TRAVEL
Home & Away with Robert Walshe North America and mainland Europe hold the key to promoting tourist numbers for the New Year. Tourism Ireland hopes to increase visitor numbers by 5pc to 7.6 million in 2013, which will contribute €3.7bn to the economy. And chief executive Niall Gibbons said the numbers of people coming from countries less-badly hit by the recession including France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland was on the increase, with record numbers expected in 2013 A 20pc increase in airline capacity from the US would also help drive numbers. Tourism Minister Leo Varadkar added that positive tourist numbers would help boost employment and that some €6-7m would be provided to help promote the “Gathering.”
Weekend Hotspot
www.schloss-elmau.de/english
Schloss Elmau is a castle hotel between the towns of Garmisch and Mittenwald 100 km from Munich perched perfectly at an elevation of 1060 meters. I visited for three days and the bright sunshine and alpine snow was the prefect tonic for my weekend of sheer bliss & relaxation. Here, you can ski in summer, sunbathe in winter, ride horses, swim in lakes, rivers and infinity pools, ride great slopes on a mountain-bike, or scale them by hand as you try rock-climbing. Schloss Elmau was founded by the philosopher Johannes Müller whose family runs the establishment. He had become quite well known for his novel teachings on Christian philosophy, and in 1902 a friend bought him a castle near Schweinfurt called Schloss Mainberg to serve as a community for nurturing spiritual and physical
health. Johannes Muller’s philosophy appears to lie somewhere between Christianity and Zen. His grandson Dietmar MüllerElmau, together with his cousin have now re-defined its purpose into “The Schloss Elmau Experience”, giving the Schloss freedom to express itself as a modern interpretation of classical architecture. The result is a true lifestyle experience for spa aficionados, those who appreciate the delights of gourmet cuisine and lovers of architecture, culture and nature. Schloss Elmau is designed for longer visits – indeed my stay of two days was far too short. There are 130 rooms including five family suites with two bedrooms and the rooms in general are family friendly; some even come with sofa beds and kitchenettes. All the luxuriously designed rooms & suites revolve around space and privacy while the bathrooms are lined with ancient stone, bedroom floors made of polished oak or teak and walls covered with pure silk. The room was equipped with a Loewe flatscreen television, a Bose radio with iPod dock, and a minibar that offered juice and snacks at no charge. I was lucky enough to get one of the fower suites, which meant that I had majestic views to the south, west, and east. Everything in the room was about the view. Aside from the many terraces, there are clusters of private loungers, lavendercovered terraces and picnic spots. Inside, clever layouts mean you can always find somewhere to make a noise or be alone. Unlimited Internet access is included and I settled into my comfortable desk and chair at
Pet’s Corner...
n Schloss Elmau
mau Hamam.
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the library to enjoy my new ipad! Since 1916, Schloss Elmau has been a cultural melting pot for great artists and authors with two concert halls, five Steinway pianos, several rehearsal rooms, two libraries with English, Jewish and German literature as well as a vast bookstore. The calendar this year alone includes more than 170 concerts with several festivals, for classical music, chamber music, jazz, world music & literature. Four unique spa areas are at your fingertips, including a 16,100 sq. ft. family spa so your kids can enjoy treatments, too. Swim in indoor, outdoor, pools, or just watch the steam come off the warm water while sunbathing in the relaxation room. Uniquely Schloss Elmau is the only 5* resort to offer separate spas for adults as well as families. I found my way to the” Hammam” the largest west of Istanbul to experience the “Orient Express “a treatment especially suited for newcomers to Oriental bath culture. Following a warm-up phase in the steam room, each ritual begins with a basic treatment consisting of a full-body exfoliation
and soapy rubdown along with a soothing hair wash. Afterwards, depending on the ritual you choose, you are given either a short or a thorough massage with soapy lather or with oil completed with traditional Hamam-style refreshment: Kolonya, aromatic Turkish lemon water. To relax afterwards I ended up at the Badehaus Spa enjoying the open-air rooftop pool & restaurant entranced by spectacular views of the Bavarian Alps. A passion for the art of cuisine is more than apparent in Schloss Elmau’s six restaurants. Here I experienced “La Salle” with live cooking and a tremendous international breakfast
one of the most discerning and imaginative lifestyle resorts anywhere and I will be back. www.schloss-elmau.de/ english Aer Lingus operate daily flights from Dublin to Munich. Fares start from €55.99. For more information, please visit www.aerlingus.com Robert Walshe is a travel broadcaster with Q Radio Network and Travel Editor for River Media newspaper titles across the island of Ireland. www.robertwalshe. com
Home and Away Extra It is one of the negative side-affects of long-haul travel, but suffering from jet lag could soon become a distant memory for weary travellers. Australian sleep researchers have developed a set of hi-tech “sunglasses”, described as the world’s first “time control” spectacles, which can imitate sunlight patterns. The teams, from Flinders University, in Adelaide, say the glasses emit a soft green glow that helps a traveler adapt to changing sleep patterns and time zones in “small steps”. It targets a part of the brain that regulates the human body-clock, by send-
with Kathleen Murray
titions just like our “One man and his Dog” competitions. We have ruined the good name of these dogs by using them in the wrong way and putting them in the wrong hands. A guard dog is a dog that alerts you to something that needs your attention. The job of the dog is to bark and then you should investigate the problem before telling the dog to stop. If the problem is an intruder then you and the dog should do something about it but the dog should wait for your signal or invitation, not eat somebody because you can’t control it. If you are not there then the
Exterior.
buffet. The” Luce d’Oro “gourmet offering on the second night was incredible combining a refined food art matched with specialty wines from the talented chief sommelière Marie-Helen Krebs.Schloss Elmau and its surrounding areas are home to some of the best summer and winter sports in the Alps. There are Ski Schools for cross-country and downhill alpine Skiing, plus daily Ski Safaris to some of the best pistes available on the nearby Innsbruck and Seefeld slopes, just over the border in Austria. Schloss Elmau is a five star superior member of Leading Hotels of the World and
Guard Dogs This is a subject that is very dear to my heart as I have seen so many good dogs being destroyed through no fault of their own. When people think about guard dogs they tend to think about German Shepherds, Rottweilers, etc. This is because these dogs have been widely used and abused as protection dogs due to their size… not their temperament. These particular breeds are herding dogs. They were bred for cattle and sheep herding. They are still used as herding dogs in their native countries where there are large compe-
Living
dog will act as it sees fit, if itself, or your property is under threat. Any dog can be a guard dog. Any dog can alert you to a problem but, because people are more scared of the bigger breeds, people tend to use them more, yet often can’t control the dog at all. Dogs (any size) that are not under the control of their owners or handlers can do a lot of damage. Dogs that are allowed to bark at and chase everyone that comes to the door are dangerous dogs, not guard dogs. They are dangerous because they have not be trained, conditioned, and socialised properly.
Dogs that bark at everyone and anyone without guidance or control will bite at some stage. Dogs don’t just “turn” on someone. they have been heading in that direction for some time. You just need to know the signs. Guard dogs, guide dogs, sheepdogs, gun dogs etc all need guidance. It’s all team work so don’t expect a dog to know how to guard properly if you haven’t taught it to properly. Guarding is as much about coming back when called as it is about going forward to protect. Please don’t destroy a good dogs life.
ing signals to the rest of the body that help it slowly realise it is in a different area of the world. It has been suggested the device, dubbed the “Re-Timer”, is currently the only wearable body clock adjustment system commercially available. Scientists say the device can help ward off the negative affects of long-haul travel and bring new relief to insomnia sufferers, shift workers and even teenagers. Airlines are said to be seeking a “silver bullet” for the tiredness and confusion that often follow a long-haul flight and are in discussions to buy the device.