Lisbon, Evora, Batalha, Alcobaca and many others are there in the list of Portguese cities which have everything to entice you. The best of natural, artificial, modern and ancient stuff at each of the destinations in the country give you numerous reasons why you should pay a visit to them at least once. Lisbon is the capital city and features amazing attractions. A San Francisco-esque city that spreads over seven hills which descend into the Tagus River, it is Europe’s one of the most pleasant and affordable cities. Portugal is adorned with fantastic set of architectures, delicious seafood, thrilling nightlife and intriguing tile work. You can afford to stay here for long as the cheap hotels in Portugal allow you to have a nice accommodation at a low cost.
An evening in the bars of Bairro Alto dancing on the hip music and Portuguese blues- fado gives you many interesting memories to write in your travel journal. Nicely restored towns and well-preserved architectures in different cities of the country have wonderful traits to give you a lasting impression. Numerous stunning architectures in the city of Evora, Batalha and Alcobaca leave you with wonderful memories. Do see some incredibly wonderful monuments in Evora and Coimbra. These assets are now listed in UNESCO’s world heritage sites. Minho, Limba and Douro Valley are perfect places for natural areas. The verdant beauty and rural customs of Minho Valley are something great to be explored. Do have a look on the spectacular gorges of Douro Valley.
South of Portugal feature splendid natural reserves where you come across the fantastic beauty of nature. The Natural Park of the southwest of Alentejo and Vicentine Coast comprises of two mountain ranges and wonderful coastlines adorned with idyllic beaches and secluded coves. You must head for the Algarve coast if you are fond of incredibly wonderful beaches.
Tisen Thomas is an associate editor of stayresportugal.com stayresportugal.com The website offers exclusive information of Portugal and Cheap Hotels in Portugal. We also provide online hotel reservation of hotels in Portugal. We appreciate your feedback and queries at mailto:info@stayresportugal.com info@stayresportugal.com
Locating a place to spend your vacation is not difficult, but you should make sure that your stay will be comfortable. You really only have one chance to make the right decision on your accommodations during your valuable vacation. There are plenty of options when it comes to vacations, but an excellent Pacific Grove bed and breakfast is one of the best choices that you can make.
You should consider the Old Monterey Inn, a jewel hidden from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the world. This ultimate Pacific Grove bed and breakfast is nestled behind lush trees, ferns and flowering bushes. If you want a romantic vacation, you and your partner can spend the time of your life in this magical place.
The gardens surrounding this Pacific Grove bed and breakfast create a laid back and romantic atmosphere. Some of the atmosphere is carried into the neighboring wineries in the area. If you love wine, then you can spend relaxing afternoons touring wineries. There are about fifty wineries in the region and about half of them offer tours and samplings.
Visitors can also enjoy the many golf courses located in the area. There are 18 excellent golf courses that are open to the public. The only difficulty that visitors might experience will be choosing which ones to visit during their stay. Fortunately, the staff at the Pacific Grove bed and breakfast will be happy to make recommendations.
If you are tennis enthusiast, you can take advantage of any one of the 12 tennis courts nestled close to the inn. Hikers and walkers can enjoy the 18 trails in the vicinity of the Pacific Grove bed and breakfast. You can also try other activities that include horseback riding and cycling.
There is a group of professional massage therapists who are affiliated with this popular Pacific Grove bed and breakfast. This talented massage team comes to the inn to pamper its guests. If you are looking for a more in-depth spa treatment that includes facials and body wraps, you can visit the Spa on the Plaza located within the vicinity of the Old Monterey Inn.
The elegant rooms are the most attractive features of the Old Monterey Inn. They offer featherbeds, fireplaces, Jacuzzi baths and other amenities. If you want to spend your vacation in a perfect Pacific Grove bed and breakfast, you should look no further than the Old Monterey Inn.
Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning
Dublin is the commercial, cultural and historical hub of Ireland. A relatively small city, it holds old world charms with its castles and mansions turned into commercial establishments. It is accessible through its airport located north of Dublin City Centre.
From the airport, you can go to the city through bus, taxi or car rental. There are also nearby train stations you can use. The airport is surrounded by major national roads so travel will not be a problem.
Dublin Hotels
If you are in Dublin for a business trip it is advisable for you to stay in a hotel within the city. This way, you save on time and transportation costs. Dublin is a small city that almost all the important destinations are within a few minutes’ walk. Tourists who would want to explore the city are also better off checked in any of the city’s hotels, hostels, apartments or inns. This is because it can get hard to find a public transportation at night.
A Dublin city hotel will also give you breathtaking sights of the city landscapes right outside your window. And you can easily walk to Temple Bar, restaurants, stadiums, theatres, historic places, museums, parks, and shopping centers. On your spare time, you can easily visit some of the mansions open for public viewing too.
A city hotel may cost more than those at the outskirts or outside Dublin. But the time and money you save on transportation is worth it. Besides, you might as well dwell on the city culture when you are there.
Airport hotels however are convenient when you have to catch a very early flight. You may want to transfer hotels on your last day if this was the case. Also, this will give you the chance to enjoy a different scenery-that of woodlands and water. The ferry port is also close by, depending on the hotel you choose. You can send your remaining time in Dublin playing in the nearby golf courses. Your hotel can arrange a game for you and your group in advance.
e-DublinHotels.com Dublin Hotels provides detailed information on Dublin Hotels, Luxury Dublin Hotels, Cheap Dublin Hotels, Dublin Airport Hotels and more. Dublin Hotels is affiliated with i-LondonHotels.com Central London Hotels.
Florence is a city full of history, where it’s easy to be charmed by what surrounds you and do not notice some little corners, minor ones, that make you rediscover the city and the character of Florentine people.
One of these is in Borgo Ognissanti at number 12, where is located the reversed balcony. Admiring it is a pleasure especially if you think about the legend that surrounds it, not because it was object of peculiar tales but because it reflects very well the city and its inhabitants, reflection where I see myself too.
The reversed balcony that is located on the first floor, was built by assembling counter wise the classical elements of a regular balcony: the supporting corbels, its volutes and the balustrades where capitals are in place of the base.
Its building dates back to the 16th century, and it seems to have been built in such a curious way as per a request of the stable’s builder, due to some spites with the Duke Alessandro de’ Medici.
Looks like, that at the moment of the project proposal, this was rejected by the Duke, cause the balcony was too prominent. Then the builder presented the project a second time modifying a few things but leaving the balcony almost unchanged, of course the Duke Alessandro denied it again. At a third instance, trying to be salacious, the Duke wrote “yes on the contrary”. The builder, applying the answer to the letter, ordered to his architect to build the balcony upside-down.
Perhaps the Duke Alessandro would have liked to punish the irreverent constructor, but as a Florentine…I think he appreciated and approved his presence of mind.
Powered by: Hotel Sempione, hotelsempione.info” target=”_blank Florence hotel accommodation resource.
A state, where country music style was born, the second biggest state in area and the third in population Texas has a lot to offer and is surely worth visiting.
The first known settlement was founded in this place in 1682 by the Spanish. Originally Texas was a part of Mexico. In 1836 after the notorious battle near Alamo Texas received its independence but in 1845 joined the United States of America.
The main cities of the state – Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, El Paso, Fort Worth, Austin and Corpus Christie.
Texas is not a resort destination, but as a part of it lies on the shores of the Mexican Gulf, I has some pleasant places to have a rest. Other interesting sights are the National Reserve of Padre Island, national parks of Big Bend and Guadelupe Mountains, Alamo mission in San Antonio, Capitol in Austin etc.
The biggest and the main cities in Texas are Houston and Dallas and in this article we take look at them.
Houston is the fourth largest city in the United States. Like in all the big cities skyscrapers here dominate the panorama, but like the city with the rich history counting more than 150 years, it has a lot of attractions and interesting museums. National Museum of Funeral History and Museum of Fine Arts are just some of them. Texas is known as the state of cowboys, so different cowboys shows and rodeos are still common here.
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is one of the major events of the year in the city. It begins in late February lasts for about a month. Besides riders competing in traditional rodeo events, visitor can watch national and international superstar musical entertainers performance.
Those who are fond of nature can be interested in visiting Downtown Aquarium and Houston Zoo. Aquarium is great place for family walk and the home to sea creatures of every shape and size. Houston Zoo represents more than 500 species, from the winged inhabitants of the Tropical Bird House to the slithering reptiles in one of the nation’s largest collections of venomous snakes.
Houston is often mentioned in connection with space and especially ISS. It’s Houston where Space Center is located.
Dallas is mainly known for its oil derricks and for the soap opera “Dallas”. It is almost as old as Houston (founded in 1841) but also looks very contemporary.
Dallas is the third-most-populous city in the state and the epicenter of the North Texas region’s art scene. Notable art venues include the Dallas Museum of Art, the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, The Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art, the Nasher Sculpture Center.
After a very turbulent history, Berlin is now Germany’s capital – again. After Germany’s reunification in 1990 steps were put in place to restore Berlin’s splendour. After being the center of Germany’s imperial past, it became the headquarters of Nazi Germany and places like the Reichstag recall that era of history. The post-war division into Eastern and Western Germany with the Berlin Wall dividing the city is another fascinating chapter of modern history.
Today, economic redevelopment and a real estate boom can be seen everywhere. Sites such as the Brandenburg Gate, the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, the glitzy shopping boulevard of the Kurfürstendamm, a walk Unter den Linden (the former East’s Berlin masterpiece), are standard fare for travellers to Berlin.
Another favorite destination for travellers is Germany’s south, the Bavarian Alps and Bavaria’s capital, Munich. Munich, of course, is the location of the world’s largest Oktoberfest and the Hofbräuhaus is probably the most well-known beer hall in the world. You can also catch some nude sunbathing in the Englischer Garten.
Outside of Munich the romantic Castle of Neuschwanstein is a favourite destination. Winter Sports enthusiasts will enjoy the Bavarian Alps and Garmisch-Partenkirchen was the site of 1936 Winter Olympics. Somber reminders of Germany’s WW II past can be visited first hand in places such as Dachau and Nuremberg, The remnants Hitler’s mountaincommand post are located on the Obersalzberg.
Germany offers many other areas of interest, how about a cruise up the Rhine River, or a visit to Cologne or the city of Trier, with its history dating back to Roman times? Other gems include Augsburg, Regensburg, Heidelberg and many more. Hamburg is well known as an ancient merchant and trading city as well as for its red light district. And the Black Forest area with its quaint villages is another favorite destination for many travellers.
Susanne Pacher is the publisher of a website called Travel and Transitions( travelandtransitions.com travelandtransitions.com). Travel and Transitions deals with unconventional travel and is chock full of advice, tips, real life travel experiences, interviews with travellers and travel experts, insights and reflections, cross-cultural issues, contests and many other features. You will also find stories about life and the transitions that we face as we go through our own personal life-long journeys.
Submit your own travel stories in our first travel story contest( travelandtransitions.com/contests.htm travelandtransitions.com/contests.htm) and have a chance to win an amazing adventure cruise on the Amazon River.
“Life is a Journey Explore New Horizons”.
The interview with photos is published at travelandtransitions.com/travel_tips/green_travel.htm Travel and Transitions – Interviews
Cupertino is a suburb about 50 miles south of San Francisco. In the 1800s, Cupertino was a small rural village at the crossroads of the Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road and Stevens Creek Road. Back then, it was known as the West Side and was part of the Fremont Township. The primary economical activity was fruit agriculture. Almost all of the land within Cupertino’s present-day boundaries were covered by plum, apricot, and cherry orchards.
Only John Doyle’s passion for history gave Cupertino its eventual name. Doyle, a San Francisco lawyer who owned a winery and house on McClellan Road, researched the De Anza expedition of the 1770’s, and discovered that it had passed through what is now Cupertino.
Father Font, diarist and cartographer of the expedition, reports that the area was full of live oak trees, and that it was “useful for travelers.” Stevens Creek was called “Arroyo de San Joseph Cupertino” by the Spaniards after Saint Joseph of Cupertino. (Joseph grew up in the village of Cupertino on the Apulia peninsula within the Kingdom of Naples.)
As a result of his knowledge, Doyle named his houses and winery Cupertino. His enthusiasm for the name caught on, so when the Home Union Store was incorporated as the Cupertino Union Store in 1904, the Post Office, located within the store, also changed its designation to Cupertino.
Modern Cupertino, of course, is as famous for its schools as for that creative powerhouse – Apple. Cupertino has also developed into a very diverse and rich community and is often the favored destination for families in the bay area.
This article was submitted by Rajat, who’s an editor for Zirana – Cities Online. Visit zirana at zirana.com zirana.com
Most skylines say a lot about a city. New York is beautifully magnificent, Los Angeles is hazily hectic and Philadelphia is no- nonsense. So it’s hard not to say that Dallas, Texas is just undeniably pretty.
And while Dallas has a rep for being all business like and technological, it’s slowly changing its image and progressing onto a more cultured and artistic Dallas. No longer is it only a haven for the dot- commers and suits in general, but it’s fast becoming a shopping phenomenon and as a few of you locals already know a sporting mecca. You have to be able to party in a city like this, after all, the Margarita was first invented here!
Whether you’re a conspiracy theorist, a historian or just a really keen tourist, Dallas is an exciting place. No doubt you already know that this is the city where President John F Kennedy was assassinated, so it should also be a given that you check out the Grassy Knoll, Sixth Floor Museum and Dealey Plaza while you’re there.
You can visit the exact window on the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository where Lee Harvey Oswald shot JFK while Kennedy was riding through Dealey Plaza in his car. The Sixth Floor Museum (left) is the building where it all started so you should head there first for all the facts (you’ll need those when you create your own theory of what happened!).
Even if you don’t actually know much about the assassination and subsequent conspiracy theories, this is the best place of all to start. This museum is the most visited attraction in all of north Texas! It’s a fascinating and thorough look everything that has to do with JFK’s death, and even a little more about his presidency and legacy.
Head down to Elm Street and Dealey Plaza for a more hands on approach to the facts you just learned. See where JFK’s motorcade traveled up to the shooting and after as the car sped to the hospital. Visit the nearby infamous ‘Grassy Knoll’, now a common euphemism for all things suspicious and conspiring.
If you need to lighten up after the intensity of your own theorizing, White Rock Lake is a good place for a breather. White Rock Lake is a massive parkland area close to the city with loads of picnic areas, playgrounds, and places for a run/ cycle/ cuddle. The Lake is also equipped with its own romantically haunted tale of The Lady of the Lake a female ghost, searching for her lost lover. Ooh, creepy.
Inside White Rock Lake you can find historic buildings and the Dallas Arboretum (above), 66 acres of gardens and fountains alongside great Dallas views. The plant life is amazing, with 2,400 varieties of azaleas alone.
Another recreational spot worth a mention is Boulder Park, a must do for those who love mountain biking. There are lots of different trails, ranging from beginners to advanced and the park is highly regarded within cycling circles.
For more arty and historic stuff, the Dallas Art District is your must- do, only stop. This area boasts numerous art venues and performing complexes for music and dramas. The biggest gallery is the Dallas Museum of Art, but don’t forget the newer Nasher Sculpture Center. You can also find the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Theater Center and Cathedral Santuario de Guadalupe in this same district. Told you it was good.
But if that’s not your thing, you’ve most probably skipped all the above reading to find this section. That’s okay, Dallas sport is a big deal.
Dallas homes teams for the NBA, NHL, soccer, and Arena Football League. If you want to know where to go, head straight to the American Airlines Center for the Dallas Desperados, Dallas Mavericks and the Dallas Stars. Major team the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League are based in the nearby town, Irving, if you’re in town to support your boys. Dallas is sport mad and more closely Dallas Cowboy mad, so if you get a chance to see them play, it’s worth it just for the supportive atmosphere.
Need to wet your whistle after a game or two? A strange mix of laundromat and bar, the Bar of Soap is a Dallas drinking icon. Watch great bands play while you nurse a beer and wait for your colors to go through. Chill with your mates while you fold your linen, and hey, maybe this is a perfect place for you to try that Dallas native margarita.
Leah Bradicich has travelled comprehensively through Europe, the UK, South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand. She works for Vroom Vroom Vroom, vroomvroomvroom.com vroomvroomvroom.com, a travel website collating all the deals and specials from the nation’s largest car rental companies, offering discounts on car rentals. Her pieces focus on the ‘best of’ parts of each city, offering a fail safe guide to travelling and listing interesting facts that make each city unique.
Morocco’s natural beauty spans from a Mediterranean coastline in the North through scenic mountain landscapes to the empty wilderness of the Sahara in the South; it is a country that captivates and inspires me with its contrasts, colour and rich cultural heritage.
Marrakech is the perfect place to start a Moroccan adventure. Framed by the snowy peaks of the Atlas Mountains, with rose-colored ramparts and a thousand year old palmerie, Marrakech is immediately fascinating.
Explore the colourful souk of Marrakech where each trade has its own area e.g. the metal quarter where proud artisans craft objects as their forefathers did centuries before them; the dyers quarter where colourful skeins of wool hang drying in the sunlight that streams into the narrow walkways; the carpet quarter where home-crafted Moroccan rugs hang like exquisite paintings; the jewellery quarter where glass-fronted windows glitter with 18ct gold.
Discover the sights and sounds of Marrakech’s Djemaa El Fna, one of the greatest squares in Africa and a UNESCO World Heritage site. In the afternoon you will see tooth-pullers, snake charmers, water-sellers, storytellers and scribes. At night the square transforms to a festival atmosphere when a myriad of food stalls are wheeled in from the alleyways; their tables and benches illuminated by lamplight and wreathed in the smoke of one hundred Berber Barbeques.
From Marrakech, travel across high mountain passes & along verdant gorge oases; through Berber villages & passed one thousand kasbahs to watch the sun set over the slowly shifting sands of the Sahara. Enjoy the highlights of a journey through the Berber Heartlands of Morocco:
The World Heritage Site of Ait Benhaddou, a huge cluster of ancient ksours (dwellings) and grain stores that stand on a dark shaft of rock above a reed-strewn river;
The partially renovated Kasbah Taourirt in Ouarzazate;
The valley of One Thousand Kasbahs and a route lined with children selling garlands of roses in Spring (Rose Valley);
The oasis valley of Dades Gorge with its ruined hilltop kasbahs, valley-floor gardens and the strange rock formations of the Tamnalt Hills;
The Todra Gorge, the highest gorge in Morocco with 300m sheer cliffs. In summer the oasis palms are heavy with dates offered for sale, in hand-woven palm baskets, by Berber children;
The spectacular Erg Chebbi Merzouga desert dunes.
Camel trekking in Morocco is, for many, the highlight of their Tour of Morocco. Take a camel ride into the Erg Chebbi desert dunes to watch the sun set across this incredible sandscape or camel trek further, to a desert oasis, and spend the night in a nomad tented desert bivouac set amongst the palm trees. The desert oases are a popular destination and, after dinner, camel guides create a festive atmosphere by drumming and singing traditional Berber songs.
If one night in the desert is not long enough, walk out of the ‘world as you know it’ and wander in the Sahara with your camel and a nomad guide. I have undertaken two extended camel treks and I remember on one occasion, when we stopped for lunch by a well in a small oasis, looking across the shimmering black desert (hammada) and seeing hundreds of camels walking towards us. I watched for hours as litres of water were raised, bucket-by-bucket, and brown furry bellies visibly expanded to accommodate the vast amount of fluid needed to last until the next watering hole. It was one of those moments in life when time stops and the moment is all encompassing.
The desert is a special place and I never tire of walking in the sand dunes, listening to Gnawa musicians and sipping sweet mint tea as the world passes by.
Tours of Authentic Morocco – an Exotic Land of Ancient Kasbahs, Bustling Souks and Moonlit Desert Nights: authentic-morocco.com/ authentic-morocco.com/
I have independently travelled in Morocco for over 15 years and organise tailor-made adventure tours throughout Morocco with my Moroccan business partner, Ali Mouni. We have worked together for many years and also arrange Sahara Oasis Camel Treks from Ali’s Nomad Palace Merzouga, an enchanting small desert hotel on the edge of the Erg Chebbi Desert Dunes.
I have no hesitation in recommending Morocco as a holiday destination and welcome the opportunity to introduce you to a country that is enduringly fascinating and continues to captivate and inspire me with its contrasts, colour and rich cultural heritage.
What is it that makes us want to sleep out under the stars or cook over an open flame? What is it that makes us want to be out enjoying God’s great creation? Is it something encoded in our DNA? Whatever it is, it makes life interesting doesn’t it?!
A person that lives a camping life spends most of the time thinking about the next camping trip. When they are packing up at the end of a trip, they are already planning the next one. They will plan a vacation based on the location’s campgrounds or backpacking permits. Does this sound like you? I know that describes me to a T!
A person that lives a camping life usually thinks in a unique way. A three day weekend? “Let’s go camping!” Vacation time? “Let’s go camping!” A nice quiet weekend? “Let’s go camping!” The “perfect” getaway? Spent in a tent, with a camp fire, surrounded by what God has provided: trees, creeks and plenty of hiking trails, preferably on the shores of a lake, so can get a little fishing in too!
A camping life is not for everyone. You have to enjoy the outdoors. You have to have an appreciation and a respect for nature. If this appeals to you then you either already are or are ready to live “A Camping Life”.
However you live your camping life, whether you are camping just to be camping or if you are camping as part of a hunting, fishing or hiking trip, there is certain equipment that you will need.
Basic requirements would be a tent and a sleeping bag. Depending on your idea of a camping life and your level of comfort the list of camping equipment could get quite long. You may need all, some or none of this equipment, just choose what fits into your camping life.
For comfort, you may need an air mattress. If your like me, getting a little older, sleeping on the ground in just a sleeping bag does not fit into my camping life. Just make sure you buy a quality one, if not it won’t be much better than sleeping on the ground. Of course you don’t want to blow this up yourself, so you will need an air pump, same here with buying quality, you don’t want to end up spending an hour fighting with the pump just to get your mattress aired up.
Now that we have covered comfort, it is time to look to the practical. It is time to set up your camp. Your idea of the camping life may include cooking over an open flame or you may want the convenience of a camp stove. Either way you will need cookware. Make sure when you buy your cookware, if you are cooking over a camp fire, you get the kind that is made for this type of cooking. Now that you have your camp set up, you don’t want to be tripping all over this camping equipment, so don’t forget to get a lantern to light your way.
Now let’s talk about the extras for your camping trip. If you are camping as part of a hiking trip through the back country you will need a backpack, make sure it is a hiking backpack, not one like kids carry to school. This can make a huge difference in the way your load carries. While you are hiking you may want to do a little bird or wildlife watching so you may want to invest in a good pair of binoculars. You will definitely want to pack a camera for all the beautiful scenery you will be seeing. A good waterproof one would probably be the best, as these are usually more rugged than the average camera. One last extra a lot of people don’t think of is walkie talkies. If you are in a large group these can serve several purposes. One purpose could be smaller groups can hike in different directions and still stay in touch with each other. Or even if you are not in a large group, if someone is lost there is a means of communication.
Whatever your idea of the perfect camping life is: I hope your next camping trip will be the best camping life you can live.
S. Bennett enjoys all of the outdoors, but camping in particular. For more information on camping, visit acampinglife.com acampinglife.com
