15 Tips for Traveling with Kids
Posted October 17, 2009 , comments closedTraveling with little and big kids, ages five and up, can really be a hoot. Whether taking my 18-year-old niece on her first New York City trip or Burning Man festival, or planning a Crater Lake expedition with my 6-year-old stepdaughter, adapting my usual travel habits makes trips different and more enjoyable for me, too.
15 tips for staying sane, and having a blast, with kids
And of course I remember hundreds of long trips by car, plane, and train growing up with my family. I’ve managed to learn a few things along the way:
#1. Slow… down…
Young children operate on a time scale of their own. They like to explore, to linger, to tinker. Holidays are an excellent time to slow down your own pace—which, let’s face it, is probably a little dysfunctional anyway.
Even fast-moving older tweens and teens might want to take their time at certain stops. Give them some room to, say, flatiron their hair in a rest stop that happens to contain an electrical outlet, or pore over the Wii aisle when you stop to buy batteries. Instead of waiting in the car or standing there, tapping your foot, stretch out, walk around, and people-watch. Write in your journal, even if you’ve never kept a journal before. Slowing down is a gift to yourself, too.
#2. Make mixed itineraries
Approaching the decrepit age of 40, I realize that my travel style has changed over the years. A typical itinerary used to look something like this: “Ferry to Le Havre. Bring student pass; see where the trains go. Remember Rough Guide. Return in 2-3 weeks?” Or perhaps, “Dave coming to Dublin—hitchhike to County Donegal? Yeats?”
My haggard, middle-aged self gets a kick out of making itineraries and doing research, partly for my own amusement, and partly because even a loose itinerary can be fun and safe for family travel. I’m not sure I’d want a 7-year-old to sleep on the living room floor of a dodgy hostel-owner in Paris, like I did in my 20s. For specifics and destination suggestions, check out “Kids: Mixing Itineraries.”
#3. Plan ahead
Mom, the Boy Scouts, and Girl Scouts were right after all: “Be Prepared” is a fabulous motto for travel in general. With kids, it’s even more essential. They sniff out stress like dogs sniffing out fire hydrants. If you forgot Band-Aids or underwear, it’ll affect them along with annoying you.
Especially if you’re new to traveling with younger humans, make a list of everything you want to bring. Check off each item as you pack it. Show the child how you’re planning, or let them help (”Barry the stuffed-talking banana should be on the list!” “OK! Let’s write that down.”). It’s harder to go minimal when packing for kids; it can be done, though, if you plan ahead and make it clear to everyone that you’re not bringing the entire house with you.
Here’s one I learned from my own parents, the hard way: Don’t freak out at the last minute while packing the car or rushing through the airport. Your child will absorb the idea that going on trips means last-minute craziness and people snapping at each other. Take… your… time. Plan ahead. Breathe.
#4. Be flexible
Say your little one notices billboards for Dinosaur Adventure along the road and really, really wants to go. Listen to her request. “If you’re good and don’t whine or complain for the rest of the day, we’ll go to Dinosaur Adventure,” might be an apt reply. You’re giving her a choice in the matter. You may have to weather a meltdown if she doesn’t follow the rules; you can get through it, limits and rules intact.
In general, allow kids to make at least one decision every day. When they say, “I want to see the giraffes!” or “Can we climb that tree?” or “Let’s go to Burgerville!”, go with it sometimes. Or offer them the choice: “We can have a campfire and marshmallows, if we get to the campground early enough, or we can stop at Burgerville right now.” Let them put on their own CD or playlist on the car stereo for a while, however much Rihanna might irritate you.
#5. Be in the moment
This classic piece of Buddhist and New Age advice happens to work. It goes hand-in-hand with slowing down, giving your child choices, and actually listening to her. It’s hard to do this fully in everyday life, which is part of why people take off on romantic getaways. Remind yourself why you’re on this trip: to be with your family or otherwise spend time with a special child. Turn off your cell phone. Be here now.
#6. Get into nature
Even if you’re an uncomfortable newbie at camping or hiking, bone up on how to do it, and give it a shot. You may want to start with group trips or guided tours into splendid nature parks. Kids, even video game addicts, have an innate ability to connect with sensory experience; joining them on that experience may open your own wonderment and sense of vision.
In everyday life, many of us don’t touch or smell anything non-manmade, except perhaps food. What does a handful of dirt and leaves smell like? What does the bark of a tree feel like? Go camping and find out. Learn from how your kid interacts with nature. If they’re shy or frightened, take the lead and be an example. Note: it’s OK to be ignorant. Little David doesn’t need to think you’re a professional botanist. If he asks the name of a flower and you don’t know it? Try “Huh, I don’t know,” as an answer.
#7. Use familiar home routines
Does Anya usually get a bedtime story? Does Ruby eat toast every morning? Bring some comforting everyday routines on the road with you, since so much of what you’re all experiencing is new and different. If you’re not the child’s parent or guardian, try to spend some time babysitting or visiting the family overnight to prepare yourself.
#8. Make expectations clear
Before you head out, establish guidelines with all your travel partners. Will stepdad want some time alone, wandering the city? Will mom want to go fishing by herself? Will any adults be not-present, to take work calls or bring their laptop to a café? Does David have to bring his homework? Try not to disappoint your children or yourselves.
If extended family or visiting friends join in your travels, mom and her girlfriend might sneak off for a day trip of short overnight hotel stay nearby—even just a nice dinner out while grandma hangs with the kids. Talk or email about this with the friends you’re staying with in Sydney, or the grandma who’s joining you in Rome, long before you head out the door.
#9. Develop traditions
These will probably evolve organically, but travel traditions can be pointed out to kids. Some examples: Normally, you can’t drink soda pop—except on an airplane. In everyday life, lights out at 9:00, but you can stay up reading with a flashlight while we’re camping. Normally, no fast food—but we’ll stop at Subway on our way to the train station.
#10. Document differently
Sometimes we’re so determined to document every adorable instant of our vacations and every kid’s cutely cavorting caper that we forget to actually experience those moments. Ask any media theorist or art critic: viewing life through a lens distances us from the living moment. So leave the cameras at the hotel for one day. Enjoy your time to the fullest; if you find yourself thinking, “Ohhh, I wish we had a camera,” keep the thought to yourself. Capture part of the trip (or the hike, or the Experience Music Project visit) on video, but not all of it. Kids are already accustomed to photographing and digitizing everything. Their lives are like one long performance. Let your vacation be a surprising break from endless, constant documentation. Be selective about when to bust out with the camera.
#11. Give a travel allowance
Even younger children who don’t normally get an allowance can benefit from a travel allowance. Start with a small daily allowance for postcards, gift shop goodies, vending machine gumballs, and any other amusing, useless stuff your kid is likely to clamor for on the trip. Older kids should get a larger sum to dole out over the course of a week.
This not only reduces the amount of time you’ll spend debating the merits of a Space Needle alarm clock or a Maui T-shirt, but teaches kids about the value of money, the necessity of prioritizing one purchase over another, and maybe even how to save money over periods of time. (Note: this method will cease to be educational if you loan money against future birthday gifts, or if the kids spend their dough immediately and you give into their whining for more knickknacks.)
#12. Play musical chairs
Do you always sit in the front seat, child in back, your partner driving? Mix it up a little. Squish in the back seat with your kids for an hour; have your partner do the same while you drive. Trade seats on the plane or train. Especially if you’re traveling solo with the child, plan time for extra stops during long car trips; have milkshakes and play a round of Uno at a diner, or play tag on a rest-stop lawn.
#13. Take care of yourself
You need a vacation, too. You need to sleep. You need to eat well. You may need to chill out and stare at a wall. Do these things. Arrange in advance for your partner or other adult travelers to help you do this. If it’s just you and the kids, plan in advance for at least one activity that the kids will do without you: horseback riding classes, a ski class, or a trustworthy day care at the hotel. As we know from Chevy Chase movies and “Little Miss Sunshine,” shoving a family into a small space 24 hours a day isn’t always entertaining or even tolerable.
#14. Work in individual quality time
QT with each parent or adult, separately from the others, makes for special memories. Take a look at any imbalances in parenting, if you are a parent: who spends the most time with Zoe? Who’s usually stuck in the role of disciplinarian? Use this opportunity to break up the routine.
Consider establishing some of this at the beginning of the trip. “So, David, you’re going to spend some time with your dad while I get some alone time,” lets him know what to expect. Whether you’re taking your nephew on an overnight hike or your stepson on a two-week family vacation, be especially sensitive around step-parenting, divorce, and blended families.
Even completely separate trips can be magical. I’ll never forget the week my dad and I spent rafting the Rogue River, just the two of us. Deepening family ties doesn’t mean you have to travel ensemble 100% of the time.
#15. Foster an adventurous spirit
Tired? Timid? Try to stretch your imagination—without making too much of a fuss over it. Your kids will learn by watching you eat strange foods, work with unforeseen circumstances, or stop the car for an unplanned hike to a waterfall.
Find one thing that no one in your family has done before, and do it. Nearly everything is new to kids; shouldn’t we get on their level and learn something, too? Hopefully your ideas will come from your kids’ latest obsession or impulse (”Hey! Can we build a Snow Mummy?”). Or you could:
- Flyfish or deep-sea fish with a guide
- Ride on the Zipper at a roadside carnival
- Fry an egg on the hood of your car in the desert
- Take a short factory tour of some weird local business (just follow the billboards)
- Forage for wild mushrooms with a class or guide
- Ski, snowboard, surf, skate, snowshoe, wind surf
- Pet the goats at a creamery and sample the chèvre
- Find a new swimming hole with a rope swing
- Make mud angels, instead of snow angels
- Take tombstone rubbings in a pioneer cemetery
- Go rafting, inner tubing, sledding, horseback riding
-Tiffany Lee Brown
Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s things to do with kids, from New York City to Orlando to Los Angeles to San Franciso to London to Paris… and dozens of destinations in between.
Q&A with Lonely Planet’s Tony Wheeler
Posted , comments closedEditor’s Note: A few weeks ago we had the pleasure of catching up with Tony Wheeler, co-founder of Lonely Planet (along with his wife Maureen), at the Viator San Francisco office. Catch up on previous Viator blog posts about the sale of Lonely Planet to the BBC and the Travel Writer’s Dilemma.
If Tony Wheeler didn’t exist, we’d need to invent him. You’ll know Tony if you’ve ever hauled a backpack around the globe with only a fuzzy itinerary (Asia?? why not!) and a money belt stuffed full with everything except money. Along with shoes and toothbrush, the only other required piece of gear was the guidebook.
Inevitably it was a Lonely Planet guidebook.
Tony Wheeler is the co-founder of Lonely Planet (along with his wife, Maureen). Which makes Tony the godfather, granddaddy and don of travel. This is a man who’s set foot in nearly every country on the planet (Iraq? Check. North Korea? Check. East Timor? Check.) This is a man who knows travel.
Tony Wheeler in Afghanistan, at Christ-e-Sharif
His story is legendary. After arriving in Sydney in 1972, after a six month Asia overland trip from Europe, he had 27 cents left in his pockets. After numerous friends asked him for advice on making the same journey, he decided to publish a book. In 1973 Lonely Planet’s first title was published, Across Asia on the Cheap, documenting their trip from London to Australia. In 1975 they published their second title, South-East Asia on a Shoestring.
From those early guidebooks Lonely Planet grew into the world’s largest independent guidebook publisher - more than 500 titles in print, an award-winning website, a respected image library, television programming and video, more than 400 staff in Melbourne, London and Oakland (California). In 2007 the Wheelers sold a majority interest in Lonely Planet to BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the venerable BBC. Tony is still closely involved with the company. In 2009 he hit the road to film segments in Laos and Alaska with a crew from Lonely Planet TV.
Death of the guidebook? Premature
Viator: Is the guidebook dead? Or are reports of its death premature?
Tony Wheeler: The death of print is the wrong way to think of it. Print is everywhere. There are more words being published on paper than ever before. What’s changing is the guidebook - it’s not going to stay on paper for ever. It’s migrating to mobile phones, downloads (have a look at Lonely Planet’s pick-and-mix PDF downloads) and, of course, the internet. So the guidebook is definitely not dead.
Viator: So if the guidebook isn’t quite dead, what is the role of a printed guidebook in 2009?
Tony Wheeler: Think about a destination like Congo and Zaire and - the guidebook itself may be a little outdated - but the maps are helpful. And overall, there are not many guidebooks to Congo, so in that case a guidebook is invaluable.
Another example: Our Cycling in Italy title, it went out of print a few years ago. Now it’s being sold on ebay for $150 a copy. The reason? It’s the perfect format for cycling. You’re not going to duck into an internet cafe while you’re on a long-haul cycling trip. And it’s the same thing when you’re traveling off the grid. Guidebooks are wonderful back-ups. People have been predicting the death of guidebooks for many years, they’re wrong. People love books.
Tony in Iraq
Viator: Travel experts versus group wisdom - is the role of an official “author” still crucial? Or has user-generated content taken over?
Tony Wheeler: Even Zagat’s (which relies on user-submitted reviews) requires experts to pull everything together. Lonely Planet’s own Thorn Tree is another good example. There’s great depth of content on the Thorn Tree - right now a traveler is on the spot in Congo, in Libya, in Tibet, posting to the Thorn Tree - but still there are gaps.
Even if 500 people on TripAdvisor endorse something, it doesn’t mean that the quality hasn’t suffered recently. And that’s where guidebook authors come in. And then there’s Iraq and Afghanistan - only Lonely Planet is sending people there right now.
Viator: What surprises you nowadays about travel, in the way that people travel?
Tony Wheeler: Frankly I’m surprised that people show up in the oddest of places. I took a 4×4 to the most remote corner of Africa, and yet there was a couple traveling the same route by bicycle. Amazing. It’s hard to push the edges of travel now, especially in Europe. I’m also surprised how easy it is to travel now. People in the UK heading to Prague for the weekend, that sort of thing. Travel has maybe become too easy.
Viator:What’s on your travel agenda this year?
Tony Wheeler: I wrote a book called Badlands, about traveling to the so-called Axis of Evil (Iraq, North Korea, Iran). I credit the book to George W. Bush. I’ve always been interested in edgy countries and I’d been kicking around the idea of writing something about ‘pariah’ countries. When Mr. Bush produced his ‘Axis of Evil’ list, my first thought was “I’ve got to go there.” So the Evil Axis trio formed the core of my ‘Bad Lands’ and it was no trouble to come up with a half dozen other contenders.
Perhaps surprisingly, I had a great time in all my ‘Bad Lands’ and – apart from a little uneasiness in Afghanistan and Iraq – I was never particularly concerned for my safety. North Korea was easily the weirdest: a place alternating between horror and comedy, a Stalinist theme park, a gulag run by Monty Python.
I’d like to follow that up with a book about “Weird Lands”, countries that have fallen off the rails somehow. Think about Congo - it’s gone steadily backwards since 1958. Or Colombia, which has been ruined by America’s fight against drugs. Somalia, Haiti, there are many off-the-rail countries to choose from.
Viator: Would you share a few of your favorite travel experiences with us?
Tony Wheeler: Last year I visited the cosmonaut training center at Star City outside Moscow, then flew down to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. I had a close-up look at the Soyuz FG launcher the evening before the launch, met with Richard Garriott (game entrepreneur who paid USD $30 million for the ride) and his back up Nik Halick (they were behind glass, in quarantine) and stood at dawn to see the Soyuz crew (followed by an assortment of support crew which even included an orthodox priest). As interesting as the rocket launch was my fellow passengers – our little group of Richard Garriott supporters included Sergey Brin and Larry Page of Google, Peter Diamandis of the X Prize, Charles Simonyi, formerly of Microsoft and a 2007 space tourist, and assorted other space tourism followers.
Walking to the Soyuz bus, just before launch
I also have the Planet Wheeler Foundation to keep me busy. Our 2008 projects ranged from building a children’s clinic in Cambodia to funding medical training in Afghanistan. My favorite project in 2008 was the Melbourne Solar System. It’s a 1:1 billion scale model of our Solar System, starting with the Sun – a 1.4 metre diameter bronze orb that weighs 350kg (over 700 lbs). It’s on the waterfront bicycle path that runs along Melbourne’s bayside, starting at the St Kilda Marina. Jump on your bicycle and pedal west, you’ll come to Mercury in just 58 metres, Venus in 108 metres, the Earth (and our moon) in just 150 metres.
Cycling past Jupiter in Melbourne
The reality of course is that Earth is 150 million km from the Sun. After Mars the distances start to stretch. You’ll have pedaled 2.9 km from the Sun before you come to Uranus, at that one to one billion scale the reality is 2,900 million km. Keep going and you’ll have ridden out of St Kilda, past Middle Park and Albert Park and finally, the other side of Port Melbourne, you’ll come to tiny Pluto, 5.9 km from your solar starting point.
-Scott McNeely
The Castles and Palaces of Denmark
Posted , comments closedWho among us can honestly say that the idea of living Happily Ever After™ as a fairytale Prince or Princess in a bejeweled castle holds no appeal? Not I, good reader, not I. After years of vicarious tabloid-browsing and a steady diet of Handsome-Prince-Marries-Accidental-Princess stories since childhood, the idea of donning glass slippers and going to the ball has always held a magical appeal for me. So, on a recent visit to Denmark, home to one of the world’s oldest royal families and jam-packed with castles and palaces, it seemed only right that I indulge my fantasies and visit a royal residence or three.
Copenhagen offers up several for public viewing – Amalienborg, Rosenborg, and Christiansborg being the three biggies. For those able to venture a little further afield, there is a host of castles and palaces to see, including the impressive Kronborg Castle, immortalized as “Elsinore” in Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
Fredensborg Palace
For over 1000 years the Houses of Oldenborg and Glücksborg have reigned over their Danish subjects, the present day royalty being direct descendants of the latter clan. Living in the manner of Kings and Queens (not surprisingly), they preside from the comfort of a royal flush of palatial residences, making their selection depending on the season or their regal fancy. Some palaces were built for purposes other than actual occupation, such as the Hermitage Palace, which is dedicated mainly to feasts after royal hunts. And some of them, such as Schackenborg, where Prince Joachim and Princess Alexandra reside, are not open to the public at all. But the majority of royal properties at least offer sections for public viewing, most of which have sensational gardens attached that can be visited year-round.
Amaliensborg Palace
Amalienborg
The current winter residence of HM The Queen and HRH The Prince Consort is Amalienborg, located conveniently within a stone’s throw of the bustling tourist district of Nyhavn. Consisting of four palaces centred around an open courtyard, this stunning monument to Rococo design has been the royal winter residence since 1794. An enduringly popular tourist pastime is to bear witness to the changing of the guard, which takes place daily at midday.
Two of Amalienborg’s four palaces are open to the public, Christian VIII’s Palace and Christian VII’s Palace. The former offers a museum of the Glücksburg dynasty, while the latter, used by the Queen to receive foreign heads of state, offers occasional guided tours and special exhibitions. Amaliehaven, the stunning sculpted garden adjoined to the residence, is always open.
Kastellet
A nearby green space well worth a visit, is Kastellet, one of the best preserved fortifications in Northern Europe, still a functioning military garrison, a cultural museum, and a park. In my humble opinion, the best evidence of the effectiveness of this pretty fortification comes from the army of snapping swans loitering in the hope of snaffling tourist snacks. Be warned!
Rosenborg Palace
I have waxed lyrical about Rosenborg Palace in a previous jotting (link to Copenhagen Top 10 blog), so I won’t repeat myself. Except to reiterate that it is a must-see for any Royalophile blessed with a half decent imagination. When I was there, I was a spoilt Rococo princess for an hour. I pictured myself straddling the silver lions flanking the royal thrones, scenting myself with delicate oils in the hand-painted bathroom, and chucking a palatial-sized tantrum in the china room. Just for the heck of it. Wonderful fun.
Rosenborg Palace
The Palace and its adjoining gardens, Kongens Have, are open most days from 10am - 4pm. Admission to the Castle and Treasury is free for children and 70DKK for adults. Guided tours of the regular and special exhibitions are available for a whisker under 1000DKK and must be booked at least two weeks in advance.
Christiansborg Palace
Christiansborg Palace is the home to the Danish Parliament (or “Folketing”), the office of the Prime Minister and the Danish Supreme Court. The Royal Reception Rooms, the Queen’s Library, and the Palace Chapel can also be found there. Located on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, it is open to the public year-round. Visitors can attend when the Folketing is in session, or partake in guided tours. Admission to parliament and the chapel is free. Seeing the Royal Reception Rooms will set you back 70DKK (35DKK for children), but it is well worth it, if just to see the stunning Queen’s tapestries decorating the walls of the Great Hall, depicting Denmark’s colourful history, from the Viking Age right up to the present day. There is even one depicting the future. Not surprising given the Danes’ propensity for modern design.
Fredensborg Palace
Take a train from Central Station to Hillerød, then change to the local PP005 train and in no time, you will be in Fredensborg, location of the Royal Family’s most frequented palace. A baroque inspired masterpiece built in the 18th century, Fredensborg Palace is where Queen Margarethe, Prince Henrik and their regal brood spends spring and autumn. The stunning gardens are the jewel in the botanical crown of the royal estate, being one of the finest examples of baroque landscaping in Denmark.
Rosenborg Palace - Silver Lions
The imposing state function rooms are the site for many of the state visits and royal events, and the palace church is where Crown Prince Frederik was confirmed in 1981 and his daughter Princess Isabella was christened 26 years later. Maybe it’s just me, but I find there’s something comforting in the thought of generations of royals attending the religious rites of passage of their children and children’s children on common ground. Unless you’re desperate to pop in when the royals are at home, the best time of year to visit is in July, when they are at Marselisborg or Gråsten, meaning that Fredensborg’s reserved gardens right next to the palace are open to the public. The rest of the garden is open year-round, a special feature of which is the eerie assembly at Nordmandsdalen (Norwegian Valley) of 70 statues of Norwegian and Faroese peasants and fishermen. Distributed evenly across three sharply profiled grass terraces, the peasants stand as if guarding the striking amphitheatre. Don’t blink or they might attack…
Frederiksborg Palace
While no longer a royal residence, Frederiksborg Palace is today the site of the Danish Museum of National History and still a fine example of a Renaissance palace. In fact, it is Scandinavia’s largest… if superlatives and quantifiers are what floats your boat (on your moat). The oldest parts of the castle were constructed in 1560 when King Frederick II was in power.
Frederiskborg Castle
Today, apart from viewing the museums collection of portraits, decorative art and furniture, you can also meander through the gardens, past the Bath House Castle (today used by Her Maj for occasional luncheon parties) and Christian IV’s fabled stone which he evidently laid as a melancholy memory of the day he was refused admittance to his wife’s boudoir. Do pop into Café Havehuset for a sandwich and a coffee when your legs need a rest. The setting on a sunny day is fit for a king (on a page’s wage).
Kronborg Castle (Hamlet’s Castle)
If it is superlatives you’re after, look no further than Kronborg Castle, known world-wide as Hamlet’s Castle “Elsinore”, and one of the most important Renaissance castles in Europe. For 90DKK you get access to the royal apartments, chapel, Danish Maritime Museum and the Telegraph Tower. My advice is to skip the latter two and instead buy a 65DKK ticket covering just the apartments and chapel. Oh, and take your walking shoes. Because this is a castle designed in times before access ramps were a necessity. Filled with steep staircases, narrow hallways, and a myriad other tripping hazards, you need to watch where you’re going, and be in fairly good shape to get there. But that all adds to the fun, in my opinion. Particularly stumbling into the dangerously dark nooks of the underground cellars which house, among other things, a fabulous statue of sleeping Holger the Dane. The myth tells us that when the kingdom is under threat from a foreign enemy, Holger will pull a Pinocchio and turn to flesh and blood, bounding up with a Viking roar ready to defend the fatherland. Stumbling across him in the gloom, the myth isn’t half as unlikely as it sounds.
Hamlet Castle
If you’re looking for an end to this fairytale, there really isn’t one… the list of Denmark’s castles and palaces go on and on like the Tin Soldier’s drumbeat. There’s not a high probability you’ll be able or willing to visit every one of them. Let’s face it, seeing how the other half lives when they live so damned well can hold a limited appeal. But do make time to visit at least one or two of them. Because who’s to say a Handsome Prince(ss) won’t pluck you form obscurity? Just look at Princess Mary…
-Maggie Rays
Planning a trip to Denmark? Browse Viator’s Denmark Tours, Sightseeing & Things to do, from a City tour of Copenhagen to a Copenhagen City and Harbor Tour, or wander further in the Danish countryside to discover Denmark’s Castles. Or take a Sweden Day Trip from Copenhagen to enjoy Helsingborg, Lund and Malmo.
Atlas Obscura: DYI Temples, Castles, Cathedrals
Posted September 30, 2009 , comments closedFor those of you anxiously awaiting this next installment of wonder-inspiring, off-the-beaten-path places that don’t make it into traditional guidebooks. This week’s Atlas Obscura theme is self-built temples (in Italy), castles (in the U.S.) and cathedrals (in Spain)!
Temple of Damanhur, Italy
Detail of a stained-glass windown at Temple of Damanhur
The Temple of Damanhur has come to be known as the Eighth Wonder of the World. Beneath a suburban house in northern Italy lies a massive underground temple built entirely in secret by a group of non-architects, working around the clock for 15 years.
Dug out of the rock without building or excavation plans, the Temple of Damanhur is a massive underground temple winding for “over 8,500 cubic metres on five different levels, connected to one another by hundreds of metres of corridor.”
And somewhat unbelievably, its creation was all overseen by a middle-aged, former insurance broker…
Bishop’s Castle, Colorado USA
They say a man’s house is his castle, and for Jim Bishop, this couldn’t be more true. A frontier spirit, when Jim decided it was time for him and his wife to get a house, he figured he would build it himself. What started as a one-room stone cottage in Colorado would soon grow to astounding proportions: Bishop’s Castle may be the largest one-man architecture project in the world.
Bishop’s Castle, Colorado
Today, Bishop’s Castle reaches over 16 stories high, has three large cathedral windows, wrought-iron walkways and a steel fire-breathing dragon. Jim Bishop is 63 and is still building. It is unlikely he will stop anytime soon.
Don Justo’s Self Built Cathedral
Don Justo in his self-built cathedral
Finally, the last of our self-built projects — though by no means the last of the self built projects, many more can be seen on the Atlas Outsider Architecture page — is a cathedral that can rival the great cathedrals of Rome, with one notable difference.
This one was built by a single, determined man.
It is, at its simplest, an ex-monk’s act of faith. After eight years in a Trappist order — and just prior to taking his vows — Don Justo Gallego Martinez was obliged to leave, considerably weakened by tuberculosis.
Out of the order but wanting to do right by God, Don Justo began laying the foundations of a great cathedral, without formal permission or permits and with his own hands on a plot of land bequeathed to him by his parents.
Today the frame of a large building, with a 40-meter-tall dome modeled on St. Peter’s in Rome, towers over the town of Mejorada del Campo, about 20km outside Madrid. Like the cathedrals of old, it will not reach completion during the lifetime of its 81-year-old architect.
What will happen to the building after Martinez’s death remains an open question. No one has yet stepped up to take over the project.
-The Atlas Obscura Team
5 Great Itineraries in Asia for 5 Different Theme Trips
Posted , comments closedAsia is as broad and varied as a continent should be, so how does one plan to go around such a vast area? There is the banana pancake trial; where veering off the lonely planet recommendation is unheard of. But how about some themed trips instead to see the real Asia?So what is Asia known for? Well the food for one; have you ever struggled to find a Chinese take away? Thought not. UFC and other mixed martial arts tournaments dominates interest in combat these days, but a lot of martial arts originate from ancient Asian traditions so we have a martial art itinerary for you too. We will also look at how colonisation influenced Asia to what it is today and wars occurred in Asia. To top things off we will be using the vast land space to get away from it all with a very adventurous itinerary.
Food
What better theme to start off with than a sampling of some of the more notable culinary examples of the region?
- China – The real home of Chinese food. Everybody has a favourite dish; sweet and sour, black bean, ginger dipping, stir-fry, dim sum, soups, noodles, rice, steamed bun, dumplings, there is thousands of combinations, and you don’t have enough time to try them all.
- Japan – There is much more to Japanese food then sushi. Other popular dishes include Domburi, Onigiri, Yakizakana, Ramen, Yakisoba, Oden,Chanko Nabe, Nikujaga, Yudofu, Omuraisu, and Tsukemomo amongst many others, Google them to surprise yourself!
- Malaysia – I have a Malaysian friend who I asked what the Malaysians don’t eat, he replied ‘rocks’; everything that moves or grows is eaten. “We’d eat the clouds if we could catch them” he said. Satay is the national snack – dipping small meat kebabs into a peanut sauce.
- India – Like Japanese food, Indian food is often stereotyped to spicy curry and poppadom. The sheer amount of spices is what makes Indian food as varied as it is. In Northern India you can find dairy based food and flat-bread; Southern India brings the reliance on rice, coconuts and vegetable stews to the table; Eastern India is where you go for your sweet desserts and Western India tends to mix a lot of these combinations up.
- Laos – Yes, whilst you can get deep fried bat here, the French colonisation had a big influence on Laos cuisine, so you can enjoy a freshly baked baguette with melted garlic on with your crunchy bat.
Colonies
Thailand is the only Asian country to not be under control as a Colony, and thus there is a few options here to see external influence on a country. We have already seen how it can affect food, but it can also influence building structure, language, law, culture and even the way people think, prime examples to visit are:
- The French in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos from 1858 to 1954.
- The British in Malaysia and Singapore from 1786 to 1957.
- The Japanese in Korea 1910 to 1945.
- The Spanish in The Philippines from 1565 to 1898.
- The Britain in India between 1765 and 1857.
War History
With such a large amount of colonisation, you can guess that Asia has had its fair amount of wars over the years making a significant impact in the history books.
- The forgotten war between North Korea and South Korea ending in stalemate which divided the 2 countries is still present today and tension on both sides can be seen at the border between the countries.
- The Vietnam war in Vietnam was fought with Viet Cong underground tunnels that you can visit to get a taste of what life was like in wartime Vietnam.
- World War II in Japan saw the only use of nuclear weapons in history in sobering Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the scars are still there today for visitors to see.
- In the 12th Century, one country reigned over nearly all of Asia: Mongolia. See the history of the invasions into China and beyond in museums across the region.
- Even further back in time you can find war and fighting references on the Angkor temples in Cambodia on which this is the only recorded history of that period.
Self Defense
With war comes self defence. Martial arts has spanned hundreds of years in different forms and Asia produces the majority of them such as:
- Tae Kwon Do is a martial art biased towards kicking and sports competition in South Korea.
- Muay Thai boxing in Thailand utilises the sharp quick attacks from knees, elbows and shins.
- Eskrima is the Filipino form of stick and sword fighting.
- Karate, Judo, Ninjutsu, Jujitsu and Sumo Wrestling were all made famous by Japan.
- Kung Fu was made famous and brought martial arts popularity to the world by Bruce Lee and originates from the monks in China.
Epic Trips
So far the itineraries have been quite heavily about war, colonisation and fighting, so it’s time to get away from it all with an epic Asian trip.
- Walk, run, motorcycle, unicycle or whatever you choose to move yourself down the Great Wall of China, it’s still going to take a while to do any significant percentage of the longest man made structure in the world.
- Borneo Island hosts a huge and unique jungle. Trekking through catching glimpses of the wildlife, flora and fauna would be a good decision as long as you can avoid the mosquitoes.
- Cycle through and over the Himalayas mountains including the worlds highest Mount Everest for a breath of fresh air and spectacular views.
- Follow the trial of Genghis Khan by riding a horse through the nomadic region of Mongolia.
- Sail and dive around the entire Asian coast. Some of the most beautiful and interesting. scenery can be seen from and under the sea bed.
Do you have a better way to theme your trip around Asia?