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Sunday, July 31, 2011
The Radar: Costa Brava?s Coastal Trails, Ukraine?s Wooden Churches, Free Dallas
The Radar: Top travel news, stories, trends, and ideas from across the web. Got Radar? Follow us on Twitter @NatGeoTraveler and tag your favorite travel stories from the web #ngtradar. Check back the next day for our daily roundup.
The Authentic Ski Tour: Yellowstone National Park, Day 3
..... Yellowstone, Wyo. (Ski Press)-We drove out in the morning with the mountains going gold in the light, and the deer and the elk beside the road. They jumped the barbed wire fences so lightly, off into the grasslands and the endless views. And there was a little pasture filled with buffalo, and a herd of bighorn sheep working their way back into the hills. ?You wouldn?t go hungry,? I said. And Jeff said, ?And we?re still 20 minutes from Yellowstone.? It was the third leg of my ?Authentic Ski Tour? of Montana?s Yellowstone Country. After a day skiing the rustically exhilarating slopes of Red Lodge with Jeff Carroll, and an evening at the high-end honky tonk hot springs of Chico, we were heading to the crown jewel of America?s national park system: Yellowstone. Founded in 1872, the first national park in the world, just the mention of it filled my head with scenes of spouting geysers, iced over waterfalls and great herds of bison plowing pathways through the snow. ?I think I?m a Teddy Roosevelt Republican,? I suddenly confessed to Jeff (although it was President Ulysses S. Grant who first set the preservation stage by signing Yellowstone?s special status into law), suddenly getting all misty-eyed about our American wild lands, and the kind of politicians interested in preserving our country?s most spectacular and pristine native soil. ?But that?s something that probably doesn?t exist anymore.? ?Have you seen the Ken Burns documentary on the National Parks?? Jeff asked. ?It?s incredible.? We drove in to Yellowstone through Gardiner, Montana, and had only just paid the park ranger when I snapped a photo of a bull elk 10 yards from the car. Then we caught a snowcoach in to the Old Faithful Snow Lodge, with our guide/driver going on about ?geyser geeks,? wolf packs, calderas, wildlife biologists and grizzly bears, and how her parents had first fallen in love working one summer at Yellowstone. She said, ?That?s why I?ve always kind of thought of this as home.? Only 30 minutes into the drive we began to see herd after herd of bison, trudging in single file to a new grassy field, and creating a little Prehistoric-style traffic jam across the road. We saw bubbling gray mud pots, bleached white tree trunks and new green growth from the forest renewing itself. And everywhere there was the atmospheric mist of the geysers and the hot springs billowing in the cold March air. ?That?s one of the reasons I like winter here the best,? our guide/driver said. ?Because it?s so quiet. And the geysers are so much more dramatic at this time of year.? That equal measure of beauty and breathing planet is stunning to see, with the corresponding splendor of creation and damnation everywhere, of unfettered natural law. It?s why on the way out, when we stopped to take photos of two coyotes tearing apart the carcass of an elk, in my notes I wrote, ?Only heaven could be this wild and gorgeous, and this raw and real.? ?Did she also tell you that the bears might also be waking up right now?? asked Doug Wales. The director of marketing for Bridger Bowl, it was Wales who had invited me to Montana, and who had been the most excited about getting out for a cross-country ski on the Yellowstone snow. It was Wales who set me up to use that old joke, ?I don?t have to outrun the bear. Just you two.? But that would have been hard to do. A talented cross-country skier, Wales made it look easy, kicking and gliding up the snow-covered road as Jeff and I fell further and further out of view. Then again out the long, peaceful streamside trail, to the Lone Star Geyser like a throne of magma in the woods, bathing in the sun and a raven?s caws. ?When does it erupt?? ?Every three hours.? ?Every three hours from when?? ?Exactly.? We decided to ski back to watch Old Faithful instead, betting the safe bet. Which paid off like it always does, blasting hot water straight up in an exclamation arc as painters painted, gawkers gawked and video cameras whirred. ?Look at the coyote,? someone said, and there it was, sniffing the seats and then off into the woods as if it had known the geyser?s regular eruption schedule as well. ?That was cool.? That was nature?s entertainment hour, pulling out all the stops in a single day of sky and scenery and sensation in a place where there is no internet and no TV in the rooms. We sat by the fire instead, letting the feeling grow. In the morning we would see those coyotes eating the carcass, more steam from geysers like Yankee Boy and Old Faithful again, and more elk in the river and a swan. And for dinner, we would all order the buffalo. Next: Big Sky. Links: Yellowstone National Park: http://www.nps.gov/yell/index.htm Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowstone_National_Park
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Bringing peace home from Thailand
Closing my eyes, I inhaled deeply, allowing my belly to fill with air, then exhaled.
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Tudor House Museum reopens in Southampton
Filed under: History, Learning, Europe, United Kingdom
It's the quintessential style of English architecture. Tudor buildings simply ooze a sense of history and charm.
The only problem is, they're a real pain to keep in shape. That's what the curators of the Tudor House and Garden in Southampton, England, found out during their nine-year restoration. The house, shown above, dates back to the 1490s and while it was obviously well built, five centuries had taken its toll. The house was beginning to shift, threatening to destabilize the whole structure.
Now the whole building has been given a makeover and equipped with state-of-the-art interactive displays to explain what daily life was like back then. The museum reopens today.
If Southampton is not on your itinerary, London has a good Tudor building as well. Prince Henry's Room, shown to the left, is also being remodeled and will open sometime this year. Built in 1610, it's a miracle this place is still around. It survived the Great Fire of 1666 and the Luftwaffe during World War Two. It makes for a nice picture if you're passing along Fleet Street. The restoration crew let me take a peek inside and I can tell you the interior is as attractive as the exterior. We'll be sure to cover it when it finally reopens.
[Photo of Southampton house courtesy Wikimedia Commons. Photo of Prince Henry's Room courtesy Wikimedia Commons]Tudor House Museum reopens in Southampton originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 30 Jul 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
It's the quintessential style of English architecture. Tudor buildings simply ooze a sense of history and charm.
The only problem is, they're a real pain to keep in shape. That's what the curators of the Tudor House and Garden in Southampton, England, found out during their nine-year restoration. The house, shown above, dates back to the 1490s and while it was obviously well built, five centuries had taken its toll. The house was beginning to shift, threatening to destabilize the whole structure.
Now the whole building has been given a makeover and equipped with state-of-the-art interactive displays to explain what daily life was like back then. The museum reopens today.
If Southampton is not on your itinerary, London has a good Tudor building as well. Prince Henry's Room, shown to the left, is also being remodeled and will open sometime this year. Built in 1610, it's a miracle this place is still around. It survived the Great Fire of 1666 and the Luftwaffe during World War Two. It makes for a nice picture if you're passing along Fleet Street. The restoration crew let me take a peek inside and I can tell you the interior is as attractive as the exterior. We'll be sure to cover it when it finally reopens.
[Photo of Southampton house courtesy Wikimedia Commons. Photo of Prince Henry's Room courtesy Wikimedia Commons]Tudor House Museum reopens in Southampton originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 30 Jul 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Hotel review: South Sands, Salcombe, Devon
This Devon beachfront beauty is the epitome of good taste ? with clean lines, muted blues and greys, and a two-bath wetroomIs it just that I haven't noticed them or do we, an island nation, have virtually no hotels on the beach? I mean right on the beach ? like in the Caribbean? It is only as I descend the hill to South Sands bay, passing one hotel on my right, that I realise mine, the only other one here, beside an old lifeboat house, really is beachfront.This 24-room newly built boutique hotel opened last year. Everything about it looks glossy and expensive ? from its website to the brochures ? yet it has no star grading. It is one of the modern wave (inevitable pun) of hotels which thumb their noses at both the AA's and Visit Britain's star-rating schemes. Perhaps it can afford to, with such a position ? not only is the hotel on a wonderful sandy bay but the population of the nearest town, Salcombe, swells from 2,000 in winter to almost 10 times that in summer.Salcombe is to Devon what Rock is to Cornwall. It is no accident that this was where the first Jack Wills shop opened, in 1999. In summer a ferry takes passengers from South Sands to the pretty town, which hugs a harbour further up the Kingsbridge estuary.I'm spiralling up a modern cantilevered staircase of wood and steel, then heading along a coconut matting-covered corridor to my sea-facing room with balcony. Clean lines, tasteful blues and greys, seascapes on the wall. Peachy beachy.In the wetroom, Molton Brown lip balm, bath salts, even a washing line to string up wet bathing things. Two baths seems excessive, but since they are right in front of double windows this is clearly a room for show-offs. This room isn't cheap, but there are smaller versions and, more affordable still, others on the landward side.If I lean over my balcony I can see people coming in from their bucket-and-spade day, pulling on faded rugby shirts and deck shoes, settling on the hotel veranda for a snifter before putting the kids to bed or changing for dinner. I join the throng, first on the terrace and later in the bar, which serves as the sitting room but is, in truth, a corridor between reception and restaurant, then eat an early dinner, among families, couples and even a wedding party. Young, efficient staff in skinny jeans ferry home-cured salmon gravadlax with beetroot and pot-roasted venison."Ooh, let's take one more photo for luck," booms a voice from the next-door balcony as I study the night sky from the depths of my right-hand bath. I struggle to find a convenient power point for the kettle, and no amount of unplugging turns off a relentless blue light on the wall-mounted TV (so I drape the bedspread over it). Windows thrown open, I drift off, and wake to the shoosh of waves. Isn't that what everyone wants on holiday?Lots of kids and gallons of fruit juice at the breakfast buffet table, plus delicious spiced cake and honey on the comb, and people like me munching behind the newspaper.South Sands is proof that "family friendly" need not mean "style bypass". The only minus is its lack of a sitting room. Having turned its back (with no discernible detriment) on the rating system, though, couldn't it, in a continued spirit of anarchy, take another risk or two? The occasional injection of character ? perhaps less predictable paintings in the rooms? ? to set against a ubiquitous backdrop of pale, measured perfection.sally.shalam@guardian.co.ukHotelsDevonFamily holidaysBeach holidaysShort breaksUnited KingdomSally Shalamguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Discoe, Kearney Take Moguls Gold
.....Squaw Valley, Calif. (Ski Press)-It was icing on the cake for one, and a new frontier for the other as 2010 gold medalist Hannah Kearney and Joey Discoe took moguls titles at the Sprint U.S. Freestyle Championships at Squaw Valley.Joining Kearney on the podium were two women who picked up the first World Cup wins of their careers this season. Eliza Outtrim (Steamboat Springs, CO), just off a win at World Cup finals in Spain, was second and Heather McPhie (Bozeman, MT) was third.Kearney was happy to share the podium with such distinguished talent."The podium was three individuals who have won a World Cup so you're really skiing against the best in the world, which makes it that much more difficult," Kearney said.The Olympic champ broke out some new moves Friday, throwing a mute grab off the bottom air to freshen up her run and set herself apart from the stiff competition."That was the first time I've ever thrown a mute in competition or qualifying and a new trick, it's always satisfying when that goes well," Kearney said. "I like to try to push myself because I've been stuck in a rut for a few years as far as my tricks go."For Outtrim the day marked another career landmark, which she said she was hoping for after her time in Spain."I've never been on a U.S. Championship podium before, so that's incredible," Outtrim said. "I really wanted to come off the win from last week, ski well here and follow up on that win."As far as her run went, Outtrim was pleased and plans to keep it up."I feel like I messed up my top air a little, but I was really happy with the rest of my run," Outtrim said. "I feel like I'm skiing faster and I've been trying to do that - to push the limits a little bit."Outtrim wasn't the only one making first impressions Friday, as Discoe took down his first Champs podium appearance as well."I'm really excited. It's an amazing feeling and I'm super stoked," Discoe said. "My skiing has been coming together for the last three events with a couple World Cups making the finals. I got a top 10 there and just kept the skiing going into here." Joining Discoe on the podium were Jeremy Cota (Carrabassett Valley, ME) who was second and Michael Morse (Duxburry, MA) who was third.Now with the champs win in Hand, Discoe has a plan for how he can keep his momentum rolling into 2011."Lots of training. I'm going to go home for the summer and take a little bit more of a break to clear my mind and then just get right back into it," Discoe said.Young Cota was also a happy camper on the sunny ski day as he also marked his first appearance on a U.S. Champs podium."It feels great. I skied really well and was happy with the way I skied. I did my harder tricks and landed them, so I was stoked on that. I'm just happy to be on the podium," Cota said.Sprint U.S. Freestyle Championships continue Saturday with men's and women's skier halfpipe and aerials competitions.OFFICIAL RESULTS2010 Sprint U.S. Freestyle ChampionshipsSquaw Valley, CA - March 26, 2010MogulsMen1. Joey Discoe, Telluride, CO, 25.512. Jeremy Cota, Steamboat Springs, CO, 25.413. Michael Morse, Duxbury, MA, 25.304. Reed Snyderman, Winchester, MA, 25.295. Dave DiGravio, Farmington, ME, 25.17Women1. Hannah Kearney, Norwich, VT, 26.372. Eliza Outtrim, Steamboat Springs, CO, 25.413. Heather McPhie, Bozeman, MT. 25.024. Shelly Robertson, Reno, NV, 24.815. Laurel Shanley, Squaw Valley, CA, 24.31
The Authentic Ski Tour: Yellowstone National Park, Day 3
..... Yellowstone, Wyo. (Ski Press)-We drove out in the morning with the mountains going gold in the light, and the deer and the elk beside the road. They jumped the barbed wire fences so lightly, off into the grasslands and the endless views. And there was a little pasture filled with buffalo, and a herd of bighorn sheep working their way back into the hills. ?You wouldn?t go hungry,? I said. And Jeff said, ?And we?re still 20 minutes from Yellowstone.? It was the third leg of my ?Authentic Ski Tour? of Montana?s Yellowstone Country. After a day skiing the rustically exhilarating slopes of Red Lodge with Jeff Carroll, and an evening at the high-end honky tonk hot springs of Chico, we were heading to the crown jewel of America?s national park system: Yellowstone. Founded in 1872, the first national park in the world, just the mention of it filled my head with scenes of spouting geysers, iced over waterfalls and great herds of bison plowing pathways through the snow. ?I think I?m a Teddy Roosevelt Republican,? I suddenly confessed to Jeff (although it was President Ulysses S. Grant who first set the preservation stage by signing Yellowstone?s special status into law), suddenly getting all misty-eyed about our American wild lands, and the kind of politicians interested in preserving our country?s most spectacular and pristine native soil. ?But that?s something that probably doesn?t exist anymore.? ?Have you seen the Ken Burns documentary on the National Parks?? Jeff asked. ?It?s incredible.? We drove in to Yellowstone through Gardiner, Montana, and had only just paid the park ranger when I snapped a photo of a bull elk 10 yards from the car. Then we caught a snowcoach in to the Old Faithful Snow Lodge, with our guide/driver going on about ?geyser geeks,? wolf packs, calderas, wildlife biologists and grizzly bears, and how her parents had first fallen in love working one summer at Yellowstone. She said, ?That?s why I?ve always kind of thought of this as home.? Only 30 minutes into the drive we began to see herd after herd of bison, trudging in single file to a new grassy field, and creating a little Prehistoric-style traffic jam across the road. We saw bubbling gray mud pots, bleached white tree trunks and new green growth from the forest renewing itself. And everywhere there was the atmospheric mist of the geysers and the hot springs billowing in the cold March air. ?That?s one of the reasons I like winter here the best,? our guide/driver said. ?Because it?s so quiet. And the geysers are so much more dramatic at this time of year.? That equal measure of beauty and breathing planet is stunning to see, with the corresponding splendor of creation and damnation everywhere, of unfettered natural law. It?s why on the way out, when we stopped to take photos of two coyotes tearing apart the carcass of an elk, in my notes I wrote, ?Only heaven could be this wild and gorgeous, and this raw and real.? ?Did she also tell you that the bears might also be waking up right now?? asked Doug Wales. The director of marketing for Bridger Bowl, it was Wales who had invited me to Montana, and who had been the most excited about getting out for a cross-country ski on the Yellowstone snow. It was Wales who set me up to use that old joke, ?I don?t have to outrun the bear. Just you two.? But that would have been hard to do. A talented cross-country skier, Wales made it look easy, kicking and gliding up the snow-covered road as Jeff and I fell further and further out of view. Then again out the long, peaceful streamside trail, to the Lone Star Geyser like a throne of magma in the woods, bathing in the sun and a raven?s caws. ?When does it erupt?? ?Every three hours.? ?Every three hours from when?? ?Exactly.? We decided to ski back to watch Old Faithful instead, betting the safe bet. Which paid off like it always does, blasting hot water straight up in an exclamation arc as painters painted, gawkers gawked and video cameras whirred. ?Look at the coyote,? someone said, and there it was, sniffing the seats and then off into the woods as if it had known the geyser?s regular eruption schedule as well. ?That was cool.? That was nature?s entertainment hour, pulling out all the stops in a single day of sky and scenery and sensation in a place where there is no internet and no TV in the rooms. We sat by the fire instead, letting the feeling grow. In the morning we would see those coyotes eating the carcass, more steam from geysers like Yankee Boy and Old Faithful again, and more elk in the river and a swan. And for dinner, we would all order the buffalo. Next: Big Sky. Links: Yellowstone National Park: http://www.nps.gov/yell/index.htm Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowstone_National_Park
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Saturday, July 30, 2011
From goat dragging to folk songs: a Kyrgyzstan festival
A traditional festival at lake Son-Kul in Kyrgyzstan
Viewfinder competition: win a �150 hotel voucher
Name the place and win a �150 voucher from Hotels.com
The Authentic Ski Tour: Bridger Bowl, Day 5
..... Bozeman, Montana (Ski Press)-We linger over coffee and bacon in the Summit Hotel at the base of Big Sky, hoping that the sun will soften the snow. But there is a cloud growing like a purple crown over Lone Peak, like ink into the early blue, and I imagine the high steeps like vertical white lanes custom frozen for human bowling balls. ?It?s slide for life conditions,? said the patroller at the top of Lone Peak when we walked in to see about signing out for the Snowfields. When Dax Schieffer and Doug Wales and I were the only three skiers on the tram that should have been a clue. For me, it?s just as well.� But Dax is devastated. He isn?t going to get to show off some of Big Sky?s most sensational skiing treasures, especially its adventurous alpine bridge to the expansive terrain of Moonlight Basin, and all morning he keeps glancing back up the hill. ?Sorry we didn?t hit it,? I told Dax. And with Lone Peak separating the sky with its cascading terrain like the flanks of a volcano behind him he said, ?How?d you know that?s what I was thinking about right now?? So that then it was just me and Doug driving to Bozeman, eating vinegar chips and drinking Gatorade, and losing count of all the white crosses by the side of the road. It is gorgeous country, expansive and glacial. With hot Augusts and frozen Januarys and sunsets that are among the most beautiful in the world. ?I?m glad to have lived in the East,? was the refrain that I heard. ?But I knew I would live in the West since I first saw the Rockies as a child.? That light going gold and red through the peaks as we drove into Bozeman at the end stop of my Authentic Ski Tour of Yellowstone Country, from Red Lodge to Chico Hot Springs to Yellowstone to Big Sky and now to Bridger Bowl, as I had the sense that I was finally going to ski the most authentic mountain of them all. I asked Doug, ?Who was it that wrote the story for Rolling Stone?? He said, ?Tim Cahill.? Published in 1985, before he became an outdoor writing legend first at Outside Magazine then with books like ?Jaguars Ripped My Flesh? and ?A Wolverine is Eating My Leg,? Cahill enshrined Bridger?s ?Ridge Hippies? in the article ?Going to Extremes ? Adventures in the Endo Zone.? With Bridger Bowl as the setting, the article introduced extreme skiing to much of America, explaining the passion for hiking past the chairs to ski the same chutes and gullies that in the summer you climbed with harnesses and ropes. And it focused on some of North America?s most soon-to-be famous ski astronauts like Tom Jungst, Scot Schmidt and Doug Coombs. That kind of skiing is the industry standard now, with open gates and steep skiing stars from Vermont to Vail. But in 1985, it was revolutionary. And at Bridger, the hike-to access for the Ridge had already been open for 12 years. Add the fact that Bridger Bowl operates as a non-profit, funded by lift tickets and association membership dues (membership being open to any Montana resident 18 years or older) instead of condo sales, and you?ve got a mountain with 100 percent focus on the ski experience, and nothing else. Or as Wales said, ?All of the net profit goes right back into the hill.? In the past few years that net profit has enabled Bridger to continue to lead the way in opening technical terrain, including the rugged Schlasman?s Lift (which you can?t board without a transceiver). It will also result in a new triple chair ? replacing the Deer Park and Bridger lifts next year. On the day we ski, though, the snow that had been baking in the sun for nearly a week is frozen as hard as a coral reef under a cold bank of clouds. On the steeps I feel as if I am at the top of a great frozen wave, trying not to skitter too quickly to the frozen ocean below. ?I?m pretty sure this is the worst day of the year,? Wales said, pointing to the top of the Bridger Lift where the crew has hoisted the Jolly Roger. ?Maybe the last two years.? ?It?s all a matter of degrees,? he said later, still thinking about it on the chair. ?Whether it?s temperatures or steeps, a couple degrees can make all the difference in the world.? Halfway through the afternoon Wales returned to his office to take another phone call about the history of skiing at Bridger. The same way he?s taken my calls for more than a decade, answering questions about open boundaries, avalanche control and now alpine hydration. And I kept skiing because there were still decent slopes, and the lifts haven?t closed. There were still people speeding down the steeps, even hiking the Ridge, and calling out to each other from the chair as if even a day like that there were still nothing better in the world to do. I laughed at the bumper stickers behind the bar at Jimmy B?s Bar and Grill that say, ?Did you move here to be in a hurry?? and, ?Custer was an out-of-stater, too.? At the Montana Ale Works we had bison patty melts and I heard a favorite song by Son Volt that I had never heard sung live before. In the morning it was snowing and I thought, ?what if I stayed for a few days more?? Links Bridger Bowl: www.bridgerbowl.com Montana Ale Works: www.montanaaleworks.com Good Lodging: www.cmoninn.com/midwest-hotel-locations/bozeman/ Special thanks to: Doug, Jeff, Robin, Dax and Colin.
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Snowballs: Vonn Pow, Tracy Exits, Boa Wins Injunction
..... Vail, Colo. (Ski Press)-Even with a fresh gold medal and another World Cup title, few things are as sweet as a fresh powder morning. Three-time World Cup Overall champion and 2010 Olympic gold and bronze medalist Lindsey Vonn enjoyed 11" of fresh snow on Vail Mountain Friday, April 2, 2010. Vail has supported Vonn throughout her ski racing career and Vonn now represents all five of Vail Resorts? mountain resorts, including Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Heavenly. (Photo: Tom Green). Tracy Leaving as Women's Alpine Coach Park City, Utah (Ski Press)-After two successful seasons that included four Olympic medals and multiple Audi FIS World Cup titles, veteran U.S. Ski Team coach Jim Tracy will step down as the team's women's alpine head coach. The former women's head speed coach from 1996-2004, Tracy returned to lead the U.S. women's alpine program following the 2008 season. Tracy's career with the U.S. Team spans over two decades, including working with the men's downhill team for 10 years. "Jim was brought back two years ago to lead the team to a great performance at the Olympics in Vancouver. He leaves knowing that he accomplished that mission," U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association Vice President, Athletics Luke Bodensteiner said. "He has been an amazing coach for the women's team, leading them through some of the greatest landmarks in U.S. skiing history." "I'm stepping aside having been a part of something very special with the women's team over the last two years," said Tracy, who came back to the Team two years ago when then head coach Patrick Riml left to take a position in Canada. "I have had many great friendships and great times and I wish all the best for the athletes as they move forward." Boa Technology Granted Injunction Against Rong Jou China (Ski Press)-Boa Technology Inc. announced that the Regional Court of Munich, Germany, granted a preliminary injunction against Rong Jou Ent. Co Ltd., a Taiwanese company doing business under the name A TOP. The court prohibited Rong Jou from importing, selling, or offering for sale in Germany certain reel and lacing systems shown at the 2010 ISPO Trade Show that infringe Boa Technology?s patent rights under European Patent No.1213981. ?We are very pleased the court has granted this important injunction,? said Gary Hammerslag, CEO of Boa Technology Inc. ?This ruling confirms the importance and strength of our patents that protect our innovative technology. Boa Technology Inc. has developed unique closure systems for footwear and other products for premium brand customers and we are committed to enforcing our patents to protect many years of investment and the superior image associated with our products.?
Cycling from Brittany to Cornwall
Our writer saddled up and headed to Brittany to try out a new cycle trail running from Nantes via Roscoff and Plymouth to Cornwall ? all 560km of itJust round the corner from the handsome bust of the long-dead town mayor, Col John Pine-Coffin, is Bideford's old railway station. It has seen better days. Some ancient rolling stock, squatting on rusty rails above the Torridge estuary, was converted into a tearoom a few years back, and June Berry, a volunteer who runs it largely for the benefit of cyclists, was ruminating over a bacon sarnie. "We're open every day during the season. Except when it rains. She leaks, you see, so we have to shut up shop. There's only so much Mr Vowler, our chief engineer, can do. Unless he gets some more money."Rain was on its way, so I took a pull of tea and looked across Long Bridge, the 24-arch structure that connects the occasionally soggy tearoom, on the east bank, with the rest of town. The Tarka Trail Tearoom is one of many charming stop-offs on the delightful north-south Devon cycle route; it seems a shame that some of the estimated �50bn a year being spent Europe-wide by cycle tourists can't be liberated to shore up this splendid billet. If only old John Pine-Coffin (family motto: tempestate floresco ? "in storms we flourish") were still alive ?My ride had started in France at the western seaport of Nantes a week before and the plan was to cycle the Nantes-Brest canal as part of a coast-to-coast-to-coast journey that would link the Atlantic, the English Channel and the Bristol Channel before ending in Cornwall. I've always been a great fan of Brittany and the west of England so I was delighted to discover that serious Euro-funding was going into Cycle West, a project to promote routes between the two. Plans were unveiled last month for three big itineraries and I was to be the first to test one of them, the "Velodyssey" route between south-east Brittany and south-west England.Few cities can have as elegant an introduction as Nantes: the Erdre and the Loire, lined with chateaux of extraordinary opulence, roll out their green, aqueous carpets into the centre, towards the Ch�teau des Ducs de Bretagne, that mighty monument to pre-revolution France. I left Nantes via the Erdre to get to the Nantes-Brest canal, and was soon trundling at a satisfactory pace along a wide and blissfully traffic-free pathway. I am very much a leisure cyclist, inclined to stop off and mooch around rather than doggedly press on, unlike those suicidal Tour de France guys, who had embarked that very morning from a nearby town in Brittany.I was travelling last minute, hoping to wing it by credit card rather than booking hotels in advance, as I had little idea how far I would wish to cycle, or what interesting places would beckon. By teatime on the first day, after passing Blain, Guenrouet and Redon, all was going a little too well. I had clocked up effortless miles, was building up a big appetite and was now thinking about an ap�ritif and supper, when suddenly the path petered out into a field, near the hamlet of Ile-aux-Pies. I'd missed the crossing to the left bank of the Oust (the canal is interconnected by stretches of river) and found myself going up and up, following misleading signs for another route.After an hour of fruitless climbing and circling I was back on track but discovered I was knackered, having broken all my own rules about taking it easy. The legs were beginning to rebel, the bike and its unfeasibly large panniers had turned to lead, and the arms and thighs were the colour of boiled lobster (where was the damned sun block and apr�s-soleil when you needed it? At home, of course).Eighty miles were now registering on the GPS device. This was hardly the dawdle I had in mind. No matter ? the town of Malestroit was nearby. I'd phone and get a comfortable room and finish the day in style. I'd lunched in Malestroit on a previous trip and fell in love with the narrow gothic and renaissance buildings, the gargoyles and terrifying visages carved into medieval woodwork. But I'd misread the map; not only was Malestroit 20km away, but there was no room at the Cap Horn, and furthermore, I was assured by reception, there was no other accommodation in town.I should have brought my tent! The local phone book did throw up a chambre d'h�te nearby, with one spare room and, if I got a move on, a place for communal dinner. I crossed the river and headed up to St-Martin-sur-Oust. On the edge of the village and hidden behind high walls in its own vast grounds was something unlike any other B&B I'd ever seen: the Ch�teau de Castellan. Dinner was being served by Marie, the aristocratic landlady, and I was ushered straight into the dining room covered in dust, sweat and wearing Lycra. "There's no time to change. We don't mind," she said.I stopped for coffee the following morning in Malestroit, which was, according to the Office de Tourisme, full of chambres d'h�tes and g�tes, but I wouldn't have missed the chateau for all the world. The medieval square was full of cyclists heading south, the sun was out and the wind had dropped.Onwards to Josselin for lunch. This is probably the most scenic place along the route, where the chateau rises straight out of the Oust to three towering peaks. Before Cardinal Richelieu got his hands on the place, and razed six of the nine towers, it must have been one of the most remarkable castles in France. "I have thrown a fine ball among your skittles, monsieur," he gloated to the Rohan family, after they had been deemed a little too powerful.The canal and rivers are green and brown, overhung by dense foliage and lined by hedgerows and vast acres of oaks. Banks of reeds grow for mile upon mile and hours go by without the interruption of cars, though pleasure craft drift lazily past, in and out of the many locks which take you gently upwards towards the For�t de Qu�n�can and the Montagnes Noires.The most delightful stretch is just before the Lac de Guerl�dan near the village of Gouarec, where you briefly leave the river Blavet. The Velodyssey route follows the Nantes-Brest canal until Carhaix-Plouguer, where it links up with the old north-south rail line to Morlaix and the ferry at Roscoff, a 50-mile ride in the dappled shade of yet more traffic-free greenway, or voie verte. None of this quite prepares you for what is to come once you have disembarked at Plymouth. The 8.30am ferry from Roscoff (which runs until the end of October) gets you in at lunchtime, and you take a delightful and gentle ascent of the Plym Valley Path, along the estuary and then the old rail line. But soon the track deposits you on some fairly steep lanes and I climbed, according to the GPS, more than 750m before getting to Lydford, my overnight stop on the edge of Dartmoor, some 25 miles north of Plymouth.The Devon Coast to Coast route, set up many years ago but constantly being improved as new tracks and sections of old line are commissioned, is 102 miles from beginning to end, adding to the 240 or so miles you clock up in Brittany. Sections of it, such as the Granite Way, over the top of Dartmoor and down to Okehampton, and the Tarka Trail, which takes you up the Torridge to Bideford, Barnstaple and Ilfracombe, are as stunningly beautiful as anything the other side of the Channel.Cycle West will also be incorporating Cornwall and the Camel Trail into the itinerary as a possible finish point, which will link via Bude and Bodmin to Padstow. My own trip ended at a rather special B&B on Bodmin Moor ? Cabilla Manor, run by explorer Robin Hanbury-Tenison and his wife Louella. As chance would have it, they did the same route as me on horseback in 1984, and wrote a book about it: White Horses Over France.When the vast peleton of Tour de France 2011 sweeps down the Champs Elys�es tomorrow after three weeks of unremitting hell, I shall cast a casual eye over the TV screen as I flick idly through my guidebooks. As the garlanded victor ludorum of the 98th race takes the podium, I shall be making notes in the margin of the 2011 Michelin Guide Rouge: places to visit on the Not The Tour de France, the second �tape of which will start very shortly.Cycling holidaysBrittanyFranceEuropeDevonUnited KingdomCornwallFood and drinkHotelsMark Porterguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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A Tour to God s own country
Kerala is in southern part of India and is home to some of the beautiful backwater, jaw dropping hills and awesum beaches There are some packages which provide a 7 day tour across the state which is sufficient for a tourist to cover all the most renowned places in Kerala
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43 skateboard magazine campaigns for funds
43 is the skateboard publication devoted to the unfiltered portrait of real skateboarding.
Friday, July 29, 2011
On the Fast Track with Richard Petty at Walt Disney World
Filed under: North America, United States, Traveling the American Road
I'm very interested in loud cars that go really fast, even if I still don't understand NASCAR. Earlier this summer, I drove my road trip ride around the speedway in Watkins Glen. As much fun as it was--lots!--I was itching to get a vehicle up to triple-digit speeds. Near the Magic Kingdom in Orlando, I had that chance, at the Richard Petty Driving Experience.Continue reading On the Fast Track with Richard Petty at Walt Disney WorldOn the Fast Track with Richard Petty at Walt Disney World originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
I'm very interested in loud cars that go really fast, even if I still don't understand NASCAR. Earlier this summer, I drove my road trip ride around the speedway in Watkins Glen. As much fun as it was--lots!--I was itching to get a vehicle up to triple-digit speeds. Near the Magic Kingdom in Orlando, I had that chance, at the Richard Petty Driving Experience.Continue reading On the Fast Track with Richard Petty at Walt Disney WorldOn the Fast Track with Richard Petty at Walt Disney World originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Ned Boulting's alternative Tour de France
Broadcaster Ned Boulting has been following the Tour de France, which starts on Saturday, for almost a decade ? plenty of time to look beyond the race. Here he chooses some of his favourite hotels, restaurants and small towns on this year's routeThe Guardian's interactive guide to the 2011 Tour de FranceIt's a very French Tour de France this year, which isn't as daft as it might sound. In 2007 the race started in London, last year it all kicked off in Rotterdam, and the route happily takes in other neighbours such as Spain, Switzerland and Belgium from time to time. But this year, save for a little excursion across the Alps into Italy, it's gone all Franco-navel-gazing.That often means that it will touch some of the lesser-visited regions of France. In fact, it gets under way on the Passage-du-Gois (stage 1), a causeway which leads from the Vend�e mainland to the spit of low-lying salty land called Noirmoutier. At high tide the road disappears completely. It's a curiously beautiful place, buffeted by the winds whipping off the Bay of Biscay. The last time the Tour went there, I was presented with a small bag of salt from the local tourist board. It lasted years, and was an extraordinary delight. Sometimes I would lick a finger and just dip it into the bag to taste the stuff ? a heady perfumed hit of the ocean.From there, the route passes through Brittany (stages 4 and 5), very close to a campsite which I will be visiting as soon as the race is over for a two-week break with my family. We've been there three times. I'm almost reluctant to publicise it. Camping des Bruyeres (+33 2 98 79 71 76, from ?16 per night), near Le Clo�tre-Saint-Th�gonnec, Finistere, is gloriously isolated, utterly peaceful and exudes a kind of new-age feeling of well-being that makes you come over all Glastonbury without getting muddy. Judi, the Cornish lady who runs it, allows you to light huge wood fires every night (there's a touch of the pyromaniac about her), and every now and then loads up all the kids from the campsite into the back of her battered van to go scavenging at the local municipal dump. Heaven.Then we will be spending a few days knocking around in the Auvergne (stage 9). I once spent a week in a farmhouse near Pleaux. It was as close to the 19th century as I am ever likely to get without the aid of time travel. Our neighbour Madame Magne still lived in a house with a dirt floor and chickens and geese running around her living space. Her son taught me and my friend Josh to scythe. We spent a day trying to clear a yard of overgrown grasses. It took him about 20 minutes. This part of the world can be can be very damp and very green. But Figeac and Aurillac (which hosts the start of stage 10 this year) are among the prettiest towns I've ever visited.From there we head south to Pau (the start of stage 13). Maybe not a "hidden gem", but an interesting place to visit, with its views across the plain to the mountains of the Pyrenees. Invariably the Tour spends a day resting here ? it is the perfect launch pad for the mountains. It seems to be the nexus of all the drugs busts on the Tour. Rasmussen, Vinokourov, Contador ... even Bradley Wiggins' team was sent home from Pau. Stay in the outstanding Hotel Bristol (+33 5 59 27 72 98, hotelbristol-pau.com, doubles from ?81) on rue Gambetta in the middle of town; it's been beautifully refurbished and is run by the friendliest couple on earth. If you remember, over breakfast, ask them if they recall the British TV crew that spent a few chaotic nights there in July 2007. I bet they do.Bagn�res-de-Bigorre. A little spa town in the Pyrenees (near the start of stage 14) which is home to the Laurent Fignon Centre. The great French two-times champion who died last year ran a facility for cycling tourists, from which you can ride out over all the famous Tour climbs. Last time we went there, on last year's Tour we spent the night in the Villa Rose (+33 5 62 34 09 84, villarose65.com, doubles ?150 B&B first night and ?100 subsequent nignts), a boutique hotel so exquisite it made me want to weep with shame as I unpacked my stinking Tour suitcase in its fragrant rooms. A mother and daughter team run it, as well as a home furnishing and antiques shop next door. That's where the decor comes from. Amazing.Montpellier (which hosts stage 15, the team time trial) can be a bit of a mixed bag, and fills up a bit much for my liking. Try not to stay anywhere near the place de la Comedie. But there is one must: a dusty little wine-obsessed restaurant/cellar on rue Collot called the Caves Jean Jaur�s (+33 4 67 60 27 33, around ?30 without wine). Eat there, and drink their wine, with expert somellier service (their ex-somellier Richard has now sadly gone on to the swanky La Tour d'Argent in Paris, but his replacement seems just as competent). The wines are thick and mostly from the south-west. Don't bother looking at the menu ? just order the gazpacho and then the cassoulet. Nothing else matters.The Alps (stages 17, 18 and 19). Each Tour passes through them. But I'll leave the enthusiasm for others. I know they have their fans, but they are not for me. In the summer heat, and especially during the Tour, the mountains simply clog up with human navel fluff. And the food is no good. Cheese and oily meat. Rubbish. And wooden chalets.And so to Paris (stage 21). Plenty of local little tips, including a tiny meat-orientated bistro called La Coude a Coude (46 rue Saint-Honore, +33 1 40 28 15 64) and the anarchist (literally) Le Temps des Cerises (31 rue de la Cerisaie, +33 1 42 72 08 63), where I was once rugby tackled by a waiter. But this is my favourite tip: The Hotel Alison (+33 1 42 65 54 00, hotelalison.com, doubles ?122), where we have always stayed, is near the place de la Madeleine. It was expensively kitted out in the 1970s and has been beautifully maintained ever since. The carpets are deepest chocolate brown, a lot of the other fabrics tend towards orange. The whole thing looks like something out of Mrs Robinson's boudoir in the Graduate. Each bedroom has rubberized ceilings which wobble when you throw something up at them. I stole an ashtray last time I was there. Just as a souvenir. But it's really nice.? Read the Guardian review of How I Won The Yellow Jumper by Ned BoultingFranceCycling holidaysTour de France 2011Tour de FranceCyclingFitnessCyclingFood and drinkHotelsguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Knocked up abroad: the baby-friendly difference
Filed under: Europe, North America, Turkey, United States
Me in Istanbul on Mother's Day, 7 months pregnant, with Dalin baby product mascot
Just over two weeks ago, I made the leap from pregnant American in Istanbul to expat with child. My decision to have my first baby in a foreign country has been met with reactions from friends and strangers ranging from surprise and curiosity to outright disapproval. The transition to new parenthood is a strange and challenging time for nearly everyone, but living in a country that respects pregnant women and worships babies has made all the difference. While baby and child bans are being considered in many places from travel companies like Malaysia Airlines to American restaurants, Turkey remains one big baby-friendly country.
On the surface, Istanbul is not an easy place with a baby. The city is crowded, traffic is terrible and taxi drivers will barely pause to let you run across the street, and the sidewalks are a mini Olympics for a stroller with few ramps, cracked pavement, uneven cobblestones, and endless hills. There's not many green spaces or parks, and for older children, few museums or activities designed for or appealing to kids. It's the people that make the city welcoming to children. I can't walk down the street without a chorus of "Ma?allah" (bless you) and "çok güzel" (how cute!). Crowds form around us in stores of people wanting to kiss the baby, ask questions about her, and give me advice (this is when my limited Turkish is a blessing and I can just smile and nod). Waiters in restaurants coo over her and offer to hold her when I go to the bathroom (note: I'm hyper-aware of being a disturbance for other diners and will always take her out if she starts to fuss). As much as she is adored, the feedback isn't always positive. Some older Turks don't believe young babies should be out in public and think mothers should follow the custom of staying in the house for the first 40 days (our pediatrician says it's fine to go out and we've taken her places nearly every day since she was born). Despite the current 100 degree heat, I'm warned against holding the baby near a fan, in air conditioning or even in front of the refrigerated case in the grocery store, lest she catch a draft.Continue reading Knocked up abroad: the baby-friendly differenceKnocked up abroad: the baby-friendly difference originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Me in Istanbul on Mother's Day, 7 months pregnant, with Dalin baby product mascot
Just over two weeks ago, I made the leap from pregnant American in Istanbul to expat with child. My decision to have my first baby in a foreign country has been met with reactions from friends and strangers ranging from surprise and curiosity to outright disapproval. The transition to new parenthood is a strange and challenging time for nearly everyone, but living in a country that respects pregnant women and worships babies has made all the difference. While baby and child bans are being considered in many places from travel companies like Malaysia Airlines to American restaurants, Turkey remains one big baby-friendly country.
On the surface, Istanbul is not an easy place with a baby. The city is crowded, traffic is terrible and taxi drivers will barely pause to let you run across the street, and the sidewalks are a mini Olympics for a stroller with few ramps, cracked pavement, uneven cobblestones, and endless hills. There's not many green spaces or parks, and for older children, few museums or activities designed for or appealing to kids. It's the people that make the city welcoming to children. I can't walk down the street without a chorus of "Ma?allah" (bless you) and "çok güzel" (how cute!). Crowds form around us in stores of people wanting to kiss the baby, ask questions about her, and give me advice (this is when my limited Turkish is a blessing and I can just smile and nod). Waiters in restaurants coo over her and offer to hold her when I go to the bathroom (note: I'm hyper-aware of being a disturbance for other diners and will always take her out if she starts to fuss). As much as she is adored, the feedback isn't always positive. Some older Turks don't believe young babies should be out in public and think mothers should follow the custom of staying in the house for the first 40 days (our pediatrician says it's fine to go out and we've taken her places nearly every day since she was born). Despite the current 100 degree heat, I'm warned against holding the baby near a fan, in air conditioning or even in front of the refrigerated case in the grocery store, lest she catch a draft.Continue reading Knocked up abroad: the baby-friendly differenceKnocked up abroad: the baby-friendly difference originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
A Deluxe Holiday Retreat For Almost Any Time
A sumptuous paradise through the sea? An attractive winter getaway? You select
Our favourite travel websites
Don't just Google 'holiday'. Here's the Guardian Travel team's list of our all-time favourite websites ? to help take the stress out of planning your next tripFabulous accommodation holidaypad.net If you want to stay in a flying-saucer-shaped cabin in Wisconsin, a windmill on Santorini or a house in the Lake District that featured on Grand Designs, Holiday Pad will sort you out. You can't book directly, so think of it more as inspiration, with links to the websites of unique, unusual places to stay across the globe.i-escape.com We probably mention this lip-smacking site most weeks, but it is our first port of call for gorgeous boutique accommodation around the world. Lots of photos, honest reviews by writers that list what's good and bad about the properties, tons of detail on the place and surroundings, rates through the season and a mix of mid-range to high-price luxury properties make it one of the best out there. And though they're not cheap, they're not all eye-wateringly expensive either. The site currently features a list of bargains for summer, eg this week La Sommita in the stunning white hill town of Ostuni in Puglia, Italy, has 55% off rooms normally costing from ?290 a night in July.tablethotels.co.uk The site for globetrotters who like a teeny bit of glamour, specialising in boutique/ luxury hotels. You can book through the site and there are quirky extras, such as cool soundtracks to listen to while searching, top 10 lists and an "I want to get away" button to click when you just need a break but lack the energy to research destinations. It also features last-minute deals such as rooms at the Apostrophe Hotel in Paris down from ?270 to ?159.welcomebeyond.com For a property to make it on to this site it needs to be architecturally interesting and something of an interior design delight. Choose, say, between a cave in Sicily or a rooftop apartment in Buenos Aires. You can search by location or interest, whether that be culture, nature or simply staring at the (beautifully decorated) walls.sawdays.co.uk All the quaint and lovely places to stay in 17 countries, from the popular guidebook range. A mix of charming little guesthouses, B&Bs, self-catering properties, restaurants with rooms and hotels. There are more than 2,000 in Britain, nearly that many in France and hundreds more in Spain and Italy, Ireland and Portugal. Also see Sawday's latest site, canopyandstars.co.uk, for glamping and quirky accommodation ? gypsy caravans, yurts, safari tents, etc.Campingcampinmygarden.com The concept is simple: people offer their gardens for you to camp in. You can search for suitable sites by event and they range from the basic ? bring a primus ? to the more glamorous, with access to a toilet and kitchen. It's free to join, as is listing your garden, and costs from �5pp per night to stay ? though it may cost more near popular events.goglamping.net Glamping is the latest camping craze ... and this site, an offshoot of Holiday Pad, has the pick of the crop, from camps with four-posters next to Lake Garda to a safari-style retreat near Sydney and a collection of Airstream caravans in Cornwall. It currently features 110 in the UK and a scattering around the world, that are being added to all the time. pitchup.com This website screams "camping is fun!" You can scour campsites close to festival spots or search for one best suited to your interests, whether that's hiking, families or naturism. Once you've found a site you can check availability and book online.Discounts and dealsIt's not just cut-price eyebrow threading and bargain military fitness sessions that can drop into your inbox. Holiday companies are getting in on the act of collective buying power through groupon.com and the like, which deliver a list of deals that have to be booked that day, or within the next few days, and which only become active when enough people sign up to them. Good for spa breaks, country-house hotels, activity weekends.An alternative is voyage-prive.co.uk, which fires off weekly emails featuring loads of heavily discounted trips to really nice-looking hotels in the boutique/luxury vein ? you then have five days to book before the opportunity is lost. Recent deals have included 68% savings on five nights at Koh Samui's Kanok Buri Resort and Spa, right on the beach, and 41% off a seven-night Tyrolean valley break, with half-board at the Hotel Sonnschein in the Kitzb�hel Alps.vouchercode.co.uk This site gathers together every discount voucher code on offer. So if you weren't aware that Hotels.com were offering 10% off bookings at a given time then Voucher Code is for you. It gives you a code, which then takes you direct to the provider's site ? you enter the code at checkout. Sign up and you get a weekly email with the latest deals.ilovecashback.com This takes the idea of cashback to a whole new level: search for a holiday on the site to find the best deal, get the voucher code, receive the discount at the provider's website, then ilovecashback also gives you a portion of the revenue from advertising the deal.livingsocial.com To make the most of this site you need a lots of friends, but be motivated by inherently selfish reasons. Sign up to the site for your city and each day receive a discount for a local business. Buy it, and then share the info with your friends. If enough of them buy it too, your deal will be free.Budget accommodation airbnb.com This site is particularly useful for trips to cities like New York, where it is really hard to find good cheap accommodation. Rather than splurging on a tiny designer room, or slumming it in a hostel, why not borrow a local's gorgeous loft apartment at a bargain rate, or stay in their spare room? Launched in 2008 and now covering 181 countries, airbnb lets you meet locals and experience a bit of real life.Many other websites are getting in on the borrow-a-home concept, including istopover.com and crashpadder.com. The first generation of meet-the-locals websites ? including couchsurfing.org, stay4free.com and hospitalityclub.org,? still have a large online community and are good for meeting people in thousands of cities, either for a drink or to crash on their sofa or in a spare room for the night.intervac.co.uk This home exchange service has been around so long that members used to correspond by telephone and snail mail, and it claims many second-generation members. You pay �50 to join for a year, but that gives you access to 30,000 rated and recommended listings, which you can view in no more than two clicks. Also try homeexchange.com and, of course, the Guardian's home exchange (guardianhomeexchange.co.uk).Cheap flightsThere is no simple formula for finding absolutely the cheapest flight. You have to shop around, and you need to book early. But there are comparison sites to help you. Cheapest flights to western European destinations tend to cost between �50 and �100 return, long-hauls to Asia and the US from �500 (though look out for off-season bargains), South America from �700 upwards. These are the sites we go to first to compare flights:kayak.co.uk Great for comparing the cost of flights from different airlines all over the world. If you get a tad frustrated searching hundreds of travel sites, let Kayak do it for you; it also pulls up the best-value flights, hotels and car hire deals from sites such as Expedia and Opodo. It also has an interactive flight price map and a fare tracker. It's not a beautiful site but it's speedy, functional and takes the hard work out of trip planning.flycheapo.com If you've ever wondered which budget airline flies to which airport in Europe but passed out at the thought of searching for hours on Google, flycheapo will come up with the answer. Though not quite 100% reliable in our experience, it's better than most. Type in where you start and where you want to finish and the site does the rest. You can't book or search available dates so it's a starting point to check out individual airlines rather than a booking site.skyscanner.net Another good flight comparison site. One handy feature lets you choose the dates you want to go away ? for a short break, a week or longer ? and it will bring up some of the cheapest flights available all over Europe, in ascending order ? good if you aren't sure where you want to go or are just looking for a bargain.hipmunk.com This chirpy new site displays results in easy-to-understand form. Flights, including those using multiple carriers, are displayed on a timeline and accommodation options (including those offered by sites such as airBnB) on a map. So instead of multiple pages of information you see everything at a glance.Adventurous tripsWant to bore your friends to tears with tales of "the most amaaaaaazing" place ever? Even if you'd rather go independently and set up a trip yourself than pay an adventure operator you can get great ideas by perusing the sites of the most inventive adventure operators. We love Wild Frontiers (wildfrontiers.co.uk), Mountain Kingdoms (mountainkingdoms.com), High and Wild (highandwild.co.uk), On The Go Tours (onthegotours.com) and the sheer volume of options from Explore (explore.co.uk) and Exodus (exodus.co.uk).aito.co.uk The Association of Independent Tour Operators brings lots of great small tour operators together on one website. All offer interesting independent or group tours, lovely accommodation, adventurous breaks and inspiration and you can search for them by destination or type of holiday. All the operators on here offer financial protection for their trips too, and often have last-minute deals. Many specialise in certain places (Journey Latin America, Inside Japan); others in a certain sort of break (Arblaster & Clarke Wine Tours, Regaldive). Many have their own Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, forums and YouTube pages where you can learn more.Last-minute package dealstravelrepublic.co.uk For packaging up your own cheap or last-minute combination of flights, car hire and accommodation. Other sites worth looking at are directline-holidays.co.uk, travelzoo.com/uk, travelsupermarket.com and hotels.com.Eco/Green/Volunteeringmuchbetteradventures.com The premise is to support local businesses and reward those who embrace ethical practices by rating companies according to their eco-values. The site gathers ? and vets ? independent adventure providers in one place and quickly sums up why they make the grade, then you can book direct and leave your own comments afterwards.helpx.net Register as a HelpXer for free ? premier membership is ?20 ? and you can view the postings of hundreds of primarily organic farms, B&Bs and homestays around the world who will offer accommodation and food, in exchange for your help for about four hours a day. It's so simple to navigate, you'll find yourself herding sheep in New Zealand within 24 hours.workaway.info This is similar to HelpX, but with a broader spectrum of placements, including just lending a helping hand in people's private homes (doing the garden and babysitting, say), in return for food and lodging. Though be warned, hosts vary wildly; you might get your own luxurious lodge room, then again you might end up on a bed in a garage.wwoof.org Find free board and lodging in return for a bit of graft on gorgeous organic farms, all over the world (yes that means Hawaii, Uganda and Ecuador, as well as the more obvious Italian homesteads).greentraveller.co.uk This site puts you in touch with green hotels and holidays across Europe, everything from treehouses to agriturismos, and you can choose via activity if you prefer. You can research train and ferry routes before being taken to an external provider to book your chosen route.responsibletravel.com Providing holidays with the emphasis on grassroots initiatives and local providers, it has a huge swathe of lovely trips ? from Costa Rica to Senegal, via Bulgaria and good old Wales. Companies are screened for their compliance with environmental, social and economic criteria.City guidesinyourpocket.com Brilliant for winkling out weird, esoteric or just plain wonderful places in European cities, especially eastern Europe.timeout.com An obvious one for London, New York, western Europe, but did you know they also cover Beijing, Bucharest, Israel and Omsk?lecool.com Simply the best for arts events, clubbing, pop-ups, supperclubs, poetry and anything arch, ironic, eccentric or a bit mad in London, Barcelona, Vienna, Budapest, Dublin, Lisbon, Madrid, Paris, Moscow and Istanbul. One of our all-time faves.Useful servicesrentalocalfriend.com Not got any friends where you're going? Then hire one. On this site, brainchild of Brazilian journalist Alice Moura, you can request a personal welcome to the city of your choice ? or some online guidance beforehand. Rates vary depending on the guide and how much time you would like, but tours are personalised and payment is taken at the end.parkatmyhouse.co.uk OK, it's not exactly glamorous, but this ingenious site allows you to rent a residential driveway or garage in 10,000 locations around the world. You can book for the day, week or longer, and sites are reviewed by previous users. And if there are no listed driveways it brings up the nearest car park instead.tripbod.com If you haven't got time to plan your six-month South American expedition, call in someone who can. Tripbod launched in 2009 with the aim of teaming travellers up with a vetted local with similar interests at their destination, who can offer pre-trip advice and local knowledge for anything from an arty weekend to two weeks' mountain biking. Prices start from �16 for a one-day trip.globetrooper.com A forum for helping you find a travel partner, but complete with pictures and good layout. You post the trip you're planning and invite others with similar interests to join you. If you're looking for an adventure, it's a great place to start and offers the opportunity to travel with others without sacrificing the flexibility of solo travel, as you can hop in and out of trips as you fancy.Travel knowledgegloborati.com Want to know what's new in luxury travel? This site, founded by a contributing editor to Cond� Nast Traveler, offers luxurious travel porn that will give you great ideas for destinations ? even if you can't afford them.tnooz.com Everything you need to know about what's developing in travel technology, from which hotels have launched online check-in in exchange for an upgrade (Harrah's, Las Vegas) to new apps.hotelchatter.com Hotel news, reviews, openings, closings, advice and surveys in one busy, chatty website, written in a gossipy style. There's a lot of bitching about big American chains failing to open their latest style hotel on time ? so it's not for everyone ? but we first learned about the cheap new Avo Hotel in Dalston, London (avohotel.com), on here, so it's worth keeping an eye on.pocketvillage.com Find inspiration on this site, which collects the offers of niche travel providers from around the globe, and has a search engine that lets you enter individual specifications ? duration, budget, activity. It amounts to a pretty slick product for the often fragmented adventure travel market.meetplango.com Thinking of a travel career break? Meet Plan Go has most bases covered, from helping you gather the courage to jack in your job, to offering planning tips, inspirational advice, testimonies and support.Travel websitesBudget travelHotelsCampingFlightsAdventure travelWorking holidaysCity breaksSusan Greenwoodguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Bon Sol resort, Mallorca
The Bon Sol resort cascades down the side of a hill in Illetas Bay, though you would hardly know it. Let me explain.My accommodation, a standard double with a blacony and sea view, was in the main section of this hill-perched hotel. There are several places to dine, but despite being on a hill I could take breakfast at the beach side restaurant, but getting there is quite a treck.It means catching a lift to the reception, crossing a road and descending 200 steps through various garden terraces.Alternatively I could hitch a ride on a lift to a sweet smelling, beautifully tiled subterranean tunnel passing a tiny chapel and the odd antique to bypass the outdoors. Either way the jaunt takes at least 10 minutes and to get to the beach level yet still have to pass through a tropical garden, a waterfall, some signs pointing to French boules, tennis and squash courts (which I never did locate), a couple of outdoor swimming pools and kid's pool and a series of beach side villas to have breakfast (or lunch or dinner for that matter). This overlooks the privately owned horseshoe of wave-whishing sandy beach and the Balearic Sea. Ironically, it's easy to miss the entrance to the Bon Sol. The entrance is Paseo de Illetas. It is a glass doorway is reached by a set of ten stone steps and through an arch adorned with carvings of all manner of facial expressions and framed with flowers and foliage. It is a smallish area and gives no hint of the unfolding, sprawling mass of this resort. But if not for Antonio Xamena, originally from Felanitx, it may never have existed at all.Antonio's wife, Roger, was lonely in Mallorca, a place he loved. So he came up with the idea of combining the well-being of his wife with his love of this mountainous sea enveloped land. They would develop a hotel. They bought a villa that once belonged to Castle Bendinat in a small bay in Illetas, around five miles from the capital, Palma.The 14-bedroomed Bonsol hotel accepted its first guests In 1953. The next year, Errol Flynn stayed awhile and though it was becoming more popular, it didn't have the sea frontage so revered by holidaymakers. Undeterred, Antonio bought all the land down to the beach and developed a complex of villas with restaurants and pools. But to get there from the main reception guests had quite an arduous trek. So the underground tunnel was born.The Bon Sol comprises 240 beds within a range of suites and villas and is now run by Antonio's son Martin together with wife Lorraine and son Alejandro. Together they are building on a superb legacy of hospitality ensuring that each guest exchanges pleasantries with at least one of them every day.At check-in everyone is given a map and welcome drink voucher to be taken at the bar, a room of dark wood, burgundy chairs, just off the reception area. This incidentally morphs into a dance floor later when the atmosphere brightens up with dimmed lighting and the rhythms of live singers churning out easy-listening music.I took a few minutes to relax in the bar's flowery al fresco terrace to devour the map. There are 20 places discover, apart from the bedroom, and I needed apply my internal compass to get my bearings.The d�cor in the hill top segment of the resort is very much Spanish Castilian in style. Wood floors, low beamed ceilings, red carpets, light stone walls, chairs with burgundy upholstery, and precious porcelain and antiques in nooks and crannies.From the top of the main staircase, a series of steps lead left and right. To the right is a bright winter garden conservatory for informal meals. This leads to an outdoor pool and Jacuzzi. Elsewhere on the first floor another glass door leads to a fabulously lush mini-golf complex. A sitting room and a library are superbly decorated in relaxing muted colours with antiques, exotic adornments from as far afield as Burma and Thailand and some bizarre object d'arts that the couple picked up on their world travels. Many of the paintings were inherited: an uncle had restored a monastery in Felanitx and these were a gift from the grateful monks. Within these rooms are a golfer's corner (Martin sorts out rounds of golfs to the Bendinat golf course at preferential rates) and a cards room.A couple of floors down are the yoga and exercise rooms. The classes are taken by Lorraine in candle-lit, soft- hued rooms. The gym, small but adequate, is on another part of the resort. A lift opens straight onto it. A brown door opens up into a solarium with three sauna's and steam room, a wet room and flash cold shower area. This is where a snooze on a cushioned sunbed in front of glass windows was inevitable. To refresh I went through French doors onto the terrace for a dip in the plunge pool and a jacuzzi. The spa and beauty parlour is one floor down. All sorts of anti-stress, anti-cellulite, anti-aging and anti-anything bad treatments are available.There are several dining options but we opted for formal dining in Las Antorchas restaurant, a room clad with chandeliers, stone walls and medieval lanterns. Staff were courteous and noticed a theme in the items we were ordering. "Are you vegetarian?" the waitress asked and offered a vegetarian menu.Indeed, the whole experience is a very civilized affair. Even the suits of armour that stand guard at strategic places amusingly don a skirt for modesty reasons.Being a short walk to Illetas's public beach and a ten minute drive to Palma and the harbour area means being able to combine the slow, traditional pace of the resort with everything that the Mallorcan day and night life offers.USEFUL LINKS:Hotel Bon Sol More hotels in IlletasMore hotels in MallorcaFind flights to Palma de MallorcaCheap Flights with Budget Airlines15 July 2011
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No April Fool's - 3 Feet of Fresh at Squaw
.....Squaw Valley, Calif. (Ski Press)-No fooling, a strong storm has left up to 3 feet of new snow at Squaw Valley USA in the last 36 hours. A chance of snow showers remain in the forecast in the days ahead, providing continued fresh ski conditions. Squaw will be open through May 9th, with superb springtime skiing and snowboarding, and a host of spring events, including weekly pool parties at the spectacular High Camp Swiming Lagoon and Spa, and fun events like the annual Billy Dutton Uphill Race on April 11th, and the Lake Cushing Classic Pond Crossing. SEASON STATS To date this season, Squaw Valley USA has received over 428? or more than 35 feet of snow on the upper mountain. Current base depths measure 139-151? on the upper mountain.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Riding the rails in Wales: a steam train into the Welsh hills
Filed under: Europe, United Kingdom, Transportation
If you like old trains, you're going to love Wales. The region has several narrow-gauge steam locomotives. The website Great Little Trains of Wales tells you about ten of them traveling various routes around the country. Most are clustered in the north and west, which most travelers say has the best scenery.
Having never been on a steam train and knowing it would be a guaranteed hit with our five-year-old son, we took the Vale of Rheidol Railway from Aberystwyth up into the Welsh hills to Devil's Bridge. Our train, the Prince of Wales, dates to the 1920s and has been lovingly restored. It makes the 12-mile run in about an hour.
We set off to much chugging and hooting, which was taken up by all the children on board. As we cleared the station we saw that strangest of British animals, a trainspotter, filming our departure. Leaving Aberystwyth and the trainspotter behind, we picked up speed and soon started to ascend into the hills. Parts of the route are very steep and winding, which is why a narrow-gauge is used, and goes along the southern side of the Vale (Valley) of Rheidol. To our north the valley opened up to view, a gleaming strip of river winding far below, and here and there a farm. Only a few farms and houses stood near the rails and most of the time we were in countryside. A Red Kite flew by looking for prey. The engineer said that buzzards are a common sight too.
Gallery: Steam train to Devil's BridgeContinue reading Riding the rails in Wales: a steam train into the Welsh hillsRiding the rails in Wales: a steam train into the Welsh hills originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 28 Jul 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
If you like old trains, you're going to love Wales. The region has several narrow-gauge steam locomotives. The website Great Little Trains of Wales tells you about ten of them traveling various routes around the country. Most are clustered in the north and west, which most travelers say has the best scenery.
Having never been on a steam train and knowing it would be a guaranteed hit with our five-year-old son, we took the Vale of Rheidol Railway from Aberystwyth up into the Welsh hills to Devil's Bridge. Our train, the Prince of Wales, dates to the 1920s and has been lovingly restored. It makes the 12-mile run in about an hour.
We set off to much chugging and hooting, which was taken up by all the children on board. As we cleared the station we saw that strangest of British animals, a trainspotter, filming our departure. Leaving Aberystwyth and the trainspotter behind, we picked up speed and soon started to ascend into the hills. Parts of the route are very steep and winding, which is why a narrow-gauge is used, and goes along the southern side of the Vale (Valley) of Rheidol. To our north the valley opened up to view, a gleaming strip of river winding far below, and here and there a farm. Only a few farms and houses stood near the rails and most of the time we were in countryside. A Red Kite flew by looking for prey. The engineer said that buzzards are a common sight too.
Gallery: Steam train to Devil's BridgeContinue reading Riding the rails in Wales: a steam train into the Welsh hillsRiding the rails in Wales: a steam train into the Welsh hills originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 28 Jul 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Give the dog a room
The silly season is almost upon us, and so we bring you our first ? but hopefully not the last ? animal-related travel story of the summer: the launch of Chien Bleu, the UK's first luxury tour operator for travellers and their dogs.The French name may give it a certain Gallic sophistication ? at least we assume that's the thinking ? but all 30 hotels road-tested by owner Erin Boyd and her trusty golden labrador, Blue, are actually in the UK.Gems include the Pampering Pet Package at the Milestone Hotel in Kensington, west London, where the room service menu features steak and Cumberland sausage ? for the dog, that is ? and Blagdon Manor in Devon, whose "locally baked gourmet dog biscuits" are a highlight of any stay.The PR couldn't resist slipping in a few doggy puns into the press release ? "pawfect" breaks, hotels have the "paw of approval" from Blue (Erin's dog ? keep up!), although there are disappointingly few puns on the website. It makes up for this oversight with a rather splendid selection of photos of Blue posing on an array of pristine cream sofas, armchairs and beds, as if to prove just how dog-friendly these hotels are.We look forward to bringing you more on non-human travel over the coming weeks.? Chien Bleu's websiteHotelsPetsAnimalsUnited Kingdomguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Yo ho ho! Join Cornwall's sea shanty festival
Old sea dogs gather for the Falmouth sea shanty festival
Worst sentence of 2011
...chopping her sparrow-like thoughts into bloody pieces that fell onto a growing pile of forgotten memories.
Skiinfo: Return of the Big Snowfalls
..... Global Snow (Ski Press)-Skiinfo.co.uk reports that there has been fresh snow across much of Europe and North America in the past few days with many resorts in the Alps and the Pyrenees reporting at least 30cm (a foot) of new snow.The snowfall is continuing today with more fresh snow across both continents. Italy has seen some of the most snow in the past few days, especially in the north of the country. Two thirds of powder alarms issued today for snowfall of more than 20m in 24 hours have been issued for the country, with Limone reporting 60cm (two feet). Temperatures have dropped dramatically from up to 20 degrees last week to sub-zero temperatures by the weekend and more snow is forecast for the rest of the week. Arabba Marmolada has the deepest snow with a five metre (nearly 17 feet) of snow with the Pragelato glacier having 430cm (14.3 feet) and Courmayeur 330cm (11 feet) of snow. Germany had a snowy weekend with more than 30 powder alarms. Most of them were issued in the central and southern uplands (Sauerland, Harz and Black Forest). Gaby Baur of the Black Forest Tourism Board told the regional broadcasting corporation (SWR), ?The current winter season is one of the best we ever had.? The Allg�u saw some remarkable snowfalls, too. On Sunday Grasgehren there even reported the weekend?s biggest snowfall in Germany with 50cm (20 inches) of fresh powder within 24 hours. The Zugspitze had 20cm the same day. Oberstdorf had already reported 30cm (a foot) of powder on Saturday. Today (Wednesday) Austrian ski resorts like Gro�glockner, Katschberg and Ankogel reported another 10-15cm (4-6 inches) of new snow. S�lden got 9cm. The M�lltal glacier issued a powder alarm because of 20cm (eight inches) of fresh powder. Ski resorts in Switzerland were also busy issuing powder alarms on Sunday. Andermatt-Gotthard did so because of 20cm of freshly fallen snow. Peter Heinzer, director of Andermatt Gotthard Sportbahnen, told Skiinfo, ?It?s hardly possible to describe the snow conditions here without using many superlatives,? and so he described the ?finest powder snow? and ?unique skiing conditions.? France turned very cold on Sunday and the south of the country received some significant snowfalls, especially for March.� For example, in the Gard department (Southern France),�40cm of powder in the valleys, which at this time of year and in such volume has not happened since 1974. The Winter X Games Europe kick off in Tignes today for the very first time. Tignes was chosen to host this key event in freestyle ski and snowboard until March 12th.� Chamonix still has the deepest snow in the country with 407cm (13.5 feet), La Grave la Meije has 330cm (11 feet) and La Rosi�re 1850 290cm (nearly 10 feet). There have been big snowfalls in Pyrenees, and the nearby city of Barcelona ground to a standstill due to the weekend snowstorm.� Sierra Nevada continues to have the greatest snow depth in Europe with five metres on their upper slopes. This week this most southern resort in Europe will host the European Freestyle Championship gathering the best freestyle riders (ski and snowboard) in the disciplines of moguls and skicross. The Pyrenees are still looking very nice with more than 2mof snow on the top of the slopes with Boi Taull having the most with three metres.� Formigal has the most terrain open in the region with 240cm (eight feet) on upper slopes and 136km of trails open.� In Canada Banff-Lake Louise has just been named Top North American Spot for Spring Skiing by The New York Times (February 28, 2010) and received another dump of 25cm (10 inches) of fresh powder overnight.
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Join the Conversation
When it comes to once in a lifetime travel experiences, do you simply dream, or do you plan? Hawaiian outfitter OluKai poses these and other travel questions on its new interactive Talk Story web page. According to the site, "Every culture has it?s own way of sharing information. In the islands, it?s an informal conversation known as ?talk story?. It?s about slowing down and taking the time to share ideas, stories, history and opinions with the people around you." Browse inspirational travel photos, videos, and join the conversation yourself at talkstory.olukai.com.
For more on OluKai products, read one ISLANDS editor's recent review of some of the company's bestselling island footwear.
For more on OluKai products, read one ISLANDS editor's recent review of some of the company's bestselling island footwear.
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Exploring the Welsh coast: Aberaeron and New Quay
Filed under: Europe, United Kingdom
Yesterday I mentioned that Aberystwyth is a good base from which to explore western Wales. On our second day in Wales my wife, son, and I hopped on a local bus and went south down the Welsh coast to the ports of Aberaeron and New Quay. Aberaeron is about 40 minutes from Aberystwyth and New Quay is only about 20 minutes further south from Aberaeron.
While we didn't have long in Aberaeron, we liked this tidy little Welsh town with its brightly painted houses and fine view of the sea. There are plenty of shops, restaurants, and pubs and we got the impression that it might be a better place to stay than Aberystwyth. Like in Aberystwyth, we heard a lot of people speaking Welsh. Most signs are in both languages. It's nice to know that the language is surviving in the age of globalized English.
At New Quay we stopped for lunch at a pub on a cliff overlooking a sandy beach and broad harbor. The view was nice but service was slow and the food substandard. Sadly, this was the case with all too many of our meals in Wales, even though we usually followed local advice as to where to eat.
Gallery: The Welsh coastContinue reading Exploring the Welsh coast: Aberaeron and New QuayExploring the Welsh coast: Aberaeron and New Quay originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 27 Jul 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Yesterday I mentioned that Aberystwyth is a good base from which to explore western Wales. On our second day in Wales my wife, son, and I hopped on a local bus and went south down the Welsh coast to the ports of Aberaeron and New Quay. Aberaeron is about 40 minutes from Aberystwyth and New Quay is only about 20 minutes further south from Aberaeron.
While we didn't have long in Aberaeron, we liked this tidy little Welsh town with its brightly painted houses and fine view of the sea. There are plenty of shops, restaurants, and pubs and we got the impression that it might be a better place to stay than Aberystwyth. Like in Aberystwyth, we heard a lot of people speaking Welsh. Most signs are in both languages. It's nice to know that the language is surviving in the age of globalized English.
At New Quay we stopped for lunch at a pub on a cliff overlooking a sandy beach and broad harbor. The view was nice but service was slow and the food substandard. Sadly, this was the case with all too many of our meals in Wales, even though we usually followed local advice as to where to eat.
Gallery: The Welsh coastContinue reading Exploring the Welsh coast: Aberaeron and New QuayExploring the Welsh coast: Aberaeron and New Quay originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 27 Jul 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Wednesday, July 27, 2011
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