*Safari West’s Classic Safari provides close encounters with animals like the Cape Buffalo © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

It isn’t a surprise to see zebras grazing, giraffes ruminating, a rhinoceros with her 2700-pound baby, or sleeping in a luxurious safari tent and awakening to see a herd of antelope dashing in unison, when you go on safari in Africa. What is extraordinary is that this is in the backyard of Sonoma, California, better known for wineries, vineyards and winetasting. This is Safari West, which since its founding in 1993, affords an extraordinary authentic experience that makes you feel you are in Africa – the Sonoma Serengeti! – no passport, vaccinations or jetlag required.

Eric and I start our Safari West visit with the three-hour Classic Safari, consisting of about 2 ½ hours driving through three habitats across the vast, 400-acre landscape on which some 1000 animals (almost 100 different species), reside and a half-hour walk to visit mammals and birds.

*Safari West’s Classic Safari provides an authentic safari adventure on the “Sonoma Serengeti”© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

During the course of my 24 hours here, I will follow the Classic Safari with a Behind-the-Scenes tour with our toddler (children need to be at least four years old for the Classic Safari, though families with younger children can arrange a Private Safari) where we get to feed a variety of animals; a 5 pm buffet dinner, followed by a walk-about through a zoo-like setting.

*Even our toddler gets to feed a warthog on Safari West’s Behind-the-Scenes tour © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Then, after the rest of the family leaves, I stay over for a Glamping Among the Wildlife: A Safari West Experience in one of their 30 authentic Botswana safari tents tucked into the trees, enjoying evening activities including s’mores and a movie (“Jungle Book”). Since overnight guests have no curfew, I am able to explore more at dusk, into the dark of night (borrowing a flashlight from reception), and again in the early morning when the animals are most animated. I follow the included breakfast buffet with more exploration before reluctantly leaving Safari West.

*One of the 30 glamping tents tucked into the woods at Safari West © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Safari on the “Sonoma Serengeti”

For our Classic Safari, we ride in vehicles that are open on the sides and have four seats on top (reminding me of my tiger safari in India). The guides – invariably friendly, humorous, knowledgeable and unscripted so they respond to their guests’ interests (and terrific drivers) take us on rough gravel trails over hills and plains, coming incredibly close (without barriers or fences) to giraffe, antelope, ostrich, wildebeest, Cape buffalo, zebra, elands, addax, aoudad and others among the 97 species in residence.

Our guide for our 1 pm. three-hour Classic Safari, Alex Killian, invites our questions and observations which she gleans to stay in an area longer. We are riding in “Bender”, a 1950s Dodge Power wagon (it seems Safari West has bought up the fleet of Dodge Power wagons from 1940s to 1970s). About 2 ½ hours are spent driving, with about 30 minutes on a walking portion to see the primates, porcupines and birds.

You can read about these different animals and see photos but seeing them up close, in their habitat provides a whole different dimension of understanding and appreciation for behaviors and evolutionary adaptations.

We go into the vast field with the giraffes– Killian tells us they are 5-6 feet tall at birth (they are delivered while the mother is standing up and are dropped six feet to the ground); 9 feet tall by one year old, and grow up to 19 feet tall. These sweet creatures – literally gentle giants – are distinguished by the fact every giraffe has a unique pattern of sports, like human fingerprints, but these spots also help in thermoregulation (at night, the giraffes walk themselves into their barn to protect from hypothermia).

Giraffes, Killian says, “speak” but in a pitch that can barely be heard by a human but sounds like a moo and use various sounds like moans, snores, hisses, and grunts, they mainly communicate with body language. Killian tells us they sleep standing up for 20 minutes at a time– only half their brain sleeps at one time – for a total of about two to three hours in the course of a day; the rest of the time they are eating or ruminating. (Later, during the Behind-the-Scenes tour, we get to meet them close up and feed them).

Killian points to “Mango,” the only male giraffe, here, noting that the animals mate and breed naturally here; the caretakers only insuring they are healthy, and adds that Safari West will “buy, sell, trade, borrow and loan” animals with other zoos and conservancies to increase genetic diversity.

Addax, a white antelope that is critically endangered, whose horns have extra twists, which Killian explains helps cool the animal; we see one with only one horn, and she explains that if they break off, they do not grow back. © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

In this plain, we also see Dama Gazelle; Gemsbok; Greater Kudu; Roan antelope and Addax, astonished at how magnificent they are with their horns and coloring.

Leaving this area through the double-fence system, we see an ostrich which seems to be “flirting” with the safari vehicle ahead of us. This is “Lucille Ball,” “She is more flirtatious when she is about to lay an egg,” Killian explains. Ostriches, Killian tells us, lay the largest eggs among the birds, equivalent to 12-24 chicken eggs in size and lay 1-3 eggs a week.

*An ostrich gets flirtatious with one of the safari vehicles © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Ostriches are surprisingly large and amazingly fast – she tells us they can run 12-35 mph and though they have a brain the size of a walnut, “they are not dumb.” “It’s an ‘in the moment’ animal,” she explains. “But you don’t need to outwit a predator when you can outrun it.”

*A pregnant Southern White rhinoceros with her baby © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We see a Southern White Rhinoceros mom with her two-year old baby that already weighs 2375 lbs. She is pregnant again (rhinoceros gestate for 16-18 months) and is due to deliver at any time (you can follow her progress on social media). But because the pheromones at the end of pregnancy and when she is in labor are the same as when she is in heat, they have to separate the male, who is in an adjacent area. In the wild, she says, “They spend a week together and then don’t see each other again” but the mom is very maternal. “She is very connected to her baby.” She can nurse two babies at a time. The female rhinoceros can weigh 4000-7000 lbs. A herbivore, the rhinoceros consumes 150 lbs of grass or 60 lbs of hay a day.

*The zebra’s stripes are unique from zebra to zebra and even left and right sides* *© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We drive through more gates and come to an open area with zebra gathered around where they have just been provided grass. Like the giraffes, the zebra’s stripes are unique from zebra to zebra and even left and right sides of the animal, except for its face.

*The Common Eland depends on pheromones to mate © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Close by are the Common Eland and we see a baby less than one month old (it’s been named “Nova”, consistent with the space-themed names given the herd). The Eland (“it means ‘moose’ in Dutch) is a kind of antelope, the biggest of the species (the tallest is the Kudu).

*“Nova” is a one-month old Common Eland © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

“They depend largely on pheromones – it’s how they identify the others in their unit, and how they take a mate. They urinate and others take in the pheromone.”

*Our guide stops to tell us about the herd of eland © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We drive into the third habitat, the largest of the three at 100 acres.

*Stunning views of antelope at Safari West © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We see the African Cape Buffalo, one of the Big 5 – that is, the 5 most dangerous animals to encounter in Africa, she tells us (lion, leopard, Black rhinoceros, African Bull elephant are the others). The Cape Buffalo are dangerous, she says, because they protect each other. “If one of their group is threatened, even if they just think it is threatened, they will still protect.”

*The African Cape Buffalo is one of Africa’s “Big 5” © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We meet the Blue wildebeest from Southern Africa which Killian calls “a spare parts animal” because it has hair and horns resembling the female African Cape buffalo; stripes like a zebra; a long face like a baboon; and a heavy build in front but slender legs like an ostrich compared to its bulky front build.

*“Spare parts animal” wildebeest are well adapted for their habitat © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

These are adaptations to the environment, and as we watch one nuzzling a baby, Killian tells us that its long face helps the wildebeest detect humidity – and impending disaster, and that the herd in the wild, 1-5 million of them, migrate or escape danger moving together. Other animals have learned to follow their lead.

*Mother and baby © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

In the wild, they somehow synchronize the births to the month, timed for migration. Some 8,000 babies could have been born on the last day before migration, so wildebeest have evolved to move as fast as 55 mph, from Day 1. Here at Safari West, they somehow synchronize births to the season (rather than a month, as they might in the wild) and ‘migrate’ on property (moving down the hillside).

“Animals here mate naturally,” she adds. “We only make sure they are healthy.”

We spot Aoudad on the forested slope, and Killian says that while other species take a mate by showing dominance (brawn), Aoudad males pee on their beard and the ‘best’ smell gets the lady.

*We spot Aoudad on the forested slope © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

(Insiders tip: if photography is important to you, bring a decent SLR camera with a decent zoom lens that can capture moments and movements (cell phone cameras are good for scenics and landscapes and have their merit in difficult lighting situations). Safari photography is just as interesting a sport as hunting – only you are hunting and shooting with a camera. For avid photographers, Safari West offers a Private Photography Safari Workshop.)

After the drive portion of the Classic Safari tour, we have a walking tour of about 30 minutes, to see the porcupines, primates, mammals and birds.

*Nicobar pigeon in Safari West’s aviary © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We walk through one of the aviaries, chock full of bird varieties – crane, sacred ibis, scarlet ibis, spoon bill, cattle egret, black swan, Nicobar pigeon, to list but a few. (We will soon return to help feed the birds during our Behind the Scenes tour).

*The Caracal is a master of hunting and hiding © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We see the Caracal, a master of hunting and hiding that can jump 6-10 ft to capture a bird, take down prey 2-3x its size and when they hunt as a group, they can take down an impala.

*The Patas Monkey is said to have been the inspiration for Dr. Seuss’ Lorax© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

I especially love watching the Colobus Monkey and the Patas Monkey (said to have been the inspiration for Dr. Seuss’ Lorax), ring-tailed lemurs (two “old men” in their bachelor pads), and (my favorite) the Red Ruffed Ringtales. All have various forms of enrichment – like puzzles and toys, obstacles and constructions. (There is an immersive Enrichment Tour, also on my list for my next visit.)

*One of the two older ringed tail lemurs lounges © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Behind-the-Scenes

Our Classic Safari ends just in time to meet up with Sarah and our 16-month old toddler to enjoy the Behind the Scenes tour where we get to feed the animals – one of Safari West’s most popular programs for good reason.

Our guide, Zoey, tells us she was part of Safari West’s Junior Zookeepers program for 12-16 year olds.

*Feeding the Crested porcupines on the Behind-the-Scenes tour at Safari West © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Even our toddler gets a chance to feed the Crested porcupines, Spike and Norton – notably, they don’t have the prickly quills, their quills are a softer material.

*Birds flock to whoever has the blue latex glove on the Behind-the-Scenes tour at Safari West © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We go next to feed the birds in the aviary and Zoey warns us that it can be intimidating because there are so many birds and they get pushy when they see the blue latex glove and know there is food to be had. She adds that to stop the birds from rushing at you, take off the blue glove. I find it fascinating that there is such a learned behavior.

Sure enough, it is quite an experience that as we walk in, the birds swarm around us. We get to fling pieces of chopmeat (that surprises me) and watch as the biggest ones catch pieces in the air.

*Flamingoes, the oldest animals at Safari West, were brought here when Marine World closed © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We go to where there is a huge flock of flamingoes in a small pond. These, Zoey says, are the oldest animals at Safari, many came when Marine World closed in 1969. They can live to 30 years old in the wild, but can reach 60-70 years in captivity (the oldest known is 85).

We next go to the Giraffe Barn to feed “Mabel.” Coming so close to the giraffe is truly an experience.

*Even our toddler gets to help feed “Mabel,” the giraffe, during Safari West’s popular Behind-the-Scenes tour © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

With eating being the giraffes’ main activity, their tongues are the most distinctive feature – they can be up to 18 inches long and are prehensile to grasp and manipulate objects, so they can strip leaves from branches and maneuver around thorns and rugged bark to reach their food. Also, the front of their tongues are dark, with melanin, to protect from sunburn. They eat the leaves but leave the roots, so that their food source will renew. During the course of a day, they will consume 100 lbs of foliage.

*Giraffes are notable for their prehensile tongue © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The giraffes come when the keeper calls them to go into barn overnight, to prevent hypothermia

We finish our Behind-the-Scenes tour by feeding the warthogs “Lucy”, Vigeri and Fig Newton

And now it is time for our feeding.

Dining Out, Staying Over

Safari West offers a fixed menu buffet dinner (two seatings, at 5 and 7 pm) which is marvelous.

The meal is superb – chicken (paprika seasoning), steak (perfectly cooked over fire), rice, mac/cheese, salad (we are invited to have seconds until they run out), fresh fruit and a cheesecake dessert.

Guests who stay for dinner can wander the property until 8:30 pm; overnight guests (like me) can wander without any curfew.

(There is also a very pleasant deli where you can pick up sandwiches and such (good selection and very reasonable cost.)

*Watching Addax in the field at Safari West © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Even when I go around at 7:30 pm when the sunlight is a rich golden color – I am surprised that it seems as if the animals have grabbed their coats and lunch buckets for quitting time (the porcupines are curled up), but several are very active.

*The Red Ruffed lemur is the second loudest primate. I get to hear their chorus © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The three Red Ruffed Lemurs, with stunning, fluffy red fur, black faces and bright, piercing yellow eyes, are really active at this time. Earlier in the afternoon, when I came upon them, they were making extremely loud shrieks – indeed, the guide says they are the second loudest primates and can vocalize very high and low pitches at the same time, that can be heard up to a half-mile away. Found only in Madagascar, they are matriarchal and the keeper explains that one of the three is being bullied, kept from being groomed and from eating,

*A family of ring tailed lemur live on a small island © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

There are S’mores at 8 pm and then they show “Jungle Book” (one of three animal-themed movies they present each night) at 8:30 pm. (Overnight guests can help ourselves to coffee, tea, chocolate an fruit as we like

*From my tent, I watch the giraffes walk themselves into the barn for the night © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

After the movie, I borrow a flashlight from the reception desk, and go into the darkness. I am especially interested to see if I can observe activities of nocturnal animals, but alas, it is too dark and the animals, if they are active, are too far into the darkness to be observed (perhaps on a night with a full moon it would be better and even more magical.)

By now pitch black (and grateful for the flashlight), I walk up the hill to my tent, delighted to find a luxurious, spacious room accommodating a queen bed and two cots, sufficient for a family of four, with beautiful wood floor, an enormous tile-floor bathroom stocked with the necessary toiletries like a deluxe hotel; giant screened windows on two of the walls so I can see out to a gorgeous view of the lake; and a patio where, when I walk out in the pitch black night, it seems the Big Dipper is right in front of my face close enough to touch. If it gets cold, there is a space heater and an electric blanket.

*My glamping tent has all the comforts of a hotel room, but with canvas walls © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

I am surprised that I do not hear more animal sounds in the night, and do not need to use the ear plugs they supply.

But I awake to the sounds of birds and mooing, and look out from my porch to see the herd of antelope running together across their field.

*From my glamping tent, I watch antelope running together in the early morning © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The best part of overnighting at Safari West is being here at early morning when the animals become really active knowing they are to be fed.

*Going out in the morning, I can take my time watching animals close up © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Each place i come upon, if there is a keeper, they are happy to share more information about the animals in their care.

*A caretaker explains how she gives special attention to the Red Ruffed lemur which is being bullied by the matriarch © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

I watch the Red Ruffed lemur being fed – one is being bullied by the matriarch, so the keeper goes in, entices two of them into a separate compartment, and gives the third special attention (she doesn’t get groomed, so the keeper pats her and feels for any health issues).

*In the early morning, I get a good view of the cheetahs which eluded me the day before © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

I get to see the cheetahs, pacing their enormous enclosure (they eluded me the previous day); and the hyenas devouring a thick chunk of red meat

*A hyena with its breakfast of red meat © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

As appropriate, the keepers incorporate enrichment into their feeding methods so the animals have to work for food. (“Most creatures are bribable with food,” our guide Killian had told us on the Classic Safari. “Food is a prime motivator.” (Safari West offers a new Enrichment Tour Experience to see how they use puzzles, toys and activities like hiding treats, to stimulate the animals’ natural behaviors and keep them mentally and physically active.)

*A Patas monkey plays with one of its enrichment toys. Safari West now offers an Enrichment Tour where you can help create toys © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

I go into the Elephant room for breakfast (included for overnight guests and served from 7-10 am) – eggs, oatmeal, cereals, yogurt, muffins, toast/bagels, fresh squeezed OJ – before going for another walk-through the animal enclosures.

As an overnight guest I need to be out of the tent by 11, but I am welcomed to stay and wander about as long as I want.

Overall, with all these encounters over the past 24 hours, I must have made some 10 tours through the animal enclosures and each time, the experience is different – I see animals that eluded me before, or doing different behaviors, or in different light, or just happening upon a guide providing information I hadn’t known before.

Mission to Promote Conservation

I am really impressed in how well Safari West fulfills its declared mission to actively promote conservation and environmental education.

“At Safari West it’s all about the animals. Always has been, always will be.” These animals become ambassadors for their species, promoting understanding and appreciation to help each person make well-informed choices for environmental protection and wildlife conservation.

Over the past decades, Safari West has evolved into a top-tier wildlife destination.

Safari West began in the late 1980s when Peter Lang purchased 400 rolling acres in the foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains. He relocated his small but growing collection of exotic wildlife, converting a former cattle ranch into a world-class conservation breeding facility.

As Peter set to work establishing captive breeding programs for the varied and often critically endangered species in his collection, he worked closely with local zoological facilities including the San Francisco Zoo where he met the lead curator, raptor-specialist and his future wife, Nancy Lang. After four years of operating their conservation breeding facility behind closed doors, Peter and Nancy opened their home to the public on July 4th, 1993.

*Safari West opened glamping tents to give visitors a whole new experience © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Then, in the late 1990s, Peter looked to expand the activities available to guests and built the Safari West Tent Camp, importing custom-built tents from Lobatswe, Botswana. With the Watusi Pond as the center, the tent camp sits between the Gazelle Pasture, the Hundred Acres, and the Vista habitats, overlooking the antelope and giraffes. The 30 glamping tents are mounted on raised platforms, with hardwood floors, electricity, running hot and cold water, and even en suite bathrooms.

The Langs’ devotion to their animals was tested and proven during the horrific Tubbs wildfires that struck in October 2017.

When I ask our safari guide about how they managed during the wildfires, she replied, “We didn’t save the animals, they saved us. They graze so there was nothing for the fires to catch onto, and the oak trees are resilient.”

She relates that when sheriffs came to order an evacuation at around 11 pm, the 90 guests on the property just grabbed their keys and left within 15 minutes.” Helicopters fighting the fires used water from the lake.

But she seems to have understated what happened because it was horrific – 250 out of Safari West’s 400 acres were scorched and the osteology lab operated by the Safari West Research, Education, and Conservation Department burned completely. Though conservation organizations were ready to help evacuate the animals, no one was allowed up the twisting mountain road, so they couldn’t have evacuated the animals.

The animals were saved because Safari West owner Peter Lang, then 76 years old, after driving through fire to evacuate their home which burned to the ground, stayed behind and for the next 10 hours, fought the fires alone. In the next couple of days, some volunteers and staff were able to come and help put out the brush fires that erupted.

All 1000 animals were saved. For his heroic efforts, Peter Lang received the 2018 American Red Cross Animal Rescue Hero Award. (Read the thrilling story by Paige Peterson reported in the New York Social Diary, https://safariwest.com/2017/11/life-after-fires/).

Safari West is ideal for family gatherings and special events – I am already planning to bring our bi-coastal family together for an overnight stay as soon as the little ones are old enough to appreciate the safari. I’ve earmarked the Enrichment Tour and Private Photography tour, especially.

Safari West, 3115 Porter Creek Road Santa Rosa, CA 95404, 800-616-2695, 707-579-2551, safariwest.com

Travel planning help is available from Sonoma County Tourism, https://www.sonomacounty.com.

_____________________________

© 2025 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Bluesky: @newsphotosfeatures.bsky.social X: @TravelFeatures Threads: @news_and_photo_feature

Biking Tours, Cultural travel, Historic Places, International Travel, Museums and Exhibits, Places of History

Boat Bike Tours’ Netherlands Islandhopping: Discovering Living History in Enkhuizen

July 30, 2025 krubin723

People in period dress bring to life the village of Urk as it was in 1905, in the Zuiderzee Museum, an open-air living history museum village in Enkhuizen that re-creates daily life around the Zuiderzee before the sea was turned into a lake © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

On Day 8 of our Boat Bike Tours’ Islandhopping Netherlands tour, we wake up in Enkhuizen, back where we started. We have breakfast and have to disembark by 9:30 am but we are able to leave our luggage on board for a couple of hours, giving me time to explore a bit before I need to take the train back to Amsterdam and the Schiphol Airport. I really appreciate this bit of time since I hadn’t a chance to explore Enkhuizen when we first arrived (I recommend coming a day before the ship sails so you have more time), and though I had some time to explore in the evening, i really enjoy myself wandering around this morning.

*A reminder that despite its historic appearance today, Enkhuizen was bombed in World War II © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

*Enjoying a walk-about picturesque Enkhuizen © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

*Zuiden Kerk in Enkhuizen* *gets ready to welcome congregants for Sunday morning service* *© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

I find myself at the Zuiden Kerk (church) – magnificent yet simple and unpretentious, awesome yet approachable; ancient yet modern, the painted wooden ceiling shaped like the upside down bottom of a boat. It is Sunday morning and people are gathering for service as the organmeister plays Pacobel.

Plan to spend at least 3 hours at the Zuiderzee Museum, an open-air living history museum village in Enkhuizen that re-creates daily life around the Zuiderzee before the sea was turned into a lake © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

*The Zuiderzee Museum, an open-air living history museum village in Enkhuizen, re-creates daily life around the Zuiderzee © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

I find my way to the Zuiderzee Museum, an open-air living history museum village that re-creates daily life around the Zuiderzee before the sea was turned into a lake (the Ijsselmeer where we have just sailed) – when the dam was built in 1932. You stroll the cobble streets and explore 140 historic buildings collected from the former Zuiderzee region.

*The baker is open for business at the living history Zuiderzee Museum in Enkhuizen© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

*Visit the apothecary at the living history Zuiderzee Museum in Enkhuizen© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The outdoor museum was opened by Queen Beatrix in 1983 as an extension of the indoor Zuiderzeemuseum, which opened in 1950 (the indoor museum doesn’t open until noon so I have to miss it). Most of the buildings are authentic while others are reconstructed replicas of actual buildings. A complete village, you can wander around and visit a windmill, lime kilns, fish-smoking house, steam laundry, drugstore, pharmacy, basketmaker, blacksmith, cheese warehouse, school (where wooden shoes are lined up outside the classroom), even a hairdresser, and visit the working post office. The harbor is a replica of its layout on Marken. From April to November you can see life in the village of Urk as it was in 1905, meet residents and watch traditional activities, like games and building clog boats, and demonstrations of crafts such as rope-making, cooperage, basket making and herring being smoked.

*The Indoor Museum is “a treasure house of the Zuiderzee” © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The Indoor Museum, “a treasure house of the Zuiderzee,” consists of a string of 17th century buildings (original and replicated), some of which were used by the Dutch East India Company. Here, various collections are presented with a modern approach: you can dive into a ‘Sea of Stories’ and experience life on the former Zuiderzee in this interactive exhibition. A popular attraction is the ‘Schepenhal’ (ship’s hall), which allows visitors a close-up view of historic ships. The indoor museum also displays artifacts from the Zuiderzee cultural past, including paintings, furniture and traditional local costumes (‘klederdracht’). (Unfortunately, it opens at noon and I do not have the time to visit.)

*Enjoying a walk-about picturesque, historic Enkhuizen © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Both indoor and outdoor museums have several restaurants located in National Heritage sites, like the Hindeloopen Pub, the Amsterdam House and the Pepper House on the Wierdijk.

Admission is 22E (56E for a family); plan to spend at least 3 hours at the outdoor museum. [Note: if you are extending the boat bike tour with a stay in Amsterdam, you may want to get the Iamsterdam city card (www.iamsterdam.com), which includes admission to the Zuiderzee Museum, https://www.iamsterdam.com/en/whats-on/calendar/museums-and-galleries/museums/zuiderzee-museum]

Zuiderzee Museum, Wierdijk 12-22, 1601 LA Enkhuizen, https://www.zuiderzeemuseum.nl/.

Getting to Enkhuizen

*Enkhuizen is a pleasant hour-long train ride from Amsterdam’s Central Station © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

I am relieved to see how amazingly easy it is to get to/from the embarkation point in Enkhuizen from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport (especially since I arrived by plane on the same day as the boat departed): just walk down to the train (every 15 minutes) to the Central Station, a quick switch to the train to Enkhuizen (every half hour) for the hour-long, comfortable and scenic ride. The trick is to “check in” with a credit/debit card using the app, or purchase a ticket (14-16E) before you go through to the train by tapping on a pole (a conductor will double check on the train), then when you depart the train, tap it on the pole again, and the correct amount is debited. (If you don’t pre-purchase, the conductor can charge you an extra 50E; I did forget but the conductor was extremely kind in helping me buy the ticket online.) Then it’s just a five minute walk from the train station to the ship. You can purchase tickets in the vending machines at the stations or online on https://www.ns.nl/en/journeyplanner#/. The website can also be used to check the timetable.

Getting back to the airport is equally easy – we are asked to leave the ship by 9:30 am (but I am able to store my luggage there, so I could visit the city until 11).I time my touring to get back to the ship, pick up my stuff to get the 11:39 am train to Central Station in Amsterdam, then a quick switch to the train to Schiphol with more than the three-hours before my flight at 7:05 pm.

*Take the train from Schiphol Airport to Central Station in Amsterdam’s historic center (be sure to buy/download your ticket and tap the yellow pole) © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Boat Bike Tours

This was my second trip with Boat Bike Tours (I had the best time on their Bruges-Amsterdam boat-bike-tour – utter perfection with the biking, the boat, the sights along the way; be sure to plan to spend at least a day in Bruges before the bike tour to appreciate its enchantment).

Boat Bike Tours, which is based in Amsterdam, got its start when Channel Cruises Holland, a barge tour operator founded in 1977, added biking to its itineraries in response to guests asking for traditional Dutch activities. The new cruise-and-cycle concept was so successful that it was spun off as its own brand in the mid-1990s. Between 2000 and 2020, the company added more itineraries and ships. Last year, Boat Bike Tours merged with Islandhopping, a Croatia-based operator which also specializes in cruise-and-cycle travel (I loved the boat-bike trip in Greece that I took with Islandhopping some years ago). Together, the merged company, while operating under their own names, offers more than 70 itineraries in 15 countries, and has opened a North American sales office in Fairfield, Connecticut.

“With half of our guests coming from North America now, it makes sense to have an office here,” said Jana Tvedt, Director of Sales, North America for Boat Bike Tours. “We’re available when needed and familiar with what Americans and Canadians are looking for in destinations, experiences and ships. And we’re always happy to work with travel advisors, groups and charters.”

Each season, the company contracts some 50 ships including barges, motor yachts and sailing ships, ranging in category from comfortable to superior. Biking styles include guided for casual riders and independent (self-guided) for seasoned cyclists, with touring bikes, e-bikes and mountain bikes available depending on the destination.

Itineraries range from five to 15 days, with most being eight days, and cater to a variety of budgets and interests, from historic cities and landmarks to picturesque natural landscapes and the world’s best wines. The Boat Bike Tours concept is to enable guests to connect with local people, culture and nature, while traveling by smaller boat and by bike also takes guests beyond tourist hotspots and minimizes environmental impacts. (Our sailing ship, Leafde fan Fryslân, uses biodiesel.)

Boat Bike Tours will be offering a deluxe itinerary on a newly built ship for 2026, Magnifique X, that includes a hotel stay in Amsterdam and a hotel stay in Paris © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The big news is that Boat Bike Tours will be offering a newly built ship for 2026, Magnifique X, an all-suite ship accommodating 32 passengers, giving the company a new deluxe, superior category. In addition to the bigger cabin, the itinerary is also enhanced with upgraded amenities, support van, included lunches, and more sightseeing inclusions. The itinerary goes from Amsterdam to Paris with one night hotel stay in Amsterdam, then biking to Bruges, then a motorcoach transfer to Paris where there is a hotel stay. (Bookings are open.)

Among its most popular itineraries for North American travelers:

*Come at least the day before starting out on Boat Bike Tours’ Bruges to Amsterdam trip to be enchanted by Bruges at night © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Amsterdam to Bruges: Cruise and ride through the Dutch countryside of Zeeland and western Flanders in Belgium. Tour world-famous cities such as Amsterdam, Antwerp, Ghent and Bruges, as well as picturesque villages, a Dutch cheese farm, the windmills of Kinderdijk and the magnificent natural landscape along the Schelde River.

Split to Dubrovnik: Hop from island to island in the South Dalmatia region of Croatia by boat and e-bike. See the town centers of Split and Dubrovnik, and experience the culture and nature of more sparsely populated islands like Brač, Hvar, Korčula, Lastovo, Mljet and Šipan. E-bikes help with hilly and mountainous terrain.

Cochem to Metz: Follow the Moselle River through Germany, France and Luxembourg, passing endless vineyards and stopping to taste local wines. See enchanting old cities like Cochem and Bernkastel, the once-imperial Roman Trier, the stunning waterfalls of Saarburg, the Gothic cathedral of Metz and welcoming villages in between.

The merger of the Boat Bike Tours and Islandhopping means that clients of either one can take advantage of a 3% loyalty discount when booking. Notably, bike tours prove superb for the burgeoning number of solo travelers, and each departure offers at least one cabin with a reduced single supplement.

For more information, contact Boat Bike Tours, 203-814-1249 or visit https://www.boatbiketours.com/.

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Biking Tours, Cultural travel, European travel, Historic Places, International Travel, Museums and Exhibits, Places of History

Boat Bike Tours’ Netherlands Islandhopping: Exploring the Solar System through an 18th Century Lens

July 23, 2025 krubin723

The marvelous Eise Eisinga Planetarium, the world’s oldest continuously operating planetarium in the world, dating from 1781, in Franeker visited on Day 6 of Boat Bike Tours’ eight-day Islandhopping tour of northern Netherlands. © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

Day 6 on Boat Bike Tours’ eight-day Islandhopping tour of northern Netherlands is a case when the hype doesn’t even begin to match the reality of the experience. Today’s ride will take us either 29 or 36 miles (depending on our choice of short or long routes) from Harlingen to Franeker, through the Frisian countryside and rural villages to Bolsward and into Makkum on the eastern bank of lake Ijsselmeer. Boat Bike Tours doesn’t just curate the cycling routes, they also curate experiences. In this case, our bike tour turns into an exploration of the solar system through an 18^th century lens.

The marvelous Eise Eisinga Planetarium, the world’s oldest continuously operating planetarium in the world, dating from 1781, in Franeker, was built by the amateur astronomer in his house, now a UNESCO World Heritage site © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

We set out biking first to the historic center of Franeker to visit the Koninklijk Eise Eisinga Planetarium (Royal Eise Eisinga Planetarium) – the oldest continuously operating planetarium in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage site. I had never heard of Eise Eisinga or his planetarium, but am instantly amazed.

*Eise Eisinga was a wool-comber and largely self-taught scientist and astronomer who spent seven years, from 1774 to 1781, crafting his planetarium in his house © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Eise Eisinga was a wool-comber and largely self-taught scientist and astronomer who spent seven years, from 1774 to 1781, building a remarkable planetarium in his house! – in his living room/bedroom/dining room to be precise. We see the cupboard where he would have slept with his wife under the mechanism, the pull-out trundle bed where his children would have slept, the dining table. Above, on the ceiling, we see where he constructed a solar system where the six known planets in exact scale follow their rotation around the sun with remarkable precision even by today’s standards, using today’s instruments. The fact that the mechanism is still in working order is evidence of the ingenuity and foresight of its maker, who left detailed instructions for its maintenance.

*See exhibits of early astronomical devices at the Eise Eisinga Planetarium in Franeker © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

While waiting for the English-language presentation, we visit the fascinating exhibits that take up the rest of his home, starting with a delightful video interview between “Eise Eisinga” and an actual Dutch astronaut and another superb video about Eisinga’s life.

When I learn about Eise Eisinga’s biography, I am awed by his genius, bringing to my mind Leonardo DaVinci.

Eise Eisinga was born in 1744 in Dronrijp where he attended primary school. Like many children in those days who worked at home, he worked in his father’s wool combing establishment. In addition to his father’s profession, he inherited his father’s interest in astronomy and mathematics. Eise was so determined to learn that he would travel every week to Franeker, a major center of learning, to study Euclidean math with Willem Wijtses, a wool dyer. When he was 24, Eisinga married Pietje Jacobs and settled in Franeker in 1768, working as a wool comber.

On May 8, 1774,a local newspaper published a prediction from a preacher that the confluence of Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter and the moon would result in the mutual forces of these celestial bodies knocking the earth off its path and cause it to be burned up by the sun (“the end of time!”). That set off a panic and seems to have been an impetus for Eisinga to begin building his model of the solar system to show the extreme unlikelihood of planets colliding.

*The fascinating planetarium that Eise Eisinga built in his bedroom/dining room © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

It took Eisinga seven years to construct his planetarium – a real triumph of craftsmanship to carve the wood (his father, a woodcarver, helped), create 6,000 precision nails for the cogs, and the exquisite painting. Eise would have finished sooner, but in a critical development, he had to adjust the placement of the pendulum that kept everything in motion, because his wife drew the line on allowing him to cut a hole in the floor (it was their bedroom, after all), so he had to recalculate everything and replace all 6,000 nails.

The power (and motion) for the entire mechanism comes from a clock, “like the beating heart of the machine,” our guide explains. The mechanism is powered by a system of nine weights – one for clock and 8 for different axels of system

All is built to scale to fit into the space – an astonishing 1 to 1 trillion – and everything is turning so slowly, you can’t detect motion visually. Every planet has its own calculated speed, so Mercury takes 88 days to make one full rotation; Venus takes 224 days; Earth takes 365 days plus 76 hours while the moon takes 29 ½ days to go around the earth (it shows the phases of the moon); Mars takes 687 days; Jupiter, with four moons (the number known at the time), takes 11 years, 315 ⅓ days for its rotation; and Saturn, the furthest known planet at the time, actually has rings and 5 moons and takes 29 years plus 164 days for its rotation.

How do they know the planetarium is still working when everything moves so slowly?

“Everything is connected, so we check what moves daily: the date, zodiac sign, day of week.” On December 31, a special nail pushes the gears into motion to flip to the new year.

Eise Eisinga was such a visionary, two years after finishing his remarkable machine, he wrote a 90-page manual explaining how to maintain it.

“Every 22 years, we follow 5 steps – take board down, sand down, paint the years, let the paint dry, then replace it in the attic,” our guide says. The wheels are so big and move so slowly, they clean the gears once or twice a year.

Eisinga’s son took over when he died, and the planetarium remained in the family for 140 years until 1922 when his great granddaughter was the last in the family to maintain the planetarium. Then the City of Franeker took over its management.

Most of the mechanism is original (Mercury had to be replaced after being damaged in World War II) but they have had to change the ropes for the gears and pulleys.

After the presentation, we are able to climb the stairs to the attic to peer into where the wheels and gears are laid out.

*We are able to climb up to the attic to see the gears that run Eise Eisinga’s fascinating planetarium © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Eisinga came to Franeker with his wife because it had the second largest university in the country and was a center for learning that drew famous scientists. But you can appreciate how trade with the world not only gave Netherlands the wealth to pursue science and innovation, but the access to and transfer of knowledge, not to mention a culture of Enlightenment that was open to new ideas and discovery. And Eise Eisinga was wealthy enough that he could afford to make natural science a hobby.

It is a humbling experience to imagine such expertise and craft hundreds of years ago, before the tools and instruments we have today.

The museum offers several permanent exhibits: Eisinga’s former wool combing establishment, an extensive collection of historical astronomical instruments, Eisinga’s mathematical and astronomical manuscripts which you can digitally peruse, all marvelous juxtapositions to an interactive permanent exhibition, De Ruimte (Space) that opened in 2016, as well as that delightful video conversation between “Eise” and a modern-day Dutch astronaut (English subtitles).

*Some of Eise Eisinga’s manuscripts are on view at the Eise Eisinga Planetarium in Franeker © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

I peek into a room to see the finishing touches on a new temporary exhibit: a spectacular astronomical cabinet from 1771 by Jean Paulus and Prof. Ghiesbregt. “After long wanderings, this Belgian instrument came into possession of Bert Degenaar, a famous Dutch antique collector. On his behalf, the instruments were completely restored and made functional again by horologist Pieter de Ruiter. The 3 meter wide and over 2.5 meter high cabinet is equipped with various globes, planetariums (including an unprecedented representation of the 5th-century worldview of Martianus Capella) and the 16th-century heliocentric worldview of Copernicus. A number of dials provide information about various time indications, calendars, the position of the planets, the phases of the moon, and the orbit of Jupiter’s four largest moons.” The exposition also includes a large collection of original drawings of the various instruments.

*Finishing setting up the new temporary exhibit at* *the Eise Eisinga Planetarium in Franeker*: *a spectacular astronomical cabinet from 1771 by Jean Paulus and Prof. Ghiesbregt* *© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

All of this goes to serve as a literal display of what The Enlightenment was all about, which largely due to mass printing and trade, made its way to the New World, as well, and was foundational to the Founders of the United States.

Admission to Eise Eisinga’s planetarium is 6E (a HUGE bargain).

Eise Eisingastraat 3, 8801 KE Franeker, phone +31 (0) 517–393 070, info@eisinga-planetarium.nl, https://www.eisinga-planetarium.nl/en/plan-your-visit/, https://www.eisinga-planetarium.nl/en/the-planetarium/

Thankfully, we have enough time to appreciate what’s here at the planetarium (this is important), though I could easily have spent another hour.

*The scene along our bike route from Franeker to Makkum on our Boat Bike Tours’ Netherlands Islandhopping tour © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We continue on our 36-mile bike route which follows much of the a famous 11-city, 200-km bike tour, and in the course of two days, we will visit six of the 11 and have the opportunity to collect stamps (like passport stamps) on postcards our guides have provided.

By the time we ride into Bolsward, one of the Eleven Frisian Cities, the rain has stopped. Here we see one of the art installations we have been told about – this one looks like Toothless from “How to Train Your Dragon.”.

*The magnificently decorated Court of Justice Building in Bolsward © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Bolsward is really beautiful, and I am entranced by the magnificence of The Court of Justice building, now a museum, where I get to climb into the tower built on top of the Court in 1617 (a really improbable and unsafe construction).

*You can climb into the tower of the Court of Justice Building in Bolsward © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

But this is the first day when I see why people would get an e-bike in the Netherlands – I’m guessing I am pushing through or against 15 mph winds.

In the evening, our guide, Edith, leads a walking tour of Makkum– it’s just me and a couple from Alberta, Canada. Edith points to homes that have a Coat of Arms or some indication of who lived there, when the fellow shows us his ring with a Coat of Arms. He turns out to be a descendent of the Trip family, one of the wealthiest, most powerful families in Netherlands.

He relates more of his family’s fascinating story as we sit in a historic pub with centuries old Delpht tiles of great 17^th century trading ships, noting more than once than the family fortune had been long gone and his branch of the family emigrated to Canada. It’s like having someone from that time tell their story.

*Trip shows me his coat of arms as we walk around Makkum, and tells the story of his family, one of the richest and most powerful in Netherlands © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Trip’s family’s coat of arms, he relates, has three zoltbommel (wooden shoes) – a nod to the fact that the family started by manufacturing wooden shoes.

Then, brothers Jacob and Elias Trip went into river barges, got rich, then expanded into sea trade. They had a connection with an iron factory which they parlayed into weapons manufacture, arming the Dutch rebels against the Spanish in its 80-year war for independence, 1568-1648 (apparently selling arms to both sides).

*Tiles in a historic pub depict trading ships very likely belonging to the Dutch East India Company© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Trip was among the original investors of the Dutch East India Company (Verenigde Oost-indische Compagnie, VOC), in 1602, the first public company to issue stock and the first truly multinational corporation, transforming global commerce and trade (at its peak, the company would have been worth $7 trillion in today’s dollars, the most valuable company in history). The VOC was granted a monopoly on Dutch trade with Asia and also possessed the power to wage war, make treaties, govern territories, and even mint its own currency, as if a nation-state. So much of what we experience on our trip goes back to the Dutch East India Company.

Meanwhile, the Trips became one of the richest and most important families in Netherlands. Portraits painted by Rembrandt of his relatives Jacob Trip (1576-1661) and his wife, Margaretha de Geer, are in the National Gallery and Ryksmuseum. Their sons, Louis and Hendrick Trip, became fabulously wealthy arms merchants, and built the Trippenhuis in 1662 once the widest residence in Amsterdam and on the list of top 100 Dutch heritage sites.

Edith adds that the Netherlands was one of the first republics in the world and makes the claim that its declaration of independence in 1581, provided a model for Thomas Jefferson in 1776, and was printed on paper from a Dutch paper mill.

“We are now a kingdom, but we started as a republic. Our constitution limits the power of king, our monarchy is more about public relations, like the United Kingdom.”

The first king of the Netherlands, Napoleon’s brother Louis who reigned from 1806-1810, started an art collection, which he brought to TrippenHuis – in essence the first Ryksmuseum. Trippenhuis was where Rembrandt’s “Night Watch: hung until 1851 and since 1887, has housed the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.

*Returning to our ship, Leafde fan Fryslân, after our walking tour of Makkum as the sun sets © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Biking Makkum to Stavoren, Sailing to Enkhuizen

Day 7’s ride takes us from Makkum to Stavoren, from where our ship, Leafde fan Fryslân, will sail across lake IJsselmeer to Enkhuizen, the endpoint of our trip. There is a prediction of rain today and strong wind, so the guides suggest I do the shorter ride (19 miles) and promise I won’t miss out on anything I will regret (the longer route, 30 miles, goes along several Frisian Lakes).

*Coming upon a historic windmill, De Nylannermole, which the sign says dates from 1784, with a modern wind turbine in the distance,on our ride Makkum to Stavoren on Boat Bike Tours* *Netherlands Islandhopping tour © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Among the highlights of the ride are coming across a house deliberately built in an upside-down version of a traditional Frisian home (a bit surreal and you have to wonder), and a historic windmill, De Nylannermole, which the sign says dates from 1784, though its history goes back to 1624 (I’m trying to figure out the Dutch). At one point, I see the windmill with a wind turbine in the distance behind it, and later, we see windsurfers and sailboats – all reflections of how the Dutch have embraced wind.

*The charming old city of Hindeloopen is a popular hub for cyclists © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We stop for lunch in a tiny little village as rain comes (we sit under umbrellas outside), and then continue on to Hindeloopen (where we should have cycled for lunch), an old trading town famous for a traditional decorative painting style. Hindeloopen seems to be the epicenter for cycling.

This is a very charming village, where I go to explore and find the Grotte Kerk, dating back to the Middle Ages. This building dates from 1632.

*One image shows the importance of wind in the Netherlands: sailing ships, wind turbines, wind surfing © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

As we finish our bike tour, we come across (actually riding through) a major, 150 km, bike race.

*Riding through a 150 km cycling race on our way to Stavoren (a humbling experience) © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

I finish the ride 1:15 pm, hoping I made the right choice in biking the shorter route, and have some time to explore Stavoren before we sail.

There is yet another one of the art installations (this one a giant fish), but I am particularly intrigued by the sculpture of “The Lady of Stavoren” here, and the moral to the story it offers.

“The Lady of Stavoren” legend dates from when the city was the largest and richest in Friesland. Many of the merchant ships were owned the Lady of Stavoren who ordered one of her captains to “Bring me the finest treasure in the world.” He brought back a grain that transformed into pure gold in the midday sun. She forced him to throw it into the sea. A fisherman foretold that she would be punished and at some point beg for grain. Later, two of her ships were lost at sea and she became a beggar woman, while the place where the grain was tossed turned into a sandbank, where a plant that grew ears of corn grew up but yielded no grain.

“The Lady of Stavoren” statue pays homage to a legend that dates from when the city was the largest and richest in Friesland. *© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We have an enjoyable sail back to Enkhuizen, a gala farewell dinner, and then I go off to explore the historic town, which is really worth more time than I will have before I have to return to Schiphol Airport early the next day. (Suggestion: arrive the day before the ship sails to give yourself some time to enjoy Enkhuizen.)

More information, Boat Bike Tours, www.boatbiketours.com, 203-814-249.

Next: Zuiderzee Museum is Not to be Missed in Enkhuizen

BOATBIKETOURS’ NETHERLANDS ISLANDHOPPING: THE TEXEL ROADS YIELDS UP ITS TREASURE

BOAT BIKE TOURS NETHERLANDS ISLANDHOPPING: SAILING THE WADDEN SEA, BIKING, EXPLORING TERSCHELLING, HARLINGEN

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Biking Tours, Cruising, Cultural travel, European travel, Historic Places, Outdoors Adventures

Boat Bike Tours Netherlands Islandhopping: Sailing the Wadden Sea, Biking, Exploring Terschelling, Harlingen

July 14, 2025 krubin723

*Sailing into Terschelling on our ship*, *Leafde fan Fryslân, on Day 4 of our Boat Bike Tours’ Islandhopping Netherlands bike tour © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

Day 4 of our eight-day Boat Bike Tours’ Islandhopping tour of the Netherlands is spent sailing to the island of Terschelling. It takes about six hours to sail across the Wadden Sea, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

*Captain Age delicately navigates our ship,* Leafde fan Fryslân, out of port © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

“Big boat, small water,” our captain, Age, says, guaranteeing that the ship is “unsinkable” because the water is so shallow, we would run aground first. (“Wadden” means “mudflats” and the Wadden Sea is a large intertidal area in the North Sea along the coasts of the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark.)

*Raising the sails on the* *ship,* Leafde fan Fryslân © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

We have a northwest wind so we can raise the sails on our ship, Leafde fan Fryslân, the only four-masted ship sailing in Dutch waters, instead of just motoring to Terschelling.

*First mate* *Lukacz does most of the work raising the sails on the* Leafde fan Fryslân © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Lukacz, who I call the first mate, gives us the safety talk and invites us to help raise the sails (we don’t do it very well). He says it is more important to be safe “You are on vacation, a nice time. You can’t have a nice time with a broken hand. Bad pain is bad time.” But looking around at several of us with boating jackets, says, “I can see this isn’t your first rodeo.”

‘It’s about being happy,” Lukas says, finishing with “What do you think about my speech?”

*We soon see why* *Lukacz describes himself as a “monkey” as he raises the sails on the* Leafde fan Fryslân © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Lukacz describes himself as a “little monkey jumping around,” and we soon see why as we watch him leaping around to get the sails unfurled.

The wind is so strong (“Respect the power,” he says), but once the sails are raised, we feel the quiet tranquility of sailing. But having come from Texel, and seeing the scores of shipwrecks of those ocean-going trading ships, I can only imagine what this would feel like in a storm, or how those sailors felt for months, even years crossing vast seas to Asia, Africa, and North America.

We have lunch on board as we sail (tonight, we will be on our own for dinner in Terschelling, armed with a list of recommended restaurants).

The scene is stunning, with several tall sailing ships along the horizon, the swirling green/blue water, the white cottony clouds.

*Sailing ships line the horizon as we sail on the* Leafde fan Fryslân © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

It is just 4 pm when we sail into Terschelling, flabberghasted by the finesse Captain Age shows to park our enormous ship, Leafde fan Fryslân, 210 ft. long, 24 ft. wide.

We walk off the ship from the crowded harbor crammed with sailing ships tied up two and three abreast and explore the popular village. Huge ferry boats deposit thousands of visitors each day (remarkable considering a mere 9,700 people live on Terschelling).

Terschelling, one of 15 islands in the North Sea and the furthest north we will travel on our Islandhopping tour, is just 30 km long and 4.5 km wide with vast sand beaches, strong winds and wild water – and we will cycle around most of it.

***Terschelling*** *skyline is dominated by the 420 year-old Brandaris lighthouse, standing 388 ft high © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The town is dominated by the 420 year-old Brandaris lighthouse, standing 388 ft high that can be seen from far off in the distance. I learn this is the oldest lighthouse in the Netherlands. The first tower was built in 1323 to guide ships on their way to Amsterdam through the Zuiderzee, the narrow opening between Vlieland and Terschelling. A flood destroyed the tower in 1570. Construction on a new tower began in 1592 but the tower collapsed before it was finished because of poor building materials. The tower we see today, remarkably, was built in 1594. It became the first lighthouse in the Netherlands equipped with a rotating Freshnel lens in 1837 and was electrified in 1907.

***View from the top of the hill in Terschelling*** *© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

I meet up with a German couple from our ship and follow them up a path over the dunes to the hilltop for a stunning view of the island and the port as the sun streams through clouds.

Back in the charming village, I come upon a gaggle of girls who, it turns out, are Ukrainians taking refuge here from the war in their homeland. This brings a jolt of the world and current events to this small, isolated, peaceful place, shocking me back to the present out of my reverie for ages past. But as the historic markers and notes remind, the vast majority of human history has been one invasion, one war, one revolution, one disaster after another, and the nostalgia that sweeps over us looking back has a way of tempering the horror of that time. I think that one reason history is more palatable, less stressful, than present-day events is that we know how that chapter of the story ended.

Cycling Terschelling, Sailing to Harlingen

*Setting out on the bike ride on Terschelling along the dyke © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

While the previous day was all about sailing, Day 5 is all about cycling. Terschelling offers 70 km of cycling tracks and four charming villages to discover. We will cycle 26 miles roundtrip, then, in the afternoon, sail across the Wadden Sea to Harlingen, the most important harbor city of the province of Friesland.

This is the first day of cycling where I appreciate why people get e-bikes in the Netherlands: the paths may be flat but the wind is strong (all the charming historic windmills and now modern wind turbines should have been a clue). I power through and at one point, one of our group becomes very conscientious about riding right in front of me to break the wind a bit (like the Tour de France!).

*The Stryper Wyke statue honors a woman whose cleverness saved the town from British invaders © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We set out along the dyke, then turn off into villages, farms and fields. Our route takes us to the Stryper Wyke (wife) statue, a short distance from a cemetery. The monument heralds back to the 1666 wars with the English over trade with India. The British declared the North Sea as theirs and invaded this area, burning, raping, killing. The British, the story goes, confronted the Stryper Wyke demanding to know how many defenders there were, to which she replied, “100 standing, 1000 laying down” – referring to the cemetery. The legend goes that the invaders took her literally and retreated, and she is credited with saving the town.

In fact, everywhere we go, there are just such statues, monuments, plaques, placards and historic photos that cherish local history, heritage and culture and show the pride the Dutch have.

The Toesaks Museum (pirates!) is described as “an exciting and pleasantly eccentric museum for kids and adults” offering a collection recovered from shipwrecks © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

We ride passed an intriguing Toesaks Museum (pirates!) which is described as “an exciting and pleasantly eccentric museum for kids and adults” offering a collection recovered from shipwrecks. The museum is housed in a farmhouse and has a real pirate ship, a tree house and a castle. Owner and wreck diver Hille van Dieren, I learn later, has been collecting recovered inventory pieces from the many shipwrecks around Terschelling since 1975. The museum is full of curiosities from 1650 to the present (https://wrakkenmuseum.nl/).

*The wind becomes a factor as you bike on Terschelling © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

No one else wants to stop to visit, so I take a quick peek inside so I don’t hold up the group. But if it were important to me, I could have left the group and followed the route myself using the RideGPS app that Boat Bike Tours provides. But, the ship is sailing this afternoon and I wouldn’t have known if I could complete the route in time.

*At Koor Hoorn, hiking over enormous dunes which open up to this vast expanse of sand beach © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

*The vast expanse of sand beach at Koor Hoorn © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We ride through open fields (battling the wind), through forest and then over a stretch of sand (not fun) and come to Koor Hoorn, hiking over enormous dunes which open up to this vast expanse of sand beach almost completely vacant of people or structures. I walk what seems a quarter mile before I finally reach the actual water, where the sea is swirling with whitecaps and the beach is strewn with a thick white foam that looks like pieces of clouds have fallen from the sky.

*A wild swirl of sea and sky at Koor Hoorn © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

A popular thing to do is take a horsedrawn carriage ride on the beach and we see one of these carriages on the road.

*A popular activity on* ***Terschelling*** *is to ride in a horse-drawn carriage on the beach © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Leaving the beach, our guide, Edith, leads us through the “Dark Forest” so we can be shielded a bit against the wind.

*Biking through the “dark forest” on* ***Terschelling*** *© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We get to a charming Cranberry inn (spectacular desserts, all made with cranberry), and walk out to the cranberry field (not a bog).There is a small exhibit and video on a second floor. Just as we are gathering to leave, it starts to rain. Edith checks the weather app and predicts it will only last a few minutes – so I go back inside to get cozy in the upstairs screening room to watch the video about the island and raising cranberry. Sure enough, the rain stops within 15 minutes, and we are on our way. (One of the good things about the strong wind, is that rain rarely lasts long.)

*Delectable cranberry desserts © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The route takes us up and over dunes, and finally, into the village to the port, where we stop at a monument to those who have been lost at sea.

It’s been a lovely ride – we’re back at about 3:15 pm and the ship soon pulls out of the harbor.

*Monument to those lost at sea in the village on* ***Terschelling*** *© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We are in awe – along with everyone else on the dock – collectively holding our breath as Captain Age maneuvers out of the tight harbor. We sail across the Wadden Sea to Harlingen, considered the most important harbor city of the province of Friesland.

*Sailing across the Wadden Sea to Harlingen © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We have dinner as we sail, and pull into Harlingen’s port in time to have a 7:45 pm walking tour of Harlingen led by our guide, Anya.

Harlingen

The first thing we see is a restoration of the De Witte Swaen (the White Swan). This was the famous vessel sailed by16th-century Dutch explorer Willem Barentsz when he discovered the Arctic archipelago of Spitsbergen (now known as Svalbard) and Bear Island. He then sailed onward to the Russian archipelago of Nova Zembla, where, in 1596, the ship got stuck in the ice and they were forced to stay the winter. Barentsz did not survive, but 12 of the 17 crew were saved. Here, in the port of Harlingen, marine archaeologist Gerald de Weerdt is directing volunteers in building a genuine replica of the ship using 16^th century techniques and materials. After years of work, his team is planning to finish the ship by year’s end. It will be sailed to Amsterdam and then returned here. Eventually, de Weerdt and his team want to retrace Barentsz’s voyage by sailing the vessel to Spitsbergen and Nova Zembla (hopefully with a better outcome).

*Discovering Harlingen © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Anya explains the complicated system of dykes and the dam built in 1932 which turned part of the Wadden Sea into a lake and from salt to fresh water, changing the ecology, and what was done to protect the fish migration from the changed ecosystem.

She points out the architecture – the Celtic tradition of putting a symbol to protect the house from evil – and how 600 buildings in the town are protected for their historic significance.

Magnificent buildings like the elaborate City Hall show the wealth of this town.

*Harlingen’s City Hall shows off the city’s wealth © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

As we have seen before, the biggest building, typically a church, was built on the highest point, to provide safety when the town flooded. Holland broke with the Catholic Church of Spain and declared religious freedom when it won its independence after an 80-year war.

She notes that under Napoleon, who conquered the Netherlands in 1800 and installed his brother, Louis, as its first king (who ruled 1806-1810), every home had to replace the ornaments that showed a coat of arms or profession with a house number and street, and a registry was kept of names, religion and where they lived.

“In World War II, the Nazis could see where Jews lived” (one of the reasons why today, the Dutch are still concerned to protect private information on the internet).

*“Stumbling stones” in front of a house in Harlingen © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Today, we see some of the ”stumbling stones” – square copper plates in the sidewalk -documenting the name of the Jews who lived in the home, “the last place they lived in freedom,” before being taken by Nazis to concentration camps. There are some 70,000 of these “stumbling stones” in Europe, about 7,000 in the Netherlands, Anya says.

I am reminded that after declaring its independence from Catholic Spain in 1581, Holland instituted religious freedom and Jews, who suffered Spain’s Inquisition, were able to practice relatively openly. Rembrandt lived in Amsterdam’s Jewish Quarter, a short distance from where the Grand Synagogue was built. When Jews went to New Amsterdam in 1654,then a trading post of the Dutch West India Company. Governor Peter Stuyvesant wanted to evict the Jews, but the company required him to let the Jews stay. (This is all brought back when I visit two exhibits currently on view in New York City: “New York at Its Core: Port City (1609-1898)” at the Museum of the City of New York and “The Book of Esther in the Age of Rembrandt,” at the Jewish Museum.)

More information, Boat Bike Tours, www.boatbiketours.com, 203-814-1249.s

Next: Boat Bike Tours’ Netherlands Islandhopping: Exploring the Solar System through an 18^th Century Lens

BOATBIKETOURS’ NETHERLANDS ISLANDHOPPING: THE TEXEL ROADS YIELDS UP ITS TREASURE

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Biking Tours, European travel, Historic Places, International Travel, Museums and Exhibits, Places of History

BoatBikeTours’ Netherlands Islandhopping: The Texel Roads Yields Up its Treasure

July 9, 2025 krubin723

Watching the sun set behind the historic windmill that is the centerpiece of the Museum Kaap Skil in Oudeschild on the island of Texel from the top deck of our ship, Leafde fan Fryslân on Boat Bike Tours’Islandhopping trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

Day 3 of Boat Bike Tours’ eight-day Islandhopping tour proves to be my favorite, most perfect day – the biking, the attractions, the scenery, the gestalt of the island of Texel, even the weather, all combining for a thrilling experience. We will be biking roundtrip from and back to Oudeschild with a choice of a 26 mile or 30 mile route. We soon discover the treasures harbored on The Texel Roads.

*Biking on Texel on Boat Bike Tours’Islandhopping trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We start off biking together to Ecomare, a seal sanctuary and ecology center with superb displays, exhibits and notes (with English) that teach about ecology, climate change, animal and environmental conservation, focused on the local area, making clear what these existential planetary changes mean for the people living here.

*Whale skeletons on view at the Ecomare marine wildlife sanctuary and environmental center on Texel © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

I start in the room with skeletons of actual whales – enormous, suspended so that they look like they are swimming – then move to an aquarium where you can see rescued seals swimming under water. You go outside to the various habitats where there are excellent explanations of why the seals were rescued (and the steps they take to avoid “rescuing” a seal that is merely resting on the beach), what their prognosis is to be re-released into the wild or whether some condition, like blindness, will require them to stay.

*An underwater view of seals at the Ecomare marine wildlife sanctuary and environmental center on Texel © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We see areas where baby animals are nurtured, where medical procedures are conducted, where seal pups are raised until they can be released (I wonder how they learn how to hunt for themselves), and where animals are quarantined (the sign says it’s a good thing if this area is empty!).

*Two of the rescued seal pups at the Ecomare marine wildlife sanctuary and environmental center on Texel © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

I go walking on the dunes and come upon a turf hut (“zoonekeet” or “zooien huus”) of one of dune farmers, named Pagga who lived here until 1909.

*Checking out Pagga’s zoonekeet at the Ecomare marine wildlife sanctuary and environmental center on Texel © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Our stay is timed so we get to see a feeding, before heading out again.

I stick with my group doing the longer ride (41 km), until we reach a delightful town of Dun Berg, where there is a huge event going on with a military band and seniors in wheelchairs who have been gathered for the concert that turns out to be the May 20 celebration of Texel’s Independence (different from the Netherlands, because it marks the day they finally expelled the German occupiers).

I spend about a half-hour wandering the lovely town center before breaking off on my own in order to arrive back in Oudeschild in time to visit the Museum Kaap Skil. I feel very brave but use the RideGPS to give me the route, even though I find myself double-checking that I have selected the right route to follow. Because it stays light so late (till nearly 9 pm), I figure even if I get lost, I can still get back during daylight.

*The gorgeous landscape as you bike around Texel on Boat Bike Tours’ Islandhopping trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

I find myself so delighted to be doing these 12 miles on my own – it is idyllic pastoral scenery that compels me to stop to take photos – then I ride through a couple of villages, then onto the path along the dyke with the ocean on one side and the high berm with sheep (who keep the grass shorn) on the other, that takes me right to the harbor and the ship.

Discovering Museum Kaap Skil’s Treasure Trove

*Museum Kaap Skil is a must-see on Texel during Boat Bike Tours’Islandhopping trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

I make it back in under two hours, by 3:15 pm, with just enough time to really enjoy this astonishing Museum Kaap Skil (do not miss it!), in which the historic windmill, so prominent in the landscape, is the centerpiece.

I quickly drop my things in my cabin, then climb the stairs up and over the dyke, down below sea level to the village and the museum.

*The historic windmill is the centerpiece of a living history village at Museum Kaap Skil* in *Oudeschild, just a short walk from where our ship is docked © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The museum has a small village of outdoor attractions including the historic windmill and a ship, Texelse Blazer, dated 1894, that is being restored, and authentically furnished cottages, beachcomber’s shed and smithy, gives you a realistic view of island life during the Netherlands’ Golden Age of Sail.

*Museum Kaap Skil in Oudeschild on the island of Texel features a living-history village © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

On Tuesdays and Thursday when volunteers dress in period clothes, you can watch wool being spun, fishnets being mended, ropemaking, and taste a smoked fish (tastiest smoked fish I’ve ever had), visit the grocery store and walk into homes furnished as they would have been.

I save the indoor exhibits in the modern museum for last (the outdoor village closes at 4 pm, the museum at 5 pm). These extraordinary exhibits of artifacts rescued from shipwrecks in the Wadden Sea that were so plentiful off this port – an indication of how important a port Texel was during the Golden Age of Sail – are a fitting climax to the visit.

I start on the upper floor, in “World Voyage,” where you can follow specific ships to their destination and see artifacts obtained from them.. A centrally located compass shows the way and Texel folk from the past tell their stories, assisted by shipwreck finds. People such as Albert Gronders, who sailed the Baltic Sea yearly to buy grain in the 17^th century, narrates the north shipping. about Baltic Sea shipping. If you go east, then Jacob Schagen, who, as a 15-year-old Texel man, sailed for the Far East aboard the VOC ship De Jonge Lieve in 1762, narrates about the eastern shipping routes. Texel folk from the past also tell their stories about journeys west and southbound.

*Knowing which ship these artifacts came from adds so much to the story at Museum Kaap Skil in Oudeschild on the island of Texel © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Alongside the adventurous and positive aspects of seventeenth century trade for Texel, World Voyage also explores its “shadow sides:” “Adventure, wealth, trade and romance, but also exploitation, danger, slavery and poverty. Global trade in the 16th and 17th century knew many faces,” reads a self-aware note.

A section themed “A Complex History,” acknowledges the violence, greed and role in the slave trade that enabled Holland’s seafaring empire. Among the artifacts displayed are tools destined for slaves to use on a sugar plantation in Suriname alongside luxury objects meant to guarantee the plantation owners a comfortable life, salvaged from a ship that sunk near Texel, never having reached the destination.

The displays are sensational, with many having interactive elements (the notes in English are much appreciated: I also enjoy reading about “The Women Who Stayed Behind”.

The stellar attraction in Museum Kaap Skil is a 17^th century silk dress “of royal allure,” salvaged from a shipwreck at the bottom of the Wadden Sea. “Every find from the Palmwood Wreck is important, but the dress has been dubbed “the ‘Nightwatch’ of the textile world.” © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The stellar attraction in Museum Kaap Skil is a 17^th century silk dress “of royal allure,” salvaged from a shipwreck at the bottom of the Wadden Sea. Given the name ‘Palmhoutwrak‘ (Palmwood wreck), this was a merchant ship carrying luxurious goods, that must have been wrecked on the Texel Roads around 1650. The precious garment is still in amazingly good condition despite having lain on the seabed for almost four centuries. “It is a unique find worldwide; hardly any clothing from the seventeenth century has been preserved. Scientists expect to need years to answer all the questions that the dress has raised.” It is now on display with other textiles and artifacts in a new exhibition at the Museum Kaap Skil, kept in a protective airtight display cases, filled with nitrogen, especially designed for the fragile textiles in this exhibition.

“Every find from the Palmwood Wreck is important, but the dress has been dubbed “the ‘Nightwatch’ of the textile world.”

The findings were so extensive that researchers had been working for years to make an inventory and only recently discovered that a second dress from the Palmwood Wreck was most probably a wedding dress, adorned with silver. This dress was less well-preserved but you can see it as well as what it would look like “restored” to its glory in an animation

The Palmwood finds are divided into four themes in the exhibition: wealth, worldly, intimate and stylish. Together they show how valuable, tasteful and exclusive the cargo was: a calf leather bookbinding and a gilded silver cup bearing the English royal family Stuart’s coat of arms in gold print; objects gathered from all corners of the globe: like an oriental rug and a caftan; intimate objects like a toiletry set, knitted silk stockings and a red silk bodice.

Merchant vessels, warships, whalers: they all anchored on what was known as “the Texel Roads.” In the 16th and 17th century this was the place to load, unload and wait for favorable winds, the notes explain. But many ships were lost in storms, which is why there are dozens of shipwrecks lying in the seabed near Texel and how it comes to be that so many of these artifacts can now be viewed at Museum Kaap Skil with such interesting detail. You have more of a personalized connection to each object.

*Watch as a ship is wrecked in a storm in the Texel harbor at the world’s largest marine model, at the Museum Kaap Skil* in *Oudeschild © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

In the exposition ‘Ship in Sight – the Roads of Texel and the World’, the Roads of Texel come alive. A dimension has been added to what is claimed to be “the world’s largest maritime scale model.” The hidden stories about the 160 ships have become visible, thanks to new technique. They show that the Roads of Texel was the logistic hub of the 17th century.

So I find myself in this enormous room – I’m guessing over 100-feet long – that has a model of the city with all the various ships in the harbor (you can use a telescope to zero in on anything, then look up the back story of 160 ships and what happened to that particular ship). Then, extending the full length of the room, an animated film so realistically created of the ships sailing into port, finishes with a massive storm hitting, and you watch how fast one of the ships sinks.

On large touchscreens, you see the ship models very close up, down to the smallest details. There is the Seven Provinces, the ship with which Dutch admiral Michiel de Ruyter won many navel battles, and the Petronella, a fluyt ship we learn was headed to Riga to buy grain. You can learn about the ship’s features, the routes sailed, personal stories, special facts and important events.

The exhibits make the point just how important the Roads of Texel was as the logistic hub of the 17th century.

You know what – it is spectacular to see first hand, but if you cannot visit, check out the website, https://kaapskil.nl/en/ (You can actually watch the thrilling and fascinating hour-long video on the museum website, https://kaapskil.nl/en/discover/expositions/ship-in-sight-the-roads-of-texel-and-the-world/.)

Museum Kaap Skil, Heemskerckstraat 9, 1792 AA Oudeschild, Netherlands, Phone:+31 222 314 956, https://kaapskil.nl/en/ Tickets: 12E (a bargain).

*Tall ships in Texel’s harbor evoke the glory days of The Texel Roads © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

In the evening, after dinner, our Boat Bike Tours guide Edith leads a walking tour of Oudeschild. After, I wander around the harbor and walk along the dyke, the colors absolutely stunning in the setting sun.

*Our ship, Leafde fan Fryslân on Boat Bike Tours’Islandhopping trip docked in Texel’s harbor © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

More information, Boat Bike Tours, www.boatbiketours.com, 203-814-1249.

Next: Boat Bike Tours Islandhopping on the Wadden Sea: Sailing, Biking, Exploring Terschelling

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Biking Tours, Cruising, European travel, International Travel, Outdoors Adventures, Responsible Travel

Setting Sail on Boat Bike Tours’ Islandhopping Tour to the Wadden Sea

July 2, 2025 krubin723

*Biking through the Dutch countryside from Franeker to Makkum on Day 6 of BoatBikeTours’ Islandhopping tour © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

The Netherlands has to be the best destination on the planet for biking. It isn’t just the ubiquitous biking culture (you are greeted at Schiphol Airport with the sign, ”There are more bikes in the Netherlands than people”) and infrastructure that gives as much, if not more, preference to bikes over cars; the mostly flat landscape, but on top of all are the stunning landscapes, the architecture, the quaint villages, and how the Dutch show such pride and honest reflection in their heritage, culture and history.

This is my second trip with Boat Bike Tours, a Netherlands-based operator with decades of experience combining biking with boating. I loved the Bruges to Amsterdam bike-boat trip so much, I eagerly signed on for its eight-day Islandhopping Premium tour that would bring me north on a four-masted sailing ship to bike the ports and islands of Lake Ijsselmeer and the Wadden Sea, so central during the Netherlands’ Golden Age of Sail.

I expect to see stunning pastoral scenes and bike through quaint villages, and to be astonished by the preservation of architecture from the 1600s (the dates and decoration proudly displayed). But I am (yet again) delighted by the cultural sites and excursions Boat Bike Tours organizes, particularly Ecomare, a marvelous seal sanctuary we visit on our ride around Texel that offers superb lessons in ecology and climate change (I race back using the RideGPS app in time to visit the Museum Kaap Skil in Oudeschild where the ship is docked, which features mind-blowing artifacts rescued from 400-year old shipwrecks) and the utterly astonishing Eise Eisinga Planetarium in Franeker, the oldest working planetarium in the world, built on the living room ceiling of its genius creator that continues to amaze (and still works!) just as it did when Eisinga finished it in 1781. (Also, be sure to arrange time – 2-4 hours – either before you embark or after you disembark in Enkhuizen to visit the Zeidersee Museum, which is a living history museum formed as an entire village. Best to arrive in Enkhuizen the day before.)

*Biking through the tranquil Dutch countryside on BoatBikeTours’ Islandhopping tour © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

And then there is the pure joy of biking on the most extensive, expansive network of biking paths and roads probably anywhere in the world (even when you ride in town with cars, drivers are very considerate). For the most part, the paths are flat, though I must admit, I did not consider the force of the wind on the northern islands when I chose to ride a regular hybrid when most everyone else has an e-bike. (It’s Netherlands, I thought to myself, how hard could biking be? The fact that Netherlands is so identified with its historic windmills and sailing ships, and today’s battalions of wind turbines should have been a clue.) But I power through, cheered by my newly acquired and supportive brethren (I estimate I only slow them down by five minutes or so.)

Biking epitomizes the appeal that has become a trend of “slow” (and “responsible”) travel at a perfect pace to be constantly interested in what is around, slow enough to really see and even “smell” the roses. Indeed, without a window as a barrier, you can feel the fresh air; hear the wind and the sea, the bleating of sheep and goats as we ride passed; smell the trees and the fields. Meanwhile, the physicality of biking after 20-35 miles– even with an e-bike (which is not like a motor scooter but just boosts the power of your pedaling) sets the endorphins firing and gives you a physically satisfied sensation when you complete the ride.

Slow travel also maximizes the benefits of travel while minimizing the adverse impacts of tourism on the local population and environment.

The only thing better than biking in the Netherlands is biking by boat, compounding the advantages of “slow travel,” especially with a ship that uses biodiesel You can certainly enjoy biking in the Netherlands with an inn-to-inn itinerary, guided or self-guided. But doing it by boat adds an extra dimension, an ambiance (not to mention you don’t have to pack/unpack each day).

*Tall ships in the harbor at Oudeschild on the island of Texel, a testament to Holland’s past and present © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Seeing Netherlands by boat adds to the experience because sailing – that is global trade – was so important to the Netherlands and you see the islands, villages, ports as they were meant to be seen. Indeed, I am astonished when I arrive at the embarkation port, Enkhuizen and see scores of sailing ships – tjalks, fluyts, sloeps, aaks, botters, skutsjes, the traditional flat-bottomed ships designed for navigating the shallow waters of the Frisian Lakes – some 100 years old, that instantly make you think you have been transported back to the Golden Age of Sail.

*Leafde fan Fryslân, claims to be the only four-masted schooner in Dutch waters and is our floating home for BoatBikeTours’ eight-day Islandhopping trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Our ship, Leafde fan Fryslân, claims to be the only four-masted schooner in Dutch waters. It didn’t start out that way, though. Built in 1962 to carry freight on the Baltic Sea, the barkentine was converted into a luxury three-mast passenger ship in 2006. Then, over the winter of 2023-2024, it was cut into two and extended with a 14-meter (46 ft.) section and a fourth mast installed. The ship is now 210 ft. long, 24 ft. wide, with a sail surface of 2494 sq ft.

*Leafde fan Fryslân*’s *captain, Age, would have been right at home in that Great Age of Sail © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Our captain, Age, would have been right at home in that Great Age of Sail. We are in awe how he maneuvers this huge ship into the tight corners to park at the dock in a crowded harbor (another wonderful feature of this tour is that we always are able to walk on/off the ship into the village and have walking tours in each place).

The captain is helped by his all-purpose first mate, Lukasz, who lets us help raise the sails after giving us a safety speech that basically says he will do all the tough stuff, and describes himself as a “monkey” (we soon see why). On the days when we are able to sail (one day is spent sailing not biking), we are able to experience the exquisite, peaceful feeling of being under sail while the sea swirls.

*Sailing the Leafde fan Fryslân* *schooner on the Wadden Sea © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The 38-passenger ship is very comfortable with 20 cabins including 4 suites on the upper deck (that have double glass sliding door and a small private balcony); all with private bathroom and air conditioner. There is a very pleasant dining room/bar on the middle deck where we enjoy sumptuous meals prepared by Chef Peter, served with white linen tablecloths, cloth napkins and beautiful china and crystal. There is also a cozy lounge area in what would have been the wheelhouse. I am surprised by how good the Wi-Fi is.

There is always coffee, tea and hot chocolate available, and we can help ourselves to wine and beer on an honor system, paying the bill on the last day.

*Chef Peter offers seconds. Yes please. © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Everyone agrees that the cuisine prepared by Chef Peter, who I would have to say is the most unpretentious gourmet chef I have ever encountered, is remarkable. He prepares dishes with scrumptuous flavor (but not overly so) and gorgeous presentation befitting a fine-dining restaurant, and then would come out with a platter to ask if anyone wanted seconds.

Each evening after dinner we are given an orientation to the next day’s program and then typically invited to join a walking tour of the village.

Each day, we set out after breakfast, having packed snacks and lunch, and are able to choose long or short routes, or we can bike on our own using the itinerary loaded on the RideGPS app. We divide into two groups – for long or short rides – each led by one of the guides with one of us volunteering as “sweep.”

Each afternoon, we typically have time to wander about the village (if we are not sailing to the next destination) and help ourselves to a snack, coffee, tea and hot chocolate, before dinner.

On a guided bike tour besides the benefit of a guide who may modify the route for the weather or point out significant sights, you have the camaraderie of the group. And for some reason, bike tour people tend to be the nicest, kindest, most open and interested in all that they experience

*The dining room/lounge on the Leafde fan Fryslân* *schooner © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Our group on this Islandhopping tour is particularly great, instantly melding into a community supporting each other. This is especially interesting because we come from various parts of Britain, Germany, Canada (French and English speaking, East and West), Denmark, and from the East, Midwest and West United States. The Germans, the Dane and the Quebecois all are kind enough to speak English when we are together. And instead of sticking to their own nationality, everyone mixes up at meals, with the couples taking in the three of us traveling solo (bike tours are ideal for solo travelers). In the evening, there would be raucus laughter as people play games and share stories (two couples discovering they shared their wedding anniversary and how they both met at a disco).

*Playing games in the evening on the Leafde fan Fryslân* *schooner © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

More amazingly, I subsequently learn during an evening walking tour of Makkum, that a fellow traveler is descendent of the Trip family – one of the founding members of the Dutch East Indies Company (the first company to issue public stock) and munitions manufacturers that supplied the Dutch revolt against Spain, becoming one of Netherlands’ most powerful and fabulously wealthy families. He even has an actual coat of arms and portraits of his ancestors Jacob Trip (1576-1661) and his wife, Margaretha de Geer, painted by Rembrandt are in the National Gallery and Ryksmuseum. He is like the embodiment of the history that we see around us. He relates his family’s fascinating story as we sat in a historic pub with centuries old Delpht tiles of great sailing ships, emphasizing that the family fortune had long gone and his side of the Trip family emigrated to Canada.

Getting to the ship in Enkhuisen proves extremely easy from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport (instead of arriving the day before as I usually do, I take a chance and just arrive the same day). From the airport, you walk to the train that takes you into the Central Station (every 15 minutes) then change at the Central Station for a train leaving every half hour for the hour-long trip to Enkhuisen. (Be sure you buy the ticket in advance online or at a ticket machine and “check in” on a pole before you get on the train, otherwise you can be charged an extra 50E for the 16E fare if the conductor has to issue the ticket; I know because I didn’t and the conductor was extremely nice in helping me buy the ticket onboard),

The harbor is right at the station, and the ship about a five-minute walk.

We are told to arrive on the ship by 2 pm and they mean it, because the ship sails this afternoon to Medemblik. Two couples are touch and go to make it on time.

And We’re Off!

*Sailing the Leafde fan Fryslân* *schooner on Boat Bike Tours’ Islandhopping trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

There is great excitement as we cast off and set sail to our first destination, Medemblik. It is exciting to see the landscape from the water, and when we pull into port, the sun is low enough to make gorgeous silhouettes of the historic windmill.

Because we are heading into the wind, we use the motor (biodiesel!) instead of raising the sails (Captain Age explains a ship of this size would take a mile each time it had to tack). I am extremely happy I remembered my warm jacket.

Each evening after dinner there is an orientation to the next day’s biking and touring, and then typically an 8 pm walking tour.

And so we are met with a two local guides who walk us about, explaining the history and significance of this place.

*The castle at Medemblik is one of 12 built by William but one of only two that remains © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We learn that William II came with army against farmers in 1256 and in 1289, Medemblik was made a city. William built the castle that is a prominent feature here that was less about keeping out invaders and more about keeping the citizenry inside. Most of the castle remains – one of only two castles that have survived from the 12 William built. Rembrandt’s famous “Night Watch” was kept here for protection during World War II.

Despite invading this land, William wound up being a popular ruler because he built the dykes that reduced flooding and produced better farm yields – turning the land into the shape of a bathtub – and built a court and prison.

*The charming architecture of Medemblik © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Medemblik became an important trading city in the 1500-1600s during Netherlands’ Golden Age, with tall ships sailing to Eastern Europe and Scandinavia.

But in 1932, when the dam was built, splitting the Zuiderzee into Lake Ijsselmeer, Medemblik lost most of its trade because the big sailing ships could not get in; the water turned from salt to fresh (they had to devise a system to allow for fish migration. (I wonder how the people reacted to entire economy being remade.)

Eight years ago, the city built a 250-meters high wind turbine, apparently the biggest in Europe (I gather the locals aren’t thrilled, especially since he says the electricity produced is used mainly by Google and Amazon).

*Following our guide through the charming alleys and streets of Medemblik © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Our guide shows us churches that changed from Catholic to Protestant after Holland’s independence from Catholic Spain, and the orphanage and the housing for widows the church community built.

The church dates from 1100 but was built to a grand scale in 1400; then in 1517, the city was invaded by the Frissons who burned the city down. The church was rebuilt but its steeple leans (like Piza). This church dates from 1570.

Churches were typically built on the highest points in town – which in this case is two meters below sea level – so if the city should flood, everyone would go there to seek shelter. In 1945, the Germans bombed the dykes, flooding the city.

In 1800, Napoleon conquered the Netherlands, which had been a republic (first in the world! our guide Anya tells me) and made his brother, Louis, the first King of The Netherlands.

Day 2: Medemblik (17 mi. or 24.8 mi. roundtrip) then sailing to Texel

*Biking passed the castle at Medemblik © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

This is our first cycling day – each day we have a choice of a long and a short route and today we can choose 24.8 or 17 miles with a group and guide, or go on our own using the RideGPS app.

Medemblik proves to be so idyllically scenic with classic Dutch pastoral scenes. Our “rest stop” is at a farm, where the farmer has left out a serve-yourself coffee maker and provides a lovely bathroom. I note an interesting playground that is inhabited by goats (really anxious to get snacks from us) and chickens.

*Biking around Medemblik on Day 2 of Boat Bike Tours’ Islandhopping trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We soon appreciate how water management has been a singular preoccupation of the Dutch for centuries and how they have become masters at it. This entire community is below sea level – built behind dykes – as if a bathtub. The quaint, centuries-old wooden windmills were part of that water management system and today there is even a separate government agency and tax devoted to water management.

*Biking around Medemblik, we appreciate the importance of water management © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We ride through the picturesque village of Twisk, a former peat mining town.

We finish the long ride about 2:15 pm, so I still have some time to wander about the charming village center before the ship sails at 4 pm for Texel (we will have dinner while we sail)..

*Going through a lock as we sail from Medemblik to Texel © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Sailing is picturesque and dramatic – we go by the dam that split the sea, through a lock, and sail into Texel as the sun is starting to drop behind its historic windmill, making for a stunning scene.

*Watching the sunset over Oudeschild on the island of Texel from the top deck of Leafde fan Fryslân © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

I go out for a walk – you literally climb stairs to get over the dyke, then down stairs into the town of Oudeschild (below sealevel), then, a few steps beyond, to vast fields with sheep and back again to stroll along the dyke as the sun goes down.

More information: Boat Bike Tours, www.boatbiketours.com, 203-814-1249.

Next: Boat BikeTours’ Islandhopping in Netherlands: The Treasure Found on The Texel Roads

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Cultural travel, Historic Places, Museums and Exhibits, New York City travel

New York Historical’s ‘Blacklisted: An American Story’ Offers Sobering Lessons for Today

June 25, 2025 krubin723

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

Get out of the heat this summer and feel your blood boil – come to The New York Historical’s new exhibit, “Blacklisted: An American Story” and be horrified when you recognize that the assault on free speech, free association, free press, democracy, due process and Rule of Law happening today has happened before in the United States, and not all that long ago.

The intersection of politics, art, and culture that shaped America’s Red Scare is showcased in Blacklisted: An American Story, a traveling exhibit created by the Jewish Museum Milwaukee, on view at the New York Historical through October 19. Expanded by The Historical, the exhibition builds on the story of the Red Scare and the blacklisting of screenwriters and directors known as the Hollywood Ten, along with countless others who were impacted. Blacklisted shows how global politics and concerns over the Cold War were used to justify antisemitic, racist and anti-worker crackdowns domestically, and how the government crushed artistic expression in the 1940s and 1950s to reverse social justice movements simply by branding everything and anyone “Communist.”

Joe Gilford, son of Jack Gilford and Madeleine Lee (both blacklisted); Molly Trumbo Gingras, granddaughter of Oscar-winning blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, with greatgrandaughter Judith); Julie Garfield, actor John Garfield’s daughter; Dr. Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of The New York Historical; *Kate Lardner, daughter of blacklisted Ring Lardner); Katie Unger (whose grandfather Abraham Unger was forced to testify before McCarthy and held in contempt)*. at the opening reception of “Blacklisted: An American Story” on view at The New York Historical through October 19 © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

“Our aim with Blacklisted is to prompt visitors to think deeply about democracy and their role in it,” stated Dr. Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of The New York Historical. “The exhibition tackles fundamental issues like freedom of speech, religion, and association, inviting reflection on how our past informs today’s cultural and political climate.”

When the exhibit was first developed in 2016 by the Jewish Museum Milwaukee and opened in 2018, “no one could have anticipated” how uncomfortably close to what is taking place in the United States today, with book bans, loyalty oaths, people seized from the street by masked men without badges or warrant, shutting down of research and education, and the attacks – a la Cultural Revolution – on academics, scientists, intellectuals, lawyers and journalists, while political violence and terror is allowed to surge.

“We also couldn’t have anticipated the rise of antisemitism now, as then,” Mirrer said at the opening reception. “This is an uncannily timely and meaningful show that hopes to teach about courage and American traditions, and how precious our democracy is.” She said she hoped the exhibition would spark “discourse as we think about who we are as Americans. History has power to change lives.”

*Civil Rights Congress, **America’s “Thought Police”: Record of the Un-American Activities Committee,** 1947. Courtesy of the Unger Family*

The exhibit, which makes starkly clear the connection between the “anti-Communist” crusade and the link with antisemitism, racism and anti-unionism, generated some revelations for the Jewish Museum Milwaukee exhibit curator Ellie Gettinger, who we met at an opening reception at New York Historical in front of the section noting the Blacklist never actually ended, it just gradually faded into disuse.

“People think the Red Scare was McCarthy, but we showed it was not one individual, it was so many – in government, in industry, so many throughout American society,” Gettinger said. Why weren’t the people who were persecuted protected by the First Amendment? “Because it wasn’t the government doing the blacklisting. It was the industry. Even the Hollywood studios controlled by Jews.”

She reflected, “In 2018, so many were shocked [by the exhibit and parallels to today]. People are really disturbed now, feeling politically impotent and overwhelmed. We have to keep fighting.”

Just as today, a culture that engendered empathy, compassion and understanding of others became the enemy of those who wanted to keep power and profit. It is no accident that Trump and the MAGAs have effectively rendered illegal so-called DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) and CRT (critical race theory) in school curricula, admissions and hiring, going after academia, corporations, research institutions, legal firms, and media.

The Blacklist was largely antisemitic because Eastern European immigrant Jews were social justice activists at their core, were identified with Bolshevik Russia, and were considered the rabble rousers for workers rights, union rights, civil rights and voting rights. Jewish immigrants led the formation of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union (ILGWU), in 1900, organizing major strikes in 1909 and 1910 and reaction to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in 1911 which lead to better wages, working hours, and safety standards for garment workers and advocated for social needs, educational opportunities and health services – issues that then as now were branded “communist.”

“The Blacklist flourished when political and corporate interests superseded First Amendment rights. Freedoms of speech, association and assembly – all protected under the First Amendment – became casualties. Each of the three branches of government – executive, legislative and judicial-prioritized national security over civil liberties. Their actions exposed the dangers of unchecked political power in the US. Numerous industries purged employees suspected of being sympathetic to communism. Hundreds of people lost their jobs, and thousands stood by silently, afraid of jeopardizing future employment.

“Supporters and critics of the Blacklist both claimed they were fulfilling their patriotic duty. The Hollywood Blacklist shaped the nation’s political and cultural landscape for decades to come.”

The parallels to today are terrifying – including the capitulation of media moguls like Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), Jeff Bezos (Washington Post); Shari Redstone (who controls CBS) and Robert Iger (CEO of The Walt Disney Company, which owns ABC).

*Impact of the Blacklist: “I’m a man of a thousand faces, and all of them are Blacklisted,” stated actor Zero Mostel.*

The Blacklist impacted, even destroyed lives but also society in its quest to assert White Christo Fascist cultural foundation (they could call it whatever they like, but that’s what it was).

We meet Julie Garfield in front of the portrait of her father, John Garfield, she lent to the exhibit, an acclaimed, dashing Hollywood leading man who starred in such patriotic films as “Pride of the Marines” (the uniform he wore in that movie is on display). She wrote her father’s blacklisting “killed him, it really killed him. He was under unbelievable stress. Phones were being tapped. He was being followed by the FBI. He hadn’t worked in 18 months. He was finally supposed to do ‘Golden Boy’ on CBS with Kim Stanley. They did one scene. And then CBS cancelled it. He died a day or two later.”

Julie Garfield, standing in front of a portrait of her father, the actor John Garfield who starred in such films as “Pride of the Marines,” said being blacklisted ultimately pushed jim to suicide © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

There is a list of those who “whether by heart attack or suicide, all were killed by the relentless pressures of inquisition,” wrote Alvah Bessie, screenwriter and one of the Hollywood Ten.

Blacklisted features more than 150 artifacts, including historical newspaper articles, film clips, testimony footage, telegrams, playbills, court documents, film costumes, movie posters, scripts, and artwork.

Among the personal objects on view are Blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo’s Academy Award Oscars for Roman Holiday— originally awarded only to co-writer Ian McLellan Hunter since Trumbo was prohibited from working in film under his own name—and The Brave One, awarded to the fictitious Robert Rich (one of his pseudonyms). Trumbo finally received his Oscar for “The Brave One” in 1975, 20 years after it had been awarded and his wife, Cleo Trumbo, accepted his Oscar for “Roman Holiday” posthumously in 1993, 40 years after the film’s release.

Also on view is Lauren Bacall’s costume from How to Marry a Millionaire, a 1953 film released during the height of the Blacklist. Bacall was one of the founding members of the Committee for the First Amendment, which initially supported the Hollywood Ten. Unlike other committee members, Bacall was able to work steadily until her death.

The exhibit draws clear connections between antisemitism and racism at the heart of the “Red Scare” “The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) included avowed segregationists and antisemites, with the larger objective of “the preservation of the established social order disrupted by New Deal initiatives and World War II,” On display is a pamphlet, “Today…Hollywood. Tomorrow…the Whole Country.”

“HUAC members Rep. John Rankin (D-Mississippi) and Rep. John S.Wood (D-Georgia) advanced a reactionary white supremist agenda.” Rankin defended the Ku Klux Klan’s racial violence and terror, asserting “the KKK is an old American institution.” Wood added “threats and intimidations of the Klan are an old American custom, like illegal whiskey-making.”

But the Red Scare did not begin in the post World-War II era with fear of the Soviet Union getting the nuclear bomb. The first Red Scare came after World War I (simultaneous with the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia), with a crackdown on immigrants and political dissidents. The Espionage Act of 1917 became the basis for censoring publications; a year later, the Sedition Act made it illegal to speak or write about the US government with “contempt, scorn or disrepute” – legislation the Trump administration is drawing upon to deport migrants and quash dissent.

In 1919 and 1920, the crackdown on dissent and free speech intensified (note: the war had already ended in 1918) and was used the power to go after union organizers and those upholding workers rights, many of whom were Eastern European Jewish immigrants. Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer authorized federal raids of labor and “radical” organizations, arresting more than 5,000 and deporting hundreds of immigrant activists, including Emma Goldman.

We associate the era with Senator Joseph McCarthy, but as the exhibit points out, McCarthy “was only one of many who used the politics of Red-baiting to gain political leverage and power.” (McCarthy’s claim to fame was his crusade to root out alleged communists in the State Department, but he actually had little to do with the Hollywood blacklist.)

The creatives who became known as the Hollywood Ten were largely successful film industry people. During World War II, each contributed to the war effort in meaningful ways, developing films that combined patriotic plots with a social conscience such as “Tender Comrades” written by Dalton Trumbo; “Pride of the Marines,” written by Albert Maltz and starting John Garfield; and ‘Crossfire,” produced by Adrian Scott and directed by Edward Dmytryk. But all 10 had at some point been members of the Communist Party of the USA (CPUSA) because of its advocacy of workers’ rights and social justice. The list included Alvah Bessie, Herbert Biberman, Lester Cole, Ring Lardner Jr., John Howard Lawson, Samuel Ornitz, and Adrian Scott in addition to Dmytryk, Maltz and Trumbo.

The Hollywood Ten were found in contempt of Congress for refusing to answer questions, and sentenced to prison for up to one year. The claim of First Amendment protection was rejected by the lower court and by the time their case reached the Supreme Court, two liberal members died and the Court declined to hear their case.

“Guilty until proven innocent,” one section proclaims unnervingly in light of today’s events, as we see people being rounded up by masked goons and thrown into jails or deported to third countries without the ability to prove their innocence or exercise the Constitution’s right to due process. “The role of hearsay and the assumption of guilt in the hearings became central to the ongoing operation of the Hollywood Blacklist throughout the 1950s…HUAC’s targets had no recourse, they could not sue for libel or challenge the damage to their reputations and livelihoods.” They were even blacklisted if they asserted their Fifth Amendment right.

It is shocking to see films that were tagged for blacklisting:

*The film “The Best Years of Our Lives” was deemed subversive for portraying the upper class in a bad light and the banker as a mean, avaricious individual © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

“The Best Years of Our Lives” that won seven Academy Awards was blacklisted, prompting Gene Kelly to write, “Were you subverted by it? Did it make you Un-American?” The FBI analysis drew upon producer Cecil B. Demille’s assessment that “this picture portrayed the ‘upper class in a bad light.’” The FBI noted, “The banker was portrayed as a mean, avaricious individual,” and that the film contained communist propaganda and “subversive half-truths.”

*The iconic Christmas movie “It’s a Wonderful Life,” was branded subversive for discrediting bankers © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Imagine, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” was deemed “subversive!” “This picture represents a rather obvious attempt to discredit bankers,” the FBI analysis stated.

*“Gentleman’s Agreement,” which revealed pervasive anti-Semitism wasblacklisted for its “deliberate effort to discredit law enforcement.” © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Best picture winner “Gentleman’s Agreement,“ starring Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire and John Garfield, in which Peck plays a journalist who poses as a Jew to expose antisemitism, was blacklisted. It’s blacklist connections included Director Elia Kazan (who named names), and blacklisted actors John Garfield (who was actually Jewish) and Anne Revere. It ran afoul, the FBI analysis claimed, because “A Police Lieutenant is party to antisemitism and as such is subjected to much criticism…This was a deliberate effort to discredit law enforcement.”

*Being blacklisted ultimately pushed actor John Garfield, who starred in such films as “Pride of the Marines,” to suicide © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

“Pride of the Marines” was blacklisted for screenwriter Albert Maltz and actor John Garfield. The FBi Analysis noted “’Maltz’ had the actors say everything possible to ‘provoke doubts’ concerning representative government and free enterprise; they accused employers of everything from racial prejudice to a conspiracy to scuttle the GI Bill of Rights.”

Even “High Noon,” starring Gary Cooper who won Best Actor, was blacklisted because its screenwriter, Carl Foreman, “invoked his privilege under the Fifth Amendment… in connection with this Communist affiliations.”

This being New York City, the New York Historical put its own stamp on the exhibit with a reference to the 1920s anti-immigrant (antisemitic) Palmer raids and Emma Goldman’s deportation, and a whole section on New York Theater and the Blacklist, in which it is shown that the city’s theater community pushed back.

*The Red Scare was as much as about stopping the progress of civil rights as it was antisemitic and anti-union © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear*

“Broadway and the theater became a vital space for creative expression and social commentary. Though many Blacklisted artists still struggled financially, theater became an indispensable source of employment for those barred from movies and television. Some also performed for receptive audiences at labor unions, local synagogues, and community organizations across New York City.”

Playwright Arthur Miller, so famous for his Tony Award-winning play, ”The Crucible,” in which the Salem witch trials were a metaphor for McCarthyism, wrote, “We are at times ruled by the collective fear of each other and of those who may take away our rights and persecute us.”

Broadway and the broader theater community, we learn, never adopted a formal Blacklist. The labor union Actors Equity Association charted a different path from that the forcefully anti-communist Screen Actors Guild (SAG ). While there were anticommunist factions among the membership, Actors Equity passed a resolution in 1951 condemning the Blacklist, arguing that blacklisting “by its very nature is based on secrecy and prejudiced judgment and results in conviction by accusation.’ The following year, Actors Equity began including anti-Blacklist language in its contracts, a practice that continues to this day.”

So while there are those who look at what is happening as people are grabbed off the street by thugs without badges wearing masks, without court order or anything resembling due process, effectively guilty without the ability to prove innocence and say “this isn’t who we are as Americans,” the truth is, yes it is. There has always been this strain of bigoted, racist, sexist, anti=democratic evil, often masquerading as “religion” and “patriotism”. The task is for the forces of the “all are created equal” faction to beat it back and reestablish the civil liberties we claim make America “exceptional.”

The New York Historical, 170 Central Park West (77^th Street), New York, NY 10024, 212-873-3400, nyhistory.org.

Jewish Museum: Social Activist Ben Shahn and “The Book of Esther in the Age of Rembrandt”

Ben Shahn, an immigrant Jew from Lithuania who devoted his life to depicting social justice, saw the execution of Sacco and Vanzetti as a modern-day crucifixion, on view at the Jewish Museum © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

A brilliant companion to “Blacklisted,” is the exhibit at the Jewish Museum, Ben Shahn, On Nonconformity, who used his art for social justice in ways that are unnervingly relevant today. The 175 artworks and objects from the 1930s to the 1960s show how this prolific and progressive artist chronicled and confronted crucial issues from the Great Depression to the Vietnam War, to Civil Rights and Workers Rights. (On view through Oct. 12).

*Rembrandt’s depiction of Queen Esther, is part of the “Book of Esther in the Time of Rembrandt” exhibit on view at the Jewish Museum© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Also, a phenomenal exhibit, “The Book of Esther in the Age of Rembrandt,” (on view through Aug. 10) shows how the story of Queen Esther resonated with the Dutch in this time. “The Dutch interpreted the story of Esther’s bravery as a symbol of the Netherlands’ newly won independence from Spain. Rembrandt was part of a larger cultural trend that reimagined this story for the new century, new secular art market, and new national purpose,” write Abigail Rapoport, curator of Judaica Jewish Museum, and Michele Frederick, curator of European Art, North Carolina museum of Art, Raleigh.

Jewish Museum, 1109 5th Ave &, E 92nd St, thejewishmuseum.org, (212) 423-3200; free admission on Saturday.

Anne Frank The Exhibition

If at all possible, get tickets to see Anne Frank: The Exhibition.

Standing in Anne Frank’s tiny room in The Annex where she and her family hid from the Nazis for two years, personalizes the Holocaust. This immersion into a full-scale re-creation of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam is part of a landmark “Anne Frank The Exhibition,” now on view at the Center for Jewish History in New York City © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com.

Anne Frank The Exhibition, on view at the Center for Jewish History through October, is the first time that the Anne Frank House presents a pioneering experience outside of Amsterdam to immerse visitors in a full-scale recreation of the Annex rooms, fully furnished, where Anne Frank, her parents and sister, and four other Jews spent two years hiding to evade Nazi capture. Four exhibition galleries immerse visitors in place and history through video, sound, photography, and animation; and more than 100 original collection items from the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. Anne Frank The Exhibition provides an opportunity to learn about Anne Frank not as a victim but through the multifaceted lens of her life—as a girl, a writer, and a symbol of resilience and strength. Tickets at AnneFrankExhibit.org. Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, cjh.org.

See: LANDMARK ANNE FRANK THE EXHIBITION IN NYC PERSONALIZES HOLOCAUST AS NEVER BEFORE

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Hotels & Resorts, Summer Vacations

Summer Travel: Resorts Entice Vacationers With Experiences & Deals

June 20, 2025 krubin723

*NUMU Boutique Hotel, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico, offers an immersive stay in the heart of the city (photo: NUMU Boutique Hotel).*

Edited by Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

This summer, what excites you? A wine-filled escape at a reimagined 18th-century borgo in Tuscany, a new zipline adventure featuring ZipBikes and hanging bridges in Riviera Nayarit, a family cooking class with a master chef? Here are just a few summer vacation ideas:

ITALY

Borgo San Vincenzo, Tuscany’s award-winning luxury boutique hotel located in the prestigious Vino Nobile vineyards of Montepulciano, invites wine enthusiasts to immerse in the region’s vibrant culture, breathtaking landscapes, historic wine scene, and thoughtfully curated local experiences (photo: Borgo San Vincenzo)

Borgo San Vincenzo – Tuscany, Italy: Borgo San Vincenzo, Tuscany’s award-winning luxury boutique hotel located in the prestigious Vino Nobile vineyards of Montepulciano, invites wine enthusiasts to immerse in the region’s vibrant culture, breathtaking landscapes, historic wine scene, and thoughtfully curated local experiences for an elevated summer vacation. Enjoy the exclusive summer poolside spritz menu, complimentary midday olive oil tastings, Tuscan-styled BBQs every Thursday, a private dinner or sommelier-guided tasting at The Winemakers’ Bar and wine cellar, on-site cocktail-making classes, and savor Tuscan classics with an international twist at the hotel’s restaurant, Il Ciuchino. Guests can participate in the exclusive Winemakers’ Dinner Series and the weekly Montepulciano Masterclass. Take advantage of the ‘Linger Longer’ offer for 20% off stays of 7+ nights, The hotel offers personalized experiences including private transportation, from pecorino cheese tastings at local family-owned farms, truffle hunting to tours of the region by foot, horse, Vespa, or hot air balloon (https://borgosanvincenzo.com).

CARIBBEAN

Tucked along the pristine shores of Grace Bay, Ocean Club Resorts offers two all-suite beachfront properties a mile apart. Ocean Club East provides a peaceful and secluded getaway for those seeking tranquility on a serene beachfront. Ocean Club West offers a more vibrant atmosphere (photo: Ocean Club Resorts)

Ocean Club Resorts – Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands: Tucked along the pristine shores of Grace Bay, Ocean Club Resorts offers two all-suite beachfront properties a mile apart. Ocean Club East, set slightly inland and next to the Provo Golf Club, provides a peaceful and secluded getaway for those seeking tranquility on a serene beachfront. Ocean Club West offers a more vibrant atmosphere, close to Providenciales’ shops and restaurants. Ideal for families, couples and girlfriend trips, Ocean Club Resorts offers complimentary onsite activities including beach games, kayak, paddle board rentals, and pickleball/tennis. Book stays of five-nights or more now through October 31, 2025 to save 15% with rates starting from $332 (https://www.oceanclubresorts.com/offers/save-15/).

Sonesta Resorts St. Maarten – St. Maarten: Located along the picturesque and lively Dutch side of St. Maarten, Sonesta Maho Beach Resort, Casino & Spa provides the perfect all-inclusive blend of spacious accommodations, entertainment day and night, access to surrounding attractions and day trips to nearby Caribbean islands. The resort’s new Ultimate Adults Only Club, has rooftop bar, exclusive lounge and dining features. Those seeking a more upscale, sophisticated stay can head to adults-only sister property Sonesta Ocean Point Resort for wellness-infused features, picturesque dining, butler service, and curated amenities. The resorts’ latest offer provides35% off stays when booking at least two nights. Use code UNFOLD when booking.

MEXICO

Secrets Bahia Mita Surf & Spa Resort – Riviera Nayarit, Mexico: Secrets Bahia Mita Surf & Spa Resort,part of Hyatt’s Inclusive Collection, is an eco-conscious, adults-only, all-suite all-inclusive resort designed by renowned architect Sordo Madaleno. Nestled between the golden sands and surf-friendly beaches of Banderas Bay and the lush Sierra Madre Mountains, enjoy Unlimited-Luxury® inclusions: à la carte dining, 24-hour room service, limitless daytime and nighttime entertainment, fire shows, themed nights, beach yoga, surfing. Guests also have full access to the adjoining family-friendly Dreams Bahia Mita Surf & Spa Resort including the gym, additional restaurants, kid’s club and teens’ club, 18,600 sq. ft. water park and new zipline experience with a ZipBike, hanging bridges and a free-fall jump. On-property highlights include 699 suites, 13 pools, jungle paths for avid walkers or runners and Marieta-inspired 33,382 sq. ft. Secrets® Spa featuring guided hydrotherapy and pampering treatments. For a more exclusive getaway, opt for the Preferred Club suites which provide exclusive amenities such as a private lounge and exclusive access to the only rooftop infinity pool upgraded minibar, personal butler, turndown service, and pillow menu.

Only a year old, Dreams Estrella del Mar Mazatlan Golf & Spa Resort is Hyatt’s newest all-inclusive luxury property, providing a premier family-friendly escape along Mexico’s stunning Pacific Coast (photo provided by Hyatt).

Dreams Estrella del Mar Mazatlán Golf & Spa Resort – Mazatlán, Mexico: Only a year old, Dreams Estrella del Mar Mazatlán Golf & Spa Resort is Hyatt’s newest all-inclusive luxury property, providing a premier family-friendly escape along Mexico’s stunning Pacific Coast. Located within the exclusive Estrella del Mar gated community, the resort boasts 358 suites each featuring balcony or terrace with oceanfront views. The resort features a dedicated adults-only section, complete with a private pool and swim-up bars, offering a serene escape, Unlimited-Luxury® amenities, including 900 ft of beachfront, on-site waterpark with a lazy river, three oceanfront pools, a fitness center, a spa and wellness center, kid’s club, teen’s club and entertainment day and night. Active guests can take advantage of various classes such as yoga and spinning, two tennis courts, six, pickleball courts, and one of the most desirable golf courses in Mexico. Highlights include the new MasterChef Junior Experience, where families can enjoy show-inspired activities, mystery box challenges, and poolside gourmet pop-ups curated by former competition winners.

Andaz Mexico City Condesa – Mexico City, Mexico: With jacaranda blooms still lingering and the city’s greenery at its fullest, summer is a beautiful time to explore Condesa, Mexico City’s leafy, art-forward neighborhood. Stroll along the shaded Calle de Amsterdam, explore galleries like Galería OMR, enjoy easier access to top dining spots like Lardo and Merotoro. Located in the heart of Condesa, Andaz Mexico City Condesa is a modern retreat that captures the creative energy of the neighborhood. Take in sweeping city views from the rooftop pool, indulge in Mexican-Caribbean cuisine at Cabuya Rooftop, and unwind at Pasana Spa & Wellness Center, known for its refined, traditional approach to wellness.

El Cielo Resort & Winery – Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico: Nestled in the heart of Mexico’s scenic Valle de Guadalupe, in Baja’s famed wine country, El Cielo Resort & Winery. unwind in spacious villa-style suites, savor gourmet cuisine at on-site restaurants, and sip award-winning wines straight from the vineyard. Now through August 17, take advantage of El Cielo’s Summer Sale featuring special rates for stays through December 31, 2025.

Thompson Zihuatanejo – Zihuatanejo, Mexico: Located in what was once a fishing village, Thompson Zihuatanejo is an upscale beachfront resort in Bahía de Zihuatanejo, near Ixtapa in the state of Guerrero. Hugged by picturesque mountains and lush greenery, the intimate getaway features 56 guestrooms and suites including plunge pools. Engage in outdoor adventure and wellness from parasailing, surfing and jet-skiing to alfresco spa treatments and morning yoga, diving, deep sea fishing and snorkeling. Book the Suite Escape by Sept. 30 to enjoy $150 resort credit, daily breakfast, and a special seasonal amenity when booking a suite using code SUITE for stays from now to October 31.

NUMU Boutique Hotel – San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico: Known for its colonial charm and lively arts scene, San Miguel de Allende becomes even more enchanting in the summer. Seasonal rains transform the town into a lush oasis, while cultural events like Desfile de los Locos, the International Jazz and Blues Festival, and the Chamber Music Festival keep the city buzzing with activity. Just steps from the main plaza and the iconic Parroquia, NUMU Boutique Hotel offers an immersive stay in the heart of the city. Guests can enjoy on-site cooking classes, rooftop mixology sessions, and guided meditation, or take a short walk to nearby art galleries and historic landmarks.

PANAMA

Copa Airlines’ Panama Stopover Program: Copa Airlines’ Panama Stopover programallows travelers to stay in Panama for up to seven days at no additional airfare.Ideal for summer travel, this program offers the opportunity to explore two destinations for the price of one—seamlessly experiencing Panama’s rich culture, biodiversity, and iconic landmarks. Travelers can uncover the country’s hidden gems at their own pace while connecting to or from any destination within Copa Airlines’ extensive network. Must-see attractions include the historic Casco Antiguo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its colonial charm, and the world-renowned Panama Canal, a marvel of modern engineering, and opportunity for nature lovers to explore the country’s extraordinary wildlife in the biodiverse Coiba National Park. Travelers can also explore Panama’s diverse landscapes, from the vibrant streets, markets, and nightlife of Panama City, lush tropical rainforests and jungles to serene beaches along both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts. As the region’s leading airline, Copa continues to expand connectivity by adding new destinations and now serves 85 destinations in 32 countries in North, Central, and South America, as well as the Caribbean.

La Compañía Hotels & Resorts: For travelers seeking a deeper connection to Panama, La Compañía Hotels & Resorts offers a seamless dual-destination experience that blends history with a peaceful landscape. The brand’s curated journey invites guests to discover the rich history of Hotel La Compañía Casco Antiguo and the tranquil retreat of Hotel La Compañía del Valle in El Valle de Antón. The limited time offer includes preferred luxury rates at both properties, private transfers between locations, welcome amenities, a daily Sunset Cocktail Experience in El Valle, and guided tours of the hotels and Villa Ana, providing travelers with an immersive journey through Panama’s culture and natural beauty.

ASIA

*Iconic vertical destination in the heart of Bangkok, Iebua at State Tower, is taking family fun to new heights with their Monopoly: Bangkok Edition package (photo: Iehua)*

lebua at State Tower – Bangkok, Thailand: This iconic vertical destination in the heart of Bangkok is taking family fun to new heights with their Monopoly: Bangkok Edition package. This playful, family-friendly offer includes a private Monopoly game setup with themed snacks and drinks, a welcome cake, personalized card, and discounted rates on stays of two nights or more. Guests can explore real-life Monopoly landmarks—like Bangkok’s street food scene and weekend markets—via complimentary tuk-tuk, then unwind with world-class dining and panoramic views at The Dome’s Michelin-starred restaurants and Sky Bar. Available for bookings and stays through October 31, 2025.

UNITED STATES

Hyatt Regency San Francisco is walking distance to iconic San Francisco activities–like riding the historic cable cars, The Ferry Building, taking a boat ride to Alcatraz, exploring the Exploratorium science museum, enjoying a sweet treat in Ghirardelli Square, catching a game at Oracle Park (photo: Hyatt Regency San Francisco)

Hyatt Regency San Francisco – San Francisco, California: Nestled along the picturesque Embarcadero waterfront, the Hyatt Regency San Francisco is walking distance to iconic San Francisco activities–like riding the historic cable cars, The Ferry Building, taking a boat ride to Alcatraz, exploring the Exploratorium science museum, enjoying a sweet treat in Ghirardelli Square, catching a game at Oracle Park. Next door, experience the thrill of paddle in the Park Paddle’s three-court pop-up lounge on the Embarcadero Plaza with a special discounted rate to play for hotel guests when using code FIRST25. For families, book the Happy Glamper package by the end of 2025 to bring the outdoors indoors with a special in-room camping experience, complete with a tent, s’mores ingredients, seasonal mocktails (cocktails for parents) and waived destination fee.

Hotel Zachary – Chicago: Located steps from historic Wrigley Field, Hotel Zachary blends timeless style with unbeatable ballpark views. Enjoy craft cocktails and elevated bites at Alma, the hotel’s onsite social lounge and bar. For the ultimate Wrigleyville experience, book the Perfect Gameday Package, which includes overnight accommodations, pregame cocktails for two at Alma, and tickets for 2 to a Cubs game.

Spend Less, See More: Scenic & Affordable U.S. Summer Escapes

This summer, budget-friendly getaways are in high demand, proving that unforgettable vacations don’t have to come with a hefty price tag. Destinations across the country are stepping up with wallet-friendly lodging, free museums, and nature-focused itineraries that stretch every dollar. Here are some ideas:

New York: New York State offers countless ways for travelers to explore without spending a cent, from hikes alongside cascading waterfalls to scenic state parks and world-renowned museum experiences. In New York City, nearly 100 museums offer free or pay-what-you-wish admission, including El Museo del Barrio, the Bronx Museum and the Museum of the Moving Image, which offers free admission on Friday afternoons. Iconic green spaces like Central Park, Prospect Park, (both with zoos) and the High Line invite visitors to explore the city on foot, while street food vendors and dollar slices make it easy to taste New York’s food scene on a budget. Travelers can sail past iconic landmarks like the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the Lower Manhattan skyline for free aboard the Staten Island Ferry. Or take a ferry to Governors Island, or explore the Hudson River Greenway by bike.

*The High Line is one of the most popular attractions in New York City, where you can enjoy art and music for free © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

In the Finger Lakes, budget-friendly parks like Watkins Glen State Park and Taughannock Falls State Park impress visitors with dramatic gorges and towering waterfalls, while Seneca Lake State Park provides free lakeside paths and affordable opportunities for recreational activities like swimming, picnicking and biking along the waterfront trail, and Letchworth State Park (https://parks.ny.gov/parks/letchworth), called the Grand Canyon of the East, has just been named Number One State Park in the United States by USAToday readers and offers amazing hikes overlooking waterfalls and gorges, whitewater rafting, kayaking, a pool for swimming and hot air ballooning and camping). In the Hudson Valley region, the Walkway Over the Hudson offers panoramic river views from the world’s longest elevated pedestrian bridge, while the Poets’ Walk Park invites visitors to stroll scenic trails that inspired generations of writers, both free of charge.

*New York’s Letchworth State Park, dubbed the “Grand Canyon of the East,” was recently named the best state park in the USA © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Williamsburg, Virginia: From living-history walkways to riverside trails, Williamsburg, Virginia invites visitors to step into the past without stepping outside their travel budget. Travelers can stroll the streets of Colonial Williamsburg for free year-round, including Duke of Gloucester Street and Merchant’s Square, where 18th-century architecture and interpreters bring history to life. A single-day ticket offers access to guided sites, trade shops and performances for $35 adults, $10 kids ages 6–12 and free for children under 6. In Freedom Park, nature enthusiasts can explore the Williamsburg Botanical Garden’s diverse plants and peaceful paths ideal for bird-watching or a quiet walk. At Historic Jamestowne, visitors can watch live glassblowing at the Jamestown Glasshouse, then explore even more with just a $10 admission for adults and free entry for kids under 16. From walking or driving the scenic Island Loop Drive to visiting active archaeological digs or browsing centuries-old artifacts at the Archaearium museum, the site offers a rich look at America’s earliest roots. In nearby Yorktown, travelers can escape the heat by riding the free and air-conditioned trolley through the historic district, relax along the public Yorktown beach, or stroll Riverwalk Landing’s scenic waterfront. History buffs can explore the Yorktown Battlefield for just $10 per adult, with free admission for kids under 16. Also, Busch Gardens Williamsburg runs discount promotions (https://buschgardens.com/williamsburg/)

Experience Grand Rapids, Michigan: Grand Rapids is an affordable destination that offers a rich mix of culture, entertainment, and outdoor fun. In summer, the city buzzes with activity—from outdoor concerts and food festivals to brewery tours and family adventures. The Frederik Meijer Gardens Summer Concert Series hosts shows each week, while Food Truck Fridays at North Riverside Park and Relax at Rosa in Rosa Parks Circle bring food, music and community to the heart of the city. Named the ‘Best Beer City in the U.S.’ five years in a row, Grand Rapids offers a slew of brewery and distillery tours. Visitors can also catch a West Michigan Whitecaps game, climb at TreeRunner Grand Rapids Adventure Park or learn about animals at John Ball Zoo. Downtown festivals like Justice 4 All Juneteenth Jam, Grand Rapids Pride Festival, Grand Rapids Asian Pacific Festival and the A Glimpse of Africa Festival celebrate the city’s vibrant cultural scene. Guests can enjoy the stunning Amway Grand Plaza, with summer rates starting around $206 per night.

Traverse City Tourism, Michigan: Located on the shores of the Great Lakes, Traverse City is an affordable Midwest travel destination, free and low-cost activities thanks to its proximity to nature and impressive small-town amenities. Don’t miss a visit to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, which is one of the country’s most beautiful landscapes with sweeping vistas, freshwater beaches, massive sand dunes and miles of hiking trails. For wine enthusiasts, explore the nearly 40 wineries that make up the Traverse Wine Coast, which is responsible for growing 55% of the state’s wine grapes. Its location on the 45th parallel, lines it up with the most prestigious wine regions of Piedmont, Italy, and the Willamette Region in Oregon, but offers a more approachable price point with tastings year-round.

From the floor-to-ceiling windows that frame dramatic views of Grand Traverse Bay in the lobby to waterfront dining and guided outdoor experiences, the charming Delamar Hotel Traverse City offers scenic lakeside views and “Up North” experience catered to every season.

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European travel, Health and Wellness travel

Wellness Travel: The Czech Republic’s Spa Triangle

June 11, 2025 krubin723 2 Comments

*The pools of Saunia Thermal Resort afford lovely views of Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic’s Spa Triangle* *©Geri Bain*

By Geri Bain for Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

“You are going to love Karlovy Vary,” my doctor friend Natalya says when I tell her I’m going to extend my stay in Prague with a few days there. She worked in Poland for a time and said that Karlovy Vary (aka Carlsbad) is very popular with Europeans who buy special cups to “take the cure“, drinking from the natural hot springs. “The town is so beautiful. Just don’t overdo drinking from the fountains; think of them as medicine.”

I have wanted to visit Karlovy Vary ever since seeing images of Belle Epoque women in long dresses and men with dapper hats strolling along elegant streets, stopping to fill dainty porcelain cups at sculpted fountains spouting hot mineral water. As I research my trip, I realize Karlovy Vary is part of a “Spa Triangle,” a triad of neighboring Czech towns that includes Mariánské Lázně and Františkovy Lázně.

All three were purposefully designed to leverage the hot springs with eye-candy architecture, fountains and parks and provide restful settings for healing therapies. Today’s cures are based on a doctor-prescribed regime built around drinking, inhaling, and being immersed in the waters and muds. In fact, many European health insurance companies cover weeks-long stays to treat a variety of metabolic, gastrointestinal and musculoskeletal ills.

*The Hotel Imperial Karlovy Vary opened its doors in 1912. ©Geri Bain*

Karlovy Vary, the largest of the towns and the only one whose springs are hot, is only about an hour and a half from Prague by car. Many people come on day trips, but I am headed there for two nights and then will spend a night in Mariánské Lázně. As we reach the peak of the mountain, my driver points to a castle-like building on a hill and says, “The Hotel Imperial.”

Driving in through manicured gardens and pulling up to the grand entrance, I wonder if I should have worn something fancier, but looking at fellow guests around the lobby as I enter, I don’t feel out of place in my chinos. When I present my passport to check in, the receptionist quickly fetches her colleague who speaks fluent English. I find that while Czech, German and Russian are the main languages spoken in the region, there is always someone who speaks English.

*Rooms at the Hotel Imperial are spacious, with commanding views of the forest or town. ©Geri Bain*

My room, the Hotel Imperial’s basic category, is spacious—a couple spending a few weeks here would not feel cramped, and the view of the forested hills is spectacular. The bathroom has a heated towel rack and bidet and is spotlessly clean although it feels a bit dated to my American eye.

Like most guests, I have a meal plan and eat in the main dining room. I admire the crystal chandeliers, high ceilings and architectural detailing and enjoy the social interactions around the buffet, which has a nice selection of meat, fish and vegetarian foods. Everything is self-serve except added-charge drinks and coffee (free from cappuccino/espresso machines that operate only during breakfast).

*Hotel Imperial meals are served buffet style. ©Geri Bain*

After lunch, I speak with staff physician Dr. Zuzana Weddelova. She talks about the ailments they treat and says that increasingly people are coming to be proactive about wellness and not just for problems. Either way, she advises a minimum stay of three nights. “While at least three weeks is optimal for treatments, even three days can be the impetus for changes in habits.”

Stays often start with a doctor consult that uses blood work, MRIs and other diagnostic tools (bring any test results you have from home) to create a plan that might include prescriptions for specific mineral waters and dosages and a wide array of other treatments. For longer stays, tests are repeated at the end to measure results.

I sign up for a 20-minute mud wrap (about $40 US). I’m directed to a long corridor of numbered doors. A woman peers out from one of the rooms and I hand her my prescription. She points to a chair where I leave my clothes and then enter an adjoining room where she slaps hot mud from a large bucket on a white sheet and indicates that I should get on the table and lie on my back on the mud. I’m nervous because sign language is our only way of communicating and this feels very clinical—not the indulgent “spa” experience I’m used to—but as the heat from the mud seeps in, I feel a deep relaxation spreading through my whole body and think “I could get used to this.”

*The author, Geri Bain, filling her cup at one of the fountains.*

After dinner, I take a funicular (free to guests) down the steep hill into town. I’m amused by the creative spa cups in the shape of cats and elephants but buy a classic blue and white one and walk along the colonnades, stopping at the free-flowing fountains to sample the waters. The standard advice is to drink a small cup’s worth (200 ml), sipping slowly about 30 minutes before each meal. I checked in with my doctor before coming because the waters can be harmful to certain conditions. I also read that you shouldn’t mix the waters, but I am curious so I take a few sips from various fountains. The biggest difference I discern is the temperature.

*The Mill Colonnade in Karlovy Vary has five mineral spring fountains. ©Geri Bain*

Shops are closed but I window-shop the art galleries, clothing boutiques and jewelry stores, admiring some of the distinctive blood-red Czech garnet pieces. I also find local products like “spa wafers” made with the mineral waters, Manufactura cosmetics made with thermal spring salts, Moser crystal and glass, and Becherovka, a distinctive, beloved local herbal digestif. People are riding in horse-drawn carriages along the town’s main street. It is all as I imagined it except for the absence of finely turned-out women of the Belle Epoque — people tend to dress far more casually these days.

*Horse-drawn carriages clip-clop along the cobblestone streets. ©Geri Bain*

I return to the hotel in time to unwind in the pool, whirlpool and sauna, where I chat with fellow guests. Most are from Germany and Czechia, but I also meet couples from Belgium, Slovenia, Holland and India. Most say the Czech spas offer great value. (At press time, the Hotel Imperial website had a one-week package with pre- and post-doctor consults, half board and up to 18 treatments per person priced from about $2,100 US per couple.) Most are here for two or three days; a few come annually for week-long stays to treat specific ailments. The only American I meet over the next three days is a New Jersey businessman who spends four weeks every year here to tame his GERD.

The next morning, I meet Iva, my private guide for the next two days. We walk into town to the Mill Colonnade. It’s one of five arcades that were built over the main fountains to protect visitors from inclement weather as they sip and stroll. Each has its own architectural style. Most of the current structures were built in the late 1800s.

The exception, Iva points out, is the Functionalist-style glass and concrete Hot Spring Colonnade, completed in 1975, which includes a separate pavilion where I linger to breathe in the steamy salty breath of the centerpiece, a geyser-like fountain that shoots up almost 40 feet at times.

Karlovy Vary translates to “Charles’ hot springs”, referring to King and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, who, according to legend, came upon hot springs on a hunting trip here in the 14th century. When the hot spring waters healed a wound on his leg, he chartered the town to serve visitors coming to bathe in the springs.

His original Gothic castle burnt down in 1604, leaving only the present Castle Tower. We head there next. Updated in the 18th century, it now houses a small café and a UNESCO exhibit, “The Great Spa Towns of Europe.” Displays of the 11 UNESCO Spa Towns include the three in Czech Republic and other famous ones including Baden Baden, Germany and Bath, England. The focus is on the Golden Age of Spas, the 18th and 19th century, when medical use of these hot spring areas became more sophisticated and elegant hotels, facilities and entertainment venues were developed, making the spa towns social centers for the elites of the day.

*The Grandhotel Pupp is the place to see and be seen. ©Geri Bain*

Modern royalty including A-list Hollywood stars still come, especially during the annual International Film Festival in July and the start of “The Season” in May, when warm weather is welcomed with parades and special events.

The place to see and be seen is the glamorous Grandhotel Pupp. The hotel itself starred in scenes in the James Bond movie Casino Royale and Queen Latifah’s Last Holiday. The hotel has hosted Bach, Beethoven, Napoleon, and more recently Renee Zellweger, Morgan Freeman and many other notables and Iva pointsout the bronze bricks in the front patio where their names are engraved.

The hotel’s history dates back to 1701, reflecting key events of the nation. It served as a hospital during World War II. During the communist era, it was nationalized and renamed Grandhotel Moskva and provided care to workers, peasants and generals alike. After the nonviolent 1989 Velvet Revolution that began the transition to democracy, the hotel once again became the Grandhotel Pupp and was renovated to pamper modern day spa-goers.

From here, we forego the funicular and hike up to Restaurant Diana for lunch. It’s a steep, winding trail but the panoramic views are worth the climb, and in less than 30 minutes we arrive. The restaurant is justly acclaimed for its forest setting and traditional Czech cuisine. I order a delicious venison with wild Czech forest mushrooms and am amazed that it costs only about $20.

*The Imperial Spa now is a venue for concerts and shows. ©Geri Bain*

Our next stop is the Imperial Spa, built for Emperor Franz Josef I and now a national cultural monument and entertainment venue which offers public tours (in English and other languages). I am amazed at the splendor of the 1895 VIP spa suite and enjoy an engaging exhibit in a section of former commoner spa rooms that includes holograms of famous visitors comprising a mini-Who’s Who of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

After dinner, I head to the Saunia Thermal Resort that offers facilities open to the public at hourly and day rates. Perched high on a hill, its huge outdoor heated swimming pool, spring-fed therapeutic pools and sunning chaise lounges and various saunas and steam baths afford spectacular vistas of the town.

The next morning, Iva and I drive to Marianské Lázně. En route we stop at Loket Castle, a rebuilt 13th century castle that houses a history museum with exhibits of court treasures, early weapons, traditional dress, and in the dungeons, startling life-size vignettes of early forms of torture. The town itself is a jewel with cobblestone streets lined by pastel-painted buildings, small shops and inviting eateries.

While smaller and newer than Karlovy Vary, Marianské Lazne (founded in 1818) has the same Belle Epoque feel. It has also attracted its share of famous fans including Frédéric Chopin, Franz Kafka, Sigmund Freud, and Mark Twain. It held a special place in the heart of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and the town museum, sadly closed during my visit, has an exhibit devoted to him.

*The Falkensteiner Spa Resort treatments combine eastern and western practices. ©Geri Bain*

My home base in Marianské Lázně is the Falkensteiner Spa Resort. Its extensive modern in-house spa has pretty indoor and outdoor pools and lounge areas and a suite of saunas and relaxation rooms that feel more like the indulgent spas I’m used to. Spa manager Daniel Falkus explains that their program combines eastern and western practices, so in addition to treatments with spring water, they have certified guides who lead forest bathing sessions and they offer CO2 soaks, wraps and injections to improve blood circulation and reduce inflammation.

I’m limping from a pulled muscle and in quite a bit of pain and he suggests a CO2 shot might help by bringing more oxygen to the area to stimulate healing. I’m skeptical but decide to give it a try. I follow the shot with a CO2 bath. The CO2 bubbles make me feel as though I’m soaking in champagne. I feel surprisingly energized and my leg feels a bit better so Iva and I meet up for a tour of the town.

The hotel is just steps from the main street. The historic town center, divided by a greenway, seems to flow around its large parks. She says that inhaling the air is considered therapeutic. She points out a path through a forest and nature preserve punctuated by mineral springs, including a gently mineralized water source that locals use for drinking water. I decide I will try to follow that walk in the morning.

*The Singing Fountain’s dancing waters delight locals and visitors alike. ©Geri Bain*

We rush to get to the Singing Fountain in time for its “performance.” Here, every two hours, the waters dance to piped in music. A daily schedule of the musical pieces is posted near the fountain. I thought that sounded hokey, but it is so lovely that I go back again that evening.

Like the spa, dinner at the hotel feels indulgent, with impeccable service. I am assigned to a table and served by a waiter who speaks perfect English. He suggests a wonderful Czech wine and brings me several special samplings he thinks I’d enjoy tasting in addition to the three-course menu.

I am to leave for the airport at 9:30 am, so I get up with the sun to follow the walk Iva suggested. It is serene and I return relaxed, in time for a leisurely breakfast, where my English-speaking waiter spots me and again suggests some Czech treats, including a traditional braided poppy seed roll. Two Czech women I’d met in the sauna last night make a point of wishing me a good trip, and I realize how easy it has been to be here on my own.

Back home, the beauty and peaceful ambience of Mariánské Lázně and Karlovy Vary still fills me with a sense of well-being and I can see why people go back year after year. There’s plenty more I’d like to see and do. I’d especially like to experience Františkovy Lázně, which specializes in the use of local peat for in its treatments, but more than anything, these spa towns are a place to simply be—and next time, I’ll stay long enough to truly “take the cure”.

For more travel planning information, see visitczechia.com and www.visitvaryregion.com.

The basics:

The Czech Republic is part of the European Union, but the Czech Crown (CZK) is the official currency. Credit cards are widely accepted but change some currency to get into restrooms, tip and make purchases from smaller merchants.

No visa is needed although if your trip is in the last quarter of 2026, a new European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) is expected to take effect.

Be sure to check with your doctor if you plan to drink the waters. They can be harmful to some conditions, including pregnancy.

While many people speak some English, a translation tool can be useful.

At press time, on Expedia the Spa Hotel Imperial was priced from $190; the Grandhotel Pupp was priced from $179 per night; and Falkensteiner Spa Resort Marianské Lazne, from $281. Note that packages that include spa treatments can be a good value.

United and Delta offer nonstop flights to Prague from some U.S. gateways. If you must take a connecting flight, check the connecting times carefully. Some connections are very smooth, but on my way via Lisbon, I had to change terminals, which meant going through security twice and the three-hour connecting time was barely enough.

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Adventure Travel, Ecotourism, Health and Wellness travel, Travel Trends, Wellness tourism

Travel Industry Responds to Demand for Wellness Tourism

June 3, 2025 krubin723

Discovery Bicycle Tours offers the opportunity to become immersed in the enchanting destination of Siam Reap by bike, Cambodia. *Wellness tourism is a win-win-win for travelers and destinations* © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

Travel has so many benefits – on a macro level, travel is the greatest invention humanity has devised for promoting peace, prosperity, progress and understanding by bringing different people together. On a micro level, travel is a life-enhancing, oftentimes life-changing experience that promotes personal health and well-being. Indeed, wellness travel is a significant and growing segment of the wellness industry writ large, and the travel industry in particular. And the travel industry is responding to demand.

“The global wellness tourism market represents a small but rapidly increasing share of tourism trips. Compared to other leisure travelers, wellness tourists tend to spend significantly more, while exploring diverse destinations, activities and services. Governments, wellness businesses and local organizations can implement thoughtful wellness tourism strategies to benefit both the destinations and their surrounding communities,” Global Wellness Institute research fellow Tonia Callender writes. “Now is an especially opportune time, as wellness tourists are increasingly interested in nature, curative waters, outdoor exercise, local healthy cuisines, and indigenous healing arts. Protecting all of these assets strengthens a destination’s appeal for wellness tourism.”

In 2023, wellness trips accounted for 7.8% of all tourism trips but 17.9% of all tourism expenditures. Because wellness travelers spend more and favor experiences that are authentic and unique, there is less pressure for destinations to engage in a “race to the bottom” strategy that competes on price and quantity – in other words, an antidote to overtourism and mass tourism.

Wellness tourism has the potential to spread tourism to less traveled destinations; bring economic benefits and innovations to rural areas; and increase the incentives to protect local culture, biodiversity, and the environment. The values and interests inherent in wellness tourism are well aligned with those of sustainable and responsible tourism. A region’s key assets for developing and promoting wellness tourism extend beyond its hospitality and wellness businesses, and include the wellbeing of its people, the integrity of its culture, and the quality of its natural environment. As shown by the examples of Costa Rica, New Zealand, and Bhutan, sustainable tourism policies and strategies can help protect key assets and foundations while creating a successful and competitive wellness tourism destination.

The Global Wellness Summit’s (GWS’s) The Future of Wellness: 2025 Trends cited important developments impacting the travel industry and wellness travelers.

Trend: Slow Travel

One of the leading trends identified that I am obsessed with is slow travel. I have just returned from a perfect example that hits on all cylinders: BoatBikeTours’ sailing and biking trip to Netherlands’ islands, which offers an ideal pace for personal reflection, for visual interest, for a boost of endorphins, the opportunity to stop and take a photo or engage with someone you meet, even to ask directions, to go through villages and towns and ride back roads where you can appreciate how people live that you would never see otherwise – in other words, engagement. Slow travel provides all the wellness benefits of the travel experience.

*Cycling back to the* Leafde fan Fryslân *sailing ship,* our home for Boat Bike Tours Islandhopping Wadden Sea cycling trip. *Travel companies are satisfying the growing demand for “slow travel.” © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

At the Global Wellness Summit, this trend was dubbed “Wellness on the Line” and focused on how cruise and rail travel fit into the desire for “slow travel” (but I would add biking, hiking, walking and pilgrimage tours offer much the same benefits).

Train travel fits the ideal of slow travel – both in pacing that promotes mindfulness, even the rhythm of wheels rolling on the track and the gentle rocking as you watch the landscape roll by, and being eco-friendly.

Belmond, the luxury travel company that is part of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE and owns or manages 45 luxury hotels and spas, restaurant, train and river cruise properties, operates some of the most famous trains in the world including the Venice-Simplon Orient Express, the Royal Scotsman. Its new Britannic Explorer, UK’s first luxury sleeper train, has a first-of-its-kind wellness suite onboard, where as you travel to Wales, the Lake District, Cornwall, you can enjoy treatments based on circadian rhythms, with different treatments depending upon the time of day.

Nicola Herbert, Belmond’s global director of wellness strategies (its tagline is “Discover a new pace of travel”), described the company’s global strategy for Belmond hotels, trains, cruises, safari camps, focus on wellbeing and why trains and wellness are such a good mix: “Guests on a Belmond train feel like they are stepping into a cocoon, a bubble, moving away from reality. There is a natural tendency to disconnect. The common theme: it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey; embrace the journey.”

Trains and boats have a naturally slow pace, their movement, and even sound, lull the body as you also see incredible natural landscapes floating by.

“We provide amazingly curated aesthetic space where guests use their creativity to achieve wellness – guests find a sketch book gifted in the cabin, communing across a chess board. Passengers have permission to reconnect with relaxation. Traveling with companion or fellow passengers, discovering destination – bonding experience – create friendships for life on these journeys.”

You can find a plethora of wellness experiences at Belmond properties at a dedicated site, https://www.belmond.com/experiences/wellbeing

(A company specializing in rail journeys is Railbookers.com, 888-829-3040.)

Exercising while cruising from Prague to Berlin on CroisiEurope’s riverboat, Elbe Princesse. CroisiEurope is introducing a new riverboat in the Amazon in 2027, the MV Brasilian Dream,offering an eco-tourism experience © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Wellness is transforming cruising. We saw it in the 1980s, when cruiselines introduced luxurious spas and healthy dining on board, but what they are doing now is “integrated wellness” with onboard programming –a nutritionist lecture on “nutrigenomics,” a three-day cellular detox, fitness classes that focus on mobility, balance, posture; yoga meditation; and activities like stargazing at night, classes to learn computer skills, art, or learning the tango – as well as onshore activities and excursions.

Viking Cruises is one line that has embraced this in a big way. “There are so many facets from the architecture of ship reflecting its Nordic heritage, an onboard snow grotto with snowballs scented with lavender, to excursions to thermal lagoons and nature walks;

Shore excursions also provide opportunities for these enhanced experiences, like a workshop on Aloe Vera in Cape Verde; a guided medicinal plant walk through the jungle in Mexico, said Suzie Ellis, GWI’s CEO.

Blue World Voyages, launching in 2026, is promising to be the epitome of active lifestyle cruising. A ship designed in yacht style it is dedicated to sport and wellness. It strives to be the ‘healthiest ship at sea,” with an- entire deck designed around sports and fitness, the world’s largest functional training facility at sea, a state of the art golf school, and the largest luxury spa per passenger at sea.

European Waterways’ barge hotel, Panache, plies the canals of France, the ultimate in “slow travel” with the opportunity to bike along the paths alongside © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

While ocean cruising has embraced wellness onboard and with on-shore experiences, my favorite kind of cruising are the river and canal cruises on canalboats and barges which are quite literally “slow-travel” – so slow, that you can bike alongside at twice the speed, and float into ports you can just stride off the boat to explore. Among these are: AmaWaterways, Amadeus River Cruises, CroisiEurope, Emerald Cruises, European Waterways, Viking River Cruises, Uniworld Boutique River Cruises. You can even rent your own live-aboard self-skippered boat through LeBoat in Europe and Erie Canal Adventures on the Erie Canal in New York State. Also, historic sailing vessels, like the tallships of the Maine Windjammer fleet, are idyllic for an analog travel retreat (www.mainewindjammerfleet.com). Expeditionary cruises to the Galapagos, Arctic and Antarctic, like those offered by Lindblad Expeditions, Aurora Expeditions, Hurtigruten, Ponant, Poseidon Expeditions and Quark Expeditions are a category of “wellness” all their own, adding doses of adventure and exhilaration.

The growing desire for “slow travel” is seen in the surging popularity, accessibility and availability of bike tours –whether guided or self-guided, inn-to-inn or by boat. Bike tours evoke physical, emotional, spiritual and social benefits, as well as a direct connection to engage directly with local people and the environment. And the wide availability of e-bikes now extend a cyclists’ longevity in the saddle and take away anxiety over being able to handle the hills or the miles. Among the operators offering guided and self-guided itineraries on rail trails around the country and the world (where you are most likely to achieve that level of serenity and inner dialogue because you are not worrying about car traffic): Discovery Bicycle Tours; Wilderness Voyageurs; Backroads; VBT Bicycling Vacations and Boat Bike Tours.

Trend: Analog Wellness

At the heart of many of the wellness trends is a rejection of the digital, overly techno, virtual world in favor of a return to the simplicity and authenticity of the analog, spawning a trend to “analog travel”– old-school, old-fashioned, basic creative pursuits and opportunities for in-person social interaction and communication.

“The online and social media world has gone too far,” said GWI’s Beth McGroarty. People are resenting the manipulation, the intrusive marketing, the evil algorithms, the lies. People are sick of ‘brain robbing,’ polarization, and the time-suck from life spent in front of screens. People are getting aggressive about logging off in life and in travel. More travelers are seeking out destinations and experiences where the phone is locked up or properties that do not have wifi (think “White Lotus”). More hotels and resorts and destinations are channeling this zeitgeist, introducing retro, pre industrial programming, tactile experiences like embroidery, clay modeling– analog experiences that restore what the digital world stolen.”

*Bird watching in the Thung Nham Ecotourism Zone in Ninh Binh, Vietnam. People are craving analog experiences to restore what the digital world has stolen. © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Analog experiences are as varied as blacksmithing and birdwatching, or the use of “retro tech” like old-school film cameras, dumb phones (that can only be used for emergencies), typewriters, paper maps and old-fashioned alarm clocks. The common denominator is going “unplugged.”

Vinyl listening is now the rage, she said (and as if to prove the point, Newsday reported, “Vinyl bars in NYC to explore ” https://www.newsday.com/travel/vinyl-bars-nyc-g4cu5v7v)

There are deep listening sauna sessions, where you settle in for a group audio meditation – take complete vinyl album from classic artist; and “social reading”; wellness resorts and retreats are offering art as wellness therapy, arts and crafts, painting, ceramics, writing, knitting workshops. embroidery, clay modeling.

“It’s not just going retro, but back to pre-Industrial pursuits.”

At the Viceroy at Ombria Algarve in Portugal, for example, guests can sign up to be a “Shepherd for a Day” learning traditional sheep herding practices from a local shepherd and drive the flock home; also “Hive to Honey” and “Traditional Pottery Workshop”with a local artisan (Viceroy at Ombria Algarve, www.viceroyhotelsandresorts.com)

‎On a restored 17^th century farm resort, you can do blacksmithing, milk cows, leatherworking, carpentry, wheat milling.

Tourism boards are jumping in. Japan’s tourism board has created a road map for travelers to find traditions like paper crafting, copper and gold smithing.

Nightlife is also going analog, with super social clubs, spaces where people craft, read, listen to music, play games; reading parties where an hour of reading is set to live music in beautiful settings.

People are also giving up booze and seeking a nightlife beyond eating and drinking: a rise in night experiences and wellness experiences like stargazing and night kayaking (also a reaction to global warming which is making daytime activities oppressively, even dangerously hot).

“The analog travel trend will only rise. With humanoid robots, AI agents replacing human agents, and more unreality than reality, analog travel will be a counter trend.”

Trend: Sauna Reimagined

Saunas have been around for thousands of years, but saunas are enjoying an incredible renaissance and renewal, a trend which GWI calls “Sauna Reimagined.”

“From new urban saunas in New York and Chicago, to rustic waterfront saunas in Oslo or Brighton, to saunas with immersive art installations in Tokyo, today’s saunas represent a reinvention of an age-old tradition—and an increasingly younger, hipper crowd is taking notice, the GWI reports. “These younger consumers, craving real-life connections beyond bars and clubs, are flocking to social saunas, which can feature DJs, drag queens or full-blown concerts. Where saunas were once a sad, dark, lonely box in a basement, today they’re lively, social, cultural and entertainment hubs, often with fantastic views and in incredible locations, and people just can’t get enough.”

Saunas are increasingly paired with other forms of entertainment (“sauna-tainment”, which resonates with a younger demographic. In London, sauna festivals and pop-ups combine music, dance workshops, bands and DJs with sauna rituals, cold plunges and hot tubs, even comedy, while in Norway, Deep Listening sessions at Farris Bad bring people together to hear a favorite classic album while in the sauna.

“People used to think of sauna as sad, dark, lonely box in a basement that smelled like sweat. Today, they are lively social hubs with fantastic views in incredible locations.”

Trend: Mideast Becomes Wellness Mecca

Another Wellness travel trend is unfolding in the Middle East, huge resorts and retreats are being designed for wellness based on ancient traditions (being alcohol free is appealing to the growing interest in being “sober curious) but embracing cutting edge technology including AI (going the opposite way of “analog travel.”)

The most ambitious project is Amaala, a $1 trillion tourism megaproject under construction in Saudi Arabia, developed by Public Investment Fund-owned Red Sea Global, under the patronage of Prince Mohammed bin Salman. It is part of the Saudi Vision 2030 program (diversifying its image and economy from oil). Spanning 4,200 square kilometers, it consists of three main developments: The Coastal Development, Amaala Island, and Triple Bay. The scale of development is humongous: they are looking at 600 projects, 140,000-plus rooms with the first eight destinations, seven resorts and yacht club opening this year (https://www.visitredsea.com/en/destinations/amaala).

*The MidEast is trail-blazing new trends in wellness tourism © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

This year, a new luxury resort in Dubai will not only offer beautiful rooms and great hospitality, but guests also get comprehensive health diagnostic, treatments, high-tech genetic testing and have access to doctors on site.

Rather than follow Western wellness practices, these new resorts are setting new trends combining culturally-rooted wellness with cutting edge technology, says Thomas Morris, Senior Partner, Middle East, Finn Partners (United Arab Emirates) – not just luxury resorts, but high-tech clinics, not just massive sporting events, but cutting edge training for pro and amateur athletes. “The Middle East is no longer just a stopover, but is driving trends.”

The Future of Wellness 2025 Trends report is available from the Global Wellness Institute, https://globalwellnessinstitute.org/.

Road Scholar: Adventure is Key Factor in Happiness and Health for Older Adults

Non-Profit Leader in Educational Travel Establishes June 8th as Annual National Observance, ‘Age Adventurously Day,’ in Celebration of 50th Anniversary

Adventuring in Vietnam. A study by the non-profit Road Scholar finds that adventure is a key contributor to the happiness and health of aging adults. The leader in educational travel has declared June 8^th “Age Adventurously Day, to motivate older adults to break free of their routines and seek out new experiences, and is offering prizes for participating More information at roadscholar.org.. © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com.

Road Scholar, the not-for-profit world leader in educational travel for older adults, released a new report indicating that adventure is a key contributor to the happiness and health of aging adults. Based on a survey of 300 adults aged 50 to 98, Road Scholar’s findings reveal that 94% of older adults who embrace adventurous activities – whether through travel, lifelong learning or stepping outside their comfort zones – report higher levels of wellbeing.

In addition to the report, the organization has announced a new national observance on its 50th anniversary June 8th, “Age Adventurously Day,” kicking off with a contest offering one lucky winner a travel voucher, among other prizes.

Road Scholar’s Age Adventurously Report offers compelling insights into the connection between aging, adventure and wellbeing. Compared to previous generations, today’s older adults are more adventurous than ever before.

Celebrating a birthday atop Machu Picchu, the climate of a four-day Inca Trail hiking and camping trek. I can certify the Road Scholar finding that adventuring promotes happiness © Eric Leiberman/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Here’s a look at a few standout findings:

Educational Experiences Spark Interest in Distant Destinations and Frequent Travel: Older adults who engage in educational travel are more likely to explore distant destinations and travel more often compared to their peers. Thirty-two percent of participants surveyed reported that the majority of their travel is international. Road Scholar participants also tend to travel more frequently with 45% of those polled taking 4-8 trips annually, compared to 26% of those not involved with the organization.

Adventure Adds to Health and Happiness: Nearly 100% of older adults surveyed agreed that being adventurous contributes to their health, happiness and wellbeing. In fact, Road Scholar participants above the age of 50 who actively embrace new experiences indicated feeling just as happy as they were in their 20s, 30s or 40s – scoring an average of 3.2 on a 5-point scale ranking happiness from “not happier” to “extremely happier.”

Adventurousness Across Generations: When asked if their generation was more adventurous in older adulthood than their parents’ generation, 75% of Gen Xers agreed and 89% of Boomers and Silent Gen concurred – showing that older adults have evolved to be more adventurous.

Celebrate Age Adventurously Day

Road Scholar has declared June 8th as Age Adventurously Day. This now-approved annual observance, certified by the National Day Archives, aims to motivate older adults to break free of their routines, seek out fresh opportunities, and redefine what it means to age.

On June 8th each calendar year, Age Adventurously Day will serve as a reminder to individuals that aging does not mean the end of adventure, but rather a new beginning full of opportunities. The day invites everyone within the Road Scholar community and beyond to embrace the spirit of adventure, stepping beyond the ordinary, trying something they’ve always wanted to do, and making aging an adventure.

To kick off the inaugural Age Adventurously Day, Road Scholar is hosting a special contest. Participants are invited to share their plans for the day or submit stories and photos of their adventures at www.ageadventurously.org. One winner will receive a $1,500 travel voucher for a Road Scholar program, along with other prizes. Entries will be accepted through June 13, with the winner selected at random.

For more information, visit roadscholar.org.

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