We visited the canyon one October which seemed like a good time of the year to go. Very pleasant climate (one of the driest months there too) and crisp clear skies, so good photo opportunities. Also, there were none of the congestion issues getting into the park that I have read about in the summer.
The night before visiting the canyon we found a motel in Williams. Bit of a one-horse town, but the lack of light pollution in the area meant that I did get to see the Milky Way clearly and 2 shooting stars that night on a short drive out of town!
In the morning on our quest to find breakfast we stumbled across the Williams Depot (http://www.grandcanyonrailway.com) – who have some fabulously restored old trains that will take you on a return trip from Williams to the Canyon’s south rim. The return trip just for the train seemed a little expensive but packages are available for accommodation, meal(s) and return trip. I believe you will have a limited number of hours at the canyon and only stop at the one area of the canyon. They put on a bit of a ‘shoot-em-up’ cowboy show before the train departs in the morning that we hung around for. I wouldn’t go out of my way to see it but it’s probably OK for kids.
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Are your children (or even you) a Star Wars enthusiast?
If so a visit to the small village of Matamata in Tunisia just might be the holiday for you! The hotel ‘Sidi Driss’ has been nicknamed the Star Wars hotel because George Lucas used it as a set for Lars homestead on the dessert planet of ‘Tatooine’ (in the original Star Wars movie when Luke Skywalker gazed at the two suns, and used again for the more recent ‘Attack of the Clones’). In fact Tataouine does exist – it’s a town a few miles south of the filming location.
The Sidi Driss hotel is a traditional Berber house, built centuries ago with interior underground courtyards, or pits. The hotel has 5 pits and the one used in the film now houses a small bar and rooms used for serving breakfast. The guest rooms are situated in caves off other pits. Being in caves means that the rooms have no windows, but the temperature stays comfortable night and day. The interiors are basic (matching the price), painted white and have electricity and toilets and showers are shared. If you prefer a little more luxury you could stay nearby and make a day-trip to the hotel (coaches do turn up regularly) but you won’t experience the same solitude and photo opportunities without other people in the middle of them!.
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Posted by Jill Bowen on Sat 14th April 2007 at 11:44 PM, Filed in Europe, September
Fly me to the moon…or maybe just a few feet into the air – if I’m very lucky!
The Icarus Cup (Coupe Icarus) is held at the end of each summer at St Hilaire du Touvet – this year 20th September – 23rd September 2007. A truly spectacular event, the biggest free flight event in the world that attracts over 8,000 pilots and 75,000 visitors each year. Totally motor- free bids for the skies that attracts the most amazing ‘flights of fancy’
Competitors spend months designing their elaborate machines, attached to para-gliders. The judges award points for the length of the flights, the ergonomics, and the design of the machine. The competition for the best disguise is the highpoint of the Coupe Icare. Just imagine a six metre long dragonfly, a four metre high Eiffel Tower and a giant magic carpet…. this will give you an idea of the imagination of the competitors! We will have to wait until September to what incredible ideas this year’s entrants have in store for us, each year they are more complex and astounding. No wonder the population increases from its normal 1300 inhabitants to 20 times this amount during the four days of the event!
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Posted by Jill Bowen on Thu 12th April 2007 at 08:12 PM, Filed in Europe
There’s a lot more to do on Lanzarote than simply soak up the sun, drink and eat. This list of must see’s can be seen in a single day and is a common itinerary on day trips from Fuerteventura.
(The ferry crossing from Fuerteventura takes about 25 –40 minutes and arrives at the town of Playa Blanca). On a Wednesday or Saturday there is a market at the Marina Rubicon, about a kilometre from the harbour selling the usual range of leather goods, cheap clothing and souvenirs (that can also be bought in all the markets on the Canaries – so don’t make a special journey just for this purpose).
However, an organised day trip will give you time to see most of the major attractions on the island (this will usually include the market)….I will mention a few of the not to be missed sights.
The relatively young Montanas del Fuego (fire mountains) were created between 1730 and 1736, when more than 100 volcanoes, covering more than 50 square kilometres rose up and totally devastated this part of the island. Many villages were destroyed, the last recorded eruptions were in 1824, and because of the low rainfall the area has not changed since this time. It was designated a national park in 1968.
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