posted by Charles H. Russo on Aug 21
Mother England.
There’s no place like home.
I am always at a loss for an answer when people ask me where I am from. In 30+ years I have moved house 30+ times, so you can appreciate my confusion. I have lived in Cardiff, capital of Wales, for the past few years, but I am (very) English.
I thank Wales daily for her hospitality. She provides a kind of safe comfort, like that of an over-stuffed chintz armchair in the parlour of an affectionate great-auntie; the sort of great-auntie who pinches your cheeks and plies you with cake. However, despite England’s dubious history, England is my mother and therefore has my heart.
Read the rest of this entry »
posted by Charles H. Russo on Aug 20
Hawaii is an archipelago of over nineteen distinct volcanic islands located over a geological “hot spot” in the Pacific. The Pacific plate on which the islands ride moves to the northwest, so in general the islands are older and smaller (due to erosion) as you move from southeast to northwest. There are eight major islands, six of which are open to tourism.
The island of Hawaii, always known as the Big Island, is the largest island, and lends its name to the whole island chain. Larger than all the other islands combined and still expanding in land area thanks to the active volcanoes on its southeastern coast, it is home to the major resort area of Kona, two of the world’s largest mountains, and the world’s most active volcano.
Read the rest of this entry »
posted by Charles H. Russo on Jul 26
It seems that more than one famous face has recently been spotted lapping up the sun in Croatia - the Pearl of the Adriatic.
Irina Abramovich, the ex-partner of Roman Abramovich, was seen last week enjoying the sights and sounds of Dubrovnik with her young children. Using her former husband’s luxurious yacht, the Pelorus, the family were spotted in and around the historic city.
And she was not alone in her fondness for this beautiful corner of the world. Denmark’s Royal family, including Princess Mary, husband Prince Frederik and their two young children, Christian and Isabella have also recently been seen enjoying the sights of the Dubrovnik Riviera from a luxury hired yacht.
Read the rest of this entry »
posted by Charles H. Russo on Jul 26
Thomson is taking the package holiday to the next level with its new Premier collection 5 star deluxe hotel and resort in Crete. With this state of the art hotel and resort complex, Thomson plans to bring a whole new meaning to the word ‘luxury’ and it will be a great option for families, couples, groups or singles looking for a deluxe experience that won’t hit the pocket. Spas, sports, scuba, saunas, sunbeds and sipping martinis or soft drinks will all be part of the Sensatori experience.
The new resort will be on sale soon for Summer 2008, so keep an eye out on our website for more details. You can also read the full story here.
Read the rest of this entry »
posted by Charles H. Russo on Jul 26
WorldMate Live – Put your smart phone to work.
WorldMate Live is a portable app that works on your Blackberry and other smart phones. The portable app is much like portable travel assistant. The WorldMate Live application will help keep your holiday and business travel stress free by alerting you of flight delays, keeping travle of reservations, important phone numbers and more.
Unlike other such services, WorldMate Live is updated in real time. Find out exactly when you flight gets delayed so that you can make arrangements fast. No more waiting till your at the ticket counter to find out about your delayed flight.
Read the rest of this entry »
posted by Charles H. Russo on Jul 16
If you travel with children, check out this online resource for tips, hints and ideas for enjoying the US with your family Parent Magazines of America
This national network of ezines is geared to specific geographic areas. I find our local edition, which covers the Roaring Fork Valley of Colorado, gives interesting, accurate, up-to-date information about things to do with children in our area.
If you ‘re visiting Aspen, Glenwood Springs or any place in between, be sure to take advantage of the “local knowledge” they offer at Mountain Parent
posted by Charles H. Russo on Jul 12
By Adam Winters
Are you planning a holiday? Consider New Orleans. The city provides a fun-filled holiday for the entire family or even for a couple. Situated between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, New Orleans is a frequented tourist destination because of all that it offers. From museums to gardens, aquariums to night clubs, from exciting bars to exotic restaurants, and of course Mardi Gras, the place has it all!
You can begin the exploration of New Orleans with a boat ride in the Mississippi. Make sure you choose a good tourist guide for the cruise so that as you take a tour, you can also get a lot of information about the venerable city. Many tourists will enjoy a break at the Chalmette Battlefield, a historic site.
Read the rest of this entry »
posted by Charles H. Russo on Jul 11
Koh Phi Phi is one of the nicest places I came across traveling, I arrived a few weeks after the tsunami and to be honest the people of Koh Phi Phi had done a fantastic job of clearing up the debris. It was quite heart breaking as people were still diving around the shores looking for bodies and cleaning up the debris which was scattered out to sea.
Even though the island was now clean and safe there was very few tourists here, I would have said that there was about 50 of us. Which for an island which has around 2000 rooms was of great concerns for the locals. It was heartbreaking to be watching CNN and BBC news on the island which was reasonably immaculate considering what had recently happened, yet rather than the news channels broadcast how well the locals and tourists had cleaned up and got pretty much all of the coastal towns, villages and islands up and running again. The news channels were still telling people to stay away and were showing video clips from weeks previous. No wonder people didn’t want to go! I suppose do you show bad footage to get people to donate and help get relief work undertaken quicker or do you say that Koh Phi Phi etc is back up and running fine and people then don’t donate? Well personally I would have done the second and at least allow the locals to get their pride back and line their pockets themselves.
Read the rest of this entry »
posted by Charles H. Russo on Jul 2
No, we aren???t talking about fighting the crowds on Oxford Street or suffering a heart attack because the last Roberto Cavalli dress for H&M was just snapped up. ShopFatal.com is a brand new- if oddly named- website selling clothing from hard to find designers (they’re hard to find if you don’t live in a big city, or just don’t want to deal with the holiday crowds). Scroll through the website and you???ll find Vivienne Westwood???s Anglomania dresses which can be rolled up and worn as shirts (pictured) as well as Jovovich-Hawk dresses and Tata-Naka shoes. We also like the colourful, graphic hoodies from C. Neeon. ShopFatal.com ships within the US and internationally, so start clicking.
Read the rest of this entry »
posted by Charles H. Russo on Jun 26
I know it???s a little early to shut down for Thanksgiving but we???re packing our bags and high-tailing it out ofLondonto head home for the holidays. This means no computers and no blogging until next week- but lots of shopping and eating until then. Just like last year we???re going to brave ???Black Friday??? to hit the stores- which have nothing on anOxford Streetcrowd- and can???t wait to tuck into our family???s super yummy roasted chestnut and porcini mushroom soup (the secret to why it tastes so good? Add a splash of cognac and lots of cream??¦ or maybe it???s the other way around). And if we???re feeling inspired, we might even make these cookies we spotted on the Pillsbury site. Happy Thanksgiving everybody!
Read the rest of this entry »