Posted by Jill Bowen on Mon 5th November 2007 at 03:56 AM, Filed in Europe
The walled medieval city of Carcassonne is now said to be one of the most visited site in France. In fact there are two Carcassonne; the famous walled city, and the adjacent town (with a population of about 45,000). When you first see the medieval Carcassone from either the Canal du Midi, or the road it’s awe inspiring, slightly forbidding, and just waiting to be explored.
Most visitors arrive mid-day or later, so it’s advisable to start early in the morning to avoid the crowds. Parking at this time of day will not present a problem. To get an overview of the place, instead of buying a guide book you could try one of the following:
• Visit the is an excellent web site devoted to Carcassonne, (type in mescladis.free to get all the info you could require).
• Join one of the organised tours - usually leaving at intervals of between 30 and 60 minutes – depending on the season, with ticket sales beginning at 9.30.
• Take the little train for a tour of the medieval turrets and ramparts (which lasts about 20 minutes and departs from the Narbonnaise Gate and has multi-language explanations).
• Or, again from Narbonnaise Gate, enjoy a guided tour in a horse drawn carriage; this is also a 20-minute trip taking you between the two ramparts.
Read more...
Posted by Jill Bowen on Fri 2nd November 2007 at 01:18 AM, Filed in Europe, December
The 7th Santa Claus World Championship is being held on 1st December 2007.
Who can enter?
All aspiring ‘pretend’ Santa Claus/Father Christmas’s who want to prove they’re best at their job. (Obviously the ‘real’ one can’t take part, as that would be cheating!)
Actually these ‘pretenders’ take part to give the real Santa Claus a few ideas each year as to how he can speed up his work. Because, if you think about it, his wonderful job can be a bit onerous with all those heavy sacks he has to drag through the skies whatever the weather. So he can use a few tips and hints to make life easier at his busiest time of the year!
Read more...
Posted by Jackie Hewett on Sun 28th October 2007 at 03:03 AM, Filed in Travel Tips
This subject has been the topic of increasing debate, not least because of the DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis) issue, but also because many of us (accurately) believe that leg-room has been shrinking while people size (height and width) is acknowledged to be on the increase.
If you are interested in the leg-room subject you are probably an economy class traveler, so this article focuses on that area.
Firstly, what are we talking about when we bandy around the term ‘leg-room’? There are several key measurements to be aware of, but the most important, and accurate; gauge is seat-pitch - which is the measurement between a point on one seat’s headrest and the same point on the headrest in front, commonly expressed in inches. Seat-pitch doesn’t just vary between aircraft, it also varies between long-haul / short haul flights, and different airlines, who may even have different seat configurations for a single aircraft type for reasons good to themselves. If you want to know the exact seat pitch your best bet is to check out the excellent site SeatGuru (which is quite American focussed) who do their best to keep up to date information on each aircraft / airline combination, but don’t cover every airline.
Read more...
Posted by Jackie Hewett on Thu 25th October 2007 at 07:33 PM, Filed in Travel News
Nicknamed the ‘Superjumbo’, the Airbus A380 took its first commercial flight today (25th October 2007) from Singapore to Sidney for Singapore Airlines. The flight today was configured for 455 passengers, some paid thousands to be on the first flight. However, this double-decker, four engine (Rolls Royce Trent 900) plane can be configured to take 853 passengers (and 20 crew) on a wholly economy basis. The A380 now steals the title of largest passenger plane in the world from the Boeing 747 with 50% more space.
The plane has been in design since the early 1990’s, but it was in December 2000 that build really took off with the Airbus board voting on the final design to fulfil 55 orders. According to its manufacturers the A380 is the most fuel efficient and quietist passenger jet ever built, with cabin noise allegedly 50% lower than most passenger aircraft.
Read more...
Mexico is starting to dip into the Naturist market. With a wonderful climate and beautiful beaches it’s the perfect area to ‘practice’ getting an all over suntan. However, they seem to be starting with the (more lucrative) ‘hedonistic’ adults only variety!
I prefer my naturism to be more of the family variety / for all ages – young, old and in between all enjoying each others company without being too ‘organised’. But there is room on the planet for everyone, and if couples don’t want to be pestered by kids, or feel restricted in the company of ‘golden oldies’ who am I to criticise!
Hidden Beach Resort – Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico on the famous Riviera Maya
This is a new, 5* 100% naturist resort with nudity acceptable day and night in all areas. It’s an all-inclusive hideaway with gourmet food – and room service.
Read more...
