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Destinations
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Thursday, 19 August 2010 12:12 |
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About the city
The crowd is attracted to sparkling ski slopes of the Alps, sunlit vineyards and sun-baked beaches of this beautiful country. France is a country which draws more tourists than any other country. It is easy to see why this is the case given Frances great reputation for fine wines, good food, high fashion and relaxed lifestyle. But while France is undoubtedly a place to eat and drink till your heart is content, there's much more to this fascinating country than only cutting-edge cuisines. Spring is the best time to be here, and those interested in winter sports can drop at the Alps and Pyrenees with some polar gear. The summers are very hot and winters are moderate. An all-weather coat and pair of comfortable shoes are a must. Women, especially, should carry cocktail dresses as some of the restaurants ask for it. When visiting any religious site, refrain from wearing sleeveless shirt and shorts, as they are disliked at such places.
Culture
English is widely spoken here, although French is the official language. Handshaking is customary greeting and women should be kissed on both cheeks and should be addressed as Monsieur or Madame. French people are popularly known for their like for stylish sportswear and of course perfumes. Nudism is allowed on some beaches only. Social functions, fine restaurants, and clubs call for more formal dressing. When at a formal dinner, wait till the host gestures to start the dinner. Smoking is banned in public places.
Site Seeing
Paris, the city of love, is a massive city with many attractions in reachable distance thanks to thehighly efficient public transport system. It boasts of more than 80 museums and 200 arts galleries. A trip to Disney land and the magnificent Eiffel tower will make the trip worthwhile. The attractive tourists spots are the Arc de triomphe which spans over the tomb of an unknown soldier, the forbidding gothic architecture of the Notre Dame cathedral, the picturesque Sacre Coeur, to Leonardo da Vincis Mona Lisa, the Moulin Rouge and boat tours along the Seine. Get the Carte Musees-Monuments pass, which gives access to 70 monuments and museums.
Shopping
Although service tax is included in the bill, a humble tip wont cost much. An extra dollar can be given as tip to the waiter. A tip of $2 can be left for the bus drivers. Electricity
220-volt, 50-cycle AC current.
Getting There
The national airline that operates here is Air France. Many low-cost airlines, too, provide services from UK. Paris-Charles de Gaulle also known as Roissy-Charles de Gaulle is the major airport of France, which is 23km away from the city. Coaches, taxis, limousines services are provided at the airport. The railway facility provided by the airport, claims to reach all the terminals within eight minutes. These trains run 24 hours. The other airports that offer flight services are Paris-Orly, Marseille, Bordeaux, Nice, Lyon and Toulouse.
Ferry and cruise trips can be made from ports such as Atlantic, North Sea, Mediterranean, and Havre.
Duty Free Items
1. 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 100 cigarillos or 250g of tobacco
2. 1liter of spirits over 22 per cent or 2liter of alcoholic beverage up to 22 per cent
3. 2liter of wine
4. 50g of perfume and 250ml of eau de toilette
5. 500g of coffee or 200g of coffee extract
6. 100g of tea or 40g of tea extract
Food and agricultural products should be avoided.
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Thursday, 19 August 2010 12:10 |
About the Country
Finland is a country of islands, lakes, and forests. The modern capital city of Finland is Helsinki and is filled with museums and galleries. In summers, sun never sets here and vice versa in the winters.
Culture
While in Finland, greet the locals by a handshake. The people here are quite reserved and dont open up easily. Leave shoes outside the house when going over to someones house. It is customary to wait till the toast is being raised at the dinner table. Host raises the toast by saying kippis or skol. People dress casually most of the times.
Travel
Finnair is the national airline of Finland. Other airlines that fly to Finland are Air France, Air Canada, Cathay Pacific, American Airline, British Airways, KLM, Swiss airline, Lufthansa, and United airlines. The major airport of Finland is Helsinki airport. It is 19km away from the city and it takes about 25 minutes to get to the city from the airport. Finnair provides buses for the passengers. Taxis and hotel coaches are also available. The facilities provided at the airport are duty free shops, car hire, bank, hotel reservation service, conference room, restaurant, and a multimedia center. Other than Helsinki airport, there are about 22 other airports and Blue 1 is the domestic airline which operates within Finland. Times to time cheap offers are being announced by the airlines. Prior checking of such offers will prove to be of great help.
If deciding to go by the sea, ferry services are provided and the major ports are Naantali, Vaasa and Turku. These ferries connect to Rostock, Kapellskr, Grisslehamn, and Travemnde. Some of the cruises offer small cabins along with the provision of meals if staying aboard overnight.
Trains from St Petersburg and Moscow can also be boarded. All the trains are clean and very comfortable. Car-carrier trains also operate in Finland. Traveling by rail proves to be inexpensive and efficient and also great options for enjoying sight seeing. Avail the unlimited train travel offer of Inter-Rail pass or Eurailpass. There are offers for elderly people and children, check them out.
When traveling by road there are chances of running into an elk or reindeer. In such cases, police should be reported immediately. Blowing horn for small reasons should be avoided. Keep your car to the right. Gas stations accept credit cards. Laws about seat belt and drinking while driving should be strictly followed. Extra precautions must been taken if taking caravan along. National driving license or International Driving Permit and car insurance must be there with you at all times. Coach Service is also available and connects to even the remote places. Taxis can be hired at the airport and railway stations and tipping is considered offensive here. Check out agents in Helsinki who run a rent-a-car business for hiring cars.
Duty Free Items
1. 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250g of tobacco or 100 cigarillos
2. 50g of perfume and 250ml of eau de toilette
3. 2litre of alcoholic beverages of less than 22 per cent by volume or 1litre of alcoholic beverages of more than 22 per cent by volume, 2litre of sparkling wine and 16litre of beer
4. 100g of tea or 40g of tea extract and essence and 500g of coffee or 200g of coffee extract or essence
Tobacco and alcohol can be carried by people over 18 years of age. Agricultural and food items should be avoided. Certain medicines require a doctors prescription for verification. Firearms and sharp objects are strictly prohibited.
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Thursday, 19 August 2010 12:09 |
The History of Cyprus is certainly a very interesting one. Cyprus is one of the most popular tourist destinations within the Mediterranean. It is the third largest island within the Mediterranean and it started off as a former British Colony. Whilst over 2 million tourists flock there each year, hardly anybody knows the true history behind the country. By understanding the history it allows you to appreciate the way of life and the culture of Cyprus a whole lot more.
How Cyprus Has Evolved
Cyprus has always been a country full of love and war. According to a myth, the goddess Aphrodite was born within the country and she represented beauty and love. If you think of the word “Aphrodisiac” you will see that it closely matches the goddesses name and it is thought that was where the word actually came from.
Aphrodite is actually the reason why so many couples now flock to the island. They believe that the island is one of the most romantic of them all and it is a particular favourite when it comes to wedding destinations. The myth is that if you get married in Cyprus you will have a happy and everlasting marriage. Of course whether that is true or not remains to be seen but there is no denying that the setting is very romantic.
It has only been in the last twenty years that evidence has been found regarding ancient Cyprus and what might have gone on. According to research and finding, the earliest people to be in Cyprus were known as “Aetokremnos” and they lived mainly on the islands south coast. That was roughly in the year 10,000 BC. At the same sort of time there were findings that have suggested that there were two quite short lived populations on the east and the west coasts of the island too. However not much is known about the two or how they died out.
The most interesting thing about Cyprus’s history is that there seems to be a gap between the ancient population and the more settled population in 8200 BC. It is a mystery what happened to them and it is something that archaeologists would love to find out.
Generally the history of Cyprus involves people capturing the island, purchasing the island and fighting over the island. In 1192 “Guy of Lusignan” a French knight, purchased the island because he had recently lost his own kingdom to the Templars.
It wasn’t until 1960 that Cyprus actually gained independent status. By this time there were two main populations living happily on the island and they were the Greeks and the Turks. The Cyprus flag was developed in the same year and it represents two olive branches under a picture of the island and that is to symbolise peace. Before the independence of the island it was packed full of violence and war.
However the peace did not last long and there was a Turkish invasion of the island in the 1970’s. They were not happy living side by side with the Greeks and so they took the law into their own hands.
These days however Cyprus is a much more peaceful country. The days of war are long over and the culture and the history of Cyprus is now celebrated by its local people. The history is definitely an interesting one and it is worth knowing if you are planning on moving to the country.
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Camping Tips For Beginners |
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Thursday, 19 August 2010 12:08 |
Seasoned novices and beginners alike all over the world every weekend enjoy the simplicity of camping.
The idea of camping to some of you conjures up images that may make you cringe, especially those of you who have never camped as a child or have heard horror stories from friends and relatives, and have unfairly decided never to give it a fair go.
How much effort you put into adequately planning your camping trip will determine how successful (and enjoyable) your trip will be. Though some of these tasks may seem tedious and tiresome, the more often you put these tasks into practice the more fun you will have doing them.
Here are 30 Things You Must Know Before You Go On Your First Camping Trip:
1. Gather all your camping equipment in a corner of a room and keep adding to it as you think of it.
2. Use basket shelves in your car for easy storage.
3. Store your clothes in sports bags.
4. Make sure all heavy items are secure and are packed at the bottom of your car boot with lighter items on top.
5. Take one prepared meal in a freezer meal that can be easily reheated on arrival at your destination.
6. Make sure you have everything you need for a drink stop like tea bags, instant coffee, sugar, condensed milk, cordial, powder, biscuits, a two litre bottle of water, matches, kettle, wet wipes and tea cloth
7. If you are going away for a short trip prepare your hot dishes so that you have more time to relax at your camp site and enjoy yourself.
8. Stock up on fresh fruit and vegetables at every chance.
9. List everything you will eat on the number of days you are away.
10. Keep extras always on hand which includes flowers for cakes and breads, noodles, rice, beans and lentils.
11. Remember long life milk (two to three cartons of long life milk per day should be sufficient for a family of two children and two adults as a guide).
12. Try camping in your backyard to see how you feel about your tent and sleeping bags etc.
13. Your first camping gear does not have to be expensive. It is more important that it is durable and keeps you protected from all weather conditions. Bring a piece of ground cloth with you, a piece of plastic that goes under your tent. Tuck the edges neatly underneath the tent. The first thing you must consider when choosing the tent is the size ie the number of people your tent is going to house.
14. Take cutlery with you that is old and definitely won’t be missed if it doesn’t come home with you.
15. Keep cutlery separate from crockery by placing them in plastic containers with lids or in a tea towel in a plastic bag.
16. Here is a list of items of cutlery and crockery that may be useful for your next camping trip. A fork, knife, teaspoon and dessert spoon should be enough for each person. 17. Have a serrated edge knife that can also be used as a bread knife.
18. Vegetable peeler and knife.
19. Metal egg lifter.
20. A large aluminium coffee pot, the larger the better.
21. Barbeque tongs.
22. Egg rings.
23. A small meat mallet.
24. A sharp knife and sharpener.
25. Can opener.
26. Large serving spoon and wooden spoon.
27. Make sure you have an enamel cup, bowl and plate for every person.
28. Use an enamel plate next to the fire to warm food.
29. Use an enamel plate as a base for food in your camp oven.
30. Bring paper plates in case you are in an area where water is scarce, and be sure to take your rubbish with you.
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Thursday, 19 August 2010 12:07 |
Rancho Texas is located on the outskirts of Puerto del Carmen and on one of our many trips recently, we decided to spend a day out their with the children. Rancho Texas features amongst its attractions, an Indian amphitheatre where we witnessed a stunning display in falconry, a Nature Park where our children watched and even played with some of the animals, a Goldmine Where the big water-wheel runs water to gold-bearing sands and where the children can try to find hidden treasure and an Indian Village where they took a ride in an Indian canoes and visited the Tepees.
If you’re looking for somewhere for the adults, then why return when they host one of the now legendary Rancho Texas Country and Western Nights.
We started our visit in the Nature Park, host to a wide variety of Animals and Birds. This area includes ‘The Opera’- A round enclosure with a great variety of singing birds where you can experience amazing sounds, ‘The Promenade of colour’ – with its sensational variety of birds and colours, ‘Liliput Farm’, where the children held the worlds smallest farm animals and saw much larger ones in the form of Turtles, Iguanas, Armadillos and Prairie dogs.
Before we could finish, we were attracted to crowd gathering in the Indian Amphitheatre (one of three live shows we would witness on the day). Once we settled down, the guide entertained us with a fantastic falconry demonstration, part of which involves the falcons flapping people on the head with thweir huge wings as they swoop from high gantries to the central ‘stage’.
After this, we took the children to the Indian Village to calm them down a bit. Our youngest (4 at the time) played in the Tepees, paddled a Canoes and found ‘Treasure’ having followed the water from the big water-wheel to the gold-bearing sands. Our eldest (9 at the time) thought it was too young for him but agreed to ‘look after his brother’ and clearly enjoyed himself, although he denied it at the time.
Next we were attracted to the restaurant area as we were informed that a second show would start in 15 minutes time. Like everyone else, we decided this would be a good time to have something to eat and drink and were surprised to see our Falconry ‘expert’ helping out behind the food counter (we assumed he had washed his hands !). This would not be our last meeting, as he hosted the Parrot show whilst we had lunch. Another good show and some great pictures for the family.
Our two boys wanted to let off some steam, so we let them play for a short while in the adventure play area, before going back to complete out tour of the animals.
Our third show of the day, was to be the best. Our ‘expert’ returned (clearly multi-talented) and decided he’d jump into a pit with the Alligators. He then crept up behind one of them and played with it (in case you’re wondering, he has very quick reflexes). Toward the end of the show he decided to jump on the Alligator and sis finale involved holding the Alligators mouth closed between his chin and his chest – some show !
The children were as amazed as we were and it just about rounded off a great day out and fantastic value at 14 Euros per adult and 9 Euros for the children (under twos are free).
One of the most modern of Lanzarote’s attractions, Rancho Texas, still has an element of the Manrique influence, with 60,000 m² of theme park, designed with the utmost respect to the ambience and everything built with natural materials such as stones and wood.
At night the place comes alive with the Rancho Texas Country and Western Night, legendary in these parts. A party night for the whole family and the entertainments team (yes… he was back), kept everyone entertained with Live Music and Line Dancing and special entertainment for the Kids. You can eat as much of the American Food, BBQ and Desserts as you like and enjoy free-flowing Beer, Sangria and Soft Drinks.
Adults: 44,00 € Children 2-12 years : half price Children to 2 years: free
and… finally, if you want to Discover Lanzarote on horseback, Rancho Texas also has riding stables. Why not plan your day to include a trek on this wonderful island (three hour trek to the beach, for experienced riders only @ 54€ or a One hour trek, no experience needed @ 21€).
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