There are plenty of other categories for you to vote in too, such as Best Travel Planning Site, Best Travel Content Site and Best Travel Forum.

The results will be announced on Travel Rants on Monday 8 December 2008.

I think it’s great that Travel Rant’s editor Darren Cronian has set up these awards to give travel consumers an opportunity to vote of their favourite travel content sites.

Park Sanssouci houses numerous castles, grottos, temples and extensive parklands and all are within an easy train ride from central Berlin. The most famous is Berlin’s own miniature Versailles,　the rococco-style Schloss Sanssouci which is built on a hill lined with terraces of vines. The view from below is beautiful. On the other side of the castle, where the road is, you can see across to the Ruinenberg, a hill with artificial Roman ruins. Because, in the time of Frederick the Great (1748), fake decayed buildings were cool.

Potsdam Sanssouci Palace by Wolfgang Staudt

The other big castle in the parklands is the Neue Palais (New Palace) which was built 1763-1769.　This pink baroque edifice houses an amazing theatre and a grotto room smothered in seashells and shiny stones. Opposite the main castle are two matching buildings which housed the business side of royalty. Dinners cooked over there in the kitchens were rushed to the King’s halls through underground passageways.

Though normally SAS is as useless as … (I shall refrain from using harsh words here, ‘tis the season after all, and I ought to be nice) their annual Advent sale has started today and I am inclined to hate them a little bit less for the next 23 days.

So, how does it work? Everyday starting today until December 23 (or maybe 24) SAS offers a new deal that’s only available throughout that particular day.

So, how to get it? You go to their website at sas.se and look for a little square with “Dagens lucka” written on it. Don’t worry, even though the whole thing is in Swedish, it’s very easy to follow. You click on the little “Dagens lucka” square and check out the deals for that day. They’re valid till midnight, and each day there’s a different destination on offer. Today for example, there were two, one from Stockholm to London for 1200 SEK round trip, all taxes and fees included, and one from Copenhagen to Berlin for 940 SEK.

When I tried the London one, I got a nice surprise, the actual total for the flights I chose was even cheaper – came out to 1100 SEK. And that’s from Arlanda to Heathrow on a normal airline where you don’t have to pay extra to have your luggage checked in. Flying to a normal airport, too, not some hole in the countryside from where it takes another 2 hours by bus to get to the city center.

Ryanair is of course hitting back with their 0 SEK fares (as if!), but after a quick check of that incredible fare, it turns out more like 500 SEK ticket. Add to that a 50SEK booking charge if you don’t have a Visa Elektron card, 50 SEK for checking in at the airport, and oh yeah, another 300 SEK for a return bus to Skavsta and suddenly that deal is not so sweet anymore. Especially, if you’re connecting from elsewhere via Arlanda.

Still, that’s exactly the kind of price war that SAS Advent Sale brings and price wars are always a good thing. Especially in this economy.

Activities

In How can I be sore THERE!? posted at Wide Awake in Wonderland, we read about Vanessa Wolf’s caving adventures in the Budapest Caves. There are around 200 caves located under Budapest formed by the springs which feed the thermal baths in the city.

Budapest Caves

GrrlScientist writes about London’s Regents Park posted at Living the Scientific Life, saying, “This photo essay contains descriptive text, my Regent’s Park bird list, a nursery rhyme, and lots of gorgeous images.” Regents Park certainly seems to be popular with bird watchers as I found loads of bird photos when searching for “Regents Park” on Flickr.

Regents Park

Christopher Cook presents Tickets To The Alhambra: posted at -noambit -Travel Europ, saying, “Anyone headed to Granada Spain is going to do two things; eat free tapas with their beer purchase and visit the Alhambra. In this article I outline how to go about purchasing tickets for this awe inspiring collection of palaces as well as how to arrive at the hilltop Fortress.” We visited Granada many years ago when I was pregnant and it was a wonderful city.

Alhambra, Granada

Destination

Khan predicts that most of the tourist who visit Venice will end up getting lost in The Streets of Venice posted at European Travel Blog. It’s a small price to pay for wandering around this beautiful city. Yes Venice is full of tourists but I’d still rate it as a must see European city.

Venice

Mark presents Underground Fantasy (Skocjan Caves, Slovenia) posted at Travel Wonders of the World. That’s a coincidence to have two posts about caves in the same Carnival. The Skocjan Caves in Slovenia do look amazing.

Skocjan Caves, Slovenia

Hairy Swede presents Alla Helgons Dag and a Urinary Emergency in Sweden posted at A Swedish American in Sweden, Here’s another coincidence Anna Etmanska of the Europe a la Carte blogging tean wrote about the Skogskyrkogarden cemetery, burial site of Greta Garbo, where she also had great trouble locating the toilet facilities. I’m always relieved to hear about other travellers having issues with finding toilets, it reassures me that I’m not the only person who finds this all an annoying distraction.

Skogkyrkogarden Cememtery, Stockholm

Sue presents Sicily Travel posted at AtlasSue. Sicily is another one of thedr destinations I’ve been wanting to visit for ages but it’s not very easy or cheap to reach from either Scotland or north east England.

Golfo di Macari S Vito lo Capo. Tranpani, Sicily

Jul describes her trip to Zurich with melted cheese and chocolate high on the list of attractions in Toasting Obama in Zurich posted at This non-American Life.

Cheese Fondue

Restaurants and Food

In My Top 10 London Restaurant Recommendations posted at londonelicious: a london restaurant blog, there are recommendations for “food the people” style of London restaurants.

In Croatia: Safe Haven for Celliacs from the Gluten Free World Traveller the Alaskan Goddess was happily surprised at how easy it was to request that food be prepared to her requirements when she visited Rovinj in Croatia.

Rovinj, Croatia

Travel Tips

Christopher Cook presents Audio Tours posted at -noambit -Travel Europe- where to go, saying, “Instead of lugging heavy guidebooks around, and following a crowd of people chasing after some lady holding up an umbrella why not see the sights at your own pace and spend a lot less. Audio tours that can be downloaded directly to your MP3 player are a great new way to travel light, on your own time frame and save money. This article will tell you how they work as well as provide a list of reputable companies providing such tours.” Now I tried an audio tour at the Prestongrange Industrial Heritage Museum near Edinburgh and couldn’t get it to work. Continuing the Scottish theme, when I was searching Flickr to find a photo for this submission the photo below taken at Stirling Castle attracted my attention because it looked as though the young people were enjoying themselves. I lived in the Stirling area in central Scotland for 19 years.

Audio Tour, Stirling Castel

Sasha reviews the new ebook “Travelling Europe” written by Craig and Linda Martin of Indie Travel Podcast in If you want to start travelling Europe, you know what to do posted at Yankee in a New World.

Quai de Seine, Paris

Other topics

Cynthia Caughey presents How it all began posted at Adventures of an American Woman in the French Alps. Now being of a romantic disposition I loved reading about how Cynthia discovered l’amour travelling in France and how it ended up in her decamping from the States to live in France. Who says holiday romances don’t last?

Le Mont Ventoux

I hope that you’ve enjoyed your Carnival trip around Europe. If you’d like to submit to the January edition of the Europe Travel Carnival, published on 5 January 2009, the submission deadline is 29 December 2008. Any submission should be directly related to travel in Europe.

I was looking for a double room in Perthshire for a two night Autumn weekend break in October and found the three star Quality Hotel in the centre of the Scottish town of Perth for only 109 euro (£85) for the two nights through the accommodation supplier Book in Hotels. The hotel is opposite Perth rail station. The room was good apart from some stains on the wallpaper. The bathroom had an enormous Victorian bath with the biggest taps I’ve ever seen. The breakfast was wonderful, a lovely spread of fresh fruit, selection of cold meats and a hot buffet but there was confusion over the hours of service for breakfast.

Perth riverside at dusk

The Leith Waterfront Express by Holiday Inn in Edinburgh was an amazing 105 euro (£83) for three nights, (only £28 a night) in November 2009 for a double room including continental breakfast, booked through Hotel Board. Initially it looked as though Skoosh offered the lowest rate but Skoosh proceeded to add £7 in taxes and charges to the original price which meant that Hotel Board had the lowest inclusive price. That’s around £28 a night for a comfortable room for two. The hotel is a couple of miles from the city centre (which means free parking) but it’s opposite the Ocean Terminal shopping and leisure centre, where the Royal Yatch Britannia is berthed, and a short walk to from several restaurants, pubs and cafes. The room was comfortable but lacked adequate sound proofing as we could hear a conversation from the neighbouring room one morning, although it was quiet during the night. The self service continental breakfast was good.

Leith, Edinburgh

The cheapest rates may be quoted in euro or US dollars, so I have a Nationwide debit card which means I don’t pay any additional charges for these transactions.

As ever it’s always worth checking the hotel’s own site as sometimes you can find a cheaper rate there but HotelsCombined usually finds the lowest rate.

I have just picked up the most lovely picture book / coffee table book / travel guide that would make a perfect stocking stuffer:  The Grand Literary Cafes of Europe.  It is chock full of wonderful pictures of the best cafes across the region, and includes a wealth of history on how Europe became famous for its “café culture” lifestyle and the heavy influence that literary circles had on the rise and dominance of the café.

Another cup?  Photo Copyrght by Andrew Hayes

I started reading through to see how many of my favourite cafes were included, and surprisingly I have been to several of the ones listed.  Here are a three of my best picks that are in the book:

Café de Flore

Paris is the epicentre of café culture; today the city of lights has the highest number of historic coffeehouses still in operation.  The best of them all, in my opinion, is the charming Café de Flore in the trendy neighbourhood of Saint-Germain des Prés.  The atmosphere is vibrant as the Parisian elite mix with the odd tourist and backpacker.  The café is so hip that it even has its own CD, Café de Flore: Rendez-Vous a Saint Germain des Pres (another great stocking filler, incidentally).

Café Europa

Prauge is not about to let Paris go uncontested for the café lifestyle.  Café Europa is the hotel café in the Grand Hotel Europa, and is the most photographed café in Prague.  There is no question why, with its stunning Art Nouveau façade and interiors that rival that of royal residences.  With wall-to-wall murals, marble columns, late-afternoon piano music, and a grandiose skylight, this is the best place to rest your heels after a busy day of sightseeing or shopping in the Czech capital.

Café Américain

Surrounded by buskers, cannabis shops, beer-soaked cafes and a general sense of overwhelming revelry, it is hard to believe an oasis of calm can be found here in the centre of Amsterdam.  However, just off the bustling Leidseplein is the beautiful Art Deco Café Américain.  Enjoy a newspaper or book in a civilised environment; it is quiet enough to enjoy conversation over the gentle hiss of the espresso machine or simply relax and admire the buzz of activity passing by on the street out of the window.  The furnishings are authentic and create an intimate atmosphere unique in this tourist hotspot.

Do you soak up the café culture when enjoying Europe?  What’s your favourite café (literary or otherwise)?

Bled Lake and Castle

In the summer the lake hosts many water sports and in the winter it is one big ice skating rink. When the lake is not frozen over you can take a small gondola out to the tiny island on the lake, which features the Baroque-decorated Church of Sv Marika Božja.

There are a couple of paths up to the Bled Castle, which is an 11th century fort that has a fascinating museum, local artwork, and offers some fantastic views of the lake and across the Alps.

One of the main attractions of Bled is located in the outlying hills in the Vintgar Gorge, which has a small chapel and a great walking path through the forest. The Vintgar Gorge is a great place to have a picnic. To get there you can head northwest out of Bled on the Vintgar road, next to the bus station, turning right on the outskirts of town towards the small villages of Gmajna and Zasip. Then Head uphill through Zasip to the hilltop chapel of Sv Katarina before leading you to a path through the forest to the gorge entrance.

You can also stroll around the lake on a walking path that takes a few hours and could not be more peaceful.

View of Lake Bled from Walking Path

If you are looking for some nightlife, you can head to one of the many small bars located around the lake and a couple near the bus station. There is also a casino that is located right on the lake if you are feeling lucky. One of my favorite bars is Cocktails and Dreams, which is located near the lake.

There are no shortages of food options in Bled from real Slovenian food and high-end classy restaurants to great Italian food and pizza joints. There is a great kebab place in the small shopping center across from the lake. I went there and had a great kebab and the worker was so nice he even gave me a big beer. So what if it was 11 in the morning I was on vacation! There is even a fantastic Chinese restaurant located juts behind the shopping area. In the shopping area there are clothing stores, souvenir shops, sporting goods, and even a tiny market.

Finding accommodations are no problem, as there are swanky hotels, private rooms, a hostel, and a few pensions. The hostel is located near the bus station just up from the lake, but I would recommend trying to find private rooms or a pension near the lake. When I went there for the first time I stayed in a 3 story pension and had a room on the top floor with a balcony overlooking the lake and it was only 20 Euros a night. The next time I went I stayed at a nicer pension right near the lake with great rooms and a nice bar for only 40 Euros a night.

Bled is not hard to get to, as you can take a train from the capital of Ljubianna to near Bled and then take a bus right to Bled.

I have told many people about Bled and have been there a couple of times now, once with my girlfriend and once with my family. Trust me, if you visit Bled you will never forget it.

Well here’s an alternative which will give you a modest roof over your head with full access to the beach, pool and sporting facilities to keep your family happy. And if you choose your location carefully you can have access to all the interesting sights that a city can offer.

You’ll probably have heard of operators like Eurocamp and Canvas holidays who offer a tent or mobile home already set up for you in major campsites. What is less widely known is that many campsites have their own apartments, wooden chalets or mobile homes that you can rent directly for less money. It’s a formula that I’ve operated successfully over the past few years when my children were younger.

These are my tips for arranging this sort of holiday yourself;

1. Check out which low cost carriers fly from your local airport and keep an eye out for when they release their summer flights to bag the early bargains. (As I write Easyjet and Ryanair have just released their summer flights)
2. Narrow down to a few areas or cities you would like to visit.
3. Check out campsites located close to your destination airport, preferrably those that can be reached by public transport or a taxi ride. The website I use for this is Alan Rogers which has comprehensive information on the best European campsites and will tell you which have accomodation to rent.
4. Carry out an internet search to find the website and contact details of any campsites that look promising and check out what accomodation they have to offer.
5. Contact your chosen campsite directly to book accomodation. You will get a better response if you e-mail them in their own language - use an internet translator if necessary.

One year we went to Barcelona and stayed in a  wooden chalet by the beach, which was only a half hour bus ride into the city. We alternated one day relaxing on the beach with another wandering Las Ramblas and taking the cable car up to Montjuic.

Then there was the time when we stayed in a mobile home in a campsite on the mainland near Venice, taking the bus and ferry for daytrips into Venice. We managed to see many of the major sites while the pool and beach were at hand for the non-sightseeing days.

I have to say that given the choice, I’d rather stay in the comfort of an apartment or hotel. But for a family on a tight budget, a holiday on a campsite in the sun is a lot more fun than a wet week in Cornwall.

With all the Christmas decorations going up I’ve been reminded of my favourite Christmas holiday ever - a couple of years ago I spent the Christmas season based in Rovaniemi in Finnish Lapland. There are so many outdoor activities to do up there - and yes, especially in winter, despite the very short daylight hours - although unfortunately a lot of them are pretty expensive.

One of the best days out I had was also the cheapest, probably because for once it didn’t involve firing up a snowmobile and powering across the snow. Just before Christmas I booked onto a day of snowshoe walking out in the forest about a half hour drive from Rovaniemi, with a great Finnish guide and a small group of Brits and Aussies.

Snowshoe walking is no adventure sport, but perhaps that’s why I loved the day so much - it was quiet and peaceful and I felt like I finally got to experience the Finnish outdoors properly. The snow was very deep and soft, so it was actually quite strenuous (and I tripped over my snowshoes a couple of times too, when they got stuck too deep!), and the guide was smart enough to have a few breaks and provide hot chocolate and chocolate chip cookies.

In fact you could do this more cheaply by just renting the equipment and heading out yourself, but all the tour operators in Rovaniemi also provide reasonably-priced tours - well, reasonable in the Finnish sense, in a country that’s definitely not cheap. You can choose from half a dozen Rovaniemi tour operators - I used a couple and found them pretty similar. If you do get up to Rovaniemi then please drop by Santa’s Village and tell the old guy I said hi!