They Were Huge! Even though a photo of the Graf Zeppelin still does not do justice to the airship’s enormous size, one can still get some sort of relevance from this postcard as to how huge they were. It was 776 feet long, and had a volume of an incredible 3,700,000 cubic feet. It could burn either gasoline or something called Blau gas and, if the both were used, it had an even more amazing flight time of 118 hours! During its lifetime (September 1928 to June 1937) it made 590 flights covering more than a million miles, and was the first ever non-stop flight across the Pacific, finally landing at what was then Mines Field (now LAX) in 1929. On one trip that was largely funded by the sales of postage stamps (!!!), they sold and carried on board 52,000 postcards and 50,000 letters! Given its huge size it has always seemed strange to me that passenger capacity was only 20, yet it had room for 40 crew members!

Well, of course you’re right. It did explode, and that explosion has fascinated mankind ever since – especially as to what caused it. This major event in aviation was also the place for one of radio’s all time most memorable moments when the reporter, Herbert Morrison who was there to broadcast its arrival, broke down as he saw it crashing in front of his eyes, and is probably best remembered for his phrase, “Oh the humanity…I can’t go on.” But, yes, I did board the airship, and all those positive words I just noted, were indeed fact. But I was also in one of the most fascinating museums I’ve ever seen.

I was in the southern German town of Friedrichshafen (www.friedrichshafen.de) and I was at the Zeppelin Museum where they have a totally realistic mock up of a large part of the Hindenburg. And it’s absolutely mesmerizing. If Detroit is the Mecca for cars (or maybe was, in the heyday day of the US automobile!), then Friedrichshafen is THE Mecca for airships. Located on the picturesque shores of romantic Lake Constance (or Bodensee as it’s called in Germany), this equally colorful town is awash in Zeppelin and airship memorabilia. There are streets named after Count Zeppelin, and statues and models here, there and seemingly everywhere of Zeppelins, that are large, small and just about everything in between. Gift shops? You bet, and it seems as if every street corner, and just about every 3rd street, has a shop that’s jam packed with everything you can think of to do with airships and Zeppelins.

I was there as part of a US group of travel media and our visit did not, sadly, allow us time to stay very long, but had I been on my own I would have loved to have stayed there for about a week or longer. It’s a great place to vacation and is fascinating, charming, lovely and really interesting in its own right. I don’t know about you, but when I think of Germany, I think of places like Bavaria and big cities like Berlin and Munich. Lakeshore towns like Friedrichshafen do not come to mind – I mean it looks and feels and sounds more like some gorgeous, very romantic Italian resort.

The Zeppelin Museum (www.zeppelin-museum.de) is an incredible 43,000 square foot facility (it was originally the Harbor Railway station) and is home to the largest (natch!) repository of objects, memorabilia and technology of anything and everything connected in any way shape or form to airships. Let me suggest that either before or after you tour this intriguing museum, you take time out to enjoy some snacks in the Museum’s restaurant. Not only do you get a superb view of the scenery, but you look out onto lovely Lake Constance and the Alps, yes the Alps!!! The town is situated in southern Germany near the borders of Switzerland and Austria, and has a population of just 58,000. Since opening on July 2nd, 1996, the museum has seen over 3,600,000 visitors and, as any visitor can tell you, the highlight and major attraction, is the reconstruction of a 108 foot section of the legendary LZ 129, or more commonly known as the Hindenburg.

I was amazed and stunned at how big everything was. I took photos of one of the lounges aboard and one of the bedrooms. The full length Wall Map shows some of the routing of the airship around the world. Another photo of mine shows the intricate interior of the Hindenburg, and the sort of lattice type construction used. This is one amazing museum, and if you never go to any other museum anywhere, I urge to visit this one.

Just as the name Boeing is instantly associated with aircraft, so the name Zeppelin is associated with airships. Inventor, true visionary and a major industrialist, Graf (or Count) Zeppelin was born in 1838 and died in 1917. His interest in this form of transportation began in 1874, and with his driving passion for airships, along with his wealth and personal dedication, he was able to overcome many challenges that other, lesser men, would not have been able to even consider. If you’re wondering if Zeppelins are still in existence, the answer is a resounding YES!!! They are alive and well in this town, and there’s (even) a Zeppelin factory that makes these still amazing airships – check out www.zeppelinflug.de

It was around 7pm on May 6th, 1937 that disaster struck the Hindenburg. Considering the shocking film footage of the crash, it’s amazing that of the 97 people on board, only 35 perished, plus one on the ground. She had a passenger capacity of 70, along with a crew of 61— including 21 trainees. In the blazing inferno that was this tragedy, 13 passengers, 22 crew and one person on the ground, died. The airship was 804 feet in length, had a diameter of 135 feet, and was powered by four 1,200 hp Mercedes Benz engines. Its top speed was a leisurely 84 mph. Put another way, the super liner Titanic was only 78 foot longer than the Hindenburg at 882 feet. The Hindenburg was designed to carry a gas volume of 7,062,000 cubic feet, which meant that when she was filled with hydrogen, it would give her an amazing 242 tons of gross lift — an incredible achievement today, but even more awesome back in the 1930s.

The portion that is open to tourists is so realistic it convinced me that I was actually on board the real airship. As I looked out the giant widows and gazed down at the ground below, it was easy to imagine standing there in 1937 as she came in for a landing — and hearing the ship’s commander announcing its impending arrival at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station. Knowing what actually took place a few minutes later, made the whole “moment” even more eerie. As I said, this is without doubt, one of the most intriguing museums I’ve ever visited in my trips around the world. If your travels to take you to Germany (www.cometogermany.com) I urge you to find time to visit not only Friedrichshafen, but also this amazing museum.

Now then, can I make a reservation for you on your first Hindenburg flight?

Fitting the Image! How often in life do certain people absolutely fit the image of who and what they are? This aristocratic figure looks EXACTLY as I imagined him. What do YOU think? Just as the name William Boeing was the name of the man who started the airplane company, so the name Zeppelin is always associated with this gentleman as being the founder and inventor of giant airships known by his name – Zeppelin. His full name is Ferdinand Adolf August Heinrich Graf (Count) von Zeppelin. “Graf” is a title and, translated means Count. It is not a first or middle name. He was born on July 8th, 1838 and died at the end of WW1, on March 8th, 1917.

Zeppelin Trivia: The name of the British rock group Led Zeppelin, came from his airship, and Zeppelin’s granddaughter, Countess Eva Von Zeppelin once wanted to sue the group for illegal use of that famous name, while the group was performing in Copenhagen, Denmark in February, 1970. The giant and hugely successful Graf Zeppelin airship was also named in his honor.

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Built in the late 1700s its location on a lonely, high cliff that overlooks the often raging seas below is, in my view, one of the most romantic and yes, stunning places in all of Bonnie Scotland. It was a delightful and wonderfully sunny day when I visited and, as a WW2 buff, I was fascinated to learn that the entire top floor is a luxurious suite called “The Eisenhower Apartment.” It was so named in 1945 as a “Thank You” from the people of Scotland to the American general for what he did in WW2.

As you walk towards the walled entrance and amble – as I did – into the courtyard, the Hallway and what’s just inside is, in one word, BREATHTAKING! It’s the 2nd biggest collection of old time pistols, swords, muskets and related armor in the world – even more intriguing to me, was that every firearm displayed has been fired! I thought it odd and indeed puzzling, we were NOT allowed to take any photos! Eisenhower DID actually stay here several times, and given its romantic setting and awesome tranquility, used this Scottish retreat as his White House. I know you’ll find it as captivating as I did.

If you’re really – I mean REALLY – seeking something exclusive in your European travels, how about a fab concert in – are you ready – an underground cave that’s 250 million years old? Yes, that’s right, 250 million – because you’ll discover this Wonder of Wonders in Belgium, no less, in a colorful village called Han-sur-Lesse in the famous Ardennes and, approximately enough, it’s called “The Han Grotto.” I ventured into this phenomenon of nature, along with some of my fellow travel journalists a while ago, and we were treated to a tour that can only be labeled mystical and magical. The magic begins with the only way into the cave, by a vintage, 80 year old classic tramcar as the Cave is about a mile and a half from the village. No, it does NOT take you INTO the Grotto itself, just to the entrance!

As we walked down and still further down into the Cave, our eyes beheld a spectacular and magnificent collection of stalactites and stalagmites. We figured what must the bottom of the Cave, as we found ourselves in an enchanting “room” or complex, that’s 490 feet across with a vaulted ceiling 417 feet in height.

It is here at certain times of the year, where the aforementioned concert is held. Nature has provided a sort of “shallow, open sort of area,” where these take place. It did NOT look to me, nor to any of my fellow travel Scribes, as if it had been “hollowed out” by modern “methods. The constant temperature is 55F with high humidity. A tour of the Cave is about 60 or 90 minutes, and DOES require a guide. Towards the end of your visit at “Cave Bottom” you’ll witness a marvelous “Sound & Light show” that’s the epitome of the word AWESOME. This almost spine tingling extravaganza is so spellbinding you’ll be hard pressed to realize it is NOT a dream, but an incredible and remarkable reality.

Sharing news with you about this cave and castle, is yet another reason I call my features Travel with a DIFFERENCE. Be sure to see our story next month for more exceptional places and offbeat ideas for things for you to see and do around the world.

The post Two “Must See” Truly Spectacular Places in Europe. Here’s Why. appeared first on Traveling Boy.

Well, dear friends and fellow adventurers’ let me assure you that YES, a beach like that DOES exist, and in this special Traveling Boy feature I’ll share with YOU where it is, and how YOU can enjoy it yourself. Of all the destinations I’ve visited around the world, my all-time BEST BEACH is located in the South Pacific’s Cook Islands. Given the aviation “realities” of the Covid 19 era, the best way to get there is by an Air New Zealand B-777 from Los Angeles to Rarotonga.

Incredible as it sounds in the Coronavirus era, Air New Zealand flies an almost empty plane from LA to Cook’s Rarotonga airport., at least as of August, 2020. Checking ANZ’s web-site, I’m sure you too will be interested to learn that during Covid 19, Air New Zealand’s inter-national network capacity has decreased by 95 per cent from pre-Covid-19 levels! However…

To give you an idea of how “tourist important” this destination is,
ANZ now flies to just 10 overseas destinations: Rarotonga is one of them!

Once you get settled in at this intriguing town, and your curiosity is pressing you to see this awesome beach of your dreams, get yourself a booking aboard an AIR RAROTONGA SAAB 340, two engine aircraft that will get you — in 50 smooth flying minutes — to Aitutaki. The plane, shown here, carries a total of 34 passengers.

Check the web for more info, but when I last looked, they had two daily flights: I’d recommend you take the one I did, it departs Rarotonga at 8.00am and arrives Aituaki at 8.50am.

An equally stunning fact about Aituaki, is because it IS so spectacular CBS TV, in June and July of 2006, filmed the 13th season of the mega hit series of Survivor, in Aiktutaki. The show aired on September 4th, 2006.

While Aitutaki IS awesomely amazing, the real draw for most who visit, is the intriguingly named “One Foot Island.” Some maps will show its local name of TAPUAETAI, and it is one of the 22 islands in the Aitutaki atoll of the Cook Islands. Located on the southeastern perimeter of Aitutaki Lagoon, One Foot Island is only 2,000 feet long, and about 689 feet wide.

With its breathtaking and idyllic landscape, powdery white sand, warm azure waters, and the gently swaying palm and coconut trees, One Foot Island was, in June, 2008 in Sydney, Australia, named, by the the World Travel Awards Organization, the title of “Australasia’s Leading Beach.” In fact there is yet another totally unique aspect to One Foot that is exceptional and certainly irreplaceable once you’ve got it.

As you get off the boat that ferried you to One Foot, just ahead of you, and almost hidden by the tropical trees in front of it, you’ll see a small sort of cabin. It’s the local Post Office, but even more magical and mind boggling — and for sure extraordinary — is if you show them your Passport, you’ll get the One Foot Island Customs stamp in it, validating that you visited that day and that year.

Given my British heritage, and knowing of the seafaring past of the Brits, I’ve always been fascinated by the record making exploits of its pioneers in discovering new — back then — different parts of our world: So I’m very familiar with one of the more famous historical voyagers of those years, namely British Captain James Cook. It was only when I was actually visiting the Cook Islands that I discovered the great interest there, in how they got their name.

The Cook Islands were named after Capt. James Cook, (shown in the painting at right) who sailed through them in 1773 and again in 1777. A local villager told me, with much excitement in her voice, that Captain Cook decided to call them the “Hervey Islands,” for a British Lord. However, in the early 1800s the name “Cook Islands” appeared on a Russian naval chart and, for some unknown reason, it stuck.

The “ Lessons Learned” On My Visit to One Foot Island. Or, “What NOT TO DO.”

I figured being so tiny, at about 2 thousand feet long and about 689 wide, I’d walk around in 20 minutes — or less. OK, but I TOTALLY FORGOT TO COVER MY HEAD and put on a hat! Dumb idea!

I had such a “Surge of excitement” as I set off on my sort of Robinson Crusoe adventure. I mean with a name like ONE FOOT ISLAND it had to be small. Well, it was and is, but it was an extra hot day and I totally forgot I had nothing to protect my head from the blazing hot sunshine. The result — when I got back to Aitutaki — was a VERY BAD CASE of sun stroke — so bad in fact, I was laid up, ill, in their hospital for the rest of the trip. PLEASE, when YOU visit WEAR A HAT!

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