Guides and Trips
Trips
Takakkaw Falls
Vancouver
Bologna is self-described as 'la dotta, la grassa e la rossa' (the learned, the fat and the red). The city claims to have laid the intellectual foundations of Italy (it founded Europe's first university), it is universally praised as the country's gourmet capital (its offerings go way beyond the meaty bolognese pasta sauce), and it's the nation's centre of left-wing politics (the communist party has governed local politics for most of the...
Somebody once pointed out that the result of Italy's history of passion, religious fervour, artistic temperament and political instability were the likes of Leonadro da Vinci, Michelangelo and the Renaissance. Prompt, impartial, reliable Swiss fence-sitters on the other hand had produced nothing better than the cuckoo clock. Slightly hard on the Swiss perhaps (they also make great chocolate), but the Italian generalisation fits Florence like one of its stylish leather gloves. The city was...
A wander around all the Paris 'big ticket' sights and my other favorite spots from many visits over the past 12 years.If pressed, I would nominate Sainte Chapelle, Musee d'Orsay, Rue Cler & the Rodin Museum as my absolute favorite Paris places.For the full story, see the 'Paris highlights & hidden gems' link in 'related guides'.
Semana Santa or Holy Week is a major religious festival in this part of Spain. Local church communities prepare (and train!) all year for it.From Palm Sunday to Good Friday, it's a series of traffic and pedestrian stopping processions lasting long into the night. Each church prepares a pasos (a float bearing a religious effigy) which is carried through the towns for hours by teams of costaleros (literally 'sack men' because of...
Norwegian fjords - nice bit of craftsmanship
Balestrand, Sogn og Fjordane, Norway
Photography | 21 miles
Photography | 21 miles
In the classic sci-fi comedy 'Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy', the Earth turns out to be a giant computer created by aliens and overseen by mice. Despite being constructed for such a utilatarian purpose, one of the alien architects was particularly proud of his design work on the Norwegian fjords - "Nice bit of craftsmanship that".You'll have no argument with such sentiments on this short trail which combines views down the largest...
Norwegian glacier kayaking & whale eating
Luster, Sogn og Fjordane, Norway
Kayaking / Canoeing | 40 miles
Kayaking / Canoeing | 40 miles
Dubbed by Victorian mountaineers as providing "the finest ice scenery in Europe", Austdalsbreen glacier has a heady reputation to live up to - and it delivers.We were staying in the nearby village of Marifjora, and getting some local tips from the hotel restaurant waitress - the fantastic Sylvia! Actually I think Sylvia (who was from Barcelona) felt bad because she had served us whale meat (no choice - set menu, no other...
We dubbed it 'Golden Egg' because it was such a gem. Can't believe that we had all visited Salzburg in the past and missed this cool place less than an hour to the south. That's the beauty of having German friends - thanks for the insider knowledge S&M!!!!Snow tramping, cake eating, Gruner Veltliner drinking and bear (rug) hugging!No wonder Nick Cave booked out the entire Der Seehof hotel the last time my...
So
what’s the best way to see bears?
Well, first you need to catch a beaver.
What,
and use it as bait?
No, you fly in the beaver to the bears.
Beavers
can fly?
No, not a beaver beaver. A de Havilland Beaver – a bush float plane that
can take you to the isolated areas of Canada that offer great bear viewing.
So,
where do you catch this Beaver?
I got one from Campbell
River on Vancouver Island.
Is
that where all those beach sculptures...
It
was an early sign that this was not a typical way to fly. “Keep to the right of
the runway as you land,” the airport manager casually advised. “There is a
plane bogged on the left.”
Fortunately,
the warning came in plenty of time - not as we descended to the isolated
central Australian airfield at William Creek, but during my pilot friends’
diligent pre-flight phone checks. Still, it’s a bit of a shock when landing
preparation goes beyond...
