Hello again!
Since I came up with a desire for this blog’s mission (offbeat and lesser known ventures for travel bugs), I haven’t done any new traveling yet. This is soon to change, trust me. Coming up, you can expect blogs about day trips (starting this week), road trips large and small (starting next month), and international travel (starting later this year, with any luck). Keep with me, dear readers, you will have some interesting reads coming up in the near future, I promise!
In the meantime, if you have visited this blog more than once, you may have noticed the header picture on the main page rotating between three different pictures. They are all from fascinating places around the world. Here is a brief snippet about each to start.
1. The Longest Place Name in Europe- Wales
Five years ago (Five! Has it really been that long?), I traveled around Ireland and parts of Britain for several days. On our travels, we stopped in a small town in east Wales. The name of this town? Wait for it…
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch!
Don’t worry, the town normally goes by the nickname Llanfairpwllgwyngyll. We can surely say it now, right?
If you do not speak Welsh, don’t bother trying to pronounce it. The Welsh language is a far cry from English; two L’s make a “th” sound and vowels appear to be completely optional.
Case in point…
Below is a video of our bus driver pronouncing
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.
It is the longest place name in Europe and second longest in the world (I’m almost frightened to look up the keeper of the #1 slot right now). The name translates into English as “St. Mary’s Church in the Hollow of the White Hazel Near to the Rapid Whirlpool of Llantysilio of the Red Cave.”
… in case there was a chance you would get this place mixed up with the other St. Mary’s churches in White Hazel hollows running around out there.
Llanfairpwllgwyngyll is a cute town with some notable past citizens (apparently, Naomi Watts lived there as a child) and quiet touristy activities (walking tours, fishing, some nearby castles). Being with a busload of people, we had very little time in the town as it was a stop on our way to Holyhead, but anyone visiting Wales needs to stop in and at least get a picture of the city name sign and the train station (inside of which the name of the city wraps all the way around the inner walls).
2. Traveling Art Piece- Helsingor, Denmark
Someday, I hope to return to Copenhagen and explore more of the lesser known wonders the city has to offer. In the meantime, one thing I can tell you to do is take the 45 minute train ride north to Helsingor to explore Kronborg Castle. This is the castle upon which William Shakespeare based Elsinore Castle, the setting for his most widely-known play, Hamlet.
They even have tours guided by an actor portraying Horatio, Hamlet’s best friend, and his storytelling (though a few details are up for interpretation) will help those struggling to understand the story and those wanting to put in perspective the story’s relation within the castle.
On our way from the train station to Kronborg, however, we came upon this traveling art piece.
“Golden Bream from the Oresund” is by a group called the Yodogawa Technique. The large fish is comprised entirely of discarded trash found on or around nearby river banks. With each piece they create in this way, the artists seek to inspire the amazement of how each item brings a different backstory to the piece. Though this piece was traveling and therefore temporary, the practice of this is ongoing for the artists and represents, along with the many other pieces and sights that abound, the importance of to Denmark of creating and displaying art.
3. Twin Peaks Filming Location- Snoqualmie Falls, WA, USA
I’m not going to lie: I am and probably always will be in love with Agent Cooper from David Lynch’s TV series Twin Peaks. If only he weren’t a fictional character…
However, fans like me can head to Washington and visit the towns of Snoqualmie, North Bend, and Fall City to find some familiar sights from the cult classic. We bought a filming location map locally which, though not without some creative interpretation, led us to some of the notable locations. The one shown in the header pics us The Great Northern Lodge, as seen in the opening credits and is a regular setting in many episodes.
More detailed blog coming eventually, as I will be going back.
Until then, dahlings, stay safe and keep exploring!
THE OFFBEAT PATH 