Australia, Queensland, Gympie: Visiting Cooloola Berries is a Great Way to Enjoy a Day with the Family and Friends

It has been a while since I have written a posting to the Compassionate World Traveler Site. I do apologise for that. It is not that I have not traveled, or even had some compassionate visiting experiences in the world since my last posting in 2014. On the contrary, I have had many.

Since then I have started volunteering at the local Tourist Information Office. I have also completed a Certificate III in Tourism and every month for the last 18 months, I have visited places around my new adopted community with my fellow volunteers. Maybe it is this transformation of the personal travel experience from being the visiting traveler myself to at the same time being an advisor to the tourists visiting the local area that has been the changing factor for me expecting more of my own personal travel experiences than before. For me, even the whole concept of travel has had a profound transformation. It turns out that what I now want is to feel that the places I visit and the people I meet there truly connect with me and my compassionate nature. That helps to heighten the personal experience and I as a traveler am bound to leave with some new knowledge, a refreshed mind and a renewed conviction that the world we live in is indeed, a great place to be. So, the new attitude has taken its time to reform but now that I have found my way, it feels as a right time to blog once more.

I cannot praise highly enough of our recent experience at the Cooloola Berries Family Farm in Gympie, Queensland in Australia. What a way to spend a day with grandkids and enjoy the fresh produce of the local area and the compassionate nature of the owners Kim and Jason.

They run this farm with their whole family with the warmth and care that really makes the visitor feel at home. I felt like I was in Finland as a child, picking strawberries and running around the field like a free spirit. Even my daughter commented very similarly, saying that it really felt like it because the children were able to have such an unrestricted wide space where they were allowed to just play and pick and eat as many berries as they felt like. The adults could sit at the café tasting food and observe it all in relaxation. No need to run around herding the kids and shouting 'no, nos'. The little cabby house, the tractor and the berries were entertaining enough for a long while for our children.

Not only the simplicity of the play but at this place they make their own #tastesunshine ice-cream in the house. We went on a Saturday, which is of course a Cooloola Berries Pancake Day, ice-cream included. Of course there is lots of other food possibilities as well but we wanted to feel the freshness and experience the delight of being alive on that day. So pancakes it was:

Kim told me that the café buyes the basic ice-cream from Bulla and then they have a machine that blends the berries and other ingredients to the mix and ola, a new special natural in-house flavor is created. Of course, I and my grandson chose strawberries. My daughter chose to have chocolate and my granddaughter ate the mango and ginger ice-cream. What can be better than that? And there we were, enjoying a very memorable day, siting on some strawberry material covered chairs in the shed area while looking over the strawberry fields. It nearly made me poetic and wanting to sing some old Beatles songs about 'Strawberry Fields Forever'. The comments I heard around me were: 'Next time when we come, we will try this, instead'. It feels like we now have found that special place to come and celebrate anything and everything we used to have in our former place of residence.

Getting there was a bit tricky, though, because of the distance from the Gympie town past the adorable rural landscape. The distance turned out to be 25kms through the Tin Can Bay Road and then taking the Wolvi turn and following the little strawberry signs that guided our way to the farm. Driving there proved to be an experience itself. I found it very enjoyable and invigorating.

So, there you have it. Check it out though their WEBSITE. The strawberry season is through June to December and the blueberries are ripe in December. Enjoy and share.

Finland, Oulu: Introducing The Doghill Kids (Koiramäen lapset) at the Museum of Northern Ostrobothnia

Mauri Kunnas must be one of the most loved illustrators and storytellers in Finland. The books on his wonderfully delightful Doghill Family have been concurring the world and the imagination of many, many children.


The books represented in the permanent exhibition at the Northern Ostrobothnia Museum in Oulu, Finland are 'The Doghill', 'On the Doghill Farm' and 'The Winter at the Doghill'.


The 1990's Doghill project was very large involving the Museum, The Artists Workshops, the Youth workshops and the Oulu Theatre. The aim was to bring history nearer to children by creating scale models of the very true to history books by Mauri Kunnas.

Through viewing the larger scale models and the tiny precise models of the everyday life equipment of the old days, children could relate to the real historical artifacts placed at the other parts of the museum.


Here for example are the looms that were used in weaving in the old days.


And here is the way the hay was harvested.

I found that while visiting the Northern Ostrobothnia Museum, the little exhibition on the Doghill Family was just so much fun.

Suddenly I remembered reading all these books to my own children. I remembered their great joy in looking at the illustrations and the way we could talk about the old days through the stories of the books.

It is just wonderful to see them as 3D scale models at the museum. I wish everyone could see them.

So, if you happen to be in Oulu, I urge you to do so. (You might at well see the whole thing, 4 floors of excellent historical displays, including the one on the seafaring).

It will be so very enjoyable.

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UK, London: Lessons in History at Hampton Court Palace and at the Maze

I have been planning to visit the Hampton Court Palace while in London for quite some time now. Finally, on my recent stay in London I got that opportunity.

One of the reasons, I especially wanted to explore it is that The Wilderness Garden there houses the oldest maze known in Britain. It was built for King William III and Queen Mary II in 1690. I have longed to 'get lost' in it for a bit.


I chose my visiting day according to the weather report. And accordingly, it was a really fine day in London when I boarded a train at the Waterloo station for The Hampton Court Palace. It pays off to choose a good day against a rainy one as the gardens there are such a huge part of the visitor experience. My day was also a bank holiday in UK, so there were some extra attractions, like a big picnic on the lawn that made the visit really pleasurable for me and other visitors.

Since I did not really know much about the palace beforehand, I was very pleasantly surprised to find such splendor. It really homed on me how the history can be told in so many interesting ways to make it alive even for today.


What I learned is that actually there are two palaces there; first one a Manor house developed into a palace by Thomas Wolsey, who was a powerful administrator for Henry VIII. He entertained the king there as well as a huge number of foreign dignitaries. In reality the place was a genuine hotel with kitchens servicing 1200 guests per day.


The second palace is a lovely baroque building built for Mary II and William III. They made the palace in what it is today.


And then there are the gardens from different eras kept with great dedications and research of which the Wilderness and the Maze (originally there were four of them) is the most popular.


My day at Hampton Court was all about understanding the dedication and the compassion of the people who have preserved the history for us in a way that speaks to a modern visitor. Even just seeing half of it convinces me that how we relate to history is through well written and illustrated storytelling. Learning about the young king Henry VIII certainly proves that.

What we remember from our history books is a completely different picture we get from the beautifully told story at Hampton Court Palace. There you come to understand the tragedy, the intrigue and the romance gone wrong that you otherwise might miss between Henry VIII and his first wife of more than 20 years, Catherine of Aragon.

I was walking through the rooms that depicted the young Henry VIII and came to a stop at the end. "This is a really sad room", I heard a father telling his son beside me.

On the wall there are all the names of their stillborn children (mostly boys) as well as the names of those children who died at birth. And of course Mary I and the little boy who lived for six weeks is there, also. The explanations on the chairs named Catherine, Henry and Thomas tell about the decision Henry made to divorce Catherine and how it affected the nation. Their individual stories.

This is real history lovingly brought to life for us in the modern world. I was left thinking how important it is to know those stories today. Now 20 years of their life and all those children has not gone unnoticed just because history has preferred hero stories instead of real life stories.


I really liked walking through the baroque palace with its wonderful ceiling art and small details, including bits and pieces of the Mary's famous porcelain collection.


There was an exhibition there about the the secrets of the State beds. Unfortunately no pictures were allowed otherwise I would have photographed the queen's bed that reminded me of the fairytale of the 'Princess and the Pea' with its layers upon layers of silk mattresses, just like in all the illustrations I have seen. What a story it turned out to be, firmly grounded in the historic reality.


Finally, it was really fun 'getting lost' in the maze for a while, walking the old paths with lots of laughing families. And of course we found 'the heart'. It was not a very difficult task at all:


And the gardens were lovely, especially the Wilderness, that called the visitor to sit a while on a bench while taking in the atmosphere.


All in all, a day at the Hampton Court Palace was a success and I must go back since I missed the famous kitchens and the King Henry VIII's apartments and much more, I am sure.

But it was a start and a lovely day at that! I recommend it very warmly for anyone wanting a flash back to the long gone eras of royal life in Britain.
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Australia, Victoria: Visiting the Historical Beechworth.

This is the second time I am visiting a dear friend at Wodonga, Victoria. Last year we started our tour of the surrounding historical Gold Rush towns by visiting Yackandandah. This year it was time to investigate the town of Beechworth made famous as the birthplace of the Australian bush-wrangler Ned Kelly and by all the stories surrounding him and his gang.

As it was my second time around, I was already prepared for the idyllic atmosphere of the town. The trees were just getting their autumn colours and the streets were full of happy and curious people. I was told that the town lives for the weekends when the tourists flood the streets and the shops in order to unwind from their worldly troubles.


By dropping into the town visitor information centre the curious traveler is able to get all the needed help about accommodations, tickets to venues, souvenirs and the latest books on the Kelly family.

In fact, I was really impressed by the compassionate attitude of the information shop attendant. She was tackling the wealth of enquires showing such knowledge and problem solving skill, well worthy of high recommendation. I am sure that the inviting manner she displayed will play a crucial part on the impression the visitor gets of the town.


Our first goal was to experience the Beechworth Bakery and taste its famous pies. I had a vegetarian Coulicolli Pie and my friend ate a Curry Pie. For the dessert, we had an apple pie, all with a nice cup of tea while watching an endless flow of people. There was a huge cycling event going on in town and everyone was milling around getting drinks and snacks.


And of course, we bought some home with us as well. Especially as it will be the Anzac Day soon and this particular bakery is so very famous for baking the Anzac Biscuits just right. I just had to have some.


Our second stop was the charming and old fashioned Burke Museum where we were able to get a warmhearted insight to the 19th Century town life through walking through the displays of shops and streets representing the history of the town.


The very famous Ned Kelly was introduced through his original death mask and the amour.

The building was originally built for the Beechworth Men's Association, later to become the Athenaeum for educating the young men of the area.

I spent some time reading a few articles on Ned Kelly's final funeral that was conducted 132 years after his death, only in January, this year (2013). I had missed that. Also I longed to buy the new book on Ellen, Ned Kelly's mother that I found in the shop. It promised to be a great read giving lots of new insights to the life and times of the historical town life and its women's blights. Unfortunately, it weighted a lot and I am flying home soon.


The rest of the day was spent wandering the historic and cultural precinct of Beechworth on the 'Echoes of History' walking tour, taking pictures and inhaling the idyllic atmosphere.

According to the Official Visitor Guide book, there is lots to do in Beechworth for curious families, including nature and ghost tours. And did you know that the famous'General' Tom Thumb who was 77 cm tall and the celebrity in his own time around the world and who was presented to Queen Victoria and the Char of Russia, was also from Beechworth?

I am quite certain that a few days holiday at any of these historical towns but especially at Beechworth will be able to help to relax anybody wanting some relief from the hurries of the big city or otherwise stressful life.

Spending some time there will be able to educate the compassionate traveler on how to preserve the historical heritage of a town in a loving, heartwarming and respectful way.
A recommended choice for great time.
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USA, Indianapolis, Indiana: Christmas Cheer at Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art

If you ever think of visiting Indianapolis for family fun, you could choose the time when the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art is at its best. That would be in November and December, every year.

For the past three years, during the Christmas season, the museum has exhibited an ever expanding Model Trains and the American West section where the whole family can enjoy the joy of seeing many of the famous landmarks of the American West in 1:32 and 1:28 scale. What a fun thing to do!


The attendant, I interviewed about it said that the aim of the exhibition is to get families to the museum and also at the same time introduce them to the magnificent collection of Western Art exhibited at the Museum otherwise.

I can surely appreciate that it truly is magnificent. The best I have ever seen. It draws you and gives you insights to the way the American West was occupied by the white people. The art is absolutely fabulous.

I saw a painting which made me comment to the friend that I recognise the style. It is the Russian St Petersburg School of Art style which I have seen in my own country.

It tuned out that the painter was Russian. How marvelous was that. In fact there were two Russian style painters depicting the Western life. It soon became clear that it were the painters who were the true anthropologists of the West, preserving the lost Indian culture to the future generation.


The Christmas exhibition brings people from all over to the museum. Is makes around 50% of the total visitor numbers to the museum during the whole year.

For the compassionate world traveler, the museum is a gem. It reminds us of the times gone by and the commitment of some truly talented people who saw the future of the West and wanted to gift the pictures of the life in the past to the future generations.

Visiting the Museum makes you sad but also makes your heart sing to see the quality of care that has gone into presenting the artifacts and the art to the modern audience.

I warmly recommend the experience to everyone.

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Australia, Victoria; Be Inspired by the Changing Seasons in Melbourne

Recently, I went to Melbourne for a long weekend for work. Usually, up north in Queensland, we do not get to experience the seasonal change as those who live down there do. I was really inspired by the possibility of a walk along the streets, where I could spot the falling leaves of the front gardens and experience the coming winter in Australia.

Sometimes that is the only touristy thing a person who is travelling for work can expect to experience. There might not be time for going to museums or visiting the cultural monuments or events or anything else that might be recommended. While enjoying the services of a good hotel or a wonderful restaurant, it still could feel like there might be very little time to getting to know the place.

Taking an inspired stroll from the place of your conference, hotel or work could well be the only option available to you. So, instead of taking a taxi, why not walk. It cannot really be put down as exercise if it is leisurely but it could be said to be a touristy thing to do. Besides you get to know the location for when you go there again.

If you are from the northern hemisphere where you are used to Birch, Oak and Mable trees, walking the streets of Melbourne is a treat. They are everywhere. It is even possible to spot trees like in the Lapland tundra as some are grown in a very peculiar way. The other things to watch for are the roses in bloom. The whole walk will remind you of Europe, UK in particular with the small fenced off front gardens and flowerbeds.

While walking you can marvel of how much effort, compassion and dedication the ardent gardeners put into their small front gardens. It is a pleasure to find gardens are so dear to us and that often we try to replicate of what we have liked or know even tough living on the other side of the word to our original country of birth.

In Australia, it is a real effort to grow a tree that drinks so much from the ground where there is not so much water around. So, it is a pleasure to travel to Melbourne to see that clearly the trees we wouldn’t be able to grow up north thrive and the leaves fall just like on the other side of the world. Maybe just when it is spring in my birth country, but who cares anyway. This is the seasonal change in Australia we are talking about.

So, do it. It will be jolly good fun and healthy, besides. It is highly recommended!

Australia, Victoria: Visiting the Historical Town of Yackandandah

Australia is a huge place to tackle to visit on one go.

I have heard a few stories about how people who are not so familiar with the distances have asked their friends to give messages to other friends thinking that it is only a short way to travel from one capital city to another on the Australian continent. This kind of stories are a great amusement to the Australians who of course know that it takes days by a car or the train to travel between the largest cities and that it is not possible to know everybody from your ethnic background across the nation, not even if you live in the same city.

So, when my friend said to me that she had moved to Melbourne, I believed her to mean the CBD, or there abouts and said that of course, I'll come to visit. And true to my word, I hired a car, and started driving along the Hume Highway towards Sydney. It took me three hours to reach my destination. By that time, after seeing all the beautiful countryside along the way, I was quite intrigued by what I would find.



What a person will find is a very interesting scenic drive through a few of the most adorable little historical country towns that have become a very popular destination for tourists.

On a fine sunny day, we visited Yackandandah (forgot to ask the meaning of the name), a little historical town along a route of several other similar town. We found a lovely street full of shops, including a large Buddha shop, nice cafeteria and a very interesting Art Gallery. And I should not forget to mention the the organic store and bakery, which by the way bakes rye bread in the style I am familiar with from my Scandinavian heritage. Yum!




It will be worth your while driving around the place, absorbing some Australian autumn weather by walking up and down the main streets of the little towns, visiting interesting stores, parks and art galleries. At the same time it will give you an opportunity to remember the history of the Australian Gold Rush of the 19th Century that led to the building of these towns.

It will also be a compassionate act to help the local economy by finding some cool things to buy, like for example this nice leather case from b.sirius® for an iPad to keep it safe while writing the blogs about where you have been.




I most warmly recommend to anyone a few days holiday along the Victorian Historic Towns of Indigo Shire.
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Australia, Sunshine Coast, Bli Bli; The Sunshine Castle

For a compassionate world traveler interested in the historical sights of the world visiting the Sunshine Castle at Bli Bli in the Sunshine Coast of Australia is a curiosity without question.

History

The Bli Bli castle is a modern replica of a Norman medieval castle. The building of it started in the early 1970's by an enthusiast who thought to build a castle in Australia.

The first time my family visited the castle was in 1996. We were told by friends that this is a curiosity that we just must see. And truly, even then while we were swept beyond belief by the idea that someone would build a castle in such a place, we were also charmed by it, especially by the then new doll displays.

Visiting the castle today when it has grown and flourished into a real awarded tourist attraction is greatly inspiring.

The castle is a compelling experience of mixed and matched kind

The compassionate visitor is introduced to the medieval life through the objects and signs around the castle, including a considerable display of swords.

Visitors can dress the part, walk around the battlements hunting clues to the questions about the life in the medieval times and at the same time get the more frivolous fairytale feel of childhood memories through marveling the expanded doll exhibition and the fairytale panoramas scattered around the place. There is also a nice miniature train display to see.

Our only disappointment was that there is no access for the higher parts of the castle to people with wheelchairs. Some creative thinking would be greatly appreciated in getting the young disabled persons to see the dolls and experience the spectacular battlement views over the coastal area.

One of the highlights of the exhibitions is the room displaying different castles around the world. It is on the ground floor and would be accessible even to the people in wheelchairs. It truly shows the owner's love of castles, especially the German ones.

The other curiosity that greatly interested our younger mediaevalist minded friends is the original chair that was used in the production of the Hercules and Xena TV series.

The second highlight of our visit was the castle shop. It is filled with quality toys and figurines of knights, fairies and castles.

Our experience

All in all our visit was highly enjoyable. Our friend, who has lived near the castle for a long time, but never visited it before commented that it will be a great place to bring her grand children over the summer holidays. "It is just a place to wake their curiosity", she said. Be prepared to spend a much longer time there than originally planned.

If a visitor were to spend a longer time in the costal area there are scheduled events, such as opera and other theater events throughout the year, including a Medieval Fair.

The Sunshine Castle is a place that a traveler can visit again and again as it keeps growing and developing just like the old castles did. It's presence has been printed in my mind for the last 15 years and I look forward to taking my friends and family for renewed visits there in the future.

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Australia, Sunshine Coast Hinterland, Chenrezig Institute a Centre of Buddhist Study

Chenrezig Institute at Eudlo, Sunshine Coast hinterland is a centre for Buddhist study, retreat, meditation and practice. It is one of the oldest established Buddhist centers in the Western World, being founded in the early 1970's.

It is a delightful experience for the compassionate traveler to spend a few hours there, having lunch and partaking in a discussion on the meaning of the Buddhist tradition. You can also spend longer time there in a retreat enjoying Buddhist teachings. Currently the Centre is a home of two Tibetan Lamas and a community of ordained nuns and monks, students, residents, volunteers and guests.


To get there requires a drive up the hill and an effort to walk lots of steps or drag a wheelchair up a steep hill but it is really worth it. The lunch at the cafe is excellent. The scenery and the atmosphere is breathtaking. Even the insects like it as they are not harmed or killed for sticking to your fingers.

What you need to do though, when planning your visit, is to get on Internet, check the current program and either send them an email or phone to book your lunch and other planned activities.

If you require wheelchair access or otherwise need help, you need to let them know. The centre is not well prepared for this as it is very high on the hills with gravel roads and steps everywhere. There is lots of goodwill and kindness available and thus all the hardship will be overcome.


A visit to the Garden of Enlightenment at the retreat is also a treat. It has a large Stupa that is surrounded with a lovely garden hosting smaller Stupas.





Our time was well spent there. We also took some time visiting the gift shop listening to music, browsing books and other information about the centre, it's activities and the general Buddhist way of life.

If a compassionate traveler would like to know more about the Buddhist tradition. The Chenrezig Institute is a member of the Foundation of Preserving the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT). Lots of worthwhile information about this can be found by googling the Internet.

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