Briar's Travel Beat

Fairy Tale Castles – German Fairy Tale Route

Posted on August 11, 2013 by Briar's Travel Beat

Marburg Castle

Ever dreamt of sleeping like a princess – in Sleeping Beauty’s castle? Fancy letting down your hair in Rapunzel’s tower? What about a romantic weekend at Snow White’s palace?

Or perhaps you just want to stay in a real palace, fortress, or castle? Well you can do just that on the German Fairy Tale Route, a 600km trail from Hanau in the south to Bremen in the north.

I recently travelled part of the Fairy Tale Route, as a guest of the German National Tourist Office, for a story for Escape. I was on the trail of the Brothers Grimm, for the 200th anniversary of the publication of their Children’s and Household Tales.

The trail takes in numerous palaces and castles. Some are purely museums, offering a window into the life of their landgrave owners. But others offer accommodation and I was lucky enough to stay in a couple of them, though there are plenty more to choose from.

Some have become synonymous with the castles depicted in Grimms Fairy Tales because of their location or physical features. It’s a great marketing tool which has been embraced by the local towns on the Fairy Tale Route. Here are a few photos to arouse your inner prince or princess.

Sleeping Beauty’s Castle – Dornröschenschloss Sababurg

Sleeping Beauty’s Castle

Popular for romantic meals, proposals and weddings, you can sip rose-infused aperitifs from thorn-stemmed, rose-bowled wine glasses while Sleeping Beauty and her young prince recite the story of Sleeping Beauty, accompanied by specially-composed cello music.

Sleeping Beauty’s name was Briar Rose and roses climb the castle wall and take pride of place in the garden, which is part of the European Garden Heritage Network. The perfume of the roses is intoxicating and adds to the romance.

The modern suites incorporate canopied beds and spa baths.

www.sababurg.de

Rapunzel’s Castle – Hotel Burg Trendleburg

Rapunzel’s Castle

It’s possible to imagine the keep of this 700-year-old castle was Rapunzel’s tower – the long dangling plait certainly helps. This was a medieval fortress and inside it’s dark timber, exposed beams, and suits of armour.

The dining room incorporates the original chapel, which is popular for weddings. But I love the dining room in one of the smaller towers, where curved banquettes face a central fireplace.

You can climb Rapunzel’s tower for panoramic views over the countryside.

www.burg-hotel-trendelburg.com.

Wilhelmshöhe Palace

Wilhelmshöhe Palace © Kassel Marketing GmbH

But for pure visual delight, Löwenburg Castle in the grounds of Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe in Kassel takes the cake. Unfortunately, you can’t stay here, but it is worth visiting. Built in the grounds of Wilhelmshöhe Palace purely as a pseudo-medieval ornamental garden feature – but later expanded to become a secret love shack, it is the Disney-esque version of what we think of as a fairy tale castle.

German Fairy Tale Route www.deutsche-maerchenstrasse.de

Grimm Anniversary www.grimm2013.de/en

More www.germany.travel

Posted in Accommodation, Germany, Travel | Tagged accommodation, castles, Fairy tale castles, Fairy tale route, travel | 3 Comments

Online resource for Aussie road trippers

Posted on July 30, 2013 by Briar's Travel Beat

Ever arrived in a regional town the day after the quirky local race meeting, antique fair or agricultural show and thought, If only I’d arrived yesterday?

That’s where TruBlu Travelling can help.

I came across TruBlu Travelling while I was at the NSW Caravan, Camping, RV & Holiday Show. (I nearly ran past them, as my husband was waiting impatiently for me halfway down the stairs when I stopped, but I’m so glad I did.)

The TruBlu Team

TruBlu Travelling has been set up by a Narelle and Ian Rowe, enthusiastic Aussie travellers themselves, who realised the need for an online resource consolidating all the information travellers need to ‘plan, stay, play and discover’ while touring Australia, with the added benefit of tips from fellow travellers.

When you’re on the road it can be extremely disappointing to turn up in town the day after the farmers’ market, a free workshop, a local festival or quirky country event, which is what happened to Narelle and Ian when they arrived in Bylong just after the Bylong Mouse Races. “If only we’d known,” says Narelle. That was her light bulb moment and inspiration for the website, which was launched in March this year.

TruBlu Travelling is geared to people exploring Australia, with a strong focus on regional and local towns. “It’s about matching people’s interests with relevant locations,” says Narelle. “We’re about relationships with travellers, tourism centres and local businesses.” The site is also a networking hub, with travellers able share their experiences, give feedback and offer testimonials.

Narelle Rowe

Originally from Dubbo, Narelle is passionate about the Australian landscape and its people. “You can take a person from the country, but you can’t take the country from a person”, she says, hoping that TruBlu Travelling will have the added benefit of helping regional economies. “If a traveller stops and spends $50 it makes a difference to local businesses,” she says.

The website, which is free to join, presents a snapshot of what’s available at a regional level, with links to relevant local websites offering more detailed information.

When travelling in regional Australia I come across so many wonderful museums, galleries, tour operators, local guides, visitors’ centres and the like, that have little or no money for advertising or their own website. Often, there are multiple tourism websites for the one region, so researching an area can be laborious. If all of this information can be collated on TruBlu’s website as they hope, then it will be an extremely valuable resource for travellers.

TruBlu Travelling

Because of the sheer scale of their goal, TruBlu Travelling is a work in progress, and they are still sorting out some teething problems. But do head over to their site for a look around, and if you know of any quirky local events or interesting local attractions that aren’t listed, send them an email. Narelle will be happy to hear from you.

Happy Travelling.

Posted in Adventure, Australia, Outback, Road Trips, Travel, Travel News & Events | Tagged accommodation, camping, camping sites, caravans, farmers' markets, festivals, Local events, markets, regional events | Leave a comment

Dashing Disneyland Fashions – at Tokyo Disney Resort

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Briar's Travel Beat

I wore Minnie Mouse ears in public. I can’t believe I’m saying that. I’m not into fancy dress costumes and despise those paper Christmas cracker hats. Yet I happily walked around Tokyo Disney Resort wearing fluffy pink ears and heart-shaped sunglasses.

Why? Because almost everyone else there was wearing them and they looked so happy, like these two girls. I got swept-up in the party-like atmosphere.

I visited Tokyo Disney Resort (as a guest of their parent company) to check out their 30^th anniversary celebrations – Tokyo Disneyland was the first Disney park to be built outside America in 1983. You can read all about the celebratory activities, including the new Star Wars: The Adventures Continue ride, in my article in News Ltd’s Escape travel section.

Ninety-seven percent of visitors to Tokyo Disney Resort are Japanese and approximately 90 percent of those are return visitors. Needless to say, the majority of park patrons are ‘into’ Disney, in a big way. They are excited to be there and dress for the occasion – in Disney gear. The more, the better. It was mesmerising and I had as much fun people-watching as riding the attractions.

Here are some of my favourite Disney fashionistas.

Every little girl want to be a princess sometimes. Aren’t these two gorgeous?

Mickey silhouette T-shirts are very popular. So are matching outfits, for both guys and girls.

Disney T-shirts come in hundreds of designs.

No black plastic Mickey ears, but plenty of others to choose from.

You don’t have to wear Mickey ears. There are Dumbo ears, Donald hats and Chip ‘n’ Dale headbands.

Accessories rule, especially Disney characters dripping from handbags.

Or covering backpacks. Now this guy is a serious collector.

Hooded Disney towels are a fashion accessory too, worn as shawls and worn with pride.

But these two girls are my favourites. Don’t they just look dashing in their matching Minnie dresses – and so cheerful.

Happy 30^th Birthday Tokyo Disneyland! And thanks for the memories.

For more information on travelling to Japan see the Japan National Tourism Organisation

Posted in Japan, Tokyo, Travel | Tagged clothing, family fun, fashion, minnie mouse ears, Tokyo Disney Resort, travel | Leave a comment

Aussie tavelling gadgets

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Briar's Travel Beat

I love a travel gadget and I found two great ones at the NSW Caravan, Camping, RV and Holiday Supershow on at Rosehill Racecourse, Sydney (on until 28 April).

Hipsta water bottle holder

The first one suits all travellers. Called Hipsta, it’s a nifty little clip that holds a water bottle. It can be attached to a belt, waistband, bag or backpack. It’s stylish and really lightweight, which is important for travelling, and the squeeze release system means you can get the bottle in and out quickly.

I love that it is Australian designed. I bought a grey one, but it comes in a range of fun bright colours.

Aussie drink mate

The next gadget is more for the great outdoors – picnics, camping or outside the caravan – anywhere you need to put down a drink, but there’s no table. (Like at our yacht club tradition of ‘five-a-rockies’ – gathering on the nearest beach at 5pm for drinks and nibbles.) There’s nothing worse that putting your drink down on the sand and having it knocked over.

Called Aussie Drink Mate it is a metal stake that pushes into the ground and has room for four drinks – wine glasses, bottles, cans or mugs – and a bowl for food. Additional bowls can be bought separately.

I haven’t tried mine yet, but it looks easy to put together. It needs a carry case, but company owner Mark Noble tells me one will be available soon.

You can buy these items online but both companies are offering show discounts, so if you can, head to the NSW Caravan, Camping, RV and Holiday Supershow before 28 April.

Posted in Australia, Travel, Travel Accessories & Gadgets | Tagged Travel gadgets | 2 Comments

Dreaming of a health resort – or ‘wellness retreat’

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Briar's Travel Beat

In my younger corporate days I used to watch older associates heading off to health farms once or twice a year. Back then I thought ‘what a waste of a good holiday’. I got all the rest and relaxation I needed flopping beside a pool, where exercise meant swimming up to the in-pool bar and sustenance came from a rainbow of colourful cocktails.

Absolute Sanctuary detox and yoga retreat in Koh Samui, Thailand

But a recent bout of prolonged fatigue (and let’s admit it, age) has had me longing for the benefits of a dedicated health resort, now called ‘wellness retreats’. A room of my own with undisturbed sleep, being able to slumber for as long as I need – including an afternoon nap if desired, a choice of exercise and meditation options and healthy food lovingly prepared. Oh, and rewarding massages and spa treatments. What’s not to like? (Well, despite the price tag.)

Things have changed enormously in the past 30 years. Retreats now attract a younger clientele and include wellness consultations and nutrition sessions, where after confessing to your culinary sins and lack of an exercise regime you are given a health overhaul and nurtured towards a new you.

Australia’s Golden Door Health Retreat celebrates 20 years of business next month, Gaia Retreat & Spa has been around since 2005 and Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat since 2006, testimony to the health of health retreats.

Food from the ‘Love Kitchen’ at Absolute Sanctuary

I haven’t stayed at the Golden Door, but The Sunday Telegraph’s Escape travel editor Brian Crisp recently did and you can read his great yarn here.

I have experienced the rejuvenating benefits of Absolute Sanctuary though, a Wellness Retreat in Koh Samui, Thailand. It was my first health resort and I arrived a bit sceptical. But after only three days I left feeling slimmer, fitter and healthier. You can read my story in Escape Sanctuary for body and soul.

Healthy juices at Absolute Sanctuary

So, while I sit down with a glass of wine and dream of my next retreat, what is your favourite wellness resort?

Posted in Australia, Thailand, Travel | Tagged travel, wellness retreats | 5 Comments

Easter chocolate game for grown ups

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Briar's Travel Beat

Hand made truffles at Schoc Chocolates in Greytown

Got chocolate on your mind this Easter? Then I’ve got a hilarious game for you to try around the dinner table or campfire, thanks to Murray Langham of Schoc Chocolates, an artisan chocolate company in New Zealand. Langham established the business in 2002 in the now trendy rural township of Greytown, about 80km north of Wellington. (You can read my story on the township here Gourmet Greytown.)

Despite it’s name, Greytown is a colourful, thriving township that continues to serve the rural community while attracting city slickers with its gourmet food and eclectic shopping. Tractors still sometimes trundle down the main street past the potted geraniums and restored heritage buildings.

Schoc Chocolates is in Greytown, 80km north of Wellington, New Zealand

Established in the town’s original confectioner’s cottage, Schoc Chocolates offers an enormous range of chocolates, truffles and tablets, with interesting and unusual flavours alongside traditional favourites. Think lavender, lemongrass, strawberry and black pepper, apricot and rosemary, and the latest, which I’m dying to try, fennel. Take the blind tasting in store and you’ll really challenge your taste buds.

The philosophy behind Schoc Chocolates is “to combine the joy and health benefits of consuming quality chocolate with a deeper understanding of one’s inner self”. They got me at ‘health benefits‘!

But understanding oneself through chocolate is where the game comes in. You’ll need Langham’s book Chocolate Therapy: Dare to discover your inner centre!, which you can buy here for just NZ$10, and a box of chocolates, preferably wrapped. Let everyone choose their favourite chocolate, but before they eat it they must note its shape, type of chocolate (milk, dark etc) and centre (texture and flavour).

Chocolate Therapy: Dare to discover your inner centre!

Then, as everyone eats their chocolates, read out the text about the shapes, centres and type of chocolate to reveal the associated personality traits, habits and behaviour. (Pass the book around, so everyone gets a turn to read, and you get to eat your chocolate.)

The results can be hilarious, but the most revealing part is what people do with their wrappers – as that is linked to people’s attitudes to sex. (You might want a few drinks under your belt for this one.)

So what do you do with your wrapper? Are you a sculptor or a scruncher, a folder or a tearer, a roller, smoother or twister?

Happy Easter!

If you can’t get to Greytown soon, you can order the full range of Schoc Chocolates online.

Posted in Chocolate, Food & Wine, New Zealand, Travel | Tagged Chocolate, Easter, Greytown, New Zealand, travel | 1 Comment

Donning a dirndl – Austrian dress ups

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Briar's Travel Beat

I love fashion and dressing for the occasion, but I’m not into fancy dress, so popping on a national costume and waltzing around town while on holiday sounds downright cringe-worthy. But this week I’ve had reason to change my mind.

Here I am wearing a dirndl

At a Sydney lunch hosted by Austrian Tourism I was persuaded to don a dirndl – the Austrian national women’s dress (think buxom fräulein waitressing at beer festivals).

While the dirndl, and lederhosen for men, might have come from humble origins – they originated as farm workers’ clothes in the 1850s – they became fashionable in the 1880s when Emperor Franz Joseph paraded around Vienna in lederhosen after a holiday in the Salzburg Lake District. The dirndl has since become ingrained in Austrian culture, and most women have at least one in their wardrobe.

The dirndl consists of a puffed sleeve blouse worn underneath a full-skirted dress with a very tight bodice buttoned at the front to accentuate the bust. Over this goes an apron and often there are petticoats underneath. The traditional dirndl has a green bodice and the original farm workers’ skirts were hemmed with black fabric so as not to show the dirt.

On the left is a modern take on the dirndl while the one on the right is a dressier version of the traditional dirndl

Where you tie the apron bow hints at how playful you’re feeling – something I didn’t learn until after I had tied mine. If you’re married you tie the bow on the right; if you’re available, or feeling flirty, you tie it on the left. I’d tied mine exactly in the middle!

The dirndl is having a renaissance thanks to trendy young designers like Lena Hoschek and is the theme of the Sydney ‘Dirndl Temptation – Dare to flirt back’ campaign being run by the Austrian National Tourist Office. (Check this out quickly for a chance to flirt with the dirndl ambassadors and win a trip to Austria.)

Wearing a dirndl in Sydney opened a window into Austrian culture, but wearing one in Austria can be an empowering experience, as my equally skeptical friend and colleague, Kay O’Sullivan, discovered in the Austrian village of Hallstatt. You can read her delightful story on The Hoopla.

Some Austrian good cheer in Sydney

I can’t say I felt as sexy as Kay in my dirndl, because mine was a bit loose. The bodice wasn’t as breath-restrictingly tight as it should be, so I didn’t get the breast ‘uplift’ I so desperately need. But it was certainly fun to flounce around in a long skirt – and check out my mates in their lederhosen.

As Kay says, national costumes don’t always export well, but in their country of origin they can offer unexpected cultural insight. So when in Austria, strip off those inhibitions and squeeze into a dirndl.

See Dirndl to Go if you’d like to don a dirndl in Hallstatt.

The team from the Austrian National Tourism Office looking chic in their national costume

Posted in Austria, Fashion, Travel | Tagged dirndl, Hallstatt, travel | 4 Comments

Sandstorm of Fairytales & Fables in Windsor

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Briar's Travel Beat

Sandis Kondis’ Gollum was immediately recognisable

The Pied Piper of Hamelin, Narcissus, Gollum, Icarus and other fabled creatures have come to life under the shady jacarandas, oaks and pepper trees on the banks of the Hawkesbury River at Windsor, in Sydney’s northwest, for the 2^nd Hawkesbury International Sand Sculpting Championship.

Fourteen professional sculptors from Portugal, Latvia, Belgium, USA, England, the Netherlands, Czech Republic and Australia have each shovelled, chiselled, carved and scraped 20 tonnes of sand into intricate sculptures depicting characters from this year’s theme of fairytales and fables.

Jakub Zimacek works from drawings for his wolf.

Sculptors had from January 10-13 to complete their works, which remain on display until January 28. My son and I visited on the second day of competition to see the artists at work and watch the sculptures take shape. (An added bonus of visiting during the competition is free return entry to see the finished sculptures.)

Some sculptures were well underway and immediately recognisable, while others were still a long way from finished. But it’s amazing how quickly some of the artists work. Tickets allow multiple same day visits and when we returned after lunch in town we noticed several sculptures had evolved considerably.

Queen of the Sea by Joris Kivits

Some artists worked from sketches or photos, others from images in their minds. Most chose well-known stories form Greek legends or Aesop’s Fables, while others, like Joris Kivits from the Netherlands, made up their own fairytales. His half-woman, half-octopus ‘queen of the sea’ was brought to life to save the world from Ariel, who grew to be a problem child. Even before it was finished this machinegun-wielding octo-girl was my son’s favourite sculpture.

Kids can learn several styles of sand art.

While the competition sculptures are now completed, two sculptors will remain on site until January 28 working on a display piece, so you can still see how a sculpture is created. Once you’ve ogled the professional works kids channel their inner artist and join a sand sculpture workshop, make a sand painting or bottle coloured sand. There’s a giant sandpit for little kids too and tables and chairs under shady trees for an ice cream or picnic.

Maquarie Arms Hotel

There are plenty of eating options just a short walk away in George Street, especially near Thompson’s Square, where you’ll find the historic Macquarie Arms Hotel. While you’re in town visit the Hawkesbury Regional Gallery and the Hawkesbury Regional Museum. The latter houses an exhibit of Windsor’s own fabled flabbit, but that’s another story.

The 2^nd Hawkesbury International Sand Sculpting Championship, Howe Park, Windsor, runs from 10-28 January 2013 and is open from 10am to 7pm daily.

For more things to do in the area visit Hills Hawkesbury & Riverlands Tourism.

Posted in Australia, Hawkesbury, Sydney, Travel | Tagged family fun, Hawkesbury, sand sculpting | Leave a comment

Fashion Forward ‘Dunners’

Posted on November 14, 2012 by Briar's Travel Beat

Attention fashionistas – it’s time to secure tickets to the longest catwalk in the southern hemisphere. Tickets go on sale tomorrow, November 15, for iD Dunedin Fashion Week, being held from 10-17 March 2013 in Dunedin, New Zealand.

Now in its 14th year, iD Dunedin Fashion Week showcases cutting edge kiwi designers and emerging talent from around the world in one fun-filled, champagne-fueled, design-focused week of fashion indulgence. And it’s all open to the general public, not just the fashion elite, and catwalk outfits are available for sale in local boutiques and showrooms.

The whole city embraces the theme with fashion related events from library tours to museum exhibitions, author talks to designer lectures, collection launches to starlight shopping. I was lucky enough to attend iD Fashion week in 2009, as a guest of Tourism Dunedin, and I had a ball. (You can read my article about the event here.)

I was swept up by the excitement that gripped the fashion community and was blown away by the culminating shows, held on the platform of the city’s historic Flemish-Renaissance railway station. Festooned with fairy lights and flowing fabric, the railway platform became a giant fashion saloon with guests sitting in open-sided railway carriages overlooking the 110m catwalk, touted as one of the longest in the world.

Designers like Nom*D, Tamsin Cooper, Mild-Red, Carlson and Charmaine Reveley are regulars at iD and will be in the lineup of 15 designers showing their winter collections at iD 2013, along with capsule collections from recent fashion graduates and the winners from the Emerging Designer Awards.

The Emerging Designer Awards attract entrants from around the world, but this year it was young Australian designers who scooped the prize pool.

While international guest designers for 2013 have not yet been announced, past guests have included Zandra Rhodes and Akira Isogawa.

So why does Dunedin, known locally as ‘Dunners’, with its conservative Scottish heritage, host such a contemporary fashion event? Dunedin is a university town, attracting students from around New Zealand, who make up about one fifth of the population. It is also home to Otago Polytechnic’s School of Fashion and has bred some of New Zealand’s top designers including Nom*D and Zambesi. There’s a subculture that incubates and nurtures design of all descriptions, from fashion to furniture. You can visit artists and designers at work in their studios and workshops and pick up unique items you won’t find anywhere else.

But you don’t have to be a design diva to enjoy Dunedin. Attractions include art, architecture, gardens, wildlife, ice cream and beer. See my article on Dunedin and surrounds for a few holiday ideas and if you’re heading over for iD 2013 you can take in Dunedin’s Fringe Festival too. So gather your girlfriends (or boyfriends – there are men’s collections too) and head to Dunedin for a week of fashion-focused fun. Booking details are on the iD website.

Posted in Fashion, New Zealand, Travel | Tagged Dunedin, fashion, New Zealand, travel | Leave a comment

Travel Writer Gets Lost

Posted on October 22, 2012 by Briar's Travel Beat

As a travel writer it’s a bit embarrassing to admit you’re lost, and sometimes it’s a little bit frightening – although, often the best experiences can come from losing yourself in a destination. I experienced this recently when, travelling alone, I got completely and utterly lost, with no idea where I was, where I was going or how to get where I didn’t know I was going. Thankfully, it wasn’t too traumatic (well maybe just a little), but it was down right hilarious.

Mintaro Maze

I got lost… in a maze. Which is the whole point of mazes I guess.

I was at Mintaro Maze, near Clare in South Australia. Mintaro, population about 90, was once famous for its slate, which was used around the world for billiard table surfaces. Now the tiny town is a state heritage area. Morten Bay figs and gum tress line the main street (more like a country lane) with its bluestone buildings and vine-draped storefronts.

A cheeky gnome

One of the key attractions in town is Mintaro Maze, designed and planted by Michael Morris in 1995. Now the towering Castlewelland Gold conifers make impenetrable walls, herding and drafting visitors through the labyrinth. Cheeky gnomes peek out from under the hedge and fairytale characters ease the frustration of getting lost. And get lost you will. I entered the maze just before closing time, determined to walk it as quickly as possible, but within minutes I was lost – hopelessly, pathetically lost. You can read all about here.

Martindale Hall

Another fascinating place to visit in Mintaro is Martindale Hall, the Georgian-style mansion featured in Peter Weir’s movie Picnic at Hanging Rock. The home, grandly furnished much as past owners left it, is now a museum and heritage accommodation. It’s worth a visit just to see the enormous dining table, but my favourite spot is the smoking room.

The smoking room at Martindale Hall

The smoking room is a veritable museum in itself. It is crammed with artefacts collected from around the world. It’s a tribute to the state govenment, to whom the home was transferred after being willed to the University of Adelaide, that it is available as accommodation. It’s makes the perfect spot for a slumber party or a murder mystery.