Unique Experiences - Europe & UK Edition

Like most people, I love to travel. Unlike most people, I often choose places to travel based on what weird adventure is there. I decided to focus this post on my "off the beaten path" activities after several people asked me where I come up with this stuff. Honestly, most things I do are either from an idea that'll pop in my head like... I wonder if I can actually PLAY the bagpipes instead of just listen to them. But most often, my friends will send me a post about something weird that, "made me think of you." Those are my favorites because it means that my people just get me. So without further ado...

 Pumpkin Regatta - Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival

 

The Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival is the largest pumpkin fest in the world. Located in Ludwigsburg, Germany, this yearly event attracts people from all over. Each year there is a new theme and the pumpkin structures (pictured below & above) change based on that. Between the beautiful palace, gardens, and intricate pumpkin structures, the setting for this place is truly a work of art. There's also pumpkin themed food and drinks for everyone to enjoy like pumpkin soup, pumpkin burgers, and pumpkin wine. But the thing that drew me here... the PUMPKIN REGATTA. For this event, competitors paddle in a giant hollowed out pumpkin (provided, or bring your own) and fight for the title of Fastest Pumpkin Paddler. Ok, I made up that title... but the top 4 fastest women and men do get a cash prize!

 

All competitors had the chance to come early and try out the pumpkins before the race. Several people were hardcore pumpkin racers... bringing their own paddles, wet suits, and trying literally every pumpkin to find their best match. I tried one pumpkin, didn't sink, and said, "Good enough!" There were many competitors when I was there, so I had to wait a very long time before it was my turn to compete (also because they thought I was a man based on my name and had to put me at the bottom of the list once they realized their mistake). Pumpkin canoers raced two at a time (accompanied by someone alongside in case they sank, which happened a lot), with the finishing time recorded of each paddler. A friend joined me for this adventure and I was happy she could translate what the announcers were saying. But everyone was a good sport and supportive of us crazy Americans who were mostly lost in translation.

In case you were wondering, I didn't win or place. But it was a heck of a good time! 

Review: I would recommend the pumpkin regatta to anyone who is a good sport, loves to laugh, doesn't mind getting wet or covered in pumpkin goop, and doesn't mind hundreds of people watching as you make as you sink or swim (paddle). For more information, visit Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival

Guided Husky Sledding - Tromso, Norway

If you ask my kids what they have loved most about our adventures in Europe so far, they will both tell you Dog Sledding in Norway! I booked this tour through Get Your Guide and it was so well-organized and fun from start to finish. Our tour guide picked us up at the Radisson Blu in the center of Tromso and drove us to the Villmarkssenter. From there, we were issued snowsuits and shoes then assigned a husky pack and driver. Our musher tucked us into the sled nicely with warm blankets and took us on a 30-minute ride of some of the most beautiful views I've ever seen. It was December when we visited, so there's not much daylight during that time. However, it was enough to marvel at the fjords and mountains as we glided over the snow. Our drivers also stopped throughout the experience and took pictures for us so we could have these memories forever. 

After our sled ride, we were taken to meet all the working dogs and newborn husky pups. There were 300 in total and you could tell they are well-loved and enjoy their jobs. I asked what happens to them once they are too old to pull a sled anymore, and they said they adopted them out. Usually the lead pack dog ended up being adopted by their sled driver, which I thought was really lovely. After we spent a lot of time loving on the dogs, we were taken into a hut with a wonderfully warm fire. They fed us a traditional Sami meal called bidos (reindeer meat stew) with coffee and hot chocolate. 

Review: Go! This activity is fun for all ages as long as you don't mind the cold. Seriously... what's better than cuddling with hundreds of dogs in a wintery fairyland?

Koe Knuffelen - Voorst, Netherlands 

Someone posted about this experience in a travel group that I'm on, and it immediately moved to the top of my "must do" list. At Koe Knuffelen, you get the unique experience to cuddle with dairy cows! The hostess greeted us at the farm and led us to a reception with coffee and sweet treats. After this, we put on coveralls and rubber boots and headed off to see our new cuddly friends! We were first taken to a pen with the calfs (calves? hmmm...). We climbed into their area where we were greeted with lots of curious nibbles and licks. 

After this, we met some of the full-grown ladies and got to witness how the milking process works. This was truly eye opening for me. The "milking" area is very high tech... each cow can only be milked when it's her designated time (which we saw in action when one went into the area and the machine wouldn't turn on for her). But the machine scans which cow is in the area, then automatically hooks up to her if it's her time. Once she's all hooked up, the cow gets a special feeding treat that she gets to munch on until her time is over. Everything is automatic and the cows come and go as they please! They also have the opportunity to stay in the barn or head out to the pasture whenever they like. 

Finally, we were able to head outside to cuddle with the cows. The hostess explained the process of being "invited" to cuddle and then given the opportunity to try for ourselves. For this, you slow approach the cow and put your hand under her chin. If she doesn't move her head away from you then she's allowing the experience to occur. There's something extremely calming about sitting out in the field with these huge creatures! We all had the best time with it. 

Review: You will get muddy. You will smell like a cow. You will be covered in cow slobber from literally head-to-toe. But it's one of my favorite experiences to date! If you're close to the area they even have a "Friends of the Farm" option where you can visit these beautiful ladies as much as you'd like! I also recommend heading to Clara Maria (about an hour away) for a demo on clog and cheese making (plus lots of samples!)

Tea with Naughty Sheep - Stirling, Scotland

I opened the AirBnB webpage shortly after arriving to Germany last year, and the first thing that popped up was "Animal Experiences: Tea with Naughty Sheep." It was like the heavens opened up and said, THIS IS FOR YOU. If you know me at all, you know I love animals. If you know me well, you know I love tea parties. So this was an excellent combo! When we decided to take a trip to Scotland, this was the very first thing I booked, even before plane tickets and places to stay. 

We were greeted at the experience location by the hostess, where she first introduced us to her chickens and let us feed them. She told us a lot about her sheep, to include their unique personalities and how to interact with each. She explained that sheep respond well to centered and calm people, so we needed to try to emulate those qualities. We were then led to the garden where we were introduced to three very cute boys and later, two lambs. We first fed them, then our hostess brought out the tea and cakes for us. Once the sheep finished their food, they basically walked off and did as they pleased for the remainder of the visit. 

That is, except Dougal. Dougal is the sheep I am feeding in the picture above. He had a big problem with my daughter and myself. He repeatedly head butted both of us (they are surprisingly strong), and was eventually led out of the garden and put in a separate area. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that he didn't like us because neither of us are calm or centered. We are like two little balls of barely-contained energy as soon as you put animals or cakes near us! 

Review: I wouldn't take kids to this. The hostess was honest with me and said that she had bad experiences with kids coming, but I assumed it was because of a bad kid. If you go in with an open mind and are ok with potentially being hit by a sheep, then go for it! The hostess was really nice and I enjoyed our conversation, and her cakes and homemade jams were delicious. If you do want to give this a go, check it out here!

Play the Bagpipes - Edinburgh, Scotland

When we decided to go to Scotland, I was trying to think the most Scottish things to do. I needed to eat haggis, drink whiskey, get a kilt, and play the bagpipes. It took me months of searching, but I finally found a bagpipes experience through Make My Day travel. We met our bagpiper at Calton Hill, which was a bit of a hike but offered gorgeous panoramic views of the city. He gave us a brief but interesting history on the bagpipes, then let us each try our hand at the practice chanter. 

The chanter sounds a whole lot like a kazoo and is how all bagpipers start out. Even pros use them to learn and memorize new songs. After a few minutes of practice, we were able to try our hand at the bagpipes. I've played clarinet for years and thought I would be good at it (or at least Ross's level on Friends)... but I was horribly wrong. However, I laughed throughout the entire experience and loved every second. After this, our bagpiper gave us an amazing private (well, plus the bystanders) concert and showed off his skills. 

Review: If you don't mind making a fool out of yourself while lots of people stand around and take videos, go for it! I guarantee you're gonna be really bad at the bagpipes but it was such a fun thing to do. Also, be aware that it could lead to you wanting to own your own set of bagpipes. (Mmmhmm, you know I have some now!) 

Domaine Dubois Expérience Vendanges - Premeaux-Prissey, France

One of my friends invited me to spend the day as a grape harvester for a winery in the Burgundy region of France. Thanks for thinking of me, I said. She responded with, You are literally the only person I know who'd be down for these kinds of last minute shenanigans. Hahaha, she's not wrong!

We met our winery guide and she drove us to the fields to begin our harvesting adventure. We learned what kinds of grapes to pick, which were bad or not ready, as well as how to harvest them. There were several crew members out while we were there and they were lighthearted and fun. I appreciate people who can laugh and make fun of each other, so these seemed to be my kind of people. I was fascinated to learn that this vineyard had vines that were anywhere from 30-70 years old! 😱 After about two hours of picking, we headed over to see how the grapes are sorted before going into barrels to become wine. 

We joined the rest of the crew for a delicious lunch, which included four bottles of wine for our table of four 😂. People here were eager to practice their English on us, and they made us feel like real members of the team. After lunch, we were taken to a wine tasting and tried roughly eight of their wines. We also got a small wine credit for our hard work and got to take home our harvesting supplies. 

Review: If you love wine and can hold a squat position for two hours, do it! Also, be prepared to get muddy and wet. There were no bugs while we were out, but we were told that's pretty rare. Lastly, be prepared to spend a whole lotta money on the several cases of wine you're probably gonna want to bring back. 

Thanks for reading about my unique adventures in Europe and the UK! I hope you get a little inspiration to go out and explore wherever you are and do something weird (*ahem* unique).