Choosing Planes, Ships, Trains, Buses or Automobiles

Our six-week European Swing was designed around my daughter’s wedding in Scotland’s Guthrie Castle. It was indeed memorable. But it was also highly educational. It gave us a great view of the differences among the different modes of transportation.

The first two weeks were in Scandinavia and Russia through a combination of airplanes and a ferry (from Finland to Russia) to transfer from one country to another. We used public transportation in Oslo, Helsinki, and Stockholm. In St. Petersburg, we were on a bus excursion from the ferry. We found that car rentals and fuel were sky-high.

The next two weeks were spent on an MV Explorer cruise through Denmark, Scotland, Iceland, Ireland, and England. We embarked in Stockholm, Sweden, did city walking tours in Copenhagen, Denmark, Lerwich, Scotland, Isofjordur, Iceland, and Belfast, Northern Ireland, and took bus excursions for Rekjavik and Akureyri, Iceland.

The last two weeks were in the UK. We disembarked in Southampton, England. It was a Sunday and car rental companies were closed during the season because their entire fleet would have been rented out for the weekend to be returned only on the following Monday.  So besides car rentals, we used trains (and other modes) for road trips across the UK.

First, when it was just my husband and I, we walked the towns and used trains from Southampton to Brighton, Brighton to Canterbury, and Canterbury to Gatwick. That’s the airport where we picked up my daughter and her two daughters.

The five of us then rented a Renault Captur, big enough to carry us and five bags. In two days, we covered Stonehenge, Salisbury, and Bath from our hotel  in Warminster. Then we toured the Cotswolds and southwestern Wales from an Airbnb in Cheltenham for the next two days. On the last day, we visited Windsor Castle from Heathrow Lodge.

Third, after my daughter’s wedding, we joined our BFFs and partners using trains, buses, a private car, cabs, and the tube, whatever was appropriate and available, touring London, Liverpool, and Edinburgh. 

Here is what we learned. Cruise ships can be the least expensive mode, especially if you get a highly discounted one like we did through Groupon. Organized excursions, however, can dramatically raise the cost. Use them when necessary and explore by yourselves, whenever possible. The biggest drawback, however, is you get the least sense of a place and people with just 8 hours at port. But if you are a foodie, you can get the best variety and quantity of food on a cruise ship. There is also a ready like-minded community to travel with. Finally, there is no need to pack or unpack!

Planes, trains, cabs, and buses are less convenient, having to haul luggage through different means of transfers, especially on windy, damp, and cold days. But these road trips can give you the best sense of place and people because you can stay as long as you want. The longer you stay, the cheaper the lodging becomes.

Even if you must drive, a road trip by car may be even more cost-effective (car rentals become cheaper the longer the period), as long as parking fees and the cost of fuel aren’t exorbitant. But maybe not in the UK since driving is on the wrong side of the road, the back roads are very narrow, and the speed limits are higher than those in the US. It can sometimes be quite scary!

We concluded that a road trip gives you the best sense of place and people. We always prefer to travel by car but if fuel and parking costs are not reasonable or driving conditions are unfamiliar, then trains, buses, and planes are the next best. We will reserve cruise ships only as an exception. One such exception is short ferries from one country to another. But when in town, walk around and use public transportation!  

            

TRAVEL AWAITS: The Highways In America (And Around The World) That Will Sing To You

The complete article appeared in Travel Awaits on July 4, 2021. This post highlights the three places in America that have a musical road. 

'Musical roads are created from strips or grooves on roads that make sounds when a car crosses them. Rumble strips are used to alert drivers that they’re getting too close to the edge of their lanes. The other kind, transverse strips, cross the entire road and are used to signal drivers to slow down. It wasn’t long before enterprising individuals realized that it doesn’t have to be noise that would alert drivers. In fact, varying the length and distance of the strips or grooves from each other can often create melodies when cars roll over them. Such music will not only alert but also entertain drivers as well as their passengers."

1. Lancaster, California: sings the “William Tell Overture” when we drove over it at a steady 50 miles per hour.

"Originally built on Avenue K on September 5, 2008, it was paved over just 18 days later after nearby residents complained about the level of noise. The city recreated it on October 15 on Avenue G, in the far left lane of the westbound side of the road, 2 miles farther away from any residence. It is named after Honda Civic, the brand that sponsored and featured it in its commercials at the time. The rhythm is recognizable, but the intervals are a little too far off so the resemblance is slight. Still, the experience is exhilarating. It thrilled us no end, so we drove over it several times!"

2. Tijeras, New Mexico: plays “America the Beautiful” if you drive at a steady 45 miles per hour. 

"Labeled NM (or Route) 333, it is a bit hard to find but we finally did, between miles 4 and 5, eastbound on a two-lane diversionary stretch of the historic U.S. Route 66 just off I-40 near the town of Tijeras, New Mexico. This one...was so clear, and the song is so classically inspiring that we also drove through it again and again and again!"

However, it is not being maintained. "It is quite sad that politics may have interfered. The road still sings, so catch it while it hasn’t totally faded!"

3. Auburn, Alabama: plays just the first seven notes of the Auburn Tigers fight song, “War Eagle.”

This was built by an alumnus of Auburn University’s College of Engineering in Alabama. "The section of South Donahue Drive has been renamed the “War Eagle Road.” With support from Auburn University and the National Center for Asphalt Technology, it welcomes both fans and rivals of the team when they are approaching the campus. Unlike the one in New Mexico, this musical road is a permanent fixture."

There are 43 more roads outside of the US:  "one in Denmark, another in Hungary, three in South Korea, three in China, one in Iran, one in San Marino, one in Taiwan, one in Indonesia, and 30 in Japan. A previous musical road in the Netherlands has been removed." This was the original musical road dubbed the “Asphaltophone.” But it's Japan which has had great success with them. One is near Mt. Fuji. It's time to visit Japan again!

FOR THOSE ON MOBILE, SHARE BUTTONS APPEAR WHEN YOU CLICK WEB VERSION AT THE VERY END AFTER COMMENTS.

PREVIOUS POST 

5 Best Experiences in the Slide Rock State Park

 

Our Lifestyle Adventures: Exploring Copenhagen on Foot

Bill and the Little Mermaid

After the wedding and post-wedding festivities, I now return to the retelling of the Enrichment Voyage we took from June 1-15 while for a month I enjoy the normalcy of home life in Newcastle with the new couple. This will be a total of four posts. We embarked in Stockholm, Sweden, and our first stop was Copenhagen, Denmark. During the one day at sea between the two cities, we attended seminars on the architecture, economy, and history of Copenhagen.

Copenhagen's Happy Wall

We did not join any of the excursion tours because we were feeling a bit adventurous. Besides, we wanted to take in more of the city rather than what is in its outskirts. Neither of us had been to Copenhagen and Bill’s favorite mentor/boss/friend Ben came from Denmark. So we just took the shuttle from the ship’s berth to Tivoli Gardens where we can boarrd the bus again later in the day to go back to the ship. With a map, we ventured fearlessly on our own, on foot.

a hint of the bridge

Copenhagen is the capital and most populated city of Denmark, with a metropolitan population of around 2 M. Originally a Viking fishing village founded in the 10th century, Copenhagen became the capital of Denmark in the early 15th century. During the 17th century, under the reign of Christian IV, it developed into an important regional centre, consolidating its position as capital of Denmark and Norway.  Copenhagen was third in the ranking of the richest cities in the world in terms of gross earnings in 2010, dropping from first place in the previous year.

the offshore windturbines of Copenhagen

The city has become more integrated with Scandinavia and the rest of Western Europe when the Øresund Bridge, a bridge-tunnel connecting the Swedish coast to the artificial island of Peberholm lying in the middle of the Øresund Strait for 2.5 miles. The remainder of the link is a 2.5 mile tunnel from Peberholm to the Danish island of Amager. It is the longest combined road and rail bridge in Europe. We saw a tiny bit of it from one of the viewing decks of the MV Explorer. As we entered the Copenhagen waters, we also saw, for the first time, off shore wind turbines. Before this we thought they were all onshore (that’s the way they are in America)!

Christianborg Palace,  only building in the world
 housing three banches of government

Walking from Tivoli Gardens, first we encountered the Christianborg Palace which dates back to 1167. It is the seat of the Danish Parliament, the Prime Minister's Office and the Supreme Court. Also, several parts of the palace are used by the monarchy, including the Royal Reception Rooms, the Palace Chapel and the Royal Stables. Thus it is the only building in the world housing all three supreme powers of a government: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial.

Nyhavn, 17th century waterfront of Copenhagen

Next we wanted to relax in the famous Nyhavn, a 17th-century waterfront, canal and entertainment district. On the way we were helped by a pretty young lady who also worked in another cruise ship. Along the route she taught us to use, we chanced upon a large sign of Happy in Copenhagen! Nyhavn is a true must-see. Lined by brightly colored 17th and early 18th century townhouses and bars, cafes and restaurants on both sides, the canal has many historical wooden ships. Bill and I sat at a sidewalk café; he savoring his Irish coffee served the traditional way while I thumped at my laptop, grabbing the first chance to visit the web since boarding in Stockholm..

the Marble Church of Copenhagen

We then trekked to the Amalienborg Palace, the winter home of the Danish royal family. It consists of four identical palaces with classic façades and rococo interiors around an octagonal courtyard. In the centre of the square is the equestrian statue of Amalienborg's founder, King Frederick V.  The four palaces were originally built for four noble families but when Christiansborg Palace burned down in 1794, the royal family bought the property. Amalienborg lies on a short axis, one end of which is the Marble Church also known as Marble Church and at the other is the Amalienhaven overlooking the Copenhagen Opera House. 

Copenhagen Opera House

an illusion

From there we went back to the ship through a leisurely walk along Strogert, the main shopping alley that runs through the center of the city. Many artists dotted the street with their unique acts for donations of coins. After Stroget we came across the City Hall completed on 1905, one of the tallest buildings in the generally low city of Copenhagen due to its tall, slim clock tower of over 105 meters. Then it was a ssort walk to Tivoli Gardens, a theme park, for the bus back to our ship docked at Langelinie Pier. . 

City Hall

Near where MV Explorer was docked is an iconic little statue we couldn't miss. So though it was drizzling, we braved a short walk to the Little Mermaid. The statue was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale, first published in 1837, that tells of how she gave up her life in the sea and her identity as a mermaid to gain a human soul and the love of a human prince. The statue was commissioned by Carl Jacobsen, son of the founder of Carlsberg, and unveiled in 1913 by the sculptor Edward Eriksen whose wife Eline was the model. Though she has been severely vandalized several times since then, her mystique remains.

Jimmy Nairn

We were back on board the ship on time, an hour before sailing. We had a sumptuous dinner buffet and the show of the Scot Jimmy Nairn who wowed the crowd with his virtuoso performance on the clarinet, saxophonem and bagpipes to introduce us to our next port, the Shetland Islands. and the seminars on Scotland and this archipelago and its capital, Lerwick, the following day at sea.

Our Lifestyle Adventures: Sailing on an Enrichment Voyage!

70% of the crew was Filipino!

Bill in front of our home for 2 weeks
 June 1-15 2014, the MVExplorer

In 1926 the first ship sailed from New Jersey for 7.5 months to 90 ports. Its mission was echoed by the Dean: ‘This is not a mere sightseeing tour but a college year of educational travel…to train students to think in world terms…’ It was called the University of Seven Seas; later it came to be called  the World Campus Afloat. For the last 51 years the Institute of Shipboard Education has been conducting their successor, Semester at Sea. Its fourth sponsor's, the University of Virginia, tour of duty ends in 2016. The search is on for its 5^th!  

MV Explorer docked at Akureyri, Iceland

For non-students, the Institute has Enrichment Voyages in 2 or 4-week segments. The progran is actually being dropped, leaving the Lifelong Learning Program in conjunction with Semester at Sea, as the only option available for us. Instead of 15 days, it will be a minimum of 30 days with the added advantage of 3-5 days at a port, not just 1!

at the completion of our voyage in Southampton, England

We have just completed Segment 2 of the last Enrichment Voyage covering Denmark, Scotland, Iceland, Ireland, and England from June 1 to 15, in 7 ports. We found this on Groupon for an unbelievable price of $1,399 per person!  We embarked in Stockholm, Sweden and disembarked at Southampton, England. I will write about each of the ports we visited later but, for now, let me describe the entire cruise that is so different from any other cruise I have known.

Bill, attending a seminar

While at sea, visits to ports are complemented by classes, seminars, and workshops. Students have classes (a few universities and colleges had special programs on our voyage) while lifelong learners such as Bill and I choose from either seminars or workshops. Seminars are political, economic, historical, geographical, art and architectural discussions of the ports or the region they belong to and seminar leaders hold PhDs in their fields of expertise. Those who we
re most engaging were our favorites!

at the Ship's Medical Clinic

 The workshops, on the other hand, are arts and crafts, writing, book club, dance, yoga, tai chi, etc, sessions. Those who did not want any of these organized their own bridge, mahjong, or other sessions. There were about 700 voyagers in our group and the seminar venues were always almost full to capacity. The workshops had pretty good crowds, too, and the other games were going on!.

at one of three viewing decks of MV Explorer

Tour of the Bridge

The ship’s facilities, although not as luxurious as regular passenger cruise ships, are enough to fill one’s needs for the time of the cruise, whether 2 weeks or a semester. They include 10 classrooms, 1 large seminar/show room, another large seminar/ballroom, a piano bar, 2 dining rooms (1 buffet and 1 with waiter service), a pool and poolside bar, 3 viewing decks, a wellness center that includes a gym, spa, sauna, and massage rooms, a library, a computer lab, a cruise ship store and a medical clinic. Wifi facilities were very limited and slow though. All we could do were email and download public folders of the sessions. We had an allowance of one hour of internet use!

an oil rig in the North Sea

my yellow hat for the New Year in June Party!

Special activities were a Tour of the Bridge (the navigation center of the ship) and viewing of special things we pass by such as the long bridge between Stockholm and Copenhagen, huge oil rigs that dot the North Sea, Surtsey, the volcanic island that made headlines in 1962 when it just appeared, offshore wind turbines, birds and whales, and the Aurora Borealis. The maneuvering at each docking and leaving of a port was a marvel to watch, too. There were also special nights: a Captain’s Dinner when we had to be in semi-formal attire, Two’s Company, a Variety Show by a Scot, a Comedy Show about Icelandic history, and a Party the Captain threw as we passed the Arctic Circle, a Crew Talent Show, a Passenger Talent Show, a Magic Act, an Irish duo, and a ‘New Year in June’ Party.

offshore wind turbines

@ the captain's Reception and Dinner

There was a noticeable difference among the seas we sailed. The Baltic Sea, Denmark Strait, Irish Sea, and English Channel are quiet seas that confined themselves to countries that surrounded them.  The North Sea, south Norwegian Sea and North Atlantic are much bigger and rougher seas. Around Iceland were 2-4 meter swells so the MV Explorer swayed a bit more, giving us some level of seasickness. Those huge seas are a large source of the world’s petroleum. 

Tom and Marivic, Bill and me at dinner

Purser's Office

Out of the 700 passengers, five were Filipinas. Marivic and I are married (to Tom and Bill) while the other three are 2 sisters and a friend:  Lily and Cora and Carmen. What thrilled me the most, though, is that 70% of the 218 crew is Filipino! As a matter of fact, 2 of the 5 on the Captain’s senior management team are Filipinos, the Purser Lito Untivero and the Executive Chef Danilo Yatco! The Ship Doctor, Jocelyn Franco, and Ship Nurses, Jocelyn Reyes and Cristina Tablizo, are also Filipinas. (They had two other doctors for passengers on the cruise.)  It is just too bad they had no Filipino entertainers. But half the Crew Talent Show was provided by Filipinos! One Filipina represented us in the Passenger Talent Show. If I had not contracted a cold the week before, there would have been 2 representatives!

2 of 5 in the senior management team is Filipino!

Bill and I signed a petition for the continuation of the Enrichment Voyages Program. After being seasick for a night, I don’t think we will like being at sea for a month though. Perhaps we will confine ourselves to shorter cruises around the Caribbean or Mediterranean. But this particular Enrichment Voyage was a definite Experience!