Dream Halloween Vacations

Indy's obsessions with both Halloween and Traveling leave us having the same conversation every fall, "Where would you love to be on Halloween?"

Unfortunately, with my teaching profession, and Indy's soon-to-be teaching profession, long vacations around Halloween are unlikely, however weekend trips are a possibility every 6-7years or so (depending on the leap year, of course!)

I've compiled a list of the *best* places to be on Halloween in hopes that we may be able to complete a few of them.

1. Salem, Massachusetts

This is the only one from my list that Indy and I have actually done!  Back in 2008 we spent Halloween in Salem, and it was amazing.  Think Mardi Gras meets Halloween.  Salem was pulsing with activity that Halloween weekend- all the shops and restaurants were completely decked out in Halloween decorations, and there were so many colorful characters (some costumed, some not!)  But more than the party-scene, Indy and I enjoyed the history.  Salem is so rich with it, and it's evident on every street corner.  There were so many different types of museums and learning centers, different community theaters and information stands.  It was the ultimate combination of educational and fun.  We're hoping to maybe make it back to Salem in 2015, when Halloween will be on a Saturday again.

2. Derry, Ireland

Believe it or not, the origins of Halloween are believed to have been in Celtic Ireland (some places argues Scotland as well).  The Gaelic festival of Samhain was a celebration of the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, celebrated at the sunset of Oct. 31st and into the wee hours of the morning.  It was kind of their "new years," and considered to be the last day of the year where the souls of the dead came back to their homes, and evil spirits were released from wherever they'd been kept.  In fact, jack-o-lanterns originated in Ireland as a way to ward off evil spirits from entering the home!  Derry, Ireland is home to the world's biggest Halloween celebration.  Something like 30,000 people take to the streets to celebrate with costumes, music, games and other celebrations.

3. New Orleans, Louisiana

Indy and I have never been, but NOLA is on my list of top 10 places to visit in the near future, whether it happens to be on or around Halloween, or not.  Along with NOLA's rich culture and amazing food, they've got deep ties to voodoo worship and witchcraft.  I've heard they've got incredible ghost tours and in a place so lively the rest of the year, how could it not be an incredible place to be on Halloween?! I've also heard they have incredible concerts around this time of year- another reason to go!

4. Bran, Romania

Dracula, by Bram Stoker (who was an Irish author, by the way) is one of Indie's all-time favorite books.  Every year he nags me to read it (I will, eventually!).  We've watched tons of Dracula films and documentaries (my fav's are the 1992 Dracula with Gary Oldman, and Leslie Nielsen's Dracula: Dead and Loving It...which Indy doesn't really count, but I do!)  We've talked about traveling to Romania just because, but all the Dracula ties make it all the more enticing.  Even though it's been beaten like a dead horse, and anyone who knows anything about Dracula knows that he, was not, in fact, based on Vlad the Impaler of Romania, it'd still be fun to go there and see all the castles and stuff.  Romania has it's own non-draucla mystery, and I'd love to be there on Halloween to check it out.

5. Bangkok, Thailand

Thailand, and South East Asia in general, is the goal for our next "big" international trip (we're crossing our fingers for this coming summer).  In all of our research, we've found that despite being a Buddhist cuntry, Bangkok is one of the best places to be on Halloween.  Go figure!  I've read it's more about a reason to party than actual beliefs in spirits and ghouls and goblins, but it still sounds like a good time.  There are tons of restaurants and bars that really get into the Halloween spirit, as well as big costume parties in the streets.  I've also read it's a big time of year for Thailand's gay community- the more outrages the costume the better, and every year they try to out-do the one before it.  Having been to the New York Halloween parade more times than I can count, I've seen some pretty outrageous costumes- I'd love to see if Thailand is a contender!

Have you ever spent Halloween somewhere cool?  Have any place to add to my list?

festival of Samhain

festival of Samhain

Ghost Tours - Strange Happenings in a Town Near You!

Indy and I love to travel.  We try to save up for a "big" trip (international, or at least, on the west of the country) and a "small" trip (nearby states) every year.  We started back when we met in '07 and haven't been able to stop!

If there's one thing Indy loves more than traveling, it's Halloween and History (in that order).  And leave it to him to find a way to combine the two- even outside the month of October!  Since '07 Indy and I have been on six, yes six Ghost Tours.

What's a Ghost Tour?  Allow me to explain...

Whether you believe in them or not, almost every small town across the world has some type of ghost story.  And if every small town across the world has some type of ghost story, you can imagine how many more ghost stories there are in the biggest towns and cities across the globe.  Go ahead, Google, "Ghost Tour" and the name of the largest city near you, and I'll bet something will come up.

From my experience, almost all ghost tours are set up similarly:  You meet your tour guide (sometimes dressed in period clothing, usually wearing a dark cloak, and almost always carrying a lantern of some kind) in a public area where they begin the tour with a super creepy introductory tale, or a big, boisterous welcome speech.  Then, you spend between an hour and a half to two hours on a walking tour of the area, stopping intermittently to hear a little bit about the historical importance of a particular street/building/person, followed by stories about the ghostly encounters that are rumored to have happened there.

Some ghost tours are ultra creepy.  Some ghost tours are hysterically funny.  All ghost tours that I have been on have been very informative, entertaining, and a fantastic way to learn more about a new city.

Here's a time line of the places we've been and ghost toured, along with a link to the company we used (although, for most major cities there are at least two companies that do this):

’07 -Philly, Penn:  http://www.ghosttour.com/philadelphia.html 

’08 -San Francisco, California: http://www.sfghosthunt.com/fatcow.com/Welcome.html

’08- Salem, Massachusetts: http://www.spellboundtours.com/

’12 -Brisbane, Australia: http://www.ghost-tours.com.au/Pages/tour_list_ghost_tours.htm

’13 -Edinburgh, Scotland: http://www.witcherytours.com/

’13 -Portland, Maine: http://wickedwalkingtours.com/

I can honestly say we only had one ghostly encounter in all six of these tours, and fortunately I've got the photographic proof to share!

While we on our ghost tour in Salem back in '09, the tour guide kept asking us all to snap photos at each site, explaining that some ghosts will manifest on film/digital screens better than in real life.  Those little dusty orbs you always see in movies, or in an "ectoplasm"- kind of a smoke-like trail of light.

On the tour I'd been snapping and snapping away, chimping at my camera after every shot with nothing to get excited over.  Yeah, there were dust balls or orbs here and there, but nothing big.  Then we reached the end of the tour- a big parking lot that was once a prison yard for a prison that at one time held Massachusetts most gruesome, soulless criminals (yeah, that's what they all say!).  Our guide was telling us about the ghost of one particularly scary criminal who stabbed his victims and often appeared in tourist shots.  I was snap, snap, snapping away- 5 shots in a row.  I took a minute to look back through my photos:

Nothing:

Nothing:

GHOST:

Nothing:

Nothing:

When I saw that "ghost" shot on my playback screen, I nearly pooped myself!  I seriously got a pang in my chest and felt like I was having a hot flash.  I quickly called Indy over and his eyes grew wide as saucers!

Just after this spot, our tour guide lead us a block or two away to thank and dismiss us, offering to check out anyone's photos to confirm/deny ghostly activities.  We hopped online and heard him dismiss everyone, "Nope....Just some orbs....Nah....Nothing....Orbs....Nope...." Then we we handed him my camera and he freaked out! "Oh my god!" He yelled, "Everyone come back, look at this- THIS is a ghost, see all the ectoplasm?!"

His excitement made me laugh, but also scared the crap out of me.  He begged me to send him a copy of the photo so they could post it on their site and insisted on giving me his business card.  I never did get around to sending it to them, and every October I feel badly about it- but I'm sure they've gotten plenty more since '08.

We've got plenty of time left in October for you to find and book your first ghost tour.  Do it! Maybe you'll come away with a ghost photo like me! One that you can whip out every October to scare the heck out of your Photography students!  More than likely you'll just have an awesome time.

Portland, Bangor, Acadia National Park, and Bar Harbor, Maine

Indy and I spent very last week of this summer in Maine.  Each year we try to save up enough greens for a large trip (this year: Scotland) and a more local trip (Maine).  It was the perfect time to go as school had started up in many of the surrounding areas, so the hot spots weren't as crowded as we had feared. 

I compiled a few neat shots of our trip for your enjoyment!

Portland: We were only in Portland for a full day and night, but we walked around and saw some pretty beautiful things.  We also took a ghost tour (I'll have a post about that soon).

Bangor: We stopped briefly in Bangor to snap a few shots of Mr. Stephen King's house.  So cool!

Acadia National Park: We camped in the park for two nights, and it was gorgeous.  We also hiked up Cadillac Mountain, which is the highest point on Mount Desert Island!

Bar Harbor: This was the end of our trip- we spent a day kayaking, where we saw seals and porpoises (they moved way too fast for me to capture) but the scenery stood nice and still.  We ended our trip with a whale watch, and I got some fantastic up-close shots of this one Humpback, Gemini, who flirted with the boat a bit.

It was a wonderful way to end an already wonderful summer.  I can't wait to get back to this beautiful state!