Horticultural Olympics in London in May
February 26, 2010
The horticultural Olympics, aka the Chelsea Flower Show, occurs yearly in the last full week of May in London, England. The Chelsea Garden Show is the gardening equivalent of a couture fashion show. You’ll find innovative garden design, gorgeous flowers, superb people watching opportunities and enough inspiration to send you home ripping up your garden to emulate what you’ve just seen.
The show accepts 160,000 visitors over 5 days but the first 2 days are reserved for Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) members only. It’s worth joining so you can see the gardens at their peak. I was there in 2005 and an uncharacteristic heat wave caused the sort of headaches that the lack of snow has caused the winter Olympics organizers. Planning a display garden can take a solid year and forcing plants to bloom out of season is fraught with failure. You’ll see the designers patting their sweaty brows just like the Olympic athletes. They’re in a pressure cooker too - just a different sort but the rabid British press can be just as biting in May as it’s been in February.
Tickets are available for a whole day (8am-8pm) or part day (3:30pm-8pm). Public whole day tickets are 45 pounds ($Cdn72) and half day tickets are 25 pounds ($Cdn40). There are onsite cafes to rest weary legs where you’ll find traditional scones with clotted cream, tea and other British goodies. I recommend visiting for the full day, especially if this is a once in a lifetime trip. Get there early before the crowds so you can really get close to the popular show gardens. Save the indoor pavilion for last unless you have a fondness for new flower varieties and best of blooms displays. The outdoor garden displays are far more inspiring.
The Chelsea Garden Show is visited by the Royals in headgear, obsessive, Latin speaking English gardeners but also by the public at large because it is truly a magnificent show. Tickets are for sale online now and they typically sell out by early April. If you have a London trip on the horizon then I highly recommend including the horticultural Olympics in part of your plans.
Leigh McAdam
Insights, tips and good reading from travel blogs around the world - part V
February 25, 2010
Enjoy this week’s list of insights, travel tips and good reading from travel blogs around the world.
Canyon de Chelly (Arizona, USA)
Travel for Sporting Events
Wanderlust as a Physical Pain
The Pieterpad - 500 km across Holland by foot and bike
3 Best Kept Travel Secrets: Rwandan Safari, Chernobyl and Damascus
The Evils of Group Tours
Leigh McAdam
Journey to Jerusalem by Guest Blogger Karen Telleen-Lawton
February 24, 2010
What do Rabbi Benjamin of Tudela, Theoderic, and Al-Harawi have in common? These men each made a religious pilgrimage to Jerusalem within a twenty year period around 1173, keeping journals which survive in part to this day. All three wrote eloquently about the buildings and monuments, met with the people of their Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faiths, and acknowledged the Holy City as being home to many faiths.
These same impressions await the modern traveler, whether their main purpose is religious, historical, cultural, or just plain curiosity. My own journey was a Christian pilgrimage I organized for my church, as well as a chance to meet with Palestinian Christians in their churches. The “living stones” of Christ, Palestinian Christians have dwindled from 20-30% of the population from the third through the 19th centuries to barely under 1 ½ percent now.
Our itinerary was planned for a group of about twenty ranging in age from 20-somethings to active 70-somethings. I based it on my own two previous journeys plus the advice of our guide, Iyad Qumri, a warm and deeply knowledgeable Palestinian Christian from Jerusalem. I commend this trip to anyone, of any or no faith, who wants to learn more about the religious center of the world, and why it continues to have such an impact on history and politics. Here is an abbreviated version of our itinerary, followed by contacts.
The Wailing Wall, Jerusalem
- DAY ONE:
ARRIVE TEL AVIV / TRANSFER TO JERUSALEM
Walk to Damascus Gate - DAY TWO
MT. SCOPUS / MT. OF OLIVE’S / CITY OF DAVID /
ISRAEL MUSEUM - DAY THREE WESTERN WALL / DOME OF THE ROCK / POOLS OF BETHESDA / TAYBEH (The only all-Christian town left and home to Taybeh beer factory, the only beer factory in the Middle East.)
- DAY FOUR EIN KEREM / SHEPHERD’S FIELD / PEACE CENTER / BETHLEHEM
- DAY FIVE RAMALLAH / SABEEL / CHURCH OF THE HOLY
SEPULCHER. GUEST SPEAKER ON CONTEMPORARY ISSUES, AN ISRAELI PERSPECTIVE - DAY SIX RAMLA / NAZARETH
- DAY SEVEN MT. OF BEATITUDES / CAPERNAUM / TABGHA/BOATRIDE ON THE SEA OF GALILEE
- DAY EIGHT SHEFA-AMR / SEPPHORIS
- DAY NINE MT. TABOR / NAIN / JERICHO
- DAY TEN BETHPHAGE /MT. OF OLIVES GEHTSAMANE / STATIONS OF THE CROSS
-
DAY ELEVEN STATIONS OF THE CROSS / EMMAUS
Other Information
Food
Middle Eastern food is so savory and delicious I almost didn’t miss my home favorite, Mexican. Breakfast buffets typically include rich coffee, scrambled or hard boiled eggs, sliced tomatoes, cucumber, oranges, olives, breads, humus, a dishes of spices like za’tar. Lunch and dinner included some of the above and added a sumptuous main dish such as Ma’lube, made with various meats and vegetables. It is characterized by cooking the rice on top of the other ingredients and then serving with a flourish by tipping the deep-dished pan upside down to form a tower of rice and savory veggies.
Safety
We felt warmly welcomed by everyone in this mix of cultures. There were some difficulties traveling in an occupied country, but we felt safe the entire trip.
After the main trip, half of us took the public bus down to Egypt to spend time at St. Katherine’s Monastery by Mt. Sinai. I have included contact information for this portion.
Contacts
Iyad Qumri, Licensed Tour Guide
St. George’s College
P.O.Box 1248 Jerusalem 91000
E.Mail: isqumri@bezeqint.net
Home: 972+2+5851210
Cell : 972+505-216280
Fax : 972+2+6569047
Ali Qleibo - anthropology professor at Al Quds University, author of several books including Jerusalem in the Heart and Before the Mountains Disappear
Saint George’s College
Tel: ++972-2-6283302 Fax: ++972-2-6282253
Egypt: Dr. Rabia, Abanoub Travel ‘abanoubt@menanet.net’
Karen Telleen-Lawton graduated in engineering from Stanford University and economics and environmental policy from University of Colorado. After a few entrepreneurial ventures and teaching economics, she began writing. Telleen-Lawton publishes articles on environmental, economics and financial planning, travel, and social justice in regional and national publications including Family Fun, Westways, Santa Barbara Seasons, and alumni magazines including Stanford, UCSB, Purdue, and University of Richmond. Her first book, Canyon Voices - the Nature of Rattlesnake Canyon, is available through Amazon.
Traveling to Learn
February 23, 2010
Elderhostel conjures up images of grey haired, boring, over the hill grannies and grandpas, and is not a group I would in anyway want to be associated with. What a difference a name makes!
Exploritas is the new name which offers trips that combines the love of travel with the love of learning. Of course Elderhostel did too but image counts for alot. Trip participants are largely the +50 crowd but in no way are younger people discouraged anymore. The bulk of the particiapants are mostly older but they tend to be involved, fit, interesting, and wise …the sort of older people you wouldn’t mind hanging out with. There are over 8000 trips offered to over 90 countries for very reasonable prices. I typed in the key word ‘birding’ and came up with 90 trips - from 3 day to 15 day adventures that would take you from Canada and the US to Iceland and Uruguay.
Look for tours under $600, National Park Tours, outdoor adventures, women only and grandparent travel. cooking tours, history tours, boat tours…you name it.
I’m not about to give up on my epic and not so epic self guided hiking and biking adventures, but I do appreciate as I get older that adventure travel is not just for the young but also for the young at heart. Learning never goes out of style either! No matter what your age you’re bound to find something to perk your interest and what a great way to travel with an older relative!
Leigh McAdam
Vacation Planning & Happiness
February 22, 2010
In a recent article published in the journal ‘Applied Research in the Quality of Life’, Dutch researchers found the following:
- planning and anticipating a vacation in itself makes you happier for the eight weeks leading up to the break
- post trip there is no difference in vacationers versus non vacationers unless the vacation was particularly relaxing and at best the effect lasted only 2 weeks
- you’re likely to derive more happiness from two or more short breaks than one longer break
My conclusion out of this research is for all of us to plan a one to two week getaway every eight weeks. It sounds to me like we all need 5-6 weeks of vacation a year for maximum happiness and I’m all in favour of that!
Leigh McAdam
15 Tips to a Successful Trip
February 19, 2010
Up to one third of Americans forgo their allotted vacations and one in five reasons for not taking a vacation is fear of being bored. Just a modicum of planning will go a long way to making your trip a success.
- Tip#1 Match your interests with your chosen trip. Some simple questions to determine a trip destination could include big city or wild country, sedentary or active, beach or snow, hot, medium or cold temperatures, cheap or pricey. Is there theatre, opera or a festival? Are there wine tasting or culinary courses? Can you hike, bike, backpack, kayak, ski, golf…..Email me if you need more ideas!
- Tip#2 Keep expectations in check. Unrealistically high expectations will doom your trip.
- Tip #3 Organize passports, visas, shots, and insurance well ahead of time to avoid last minute stresses and surprises. Try scanning your passport page and emailing a copy to trusted friends or family or use Access My ID for all your document storage. I always bring a few extra passport pictures too.
- Tip #4 Learn 5-20 phrases of the language in the countries you’ll be visiting. Even simple greetings are appreciated. Pick up a pocket dictionary.
- Tip #5 Educate yourself to avoid making cultural gaffes.
- Tip #6 Set up payment of ongoing house bills and taxes if you’ll be away for an extended period.
- Tip #7 Organize trip finances with a combination of cash, debit and credit cards. Have a backup plan in case your wallet is stolen or your credit cards are compromised. Try and pick up small denomination bills of the countries you’ll be visiting ahead of time.
- Tip #8 Pack lightly and take only carry on if at all possible. Make do with less and buy local clothes when you reach your destination. You’ll likely fit in better too.
- Tip #9 Before you leave prepare a list of your must ’sees’ , must ’stays’, must ‘dos’ and must ‘eats’. Google directions ahead of time. Bring city and country maps and a highlighter pen.
- Tip #10 Bring the toll free numbers for planes, trains and car rental companies you’re using so if there’s a problem you can fix it quickly - often much faster than the customer service lineups. Also bring the toll free number you would need to use if your baggage was lost.
- Tip #11 Allocate an extra day at the beginning of your trip to allow for flight cancellations or delays, missed connections and lost baggage.
- Tip #12 Pack a few bars and snacks so you don’t end up going hungry.
- Tip #13 Although Kindles have their place, especially on long trips, you can’t trade your Kindle. Pack some paperback books and trade them around your group. Throw in some crosswords or Sudoku puzzles and any wait times will be more palatable, perhaps even enjoyable.
- Tip #14 Don’t choreograph your whole trip. Be flexible and prepared to change your itinerary.
- Tip#15 Take your sense of humour along for the ride.
Bon Voyage.
Leigh McAdam
Insights, tips and good reading from travel blogs around the world - part IV
February 18, 2010
Enjoy this weeks list of insights, travel tips and good reading from travel blogs around the world.
Things to Do in NYC (for free)
The World’s Most Sustainable Hotel
7 habits of Highly Effective Travelers
9 of the World’s Worst Tourist Traps (and how to avoid them)
Your Essential Guide to Travel Guidebooks
Can you retire on $500 a month?
Leigh McAdam
Arizona Parks by guest blogger Sher Hurlburt
February 16, 2010
Grand Canyon, Arizona
I love Arizona although my reason for moving to Phoenix in 1973 had nothing to do with its wonderful weather, fabulous natural beauty or then-affordable housing. I came to Arizona when a dear Auntie became ill…and then I discovered why the rest of the country had Arizona at the top of their must-see list.
If you are biking, hiking or touring by car, you should know that Arizona lands are controlled in different ways and, depending on the trust, fees and rules of use vary. Only 15% of Arizona’s land is privately owned! The remaining area is public forest (federal), park and state trust land (state) and Native American reservations.
At the state level, there were many parks throughout the state but things have changed dramatically. The financial devastation of the last few years hit Arizona hard. Besides suffering with one of the highest unemployment rates and one of the steepest drops in housing values, Arizona has a constitutional mandate for a balanced state budget and that means painful spending cuts. Budget cuts have devastated the Arizona State Parks funding which was $26 million in 2009 and is now down to $7.5 million. I believe in fiscal responsibility but Oh My! Initially, eight state parks were closed. But on January 15 another 13 parks were slated to close by June 3, among them the Tombstone Courthouse, Yuma Territorial Prison and even the Lost Dutchman State Park. We are now down to nine state parks!
So when you plan your itinerary, check the Arizona State Parks a website to be sure the park is available. While the state hopes to reopen many of these parks, four of them will remain closed: Jerome State Historic Park, McFarland State Historic Park, Oracle State Park and San Rafael State Natural Area.
On the brighter side:
Among the nine state parks to remain open is Kartchner Cavern in the southeast part of Arizona. First discovered in 1974, this fabulous living limestone cave was kept secret to avoid contamination. It was finally purchased as a State Park and opened to the public in 1988. As a ‘live’ cave, water continues to bubble from the surface and calcite formations continue to grow! It’s amazing and you can read more about it online.
Whatever the financial distress of Arizona or the world at large, Arizona’s three National Parks remain: Grand Canyon in the north and Petrified Forest and Saguaro in the south. In addition, Arizona leads the country with sixteen National Monuments including Rainbow Bridge (northern border with Utah) and Organ Pipe cactus forest (southern border with Mexico) . Beyond the many National Monuments, there are many, many scenic areas worthy of your visit including Apache Trail (on the way to Roosevelt Dam), Oak Creek Canyon near Sedona and Hoover Dam (also known as Boulder Dam) which is one of the seven modern engineering wonders.
Saguaros in Saguaro National Park
[
There are some great online resources for planning. Check out the Arizona guide which has links for everything from Outdoor Adventure to Spa Experiences.
As for me, I am now a resident of Scottsdale and I know that whatever the financial storm in Arizona or throughout the country, Arizona sunshine and scenery remain. I can always step outside my front door which borders Tonto National forest and see great saguaro cacti and sun, sun, sun.
Guest blog was kindly written by Sher Hurlburt, President and driving force behind Forob and my step mother!
February 14, 2010 Ushers in the Year of the Tiger
February 13, 2010
Tomorrow, February 14th, the Chinese welcome the Year of the Tiger. Vancouver’s large Chinese population will have to compete with the Olympics for attention this year. The annual Chinese New Years parade starts at 9:30 am in Vancouver’s Chinatown.
There isn’t much time left but here are some steps to make your Chinese New Year lucky.
- Clean the house and sweep away any bad luck accumulated from the previous year but don’t sweep on the New Year or you’ll sweep the good luck out the door.
- Decorate - use lots of flowers, especially peach blossoms.
- Buy, display, eat and give citrus fruit as gifts. Try the pomelo which looks like a grapefruit on hormones. It is surpisingly sweet. Tangerines and oranges symbolize wealth and good luck.
- Offer a sacrifice to the Kitchen God so he gives a good report on your family’s conduct. Sticky cake (Nian Gao) is popular.
- Eating for luck is important. Try long, uncut noodles which symbolize long life and eat Chinese dumplings (Jiaozi) at the beginning of the New Year. If you get a coin in your dumpling you’ll have good luck in the coming year.
- Give lucky money to children and the unmarried - in red envelopes, and preferably in even numbered denominations.
- Wear traditional clothing with red and gold and at the very least put on some red underwear.
- Pay off your debts. If you start the year in the red you’ll end the year in the red.
- Eat sweets so you’ll have a sweet year.
- Don’t discuss the dead.
- Open your doors and windows so that good luck may enter.
- Hide the scissors and knifes.
- Set off firecrackers.
- To everyone you meet say ‘Gung Hey Fat Choy.’
If you’re one of those born in 1902,1914,1926,1938,1950,1962,1974,1986, 1998 or 2010 then you were born in the Year of the Tiger. Did you know that vacationing Tigers like action filled getaways that require travel long distance travel? Check out your Tiger horoscope for the fun of it.
Gung Hey Fat Choy!
Leigh McAdam
Be kind to Canadians! …
February 12, 2010
Funny article about Canadians and the Olympics.
-
Recent Posts
- Insights, tips and good reading from travel blogs around the world - part VII
- Magical Barcelona by guest blogger, Sandy Clinton
- Travel Tipping Etiquette
- Free Chilkoot Trail Backpacking Guide Just Released
- Post Olympic Thank You
- Insights, tips and good reading from travel blogs around the world - part VI
- Cradle Mountain hiking in Tasmania by guest blogger Robyn Waher
- Airports & Airlines - extremely useful tips
- 9 Things to do in the Pacific Northwest in March
- Horticultural Olympics in London in May
-
Categories
- Accommodation Reviews and Tips
- Adventure Travel Tours and Tips
- Airline
- airport and air ticket info
- Biking in Europe- tours and tips
- Biking in North America - tips and tours
- Book suggestions - travel & otherwise
- Garden related travel
- Gear reviews and tips
- Green Travel
- Guest Post
- Hiking, backpacking and walking tips and tours
- Miscellaneous travel tips
- Other
- Restaurant Tips
- Safety Tips
- Skiing Info and Tips
- Spain
- Thursday Links Day
- Travel Blogs from around the World
- Wine Tours and Tips
-
Archives
-
Links
- 501 Places - Read Andy’s musings on his adventures to 70+ countries.
- A Little Adrift - A well written blog with great photos by a 20 something woman who has done a RTW trip.
- A Pair of Panties and Boxers - She use to want the corner office. Now she wants the world. Monica blogs about her travels around the world & her travels through life. Either way she travel, it’s food for her soul.
- A Travel Around the World - Marta ‘n Chris travel the world and share their tips, stories and excitement of the venture.
- Abandon the Cube - Ever thought of Abandoning your cubical to travel around the world? We are two travelers who did just that. Join us as we travel, mostly by ground transport and sea, across the globe at Abandon the Cube.”
- About Airport Parking - Covers parking information at every major airport in the US.
- Art of Backpacking - Mike and Teresa have a well written, extremely useful website geared to the international backapacker.
- Beers and Beans - Follow a California couple as they wander the world. Excellent photography.
- Best Beaches in Asia - This website will lead you to some of the best beaches in Thailand, Taiwan, Cambodia and Hong Kong.
- Blog Catalog - A link to other travel blogs.
- Brooklyn Nomad - A Noo Yawka with a bad case of wanderlust - great quotes, great photography.
- Candice does the World - Get a Newfoundler’s point of view about Newfoundland, life and world travel.
- Columbus Travel - Columbus Travel Ltd. is an Ecuadorian company with Norwegian Management. Our company is rated among the top three companies on Galapagos by Top Adventure Tours. We are one of the major travel agencies in Ecuador with an average of 3000 passengers each yea
- Currency Converter - Get exchange rates for world currencies.
- Enlighten Travels - A multi year journey around the world is recorded with insight.
- Ever the Nomad - Anja is a Lonely Planet author who travels and a traveler who writes.
- Everything Everywhere - Gary is a VERY well traveled guy who writes and takes great HD photos.
- foXnoMad - Great blog with lots of tips on tech, money,lodging, culture…
- Gabriola Cycle and Kayak - Guided cycling trips to Mexico, Spain and France for adventuresome travelers at very reasonable prices.
- Gap Year Escape - Follow Amar’s backpacking travels in the southern hemisphere.
- Gourmantic - A well written food and travel blog.
- Happy Time Blog - Follow Aaron & Georgie as they have alot of fun traveling/backpacking the world.
- Health Conscious Travel - A blog on health, travel and green living.
- Heather on her Travels - Heather is an English travel blogger with lots of travel advice and great ideas for blogging, podcasts and more.
- Hole in the Donut Travels - Read about Barbara’s travels from the perspective of a 50 something female with a serious case of wanderlust.
- Hop and Jaunt - Check out the website of this pair of traveling designers.
- How to Travel with Pets - This is your go to website if you’re a pet owner and you love to travel with pets including birds, fish and reptiles.
- i Backpack Canada - Corbin provides you with lots of advice and tips for hitting the road with a backpack in Canada.
- Ian and Wendy - Follow this well traveled Canadian couple on their worldwide travel adventures.
- Inside the Travel Lab - A well written blog on the art and science of unusual travels.
- Jet Set Citizen - John and his wife are jet set citizens - a group of people living the lifestyle they choose involving travel, technology and social media.
- Lonely Planet Author: Joshua Samuel Brown - Read the musings of Josh, an expat living in Asia.
- Monna McD - Follow the writings of this Canadian woman living in Bangkok.
- Ms Traveling Pants - Personal travel stories & insights from a sassy world traveler.
- My Several Worlds - Carrie writes about photography, lifestyle, travel and teaching ESL in Asia.
- No Debt World Travel - Learn Brian’s tricks of traveling around the world cheaply.
- Otts World - Follow Sherry on her travels and enjoy inspiring photos and video.
- Paddy in Buenos Asia - A very funny blog on everyday life of an Irish expat now living in Hong Kong. Warning - may contain nudity, bad language and Irish humour.
- Riverville House B&B, Kenmare, Ireland - If you are walking or touring the Kerry Way in Ireland then add this B&B to your must stay list. You will find lovely rooms and welcoming hosts at reasonable prices.
- Shannon Lane - Look for food, wine, lodging and travel reviews.
- Snarky Tofu - Check out the videos.
- Start Backpacking - Get info on the steps to start backpacking, backpacking medicine, cheap flights and more.
- Tech Guide for Travel - Reviews of tech products used by travelers and all sorts of useful techie info in easy to understand terms.
- The 9 to 5 Alternative - Peruse well written articles about travel, lifestyle and entrepreneurship.
- The Caffeinated Traveller - Insights into world travel with colourful images - perfect with a cup of coffee.
- The Planet D - Read about and watch videos on the ongoing adventure travels of Canada’s Dave Bouskill and Deb Corbeil.
- The Professional Hobo - Adventures of a girl with no fixed address.
- The Travel Expert(a) - Marina blogs about traveling in Central America AND plans and organizes trips in Costa Rica.
- The World Effect - Excellent photography and writing are the hallmarks of Beau and Meggan’s round the world blog.
- Travel Blissful - Follow Erica’s stories, tips, musings, video and photography as they relate to travel.
- Travel Blog Advice - Advice on how to make money, expand social networks and keep your travel blog going.
- Travel Wonders of the World - Mark blogs about his travels to over 80 countries.
- Traveling the World by the Seat of our Pants - Follow the good, the bad and the nasty as this couple travels the world.
- Travels with Two - Great website with lots of useful information for trip planning - especially for couples.
- TravMonkey - Paul gives you detailed info for backpacking around the world.
- Uncornered Market - Look for human stories, photography, street food reporting and personal growth stories.
- Vagabonding Life - Greg writes thought provoking articles about travel since escaping from the cubicles of corporate America.
- Velvet Escape - Read about Keith’s escapes and adventure travels to some of the world’s most interesting places.
- Wild Junket - Follow Nellie’s wild ride around the world. She’ll teach you how to swear in Spanish and get you up to speed on odd Asian habits!
- World Clock - Find out what time it is anywhere in the world + get international dailing information.
- World Electric Guide - Provides information on plug types and voltages in every country around the world.
- Worldwide Airlines - You’ll find both the major and some of the obscure airlines in countries around the world.
- Worldwide Weather - Get weather forecasts for most countires.
|
