Springtime in Holland
March 26, 2011
Holland’s a great place to visit. If you like art, Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum contains a handful of truly exquisite Vermeers as well as a terrific Rembrandt collection, including the world-famous Nightwatch and self-portraits. Despite the city’s 17th century architecture it’s a hip, bustling place with beautiful canals and a relaxed, anything-goes nightlife. English is widely spoken and people are very willing to help.
Right now might just be the best time to visit the Netherlands! The tulip festival in the Netherlands opens for about two months each spring, and the best place to see them, the incredibly lovely Keukenhof Gardens, are open from March 24th to May 20th, 2011. You can find more information at http://www. keukenhof. Nl.
And in another piece of good news, there’s a website, Accessible Travel Netherlands, designed to encourage you to visit the country. Founded by Veroniek Maat, MSc, it provides information on accessible accommodations, activities, tours, events, museums, services and transportation. According to Veroniek, “We cooperate with The Foundation for Advantages for People with Disabilities (Stichting Gehandicaptenvoordeel), the European Network for Accessible Tourism and other Dutch organizations that support accessibility. We evaluate accessibility at tourism venues ourselves so you can be assured our information is accurate and well-vetted
“On the website, people can find accessibility information by choosing a category: activities, events, museums, accommodations, services, transport. At each of these categories they can pick another category to narrow down their search. The latest news and updates are published on the homepage. Bright colors and contrasts are used to make the website easy to understand and read for people with visual impairments. Also, the letters can be enlarged with the enlarge button which can be found on all pages. The website can be translated into any language.”
A beautiful, accessible place…and it’s spring. Why not think about going?
For questions or requests, please contact: vmaat@accessibletravelNL.com or visit: www.accessibletravelnl.com.”
Visiting Norfolk, England
March 21, 2011
First trip abroad? If so, I’d recommend England. We share a common language, making it easier to communicate our needs and England is certainly different enough to make for a memorable trip. Take Norfolk, for instance, where you can walk down a road built by ancient Romans. Medieval churches are an every-day sight, Georgian houses are in every village and timber-framed, and thatched cottages are still much in evidence. Here are some suggestions about a visit to Norfolk from Glynn Burrows, a local historian and tour guide.
“The trip could start when we meet at the airport. I’ll be waiting at the barrier ready to whisk you away to the waiting car for the ride towards East Anglia. Depending on the arrival time and your jet lag, you might prefer to stay the first night at one of the many airport hotels, getting picked up after a good night’s sleep and a full English breakfast! Throughout the trip, accommodations are up to you. There are simple cottages where you can look-after yourself, B&Bs or five star hotels. You can have a one-base holiday or you can move around East Anglia to take in Suffolk and Essex too.
Cambridge
Often we begin at Cambridge, a magnificent university city. It’s unusual as there are no high-rise blocks of flats to interrupt the sky-line, just the churches and King’s College Chapel. The whole city is like walking onto the set of a Harry Potter film and walking around the colleges and alleys is an experience not to be missed.
I like to take guests to Sandringham, the Norfolk home of the Queen. The woodland around the house is open to visitors all year and there are many walks throughout this very well managed park for all to enjoy freely, with planned routes for those of us who are less agile. There is even a tractor & trailer ride which can take one wheel-chair at a time on a tour of The Park.
The house and gardens are magnificent. Purchased by Queen Victoria for her son Edward and his new bride, it has been the private home of our kings and queens ever since. It does not belong to the state and it doesn’t automatically go to the reigning monarch, in fact, King George VI had to buy the estate from his brother, Edward VIII, after the abdication.
Castle Acre
Another very popular day out is to Castle Acre, a fantastic village with a Priory and a Castle. Although the Priory and Castle are not all accessible to wheelchairs because they are ruins, a lot of the area can be visited and enjoyed. The village has a lovely pub too, on the Green, where very good lunches are served. This day out usually includes a trip into Swaffham, a fine Georgian Town, with large Market Square and lots of interesting buildings.
Norwich
A trip to Norfolk has to include a day in Norwich, with the fantastic castle and cathedral. At one time, Norwich boasted a church for every week of the year and a pub for every day of the year, but today, after Hitler demolished some of the former and the rise in the price of beer has closed a lot of the latter, it is still very well supplied with both. There are lots of independent shops & restaurants, as well as art galleries and museums. It is very easy to spend a day in Norwich and still miss most of it!
Finally, Norfolk is famous for the Norfolk Broads, which are a system of waterways which were left after medieval peat diggings flooded. These wide expanses of water are havens for wild-life and a trip on a boat is a must for visitors. There are many ways to see the Broads; boats can be hired for small parties, one can join a large organized trip on one of the large cruisers and it is possible to drive to one of the broads and sit by the water’s edge.”
If you would like more information about vacations in England, or even staying on the Sandringham Estate itself, contact at glynn@norfolk-tours.co.uk
Traveling with a Service Dog
March 14, 2011
Traveling with a service dog is a tricky subject for me to write about since the closest Marlene and I got to working with a service dog was a one-day orientation. We didn’t get the dog because Marlene already had a service animal (otherwise known as a husband). It was particularly unfortunate because Marlene fell in love with the dog, a black lab named Ishmael. For someone like Marlene, who has admitted she can’t teach a flea to jump on a dog, it was revelation to see how much Ishmael could do to help.
However, this is an important – and tricky –matter for many disabled travelers. Some countries won’t let in any foreign dogs or have long quarantine requirements. Others require special identification tags, vaccinations or health certificates. Certain airlines won’t fly dogs to particular destinations, and some airports in a given country won’t allow dogs in while others will! So, be careful to check on possible restrictions with the embassy or consulate of each country you will visit. (Note: This and other country information may be found on each country’s Country Specific Information at http://travel.state.gov).
In short, make sure you know what documents are needed, including international health certificates and rabies inoculation certificates, and if the documents need to be translated. Talk with your vet about tips for traveling with a dog, and how travel will affect the animal. You may also want to ensure that hotels will accommodate your service dog.
When booking your ticket, notify your travel or ticket agent that a service dog will be accompanying you in the cabin area. It is also helpful to provide the dog’s size and weight. The agent can then assist you in determining the most appropriate seating on the scheduled aircraft. If you can, travel on direct, non-stop flights.
Travelers with guide dogs qualify for pre-boarding. Boarding first can be both easier on the dog, you and the other passengers.
For more information, see the following:
Travel Pets has a list of animal-friendly lodgings in U.S., Canada, and other countries and general animal importation policies for many countries www.travelpets.com.
Paws4Travel’s offers general tips for traveling with an animal in U.K. and Europe and a list animal-friendly lodgings and some veterinarians in U.K. and abroad www.paws4travel.co.uk.
Takeyourpet.com provides a free online newsletter and travel tips. Information on lodging, vet resources, and other services are available for members only www.takeyourpet.com
Fort Sumter’s Special Anniversary
March 6, 2011
Calling all history buffs!
April 12th marks the 150th anniversary of the Firing 
Fort Sumter, the opening salvo of the Civil War. What better way is there to celebrate this historic milestone than a visit to Charleston, S.C., considered one of the nation’s most beautiful cities?
From the city’s Convention Center and Visitor’s Bureau comes a sampling of special commemorative events.
Spiritline Cruises Sesquicentennial Tour and Dinner Cruises on April 9, 12 and 14. These will include a living history program, period music, a lecture by a military historian and a three-course southern-style meal and cruise. See http://spiritlinecruises.com/civil war events.asp for more details. (Note: You’ll want to arrive well in advance for tickets, especially on the 12th since they expect a crowd).
White Point Gardens Concerts
Voices from the Civil War Concert on April 11. The concert will include music selections from the score to the PBS documentary film, The Civil War by Ken Burns, featuring Jay Ungar, Molly Mason and The Family Band with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sean Newhouse, along with the CSO Spiritual Ensemble and the Mt. Zion AME Spiritual Ensemble.
Sunrise Concert: When Jesus Wept on April 12. This candlelight concert features hymns by Colonial American composers including William Billings and others; White Point Garden, Charleston
The Battle of Fort Sumter by Boat on April 12. Historian and author Michael Coker leads guests on an intimate discussion of the events leading up the war and the Battle of Fort Sumter during a 1.5-hour boat tour. Note: This is accessible only if you can walk up the ramp to the boat.
For additional events, see http://www.charlestoncvb.com/media/charleston-news/charleston_area_civil_war_sesquicentennial_events_-1147
