October 4, 2024 • 53 mins
The Wishing Well's Terrie Dean and Harry Reif discuss this week's travel news and Hot Deals!
In this enchanting episode, we take you on a magical journey through some of the world’s most iconic and breathtaking castles. From the romantic allure of the Alhambra in Granada, Spain, to the historic fortifications of Castillo San Felipe del Morro in San Juan, Puerto Rico, each castle tells a story of its own.
We’ll explore the grandeur of Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City, perched atop a hill with panoramic views, and delve into the mysterious legends surrounding Bran Castle in Romania, often linked to the Dracula myth. Our journey wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Windsor Castle in England, a residence of the British monarchy with centuries of royal history.
Join us as we dream about happily ever after and uncover the fascinating histories, architectural marvels, and cultural significance of these magnificent castles. Whether you’re a history buff, a lover of fairy tales, or simply looking for travel inspiration, this episode is sure to captivate your imagination.
In this enchanting episode, we take you on a magical journey through some of the world’s most iconic and breathtaking castles. From the romantic allure of the Alhambra in Granada, Spain, to the historic fortifications of Castillo San Felipe del Morro in San Juan, Puerto Rico, each castle tells a story of its own.
We’ll explore the grandeur of Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City, perched atop a hill with panoramic views, and delve into the mysterious legends surrounding Bran Castle in Romania, often linked to the Dracula myth. Our journey wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Windsor Castle in England, a residence of the British monarchy with centuries of royal history.
Join us as we dream about happily ever after and uncover the fascinating histories, architectural marvels, and cultural significance of these magnificent castles. Whether you’re a history buff, a lover of fairy tales, or simply looking for travel inspiration, this episode is sure to captivate your imagination.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is a Lifeless Ordinary. It's a travel show and
podcasts from your friends at the wishing Well two forty
three f Avenue in Harrisburg and online at the wishing
Well dot this. The wishing Well is your ultimate luxury concierge,
travel agency and a Lifeless Ordinary is a travel show
and podcast hosted by Terry Dean, bringing her over forty
years of experience in the travel industry to help guide
(00:21):
you to great experiences in your travel, whether it be
around the block, around the country, or around the world.
Let's bring in Terry Dean.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Say hello, Chris, I'm here. How are you excellent? Thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
It's Dayton Days today right in front of my house
and just getting here this morning.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Well, there's a lot of things going on. Actually there's
you mentioned Dayton Days. There's some minn night relief sale.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Yeah, I got an email about that. All kinds of
things that happened to Shinandoa County Fairgrounds. They're having an
autumn fest today.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Yes, they are.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Fall is here? I like it. Before we go too far, Harry, Hello, well,
good morning.
Speaker 4 (00:55):
Both of you. I didn't know if you were going
to acknowledge me or not.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Well, you know how Terry and I did we start
talking about our lives.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Yeah, we get derailed.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
So, yeah, I got a lot of stuff going on today.
It feels like fall is I know it's technically here,
but it hasn't really felt like it's felt more like spring.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
It's it's been like a sauna outside. I mean, between
the rain and the humidity. It's it's been a little uncomfortable,
let's say, I think, but it's getting better. I think
we have probably made up for any dropt deficit that
we had.
Speaker 4 (01:28):
That's what I heard. Are happy.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
I mean, we kind of missed the growing season, that's
the only problem.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
Yeah, I heard.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
I don't know about this for sure, but I heard
there were some families that were in mourning because their
John Deere's hadn't been out for weeks.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
That sounds right. Well, anyway, it is good to be
here with you today, and Sir, I always look forward
to us Saturday mornings when we get to spend a
little time together talk travel. There's always some news that
has happened since the last time we talked, and we
should get caught up on that.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Yeah, Lord knows, that's the truth.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
And I don't think it's probably a surprise to anybody
that one of the news stories that we were going
to cover today has to do with the effects and
the decimation that was caused by Hurricane Helene. And really
one week here we are, Chris after being struck by
Hurricane Helene. In the Southeast. We continue to struggle and
(02:24):
see recovery from the impact of that hurricane. There continue
to be power outages, impassable roads, a whole lot more
going on down there. But according to the latest news reports,
the death toll related to the hurricane, which struck Florida
and the Gulf Coast impacted six states before it was over,
(02:47):
it has risen to two hundred, and that's a very
sad two hundred. That means Helene has officially become the
deadliest hurricane to hit the United States mainland since Hurricane
Katrina back in two thousand and five. Now in western
North Carolina alone, the damage is estimated to be in
(03:08):
the tens of billions with a B dollar and it
has done for so many other natural disasters. The travel agency,
industry leaders and companies have jumped in to help where
they can to respond to Hurricane Helene. That's really the
lead of what I wanted to talk about is how
(03:29):
our industry and industry I'm very proud of, has stepped
in to add some aid during this time. Companies have
jumped in, and especially a company called Hotel Planners, the
world's largest group of travel site sited hotels. They swiftly
activated their support network to aid affected cities along the
(03:53):
storm's path. The chief communications officer of that company said,
We've reached out to all of our supporting hotel partners
ahead of the storm to request their available room inventory
to ensure that they could immediately assist essential travelers and
displaced citizens once it was safe to do so.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
That's what I call good planning.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
Now, as the recovery began, Hotel Planners said it was
ready to accommodate essential travelers, displaced citizens, and restoration crews.
American Airlines meanwhile, is providing its American Advantage members who
want to help hurricane victims with an avenue to do so.
Customers can make donations through Americans dedicated Red Cross website,
(04:41):
which is Redcross dot org slash AA, and those who
make contributions will earn American Advantage bonus miles as a
token of appreciation from the Airline for their generosity, according
to a statement issued by that airline. Now, already some
two million dollars have been raised for victims of Hurricane
(05:04):
Helen through that initiative alone. In addition, American Airlines is
donating ten million American Advantage miles to Airlink, which is
a nonprofit humanitarian organization that brings crucial aid to communities
in crisis, and those miles are meant to help Airlink
(05:24):
connect emergency responders and relief workers to the most urgent
needs in the impacted region. So good on them for that.
There's another group called the Kessler Connection. They have properties
across the Southeast including Greenville, Ashville, a very hard hit city, Charleston,
(05:44):
and Savannah, and they can open their doors to relief
workers and displaced residents and even first responders as well. Now,
if you're searching for ways to help on your own,
here are some of the options that I would suggest
that are available through the travel industry. Insiders do support
(06:07):
the local economy. Now, one of the best things travelers
can do is to visit these destinations when it's safe
to do so. Because spending money at the local businesses,
the restaurants when they're able to reopen the shops during
tours there, it helps those communities receive aid even faster.
(06:29):
The other thing you can do is contribute to relief funds,
many of which I just mentioned to you. The don't
would be don't overwhelm the local resources, wait for the
all clear to ensure your visit is helpful not harmful.
And for those who would like to help North Carolina specifically,
(06:49):
the options include the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund and
also the North Carolina Hospitality Workers Relief Fund managed by
North Caare Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association Foundation. Yet another
option is the Southern Smoke Foundation Relief Fund, which is
offering emergency assistance to workers in the food and beverage industry.
(07:14):
I don't expect anybody to remember all of that this
morning as you're listening. However, if you are interested and
seriously want to help out as we do, our office
is also jointly working with some localities in our regional
area to help support the efforts here for relief funds
call the Wishing Well. We're more than happy to share
(07:35):
with you many ways that the travel industry is supporting
the relief efforts for our southern neighbors and families, and
you can call us at the Wishing Well at five
four oho nine eight two three three three. We'd be
delighted to tell you how you can help and assist
in that regard. Unined Airlines, just before I left my office,
(07:59):
I wanted to let you know also sent me a
quick email to say they are joining the support of
the Southeast during this difficult time. They are donating. They
being United Airlines, are donating one hundred and twenty five
thousand dollars and five hundred thousand mileage plus miles toward
hurricane relief efforts. But you can make their impact even greater.
(08:22):
They will match additional donations up to seventy five thousand
dollars and two hundred and fifty thousand miles. So at
a time like this, I think what is true is
we have hearts of gold when people need it the most.
And I'm so proud to be an American joining all
of the others in an industry that I love and
(08:44):
seeing them step up as well. The second thing on
my list is something that I'm sure a lot of
our local listeners are going to be interested in, and
that is I think all you have to do when
we talk about travel is mention the name ken Burns.
Everybody instantly knows who I'm talking about. But this morning
a news story that came across my desk I was
(09:05):
particularly interested in. This is one certainly that's going to
help with the recovery efforts as well. So I thought
it tied real nicely into that company called TALC Tours
and ken Burns are going to partner on a new
music themed tour, and Talk is introducing a new tour
(09:25):
that traces the roots of country music, blues, jazz, rock
and roll, and more in Nashville, Memphis, the Mississippi Delta,
and New Orleans. It's going to debut next year, Chris
in twenty twenty five. This new Music of America Nashville
to New Orleans tour is going to offer the insights
of filmmaker Ken Burns. He was the creator of the
(09:48):
award winning films Jazz If You Remember That and Country Music,
as well as numerous other documentaries exploring various aspects of
American history. Two none day itinerary is going to begin
with two nights at the Four Seasons Hotel in Nashville,
followed by a two nights stay at the Peabody in
(10:09):
Memphis after an overnight at the Weston Jackson in Jackson, Mississippi.
The tour concludes with a three nights stay at the
Ritz Carlton in New Orleans. So I think you can see,
based on the hotel properties alone, this is not going
to be a economy class proposition. This is going to
be a very nice, luxurious tour. Now along the way,
(10:32):
guests are going to discover the intertwine stories of various
American musical traditions at an array of sights. Among other experiences,
guests are going to enjoy a private pre opening, guided
tour and presentation by professional songwriter at Nashville's Country Music
Hall of Fame and Museum. They don't say who it's
going to be, but it's going to be a famed
(10:54):
songwriter before they attend a live performance that evening at
the Grand Ole Opry. And in Memphis they're going to
go to the legendary Sun Studio that's actually where Elvis
made famous his recordings of blue Suede Shoes, if we
remember that. And in Mississippi, you're going to tour the
Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale. You'll enjoy a Southern style
(11:17):
lunch and a performance at the Historic Club Ebony in
Indianola and visit the nearby BB King Museum. Included in
this are nineteen meals, airport transfers, service charges, most gratuities,
all of your admission fees, taxes and more. In TAUK
(11:38):
is going to offer departures on this tour as I
presented to you in March through May and in September
and October, including a number of special small group departures
averaging about just twenty four guests each. Now, the Music
of America Nashville to New Orleans tenerary is being offered
(12:01):
as a part of talc's Ken Burns American Journey's portfolio
of tours, presented in cooperation with the acclaimed filmmaker. It's
regarded by many as Americans storyteller. Ken Burns has been
honored with seventeen Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards, and two
Oscar nominations. Throughout the Music of America Tour, TAUK guests
(12:26):
are going to gain insights from Burns and his longtime
collaborator Dayton Duncan as they view a series of exclusive
to Talc vignettes or short videos complete with antidotes and
personal observations provided by the two filmmakers. So very proud
of this one. Talk is one of our the wishing
(12:47):
Wells preferred suppliers. We love these guys. I've got a
lot of very loyal clients to the TAUC tour group.
And next year is actually going to mark the fifteenth
season that Talc and ken Burns have crafted and offered
their tours together. So we're really pleased to bring this
one to the forefront and a tour that I think,
(13:09):
in many ways Chris, as I said, is going to
help to really bring back some economy and travel income
into the South, which they're going to need very much
next year after what they've been through this year.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
I think it's important to remember that the storm damage
affected five or six states. It's not just western North
Carolina which took the run of it, but Tennessee is
also trying to recover Toorgia, Virginia, Georgia, Yeah, Florida.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
Yeah yeah.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
So I mean it's really a time for us to
focus everything, not just our immediate efforts, but our future
efforts on that area as well, because recovery doesn't happen overnight.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
And this tour sounds like a lot of fun.
Speaker 3 (13:49):
It does, you know, I'm all about jazz and blues
and country music. I mean, I kind of grew up.
My whole family had roots in that area. So I'm
excited about this tour. And all you have to do,
is I said before, is add the name ken Burns
to that. It sort of adds a pedigree to this
tour that unlike other tours, none of the others I
don't think can compare. I'd love to go on this
(14:10):
one myself. The last piece of news that I had
for you today is that US passport processing time has
been reduced. I think that's a marvelous piece of news.
I've got to tell you a story quickly about passport race.
I have a new boss here in the company that
we had a conference call on and he was doing
his part of the call from I'm a courthouse somewhere
(14:34):
and he said, I'm leaving for London tonight with my
wife and she forgot to get a passport and he
was trying to get an emergency passport. And I was
just seeing this story and I thought, he is really
pushing the US passport time has been reduced. Yeah, but
I guess they made their plane, so I guess it
all worked out.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
I hope so.
Speaker 3 (14:54):
But the time that it takes to get a US
passport these days has been cut. The US State Department
Bureau of Consular Affairs announced actually on Thursday, Chris, that
the time it takes to renew a passport now is
four to six weeks, down from the six to eight
weeks that it had previously estimated. And to your point,
(15:14):
there are still emergency processing procedures available for folks who
need them immediately, usually through our congressional offices like Ben
Klein's office. They can certainly help. So I wouldn't waiting
to see this. I would not know. I would not.
Speaker 4 (15:33):
We've done it for lots of lots of clients more
than we want to.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
Yes, they know us by name, and.
Speaker 4 (15:40):
It involves a visit, typically up to a passport. Often
it does. It's not just something you can, you know,
stop in the seven to eleven and do it quite traveling.
Speaker 3 (15:48):
The good news about this is the new four to
six week timeline applies to both paper and online applications,
but it does not include mailing time. The State apartment
is now offering expedited passport, which takes two to three weeks.
Now that's the same as it did before. There remains
a sixty dollars expediting fee if you want it expedited.
(16:13):
The cost for passports remains the same, though, one hundred
and thirty dollars for a passport book, thirty dollars for
a passport card, and one hundred and sixty for the
combination of the two if you're an adult age sixteen
or over. The State Department also recently launched its online
passport renewal program. If you remember we talked about that
(16:35):
here on a Life Less Ordinary several weeks ago. Americans
are now able to renew their passports online via the
State Department's portal at any time of the day, as
long as their passport has expired within the last five
years or will expire this coming year. The service allows
Americans to pay, upload a photo, and apply completely online
(16:59):
with no need to appear in person or send anything
through the mail. So all of those I think are
really positive pieces of news coming for people who are
looking especially travel to early next year, maybe overseas or internationally,
even Canada, remember folks, requires a passport, so even if
(17:21):
you are going to Canada, you have some options.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
Now you mentioned a passport book or a passport card. Yes,
do they both work the.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Same way not a different No, they do not.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
You cannot use a passport card actually to go anywhere
or get on an airline or a plane to fly internationally.
A passport card, however, is good for identification purposes, and
it will also takes a place of a real ID
through the DMV. If you have a passport card, it'll
(17:54):
work there instead, and it will.
Speaker 4 (17:57):
Also get you across by motor vehicle. If you're going
to Canada or to Mexico, the passport card will work
for that. And it's really intended Christopher, people who are
doing a lot of commuting going back and forth would
make it. But it's great. It's easy to carry in
your wallet, and I think Kerry made a great point.
It's your identification card at the airport as well, if
(18:20):
you don't want to get that real idea on your
driver's license.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
Harry, a couple of weeks ago we talked about I
guess the UK, or maybe it was the European Union,
it's going to stop stamping the passport books. Will we
at some point not have passport books anymore? Will there
be a new way of handling that?
Speaker 2 (18:35):
I don't think so.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
I don't think we'll ever see a day where we
won't have passports. It's a wheel that's not broken, and
I don't think we'll ever see a day where we
won't have them. Do I think they will evolve into
a different type of technology. Perhaps right now it's working.
Speaker 4 (18:57):
Yeah, there's a lot more intelligence inside the passport that
are issued today than there are or than there was
in the passports that are issued a couple of years ago,
and the government doesn't tell us all the things they're
doing with the passport. But when you think of passports, Chris,
you got to remember that's an international thing. Every country
has and uses passports, so it's a you know, that's
(19:19):
a big page to turn to make some changes there.
But they're becoming, I think, much more efficient in how
they're issuing them, tracking them. Wouldn't surprise me that they'll
be able to invalidate electronically and validate a passport. Interesting
in the near future, but it's exciting and it's a
(19:40):
great time. Also, I think we're talking about passports. Terry
this is a travel show, right, Chris, So it's a
great time to remind people. If you're listening today, you're
probably thinking of traveling. And if you're thinking of traveling,
why not after the show, Not now, but after the show.
Get out your passport, take a look at it, make
sure that it's still valid, or if it's not valid,
(20:01):
make sure it's inside that timeframe so that you can
renew it and get started. To make sure that you
have a good passport and it is valid so that
you can travel.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
I will say there have been so many of the
podcasts slash shows that we have done talking about travel,
either to Canada or international travel, and I'm like, I
wish Beck and I had our passports because we're missing
out on especially when you have these flash sales things exciting.
You can get it today or tomorrow. If not, you're
going to miss it, and we miss out because we're
(20:34):
nowhere close to being prepared for real, honest to goodness travel.
Speaker 3 (20:39):
Yeah, and that's unfortunate. One thing that a lot of
folks don't know who even hold passports, Chris, is that
let's say they're planning to travel maybe next June June
of twenty twenty five and they want to go to
Europe somewhere. They're going to go. Okay, well, my passport
expires in July. I'm fun. I can still make that
(20:59):
trip in not so. Your passport in many cases has
to be valid for at least six months beyond your
return date home. So do as Harry said, pay attention
to your passports, take a look at them, make sure
what their validity is. And if you have planned travel
on your calendar, make sure your passport's going to allow
(21:21):
you to do what you want it to do.
Speaker 4 (21:23):
Heck, even if you're not planning travel, if you're thinking
about traveling, that's this passport if you look at you know,
Terry talked about the costs earlier. A passport for an
adult is good for ten years. So I don't know
how many days there are in ten years. I think
it comes down sixteen dollars a year, right, Yeah, it's
very inexpensive. One thing people also should look at with passports.
(21:45):
If you've got children, children's passports don't last for ten years,
so look at the dates on everyone's passports when you're
looking good advice.
Speaker 1 (21:54):
Today's show has a very fantasy like sounding title.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
It does and I did that really on purpose. I
thought we could use something to dream about, something to
look forward to, and something that put us really kind
of in a fantasy mode.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
Chris.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
We will get to that next here on a Lifeless Ordinary.
Speaker 4 (22:15):
Protect your vacation investment with guidance from a travel professional.
The wishing Well knows travel and help you avoid pitfalls
they can spoil your hard earned vacation. We'll plan your
trip and have your back as you travel. All of
this without support or so called convenience fees. We're on
the web at the Wishingwell dot biz or call us
at five four zero nine zero eight two three three three.
(22:39):
A's five four zero nine zero eight two three three three.
The wishing Well really does make dreams come true.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
Hey, welcome back to a Lifeless Ordinary. This is your
travel show on podcasts and it's from your friends at
the wishing Well. You can find them on f Avenue
and Harrisonburg online at the wishing Well dot biz, or
you can call them anytime at five four nine oh
eight twenty three thirty three. I say anytime, don't call
them at like three in the morning. Should message call it? Sometimes?
Speaker 4 (23:07):
We have messages, Yeah, we do.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
Our show today, I reference that sounded very fantasy like.
The show is titled Castles and the Clouds A Time
to Dream. Yeah, I envision wizard hats in this story.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
I know, and you know, Chris, it's we let's face it,
we've we hear a lot of not so good news
in the news anymore these days, and we live with
uncertainty for the most part. And I just thought today
I really wanted to focus on something that gave people
an opportunity to escape, escape and dream with me, escape
(23:47):
and travel to places that maybe they might have never
heard of before or that they had never thought about before.
But create an opportunity for those childhood fairy tales to
come to life for us all today. And I think
we can all use that right now. And ever since
we were kids, I know, castles have possessed kind of
(24:09):
a certain magic just draws you in, especially travelers. I mean,
let's face it, we are so in all of the
architecture that we see ever since we were little and
we looked at them in story books, we were just
drawn in by that. It was magical, It really was.
That's what we saw when we looked at our story
(24:29):
books as kids, when we looked at castles we dreamed about.
Speaker 2 (24:34):
I mean, especially little girls.
Speaker 3 (24:35):
We all wanted to be Cinderella because Cinderella lived in
a castle. You know, it's the stuff that makes us
believe we can actually visit those worlds of our childhood
bedtime stories and guess what they really do exist.
Speaker 2 (24:52):
Isn't that great?
Speaker 3 (24:53):
I mean that alone, to me is exciting for today's
show and the true stories even more so. The world's
royal residences play a very compelling role in telling the
rich history of a place, a destination. It's people, it's culture,
and they do exist.
Speaker 1 (25:12):
You're talking about language now, I know we were doing
royal castles.
Speaker 3 (25:16):
We do have a few of those in my wheelhouse today. Now,
if only the halls inside could talk, I've often thought that,
and I have had the luxury of being able to
travel around the world and see some of these great castles.
They would they if you could hear them, they would
offer you a bit of insight, I think, into the
(25:37):
triumphs and even the tragedies of some of their rulers.
There and while the intricate and even over the top
decorating of the grand Baroque banquet rooms honor the greatest
artists of all times. Our modern colleges and universities study
these and those tall turets that in depth in the
(26:01):
architectural lessons of the ornate styles that reigned during the
time periods and beyond and good heavens, nobody could overlook
the elegant fabrics and the furnishings that preserved over the centuries,
which still can be found in many of these palaces
original meeting rooms. They are painstakingly preserved so that we
(26:23):
never lose sight of how simply beautiful the past has been.
It's amazing, and I can remember being in some of
these places. One of them I didn't actually put on
the list today, but Dromoland Castle that I visited in Ireland.
I can remember Chris walking around that place and being
told by some of the curators inside of that property
(26:47):
that some of what we were seeing was still original
to the property, and you kind of have to pinch
yourself and go, wow, I mean, I'm walking around in
something that dates back to the sixteen hundreds. I mean,
even beyond what we imagine is real. You know, those
don't even seem like dates that are just real to us,
(27:10):
but they dated back that far simply put, castles serve
as palatial time machines, and I think that's what we
can think of a mass. They allow guests sort of
an extravagant glimpse into the past, and I looked for
ways to be able to explain that to you. That's
the best way I know how to do it is
(27:30):
to let you know these are really time machines. They're
beautiful time machines, but they are time machines. Kind of
makes you want to believe in happily ever after, doesn't it.
Now I can tell you, Chris, having traveled around the
world a little bit, that the encounter with some of
the world's most beautiful castles can leave you absolutely speechless.
(27:54):
I know this has been my own experience, and so today,
on a lifeless ordinary, I want to share with you
some of the fairytale fantasies come true that I have
actually lived, have experienced, and you can as well, as
we are taking you through this journey to uncover the
world's most enchanting castles. Now, our first stop is going
(28:15):
to take us to one of my favorite destinations on
the planet, and that is Spain. We're going to be
traveling south in Spain, down to the Andalusia area of
Spain to the exquisite Alhambra in Grenada, Spain. The Alhambra
actually sits really really high on the high hills of
(28:37):
the city of Grenada as a symbol of Spain's rich history.
It's a unique structure because it's both a palace and
a fortress. Alhambra is named after the founder of the
Nostrid dynasty, first commissioned the hilltop palace and fortress get
(28:58):
this in twelve thirty and it's still there.
Speaker 2 (29:02):
It is still there. That's amazing to me.
Speaker 3 (29:05):
As different leaders have come to power in Spain, this
Moorish complex grew to include three distinct areas, a quarter
for the royal family, a military base and a quarter
for the court officials. There's something so exquisite, so detailed,
so extra about the Moorish design of this palace that
(29:28):
truly takes your breath away. And I don't know if
any of you all listening have ever actually seen and
heard Rick Steves talk about and show his short video
on Public TV about Alhambra, But if you have not
looked for it whenever they air that, it's really amazing
(29:50):
and you really gain insight to what I'm talking about
with this Moorish architecture. It's exquisite beyond it really really is.
Alhambra is Arabic for and means the red one. That's
what it means. Moreover, red or Hamra in Arabic refers
(30:12):
to the distinct color of the Alhambra's walls, and according
to the historian Brian Katlos, the Alhambra was and remains
the iconic symbol of the Nastrid dynasty power in Grenada
and Islamic Spain. The phrase only God is Victorious is
(30:33):
repeated nine thousand times throughout the structure and design within Alhambra.
Speaker 2 (30:39):
I think that's amazing.
Speaker 3 (30:41):
Although the Moors ruled ended more than six hundred years ago,
the Alhambra remains the only surviving Islamic palace complex in
the world. Can you believe that I found that astounding?
I really did. So that brings us to this question,
is the Alhambra worth visiting? Yes, one thousand percent. The
(31:06):
Alhambra is worth visiting. The Alhambra is an integral part
of Grenada, and I'm going to say Spain's history and
also gorgeous. I can actually highly recommend checking this out
and if you have a computer in front of you
while you're listening to us, I would urge you to
go to the site there. The Alhambra is amazing and
(31:28):
there's so many amazing things that you can do there.
There's even actually a spa tucked away in Alhambra where
you can get some of the most amazing and unique
spa experiences in the world. So it definitely is worth
checking out if you are going to Spain. It is
a must see while you're there. Harry, you and I
(31:48):
traveled to Spain. We were lucky enough to do that
many years ago, and I can tell you this is
something that is a not to be missed experience.
Speaker 4 (31:57):
Yes, Spain is fantastic and this is certainly a highlight
of a visit to Spain.
Speaker 3 (32:02):
Absolutely. Next we're going to be headed to yet another
one of the world's most enchanting castles, which I guess
we could say is part of the United States, or
at least a territory of the United States. Any guesses
as to where that would be. We do have a
castle in the United States.
Speaker 1 (32:20):
Well, I was going to say it would be in
Hawaii because it was a kingdom, but then you said
a territory, So now I'm thrown Yeah, is it Hawaii?
Speaker 3 (32:29):
Actually that there is one there which used to be
the throne of King Kamehameha, and that was the roy
is now the hotel.
Speaker 2 (32:39):
I thought that royal Hawaiian hotel.
Speaker 1 (32:41):
I thought they turn that into the state capital buildy.
Speaker 3 (32:44):
But we are actually going to San Juan, Puerto Rico.
There's actually a castle there. And I know I've mentioned
this before that I really do have a very special
love in my heart for Puerto Rico. I love the culture,
the food, the people, the natural beauty. So easy to
get to Puerto Rico folks, by the way, it doesn't
require a passport, which is even makes it even sweeter.
(33:04):
But Puerto Rico has a very rich history, and our
next castle visit is taking us to a piece of
history that took nearly two hundred and fifty years to complete.
Can you believe that it's sitting there in a just
a stone throwaway from us, but it took two hundred
and fifty years to complete. I am talking about Castello
(33:27):
San Felipe del Moro in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Construction
for Castello San Felipo del Moreo also known as El Moreo.
The Spanish began building this fort in fifteen thirty nine
at the very top of Old San Juan, and I've
seen it.
Speaker 2 (33:46):
It's amazing.
Speaker 3 (33:48):
This fortress consists of six levels facing the Atlantic Ocean,
all of which were designed to create a devastating artillery
fire over enemy ships. That's what it was originally built for.
By the time of its completion around seventeen ninety, it
had the reputation of being unconquerable and was one of
(34:12):
the most feared of all of the Spanish colonial fortresses.
The fort was never defeated. When I was reading this
and the history, I mean, I've seen this, it's incredible.
But when I read that that it was never defeated,
I went, you know, good on them. I mean, that's
(34:33):
some good architecture. That is, until the Spanish American War.
The proud, once impregnable, six leveled fortress was an easy
target of the new and powerful naval breach loading artillery
the Americans brought to bear. For the first time in
(34:54):
over four hundred years, enemy fire reached and hit El Moreo.
Shock of the iconic Elmorro being struck by shells and
covered with clouds of smoke was visually a testament that
history had taken a turn. The Spanish American War marked
the end of the Spanish presence in the Americas and
(35:16):
the beginning of the United States as a major world power.
El Moro served as an active US military base during
the Two World Wars. A bunker, naval observation post, and
an anti aircraft gun emplacement were added to the historic fortification.
(35:36):
Kind of sad really that El Moro was designed and
built to fight wooden sailing ships four hundred years earlier,
and it was now an outpost and watched for potential
submarine and aircraft attacked. It's you know, it really had
quite a diverse history, but it's a beautiful property. Today,
(35:57):
the ford is considered a World Heritage Site and the
National Park Service established it as a museum. So again
the question, as before, is el Moreo worth seeing while
in Puerto Rico. Yes, Yes, a resounding yes from me. Yes,
el Moro, known as Castello San Felipe del Moro, is
(36:20):
worth seeing in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Four its historical significance.
El Moro is a top attraction in Puerto Rico that
represents the islands legacy in the Caribbean and the Americas.
It was a military outpost for Spain and the United
States for nearly five hundred years. It's a UNESCO World
(36:42):
Heritage Site. El Moro is one of the top UNESCO
World Heritage Sites in Puerto Rico. Breathtaking views from there,
I can tell you that's true. El Moro offers breathtaking
views and it's a great place to explore history. Guided
walking tours great way to experience El Moro and learn
about its history. And it's accessible on the very affordable
(37:05):
hop on, hop off bus tours of San Juan. And
while I was there, that's how I got there. I
remember taking the hop on, hop Off tour of San Juan,
Puerto Rico. I wanted to learn all about it while
I was there, and this is one of the stops
on that tour. You walk up the hill and you're
able to learn all about the history there. So it's
definitely a must see. Puerto Rico remains one of my
(37:28):
favorite islands to go to and stops if you're ever
interested in a tropical destination where you don't have to
have a passport and there's great history and all of
that to boot plus great weather, great beaches. Everything about
San Juan is worth and good food, yes, all worth seeing.
(37:51):
The next place we're going to head to is Mexico City, Mexico,
at a place called Chapultepec Castle. And this is in Mexico.
It's a Spanish also castle. It's located atop of Chapultepec
Hill in Mexico City's Chapoltepec Park. And I dare you
to say that three times really fast. The name Chapultepec
(38:13):
is the word which means on the hill of the grasshopper.
And one of the premier museums in Mexico City today.
But Chapultepec Castle is the site of as much history
as the museum inside contains. It's been the residence of
an emperor, It's been a series as well as a
(38:35):
series of presidents. It was built as a home to
the man for whom Galveston, Texas was named. As one
of the highest points within the Valley of Mexico, is
also a place with plenty of sweet, sweet views from
the city and plenty to see and learn about. Mexico
City's Chapultepec Castle is the only castle within North America
(38:59):
ever to Howe's actual sovereigns.
Speaker 2 (39:02):
Did you know that?
Speaker 1 (39:04):
Is that Maximilian?
Speaker 3 (39:06):
And I think you read my notes, Chris, because we're
actually going to be talking about him in just a
second when we talk about a little bit more of
this history. But Vice Roy Bernardo Galvez is actually the
one who ordered the construction of this fortress in seventeen
eighty five, and it actually served as a home for
the commander in chief of the Spanish Colony New Spain
(39:27):
now stood empty well until the War for Independence, and
in eighteen thirty three it was assigned as the military
academy headquarters and they were charged with training young officers
for the Mexican Army. The castle is really most famous
as the site of the Battle of the Chapoltek, still
(39:49):
commandeered in the US Marines theme song, which means which
begins I'm sorry from the halls of Montezuma. Now this
is where your information comes into play eventually. It actually
once acted as the official residence for Emperor Maximilian the
First and his wife, Empress Carlotta. Maximilian helped devise the
(40:14):
castle's current floor plan that we see today and neo
classical style, but his reign was actually cut short Chris
in eighteen sixty seven, when President Benito Juarez regained power.
Now today the castle holds the National Museum of History,
which educates locals about the country's cultures and history. So
(40:37):
same question again, is a Chipultipec Castle worth seeing?
Speaker 1 (40:44):
Yes?
Speaker 3 (40:44):
Yes, after visiting Chapoltipec Castle in Mexico City, It's truly
considered a captivating experience, the history, significance of the castle
where it is, the architecture, the surrounding Chapoltepec Park, It's
just an oasis of greenery that sets around this, making
it a perfect place to escape and relax if you're
(41:07):
in Mexico City. The panoramic views of Mexico City from
the castle's balconies are just breathtaking, and overall, Chipultapec Castle
is a must visit for any traveler interested in history,
culture and the stunning vistas. I really am excited about
(41:28):
today's show because I think it does really offer us
an insight into some of the most beautiful castles in
the world, many of which I've seen, many of which
we visited. I've actually asked Harry to talk about some
of the second half of our castle previews that we're
going to see because he too has visited some of
these on some of his trips outside the US.
Speaker 1 (41:51):
Harry, you hang on, We're going to take a quick break.
Our show today is Castles and the Clouds. A time
to dream on a lifeless ordinary.
Speaker 4 (42:00):
Who would think of driving off to a new destination
without guidance from Google or Siri. Let the Wishing Wel
guide your next travel experience. Travel the world as you
enjoy the very best destinations and all they offer at
the best prices. Our mobile travel app keeps your vacation
on track and keeps you connected with our team of experts.
For help, if you need it, call us at five
(42:20):
four zero nine zero eight two three three three stop,
buy two forty three nef Avenue, or visit us at
the Wishingwell dot biz.
Speaker 1 (42:29):
Hey, welcome back to a life less ordinary. Every Saturday morning,
at this time we talk travel, and today we're talking
about castles in the Clouds. It's a time to dream
before we get too far in and start talking with Harry.
Let me tell you if you want to get in
touch with your friends at the Wishing Well, they are
on nep Avenue and Harrison burgel So online at the
wishing well, jop Biz or call them at five four
(42:50):
to h five four oho nine oh eight twenty three
thirty three and Harry, we've got more castle to talk about.
And I am hoping that you're going to talk about
my favorite one before the show's over.
Speaker 4 (43:06):
This is my favorite one. I'm gonna start with though
I like this. Let's okay, And I know you like
to read. Have you ever read brom Stoker's novel Dracula?
Speaker 1 (43:14):
You have got incorrect information. I hate to read, ah,
but I do know of bron Stoker's Tracula.
Speaker 4 (43:23):
Okay, So we're going to go visit bron Castle.
Speaker 1 (43:27):
Is that in Transylvania.
Speaker 4 (43:28):
That is in Bron, Romania, which is in the Transylvania
region of Romania. And it's a castle that I had
the privilege of visiting personally. Absolutely fantastic. This castle was
built in thirteen seventy seven, okay, took eleven years to build.
And it's up at the top of a beautiful mountain
(43:49):
pass actually an area that's kind of reminiscent of the
valley here with the Great Mountains. It's a ski area
in the winter time. And you want to talk about
an ominous site when you come over the hill and
see this puppy up there, she is magnificent. And during
the fifteenth century had a very famous person that hung
out there, Ladly Impaler Okay. He ruled the area and
(44:13):
he earned a reputation. He was a little bit brutal.
I hear okay for his torture. And it's believed that
the castle's mysterious setting and Lad's bloodlust inspired that tale
about Dracula bron Stoker's trail. Yeah, brom Stroker brom Stoker's novel.
(44:36):
So once Traffan Slovania became a part of Romania, the
city government offered a castle to the reigning Queen Maria
of Romania, kind of as a momentum of appreciation for
her efforts and unifying the two areas up there, and
it served as a royal residence until nineteen forty seven.
Ohow yeah, And it was reopened as a museum in
nineteen ninety three. I got to visit it, and I
(44:59):
visited it right around the end of October, which is
a kind of an ominous time to visit a castle
with the reputation that Broncastle has, And not surprisingly, Chris,
they decorated for the holiday. They celebrate Halloween at Broncastle
and it was one heck of a party. It's a
(45:19):
fantastic party that they put on every year there. And
what's need is around the castle. It's a little village
area with stores and things, so you can go see
the castle and stop and eat and visit right in
that same area. So it's a magnificent castle. I wish
I had more time to talk about it, but I'll
(45:40):
ask the same question Terry asked, is it we're seeing
if there's Dracula? Yeah, yeah, there is Dracula, and they
have it all lit up with the colored lights at Halloween,
just as you might expect it would be.
Speaker 1 (45:54):
All getting aside, I've seen a documentary about this and
it does look like some where i'd want to go
and visit that It.
Speaker 4 (46:01):
Is fantastic and I did visit it, and if you
want to go back, let me know.
Speaker 1 (46:06):
We'll go. You and I have a laundry list of
places to travel to together.
Speaker 4 (46:10):
As soon as you get your passports. All right, so
let's jump across upon let's go over to Edinburgh Castle
in Edinburgh, Scotland. Yeah, and if you get up the
craigs of castle rock you're going to see Edinburgh Castle.
It's got this kind of a noble, authoritative look to it.
You can look at it and you see this is
(46:31):
really important. The archaeologists believe that humans have occupied the
castle since the Iron Age, but it's royal ties can
only be traced back to the twelfth century only I
say only, okay. King David built Saint Margaret's Chapel in
honor of his mother there and throughout the centuries members
of the monarchy have reimagined the royal palace as a
(46:53):
residency as a military fortress. A notable decorative element that
you can see in the door of the palace that
I think is very interesting. You see the gilded initials.
It says M A H. And that is in memory
of Mary, Queen of Scott's and her second husband, Henry Stewart,
Lord Darnley. So after the unions of the crowns back
(47:16):
in sixteen oh three, when England and Scotland got together,
Edinburgh Castle was reserved as a military base. Here's a
couple of interesting facts. It's home today to the honors
of Scotland, the country's crown jewels and the Stone of Scone,
which is a sandstone block on which Scottish monarchs are
traditionally crowned, so it's a very important place. And it
(47:39):
hosts the Royal Edinburgh Edinburgh Military Tattoo, which is an
internationally famous festival, and other summer concerts, so it's a
nice place to visit. We're going to Romania for Halloween.
We're going to go here for the summertime because the
traditional firing of the cannon exactly actually one o'clock, six
(48:01):
days a week. The one o'clock gun is right there
during those summer military concerts and.
Speaker 3 (48:07):
The military tattoo. Harry just for listeners who want to
know when that takes place, it always takes place during
the month of August.
Speaker 4 (48:15):
Yes, so we're free because we're occupied October and in August.
Speaker 1 (48:20):
Okay, And we did a podcast about Edinburgh Castle and
the tattoo. We did about a year and a half ago.
We didn't so you can go search the archives on
the Wishingwell dop biz and you can listen a little
bit more about all that in more detail.
Speaker 4 (48:36):
So you see why it's on our Muscless Places to go.
It's a absolute must if you're visiting Edinburgh. You're visiting Scotland.
You're going to get some of the best views of
the city. You're going to see the birth of Fourth
and Fife and it's home to the oldest Crown jewels
in the British Isles. Definitely worth a visit. So now, Chris,
(48:58):
we're going to your favorite. Yes, I'm waiting for a
drum roll, but I guess we don't have that. We
don't have a drum Sorry, no drum roll, all right,
So we're going to visit Next, we're going to Windsor
Castle in Windsor, England. Of course, it's the oldest and
largest continuously inhabited castle in the world. Pretty amazing.
Speaker 1 (49:21):
So this castle, along with the Tower of London, built
by William the Conqueror, So we're going back a thousand years.
Speaker 2 (49:30):
Yeah, isn't that amazing?
Speaker 4 (49:31):
Yeah, almost a thousand years so that it's served as
a residence, also served as a fortress to guard the
western approach to London, and it's seen a lot of
renovations over those nine hundred plus years from all the
monarchs who have lived on the property. You can imagine
everyone comes in, let's change this, let's change that. So
(49:53):
lots of renovation, a Queen Victoria. She added a private
chapel in nineteen Sadly, there was a terrible fire that
ravaged that chapel along with another hundred rooms in the castle,
one hundred room. Can you imagine having a house with
a hundred rooms destroyed? I can't imagine cleaning a hundred hounds.
Speaker 1 (50:15):
So it's easy when you have an entire maids. I'm
sure it is that. The images of that fire still
stick in my head like it was something happened yesterday.
Prince Andrew, for all the bad press he gets today,
was one of the first people on scene, and he
organized the firefighting efforts quite honestly, and organize the removal
(50:38):
of a lot of the artifacts. There's this image of
the British soldiers. They brought them in to help carry
out one of the rugs, and it was like ninety
six feet long, and they rolled it up and had
it up on their shoulders carrying it out, and they
said that it was actually the most difficult part of
the entire evacuation of items because it was so long.
(51:01):
They couldn't get their steps and order, and people kept tripping,
And they said, you would think that'd be very easy
for soldiers and that's why they brought them in, was
to try to get them to.
Speaker 2 (51:10):
Do with this drug out.
Speaker 4 (51:12):
Yeah. Well, the good news is they did get it renovated.
It took only five years, and I think it cleared up.
Speaker 1 (51:19):
I think what they did in the renovation is actually
more beautiful than the rooms were before the fire. I
mean they I think they were very tasteful in the
way they restored the wing of the castle that burned.
Speaker 4 (51:33):
And it's still a very popular place. Royal families love it.
There have been so many weddings on the famous grounds
of Saint George's Chapel. He talked about Queen Elizabeth. Prince
Philip used to go up there for RESTful weekends and
the Queen spent a lot of her time up until
April twenty one, and so she didn't pass at Windsor Castle,
(51:56):
but her residence at Balmoral Castle is where she passed.
But she's been gone for two years. But that place,
Windsor Castle, is it on the list, Yes, absolutely, So
that's where Prince Philip's funeral was held because it was
during COVID they had the scaled back funeral and it
was in the Quadrangle area.
Speaker 2 (52:14):
Gosh, has it been that long?
Speaker 1 (52:16):
Yeah, And I thought it was so so special that
they held his funeral there in Windsor Chapel because he
was the person who really was the organizer. He spearheaded
the restoration of the Great Windsor Park and so, you know,
moving on for generations when they look back, it'll be
(52:36):
Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth's reign that the Windsor Castle
was really restored and Windsor Park was brought into something
that was, you know, just thoughtful. There was a lot
of care and love put into that.
Speaker 4 (52:52):
It's no surprise that that's on our list. And we
had one heck of a list today, didn't we.
Speaker 1 (52:56):
We took a great journey around the world's castles today
and we're out of time. So if we need information
about how we can book a trip to one of
these great locations, how do we in touch with you?
Speaker 3 (53:06):
We'd love to see you, guys. We're located at two
forty three nef Avenue in Hersonburg, Virginia, in the Valley Center.
You can call us. We're at five four oh non
zero eight two three three three, or look us up
on the web. We are at the Wishingwell dot biz.
This has been a life less ordinary. The travel show
(53:27):
from your friends at the wishing Well at two forty
three nep Avenue in Harrisonburg. If you have any questions
on topics discussed today, please reach out to the wishing
Well online at the Wishingwell dot biz or five four
oh nine oh eight twenty three thirty three. Past episodes
are available on the iHeartRadio app. And we'll see you
again next Saturday morning at ten for a life Less
Ordinary from the wishing Well
This is a Lifeless Ordinary. It's a travel show and
podcasts from your friends at the wishing Well two forty
three f Avenue in Harrisburg and online at the wishing
Well dot this. The wishing Well is your ultimate luxury concierge,
travel agency and a Lifeless Ordinary is a travel show
and podcast hosted by Terry Dean, bringing her over forty
years of experience in the travel industry to help guide
(00:21):
you to great experiences in your travel, whether it be
around the block, around the country, or around the world.
Let's bring in Terry Dean.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Say hello, Chris, I'm here. How are you excellent? Thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
It's Dayton Days today right in front of my house
and just getting here this morning.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Well, there's a lot of things going on. Actually there's
you mentioned Dayton Days. There's some minn night relief sale.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Yeah, I got an email about that. All kinds of
things that happened to Shinandoa County Fairgrounds. They're having an
autumn fest today.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Yes, they are.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Fall is here? I like it. Before we go too far, Harry, Hello, well,
good morning.
Speaker 4 (00:55):
Both of you. I didn't know if you were going
to acknowledge me or not.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Well, you know how Terry and I did we start
talking about our lives.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Yeah, we get derailed.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
So, yeah, I got a lot of stuff going on today.
It feels like fall is I know it's technically here,
but it hasn't really felt like it's felt more like spring.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
It's it's been like a sauna outside. I mean, between
the rain and the humidity. It's it's been a little uncomfortable,
let's say, I think, but it's getting better. I think
we have probably made up for any dropt deficit that
we had.
Speaker 4 (01:28):
That's what I heard. Are happy.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
I mean, we kind of missed the growing season, that's
the only problem.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
Yeah, I heard.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
I don't know about this for sure, but I heard
there were some families that were in mourning because their
John Deere's hadn't been out for weeks.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
That sounds right. Well, anyway, it is good to be
here with you today, and Sir, I always look forward
to us Saturday mornings when we get to spend a
little time together talk travel. There's always some news that
has happened since the last time we talked, and we
should get caught up on that.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Yeah, Lord knows, that's the truth.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
And I don't think it's probably a surprise to anybody
that one of the news stories that we were going
to cover today has to do with the effects and
the decimation that was caused by Hurricane Helene. And really
one week here we are, Chris after being struck by
Hurricane Helene. In the Southeast. We continue to struggle and
(02:24):
see recovery from the impact of that hurricane. There continue
to be power outages, impassable roads, a whole lot more
going on down there. But according to the latest news reports,
the death toll related to the hurricane, which struck Florida
and the Gulf Coast impacted six states before it was over,
(02:47):
it has risen to two hundred, and that's a very
sad two hundred. That means Helene has officially become the
deadliest hurricane to hit the United States mainland since Hurricane
Katrina back in two thousand and five. Now in western
North Carolina alone, the damage is estimated to be in
(03:08):
the tens of billions with a B dollar and it
has done for so many other natural disasters. The travel agency,
industry leaders and companies have jumped in to help where
they can to respond to Hurricane Helene. That's really the
lead of what I wanted to talk about is how
(03:29):
our industry and industry I'm very proud of, has stepped
in to add some aid during this time. Companies have
jumped in, and especially a company called Hotel Planners, the
world's largest group of travel site sited hotels. They swiftly
activated their support network to aid affected cities along the
(03:53):
storm's path. The chief communications officer of that company said,
We've reached out to all of our supporting hotel partners
ahead of the storm to request their available room inventory
to ensure that they could immediately assist essential travelers and
displaced citizens once it was safe to do so.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
That's what I call good planning.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
Now, as the recovery began, Hotel Planners said it was
ready to accommodate essential travelers, displaced citizens, and restoration crews.
American Airlines meanwhile, is providing its American Advantage members who
want to help hurricane victims with an avenue to do so.
Customers can make donations through Americans dedicated Red Cross website,
(04:41):
which is Redcross dot org slash AA, and those who
make contributions will earn American Advantage bonus miles as a
token of appreciation from the Airline for their generosity, according
to a statement issued by that airline. Now, already some
two million dollars have been raised for victims of Hurricane
(05:04):
Helen through that initiative alone. In addition, American Airlines is
donating ten million American Advantage miles to Airlink, which is
a nonprofit humanitarian organization that brings crucial aid to communities
in crisis, and those miles are meant to help Airlink
(05:24):
connect emergency responders and relief workers to the most urgent
needs in the impacted region. So good on them for that.
There's another group called the Kessler Connection. They have properties
across the Southeast including Greenville, Ashville, a very hard hit city, Charleston,
(05:44):
and Savannah, and they can open their doors to relief
workers and displaced residents and even first responders as well. Now,
if you're searching for ways to help on your own,
here are some of the options that I would suggest
that are available through the travel industry. Insiders do support
(06:07):
the local economy. Now, one of the best things travelers
can do is to visit these destinations when it's safe
to do so. Because spending money at the local businesses,
the restaurants when they're able to reopen the shops during
tours there, it helps those communities receive aid even faster.
(06:29):
The other thing you can do is contribute to relief funds,
many of which I just mentioned to you. The don't
would be don't overwhelm the local resources, wait for the
all clear to ensure your visit is helpful not harmful.
And for those who would like to help North Carolina specifically,
(06:49):
the options include the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund and
also the North Carolina Hospitality Workers Relief Fund managed by
North Caare Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association Foundation. Yet another
option is the Southern Smoke Foundation Relief Fund, which is
offering emergency assistance to workers in the food and beverage industry.
(07:14):
I don't expect anybody to remember all of that this
morning as you're listening. However, if you are interested and
seriously want to help out as we do, our office
is also jointly working with some localities in our regional
area to help support the efforts here for relief funds
call the Wishing Well. We're more than happy to share
(07:35):
with you many ways that the travel industry is supporting
the relief efforts for our southern neighbors and families, and
you can call us at the Wishing Well at five
four oho nine eight two three three three. We'd be
delighted to tell you how you can help and assist
in that regard. Unined Airlines, just before I left my office,
(07:59):
I wanted to let you know also sent me a
quick email to say they are joining the support of
the Southeast during this difficult time. They are donating. They
being United Airlines, are donating one hundred and twenty five
thousand dollars and five hundred thousand mileage plus miles toward
hurricane relief efforts. But you can make their impact even greater.
(08:22):
They will match additional donations up to seventy five thousand
dollars and two hundred and fifty thousand miles. So at
a time like this, I think what is true is
we have hearts of gold when people need it the most.
And I'm so proud to be an American joining all
of the others in an industry that I love and
(08:44):
seeing them step up as well. The second thing on
my list is something that I'm sure a lot of
our local listeners are going to be interested in, and
that is I think all you have to do when
we talk about travel is mention the name ken Burns.
Everybody instantly knows who I'm talking about. But this morning
a news story that came across my desk I was
(09:05):
particularly interested in. This is one certainly that's going to
help with the recovery efforts as well. So I thought
it tied real nicely into that company called TALC Tours
and ken Burns are going to partner on a new
music themed tour, and Talk is introducing a new tour
(09:25):
that traces the roots of country music, blues, jazz, rock
and roll, and more in Nashville, Memphis, the Mississippi Delta,
and New Orleans. It's going to debut next year, Chris
in twenty twenty five. This new Music of America Nashville
to New Orleans tour is going to offer the insights
of filmmaker Ken Burns. He was the creator of the
(09:48):
award winning films Jazz If You Remember That and Country Music,
as well as numerous other documentaries exploring various aspects of
American history. Two none day itinerary is going to begin
with two nights at the Four Seasons Hotel in Nashville,
followed by a two nights stay at the Peabody in
(10:09):
Memphis after an overnight at the Weston Jackson in Jackson, Mississippi.
The tour concludes with a three nights stay at the
Ritz Carlton in New Orleans. So I think you can see,
based on the hotel properties alone, this is not going
to be a economy class proposition. This is going to
be a very nice, luxurious tour. Now along the way,
(10:32):
guests are going to discover the intertwine stories of various
American musical traditions at an array of sights. Among other experiences,
guests are going to enjoy a private pre opening, guided
tour and presentation by professional songwriter at Nashville's Country Music
Hall of Fame and Museum. They don't say who it's
going to be, but it's going to be a famed
(10:54):
songwriter before they attend a live performance that evening at
the Grand Ole Opry. And in Memphis they're going to
go to the legendary Sun Studio that's actually where Elvis
made famous his recordings of blue Suede Shoes, if we
remember that. And in Mississippi, you're going to tour the
Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale. You'll enjoy a Southern style
(11:17):
lunch and a performance at the Historic Club Ebony in
Indianola and visit the nearby BB King Museum. Included in
this are nineteen meals, airport transfers, service charges, most gratuities,
all of your admission fees, taxes and more. In TAUK
(11:38):
is going to offer departures on this tour as I
presented to you in March through May and in September
and October, including a number of special small group departures
averaging about just twenty four guests each. Now, the Music
of America Nashville to New Orleans tenerary is being offered
(12:01):
as a part of talc's Ken Burns American Journey's portfolio
of tours, presented in cooperation with the acclaimed filmmaker. It's
regarded by many as Americans storyteller. Ken Burns has been
honored with seventeen Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards, and two
Oscar nominations. Throughout the Music of America Tour, TAUK guests
(12:26):
are going to gain insights from Burns and his longtime
collaborator Dayton Duncan as they view a series of exclusive
to Talc vignettes or short videos complete with antidotes and
personal observations provided by the two filmmakers. So very proud
of this one. Talk is one of our the wishing
(12:47):
Wells preferred suppliers. We love these guys. I've got a
lot of very loyal clients to the TAUC tour group.
And next year is actually going to mark the fifteenth
season that Talc and ken Burns have crafted and offered
their tours together. So we're really pleased to bring this
one to the forefront and a tour that I think,
(13:09):
in many ways Chris, as I said, is going to
help to really bring back some economy and travel income
into the South, which they're going to need very much
next year after what they've been through this year.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
I think it's important to remember that the storm damage
affected five or six states. It's not just western North
Carolina which took the run of it, but Tennessee is
also trying to recover Toorgia, Virginia, Georgia, Yeah, Florida.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
Yeah yeah.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
So I mean it's really a time for us to
focus everything, not just our immediate efforts, but our future
efforts on that area as well, because recovery doesn't happen overnight.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
And this tour sounds like a lot of fun.
Speaker 3 (13:49):
It does, you know, I'm all about jazz and blues
and country music. I mean, I kind of grew up.
My whole family had roots in that area. So I'm
excited about this tour. And all you have to do,
is I said before, is add the name ken Burns
to that. It sort of adds a pedigree to this
tour that unlike other tours, none of the others I
don't think can compare. I'd love to go on this
(14:10):
one myself. The last piece of news that I had
for you today is that US passport processing time has
been reduced. I think that's a marvelous piece of news.
I've got to tell you a story quickly about passport race.
I have a new boss here in the company that
we had a conference call on and he was doing
his part of the call from I'm a courthouse somewhere
(14:34):
and he said, I'm leaving for London tonight with my
wife and she forgot to get a passport and he
was trying to get an emergency passport. And I was
just seeing this story and I thought, he is really
pushing the US passport time has been reduced. Yeah, but
I guess they made their plane, so I guess it
all worked out.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
I hope so.
Speaker 3 (14:54):
But the time that it takes to get a US
passport these days has been cut. The US State Department
Bureau of Consular Affairs announced actually on Thursday, Chris, that
the time it takes to renew a passport now is
four to six weeks, down from the six to eight
weeks that it had previously estimated. And to your point,
(15:14):
there are still emergency processing procedures available for folks who
need them immediately, usually through our congressional offices like Ben
Klein's office. They can certainly help. So I wouldn't waiting
to see this. I would not know. I would not.
Speaker 4 (15:33):
We've done it for lots of lots of clients more
than we want to.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
Yes, they know us by name, and.
Speaker 4 (15:40):
It involves a visit, typically up to a passport. Often
it does. It's not just something you can, you know,
stop in the seven to eleven and do it quite traveling.
Speaker 3 (15:48):
The good news about this is the new four to
six week timeline applies to both paper and online applications,
but it does not include mailing time. The State apartment
is now offering expedited passport, which takes two to three weeks.
Now that's the same as it did before. There remains
a sixty dollars expediting fee if you want it expedited.
(16:13):
The cost for passports remains the same, though, one hundred
and thirty dollars for a passport book, thirty dollars for
a passport card, and one hundred and sixty for the
combination of the two if you're an adult age sixteen
or over. The State Department also recently launched its online
passport renewal program. If you remember we talked about that
(16:35):
here on a Life Less Ordinary several weeks ago. Americans
are now able to renew their passports online via the
State Department's portal at any time of the day, as
long as their passport has expired within the last five
years or will expire this coming year. The service allows
Americans to pay, upload a photo, and apply completely online
(16:59):
with no need to appear in person or send anything
through the mail. So all of those I think are
really positive pieces of news coming for people who are
looking especially travel to early next year, maybe overseas or internationally,
even Canada, remember folks, requires a passport, so even if
(17:21):
you are going to Canada, you have some options.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
Now you mentioned a passport book or a passport card. Yes,
do they both work the.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Same way not a different No, they do not.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
You cannot use a passport card actually to go anywhere
or get on an airline or a plane to fly internationally.
A passport card, however, is good for identification purposes, and
it will also takes a place of a real ID
through the DMV. If you have a passport card, it'll
(17:54):
work there instead, and it will.
Speaker 4 (17:57):
Also get you across by motor vehicle. If you're going
to Canada or to Mexico, the passport card will work
for that. And it's really intended Christopher, people who are
doing a lot of commuting going back and forth would
make it. But it's great. It's easy to carry in
your wallet, and I think Kerry made a great point.
It's your identification card at the airport as well, if
(18:20):
you don't want to get that real idea on your
driver's license.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
Harry, a couple of weeks ago we talked about I
guess the UK, or maybe it was the European Union,
it's going to stop stamping the passport books. Will we
at some point not have passport books anymore? Will there
be a new way of handling that?
Speaker 2 (18:35):
I don't think so.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
I don't think we'll ever see a day where we
won't have passports. It's a wheel that's not broken, and
I don't think we'll ever see a day where we
won't have them. Do I think they will evolve into
a different type of technology. Perhaps right now it's working.
Speaker 4 (18:57):
Yeah, there's a lot more intelligence inside the passport that
are issued today than there are or than there was
in the passports that are issued a couple of years ago,
and the government doesn't tell us all the things they're
doing with the passport. But when you think of passports, Chris,
you got to remember that's an international thing. Every country
has and uses passports, so it's a you know, that's
(19:19):
a big page to turn to make some changes there.
But they're becoming, I think, much more efficient in how
they're issuing them, tracking them. Wouldn't surprise me that they'll
be able to invalidate electronically and validate a passport. Interesting
in the near future, but it's exciting and it's a
(19:40):
great time. Also, I think we're talking about passports. Terry
this is a travel show, right, Chris, So it's a
great time to remind people. If you're listening today, you're
probably thinking of traveling. And if you're thinking of traveling,
why not after the show, Not now, but after the show.
Get out your passport, take a look at it, make
sure that it's still valid, or if it's not valid,
(20:01):
make sure it's inside that timeframe so that you can
renew it and get started. To make sure that you
have a good passport and it is valid so that
you can travel.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
I will say there have been so many of the
podcasts slash shows that we have done talking about travel,
either to Canada or international travel, and I'm like, I
wish Beck and I had our passports because we're missing
out on especially when you have these flash sales things exciting.
You can get it today or tomorrow. If not, you're
going to miss it, and we miss out because we're
(20:34):
nowhere close to being prepared for real, honest to goodness travel.
Speaker 3 (20:39):
Yeah, and that's unfortunate. One thing that a lot of
folks don't know who even hold passports, Chris, is that
let's say they're planning to travel maybe next June June
of twenty twenty five and they want to go to
Europe somewhere. They're going to go. Okay, well, my passport
expires in July. I'm fun. I can still make that
(20:59):
trip in not so. Your passport in many cases has
to be valid for at least six months beyond your
return date home. So do as Harry said, pay attention
to your passports, take a look at them, make sure
what their validity is. And if you have planned travel
on your calendar, make sure your passport's going to allow
(21:21):
you to do what you want it to do.
Speaker 4 (21:23):
Heck, even if you're not planning travel, if you're thinking
about traveling, that's this passport if you look at you know,
Terry talked about the costs earlier. A passport for an
adult is good for ten years. So I don't know
how many days there are in ten years. I think
it comes down sixteen dollars a year, right, Yeah, it's
very inexpensive. One thing people also should look at with passports.
(21:45):
If you've got children, children's passports don't last for ten years,
so look at the dates on everyone's passports when you're
looking good advice.
Speaker 1 (21:54):
Today's show has a very fantasy like sounding title.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
It does and I did that really on purpose. I
thought we could use something to dream about, something to
look forward to, and something that put us really kind
of in a fantasy mode.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
Chris.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
We will get to that next here on a Lifeless Ordinary.
Speaker 4 (22:15):
Protect your vacation investment with guidance from a travel professional.
The wishing Well knows travel and help you avoid pitfalls
they can spoil your hard earned vacation. We'll plan your
trip and have your back as you travel. All of
this without support or so called convenience fees. We're on
the web at the Wishingwell dot biz or call us
at five four zero nine zero eight two three three three.
(22:39):
A's five four zero nine zero eight two three three three.
The wishing Well really does make dreams come true.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
Hey, welcome back to a Lifeless Ordinary. This is your
travel show on podcasts and it's from your friends at
the wishing Well. You can find them on f Avenue
and Harrisonburg online at the wishing Well dot biz, or
you can call them anytime at five four nine oh
eight twenty three thirty three. I say anytime, don't call
them at like three in the morning. Should message call it? Sometimes?
Speaker 4 (23:07):
We have messages, Yeah, we do.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
Our show today, I reference that sounded very fantasy like.
The show is titled Castles and the Clouds A Time
to Dream. Yeah, I envision wizard hats in this story.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
I know, and you know, Chris, it's we let's face it,
we've we hear a lot of not so good news
in the news anymore these days, and we live with
uncertainty for the most part. And I just thought today
I really wanted to focus on something that gave people
an opportunity to escape, escape and dream with me, escape
(23:47):
and travel to places that maybe they might have never
heard of before or that they had never thought about before.
But create an opportunity for those childhood fairy tales to
come to life for us all today. And I think
we can all use that right now. And ever since
we were kids, I know, castles have possessed kind of
(24:09):
a certain magic just draws you in, especially travelers. I mean,
let's face it, we are so in all of the
architecture that we see ever since we were little and
we looked at them in story books, we were just
drawn in by that. It was magical, It really was.
That's what we saw when we looked at our story
(24:29):
books as kids, when we looked at castles we dreamed about.
Speaker 2 (24:34):
I mean, especially little girls.
Speaker 3 (24:35):
We all wanted to be Cinderella because Cinderella lived in
a castle. You know, it's the stuff that makes us
believe we can actually visit those worlds of our childhood
bedtime stories and guess what they really do exist.
Speaker 2 (24:52):
Isn't that great?
Speaker 3 (24:53):
I mean that alone, to me is exciting for today's
show and the true stories even more so. The world's
royal residences play a very compelling role in telling the
rich history of a place, a destination. It's people, it's culture,
and they do exist.
Speaker 1 (25:12):
You're talking about language now, I know we were doing
royal castles.
Speaker 3 (25:16):
We do have a few of those in my wheelhouse today. Now,
if only the halls inside could talk, I've often thought that,
and I have had the luxury of being able to
travel around the world and see some of these great castles.
They would they if you could hear them, they would
offer you a bit of insight, I think, into the
(25:37):
triumphs and even the tragedies of some of their rulers.
There and while the intricate and even over the top
decorating of the grand Baroque banquet rooms honor the greatest
artists of all times. Our modern colleges and universities study
these and those tall turets that in depth in the
(26:01):
architectural lessons of the ornate styles that reigned during the
time periods and beyond and good heavens, nobody could overlook
the elegant fabrics and the furnishings that preserved over the centuries,
which still can be found in many of these palaces
original meeting rooms. They are painstakingly preserved so that we
(26:23):
never lose sight of how simply beautiful the past has been.
It's amazing, and I can remember being in some of
these places. One of them I didn't actually put on
the list today, but Dromoland Castle that I visited in Ireland.
I can remember Chris walking around that place and being
told by some of the curators inside of that property
(26:47):
that some of what we were seeing was still original
to the property, and you kind of have to pinch
yourself and go, wow, I mean, I'm walking around in
something that dates back to the sixteen hundreds. I mean,
even beyond what we imagine is real. You know, those
don't even seem like dates that are just real to us,
(27:10):
but they dated back that far simply put, castles serve
as palatial time machines, and I think that's what we
can think of a mass. They allow guests sort of
an extravagant glimpse into the past, and I looked for
ways to be able to explain that to you. That's
the best way I know how to do it is
(27:30):
to let you know these are really time machines. They're
beautiful time machines, but they are time machines. Kind of
makes you want to believe in happily ever after, doesn't it.
Now I can tell you, Chris, having traveled around the
world a little bit, that the encounter with some of
the world's most beautiful castles can leave you absolutely speechless.
(27:54):
I know this has been my own experience, and so today,
on a lifeless ordinary, I want to share with you
some of the fairytale fantasies come true that I have
actually lived, have experienced, and you can as well, as
we are taking you through this journey to uncover the
world's most enchanting castles. Now, our first stop is going
(28:15):
to take us to one of my favorite destinations on
the planet, and that is Spain. We're going to be
traveling south in Spain, down to the Andalusia area of
Spain to the exquisite Alhambra in Grenada, Spain. The Alhambra
actually sits really really high on the high hills of
(28:37):
the city of Grenada as a symbol of Spain's rich history.
It's a unique structure because it's both a palace and
a fortress. Alhambra is named after the founder of the
Nostrid dynasty, first commissioned the hilltop palace and fortress get
(28:58):
this in twelve thirty and it's still there.
Speaker 2 (29:02):
It is still there. That's amazing to me.
Speaker 3 (29:05):
As different leaders have come to power in Spain, this
Moorish complex grew to include three distinct areas, a quarter
for the royal family, a military base and a quarter
for the court officials. There's something so exquisite, so detailed,
so extra about the Moorish design of this palace that
(29:28):
truly takes your breath away. And I don't know if
any of you all listening have ever actually seen and
heard Rick Steves talk about and show his short video
on Public TV about Alhambra, But if you have not
looked for it whenever they air that, it's really amazing
(29:50):
and you really gain insight to what I'm talking about
with this Moorish architecture. It's exquisite beyond it really really is.
Alhambra is Arabic for and means the red one. That's
what it means. Moreover, red or Hamra in Arabic refers
(30:12):
to the distinct color of the Alhambra's walls, and according
to the historian Brian Katlos, the Alhambra was and remains
the iconic symbol of the Nastrid dynasty power in Grenada
and Islamic Spain. The phrase only God is Victorious is
(30:33):
repeated nine thousand times throughout the structure and design within Alhambra.
Speaker 2 (30:39):
I think that's amazing.
Speaker 3 (30:41):
Although the Moors ruled ended more than six hundred years ago,
the Alhambra remains the only surviving Islamic palace complex in
the world. Can you believe that I found that astounding?
I really did. So that brings us to this question,
is the Alhambra worth visiting? Yes, one thousand percent. The
(31:06):
Alhambra is worth visiting. The Alhambra is an integral part
of Grenada, and I'm going to say Spain's history and
also gorgeous. I can actually highly recommend checking this out
and if you have a computer in front of you
while you're listening to us, I would urge you to
go to the site there. The Alhambra is amazing and
(31:28):
there's so many amazing things that you can do there.
There's even actually a spa tucked away in Alhambra where
you can get some of the most amazing and unique
spa experiences in the world. So it definitely is worth
checking out if you are going to Spain. It is
a must see while you're there. Harry, you and I
(31:48):
traveled to Spain. We were lucky enough to do that
many years ago, and I can tell you this is
something that is a not to be missed experience.
Speaker 4 (31:57):
Yes, Spain is fantastic and this is certainly a highlight
of a visit to Spain.
Speaker 3 (32:02):
Absolutely. Next we're going to be headed to yet another
one of the world's most enchanting castles, which I guess
we could say is part of the United States, or
at least a territory of the United States. Any guesses
as to where that would be. We do have a
castle in the United States.
Speaker 1 (32:20):
Well, I was going to say it would be in
Hawaii because it was a kingdom, but then you said
a territory, So now I'm thrown Yeah, is it Hawaii?
Speaker 3 (32:29):
Actually that there is one there which used to be
the throne of King Kamehameha, and that was the roy
is now the hotel.
Speaker 2 (32:39):
I thought that royal Hawaiian hotel.
Speaker 1 (32:41):
I thought they turn that into the state capital buildy.
Speaker 3 (32:44):
But we are actually going to San Juan, Puerto Rico.
There's actually a castle there. And I know I've mentioned
this before that I really do have a very special
love in my heart for Puerto Rico. I love the culture,
the food, the people, the natural beauty. So easy to
get to Puerto Rico folks, by the way, it doesn't
require a passport, which is even makes it even sweeter.
(33:04):
But Puerto Rico has a very rich history, and our
next castle visit is taking us to a piece of
history that took nearly two hundred and fifty years to complete.
Can you believe that it's sitting there in a just
a stone throwaway from us, but it took two hundred
and fifty years to complete. I am talking about Castello
(33:27):
San Felipe del Moro in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Construction
for Castello San Felipo del Moreo also known as El Moreo.
The Spanish began building this fort in fifteen thirty nine
at the very top of Old San Juan, and I've
seen it.
Speaker 2 (33:46):
It's amazing.
Speaker 3 (33:48):
This fortress consists of six levels facing the Atlantic Ocean,
all of which were designed to create a devastating artillery
fire over enemy ships. That's what it was originally built for.
By the time of its completion around seventeen ninety, it
had the reputation of being unconquerable and was one of
(34:12):
the most feared of all of the Spanish colonial fortresses.
The fort was never defeated. When I was reading this
and the history, I mean, I've seen this, it's incredible.
But when I read that that it was never defeated,
I went, you know, good on them. I mean, that's
(34:33):
some good architecture. That is, until the Spanish American War.
The proud, once impregnable, six leveled fortress was an easy
target of the new and powerful naval breach loading artillery
the Americans brought to bear. For the first time in
(34:54):
over four hundred years, enemy fire reached and hit El Moreo.
Shock of the iconic Elmorro being struck by shells and
covered with clouds of smoke was visually a testament that
history had taken a turn. The Spanish American War marked
the end of the Spanish presence in the Americas and
(35:16):
the beginning of the United States as a major world power.
El Moro served as an active US military base during
the Two World Wars. A bunker, naval observation post, and
an anti aircraft gun emplacement were added to the historic fortification.
(35:36):
Kind of sad really that El Moro was designed and
built to fight wooden sailing ships four hundred years earlier,
and it was now an outpost and watched for potential
submarine and aircraft attacked. It's you know, it really had
quite a diverse history, but it's a beautiful property. Today,
(35:57):
the ford is considered a World Heritage Site and the
National Park Service established it as a museum. So again
the question, as before, is el Moreo worth seeing while
in Puerto Rico. Yes, Yes, a resounding yes from me. Yes,
el Moro, known as Castello San Felipe del Moro, is
(36:20):
worth seeing in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Four its historical significance.
El Moro is a top attraction in Puerto Rico that
represents the islands legacy in the Caribbean and the Americas.
It was a military outpost for Spain and the United
States for nearly five hundred years. It's a UNESCO World
(36:42):
Heritage Site. El Moro is one of the top UNESCO
World Heritage Sites in Puerto Rico. Breathtaking views from there,
I can tell you that's true. El Moro offers breathtaking
views and it's a great place to explore history. Guided
walking tours great way to experience El Moro and learn
about its history. And it's accessible on the very affordable
(37:05):
hop on, hop off bus tours of San Juan. And
while I was there, that's how I got there. I
remember taking the hop on, hop Off tour of San Juan,
Puerto Rico. I wanted to learn all about it while
I was there, and this is one of the stops
on that tour. You walk up the hill and you're
able to learn all about the history there. So it's
definitely a must see. Puerto Rico remains one of my
(37:28):
favorite islands to go to and stops if you're ever
interested in a tropical destination where you don't have to
have a passport and there's great history and all of
that to boot plus great weather, great beaches. Everything about
San Juan is worth and good food, yes, all worth seeing.
(37:51):
The next place we're going to head to is Mexico City, Mexico,
at a place called Chapultepec Castle. And this is in Mexico.
It's a Spanish also castle. It's located atop of Chapultepec
Hill in Mexico City's Chapoltepec Park. And I dare you
to say that three times really fast. The name Chapultepec
(38:13):
is the word which means on the hill of the grasshopper.
And one of the premier museums in Mexico City today.
But Chapultepec Castle is the site of as much history
as the museum inside contains. It's been the residence of
an emperor, It's been a series as well as a
(38:35):
series of presidents. It was built as a home to
the man for whom Galveston, Texas was named. As one
of the highest points within the Valley of Mexico, is
also a place with plenty of sweet, sweet views from
the city and plenty to see and learn about. Mexico
City's Chapultepec Castle is the only castle within North America
(38:59):
ever to Howe's actual sovereigns.
Speaker 2 (39:02):
Did you know that?
Speaker 1 (39:04):
Is that Maximilian?
Speaker 3 (39:06):
And I think you read my notes, Chris, because we're
actually going to be talking about him in just a
second when we talk about a little bit more of
this history. But Vice Roy Bernardo Galvez is actually the
one who ordered the construction of this fortress in seventeen
eighty five, and it actually served as a home for
the commander in chief of the Spanish Colony New Spain
(39:27):
now stood empty well until the War for Independence, and
in eighteen thirty three it was assigned as the military
academy headquarters and they were charged with training young officers
for the Mexican Army. The castle is really most famous
as the site of the Battle of the Chapoltek, still
(39:49):
commandeered in the US Marines theme song, which means which
begins I'm sorry from the halls of Montezuma. Now this
is where your information comes into play eventually. It actually
once acted as the official residence for Emperor Maximilian the
First and his wife, Empress Carlotta. Maximilian helped devise the
(40:14):
castle's current floor plan that we see today and neo
classical style, but his reign was actually cut short Chris
in eighteen sixty seven, when President Benito Juarez regained power.
Now today the castle holds the National Museum of History,
which educates locals about the country's cultures and history. So
(40:37):
same question again, is a Chipultipec Castle worth seeing?
Speaker 1 (40:44):
Yes?
Speaker 3 (40:44):
Yes, after visiting Chapoltipec Castle in Mexico City, It's truly
considered a captivating experience, the history, significance of the castle
where it is, the architecture, the surrounding Chapoltepec Park, It's
just an oasis of greenery that sets around this, making
it a perfect place to escape and relax if you're
(41:07):
in Mexico City. The panoramic views of Mexico City from
the castle's balconies are just breathtaking, and overall, Chipultapec Castle
is a must visit for any traveler interested in history,
culture and the stunning vistas. I really am excited about
(41:28):
today's show because I think it does really offer us
an insight into some of the most beautiful castles in
the world, many of which I've seen, many of which
we visited. I've actually asked Harry to talk about some
of the second half of our castle previews that we're
going to see because he too has visited some of
these on some of his trips outside the US.
Speaker 1 (41:51):
Harry, you hang on, We're going to take a quick break.
Our show today is Castles and the Clouds. A time
to dream on a lifeless ordinary.
Speaker 4 (42:00):
Who would think of driving off to a new destination
without guidance from Google or Siri. Let the Wishing Wel
guide your next travel experience. Travel the world as you
enjoy the very best destinations and all they offer at
the best prices. Our mobile travel app keeps your vacation
on track and keeps you connected with our team of experts.
For help, if you need it, call us at five
(42:20):
four zero nine zero eight two three three three stop,
buy two forty three nef Avenue, or visit us at
the Wishingwell dot biz.
Speaker 1 (42:29):
Hey, welcome back to a life less ordinary. Every Saturday morning,
at this time we talk travel, and today we're talking
about castles in the Clouds. It's a time to dream
before we get too far in and start talking with Harry.
Let me tell you if you want to get in
touch with your friends at the Wishing Well, they are
on nep Avenue and Harrison burgel So online at the
wishing well, jop Biz or call them at five four
(42:50):
to h five four oho nine oh eight twenty three
thirty three and Harry, we've got more castle to talk about.
And I am hoping that you're going to talk about
my favorite one before the show's over.
Speaker 4 (43:06):
This is my favorite one. I'm gonna start with though
I like this. Let's okay, And I know you like
to read. Have you ever read brom Stoker's novel Dracula?
Speaker 1 (43:14):
You have got incorrect information. I hate to read, ah,
but I do know of bron Stoker's Tracula.
Speaker 4 (43:23):
Okay, So we're going to go visit bron Castle.
Speaker 1 (43:27):
Is that in Transylvania.
Speaker 4 (43:28):
That is in Bron, Romania, which is in the Transylvania
region of Romania. And it's a castle that I had
the privilege of visiting personally. Absolutely fantastic. This castle was
built in thirteen seventy seven, okay, took eleven years to build.
And it's up at the top of a beautiful mountain
(43:49):
pass actually an area that's kind of reminiscent of the
valley here with the Great Mountains. It's a ski area
in the winter time. And you want to talk about
an ominous site when you come over the hill and
see this puppy up there, she is magnificent. And during
the fifteenth century had a very famous person that hung
out there, Ladly Impaler Okay. He ruled the area and
(44:13):
he earned a reputation. He was a little bit brutal.
I hear okay for his torture. And it's believed that
the castle's mysterious setting and Lad's bloodlust inspired that tale
about Dracula bron Stoker's trail. Yeah, brom Stroker brom Stoker's novel.
(44:36):
So once Traffan Slovania became a part of Romania, the
city government offered a castle to the reigning Queen Maria
of Romania, kind of as a momentum of appreciation for
her efforts and unifying the two areas up there, and
it served as a royal residence until nineteen forty seven.
Ohow yeah, And it was reopened as a museum in
nineteen ninety three. I got to visit it, and I
(44:59):
visited it right around the end of October, which is
a kind of an ominous time to visit a castle
with the reputation that Broncastle has, And not surprisingly, Chris,
they decorated for the holiday. They celebrate Halloween at Broncastle
and it was one heck of a party. It's a
(45:19):
fantastic party that they put on every year there. And
what's need is around the castle. It's a little village
area with stores and things, so you can go see
the castle and stop and eat and visit right in
that same area. So it's a magnificent castle. I wish
I had more time to talk about it, but I'll
(45:40):
ask the same question Terry asked, is it we're seeing
if there's Dracula? Yeah, yeah, there is Dracula, and they
have it all lit up with the colored lights at Halloween,
just as you might expect it would be.
Speaker 1 (45:54):
All getting aside, I've seen a documentary about this and
it does look like some where i'd want to go
and visit that It.
Speaker 4 (46:01):
Is fantastic and I did visit it, and if you
want to go back, let me know.
Speaker 1 (46:06):
We'll go. You and I have a laundry list of
places to travel to together.
Speaker 4 (46:10):
As soon as you get your passports. All right, so
let's jump across upon let's go over to Edinburgh Castle
in Edinburgh, Scotland. Yeah, and if you get up the
craigs of castle rock you're going to see Edinburgh Castle.
It's got this kind of a noble, authoritative look to it.
You can look at it and you see this is
(46:31):
really important. The archaeologists believe that humans have occupied the
castle since the Iron Age, but it's royal ties can
only be traced back to the twelfth century only I
say only, okay. King David built Saint Margaret's Chapel in
honor of his mother there and throughout the centuries members
of the monarchy have reimagined the royal palace as a
(46:53):
residency as a military fortress. A notable decorative element that
you can see in the door of the palace that
I think is very interesting. You see the gilded initials.
It says M A H. And that is in memory
of Mary, Queen of Scott's and her second husband, Henry Stewart,
Lord Darnley. So after the unions of the crowns back
(47:16):
in sixteen oh three, when England and Scotland got together,
Edinburgh Castle was reserved as a military base. Here's a
couple of interesting facts. It's home today to the honors
of Scotland, the country's crown jewels and the Stone of Scone,
which is a sandstone block on which Scottish monarchs are
traditionally crowned, so it's a very important place. And it
(47:39):
hosts the Royal Edinburgh Edinburgh Military Tattoo, which is an
internationally famous festival, and other summer concerts, so it's a
nice place to visit. We're going to Romania for Halloween.
We're going to go here for the summertime because the
traditional firing of the cannon exactly actually one o'clock, six
(48:01):
days a week. The one o'clock gun is right there
during those summer military concerts and.
Speaker 3 (48:07):
The military tattoo. Harry just for listeners who want to
know when that takes place, it always takes place during
the month of August.
Speaker 4 (48:15):
Yes, so we're free because we're occupied October and in August.
Speaker 1 (48:20):
Okay, And we did a podcast about Edinburgh Castle and
the tattoo. We did about a year and a half ago.
We didn't so you can go search the archives on
the Wishingwell dop biz and you can listen a little
bit more about all that in more detail.
Speaker 4 (48:36):
So you see why it's on our Muscless Places to go.
It's a absolute must if you're visiting Edinburgh. You're visiting Scotland.
You're going to get some of the best views of
the city. You're going to see the birth of Fourth
and Fife and it's home to the oldest Crown jewels
in the British Isles. Definitely worth a visit. So now, Chris,
(48:58):
we're going to your favorite. Yes, I'm waiting for a
drum roll, but I guess we don't have that. We
don't have a drum Sorry, no drum roll, all right,
So we're going to visit Next, we're going to Windsor
Castle in Windsor, England. Of course, it's the oldest and
largest continuously inhabited castle in the world. Pretty amazing.
Speaker 1 (49:21):
So this castle, along with the Tower of London, built
by William the Conqueror, So we're going back a thousand years.
Speaker 2 (49:30):
Yeah, isn't that amazing?
Speaker 4 (49:31):
Yeah, almost a thousand years so that it's served as
a residence, also served as a fortress to guard the
western approach to London, and it's seen a lot of
renovations over those nine hundred plus years from all the
monarchs who have lived on the property. You can imagine
everyone comes in, let's change this, let's change that. So
(49:53):
lots of renovation, a Queen Victoria. She added a private
chapel in nineteen Sadly, there was a terrible fire that
ravaged that chapel along with another hundred rooms in the castle,
one hundred room. Can you imagine having a house with
a hundred rooms destroyed? I can't imagine cleaning a hundred hounds.
Speaker 1 (50:15):
So it's easy when you have an entire maids. I'm
sure it is that. The images of that fire still
stick in my head like it was something happened yesterday.
Prince Andrew, for all the bad press he gets today,
was one of the first people on scene, and he
organized the firefighting efforts quite honestly, and organize the removal
(50:38):
of a lot of the artifacts. There's this image of
the British soldiers. They brought them in to help carry
out one of the rugs, and it was like ninety
six feet long, and they rolled it up and had
it up on their shoulders carrying it out, and they
said that it was actually the most difficult part of
the entire evacuation of items because it was so long.
(51:01):
They couldn't get their steps and order, and people kept tripping,
And they said, you would think that'd be very easy
for soldiers and that's why they brought them in, was
to try to get them to.
Speaker 2 (51:10):
Do with this drug out.
Speaker 4 (51:12):
Yeah. Well, the good news is they did get it renovated.
It took only five years, and I think it cleared up.
Speaker 1 (51:19):
I think what they did in the renovation is actually
more beautiful than the rooms were before the fire. I
mean they I think they were very tasteful in the
way they restored the wing of the castle that burned.
Speaker 4 (51:33):
And it's still a very popular place. Royal families love it.
There have been so many weddings on the famous grounds
of Saint George's Chapel. He talked about Queen Elizabeth. Prince
Philip used to go up there for RESTful weekends and
the Queen spent a lot of her time up until
April twenty one, and so she didn't pass at Windsor Castle,
(51:56):
but her residence at Balmoral Castle is where she passed.
But she's been gone for two years. But that place,
Windsor Castle, is it on the list, Yes, absolutely, So
that's where Prince Philip's funeral was held because it was
during COVID they had the scaled back funeral and it
was in the Quadrangle area.
Speaker 2 (52:14):
Gosh, has it been that long?
Speaker 1 (52:16):
Yeah, And I thought it was so so special that
they held his funeral there in Windsor Chapel because he
was the person who really was the organizer. He spearheaded
the restoration of the Great Windsor Park and so, you know,
moving on for generations when they look back, it'll be
(52:36):
Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth's reign that the Windsor Castle
was really restored and Windsor Park was brought into something
that was, you know, just thoughtful. There was a lot
of care and love put into that.
Speaker 4 (52:52):
It's no surprise that that's on our list. And we
had one heck of a list today, didn't we.
Speaker 1 (52:56):
We took a great journey around the world's castles today
and we're out of time. So if we need information
about how we can book a trip to one of
these great locations, how do we in touch with you?
Speaker 3 (53:06):
We'd love to see you, guys. We're located at two
forty three nef Avenue in Hersonburg, Virginia, in the Valley Center.
You can call us. We're at five four oh non
zero eight two three three three, or look us up
on the web. We are at the Wishingwell dot biz.
This has been a life less ordinary. The travel show
(53:27):
from your friends at the wishing Well at two forty
three nep Avenue in Harrisonburg. If you have any questions
on topics discussed today, please reach out to the wishing
Well online at the Wishingwell dot biz or five four
oh nine oh eight twenty three thirty three. Past episodes
are available on the iHeartRadio app. And we'll see you
again next Saturday morning at ten for a life Less
Ordinary from the wishing Well
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