Posted by Jackie Hewett on Sun 17th June 2007 at 04:58 AM, Filed in Europe
Fancy going to the South of France but want somewhere different to stay?
If you are hiring a car (for hire discount see Transhire Link I can thoroughly recommend the small village of Eze, perched up high on the cliffs between the extremely busy resorts of Nice and Monaco.
Under 3000 people live in the village, but the tourists significantly swell the numbers in summer. There are a few interesting things to do in the village itself, with a few touristy shops and the excellent, and famed Grasse perfumery (there’s a shop in the village and the factory is just outside). But we enjoyed most of all a trip to the botanic gardens. I am not especially into horticulture, but these gardens were beautiful. There were many very well established and large cacti, agaves and aloes winding around a peak with the ruins of an ancient chateau with the azure Mediterranean as a backdrop. You can see down to Italy in one direction and on a clear day across the bay of Villefranche-sur-Mer to St Tropez in the other. In high summer it can be scorching (small wonder the cacti do so well) so I’d advise taking plenty of water.
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Contributed by Jill Bowen
Fancy a quick dip in the sea…and I mean quick!
Bur first, what’s your usual method of entry? Like me, slowly inching your way, and therefore prolonging the ‘pain’ of cold water reaching your ‘sensitive’ bits! Or do you charge in, launching yourself into the waves? Or maybe you perform a graceful artistic dive off a jetty?
OK all you wimps, why not see how ‘real men’ enter the water!
On 11th December every year - the day preceding the Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe an evening mass is held in honour of Mexico’s patron saint. I expect that a few prayers are said not only for the saint, but a few of the worshippers will also being praying for themselves! These are some of the best professional freestyle cliff divers in the world, participating the next day in a spectacle that thrills spectators with their abilities.
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Posted by Jill Bowen on Wed 13th June 2007 at 01:52 AM, Filed in Naturism, June
Do you love gardens? Ever wanted to visit the fabulous Eden project in Cornwall? Do you love nature in all its diverse glory? If the answer to all these questions is yes, then here is a rare treat for you!
On Saturday 23rd of June 2007 (the evening of the summer solstice) the Eden Project in Cornwall, UK, is opening its doors to nature loving naturists.
This event takes place from 7 –11 p.m and is conjunction with British Naturism. There cannot be a more fitting way to explore the wonders of what is know as ‘the eight wonder of the world. Purchasing a special ticket will allow you to visit the Eden project all day on the 24th….fully clad!!!
Imagine enjoying the biggest rainforest ‘in captivity’ with the worlds different climates, flowers and plants just as nature intended – the way we were all born – in the nude!
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Ever since I heard about Giraffe Manor (8 miles from Nairobi) I have wanted to visit. I am just waiting for my youngest child to be old enough to take malaria tablets!
I have been on safari before and it was then that giraffes became my favourite animal. I find them so photogenic and unlike any other animal on earth. I love the way they run with their necks stretching out, how they have to splay their legs to drink and even the way they fight (taking turns to ‘whack’ each other’s necks like an animal version of conkers!). On most African safaris any giraffe lover will be easily pleased. They are not one of the ‘big 5’ that people like to check off their must-see list but they are pretty common. I saw many giraffes but only glimpsed on cheetah and wasn’t lucky enough to see a single leopard.
On my safari I did manage to get a couple of beautiful photographs of giraffes but nothing that compares to the up close experience you can get at Giraffe Manor. It is a very small exclusive hotel set in 140 acres of forest. The building itself was commissioned by a British Lord in the 1930’s and modelled on a Scottish hunting lodge within sight of Mt Kilimanjaro. In 1974 Jock Leslie Melville and his American wife Betty bought the manor as their home when the Rothschild giraffe was facing extinction with much of its habitat disappearing. Two of the Rothschild giraffes were moved to the estate and Jock and Betty funded the African fund for Endangered Wildlife (AFEW). The giraffe’s at the manor have since bred and thrived
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If you are looking for a break to help you seriously un-wind, or even to fix some minor ailment, then you could do worse than visit Somatheerum Beach Resort in Kerela, southern India.
Somatheerum is an ayurvedic and yoga centre combined in very relaxing surroundings. The resort sits atop a small cliff with steps down to a beautiful wide beach. At the top of the cliff are the ruins of a church and nestling in the palms trees at the back of the beach is quite a substantial fishing village. At night a myriad of fishing lights can be seen out at sea like strings of pearls, and during the day the local population are pulling in their boats, tending their nets or playing football. The place has a wonderful spiritual and calming ambience with little to pander to commercial tourism for miles around.
For those who are not ‘in the know’ ayurvedia is a form of medicine peculiar to India that focuses on getting you in balance (mind, body and spirit). It aims to treat a whole host of ailments from skin disease, asthma and arthritis to infertility.
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