Laurel’s Compass Travel Blog

A travel writer’s guide to adventures of sustainability and spirit

Dino Dig in Colorado: Be a Paleontologist for a Day

Digging for dinosaurs at Mygatt-Moore quarry in western Colorado. ©Laurel Kallenbach

Originally published November 2013

The green-and-purple tail of Triceratops disappears over the crest of the mesa, headed west through the desert toward Utah on I-70 with our van driver in hot pursuit. I sit shotgun in the van, and behind me a seat full of hyper-excited kids shouts, “Catch up, catch up!” Bouncing around in a back seat behind them is my adult brother, David Kallenbach.

Heavily loaded with children and their parents, our passenger van chugs up the Colorado mesa, and we again spot the four-wheeled Triceratops—a.k.a. The Dino Mobile, which is piloted by ace paleontologist John Foster, who leads our caravan to the Mygatt-Moore Quarry in Utah for a day-long Dino Dig. The Dino Mobile, which is decked out with three horns and the trademark bony head-frill of Triceratops, emits occasional bursts of fossil fuel from its tailpipe.

The paleontology excavation, sponsored by the Museums of Western Colorado/Dinosaur Journey Museum, is wish fulfillment for the prehistoric-reptile obsessed humans in the van—including David and me.

Once upon a time, the two of us were fossil-collecting eight-year-olds who used to bicker during road trips about who was tougher: Tyrannosaurus rex or Dimetrodon.

Like these prehistoric hunters, my brother and I spent our childhood locked in titanic struggle for no reason other than preadolescent rage about family pecking order. I fantasized about being an only child with nearly as much passion as becoming a paleontologist. David wanted to take his know-it-all sister down a peg. There was hair-pulling, arm-twisting, and, yes, even biting, at which my brother was the clear champion.

But that was ancient history—almost as long ago as the 150 million years we’re traveling back in time today. David and I are going back to the Jurassic. We’ve partnered up for a brother-sister road trip with a prehistoric theme. No longer adversaries, we both agree we have more in common than not—including our love for the outdoors and for dinosaurs. So, we’ve met in Grand Junction, Colorado—he lives in Montana; I’m from Boulder—to commemorate the car-camping treks of our childhood. Luckily for us, nearby western Colorado and eastern Utah comprise some of the world’s best dinosaur country, much of which we can access via the scenic, 512-mile Dinosaur Diamond Prehistoric Byway.

The Dino Mobile, decked out like a Triceratops ©Laurel Kallenbach

Quest for Dinosaurs

As the Dino Mobile and our van pull into Mygatt-Moore Quarry, Dexter—who has just graduated from kindergarten summa cum laude—announces he’s going to unearth a dinosaur skull today. The eight-year-old inside me thinks, “No way! I’m going to find it!” After all, I’ve got more than four decades on the kid.

First, though, we paleontologists-in-training learn the ropes. Dr. Foster demonstrates how to use our tools and tells us how to spot dinosaur fossils; they’re darker than the surrounding clay. “Never remove a fossil from the ground until a paleontologist has documented where it’s located,” he says.

David and I pick a spot under the shade awning, strap on knee-pads, arrange old carpet squares to kneel on, and start digging with screwdrivers, using them to delicately lift horizontal layers of the bleached-out clay, which was once mud along an ancient river.

Paleontologist John Foster demonstrates how to brush away dirt at the dig. ©Laurel Kallenbach

Aw we begin digging, we scrutinize every earthen clump, sweep non-interesting pieces into a dustpan with a small paintbrush, and eventually pour the waste into a bucket. We’re hyper-vigilant for anything dark. We’ve been told that a piece of bone will have a spongy texture; dinosaur teeth are shiny black.

Fifteen minutes after we start, young Dexter calls out from his digging post nearby. “I found something!” he crows. Everyone’s  heads pop up like prairie dogs on alert. Paleontology assistant Tom Temme checks, and then confirms, that Dexter has indeed unearthed a dinosaur bone fragment. David and I exchange determined looks, as if to say, We’ve been upstaged by that pipsqueak? We apply our screwdrivers to the clay with renewed fervor.

David uses the tools of the trade: screwdriver, brush, dustpan, and a bucket for hauling away empty rock. ©Laurel Kallenbach

When I encounter a blackish vein about a third-inch wide, I slow down and carefully trace its edge. Soon the vein forks to the right. My pulse pounds in my ears at the prospect of digging up the bone of an animal never before seen by humans. I call to Kelsie Abrams, a paleontology grad student who’s in Colorado for a summer of digging. She bends over my find. “Yep, that’s a stem of Equisetum—horsetail.” She touches the dark line. “You can tell because plant matter rubs off on your finger like black charcoal.” My adrenaline rush crashes.

Equisetum grows everywhere—even today,” says David, who is a former National Park ranger and an expert on the flora and fauna of the West. “It’s pretty common.”

Pouting, I retort, “Still, it’s a 150-million-year piece of Equisetum.” But my brother and I both know that horsetail is not paleontology’s holy grail. Dinosaurs are.

We continue digging as the sun grows hotter and our legs cramp. Beside us, Frank and his ten-year-old granddaughter, Ashley, hold out a chunk of rock to Tom; there’s something dark in it. Tom carefully breaks off bits of the rock, revealing the tooth of a juvenile Allosaurus, a ferocious meat-eater. Had the tooth been from an adult, he says, it would have been three inches long. Ashley’s find—discovered just two feet to our right—ignites in us a frenzy of breaking chunks of hardened clay. The result is only sore fingers.

Dr. John Foster gave our group a behind-the-scenes tour of the paleontology lab to see large fossils and some of the tools scientists use to analyze them. Then my brother and I strolled through Dinosaur Journey, a family-oriented museum filled with reassembled skeletons—including our toothsome, 27-foot Allosaurus friend—and robotic recreations of dinosaurs such as the carnivorous Utahraptor and a venom-spitting Dilophosaurus. ©Laurel Kallenbach

At noon, Stephen Senior and his ten-year-old namesake unearth another piece of bone. After Tom has flagged its position in the ground, he removes it and passes it to me for a look. I have a hard time distinguishing “spongy” bone from clay. It takes a practiced eye, this digging for dinosaurs.

Laurel: living the paleontology dream!   ©David Kallenbach

Sweaty and deflated, David and I quit for lunch and watch Tom drizzle a mixture of acetone and dissolved plastic on Dexter’s bone fragment to keep it from crumbling. Any doubts I have that this Dino Dig is a tourist gimmick evaporate. We amateurs are helping out with real science—hot, back-straining, exhilarating science.

At the picnic table, we ask Kelsie, who has a Diplodocus skull tattooed on her left forearm, why the kids are making all the good finds. “It’s total luck,” she said, sipping Gatorade from a plastic Dinosaur Journey souvenir cup that reads I’d rather be in the Mesozoic. Then she adds that kids tend to “dig in,” whereas adults can be overly thorough. My brother and I look sheepish. Being meticulous is a family trait.

After lunch, we double our speed, yet each time I empty my dustpan I worry that I’m discarding a valuable piece of prehistory. Ultimately, we never hit “pay dirt,” yet it’s right here at the Mygatt-Moore Quarry. Fifty yards from where we’re digging, a number of seasoned volunteers are unearthing the five-foot-long femur of an Apatosaurus. Now that’s the holy grail.

Laurel Kallenbach, freelance writer and editor

Dino Digs is an educational/vacation program by the Museum of Western Colorado, in Grand Junction, Colo., that offers paleontology adventures (half-day up to five-day expeditions) in various quarries in western Colorado and eastern Utah, including Moab.

The digs let you work with real scientists in quarries and learn skills such as spotting fossils and digging them out of the rock or dirt. Participants also get a behind-the-scenes view of how paleontologists clean and study their finds at Dinosaur Journey museum.

Dino Digs are available from mid-May through mid-September. Transportation to the quarry, lunch, water/Gatorade, and tools are provided. The minimum age varies from five to eight, depending on the dig you choose.

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Ascending to Parnassus Books, the Literary Heart of Nashville

INDIE BOOKSTORE DAY is a one-day national party that takes place at indie bookstores across the country on the last Saturday in April. Support independent bookstores instead of ordering on line. Instead, call your local bookstore and buy it from them! This can even work for self-published books!

(Originally published in November 2013)

Making a literary pilgrimage while traveling is one of my favorite things to do. If you love to read, I highly recommend touring author’s houses, or  places associated with them. I’ve been to Voltaire’s manor house in Ferney-Voltaire, France; the Goethe House in Frankfurt, Germany; and the real Slaughterhouse  5 in Dresden, Germany, where Kurt Vonnegut sheltered during the WWII bombing. In England, I’ve been to theJane Austen house in Bath, William Wordsworth’s house in Grasmere,  Shakespeare’s birthplace  in Stratford-upon-Avon, and Vita Sackville-West’s Sissinghurst Castle in Kent. In London,  the homes of Charles Dickens, Virginia Woolf’, and John Keats were delightful.

I’ve also had tea at Edinburgh, Scotland’s Elephant House, the coffee/tea shop considered to be the “birthplace” of the Harry Potter novels. There,  author J.K. Rowling wrote in the back room overlooking Edinburgh Castle.

It’s also quite meaningful to take a trip to a place you read about in a book. For instance, Frances Mayes’ Under the Tuscan Sun inspired me to visit Tuscany and to spend four days in the Italian village of Cortona, where she lives.

 

Parnassus Books in Nashville is a must-visit for anyone who loves to read. Author Ann Patchett highlights her favorite titles on this shelf. ©Laurel Kallenbach

While I was in Nashville, I had to make a literary pilgrimage . . . to a very special independent bookstore. Parnassus Books is named for a mountain in central Greece where the Muses lived—and it’s known as the mythological home of music and poetry, so you know it’s got to be good.

Parnassus isn’t just any bookstore, it’s one that’s owned by one of my favorite authors, Ann Patchett, who opened it in 2011 right when independent bookstores—and even bookstore chains—were dropping like flies.

There was a section just for Ann Patchett’s books at Parnassus. I wanted to buy one of her titles, but I own them all. In retrospect, I should have bought an autographed copy of “Bel Canto,” my favorite, and given away my old copy, but I was overcome by the store’s riches and couldn’t think straight. ©Laurel Kallenbach

Ann is probably best known for her incredibly gripping Bel Canto and her most recent bestseller, The Dutch House. (Yes, I think of her as “Ann,” a friend and kindred, bookloving spirit—even though I’ve never met her).

By becoming a bookseller, Ann wanted to prove that people still love to read—and love to buy books in a place where they can interact with other book lovers and authors. She was concerned by how many good books were going out of print and wanted to start a store featuring the books she cherishes. It didn’t hurt that she’s incredibly well-connected with boatloads of fantastic authors.

Between the Covers

Located in one of Nashville’s more classy strip malls along Hillsboro Pike, Parnassus isn’t large, but it’s thrilling! I was so excited walking up to its display windows filled with new titles that I could barely contain myself. (I suspect more than a few visitors display this giddiness as they walk through the door. Are you one of them?)

The Greek temple is a fun entryway into the whimsical children’s section at Parnassus Books. ©Laurel Kallenbach

Inside, the walls are lined almost to the high ceiling with wooden bookshelves. I felt wonderment, felt like a kid in a candy shop. I felt at home.

I browsed for a while, drawn especially to titles that Ann recommends on her blog. There’s also a special “Ann Recommends” shelf that displays her current favorites.

A cheerful bookseller asked me if I had questions, and before I could say “Kurt Vonnegut,” she was bubbling over about the books she loves most, and offered a few of her own suggestions and other titles popular with Parnassus regulars.

How would I describe Parnassus Books? A clean, well-lighted place (to coin a phrase from a Hemingway book). ©Laurel Kallenbach

With five books in my arms, I sat down in a leather chair and read a few pages of each, just to get a sense of them.

I wanted to buy them all—but alas, I would have exceeded the 50-pound checked-suitcase weight limit had I done so. So I pledged to go home to the Boulder Bookstore (another fabulous independent shop) and buy them there instead.

I did purchase one light volume: the hilarious Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple. I definitely wanted to do my bit to support Parnassus—and to take home a piece of its literary magic. Long live Parnassus Books!

Laurel Kallenbach, freelance writer and editor

P.S. If you’re visiting Nashville, you should know that Parnassus Books is just up the street from Bluebird Café, another not-to-be-missed site for music lovers and songwriters. Read about my unique experience at the Bluebird: “Guitars in the Parking Lot.” 

Read an inspiring piece about coronavirus and Parnassus Books, written by Ann Patchett for The Guardian newspaper.

 

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10 Reasons To Celebrate America’s National Parks

Did you ever stop to think that you own a park? That’s right: American citizens are the owners of the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, the Great Smoky Mountains and the Everglades—and it’s time to celebrate! Every year in April, the nation celebrates National Park Week during the nine days around Earth Day (April 22).There are still several days left in National Park Week to discover the most spectacular scenery, historic landmarks, and cultural treasures in the United States. To motivate people to get out and enjoy the National Parks, admission to more than 400 national parks is free on April 22nd.

 

Mesa Verde, in southwest Colorado, is one of my favorite national parks. Cliff Palace (shown here) was built by the Ancestral Puebloan people between 1260–1280 CE. It inspired my love of archaeology. © Laurel Kallenbach

I’ve been enjoying those parks all my life. My parents took my brother and me camping and hiking in national parks from Acadia to Zion from the time we were old enough to ride in a baby carrier. I’ve been deep inside Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave and toured the battlefields of Pennsylvania’s Valley Forge.

But National Park Week isn’t the only time to appreciate and support the national parks. All year round, you can visit and even volunteer in the 84 million acres of nationally owned land.

Here’s how America’s national parks make the world a better place:

1. Conserve wild lands for generations to come.

2. Preserve historic landmarks of national interest, such as the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site and the Harriet Tubman National Historic Park.

3. Protect natural ecosystems, wildlife, and biodiversity.

Iconic Half-Dome in California’s Yosemite National Park. Photo by Madhu Shesharam; courtesy Unsplash

4. Provide spaces for outdoor recreation (there are more than 13,000 miles of trails on both land and water).

5. Offer recreational benefits that improve health, boost energy and get people outside in nature.

6. Are sources of natural sounds, clean water, and fresh air.

7. Provide free Junior Ranger programs that encourage kids to learn about nature—including plants, birds and animals—and environmental stewardship in the parks and at home.

8. Offer Electronic Field Trips, educational tools for classroom use that teach students about a national parks they might never get a chance to visit otherwise. Examples: Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, Manzanar National Historic Site, and Gulf Islands National Seashore.

9. Train high school aged leaders in the science and effects of climate change through an immersion experience in national parks via its Parks Climate Challenge program.

10. Are repositories of nature’s beauty, which enrich those who visit and contribute to physical and emotional health. Being in nature can generate positive emotions, including calmness, joy, and creativity. Nature connectedness is also associated with lower levels of depression and anxiety .

 

Hit the Road and Help the Parks

You can actually support the national parks just by traveling—especially if you book your next trip at NationalParks.org. So what are you waiting for? Get out and discover something new about our national parks.

 

Yorktown Battlefield National Park, located in Virginia, documents the final battle fought during the American Revolution. © Laurel Kallenbach

 

As of April of 2023, the National Park System encompasses 424 national park sites in the United States, according to the National Park Foundation. They span across more than 84 million acres, with parks in each state and extending into the territories, including parks in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Guam.

Whether you prefer a 20-mile backcountry hike in Grand Teton National Park or a leisurely stroll around Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, moving outside is good for you and offers a chance to explore these places you own.

Remember: This land is our land! It’s ours to protect, to respect, and to enjoy.

Laurel Kallenbach, freelance writer and editor

 

Harriet Tubman was a deeply spiritual woman who lived her ideals and dedicated her life to freedom. She is the Underground Railroad’s best-known conductor and before the Civil War repeatedly risked her life to guide 70 enslaved people north to new lives of freedom. The Harriet Tubman National Historical Park preserves the places and landscapes where Tubman carried herself and others away from slavery. Photo courtesy US Park Service

 

Read more about my travels through some of America’s national parks and monuments:

 

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5 Prehistoric Monsters You Can’t Miss at Dinosaur Journey

In Fruita, Colorado, dinosaurs rule, especially at Dinosaur Journey, a museum devoted to  Traveling through this western Colorado town—only half an hour from the Utah border—you’ll see plenty of dino sculptures and signs. This deserts landscape is truly a paleontologist’s dream come true.

Dinosaur Journey museum is an educational, fun place to explore the dinosaurs of the western United States.     ©Laurel Kallenbach

For more than a hundred years, scientists have flocked to this part of the West to search for dinosaurs—and they’re still making new discoveries. Thousands of fossilized dinosaur remains have been unearthed in the region.

The town of Fruita, about 12 miles west of Grand Junction, Colorado, is located along the Dinosaur Diamond Scenic Highway, a 512-mile loop through Colorado and Utah with designated stops at sites famous for dinosaur finds. If you’re a dino lover, you must stop at Fruita’s Dinosaur Journey, a family-oriented museum filled with fossilized skeletons—including toothsome, 27-foot Allosaurus—and robotic recreations of a number of impressive dinosaurs.

In addition to seeing the paleontology lab, where you can learn about how scientists study the fossils they’ve dug up, you get an up-close look at the creatures, including these five:

A fossilized skeleton of Allosaurus, nicknamed “King of the Jurassic.” ©Laurel Kallenbach

1. Voracious Allosaurus: A seriously carnivorous dinosaur of the Jurassic, this behemoth used its sharp teeth and hand claws to tear into herbivorous dinosaurs, including Brontosaurus. Numbers of Allosaurus skeletons have been found in Rabbit Valley where I participated in the museum’s Dino Dig; in fact, the girl and her grandfather digging next to me unearthed the fossilized tooth of a juvenile Allosaurus. Gazing at the Allosaurus skeleton at Dinosaur Journey museum is terrifying enough, but imagine the horror of seeing a fully muscled and fleshed animal—who weighed between 2,000 and 3,000 pounds—coming at you!

Beware the poisonous Dilophosaurus, who may have been a venom-spitter. Photo ©Laurel Kallenbach

2. Poison-Spitting Dilophosaurus: A dinosaur that will hunt you down and spit poison at you? Yikes! Dinosaur Journey’s animated model of Dilophosaurus rears up and drenches museum-going humanoids with poison. Okay, it’s really just water spewing at you, but it’s a pretty scary demonstration of the talents of these prehistoric carnivores. One note: Scientists aren’t positive that this 20-foot monster with twin crests on its head was actually poisonous; it’s a theory. Either way . . . yuck!

3. Swift Velociraptor: If you’ve seen the movie Jurassic Park, you know that the small, lithe Velociraptor was a formidable hunter because of its speed. There’s just no running away from these track-and-field stars when they’re hungry.

The hungry Velociraptor at Dinosaur Journey ©Laurel Kallenbach

The skeleton on display at Dinosaur Journey looks petite, but you can see rows of razorlike teeth and those creepy, birdlike claws. (Size isn’t everything!) Even the empty eye socket looks terrifying. Imagine this flesh-eater covered in feathers—horror!

The Mymoorapelta Maysi was covered with bony armor. ©Laurel Kallenbach

4. Armored Mymoorapelta: Covered in bony armor, Mymoorapelta was named after Mygatt-Moore quarry in western Colorado, where it was found. (This is the same quarry where my brother and I dug for fossilsThe same quarry where I dug for fossils!)

Much like an armadillo, this dinosaur was biologically furnished with bony, spiky plates that would have made it tough for predators to kill this slow-moving beastie, who is sometimes dubbed “a living tank” because of its heavy coat of armor. The sign at Dinosaur Journey calls this guy “Knight of the Jurassic.”

Fossils of he Utahraptor, which lived in the early Cretaceous, were discovered in Yellow Cat, Utah. ©Laurel Kallenbach

5. Utahraptor, the Slasher: This massive hunter was even larger than the fear-inducing  Allosaurus and Tyrannosaurus Rex— and just as fierce. Can you guess the state where Utahraptor was discovered?

With formidable, nine-inch-long claws, this uber-predator was the Freddy Krueger of Cretaceous carnivores. Indeed, this depiction of Utahraptor is truly a bloody nightmare—and I’m pretty sure he’s chewing on a vegetarian. Truly chilling!

This ravenous Sarcosuchus is about to eat my brother! ©Laurel Kallenbach

Bonus monster: Sarcosuchus: A distant but giant-sized relative of the crocodile, Sarcosuchus lived 112 million years ago. The display of this toothy mega-reptile was visiting during the traveling, temporary “Supercrocs” exhibition, so it’s not permanently at Dinosaur Journey. Good thing, or my brother, David, would never have made it out alive!

Fun Facts You’ll Learn at Dinosaur Journey:

  • Stegosaurus is the official state fossil of Colorado.
  • The giant sauropod dinosaur Supersaurus—who probably weighed about 92,400 pounds—was collected near the town of Delta, in western Colorado.
  • During the Early Jurassic, most of western Colorado was covered in sand dunes, and we find dinosaur footprints in these rocks.
  • A young duck-billed dinosaur was found in marine rocks in western Colorado. The animal had been washed out to sea (from what is now Utah) and sank to the bottom.
  • Super-sized Apatosaurus (also known as Brontosaurus) was found near Fruita and probably weighed about as much as 150,069 Big Macs.
  • A tiny Jurassic dinosaur, Fruitadens —who lived at the same time as Apatosaurus—was smaller than a chicken. Apatosaurus was a million times heavier than Fruitadens. Both were found in western Colorado.

Laurel Kallenbach, freelance writer and editor

Originally published: August 2014

An Allosaurus model at Dinosaur Journey in Fruita, Colorado ©Laurel Kallenbach

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3 Artsy Reasons to Visit Dresden’s Theater Square

 

Originally posted February 2017

February is not the most popular month to visit Dresden—the glittering Christmas Market is long gone, and there are no summery flower boxes or outdoor cafés. But for music and museum lovers like me, winter is a thrilling time to visit this musical city.

Dresden's Semper Opera House on the Theaterplatz Photo by Christoph Muench, courtesy Dresden Marketing Board

Dresden’s Semper Opera House on the Theaterplatz. Photo by Christoph Muench, courtesy Dresden Marketing Board

One of my primary reasons to travel to Dresden was to attend a performance in its world-renowned Semper Opera House, which simultaneously juggles at least three operas, a ballet, and orchestra concerts during the winter months. Before I departed in early February, I peeked at a map of Dresden’s historic Old Town (Altstadt) and was thrilled that the opera house located in the heart of the historic city.

In fact, the entire square, the Theaterplatz, is named for the venerated opera house. Dresden’s Old Town contains many architectural and cultural gems, and some of the most spectacular are concentrated in the Theaterplatz, including the glorious Rococo-style Zwinger Palace, home to several fantastic museums.

Though there are many other gorgeous and historic buildings and churches to enjoy in Dresden, you can’t go wrong starting in Theater Square. There were three sites in the Theater Square that I particularly enjoyed: The Zwinger, the Old Masters Picture Gallery, and the opera house itself.

1. The Zwinger

What’s a “zwinger”? The word sounds like a hip nightclub, and back in the early 1700s when it was built, Dresden’s Zwinger was indeed an 18th-century party venue for the aristocracy.

Sculptures at the Zwinger Palace ©Laurel Kallenbach

“Zwinger” is an Old German word that refers to an area between a castle’s walls and the outer fortress walls. Dresden’s ornate Zwinger, often called the Zwinger Palace, was originally designed as an orangery and a setting for court festivities. It was later used for exhibitions; today it houses several museums.

Dresden’s Zwinger Palace is known for its beautiful baroque architecture, which, as you can see from the photos, means there are lots and lots of showy arches, curlicues, floral motifs, fountains, walkways, and Greek-inspired statutes.

The porcelain bells mounted in the Zwinger Glockenspiel Pavilion chime on the half-hour. ©Laurel Kallenbach

The Zwinger is an ideal place to stroll on a nice day—and it’s free to the public. At the southeast end of the Zwinger’s courtyard is the Carillon/Glockenspiel Pavilion with a collection of white glockenspiel bells made of porcelain by the famous Meissen factory. The bells play a tune every half-hour, which usually attracts a bit of a crowd.

The Nymph Garden and Crown Gate are filled with enchanting mythological sculptures and fountains (which were dry during my visit in February). Nevertheless, it was wonderful to behold the statues, though I shivered inside my toasty down coat because the sculptures had no warm clothes to protect them from  the winter weather.

Ice-cold statues of naked goddesses in the Zwinger Palace ©Laurel Kallenbach

I would have loved to linger in the Zwinger for longer than I did, but a chilly wind was blowing, and all the unclad goddesses made me feel even colder. I vowed to return to Dresden in summer, when flowers and fountains and weather would be brilliant.

Luckily, the Zwinger Palace houses wonderful museums (entry fees apply): the Dresden Porcelain Collection, the Mathematics and Physics Museum, and the Old Masters Picture Gallery. It was into this last museum that I hurried in to warm up.

2. Old Masters Picture Gallery

This museum, in the Semper building adjoining the Zwinger, contains one of the world’s most important collection of paintings dating from the baroque and Renaissance period. The 700-piece collection was started 300 years ago by Augustus II the Strong, who built the Zwinger, along with a lot of the baroque structures in Old Town Dresden, the capital of Saxony.

Raphael’s “Sistine Madonna” at the Old Master’s Gallery

The most famous painting in the Old Masters Picture Gallery (Gemäldegalerie Alter Meister) is Raphael’s “Sistine Madonna,” which I wanted to see in part because of the two comical cupids at the Virgin’s feet. Their image is so popular that it appears on refrigerator magnets, greeting cards, and blank journal books. Yet, they’re only part of the appeal of the painting: the deep colors were amazingly vibrant, and the shading in the folds of the clothing and drapes was truly astonishing.

Apparently the exasperated cherubs’ fame has also reached the Far East, because when I arrived in the chamber with the wall-sized Madonna, a group of Japanese tourists was getting their pictures taken in front of the painting—first individually, then in pairs, and finally many different exposures and arrangements of the entire group at once. I wanted to get closer to the painting to see the cherubs in detail, but I didn’t want to spoil anyone’s pictures. The photo session took so long that I gave up and continued on to enjoy some other art.

The Renaissance painters, Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472–1553) and his son Lucas Cranach the Younger (1515–1586) were also incredibly gorgeous. Paintings by the younger Cranach were so detailed and realistic that they looked more like photographs than oils.

I was enthralled by Cranach the Younger’s “David and Bathsheba,” which focused on the bathing Bathsheba surrounded by  her handmaidens, one of whom has turned and stares straight at the viewer. Though the scene is biblical, the women were dressed in Renaissance garb. Initially, I thought the painting was mis-titled because King David was nowhere to be seen. At the last minute, just when I was moving on to look at the next painting, I spotted a man wearing a crown high in a castle tower in the upper left-hand corner of the painting. King David was almost completely out of the picture due to his distant location, but we could still see him staring lustily at the married Bathsheba from afar! Was he already plotting how to get rid of her husband?

“Paradise” by Lucas Cranach the Elder hangs in The Old Masters Picture Gallery in Dresden. (1530, oil on wood)

Cranach the Elder’s depiction of the Garden of Eden accentuated pairs of animals, including unicorns (on the far right). Adam and Eve are in the background; that story is overly told, but the animals in Paradise were a refreshing twist.

It would have been easy to spend a couple of hours in the Old Masters Gallery, but I had just an hour. With more time, I would have looked up Vermeer’s “Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window”—and maybe I would have returned to the Raphael “Madonna” when there were fewer people.

3. Semper Opera House

As a musician, I was drawn most of all to the iconic Semper Opera House, which for me is a temple of music—the equivalent of visiting a great cathedral. Even if you’re not an opera fan, the opera house is worth touring for its stunning architecture and ornate interior. It’s also home to the Saxon State Opera, the Saxon State Orchestra, and the Semperoper Ballet.

The posh theater in the Semper Opera House. Photo courtesy Visit Dresden

The posh theater in the Semper Opera House. Photo courtesy Visit Dresden

I took a 45-minute tour given in English of the magnificent building, during which I learned about its three incarnations. Originally built in 1841 by architect Gottfried Semper, the opera house wowed audiences throughout Europe. The brilliant (and anti-Semitic) composer Richard Wagner was one of its early music directors. Three of Wagner’s operas premiered at the Semper Opera House: Rienzi, The Flying Dutchman, and Tannhäuser.

Unfortunately, the opera house burned down in 1869 and didn’t reopen in its full glory until 1878, when it was reconstructed according to another of Semper’s designs.

A beautifully decorated ceiling at the Semperoper with Apollo and his swan. ©Laurel Kallenbach

The second opera house was almost entirely destroyed during the bombing of Dresden in 1945. It took 40 years to rebuild, but in the 1980s, restorers painstakingly recreated nearly every detail of the former structure—plus they added more comfortable seating with better sight lines, modern heating/air conditioning, and state-of-the-art stage machinery.

When I walked through the halls and beheld the elaborately painted ceilings, the chandeliers, and the statues of singers and composers, I understood why the acoustically excellent Semper Opera House is also consideed one of the world’s loveliest. Though the 1980s reconstruction took place under the East German communist government, attention to detail was perfect, although many of the special craftsmen who knew how to create such wonderful finishes were gone.

At intermission, I strolled through the chambers of the Semper Opera House and marveled at the columns and vaulted ceilings—all rebuilt after the WWII bombing of Dresden. ©Laurel Kallenbach

The balustrades are made of serpentine stone, and the green “marble” pillars are actually built from brick covered with plaster, glue, and paint—then polished so that they gleam like marble. The giant chandelier in the theater weighs 1.9 tons and can be lowered from the ceiling so that it can be cleaned and its 258 light bulbs changed.

My guide took the tour group into the theater, where stagehands were preparing for the next show. They attached scenery to the stage’s fly system, and the orchestra pit had been raised to stage level so that they could roll in the celeste for the night’s performance. (A celeste is keyboard instrument that plays the glockenspiel part for the character of Papageno in Mozart’s The Magic Flute. (Most people are familiar with the celeste’s best-known solo, “The Waltz of the Sugarplum Fairy” in The Nutcracker ballet.)

A pre-show view of “The Magic Flute” at the Semper Opera House ©Laurel Kallenbach

That night, I attended The Magic Flute performance at the Semper Opera House, a beautifully sung production set in a modern fantasyland that was half Edward Scissorhands and half Pee-wee’s Playhouse. The theater was packed; the Germans really support the opera with enthusiastic attendance.

From my seats in the 1st Ring, I could see and hear wonderfully, and the supertitles—the lyrics projected above the stage—were in both English and German, so it was easy to know what the characters were singing.

Most notable was the Queen of the Night’s aria, a stratospherically high and notoriously difficult part sung by a coloratura soprano. The performer’s mouth opened wider than I’ve ever seen before, but her pitches were bright and true. It was breathtaking, and the applause was thunderous when she finished. Attending an opera in the spectacular Semper Opera House was an unforgettable experience.

Laurel Kallenbach, freelance writer and editor

The Semper Opera House at night. Courtesy Dresden Marketing Board

The Semper Opera House at night. Photo courtesy Dresden Marketing Board

 

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Visiting a Legendary Green Resort and Spa in Ireland

Originally posted March 2009, updated March 2023

With St. Patrick’s Day approaching, it seems only appropriate to blog about a green, holistic resort and spa on the Emerald Isle: Delphi Resort. (And by “green,” I’m thinking of the eco-friendly, sustainable type, although in Ireland, the term certainly applies to the vivid foliage too.) The unique location of Delphi Resort enables visitors to escape from everyday life to an environment where the sea and the land meet to form the most spectacular coastline in Ireland, along the Wild Atlantic Way.

The mountains of Connemara are a gorgeous setting for adventure and relaxation in Ireland’s County Galway.  Photo courtesy Delphi Resort

Ireland is infused with myth and magic—from its misty mountains to its sea-swept cliffs. When I visited in 2004, I couldn’t help but envision legendary Irish heroes at Delphi, a contemporary timber-and-stone lodge that’s hidden in Connemara’s remote fjords a little more than an hour’s drive from the city of Galway.

The 4-star Delphi Resort is located in the gorgeous Connemara Mountains of Ireland. Photo courtesy Delphi Resort

The ancient Celtic stories are, in fact, part of the area’s colorful lore. On a hike through the mountainous terrain, our guide regaled us with the romantic tale of Diarmuid and Grainne, passionate lovers who escaped the wrath of Grainne’s husband-to-be (legendary chieftain Fionn MacCool) by fleeing to various hiding places throughout Ireland. Diarmuid, a fabled warrior, is said to be buried on Mweelrea, the mountain that towers above Delphi Resort. The guide mentioned that Diarmuid is supposedly buried in the area.

A thermal suite with an outdoor view is perfect for relaxing. Photo courtesy of Delphi Resort

This nature-oriented resort’s architectural style draws from Ireland’s ancient standing stones and Celtic tree lore—reflected in its use of storm-felled oak, ash, beech and elm and (what else?) local stone. Delphi also offers water sports such as kayaking and canoeing on the lake, as well as surfing and sea kayaking at the nearby Atlantic coast. Land adventures include zip-lining, archery, bushcraft, climbing, orienteering, and, mountain biking.

A Magical Spa

The resort’s spa area, which has fabulous mountain vistas, is the ideal resting place for modern-day heroes and athletes just returned from kayaking, hiking, rock climbing or surfing. It welcomes them into a sanctuary built of local materials.

Pampering body and beauty treatments are done in candlelit treatment rooms designed to resemble the early-Christian “beehive” cells that Irish monks built and lived in during medieval times. The present-day massage therapists use certified-organic and herbal products, including Irish seaweed hand-harvested from Ireland’s west coast nearby.

Relaxing yoga, tai chi, and meditation completed my  spa experience, which was nearly as epic and wonderful as the tale of Diarmuid and Grainne themselves. One quiet morning, I gazed out through the spa windows onto the green hills covered in yellow flowers and iconic mountains. There was a light morning drizzle, and I watched fog shift over the landscape. I slipped out of the 21st century and into ancient times—though I appreciated all the contemporary comforts: my cushioned recliner, the warm thermal pool, the foot baths, the  relaxing music playing, the lemon water I sipped on.

Delphi’s health-minded gourmet cuisine—much of it local and organic—is divine. I happened to visit on my birthday, and I dined on an exquisite lamb dinner with chocolate gateau for dessert—an unforgettable meal in the lovely restaurant, which managed to be both rustic and elegant all at the same time. At another meal, I ordered the fresh-caught salmon and began musing about the ancient legend of how a boy, Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn McCool), accidentally tasted the Salmon of  Knowledge, which he was cooking for an aged poet who caught it. Some dripping oil burned burned Fionn’s finger, and without thinking, he popped his finger in his mouth.  This destined him to become one of Ireland’s most mythic heroes.

Legendary Environmental Policies at Delphi Resort

Hiking and hill walking open up stunning vistas in Connemara. Photo courtesy Delphi Resort

Delphi Resort was built and is maintained in a way that is supportive of the natural environment. These include:

  • Waste reduction and recycling programs
  • A mechanical water-treatment plant that ensures that the water leaving the resort is as clean as the water coming in.
  • Solar panels (for preheating water) and wood-chip boilers that use wood from the resort’s sustainably managed forest. Electricity comes from a wind-farm operation in the U.K. and Ireland.
  • An addition was constructed with recycled-copper roofs, recycled-newspaper insulation in the attics, and wood came from certified managed sustainable forests.
  • Compact fluorescent light bulbs to save energy.
  • Rooms are fitted with energy-saving cards that ensure that there’s no energy wasted when units are occupied.
  • Outdoor activities are designed to minimize impact on the environment.

If you’re watching your budget, The Wild Atlantic Hostel, set on the grounds of Delphi Resort, is the perfect low-cost accommodation. It’s ideal for families, outdoor enthusiasts, hill walkers, and backpackers. Hostel guests have access to the resort’s spa, adventure, dining, and business facilities. The hostel consists of dorm-style ensuite rooms and is located onsite at the resort.

Laurel Kallenbach, writer and editor

Read more about my travels in Ireland:

P.S. For more tips on places to visit in Ireland, visit Discover Ireland.

The simple, elegant ground floor of the loft suite I stayed in at the Delphi.

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Cows on Parade: A Swiss Celebration

Stein is one of hundreds of Swiss villages that hold traditional dairy farming celebrations. ©Laurel Kallenbach

Originally posted: September 2015

Throaty cowbells clang as flower-wreathed heifers parade through the streets of Stein, a tiny Swiss village in the Appenzell cheese-making region.

Dressed in traditional costumes, farm children and yodeling cowherds drive the cows toward the Viehschau (cattle show) judging area for the “Miss Stein” bovine beauty contest. There, the cows’ stature and coloring will be evaluated. The competition isn’t just about pretty faces—honorable mention goes to cows with the best-looking udders and highest milk production.

On this late-September Tuesday morning, I’ve joined crowds of people—all jostling to watch the decked-out cows and the cowherds wearing traditional Appenzell dress pass by  on their way to the cattle show. Hundreds of people are clustered along the parade route, and there are stands selling toys and local foods. Someone is hawking colorful balloons. People wave and call out to their friends and neighbors .

Appenzell cowherds carry traditional carved or painted wooden milk pails over their shoulders.

The streets in Stein, in the Appenzell canton of Switzerland, are festive on Cattle Show Day. ©Laurel Kallenbach

“Schools are closed today, and the whole town is here,” Antonia Brown Ulli, a tour guide, tells me. She lives in Stein and is wearing a dirndl dress for the occasion. “This is one of the village’s biggest annual festivals.”

Appenzell cowherds carry traditional wooden milk pails over their shoulders. ©Laurel Kallenbach

Indeed, the locals are impressively dressed, especially the men who are colorfully clothed in Appenzell finery consisting of red embroidered vest-jackets, fancy braces decorated with silver plates, black hats ringed with ribbons and flowers, and spoon-shaped earrings. Many also carry a wooden milking pail over one shoulder.

In the days of up-to-the-millisecond Swiss watches, I’m comforted that age-old cow herding traditions are still heartily celebrated by the entire community. And these cattle processions happen in rural villages all over Switzerland. (Germany and Austria too.)

In fact, the lead cows for each farm are adorned with bright flowers, ribbons, and fir branches on their heads. I’m giddy with joy and excitement. As a cheese lover, I think it’s a grand idea to celebrate the cows (and goats too!) who provide milk for one of my favorite foods.

Contestants for the Miss Stein title ©Laurel Kallenbach

The day before, I had visited the Appenzell Show Dairy, where visitors can see how the world-famous Appenzell cheese is made—and can taste it too! There’s a full restaurant on site.

The pageantry and music—bell-clanging and the yodel-like singing of the cowherds—is my farewell to Switzerland. An hour later, I’m zipping on the train to the Zurich airport. There, on the shuttle train to the international terminal, the piped-in sounds of mooing cows and cowbells makes me tear up. Even though I haven’t officially left the country, I’m already nostalgic for this scenic country.

Laurel Kallenbach, freelance writer and editor 

For more information, visit Switzerland tourist information and Appenzell Tourism

Read more about my travels in Switzerland:

In late September, Swiss dairy farmers parade their cows through the streets of the Appenzell village of Stein. ©Laurel Kallenbach

In late September, Swiss dairy farmers parade their cows through the streets of the Appenzell village of Stein. ©Laurel Kallenbach

 

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Heaven in Hawaii: Napili Kai Beach Resort, Maui

Let me start by saying this: I cried when my husband and I checked out of Napili Kai Beach Resort on Maui’s west coast.

I’ve stayed in many wonderful hotels on gorgeous beaches, but this low-key, low-rise, plantation-style resort on secluded-by-Maui-standards Napili Bay was so perfect for us that when I turned in our room keys, I felt like flinging myself over the reception desk and begging the staff to let me stay.

A double rainbow arcs over Napili Bay on the west coast of Maui. We witnessed this glorious view from our ocean-view lanai. ©Laurel Kallenbach

Napili Kai had everything we as a couple love: a quiet, sandy beach with good snorkeling; luxurious but unpretentious accommodations; cultural and environmental appreciation; a good restaurant with fresh, local ingredients; friendly people (both staff and other guests); and all-included resort amenities like beach chairs, towels, parking, and many activities (the hotel’s motto is “we don’t nickel-and-dime you.”

The Napili Kai building blend unobtrusively into the island landscape. Buildings higher than three stories are banned from Napili Bay, so development has never become an eyesore. ©Laurel Kallenbach

Blissing Out on Ocean Time

Ken and I stayed in casual luxury in a beachfront studio unit: king-sized bed; fully equipped kitchen; huge, two-chambered bathroom with walk-in shower; and a lanai—oh, the lanai with its unparalleled ocean view facing west for excellent sunsets. Two of the three nights we spent at Napili Kai, we got Thai takeout and enjoyed Panang curry and cold Aloha Beer (brewed in Honolulu) in the loungers on our lanai while watching the sun sink below the horizon.

At sunset, a man lights the torches along the beach at Napili Kai. ©Laurel Kallenbach

At night, we turned off the air conditioning, opened the lanai doors, and slept to the sound of waves lapping against the black lava rock outside. Because our internal clocks were three hours ahead of the time zone in Hawaii, it was easy to take advantage of early morning at the beach. Each day, Ken and I watched green turtles surfing near the shallow rocks close to shore. Their heads bobbed on the surface; fins flapped above the whitecaps. Occasionally one rolled in the surf. I assume it was for fun and not hunting, because green turtles are herbivores. As they munched on algae and seagrass, they seemed to savor the act of cavorting in the waves.

We got to view the turtles from an underwater vantage when we snorkeled along the two reefs in the fairly calm waters of Napili Bay. The first thing we saw was a trio of Moorish idols, the most impressive and elegant of tropical fish. We also spotted puffer fish, a dragon eel, butterflyfish of several varieties, red sea urchins, and purple or yellow coral. But the most unique experience was snorkeling with a pair of turtles. They glide through the water so gracefully that they seem more like angels than reptiles.

Riding the Wave of Hawaiian Culture

What sets Napili Kai apart from many other beach resorts is that it highlights traditional Hawaiian culture. Most mornings, the hotel serves coffee, tea, and fresh pineapple in the Beach Cabana and presents cultural demonstrations such as lei making, wood carving, tapa cloth making, and palm weaving.

Local children learn Polynesian dances and perform at Napili Kai. ©Laurel Kallenbach

Napili Kai also also helps to honor and continue the Hawaiian culture through its support of the nonprofit Napili Kai Foundation, which shares Hawaii’s cultural legacy with Maui’s children. Every Tuesday, Napili Kai guests can attend a free, onsite hula show in which young kids and teens perform authentic songs and dances of Polynesia with live adult musicians. Though the performances aren’t as polished as a professional hula show, I must say that the teen performers were extremely good. The costumes are colorful, and the representation of Tahitian, Samoan, Maori, and Hawaiian cultures is satisfying and educational.

 

George Kahumoku plays the 12-string slack-key guitar and sings weekly. ©Laurel Kallenbach

But here’s even more Hawaiian culture to love: Napili Kai presents the Masters of Hawaiian Slack-Key Guitar concert series every Wednesday. Hosted by Grammy winner George Kahumoku, Jr. (who was featured on the soundtrack of the movie, The Descendants), this was an opportunity for Ken and me to hear live, island vocal and guitar music. (By the way: “Slack-key” is a style that originated in Hawaii, in which the player loosens the tuning of the guitar strings.)

We loved the sound. Hawaiian guitar music has a gentleness and warmth that can only come from hearing the waves and feeling tropical sea breezes on your shoulders.

Now, whenever the temperatures are below zero on the United States mainland, just hearing Hawaiian music takes me back to Napili Kai, my ideal place for relaxing Maui style.

Add to that fresh, locally sourced food in the restaurant, a weekly mai tai party, and beach loungers that beckon in the shade of the palm trees, and you have a world-class vacation location that really can’t be beat.

Laurel Kallenbach, freelance writer and editor

Originally published February 1, 2014

 

 

A paddle boarder at sunset, just off the shore of  Napili Kai. Swimming and snorkeling were also wonderful on this heavenly little bay. ©Laurel Kallenbach

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5 Unforgettable Flavors at Frankfurt’s Christmas Market

Frankfurt Christmas Market in Römer Square ©Laurel Kallenbach

Frankfurt’s annual Christmas Market is centered in historic Römer Square   ©Laurel Kallenbach

Germany’s Christmas Markets overflow with treasures and gifts of every size and price, and Frankfurt’s massive Christmas market has acres of goods for sale in booths and huts (called stube) located in its historic old town.

In fact, the market spreads over three locations: Römer Square, Paulsplatz, and the Main Quay. The Christmas market was first mentioned in writing in 1393, and was a place to buy foods and other necessities to stock residents through the winter.

Shopping Frankfurt’s festive market requires stamina, and that’s one of the reasons why the foods sold here are so enticing. Cookies, candies, roasted almonds, sausages and currywurst, and spiced wine served hot (called glühwein; pronounced “glue-vine”) beckon browsers to sample along the way—or to take home Christmas delicacies.

There’s so much to see and do at the Frankfurt Christmas Market that the organizers offer bilingual tours in German and English to help you get oriented. Make your reservations online.

In 2013, I had a delightful time on one of th tours, which focused on food booths located in Römer Square, the heart of the market—and the prettiest area. (It was reconstructed to its medieval glory after it was almost completely leveled by bombs during WWII.) I learned a great deal about Frankfurt’s delectables (details below) and rode on the vintage merry-go-round.

Yes, Virginia, there is a German version of fruitcake. ©Laurel Kallenbach

The highlight of the tour included climbing to the roof of St. Nicholas Church for a panoramic view of the entire market and the Frankfurt skyline. Looking down from this bird’s-eye view gave me new perspective.

The throngs of people were dwarfed by the half-timbered buildings and City Hall, the wide expanse of cobblestones on Römer Square, and the statue of the goddess Justice. (It was also a chance to take a break from the mad crush of shoppers!)

To cap off the tour, my mostly German-speaking group warmed up with a hot cup of mulled wine and admired the exquisite, 100-foot-tall spruce Christmas tree decorated with 5,000 lights and 500 red ribbons.

Next are five delicious food specialties that are traditionally featured as part of the Frankfurt Christmas Market, which takes place annually from late November until a day or two before Christmas. The scents and flavors of warm wine and the aroma of roasting nuts are absolutely irresistible!

Steamy mugs of glühwein ©Laurel Kallenbach

Steamy mugs of glühwein ©Laurel Kallenbach

1. Glühwein

A mug of this hot, mulled wine, either white or red, really takes the chill off the evening, and the wooden huts (called stuben in German) where this holiday beverage is served are the hub of the Christmas market. Around glühwein stands, people sometimes stand ten deep around tables, especially after dark when the night temperatures get colder.

I loved how the steamy cup of glühwein fogged up my glasses and warmed my hands. In Frankfurt, the glühwein mugs are in the Bembel style, the blue-floral pattern that dates back centuries.

There’s glühwein made of either red or white wine. In Frankfurt, I had a slight preference for the white, but naturally I tried them both. They packed plenty of alcoholic punch, so I never ventured to have one with a shot of liquor in it—though it’s available!

 

Visitors share a steamy mug of glühwein at the Frankfurt Christmas Market. The toast concludes the “Stories, Sweets, and Savories” guided tour. ©Laurel Kallenbach

Visitors share a steamy mug of glühwein at the Frankfurt Christmas Market. This toast was how my group capped off  ourguided tour. ©Laurel Kallenbach

 

Decorated lebkuchen cookies ©Laurel Kallenbach

Decorated lebkuchen cookies ©Laurel Kallenbach

2. Lebkuchen (German “gingerbread”)The saucer- or plate-sized decorated cookies you see dangling from booths are usually made of lebkuchen, although you can also buy small cookies as well.

The fact that people liken lebkuchen to gingerbread sets up an expectation that left me disappointed—because there’s no ginger flavor.

However, the Nuremburg-style lebkuchen I sampled—made from a centuries-old recipe—was chewy, dense, and far less sweet than gingerbread. It’s a blend of nutty, spicy, citrusy flavors, and it’s glazed with sugar and has a communion-wafer bottom.

I confess that I sampled my lebkuchen at my hotel and washed it down with some Kessler German sparkling wine. I was more than satisfied, even though it didn’t taste like the gingerbread I expected.

 

Honey mead ©Laurel Kallenbach

Honey mead ©Laurel Kallenbach

3. Mead (honey wine)

The double-decker Wagner Honey House at the Frankfurt Christmas Market specializes in bee products—from beeswax candles that smell so sweet you almost want to eat them to honey wines and propolis and bitters (a digestif) sweetened with honey.

Upstairs is a tasting room where you can sample the many varieties of mead, made by fermenting honey and various fruits or spices. (Mead is possibly the world’s most ancient alcoholic beverage.)

Because I’d had my fill of glühwein, I opted for the bitters, which have a palate-cleansing effect and a refreshing taste—especially if you’ve had a few too many sugary sweets.

 

4. Frankfurt Bethmännchen

Tiny cookies, called Bethmännchen, are a Frankfurt specialty. Made of marzipan rolled like a little ball and decorated with three half-almonds, the treats have a poignant story. In 1838, a banker’s family, whose surname was Bethmann, served a new sweet, decorated with four almonds for each of the four sons. When one of the sons died seven years later, the cookies used only three almonds.

Brenten cookies, Kethmännchen, and Bethmännchen marzipan cookies, Frankfurt ©Laurel Kallenbach

Bethmännchen, kethmännchen, and Brenten cookies, Frankfurt. ©Laurel Kallenbach

Since that time, Bethmännchen have become a Frankfurt tradition and are widely sold throughout the Christmas Market—along with many other shapes and sizes and flavors of baked goods, including stollen, schaumküsse (chocolate-covered marshmallow concoctions that looked like giant Mallomars), and more.

With its backdrop of half-timbered houses, historic Römer Square is in the Old World heart of the Christmas Market in Frankfurt, Germany. This hut sells Bethmännchen marzipan cookies, a local specialty. ©Laurel Kallenbach

With its backdrop of half-timbered houses, historic Römer Square is in the Old World heart of the FrankfurtChristmas Market. This hut sells Bethmännchen marzipan cookies, a local specialty. ©Laurel Kallenbach

 

5. Roasted Almonds (Mandeln)

Many stuben in the Frankfurt Christmas Market sell fresh-roasted almonds, but the one that reeled me in with its sweet-savory smells was Eiserloh’s, which sells candied almonds in dozens of flavors.

The flavors of almonds are as colorful as the Eiserloh booth ©Laurel Kallenbach

The flavors of almonds are as colorful as the Eiserloh booth.  Photo ©Laurel Kallenbach

Choices range from white-chocolate hazelnut, orange ginger, chili pepper, Bailey’s Irish cream, Nutella, pineapple, Red Bull, white-chocolate coconut, Bacardi Gold, eggnog, raspberry balsamico, and more.

 

The people behind the Eiserloh counter let me taste half a dozen flavors until I settled on my two favorites: chocolate mint and white-chocolate hazelnut. I left with a colorful cone of each, perfect gifts to take back home to the States.

I came away from the Frankfurt Christmas Market footsore—but happy with all the fabulous flavors I enjoyed there.

For more information: Germany, The Travel Destination

Laurel Kallenbach, freelance writer and editor

Originally posted December 2014

Read more about Germany’s Christmas markets:

 

A carousel is always a favorite of the kids, and this antique one at the Frankfurt Christmas Market was a beauty. ©Laurel Kallenbach

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Ghosts That Haunt Bath, England

 

The haunted halls of Longleat House. Photo courtesy Longleat

Are you brave enough to seek out some of England’s most haunted locations? There are plenty of places in and around the historic city of Bath that have fascinating ghostly histories and scary stories.

In such a beautiful and ancient town, it’s not surprising that here and there some restless spirits are still walking (or floating through) the beautiful streets of Bath.

It seems that a few of these dearly departed souls simply refuse to leave some of the elegant buildings they once frequented during their mortal lives long ago.

For a truly spine-tingling evening, take a ghost walk of the city with Bath Ghost Tours. A guide will lead you and share many startling stories about Bath’s haunted history (The tours are available from mid-March to late December.) Another option is to explore one or two of the following ghoulish locations on your own … if you dare!

The Grey Lady Ghost: Theatre Royal and Garrick’s Head Pub

The top, left-hand box facing the stage at the Theatre Royal in Bath is said to be the favorite haunt of the notorious Grey Lady ghost. Legend has it that she fell madly in love with an actor during the 18th century but eventually  hung herself when her love was unrequited.

Built in 1805, the Georgian-era Theatre Royal was beautifully refurbished in 2010. The Main House offers a year-round theatrical program, including many West End (London) productions of plays, operas, comedies, and dance—along with frequent Sunday concerts.

The Theatre Royal’s productions can’t surpass the drama of the legend of the Grey Lady ghost. Photo: Visit Bath

 

You may make it out of the theatre without encountering any specters, but you aren’t safe from the ghost of the Grey Lady even after you leave! She is also said to haunt the Garrick’s Head Pub just next door.

Enjoy good food and drink at Garrick’s Head Pub.

The Grey Lady Has a Pint with a Few Other Ghosts

The Garrick’s Head is renowned as the most haunted pub in Bath, and the ghost of the Grey Lady is only one of the weird encounters you might have. The story they tell at Garrick’s is that the Grey Lady threw herself from an upstairs window following the death of her lover in a dual with her husband. (Slightly different story, but with the same gruesome result!) Her hauntings of the theatre and pub are said to leave behind a lingering scent of jasmine.

More alarmingly, over the years Garrick’s Head landlords and bar staff have reported incidents of a poltergeist throwing candles and cash registers across the bar. In addition, it’s said that a blood stain appears on the pub floor in the same place every year. Gruesome!

Garrick’s Head was once the home of the famous Beau Nash, a celebrated “dandy” and the leader of fashion in 18th-century Britain. Nash was the Master of Ceremonies in Bath, a renowned spa town visited by the rich and royal. Garrick’s was the place to be seen back in the Bridgerton days.

Unsurprisingly, Garrick’s Head is a stately building, and its location next to the Theatre Royal always makes for an interesting and colorful crowd. It is open every day from noon onward; lunch and dinner are served in the bar, on the terrace, or in the dining room.

Lady Louisa of Longleat House

Though it is best known for its safari park, Longleat Estate also has some dark attractions even more wild than gorillas and hyenas.

Keep a lookout for the ghost of Lady Louisa, who still wanders the ancient halls frantically searching for her long-lost footman lover. The story goes that her jealous husband confronted the footman and pushed him down the stairs before burying him in the cellar, unbeknownst to Lady Louisa.

Nestled in 900 acres of Capability Brown–landscaped grounds, Longleat Manor—20 miles south of Bath—is one of the finest Elizabethan stately homes in the country. There you can step back through over 450 years of history and marvel at the fantastic collection of artworks, paintings, tapestries, and furniture collected over generations.

The wandering phantom of Longleat House. Photo courtesy Longleat

Jungle Kingdom and Animal Adventure let visitors get close to amazing animals. On the six-and-a-half-mile drive-through experience, there’s plenty to look for, from cheeky monkeys to majestic lions.

Make this year’s Halloween one you won’t forget in a hurry with a chilling Longleat Ghost Tour. A guide will take you through the spooky cellars, attics, and corridors as you explore the Wiltshire estate’s chilling past. (October only.) Suitable for children aged nine and over, this tour features live actors, so it’s not for the faint-hearted!

A Hanged Housekeeper: Francis Hotel

The historic Francis Hotel in Bath is haunted by a former housekeeper who sadly hanged herself after a long period of depression. Guests have reported being kept awake by the sounds of her scratching and tapping from inside their room. One guest reported their hot water bottle fles off the table in their bedroom.

The specter of a depressed maid reportedly stalks the posh halls of Bath’s Francis Hotel
Photo courtesy Francis Hotel Bath

Love Never Dies: Amarone Restaurant

Beau Nash’s lover, Juliana Popjoy, was so distraught when the renowned 17th-century socialite died that she lived the rest of her life in a hollowed-out tree (!!), vowing never to sleep in a bed again. Her ghost now apparently haunts their former home, which is now the chic Italian restaurant, Amarone, located in one of Bath’s elegant Georgian buildings.

Amarone’s relaxed atmosphere, combined with thoughtfully created menus and impressive decor, ensures a memorable experience in Beau Nash’s former home. The menu includes freshly prepared pasta dishes, locally sourced steaks and fish fresh from the Dorset coast, as well as stone-baked pizzas and delectable desserts. The wine list has been compiled to complement the traditional yet innovative Italian cuisine.

As you enjoy your meal at Amarone, you might notice a woman in 1960s-style clothes dining alone. She seems perfectly normal—until she disappears, presumably about the time she receives the bill!

Two ghosts grace the Italian restaurant Amazon. Photo courtesy Amarone Restaurant

Carriage of Eloping Lovers: The Royal Crescent

Will you see the phantom horse-drawn carriage outside The Royal Crescent, Bath’s most iconic landmark? The carriage is often spotted and is thought to carry Elizabeth Linley and playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan as they eloped in 1772. Sheridan won Miss Linley’s hand after he dueled with Captain Thomas Matthews. The marriage started out happy, but later Sheridan was unfaithful. Shortly thereafter, poor Elizabeth contracted tuberculosis and died at age 38.

The 500-foot-long Royal Crescent is arranged around a perfect lawn overlooking Royal Victoria Park and forms a sweeping crescent of terrace houses. It is one of the greatest examples of Georgian architecture anywhere in the United Kingdom.

Bath’s Royal Crescent is the scene of a ghostly elopement. Photo courtesy of Visit Bath.

Today, The Royal Crescent is home to a museum of Georgian life at No. 1 Royal Crescent, the five-star Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa, and private housing. You might have seen this popular location in various films and period dramas. Jane Austen’s Persuasion included many scenes shot at the Royal Crescent, and it’s also featured in the 2008 film The Duchess starring Keira Knightley.

For more information, check the Visit Bath website. 

Laurel Kallenbach, freelance writer and editor

Originally posted October 2019; updated: October 2022

Photo courtesy Visit Bath

 

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