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Why I’m giving up hosting Blog Carnivals

Monday, April 27th, 2009Karen Bryan

Welcome to my blog, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

I started hosting the Europe Travel Blog Carnival on the Europe a la Carte Blog in March 2008. I wanted to create a Carnival which would be more than a rather ugly cut and paste job by adding photos and my own comments to the submissions.

Carnaval de Putignana

Carnaval de Putignana by loloieg

It was pretty time consuming collating the monthly editions. I was bombarded with submissions that had nothing to do with travel in Europe and general spam. However one of the main issues I had was the the authors of the submission didn’t bother to link back to the Blog Carnival in order to give everyone involved more publicity.

Now after more than one year of hosting monthly Blog Carnivals, I’ve reached the stage of thinking, why I am bothering spending hours every month preparing a Carnival and decided to call it a day. There are plentty of other things on which I could be spending my time.

Do you host a Blog Carnival, if so do you see it as a worthwhile investment of your time? If you submit to Blog Carnivals do you link back to the Canival?

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Posted in Blogs, Carnivals by Karen Bryan | 2 Comments »

Europe Travel Carnival 6 April 2009

Monday, April 6th, 2009Karen Bryan

Europe Travel Carnival 6 April 2009Welcome to the April 2009 edition of the Europe Travel Carnival, where you’ll find posts to inform, inspire and entertain you if you love travel in Europe.

Activites

Erika reminds us of the possibility of Skiing in Spain: the Catalonia Pyrenees posted at Visiting Spanish Speaking Countries, saying, “You have probably heard all about the beaches of Spain; the truth is that Spain is not only all about summertime travel. The country offers a winter wonderland made possible by the Spanish Pyrenees Mountains.”

Pyrenees Spain

Looking north towards the High Pyrenees, Catalonia by Akuppa

I was intrigued by the title, Travel or Cruise to Knit submitted by the Happy Hotelier but it appears that having an interest in knitting can encourage you to travel as there are even cruises designed for knitters. Let’s hope that they serve real as opposed to knitted food at meal times.

Knitted Picnic

Knitted picnic by WordRidden

Budget Travel

In Camping in the Wild: Europe posted at WorldWalk-Peacetour, we read about the experiences of cmaping wild in Hungary, Austria, Germany, French and Spain. I appreciate that wild camping allows you to get close to nature but I’m afraid that it’s is too far outside my comfort zone. You can read tips about wild camping in the UK in a guest post on the Europe a la Carte blog.

Wild Camping

by lhoon

Destinations

Delson Roche of Lush Green has some beautiful photos in his post Hampton Court Palace – Meeting King Henry v111. Sounds Delson really enjoyed his visit to Hampton Court Palace. I visited about thirty years ago and I still remember it as a wonderful day out.

The Stairs in Hampton Palace

The stairs at Hampton Palce by Delson Roche of Lush Green

Liz Wright explains that she had to emphasise she had visited the Greek island of Paros as opposed to the French capital in I Said Paros, Not Paris posted at Travelogged.

Parikia, Paros

Parikia, Paros by ethanlindsay

In My own private World Heritage Site: The Plantin-Moretus Museum, Geoff of The Itinerant Londoner highlights that there are plenty of worth sites which have included as World Heritage Sites. That could be a bonus if you do manage to seek them out they are less likely to be mobbed with other visitors.

Book Illustration

Book Illustration by Rubens by Geoff of the Itinerant Londoner

Stig Kristoffersen describes Budapest – Hungary is an Unforgettable Experience With Its Magnificent Beauty Which Never Ends on Information about Budapest. Several people have recommnended that I visit Budapest and it’s yet another addition to my would like to visit list.

Budapest

Budapest by Mr Theklan

Restaurants

The buoni ristoranti in Italy on Simply Gluten Free lists Katherine McMahon’s recommendations of restuarants in Italy which can serve food for those who suffer from gluten intolerance.

Gluten free Chick Chick

Balsmic Chick Chick by mia3mom

Travel tips

In Finnish Emergency Medicine: One American’s Experience posted at Living the Scientific Life, Girl Scientist descrbies her first class treatment in the Finish medical system after falling on ice and fracturing her wrist. Fortunately the tab was picked up by her insurance. I always advise travellers to take out travel insurance and this is a cantionary tale.

Broken wrist

by clango

This is the final edition of the Europe Travel Carnival, as I’ve made the decision to give up hosting the Carnival, due to the large number of irrevelavant and spammy submssions and the reluctance of many contributors to link back to the Carnival to give us all more link love and publicity.

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Posted in Carnivals by Karen Bryan | 2 Comments »

Three great museums to visit in Valencia

Thursday, March 12th, 2009Heather Cowper

Valencia is the third largest city in Spain and is the perfect place for a long weekend or city-break with something for everyone to enjoy. There are many art galleries and museums to enjoy but here are three that we visited which give you a glimpse of different sides Spanish and Valencian life and culture.

The Palacio de Marques de Dos Aguas
For those that appreciate fine art and beautiful surroundings, I’d recommend the ceramics museum, housed in the Palacio de Marques de Dos Aguas. You’ll find much more than ceramics here though, as the building in which the museum is housed is the most delicious concoction of over-the-top baroque and rococco.

Ceramics Museum in Valencia

The exterior is covered with ornate marble decoration in sugar almond shades and the huge carved alabaster entrance was designed by Hipólito Rovira and alludes to the two rivers Turia and Júcar of the Marques’ title. There’s even a painted-gilt Cinderella coach to greet you in the entrance and the marble decoration continues inside as you walk up the stairs.

As you progress through the first floor of the Palacio you pass through room after room smothered with colourful plasterwork and marble decoration with enormous chandeliers sparkling in the gilded mirrors – its like a mini Versailles. There’s one large room with lovely impressionist paintings and on the top floor there’s a replica of a traditional tiled Spanish kitchen with hand-painted tiles.

Ceramics Museum in Valencia

The Bullfighting museum
A complete contrast is the small bullfighting museum which is beside the bullring near the main station and is free to enter. After seeing the museum you can take a look inside the bull-ring itself, although it wasn’t possible for us as they were preparing for a bullfight the next day. Free booklets in English and other languages were available with information on the museum, the bullring and some background about the bulls and bullfighters.

The main exhibits were the costumes of the bullfighting greats with information about the matadors who had worn them. The costumes known as Traje de Luces or ’suit of lights’ are beautifully embroidered and skin tight and there was an interactive presentation where you could dress the matador, which explained the different items of clothing. We noticed one green and gold costume with a large gash in the leg and on looking more closely we discovered that it had been worn by the torero Manolo Cortes on the day of his death.

Bullring Valencia

Further on there was a large stuffed bull called Gitano who had been ’sacrificed’ age 15. The most interesting part was the short film which is shown at intervals, showing the bull’s life from the stud farm to the bull-fight and its death in the bull-ring. It had no commentary, so no problems with the language but the images spoke for themselves, and I might not take in younger children as they could find it upsetting.

It shows how the bull is first engaged by the junior bullfighters with their purple capes and by picadores on heavily armoured horses who spike the bull in the neck with lances. Finally the star bullfighter, or torero elegantly twirls his purple and yellow cape for the bull to charge, then taking the smaller red cape he plunges the sword into the bull for the final kill. The torero receives the adulation of the crowd as two horses drag the bull’s body out of the ring.

The bullfight is a deeply embedded tradition in Southern Spain and many animal lovers might not want to visit the museum, but if you’re undecided then keep an open mind and visit the museum.

Sculpture at Fallas museum, Valencia

The Fallas Museum
A fun museum for younger children is the Museo Fallero, near the City of Arts and Sciences. The Fallas festival in Valencia takes place every year in March when each neighbourhood sponsors enormous papier mache sculptures which are put on display and then burned in a pyotechnical mania which grips the city. The sculptures are like cartoons and are often a satire on political characters or situations.

Each year, one of the smaller figures or ninots is voted the best and is ‘pardoned’, saved from burning and sent to be displayed at the museum. The figures date from the 1930s through to the present day, and its interesting to see how the early figures are quite simple, while the more recent become more satirical or risqué.

Sculpture at Fallas museum, Valencia

It’s a great place to bring children who will enjoy the cartoon-like aspect of the figures while adults might appreciate the satire and sense of humour. Also on display are some of the stylised posters for the festival each year and the portraits of the Fallera Major or the Queen of the Falleras, who is appointed each year.

All photos by Heather on her travels on Flickr

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Posted in Carnivals, Culture, Spain by Heather Cowper | No Comments »

Europe Travel Carnival 2 March 2009

Monday, March 2nd, 2009Karen Bryan

SunflowersWelcome to the March 2009 edition of the Europe Travel Carnival. I hope that the following posts will inform, inspire and entertain readers who love travel in Europe.

This month’s edition has a strong Spanish flavour, a coincidence as I was in Spain last month for our reccy trip to research the possibility of buying Our Own Place in the Sun.

Activities

Ashley Cook presents Pamplona Bull Run | Spain For Tourists posted at Spain For Tourists, saying, “If you plan on visiting Spain in the month of July, considering going to the famed Pamplona Bull Run for some entertainment and an adrenaline rush” Personally I think I’d prefer to visit Pamplona when it’s a bit quieter.

Pamplona

Pampllona by sloshvill

Destinations

Betsy Potash presents From Another Angle: Istanbul: Joining the Swirl posted at From Another Angle. Betsy’s posts has a collection of photos which emphasise the colourful diversity of Istanbul.

Grand Bazaar, Istanbul

Grand Bazaar, Istanbul by neilbetter

Aaron gives us the lowdown on Barcelona in this free Barcelona guide published on Unlikely Words. The guide is structured around each of Aaron’s ten days in the area, covering day trips to Sitges and Monserrat, as well as walks, sights and restaurants in Barcelona.

Park Guell, Barcelonal

Park Guell, Barcelona by Wolfgang Staudt

Travel Tips

Erika dispenses advice on How To Pronounce Spanish Letters posted at Visiting Spanish Speaking Countries, saying, “Compared to some of the other languages in the world, Spanish is one of the easier languages to learn, especially when it comes to pronunciation.” I must admit I’m a typical Brit in being lazy about learning other languages. I can get by in French but I have even found the names of some Spanish towns hard to pronounce.

Learning to Speak Spanish

Learning to speak Spanish with just your lips by Dan Zen

Jack Norrel offers some tips on some money saving tips in Travel Cheaply in Italy on Eyeflare. As Jack remarks Italy is one of the most expensive destinations in Europe. Don’t I know it, we were thinking of a trip to Italy in May but between the high prices for things such as car hire and the low value of the UK pound against the Euro we decided against it.
Sale Marasino, Lake Iseo, Italy

The view over Lake Iseo from Sale Marasino

Vanessa Wolf made me laugh in It’s always good to have a backup plan posted at Wide Awake in Wonderland in which Vanessa describes a marriage proposal from a Turk in Bodrum. I laughed out loud as it brough back memories of when I visited Turkey aged nineteen.
Blue Tour Bodrum

Blue Tour, Bodrum by flikri.bakir

The next Europe Travel Carnival will be published on Monday 6 April 2009 and the deadline for submissions is Monday 30 March.

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Posted in Carnivals by Karen Bryan | No Comments »

Europe Travel Carnival 2 February 2009

Monday, February 2nd, 2009Karen Bryan

SunflowerWelcome to February 2009 edition of the Europe Travel Carnival, where I’ve collated the submitted posts to inform, inspire and entertain readers who love travel in Europe.

Accommodation

Tamara lists her Top 5: Budget Boutique Hotels in Europe on Travel Blog – Mr & Mrs Smith Boutique & Luxury Hotels. Well that sounds very attractive, boutique hotels that won’t break the bank.

St Martenslane
by st-martenslane

Activities

Liz Wright tells us about Sir John Soane’s: Not Your Typical London Museum on Travelogged. It’s always good to visit some smaller, less well known museums and like many museums in the UK there is no admission charge.

Sloane Museum, London
Sir John Sloane Museum by mcbrewste

Destinations

Mark writes about the Top Ten Travel Wonders of Paris – Part 1 (Rank 8-10) posted at Travel Wonders of the World. Paris is a wonderful European capital and this post highlights some worthwhile attractions.

Paris skyline

Paris skyline by timthetrumpe

Meghana writes aobut Around The World: Attractions of Rome Italy, Rome in 2/3 Days posted at Around The World. What can I say about Rome, it’s probably my favourite European capital and we spent our 20th wedding anniversary there.

Rome Skyline
Rome skyline by miguelfantoni

Sebastian tells us about Marbella´s Secret… posted at Guadalmina. Marbella will be one of our stops on our reccy trip to the south of Spain later this month. I don’t think we’ll be looking at property there though as I expect Marbella is pretty expensive.

Marbella postcard
Postcard from Marbella by imageglenbourne

Chris Christensen’s post is about Travel to Ukraine – Episode 171 from The Amateur Traveler Podcast – the best places to travel. I haven’t visited this region, have you? What was your impression of the Ukraine?

Kive, Ukraine

Kiev by sergeillin

One Family give us their Ireland Trip Report posted at One Family’s Blog. We vistited the area around the Ring of Kerry when touring Ireland but did spend quite a bit of time dodging the frequent showers in order to be able to take in the dramatic scenery.

Ring of Kerry

Ring of Kerry by shadowgate

Restaurants

Jack Norell describes Cafe Americain, Amsterdam posted at Eyeflare Travel Articles and Tips. I love art deco so will try to visit the Cafe on my next trip to Amsterdam.

Erika dispenses advice about What To Eat In Spain posted at Visiting Spanish Speaking Countries. I’ve always found the restaurants in Spain offer great value for money on the “Menu of the Day”.

Spain food

by cispeace

Travel Tips

James Hills informs us of The Currency Commision or How to Pay for Your Next European Mancation at Man Tripping – Mancation Travel Tips. This company will take curency such as the French Franc and German Mark – no longer exchangeable – to help pay towards your next trip.

Coins
by schoschia

I hope that you have enjoyed the February 2009 Travel Europe Carnival and will submit to the next edition, published on Monday 2 March 2009, with a submission deadline of Monday 26 February.

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Posted in Carnivals by Karen Bryan | 4 Comments »

Europe Travel Carnival 5 January 2009

Monday, January 5th, 2009Karen Bryan

Welcome to the January 2009 edition of the Europe Travel Carnival kicking off the New Year with a great selection of posts selected to inform, inspire and entertain readers who love travel in Europe.

Accommodation

In the World’s First Zero Star Hotel posted at So You Want To Be a Banquet Manager…. we read about this budget accommodation located in a former nucluer bunker in Sevlen, near Zurich. With beds from only £6 a night it is certainly cheap but perhaps even a bit basic for me.

Zurich

Zurich by Toni_V

Activites

Justin Brunjes relates his tale of ‘Stuck at the top of the world’ or ‘A nightmare of buses, trains and footpaths in St. Moritz’ posted at The Best Things In Life, I think that the morale of the story is that even if you arrive late, your wife will forgive you if you appear with a patisserie delight.

St Moritz

St Mortiz by timo_w2s

Marcus writes about German Castles and Residences on German Travel Guide, saying, “Did you know that Germany has over 20,000 castles?” I have certainly visited quite a few castles when I’ve been in Germany and they do have a fairy tale quality about them. Two of the Europe a la Carte team have written about German castles recently, Jacinta Lodge recommending a visit to The Castles of Potsdam, close to Berlin and Andy Hayes describing Neuschwanstein (pictured below) as the ideal place to wake up on Christmas day.

Neuschwanstein: The Bavarian Castle

Neuschwanstein: The Bavarian Castle by jeffwilcox

Alyssa’s post Saving Money While Snowboarding in Europe is on Surf & Snowboards. One of our sons is away in France snowboarding now, so fingers crossed he won’t have any nasty falls. The University Snow Sports Club charters a bus for the trip from Edinburgh to France which is cheaper than flying but you have to endure more than 24 hours on a coach. Saving money on travel in the Euro zone is going to be a big theme this year for we British with the current drop in the value of the UK pound against the Euro.

Avoriaz Pipe

Avoriaz Pipe by Grayskullduggery

Destination

In Edinburgh Trip Report posted on the One Family’s Blog we read about their short visit to the Scottish capital. It sounds as thought they enojoyed their trip. I really love Edinburgh and there’s loads more to do and see off the beaten track in Edinburgh.

Edinburgh skyline from Calton Hill by Karen Bryan

In Celebrating the Season: Berlin posted at Intelligent Travel Blog, Susan O’Keefe asks the concierges in the top hotels in Berlin what they recommend seeing and doing in Berlin during the Festive season.

Brandenburg Gate, Berlin

Brandenburg Gate, Berlin by Karen Bryan

Mark writes about Soaking Up Culture (Bath, England) posted at Travel Wonders of the World. Bath is a very beautiful town and well worth a visit. However neaby Bristol is only UK city in the Top 10 Ciities for 2009 DK Eyewitness Guides.

Parade Gardens in Bath

Parade Gardens in Bath by jmenard48

GrrlScientist tells us about her visit to Helsinki in Hietaniemen Hautausmaa posted at Living the Scientific Life, saying, “On my last day in Helsinki, my host and I walked through the northwestern portions of the city to visit several places, including Sibeliuksenpuisto (Sibelius Park) where the famous monument is located and Hietaniemen hautausmaa (Hietaniemi cemetery). This graveyard is the burial place for many famous Finns, including writers, artists, actors, and nearly all of its presidents.”

Sibelus Park

Sibelius Park by tommetje

Chris Christensen presents Travel to Slovenia – Amateur Traveler Episode 162 posted at The Amateur Traveler Podcast – travel for the love of it,, saying, “The Amateur Traveler talks to Shel Holtz (from the For Immediate Release podcast) about his trip to Slovenia. Here about the food, the wine, the lake and the cake as Shel describes his visit to the capital of Ljubjana, the caves at Postojna, Portoroz castle and Lake Bled. Slovenia is one of Europe’s best kept secrets.” Jason Green, one of the Europe a la Carte writing team has already whetted my appetite to visit Slovenia with articles about Lake Bled, Maribor and Ljubljana.

Church of the Assumption, Lake Bled

Church of the Assumption, Lake Bled by croarty

The Cyprus Informer describes Some Excellent Beaches in Cyprus. I’ve visited Cyprus a couple of times for Winter Sun holidays and Polis is one of my favourite towns. We did consider Cyprus as a location for Our Own Place in the Sun, however we decided to look at southern Spain first as there is more choice of cheap flights to Spain from the UK and there is also the possility to drive our own car to Spain.

Polis Beach by valentinapowers

If you’d like to submit to the February 2 2009 Europe Travel Carnival, please do so by 26 January 2009.

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Posted in Carnivals by Karen Bryan | 6 Comments »

Europe Travel Carnival 1 December 2008

Monday, December 1st, 2008Karen Bryan

Welcome to the December 2008 edition of the Europe Travel Carnival, where my aim is select great posts to inform, inspire and entertain readers who love travel in Europe.

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

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.

Memory of Venice

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.

London South Bank by night

London South Bank by night

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

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.

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Posted in Carnivals by Karen Bryan | 6 Comments »

Europe Travel Carnival 3 November 2008

Monday, November 3rd, 2008Karen Bryan

Welcome to the November 2008 of the Europe Travel Carnival, jam packed with great posts to inform, inspire and entertain readers who love travel in Europe. Thanks to all the contributors for their great submissions.

Destination

Matt writes about Amsterdam.. Check Please posted at Playing Pro Ball: My Euro Adventures. I was sorry to read that it rained during Matt’s trip to Amsterdam, which is exactly what happened during our first trip to Amsterdam. However I was luckier during my recent trip to the press launch of the citizenm hotel in June 2008 it was sunny and warm which made Amsterdam so much more appealing and attractive.

Amsterdam

Amsterdam

travelcat4 gives us the Short Guide To UK National Parks posted at Ultimate Vacation Guide with a short description of each UK National Park. I’d advise you to visit National Parks off peak as I recall being in the Derbyshire Peaks on a Bank Holiday Weekend one August and it was awful – traffic jams, nowhere to park etc. We visited the Lake District National Park in February 2008 and even then there were quite a few visitors around.

Consiton Water at dusk

Consiton Water at dusk

Christina Geyer presents Off the Beaten Path: the Oberpfalz posted at an american expat in deutschland, The Oberpfalz region is in the German state of Bavaria. You can participate in Christina’s Off the Beaten Path Challenge by writing a guide to somewhere you don”t normally find in the guidebooks. I always think that Germany is way down the list when most Brits think of holiday destinations. I enjoyed our trip to north eastern Germany in Mecklenburg Vorpmmern and our overnight stay in Lubeck.

Amberg Oberpflaz

Amberg Oberpflaz

Kirsty lists Top 20 Things To Do in Florence I posted at RatesToGo Travel Blog. We didn’t have time to visit Florence when we flew to Pisa in May 2008 as we’d hired a car to tour around southern Tuscany and Umbria and driving in Italian cities is to be avoided. I plan to fly to Pisa and visit Florence and Lucca by public transport.

Florence skyline

Florence skyline

Restaurants

Heatheronhertravels presents An artistic lunch at the V & A – in London posted at Heather on her travels, saying, “If you’re looking for a delicious and well priced lunch in central London, look no further than the Victoria and Albert Museum, where you can savour your salad or sandwich while enjoying the artistic surroundings.” I visited the Victoria and Albert Museum frequently when I lived in London but being a frugal Scot I would take my own sandwiches with me.

The Victoria and Albert Museum

The Victoria and Albert Museum

Kirk Warner describes his Grand Meal in the Grand Duchy in Off the Menu. It sounds like a real gourmet treat, a ten course degustation menu at the Michelin two star Restaurant Mosoni in Luxembourg. Kirk was impressed by the Cinammon Ice Cream served with shaved Parmesan and Balsamic Vinegar and has included the recipe at the bottom of the article.

Luxembourg Neumunster and Johanneskirche

Luxembourg Neumunster and Johanneskirche

Travel Tips

European Vacation – Gotchas to avoid and frugal options for cost conscious American Visitors from the One Family’s Blog gives tips on how to make your travel budget stretch further. One of the tips is to consider low cost carriers such as Ryanair for flights within Europe, as they can be cheaper than taking the train. If you book in advance and travel midweek off peak you can book flights for as little as £1.

Ryanair aeroplane

Ryanair aeroplane

George L Smyth features One Minute How-To – How To Survive The Oktoberfest posted at George L Smyth, in which Christian Weller explains the things you must should know to get the most out off attending the Oktoberfest in Munich. Unfortunately this post was submitted after the deadline for the October edition of the Europe Travel Carnival but you could bookmark it for next year.

Got beer?

Got beer?

GirlScientist asks for tips about what to do and see on her forthcoming trip to Helsinki in In One Month, I will go to HEL and Back posted at Living the Scientific Life. My husband was in Helsinki for a conference a couple of years ago and he thought it was a beautiful city.

Helsinki Railway Station

Helsinki Railway Station

I hope that you’ve enjoyed the November 2008 edition of the Europe Travel Carnival. Please make your submission for the December 1 2008 edition by Monday 24 November. Please only submit articles which are directly related to travel in Europe. You may submit more than one article but I can only include one article per site or blog.

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Posted in Carnivals by Karen Bryan | 8 Comments »

Europe Travel Carnival 6 October 2008

Monday, October 6th, 2008Karen Bryan

Welcome to the October 2008 edition of the Europe Travel Carnival which features posts to inform, inspire and entertain readers who love travel in Europe.

Accommodation

In London Update: Where I stayed in Girl Scientist the Picadilly Backpackers Hostel in London is reviewed. Overall it’s rated quite highly for affordability (beds from £12 a night), cleanliness and safety. The main grumble is the price and unreliability of wifi access.

Picadilly Circus, London

Picadilly Circus, London

Activities

Matthew Paulson recommends Viagogo, an online ticket exchange service, in Traveling to London? Get Show & Concert Tickets with Viagogo posted at The Travel Advocate.

Forest of Heads, Mama Mia at London West End

Forest of Heads, Mama Mia at London West End

Budget Travel

It was really interesting to read Family Downsizes Life to a Camper, the Open Road and Adventures Rich in Simple Pleasures from The Life Less Traveled about a British family, the Smudges, who became so cheesed off with their lives in the UK that they decided to sell up and take to the road travelling around Europe. I know that we all complain about the daily grind but it takes a lot of guts to actually sell up and hit the road. So far the family seems to be enjoying the experience you can read more about their adventures at the Travelling Tales of Family Smudge.

The Family Smudge

The Family Smudge

Destination

Jarrod highlights Transmistri: Moldova with a twist on the Pyrodes blog. I’d never heard of Transmistri, it’s a breakaway republic within Moldova which borders the Ukraine to the east. The video below explains the strange state of affairs where the Moldovan president who was born in Transmistri claims that unpoliced border with the Ukraine allows a free for all in drug, arms and human trafficking. That’s why the area is deemed unsafe for tourists.

Piotr Stepien, a Pole living and working in Dublin, shares his pictorial record of his motor bike trip to Donegal – June 2008 posted at we overstep. His photos capture the rugged beauty of that region of Ireland.

Donegal

Donegal

The Hairy Swede presents Ytterjärna Kyrka and Helpful Swedes on A Swedish American in Sweden, where he explores countryside churches south of Stockholm but ends up asking himself if a building can ever be as beautiful as the great outdoors. Well I suppose that depends, as beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Bomsund – sun just set over Gesunder, Jamtland, Sweden

Tamara writes about The coast with the most posted at Travel Blog – Mr & Mrs Smith Boutique & Luxury Hotels, saying, “How to make the most of the UK’s coastal destinations.” I was a bit disappointed that there was no mention of any Scottish coastal resorts.

North Berwick beach, East Lothian, Scotland

Bas tells us about The Black Sea Coast: Nesebar on Basbasbas.com, he reckons that visiting the Sunny Beach area in Bulgaria can’t really be classified as visiting the real Bulgaria as it’s so overrun with tourists, although the neighbouring Nesebar is worth visiting.

Black Sea view, Nesebar, Bulgaria

Black Sea view, Nesebar, Bulgaria

In A Report from Brussels on The Bookstore Guide the best shops selling books in English are described.

The Grand Place, Brussels

The Grand Place, Brussels

In the post Character cannot be developed in ease and comfort from Wide Awake in Wonderland we read about a day in Warsaw during in the 21 country, thirteen week tour by Vanessa Wolf a solo female traveller. It was so funny to read about her escapades trying to find the correct bus stop for the airport bus. You are left feeling very impotent when you can’t speak the language and can’t work out what you’re supposed to be doing.

Central Station, Warsaw

Central Station, Warsaw

In Buddists at joanna españa, Joanna describes her stay in Budapest. I was impressed by the gourmet menu for only 18 euros which included champagne, duck and waffles.

Budapest

Budapest

Well, thanks for all the great contributions and please submit your post which must relate directly to travel in Europe to the next Europe Travel Carnival scheduled for Monday 3 November 2008 with a submission deadline of Monday 27 October (I need some time to collate the carnival).

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Europe Travel Carnival 1 September 2008

Monday, September 1st, 2008Karen Bryan

Welcome to the September 2008 edition of the Europe Travel Carnival featuring your monthly digest of post to inform, inspire and entertain readers who love to travel in Europe.

Architecture

I was fascinated the post about Huge low rise buildings in Europe authored by Roland in Manufactured landscapes. I’d never heard of the Prora Complex, intended as a holiday camp for German workers during the Hitler years, on the German island of Rugen, although I did visit Rugen on a day trip when we were in the Meckelenburg Vorpommern region of Germany. The camp never fulfilled its original purpose due to the outbreak of WW2.

Isle of Rugen

Isle of Rugen

I was unaware that the House of Parliament in Bucharest in Romania is the largest building in Europe.

House of Parliament, Bucharest, Romania

House of Parliament, Bucharest, Romania

Budget Travel

In the Cost of Living/Traveling Overseas – Up, Up, and Away! posted by Sahaja Parsa at Yankee in a New World we learn that the many American travellers are deciding to forgo their visit to the UK and choosing destinations such as India and China where their dollar buys more. This is having a serious impact on UK tourism revenue as American visitors are the highest contributors to this income for the UK. Then I read that Visit Britain’s budget is to be cut by 20% and despair as Britain really needs to be aggressively promoting itself to attract visitors.

The London Eye by night

The London Eye by night

Destination

Heather on her travels tells us about one of her days out during her recent trip to Cala Gonone, Sardinia, in the post Seacaves and a Boat Trip in Sardinia. Many beaches along the Gulf of Orosei are only accessible by boat. The water looks so inviting. Sardinia has been on my wish list for several years.

The coastline of the gulf of Orosei

The coastline of the gulf of Orosei

The Happy Hotelier gives the local’s perspective on his hometown of The Hague in the Netherlands. I was honoured to be given the guided tour by the Happy Hotelier himself when I was in the Netherlands recently to attend the launch of the citizenM hotel. I was only able to spend a few hours in The Hague but I’d recommend that you do visit The Hague, don’t just spend all your time in Amsterdam.

The Iceberg sculpture in front of the Parliament Buidling in The Hague

The Iceberg sculpture in front of the Parliament building in The Hague

Events

The 2008 European Poker Tour is about to start and you can find out more in the EPT Season 5 preview at Poker Tips. Keen fans could certainly enjoy a tour of several beautiful European cities such as Copenhagen, Budapest, Barcelona and London, with the final being held in Monte Carlo.

Monte Carlo Casino

Monte Carlo Casino

Travel Tips

Alex Bo writes about Dental Tourism Countries and Destinations at Worldental – world dental treatment guide saying, “With fewer NHS dentists around and the costs of private treatment rising beyond many patients’ means, more and more Britons are having their teeth fixed abroad.” Several countries in Europe are highlighted as offering good value for money but I was surprised that dental work in Italy can cost around 30% of the prices charged for private treatment in the UK.

At the dentist

At the dentist

I’m already a dental tourist, of sorts, as I travel 100 miles from the north of England to my excellent NHS dentist in central Scotland, located in Stirling the city in which I used to live. However I’d be nervous about having treatment abroad in case I had any problems once I returned home. Also the thought of combining dental treatment with a holiday is of dubious appeal, I can’ t imagine feeling like sightseeing or a lovely meal after a session in the dentist’s chair with a numb face.

If you’d like to be featured in the next edition, please make your submission by 29 September 2008, which must be directly relevant to travel in Europe, rather than travel in genera,l to next month’s edition of the Europe Travel Carnival, which will be published on Monday 6 October 2008.

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Posted in Carnivals by Karen Bryan | 8 Comments »

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