New Years in Scotland

For Bostonians, it's First Night.  In Glasgow, Edinburgh and other Scottish communities, New Year's Eve is known as Hogmanay.

Indoors on the holiday in Scotland, haggis is likely to be tops on the menu.  Outdoors, fireworks are accompanied by torch parades.  On the North Sea coast of Scotland, the Aberdeenshire fishing port of Stonehaven has a unique approach to its celebration.  Take a look at this short, BBC production on Hogmanay 2010 in Stonehaven.
If, during your travels, you've celebrated the New Year's eve differently, please consider sharing about it in this blog.
Happy New Year 2015!

Had an encounter with an oarfish lately?

Oarfish are rarely seen by humans, and, like other marine life, their visibility close to shore may be an indication of their distress.  Wikipedia tells me that the very elongated oarfish may run anywhere from 10 to 30-feet in length and occasionally weigh up to four or five hundred pounds. 
Oarfish recently have appeared in Mexico’s Sea of Cortez (aka as the Gulf of California and made famous by Steinbeck in his 1951 non-fiction work, The Log from the Sea of Cortez).   View this Un-Cruise video to see an oarfish in action.

Between November and March, Un-Cruise offers two, 7-day itineraries on the Sea of Cortez.  These sailings provide wonderful opportunities to experience raw beauty, active adventure, authentic culture, and wildlife—sea turtles, boobies, pelicans, frigate birds, blue whales, gray whales, orca, humpback, pilot and fin whales, whale sharks, dolphins, mantas, and sea lions. Kayak in coastal mangroves and glassy coves. Hike along cactus-clad rims and among desert scrub. Snorkel alongside playful sea lions and colorful invertebrates. And in a picturesque setting of red rock cliffs, discover a centuries-old town or relax on a white-sand beach.  

This all-inclusive Un-Cruise experience models the line’s commitment to experiences that are Un-rushed, Un-crowded and Un-believable.  For more about the itineraries, view this additional Un-Cruise video.

Ed McCourt, CTC
781-325-2553
edmccourt@travelcoll.com

Dromoland School of Falconry

The Dromoland School of Falconry in Ireland is based at the world famous Dromoland Castle in County Clare. Professionals from the School are available to provide guests with an up close and personal “raptor” experience. 

My participation in a 7-day, Tourism Ireland-sponsored destination training program across the northern part of the island of Ireland this October provided me with one of the raptor encounters.  The video immediately below provides a flavor of the experience.  A very friendly hawk put up with me for about 15-seconds just in front of  the Castle.

A bit later, we visited the raptor facility, also on the Castle grounds.  Here, I shared in opportunities to get close to other birds – in this case, an owl. 

A Polar Christmas in Norway!

             

This week, Tim Palmer, Sales Mgr. for Norway's Hurtigruten visited the Travel Collaborative. Since the late 19th century, Tim's line has transported passengers and cargo (year round!) along the nation's coast from Bergen in the southwest to Kirkenes on the Russian frontier. In between, they visit more than 30-ports (Ålesund, Trondheim, Tromsø, etc.).  Today, the line has eleven, modern, ocean-going vessels plying the north-south-north routes throughout the year, and the experience is first-class and traveler-oriented. Cruisers may customize their itineraries - round-trip (12-nights) or 6-nights in either direction.

Usually, we associate the midnight sun of summer time with sailing the spectacular Norwegian coat, but nowadays off-season has its own appeal. There are special Holiday sailings (Christmas in polar regions with Santa and the reindeer!)) and, of course, many fall and winter itineraries just about guarantee exposure to the greatest light show on Earth, Aurora Borealis (or Northern Lights).

Hurtigruten offers Antarctica sailings during the Northern Hemisphere's winter.  In summer, itineraries include Spitsbergen, Iceland and Greenland sailings.
If you've sailed the Norwegian Coast or one of the other mentioned itineraries -  with Hurtigruten or another cruise line - please share your comments about the experience.

[Seeking more information? Email (edmccourt@travelcoll.com) or phone (781-325-2553).]