Where I’ve Been:

My Favourite; Barcelona:

Last year, I went to my favourite place on earth. On the coast of Catalonia lies the (in my opinion) best city in the world. With a population of 1.6 million living in the city, there is a lot of space. However, there is still a metropolitan atmosphere. Great Spanish architects and artists like Salvador Dalí moved to the city, inspired by other grand European cities and gave the area great, unique buildings like the Sagrada Familia and Guell Park.




http://images59.fotki.com/v459/photos/0/1055340/8281180/2010PCLOC51132-vi.jpg

Like most cities, it is divided in to quarters (although there are many more than four!). These include Gothic, New, Old and Jewish ones. Every area has a mixture of residencial buildings, ecclesiastical facilities, educational areas and historical sites.




http://www.joshuamcveity.ca/data/photos/29_1barcelona_13.jpg

Many of the places that would attract a tourist are free to access (like Guell Park which has escalators up a big hill for easy access) or can be seen partially from the outside (like the Sagrada Familia).

At every corner, there is a piece of history or somebody’s story. It is a very friendly and welcoming place. They love children especially there and most of the city isn’t tourist-y at all.

Been there many times; Lanzarote:

I wrote about Lanzarote in a previous post when I talked about La Graciosa, a remote island in the same biosphere as Lanzarote. But I didn’t talk about what a lovely and unusual place the island of

It is the eastern most of the Canary Islands . These islands are a popular holiday destination located off the West Coast of Northern Africa. It is one of the lesser populated islands with a population of just 139,000. The island has a huge tourism industry.




http://www.spanish-living.com/images/lanzarote_03_Timanfaya,.jpg

Like Spain, Lanzarote attracts tourists because of its year round sunny weather and high, clear, blue skies. There is also a constant breeze, so it is never too hot – even in the height of Summer, but still leaves you with a great tan.


There are five main resorts on the island (Puerto Del Carmen, Arrecife, Costa Teguise, Playa Honda and Playa Blanca). I have been to all of these and have stayed in Costa Teguise three times as well as holidaying Puerto Del Carmen twice.




http://www.spain-lanzarote.com/images/stories/swphotos/38.jpg

The capital Arrecife is like any other Spanish city, but on a smaller scale. That means that is a very friendly place where everyone knows each other. There are plenty of small local shops, businesses and cafes.

Close to home; Ballyheigue, Co. Kerry:

A few summers ago, I spent one of the most boring months of my life in this place only four hours away from home. We stayed as a family on the side of a mountain, half a kilometre away from any town. Our neighbours were grazing cows and half of the time we were in a cloud. The pollen count was ridiculously high, causing most of my family to break out with hay fever. I got sick on three occasions and fell in muddy fields multiple times.

http://www.ballyheiguecastlegolfclub.com/img/castle.jpg

However, its a beautiful place. Albeit isolated, living in a converted barn is an unusual experience that I would definitely revisit.

Life in Kerry is very different to Dublin. Livestock is everywhere in fields, along with crops that favour the wetter weather of the West. The population is less dense than in Dublin because of a lack of employment and facilities. A lot of people live in tiny villages like the one I stayed in - Ballyheigue.




http://www.kerryfineart.com/img/s1/v46/p461153823-3.jpg

It has a beautiful coastline, with high rugged cliffs carved by the Atlantic Ocean, fields upon fields of emerald green grass. The people were nearly always friendly to us and there were a fair few tourist attractions in the county, like the beaches and a chocolate factory.

A long time ago; Dusseldorf, Germany:

About 13 years ago I visited Dusseldorf in the winter. I don't remember much about the trip but the flight was about two hours long to the city on the Rhine. The population is a bit over half the size of Dublin within the city boundaries. The whole time I was there it was bleak and cloudy but there was amazing architecture, a mix of old and modern. The parks were big and easy to access for picnics in the park. The most famous building in the city is the Rheinstrum, near the state parliament.




Addhttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Gehry_photo_office_buildings_river_bank_fa%C3%A7ade_01_D%C3%BCsseldorf_Germany_2005-07-27.jpg caption

Somewhere memorable; Tarragona, Spain:

About an hour by train from Barcelona lies the city of Tarragona. This was a Roman settlement a millennium ago and in the centre and on the coast of Tarragona lies a fortified town. You pay a small fee for all day access to this place but it is not a museum. People actually live in old Roman buildings. Although there are some tourists, it is mainly a place for people to live. Because it is not that touristic, prices are lower than in the surrounding resorts.

My favourite part of the city was visiting old houses. Throughout the centuries, nobles settled in fine mansions within the Roman town that are available to view today. One of these is Maison Castellarnau.


http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/06/6a/ae/da/maison-castellarnau.jpg

Tarragona is most famous for its Castells. You may have seen this before but it is the competition where people build a tower of people. Larger, stronger people go on  bottom, then up to the top a smaller child climbs to hold up a flag. These can reach up to 500 people in one tower.


http://www.versionoriginalbcn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/extensive-spanish-course-castells-2.jpg

Another amazing part of Tarragona is the Catedral Basilica Metropolitana Primada de Tarragona. It is absolutely huge, with rooms upon rooms of treasures, jewels and gold. Its Romanesque architecture makes it one of the most famous churches in the region. Some of the rooms are even locked because there would be too many to see during a tour.

Other places to consider visiting:

·       Brittas Bay, Co. Wicklow.

·       Tenerife, Canary Islands.

·       Fuerteventura, Canary Islands.

·       Gran Canaria, Canary Islands.

·       London, United Kingdom.

·       Belfast, United Kingdom.

·       Cornwall, United Kingdom.

·       Cardiff, United Kingdom.

·       Birmingham, United Kingdom.

·       Co. Antrim, United Kingdom.

·       Southern Sweden.

Ittoqqortoormiit I, the arrival

A Festival for Every Season:

In this post, I am going to tell you about a famous festival for each season of the year.

1.    Autumn; Diwali, India:

The history of this autumnal festival most likely dates back to ancient India when it might have been a harvest festival. Some people say it is about Lord Vishnu marrying Lakshmi. Some might say that it celebrates Lord Rama’s return from exile.

Diwali is also known as Divali or Deepavali and it is the Hindu festival of lights. Every autumn, it is celebrated. The importance of it is light winning over darkness, good beating the bad and hope triumphing over despair. The festival (including preparation) is five days long. Indian schoolchildren get ten whole days off for it! Many tourists flock to India each year. Diwali is celebrated by Hindus from all over the world.

http://www.vedicodyssey.com/images/blog/2010-blog/101104-golden-temple-diwali/01-golden-temple-diwali.jpg

 A typical Diwali would go something like this:

Day 1: (Dhanteras). On this day, the Goddess of Wealth (Lakshmi) is celebrated. A lamp is lit in people’s houses and Dhan-Lakshmi is welcomed to their houses. Alpana and Ringoli designs welcome Lakshmi in to people’s houses. Some people buy jewellery of gold or silver. Some people gamble. People sing hymns to Lakshmi and offer food.

Day 2: (Choti Diwali). According to legend, on this day Lord Krishna got rid of a demon Narakasur and from then on the world no longer had fear. This day is for relaxation. Many people relax with baths, massages and oils. This is so that the rest of Diwali can be celebrated well and properly.

Day 3: (Diwali). The way in to people’s homes are is lit up and has patterns. Lakshmi and Vishnu are welcomed and Lakshmi Puja is done on this day.

Day 4: (Bestavarsh). This is spiritual harvest day and the last day for Hindu business.

Day 5: (Bhaj Dooj). This day is technically after Diwali. Brothers go to the house of their sisters and the brother gets teeka put on his forehead.

http://funnyneel.com/image/files/i/12-2013/rangoli-design-diwali.jpg

Some places to go for Diwali in India are Jaipur, Goa, Varanasi and Amritsar. In Jaipur, the markets are lit up wonderfully. In Goa, you can gamble and watch the demon get burned. In Varanasi, you can watch fireworks over the Ganges and in Amritsar, you can celebrate Diwali with Sikhs.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/11/14/article-2232645-1603505A000005DC-868_634x417.jpg

In other places like Belfast, Dublin and London there are also Diwali celebrations that you can visit.

2.    Winter; Hogmanay, Scotland:

Hogmanay is New Year’s Eve, and Hogmanay means last day of the year. It is a combination of Samhain, (Halloween), the Winter Solstice, Yule (Vikings) and the Twelve Days of Christmas.

On New Year’s Eve, a lot of people sing Auld Lang Syne. This originated in Hogmanay. Typically, people go out to celebrate by drinking past midnight. Some people continue to do this until 2 January, when there is a national holiday in Scotland.

http://www.itravelbritain.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Hogmanay-Fireworks1.jpg

The most widely used custom is first-footing. This is when you are the first person to go over the threshold of someone’s house, bearing a gift, which could be something like salt. This gives you luck for the rest of the year.

http://www.rampantscotland.com/know/graphics/concert1.jpg

Many people flock to Edinburgh (the capital of Scotland) for the New Year Celebration.

3.    Spring; Carnival of Venice, Italy:

This runs from the 31^st January to 17^th February is covered with history. It was, in the past, the last party before Lent and some people say it is tied to Pagan events. This is similar to Mardi Gras and Shrove Tuesday. This is because the parties were often held to get rid of fatty, indulgent foods before Lent. In the 13^th century, there is evidence of maskwearing at this festival. That is what the event is most famous for. Wearing a mask was popular in Venice’s history but was prohibited to three months of the year by the 18^th century.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q7x0tT-xBTc/UaI1Q35vENI/AAAAAAAAT8I/Dtd3KP-AudE/s640/DSC04384.jpg

Citizens of Venice would go to the Palazzo Ducale to greet Doge. These could be rich merchants, the most respected of monarchs or even factory workers. They all wore a disguise. To this day, there is a masked ball in the Palazzo of Venice which carries on the tradition. People dress up in all of their finery and masks for a night of mischief and disguise.

Private companies organise balls that anyone can attend in beautiful palaces all around Venice. You can buy costumes for them all around the city during the event.

Volo Dell’Angelo takes place the first Sunday of the carnival. A young acrobat walks a tightrope across the square to the Palazzo and showers the Doge with gifts and the crowd with confetti. At one point, this was done with a wooden dove.

http://image.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/94416/94416,1265747252,1/stock-photo-traditional-venetian-masks-46334014.jpg

Galani and Frittelle are the foods of the carnival. Galani are sweet, fried, thin pastry strips that look like poppadoms. Frittelli are small, round doughnuts.

However, you must book early and in advance because it is one of the busiest times of the year in Venice.

4.    Summer; Independence Day:

The Fourth of July commemorates the anniversary of America getting independence from Great Britain. It is probably the most famous revolution, and celebration of revolution to this day. In the USA, it is a national holiday.

In the past, many people celebrate this day the night before with mass gatherings and bonfires. There were often competitions for the highest bonfire (40 barrels is the highest to date).

http://www.ohanafun.net/UserFiles/Image/tours/15-4th-of-july-fireworks.jpg

Most people celebrate the day off with parades, picnics and fireworks. The colours of the festival are red, white and blue. These are also the colours of the American flag. As fireworks are lit, Americans like to sing patriotic songs like Yankee Doodle and the Star Spangled Banner.

Dark Tourism:

What is Dark Tourism? Dark Tourism is tourism that involves travelling to places that are associated with suffering and death.

A few years ago, I read a book called the Dark Tourist by Dom Joly. This book was absolutely fascinating to me because I had never opened my eyes to any places other than Spain, Wales and Lanzarote for a holiday. I thought that travel was supposed to be all about a sun or ski holiday. But the Dark Tourist showed me that there are other, slightly darker options.

http://toomanyposts.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/the-dark-tourist.jpg

The Dark Tourist brought me to some unusual places – the Killing Fields of Cambodia, Chernobyl in the Ukraine and Auschwitz in Poland. But I’m not here to write a book review. I’m here to write about the geography of Dark Tourism.

There is an Institute for Dark Tourism Research (IDTR) in the University of Lancashire led by Dr Phillip Stone. Along with other academic and medial interest in the subject of Dark Tourism, the phenomenon has become very popular and well known.

Dark tourism is also known as thanatourism. The two phrases mean the exact same thing. Thanatourism comes from the Greek word for death – Thanatos, and thanatourism means travelling to places that are associated with death and suffering.

http://sydney.edu.au/museums/images/content/exhibitions-events/Lego-pompeii/lego-pompeii-banner.jpg

Some dark destinations you might never have considered to be ‘dark’. Pompeii could be one of those. The eruption of Mount Etna occurred so long ago that I think we feel detached to it, because none of us have a personal connection to it like we do with 9-11 or the Holocaust. In fact, some people even see the city of Pompeii as a place of beauty – with Roman architecture and history, it is an ancient civilisation frozen in time. If it weren’t for science and historic records, that is what I would see the place as. However, because Pompeii is a place associated with the death and suffering of thousands because a nearby volcano destroyed the town, I do not.

http://www.krakowtraveltours.com/uploads/travel_images/auschwitz5.jpg

Other places you probably most definitely associated with Dark Tourism. One of those is Auschwitz-Birkenau – a disused concentration camp in Oświęcim, Poland. Up to 1,000,000 victims of the Nazis were killed there (there are no actual records). That is one sixth of Jewish extermination camp casualties in World War II.

Medical experiments like injecting women’s uteruses with chemicals in an effort to seal them off and prevent reproduction or using x-rays to try to sterilize Jews took place in Auschwitz. Now, many people go to Auschwitz for a tour. There is a rumour that birds do not sing when they are in the camp.

http://www.wice-paris.org/Resources/Pictures/Visits/perelachaise.jpg

Some cemeteries are considered to be dark tourism sites because of who is buried there. One of such places in the Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, France. Famous and rich people such as Edith Piaf, Oscar Wild, Frederic Chopin and Jim Morrison are buried there.

Old gaols are also considered to be places of dark tourism. In Wicklow, Wicklow Gaol provides a spooky tour through the unused prison with actors in old clothing, creepy wax figures and damp, old classrooms where child prisoners were taught. You can visit the cells and see where people were executed. Melbourne Gaol in Australia is also considered a dark destination. This was the place for 135 executions and happens to be one of the most popular tourist activities in Melbourne.

http://img.thesun.co.uk/aidemitlum/archive/01611/HALLS-620_1611307a.jpg

You may have noticed that nearly all of the places I have mentioned are to do with history. It’s true that most places with Dark Tourism are to do with their past. Most of the destinations are not still associated with present day pain, death and suffering.

http://media.komonews.com/images/120515_nkorea_stage_2.jpg

However, there are always exceptions to a rule. The whole country of North Korea is considered to be part of Dark  Tourism. This is due to the secrecy that surrounds the country and the rumours that have risen due to the privacy of North Korea. Concentration Camps, lovingly named with just numbers are one of the rumours. These camps are allegedly where whole families of comrades of DPR Korea, and their grandchildren’s grandchildren are locked away for life. Starved, beaten and tortured they only know suffering for their entire lives. Many people say this is to show the other people in North Korea a lesson.

Along with dark tourism, there are other types of ‘unusual’ tourism. Slum tourism involves visiting poor areas like the favelas of Brazilian cities or the slums of Mumbai. In the 19^th century, Manhattan and London were popular. Originally, people wanted to see ‘how the other half lives.’ In the 1980s, black people in South Africa organised tours for whites from the government to see how they were being treated.

http://www.tourism-review.com/temp/page_detail_zoom_1912.jpg

Another type of deathly tourism is war tourism. This is when you visit a war site for recreational purposes. Disaster tourism is when you visit a place where a disaster, such as an earthquake has occurred to quench your curiosity.

Some people do not specifically go on dark tourism holidays. Often, people mix in a day of visiting a dark place with the rest of their holiday. An example of this would be in Chernobyl. Due to the radioactivity in the area, you can only stay for a few hours. However, with travel that ends up being a whole day of your holiday.

Dark tourism can also be dangerous. Like I mentioned above, you can go to nuclear sites or to areas with strict governments that could imprison you like North Korea. Recently, a journalist was imprisoned in North Korea who was working for a cable show.

Challenge Yourself; The Most Difficult To Get To Places On Earth:

In this post, I thought I would talk about places that are hard to find or are treacherous to access, for the traveller looking for more of a challenge.

1.   Fanad Lighthouse/Head, Co. Donegal, Ireland:

To start, I thought I’d mention somewhere in Ireland. Even though it may not be the remotest place to get to and there are actually roads that lead to it, it is worth mentioning.

http://www.garethmccormack.com/media/images/stock_images/DON1000_watermark_image.jpg

Fanad Lighthouse is located 55°16′45″N right at the top of Donegal. The nearest town is Ramelton, which is 25km away. The place is ancient, there is evidence of ancient civilisation during the Mesolithic period (3,800 – 3,200 BC). Fanad  is actually a peninsula and has its own GAA club.

Google Maps tells us that it will take four to five hours to reach Fanad Lighthouse from Dublin.  This would be via toll roads, the M1, N2, Northern Ireland and private roads (which could result in major detours).

http://www.donegalcottageholidays.com/towns/images/fanad.jpg

2. La Graciosa, Canary Islands:

Although the Canary Islands are a popular tourist destination, two of the islands do not have airports. One of those is La Graciosa, the smallest and most northern of the islands. La Graciosa isn’t only difficult to get to, access to the island is very restricted. Apart from the capital (Caleta del Sebo), a tiny fishing village further north and the beaches with designated routes to them, you can’t go anywhere on the island. To get to the island, you can fly to Arrecife, Lanzarote’s capital which is a four hour flight from Dublin. From there, you must drive halfway up the island to a small town called Orzola. There is a half hour boat ride from there to Caleta del Sebo.

http://enjoylanzarote.net/beach/el-salado/

The island is an archipelago as it is counted as part of Lanzarote. There is no place in the world that looks anything like La Graciosa – not even its neighbouring islands can match the dirty, sandy  29 km ²  landscape with four dormant volcanoes and rare flora and fauna.

It is one of the few places in Europe left with dirt roads (the few buildings are all on a beach). Only designated drivers with government issued licenses can drive you anywhere. The population is 700, and many people don’t even live there full time.

http://bloglanzarote.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/la-graciosa-pueblo.jpg

I have actually visited the island for a day and it’s gorgeous – golden beaches, a turquoise sea and a friendly people. However, the economy relies on tourists brought over by two boating companies and the island needs to develop more.

3. Ittoqqortoormiit, Greenland:

Most people are aware that Greenland is the largest, most dispersedly populated island in the world. However, the town of Ittoqqortoormiit is one of the loneliest, most difficult to reach places on earth. It has a municipality the size of England – but with a population of 500, that gives each person 150 square miles to themselves.

http://www.icemanpolar.com/wp-content/themes/icemanpolar/images/ittoqqortoormiit.jpg

The town is fishing/hunting village on the east coast. Greenland’s eight airports are all on the east coast of the country or right down in the south. So with the village being on the eastern side, you can imagine how difficult it is to get through the snow and ice all the way across the largest island in the world.

http://www.sermersooq.com/typo3temp/pics/b15d9e93aa.jpg

Ittoqqortoormiit was once called Scoresbysund. When translated in to English, that means Constable Point. Air Iceland has actually started to encourage tourists to visit the region, with helicopter flights and airplane rides to the nearest airport being offered. There, they say ‘there are many possibilities to ski, hike and fish.’

4. Kerguelen Islands:

Some people call the Kerguelens the ‘Desolation Islands’, with good reason to do so. To get there, you can fly to Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris. Then, you take a flight to Mauritius or Madagascar. From there, you must go to Reunion Island. This takes nearly 22 hours! From Reunion Island, there is a boat which takes six days to reach the Kerguelen Islands.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/Kerguelen_Map.png

So, in other words, you can travel to the islands and back in just a fortnight!

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QGYevECZqnA/UUZBo8sToBI/AAAAAAAARjg/fvAXXJWONmQ/s1600/monts+simoun+et+diane.jpg

Although there are no natives living there, in a fashion similar to Antarctica there are scientists and engineers who research the islands all year round. French has claimed the area as their territory. The only actual population is a breed of cattle which are endangered in Madagascar. There is one main island – Grand Terre which is surrounded by another 300 or so smaller islands.

5. Motuo County, China:

For my last place, I thought I would talk about somewhere that isn’t a remote island. Motuo County has been claimed as the last place in China to be left untouched. Located in the southeast of Tibet, in south west of China, the county is the only place in China without road access.

Add cahttp://news.cultural-china.com/chinaWH/upload/motuo1.jpgption

In 2010, the Chinese Government said decided to build a motorway to Motuo because it was the last county in China without one. However, after spending millions the government has decided that is nearly impossible to make a road to get there. In fact, in the 90s, the government made a makeshift road to get there which last three days due to avalanches and mudslides.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Wu-vkS3NG9U/TgrhWCjx_tI/AAAAAAAAANQ/Hk5zucnwVjY/s320/MOTUO.jpg

To visit, you can only try safely in November because of the weather (avalanches, mudslides, rocks falling, torrential rain, slipping and leeches). Generally, hikers go to Pai in northern Thailand to start their journey. To get to Pai, you fly to Chiang Mai Airport which takes 16 hours and 30 minutes, with stopovers in Munich and Bangkok. From the airport, it is a four hour drive with minimum traffic to Pai Town. After Pai Town, you can get to the Hidden Lotus (Motuo) in just four days. There are four stopovers, one each day trekking through the Himalayas. After four days, there is a terrifying walk over a 200m long suspension bridge.