Posted Tuesday, May 06, 2008, 10:35 PM by Lonely Planet
Every city has spaces that confront us with events of the past. Buildings, squares and monuments bear witness to people's struggles and their scars record significant episodes in history. They're the silent players in the city narrative.
It's easy to miss these often subtle references to the past. Take Barcelona's Plaza Sant Felip Neri. At first glance, it's a tranquil, unassuming square. With its shade and fountain, it's a romantic spot offering respite from the relentless buzz of La Rambla. Go in closer, though, and you'll get a glimpse of the stories preserved in its walls. The facade of the plaza's baroque church is pockmarked from the shrapnel of a bomb dropped during the Spanish Civil War. Forty-two people taking refuge inside were killed in the blast, most of them children. The plaza was also the site of civil-war executions. In some way, it serves as an unofficial memorial to the war's victims.
Tell us about the scarred places you've come across, places that tell you something of a city's history.
- Eli Arduca
Labels: Barcelona, Europe
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Posted Tuesday, April 01, 2008, 4:32 AM by Lonely Planet
A new era has dawned: welcome to the age of open skies. What does this much-trumpeted transatlantic air agreement mean for travellers? Not that much, it seems.
Open skies has long been a dream of airlines. Until this week, only four airlines have been able to operate from London's Heathrow airport to US destinations. From today any EU or US-based airline can do just that - provided it's got a landing slot, that is. Indeed, these airlines can operate a route from between any two airports in the EU or US. The idea is simple: open skies means more choice and more competition.
So far, so nice for travellers who aren't very well served by existing routes. Air France has launched a London to Los Angeles service, while Northwest and Continental are serving more US destinations direct from the UK. Travellers between London and New York will benefit from 7000 extra seats a week.
You'd think all this would mean cheaper flights, but it seems that this is unlikely. Economy fares have come down a lot over the past few years, and fuel prices look set to keep costs steady. All these airlines are going after the lucrative business market, and fares here could well come down. There's still a long way to go before these fares get within splurge range of most of us.
In summary: open skies means more routes, more seats but not cheaper flights. In the absence of the latter, an open-jawed yawn is likely to be most travellers' reaction.
- Tom Hall
Labels: Airports, Europe, Travelsnitch
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Posted Wednesday, January 23, 2008, 7:46 PM by Lonely Planet
It's not every day you see a travel warning issued for Italy. There's always the risk you could overeat, overlook the alchohol content of limoncello, or overspend (why did they have to replace lire with the euro?). But in all seriousness what could be so dangerous about Italy?
Naples, known for Napoli sauce and Neapolitan ice-cream is having a rubbish disposal crisis - and not for the first time. Described as "raucous, polluted, anarchic, deafening and crumbling" on a good day, Naples has started 2008 drowning in a sea of rubbish as curb side collections are cancelled and dumps pronounced full.
Although planning is underway for purpose built incinerators, residents have taken matters into their own hands setting pile after pile alight. Hardly life-threatening for short-term travellers, but on the nose all the same.
Labels: Europe, Travelsnitch
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Posted Thursday, January 17, 2008, 9:08 PM by Lonely Planet
The eyes of the world are now on the northern British city of Liverpool. A crowd of over 30,000 people gathered last weekend outside the city's stately St George's Hall, despite chilly January temperatures, to witness the opening ceremony - featuring prodigal son Ringo Starr in a rooftop gig - that inaugurated Liverpool's reign as the European Capital of Culture.
With 350 formal events, 70 per cent of which are free, the cultural programme aims to boost the city's international standing after years of negative publicity and urban decay. Highlights for the year include Gustav Klimt at Tate Liverpool from May 30 to August 1; and the Liverpool Sound concert on June 1, featuring Sir Paul McCartney.
Liverpool has also undergone a major structural facelift since winning the UK nomination for Capital of Culture in 2003 with around 4.5 billion GBP subsequently pumped into the city's infrastructure.
But, while headline-grabbing events and a slew of new chic boutique hotel openings across the city are expected to boost the city's tourism by over 2m visitors a year, locals maintain that the birthplace of the Beatles is finally getting the credit it always deserved as a hub for creative talent.
"The European Capital of Culture is all about reminding the world that Liverpool is doing now what it has always done and will continue to do as a vibrant cultural city," proclaimed Deputy Chair of the Liverpool Culture Company, Phil Redmond as the opening fireworks lit up the night sky.
The crowd roared their approval. Liverpool hasn't looked so confident since a certain Fab Four first put the city on the map some 40 years ago.
- David Atkinson is a travel writer and Lonely Planet author based in England's Northwest;
Labels: Europe, Festivals and events
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Anyone travelling to or from London's Heathrow Airport would do well to check the status of their flight following Thursday's dramatic emergency landing of a British Airways Boeing 777.
It's unclear what the cause of the incident was at this early stage but it seems that the pilot who got the plane down after some kind of power or equipment failure performed heroics to get the plane onto the ground in one piece. There were no fatalities among the 136 passengers - and only a handful suffered minor injuries. The plane is still lying where it came to rest at the end of Heathrow's south runway and some short-haul flights out of Terminal 4 have been cancelled.
This incident happens in a month where figures released for 2007, suggesting that flying is safer than it's ever been, apart from in a handful of countries where planes are old and maintenance standards remain poor. Getting on a plane remains by far the safest way to travel. The passengers on board BA038 from Beijing to London will testify that pilot skill, plus well-built aircraft are ensuring things stay that way.
- Tom Hall
Labels: "Europe", Airports, Breaking travel news, Europe
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Posted Sunday, December 16, 2007, 7:23 PM by Lonely Planet
Under a candescent kaleidoscope of lollypop lighting, steaming mugs are clutched between mittens on a carpet of crunching snow. In Vienna, the countdown to Christmas has begun. Six weeks out, the Christmas markets open with no advertisement, no grand announcement and little publicity, but the day the wooden huts fling open their shutters, crowds amass to catch the first glimpse of the icing-covered treats on offer. By nightfall, multi-coloured fairy lights stud the sky.
Glühwein (hot mulled wine) flows through revelers' veins each night; a steaming concoction of red wine dangerously laced with cinnamon and cloves, or a hint of orange or lemon and a lethal splash of brandy. And there's punsch, generously spiked with schnapps and sugar. Of the flavours on offer (apple, pear, orange...), wildberry is surely the most thrilling; the bulbous raspberry waiting at the bottom of the mug bursts in your mouth like a liquor bomb of alcohol and sugar. They're heady brews, but the fact they come in innocent Christmas-themed mugs makes having another seem totally ok.
So how do the Viennese decide which of the many Christmas markets to go to? Over the course of December they'll go to them all but a few of their favorites are;
Schönbrunn (Schloß Schönbrunn, 13th District,10am-8.30pm)
An up-market market, Schönbrunn offers the pleasure of eating potato chips curled before your eyes from real potatoes in the grounds of the former summer home of the Habsburgs.
Karlsplatz (Karlsplatz, 4th District, 12pm-8pm)
If Egon Schiele was still alive, you'd find him at Karlsplatz. The art-crowd of Vienna brings resplendent Karlskirche down to earth with spaced-out performance art and bio-stalls; you can even choose chai over glühwein.
Spittelberg (Spittelberggasse, 7th District, 2pm-9pm)
Beloved simply because it has always been, Spittelberg market weaves through cobblestoned lanes and so overshadows the local restaurants that they've no choice but to give up their doorways to glühwein stands.
Perhaps it's the Christmas spirit, perhaps it's just the spirits, but walking through a Viennese Christmas market in sub-zero temperatures can be one of the warmest experiences you'll have all year.
- Marika McAdam
Labels: Europe, Festivals and events
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Posted Thursday, December 06, 2007, 6:43 PM by Lonely Planet
A warehouse-come-trapeze centre in south London has been filled with geodesic domes and psychedelic adornments in honour of America's Burning Man festival; the bar, decorated with fluorescent papier-mâché skulls.
Tonight's 'decompression party' is an attempt to deal with the deflating experience of returning to consensus reality after Burning Man, the pagan rave in Nevada's Black Rock Desert.
In San Francisco, home of the festival's founder and the city with the highest population of 'burners', they even organise a decompression street fair. As well as offering a chance to don cosmic costumes and catch up with friends from the playa (the prehistoric lake bed where the festival takes place), such events are a reminder of Burning Man's idealistic social mission.
Its aim is to positively affect the way people live all year round and, in that spirit, the group Burners without Borders has been providing help to earthquake-struck Peru. The group has raised almost US$3000 and sent a disaster relief carpenter to lead construction projects in Pisco.
Community spirit is obvious in the organisation of tonight's party. Requests for assistance fill online forums - from a loan of a kipper tie to crash space for burners coming from other parts of Europe. People spend days turning the industrial unit into an ultraviolet wonderland, and stay to clear the floor of glowsticks at the end of the all-nighter.
The accents heard above the pounding music reflect the worldwide community of burners. I speak to a Parisian Euroburner, one of about 30 French folk at the knees-up, and to the landlord of the playa's very own English pub. He's already planning for next year's Burning Man, due to take place around Labor Day (September 1). No wonder - it requires some serious logistics to turn a patch of desert into an event with the global, year-round reverberations on display tonight.
- James Bainbridge went to Burning Man researching for A Year of Festivals, out next year; you can read his blog from the festival here.
Labels: Burning Man, Europe, Festivals and events, The Americas
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Posted Thursday, November 29, 2007, 9:16 PM by Lonely Planet
London's tube has been described as creaking, overcrowded and overpriced, but ultimately it serves a purpose; somewhat efficiently, it ferries thousands upon thousands of people around one of the world's most popular cities every day.
Almost everyone who has lived in or visited London will be familiar with its quirks. Walk into any souvenir store in central London and you'll be able to pick up a mug, tea towel, oven mitt or apron adorned with the iconic phrase: "Mind the Gap".
Along with "all change please", "please note that this train will not stop at the next station" and "thank you for travelling on the central line", "mind the gap" is one of the tube's most-played recorded messages.
Instructing commuters to mind the gap since 1999 has been the soothing voice of British woman, Emma Clarke. This week however Transport for London announced they would not contract her in the future. Contrary to popular belief that this is the result of her spoof voiceovers on her website, TfL claim it's because she has publicly denounced their service saying she hates catching the tube.
Emma Clarke has defended herself and shock horror it seems she's been misrepresented by a journalist from The Mail on Sunday. Oh well - you can decide for yourself: listen to the spoofs or for Londoners living off-shore - make yourself homesick with the real thing.
Labels: Breaking travel news, Europe, Travelsnitch
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Posted Thursday, November 22, 2007, 2:31 PM by Lonely Planet
Unless they've been on the moon for the last year no Londoner could have escaped the hype and publicity surrounding the launch of Eurostar's first carbon neutral service from its new home at St Pancras International on Wednesday 14th November 2007.
Not being able to turn down the chance of being whisked off to Paris for the day, we jumped at Eurostar's invitation to join other "Green Pioneers" on its first service and test out the super fast way of getting over to magical Paris. Plus, Eurostar offset all their carbon emissions, so apart from the (large) chocolate bar we shared on the train over, the trip was practically guilt-free.
We excitedly checked in at the recently refurbished and renamed St Pancras International station, which has been fully restored to house the 400-metre-long Eurostar trains.
With a crowd of media and trainspotters looking on the 11.07am train pulled away from its glorious new home on the first ever 186mph (that's a whopping 300kph) Eurostar to Paris.
As we sped to Paris's Gard Du Nord we watched the blurred scenery rush by before descending into the Channel Tunnel for the 20 minutes stretch under the English Channel. The buffet car was a disappointment - we would have to take out a small loan to purchase a few snacks to see us through the journey. As we emerged from the Tunnel there was a good old British round of applause, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, although this could have had something to do with the free champagne.
The verdict? Comfortable, effortless and the most environmentally-friendly way to travel. With the journey time now only two hours and 15 minutes Eurostar makes flying to Paris look positively outdated. We'll definitely be popping over again soon...
- Louise MacDonald & Heather Carswell, Lonely Planet UK
Labels: Europe, Rail Travel, Sustainable and responsible tourism
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Posted Thursday, November 08, 2007, 4:44 PM by Lonely Planet
It is eighteen years today since the fall of the Berlin Wall. But it seems that memories are fickle. When I was heading there recently a friend, an educated one I might add, said to me, "Berlin, is that the place that had the Wall?" I was incredulous. A walk around Berlin's city centre however leaves you in no doubt about the presence of the Wall that was once the front line between east and west.
Although there isn't much of the Wall left now a few small sections do still stand. What is most surprising is its height, or lack there of. But somehow the crumbling grey, graffiti clad ruins, which should be about as imposing as a school-ground fence, are intimidating. And the narrow line of cobbles that marks the Wall's entire course through the city feels like the faint scar of a healed wound, permanently etched into the fabric of the city and always there as a visible reminder.
In the city centre is the Berlin Wall's most iconic site, Checkpoint Charlie. A replica American military post has been put up in the middle of a narrow street full of shops. There are even a couple of people dressed up as guards, grimacing menacingly to the delight of tourists who get their photo taken with them. The Mauer Museum tells the story of the 30 year life of the Wall including tales of some of those who died trying to flee the Communist regime in the East.
The first bit of the Wall left standing that I come across is in Potsdamer Platz; a huge shapeless square which is now a temple of modern glass and corporate architecture. There are just half a dozen individual rectangular segments of the Wall here, with descriptive panels between each one. The sections look temporary, like pre-built Lego pieces, which perhaps explains how the East Germans managed to erect the Wall so suddenly and so devastatingly in 1961. Over 200 people died trying to cross and north of Potsdamer Platz, near the Reichstag building, is a row of placards hung on an iron fence to some of those unfortunate would-be escapees. Candles burn for a few. This is after all, recent history.
- Danny Chapman
Labels: Europe, Festivals and events
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Posted Wednesday, November 07, 2007, 6:58 PM by Lonely Planet
Besides beating Namibia and recording their first-ever win in the Rugby World Cup this year, Georgia hasn't been in the news much since the Rose Revolution of 2003 saw now-President, Mikhail Saakashvili catapulted democratically into the country's top office.
Now however, Georgia - popular with overlanders - is bracing itself for renewed uncertainty with a state of emergency declared from its capital Tbilisi. Everything and everyone from Moscow, the media, to poverty and corruption is being blamed for the deterioration in public affairs.
The Trabant trekkers - a crew of travellers from Holland, England, America, Spain and Hungary - have just crossed the country as they overland from Germany to Cambodia raising money for charity. Now in Tajikistan, their blog speaks of a different Georgia.
Standing at the intersection of Europe, Asia and the Middle East, it is unfortunately the same geographic reasons making it attractive to overlanders, playing into the geo-political problems: challenging terrain, disputed borders and a myriad of different ethnic groups.
As the Trabant trekkers can testify - it is a very interesting country, going through troubled times. Stay attune of the news, and catch the discussion on the Thorn Tree Forum.
Labels: Breaking travel news, Europe
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Posted Sunday, October 28, 2007, 4:32 PM by Lonely Planet
Stuck in Tbilisi without a decent novel? Keen to read a local Slovene author in English? Look no further than the Bookstore Guide. This blog details independent book stores around Europe which stock English-language fiction and non-fiction books. They might not be the most interesting book shops on the continent but when you're in Brno and it's Harry Potter & the Philosopher's Stone or Rossumovi Univerzalni Roboti, this is one useful resource.
Labels: Europe
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Posted Sunday, October 21, 2007, 6:47 PM by Lonely Planet
So many travellers, so many different reasons for travelling. Mirjam Wouters' alter-ego, cyclingdutchgirl, cites curiosity amongst hers. She has hiked, hitchhiked and cycled over much of Europe and is broadening her horizons, currently making her way through Central Asia:
"Like everybody in the Netherlands I started cycling at an early age, my Parents cycled with 4 little girls (age 4, 7, 8 and 9) to Germany and a year later to Pieterburen, camping on the way at farms. A few years later we all went to Zeeland, the south of the country on inline skates... while 2 would cycle with the luggage...
My first big solo bike trip was from Holland to Morocco when I was 23. I figured I better get some exercise after spending months in a backpackers hostel in Northern Ireland. I left my parents home in Apeldoorn in April and arrived in Morocco in July. Had such an amazing time. I loved the euphoric feeling of freedom and happiness I got on my bicycle."
Mirjam's traversed the Pamirs and has just crossed the border into Kyrgystan. The plan is to make it to Australia. She has a great website where she reports regularly on her travels, with interesting quips and stunning photos.
So, why do you travel?
Labels: Asia and Pacific, cycling, Europe
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Posted Wednesday, October 10, 2007, 4:48 PM by Lonely Planet
Around about now you start having very fond feelings for Betty Ford. But it's definitely time for an after-dark soiree. The horror...the horror...the Australian teens have been off-loaded in our hostel having arrived by bus from the 'coffee houses' of Amsterdam. Their projectile vomiting abilities have been raised to a fine art and results serve as our signposts along the sidewalk to the Wies'n. Unearthly 'traditions' take over Oktoberfest at night and one of them seems to be that if you can still walk, you haven't behaved well at all. There was talk about the locals not encouraging or even tolerating the worst of inebriants this year. Yeah, right.
A real oddity at Oktoberfest is that it's almost impossible to buy a beer. I spotted only two little cafes - 20 to 30 deep in people queuing - where you could score a frothy glass or a bottle. Your only other option is to somehow make it into one of the vast tents. Problem is thousands of roaring drunks have been sitting at the tent tables since 8am, holding down places for others that will arrive later. You want in? You wait. And wait. And keep yourself fortified with roasted wurst, handfuls of caramelised almonds and whatever beer arrives courtesy of passing strangers or 'scouts' that are sent out into the fray to score.
The mating rituals of Oktoberfest can be as visually assaulting as anything else you're likely to see. Dark patches of shadow just off the midway become cluttered with writhing bodies while in the tents themselves you'll encounter pairs of blotto'd faces doing their level best to mutually suck themselves out of existence. The faint of heart should stay well within lighted areas.
And the lights themselves on the Wies'n at night from the horror houses, ballistic rides and the occasional ambulance arrival are a huge part of the show all by themselves. You'll want a tripod if you really want to get the full spectrum of this weird spectacle. But, come to think of it, you'll probably need that tripod just to lean on by now.
- David Peevers is keeping us updated on the business of beer at the 2007 Oktoberfest so stay tuned for his next post (if he manages to stay up straight).
Labels: Culinary culture, Europe, Festivals and events
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Posted Sunday, October 07, 2007, 4:28 PM by Lonely Planet
We're part of the thronging crowd making its way to the Strasse to see Bavarian folk bands triumphantly marching on Oktoberfest.
Leading the way are colossal draught horses, decked out in glittering armor, dragging huge wagons full of kegs lovingly filled by the local breweries.
Behind them come the marching bands - immaculate, well rehearsed and freakishly happy. The traditional garb of both 'Mánner und Frauen' is a visual delight that's overwhelming. New boar's bristle 'feathers' sprout from atop medieval hunting caps, military outfits evoking everything from Huns to Napoleonic legions sport gleaming medals, the calliopes glint in the fierce sun and the legions carry their muskets proudly. Mustaches and beards tend toward the fantastical. There are miles of lace and velvet draping the women and the dirndls have been crafted with one thing in mind; or possibly two 'things'...
After two solid hours of passing legend and lore, the crowds follow the last band into the cacophonous midway with its huge beer halls, brain-piercing sounds and carousels that will leave your mind spinning. We headed into the Schottenhamel tent, arguably the prettiest, most gentile and well behaved, and found it literally jammed to the rafters, with an Oom-pah band suspended in mid-air, blaring out strident Bavarian Schlager (saccharine pop songs). After an hour of this music, you're ready to fire up the entire repertoire of Led Zeppelin; the only known 'cure'. Another day firmly in the can.
- David Peevers is keeping us updated on the business of beer at the 2007 Oktoberfest so stay tuned for his next post (if he manages to stay up straight).
Labels: Europe, Festivals and events
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Posted Tuesday, September 25, 2007, 8:33 PM by Lonely Planet
Zo! Here at the world's biggest party gearing up for guaranteed anarchy. The first Oktoberfest (22 Sept - 7 Oct) was in 1810, celebrating the marriage of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. What would those royals think of the blowout that is their legacy? The 'Mass', a majestic stein holding a full litre of beer, is the measure of all that takes place at Oktoberfest. 6.5 million liters of this golden nectar will immediately raise the local water table levels considerably.
Our plan for Day One was to witness the arrival of the Brewer's Parade where all the officially sanctioned Munich beer-meisters arrive to signal the official opening of Oktoberfest, followed by the lord mayor's tapping of the first official keg. But that was then, this is now. Or words to that effect. Verbal skills, memory and many other mental functions quickly become impaired at Oktoberfest; it's akin to arriving in the 'Death Zone' on Everest. The nights before Day One of the Fest were spent in 'training' for our assault on the summit of the world's largest drunk but, alas, we had trained all too well. After much fumbling, we staggered out into the daylight with eyes the size of baby peas and charged off to snag the Opening Day parade. We never found it.
But we did manage to find the Wies'n, the huge former parade ground, already awash with about a million staggering dirndl and lederhosen clad lads and lassies. The grounds were quickly awash in beer and other less savory liquids. Our carefully crafted 'plan' quickly became one of mere survival. About three hours later we decided that 'the fog' was really rolling in as we spied ever-increasing numbers of 'beer corpses' and we headed to the Augustiner Brauerei where we scarfed up some huge portions of Schweinshaxen (pork knuckle) and dumplings the size of rugger balls (some of the best in Bavaria) and then lurched across the street to the hotel for a brief siesta, waking up about five hours later...thirsty. A near perfect Day One.
David Peevers will be keeping us updated on the business of beer at the 2007 Oktoberfest so stay tuned for his next post (if he manages to stay up straight).
Are you at Oktoberfest this year or have been in the past? Share your Oktoberfest experiences here.
Labels: Culinary culture, Europe, Festivals and events
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Posted Sunday, September 16, 2007, 11:51 PM by Lonely Planet
The first OzBus London to Sydney overland trip has just hit the road. Haven't heard about it? OzBus - in return for 3750 of your hard-earned pounds sterling - will pop you in a bus with around 35 other people and take you on a 12-week drive from London through Europe and Asia to Timor, where you'll jump on a plane to Darwin for the drive down to Sydney. It's old-skool as.
Of course, many independent travellers are turning up their noses at what is, essentially, an organised tour. And why not? They and their progenitors have been legging it overland since the 1960s without the help of a bloke with a microphone pointing out the sites. Despite the media-generated excitement about this 'world first travel experience', for some people taking such a short overland trip is about as adventurous as a week on Ko Pha Ngan. And of course there's the cost: you won't have to go far to find someone who'll tell you 45 pounds a day for transport, food and a camping spot is a heinous rip-off and they could do it for less than three.
But you know what? I reckon it's great. Sure, there are plenty among us who are hardcore enough to do this trip themselves. But there are also plenty among us who find the whole thing just too hard, and end up opting for the plane even though we'd rather save the emissions and see the world close-up. OzBus is saying it's possible, it's fun and anyone can do it. Anything that encourages travellers to take it slowly, meet the locals and enjoy the trip rather than pelting their way to the destination; anything that makes travel a journey that you have to plan for and live over a sizeable chunk of your life, rather than a short-break that you've forgotten before you've even paid off the credit card, has got to be a good thing.
- Jane Rawson
Labels: Asia and Pacific, Europe, London, Middle East, Sustainable and responsible tourism, Travelsnitch
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Posted Tuesday, August 21, 2007, 6:44 AM by Lonely Planet
London's Heathrow Airport isn't having the best of summers. Packed with Brits seeking getaways from the non-existent 'summer', the Grand Old Dame of UK airports is bursting at the seams. But while frequent travellers, harassed by long security queues and record numbers, can't wait for Terminal Five to open to relieve some pressure, crowds of a different type have been making plenty of headlines over the past couple of weeks.
Ear-bashed local residents at the Europe's biggest airport teamed up with eco-campaigners to set up a two week camp on the edge of Heathrow. The Camp for Climate Action promised "Eight days of low-impact living, debates, learning skills, and high-impact direct action tackling the root causes of climate change" as well as protests against further expansion of Heathrow. This included occupying a field near the airport as a demonstration in sustainable living and staging sit-down protests at the offices of Heathrow's owner, BAA. Protestors blockaded airfrieghted cargo warehouses and scuffled with police who prevented them taking their protests further. Generally, they made a right old nuisance of themselves.
While The Camp didn't affect passengers, it worked the UK media into a right old rumpus during the summer 'silly season' - which was arguably the protests main aim. Whether it makes anyone reconsider their flying habits remains to be seen. More than anything else, it appears to have focussed attention on the crumbling infrastructure at Europe's most important air travel gateway. And the long-term impact of passengers taking their custom elsewhere will hurt the UK travel industry more than any eco-protestors hogging the headlines.
Keep an eye on lonelyplanet.com for a more in-depth analysis of Heathrow in a few weeks time.
Tom Hall
Labels: Airports, Britain, Europe, Sustainable and responsible tourism
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Posted Monday, August 13, 2007, 6:01 PM by Lonely Planet
The reclusive British sun has (finally) got his hat on and Lonely Planet is coming out to play! We're pulling on our Wellington boots, smothering ourselves in sunscreen and taking our love of travel out to a festival near you. We've got ourselves a tent full of inspiring Bluelist themed games, freebies and competitions and we'd love it if you'd join us for a refreshment or two.
Whilst you're in our tent, you could challenge your friends to a game of Travel Intelligence - if you're curious you'll just have to come along and find out - or chat to one of the Lonely Planet staffers on hand about your favourite places in the world, write your own Bluelist of recommended travel, chill out and flick through our books or get a sneak preview of some of the fantastic images from the forthcoming Bluelist book.
Here's where we're rocking up to. If you're heading to any of these events, come and say hello!
ArtsFest 2008, Birmingham
15-16th Sept
Truck Festival, Oxfordshire
22nd-23rd Sept
Further events to be confirmed - watch this space!
Louise MacDonald
Labels: Europe, Festivals and events
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Posted Monday, July 30, 2007, 4:11 PM by Lonely Planet
High-speed rail has arrived in
London, and Lonely Planet got a sneak preview this week.
BBC Breakfast was doing a live broadcast from what will soon be
St Pancras International Station, and we were invited along for a glimpse of the future home of
Eurostar and to pass on our thoughts about the big move.
These are exciting times for Eurostar, the train service which since 1993 has linked London and Ashford in Kent with Paris, Lille and Brussels. A new high-speed line has been built through south-east England including two new stations at Ebbsfleet and Stratford, which handily happens to be the site of the 2012 Olympic Games.
Journey times between London and the Continent will be cut by at least 20 minutes, with non-stop times of:
- London to Paris - 2h 15m,
- London to Brussels - 1h 51m
- London to Lille - 1h 20m
all at a top speed of 186mph.
Named after a Roman Martyr beheaded in 304AD (we think), the red-brick masterpiece of late Victorian Gothic design is being revamped with glass, metal and brick. When complete, the station will boast some slightly random features, including a farmer's market and the world's longest champagne bar.
Trains start running to St Pancras on November 14 - the day after the last France-bound trains leave Waterloo. If you're in London you can take a stroll in and look around the nearly-finished station. At the risk of being labelled a train geek, you really should.
- Tom Hall, in London
Labels: Europe, London, Rail Travel
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Posted Monday, July 23, 2007, 8:55 AM by Lonely Planet
This time it's for real. Today around 200 of the world's best professional cyclists tackled Stage 15 of the Tour de France, covering almost 200 km over five mountain passes through the Pyrenees, the hardest day of this famously tough three-week bike race.
This evening (Monday), I was glued to the TV, watching the Tour de France big boys do their stuff, as exactly one week ago I pedalled, puffed and panted over those same mountain roads. I was with a group of friends from Britain and about 7000 other cyclists from around the world. We were taking part in the Etape du Tour, a chance for non-professionals to get a taste of the real thing.
And it
was just a taste. Last week, most of the Etape riders took between 8 and 11 hours to cover the route, most stopping at least for a few minutes to refuel along the way. Today, the Tour riders did it in five and a half hours - non-stop of course - riding UP those 15% gradients that drag on for 20km or more, almost as fast as we came down them. And (to get technical for a moment) where we were using compact chainsets giving gears like 34 x 28, the tour riders seemed to cruise along in 38 x 23. And where we were exhausted at the end of our ride, the Tour de France teams do it again, day after day for three weeks. Respect. Utter respect. Or, as they say in France, '
chapeau'.
Watching sporting stars like Rasmussen, Contador, Vino, Evans and the rest is undoubtedly inspiring, and it certainly brings back great memories of riding the Etape. But will we do it again next year? It's still far too early to say...
Etape Memories #1 - The Author. The Day Before. Calm and (appearing) confident.
Etape Memories #2 - The Author. The Final Mountain. Totally shattered.
Lonely Planet author David Else was in France to take part in L'Etape du Tour - cycling through the Pyrenees on part of the route of the Tour de France. This is the 8th (and final) of a series of blog posts.
Labels: cycling, Etape du Tour, Europe, France, Pyrenees
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Posted Monday, July 16, 2007, 6:07 PM by Lonely Planet
Being US President carries some major perks - you can get peanut butter and jelly sandwiches anywhere in the world, you get to skip passport control, and you can order troops in and out of foreign countries. But one thing you can't do is walk the streets of Trastevere in Rome, as George W. Bush found out recently.
Trastevere is one of Rome's most picturesque neighbourhoods, a tightly-packed quarter of ochre-coloured palazzi and animated piazze. Thick with restaurants, pubs and bars, it's hugely popular with Romans and fun-loving foreigners who pile in nightly to party into the small hours. It's also, apparently, a no-go area for American presidents.
Much to the amusement of the trasteverini, Trastevere's famously proud residents, George W. was politely, but sternly, dissuaded from entering the area when he visited the Eternal City on 9 June. Before his visit, Bush had requested a round-table meeting with members of the Sant' Egidio community, a Catholic charity-cum-diplomatic organisation with its headquarters in Trastevere. But when it was pointed out to him that the neighbourhood's alleyways were too small for his motorcade and that the surrounding palazzi provided ideal sniper cover, he diplomatically agreed to hold the meeting in the US Embassy.
Thus the world was spared the sight of Bush enjoying a gelato on Trastevere's suggestive streets and the city's frazzled authorities, already worried about the prospect of anti-Bush protests, were saved a further security headache. In the end, Bush's 36-hour Rome visit passed off without major incident. He came, he caught up with his old buddy Berlusconi, he met the Pope and PM Prodi, and he left, leaving the city to its traffic and Trastevere to its trattorie and tourists.
- Duncan Garwood
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After 6 months of training, and 4 days of travel and preparation, the big day finally arrived.
At 7am on Monday, more than 7000 cyclists rolled out of Foix, and headed into the Pyrenees to cross five major mountain passes on the Etape du Tour route to Loudenvielle.
The first 30km was fine, then came the first pass. The Col de Port. Steep.
Then came the second. The Col de Portet d'Aspet. Steeper. Then the third, and the fourth. You guessed it, longer and steeper again. Only the last pass of the day, the Col de Peyresourde, was a minor respite.
All in all, the 200km route included about 100km of uphill, with a total ascent of about 4500m. That was hard enough. But on top of the gradients, the heat was intense. Up to 40 degrees at times. So hot, the tar was melting.
Sometimes when riding a bike gets hard, it feels like the road is sucking the tyres. Today, that's really what was happening.
But despite these obstacles, we all completed the distance in the allotted time. It was a long day in the mountains, and the roads were as hard as hell, but the scenery was stunning and the
camaraderie was magnificent. Well over 1000 people dropped out, so we're all proud of our achievement.
Will we do it again next year? Tonight, as we recover in the bar, it's far too early to say...
Lonely Planet author David Else is in France to take part in L'Etape du Tour - cycling through the Pyrenees on part of the route of the Tour de France. This is the 7th of a series of blog posts.
Labels: cycling, Etape du Tour, Europe, France, Pyrenees
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Posted Sunday, July 15, 2007, 9:08 AM by Lonely Planet
One day to go. The Etape du Tour is tomorrow. Today we cycled down to Foix, the start, to register. According to our guidebooks (Frommers and Rough Guide, naturally) Foix is an interesting historic town, with a fine chateaux to admire. We cycled right past.
Continuing yesterday's celebratory atmosphere, an Etape 'festival village' has been set up on the outskirts of Foix. A chance to meet old cycling buddies, to buy some last-minute kit, or queue to have the bikes checked over by skilled mechanics.
Throughout the day we kept up to date with news from the Tour de France, now on stage 8. The professionals will be coming to Foix in about a week, and crossing the same five mountain passes we're attempting. We'll be well out of the way by then.
Although the Tour de France is exclusively for male cyclists, there's also a Tour Feminine - won in 2006 by a Brit, Nicole Cooke, also winner of numerous other cycling world championships and one of the highest-performing athletes in the world - although you wouldn't know it for all the press attention she gets (ie, very little).
The Etape is open to both genders, so it's not completely testosterone fuelled (although there's a lot of that about). Every year a few hundred women ride among the 7000+ total field. My sister Jacqui did it last year and was buoyed along by constant shouts of "allez les femmes" from the spectators. She's doing it again this year, and we hope to ride side-by-side some of the way.
She's younger than me, and fitter, so I'm worried. If she leaves me behind on one of the 20km ascents, I'll never live it down.
And, if you'll excuse more personal references, there's another family connection: My father used to coach cycling teams, and helped me with a training schedule to prepare for this Etape. Just one day to go until we know if it worked, Dad.
Lonely Planet author David Else is in France to take part in L'Etape du Tour - cycling through the Pyrenees on part of the route of the Tour de France. This is the sixth of a series of blog posts.
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Posted Saturday, July 14, 2007, 10:29 AM by Lonely Planet
We're back on the bikes. Hooray and hurrah. After two days sat on the coach to reach Toulouse, it's an immense relief to be pedalling again. The weather is warm, the roads are dry, and we're rolling along at a nice relaxed pace between fields of bright yellow sunflowers. It's France, Jim, but it could be paradise.
As well as our little team, there will be several hundred other Brits among the 7000+ riders riding the
Etape on Monday. Our cycling jerseys are based on the flag of England, but in a spirit of
entente the lettering says
Angleterre.
Today is 14 July, Bastille Day - a French holiday. After cycling through the quiet countryside for about 40km we reached a small town celebrating the event with a market and small festival. We stopped for coffee, and enjoyed the atmosphere.
Vive la France.
It was another relaxed 30km or so back to Toulouse. These limbering-up days are great. Shame there won't be time for coffee stops when we're doing the
Etape.
It's Saturday evening now. The hotel is now full of cyclists from Britain and other parts of the world, reassembling bikes after a journey by car or plane, checking the route, talking excitedly about gear ratios, and wondering if tonight's dinner will be pasta.
Lonely Planet author David Else is in France to take part in L'Etape du Tour - cycling through the Pyrenees on the trail of the Tour de France. This is the fifth of a series of blog posts.
Labels: cycling, Etape du Tour, Europe, France, Pyrenees
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Posted Friday, July 13, 2007, 1:31 PM by Lonely Planet
We broke the journey through France with an overnight stop in Paris, and this morning (Friday) had a short stroll near the Seine, admiring the sleek new architecture of the Defense district. Eiffel Tower it ain't.
Then onwards to Toulouse. Lunch was at a charming motorway service station: a chance to buy a cafe au lait and a copy of L'Equipe newspaper to get the latest reports about the Tour de France, currently on stage 6, still with about two weeks to go.
For the Tour de France professionals, each day is a race within a race, as every top rider wants to win a stage, but they must also remember the big picture: the chance of overall victory of the Tour de France itself, and that means consistently high placings every day.
That puts our little Etape jaunt in perspective. It may be a daunting 190km over five major passes, but the Tour de France boys will ride the same distance as us, twice as fast, then do it again and again, for 21 days virtually back-to-back. The only small comfort we can claim is this: Foix and Loudenvielle is reckoned to be one of the hardest stages of this year's Tour, and quite possibly a decider. As the old hands say, "the toughest battles are always fought in the mountains".
We reached our hotel in Toulouse this evening, in time for dinner. Pasta, of course. It's a relief to get the coach travel over and done with. Tomorrow we can get the bikes out and start getting properly limbered up for Monday's jolly big ride. It'll be great to be cycling again. And in glorious weather too - according to the meteo. All we need to remember is the sun cream, and to ride on the right side of the road...
Lonely Planet author David Else is in France to take part in L'Etape du Tour - cycling through the Pyrenees on the trail of the Tour de France. This is the fourth of a series of blog posts.
Labels: cycling, Etape du Tour, Europe, France, Pyrenees
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Posted Thursday, July 12, 2007, 2:48 PM by Lonely Planet
Our final preparations for the Etape du Tour yesterday evening consisted of two main activities: packing bikes into boxes for the journey to France - and eating tons of pasta.
Pasta has been called the cyclist's best friend. Among other things. For the next few days we'll be enjoying this carbohydrate favourite at pretty much every meal, stock-piling energy to pound up the Pyrenean mountains on the big day.
That's the theory. Some experts say it's pointless carbo-loading too soon and just one huge pasta meal the night before is all that's required. Who knows? Anyway, we like pasta - so endless spaghetti, conchiglie and lasagne is no real hardship.
Today (Thursday), we joined a group of other cyclists from Britain, loaded the bikes onto a trailer and travelled by coach to Dover, then by boat across the English Channel. It rained most of the way. Because we didn't get out on the bikes today, and to remind us that the sun does shine in Britain sometimes, here's a picture from a 160km sportive called the Richmond Five Dales that we did as a training ride a couple of months ago.
Thankfully, by the time we got to Paris this evening the sun was out. A friend already in Toulouse near the start of the Etape sent a SMS to say the weather in the Pyrenees was great and that the first Etape cyclists were arriving.
The Tour de France has been going for a few days now. While the Spanish may go crazy for football, and the Americans for baseball - the French just love cycling. They say when the Tour de France is happening the government could fall and no-one would notice.
We'll try and catch the TV news later to check the Tour de France results, and see how the British and Aussie riders are getting on.
It's another drive south tomorrow, and just three days before we get a chance to sample the thrills and the hardship, the pain and the pleasure, and - yes indeed - the agony and the ecstasy enjoyed by the Tour de France professionals.
Lonely Planet author David Else is heading for France to take part in L'Etape du Tour - cycling through the Pyrenees on the trail of the Tour de France. This is the third of a series of blog posts.
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Posted Wednesday, July 11, 2007, 6:02 AM by Lonely Planet
For the past few days, we've been watching the Tour de France on TV. It's the biggest annual sporting event in the world, and one of the hardest. So plenty of inspiration for our big Etape ride next Monday. And especially inspiring for us Brits, because this year the Tour de France started in London.
London? Yes. The Tour de France is effectively a 'tour de Europe' and usually includes sections through any of Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxemburg, Switzerland and Spain - and occasionally Britain too - although the bulk of the race is still in France. So the 2007 'grand depart' saw the riders passing the Tower of London, to be flagged off by the mayor on Tower Bridge. The crowds were large and enthusiastic. People everywhere, waving banners and cheering like crazy. For one day at least, Britain looked like France.
The Etape will be our chance to get some of this flavour, to sample a single day-stage of the Tour de France, to ride in the wheel tracks of the finest professional cyclists in the world.
Although actually, the pros will be riding in our tracks. We pedal the 190km between the French towns of Foix and Loudenvielle on the 16th July, and the big boys hammer along the same road on the 23rd. And while 200 of the world's elite cyclists ride the Tour de France, there'll be 7000 of us riding the Etape. Cyclists come from all over the world, then many stay on to watch the Tour itself. Lucky buggers. Unfortunately, I'll be heading straight back home. And straight back to the TV.
I'm riding the Etape with three old buddies. Old is the operative word, said one observer, kindly. We went out for a little ride today, the last before we leave, just to check the bikes (and the legs) are all in working order. Here's a team photo:
The Etape is called a sportive - and as part of our training for the French event we rode a few sportives here in Britain. This photo was taken last month after we'd finished a ride called the Polka Dot Challenge. It was a bit damp. Typical British weather some may say - although not for June. But we covered the hilly 100 mile (160km) course in just under 6 hours.
At least the times are getting shorter as we get nearer the big day...
Lonely Planet author David Else is heading for France to take part in L'Etape du Tour - cycling through the Pyrenees on the trail of the Tour de France. This is the second of a series of blog posts.
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Posted Tuesday, July 10, 2007, 7:38 AM by Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet author David Else is about to set off for France to take part in the Etape du Tour - cycling through the Pyrenees on the trail of the Tour de France. In the first of a series of blog posts, David describes the training and preparation for his jolly big bike ride.
It all started when I couldn't fit into a pair of trousers. My wife said I had middle-age spread, so I started jogging and then took up (again) some half-serious cycling. One thing led to another and a friend proposed L'Etape du Tour - a 190km (120-mile) jaunt through the Pyrenees, on roads used by the Tour de France - one of the toughest sporting challenges in the world. 'Sign me up', I said. 'Middle-age spread? Middle-age crisis more like', said another friend.
That was back in January. Since then I've been training for the Etape, with those same two friends, going out for increasingly long bike-rides to get in shape.
We went up a stack of hilly roads in Northern England, like the one pictured here (Honister Pass in the Lake District), raising the distance week by week, month by month.
Some of those training rides were killers, but hopefully it will all be worthwhile. We leave for France on Thursday, ready for the big day on Monday 16th.
Today I must admit to feeling a bit nervous. The Etape du Tour is revered by most cyclists like the New York Marathon is revered by most runners. The Yorkshire Dales had some steep gradients when we were training, but will we be ready for the peaks of the Pyrenees?
As well as the distance there's about 4500m of total ascent. That's about half the height of Everest.
And we can't hang around. The fastest riders will do the 190km in about 6 hours. The slowest in about 11. Anything slower means disqualification. We're aiming for something between 8 and 9 hours.
We've got a final training ride tomorrow. Just a leg-loosener. The groundwork is all done now, and if we're not up to scratch it's too late to do anything about it. C'est l'Etape. Bon nuit.
Labels: cycling, Etape du Tour, Europe, France, Pyrenees
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