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Susie's Amazing Grand Explorer Adventure

Susie’s Amazing Grand Explorer Adventure

Sue Clark one of our customers has not long returned from her holiday with Leger Holidays. Read on to see what she thought of her trip with us on our Arctic Circle and the Land of the Midnight Sun Tour.

 


Which tour did you go on?

I went on the Arctic Circle and the Land of the Midnight Sun 16-day Grand Explorer trip departing June 29th 2013
 

How did you get there and how long did it take?

Initially by feeder coach in Lincoln, which also was our tour coach, and I undertook the whole tour by coach. During the adventure I also travelled on 10 ferries, which included an overnight one from Stockholm, Sweden to Turku in Finland
As mentioned previously, it was for 16 days, but as someone who travels as she lives, preferring the journey to the destination-it was paced just right.
 

Where did you stay?

Too numerous to mention and in a variety of accommodation, including a ski chalet.
 

What was the weather like? Did it affect your visit?

This tour was not about the weather but the experience, but the added bonus was that for the majority of the time it was glorious weather. I witnessed the Midnight Sun in Rovaniemi in full sunshine. The visit to North Cape was cloudy and windy, but very atmospheric. It rained in Tromso but that only added to the beauty of the countryside. Without the rain I would not have experienced the wonderful waterfalls and lush scenery we travelled through.
 

Which optional excursions did you do?

I booked the guided sightseeing evening tour in Oslo, and what an enlightening tour this was! I was completely unprepared for the visit to the Vigeland Sculpture Park, and as a sculpture spotter I was in raptures. For me, this optional excursion was worth every pound I spent on it!
 

Conclusion

In the words of one of our drivers, this was an adventure rather than a holiday, and it was an adventure I would not have missed! Throughout the adventure I grew in cultural, spiritual and geographical experience. It was also a very positive experience because I travelled with a lovely group of people and also a couple of great drivers.
This experience has convinced me not only to undertake more Leger Grand Explorer tours, but also to visit Scandinavia, particularly all the capital cities, for longer as I was only able to have ‘tasters’ on this occasion.
Thank you Leger, without whom I would not have been able to have such an amazing Grand Explorer adventure 🙂
 
 

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New Tour – Bohemian Rhapsody – Delights of the Czech Republic

Here at Leger Holidays we have just unveiled a new holiday, Bohemian Rhapsody – Delights of the Czech Republic Tour.

This Tour allows our customers to explore the highlights of the Czech Republic, including the capital Prague ‘City of 100 Spires’. We also include excursion to many spa towns of the western Bohemia and not forgetting the Baroque treasure if Cesky Krumlov in southern Bohemia.

The 9 day break includes some truly amazing places. We also offer the chance to visit the popular spa resort of Karlovy Vary. There are twelve hot thermal springs all of which are still  in use. The town is also known for its hand-made glass. A recommendation whilst there is to visit the famous Moser glass factory.
The following day includes a visit to the second largest spa town in the Czech Republic, Marianske Lazne. Time is provided for you to take in the immaculate gardens before continuing on to the fortress town of Cesky Krumlov.
Cesky Krumlov is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is nestled on the banks of the Vltava River. In the centre of the medieval city there are many well preserved buildings and stunning architecture. To guarantee customers see the very best of Cesky Krumov there will also be an optional city tour available.

Delights of the Czech Republic Tour
Medieval buildings of Cesky Krumlov

Our tour also visits the home of Budweiser beer, Cesky Budejovice better known as ‘Budweis’. The tour continues on to Tabor; Czech Republic’s most favourite tourist spot.
Before heading back to Belgium and completing your return leg of your holiday we visit Prague. This excursions includes a guided walking tour of the ‘Golden Town’.  The walk introduces our customers to the splendid architecture of Prague Old Town. The huge castle is a must along with a relaxing drink in Wenceslas Square.

Delights of the Czech Republic Tour
Old Town, Prague

For more information or to book this tour, please visit our Bohemian Rhapsody – Delights of the Czech Republic Tour page.
Ever visited the Czech Republic? We would love to hear about your travels in the comment sections below.

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The Chelsea Flower Show

With the Chelsea Flower Show getting underway next week, I thought I’d take a look at the history behind this annual event and have a look at what attracts so many visitors year after year.

The Chelsea Flower Show is held in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea in Chelsea, London. The show was formally known as the Great Spring Show, and is known as the most famous flower show in the UK attracting visitors from all over the world.
The flower show was first held in Chelsea in 1912, as a one off event but as the location was such a success it has stayed there almost every year since.
The show has up to 157,000 visitors each year, and all tickets must be bought in advance. The duration of the show was originally four days but from 2005 onwards it was increased to five. Members of the Royal Family attend a preview day each year as the royal patronage of the RHS (Royal Hortical Society).
There are five award categories at the event. They are:
Flora – Gardens and floral exhibitions
Hogg – Exhibits of Trees
Knightian – Exhibits of vegetables, including herbs
Lindley – Exhibits of special educational or scientific interest
Grenfell – Exhibits of Pictures, photographs floral arrangements and floristry.
Other awards are known as the Special Awards, which include Best Show Garden Award, Best City Garden Award, RHS Junior Display Trophy and many more.
The Chelsea Flower Show is included on our Chelsea Flower Show, Henley and Oxford Tour, for more information or to book your place for next years event please visit our website.
If you have been to the show before, we would love to hear your experience please leave your comments section below.

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Be Brave With Your Breaks: Top Travel Tips from Dr David Lewis

Be Brave With Your Breaks:  Top Travel Tips from Dr David Lewis

 

Thinking about trying a new holiday destination – or even an entirely new type of trip – can be a big step for people.

 
Maybe you like to go back to the same places every year as you know you’ll have a great time. Or maybe you always like to do a cruise as that kind of holiday has worked well for you in the past.
 
But maybe 2013 is the year of change. You fancy being a bit more adventurous, seeing some of the ‘must-see’ sights the world has to offer. But where do you start? It can be quite intimidating trying to figure out all the places you might want to go and how to get there.
 
We have worked with renowned Psychologist Dr David Lewis to develop some top tips to help aspiring adventurers make their travel dreams come true:
 

  1. It’s all about the planning, planning, planning. Where have you always dreamt of going? What do you want to see or do when you get there? If you are undecided speak to someone who has already done it. There is safety in numbers and hearing about other people’s exploits emboldens you to do likewise.
  2. Once you’ve decided on your trip – do your homework. By learning as much as possible in advance about where you are going, you will make it more interesting, enjoyable and rewarding. And help build up the anticipation!
  3. When preparing for a holiday, or even when you are away, keep a checklist and tick off tasks and items as they are completed. This will increase your confidence and prevent slip-ups or lapses in memory.
  4. If you are going to a place where English may not be widely spoken or understood, even if you are on an escorted tour, write down a few basic phrases in that language to help you communicate. You will feel empowered by having it to hand ‘just in case’.
  5. Having to rush unnecessarily depletes energy levels and increases stress. Leave yourself plenty of time to get places or consider an escorted tour where the travel arrangements are all sorted for you, removing that element of worry.
  6. As people get older they need more ‘me time’ to collect their thoughts and increase energy levels. Try to spend at least 15 minutes a day chilling out away from too many distractions.
  7. Never say never. And don’t ever use ‘I’m too old for that’ as an excuse for not doing something you secretly long to do. At the same time be prepared to say ‘no, not for me’ if you really don’t want to undertake an activity or go to a certain destination.

 
So whether you secretly want to scale Mount Kilimanjaro, see the volcanoes in Italy, or you long to sail along the Fjords of Norway, we say – go for it! Those in need of some holiday inspiration can also visit our website where you’ll find plenty of great break ideas including our Grand Explorer tours to destinations such as America, Russia and the Arctic Circle.
 
 

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Traditional Dutch Stamppot Recipe

Traditional Stamppot recipe

The traditional Dutch Stamppot recipe is a very popular recipe in colder months of the year. It is a combination of root vegetables and mashed potatoes. The Dutch Sausage topping really brings this dish together. Go on give it a try.

What you’ll need

  • 3 carrots
  • 1/2 of a turnip
  • 1 leek
  • 1/2 of an onion
  • 2 lbs potatoes
  • ½ lb sweet potatoes
  • 1 lb butternut squash
  • 1 lb green cabbage
  • ¼ cup of butter (add more dependent on taste)
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 ½ lbs of Dutch sausage (Chorizo works well)
  • Optional Cashews

How to cook it

After washing and cutting the vegetables, chop the onion. Peel and cut the potatoes, with the butternut squash, carrots, parsnips, turnip and the sweet potatoes.
Using a large stock pot, place the vegetables in water, this should be brought to boil and simmered for 15 minutes
During this time you can cook the Dutch sausage to the packaging requirements
Once the vegetables are tender they need draining for mashing, then season with salt and pepper to required taste. This is when the cup of butter is added and mashed
Now add the Dutch sausage to the top and serve
Enjoy!
For a real taste of Holland why not take a look at our Dutch tours available with Leger Holidays.
The image is courtesy of Flikr user – Incase

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10 interesting and fun facts about Ireland

Ireland - River Liffey

Here’s a list of fun facts about Ireland…

  • The longest place name in Ireland is Muckanaghederdauhaulia.
  • The Guinness Brewery in St. James Street Dublin has a 9,000 year lease
  • The Titanic was built in Belfast, Northern Ireland
  • In 1447, moustaches were illegal in Ireland.
  • An odd Irish birthday tradition is to lift the birthday child upside down and give his head a few gentle bumps on the floor for good luck. The number of bumps should allegedly correspond to the child’s age plus one.
  • The national symbol of Ireland is the Celtic harp, not the shamrock
  • Ireland is known as the Emerald Isle, thanks to its lush greenery
  • The St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated in Ireland on March 17th which is a national holiday
  • Although set in Scotland, most of the battle scenes in the 1995 film Braveheart were filmed in Ireland.
  • The river Liffey runs through the centre of Dublin and is 75 miles in length

Do you have any facts about Ireland? Please share them in the comments below. Alternatively for more information on any of our Ireland Coach tours follow the link provided.

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10 facts you may not have known about Russia

Find out what made our list of facts about Russia below:
 

  • Moscow has the busiest Mc Donald’s in the world (30,000 people entered on the first day of opening)
  • There are more than 600 universities in Russia
  • Russia is home to the world’s largest active volcano Klyuchevskaya Sopka which stands at 4,750 metres.
  • Russia is the second biggest oil exporter in the world
  • 10% of St Petersburg is covered by water
  • Russia is the only country in the world to have 12 seas
  • Russia is so vast it spans 9 time zones
  • The first man into space was Russian, his name was Yuri Gagarin
  • Vitaly Petrov is the only Russian Formula One driver to date
  • Life expectancy in Russia is 59 years for men and 73 years for women

 
Do you have any facts about Russia? Please share them in the comments below. For more information on our tours of Russia take a look at our Tours of Russia page.
 

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“Remember that time when…”

…it’s a phrase used by so many of us with our travelling partners in the days, weeks, months, even years after we return from holiday:

“Remember that time that I got an electric shock from a fence in the Swiss Alps whilst talking to a cow”; “remember that time when I rode around Greece on the back of a motorbike in a bikini” (ok, so we’ve all done stupid things!); “…when I hurried to get to the other side of the ‘Broken Bridge’ in Avignon before getting half way and realising it was broken” (ditto last comment!); “… that time I climbed aboard one of Elvis’s jets on a visit to Graceland” …the things we do in those days away can leave imprints in our minds that last much longer than the holidays themselves.

The road to nowhere
The road to nowhere

It’s all in the detail

I remember sitting with my dear old Grandma – who’d had her fair share of holidays with my Grandad – as she relayed stories of the things they’d done, places they’d been and things they’d seen on their travels, despite not remembering what she did last week! She’d remember times, dates, people – so many details of her experiences whilst on holiday in Germany or Austria or Switzerland or wherever, and it was almost as though, for a few minutes, she was transported back there, reliving the experiences over again. I always found it fascinating how she could remember things so vividly from 40 or 50 years ago!

Lasting memories... Grandma in Pompeii
Lasting memories… Grandma in Pompeii

Time to turn off ‘auto-pilot’

Have you ever had that feeling when you’re at home and going about your daily routine where you sometimes switch to ‘automatic pilot’? You don’t even really think about what you’re doing – whether it’s getting ready for work, cooking the evening meal, dropping the kids at school or doing the weekly shop – it just seems to happen. Yet when you travel, you come back with bucket-loads of memories from even a weekend away. Sound familiar? If you asked me what I did last week, like my Grandma, it’s hard to always remember. Each day of the daily routine blends into the next: Monday becomes Friday; Friday becomes Monday and before you know it another month’s passed. So why do we seem remember so much more when we’re way?

The ‘eyes’ have it (and the noses, mouths and ears too!)

When we’re surrounded by different sights, smells, tastes etc, our senses are kick-started and we actually take notice of what’s around us (although, I have to say it would’ve been pretty hard to not take notice of that electric fence, no matter where it was!). When we’re on holiday, we’re constantly exposed to new things which is why they leave that impression in our minds so much more than the familiar sights and sounds of our everyday lives.

The cow continued to graze as I received a shock!
The cow continued to graze as I received a shock!

Packing it in

It’s also pretty common for us to return from our holiday feeling like we’ve been away much longer than we have – another result of us being much more aware of our surroundings. Each moment of our time away is packed with memories, making the days seem much longer than the same period of time back home. These memories become etched into our memory, stored for years to come, as my Grandma proved to me, time and time again.
Whilst on one of my own travels last year, I met a guy who shared with me something his father used to say to him:

“When you’re at home, you exist. When you’re on holiday, you live.”

What an excellent way of summing it up.
So, remember, life is for living! Soak it all up, take it all in – the new sights and sounds and smells of any new place you visit and any new experiences you have – whether it’s at home or away. And when you can’t actually travel any more, like my Grandma, hopefully all your experiences will carry on through your memories, to be relived time and time again. And that’s another one of the many reasons that thousands of us love to travel each year… the memories of our travel experiences can keep us going through the times in between our adventures… and beyond!
Have you got holiday memories you’d like to share? Be sure to let us know!

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Light up your Christmas…

These cinnamon candles will bring a warm glow to any room this Christmas time, and they’re so quick and easy to make.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
You’ll need:

  • One Large candle
  • Elastic band
  • String or ribbon
  • Candle holder/tray
  • Cinnamon sticks

 

Firstly, put the elastic band around your candle.
Then, one by one, slip the cinnamon sticks under the elastic band until you’ve covered all the way around.

 

Once the cinnamon sticks are secured, remove the elastic band.
Tie string, ribbon or raffia around the candle. You can even tie on some dried orange slices, holly or other festive decoration.

Place the candle on a candle holder, and there you have it – just remember never to leave a burning candle unattended at any time!

 
You can even make a few of these and place them together to make a table centre, adding in pine cones, offcuts from your Christmas tree (only if it’s a real one, of course!) or nuts and berries.
 
And, if you have any cinnamon sticks left over, why not make a few extra decorations to either add to your table centre or decorate your tree.

 
Happy decorating! Why not enjoy a warming mulled wine with a festive mince pie while you create your festive masterpieces!

 
 
 

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Yorkshire Christmas Markets – Leeds Christkindelmarkt

It’s that time of year again when towns and cities play host to the colourful Christmas markets, welcoming visitors from near and far to join in the festive celebrations and soak up the unique atmosphere. I’m a bit of a sucker when it comes to Christmas Markets, so when a trip to the Yorkshire Christmas Markets – markets I’ve not visited before – came up, I had my bag packed and my Santa hat on faster than you could say ‘mulled wine’.

In a change to our usual working location in Leger’s Design Studio, my colleague, Tammy and I were joining the tour to get some new photographs for the brochures and the website, and to check the tour out – listening to what the customers thought of the trip and experiencing the Yorkshire Christmas markets first hand… First stop: Leeds.

A very warm ‘Willkommen’ in Leeds

As we arrived at the Christkindelmarket in Millennium Square the markets were in full swing. Visiting each stall one by one to see what delights were on offer, we were lead along from stall to stall by one enticing smell after another. It was this mouth-watering mix of smells that hit us first as we arrived at the market – from the smoke of the giant barbecue cooking juicy frankfurters, sizzling schnitzel and huge burgers, to the sugary smell of candy floss and sweet popcorn being made, our senses went into overdrive… and if you visit a Christmas market, don’t miss the ‘Christmas in a glass’ taste of mulled wine – simply a must on a cold day in December! If you don’t collect the deposit you pay on your warm drink, you can even keep the special mug as a souvenir of your visit.

Tasty food
Sizzling sausages

The square in Leeds was full of wooden chalets selling all kinds of unusual gifts ranging from the ‘Honey House’, where a unique variety of candles, honey and jam were being sold, to hand-painted baubles and candle holders, knitted and sheepskin clothing, and salt crystal lamps which lit up with a warm orange glow.

Caroline: “The man at the ‘Honey House’ told me how this was his 6th year at the Leeds Christkindelmarkt, and so far, sales were good – probably, he guessed, because he’d managed to hold his prices from last year. It’s his daughter who makes the candles on his stall – beeswax candles in the shape of pine cones, roses, Christmas trees, angels and reindeer, all created by pouring liquid beeswax into moulds where it’s left to set for 24 hours. And what’s his role in this, other than being the stall holder? He’s the beekeeper, and he’s been looking after the bees for over 40 years – with quite a few stings along the way!”

At the ‘Honey House’

The traditional nutcrackers and wooden toys brought out the Bavarian theme to this market with other stalls selling brightly painted, old tin toys and unique Christmas decorations made from dried fruit and cinnamon sticks which smelled lovely. The glittering carousel was brought to life as it whizzed around with squeals of laughter from children and adults alike, whilst the sound of fairground music played, all adding to the market’s wonderful atmosphere.
In the centre of the stalls, we could hear live entertainment coming from the warm and cozy retreat of the ‘Alp Chalet Restaurant’, a huge, log cabin-style hut providing authentic German food and drink – obviously a popular place judging by the queue of people waiting to get in!

Caroline: “I’ve been to a few markets in Germany before – Cologne, Düsseldorf, Rüdesheim, Aachen etc – they’re my favourite, so it’s great to have one to visit a bit closer to home. It really gives you a taste – quite literally – of what’s on offer at the bigger markets in Germany.”

All day there was a great, festive atmosphere, but it’s after dark when the markets really come to life. After around 5 o’clock they became quite busy with the bustle of people gathering around the food and drink stalls, many of them clutching a warm drink and tasty snack and wearing an array of different woollen hats, probably bought at the market. The unique, magical Christmas feeling flowed through the market as the brass band started to play classic Christmas tunes, all adding to the festive atmosphere. We even spotted the big man himself ­– who would’ve thought we’d get to see Father Christmas at Leeds Christkindelmarkets – he even stopped for a photo!

Naughty or nice? Caroline’s chance meeting with Santa!

Next stop: Grassington’s Dickensian Festival.
For more information about the Leeds Christkindelmarket, York St.Nicholas Fayre and the Grassington Dickensian Festival visit our Yorkshire Christmas Markets Tour page.