2011 March » My Good Travel Advice

Archive for March, 2011

Top 5 reasons to Visit Gerona

Are you on holidays in Barcelona? Make sure you go on a day trip to Gerona.

Gerona is a city located in the north-east of the Spanish autonomous region, Catalonia, and it is a very popular tourist destination because of its proximity to Barcelona and also because many European low cost airlines operate to its airport. If you are planning a trip to Barcelona this year I would recommend you visit this city. Here are my top 5 reasons to visit Gerona.

Gerona is near Barcelona
Barcelona is just one hour and twenty minutes from Gerona and the train ticket is not expensive. The proximity between these cities has two main advantages. The first is that if you are staying in Barcelona, you can quite easily go to Gerona for the day and come back in the evening….and vice versa. The second advantage is that many tourists actually prefer to book low cost flights to Gerona airport with Ryanair because they are usually cheaper than flights to Barcelona. When they arrive in Gerona, they either spend a few days in the city or they get the bus from Gerona airport to Barcelona.

There are beautiful beaches
If you plan to spend a day or two in Gerona you have to take a bus to Tossa del Mar. This municipality is near Gerona and has beautiful beaches which people travel from afar to see. It is famous for its walled-in Old Town which has narrow cobble streets and a famous museum.

Gerona is an old city with lots of landmarks
It is easy to wander around and discover the city on foot. I think it is best to visit the north of the city first. Here you can embark on the archaeological walk and along the way you will see the old quarter, churches, the Banys Arabs (Arabic baths), Gerona Cathedral, museums and the Jewish quarter.

Gerona is down to earth
One of the things that I love about Gerona is that it is more down to earth than Barcelona. Here you can find good restaurants which won’t charge you extortionate prices. Remember….ask the locals where to find a good restaurant and they will point you in the right direction.

Gerona is quiet
I also like Gerona because it is smaller than Barcelona and quieter so you can stay in the heart of the city and still get a good night sleep. You should also find nice accommodation at more reasonable rates.

The Safaris of Tanzania

Tanzania is an enthralling country featuring many of Africa’s most alluring destinations such as the Serengeti, Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar. One of the biggest attractions of Tanzania holidays, besides its amazing destinations, is the safaris on offer. Some of the best safaris in all of Africa can be found here and some of the most amazing sights in the natural world are just waiting to be seen.

One such awe inspiring sight is that of the annual wildebeest migration where two million animals make their way across the plains to find fresh food. Not only can you see this wonder of nature in action but you also get to see the likes of lions, elephants and even a chance to spot the rare leopard. As if all that wasn’t enough, you can stay in luxury camps where you will even get access to your own butler, luxury holidays have never been so good.

It’s not just the big game you will find on a safari. In Tanzania you can go on special bird safaris where you will get to see some of Africa’s finest birdlife. Expert guides will help you spot maccoa ducks, black throated apalis, slender night tailed jar, eastern chanting goshawk, magpie shrike and many, many more. It is said that, even on your first day, a keen bird watcher can spot over 100 new birds making this type of safari a twitcher’s paradise.

Tanzania has some gorgeous beaches which would be a shame to miss out on when you’re travelling through the bush on safari. With a Bush to Beach safari you can experience the best of both worlds. For the first half of your holiday you can experience all the best the African bush has to offer and even get the chance to take a moonlight safari and see how the animals behave at night. Then, after a few days in a luxury camp, you can make your way to the island of Zanzibar where you can explore the island and relax on its stunning beaches as you contemplate all the amazing sights you saw on your safari holiday.

This is just a taste of the amazing safaris that await you in Tanzania.

Ten Great Festivals

Okay….so January has been and gone…and February was just a blink. Now it’s March and there are at least eight full months of the year left. So let’s take a look at some of the top festivals and events which are still to take place this year. If you see something that interests you, you can organise your airline tickets now to get them cheap.

La Tomatina, Buñol, Spain

La Tomatina is an annual festival which takes place in the Valencian city of Buñol. It dates back to 1945 and is held on the last Wednesday in August. All you need are old shorts and an old shirt and you can take part in the world’s biggest tomato fight too.

International Pillow Fight Day, cities around the world

This year the International Pillow Fight Day will be held on the 2 April. Imagine taking part in a huge pillow flight in the middle of a big city. Find out which cities host this festival by clicking on this link.

San Fermin, Pamplona, Spain

Okay…so the Spanish are famous for their crazy festivals and the running of the bulls through the streets of Pamplona is just another to add to the list. This event usually takes place on the 7 July every year and lasts a week. All you need is a white top and trousers and a red scarf to take part.

El Colacho – Baby Jumping, Castrillo de Murcia, Spain

Again….a dangerous tradition which takes place in Spain. What happens at this festival is that men jump over newborn babies to cleanse them of evil. Believe it or not, this is an event and it takes place in June every year.

Up Helly-Aa, Shetland, Scotland

Otherwise known as Europe’s largest fire festival and it is held in January to mark the end of the winter. This is something to look forward to in 2012.

Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany

Oktoberfest is the most famous beer festival in the world which is held in October every year.

Aloha Festival, Hawaii, USA

Perhaps not as crazy as the other festivals…..Aloha Festival celebrates all things Hawaiian and it is a good excuse to visit this exotic island. By booking flights to Hawaii in September you can enjoy this event.

Flour Throwing Festival, Galaxidi, Greece

A coloured flour throwing battle which is ironically held on Clean Monday every year.

Just for Laughs, Montreal, Canada

An event which you see on television but which is more fun if you take part – Just for Laughs – held in July every year.

Queen’s Day, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Celebrate the Dutch queen’s birthday on the 30 April every year. Huge parties are held in the streets and the theme is orange…so make sure you wear something that colour.

Trying Times in British Columbia

You’d be surprised how many people stare at you in gormless shock when you break to them the news that not all mountains cast in winter whiteness retain their frost in the summer. It’s like you’ve just announced that the Incredible Hulk really does exist. Yet, apparently, I’m the odd one for thinking of it as a platitude.

If you heard the word Whistler I imagine British Columbia skiing would be the first thing to spring to your mind, despite what I’ve just said, but the resort has a burgeoning variety of sports to enjoy in the summer months as well. Admittedly, not all of these things can be called a sport (bungee jumping, for example), but no one can contest the concept of sending yourself face first down a steep, jagged decline on two flimsy wheels being a challenge.

I stood at the bottom of the lift system on my first day staring with giddy amusement at Whistler’s resort map. Who on earth came up with lifts called the Excalibur Gondola, Merlin’s Magic Carpet and – wait for it – the Jersey Cream Express? It’s like the whole resort is offering itself as the butt of a joke.

Thankfully my lift was just called the Fitzsimmons Quad Chairlift, and I was saved the terrifying prospect of trying to get myself and my mountain bike onto it by a tremendously gangly lift attendant who introduced me to the bike racks that are attached to every other set of chairs on the cable. All I had to do was sit down at the right moment.

Having planned my trip at http://britishcolumbia.mydestinationinfo.com/, I expected British Columbia’s weather to be faultless. Sadly, I found it to be more adolescent that day, by which I mean it would spend ten minutes violently lashing out before storming off in a huff for a couple of hours, and then repeat the process entirely unprovoked. Even if the weather had been magnificent, however, I’d still have been a danger to the rest of the mountain.

If you think you can go downhill mountain biking just because you no longer need stabilisers, you’re wrong. I’m not even going to pass the experience off as enlightening or surprisingly good fun once I got the hang of it. I didn’t get the hang of it, and it wasn’t good fun.

If you had the misfortune of being in Whistler during that same week last summer, you’ll remember me as the rigid chap who made it down the mountain with locked wheels and a plume of black brake dust trailing behind. I’m pretty sure no one else has managed that before. I sported the same look of startled terror I imagine a fly has just before it makes contact with a 70mph windscreen, except my torture was prolonged.

I was ready to sack it in after that first run, but, out of sheer force of will, I sat it out another three days. By the time I had reopened the wound on my right elbow for the billionth time, I decided my wellbeing was just too important, and that I would learn to use a bike properly before my next assault on a mountain.

The upshot of my adrenalin fuelled holiday was the opportunity to see a landscape as impressive as any I’ve ever before seen, and discover a corner of the world that I will return to again and again. Find more information here.