The.World.Travel.Tour

Food & Drink Italy

2009-09-16T10:29:00.000-07:00

The first thing to be understood is that northern Italy differs in an enormous way from southern Italy in terms of culinary distinction.

Let's begin with the north. It's filled with an unbelievable variety of dishes, all as diverse as the people themselves. To get your taste buds flowing, imagine this: Visitors to Trieste will be offered goulash as the local food, in Venice it will be Austrian pastries filled with Oriental spices and in Turin peasant style dishes will be covered with sophisticated French sauces. If you want the best risotto, then you must head for Veneto and Piedmont; for pasta, go to Emilia; and for rice and polenta, go to Lombardy. Sauerkraut and dumplings will be found in the alpine Trentino-Al; to Adige, and somewhat surprisingly you will be given delicious vegetable based cuisine in Liguria (by the sea) rather than serving fish as one would expect.

A typical meal for northern Italians will mostly be made up of local foods. For instance, they would eat pasta from Bologna, salad from Cremona, pizza yeast from Pavia, eggs from Vicenza, veal and milk from Lombardy, basil from Liguria, flour from the Po Valley, parmesan from Parma, and sugar and peaches from Ferrara.

It's said that the further south you go, the better the gelato (ice cream), but it is also said that the further north you go the better the café. Turin, Trieste, Venice, Milan and Padua offer grand historic cafés of great warmth and elegance.

The north of Italy abounds in distinctive cured meats. Salama da sigo from Ferrara is a succulent sausage made from minced pork, liver and tongue. Neighbouring Modena produces ravioli stuffed with minced meats or bollito misto (mixed boiled meats), including beef, veal, tongue, and pig's trotters. Brodo is a velvety meat broth and stracotta is a slowly simmered stew flavoured with cinnamon and nutmeg.

When the mists close in on Venice, comfort food suitable for sustaining marooned travellers is required and thick soup or creamy risotto is just perfect. But the cuisine here in the Veneto can be also sophisticated and light, serving dishes such as risotto sprinkled with shrimps, or carpaccio, wafer thin raw beef dressed with olive oil, rocket and parmesan. And for seafood lovers, soft shelled crabs from Murano, plump red mullet and pasta heaped with lobster. As well as being a rice growing region, the Veneto is Italy's chief area for poultry production from chicken and goose to guinea fowl and duck. Offal, spicy black pudding, horsemeat and capretto (kid) are also local delicacies, matched by whole-wheat spaghetti (bigoli), subtle cheeses and honey.

Austrian influence prevails in Alto Adige and in Trentino. Typical dishes will include smoked meats, sauerkraut cooked in lard, roast venison with polent, red cabbage goulash and other filling stews. Dumplings are preferred to pasta, and bread dumplings are confusingly known as canederli in Italian but knodel in German. The best known dish is strangolapreti – gnocchi made with potatoes, bread or spinach and coated with butter or cheese. Desserts are Austrian inspired pastries such as strawberry cake (erdbeertorte) or strudel stuffed with apples, nuts and raisins.

Gorgonzola, the greenish blue veined cows milk cheese originated in the foothills of the Alps near Milan. It's ideally served runny or as a sauce for pasta, polenta or risotto.

The mild climate of Liguria is ideal for growing vegetables and fruit such as tomatoes, artichokes, peaches, apricots and lemons. There is little meat and dairy produce in this region, which is sandwiched between the mountains and the sea, but they do grow a large array of fruit and vegetables. Pesto sauce is Liguria's signature dish, made from basil, olives and pine nuts or walnuts, all ground to a pulp with parmesan and garlic. According to the purists it should only be made when basil is in flower. Liguria also produces the only olive oil to rival the finest Tuscan varieties.

Southern Italy is a Mediterranean land dominated by the sea and specialising in hearty, spicy food in their pasta, fish, pork and lamb.

Campania is the area in which you will be offered an unforgettable meal of macaroni or pasta with tomato sauce or meat sauce, two of the specialities of the region.

In the mountainous region of Calabria, where life is simple and frugal, where ancestors passed down their dietary traditions, you will be given dishes that are evidence of time recaptured: Pancotto (broth, stale bread, garlic, bay leaves, celery and parsley); lagane (handmade fettuccine cooked in milk and sprinkled with pecorino, a hard cheese) and also ragu (beef larded with pancetta and cooked in wine with carrots, leeks, dried mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, nutmeg and cloves). They eat simply here using produce of the season, from the sea and from the earth.

Another mountainous region is Basilica, where isolated villages cling to the tips of the hills. Basileus is the Greek word for king and the name Basilicata meant a province of the Byzantine Empire. It is here the hunter tradition mingles with an Eastern influence to produce interesting dishes of lamb (being the principal meat) and pork. A typical example is hare marinated in wine and flavoured with garlic and bay leaves, or partridge cooked with olives. And a dish with Eastern influence might be tagliolini, made with milk and saffron or almond milk flavoured with cinnamon. Two of the most popular dishes are boned lamb with celery, onions and rosemary and gnumariddi, lamb offal and sweetbreads cooked with garlic, onions and cheese.

In Apulia, vegetables and pasta predominate. Peppers, aubergines, tomatoes, peas, broccoli, spinach, artichokes, broad beans and other produce make up the diet in his region. The vegetables are used in soups, notably the maritata, for which chicory, fennel, celery and escarole are boiled, layered alternately with pecorino and pepper and covered with broth; in calzoni and panzerotti, pastry rolls with various fillings that are baked in the oven or fried, or in the impressive pies made with kid meat, chicken, beef, potatoes, onions, courgettes, tomatoes and cheese, which are either served as a first or second course. This region is known for pollution free waters containing large quantities fish, molluscs and crustaceans. Italy's oyster beds are located in Taranto.

As the old dictum runs: "Dimmi come mangi e ti diro chi sei (tell me what you eat and I'll tell you who you are)."

The famous wine names tend to come from northern Italy. Marsala is the only southern Italian wine that most people know (and rather sadly used mostly for cooking). It is the fortified wine from western Sicily. But this is all about to change. Since the 1990's local wine producers are increasingly turning from high volume production to making quality wines. Equally investors (international as well as national) are now beginning to take an interest in the south. So, it's a matter of "watch this space"!

Valpolicella, Soave, Barolo and Barberesco are some of Italy's best known wines, all of which come from northern Italy. The Veneto, covering the area from Venice to Lake Garda, is a significant wine producing region, and plays host to VinItaly in Verona, the country's largest wine fair. Prosecco, Bardolino, Valpolicella and Soave are all from this region, as well as the famous firewater known as grappa. Franciacorta comes from Lombardy. Pinot Grigot and Reisling Italicoare from the Collio district of Friuli, and Lambrusco is from Emilia Romagna.

A Crumbling Beauty

2009-09-16T10:24:00.000-07:00

By Amanda Barnes

Procida is a quaint and colourful island with lots of character. The narrow, winding walled streets of the town cover the expanse of the island and are quietly surrounded by the coastline, which is cloaked in volcanic black sand. The island is very small and can easily be walked around in three or four hours, rendering the bus service pointless if it weren’t for the sheer entertainment factor of watching the adventurous drivers squeeze their long buses through the tightest of corners! If the bus is too much of a white-knuckle ride for you with all the cobbled streets and tight corners, then the rackety rickshaws (or ‘micro taxi’s' as the drivers proudly advertise) are a fun alternative.

Procida is a unique island with crumbling beauty and it is clear to see why the faded colour washed houses lined on every street were chosen as a location for 'The Talented Mr Ripley' film. The interior streets, which are formed by high walls, either side reassert the secret nature of this island; everything is hidden from sight behind the high walls, adding to the beauty and mystery of Procida. On Monday evenings a stroll down Via VI Novembre is especially memorable as the sound of the local gospel choir rehearsing in the school drifts over the streets.

Although usually a sleepy island, in the summer the beaches of Procida are filled with Italian families and couples, although despite its popularity Procida remains an authentically Italian isle with comparatively few foreign tourists. There are a few hotels on the island, but the most popular accommodation are the campsites which have good facilities and lots of mosquitoes!

The unpretentious port town is a picture of unconventional beauty with gently rocking battered fishing boats; sun bleached pastel coloured houses, laundry lines fluttering in the breeze and enchanting winding streets. The shopping here is limited but the few shops there are are an eclectic and interesting mix. Worth a mention are the hardware stores which compensate for the lack of shops by squeezing four into one — in these Aladdin's cave style shops you can buy anything from collectors items to household dusters! There are quite a few good seafood restaurants and pizzerias by the port, however if you do have a kitchen and like culinary experimentation than the fish markets offer a wide variety of cheap fish and sea creatures to play with. Procida also homes a couple charming bakeries, but they can be quite hard to find — following the smell of fresh bread is not always the best method of navigation through a maze of streets! Although the warm pastry reward of finding them is delicious and I recommend the bizarre sausage and chips foccacia bread, surprisingly good!

If you are an avid bird watcher (or just fancy an afternoon out) the nature reserve on the north western tip of the island, which is only accessible by Foot Bridge, is worth a wander. There are many things to visit on the island with some beautiful churches and piazzas; however the best way to spend your time is to while it away getting lost in the labyrinth that is Procida!

When in Rome

2009-09-16T10:17:00.000-07:00

Photo: Inside the amazing Vatican, Rome Italy

By Amanda Barnes

The Colosseum, the Vatican, the Forum... where to start? Well, wherever you start you will end up with sore feet. There is a lot of walking in Rome, but fortunately there are a lot of espresso cafes and pastry shops to help you along the way! Rome's old town is very walkable, not only because of its compact size but also because of the beautiful sights that you inevitably stumble across along the way. Rome is an artists dream with ancient ruins and grandiose palaces scattered across the picturesque city, but the art of Rome is how these monuments of old sit so comfortably along side the coffee shops, designer labels and street markets of modern day Rome. Rome is one of those cities that actually has got something for everyone from renaissance paintings and a quiet walk in the park, to the hectic cosmopolitan lifestyle of the modern Roman.

There is no shortage of ‘culture' in Rome and whether you enjoy sightseeing or not, the famous sights of Rome cannot be missed. The Colosseum is a perfect place to start with its central location and its close vicinity to many other sights. The Colosseum is always crowded from the moment it opens to when you are kicked out, but the best time to visit it is without a doubt for the last admission in the early evening. Not only are there fewer crowds but the view over the forum at sunset from the window of the Colosseum is awe-inspiring.

The Colosseum has been looted, damaged and collapsed and although you can still imagine gladiators and lions chasing each others heels inside, it is well worth joining a guided tour in order to fully appreciate the design and history of its crumbling walls. As you meander outside the Colosseum you are usually approached by the tour guide groups who offer an entertaining tour, entrance and queue jump for around €14 (you can normally get this price down if you can convince them that someone else offered you a tour for cheaper). The tour guides are a lot of fun, usually Italian men with a comic grasp of English, whose funny phrasing will confuse and humour you. It is easy to see why this is one of the most visited sights in Europe, however as a consequence there is a bit of a tourist circus around it and people do try to rip you off — especially those in gladiator costumes who demand a hefty €10 per photo!

To avoid the masses, visit the Colosseum in the evening, when it is closed! Although fascinating from the inside, the Colosseum also needs to be fully appreciated from the outside. The ring is lit up tastefully and the lack of umbrella-holding Japanese tourist groups makes it terribly romantic (despite the fact that it was essentially a place of barbaric sports and whoring!) The small patch of green outside the Colosseum lends itself to the perfect spot for a picnic — although a toilet can be quite hard to find after a few bottles of wine! If the amazing ruins and architecture don't interest you, then all the wedding parties posing outside the Colosseum will certainly keep you entertained throughout the evening!
The forum is also especially good to visit in the lazy glow of the early evening, as it casts beautiful shadows across its own walls to show off its compelling architecture. However the best tour is offered by young Romans who will gladly show you where a ladder has been hidden for years, in order to climb over the wall and have a private viewing at 3am!

Although Rome is beautiful by night, the Vatican City has to be seen during the day — unless you have an invite from the Pope. The best way to beat the crowds is again by arriving just before last admission. The entrance queue does trail around the block a number of times, however it is relatively fast moving — and is certainly quick considering it is a border control for an entirely different state! The collections in the Vatican museums have taken hundreds of years to be accumulated and it would take you quite a few years to view them properly. Every wall is dripping with luxurious artwork painted on every spare square inch – and that is just the decor! The collections themselves are vast and exhaustive! Everything in the museum has been collected by a Pope and they all seem to share, to say the least, ‘eclectic' taste, from the Egyptian museum to the Raphael rooms to the bizarre room dedicated to dogs in the act of violence or fornication! The Vatican museums do deliver a fantastic entertainment factor and at times it does feel like you are walking around your crazy uncle's attic full of random things he has collected over the years — although this isn't your uncle's attic, they are the ‘attics' of some of the world's most important religious leaders, but nevertheless full of their random collections over the years!

The walls of the museums are so exquisitely decorated that as you meander through them you continually wonder whether you have been through the Sistine chapel yet. But when you do reach the Sistine chapel, after a very long walk through the many isles and isles of the museums, you will know you are there! There could not be another chapel in the world that has received so much attention to detail, to the point that there is not a spot of wall left unpainted! The Sistine chapel has been decorated and redecorated by some of the world's greatest painters which results in a jaw-dropping (if not slightly garish) explosion of fine art at its finest!

The Sistine chapel is one of the many triumphs of Michelangelo and Rafael among others; however it is by no means the only triumph. It would seem that almost the entire city of Rome has been designed by some of the world's most amazing artists. The Basilica di Santa Maria del Popolo (one of the many Basilica di Santa Maria's) behind Stazione Termini is one of the more underrated but nevertheless extraordinary art works in Rome. The architecture of the Basilica, partly designed by Raphael, is engrossing and can only be appreciated fully after walking around the outside of the church at least ten times! It is a wonderfully obscure looking building with typically lavish décor (by Caravaggio) with cherubs literally coming out of the paintings.

Saint Peters is also a very impressive church, along with the very impressive queue size, however it is easy to wile away your wait on the piazza watching the terribly amusing huge family of pigeons that resides there. Although Saint Peters is impressive, the walk behind the piazza is also pretty exceptional. The sheer number of Pope Memorabilia shops is unbelievable and you can buy anything from a mini Vatican City fridge magnet to an entire replica pope outfit!

Rome is full of charismatic and important land marks to the point that you never really need to leave, but to escape the heat and bombardment of monument upon monument, it is worth catching the train just out of Rome to visit what used to be a retreat for the wealthy Romans, the quaint and alluring town of Tivoli. An hour's bus or train journey through the rolling countryside brings you to this gorgeous quiet town with winding cobbled streets, narrow sloping houses and the tranquil Villa d'Este. The villa alone is stunning with its rich renaissance paintings and gorgeous views, but the real draw here are the luscious green gardens and their fountains. To say it has a few fountains is an understatement, there is water gushing from every corner anointing grand statues and often spraying those walking by! This is a memorable day trip with magnetizing views across the Italian landscape and more ancient ruins in the distance, and is especially welcoming on a hot summer's day or for the evening during the summer programme of live jazz.

The fountains within Rome are also very calming amongst the bustle of the city. The Trevi fountains have to be visited, although they are often very crowded and for the optimum viewing it is best to go late at night when there are less people and the water is lit up. Despite being quieter at night, there are still people at the fountains (usually a young friendly crowd enjoying the view with bottle of wine!) however it is still guarded by armed police men, although a ‘La Dolce Vita' moment may seem like a good idea at the time, it should probably be avoided!
There are so many captivating look out points all over Rome, one of the best is from the large park Villa Borghese where the view stretches from San Pietro to Arco di Costantino and the majority of Rome's sights can be located. Rome has a vast number of fantastic monuments, some subtle and many terribly unsubtle (young Romans often call the imposing Vittoriano the ‘white monstrosity') however the parts of modern day Rome are also enchanting.

The steep maze of narrow streets above the Spanish steps and around Villa Borghese provide a lovely walk around towering flats, hanging laundry, worn-out cobbles and artists crouched over canvases on every corner. Similarly below the Spanish steps the streets are beckoning to be wandered with their mandarin painted houses and cosy candle lit cafes, the perfect place to watch the city roll by. This is also the area for shopping (or window shopping as the case may be) at all the famous Italian designers boutiques, with Gucci, Cavalli, Moschino, Fendi and Versace all lined up for the picking. More economical shopping is also readily available, high street stores and colourful street markets are filled with lively clothes, shoes and leather goods and Rome is the best place to buy your fake designer sunglasses with stalls on literally every corner!

In the evening, street drinking is by far the most popular and authentic way of enjoying a night out Roman style! The piazzas in Trastevere are always packed with a young friendly crowd and often live music accompanies. Alcohol can be bought from gelaterias, pizzerias and bars and a large beer will set you back one mere euro. Around the Stazione Termini is also a popular hang out, but girls should try to be accompanied by a male in order to avoid unwanted attention. There are pub crawls organised for young travellers every night, however the ‘pubs' you visit are aimed for and mainly used by tourists and pick pocketing is a common occurrence.

Getting around Rome is fairly easy, it is often quicker to walk but if your feet are too tired the bus service is good and the metro runs until quite late. A 90 minute travel ticket costs €1.20 and covers all types of transport, although at night the metro barriers are rarely guarded, so a ticket is not always necessary! Accommodation in Rome is varied and there is plenty of it, from five-star luxury to very budget hostels. Both ‘Rome' airports are about a forty minute bus ride out of the city and it is easy to catch the bus from Stazione Termini, avoid airline operated coaches who charge ten times the fare of a regular bus ticket to do the exact same journey! The train station is easy to navigate but if you are in a rush there is only one ticket booth (despite being the Italian capital city!) and queues can take a while, it is better to purchase your ticket from a machine if you can work it out — or get an Italian to work it out for you! Although there are worse train stations to be waiting in, with a whole shopping mall surrounding it and slices of pizza for next to nothing, there is plenty to occupy your time with!

Rome boasts some fantastic culinary delights and with its huge number of foreigners, Italian is not the only food on the menu. However, the pasta here is taken quite seriously and needs to be tried many, many times. Be prepared to have to pick from at least thirty types of pasta and at least thirty types of sauce! ‘Pasta Mio' (13 Via Veneto) is a popular pasta place with the Italians and has a large variety, but be warned the Italian waiters may offer women a free massage; it is all part of the Italian... ‘charm'! Many good restaurants can be found down the narrow back alleys of Rome, the main streets normally house overpriced restaurants catering for tourists — the best restaurants are the ones without a translated menu, here you usually receive a more authentic meal (and occasionally a slightly surprising meal if your Italian is poor!)

Rome is undeniably beautiful and exudes a typical Italian simplicity and charm alongside the complex and awe-inspiring architecture and art. It certainly wasn't built in a day, but it won't take much more than one day for you to fall in love with it!

Copyright by : seeitalia.com

Floriade, Canberra

2009-09-13T06:28:00.001-07:00

See Canberra come alive with a million spring blooms at Floriade, Australia biggest flower festival. For 30 fragrant days in September and October, the garden beds of Commonwealth Park become canvasses for super-sized floral pictures. It’s a colourful seasonal addition to Canberra’s open green spaces and native gardens. Soak up the floral colour while browsing bustling markets and gourmet stalls and attending workshops, exhibitions and live concerts. Learn about gardening, enjoy films amongst the floodlit flowers or follow the Floriade Trail to spring-themed Canberra attractions.

Get ready to be impressed by Floriade’s flower beds, which depend on a million-plus flowers blooming on cue. Tulips, irises, daffodils, hyacinths, violas, chrysanthemums, ranunculus and daisies open their petals in bold designs which each year reflect a different theme. Rock ‘n’ Roll in Bloom, Magic of the Gardens and Poetry in Flowers are some of the previous slogans. This creative collaboration between landscape gardeners and nature takes careful planting and 18 months of planning. Boost your mood walking past the flower beds or appreciate their size and artistry from a hot air balloon. From here you can see how the flowers burst forth from the city’s landscaped parklands and native bush land surrounds.

Beyond the flower beds, you can browse photographic exhibitions in the Interflora Exhibition Marquee and learn interesting environmental facts in the Look ‘n’ Learn Marquee. Pick winning floral displays and meet Australian gardening personalities. Wander the showcase gardens and observe plant varieties, garden design and landscaping. For families there are seven early childhood play areas and workshops on everything from gardening to storytelling. In the patting paddock, children learn to milk cows and meet new-born chicks and waddling ducks.

The flower-themed festivities continue well past dusk at Floriade NightFest - five nights of entertainment, films, markets and food and wine. Dance to swing bands beneath the lantern-lit trees and watch films amongst the floodlit blooms. Bump into roving performers, browse local art and craft at the night markets or jump on an amusement ride. Enjoy the spring scents and magical lights with a gourmet dinner hamper and a drink from the NightFest Glow Bar.

Canberra sings with springtime energy during Floriade, making it a great time to explore the capital’s many other attractions. Follow the Floriade Trail to national galleries and monuments. Learn about Australia’s military history at the Australian War Memorial and its political past at Old Parliament House. Visit the stylish bars and restaurants and science and technology exhibits. You can experience the violence of an earthquake and understand the science of tornadoes at Questacon, The National Science and Technology Centre. The spring-inspired events range from workshops to curator presentations to pub trivia. Then of course there’s Canberra’s other natural drawcards – the parks, gardens and bush land, Lake Burley Griffin and Namadgi National Park, just a 45 minute drive away.

From massive floral murals to mid-spring night dreams, discover Canberra in full bloom at Floriade.

Spring break in Margaret River

2009-09-13T06:26:00.000-07:00

Renew your love of life with a spring break in the Margaret River, a scenic four hours drive south of Perth. From September to November, sunshine, wildflowers and the chance to spot migrating whales are all part of the Margaret River’s mood-lifting magic. Add food, wine and natural splendour and you have the formula for holiday happiness. Lunch in vineyards fringed by Karri forests, explore stunning underground caves and swim or surf from beaches you can call your own. Swim with dolphins in Bunbury or dive off Busselton’s historic timber jetty. Watch whales from Dunsborough and explore the dramatic, rocky coastline near Yallingup.

Driving south from Perth is a great way to see Western Australia’s south-west corner. The South West, Beaches and Goldfields drive allows for many uplifting detours on the way to Margaret River, but you can also take a direct bus. Take in some invigorating sea air in Bunbury, which sits on the peninsula intersection of the Indian Ocean, Koombana Bay and Leschenault Inlet. Have fish and chips on the pier, dive the wreck of a pirate boat and catch crabs and fish from the ocean. At nearby Busselton, walk along the southern hemisphere’s longest timber jetty and peer at coral and fish in the observatory at the end. Walk and picnic amongst 400-year-old trees in the nearby Ludlow Tuart Forest.

Stop in nearby Dunsborough, at the northern entrance to the Margaret River region. Each beach here is more beautiful than the last. Swim in Meelup or snorkel in sheltered Bunker Bay. Share the water with Western Australia’s jet-set in Eagle Bay. Dive the HMAS Swan, the Southern Hemisphere’s largest accessible wreck. Then drive to the Cape Naturaliste lighthouse and spot southern right and humpback whales playing in Geographe Bay. Surf, fish and swim in relaxed Yallingup, just ten minutes away. From here, you can trek the rugged coastline of Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park. Walk through jarrah, marri and karri forests carpeted with colourful wildflowers. Look out for purple tassles, sunny-yellow cowslips and the blue lady orchids, that only flaunt their vivid petals in the sun. The park is also home to a network of underground karst caves. See fossils in Mammoth Caves, mirrored underwater lakes in Lake Cave and straw stalactites in Jewel Cave.

By the time you hit the Margaret River wineries, your senses will be well and truly activated. Taste local wine at the cellar doors and local brew at the boutique breweries. Try regional produce such as cheeses, jam, condiments, and olives. Indulge in fresh seafood, local marron or local venison and beef. Of course Margaret River is also a world-class surfing destination and you can ride the powerful waves of Surfers Point, Three Bears and Redgate. For less fierce exertion, surf or snorkel with stingrays on Boranup Beach, near Hamelin Bay.

In spring, remember how to live life to the fullest in the lush Margaret River.

Melbourne’s Spring Racing Carnival

2009-09-13T06:24:00.000-07:00

Australia might stop for the Melbourne Cup, but for the rest of the Spring Racing Carnival no-one in Melbourne sits still. This whirlwind of horse racing, fashion and fun starts in September and doesn’t end until mid-November. Flemington Racecourse is the stage for big-name race days such as Derby Day, the Melbourne Cup, Oaks Day but all tracks across the state are part of the action. You don’t have to know racing to love this vibrant social tradition, which heralds the return of sunshine and spring warmth to Melbourne. Plan your attendance at a trackside soiree or just explore the city against a backdrop of barely-contained carnival excitement.

Melbournians love to dress up and flaunt their stylish fashions and never more so than at the four-day Melbourne Cup Carnival in November. Watch the furious hooves from a big screen around the city. Or dust off a fabulous hat for one of the race days at Flemington Racecourse. Derby Day opens the party with racing for purists and off-field fashions in traditional black and white.

On the first Tuesday in November, it’s the biggest event of the carnival, the show-stopping Melbourne Cup. This is a public holiday for Melbournians, who flock for the fun atmosphere as much as the nation-stopping race at 3.00pm. Observe traditional car-boot breakfast parties or wave your ticket for live music, champagne and canapés at one of the elegant soirees. During the race you can suspend your decorum and join the rest of Australia in cheering and punching the air.

There’s only a two-day reprieve before Oaks Day, or ladies' day, where the big focus is on racetrack fashion. The following Saturday, children can even flaunt their style at Stakes Day, the unofficial family day that closes the Melbourne Cup Carnival.

Of course, this is just a small segment of the spring racing action, which takes fascinators and fascination with horses across Melbourne and beyond. Wherever you are, locals will be eager to proffer their tips for the Melbourne Cup, a race now part of Australian legend. After all, multiple winning horses such as Makybe Diva, Kingston Town and Phar Lap are national heroes. The Australian slang phrase ‘has the heart of Phar Lap' is a reference to Phar Lap’s heart, which is almost twice the weight of a normal horse’s heart. The term is used to describe a particularly Aussie brand of fortitude.

You can see Phar Lap’s huge heart and inert muscular glory at the Melbourne Museum, just one of the city’s bevy of cultural attractions. While in Melbourne, browse the Southern Hemisphere’s best collection of international art at the National Gallery of Victoria. Or lose a day to the many cutting-edge exhibitions of Southbank’s Federation Square.

Your stay wouldn’t be complete without diving fork-first into Melbourne’s thriving food and wine scene. Sip good coffee in the city’s gothic laneways, head to St Kilda for a seaside lunch or try Fitzroy for cafes with character and ethnic cuisine. During the spring carnival many cafes and restaurants get into the spirit with live race broadcasts and race-themed events.

For sartorial splendor to match the city during this time, look no further than Melbourne’s well heeled shopping precincts. Make your mark with a dress from a Brunswick Street boutique or dazzle with designer labels from Prahran’s Chapel Street. Find high-end fashion in Flinders Lane, and more obscure labels in the city’s other alleys and wrought-iron arcades.

For springtime in Melbourne you’ll need all your stamina. This exuberant 50-day carnival will sweep you along until the very end.

Sydney

2009-09-13T06:22:00.000-07:00

Sydney

Soak up Sydney’s gorgeous harbour, seductive outdoor lifestyle and great natural beauty. Kayak under the Sydney Harbour Bridge or wave at the Opera House as you ride a ferry across the harbour to Manly. Learn to surf at Bondi Beach or swim in the calm waters of Coogee. Lose yourself in the cobblestone cul-de-sacs of The Rocks or in the markets, boutiques, cafes and pubs of Paddington. As well as a world-famous harbour and more than 70 sparkling beaches, Sydney offers fabulous food, festivals and 24-7 fun.

Five can’t-miss Sydney experiences

Rocks Markets, Sydney

1. Explore the historic Rocks

Discover Sydney’s colorful convict history in the harbourside quarter where it all began. Just five minutes from Circular Quay, you can hear stories of hanging and hauntings on a ghost tour, wander the weekend markets or climb the span of the Harbour Bridge. In amongst the maze of sandstone lanes and courtyards, you’ll find historic workman’s cottages and elegant terraces, art galleries, hotels with harbour views and Sydney’s oldest pubs. See people spill out of them onto a party on the cobblestone streets when The Rocks celebrates Australia Day on January 26th, Anzac Day on April 25th and New Years Eve.

Sydney Harbour

2. Hit the world-famous harbour

Sail past the Opera House on a chartered yacht or paddle from Rose Bay in a kayak. Take a scenic cruise from Circular Quay or Darling Harbour, past waterfront mansions, national parks and Shark, Clark, Rodd and Goat islands. Tour historic Fort Denison or learn about the life of Sydney’s first inhabitants, the Gadigal people, on an Aboriginal cultural cruise. Watch the harbour glitter from the green parklands of the Royal Botanic Gardens, which curves around its edge. Or take in the view from a waterfront restaurant in Mosman, on the northern side of the bridge, or Watsons Bay at South Head. Walk from Rose Bay to Vaucluse or Cremorne Point to Mosman Bay, on just some of the 16 spectacular routes hugging the harbour foreshore.

Manly by ferry, Sydney

3. Visit Manly on the ferry

Travel across Sydney Harbour on a ferry to Manly, which sits between beaches of ocean surf and tranquil inner harbour. Wander through native bushland on the scenic Manly to Spit Bridge walk, learn to scuba-dive at Cabbage Tree Bay or ride a bike to Fairy Bower. Picnic at Shelly Beach on the ocean and sail or kayak from Manly Wharf round the harbour. Hire a scooter and do a round trip of northern beaches such as Narrabeen and Palm Beach. Explore the shops, bars and cafes along the bustling pine tree-lined Corso and dine at world-class restaurants with water views.

Paddington, Sydney

4. Enjoy café culture and top shopping in Paddington

Meander through the Saturday markets, browse fashion boutiques on bustling Oxford Street or discover the antique shops and art galleries in upmarket Woollahra. Visit the 1840s Victoria Barracks Army base, open to the public once a week, and see restored Victorian terraces on wide, leafy streets. Ride or roller-blade in huge Centennial Park, then stop for coffee and lunch on Oxford St or in the mini-village of Five Ways. Catch a movie at an art-house cinema or leaf through a novel at midnight in one of the huge bookstores. Crawl between the lively, historic pubs. They hum even more after a game at the nearby stadium or a race day, when girls and guys arrive in their crumpled trackside finery.

Bondi to Coogee walk

5. Walk from Bondi to Coogee

Take in breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean as you walk the winding, sea-sculpted sandstone cliffs between Bondi and Coogee. Swim in the famous Bondi Icebergs rock pool or just watch the swimmers with a sunset cocktail from the restaurant above. See wild waves in Tamarama, nicknamed Glamarama for the beautiful people who lie on its golden sand. From mid-October to November, the stretch from here to Bondi is transformed into an outdoor gallery for the Sculptures by the Sea exhibition. You can surf, picnic on the grass or stop for a coffee at family-friendly Bronte. Or swim, snorkel or scuba dive in Clovelly and tranquil Gordon’s Bay. See the graves of poets Henry Lawson, Dorothea Mackellar and aviator Lawrence Hargrave in Waverley Cemetery, on the edge of the cliffs. Finish your tour in the scenic, backpacker haven of Coogee.

Cologne Travel Guide

2009-09-13T06:17:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the

Cologne Travel Guide

COLOGNE is situated on the river Rhein in North Rhine-Westphalia and is the fourth largest city in Germany. Cologne's very name bears witness to its Roman past as the town of Colonia. The city has an extremely lively arts and culture scene and it is known as the "capital of Rhenish joie de vivre".

Cologne is Germany's oldest city and, until the 19th century, the grandest - a status still reflected in the scores of spires that serrate its skyline, and its massive cathedral, or Dom. Cologne, like most areas of Germany, has its very own local dialect of German, though this is improbable to hinder the average sight-seeing tourist.

As many cities in Germany, Cologne was bombarded during the World War II. All the buildings of the Altstadt were damaged and the reconstruction process brought to light a period of Cologne's history that had been a mystery for centuries. This evidence showed that Cologne was an important city during the Christian era.

In Cologne there is so much to see, from the old Roman towers to the modern opera house, it is gradually becoming the fine-art capital of Germany. Cologne spoils its visitors: it heaps on the magnificent architecture, splendid museums, superb theatre and concerts, excellent dance clubs, and enormous department stores, and then, if that wasn't enough, it heaps some great food and beer on top.

As a matter of fact, Cologne is one of Germany’s leading gastronomic lights, from venerable breweries offering unique Kölsch beer and typical Cologne delicacies to first-class restaurants - boasting well in excess of 3000 public houses, restaurants and breweries.
Copyright by : justgermany

Hannover Travel Guide

2009-09-13T06:16:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the

Hannover Travel Guide

The capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony, HANNOVER, is an important tourist draw, with many interesting sights. The city is one of Germany’s hubs of industry, transportation and commerce, and its annual industrial trade fair (CeBIT) is still the largest such fair in the world, attracting producers from around the world.

Hannover became a tourist destination following the EXPO in 2000.The event drew millions to the city to tour international pavilions and share ways to improve the world into the twenty-first century. The city is a haven for art lovers and for anyone who wants to enjoy some of the most exciting nightlife in Germany. There are also many concert halls that host regular classical and popular concerts.

Besides that, Hannover is a modern city with a rich tradition, beautiful gardens, municipal and royal parks. It is a university capital with important cultural centres and admirable shopping facilities. Furthermore, the city has a 14th-century market church, “the Marienkirche”, a 15th-century town hall with the famous gable and numerous museums, such as the Sprengel Museum near the Masch Lake, which is becoming an important center for modern art.

A large amount of the historic city center has been re-built many times; the last was after the World War II. Some historical attractions are the “Main Station”, dated from 1880 with its "Stationmaster" King Ernst August, “the Kröpcke” the most central square and a favorite city-center meeting, and the famous theater “Ballhofplatz” among others.
Copyright by : justgermany

Hamburg Travel Guide

2009-09-13T06:14:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the

Hamburg Travel Guide

HAMBURG is the second largest city in Germany, it formed with Lübeck, Bremen and Rostock and other European ports the medieval Hanseatic League. Hamburg is a city-state, being as far as possible independent of other states that existed and exist in Germany. However, during the centuries, Hamburg has always been an international city, not only because of its position in international trade, but also in political dimensions.

The city is known as one of the most important harbours in Europe and the world, and it is the greenest city in Germany: 13 % of the city are park and greenland, 23 % protected countryside and 6% nature reserves. Nevertheless, two thirds of the city are occupied by parks, lakes or tree-lined canals, giving this huge harbour city a refreshal rural feel.

Culturally, Hamburg is said to have more in common with its trading partners and neighbors in the Low Countries, Denmark and even England, than it does with southern Germany. In Hamburg, there are more than 50 museums offering an educational and fun experience; from the Museum of Art and Craft to special exhibitions in the Bucerius Art Forum. There is no limit to art!

Hamburg has many faces and contrasts are evident wherever you look there. The finest parks and buildings are revealed around the Alster Lake in the city center while the neon-lit Reeperbahn at night revive old memories of “Sin-City Europe”. And a walk along one of Hamburg’s many canals explains why this city has been called the “Venice of the North”. Recently, the city has become a Media center, half of the Nation’s newspapers and magazines have their roots here.

Unfortunately, large parts of the city were destroyed during the devastating air raids of World War II. In spite of it, Hamburg still has large quarters with expensive houses and villas, home to merchants and captains, surrounded by lots of green. Hamburg keeps its tradition of being an open, yet discreet city. Hamburgers sometimes appear to be quite reserved at first, but once they get to know who they are dealing with, they will be as warm and friendly as you would wish
Copyright by : justgermany

Munich Travel Guide

2009-09-13T06:13:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the

Munich Travel Guide

Located to the north of the Bavarian Alps, on the River Isar, MUNICH is the capital city of Bavaria, the largest federal state of Germany and one of Europe's most prosperous and expensive cities. Munich is a wonderfully charming 800-year-old city that enjoys contradicting itself, there folk traditions ride alongside BMWs and Black Forest cake shares the table with haute cousin.

Founded by Duke Henry the Lion, in 1158, within a century, the city had become the seat of the Wittelsbach dynasty, who ruled the duchy, electorate and kingdom of Bavaria until the end of World War I. Their influence is evident in the concentration of grand Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and neo-classical architecture adorning Munich’s streets. Possibly most significantly, the Wittelsbach’s patronage of the arts and extensive collections provided the basis for Munich’s world-class museums and galleries.

The city was the cradle of the Nazi movement after World War I and was the scene of Hitler’s first attempt to seize power on 8 November 1923. Furthermore, in 1938, the treaty that surrendered a large portion of Czechoslovakia to the Nazis was signed by Germany, Great Britain, France and Italy in Munich, an act of conciliation that started the slide towards World War II. The city was severe bombarded at the end of the war, but in the post-war years the city was rebuilding with an intensive restoration program, and since then Munich is become in one of the most popular tourist destinations in Germany.

Munich is one of Germany’s cultural centers, with an amazing array of museums, a vibrant art scene and the world-famous Oktoberfest. Despite its name, events begins in late September and spills into the first week of October, dancing oompah bands and food dominate. With a strong cultural scene, abundantly endowed art collections and excellent shopping, Munich certainly has more to offer than just light entertainment.
Copyright by : justgermany

Stuttgart Travel Guide

2009-09-13T06:10:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the

Stuttgart Travel Guide

STUTTGART is the capital of the Baden-Württemberg state and is located in the center of the populated southwestern of Germany. Stuttgart is an ideal starting point for excursions to the Black Forest, the Swabian Alb, the Lake of Constance, the Hohenloher Land as well as the neighboring countries of Austria, France and Switzerland. Stuttgart is a cosmopolitan area and it is one of the prominent and well-known German towns, particularly due to its cultural, administrative and huge economic importance.

Stuttgart was chartered in the 13th cent and it became a residence of the counts of Württemberg, who made it their capital at the end of the 15th cent. After World War I it became famous for its numerous modern buildings with an innovative architecture. In World War II, the center of the city was almost totally destroyed although after 1945 many old buildings were restored.

Stuttgart is a relaxing city, its wonderful environment including the black forest and lots of acres of vineyards which make it one of the greenest cities in Europe. The region's long wine-growing tradition is carefully documented in a museum. Even as visitors come in to land at Stuttgart International Airport, they will be impressed by a fascinating landscape consisting of mountains, woods, vineyards, gardens, meadows and fields.

In Stuttgart, you can find a lot for the whole family: museums, art galleries, beautiful squares and imposing palaces. There are also exclusive stores, boutiques, modern malls and street cafés – some extravagant, other more elegant – that offer a beautiful view of the city.

The city is the place where the motorbike and the four-wheeled automobile were invented, famous and prestigious brands as Mercedes-Benz and Porsche are produced there. One of the Stuttgart’s attractions is the Mercedes Benz museum that is one of the best visited museums.
Copyright by : justgermany

Frankfurt Travel Guide

2009-09-13T06:09:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the

Frankfurt Travel Guide

FRANKFURT AM MAIN is called “the Manhattan of Germany” because of its location on the Main river. The city is the financial heart not only of Germany but also of the European Union, pumping euros into the world economy. Frankfurt is a dynamic metropolis and for many visitors it will be the first point of call in Europe, because its airport is the largest in terms of passengers on the European continent.

During World War II Frankfurt was deeply bombed, and as consequence, its medieval city was destroyed. Happily, the city recovered quite quickly after the war, and its modern shape was formed. With the rebuilding process, one of the Europe’s most efficient underground transportation systems was developed. That system includes a subway train system (S-Bahn) and a deep subway with smaller coaches (U-Bahn). Frankfurt also contains the tallest skyscraper in the European Union, the Commerzbank Tower, which is also the second tallest on the continent (after the Triumph-Palace building in Moscow).

Frankfurt is frequently seen only as a transit hub or a business centre, but it is so much more. In fact, it is a prosperous cultural centre for the entire Hesse, with a good collection of theatres, galleries, museums, amongst them some architectural highlights. While Frankfurt is not the size of London or Paris, it will not keep you wanting in terms of cultural activities.

Frankfurt is a city with two faces: On the first it is the competitive financial capital of Germany and on the other it is a civilized place which spends more on the arts than any other city in Europe. If you have more time to spend, Frankfurt is a perfect starting point for daytrips up the Rhine River towards Rudesheim or Heidelberg and only a 30 minutes train trip away from Wiesbaden, Mainz or Marburg.
Copyright by : justgermany

Berlin Travel Guide

2009-09-13T06:07:00.000-07:00

BERLIN is the largest city in Germany and it is best known for its historical associations as the German capital. It offers a wonderful combination of history, night life, architecture and culture. Berlin has modest beginnings, but over time it grew into a European powerhouse and since reunification in 1990 it became into a dynamic and creative city.

Berlin has wonderful sights although it is not as centralized or small as other European cities. It is also known as one of the greenest cities in Europe: over 60% of its surface area is either a park or a river, it is beautiful! Berlin is also an industrial city; key industries such as electronics, manufacturing and information technology reflect the hopes for a brighter future for the city.

In Berlin, you will find the leisure time activities that you would find in every big city all over the world, and in the city limits there are numerous recreational areas, nature reserves and parks. You can find a lot of amazing things simply strolling along one of its fascinating streets. Berlin is a city that thrives on change and that has made a virtue out of reinventing itself s one of Europe’s finest capitals
Copyright by : justgermany

Germany Travel Guide

2009-09-13T05:22:00.000-07:00

From the high Alps in the South, the Bavarian plain, and the flowing hills of central Germany to the coast of the North and Baltic Sea: it all looks like a miniature train landscape packed with the nicest of old towns, medieval houses, gothic churches and small villages.

Thanks to the different regional princedoms, earldoms, monarchies and states Germany did not unite until the last centuries. Thus Germany has not one but many major cities. And each city has its own unique character, formed by its history and the surrounding region. Each is a whole new world unto itself in which you will experience not only different architectural styles and art treasures but also a very distinctive lifestyle. Local traditions and mentalities are clearly reflected everywhere - in the arts, the nightlife, the shops, the pubs and restaurants and the way people work and live.

Germany's cities have endless pleasant surprises in store for those who enjoy good food and drink. In addition to top-quality international cooking each region has its own local specialities, ranging from hearty country fare at simple inns to modern light cuisine at star-rated restaurants. Accompanied by our world-famous beers and wines, all this plenty is guaranteed to make your tour of Germany's cities an unforgettable culinary experience.

Discover the beautiful Southwest of Germany with cities like Freiburg, Heidelberg and Tübingen. In the western part cities still have some french influence, discover Bonn, Düsseldorf, Cologne- the heart of the Rhineland, Trier, the oldest city of Germany and a former capital of the Roman Empire or Aachen with its impressive cathedral and history back to Charlemagne.

Today, Germany is also an industrial powerhouse. In the Ruhrgebiet ( Essen, Oberhausen, Duisburg and surroundings) there is heavy industry, different car brands like Mercedes (near Stuttgart ), BMW and VW make Germany one of the world's biggest car producers and Frankfurt is the country's bank and finance centre, called also "Mainhattan" ("Main" is a river in Frankfurt). All this makes the standard of living one of the highest in the world.
Copyright by : justgermany

Lace of the Queens - Queen of the Laces

2009-09-13T01:03:00.002-07:00

Mellen Candage

Normandy in the northwest of France, is on the Atlantic coast. Mont-St-Michel is its most famous tourist attraction, but the city of Rouen and Monet's Gardens at Giverny are also well known.

Two hundred kilometers west of Paris, in the Norman town of Alencon, a handful of women carry on a tradition begun more than four centuries ago. Here, at the Ecole Dentelliere, professional lace makers who use techniques devised in the 15th century painstakingly manufacture the "point d'Alencon," the most elaborate needlepoint lace made in France. Today, because of the high costs of manufacturing, it is considered a luxury lace, and the largest pieces are sold mainly as extravagant lingerie in high-fashion Paris shops, but point d'Alencon once enjoyed a more widespread popularity.

Lace was an important factor in 16th-century world trade. The art began in Italy in the early 1500s as a gentlewoman's pastime. These ladies passed the skill along to nuns, who found it a meditative occupation as well as a way of producing income for their convents. The practice spread from convent to convent throughout Italy until, in the late 1500s, the demand for lace products was great enough that private manufacturing workshops were established.

The renowned Medici family amassed a large collection of lace in the 16th century, and when Catherine de Medici married Henri II in 1533, she brought her lace with her to France, where it soon caught on as a fashionable commodity. She quickly persuaded Henri II to import Italian lace experts to France, and thus was born the French lace industry.

French laces were generally lighter and airier in design than their Italian counterparts, and by 1650, ten years after the establishment of the first atelier in Alencon, point d'Alencon had already been recognized as the finest and most delicately worked of the French laces.

During the reign of Louis XIV, lace became a more coveted possession than ever. Court extravagance called for the manufacture of such vast quantities of it that the King established 12 national lace making ateliers. Alencon was given first rank among them and, as a consequence, the industry there grew rapidly, and point d'Alencon achieved new heights of perfection. The "fontage," a towering headdress of Alencon lace, was an essential item in every court woman's wardrobe, and lace was the official court dress. Point d'Alencon quickly became known as "la dentelle des reines," the lace of queens.

Lace making remained a major French industry through the first decade of the 19th century, when it began to decline. The industry was revived somewhat in the 1830s and again in the 1840s, but thereafter the demand for lace subsided significantly.

Today, a few dedicated women continue to practice the intricate techniques of point d'Alencon. Most are descended from the families whose women worked in the original atelier, and most grew up watching their grandmothers, mothers, and aunts toiling over the fine linen and silk threads that make up Alencon lace.

The creation of Alencon lace requires nine complex steps. In the traditional manner, almost every step is performed by a different lace maker, each with her own specialty. Final assembly of all pieces of the lace requires the skill of a senior lace maker. She must be an expert in all stitches and capable of blending the work of many hands into an apparently seamless whole. Such an exquisite lace-making tradition is a treasure from what the French call "a time of enchantment and folly."

Alencon lace can be viewed at the Musee des Beaux Arts et de la Dentelle, Cour Carre de la Dentelle, in Alencon. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to noon and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. daily (between September 15 and Easter, it is closed on Mondays). Guided tours are offered in several languages, including English.

Resources

www.ville-alencon.fr: Town of Alencon

www.normandy-tourism.org: Normandy tourism

www.dentellieres.com/Musee/Alencon/Lace-alencon1.htm: The Museum of the Beautiful Arts and the Lace (Alencon)

Mellen Candage is a writer and editor and has been the owner/president of Grammarians, Inc., a publishing and translation company in Alexandria, VA, since 1978. In her "spare time" she is a travel consultant for France and gives culinary and other specialty tours in the Perigord and Provence. Her articles on travel, food, wine, and other European topics have been published in the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, International Living, Wine Tidings Magazine, Writer's Digest, FiberArts, and Parenting. krokosbackpack.net/lacoste/

Farmers' Markets in the Loire Valley

2009-09-13T01:03:00.001-07:00

I can't think of a more pleasant way to spend the morning, than to visit one of France's farmers' markets.

You wake up, stretch and think: let's have that grande creme at the cafe and see what looks good to eat over the next few days. No recipes in hand, no real ideas, we'll just let the produce speak to us. Ready to go, baskets in hand (as well as re-used plastic bags, so the merchants don't load us down with more), we set off for whatever village is hosting a market.

Markets in the Summer

As I write this, it is full summer. So, our baskets will most likely be laden with ruby red radishes, the very last of the cherries and whatever variety of strawberries they're selling this week. There will be white and yellow peaches, raspberries and plums of all shades. Green and white asparagus are over, after an exceptionally long season. We ate the green, simply roasted with olive oil, sea salt and fresh sprigs of thyme. The white were terrific in the traditional way, steamed and napped with thick creme fraiche, then strewn with chopped chives from the garden. The peels and tips went into a soothing creamed soup, which I asked Craig to make for me every week, it was so good. Actually, it got to the point that he finally said: "Enough"!

But, there are still mountains of haricot verts overflowing raffia baskets, next to heaps to lettuces, the drops of dew still clinging to their leaves. In another basket, a passel of deep purple eggplants vie with yellow, green, orange and red peppers. And that's just the vegetable and fruit sellers.

At the cheese stalls, you will find pungent ovals of lait cru delights from all over France. Our closest market, in Montrichard, has three local makers of chevre cheese alone. A goat cheese renown in the Touraine for its creaminess and clear grassy tones. There are at least eight bleus to choose from, hard peppery cheeses like, Comte or Abondance, soft delicate ones, some finished using Marc or Eau de Vie and others rolled in raisins, paprika or ash. It's a tough choice and most everyone I know (including me!) buy too many. But, then how can one beat a variety, with a baguette and a bottle of wine, while sitting on the banks of the Cher river, watching the Kingfishers and Turns dive for their own lunches?

And if there is too much cheese left by the end of the week, it can be transformed into what in Provence they call cachat and here what the equivalent in English would be "old bits". Chevre and bleu are essential, but just about anything else can be grated and added with a touch of garlic, milled black pepper and some Cognac. You end up with a spreadable mixture that only improves over the following week.

Now, if you feel lazy and also long for some meat, you can pick up a golden roasted chicken at the market, along with a barquette de pommes de terre (little peeled potatoes, that have been slowly cooking under the chickens, soaking up all those lovely juices and fat - scrumptious, truly!!). There are spit-roasted pork ribs, half a rabbit, duck, turkey thighs or quail farci with herbed sausage meat.

After a run-through, it's time for that grande creme, or if the hour dictates, a cold demi-pression, while making our list of how best to combine the treasures we've both spotted.

We try and make lunch our big meal to linger over. The baby lamb chops looked great to BBQ, marinated with olive oil, garlic and mint from the pot on the pool deck. Haricot verts, tossed with browned bread crumbs and 200 grams of new potatoes we bought still with the earth clinging to them, cleaned, steamed and topped with salty butter. For dessert: strawberries, held by their stems and dunked into a glass of red wine.

After our siesta, a few laps in the pool, some gardening and then a book along side a glass of Chenin-sec. More laps in the pool and time to ruminate on what's for dinner. You find you can get a lot into a day, as in full summer the sun doesn't set until 10:30 or so, which means suppertime around then too.

Onto dinner. Craig found a rabbit pate with hazelnuts to go with a six-grain bread that we love. A trio of cheeses and a squeaky Batavia lettuce that we dress simply with our own rose wine vinaigrette. Candles now lit, music on lowly to hear the owls swooping above us.

Pretty much a perfect end to a delightful day.

This was Friday and we have friends for Saturday and Sunday. The appetizer, when they arrive is some leftover chevre from yesterday, that we scatter in a terra cotta dish, sprinkle with a mix of chopped herbs (rosemary, oregano, thyme and hyssop), cover with a thin layer of tomato sauce, more herb mixture and some black olives. You then grill it until everything bubbles and spread it on hunks of baguette. This never misses! (This comes from Patricia Wells' "Home in Provence".)

The late lunch (about 2pm) is simple and easy. Craig takes a farm chicken, puts basil under the skin and steams for five minutes (cuts down on flare-ups on the BBQ - old Korean trick), tosses a preserved lemon in the cavity and onto the BBQ until crisp and brown. An assortment of roasted vegetables, also on the BBQ and set on a bed of couscous. Homemade raspberry sorbet (with the berries from the garden) gets pulled out of the freezer for dessert.

Then a long nap.

By about 7pm, everyone is on the pool deck or swimming, chatting and sipping cold rose. Dinner was prepared while our guests were doing the lunch dishes. Vine ripe tomatoes, hollowed out and filled with herbed sausage meat, dotted with butter and set on a bed of uncooked rice, each in individual terra cottas. The rice is cooked by the juices of the tom. and meat, making a one dish meal and delish. For dessert: a bowl full of yellow and white peaches that have been splashing about in some red wine a tad of sugar.

It's now Sunday and the famous Market in Amboise, along the banks of the Loire river. Hundreds of stalls selling everything from polyester house dresses, to just fried Nems, breads, cheeses, fish and meats of all descriptions, plants, flowers and kittens looking for a home. Gigantic pans of paella or coq a vin or boeuf bourgonon. The smells make you want to buy everything, but being the wise hosts we are, we send our guests off to find and buy on their own, as it's their turn to please our taste buds. And succeed they did.

They returned with a variety of olives and tapenades to start. Cavaillon melons, at 1 Euro a piece went nicely with Bayonne ham sliced wafer thin. Too many cheeses (again!), a couple of dried sausages and followed by a selection of tiny little pastries that looked like gems.

For fun, we tallied up their receipts and found they'd only spent 80 Euro, including four bottles of wine (or about $110) for the 6 of us, with leftovers for their journey home. (All of the pastries were gone however.) Who says France is expensive?

Markets in the Fall

Inevitably, summer turns to fall and the scene changes. Tourists are back home or at school. Hunting season has begun, so you find pigeons, pheasants, grouse, wild boar and venison. The vegetables are now radicchios, Swiss chard and cauliflower. We make this into a luscious gratin from an old recipe of MFK Fisher's, when she was living in France in the 50s. You separate the flowerets, blanch in boiling water, cover with heavy cream, a thick coating of grated gruyere, some pepper and bake until golden. That, some bread to sop up the sauce, a glass or two of red and you're done.

One day in early fall, when the temperatures require a sweater and a blaze in the fireplace is not unwelcome, we came across a bent-over old man in the market, wearing a beret and buying pig's ears - just the ears - from the man we always try and buy our pork from. You've just got to ask, right? What will he be doing with them? He told us that he would put them on the grill in his fireplace, with some salt and cook them until they were crisp. So, we bought the last 2 ears to try. I must admit, they were pretty chewy and must be an acquired taste, as we haven't bought any since. But, when in France ...

Markets in the Winter

The winter months are usually our quiet ones. We read books we didn't get a chance to read during the "season". We work on the cottages for the upcoming year of guests, making improvements and changes every year to surprise our roster of returning guests and friends.

And, we continue to visit the markets.

Now is the time of robust soups of roasted pumpkin, from our neighbor farmer, or Craig's legendary spicy lentil soup that someone gave him a recipe for, so many years ago that we don't remember who or when, with lentils grown by a local farmer, who still uses a horse to plow the fields.

There are daubes and stews that we serve with noodles or mashed potatoes with garlic and olive oil. Leek gratins or blue cheese gratins with bits of smoked ham hidden inside. Cassoulets.

A jar of conserved tomatoes comes out of the pantry for a pasta sauce, mixed with basil we'd put under oil at the end of the summer. Suddenly, July arrives in the kitchen.

Apple crumbles. Reine-Claude from our trees, that we'd picked/pitted and frozen to make a summer-fresh tart. This reminds us that spring will come again and the bounty than comes with it.

Twelve months out of the year, there are these markets and the farmers who make it all possible. (We continually ask ourselves why anyone would chose to go to a supermarket, when they can visit one of these many markets, knowing just where what they're eating came from.) These men and women work hard, their hands show it.

We've just returned from the market. It was 7:30 when we got there and the fishmongers were almost set up. The vegetable vendors were arranging their goods and the boulangerie was just opening up, the fragrance of croissants and fresh bread luring us in.

We had the grande creme at our local bar, but Craig realized he'd forgotten his wallet and we had no money. The owner of the bar said no problem and would we like him to loan us some money for the market?

Who says the French are snotty? So, we'll go back in a while and pay him, meet our friends over a demi-pression and pick up a couple of live crabs for lunch today.

We love this part of France and the dedication from these folks, who love it just as much as we do. Only it's in their blood. So, we follow the seasons along with them and enjoy.

Karen runs La Barauderie, vacation rentals in the Loire Valley, France.

Cremant - The Bubbly of Alsace

2009-09-13T01:01:00.000-07:00

The Rhine River forms the border between the Alsace-Lorraine region in the north eastern corner of France and Germany. Strasbourg, on the border with Germany, is one of the well known towns of this region.

Lying on a fertile plain between the Vosges mountains and the river Rhine, modern Alsace takes advantage of its multiplicity of natural resources to produce some of France's finest offerings, among them, of course, wine, which now accounts for 25 percent of the region's agricultural production.

Documents in the archives of the regional capital of Strasbourg attest to the fact that, before the year 900 AD, at least 160 wine producers were at work in the region. Protected by the Vosges, dotted with sunny hillsides, and blessed with an exceptionally light rainfall, the area has potential that has long been clear to vintners. Today, approximately 8,500 growers cultivate 14,000 hectares to produce upwards of 10 million cases per year.

Wines of the Alsace

Five grape varieties grown in Alsace have been entitled to Appelation d'Origine Controlee (AOC) status since 1975: Gewurtztraminer, Muscat, Riesling, Pinot Gris (Tokay d'Alsace), and Sylvaner. Production of non-noble grape varieties such as Chasselas and Muller-Thurgau is being slowed by government regulations that forbid new plantings; already, most of these varieties are produced by small growers for personal consumption only.

It is only since the end of World War II that Alsatian wines have gradually become recognized outside the borders of the province, largely the result of the formation of wine cooperatives just after V-E Day in 1945 to handle that year's tremendously successful harvest. The region today boasts 18 cooperatives with 2,000 members who produce about one-third of the region's wines. The Alsatian wine cooperative movement is one of the strongest in France, with extremely high standards balanced by competitive prices.

Cooperatives purchase all grapes from all members, for better or for worse, often offering premiums of up to 30 percent for the best grapes from prime sites. The region's soil is unusually varied, allowing for numerous different microclimates and hence a tremendous diversity of wines. Lots from different sites are combined for vinification with peer grapes, demonstrating the importance the Alsace coops place on terroir and distinctions among grapes. What this means to the consumer is good drinking at good prices, and wines that are gradually making their way onto some of the world's best wine lists.

Cremant d'Alsace

In Alsace, no matter how pompous the occasion or how famous the guest, one does not serve champagne. When the silver is polished and the fine lace laid upon the table and the candelabra lit and the flowers arranged, a different sort of bubbly makes its dbut - Cremant d'Alsace, the delicate, delectable regional sparkling wine.

A relative neophyte in the world of wine, Cremant d'Alsace has only been manufactured since the turn of the century, when a pioneering spirit by the name of Julien Dopff applied the mthode champenoise on his own wines and achieved surprisingly good results. Virtually ignored outside Alsatian borders, cremant is nonetheless a shining star on the Alsace table, where it lends a festive air to any gathering and complements perfectly the local cuisine.

The AOC conferred upon Cremant d'Alsace on August 24, 1976, guarantees that it comes only from Alsace and is produced in strict conformance with the traditions and standards of the local growers. Those standards, in part because they include following the painstaking methode champenoise, are extensive.

The principal grape is the pinot blanc (also called clevner or klevner), but riesling, pinot gris, and chardonnay may also be used. Pinot noir and ros are used to produce a pink version of the cremant, in response to recent consumer demand. Whichever grapes are to be used, they are picked several days before the official opening date of the wine harvest. The grapes by law must be transported in non-watertight boxes. They are then pressed (often with the stems still on, a tradition in the area that is said to give the wine an added boost of tanning) and the juice is poured into the concrete and stainless steel vats that have for the most part replaced the ornate Germanic wooden ones used until the last decade. Only 100 liters per 150 kilograms of juice can, by law, be vinified.

After a conventional first fermentation in the vats, the wine begins a second through the methode champenoise, where it will acquire its sparkle and the light, elegant character it is known for. The method requires the undivided daily attention of experts over a period as long as two years. In the dark, dank, and chalky caves, the bottles are first laid flat on their sides for several months until the wine is deemed sufficiently aged. They are then placed in an A-shaped rack called a pupitre, which holds them at first at about a 30-degree angle facing neck down. A master craftsman called a remueur attends to each bottle daily, turning it and gradually tilting it at a steeper angle. After two to three months, the bottles are almost completely vertical, and the sediment has slid down into the neck.

In a step called the degorgement, the cork is removed without disturbing the wine (often by freezing the bottle neck), bringing with it the unwanted sediment. Each bottle is checked, often by candlelight (so as not to frighten it, as I was told by a worker in the Dopff au Moulin caves), to ensure the purity of its contents, then stopped with the traditional cage-shaped champagne cork and wrapped in gold.

In recent years, some of the larger family wine firms of Alsace have banded together to promote the appreciation and consumption of Alsatian wines on the international market. An important member of this group, known as les Grandes Maisons d'Alsace, is Dopff au Moulin, now under the leadership of Pierre-Etienne Dopff. Pierre-Etienne has been pushing the production of his cremants for several years, and Dopff au Moulin now produces about 250,000 bottles annually, representing about a quarter of the total firm production. They are widely considered the best cremants of Alsace. Other well-respected cremants include those from the firm of Armand & Oscar Mur, in Rouffach, and those produced by the Eusenheim cooperative.

Tour a Winery

The Maison Dopff au Moulin is situated at the foot of one of Alsace's most picturesque villages, Riquewihr, a lovingly preserved 16th-century village surrounded by some of the best vineyards in Alsace. A tour of the impeccably organized family firm takes about an hour's time, plus a few minutes for the traditional degustation, at which you can sample several cremants as well as some outstanding rieslings. Afterward, a jaunt through the walled town delights the eye with restored cobblestones and timbered houses, window boxes, and colorful hand painted signs. The gift shops are bursting with green glasses and pitchers, hazelnut branch wine openers, and all the gadgetry of local oenophilia. By the well in the center of town, children dressed in traditional Alsatian costumes sell flowers and pose guilelessly for pictures.

Storing and Serving

A good Cremant d'Alsace will keep for four to five years, if stored properly between 10 and 15 degrees Celsius, with no variation in temperature more than 3 degrees. The ideal environment is well ventilated, dark, and free from odor. A source of moisture, as from earth, clay, or gravel, is ideal, and the bottles should not be subject to vibration. Cremants should be laid on their sides so the cork remains moist.

Serve Cremant d'Alsace chilled at 5 to 7 degrees Celsius in a fluted or tulip-stemmed glass. Cremants go with lighter foods as well as with traditionally rich Alsatian dishes such as choucroute garni. Like champagnes, they can be served before the meal, as an accompaniment, or with dessert.

A good cremant is pale, with a golden sheen, light and subtle in flavor. You can taste hints of the fresh fruits and flowers that bloom on the Alsatian hillsides, but it is at the same time discreet and uncomplicated. Expressing perhaps the duality of the Alsatian nature, cremant remains an elegant, reserved wine even as it effuses bubbles of conviviality.

Wine Etiquette

Alsatian wines are traditionally served by the pitcher. You may order un quart, un demi, or a full bottle. An Alsatian wine is always bottled in the flute d'Alsace, the traditional green-tinted, long-necked bottle. They are served chilled but not iced. All except the most full-bodied varieties from the best vintages should be drunk within five years. A brief description of the common varieties follows.

Gewurtztraminer: Spicy, racy, with an elegant bouquet. As good as an aperitif as it is with dessert.

Muscat d'Alsace: Dry, with a delicious fresh-grape bouquet. Excellent as an aperitif and party wine.

Pinot blanc (Klevner, Clevner): A supple, elegant, well-balanced, all-occasion wine.

Pinot noir: A dry, delectably fruity ros, perfect for picnics, especially good with fowl.

Riesling: Virile, dry, lightly fruited, with a bouquet of great finesse, the King of Alsatian wines is the perfect accompaniment for an elegant meal, particularly fish and shellfish.

Sylvaner: Fresh, fruity, dry, occasionally with a hint of bubbles. Very agreeable with hors d'oeuvres and seafood.

Tokay d'Alsace (pinot gris): Dry and opulent, with a discreet fruity taste. Alsatians favor it to accompany foie gras, succulent roasts, and hearty but fine foods.

Resources

www.tourisme-alsace.com: Tourism Alsace

www.strasbourg.com: Strasbourg Online, travel information

www.vinsalsace.com: Vins D'Alsace

Exploring the French Countryside

2009-09-13T01:00:00.000-07:00

This is meant to answer the frequent items on various message boards which are more the less along these lines:

"I shall start at Paris for X days but ..." or
"I loved Y particularly" (where Y is a rural area) or
"Much as I like cities" or something else which, like these, leads to something like ...

"Where shall I go to see a really great countryside (rural) area?"

I am very sympathetic with the questioners as these are just the questions that I might ask about Sweden, Finland or Estonia, in each of which I have not been far from the capitals.

I do not know whether I have seen "the best" - whatever that might mean – nor am I very bothered. I am considerably more bothered that there are numerous areas which sound really good that I have not yet seen. However I think it may help many of the questioners to know of some areas which we found extremely enjoyable. Part of the appeal of taking time in a rural area is slowing up a bit and covering short distances walking, or perhaps taking scenic train trips. Hence it would totally destroy the object if you were to dash about like a headless chicken trying to cover several of the areas in one go. A couple of times we have been to two different areas in a holiday just under three weeks long, when they are reasonably close and the journey between them can be regarded as part of the holiday in its own right.

Google Map for the French Countryside: You will find more information on David's Google Map

Normandy

The position of Normandy is conducive to getting into the holiday mood before going somewhere else or winding down before getting the boat, if you have come from England, and I have certainly done both, but it is worth some time in its own right. I can only speak personally; the so-called Suisse Normande does nothing for me at all. However Rouen, Givernie, Les Andelys, Honfleur and the Seine bridges all justify a visit and the Cheese and Cider (+Calvados) Routes are not to be ignored.

www.normandy-tourism.org: Normandy Tourism

Brittany

Apart from a brief visit to Dinan (which is great) we have only been on the west side. We were particularly taken with Roscoff, Quimper, Huelgoat and Guilvinec. Taken as a whole I am not sure that Brittany is not a bit overrated and I prefer the coastal scenery in many other parts of Europe.

www.fodors.com/miniguides/: Fodors Miniguides - Brittany
www.brittanytourism.com: Brittany Tourism

Alsace

This is a very relaxing area of lovely villages, good cheap wine and fine rolling hills. Strasbourg and Colmar are wonderful places and each screams to be visited and explored. We did combine this with a visit to the Department of Doubs and I should find Alsace a bit claustrophobic after a week or so. However it is definitely an area worth seeing. The stork nesting season in spring is a good time to visit. In summer the geraniums in all the villages were pretty glorious.

www.strasbourg.info: Strasbourg Information, accommodations, restaurants, sights, museums, day trips
www.visit-alsace.com: Visit Alsace, accommodations, sights

Doubs

This is certainly not an overrated area in my mind; indeed I think it is underrated. The rivers Doubs, Loue, Lison, the Cascades d'Hérisson and the Cirques of Ladoye, Fer de Cheval and (particularly) Baume are terrific. The wines are cheap and many of the roads are relatively traffic-free. It is easy to get into the Swiss Jura for a day trip if you should want something extra but you don't need to wander too widely. I could go on and on but in brief - it's great. Go and see.

www.interfrance.com: InterFrance, Doubs travel information
www.justtourfrance.com: Just Tour France, Doubs travel information

Cantal

This is less dramatic scenery than the areas of the Massif Central lying further north and east but is very pleasant and pretty peaceful. We camped at Albpierre, a very small village near Murat, where the mayor came to greet us! The hill scenery is delightful and easy enough walking. On the way in or out try to see the beautiful old village of Salers. See if you like the local drink (Salers) made from gentian roots – I love it but many hate it! At least you are likely to like the local cheese (cantal).

www.cantal-walking.com: Walking in the Cantal
www.french-at-a-touch.com: French at a Touch, Auvergne

Chartreuse

This is to the north as you approach Grenoble and is a region of pleasing mountains, gorges and rushing streams. We camped at St Pierre d'Entremont and thoroughly enjoyed the whole area. It is possibly one of the easiest to walk of the mountain areas where I have been. Good for visits to Grenoble and the Vercors.

www.chartreuse-tourisme.com: Chartreuse Tourism, English version is a PDF file you can download

Cevennes

This is an area of very high forested mountains where the griffon vulture can be seen flying overhead. The nearby Cirque de Navacelles is fabulous and you can get to the bottom in a car. One feature on the hills worthy of note is a weather exhibition which is excellent and free! This area is possibly best seen in combination with another nearby area.

cevennes-mont-lozere.com: The Cevennes - Mont - Lozere Region

Languedoc

This is quite a large area and includes the home of the wonderful Roquefort cheese. We stayed above the city of Saint Pons de Thommières near the Monts de Lacaune (try its cheese which we have never seen outside the area) and near the Monts d'Espinoux. There is easy access to Castres and the Sidobre area and also to the well known town of Albi with its extraordinary cathedral, a fine though inexpensive veggie restaurant and the terrific Toulouse-Lautrec museum. Carcassonne is within range. This was an excellent base.

www.the-languedoc-page.com: The Languedoc Page
www.french-at-a-touch.com: French at a Touch, Languedoc Roussillon

Eastern Pyrenees

I hope I shall get to see some other Pyrennean areas but this is in praise rather than in criticism of the eastern part. The first time we took the caravan and stayed at Orlu, to the left along a minor road from the main road from Ax les Thermes to Andorra. This is wonderful mountain scenery, perhaps more like elevated Scottish than Alpine scenery near at hand, but not that far from the mighty Pic Carlit, with chamois and ibex to be seen on its snowfields and a rocky scramble at the top. We found it useful to drive just across the Andorra boundary for cheap petrol and wine but we only went once to the capital and it is not an experience I wish to repeat (it is a traffic crawl through a world of duty free shops, like an airport shopping mall).

Nearer to base, in June the butterflies around Orlu were as prolific as anywhere I have been and some of the high meadows up the side roads were a real treat for their flowers and the only place to enjoy a bit of shade. Away from the highest Pyrenees are a number of Cathar castles in fine forests although some of the forest drives would not have prolonged the life of the car.

Our second visit in 2003 started with a flight to Toulouse and formed a circuit by bus and train through Carcassonne, Quillan, Perpignan, Vernet les Bains, Mont Louis, La Tour de Carol and back to Toulouse. Vernet les Bains is a great place to stop for a few nights, splendid for walks at all levels. It also enjoys the status of France's first village arboretum and has a quite wonderful geological museum. From there we had the delightful experience of travelling on the Petit Train Jaune through the Pyrenees to Mont Louis. Although the mountains are higher here, I actually love the wooded stuff further East around Vernet, with the Pic du Canigou rearing up above it.

www.ariege.com: Ariege Pyrenees
www.parc-pyrenees.com: Pyrenees National Park, official site
www.ot-vernet-les-bains.fr: Vernet les bains

Digne – Nice railway

This is a private railway running through the Alpes d'Haute Provence. There is a guide book to walks near the railway and many of them are excellent. We stayed at the little town of Annot with a picturesque, interesting old town and walks through the grées or huge boulders. In places the fallen chestnut leaves reach nearly up to the thighs and you keep coming upon cherry trees and old walls by past villages. Some of the gorges of the area are particularly spectacular.

www.provencebeyond.com: Provence Beyond, Train de Pignes
www.beyond.fr: Provence Beyond, Annot

Queyras

This is a quite delightful area which compensates for its relatively lowly height within the Alps by the charm of its villages and countryside. It is close to the Italian border and it is on the Eastern side, near to the border, that we saw more marmots than I have seen anywhere else. The area enjoys a splendid micro-climate of its own and is almost always sunny, although we managed to pick one of the days that rained. The Alpine pastures about Lac Miroir were a show of flowers at the end of June, the gentians being as good as I have seen anywhere.

The villages are noted for their sundials but it must have been better still when more roofs were made of wood and fewer of corrugated iron! Even so it is a top area.

www.beyond.fr: Provence Beyond, Ceillac
www.queyras.com: Quevras

2009-09-13T00:59:00.001-07:00

Pauline Kenny

I am a vegetarian and on a recent trip to France was able to find some restaurants with vegetarian options, but there was not a large selection of dishes and some restaurant had no vegetarian options. French cuisine is very meat and fish oriented. You can usually have a salad, but you might have a hard time finding anything else. If you eat dairy and eggs, you will have a greater choice. If you eat fish, you will find lots of options.

Vegetarian/Natural Foods Restaurants

The good news is that there appears to be an active vegetarian/organic/biodynamic movement in France and we found very good natural foods stores and vegetarian/natural foods restaurants in most good sized towns.

We found this excellent natural foods restaurant in Avignon. Restaurant Terre de Saveur, 1 Rue St. Michel. The guidebook for vegetarian restaurants in France (see Resources below) listed a second vegetarian restaurant in Avignon.

Restaurant Terre de Saveur, cuisine traditionnelle et Vegetarienne, Avignon

Vegetarian Options on Menus

Some vegetarian possibilities you will find on menus in Provence are:

There is usually at least one vegetarian entree (appetizer). Common vegetarian entrees in Provence include: salad with goat cheese; mozzarella, tomato and basil (like the Italian Caprese); Papeton d'Aubergine (eggplant pate); vegetable tart. Be aware that tappenade (olive paste) usually has anchovies (fish) as do vegetable tarts.
Many restaurants offer large salads which can be the main meal. Most have cheese.
Some restaurants offer a pasta with tomato and basil as a main dish. We saw this on many menus.
You can have a cheese course as the main part of the meal.
In Provence, we found fresh fish dishes on the majority of menus, so if you eat fish, you are in luck.
Many restaurants offer pizza and will have vegetarian ones.

Chinese restaurants may be willing to give you noodles or rice and vegetables, but the menus that we looked at did not even have vegetable sections, so we did not try this on our recent trip.

Your best bet is to stay in a vacation rental where you can do most of your own cooking. Read more about vacation rentals.

Ask for a Vegetarian Meal

A good restaurant will be happy to make a special vegetarian meal for you. Not all will be willing to do this. Some restaurants we asked at were happy to do this; others would not.

We had lunch at the restaurant in Hotel des Voyageurs in a small Luberon village (St. Saturnin les Apt) and asked if it was possible to have a vegetarian meal (for me) and a fish meal (for Steve). The woman running the restaurant said "of course" and we had the best meal of our two weeks in France. Click to see photos of the meal.

Vegetarian entree at Hotel les Voyageurs in St. Saturnin les Apt, Provence

Scotland Travel Notes

2009-09-13T00:54:00.000-07:00

Scotland is too big to be covered in one page so it is divided into four pages plus this introduction. Each area contains much that I have not seen and thus each page is only a selection of places that I have seen and that I think good, but there is no suggestion that there may not be other places as good or possibly even better. In particular there are many islands that I have yet to see.

Introduction: Basics of traveling in Scotland, notes about Edinburgh and Glasgow, what to see if your time is limited.

Southern Scotland: South of Edinburgh and Glasgow, the Scotland/England borders.

Central Scotland: Best routes for moving through central Scotland, possible holiday areas.

Northern Scotland: Ardgour and Ardnamurchan, north of Fort William to Mallaig road, from Lochcarron to Torridon and Kinlochewe, Ullapool Area and more.

The Islands of Scotland: Getting to the islands, Coll and Tiree, Mull, Small Isles, Eigh, the Long Island, Arran, Skye.

Google Maps

ST Google Map - Southern Scotland: Detailed Google Map by DavidX for Southern and Central Scotland.

ST Google Map - Northern Scotland: Detailed Google Map by DavidX for Northern Scotland and the Islands.

Yorkshire

2009-09-13T00:53:00.000-07:00

Yorkshire

David Cross (DavidX) from England

By UK standards Yorkshire covers a very large area and there is nothing on this page about some important parts such as, the Yorkshire Coast, the North York Moors National Park and South Yorkshire. Perhaps someone would fill the gaps!

ST Google Map - West Yorkshire, England

ST Google Map - Yorkshire Dales, England

Page Contents

York | Ripon/Fountains Abbey | The Yorkshire Dales | West Yorkshire

York

This is probably the city of most beauty and interest in the North of England and a visit should not be rushed. York's history goes back to the Romans and there are remains from these and Saxon times. Then there is the York Minster which, although not enjoying the title of cathedral, is one of the prime ecclesiastical buildings of England. It was badly damaged by fire late in the twentieth century but has been brilliantly restored. The walls are numbered among York's other remains of mediaeval times.

However its treasures do not stop with the Middle Ages. Its rail station dates from the early years of railways and is a most interesting building. The National Railway Museum is situated in the city. York is well connected by rail with London, Newcastle, Leeds, and Manchester among other places.

Resources

Map: Ordnance survey – Landranger 104

www.york-tourism.co.uk: Official site for York Tourism

www.yorkminster.org: York Minster

Ripon and Fountains Abbey

The area of interest in Ripon is not particularly big, consisting only of the cathedral and the market square with its surrounding buildings. But that will prove enough to while away some appreciable time and combined with a trip to Fountains Abbey and Studely Royal and, if you are in a car, to Brimham Rocks it will provide for a long half-day and weather permitting there are plenty of places for a good picnic.

Yorkshire Dales - Brimham Rocks

At first sight Ripon Cathedral is not one of the most striking of British Cathedrals. It is certainly not one of the highest. However it is a building of great beauty; the choir stalls are brilliantly carved – to rate with anything I have seen in Europe – and the ancient crypt is inspiring.

Fountains Abbey is just a few miles away. Yorkshire has a number of ruined abbey buildings of great interest and charm and this is the most complete. There are extensive remains of the buildings which provided dwellings and work-places to the monks at this wealthy abbey.

The grounds of Studely Royal Estate are contiguous with those of the abbey. There is a pleasing deer park and some wonderful trees, particularly in their autumn or spring colours. The whole area is owned by the National Trust, a private charity that owns many buildings and many beautiful areas of land in England and Wales. There is a restaurant and presentation area through which you enter.

If you are in a car it is only a short ride to Brimham Rocks, a natural area of amazingly shaped outcrops of rock which provide another wonderful picnic spot or just allow for a brief walk with very pleasant scenery.

Resources

Map: Ordnance Survey- Landranger 99

www.ripon-internet.com: Ripon Internet, community website with tourist information

www.fountainsabbey.org.uk: Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden, National Trust (A World Heritage Site)

www.ripon.org: Site currently unavailable.

The Yorkshire Dales

ST Google Map - Yorkshire Dales, England

Dale means "valley". There could be an interesting argument about the precise area of "The Yorkshire Dales". There is a national park with this name but it does not include the river Nidd, which most might associate with the name. Anyway, whatever it does or does not include, it is a beautiful peaceful area with each dale having its own character and thus providing surprising variety.

It certainly does not include all the river areas of Yorkshire since there is an area known as the North York Moors to the northeast of the dales with its own attractive valleys – though to my mind not a patch on the dales.

Not only is the dales area extensive but the most scenic routes linking the different dales are slow and it would be contrary to the whole nature of the area to rush around trying to see it all in a day. Some parts cry out to be walked or examined more minutely and there are any number of scenic B&Bs or quaint pubs, making a stay of several nights very pleasant and a wonderful contrast to staying in a city like London.

Public Transport

The only major railway through the Dales is the Settle–Carlisle line which cuts through the west side. It is a line of great beauty and much interest. It is well worth getting a ticket, which allows a day getting on and off and travelling at will, but it does not reveal anything of the river valleys. There is a very scenic short line called the Dales Railway not far from Skipton which links Embsay with Bolton Abbey.

There are buses linked to the Settle–Carlisle train line; the one to Hawes provides good views of part of Wensleydale. There are other buses; that from Skipton to Buckden runs up much of Wharfedale and I think it is the best of the public transport ways through the area.

Information on other routes may be obtained from any of the National Park Information Centres. "Dalesbus" is meant to facilitate walking. Unquestionably the dales is an area that repays walking and, sad as I am to say so, the best way of getting a good view of more of the area is by car; that permits use of the (sometimes very) minor roads that link the different dales.

Wensleydale

This is the largest of the dales which flow from West to East and has some of the larger (though far from large) towns; Hawes and Leyburn. It is by no means my favourite dale – too wide, not steep sided enough, too civilised – although many people love it. It certainly has some good points. Hawes is a delightful little town with a very good, though small in European terms, Tuesday market.

The Creamery in the adjacent (and easily walkable) village of Gayle, which makes Wensleydale cheese, and the museum by the old station are two of only three places in the Dales where I think it is worth paying for admission. (Bolton Abbey is the other and I would sometimes add in Castle Bolton.) Another splendid place in Wesleydale is Jervaulx Abbey – not to be compared in extent to Fountains Abbey or Bolton Abbey, but second to none in its atmosphere of peace although only a short walk from the main road. Lastly the Aysgarth Falls, where there is a Tourist Information centre, is very picturesque.

Wharfedale

This is a wonderful dale running from North to South. It would be invidious to select any part of the dale itself for special comment. It is quite steep-sided and has beautiful villages all the way up from Bolton Abbey to Buckden, all with pubs which cry out to be eaten in or stayed in – or both. Well-known walks are those to Simon's Seat from Bolton Abbey and to Buckden Pike from Buckden.

There are great walks over to the small Littondale whose Queens Arms does a very good soup and roll for a light lunch. It is easy to do a circuit.

There are also three good ways over to Wensleydale – good from a scenic point of view that is. None are very fast and only the main road is even reasonably fast though I prefer both the other two. The route going from Buckden to the left over to Hawes is sheer delight and the small church at Hubberholme with its rare rood loft should definitely be seen. It is no hardship to eat lunch at the George Inn near the church. The little road over from Kettlewell to Middleton (Warwick the Kingmaker and King Richard the Third fame) is also very scenic.

With a car a marvellous trip is up Littondale and then over to Malham (qv). Botanists should visit Grass Wood near Grassington in the Spring for the flowers and this can well be combined with a walk from Grassington to Kettlewell through either limestone or millstone grit, depending on the level you pick – or up one way and back the other.

Swaledale

This is another dale running from West to East further north than Wensleydale. It is very steep-sided and its barns are distinctive and picturesque. Several routes from Wensleydale to Swaledale are very fine, in particular the Buttertubs Pass. Great Shunner Fell between the two dales is a fine viewpoint but has perhaps suffered through being on the Pennine Way. Its remoteness was certainly part of its character previously. Otherwise the hills on both sides of the dale are somewhat bleak and the main interest lies in the remains of the lead mines. (Adam Brumskill by Thomas Armstrong makes good bedside reading to accompany this.) The general atmosphere of the dale is of somewhere more remote than Wharfedale – I am never sure which I like best but they are my two favourites of the valleys.

The Western Dales

This is about Limestone and, although the scale does not match that of some of the great Karst areas of Europe, I do not know of a better area for strolling and searching. Malham has become famous for its Cove – and for Gardale Scar, an ancient waterfall sometimes dry. Sometimes it is too crowded for real enjoyment but it is worth picking a time to see it when it is more peaceful. There are some wonderful areas of limestone between here and Ingleton which has a fine waterfalls walk. Some are still very unspoiled and if you need detailed descriptions of where to go beyond following your nose and the map, perhaps you would be happier somewhere else altogether. There is much to see below the ground as well for cave lovers.

Yorkshire Dales - Malham

Dentdale

This is very separate from the other dales and is reached from the road from Ribbleshead to Hawes. The dale is steep enough but the scenery is more gentle and it is probably the best dale for small children to start walking. Be warned that the station is some miles from the village! The village itself is quite idyllic.

Yorkshire Dales - Ribbleshead

Nidderdale

The valley of the Nidd is to the East of the other Dales and for some reason is not included in the National Park. In general it enjoys the same type of scenery and there is a good upland route to Wensleydale.

Resources - Maps

I particularly recommend the large scale maps OL02 and OL30, in the Ordnance Survey Explorer series. These cover "Southern and Western areas" and "Central and Northern areas" respectively.

2009-09-13T00:51:00.001-07:00

David Cross (DavidX) from England

I was born in Plymouth and went to school there. I now live in Yorkshire and only ever feel a desire to go back there to live for a brief time each year when it is Spring there and still winter here. I can say, however, that it was an excellent place to grow up - a fair sized city with easy access to beautiful coast, to Dartmoor and to fine wooded river valleys. This and other areas of the South-West make ideal locations for a break which would give a complete change from London or other areas.

Natives of any part of this area think of themselves as coming from the South-West or the West which are something completely different - and we obviously think superior to - the South of England.

I do not feel able to write about Dorset so this is restricted to (west) Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. I hope to get to the Scilly Isles one day but that is another area on which I am ignorant.

When and Where?

These are my favorite times and places:

Exmoor in the Autumn
South Devon at primrose time
South Cornish gardens at rhododendron time
Cornwall in winter
Anywhere in June or September

If it has to be July or August, avoid the main resorts; Torbay, St Ives, Padstow and Salcombe come particularly to mind. Avoid north Devon and north Cornwall in windy weather. The areas covered in more detail below are obviously based on my personal preferences and some of the other areas are not selected mainly because they are so popular.

Maps of the Area

The area covered here is large and it is assumed that you will choose a part of it so that you will not need all the maps mentioned.

Ordnance Survey Outdoor Leisure 1:25,000 series:

28 covers and is highly recommended for Dartmoor
20 is called South Devon and covers an area given little mention here, but is a very popular tourist area

Ordnance Survey Landranger 1:50,000 series:

203, 200 and 190 for North Cornwall
203, 204 and 201 for South Cornwall (201 for Plymouth)
180 and 181 for North Devon and Somerset (including Exmoor)
191, 192 and 202 for South Devon

Plymouth and District

The whole centre of Plymouth was bombed to pieces in the second world war. It was ahead of many areas in its plans for reconstruction and for a time was regarded as a showpiece. Other areas then learned from Plymouth's mistakes and it became less popular. Now it is a historical point of reference for town planning in the late 40s and early 50s as well as being a vibrant city.

There are some particular points of interest in the city, which no visitor should miss.

The Elizabethan House
The Brunel Bridge across the Tamar into Cornwall
Stonehouse Quay, which used to have (and may still) a passenger ferry to Cremyl, very scenic
The Barbican (the old fishing area) and The Mayflower Steps from which the Pilgrim Fathers left for America
Plymouth Hoe where Drake played his famous game of bowls
The Aquarium and the Citadel, of Charles the Second period, with more guns pointing to the city than to the sea (no prizes for guessing which side Plymouth was on in the Civil War)
The dockyard on Navy Days

If staying in or near Plymouth there enough places accessible on short trips to keep you going for ages. The ones below are a fairly random selection:

Cornwall: Mount Edgecombe Park, Cawsand and Kingsand, Rame Head, Cotehele House
Devon Coast: Bovisand, Newton Ferrers and Noss Mayo (particularly recommended)
Devon valleys: This is a less proclaimed aspect of the area but you will not be disappointed - Shaugh Bridge (Plym), Double Waters (Tavy and Walkham), Harford Bridge (Erme) and Cornwood (Yealm)
Dartmoor and fringes: Buckland Abbey (owned at different times by Drake and Grenville), Burrator Reservoir, Meavy (very ancient oak and fine pub), Sheepstor, Morwellham (historic quay by Tamar), Princetown, Brentor, Lydford

South Devon Coast (other than Plymouth area)

All the way from the last area to the Dorset border each area attracts a number of holiday makers. This is therefore absurdly selective but I have just picked places that I particularly like. Since the appeal of all of them lies in their scenery they are listed without comment:

Salcombe, Bolt Head and Bolt Tail
Slapton to Kingswear including Dartmouth
Brixham (and boat trip right across Torbay)
Branscombe

Dartmoor

The appeal of the moor lies mainly (but not exclusively) in three things: Tors; Water features; Prehistoric remains - mainly Bronze Age. I have not spent long on these attractions partly because it is so long ago that I really knew Dartmoor very well but mainly because not a lot beyond a good map is needed. Areas of prehistoric remains are clearly marked as well as the water features and the tors and I never picked a walk from the map which disappointed me.

See David's Slow Travel Google Map for Dartmoor.

Tors

This means an outcrop of granite at the top of a hill or a hill with an outcrop of granite on the top - usually the latter. Some of them are very picturesque and several/many/one can be reached in a walk depending on how much exertion you want.

It is worth remembering that bad mists can come in and hide viewpoints quite quickly; walking far without a map and compass can lead to trouble. I have heard a lot about dangerous bogs but I have never felt in real danger though obviously you move back quickly if you feel as though you may sink in! Having said that, I will say that I have spent many happy hours and days walking on Dartmoor and camping out.

Among my favourite tors are Sheepstor and Vixen Tor - neither very high though Vixen Tor is the only one, as far as I know, which requires a little more than walking at the top. For a quick view in passing, if that is your limit, it would be hard to beat Pew Tor.

Water Features

As well as the rivers there is Burrator Reservoir, which is very attractive, and the leats which were used to boost water supply at one time. One is named after Drake and supplied Plymouth. It was, of course, a commercial venture and not a charity.

As for rivers, the ones mentioned under Plymouth all have attractive moorland stretches - though the valleys between the moor and the coast are more attractive to many people. Then there are the Dart itself, a truly beautiful river, the Bovey and the Teign. Further north the Taw and Torridge start their courses to the north Devon coast but I know this area much less well as the army were often firing on it. (I do not know what goes on in this area now but you need to if you are thinking of going on the north part.)

Prehistoric Remains

The main features are stone circles and stone rows. Whereas many can be seen from the road, there is little to beat the excitement of going a long way and finding some.

Other Attractions

The Dart Valley railway is very beautiful, one of the best of our preserved railways in England, I think. I rate it along with some of the Welsh ones. The granite churches of the villages on the fringe of the moor are often very interesting.

The Dartmoor Wildlife Park is good for children.

China clay works and remains have their interest.

Exmoor and Around

Perhaps "and around" is scarcely a fitting heading for the North-east Devon and West Somerset coast which is some of the most scenic in the UK but Exmoor runs up so near to the coast that it is very difficult to separate their appeal. This fact itself plus the relative proximity to Bristol and London will make this a favoured area for many.

For the record my favourite place on the coast is the walk - short - from Porlock Weir to Culbone Church, the smallest church in England and my favourite inland one is around Cloutsham nature trail.

However these have intense competition with other areas and you will find your own. The only advice you really need is to look at a map, go anywhere you can get on the coast and try anything on the moor or its verges that looks interesting. If you do not like it immediately, pull out and go somewhere else - but I should be amazed if you need to.

There are some serious hills for drivers. Porlock Hill, the best known, is nothing to a modern car and its width makes it easy, (though the toll road which enables anyone to evade it is well worth the payment in its own right as a wonderful scenic route). Some of the very narrow and tortuous roads on the moor which include gradients above 30% are another cup of tea and are not for nervous drivers or passengers. I was only worried myself when I realised that the woman driving down as I drove up had her eyes tightly shut!

South Cornwall

The part closest to Devon contains some quaint villages such as Cawsand and Kingsand near Plymouth and then come Looe and Polperro, full of natural charm but terribly crowded in the main season. A less impressive area ends at Fowey and from there right down to Land's End the coast is impressive except for the odd bit.

It is an area of creeks and inlets and its charms are compounded by numerous wonderful gardens. The Eden project is something from the millennium developments that came off in a big way. I have yet to see it but I do want to. The Lost Gardens of Heligan are given extra appeal by their history - I warmly recommend the book - but they hardly need it. Then the National Trust has several gardens in the area, from which the one at Trelissick stands out for its marvellous setting. The appeal of the gardens is certainly not confined to rhododendron time but I feel I have missed something by not seeing them then and it is something to be remedied. Read more about Cornwall.

The North Coast

The eastern part of the Devon coast together with that of Somerset is covered with Exmoor. I find this the most to my taste of any but the North Cornwall coast and that in north Devon abutting on to it have an appeal of their own. This is an area of huge cliffs interspersed with beaches and inlets such as at Tintagel and Boscastle and is particularly good for surfing as it is the open Atlantic. It is wildly spectacular when a fair gale is blowing and should certainly be included in any touring around Cornwall in winter. The county is noticeably warmer than other parts of the UK in the winter and it is worth the extra cost and time getting there.

Exeter

Exeter can easily make a stop on a visit to any part of the south-west and it certainly merits a visit on either the outward or the return journey. The cathedral is one of England's most beautiful and that is saying something. The maritime museum is excellent.

Five Reasons to Visit London the Second Weekend in November

2009-09-13T00:47:00.000-07:00

Diana Ball

We recently returned from a glorious week in London, and I write to heartily recommend that you consider the 2nd weekend in November the next time you ponder "when" to visit London. The only possible negative is weather - we were extremely lucky to enjoy mildly cool temps and just one evening shower. But we'd choose to return at this time of year, prepared for colder and wetter weather, for five (5) reasons:

to revel in the pageantry
participate in Remembrance Day observances
tour with minimal queues at the most popular attractions
snag good theatre tickets with ease
get a jump start on Christmas merriment

The Pageantry

Since 1215, the newly-elected Lord Mayor of the City of London (a small municipality within greater London) has been required to go to Westminster to present himself to the Crown for approval. This annual journey has evolved into the fabulous Lord Mayor's Show - a parade of floats, marching bands, and royal carriages that winds through the streets of London on the second Saturday of November and is "topped up" by a celebratory fireworks display on the Thames.

We watched the show and then took the excellent guided walk the City offered as a charity fundraiser. The walk concluded at the Blackfriars Bridge perfectly timed to watch the 5pm fireworks. From the middle of the bridge, we had a great view of the pyrotechnics. Walking along the embankment afterwards, we happened on the Lord Mayor's party leaving their fireworks watch from a river boat. It was a thrill to see all of the VIP's still dressed in traditional finery.

Remembrance Day Observed

The next morning, we pinned our poppies to our coats and struck out early to arrive at Whitehall before 9am to claim the perfect vantage point for viewing the 11am Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph (empty tomb of "The Glorious Dead"). Held the second Sunday of November as one of many November 11 Armistice Day observances, the brief religious service and laying of poppy wreaths at the foot of the war memorial brings the Queen and entire Royal Family and top political, religious, and military leaders together to honor veterans of both world wars and the other modern conflicts.

As exciting as it was to have an unobstructed view not 10 yards away from Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Tony Blair, and Margaret Thatcher, among others, it was even more moving to hear the crowd's reverent recitation of the Lord's Prayer and singing of the hymn and national anthem and then witness the estimated 10,000 veterans and family members solemnly march past the monument. They had assembled with their regiments, and many wore their service uniforms.

There were no dry eyes, especially when the few remaining WWI veterans paused at the Cenotaph to pay their respects. When the military bands closed the march with a final patriotic tribute, we joined the many veterans and observers who made their way to the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey.

Crowd-free Sightseeing

What a contrast touring London in November was to our prior spring and summer treks - it's easy to see and do a lot when there aren't many tourists in town!

To keep most of the non-biz portion of our trip "slow," we crammed all of our Must See's into one "fast day" of amazingly all-free touring.

We started with the obligatory photo op at 9 3/4 Platform at King's Cross Station (we're as hooked on Harry Potter as our kids are!).
Spent an hour with the Magna Carta, Dickens and Shakespeare manuscripts, and original Beatles sound recordings in the British Library.
Took an interesting walk from there, with spontaneous stops along the way including the Victorian-era shop of James Smith & Sons Umbrella and Stick Makers since 1830 and a street vendor's stand for roasted chestnuts, to the incomparable British Museum, this time solely to see the "new" (since 2000) Great Court and Reading Room and take in a midday tour of the restored King's Library with fascinating Enlightenment exhibit.
Reached Somerset House before 2pm for the weekly free entry to the Courtauld Gallery's incredible art collection.
Had a late lunch/early dinner at the "veddy British" Simpson's-in-the-Strand featuring roast beef and lamb carved from a joint of meat on the tableside trolley followed by their famous treacle sponge pudding.
Lumbered up to the National Gallery balcony on Trafalgar Square to catch a spectacular sunset vista over Nelson's Column and the lions and fountains down the rush hour cityscape to Big Ben.
Hopped a bus for the short trip to Parliament for near queue-less entry to the "stranger's galleries" of the Houses of Commons and Lords (sitting hours published on their websites and in the Times, on this day, from 2:30 to 10:00pm).
Finished the day with our nightly theatre fix.

Whew! Sounds exhausting, but in reality, our pace was fairly relaxed, and because we planned our route in advance and had only "tightly focused" sightseeing on the day's agenda, we had room to spare for the occasional tea break or "let's look in here" stop.

A Quick Rave About the V&A

On an unscheduled day, we happened into the Victoria and Albert museum. I had always shied away, having been disappointed by one too many "encased in glass" experiences with "applied and decorative arts" exhibitions. But there's nothing ho-hum about the V&A - what an imaginative rich and varied collection! Everything's thoughtfully arranged and supported by multimedia explanations and interactive learning opportunities. Our intended peek turned into hours, and yet, we didn't make much of a dent. The V&A now joins the British Museum on my list of places I Must See every time we go to London.

No-Fuss Theatre Tix

Compared to our last visit in peak travel season July, when just getting tix to the shows we wanted to see was a challenge, it was a snap to book good seats at "hot" shows in mid-November. An invaluable resource is www.theatremonkey.com, which allows you to sift through reviews, identify authorized ticket sellers and possible discounts, and decode the seating chart to reveal good and bad seats.

Entertaining in London? One night, we hosted a theatre party for business colleagues. Most theatres offer VIP packages that include block seating in a primo location, the use of a private room pre-show and during the interval, light refreshments and beverages, private loos (restrooms), and other benefits. This proved to be a lot of fun for all, although we didn't think the value received was worth the VIP premium paid. On the other hand, there's no question that treating everyone to a show was far kinder to our American bank balance than a night of "wining and dining" in London would have been!

Catch the Christmas Spirit

In the US, the holiday season "officially" begins the Friday after Thanksgiving (celebrated the fourth Thursday in November). With those pesky pilgrims out of the way, Christmas comes early to our friends in the UK! Although it's too soon for traditional pantomimes, outdoor skating rinks, and carol concerts, mid-November's just right for savoring a taste of Christmas time in London. The lights were up on Regent Street, the Trafalgar Square tree was up (to be lit later in the month), retail windows were gaily decorated, and "Christmas shops" playing music of the season had opened in every department store.

We particularly liked the Christmas selection at Liberty; rom gourmet treats and gorgeous advent calendars to snazzy decorations and unique toys, they had something for everyone on our "thanks for making this trip possible" list.

It was a Londoner's London we saw this time.and what a great city she is!

Cotswolds

2009-09-13T00:38:00.000-07:00

The Cotswolds According to Me - An Introduction

Pauline Kenny

The Cotswolds are named for the limestone hills that run northeast from Bath almost to Stratford-Upon-Avon. Historically this area was used for raising sheep and was made wealthy by the wool trade (late 14th to early 16th centuries). The rich wool merchants built the villages and "wool churches" using the local, golden Cotswold stone, which gives the villages a distinctive look. The Cotswolds are a popular holiday destination for international travelers and for people in Britain.

When you go through the Cotswolds today, you see countryside, manor houses and villages as they were hundreds of years ago. Most villages have a central area built in the late 14th to early 16th centuries. Other parts will be from later periods (these buildings are usually larger with bigger windows). And then there is a more modern outskirts, with houses built in the last 100 years. The old buildings have been lovingly preserved and restored, the area has been saved from over-development and farming continues to be the main occupation. There are still lots of sheep, but the cloth mills are gone.

The countryside is rolling hills, river valleys and wooded areas. The area in the western Cotswolds is more hilly, more wooded, while the eastern Cotswolds are more "wide open" feeling in parts.

Chipping Campden, market town on the northern edge of the Cotswolds

All of the Cotswolds towns are worth visiting and it is a delight to travel through the countryside by car, by bike or on foot. The roadways range from the fast A40 that cuts across the middle (from Oxford to Cheltenham), to good highways connecting the main towns, to small lanes that accommodate one car only and have pullouts if cars have to pass. You can move around quickly or take scenic, winding back roads. The area is full of well maintained trails and footpaths and is one of the best areas in England for easy walking/hiking.

In these pages I describe the Cotswolds from my viewpoint with with my opinions on specific towns - the Cotswolds According to Me. In the last seven years Steve and I have spent almost three months trying to see every part of the Cotswolds: one month in Painswick, one month in Winchcombe, one week in Minchinhampton, and two and a half weeks in Windrush. Still, we have not seen every corner of the Cotswolds and want to go back and explore more.

A Short History

"Wold" is old English for "an upland common" but I am not sure what "Cot" means or why this name was given to this area.

The first people came to the Cotswolds in 2500 BC. You can see their remains in the prehistoric sites like Belas Knapp and the Rollright Stones. Iron Age people (550 BC to 50 AD) left earthworks, like the Bulwarks on Minchinhampton Commons and remains of the hill forts in the western Cotswolds.

The Romans came to this area in 43 AD. Several of their roads remain (Fosse Way, Akeman Street) and you can see the remains of a house near Chedworth. Cirencester was their capital. Then came the dark ages.

The Normans came after 1066 and built churches. Some of these remain, some were rebuilt later but kept some of the original Norman features (Windrush - Norman Doorway, Southrop - carved font). The late 14th to early 16th centuries were good times in the Cotswolds, when these towns became rich from the wool trade. This was the English Gothic age, also called "Perpendicular" and most of the churches and many of the houses were built at this time.

"Chipping" is an old English word meaning market (Chipping Campden, Chipping Norton). Many of these towns have Almshouses and Weavers Cottages from the 16th and 17th centuries. Almshouses were charitable houses, usually for the elderly, provided by the community. Weavers Cottages were built when the wool trade was at its peak. The workers lived and worked in these cottages.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, many of the fine houses were built (Snowshill, Chastleton House, Stanway House). During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Industrial Revolution reached this area with the cloth industry in Stroud and the southern Cotswolds. Canals were built but were replaced by the railways in the mid 19th century.

William Morris, the found of the Arts and Crafts movement, and his friends arrived in the Cotswolds in the early 20th century and helped to restore many of the churches. You can visit his house outside of Lechlade, on the River Thames, and he lived for a time in the Broadway Tower.

Now in the late 20th century and early 21st century, the railways are mostly gone from the area, the churches and villages have been restored, and no weaving goes on in the weaver's cottages. Many people live and work in the Cotswolds. It is now a center for agriculture and tourism.

The Cotswolds were mentioned by Shakespeare in his play "Richard II". The passage below is translated, but in the original "Cotswold" is "Cottshold". Read the original on Gutenberg.org.

Believe me, noble lord,
I am a stranger here in Gloucestershire:
These high wild hills and rough uneven ways
Draws out our miles, and makes them wearisome,
And yet your fair discourse hath been as sugar,
Making the hard way sweet and delectable.
But I bethink me what a weary way
From Ravenspurgh to Cotswold will be found
In Ross and Willoughby, wanting your company,
Which, I protest, hath very much beguiled
The tediousness and process of my travel
- Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), Richard II, Act II, Scene III -

Cotswolds Pros and Cons

Why I Love the Cotswolds

I love the Cotswolds. For me this area is similar to Tuscany in Italy and Provence in France. It is a beautiful countryside area, popular with tourists and is a delight to visit - Cotswoldshire!!* I love the abundance of public walking trails, the beautiful villages and countryside, the charming tea rooms and pubs. I love many other regions of England as well, but I keep going back to the Cotswolds.

Lovely Cottages!! There are historic cottages to rent at reasonable prices throughout the Cotswolds, some in the towns and villages, some on farms or estates in the countryside. Most rent Saturday to Saturday or Friday to Friday, but many offer short breaks (less than a week). I love staying in cottages that are hundreds of years old, with stone floors, low beamed ceilings, stone walls, doorways that I have to stoop to get through. I feel like I have gone back in time (and when my cell phone gets no reception, I feel like I am back in the 1970s). Pick a cottage and use it as your base to explore this area.

Great Food!! Everyone says England has bad food. This is folklore from 20 years ago. Things have changed; England has great food! Many places try to use locally grown and organic vegetables, dairy products and meats. Tea rooms make their own scones and cakes. The pubs have good chefs who care about the food. Even the coffee is good, but the tea is the best you will find in the world (IMO). I love going out for lunch at a pub (expensive) or a tea room (less expensive). Another plus for me, they are vegetarian-friendly! You will always find at least one vegetarian dish on menus.

Lovely Towns!! The main market towns have everything you need: bookshops, newsagents with a huge magazine selection, good delis, food shops, bakeries, clothes shops. It is easy to find everything you need to cook meals in your cottage and it is a pleasure to shop for food. It is a delight to spend a few hours walking around a town, visiting the church, doing some shopping, having lunch or tea.

Walking/Hiking!! If you want an outdoors vacation, this is a perfect place. The Cotswolds are covered with walking trails and there are many good books with suggested walks. Several long distance walking trails go through the Cotswolds. If you are out walking, you can plan a midday stop for lunch at a countryside pub or tea room. Very civilized, but you are still spending most of the days outdoors and walking.

Why Some People Hate the Cotswolds

Just as some people dislike the Chianti region of Tuscany or the Luberon in Provence, many dislike the Cotswolds. I understand the reasons, but I don't think they are enough to keep you away from this area.

The Wealth!! This is the weekend and summer playground for the very wealthy from London. Many of the perfect village houses are second (or third) homes. When we spent two and a half weeks in Windrush, a picturesque village near Burford, many of our neighbors were only there on the weekend. Real estate prices are high. Forget about finding some old cottage for next to nothing. It is not as expensive as London, but that small stone 2bed/1bath row house is probably worth about $500,000. This all makes for an upscale area.

The upside: great delis, good restaurants, nice shops. The downside: on weekends the towns are packed with expensive cars and expensive people. But, most of them go back to the city on Monday!

The Villages!! The towns are perfect, sometimes a little too perfect. "Twee". Many of the towns serve tourists and weekend visitors, not residents. In Broadway, for example, you won't find a hardware store or a place to get a key cut. Many people distinguish between "real towns" and the rest. In the last 10 years, many of the towns have changed from real towns to tourist towns. Winchcombe remains a real town, but nearby Broadway only has businesses for travelers.

The Crowds!! On a rainy May Bank Holiday weekend, an upscale paradise like the Daylesford Organic Farm Shops near Stow-on-the-Wold, has a one hour wait for the cafe and a long line for the registers. On a sunny May weekend the tea rooms in Stow are full to overflowing. The parking lot for the hiking trail is full.

It is probably like this for all July and August, but for the rest of the year, it is only the weekends (and especially the three day weekends).

The Non-Wilderness of It All!! The Cotswolds are not wild, they are tame. Gentle rolling hills, easy walking trails.

If you want wilderness, head for the Lakes District in the north, or go to Wales or Scotland. If you want a gentle area, head for the Cotswolds.

Lack of Communication!! No matter where I stay, no matter which cell provider I use (I have tried FOUR of them), I never get cell phone reception. Sometimes driving on a highway along a hilltop, I see those five bars, but who wants to do all your phone calls from the car, especially when you are concentrating on "drive on the left" and looking for town signs. Why is this? I was told that residents here do not let many cell towers (masts) be put up because it changes the landscape.

The Cotswolds is a good place to get away from it all - but if, like me, you don't want to get away from it all, you are going to be frustrated frequently. Most cottages don't even have land lines, let alone broadband (you can go to the libraries to use the Internet, but I always end up sitting beside a heavily perfumed teenager).

"I always feel depressed at the sight of tourist coach after coach after coach making the well-trodden round of the well-known sights, and at the glazed, and often quite uninterested eyes in the faces that peer from the tinted windows; no excitement, no voyage of discovery there, nor any chance of getting lost, or of having even the smallest adventure, only the satisfaction of ticking off names on a printed list.

If that sounds like a superior sneer, it is not meant to: I am only sorry that the visitors have missed so much in trying to accomplish too much in a couple of days."
- - The Spirit of the Cotswolds, Susan Hill, Mermaid, 1988 - -

Where Are the Cotswolds?

In 1966 the Cotswolds was designated by the British government as an "Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty" (AONB), giving it extra protection with building and farming restrictions. Most of the Cotswolds is privately owned, not government owned. The Cotswolds is the second largest AONB; the Lake District is the largest. The Cotswolds are located mostly in the county of Gloucestershire, but with parts in neighboring counties (Oxfordshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire, South Gloucestershire, Wiltshire). The area covers 790 square miles; over 80% is farmland with 4,000 miles of Cotswold stone walls.

It is hard to pin down the exact boundaries of the Cotswolds. The Cotswolds AONB is clearly defined (see their map), but since the Cotswolds are not an official county, but is area within several counties, and this area has been referred to by this name for hundreds of years, the borders get a bit muddled. The Cotwolds AONB includes the city of Bath and some of the surrounding countryside but some maps of the Cotswolds do not include much south from Tetbury. The area south-east of Cirencester is not included in the AONB but is considered by many to be part of the Cotswolds (this is where the Cotswolds Water Park is located).

I have used the boundaries from the Jarrold guide "The Complete Cotswolds" because their boundaries agree with what I think of as the Cotswolds. I created an annotated Google Map of the Cotswolds with markers showing the large towns, the market towns and the villages. I noted the boundaries of the Cotswolds (in yellow) on this map. Use this map to get a feel for the layout of the Cotswolds. Click on the markers to read brief descriptions of the towns (more detailed information is on this page).

There is no real center of the Cotswolds, but the market town of Stow-on-the-Wold in the northern Cotswolds feels like a center. It is one of the most popular towns and you can get to most of the Cotswolds going 30 minutes drive in each direction (except for the area south of Stroud which is further away).

Main Roads Through the Cotswolds

The Cotswolds are longer they are wide and start at Tetbury in the south to just past Chipping Campden in the north. They go from Burford in the east (east of Oxford) to Cheltenham in the west. The large town of Cheltenham is not part of the Cotswolds. Several main roads cut through the Cotswolds.

The A40 goes from Oxford to Cheltenham and divides the Cotswolds into north and south.
The A429 goes from Moreton-in-Marsh in the north to Cirencester, through the center of the Cotswolds. This road is also called the Fosse Way as it follows the route of an ancient Roman road.
The A44 goes from Chipping Norton to Evesham along the northern edge of the Cotswolds.
The A419 goes from Cirencester to Stroud in the southern Cotswolds.
The A417, the biggest highway in the area (dual carriage way - two lanes in each direction), goes from Cirencester, north-west to Cheltenham. I am always shocked when we end up on this road because it seems like such a large, busy highway compared to the other easy-going Cotswolds roads. It only runs for 13 miles and ends at a roundabout south of Cheltenham (which is frequently backed up). Then you have to make your way on other roads into Cheltenham (it is well signed).

The Cotswold Way

The Cotswold Way, a well known long distance hiking trail, goes from Bath to Chipping Campden along the western edge of the Cotswolds in the Cotswolds Hills. You will see this trail marked on many maps of the Cotswolds.

Distances

The Cotswolds is not a large area. You can drive from Tetbury in the south to Chipping Campden in the north in 1 hour (41 miles) and from Burford in the east to Cheltenham in the west in 32 minutes (22 miles).

Bath to Stratford-upon-Avon: 89 miles (1hr 47min)
Tetbury (south) to Chipping Campden (north): 41 miles (1hr)
Oxford (east) to Cheltenham (west): 44 miles (1hr)
Burford (east) to Cheltenham (west): 22 miles (32min)
Moreton-in-Marsh (north) to Cirencester (south): 23 miles (32 min)
Center of London to Burford: 77 miles (1hr 39min)
Heathrow Airport to Burford: 63 miles (1hr 16min)

Exploring the Cotswolds

To really see the Cotswolds, you need to base yourself in a town or village for a week and have a car. The area is full of lovely vacation rental cottages, hotels and B&Bs. Don't try to see everything in a week. Even though the area is not large, you don't want to spend your days driving back and forth. Instead, use the Slow Travel Concentric Circle approach and thoroughly explore your town and the surrounding towns and villages. A day trip into the larger towns of Cirencester or Cheltenham is fun. Explore the villages, have lunch in a tea room, go for an easy countryside walk, visit one of the National Trust houses or gardens - you won't run out of fun things to do in this area.

If you don't have a week to spend, or don't want to rent a car, still go to the Cotswolds. You could stay in one of the medium sized market towns for two or three nights. If you have a car, explore some of the things near you. If you don't have a car, you can explore the town and walk out into the countryside.

Trains go from London to Oxford and through the eastern edge of the Cotswolds (to Moreton-in-Marsh). They also go to Stroud and then along the western edge to Cheltenham. Train is not the best way to get around this area; look into the bus system instead.

Memories from an Earlier Trip

In 1988 we spent six months in England (during a one year trip in Europe). For two months we explored different areas by staying in vacation rentals, one week at a time. This was our first trip to the English countryside. I still remember the few places we visited in the Cotswolds on that trip.

Buckland, where we stayed at the expensive and beautiful Buckland Manor. On that year long trip to Europe, we splurged twice on nice hotels and this was one of them. An historic manor house in a perfect Cotswolds village. They had Jacob sheep on the grounds and we were fascinated by sheep back then and want to see this breed (they were beautiful with their two sets of horns).
Minchinhampton, where we stopped the car at an intersection on the commons and a horse put his head in our car window to see if we had anything to eat. The Minchinhampton Commons are like a mini-Moor; a wild open space covered in wild grasses with no trees.
The Cotswolds Woolen Mill where I bought a scarf. I had that scarf for years and it always reminded me of the trip.
Blockley, where I saw my first English snow. We rented a dreary cottage in a dreary location for the winter, so we treated ourselves to our first Rural Retreats cottage and spend three nights in Blockley. One night we were in our cottage and heard the bells of the weekly Fish & Chips van, so we ran out into the street to get dinner. Another night we saw our first English snowfall. Then we went back to our dreary cottage in Essex and I resolved to learn more about travel and how to find a good vacation rental.
On one of our Cotswolds visits, probably when we went to the Cotswolds Woolen Mill, we stopped in Burford. This town remained imprinted in my mind as the perfect Cotswolds town. We visited the Cotswolds many times since then, but I could never find Burford (all these years later, I did not remember the name of the town). In May 2006 we were in a cottage about ten minutes from Burford and when we drove into the town for the first time on the trip, I had that wonderful deja-vu experience and I realized that we had been there before and that this was the town I had been searching for.

I love some of the travel memories that you get from Slow Travel. Recalling some perfect day in some perfect place, trying to remember where it was, which trip it was. England for me has that dream-like quality. I think it is because my mother is English and I was born right after my parents emigrated to Canada. When I saw the Lakes District in 1988 for the first time, the scenery reminded me of dreams I had as a teenager. Memories from my family talking about England? Probably not, I don't think my mother ever ventured from London. Probably memories from reading books about England and novels set in England as a child.

* Cotswoldshire. Chianti, a popular part of Tuscany in Italy, is called Chiantishire because of the number of Brits with second home there or who moved there. The Cotswolds is also an area where Brits have second homes or move to when escaping the "rat race".

Vietnam's World Heritages

2009-09-12T22:40:00.000-07:00

Company : Sai Gon Tourist
Tour code: IB03-CT02- Cultural Tours

Description: 7 days from Hanoi to Danang: Hanoi, Hai Phong, Halong, Hue, Hoi An, My Son and Danang.

The discovery of Vietnam's marvelous world heritage sites will amaze visitors wherever they are, from the peaceable city of Hanoi, the natural wonders of Halong Bay to the Citadel of Hue, the ancient town of Hoi An and the holy land of My Son. Sailing in the fantastic world of Halong Bay with over 2,000 islands of different sizes and shapes rising from the emerald waters of the Gulf of Tonkin is a perfect way to enjoy this masterpiece of nature.

Leaving this natural backdrop for the cultural legacies, visitors will be strolling through the poetic and graceful Hue Citadel and the quaint and lovely town of Hoi An, lost in nostalgia and melancholy inspired by the slow local pace of life. Then it will be exciting to have a short hiking trip to the holy land of My Son and witness the mystical presence of Hindu gods and Champa kings in every red brick and sandstone statue.

A 2-day extension to Phong Nha, a prospective world heritage site boasting a complex of magnificent caves, is optionally made from Hue.

Day 1: Arrival in Hanoi

Arrive at Noi Bai Airport. Pick up and transfer to a hotel. Hanoi, Vietnam's capital city, boasts tree-lined streets and centuries-old temples. An afternoon sightseeing tour features both cultural and historical highlights, comprising the Temple of Literature, the Ethnology Museum, the old quarters and a downtown pedicab ride (1 hour). The sightseeing day ends with a water puppet show, a theatrical genre reflecting the agricultural civilization of thousands of years ago. O/N in Hanoi.

Day 2: Hanoi ' Cat Ba - Halong (B, L)

Depart for Cat Ba Island (50km) via a newly-built road on the southern edge of the island, passing straits, salt marshes, lush valleys and breath-taking cliffs. On arrival at Beo Jetty, board a private boat for a cruise (6 hours) in Lan Ha Bay, famous for its pristine islands, crescent beaches and crystal waters. Explore Halong Bay's magic caves and limestone formations. Lunch of fresh seafood is served on board. The cruise ends at sunset, a spectacular view in Halong Bay. O/N in Halong.

Day 3: Halong - Hanoi (B)

The morning is leisure for personal pursuits: relaxing on the sandy beach of Tuan Chau Island, walking on stone steps to Mt. Bai Tho (200m) which offers a panoramic view of Halong Bay and shopping for souvenirs on Halong Road (coal carvings, embroideries, ceramics...). In the afternoon, return to Hanoi. O/N in Hanoi.

Day 4: Hanoi - Hue (B, D)

Early in the morning, transfer to Noi Bai Airport for a short flight to Hue, widely known for its magnificent monuments built under the Nguyen Dynasty (1802 - 1945). On arrival, visit the tombs of King Khai Dinh (ruled 1916 - 1925) and King Minh Mang (ruled 1820 -1840) which show the contrast between Oriental and Occidental architectures. Then take a boat ride on the Perfume River to Hon Chen Temple and Thien Mu Pagoda, viewing rural landscape at sunset. In the evening, a typical royal court dinner with a presentation of ancient dancing and music is arranged (minimum group size: 10). O/N in Hue.

Day 5: Hue - Danang - Hoi An (B)

A morning sightseeing tour focuses on the Imperial Citadel, built in 1804 on a site chosen in accordance with the principles of geomancy, and the Dong Ba Market, famous for its best conical hats in Vietnam. In the afternoon, transfer to Danang (110km) with a stop-over on the Hai Van Pass overlooking the scenic Lang Co lagoon. Then pay a visit to the Cham Sculpture Museum, which boasts the finest collection of Cham sandstone sculptures in the world. Transfer to Hoi An (35km). O/N in Hoi An.

Day 6: Excursion to My Son & Hoi An (B)

Enjoy a day trip to explore two World Heritage sites recognized by UNESCO in 1999. First, travel over rural roads to My Son (70km), where architectural treasures and sculptures of Cham culture dating from the 7th to the 13th century can be explored. Then transfer to Hoi An for a leisurely walk around a centuries-old city with ancient houses, temples, markets and handicraft workshops. O/N in Hoi An.

Day 7: Departure from Danang (B)

Spend last minutes for downtown shopping (stone-carvings, silk, paintings,...) or at leisure before check-out. Transfer to the airport for departure.

A Touch Of Vietnam

2009-09-12T22:36:00.000-07:00

Company: Sai Gon Tourist
Tour code: IB03-CT01- Classic Tours

Description: 8 days from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi: Ho Chi Minh City, Hue, Danang, Hoi An, Halong and Hanoi.

A touch of Vietnam is designed for holiday makers who have only a short vacation and business travellers who wish to do some brief sightseeing. This is too quick a journey to fully discover the whole country, but the lively image of Vietnam, with an intriguing history, friendly people and an endeavour to move forward to a better future will remain in their memory.

The journey will take them to major cities in Vietnam: dynamic Ho Chi Minh City, poetic Hue, bustling Danang, ancient Hoi An, picturesque Halong and peaceful Hanoi where they will find different ways of life and different customs and practices.

DAY 1: Arrival in Ho Chi Minh City

Arrive at Tan Son Nhat Airport. Pick up and transfer to a hotel. An afternoon tour round Ho Chi Minh City, formerly called Saigon, features the History Museum, the Binh Tay Market in Chinatown, Thien Hau Temple and a lacquer workshop. O/N in Ho Chi Minh City.

DAY 2: Excursion to Cu Chi (B, D)

In the morning, have an excursion to Cu Chi, 70km north of Saigon, famed for its 200-kilometre-long tunnels. In the afternoon, at leisure or shopping in downtown Saigon (embroideries, lacquerware, wood-carvings,...). Enjoy a folk show and dinner. O/N in Ho Chi Minh City

DAY 3: Ho Chi Minh City - Hue (B)

Early in the morning, transfer to Tan Son Nhat Airport for a short flight to Hue, widely known for its magnificent monuments built under the Nguyen Dynasty (1802 - 1945). After arrival, visit the Imperial Citadel, built in 1804 on a site chosen in accordance with the principles of geomancy. In the afternoon, visit the tombs of King Tu Duc (ruled 1848 - 1883) and King Khai Dinh (ruled 1916 - 1925). The monuments, designed by the kings themselves, were also used as holiday retreats during their lifetime. In the evening, enjoy a Hue folk show on a barge on the Perfume River. O/N in Hue.

DAY 4: Hue - Hoi An (B)

Take a boat ride on the Perfume River to Thien Mu Pagoda with a 21-metre-high octagonal tower regarded as the symbol of Hue. Then overland to the Dong Ba Market, famous for its best conical hats in Vietnam. In the afternoon, transfer to Hoi An (140km) with a stop-over on the Hai Van Pass overlooking the scenic Lang Co lagoon. In the evening, enjoy a folk show in an ancient house. O/N in Hoi An.

DAY 5: Hoi An - Danang - Hanoi (B)

Enjoy a morning tour of Hoi An, a trading post of seafaring Chinese, Japanese and Portuguese merchants several centuries ago. In the afternoon, before leaving Danang, visit the stone-carving village of Non Nuoc and the Cham Sculpture Museum. Take a short flight to Hanoi, Vietnam's capital city of tree-lined streets and centuries-old temples. Pick up and transfer to a hotel. O/N in Hanoi.

DAY 6: Hanoi - Halong Bay (B)

A city tour features both cultural and historical highlights, comprising the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, One-Pillared Pagoda, the Ethnology Museum and the Temple of Literature. Transfer to Halong Bay. O/N in Halong.

DAY 7: Halong Bay - Hanoi (B, L)

Board a private boat for a cruise in Halong Bay (4 hours), a World Heritage site recognized by UNESCO in 1994. Visit some magical grottoes and relax in the best scenic beauty of Vietnam. Lunch of fresh seafood is served on board. Return to Hanoi with stop-overs at ceramic and hand embroidery workshops en route. O/N in Hanoi.

DAY 8: Departure from Hanoi (B)

Spend last minutes for downtown shopping (ceramics, silver-carvings, silk,...) or at leisure before check-out. Transfer to the airport for departure.

North Sea Park

2009-09-12T22:29:00.001-07:00

Located in the middle of the city center and the North West, North Sea Park is 71 hectares in area, in which the area of ponds and lakes is more than one area of the park.
The name North Sea originates in the division South Sea, Central Sea and North Sea. It was built to be a Royal Garden by the Emperors of five dynasties Liao, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing. Up to now North Sea Park has become one of Ancient Royal Parks that is the most perfect and general and specific in China.

Gem Buddha Pagoda

2009-09-12T22:28:00.002-07:00

Gem Buddha Pagoda is located on Jiangning street, Shanghai City. Most of the Buddhist pagodas often finished building, started to carve statues.
On the contrary, The Gem Buddha Pagoda had had Buddha statue before they built the pagoda. Even thanks to the pearl Statue, this temple is famous in the world. So what is the origin of this gem Buddha Statue. In the years of Guangxu Emperor – Qing Dynasty, in Buddha Mountain – Zhejiang Province, there was a Hue Can shaman spending many difficulties to come Buddhism mountain. He visited many places including Wu Dai San, Mount Emei, from Tibet to Myanmar. Jade in Myanmar was perfectly beautiful, the shaman would like to sculpture a Buddha Statue by Jade and he went subscribe money. Finally he met Hua Qiao Jun Pu donating two thousands piastres. At the same time, he was allowed by Myanmar monarch to exploit Jade on the mountain and invite sculptures to carve 5 Buddhist statues. In the eighth years of Guangxu Dynasty (1882), Hue Can shaman took these statues over sea to back Putuo San. The boat owners had no way to take these heavy items to their boats. Therefore, father and uncle of a high ranking mandarin of Qing Dynasty – Thinh Tuyen Hoai said: "Shanghai has fortune with Buddha, please leave the statues here for us to worship, let Shanghai people be contemplated Buddha statues and bathed in Buddha’s water”. The monk also noticed that Shanghai had fortune with Buddha, he left one sitting and one lying Buddha Statue. From then until now, Shanghai has become crowded by Buddhist from over the world.

(Source: Collection)

Temple Of Heaven

2009-09-12T22:28:00.001-07:00

The Temple of Heaven, literally the Altar of Heaven (traditional Chinese: 天壇; simplified Chinese: 天坛; pinyin: Tiāntán; Manchu: Abkai mukdehun) is a complex of Taoist buildings situated in southeastern urban Beijing, in Xuanwu District.
The complex was visited by the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for annual ceremonies of prayer to Heaven for good harvest. It is regarded as a Taoist temple, although Chinese Heaven worship, especially by the reigning monarch of the day, pre-dates Taoism. The Temple grounds covers 2.73 km² of parkland, and comprises three main groups of constructions, all built according to strict philosophical requirements:
• The Circular Mound Altar (圜丘坛) is the altar proper, located south of the Imperial Vault of Heaven. It is an empty circular platform on three levels of marble stones, where the Emperor prayed for favorable weather.

• The Imperial Vault of Heaven (皇穹宇) is a single-gabled circular building, built on a single level of marble stone base. It is located south of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and resembles it, but is smaller. It is surrounded by a smooth circular wall, the Echo Wall that can transmit sounds over large distances. The Imperial Vault is connected to the Hall of Prayer by the Vermilion Steps Bridge, a 360 meter long raised walkway that slowly ascends from the Vault to the Hall of Prayer.

- The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests (祈年殿) is a magnificent triple-gabled circular building, 32 meters in diameter and 38 meters tall, built on three levels of marble stone base, where the Emperor prayed for good harvests. The building is completely wooden, with no nails.

In ancient China, the Emperor of China was regarded as the Son of Heaven, who administered earthly matters on behalf of, and representing, heavenly authority. To be seen to be showing respect to the source of his authority, in the form of sacrifices to heaven, was extremely important. The temple was built for these ceremonies, mostly comprising prayers for good harvests.

Twice a year the Emperor and all his retinue would move from the Forbidden City through Beijing to encamp within the complex, wearing special robes and abstaining from eating meat. No ordinary Chinese was allowed to view this procession or the following ceremony. In the temple complex the Emperor would personally pray to Heaven for good harvests. The highpoint of the ceremony at the winter solstice was performed by the Emperor on the Earthly Mount. The ceremony had to be perfectly completed; it was widely held that the smallest of mistakes would constitute a bad omen for the whole nation in the coming year.
Temple of heaven is the biggest temple in Beijing. Other temples are the Temple of Sun in the east (日坛), the Temple of Earth in the north (地坛), and the Temple of Moon in the west (月坛).

To pray for advantageous weather, peace and prosper, China kings have annually organized ceremonies to pray with heaven, earth, sun and moon, of which Heaven Sacrifice is the most important. This ceremony was held at the Temple Of Heaven.
If having a chance to tour Beijing, you should visit The Great Wall, Forbidden City, and Temple of Heaven. Because these architectures are typical for the supreme level of China ancient architecture. China King called “Tianzi” means “son of heaven”. King of the Chinese used “son of heaven” condition to dominate and manage country. The heaven Sacrifices also became their privilege, people mustn’t imitate.

The Temple of Heaven built in 1420 was the place for Kings in Ming and Qing Dynasty (1368-1911) to worship The Heaven, The Earth. It is in the south of Forbidden City, five times wider than Forbidden City. The Temple of Heaven is enclosed with a long wall. The northern part within the wall is semicircular symbolizing the heavens and the southern part is square symbolizing the earth. The northern part is higher than the southern part. This design shows that the heaven is high and the earth is low and the design reflected an ancient Chinese thought of 'The heaven is round and the earth is square'.

The Temple is divided by two enclosed walls into inner part and outer part. The main buildings of the Temple lie at the south and north ends of the middle axis line of the inner part. The most magnificent buildings are The Circular Mound Altar (Yuanqiutan), Imperial Vault of Heaven (Huangqiongyu) and Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest (Qiniandian) from south to north. The Circular Altar has three layered terraces with white marble. the emperors would offer sacrifice to Heaven on the day of the Winter Solstice every year. This ceremony was to thank Heaven and hope everything would be good in the future.
Imperial Vault of Heaven in the north of The Circular Mound Altar is a small palace with one floor. It is surrounded by a smooth circular wall, the Echo Wall that can transmit sounds over large distances.

Another important building in Temple of Heaven is The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest. It is a big palace with round roof and three layers of eaves. Inside the Hall are 28 huge posts. The four posts along the inner circle represent four seasons-spring, summer, autumn and winter; the 12 posts along the middle circle represent the 12 months; and 12 posts along the outer circle represent 12 Shichen (Shichen is a means of counting time in ancient China. One Shichen in the past equaled two hours and a whole day was divided into 12 Shichens). The roof is covered with black, yellow and green colored glaze representing the heavens, the earth and everything on earth. The Hall has a base named Altar for Grain Prayers that is made of three layers of white marble and has a height of six meters.
The ceremony of the king was very sophisticated, usually occurred before the dawn of winter solstice (December 22nd). The ceremony would be presided over by the King. Before the ceremony happened, they hung lanterns that included huge candles inside. A row of thuribles was placed at the southeast corner of The Circular Mound Altar, used to burn animals and fabrics offered to the heaven. In the ceremony, incense – smoke was spiralling up on altars, music and drum sound resounded, and atmosphere was very solemn.

Workers in China ancient time have promoted the imagination copiously in the process of building The Temple of Heaven. For example, the color of architecture has much breakthrough. The palaces of China kings usually have the roof of yellow tiles symbolizing of royal power. However, in architecture of The Temple of Heaven, the operators used the turquoise roof (symbolizing for the heaven) as the main color of the architecture. The roofs of Echo Wall, of The Circular Mound Altar, of The Imperial Vault of Heaven, of The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and of other surrounding buildings are in turquoise color.
The temple of Heaven was taken into "Category of World Heritage Sites" in 1998. Committee World Heritage Sites appreciate that: "The temple of heaven is the largest ancient architecture of China that has still existed. The temple of Heaven is famous for perfect planning layout; the composition of the architecture is special; decoration of the architecture is nice. It does not only keep an important position in China architectural history, but also is a precious heritage of architectural art".

(According to VnExpress, translating from ChinaBroadcast)

The Great Wall Of China

2009-09-12T22:23:00.002-07:00

The Great Wall of China (simplified Chinese: 长城; traditional Chinese: 長城; pinyin: Chángchéng; literally "Long City/fortress") or (simplified Chinese: 万里长城; traditional Chinese: 萬里長城; pinyin: Wànlǐ Chángchéng; literally "The long wall of 10,000 Li (里)")

The Great Wall of China is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in China, built, rebuilt, and maintained between the 6th century BC and the 16th century to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire from Xiongnu attacks during the rule of successive dynasties.

Several walls, referred to as the Great Wall of China, were built since the 5th century BC. The most famous is the wall built between 220–200 BC by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang; little of it remains; it was much farther north than the current wall, which was built during the Ming Dynasty.

The Great Wall stretches over approximately 6,352 km (3,918 miles) from Shanhaiguan in the east to Lop Nur in the west, along an arc that roughly delineates the southern edge of Inner Mongolia.

History

Walls with nature of defending the northern border was built and maintained by various dynasties in many periods in the China history. The main purpose of it was protected Chinese from the migration of Mongolian and Turkish. There are five main stages:
- In 208 BC (Qin Dynasty)
- The 1st century BC (Han Dynasty)
- The 7th century (Sui Dynasty)
- 1138 - 1198 (Nan Song Dynasty)
- 1368 - 1640 (from Hong Wu king to Wan Li Kinh – Ming Dynasty)

The first main section of wall was built in the period of Qin Shui Houng, the first Emperor of Qin with a short existent time. This wall was not built by the efforts of a group but it was joined into several stages of wall of many regions, which had been built in the Warring States Period. Walls connected to each other at the time were made from land with the towers built in equal distances. It was located further to the north of Present Great Wall with the East Pole point located in North Korea. It is only part of it left - the photos showed low-long earth mound.

The Court forced people to build up the Wall, and the workers were always faced to danger as they could be attacked by robbers. Because many people died when building, the Wall was called by a horrible name, "the longest cemetery of the Earth." There were probably about one million workers died while building the Wall. [2]

The next long wall was built with the same design by Han, Sui Dynasty, and the period of Ten Nations. It was made from land with many multiple-storey watchtowers located in equal distances. The walls have been damaged and mixed to around landscape, have been corroded by wind and rainwater.

In military aspect, the walls have meaning to divide boundaries rather than to protect. Surely that military strategy of China does not only have the purpose of maintenance the walls.
The Present Great Wall was built from Ming Dynasty, about between 1368 and 1640. In a section of the Koran, Arab geographers also mentioned Great Emperor Alexander with the construction of City wall. This wall was built with great dimension with the good materials (hard stone used in the surface and above the summit) than before. The first purpose of the wall was to prevent outside nomadic people (such as Mongolism under the mobilization of the king Altan and Oirats under control of Esen Taiji) who entered to rob; or prevent the returns of them with the loots.

The Great Wall in Ming Dynasty started from the Eastern point in San Hai Guan near Qin Houng Island, in Hebei province near Bo Hai Bay. It lasts through nine provinces and 100 districts. Final 500km still exists but it has become brash. At present The Great Wall ends at the west end point of Jia Yu Guan historical relic (嘉峪关) - the northwest of Gansu province at the border with the Gobi Desert and the oasis of the Silk Road. Jia Yu Guan was built to travelers along the Silk Road. Although the Great Wall ends in Jia Yu Guan, there are a lot of “Feng Hua Dai " (烽火台) (observatories) in Jia Yu Guan along the Silk Road. These observatories use smoke as signs to alert to invaders.

The Kokes Man overcame walls in 1644 by convicting an important general - Wu Shan Qui to open San Hai Guan Gate. The legend said that the Man Zhou military took three days to overcome all over the gorge. After Man Zhou conquered China, the city walls had no longer strategic value anymore, because Man Zhou People extended the power of political control to the North, further than previous China Dynasties. See more at Qing Dynasty (Man Zhou).
Final wall stages in Ming Dynasty are really a military work on some aspects. However, military historians often ignore the real value of this great wall. They spent extremely much money and effort to build, maintain and occupy. The amount that Ming Dynasty cost for this wall could be use to improve other military capabilities such as buying artillery or rifle. Actually, the walls were not valuable in preventing the collapse of Ming Dynasty.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Gu Gong – Forbidden City

2009-09-12T22:23:00.001-07:00

At the Beijing center, there is an architectural group in garish yellow color, standing solemnly and mysteriously - that is The Forbidden City. Gu Gong in Beijing is precious gem in palace architecture of China. It is the largest surviving wooden structure in the world.

Gu Gong was built by Zhu Di – the Emperor of the second generation of Ming Dynasty - in 1406 and it took 14 years to finish. In nearly 500-year history, until the Qing court was subverted, 24 Emperors had lived and controlled State affairs here. Huge Scale, beautiful style, colorful architecture of Gu Gong are arranged in rare kind in the world. The Forbidden City is located in an area of 20,000 square meters. It is a rectangle nearly 1000 meters from north to south and 800 meters from east to west. The Forbidden City is surrounded by a 10 -meter high city wall and a six-meter deep, 52-metre wide moat.

Gu Gong was built according to the order of ethical behavior, political norm and moral spirit of many feudal dynasties of China. The layout, scale, shape, decorative color and display of Gu Gong show the supreme power and stringent level. Three huge halls that are most attractive visitors are the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony, and the Hall of Preserving Harmony. They are the place where Emperors executes his power of domination and where to hold formal ceremonies. The Hall of Supreme Harmony is the most magnificent architecture in Gu Gong. On the South Square of 30,000 square meters in width, the Hall of Supreme Harmony was built on white stairs, 8 meters in height. The height of the Hall is nearly 40 m. It is the highest architecture in the Forbidden City. In Chinese Culture, Dragon is typical for the king’s power. The king is regarded as "descended from Dragon - the son of heaven". The objects decorated in The Hall of Supreme Harmony are using multiple images of Dragon. The above and the below have nearly 13,000 images of dragon.

The Architecture of Gu Gong still has many things to research. Palaces in Gu Gong are grandiose and extend endlessly. As legend, it has 9,999 rooms. The Ancient people believed that the house of the God – the king of heaven – had 10, 000 rooms. The emperor was the son of heaven, he had to be sparing with himself, so the quantity of rooms in Gu Gong were less than heaven. The grandiose Architecture of Gu Gong was quintessence of intelligence of Chinese. It is not grandiose in scale but also in details. Each object used to decorate on the roof, door, and wall is imaginative marvelously. The ground of white stone of Hall of Supreme Harmony made itself bulky more bulky and imposing.

Gu Gong is a wooden architectural group. Architects of many generations of king racked their brain to invent the method of preventing fire. In Gu Gong there are four ranges of houses made of stone inside. In outside they look like houses, but actually they are fire-preventing walls. In the campus of Gu Gong, there are 308 huge cauldrons in total using to contain water for preventing fire. Until winter, they light fire continuously to keep the water not be frozen. Gu Gong is the ancient architecture group that is reserved the most perfectly and largest in the world today. According to history books recorded, Ming Dynasty mobilized hundreds of thousands of various types of workers during the construction. The materials were collected from all over the country, including from the province Yunnan that is far from Beijing thousands of miles.

As being a Royal Palace, Gu Gong is storing extremely many rare cultural objects. According to statistics, more than millions of cultural objects stored, making up 1/6 the total cultural objects of the whole China, of which there are many national precious things that are incomparable. In the years of 80 of the previous century, Chinese government built for more than 100 underground warehouses, most of cultural objects are being kept in this “underground palace” now.

Gu Gong has become the symbol of Chinese culture. Architects in domestic and oversea recognize that, ̣the design and architecture of Beijing Gu Gong is a masterpiece that nothing can compare. It is the criteria of long-standing cultural tradition of China. It shows the excellent achievement of architecture of Chinese workers from over 500 years ago. Gu Gong has spent more than 580 years since construction; a majority of architecture in Gu Gong is becoming old. Recently, the visitors visit Gu Gong more and more crowdedly. It is up to 10 millions of participations. To keep Gu Gong better, from 2003, Chinese government began restoring partially. This restoration will continue in 20years until finishing.

(Source: Vnexpress)

Ming Dynasty Tombs

2009-09-12T22:22:00.001-07:00

Ming Dynasty Tombs is located on Yin San Mountain, northwest suburban of Beijing. This is the place burying 13 emperors, 23 queens, 1 Royal second rank wife and 10 Royal third rank wife. Thirteen royal tombs in luminous yellow color have located between mountains.
The mausoleum architecture falls in line with natural landscape is a typical feature of architecture of mausoleum of China Emperors. This tomb area was added to UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.

Ming Hao Tomb, built in Nanjing, is not located in Ming Dynasty Tombs. The one who started building Ming Dynasty Tombs is Ming Cheng Cu Zhou Di, the third king of the Ming Dynasty. He started building a tomb that was the biggest here in 1409 called Chang Ling Tomb for him. The kings of the next generations also built tombs until 1644, all this area is 40 km2 in width with walls surrounded 40 km in length. Each tomb is located on a high knoll and connected with others by a way called "genie street”. The two sides of Genie Street have two rows of statues Camel, Elephant, and Monster of stone to guard. The stone gate leading to the tomb was built in 1540, 14 meters high and 19 meters wide.

Architecture of Chang Ling Tomb was simulated by the structure of Forbidden City. Walls in red, tile in yellow, temples inserting alternately each other have expressed the respective position of Zhou Di and the power of a king. An Dian is the main architecture in Tomb area. All sacrificial activities were held here. The great temple was built by woods, including 60 columns of iron wood 12 meters in height, 1 m in diameter. This kind of wood is rare, solid, and not easy to be decayed, also it has strange scent. The ironwood timber was taken from the deep forest area of Yunnan and Sichuan. Once completed cutting, they must wait for flood season to drop woods drifting downstream. After woods left the forest, they plaited them into rafts to take to Beijing.

Shipping on the road had to wait for winter, for a distance they have to dig a well, collect water to pour onto the ground to make it freeze, then use people to pull to Beijing. It took 3-4 years, used up to 20 thousand people; manpower, material resources, financial resources were extremely expensive. Behind An Dian is a square architecture which is imposingly high called Ming Lou. This is the kind of typical architecture of a kingly tomb in Ming dynasty. Tombstone of the owner is placed inside; under the tombstone is catacomb putting coffin of the Emperor and his Queen. Decades 50 of the previous century, the archeologist made plan to excavate Zhang Daoling Tomb, but never found the entrance.

Later, after investigation and calculation, they decided to conduct a test excavation another tomb in Ming Dynasty Tombs to avoid causing harm to Zhang Daoling. Dao Ling is the third-largest tomb of this tomb area, where buried the Wanli Emperor Zhu Yijun - official name Wan Li and his two Queens. Its form of architecture is very similar to Zhang Daoling, so this is the reason why archeologist chose it to try excavation. At first, people do not find the entrance to the cellar, until they found a small mysterious stone stele fortunately. It was the key of the cellar; position of the door of Dao Ling tomb was carved clearly on the stone stele. Basing on this stele, the archeologists had advantages in coming into this underground palace. Usually, the door to the cellar is completely secret, why are there a map here? The reason is Wan Li King started building Dao Ling when he was 22 years old, it took 6 years to complete, it means he was 28-year-old then. However, the king deceased at the age of 58. Therefore, this tomb was a secret room during the 30 years, so to prevent forgetting the entrance, people had to make a map to direct the door. After interring the king, people did not cancel it for unknown reason.

Dao Ling Tomb deepened into the ground 27 meters, including 5 large temples: Front, between, back and two sides – left and right; the whole was constructed of stone. In the between temple, there are three thrones made of Han White Jade, a big jar containing perfume was put in front, known as Zhang Ming Deng. The back temple is a crucial part of the tomb; it contains clothes of Wan Li King and his two queens. Dao Ling Tomb has more than 3,000 cultural objects such as embroidery, costumes and jewelry. In addition, there are a lot of rare objects made of gold, jade, porcelain.

(Source: Can Tho Newspaper)

Beijing

2009-09-12T22:21:00.000-07:00

Beijing (pronounced /beɪˈdʒɪŋ/ or /beɪˈʒɪŋ/ in English; Chinese: 北京 Běijīng, IPA: [pèitɕíŋ]) (also formerly known in English as Peking (/piːˈkɪŋ/) is a metropolis in northern China and the capital of the People's Republic of China.
Beijing is China's second largest city, after Shanghai. Beijing is a major transportation hub, with dozens of railways, roads and motorways passing through the city. It is also the focal point of many international flights to China. Beijing is recognized as the political, educational, and cultural center of the People's Republic of China, while Shanghai and Hong Kong predominate in economic fields.

Beijing or Peking (北京) means "northern capital", in line with the common East Asian tradition whereby capital cities are explicitly named as such. Other cities that are similarly named include Nanjing (南京), China, meaning "southern capital"; Tokyo (東京), Japan, and Đông Kinh (Chinese: 東京, now Hanoi), Vietnam, both meaning "eastern capital"; as well as Kyoto (京都), Japan, and (京城; now Seoul), Korea, both meaning simply "capital".
History

The resident areas near Beijing today have already been formed about 3,000 years before Christ. The position of these resident regions in the north of Hua Bei Plain is an important intersection point of geography and politics for Han resident communities in the South and West and for nomadic people groups in the North and Northeast. Zhou Dynasty (1045? - 256 before Christ) built a capital city here. In the 10th century, the Mongolian Khitan from the North East occupied the northern part of China and established their south capital at the place that is Beijing today. When Mongolian soldiers took over China in the 13th century and set up Yuan Dynasty, Kublai Khan decided to set up capital in Beijing in 1272. It was the first time the new capital was named Khanbalik and became an administrative and political capital for the whole China.

Zhu Yuanzhang set up Ming Dynasty in 1368 and chose Nanjing as the capital. He immediately destroyed capital of Yuan Dynasty and renamed the city Beiping (northern peace). After the death of Zhu Yuanzhang in 1398, a dispute between grandchild of Zhu Yuanzhang (he is the son of Zhu’s oldest son) - who was passed the throne and the second son of Zhu Yuanzhang - who gained the throne and became Emperor. He moved Ming’s capital to Beiping in 1420 and changed its name to Beijing. The city developed with the basic layout as today. Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) built more temples and works.

After the Qing Dynasty was overthrown and the Republic of China was founded in 1911, Beijing was still the political center of China until 1911. Nationalist Party headed by Xing Jie Jou moved the capital to Nanjing and renamed Beijing in Beiping. In the World War II, this city was occupied by Japanese military from 1937 to 1945 but it was not much damaged. After Mao Zedong took the power in 1949, the city was renamed Beijing and was selected as the capital of the People's Republic of China.

The International Olympic Committee selected Beijing as the host for the 2008 Summer Olympics in 2001

(Source: Wikipedia)

Yue Fei Temple

2009-09-12T22:18:00.001-07:00

Yue Fei (traditional Chinese: 岳飛; simplified Chinese: 岳飞; pinyin: Yuè Fēi; March 17, 1103 - January 27, 1142) was a famous Chinese patriot
and military general who fought for the Southern Song Dynasty against the Jurchen armies of the Jin Dynasty. Since his political execution, Yue Fei has evolved into the standard model of loyalty in Chinese culture. Yue was born into a poor tenant farmer's family in Tanyin County, Anyang Prefecture, Henan province. According to be recounted, when he was born, flooding of Huang He river were destroying his village. His father died of drowning when he rescued his wife and son by putting them in a jar. After that Yue Fei and his mother resided in Hebei province. Since he was small, he was very professional in war strategies and tactics as well as martial arts. When he was young, he escaped death after he killed Tieu Luong Vuong Sai Que in a match to win first doctoral candidate. He didn’t participate in battles against Juschen people until he was 23 years old.

According to legend, his mother had tattooed four words 精忠报国 (utterly loyal to country) on his back before he left home. These words had become the most important for the rest of his life.

As a general courageous and understanding the strategies, Yue Fei won several victories in the battle against the Jin forces. Occupied advantage by the difficulties that troops of the cavalry faced in the mountainous terrain of southern China, he won the victory even though his military in general was less. His troops successfully won back the south territory of Yangtze and Huai River. However, his attempt to seize the northland that had lost previously by Nan – Song Dynasty was against by mandarins (they thought that the war lasts may be so costly). This Expectation was reflected in his most famous poem Manjiang Hong or bloody river (滿江紅). It is a woeful and majestic poem. Quote:

My wrath bristles through my helmet, the rain stops as I stand by the rail;
I look up towards the sky and let loose a passionate roar.

At age thirty my deeds are nothing but dust, my journey has taken me over eight thousand li
So do not sit by idly, for young men will grow old in regret.

The Humiliation of Jing Kang still lingers, when will the pain of his subjects ever end?
Let us ride our chariots through the Helan Pass, There we shall feast and drink barbarian flesh and blood.

Let us begin anew to recover our old empire, before paying tribute to the Emperor.
Finally, corrupt mandarins - the most famous is general Qin Hui (秦檜) who sold country, convinced the Song Gau Song king to recall Yue Fei back to the capital with twelve pieces of gold presenting for the King’s authority just after he took the army to attack the Jin capital and almost won. It was a blind faith after he did his best to fight for the feeble and declined Dynasty. He complied with the orders of the king without any suspicion, even while knowing that he may be killed and his entire attempt in the war would be vain.

He and his son, Yue Yun, were convicted to die and executed at Feng Ba Jing Temple. Anecdotes said that, Marshal Han Shizhong questioned Quin Hui: “what is the evidence to convict Yue Fei?” Qin Hui answered: "Though it isn't sure whether there is something that he did to betray the dynasty, maybe there is." The phrase "perhaps there is" or "could be true" (traditional Chinese: 莫須有; simplified Chinese: 莫须有; pinyin: mò xū yǒu) has entered the Chinese language as an expression to refer to fabricated charges.

Later generations have hypotheses is Song Gau Song king asked Qin Hui to kill Yue Fei. There are many reasons: 1) If Yue Fei had won Huang Long Palace - Jin capital, he would have saved Huizong and Kham Tong King. Gau Song was fraid of giving back the throne to these two people. So the only way was Yue Fei had to disappear. 2) Yue Fei’s services and reputation were much higher than the King, he won in so many battles that his name was drowned his King’s. Similar situation had occurred when Emperor Taizu of Song - Zhao Kuangyin, ancestor of Gau Song, annulled Zheng An. 3) Gau Song just want to sink in depravity and enjoy the life of a king. The expenditure for the war could be used to build palaces and hold parties. The legend also says that those who had the intention to treat Yue Fei were chased by Yue Fei’s ghost until they killed themselves. The dish “Finger - shaped soufflé́ batter” of the Chinese made of flour fried in oil, is always made in pair. It is a symbol of Qin Hui and his wife tied together and thrown into cauldron of oil.

Today, he is regarded as one of the great symbol of patriotism and is a national hero of China; The poem Manjiang Hong has been known by Chinese all over the world. His tomb in Xi He, Hangzhou is often visited by many people.

In addition, in the curricula of primary schools in China today, students are studied at least an article on Yue Fei.

According to Werner, The king Song Hao Song (1163-1190) was later reinstated honor for Yue Fei, built temples, and gave him a respect name – Loyal and True; other names are Nhac Ngac Vuong (1179), Wu Mu Wang (1211 ). However, according to Mayers, respect name are Wu Mu (1179); Ngac Vuong(1204); and Loyal and True from the years later 1204.

Hai Phong City

2009-09-12T22:17:00.002-07:00

Situated about 102 kilometers from Hanoi, Hai Phong is a famous seaport city and is one of the major sightseeing destinations of north Vietnam on Pacific Ocean.
It is keeping a great number of historical relics, site attractions, temples, and traditional holidays and events. Coming to this port city, tourists will have a chance to experience the beautiful turquoise sea water of Do Son Beach, Cat Ba Pearl Island, or even be entertained by all kinds of outdoor activities such as rock climbing and kayaking on Lan Ha Bay while enjoying its stunning views of the surrounding caverns. Hai Phong City is also consists of many traditional trade villages of which produce wool carpets, engraved woods, and lacquer and oil paintings. On top of that, tourists will have a chance to attend the famous buffalo fight festival of Do Son, and be able to taste the delightful dish, “Banh Da Cua”, of this local seaport region.

Cat Ba National Park

2009-09-12T22:17:00.001-07:00

It is located in Cat Hai district of Hai Phong city that comprises of 26.240 hectares of land area which includes 17.040 hectares of islands and 9.200 hectares of the sea.
It is considered as a biosphere reserve of the world. Besides from having a high number of different ecosystems, it also owns a variety of plant and animal species of which include 771 species of on land animals, 23 species of salt-water animals, 75 kinds of seaweeds, and 177 sea corals. Especially, Cat Ba Island has 60 rare endemic species that are listed in the Red Data Book of Vietnam; IUCN Red List.

Lan Ha Bay

2009-09-12T22:16:00.001-07:00

Lying in the northern of Cat Ba Island, Lan Ha Bay is famous for its striking beauty of the natural and mysterious landscape views.
It is formed in an arch shape that is surrounded by some of the small islands and peacefully quiet beaches. At the bottom of its clear turquoise seawater are lots of vividly colored sea corals sparkling creating a mystifying look. Lan Ha Bay is ideal for those who love to experience the sensation of the ocean, especially when they can spend overnight on a sailing boat going on this Bay. The soothing sounds of the cooling breeze blowing in the forest creating a gentle rustling melody that will drive the tourists to have wonderful moments of sleep. Furthermore, tents are available for rent and set up on the beaches for anyone who desires, or they can even go on kayaking and fishing in the middle of the Bay. Lan Ha Bay is considered as a beautiful picturesque embroidered picture that has attracted travelers from all over the world.

Cat Co Beach

2009-09-12T22:15:00.002-07:00

At Cat Co, there are hundreds of big and small beaches, but a group of combined beaches of Cat Co (Cat Co I, II, III) has attracted most of the tourists by the natural beauty of the surroundings.
Cat Co I is the largest beach that has the most stunning appearance with clear turquoise sea, fresh air, and is wrapping along the mountains side. As for Cat Co II, it appears in a more subtle way that consists a little bit of mystery to it. Meanwhile, Cat Co III oppositely reveals its modernity colors. Besides from the outdoors activities at Cat Co III, there are a wide range of hotels of which suitable for different groups of family. Although it is not as appealing as the Cat Co I and II, but its deep ocean is perfect for divers and snorkelers to experience themselves in.

Trung Trang Grotto

2009-09-12T22:15:00.001-07:00

Trung Trang is the biggest valley of Cat Ba Island that has a dimension of approximately 300 hectares, and is from 10 to 30 meters below the surface of the ocean located 15 kilometers northwest of Cat Ba town.
Its grotto is about 300 meters long that extended through the mountains, and was created by nature for thousands of years. Trung Trang Grotto’s overall interior is similar to a fairyland with many stalactites of various strange forms that are vibrantly sparkling just like a group of precious treasure. There is an imposing range of mountains that will release a high echoing sound once they are tapped on. With the grotto’s capacity, it is enough to hold hundreds of visitors inside at once. Here, tourists will also be able to visit a valuable and natural beauty of Kim Giao forest.

Tran Quoc Pagoda

2009-09-12T22:14:00.002-07:00

Tran Quoc Pagoda is the most ancient pagoda in Ha Noi, it has a large architecture and nice landscape.
The pagoda was started construction in 6th century in Ly Nam De Dynasty, called Khai Quoc and located outside Yen Phu Dyke. In 1615 the bank of river was blown so closed to the pagoda, therefore, the pagoda was moved to the Dyke’s inside and renamed Tran Quoc Pagoda… The pagoda has a great scale with three houses – Tien Duong, Thien Huong, Thuong Dien connected to each other as a Chinese Word, two corridors, bell tower, Ancestor House and Headstone House. There are remaining 14 stone steles carved much precious documentation and described sufficiently the constructive and repairing process. Especially, the pagoda has a statue of Thich Ca Buddha made of gilt wood and Big Tower Garden. The pagoda precinct was grown a luxuriant snowbell, this is a gift of Indian President given when he visited Ha Noi in 1959.

West Lake

2009-09-12T22:14:00.001-07:00

This is the largest lake in inner Ha Noi with over 500 hectares in area. The lake was also named Mu Suong, Xac Cao Lagoon, Tay Ho.
Ho Tay has been a famous spot from Ly – Tran Dynasty; Kings built many Palaces such as Thuy Hoa Palace, Ham Nguyen Temple, Tu Hoa Palace, Thuy Chuong Temple… surrounding the lake to take a rest. Around the lake, there are many historical relics such as Nghi Tam village, Kim Lien Pagoda, Tay Ho Palace, Nhat Tan Peach – Kumquat village, Soc Temple, Thien Nien Pagoda, Dong Co Temple, Quan Thanh Temple, Tran Quoc Pagoda, Ba Danh Pagoda, Co Ngu Road… Visiting Ho Tay, tourist will feel relaxed and eased by a windy vast lake, harmonic sunshine in the early morning or sunset. The feeling cannot be mix with any other spots of Ha Noi.

Ho Chi Minh President Mausoleum

2009-09-12T22:13:00.001-07:00

This is the place reserving Ho Chi Minh’s body – The famous great Leader of Vietnam. The Mausoleum was opened on August 29th, 1975 and built on the old foundation in the middle of Ba Dinh Square, where Ho Chi Minh President presided important meetings and read Declaration of Independence of Viet Nam.
The Mausoleum consists of 3 layers with the height of 21.6m. The bottom layer is perron in shape; the middle layer is the centre structure of the mausoleum consisting of body room (Ho Chi Minh’s Body was put in a glass coffin joined by twinkle black rock), corridors and stairs, four sides are square pillars made of granite; the top layer is the roof of Mausoleum – also in perron shape. At the main side, there is a row of words “Ho Chi Minh President” by pink rock in burgundy color. The Mausoleum was modeled after Lenin’s Mausoleum. Electric system is used to light. The design and reserving Ho Chi Minh’s body has been undertaken by Soviet Professionals.

One Pillar Pagoda

2009-09-12T22:12:00.000-07:00

Also called Dien Huu Pagoda, One Pillar Pagoda was built in 1049 in Ly Thai Ton Dynasty. In spite of being a small, The Pagoda was designed by a unique architecture including rock carving; painting and corridor carving that manifest a high-grade art and a warm national feature.
The Pagoda is in square shape with lotus figure, each side is 3 meters in length, temple roofs are curved; whole the pagoda is put on a rock pillar. The Pillar has a diameter of 12 meters, 4 meters in height; the top of the pillar has wooden bars creating a strong frame. There is a small path tiled by brick crossing a pond to a stair leading to Buddha’s Altar. The door of Buddha’s Altar has a plate written “Lien Hoa Dai”, which records the legend of the dream of Ly Thai Tong King. At present many visitors from the country and overseas are coming to One Pillar Pagoda to spray and do sightseeing.

Quan Thanh Temple

2009-09-12T22:11:00.000-07:00

Constructed in 11th century, the temple worships Tran Vu Saint – the Saint cares The North in Ly Thai To dynasty.
Therefore, the temple was also named Tran Vu. The temple located next to Ho Tay (West Lake) in a beautiful and large campus, near the North door of city. This is one of four relics of “Thang Long Tu Tran” (Four sacred places defending Thang Long Capital). The architecture of the temple is very unique, parts carved on wood contains a high artistic value. Space was arranged clearly and harmoniously, kept the air cool all around the year. In the temple, there is a statue made of black brass cast in 1667, 3.69m in height, 4 tons in weight. The statue is to show the admiration of people to Tran Vu Saint. At present, Tran Vu statue is the only unique artistic work in Vietnam, affirming the art of casing statue of Hanoi People three centuries ago.

Hoan Kiem Lake

2009-09-12T22:10:00.000-07:00

Hoan Kiem Lake also called “Sword Lake” is considered as a “Flower basket in the middle of City”.
The name Hoan Kiem is closely connected to the legend returning the sword to a Gold Turtle; it recorded the ten – year victory of Vietnam army against Minh aggressor (1417-1427) under Le Loi’s leadership. Around the lake, they plan many kinds of flowers and ornamental plants. The middle of the lake is Turtle Tower; beside the lake is Ngoc Son Temple. Historical monuments such as Le Thai To King Statue, Thu Huc Bridge, But Tower, Ba Kieu Temple… are surrounding the lake, next to modern architectural works. Hanoi Post Office Building with Ancient Clock Tower is silhouetted against the Sword Lake deeply impressed on Hanoi citizen. Visiting Hoan Kiem Lake, tourists will enjoy an antique beauty, mix with a full color painting of nature with violet Bang Lang Flowers interposing between red flamboyant and yellow cold rice flowers…, arouse harmonic feelings between human and nature.

Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam

2009-09-12T22:07:00.000-07:00

This is cultural – historical relic that is especially important of the whole country. Situated in the south of Thang Long Imperial City, this spot includes two main relics: Van Mieu (Temple of Literature) and Quoc Tu Giam (Imperial Academy).
Van mieu worships Khong Tu, Confucian philosophers, Chu Van An Deputy headmaster of Imperial Academy. Quoc Tu Giam – The first high-grade national cultural School of Vietnam, trained thousands of talented people for the country. Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam is a large architectural set located in 54.331 square meters in area. Throughout 900 years with many changes of history, Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam still keep ancient features with many worth architectural Works such as Khue Van Pavilion (Constellation Of Literature), Dai Thanh Temple and many items considered as evidences of thousand – year culture such as statues, rock dragon, ink stone, 82 doctor steles… Nowadays, Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam is the icon of Vietnam Culture, the quintessence of cultural nation that created the tradition of venerated teacher – respecting the moral standards, respecting talented persons of nation.

Ha Noi Old Quarter

2009-09-12T22:04:00.000-07:00

Situated around Ha Noi ancient imperial city, Ha Noi Old Quarter is bold specific characteristics of Ha Noi.
The Old Quarter is the converging place of 36 streets trading busily in almost a thousand historical years. Each street then had merchants and households specialized in a particular trade, such as Hang Bong (flower traders), Hang Gai, Lo Ren, Hang Duong… With a scope of 100 hectares in area, located in the East of Old Thang Long Imperial City, The Old Quarter has a unique architectural style. Small houses with title - roofs usually have a common yard, connecting to each other bumpily from street to street. Visiting this spot, tourist will be attractive by lively immaterial cultural values showing on relics: Old pagodas, communal houses of the village, temples, shrines, stores, worship-house of clan and plenty of festivals happening frequently on streets of Ha Noi Old Quarter. In 2004, Ha Noi Old Quarter was ranked to be the national relic.

Ha Noi

2009-09-12T21:56:00.000-07:00

Ha Noi is a city with age-old history; cultural tradition is very diversified and characteristic. Ha Noi is one of attractive spots drawing the most domestic and oversea tourists in Vietnam.
Also, it is the center of politics, economy, culture, commerce and tourism that is the most important of the whole country. Situated in Red River Delta belonging to Northern Delta, Ha Noi is bounded by 6 provinces Thai Nguyen, Bac Giang, Bac Ninh, Hung Yen, Ha Tay and Vinh Phuc. Spending the rise and fall of history, Ha Noi has called in turn Dong Do, Dong Quan, Dong Kinh, until 1931 Minh Mang King renamed it Ha Noi to imply that it is a province located in (Noi) 2 rivers (Ha), that is Red River and Day River. With changes of time, Hanoi now is still kept the pure beauty, deserving with name “sacred ground – talented human”.