martinzoo

I’m so excited by this Sunday’s fantasy travel! This morning I went to Jukkasjarvi, Sweden to check out their Ice Hotel! It is so sweet! It is an unbelievable palace with guest rooms, a cinema, a 45 foot vodka bar (which I have no interest in, but they love it), a church, and a reception hall with ice chandeliers lit by fiber optics. It has been built every November since 1990 out of 4000 tons of densely packed snow and ice. The hotel disappears each Spring when it melts into the River Torne. Honestly, I hate to be cold, but this would be something I would HAVE to see and experience!

This is one of the deluxe suites

This is their Ice Church, where many couples come from all over the world to get married! Brrrrr!

Here is the story of the creation of the Ice Hotel, it’s pretty cool.

It started off as a summer destination. The company Jukkas (present day ICEHOTEL) has been a tourist operator in the region since the 1970s. For many years the company focus was on the summer season and the magnificent outdoor experiences offered by the land of the midnight sun. During the dark winter the river was frozen and the people of the small village of Jukkasjärvi went into hibernation. By the end of the 1980s it was decided to turn things around. Instead of viewing the dark and cold winter as a disadvantage, the unique elements of the arctic were to be regarded an asset. Inspired by the work of visiting Japanese ice artists, in 1990 the French artist Jannot Derit was invited to have the opening of his exhibition in a specially built igloo on the frozen Torne River. The 60 square metre building named Artic Hall attracted many curious visitors to the area. One night a group of foreign guests, equipped with reindeer hides and sleeping bags, decided it would be a good idea to use the cylindrical shaped igloo as accommodation. The following morning the brave group raved about the unique sensation of sleeping in an igloo. Hence, the concept of ICEHOTEL was born.

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Prices for a double deluxe room run about $160. (after krona conversion) per person, and the airfare runs $737. each. Just for fun, I thought I’d check to see what first class tickets cost. I’ve never checked that before….. whew!! … $5116. EACH! Guess we’ll never get to do that…

Today, for my fantasy travel, I decided to stay “in country”. My husband has always wanted to go on a great ski trip. I’m a big hold-out on this one, because I absolutely HATE to be cold. So, my fantasy trip this weekend is for him.

I decided to go to Aspen. Since this would be a family trip, my prices would include the 5 of us plus friends for the older two kids (we aren’t interesting enough for them, so they must have friends along).

Airfare to Colorado came in at $3,486. for the seven of us.

This is where I would want to stay. To me, it looks very “Aspen”. And if we were going to spend the money, I would want the true experience…. it is just a fantasy after all The cost for this house at the heart of Aspen was $3,000. for 5 nights.

Lift tickets, ski rentals, and one 4-hour lesson for each of us ran about $3,657. ::whew!::

And just for fun (I could never afford to do this, but I’ve always wanted to), a hot air balloon ride! At $250. per person, this added $1,750…. but SO cool!

So, the tally for this way-too-expensive-for-us vacation came up to….da, da, da, daa….. $11,893.75

Guess this one’s out… oh, well, we’ll just fantasize.

This Sunday for my fantasy travel, I decided to go to Copenhagen, Denmark. I have always heard that this is one of the cleanest, most pristine parts of the world. And I was really excited by the prices and quality that I found.

My airfare actually came in cheaper than it would cost for us to take a trip to Texas! It was very affordable at $568. for each of us. I chose to stay in the Copenhagen Island Hotel. It is a 4-star hotel designed by Kim Utzon, son of Jorn Utzon who designed the world famous Sydney Opera House. It is a ultra modern glass, steel and concrete structure with a glass tower linking the two wings of the building as a unique architectural feature. The hotel is situated on its own man-made island in Copenhagen harbour giving it unparallelled space and views in the most unique of locations. Here is a pic of one of the rooms. The cost of the hotel for 6 nights was $1203. which included all taxes and fees.

While there, I think we’d have to spend one day at Tivoli Gardens, their local amusement park. I love rollercoasters, so I’d have to hit the Demon, even if DH couldn’t handle it.. LOL. Here is a link to preview some of the rides. I’m sure he would enjoy the Star Flyer and it is a chance to really get a bird’s eye view of the city. Ride tickets = $25. each

I would also like to spend one day touring Rosenborg Castle. You can take a virtual tour here. The history of the Castle goes back to 1606-1607, when King Christian IV decided he needed a “summer house”. Rosenborg was used as a Royal residence until around 1710, when Christian IV’s great grandson, Frederik IV, gave it up in favor of other, more up-to-date, summer residences. Rosenborg Castle instead became the setting for the Royal collections. That is the reason for the many well preserved interiors which are quite unique. $5. admission each, plus lunch.

On another day, I would like to tour the neighborhood of Christiania. Christiania is an autonomous community that started 33 years ago following the civil occupation of an unused area, then owned by the Ministry of Defence. In 1971 this area was loaned to the people as a social experiment and declared a “free state”. It was a “semi-utopian” community that was self-governing and ecology oriented. I think it would be incredibly interesting to witness this neighborhood in action, before the government comes in and changes it, which is what they fear will happen in the near future. They have their own government, businesses, schools, beautiful, unique homes and a very artsy home-town atmosphere that really sounds intriguing. They say the best way to tour the neighborhood is by using a Christiania bike. There is no cost for this day, except lunch and rental of the bike.

I would also like to visit the Round Tower in Copenhagen. It is the oldest functioning observatory in Europe. Until 1861 it was used by the University of Copenhagen, but today, anyone can observe the night sky through the fine astronomical telescope of the tower in the winter period. It was commisioned by King Christian IV in 1637. From the platform, 34.8 m above the street, the visitor has a magnificent view of the old part of Copenhagen. Along the edge of the platform runs a beautiful wrought-iron lattice made in 1643 by Kaspar Fincke, Court Artist in metalwork. In the latticework, Christian IV’s monogram and the letters RFP are seen; these letters represent the King’s motto: Regna Firmat Pietas - Piety strengthens the Realms. Two adult tickets would be $6.00.

Of course we’ve gotta see The Little Mermaid. Copenhagen’s most famous statue was erected in 1913 to commemerate Hans Christian Anderson’s story of the lovelorn mermaid.

I would also like to visit Christiansborg Palace. This granite-and-copper palace on Slotsholmen — a small island that has been the center of political power in Denmark for more than 800 years — houses the Danish parliament, the Supreme Court, the prime minister’s offices, and the Royal Reception Rooms. The guided tour takes you through richly decorated rooms, including the Throne Room, Banqueting Hall, and the Queen’s Library. Before entering, you’ll be asked to put on soft overshoes to protect the floors. This tour only costs $1.65 per adult.

So, all in all. My grand total for my six day trip to Copenhagen, Denmark, is $2,418.30 plus lunches and dinners (a scandanavian breakfast is included in the price of the hotel, so if we stuck to past trip eating schedules, we’d probably fill up on breakfast and then skip lunch, saving money for better dinners).

Cool, huh!

Last weekend I did my fantasy Sunday travel to Rio De Janeiro. It cost me $1990. for plane fare for me and hubby and then an additional $625. for the room at the Copacabana Hotel (just like the song ) for 5 days. I thought this was pretty hefty considering you can go a lot further for less money. This was my thought last weekend. One of these days I’m going to have all these plane fares memorised and I’ll be like a walking travel agent, LOL! This was the beach outside the hotel. Don’t you love the mountains in the background?

Other than the mountains being so close, it kind of looks like Virginia Beach (crowded).

While there, I thought we’d take a helicopter ride over Rio - $104. each.

And, of course you have to take in the show at the Plataforma - $56. each.

This was the highest ranked tour, so we’d probably want to do this: The Corcovado and Sugar Loaf tour, although at almost 8 hours long, I’d probably be hurting by the time we we’re done. ~ $93.50 each

Corcovado Tour
The tour begins as you head to the Cosme Velho station to catch the cog train (ticket is included) for a journey through the dense Atlantic Rain Forest of Tijuca, and on to the statue of Christ Redeemer on Corcovado mountain. You will spend between 40 and 60 minutes here with your tour guide, who will show you the wonderful sights of Rio.

After the morning tour, relax and enjoy lunch at a seafood restaurant.

Sugar Loaf Tour
In the afternoon, join the Sugar Loaf tour, driving by downtown Rio, with its fine colonial-style Portuguese buildings, and continuing on to the cable car at Prai Vermelha (red beach). A ride to the top of Sugar Loaf Mountain gives the visitor a wonderful view of the city nestling between the mountains and the sea, and the sight of the sun going down over Copacabana beach is magical.

So, not including food ( I guess we could do without THAT ) the fantasy trip tally came to about $3028. I guess that’s not TOO bad for only two people, but hey, it’s only a fantasy.

This week, I went to Sydney, Australia. If I thought Rio was expensive, this one popped my eyeballs out. Two tickets (economy) to Sydney were $4624. I know it’s further away, but jeez louise, that IS expensive! Oh well, it’s just a fantasy (I’ll keep on saying that )
So, while there, I thought we’d partake of this tour. Doesn’t that private car on the train look sweet!
It’s pretty expensive ($3744. for the two of us), but once again, I must stipulate, this IS a fantasy. Anyone who would like to donate to my crazy fantasy travels would be my friend for life, just like bff’s! I would love to see a genuine outback sheep station and visiting a “ghost” town sounds really, totally fun! I have always wanted to travel by railway, so that would be cool, also.

And, of course, no trip to Sydney would be complete without a visit to the Sydney Opera House. The tour of the House (including the backstage) costs $140. per person. “This intimate tour gives you an exclusive insight into the inner workings of the building, and gain access normally reserved for performers and crew. See the Concert Hall stage from the conductor’s perspective. Sit in the orchestra’s pit. Stand where legends such as Dame Joan Sutherland and Pavarotti have performed. Get inside the stars’ dressing rooms. Includes a full breakfast in the Green Room.” I’m game!

So, the grand tally for Sydney…..*dramatic pause here* ….. $8648. ~*gasp!* That doesn’t even include all the food we’d need. But doesn’t it sound like a GREAT trip…. someday