POSH PICNICS IN LONDON'S PARKS

Happy Summer! Make the most of these last couple months of sunny weather and enjoy a luxurious picnic in one of London’s beautiful parks this summer.

You won’t need to worry about packing your own basket as there is a huge selection of decadent, ready-made picnic hampers on offer. Say good-bye to bland picnic tastings and open a basket of gourmet selections from some of London’s most notable places. Fortnum & Mason offers a fresh picnic hamper that includes the finest breads, salads, meats and fish, plus a bottle or two of wine or chilled wine.

Looking to take a British tradition outside? The Langham’s renowned afternoon tea complete with sandwiches, homemade scones, and pastries can be packed up and enjoyed under the sun in Regent’s Park.

Fortnum & Mason, telephone:  (44) 20 7734 8040, http://www.fortnumandmason.com/
The Langham (London's luxury hotel), telephone: (44) 20 7636 1000, fax: (44) 20 7323 2340, http://www.london.langhamhotels.co.uk/

From Visit Britain, http://www.visitbritain.ca/.

From Visit Britain

SOUTH AFRICA, SAFARI LAND

A South Africa safari is a blend of the civilized ‘Old World Africa’ and a modern developed nation. In South Africa you can escape into the solitude of the African wilderness and return within hours to cosmopolitan and vibrant urban environments where you enjoy the finest world-class accommodations and coastal cuisine complimented by select regional wines.

South Africa is a world in one country containing more species of native flowers on the Cape Peninsula than throughout North America or Europe.

One of the world’s oldest and biggest parks, Kruger National Park and the surrounding conservation reserves protect a diversity of ecosystems harboring the greatest variety of animals in Southern Africa including more than 500 bird and 49 fish species.

The Xhosa, Zulu and other ethnic groups present exciting cross-cultural opportunities, including emerging township tourism that takes you into the homes and schools of these communities.

Embraced by both the Atlantic and Indian oceans, the beaches are ideal for relaxation after your safari and snorkeling or SCUBA diving among the varied marine life. Travel to South Africa by joining one of Wildland Adventures scheduled departures or ask them to plan a custom trip.

From Wildland Adventures, telephone: (206) 365 0686, e-mail: info@wildland.com, http://www.wildland.com/

NORTHERN IRELAND'S DERRY~LONDONDERRY TO BE UK CITY OF CULTURE IN 2013

Derry~Londonderry made history recently when it won the bid to be the first ever UK City of Culture. The Northern Ireland City will take its prestigious title in 2013 after winning the judging panel’s vote, having been shortlisted among three other cities; Birmingham, Norwich and Sheffield.


The momentous win means that in 2013 Derry~Londonderry will play host to a year-long celebration of culture in the city, opening its doors to visitors from across the world. It is anticipated that people will come in their thousands to experience the cultural life that has been at Derry’s heart for generations.

The City got great support in its bid to showcase its potential as a cultural capital, not only from locals and politicians, but also from some of its most loved celebrities. Liam Neeson, Seamus Heaney and Gabriel Byrne, to name just three came out in support of their hometown, with Heaney noting “the strength of Derry’s application is based on more than words” and Byrne adding “Derry has emerged from the shadows of the recent past and is undergoing something of a renaissance and, for a city of its size it has an extraordinary array of arts and facilities”.

“A historic city with a modern outlook, the walled city of Londonderry is one of Northern Ireland’s most exciting destinations, and with this well-deserved title Canadians will have yet another reason to visit”, says Jayne Shackleford, Manager of Tourism Ireland in Canada.

From Tourism Ireland, Canada

ENGLAND’S HISTORIC GARDENS

NYMANS IN WEST SUSSEX

Home of the Messel family since 1890, Nymans is now one of the vast accumulation of holdings owned by the National Trust.

As we saunter along the ‘Lime Walk’ on a spring day, it seems as if Nymans is sleeping. Lowering clouds give the garden and the burnt-out shell of the manor house a haunted appearance. On a lawn, smooth as a bowling green, the spiky silhouette of a solitary Monkey Puzzle tree seems to pierce the clouds.

Along a winding path, flowering camellias in dense clumps grow beside a cherry tree heavy with blossom. Snowy white doves flutter overhead and alight on a dovecot to preen and twitter. Around us the grass is awash with daffodils and narcissi.

In the 'Wall Garden' liquid wisps trickle from the grotesque carved faces adorning the overflowing Verona marble fountain. With pouting lips and bulbous eyes, the faces have a strange but fascinating attraction.

In June the ‘Rose Garden’ will be transformed into a perfumed haven of old-fashioned roses collected over centuries from English, French and Italian gardens. At their peak their lush blossoms tumble from pillars, pergolas and arbors.

As the seasons change in the ‘Wall Garden’, the ‘Summer Border’ steals the show. Jewel-coloured dahlias, goldenrod, black-eyed Susan and globe flowers line the paths that lead up to the fountain and topiary sculptures.

For those who prefer a more natural garden there is 'The Rough'. This area as well as others was seriously damaged during the Great Storm of 1987. Four hundred and eighty six trees fell to the storm in the path of hurricane force winds that rampaged through Nymans and other English gardens. For decades these sheltered wild places had known only gentle rains and the occasional brisk wind.

But to every cloud there is a silver lining. For 200 years the woodland at Nymans had grown unchecked. The devastation of the storm allowed light and sun to penetrate those dark and shaded places beneath overgrown trees, and the forest soaked it in and flourished.

There is much to see in Nymans garden. ‘The Pinetum’, almost completely destroyed in the Great Storm but since replanted with maples, conifers and birch, lives again. The 'Heather Garden', designed and planted in the early 1900s by Ludwig Messel was one of the first of its kind in England. And the 'Knot Garden', in the style of the Tudors, is a planting of tall stately lupines and delphiniums with roses edged with box.

NYMANS GARDEN, Handcross, nr. Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH17 6EB. Telephone: 011 44 444 405250. Owned by the National Trust this garden is open weekdays, March - October from 11 am – 6 pm, weekends in January and February, 11 am - 4 pm.

Inverary Castle, seat of the Dukes of Argyll

HAUNTED CASTLES, CROWS AND GHOSTS – SCOTLAND AND ITS EERIE PAST


As we approached Tulloch Castle black crows swept in a coordinated mass around the 13th century castle tower shrieking like banshees pursued by the devil. Tulloch Castle’s ghost is a young woman known as the Green Lady. Her place of haunting is Bedchamber 8 and she usually appears when it is occupied by a solitary male.

In the recent past a petrified guest burst into the castle’s public rooms late at night, sweating, trembling and hysterical. He awoke he said, to find the Green lady kneeling on his chest with her hands tightly clasped around his neck. He insisted on checking out of the castle immediately and subsequently sold his story to the News of the World where it appeared on the front page!

Glamis Castle, childhood home of the late Queen Mother and one of the most beautiful castles in Scotland was described to me by a Scot as ‘really weird’. Its phantoms are many and legendary and include Janet Douglas, wife of the 6th Lord Glamis. Running foul of King James V, she was accused of witchcraft. After a lengthy incarceration in a pit in Edinburgh Castle, she was burned alive on Castle Hill. To this day her spirit haunts the chapel at Glamis; the sun shining right through her transparent figure as she kneels praying in one of the chapel pews.

The crypt in Glamis Castle was for me a particularly eerie place. With its 10 foot thick walls, suits of armour, animal trophies and low barrel-vaulted stone ceiling it is straight out of the Middle Ages and an apt setting for a haunting. In a secret chamber within its walls, the Lord of Glamis and the Earl of Crawford, known as Earle Beardie are said to have played cards with the devil. 300 years after the infamous card game the chamber was sealed but the spectre of Earl Beardie continues to appear.

For those skeptics who believe that disembodied heads floating in mid-air, headless horsemen and drummers, phantom pipers and ghosts are merely a figment of the imagination, read those oft quoted words of the bard William Shakespeare,

 "There are more things in Heaven and on Earth than you have ever
  dreamed of in your philosophy”……

From Anne, “World Travel with Anne”

“A RAFTING TRIP ON THE MARTHA BRAE; A SPECIAL JAMAICA EXPERIENCE”


Clambering aboard a 10-metre long raft fashioned from bamboo, Nicole Boulanger and I settled on a seat for two on a raised platform. Our craft was a Jamaican style gondola; our 'gondolier', a cheery Captain Sewell positioned on the front of the raft wielding a four-metre long pole. Dressed in a floppy shirt and shorts, with a gap-toothed grin, our gallant man Sewell was an eloquent guide.

Sensing my interest in the environment as we floated in a haze of tranquility down the river, Sewell pulled over to the river bank. “See that little plant, touch it and something strange will happen”. I did, and its delicate leaves folded immediately. “It's a sensitive plant” claimed Sewell. “We call it ‘Shy Lady’”.

Puzzled about the black birds hovering overhead, Sewell explained. “They’re turkey buzzards. We call them Jancrow”. The birds were named for the Revd. John Crow who, when he preached a sermon leaned on his pulpit in a voluminous black gown, looking for all the world like a Jancrow spreading its wings to dry in the morning.

A loud creaking in a thicket of bamboo brought another snippet of enlightenment. “Hear that bamboo swaying in the wind. They grow up to three inches in 24 hours.”

Our tranquil reverie was soon to be disturbed. Was that a Bob Marley wannebe catching up on us? The familiar notes of ‘One Love’ floated on the breeze as two of our companions, Joe and Sophy, drifted around the bend on another raft captained by a Jamaican with Rastafarian locks tucked tightly into a bulging hat. Captain Murphy, head back and in full voice, was entertaining our friends with his repertoire of ballads composed by the greatest reggae singer of all time.

Goats, like curious children attracted by the song, flocked to the river’s edge to watch us go by. Surprisingly the animals seemed undeterred by a fire with flames leaping 10-metres into the brush beside us. Huge plumes of smoke billowed across the river. The heat swirled around us scattering ash on our clothes and hair. With its onslaught, trees and grass crackled, curled and blackened as we watched.

Seeking to alleviate an outbreak of fire phobia, Sewell reassured us with Jamaica's favourite saying. “ No problem mon. Burning is good here. We do it every year. It helps the grass grow.”

After an hour or so of poleing, Captain Sewell settled at our feet, opened a plastic bag tucked under our seat and proceeded to carve an intricate design on a calabash gourd. His work was beautifully executed with no more than a pocket knife.

Upon completion, he thumped his delicate-looking artwork against the raft's bamboo poles, showing me that it would be quite safe to take home in my suitcase. “Just stuff it with your underwear,” he said.

A daylight rafting trip on the Martha Brae is a special Jamaica experience, but for a truly magical encounter, an evening trip to the mouth of this mysterious river is guaranteed to take your breath away.

The Luminous Lagoon is one of only four places in the world where in its brakish waters millions of phosphorescent microbes are stirred to life by the movement of the tides, filling the dark surface with twinkling light. A swim in the Luminous Lagoon - and this is encouraged - could be likened to bathing in a sea of stars.


From Anne, “World Travel with Anne

DUBLIN NAMED UNESCO CITY OF LITERATURE


Dublin has been designated a city of literature by the cultural arm of the United Nations, UNESCO, making it just the fourth city in the world to receive this award!

“The city of Dublin attracts visitors from around the world for its heritage attractions, cosmopolitan feel and friendliness,” says Jayne Shackleford, Manager of Tourism Ireland in Canada. “Tourism Ireland is delighted that Dublin is now formally recognized for its rich literary culture and can now join Edinburgh, Iowa City and Melbourne as a recipient of this permanent title.”

This accolade recognises Dublin’s diverse cultural profile and international standing as a city of past and present literary excellence, with such literary greats as Oscar Wilde (his image in the above photograph), Shaw, Swift and Joyce, and contemporary writers Colm Tóibin, Roddy Doyle and Anne Enright to name a few. It also serves as confirmation of Ireland’s standing as a creative, vibrant and dynamic nation. To celebrate, the city has launched an official website – www.dublincityofliterature.ie – to showcase all of the exciting literary events, attractions and heritage available to visitors in Dublin and other towns and cities throughout the island.

Must-see events and attractions include the Dublin Book Festival (March), the month-long One City, One Book festival (April), the Dublin Writers Festival (June), Bloomsweek (June) and the Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival (September). Book lovers can also enjoy the same ambiance as their favourite author or character at one of Dublin’s many literary pubs. For the full listing of festival and events throughout the island of Ireland visit www.discoverireland.com/festivals.