburg Anscestors

The last of the Habsburg dynasty, Otto von Habsburg died this week and was buried in an elaborate state funeral. In this age of “William and Kate” royals, it is interesting to think that these people once ruled as heads of state and for Otto at least, he was raised thinking he absolutely could. More than any other line, I am fascinated by Austria’s Habsburgs. It does not hurt that I have been to Vienna which is wholly their capitol. Depending on what you count as the empire, the Habsburgs ruled for 600-800 years. In that time there were a lot of very fascinating monarchs; here are just a few of my favorite Habsburgs.

Traveling by Book – No-Man’s Lands (Greece)

No-Man’s Lands: One Man’s Odyssey Through The Odyssey by Scott Huler

One thing I pride myself on is being a nerdy traveler. I like to read local history and art books before I leave to give my destination context. That being said, I’m hoping to go to Greece soon and am really forcing myself to consider the mere possibility of reading an ancient Homeric classic. I’d never read the Iliad (hurray, 1000 pages about war*) and only begrudging got through the Odyssey in high school. (Honestly, what I remember of the plot comes from Duck Tales… which may not exactly be accurate.) Thankfully, I was relieved to find Scott Huler’s No-Man’s Lands which delightfully summarizes the Odyssey as a travel journal and was ironically written because he forced himself to read a classic too.

Having struggled through Joyce’s Ulysses, Huler realizes that it all ultimately goes back to Odysseus – the iconic lost traveler. Getting interested in the original Greek version of the story and facing the birth of his first child, Huler decides to retrace Odysseus’s voyage as a personal pilgrimage. What results is one-part travel journal as he stumbles through Greece, Italy, Tunisia, and Malta, and one-part literary criticism as he discusses the plot of the Odyssey, its history and context. The writing is clever and he’s an entertaining narrator. As a storyteller, Huler is conscious of his journey and keeps it interesting while avoiding the potential for constant whining about being lost and living cheaply. It’s a little confusing in the first chapter or so because he starts the narration from almost the end of his journey (how very Homer), but it picks right up and is a quick read. No-Man’s Lands a good summer read for anyone who wants to take a little mental cruise through the Mediterranean and besides, it a lot more fun than reading the Odyssey!

*Technically the Fagles translation is 704 pages which just sounds fantastically long. That being said, the last Harry Potter book is 784 pages. Guess which one sold more copies last year?