travel talk
...NOVELLIST MARIAN KEYES SHARES HER HOLIDAY SUCCESSES AND DISASTERS
You traveled to Lapland recently – what was that like? “THE air is so pure, there are so many trees, you feel like you’re in the middle of a huge forest that goes on forever. It wasn’t even that cold – minus one.
“We stayed in beautiful woodlined little chalets. There was a church made of ice, were huskies and reindeer, and we met Santa Claus. That was the best bit, properly magical.”
Ever had any travel disasters? “MILLIONS! I was going to Ethiopia to write about an Irish charity called Concern.
“We arrived at Addis Ababa airport and our bags didn’t. We had nothing except the clothes we stood up in.
“The next flight wasn’t due in for two days and by then, we were going to be down in the south of the country. But you know, it was kind of wonderful, in that we had to go out in the market and buy stuff.
“This was about 15 years ago when there was nowhere to buy toothpaste or toothbrushes.
“We cannot conceive of that level of an undeveloped country. But it was a great adventure, although it didn’t feel like that initially.”
What’s your earliest memory of being on holiday as a child? “MY mother is from County Clare and there’s a place there called Lahinch, pictured, on the Atlantic, which is so incredibly beautiful. It has one of the most beautiful beaches in the world and proper waves.
“We used to go there for a couple of weeks a year. We’d stay with my granny. It seemed like the sun was always shining and the sea was always blue. There were ice-creams, buckets and spades and runs along the beach to get warm after the swim. We still all go there, my sisters and I.”
Any favourite cities? “RECENTLY, I went to Amsterdam. I’d only been there for work before, and I had the time to see it. It’s so beautiful. Everything I looked at was exquisite – balm to my eyes.
“I like cold places like Helsinki. Not that many people go there. It’s different, and when you drive just outside Helsinki, it’s forest. We drove to Porvoo, a couple of hours outside Helsinki, and it’s got all these gorgeous buildings.”
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