Recently in Travel Category
In preparation for the trip around Europe later this year, I have ordered some books online today. Got to love Amazon.ca where I was able to save almost 50% of the book cost (with an extra coupon for 10 bucks off).
I really only need one or two of the three books but to get a free shipping and since I love to read I decided to order "Vagabonding" to the list as well. Who knows - may be one day I will do a year long around the world trip as well :)
- "Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel" Rolf Potts (ISBN: 0812992180)
- "Rite of Passage: Tales of Backpacking 'Round Europe" Lisa Johnson (ISBN: 1740595939)
- "Europe on a Shoestring" Sarah Johnstone (ISBN: 1741045916)
This Post Was Sponsored by:
Now I believe I can fly... in economy for on a long, long flight! Delta plans to roll out new economy seating in its aircrafts. The new design is a staggered layout that increases privacy while simultaneously creating a space for travelers to rest their heads. Judging by the photos, they look very comfortable! It also allows passengers to enjoy 31-inches of leg room (2-inches better than the competition) and the ability to recline without disturbing the person behind them. The new "Cozy Suite" Economy Class seating will be installed in Delta's Boeing 777 and 767 aircraft by 2010. Now we just need better food, more entertainment variety, High Speed Internet and VOIP phone connection on-board cellular service and they could justify the higher fare prices. 
 |
This Post Was Sponsored by:
View Larger Map
 |
This Post Was Sponsored by:
Singapore Airlines is showcasing their new A380 Suites in an amazing video on their web site (view it here)
Here are a few stills from it as a little teaser:
must say they have done awesome job, but I wonder how many will they will be sale per flight with fuel costs going up more and more people will be penny pinching in Economy Class as the fares will continue to climb at record speed. Frankly I would never consider paying tens of thousands dollars for it, even if I had too much money.
 |
This Post Was Sponsored by:
I always wanted to visit Iceland, there is no specific reason for it other than it's unique, almost isolated location in the world making it interesting place to conquer. IcelandAir has recently announced a new non-stop service between Toronto and Reykjavik as well as many European destinations from there on. Fares look very attractive right now and with 5 flights a week there is a plenty to choose from. For limited time they apparently offer a two day free stop over in Iceland when you are traveling to any of the major European cities too, which is a fantastic opportunity to check out this place while on route to Europe. I will have to have a closer look at in the future and see what I can come up so I get to visit this country. Here are sample of fares from IcelandAir (some are very tempting I must say!):
 |
This Post Was Sponsored by:
OK this video clip did not turn out the best but I decided to blog it anyways. Here is La Rambla view at night time from my hotel balcony:
I used my pocket Sony digital still camera to video tape it so it truly low quality video, next time I will invest in a new small camcorder.
 |
This Post Was Sponsored by:
As I am posting tones of photos from the latest trip I started to think about how I actually claim each and every city and country I have visited over the years as my own. There is a group on Flickr called My City to which I post my photos amongst many others, yet I am sure some people would question the fact that Buenos Aires, New York, Barcelona, Sydney or Cairo cannot in fact be my cities, but they are!
I take ownership in a way of each and every city and country I have been to. It is part of nomadic lifestyle, where everyone who travels and travels a lot becomes a modern version of explorer. These pinheads on the map later on somehow become who you are, each of them actually gives you a different perspective on life and world we live in. Its people and culture often teaches you something new about them and yourself. It is all part of the process, part of the experiment called life. The more experiments you have, the more it shapes you. It does not matter that I have multiple passports and citizenships, because at the end of the day I do not belong to any specific country, my identity is truly global. Once when someone asked me where I am from due to my accent, I told them I am from Earth. We had a good laugh about it, but I was very serious about the answer I gave. Boarders are artificial phenomena created by people, in nature they do not exist, but for some strange reason many always want to identify themselves with a specific place or country, customs or language. They want to belong... but why?
In my case, in a modern world we live, where within a few hours we can be on another continent, in different place just like that, speak different language and eat different food we realize we are part of it all. It no longer becomes a shock to the system, rather a new reality of how truly this planet became small in the last few decades allowing us take ownership of the places we come to encounter, enjoy them, learn from them and leave them at the end while keeping many fond memories for years to come because we often never returning to the same place. I am always hungry for new experience, new country, new city - there is so much to see and so much to learn. It is the same feeling many explorers from old world like England, Portugal or Spain had centuries ago, although their true intentions might have been very different at the time. But they claim the cities like I do... for their own reasons.
Not the most accurate account of the last decade of traveling but those are some of these more memorable places I have chance to see and experience.
 |
This Post Was Sponsored by:
Hotel Lloret in Barcelona was recommended to me by a friend of mine and I must say it was the perfect place to stay plus a real bargain when it comes to rates. First and foremost the number one advantage of this hotel is its location! It is right on La Rambla a few steps south of Paca de Catalunya - the city's hub for all transportation. Once your flight arrives in Barcelona, you simply catch the Aeroport bus for €4.10 in front of the terminal and go to the last stop Placa de Catalunya - from there there is only a 5 minute walk to the hotel. You are basically right in the middle of the Barcelona and frankly most of the major attractions are within a short walking distance from it.
Rooms facing the Ramblas (I stayed in one of them) have balconies which you can sit out on, relax and watch people passing by on this one of the most busiest pedestrian streets in Europe. Note for those who like a bit peace: Since it seems like this part of town never sleeps, you may consider a room in the back due to noise from the street, I know some people may have a trouble sleeping when there is a lot going on outside. It did not bother me personally and I enjoyed the view onto the street. Hotel staff is very friendly and helpful, they make sure only guests enter the hotel at night since the hotel doors are looked downstairs after 11pm and you need to buzz in when you are coming late. Most of the staff speaks at least 3-4 languages fluently so if you are not speaking Spanish, you have options to communicate in English or French amongst many other languages. Each room has heating, air conditioner, TV set, phone, table with chair, beds and full bathroom with a shower. Common areas as well as the rooms are very clean and there is a room service on a daily basis to change your towels and do general clean up. The lobby / reception area is quite nice, it has very art deco feeling to it, there are always newspapers available to read, plus there is also a free WiFi available to guests. If you don't have your own laptop with you, no problem there is one computer set up in the lobby for use by quests as well - access to it is also at no charge. They have a dinning area which is open for breakfast in the mornings for €5.00 per person. I have not tried it myself, but I understand you get the basic continental treatment: fresh coffee, tea, croissants etc. Next to the reception area, there is small safe room, where you may consider lock up your valuables like money or passport free of charge. For a single room I paid only €50.00 a night with VAT included! It is a real bargain for what you get not to mention the location! Out of curiosity I checked a few hotels in the immediate area and the cheapest were around €150.00 a night. There is a bar next door, which is very convenient and a lot of places to eat all around, the location of the hotel was big a part of enjoyable visit in Barcelona.
If you are planning on traveling to Barcelona, I would highly recommend Hotel Lloret as a perfect place to crush and spend money you saved on accommodation at good restaurants, bars or do some real shopping while in Spain instead. It was great experience for me to stay there and I would return to it at anytime. In the busy summer season, I heard that they are often booked well in advance so make sure you visit their web site or call them directly to book your stay a few weeks / months in advance. They accept all major credit cards for reservations.
Contact info:
Hotel Lloret
Rambla Canaletas 125
08002 Barcelona, Spain
+34 933 173 366
 |
This Post Was Sponsored by:
This is awesome video, when I am back in Spain I must check it out! I love place like that, especially when there is a chance to fall...
(via Gadling)
 |
This Post Was Sponsored by:
Here is the second clip shot from the top of Bus Turistic as we were leaving Port Vell in Barcelona, Spain.
|
Thoughts Aside Casino Online - i migliori casino online della rete |
| Backgammon - Online Backgammon game guides and FREE $5 (No Deposit Needed) |
| Online Backgammon - featuring free online strategy guides and tips. |
| Casino - Enjoy playing the hottest online casinos known to man. |
| Custom Research Paper - We are a team of professional writers, whose main goal is to provide you with excellent assistance in research paper writing. custom research paper, college research paper, buy research paper, research paper help, research paper writing, custom research |
| Idaho Mortgage Refinance - Request a FREE Quote |
 |
This Post Was Sponsored by:
The best and fastest way to see Barcelona is using the hop-on hop-off Bus Turistic for only €26.00 for two day unlimited ticket. The bus run on three different routes covering all the most important place in across the city, plus you get headphones to plug into your seat while you are on the bus to listen to the recorded guide of the city as you passing the sights. They are in several major languages and quite informative. Top part of the bus is open which is great if you want to snap quick photos without getting off on some of the stops. It allows you also to using camera to film it. Bus Turistic allowed me to see the whole city in just couple of days and help me narrow and pick a few sights where I want to spend more time in the days following it so I can return it for more sightseeing etc.
As I was on the bus I used my pocket camera to make a few short clips during the tour, here is Port Vell area of the city:
 |
This Post Was Sponsored by:
One of the most important things in the well planned urban area is transportation. Barcelona has it all, extensive network of buses, metro / subway lines, rail connecting suburbs and surrounding cities and now over 100KM of bike lanes covering the entire city. The last addition was accomplish in the recent years, encouraging the population as well as tourists visiting the city to be more eco-friendly! So there is no surprise when the city of Barcelona introduced Bicing or the Public Bike network. As the map below shows, there are 100 stations and 1500 bicycles available though out the city for public use.
The cost is minimal, you pay a membership of €24.00 a year or €1.00 a week (perfect for a visiting tourist), the first 30 minutes are free after that you pay €0.30 per half an hour for maximum of 2 hours per rental. You can drop off the bike at any of the stations though out the city once you reach your destination. It is brilliant concept which has recently found its niche in other cities in Europe like Paris. I must say, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of those bikes on the streets, they are extremely popular among both residents and visitors. If you are thinking about holidays in Barcelona, you should give them a try. More information both in English, Spanish and Catalan can be found here - www.bicing.com
 |
This Post Was Sponsored by:
I was very fortunate to get an awesome little and very inexpensive hotel (of which I will talk another time) right at the top of the street, the street of the streets in Barcelona: La Rambla. The place never sleeps and it is busy almost 24 hours a day. La Rambla runs from the Plaça de Catalunya towards the harbour and it is actually divided into sections which every one of the has its own name: the Rambla de Canaletes, the Rambla dels Estudis, the Rambla de Sant Josep, the Rambla dels Caputxins and the Rambla de Santa Monica. I had great view from my little balcony on the third floor over looking the street, which allowed me to pull out a chair to relax and watch people downstairs after a long day of sightseeing all over the city. La Rambla is a popular street with both tourists and locals alike. A 1.2 kilometer-long tree-lined pedestrian mall in the Barri Gòtic, on each side of it, there is one lane traffic going in each direction. Usually full of street theatre, cafés and market stalls, it is the central hub of Barcelona and perfect place to start a nice stroll down to the port area. Everyone wants to be seen on La Rambla, the parade goes on into early mornings each and every day so if you do not close your windows tide you may have a bit of a hard time sleeping at first.
 |
This Post Was Sponsored by:
Here is today's snapshot, a new series of candid photos taken with my pocket camera during the trip to Barcelona, Spain in April 2008. I was flying over the Pyrenees as we were crossing the boarder from France into Spain. Weather was perfect on as always to take a good shot of the mountain range high above from aircraft. I have been to Alps which is Europe's favorite destination, but now I really curious about seeing the Pyrenees up-close and in person. Hopefully I will have a chance to do so in the near future. If you wonder about these mountains and their location here is the map:
 |
This Post Was Sponsored by:
It has been 10 days since I posted anything on this blog, but there is a reason for it... I was in Europe.
I have just returned from a fantastic trip to Barcelona and Sitges in Spain. It was my first visit to Spain and I must say I absolutely love it! Barcelona is a great city to visit with loads of interesting places to see and discover, awesome architecture, friendly people and a perfect weather during my stay there. I am still a bit jet-lagged but I have unpacked, and slowly unloading all the photos I took during the trip, I will be posting some of the snapshots in the next couple of weeks and later on more photography from Spain. There is plenty of photos for many months to come... I will try to share some of the observations and tips from being there as well over the next little while once I am back to some kind of routine here. And of course now I am already thinking of next destination...
Here is why I like to travel:
Meeting new people
I travel a lot by myself, but I like to be on my own and feel free to do what I want and when I want without consulting anyone else. It gives me the opportunity of meeting new people; locals especially.
Trying the local delicacies
Many countries and even specific regions have their own special dishes and other delicacies which can be fun to try and learn more about what people eat there
The atmosphere of travelling
The atmosphere of arriving in a new country, watching the scenery as I take the trip to my hotel, people watching in a local café. The build up of excitement as I arrive at my airport and then getting on to the plane for my journey – I just love the whole process of travelling... from different airports, airlines to making connection flights etc.
Learning new languages
I am very fast learner when it comes to new languages, I am fluent in a few or at least was at one point in my life and can easily refresh it when need it. So the local language of the country I am visiting is often a new and exciting opportunity for me.
Finding exciting attractions
When I plan a trip, I always create a map of places that I want to visit, and make sure I visit those places. I spend time reading about them from books to online resources. It includes history both recent and from the centuries ago.
The memories
I always drag my cameras with me wherever I go, and I try and take as many pictures as I can. Following each trip I end up with hundreds - often thousands of photographs.
Why do you love travelling?
 |
This Post Was Sponsored by:
Packed: yes, but am I really ready? I guess so... or should I say: I hope so, I have been reading and studying about the city of Barcelona for the last three months, scrolled through hundreds of online resources, read a few books, study maps and learned as much I could about the history and Catalan people. But there is always this feeling inside of me that I have not done enough, that I will miss something very important. It is not a new feeling, rather me trying to perfect at everything I do...
The new life plan is to conquer a new city every six months and so far I have been able to pull it off with 117 cities in 21 countries covered. Six months ago I was packed and ready for Buenos Aires, Argentina and Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay. This time around I am off to my continent where I was born and raised, Europe. I am heading to Barcelona, Spain for a new advanture. Europe feels like home since it has been to me for 20 years of my life, so I feel excited about getting back to the area where I really feel at home. Yet it is a big place with huge variety of customs, languages and people. Each country is loaded with amazing history and architecture. And who knows if I fell in love with Barcelona (and everything points to that so far) one day in the future it just may be my new home when I decide to leave Canada behind. Time will tell.
There is so much to see and so much to discover in this city. I will have really packed week ahead, each and every day is spoken for already, including meeting some locals while there, making new friends and learning a bit more Spanish which I started to like a lot while being in Argentina.
Lastly I am going off the grid for the first time while traveling, I decided to travel very light so I am not taking a laptop even if the hotel has a free WiFi. I will do my best keep away from the computer, which means no checking e-mails (I am taking my BlackBerry for emergency only, but turning it off), no voice mail, no blogging, nothing - nada for eight full days! I really need to unplug and focus on enjoying myself. Just me and my camera equipment... and small carry-on with some cloths for a week.
After brief stop in Amsterdam for breakfast, I will jump onto another flight directly to Barcelona.
Thoughts Aside
| Casino Online - i migliori casino online della rete |
| Backgammon - Online Backgammon game guides and FREE $5 (No Deposit Needed) |
| Online Backgammon - featuring free online strategy guides and tips. |
| Casino - Enjoy playing the hottest online casinos known to man. |
| Custom Research Paper - We are a team of professional writers, whose main goal is to provide you with excellent assistance in research paper writing. custom research paper, college research paper, buy research paper, research paper help, research paper writing, custom research |
| Idaho Mortgage Refinance - Request a FREE Quote |
 |
This Post Was Sponsored by:
Free guided tour for a city of your choice!
From March 28 to April 11, 2008, Air France Canada offers its "e-communiqués" subscribers a free audio guide tour for the European destination of their choice. It's very easy!
1: Choose your preferred visit and download it to your computer
2: Transfer it to your MP3 compatible portable player: MP3 player, iPod, CD player, cell phone, etc.
3: Once there, simply turn your player on and begin your guided tour.
Enjoy the visit, prepared by experts in the destination of your choice. Discover he main monuments and see works of art in the major museums; let yourself be guided through little-known streets and unusual places.
So keep it in mind if you are booking your flight on Air France this Spring, especially since they have seat sale going on right now. Tickets must be purchased and issued before April 11, 2008 to take advantage of this special offer and fares.
 |
This Post Was Sponsored by:
 |
This Post Was Sponsored by:
I will be in Europe next week... so I thought I will share some great tips on how you and I can save a some cash while there. If you are planning hopping across the pond this year, you should consider checking out the great travel tips in April's issue of Budget Travel magazine or read it online. With Euro flying high and dollar sinking, you will be able to enjoy your trip a little more while staying within a budget. The article touched on most of the aspects of traveling from transportation and accommodations to sightseeing - even some tips on finding free music and museums in Europe.
 |
This Post Was Sponsored by:
Poor me... it looks like I will have to put up with much warmer weather starting next week. Only seven days left until I land in Barcelona, Spain. Will I be able to cope with day time temperatures of 19C? Time will tell - LOL But first I got to make it to Amsterdam for breakfast... Yay!