• Ontario has about 250 ghost towns, way more than any other province or U.S. state.
• At the time of the War of 1812, more than half Ontario’s residents were American transplants.
• The province counts about 250,000 lakes, one-third of the world’s fresh water.
• The Dionne sisters, born on an Ontario farm, were identical quintuplets.
• Ontario’s southernmost point lines up with Rome; the northernmost roughly with Edinburgh.

Made for nature lovers

Most visitors to Ontario generally visit its principal city Toronto or they head for recreation areas located beyond the cities and towns. Ontario is host to the national capital, Ottawa, as well, but Toronto is larger and seen as the livelier place for nighttime entertainment or other diversions.

As for appealing natural sites, Ontario has those in abundance. Its border touches four Great Lakes; its northernmost boundary reaches Hudson Bay, and in between, Ontario counts thousands upon thousands of lakes, mile after mile of rivers plus forests covering nearly two-thirds of the province. Choices are nearly limitless.

Vacation destinations in Canada impress Americans as having a clean, attractive appearance and providing a feeling that they’ll be safe wherever they wander. Ontario is no exception. Americans also appreciate that English is the language. Besides, about 40% of North America’s population is within a day’s drive of southern Ontario.

Toronto, Canada’s largest city, is a center for commerce and culture, as well as the provincial capital. While Toronto reflects its British heritage, it also comes close to having the greatest ethnic diversity of any city in North America.

Visitors say Toronto has the excitement of a large, multicultural city, the charm and hospitality of English tradition and the architectural diversity and immaculate appearance that rival any city on the continent. American visitors are especially entertained by Toronto’s underground city, an entire network of stores, restaurants, offices and other businesses. It’s possible to avoid bad weather for days!

Next door to Toronto, Niagara Falls, long regarded as a honeymoon destination, remains a popular place for all vacationers.

As a large province, Ontario allows active travelers many opportunities for recreation, especially on its lakes and rivers. Those who seek solitude enjoy the tranquility of Ontario’s unspoiled wilderness areas where wide open spaces and natural beauty refresh and renew tired urban souls.

Although all personality types give Ontario a thumbs up, its visitor count largely consists of those in the middle of the personality scale. These tourists may spend a day or two In Toronto or Niagara Falls, then head to a national park or conservation area for outdoor pursuits.

Things to do for Venturers

• Take the daylong Agawa Canyon Train Tour from Sault Ste. Marie for a look at some spectacular wilderness scenery. You travel 114 miles out before turning back. At mile 102, you begin the descent 500 feet to the floor of the Agawa Canyon.
• If you understand this one, you may want to attend: the October Rock Paper Scissors International World Championships in Toronto. The event is called “a decision-making game of wits, speed, dexterity and strategy between players who are unable to reach a decision using other means.”
• Go camping and hiking in the Lake Superior Provincial Park.
• Fish in Ontario and, with enough luck and skill, you may qualify for an Ontario Angler Award.
• Visit a ghost town. In Ontario, there are about 250 partially or totally abandoned towns, for good reason in many cases: You cannot get to them. However, a few are candidates for tourism: Balaclava, Ballycroy, Creighton, Depot Harbour and Millbridge Station, for example.
• This is really quirky, but here goes: There is a sanctioned nude beach on Hanlan’s Point, an island in Lake Ontario near Toronto’s harbor. So, you can shed all and sit on this beach, but it is illegal to enter the water without wearing a swimsuit, and you wouldn’t want to anyway. Believe it or not, here is the spot in Ontario that is too polluted for swimming.

Things to do for Centrics

• Ride the rails, and make a day trip of it. Take the Polar Bear Express from Cochrane, a mining and lumbering center, to Moosonee, where the Hudson Bay Company established a trading post in the 17th century.
• Go hiking and canoeing in Algonquin Provincial Park. It is a wildlife sanctuary at the headwaters of five major rivers. Near the highway, the park is well developed, but in the interior, no motor vehicles are allowed.
• Use the marked 217-mile Lake Ontario Waterfront Trail for any of a number of favorite pastimes: walking, jogging, cycling, in-line skating. It extends from Stoney Creek to Brockville through 31 cities, towns and villages (including Toronto) and leads to 170 marinas and yacht clubs and 37 major waterfront festivals.
• Go to the theater in Toronto, which is one of the world’s top cities for thespians. Or, attend the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Stratford.
• Attend a demonstration class or book a weekend gourmet class at Canada’s only Cordon Bleu cooking school, in Ottawa. Dine in its five-diamond restaurant, Signatures.
• Harbourfront on Lake Ontario near downtown Toronto is a complex of cultural and crafts centers, restaurants and shops that is a mecca for sightseers and shoppers. You’ll get a good feel for Toronto’s role as a major port.

Things to do for Authentics

• Rent a cottage on or near a lake, giving yourself constant access for a few days to boating, swimming and waterskiing.
• You might as well go shopping, too. Toronto claims the world’s largest underground shopping complex. The 6.8-mile PATH underground walkway in downtown links 48 office towers, six hotels and 1,100 shops and restaurants.
• Fish for bass where President Franklin Roosevelt fished, at the North Channel of Lake Huron.
• In September, watch Chinook salmon in Mississauga’s Erindale Park as the fish swim up the Credit River from Lake Ontario toward their spawning grounds. And, for that matter, you also can fish for these salmon, in Lake Ontario off the Toronto islands.
• Go to London, a lovely city situated on a fork of the Thames River (yes, you’re still in Canada). Residents are particularly proud of their parks and gardens, and if you’re traveling with children, Storybook Gardens is a small theme park just for them. Visit some of London’s museums, take a cruise on the river and see a theatrical production at the Grand Theatre.
• Visit a few wineries (yes, in Ontario, which is at the same latitude as European wine regions). Sample ice wine. Dine at one of the winery’s on-site restaurants. For a different take on this, go to the Muskoka Lakes Winery, located in a cranberry marsh; it makes cranberry wine.

Additional Resources

For more information, consult the Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation at www.ontariotravel.net

The post Ontario, Canada appeared first on Best Trip Choices.

• The Yukon River Quest is the world’s longest annual canoe and kayak race (460 miles).
• Simple hand mining yielded $22,275,000 in Yukon gold in 1900 alone.
• Diamond Tooth Gerties is Canada’s northernmost legal casino.
• About two-thirds of the territory’s people live in Whitehorse, the capital.
• The Yukon Gold Rush provided inspiration for Jack London’s “The Call of the Wild.”

Beauty and gold

The Yukon is all about beauty and gold. It is admired for the stunning landscapes marked by mountains, pristine rivers and lakes with vistas often topped off by snow. That translates into a destination with plenty of sports activities — winter and summer — for the adventurous and hardy.

Indeed, its relative distance from the world’s more populous centers and its own sparse population enhance the Yukon’s appeal to the venturesome among us.

The Gold Rush of the 1890s really put the Yukon on the map and created the kind of lore that gives it a romantic appeal for individuals of all personality types.

Our romantic images of this northern, and golden, outpost got a boost from American author Jack London who came to the Yukon in the first winter of the rush (1897-98), drawn by the excitement and prospects of wealth.

The Yukon is Canadian but, in tour packages or privately planned trips, it is often combined with Alaska. The two share similar memories of a rush for gold plus ruggedly beautiful landscapes — not to mention the good roads that link them, such as the dramatic Top of the World Highway.

The Yukon is a larger-than-life kind of place where visitors can find all the solitude they want, see wildlife in abundance (there are twice as many moose as people), mush a dog team where Klondike explorers first traveled, hike on huge icefields or arrange quality time with the province’s original inhabitants, called First Nations in Canada.

Meals may range from a lakeshore meal of fresh-caught fish to a fine-dining experience in a city or at a wilderness lodge. Golf is another option with a twist; tourists can choose daytime play — or nighttime play under the midnight sun.

Another nice feature is the care taken to preserve the rights and cultures of its First Nations.

Adventuresome travelers, and those who enjoy traveling by auto or RV, are most likely to appreciate the grandeur and history of the Yukon. Except for those who are very hardy and well prepared for ice and cold, May through September are the best months to visit.

Things to do for Venturers

• Learn to mush, then drive a team of huskies. Make this a multiday dogsledding trip, overnighting in log cabins or yurts. You also can sample the dogsled experience by spending a few hours riding on a sled.
• For a real wilderness experience, choose a fly-in camp for fishing, followed by a wood-fired sauna and hot tub. Or, try your luck with ice fishing.
• Head to the backcountry for hiking and backpacking with pack dogs; one destination could be the east shore of Lake Laberge. Or, take a multiday guided horsepacking trip.
• Sample whitewater rafting on the Tatshenshini and Tutshi rivers.
• Sightsee by air. For winter, the aircraft are equipped with skis for glacier landings, in summer, you can get around by floatplane.
• Apply to perform at the winter Frostbite Music Festival. If you don’t make the cut, you can still drop in and hear other performers at the February event in Whitehorse.

Things to do for Centrics

• Attend, and perhaps compete in, the mildly goofy Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous held in Whitehorse in February. Choices include the wife-carrying competition, a family wilderness survival contest and the hairy leg, beard and moustache growing contests. The hairy leg contest is for women, by the way.
• Sign on for an interpretation tour, meaning a trip where you learn about any of a number of subjects as understood by native groups, such as fish and wildlife management, flora and fauna, history, survival and traditional medicine.
• Spend the night in a Dawson City historic brothel, Bombay Peggy’s Victorian Inn and Pub.
• Hike the Chilkoot Trail, and follow the footsteps of those 19th century adventurers who came to the territory for gold.
• Sign on for a ranch vacation where you might sample a salmon and elk barbeque, or the ranch may offer canoeing, or trips by horseback or dogsled, depending on the season.
• Beginner or expert, canoe on the Alsek, Firth, Nahanni, Tatshenshini and other rivers.

Things to do for Authentics

• Attend the annual First Nations Commissioners’ Potlatch in Whitehorse. A potlatch is a ceremonial feast distinguished by the host’s lavish giving of gifts.
• Play golf under the midnight sun.
• See the Jack London Cabin and Interpretive Centre in Dawson City. It is the cabin where the American author lived during the Klondike Gold Rush.
• Shop for traditional arts and crafts, including beadwork, baby belts, carvings, jewelry, masks, moccasins and mukluks.
• Sample local foods, including Arctic char, smoked salmon and wild berry jams and jellies.
• Drive one of the Yukon’s designated scenic routes. For example, the Top of the World Highway covers 79 miles between Dawson and the Alaska border, following the tops of a series of ridges well above the tree line. You’ll understand the name.

Additional Resources

For more information, consult Tourism Yukon at www.travelyukon.com

The post Yukon Territory, Canada appeared first on Best Trip Choices.

• The Royal Canadian Mounted Police trains recruits in Regina.
• The province produces more than half of Canada’s wheat.
• Estevan averages 2,540 sun-filled hours a year, more than any other Canadian town.
• Saskatchewan’s official sport is curling.
• The original name for Regina, the capital, was Pile o’ Bones.

Living Skies

Several images fit Saskatchewan, including broad wheat fields and their associated farming communities; cattle ranches and rodeos; First Nations people and powwows; forests, rivers and pristine lakes — about 100,000 of them. The province also is home to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Saskatchewan is called the Land of Living Skies. Stretching expansively across endlessly flat terrain, its skies really do come alive — with summer storms, huge flocks of migrating geese and, in the north, the Northern Lights.

The typical eats are meat-and-potatoes hearty, the locals are welcoming and prices are very reasonable.

The southern half of Saskatchewan is an extension of the prairies of the central U.S.: flat, wheat-growing country as far as the eye can see. The province accounts for about two-fifths of Canada’s farmland.

The population thins out farther north, where the landscape, still looking much as Mother Nature made it, is more rugged, covered with forests and blessed with more than 100,000 lakes. The area offers some of North America’s best fishing and hunting.

Two medium-sized cities, Regina and Saskatoon, provide good bases for exploring the rest of the province and are centers for cultural activities. Regina reigns over the wheat-growing area and Saskatoon to the north is home base for the wilder part of the province. Many consider Saskatoon one of Canada’s prettiest cities.

The story of this province is that of courageous natives — First Nations — who adjusted to the changes imported by equally daring Europeans. Batoche National Historic Park near Saskatoon tells the saga of the Metis (people of mixed European and Indian background), whose rebellion under Louis Riel is a drama that few Americans know.

Saskatchewan doesn’t attract many U.S. leisure travelers although it has 5 million acres of parkland and hosts numerous fairs, festivals, powwows and rodeos. Visitors may try a few new and curious things here, too, like bowling in the snow, kick sledding, pattern dancing, skijoring and the Red River Jig.

Summer temperatures hover in the 70s, and most tourists like to visit in June through August. Winters are dry, often sunny, but can be very cold.

Things to do for Venturers

• Enter an arm-wrestling competition or maybe the beard-growing competition at the annual Prince Albert Winter Festival in a town called Prince Albert. Or learn the Red River Jig (a type of dance that originated with the Metis), or try snow bowling.
• Try dogsledding, kick sledding (pushing a sled with one foot while the other foot rides a sled runner) and skijoring (riding your skis while being pulled by a dog or horse). Also, you can see horse logging demonstrations.
• Enter any of several ice fishing derbies. In summer, there are warmer-weather fishing derbies, too.
• Camp in a teepee village in Muskoday.
• Try paintball or the 500-meter Superman ride, one of the world’s longest zip lines, on the 2,400 forested acres of the Blue Mountain Outdoor Adventure Centre in North Battleford.
  The facility also offers a full range of winter sports as well as an ecosystem awareness program and a wilderness survival program.
• Take a journey by dogsled. Or, choose the snowmobile and follow some part of the Trans-Canada Snowmobile Trail.

Things to do for Centrics

• Go sailing on one of Saskatchewan’s 100,000-plus lakes; take sailing lessons if necessary.
• Attend the autumn Maple Creek Cowboy Poetry Gathering plus Western Art and Cowboy Gear Show in Maple Creek. The event, which celebrates the province’s western heritage, features cowboy poetry and music and includes a fashion show — cowboy garb, that is — and a pancake breakfast.
• Go hiking or mountain biking on the trails at Christopher Lake. In winter, make that cross-country skiing.
• Drive through the province in an RV, and overnight at the campgrounds that cater to drivers of recreational vehicles.
• Go cross-country skiing on groomed trails, ice skating and tobogganing in the Meewasin Valley.
• Take a ranch vacation that may include a selection of the following: ATV tours, hiking, horse-drawn wagon treks, powwows, riding lessons, rodeo events, roping lessons and trail rides. You may be able to join in cattle drives and other activities of a working ranch, too. Eat bison.

Things to do for Authentics

• In Moose Jaw, take a narrated boat tour along the Wakamow River.
• Live in a houseboat for several days.
• Arrange a spa experience at Manitou Springs or Temple Gardens.
• Overnight in one or a series of B&Bs for a homey feel while admiring new vistas. Facilities that are members of the Saskatchewan Bed and Breakfast Association have been inspected and certified attesting to quality.
• Attend dinner theater in Creelman, Saskatoon or Watrous.
• Watch pattern dancing (team dancing in which the steps for the dance are set by a leader) at the Pattern Dance Saskatchewan Meeting in Watrous. Participate in square or pattern dancing events.

Additional Resources

For more information, consult Tourism Saskatchewan at www.tourismsaskatchewan.com

The post Saskatchewan, Canada appeared first on Best Trip Choices.

• Rostock University is the oldest university in northern Europe (1419).
• Lubeck was one of the cofounders, with Hamburg, of the Hanseatic League in 1241.
• The UNESCO-listed Wismar is at the southernmost point on the Baltic coast.
• Heiligendamm, on the Baltic, is Germany’s oldest seaside resort (1793).
• The North Sea produces the world’s smallest shrimp.

In League with one another

Germans don’t have the Med, but they do have the Baltic shoreline plus islands along the North and Baltic coasts for recreation under the sun.

Most North Americans, however, envision something else when considering the area for a vacation.

For them, the area is appealing because it is characterized by red brick Gothic structures, traditional gabled houses, large market squares, herring and other fresh fish, and local choices in beer. The coastal towns host a wide array of annual festivities, fairs and Christmas markets, plus numerous maritime festivals reflecting the area’s focus on the sea.

In addition, many of Germany’s coastal towns and cities were greatly enriched as members of the medieval trade cartel, the Hanseatic League, and it shows in the surviving — and very appealing — period architecture.

The region’s cities listed below are just teasers. Four boast UNESCO sites (Bremen, Lubeck, Stralsund and Wismar), and those four plus Rostock were in the Hanseatic League.

• Bremen, known for its beautiful market square anchored by a Gothic-style town hall; the winding alleys of the Schnoor quarter lined with 15th and 16th century houses, and the open-air performances of the Bremen City Musicians’ fairytale drama.
• Lubeck, with its Old Town surrounded by a river and canals, noted for its rather exotic Romanesque town hall, the iconic medieval Holsten Gate and nearby warehouses. Lubeck was the setting for Thomas Mann’s “Buddenbrooks.”
• Rostock, which is sought out for its stunning medieval churches, abbeys and a surviving city gate, plus the Hanse Sail Rostock, the largest Baltic maritime event.
• Schwerin, a city set among lakes and appreciated for the Schwerin Castle on an island in Lake Schwerin and for its gardens. Its state art museum houses an outstanding collection of Dutch and Flemish masters.
• Stralsund, with an Old Town, also surrounded by water, boasting fine examples of historic gabled houses and medieval buildings, plus its adjacent port with warehouses, boats — and the day’s catch of fish.
• Wismar, loved for its considerable collection of Gothic buildings — gabled houses, churches, the town hall. It has one of the area’s largest market squares.

Things to do for Venturers

• Plan a self-drive tour that takes you to several Hanseatic League cities, or make UNESCO sites your theme. In any case, you will want to allow plenty of time for side trips.
• In Stralsund, climb the 366 steps up the 342-foot spire of the St. Marien Church for a panoramic view of the city. Or climb to the 384-foot-high viewing platform at the Schwerin Cathedral.
• Charter the Jan von Moor peat boat in Bremen and sail to the artists’ village of Worpswede. Or, go for bigger things and plan a sailing trip in the Baltic.
• There are cycling choices for those in expert leagues, such as the Tour d’Allee on Rugen Island, accessible from Stralsund, and, still more strenuous, the six-day velodrome track races in Bremen.
• At Husum on the North Sea, take a walk through the mudflats, always with a guide. In this area, you have the chance, too, to walk through mudflats to the North Frisian Hallig islands, which disappear under water during storms, except for manmade mounds and the buildings sitting on them.
• Get married on the island of Rugen, where sites include castles, palaces and piers. Or, choose for your venue the Kiel-Holtenau lighthouse or the four-mast bark “Passat” in Lubeck-Travemunde.

Things to do for Centrics

• Tour Beck’s Brewery in Bremen (where you will sample the goods) and/or attend the Stralsund Brewery Festival in June.
• See the Schwerin area by cycling along the shore of Lake Schwerin to Wiligrad where you will be rewarded with a chance to see exhibitions at the neo-Renaissance Schloss there.
• Pursue an interest in seafaring. All the sizeable cities have port festivals of some type. Examples: Bremen’s Vegesack Harbour Festival; the Stralsund Sailing Week, and Hanse Sail Rostock, which is described as the biggest of all Baltic maritime events.
• Be serious about photography. Plan visits to medieval town halls, city gates, churches and shorelines with photo ops in mind. On sunny days, these towns are a photographer’s dream.
• Eat seafood, such as North Sea shrimp, or the Bismarck herring for which the Hanseatic towns are well known.
• See a castle festival play in Eutin, north of Lubeck. On this excursion, head farther north, as well, to Oldenburg, to see its Romanesque churches and medieval walls.

Things to do for Authentics

• Go to the beach. The key cities generally give access to established beach resorts, such as Travemunde at Lubeck; Waarnemunde at Rostock and Rugen Island, noted for its chalk cliffs, at Stralsund. Scherwin’s beaches are on some of the 10 lakes that surround the city.
• Or, plan an all-resort holiday and head directly to any of the following traditional Baltic resort sites: Bolgenhagen, Heiligendamm, Kuhlungsborn or the island of Usedom, traveling from the Hanseatic town of Anklam.
• Shop for gifts and holiday decorations in one of northern Germany’s Christmas markets. All the cities have them.
• Get acquainted with the ratskellers, meaning the cellars, generally found under medieval town halls. In Bremen, this would mean attending a wine tasting in the Town Hall Cellars, whereas in Wismar, which has a large cellar complex, you can see museum exhibitions. In Lubeck, the ratskeller is a restaurant.
• Book a guided walking tour in the towns or cities you choose to visit. Take harbor tours, too, and check out the fish markets for a taste, literally, of the places you are visiting.
• In Bremen, between May and October, see the fairytale play, “Bremer Stadtmusikanten” (The Town Musicians of Bremen). The play is presented, for free, in the market square.

Additional Resources

For more information, consult the German National Tourist Office at www.germany.travel

The post Baltic/North Sea coasts, Germany appeared first on Best Trip Choices.

• Danish Vikings were kings of England before William the Conqueror ever saw the place.
• Ribe is Scandinavia’s oldest town, dating from 710.
• Havarti cheese is named for the farm where it was created in the 19th century.
• Originally, the word Viking referred to pirates or adventurous seafarers, not to all Scandinavians.
• Legos, made in Billund, got their name from “leg godt,” Danish for “play well.”

Remembering the Vikings

Perhaps the thing North Americans know best about the Danes is that they — like their Scandinavian cousins — are descendants of Vikings, an almost legendary group of northern Europeans remembered for pillaging their way across Europe, grabbing loot and a few slaves in the bargain. It is an era that has been much romanticized, not so much for the violence as for the Vikings’ adventurous spirit.

Some observers, first noting that most Scandinavians stayed home, contend that those who went to sea weren’t any more violent or rapacious than their contemporaries. Rather, they were distinguished by their willingness to go anywhere and the fact their longboats enabled them to do just that, and at almost any time.

Depending on the historian, that era started around 800 and ended by the mid to late 11th century, after the Scandinavian countries had been significantly Christianized.

The Viking era was short, but it left its mark — as well as enough physical evidence to allow locals and visitors alike to recapture some sense of life in that long-gone era. For those who want to know more, there are informative museum displays, burial mounds and reconstructed castles to visit, sailing trips on reconstructed Viking ships and, finally, entertainment in the form of reenactment events and theatrical productions.

Such things are scattered around the country (Copenhagen wasn’t founded until 1167), so the Viking enthusiast will, of necessity, see much of Denmark to pursue this interest. Or, taking up the Viking trail may be the ideal theme (or excuse) behind trip planning for those who simply prefer rural travel.

The countryside offers variety although the land is quite flat. Denmark remains a seafaring nation, with ports and fjords along its coasts, but two-thirds or more of the land is devoted to livestock and dairy farming. In addition, coastal areas include long sandy beaches and salt marshlands. The terrain, including many small lakes, was the work of receding glaciers.

For visitors, a trip to the countryside can mean any combination of Viking sites and related activities, small-town pleasures, camping (even on some farms), beach time and other outdoor recreation.

Things to do for Venturers

• Design your own multiday driving trip built around Viking history. Start with the National Museum in Copenhagen, but head to Roskilde, the Viking capital and site of several restored ships, and look for burial sites at Jelling and Norresundby, the reconstructed Trelleborg castle at Slagelse and the reconstructed market at Ribe, among other sites.
• Sunbathe and swim in the nude. Nudism is an option on most, but not all, Danish beaches. Also, some beaches are set aside for nudists exclusively.
• At Roskilde, take a one-day course to learn how to sail a Viking ship, which means you will sail with one of the museum’s reconstructed Viking vessels.
• Compete in the Danish Longbow Championships, held annually at Ribe. The longbow is associated with medieval rather than Viking times, but Ribe is a town with rich medieval connections as well as a Viking history. Men, women and children — Danes and non-Danes — can compete in these longbow contests. Ditto for amateurs.
• For really cost-effective housing, Denmark offers 750 primitive campsites located on farms, in forests, on school grounds, etc. These are for those traveling by foot, bicycle, horseback or water conveyance, not cars.
• Come to Roskilde in June in time for the Roskilde Festival, which headlines current or up-and-coming contemporary entertainers. A ticket gives access to camping grounds, too.

Things to do for Centrics

• In Denmark, where amber is a natural resource, keep your eyes peeled for this “Nordic gold” which turns up on the beaches. If your vigilance fails, shop for amber in the stores.
• Attend a craft workshop in Ribe’s reconstructed Viking market, where you may be involved with making pottery, carving wood or making bread (and that means grinding the flour, too). Or, you may work on your archery skills.
• Go horseback riding on the beach or in the countryside.
• Be a passenger on a reconstructed Viking ship in Roskilde. The Viking Ship Museum offers daily sailings on these vessels, powered by square sails and oars, on Roskilde Fjord from May through September.
• To see a lot of Danish countryside, take a leisurely driving tour over some — or all — of the 2,232-mile Marguerite Route, a designated scenic tourist route that traverses some of the country’s most picturesque places and delivers you to more than 200 of Denmark’s most popular attractions.
• Take one of the weekly ghost tours in Ribe. The stories will include tales of regicide and witch burnings.

Things to do for Authentics

• Visit the Viking museum that fits your itinerary best. Location choices include Bork, Hobro, Norresundby, Roskilde, Slagelse and, not least, Ladby, for Denmark’s only Viking ship grave.
• Have lunch on the market square in Soro, the charming town that is home to Soro Academy. The school occupies the site of a medieval monastery; a few kings and Bishop Absalon, founder of Copenhagen, are buried in its church.
• In Frederikssund, see the open-air museum that is based on a Viking settlement. Come in late June or early July to see the annual Viking play, presented by locals and reenacting some of the tales from the age of the Vikings. Several other Danish towns present Viking plays each year, too.
• Play golf. Denmark bills itself as a year-round destination for the game.
• Shop and even haggle when buying Viking-style souvenirs at Viking markets. The Ribe market, in May, Is large. Bork, Jelling and Trelleborg castle at Slagelse host markets in summer. There are other markets, too.
• Attend a summer concert at the Roskilde Cathedral, the burial place of Danish monarchs since the Middle Ages. Or, attend a concert on the grounds of Kronborg Castle in Elsinore, or opt for a Shakespeare production on this site, which is popularly associated with Shakespeare’s fiction, “Hamlet.”

Additional Resources

For more information, consult VisitDenmark at www.visitdenmark.com

The post Danish countryside / Denmark’s Viking history appeared first on Best Trip Choices.

• The Parthenon’s horizontal lines — stair steps, beams and roof — are curved in a slight dome shape.
• The eternal flame of Altis, at Olympia, is the source of the flaming torch carried to the current Olympics.
• Statues on ancient Greek buildings were typically painted with bright colors.
• Aristotle’s most famous student was Alexander the Great.
• The Olympics, first recorded in 776 B.C. at Olympia, were held for nearly 12 centuries.

The post Delphi, Greece appeared first on Best Trip Choices.

• Laurance Rockefeller donated 9,500 acres to make the Virgin Islands National Park possible.
• The only mammals native to St. John are bats — six species of them.
• There are no traffic lights on St. John.
• The nickname for one St. John tree is Tourist Tree; it has a reddish, peeling bark.
• Most of St. John’s plants are second-generation growth; the island was almost totally clear-cut in colonial days.

Love City

St. John is the smallest and quietest of the three main islands that comprise the U.S. Virgin Islands. Almost two-thirds of the 19-square-mile St. John is national park, which puts Mother Nature very much front and center on this patch of the Caribbean.

Not to say this island was untouched by human hands. Indigenous peoples had arrived long before Christopher Columbus and others wandered into these waters. Then, Europeans found St. John handy as a base for privateering, but later for plantation development and commerce. Tourism became the major commercial activity early, beginning in the 1920s.

The Virgin Islands National Park (which includes Hassel Island just off St. Thomas) was born in 1956, and the Virgin Islands National Coral Reef National Monument was created in 2001. Some of the first park is under water, too.

The result is a destination of particular appeal to travelers who want to do things outdoors and soak up the restorative aspects of a largely untrammeled environment. The island is called Love City, referring to the promise of romance suggested by its pristine nature.

Visitors can be as active or as laidback as they wish, opting for biking, diving, fishing, hiking or sailing, for example, or lazy days on beautiful sandy beaches and in the island’s small towns for dining, shopping and even some barhopping. Accommodation choices range from camping in the park to the comforts of luxurious beachside resorts.

With reference to previous habitation, the U.S. National Park Service, when describing the park’s features, says the park preserves the stories of St. John’s prehistory in more than 100 sites “that together complete one of the most undisturbed and comprehensive Caribbean landscapes.”

Dating from 840 B.C. to the arrival of Columbus, the prehistoric sites can be found on nearly every beach and bay in the park, the NPS says. The archaeological sites include rock art, which tourists may see during their explorations.

By the mid-18th century, there were 88 plantations on St. John; park visitors can spend time at two former plantations: Annaberg and Catherineberg. Annaberg is the more developed, and the park offers some living history demonstrations there.

Things to do for Venturers

• Camp in the Virgin Islands National Park, at Cinnamon Bay.
• It’s Nashville with a lot of sand. Visit in May for the Love City Country Music Festival. Or, consider the one-day St. John Blues Blowout, a bit earlier in the year.
• Dive in the deep waters off St. John to see colorful reefs and wreck sites.
• By air, by land, by sea: Sightsee from a helicopter. Drive around the island in a rented Jeep or 4X4. Round that out by exploring the coast in a kayak or a small powerboat.
• Get your exercise and introduction to St. John atop a mountain bike.
• In winter, compete in the St. John 8 Tuff Miles Road Race. The route starts and ends at sea level, but takes runners to 999 feet above sea level and involves roughly 1,400 feet in elevation gain in the first five and a half miles.

Things to do for Centrics

• Discover ancient Arawak Indian rock carvings on the Reef Bay Hike Trail, one of 22 self-guided hiking trails within the Virgin Islands National Park.
• At the former Annaberg Plantation, inside the national park, each week there are demonstrations of cultural traditions, such as basket weaving, bread baking or music and dance. Choose the session or sessions that interest you.
• Settle in for the longest Independence Day of your life — at St. John’s monthlong series of celebrations and events, which include concerts, food fairs, pageants and sporting races.
• If not a certified diver, take the snuba route, a sport that combines snorkeling and basic diving skills.
• Rent a small sailboat, join a sailing tour or take a sailing lesson. There are choices for sailors at multiple levels of proficiency and enthusiasm.
• Opt for a trail ride, by horse or donkey, up mountains and hillsides for the scenic views.

Things to do for Authentics

• Go to the beach. A couple of beauts are found at Trunk Bay and Hawksnest Bay.
• Fishing is a natural choice in such waters. Charter a captained vessel for the purpose and toss your line into the deep.
• Shop in the boutiques, but, if serious shopping is imperative, take a 20-minute ferry ride to St. Thomas and go at it for the day.
• Sightsee on a boat trip around the island. Or, take a sunset cruise.
• Snorkel at Trunk Bay, where underwater placards on the snorkeling trail describe the surrounding ecology.
• Join the national park’s bird-watching trip to Francis Bay.

Additional Resources

For more information, consult the Virgin Islands Department of Tourism at www.visitusvi.com

The post St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands appeared first on Best Trip Choices.

• Disneyland Paris covers nearly 5,000 acres, one-fifth the area of Paris.
• Chartres Cathedral’s stained-glass windows, including 150-plus early 13^th century works, cover 27,000 square feet.
• Versailles debuted with gushing outdoor fountains but no indoor plumbing for toilets or bathing.
• Forty-two kings, 32 queens and 63 princes and princesses are buried at Saint-Denis Cathedral.
• For a short while, sculptor Auguste Rodin decorated vases at the Sevres porcelain factory.

Paris extended

The region around the French capital would stand on its own as a tourist destination even if Paris weren’t at its center. The area, about the size of Connecticut, has long and deep connections with French royalty and hence, with the country’s history. It is dotted with chateaux, fortresses and other royal leavings including woods where kings once hunted.

Then, there are the historic Gothic churches and the villages too numerous to count with centuries-old houses, businesses and public buildings that boost the area’s charm quotient significantly. Artists and other prominent figures of means have lived in the region, too.

In sum, there is plenty to occupy the interested visitor. The following only skims the surface.

• The 17^th century Versailles, built by Louis XIV southwest of Paris, is the largest and grandest of all French palaces. It epitomizes ostentatious living indoors and out, which is what it was meant to do.
• Fontainebleau, still surrounded by woods, originated as a 10^th century hunting lodge. Starting in 1537, Francis I rebuilt it as the chateau seen today. The nearby town, Barbizon, is famed for the 19^th century artists who pursued landscape painting there.
• Saint-Denis Cathedral, in the northern Paris suburb of the same name, is the mausoleum for France’s kings and queens. It’s worth a visit for the ambitious funeral monuments and for the church itself, which was Europe’s first Gothic church (dedicated 1144).
• Chartres Cathedral, southwest of Paris, is a masterpiece. UNESCO calls it a “high point of French Gothic art,” also distinguished by “magnificent 12th and 13^th century stained-glass windows, all in remarkable condition.”
• Giverny, northwest of Paris, is the town where Claude Monet lived and painted from 1883 to 1926. Visiting his house and gardens is seeing his paintings in real life.
• Sevres, a Paris suburb to the southwest, has a different royal connection. Its porcelain factory was royal property. Tourists visit the next-door National Ceramic Museum, with 5,000 Sevres items among its 50,000 pieces.
• Disneyland Paris, east of the city, is a copy of the U.S. Disney parks with a French twist (wine with meals anyone?). It is France’s most popular tourist attraction.

Things to do for Venturers

• Take the train to Vernon, then bicycle or walk to Giverny to visit the Monet home and gardens. Also, visit the adjacent Musee des Impressionnismes, which tells the story of Impressionism with changing exhibits.
• Take advantage of opportunities for hiking and rock climbing in the woods at Fontainebleau. Cycling and horseback riding are options, too.
• Design a self-drive itinerary to include the less-visited sites such as St. Germain en Laye with a fortress used by royals from Francis I to Louis XIV; the 17^th century Chateau de Malmaison, last home of Napoleon’s Empress Josephine, and the 14^th to 18^th century Chateau de Rambouillet, where Rambouillet sheep were bred. The latter, now the presidential summer residence, is open to the public when the president is away.
• Make the strenuous climb up 378 steps in the Gothic spire on Chartres Cathedral for great views of the medieval village where it sits.
• Walk the Versailles palace gardens. Also, rent a rowboat for a little time on a small lake there, called Grand Canal.
• Devote time to the town of Versailles. Hop on a bicycle for your self-guided tour of historic neighborhoods and visit to one of its several weekly markets.

Things to do for Centrics

• Visit the home of artist Jean-Francois Millet in Barbizon, on the edge of Fontainebleau Forest. He painted “Gleaners” (1857) while living here.
• Visit famous men’s houses. Just in one small area west of Paris, choices include Alexandre Dumas’ Chateau de Monte-Cristo, named for his famous novel, in Port-Marly; the home of composer Maurice Ravel in Montfort-l’Amaury; the villa of Russian novelist Ivan Turgenev in Bougival, and the home of novelist Emile Zola in Medan.
• Time your Saturday or Sunday Versailles visit so you can see the Grandes Eaux Musicales, a water show provided by the king’s fountains with accompanying music. Or in July, see the Sunday evening sound and light show.
• Have lunch on the terrace of the Maison Fournaise in Chatou, the very terrace that appears in Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s painting, “Les Dejeuners des Canotiers.”
• Call on dozens of French kings and queens at Saint-Denis, the Paris suburb where they are interred in the 12^th century cathedral. There are  70 sculpted recumbent statues, some very elaborate.
• Stroll the town of Chartres, which charms with its half-timbered houses, old bridges, shops, crafts workshops and, for a relaxing repast, its restaurants.

Things to do for Authentics

• Entertain the kids at Disneyland Paris. Enjoy wine with your lunch.
• In spring or summer, see Claude Monet paintings in Paris museums, then join a day trip to Giverny to see his home and the gardens he painted so often.
• Join a day excursion from Paris that includes Vaux le Vicomte Chateau (the inspiration for Versailles) along with Fontainebleau.
• At Versailles, make your way to the 230-foot Hall of Mirrors and imagine its history: In this space, Louis XIV entertained lavishly; Kaiser Wilhelm I was crowned Emperor of Germany after the Franco-Prussian War, and combatants signed the Treaty of Versailles ending World War I.
• In Sevres, site of an 18^th century royal porcelain factory, tour the associated ceramics museum and then visit a house once occupied by novelist Honore Balzac.
• Come to Chartres Cathedral as a pilgrim and walk the labyrinth marked out in stone on the floor of the sanctuary.

Additional Resources

For more information, consult Atout France-France Tourism Development Agency at https://us.rendezvousenfrance.com

The post Paris environs, France appeared first on Best Trip Choices.

• President Lincoln investigated purchasing Cozumel as a home for freed slaves.
• The Spanish conquest and smallpox left the island virtually uninhabited by 1600.
• Hernando Cortes began his 1519 conquest of Mexico by making his first landfall at Cozumel.
• There are up to 250 species of tropical fish in Cozumel’s waters.
• Cozumel’s airport was a U.S. military base during World War II; frogmen trained in the island’s waters.

Divers’ haven (or heaven)

Cozumel is a Caribbean island 12 miles off the coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, which means visitors have access to Cancun, the Riviera Maya and important Mayan ruins. Or, they can make Cozumel a retreat, not just from busy careers at home but from the demands of all mainland living.

Mostly, the island’s visitors want a retreat. That doesn’t mean every Cozumel guest wants the same thing, and the island earns its positive ratings by delivering a variety of travel experiences.

For one thing, divers choose the destination because — with access to the hemisphere’s largest reef system — it has some of the world’s best diving. In the early 1960s, Jacques Cousteau, the underwater explorer and filmmaker, brought Cozumel’s wonders to the world’s attention. After decades of development, the island now entices with numerous choices for water sports. Nowadays, active travelers pursue a menu of diversions, which include, besides diving, deep-sea fishing, kayaking, parasailing, sailing, windsurfing and more.

Other visitors define retreat differently. They take to the beaches or the golf courses and find their way to the shopping areas. They rest their psyches in a resort spa and in cozy restaurants in central San Miguel, the island’s only town.

There are some things this island is not good for, which is OK with Cozumel’s clientele. There are no mountain activities or the scenery that mountains might provide because the terrain is flat.

Restaurants and bars in town offer entertainment as do the inclusive resorts, but there are no discos and there is not much in the way of culture. Cozumel isn’t the place for spectator sports either.

Although the island was once a place of pilgrimage for the Maya, there’s not much left to show for that. Tourists put on their sightseeing hats and call at San Gervasio and maybe El Cedral, but the most rewarding Mayan sites for tourists are on the mainland.

Visitors can make of this retreat what they want, but they are not alone, especially in winter and/or when cruise ships come calling. When two or more ships are docked, eateries and shops are crowded.

Things to do for Venturers

• Schedule one or several dives and allow yourself to be awed by Cozumel’s extensive reef system and colorful fish.
• Water sports aren’t all about diving. Vary your schedule with kiteboarding or windsurfing. Or make that parasailing.
• Charter a sailboat for a day’s outing.
• Cross to the Yucatan Peninsula on Mexico’s mainland for a day trip to a major Mayan site such as Chichen Itza or Tulum.
• Rent a kayak or an electric bike to create your own sightseeing route in the Punta Sur Ecological Park.
• Take a jungle tour on horseback. Or get a look at the jungle on a high-flying zipline.

Things to do for Centrics

• In winter, take a catamaran trip to the Colombia Lagoon to do your bird-watching. View crocodiles, too.
• Take scuba diving lessons. Or, for nondivers, Chankanaab Park offers alternatives: Snuba lets you descend 20 feet while connected to air hoses, and sea trekking lets you walk on the seabed 25 feet under water while decked out in a helmet (looks like part of a spacesuit) with its own air supply.
• Come to Cozumel for Carnival, which is described as more family oriented than many such annual events.
• Get married on a Cozumel beach.
• Fish in the deep waters near the mainland’s Playa del Carmen. Marlin must be tossed back, but other big catches will be yours. (Fishing is not allowed near the protected reefs.)
• Taking advantage of on-island access to some Mayan ruins, explore the San Gervasio archaeological zone with a guide.

Things to do for Authentics

• Go swimming. Spend one swimming session with dolphins at Dolphin Discovery.
• Play golf on the island’s Jack Nicklaus-designed course.
• Rent snorkeling gear for your watery sightseeing. The most accessible site for this is Chankanaab Park, dubbed a natural aquarium.
• Check for a free Sunday-night concert in San Miguel’s Plaza del Sol.
• Sample the services in your hotel’s spa facilities.
• Shop for local handicrafts at the Plaza del Sol. Shop for some crafts and spices at El Mercado, as well.

Additional Resources

For more information, consult the Cozumel Promotion Board at www.cozumel.travel

The post Cozumel Island, Mexico appeared first on Best Trip Choices.

• Chocolate was a Mayan discovery, and the Maya used cacao as currency.
• After a Mayan ballgame, losers or their representatives were decapitated.
• There are more than 1,600 archaeological zones in Yucatan state alone.
• Campeche City is built on a village site the Maya called the Land of Serpents and Ticks.
• In the Americas, only the Maya developed writing that could be used to express all types of thought.

The living, and historic, Maya

The Maya became well known to the world for their calendar, astronomical prowess, textiles, written language, distinctive artwork and the astonishingly large collection of Mayan pyramids, temples, palaces and more, found in southeastern Mexico and in countries to the south. Human sacrifice also was part of the culture.

Mayan civilization dates from about 600 B.C. Over the centuries, various cities and Mayan regions rose to prominence and declined in their turn, but the 16th century arrival of the Spanish brought the deliberate destruction of this unique civilization.

However, within the post-conquest nation states, the Maya still maintain practices that are their own, while incorporating aspects of European culture that were imposed on them.

As a result, Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula (encompassing the states of Campeche, Quintana Roo and Yucatan) and neighboring states Chiapas and Tabasco are rich territory for tourists with history and culture on their minds.

There are literally thousands of archaeological sites. Tourists typically seek out Chichen Itza and Uxmal (Yucatan state); Tulum (Quintana Roo), and/or Palenque (Chiapas). Those who want more have numerous additional options in all the states. Venturesome tourists may choose sites that require a hike or boat trip to access.

Museums add to the understanding of the Mayan story and open a window onto Mayan writing, textiles and other visual examples of their colorful past.

Today, millions of Mexicans are 21st century Maya, and their culture is on view at village markets, in handicrafts offered for sale or at ceremonies and festivals that visitors may witness either by design or good fortune.

Chiapas, the Mexican state with the largest indigenous population, is the best place to seek an intimate understanding of modern Maya. Specialist tour operators fashion itineraries with this in mind.

Geography matters, too. Mayan country includes underground rivers and sinkholes (attractive for anything from a swim to diving and rappelling); mountains and tropical jungles (biking, hiking or boat journeys among the mangroves), and a sunny, beach-rimmed coastline plus, under the water, a major reef system and the world’s longest underwater caves. The Yucatan is a natural for water-based diversions, especially diving.

Things to do for Venturers

• Take a day trip from Merida, the capital of Yucatan state, to Ek Balam to see its large acropolis pyramid. While at the site, enjoy biking, rappelling and/or ziplining.
• Visit the Mayan community of Veinte de Noviembre in Campeche state or Cuzama in Yucatan state or the villages around San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas state.
• From Merida, take a daylong biking tour to the Ake Mayan ruins and a working sisal hacienda.  Or, bicycle through the jungle from Cancun to the Mayan site of Coba.
• In Chiapas, journey by wooden boat to the Mayan ruins of Yaxchilan and participate in a local conservation program if one is available when you are traveling.
• Adventure tour operators offer the unique, such as jungle hikes to unrestored Mayan sites and boat transfers to jungle lodges that tend toward the basic.
• To get an up-close look at Palenque’s details, climb the tall Temple of the Inscriptions and then descend into the restored crypt of the Mayan King Pakal.

Things to do for Centrics

• Book a tour that includes a Mayan ritual cleansing at a sacred cenote.
• In Tabasco, visit the Finca Cholula cacao plantation; participate in a ceremonial tasting of the drink in early Mayan form, and eat a traditional meal.
• Take a Yucatecan cooking class. And, snatch or make opportunities to sample traditional Mayan foods, starting with dishes using avocados and chocolate.
• Consult a Mayan healer at the Mayan Medicine Museum in San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas state.
• Include Palenque, the top Mayan site in Chiapas state, on your itinerary. If taking in other lesser-known sites, be aware that Yaxchilan is still an active pilgrimage site for the Maya.
• Come to San Cristobal de las Casas, a center for modern Mayan culture, to spend time at the town’s outdoor market. Buyers and sellers are often decked out in traditional clothing.

Things to do for Authentics

• Overnight at a lodge overlooking Chichen Itza, and do the same at Uxmal.
• From Campeche City, visit the Mayan sites of Edzna, known for its 100-foot pyramid, and Calakmul, one of the largest known Mayan sites.  And, if you are collecting archaeological sites, make Comalcalco your destination in Tabasco state.
• Pause for some museum time, starting with the Museum of Anthropology and History in Merida and other museums focused specifically on the Maya.
• Lick your lips as you tour the Ecomuseo de Cacao, located on an organic cacao plantation, Tikul Plantation in Yucatan state.
• Shop for traditional handicrafts when opportunity presents itself. Look for Mayan textiles and hammocks.
• Hear music and watch a local folkloric dance troupe on some nights in the downtown plaza at Campeche City during peak tourist season. In any season, walk the circuit of the city’s historic walls, which served as defense against pirates.

Additional Resources

For more information, consult the Mexico Tourism Board at www.visitmexico.com

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