I was working on What's happening in Sydney, when I was reminded of the awesome New Year Fireworks spectacular that has become such a feature of the Sydney New Year.
Here is a great HD video posted by Sebastian (supARGH), which he introduces with the words "This is what 5 million dollars buys you in pyrotechnics!":
supARGH acknowledged this clip as Copyright Ten Network Australia, 2009. www.ten.com.au
Further to Monday's post about the Ottery Tar Barrels. Here's a video from Peter Hodge that does a fine job of showing just how crazy the Ottery St Mary villagers are.
With Mayday fast approaching, I thought that we might take a peep at the residents of Padstow, a fishing village on the north coast of Cornwall, England, now best known for its resident chef Rick Stein, as they celebrate May Day.
They prefer to call it Obby Oss (Hobby Horse) day and their festival involves an ancient ritual of parading the Obby Oss through the streets, calling at houses owned by eminent people in the town for suitable refreshment. In return, they ward of evil spirits and ensure good luck for the following year.
This atmospheric video was shot by Reg Vernon (regvernon). At about 3.15 and 8.10 minutes in, you get good shots of the inborn rhythm displayed by the Padstow folk, forget the Sambadrome Samba get behind the Padstow Plod.
The Royal Horticultural Society in the UK, is conducting research into whether the human voice affects tomato plants. According to the Times Online, open auditions are being held tomorrow at the RHS garden, Wisley, Surrey, to find voices which can make recordings. It is proposed that the recordings will be played 24/7, via headphones attached to plant pots, for ten plants in the study.
Clearly, results will be dependant on the acoustic properties of the pot and I believe that various species may show marked differences in their preferences for the rhythmic nature of the sound being broadcast. In previously unpublished research, it has been observed by an unreliable but otherwise amiable source, that the genetically modified tomato, TOMASH, responds vigorously to Reggae.
Volcanologists are getting excited by lots of seismic activity at Mount Redoubt, 106 miles (170 km) southwest of Anchorage, Alaska. The indications are that the volcano is about to blow and when it does erupt, it is likely to be quite spectacular.
The magma from Mount Redoubt contains a lot of silica, which traps gas under pressure, so when it reaches the surface, just like taking the stopper off a shaken-up bottle of soda, it explodes with a rather big pop.
The Australian warns that tourists heading to Bali for Christmas will find its a dry Christmas. According to Stephen Fitzpatrick, their Jakarta correspondent, booze and gourmet staples are now almost completely unavailable on the Indonesian island, following a crackdown by customs on imported food and drink.
But hey, its not strictly true, locally produced drinks, like arak and brem (rice wine), and Bali beers (Bali Hai and Bintang) are readily available. Bintang, according to TheBackpacker.net gives you a 100% guaranteed headache!
Besides, consuming the local produce is right in line with the eco-travel movement, so you can spend Christmas in Bali, support the local economy with a little over-indulgence and claim that you are participating in responsible travel.
Back in the 1930s, the Hermitage State Museum received an enormous collection of works of art, from cultural centres along the Silk Road.
Now, for the first time, visitors can enjoy the fascinating artifacts and discover the wonderful cultures that greeted travellers along the Silk Road at the the turn of the 19th century. A new exhibition Caves of a Thousand Buddhas, opens on 9 December, 2008, at the Hermitage State Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia and runs through to 5 April, 2009.
Visitors will see over 300 items, including wall paintings, sculptures, woodcarvings, expedition documents, photos, water-colour and tracing paper copies of ancient paintings, drawings, maps, and an extensive collection of manuscripts.
John Lennon was killed 28 years ago this coming Monday and the 2010 Winter Olympics year will mark the 30th anniversary of his death, imagine more people had heeded his words. This video is of a live performance in Madison Square Garden posted by ohshaith.
Fancy a ten-day luxury trip for two to South Africa, visiting Cape Town, the wine lands of Stellenbosch, a little whale-watching in Hermanus and some game drives in Sanbona Wildlife Reserve. You could be the lucky winner of the Year of Discovery competition in the Telegraph's travel section; even the six runners-up will each win a compact laptop.
Telegraph readers are being invited to submit up to 500 words about their travel discovery of the year. Seems it doesn't have to be a place, could be an experience or web site. If you've just found these pages, try singing the praises of Tales from Here and There about This and That! Entries can be in any of the categories: rail, snow, adventure, beach, Britain and cruise and the best entries will be printed in the Telegraph on December 27, 2008.
Were moving into the Christmas Party season and the Performing Right Society (PRS) report that they expect Karaoke bars across the UK to be the office party destination of choice, as recession-weary workers search for cheaper parties.
The organisation, which collects royalties on behalf of songwriters and composers, has reported a 10% increase in revenue collected from Karaoke bars across the UK in the past five years.
Robbie William's Angels, is the most popular Karaoke song in the UK, followed by Valerie from the Zutons & Amy Winehouse, ABBA’s Dancing Queen and Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline taking the other top spots. Popularity results are based on the most performed Karaoke songs in licensed venues by the Performing Right Society. The PRS collates this data in order to make accurate royalty payments to its 60,000 composer, songwriter and music publisher members, whenever music is publicly performed or broadcast; their survey covered bars, clubs, hotels, restaurants and live music venues.
Last Christmas from Wham is at number one, Do They Know It's Christmas? (original 1984 Band Aid recording) is at two and the great Fairytale of New York from The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl, comes in third place. Get the full list and interesting background, in the Beeb article that is linked above. All the favourites are their, including the perennial favourites from Wizzard, Slade, and Bing Crosby, but not in the order that most people would expect.
If you thought that the Penny Farthing Cycling Championships was a joke, this is a must see video from broadcaster diagonaluk of Diagonal View and besides, it will add a bit of sunshine to everyone's weekend.
It seems that the Australians have a thing about big wheels. The quiet village of Evandale in northern Tasmania, has incorporated a Penny Farthing Championship in its annual village fair, which is held annually in February.
Last year, British cyclist Jonathan Summerfield competed in the championship, while riding around the world on a handmade penny farthing. Jonathan visited 23 countries during his 35,367km (21,976-mile) circumnavigation of the globe, replicating the feat of fellow Briton Thomas Stevens, who rode around the world on a penny farthing bicycle back in 1887.
While folk in the northern hemisphere are doing all they can to distract themselves from cold, dark, winter days, it is always cheering to remember that the southern hemisphere is heading for high summer. More than likely, Melbourne will be basking in sunshine when it gets to enjoy its own 'London Eye' on Friday November 28, 2008, the day which sees the opening of the Southern Star giant Ferris wheel.
Towering to nearly 120m, the observation wheel is 100 metres in diameter and is expected to provide tourists with unprecedented views over the state of Victoria, Australia, possibly stretching as far as Geelong.
Come winter in North America, around 3 million people bundle up, get outdoors and get snowmobiling. Snowmobiling is a favorite winter activity in North America, and it continues to enjoy year on year growth. With 230,000 miles of groomed and marked snowmobile trails that wind through beautiful scenery throughout North America, amounting to more miles of snowmobile trails than in the entire U.S. interstate highway system, it is not surprising that the miles ridden by snowmobilers in North America jumped 17 percent in 2008 over 2007, the average snowmobiler riding more than 1,040 miles last winter.
Those interested in learning more about snowmobiling will find useful information at www.gosnowmobiling.org and www.snowmobile.org is the website for the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association.
In a previous post , I suggested that the most romantic of all Christmas markets was perhaps the Christmas market held at the Tivoli Gardens, in the heart in Copenhagen, Denmark. Thousands of spectacular fairy lights have become a particular feature at Tivoli and this year the display includes LEDs that will illuminate the 500+ metre track of the Demon ride. Christmas in Tivoli 2008 runs through to 30 December. Then, between Christmas and New Year, Tivoli will host a five-day Fireworks Festival when Santa Claus will welcome visitors to his new ride, the Christmas Express.
I picked up on a reference to what is claimed to be the largest of all the Christmas markets in Scandinavia, the Liseberg Christmas Market at the Liseberg amusement park in Gothenburg, Sweden. They switch on around 5 million Christmas lights tonight, illuminating the whole city!
The park itself, is decorated with millions of spruce garlands and you can buy Xmas gifts and accessories of all kinds. Liseberg's Christmas Market runs through to 23 December and is open daily.
Outdoor ice skating rinks during the Xmas festive season have become very popular in the UK over recent years and once again the Eden Project is running what many regard to be the most magical ice rink in the country.
This year the ice rink opened on October 25 with a mission to bring skating and festive fun to all ages and skill levels. Then, from 6-20 December inclusive, competent skaters will be able to enjoy Friday and Saturday night 'Ice Discos'.
Europeanrail are promoting the Bergland Express direct to Austrian ski resorts such as St Anton, Kitzbuehel, Innsbruck and Zell am See. UK skiers and snowboarders can travel on the mid-afternoon Eurostar high speed train from London or Ashford to Brussels and then connect with the overnight ski train Bergland Express. They are also offering an eight day Ski Week in Kitzbuehel.
Kitzbuehel, is famous for the 'Hahnenkamm' downhill race which takes place in January each year, but it offers a wide range of skiing and non-skiers can enjoy the quaint town of 14th century painted medievel houses, or take a short trip on the train to Salzburg or Innsbruck.
Tonight kicks off a week of shrieks and bonfires across the UK and a spectacular, nine metre wicker man, created by Oxfordshire artist Dan Barton, will add to the incendiary attractions at the Oxford Round Table's annual display on Saturday, November 8, in South Park, Oxford.
If you haven't caught up with the BBC's Autumnwatch program yet, it is worth visiting the website. This year, the Autumnwatch team have set up home on Brownsea Island, just off the UK's south coast, opposite Poole Harbour.
The island, which last year was the focus of celebrations for the the 100th anniversary of the scouting movement, is well known for its populations of red squirrels, sika deer and many species of woodland and water birds.
It's Diwali Festival week. Perhaps better known around the world as the Festival of Lights, Divali 2008 occurs this year on Tuesday, October 28.
A major Indian festival, it is not only celebrated by Hindus but also Jains, Sikhs and even some Buddhists. The spectacular festival firework events and light decorations, where the lights or lamps signify victory of good over evil, are also enjoyed by millions of sightseers. Have a happy Diwali and may at least one of the gods bless you in the coming year.
Several hundred people taking part in the Original Mountain Marathon in England's Lake District near Keswick, have been stranded by flooding and torrential rain. Competitors in the event are all experienced fell runners but within half an hour of the start conditions and the weather had deteriorated so badly that many runners made the decision to return to the start, it seems flooding came in so quickly that even they were lucky to get out of the car park.
BBC News website readers who took part in the race, sent their accounts, including video, get the full story and reports at the BBC News website.
The Australians are planning a world-beating singalong, to takes place at 11.30am (Eastern Standard Time) on Thursday October 23, 2008.
Last year, over 200,000 school children from across Australia performed the same song together and this year it is expected that number will swell to more than 350,000, which could make it the biggest singalong that the world has ever seen.
Children from some of the smallest outback schools and those in big city schools, will be web-linked to 2,000 youngsters on the lawn in front of Parliament House in Canberra.
The Italian Job is an annual fundraising for childrens charities. This year's run will begin in Imola on October 24 and finish on November 1, 2008 in Brighton.
Launched in 1990, more than 100 Minis will drive over 3,000 miles from Italy to Britain, through some of the most spectacular scenery in Europe. The rally was inspired by the classic 1969 film, The Italian Job, starring Michael Caine. To date, over £2 million has been raised for various childrens charities.
The UK's RNLI intends to double the size of its lifeguarding service over the next few years, providing every UK region, seasonal lifeguard cover on its beaches.
Being a charity, the RNLI needs help from the public to 'Put Life First' and meet the cost of equipment and training. Individuals and groups are invited to contact the RNLI about fund raising for the 'Put Life First' initiative.
It has just been announced that RNLI lifeguards will provide daily patrols, with the exception of Christmas Day, for Boscombe east beach, the site of the new artificial surf reef. Patrols will begin at 10am and finish at 6pm, or earlier as evenings become darker, and continue through to the start of the next summer season.
Enduro Africa is a unique and challenging, annual motorcycle adventure in aid of UNICEF, Sentebale, Nelson Mandela Children's Fund and Touch Africa.
160 motorcycle adventurers from all over the world tackle 8 days across some of South Africa's most rugged and isolated terrain and this year some of the adventurers will share the companionship of royal brothers, princes William and Harry, who have announced that they will be participating in the ride around its famous Wild Coast.
Back in 1947, a hell-raising group of bikers descended on Hollister city, California, USA, 90 miles south of San Francisco, for a 3-day rally over the Fourth of July holiday. The notorious events of that weekend are said to have inspired the 1953 Hollywood cult classic, biker film, starring Marlon Brando.
Hollister became known as the "Birthplace of the American Biker" and each year since then, played host to an annual Fourth of July rally where bikers were reckoned to spend an incredible eight million dollars, but times have changed. I came across this letter by Charlie Scott, a Hollister local, about the imminent demise of the famous motorcycle rally.
He relates how in recent years, there has been almost a doubling of policing and related costs, together with a perception that certain people in authority have a dislike of bikers and just don't want a rally in their community.
Charlie goes on to write,"People from all over the world recognize the name of Hollister, California, due to the rally and come from all parts to enjoy and participate. There have been fewer and fewer coming in the last 3 years and hardly any staying the 2 or 3 days."
His letter has prompted some thoughtful comments and background on the rally, which might provide some useful information for anyone thinking of attending this iconic event.
Four year's ago I confessed my liking for Barolo and Italian food, drawing attention to the annual Alba White Truffle Festival. This year's festival runs 4 October through 9 November, 2008 and you can download the festival program as a PDF document (in Italian).
As usual, the month is packed full of diverse events and attractions, including Barolo, Barbaresco and Tartufo (Truffle) tours and treks.
Three skydivers Holly Budge, Wendy Smith and Neil Jones, have jumped from a height above Mount Everest, enjoying one minute of freefall before landing in the foothills of the mountain.
The event, organised by British adventure travel company High and Wild, was the first skydiving jump of its kind. Over the next few days, around 30 skydivers from around the world are planning similar jumps.
It spells the end of the summer season, on Sunday, 4 October, over 50,000 people will take part in the UK's Great North Run, 13 miles from Newcastle to South Shields. Since 1981, this half-marathon has grown into a prestigious athletic event attracting competitors from all over the world, including stars such as world marathon champion, Kenyan Luke Kibet, and Gete Wami, women's world marathon majors champion.
The Malaria Awareness Campaign, organised by GlaxoSmithKline Travel Health, has brought to the attention of British travellers, the importance of antimalarial medication when visiting at-risk destinations and the risk of buying medication when they are abroad. Purchases could turn out to be fake malaria drugs that put lives at risk. Dr George Kassianos of the Malaria Guidelines Committee said, "With the most deadly strain of malaria on the increase, accounting for nearly 75% of all reported cases in UK travellers, it has never been more important to purchase legitimate medication."
The first line of defence in preventing malaria is to avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes. However, this alone is not enough and if antimalarial medication is recommended it must be taken before, during and after travel.
Incredibly, between 1500 and 2000 people per year return to the UK with malaria and on average nine people will die from this preventable disease. It's essential that travellers seek advice six weeks before their departure date and follow the guidance they are given.
Liverpool, this year's European Capital of Culture, will be celebrating its annual Halloween Lantern Carnival in Sefton Park Liverpool on Friday 31st October. Enjoy some great public art from the Liverpool Lantern Company.
I recently referred to a list of Halloween events in the US but if your in the UK, how about making a scary visit to Warwick Castle, whose haunted towers and turrets are said to have been inhabited by a host of ghosts and ghouls for hundreds of years.
Between 25 October and 2 November, 2008 families can be entertained with ghost stories of a haunted castle and follow spooky Halloween trails full of creepy characters. Or, you can enjoy an eerie, after-dark, Ghosts and Ghouls Alive Supper being held on 31 October and again on 1 November, 2008. Warwick Castle is not far from Stratford on Avon and Oxford.
It's that time again; the time when wetass speed freaks descend on Weymouth's Portland Harbour for Weymouth Speed Week.
Portland Harbour is to be the sailing venue for the 2012 Olympic games but during speed week, speed sailors take a crack at the World sailing speed record and in particular aim to hit the elusive 50 knot barrier for the first time. All manner of craft enter, including sailboards, kite boards and some exceptionally engineered cutting-edge designs. Competitors come from around the world, although this year, the Luderitz World Cup is being held in Namibia during the period 15 September - 13 October, 2008, which overlaps Weymouth Speed Week 2008, running 4 - 10 October.
Top speed board sailors are now regularly hitting speed in excess of 45 Knots and some like Martin van Meurs have been logged as reaching peak speeds of 50 knots but for the world record, the speed must be averaged over a measured distance, eg. 500m.
The unique geographical location of Portland harbour results in ideal speed sailing conditions of smooth, strong winds and flat water. Spectators are encouraged at the event, which usually includes workshops and demonstrations, and the Weymouth Sailing Centre is open to all during Speed Week.
The PSP Southampton Boat Show begins its 40th year tomorrow, 12 September and runs through to 21 September 2008. Last year more than 127,000 visitors attended this popular boating show, which takes place next door to Lymington, home base for many of Britian's sailing stars. UK sailors have returned from Qingdao, China, with the best Olympic medal haul for over a century and gold medal winners Ben Ainslie, Paul Goodison, Iain Percy, Andrew Simpson, Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson, will arrive on Mike Golding's yacht Ecover 3, at 10am tomorrow, together with other Skandia Team GBR members, to formally open the show.
They will be joined by boating legends and television personalities from the past 40 years to celebrate the Southampton Boat Show's forty year history.
Hundreds of pilots from more than 35 countries and countless non-flying family members and friends, will be gathering in Fethiye, south west Turkey, on October 15, 2008 for demonstrations of paragliding, skydiving, base-jumping, hangliding, para-motor flights, remote control plane shows, microlites, hard core acrobatic competitions and accuracy landing competitions,
The four-day International Ölüdeniz Air Games Festival runs October 15 through 19 and expects 5,000 paragliders to participate in the free flight from Babadag to Ölüdeniz during the festival, making it a major world paragliding event, second only to the French festival.
All nature's seasons seem to be coming earlier and earlier each year and we are having an ealy Fall, so perhaps it should be no surprise that Halloween, which used to be celebrated on 31 October, is now celebrated with pumpkins, Jack O'Lanterns, witches, ghosts, goulish decorations and parties being seen throughout October.
Beth J. Harpaz, AP Travel Editor, has produced an interesting list of US events, designed to make America seem even more scary than normal!
On Friday 12 and Saturday 13, September, 2008, in a beautiful pointy field by a lake, right on the edge of the New Forest, musicians, performing artists, festival goers, fun lovers and several fairies will be gathered for arguably the best music festival in the south of England.
The Pointy Field Faust Fest is where people come together, share delicious food and drink, listen to great live music, and whole families can immerse themseves in workshops and activities.
And you know what, 100% of the profits from the Faust Fest go to the development of cultural centres in Kenya, helping to provide traditional musicians and their communities with a sustainable source of income.
Cater Allen Private Bank has commisioned a survey and found that nowdays, the majority of British tourists prefer activity holidays. We could have told them that, you only have to look at the way our site visitor numbers have grown over the last five years.
Only 20% of British holidaymakers opt for lounging on a beach, while 26% indulge in some form of walking when on holiday. It seems that 1 in 8 Brits are also pretty keen on scuba diving and there are a lot of British boarders who will shortly be heading for the slopes.
Cater Allen found further evidence that Britons are changing their holiday habits, and moving away from the traditional European beach holiday when respondents stated that they wanted to go on holiday primarily for adventure.
Dave Freeman, co-author of the best-selling '100 Things To Do Before You Die' has died from a fall at his home in California. He was just 47 and had completed around half the items on his list.
"You should live every day like it would be your last, and there's not that many people who do, it's a credit to Dave that although he didn't have enough days, he lived them like he should have." commented co-author Neil Teplica.
Back in 1951, a deaf factory worker who had never learnt to speak, set off on a cycling adventure from his home in Buchan, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. He took just a single blanket, a few jumpers and his diary. His remarkable adventure led him 3000 miles to the frozen plains of the Arctic Circle and now they are making a film about him, his journey and the friends he made along the way.
I believe that the working title for the film is Dummy Jim, the name by which our hero, James Duthie, was affectionately called by his friends and the film producers have launched an imaginative website in advance of making the film, providing an entertaining opportunity to explore Duthie's world.
Sunday sees the closing ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and part of the closing ceremony involves a handover to London, which becomes the next Olympic City.
The handover will be celebrated with numerous events throughout the UK, including a party in London's famous Mall, with performances from The Feeling, Il Divo, Katherine Jenkins, Russell Watson and McFly. Use the search tool on the London 2012 site to find an event near you.
Sing the Nation is organizing a series of mass city sings on August 24, at 20 BBC Big Screen / Livesites and City centres around the UK. In each participating city, community choirs will lead the public in the biggest singalong that the world has ever seen.
Following the spectacular opening ceremony that the Chinese presented for the Beijing Olympics, there has been much discussion in the UK about what on earth London could do to produce anything that would come anywhere near the 2008 opener; with tongue in cheek, it has even been pointed out that there probably wouldn't be that many performers in the UK. However, the 'Sing the Nation' initiative has prompted me to realize that historically the British have shown a great aptitude for organizing other people and events such as 'Sing the Nation' are notable for bringing people together, so the answer for 2012 is simple, organize a series of mass participation events synchronized with performers in the Olympic stadium but spread out across the UK and indeed the World. I'm on a roll here, what about a 'Mexican Wave' that starts in London and ripples around the globe.
The UK has come out on top in a list of the world's literary destinations compiled by TripAdvisor thanks to London, Stratford-upon-Avon and Edinburgh, placed first, second and third respectively. What is more, Dublin comes in fourth, reflecting the works of James Joyce.
London just exudes literature and has been the chosen workplace for many great writers besides being the chosen setting for many of their novels, Edinburgh for example, was home to Arthur Conan Doyle but famously, his creation Sherlock Holmes was given a home in London's Baker Street.
Other famous Edinburgh residents, past and present, include Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, Ian Rankin, Alexander McCall Smith and of course. Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling. Stratford's fame is obviously down to one William Shakespeare, it is arguably the most picturesque of the UK trio and retains many medieval buildings, a few now hosting excellent restaurants.
In at five on the list is New York with Arthur Miller and Louisa May Alcott brings Concord, Massachusetts in at sixth, San Francisco with Allen Ginsberg rolling in at number eight. The US trio being split by Paris, placed in seventh, with Victor Hugo who was the most celebrated author of the nineteenth century; it is worth a visit to Paris just to see Auguste Rodin's powerful sculpture of him. The remaining places go to Rome with Virgil and in tenth place Dostoevsky and St Petersburg.
Rory and Paddy's Great British Adventure features a number of sports that have been overlooked as Olypic events; quintessentially British sports such as such as swamp soccer, toe wrestling, bog snorkelling and cheese rolling, many of which will be familiar to regular readers of these pages.
The program runs on the UK's Channel Five for the next four weeks and features comedians Rory McGrath and Paddy McGuiness as they travelled around Britain in a camper van to seek out and participate in the most bizarre, adrenalin filled events that the country has to offer.
The 2008 Australasian Safari, billed as the Paris to Dakar of the Southern Hemisphere, heads off from Kalgoorlie on August 23. This off-road event is one of the toughest and most challenging, in the world of motor sport but will attract over 100 competitors, riding motorbikes and quad bikes and 4x4s.
This year's Australasian Safari runs until August 30 and will be broadcast on the Australian Nine Network, it has named the Royal Flying Doctor Service as its official charity for 2008.
The UK National Amateur Gardening Show is scheduled for the 5-7 September, 2008, at the Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet, Somerset. They are usually blessed with glorious weather and offer spectacular garden displays, an abundance of flowers, fruit and vegetables, plus the biggest dahlia show in the world, organized by the UK National Dahlia Society.
The show is also home to the UK National Giant Vegetable Championships. Vegetables on display are not just big, they are monsters and, contrary to popular myth, having ejoyed optimum growing conditions they make good eating too. BigPumpkins.com provides an interactive web site for the giant pumpkin and squash growing community around the world. They help new comers to get started offer tips and even have a seed exchange.
Alastair Jamieson has just written an inspiring article about the Giant Vegetable Championships and the community of growers surrounding it.
One final note, the National Amateur Gardening Show also reckons to put on the best Bougainvillea (Paper Flower) display anywhere in Europe. Take a peek at a previous show on this video link.
Terrific video shots of the total solar eclipse, captured on August 1, 2008, from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwestern China by a team from Exploratorium, The museum of science, art and human perception at the Palace of Fine Arts, , San Francisco, USA.
Virgin Galactic has unveilled WhiteKnight Two, at the Civilian Aerospace Test Center in the Mojave desert, California, USA. WhiteKnight Two has been designed to take adventurous tourists into suborbital space and will be ready for its first passengers in 2010. Apparently 200 adventurers have already signed up for WhiteKnight Two's maiden flight, including the Branson family. If you want to join them, expect to pay around $200,000 for a return ticket.
Well what can I say, when a blog with the title This and That gets chosen as a blog of note, I really have little choice but to post a tale about it. DeeDee's blog is about two people touring Croatia and Greece, currently staying in Mountain View (40 mins South of San Fran, Croatia) doin a little of this and a little of that.
This window into the life of DeeDee and her partner, Geoff, provides a great insight into the region and the recreational activities that it has to offer. It is a good read with some nice pictures, look it up.
If your in the UK and you fancy visiting an agricultural and equestrian show, you might join the other 90,000 visitors to the 2008 New Forest Show. It is on the 29, 30 and 31 July, (08.30 to 19.00 daily), there is plenty of free parking but with the huge quantity of cars converging on a few fields, access can be a nightmare and you may prefer to use the pay-as-you-go shuttle bus service from Brockenhurst mainline train station. The show was first held in 1921 and now enjoys a reputation as one of the top ten shows in the country. It brings together traditional country pursuits, new exhibitions and practical demonstrations, with something to attract all age groups. This year, visitors will be able to see Christian Moullec, flying his microlight in formation with his geese!
A total solar eclipse will cross Russia at 2.20pm Moscow time on 1 August, 2008. The eclipse will be seen in Novaya Zemlya in the Arctic Ocean, Western Siberia, Yamal, and Altai.
'92 Acharnon Street', by John Lucas, has been awarded the 2008 Dolman Best Travel Book Award. John Lucas took the title from the infamous six-lane highway that leads straight into Athens city centre and his book beat off several other outstanding works to win the UK's only travel book award.
The Clipper fleet's arrival in Liverpool at the end of their 35,000-mile circumnavigation was part of the city's European Capital of Culture 2008 celebrations and thousands of people lined the banks of the Mersey to give the yachts a spectacular welcome back.
For the non-professional crew onboard the ten 68-foot ocean racing yachts, the return to Liverpool's Albert Dock represented the end of a challenge of a lifetime. Crossing the finish line to claim the title of Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race champions was, New York. Closely followed in second place by Hull & Humber. Third place went to the Scottish entry, Glasgow, which was the only boat in the ten-strong fleet to be led by a female skipper, Hannah Jenner.
Gore-Tex is running a treasure hunt for Gore-Tex tokens, hidden in Australia, Brazil, British Columbia, California, France, Madagascar, Nepal, New York, Norway and Switzerland. The competition runs through September 1, 2008 and the first people to find the tokens get $500 in branded Gore-Tex gear. Clues have been published on the website for the location of each token. Visitors to the Gore-Tex website can also participate in a write-in contest for a chance to win a free pair of travel shoes.
Entrants in the treasure hunt competition must be legal residents of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia, and there are other conditions listed in the competition rules.
For the first time in its 20 year history, the world's largest international cheese competition will take place outside the UK at Dublin, Ireland. Judging will take place at RDS Simmonscourt on 29 September, 2008 at the same time as SHOP, Ireland's premier food retail trade exhibition.
More than 130 cheese experts from around the world will form the judging panel and make their pronouncements on 2500 cheeses. An award ceremony is planned for 1 October, 2008.
Having visited La Rochelle, Salvador, Durban, Fremantle, Singapore, Qingdao, Hawaii, the west coast of the USA, the Caribbean, New York and Cork, contestants in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, which started in Liverpool last September, are just hours away from their return to Liverpool.
The fleet of 10 ocean racing yachts, each backed by a different international city and crewed by non-professional sailors, will have covered 35,000 miles to complete their circumnavigation; the nautical equivilent of climbing Everest.
As things hot up at Wimbledon, I have just noticed that Ticketmaster are selling Wimbledon tickets and in particular Centre Court ticket returns. Hard to believe but I guess that people's circumstances change unexpectedly and they cannot take-up their seat, so their precious Wimbledon ticket becomes available for some other lucky person to buy.
Just click here and you can join the rush for Centre Court Returns!
Anyone interested in participating in an Asian-centered, scavenger hunt travel adventure competition, GreatEscape2008, should visit the official website, where you can enter online or call Greg Clayton in Australia, on 0433 118454.
Built on the same principles as the successful Global Scavenger Hunt™, The Asian Scavenger Hunt™ is scheduled to take place beginning and ending in Australia between November 8 and November 22, 2008.
For the first time, a river yacht route, Dvortsovy Kruiz (Palace Cruise), has been opened, connecting Moscow and St. Petersburg via the Volga-Baltic waterway, The route will be operating on a trial basis through July 12 as part of the Annual Yacht Festival.
St. Petersburg is already a popular cruise destination but foreign cruise boats are currently barred from sailing Russian waters, although plans are underway to change this. Read more about this in the St. Petersburg Times.
Earthrace, the power boat trimaran, fueled entirely by biodiesel, has smashed the previous round-the-world record for a powerboat.
New Zealander, captain Pete Bethune and crew have arrived back at Vulkan Shipyard, Sagunto, Spain, just 60 days after departing on their circumnavigation record attempt, which takes 14 days of the previous record set 10 years ago. Earthrace has accomplished its remarkable feat running only on renewable biodiesel fuel, and leaving a net zero carbon footprint.
Having posted the occasional article here, tracing the river Danube from its source in Germany to the Black Sea, it was nice to learn that a team of Kayakers, twin sisters Chrissy and Eve Conyers, with their friends Wayne and Josh, are setting out on June 26 from Regensburg, Germany, to paddle about 2500 km to the Romanian estuary.
The group are using the trip to raise money for the children of CanTeen, who have grown up living with cancer. The girls have been members of CanTeen throughout their childhood because their brother, Adrian has been battling with a brain tumor. CanTeen is an Australian support organisation for young people (aged 12-24) that are living with the disruption of cancer; this includes ot only the cancer patients themselves, but their brothers and sisters and also young people with parents or primary carers with cancer.
German football fans are now heading to Vienna for the Euro 2008 final, so they have chosen a particularly exciting time for their adventure. Let's wish Team Kayak luck and if you are able to support them with a sposorship donation, go to Eveyday Hero, where you will be able to make a donation and enable them to 'Raise More Than a Sweat for CanTeen'.
If you want to get dirty on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 July 2008, you could head for the Scottish Borders, where Detail Events, the outfit behind the UK's urban Adventure Series, the Rat Race, are organising a multi-adventure sports festival.
The festival is set to offer contestants three opportunities to get covered in dirt and likely very wet as well. There is the ACE Adventure Race, the Polaris Mountain Bike Challenge and The Dirty Dozen, a new 12K Trail run.
There is a medieval city lying in the foothills of the French Pyrenees, not far from the site of pre-historic cave paintings, it is a great base for hiking, climbing, cycling and canoeing on the river Ariege. The city is Mirepoix and it is close to Toulouse, Carcassonne, Foix, Montsegur and Montaillou.
28,000 performances at 261 venues, between 3-25 August, 2008 and thousands of appreciative visitors who reckon that there is no better place to be during August. The Fringe website has a series of message boards which are worth checking out.
Springwatch, a three-week celebration of UK wildlife is back, with the usual mix of live and interactive, wildlife filming and discussion from around Britain. The television program runs on BBC Two through until 12 June, 2008 and the web site contains video clips, webcams, blogs, forums and message boards.
You might also be interested in Bill Oddie's practical guide to enjoying the wildlife of Britain. Organised into a monthly calendar, Bill writes about the best places to visit, how to catch a glimpse of the UK's best-loved species, and things to do for each month of the year. There is also a DVD available.
The Tour de France begins again in just over one month, running from Saturday, July 5 to Sunday, July 27, the 95th Tour will start in Brest, Brittany and be made up of 21 stages, covering a total distance of 3,500 kilometres.
In 2009, the Tour de France begins on 4 July and for the first time in its history, will set out from Monaco.
This year's Festival of Speed at Goodwood runs through 11-13 July, with the theme 'Hawthorn to Hamilton – Britain's Love Affair with World Motor Sport'. Fifty years ago Mike Hawthorn became Britain's first Formula 1 World Champion and current F1 star, Lewis Hamilton, needs no introduction; he has confirmed that he will be attending the event.
Britain has always played a key role in the global motor racing industry and recognising the important role that Britain has played in shaping motor sport worldwide, the Festival is celebrating the influence and achievements of iconic British figures, including Stirling Moss, Jim Clark, John Surtees, Colin McRae, Roger Clark, James Hunt, Barry Sheene, Jackie Stewart, Derek Bell, Colin Chapman, Adrian Newey and British-based Gordon Murray. As always, the Festival will also feature the world's finest competition cars and motorcycles, making the Goodwood Festival of Speed a must for the motorhead calender.
Abu Dhabi's 'Desert Islands' is due to open for tourists this October. It consists of eight islands and an onshore gate just off the coast of Jebel Dhanna, a 250 kilometre drive from Abu Dhabi city.
Guests will be able to enjoy a number of adventure activities including 4x4 guided tours of the Arabian Wildlife Park, hiking trails, mountain biking and snorkelling; the waters and coral reefs around the resort are notably rich in marine life.
The Mongol Rally 2008 embarks again on July 19th 2008 . Now in its fifth year, there are starting points at London in the UK, Spain and Italy.
So what is the Mongol Rally? It seems to be a grand adventure, whereby the organisers have persuaded a bunch of self-certified muppits to travel a third of the way around the world to the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar via routes of their own choosing, through a host of countries that most people will not have heard of, in any performance-challanged car that has an engine size less than 1000 cc. Rumours abound that some entrants in the first Mongol Rally are still on route to the finish line.
But the Mongol Rally isn't only about adventure and mayhem, competitors do raise huge sacks of cash for some great charities. So if you should see a beat up old car heading for Mongolia, stop and give them a push, and perhaps a little cash for their chosen charity.
An American legend is to get its own museum. Just in time for the 105th anniversary of the famous motorcycle's birth, the Harley-Davidson Museum is set to open on July 12, 2008, with tickets going on sale May 20, 2008.
Located in Milwaukee, USA, exhibits include a bike from each of Harley's 105 years of production, together with Harley bicycles, snowmobiles and even golf carts. Raiding the company's vast archives, the museum has been able to fashion exhibits featuring customised motorcycles, clothing, photos, posters, promotional materials and magazines. Read a full review from Rick Barrett.
Believe it or not, this year's RHS Chelsea Flower Show is just a couple of weeks away Tuesday 20 May to Saturday 24 May, when for the 85th year it will again be held at the showground in the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, in London, UK. Parking in the area is virtually non-existant and in any case, the show is located within the London congestion zone, so you have to pay a fee to enter the area in a car. For years, visitors to the show have been advised to travel by public transport, there is an underground station only a few minutes walk from the entrance to the show, and this is really the only way to get there, unless of course you are one of those visitors lucky enough to afford to arrive by helicopter or chauffeur driven car.
Now if you feel lucky, the RHS is running a competition that gives green gardeners the chance to win a pair of tickets on Thursday 22 May, for the 2008 Flower Show, together with a personal tour round the show with Show Manager, Alex Baulkwill.
To enter the competition, simply visit the Chelsea website and tell the organisers your best, eco-friendly, green gardening tip.
This is a holiday weekend in the UK and a two-day show is taking place at the Heritage Motor Centre, in Gaydon, Warwickshire, to celebrate 60 years of the Land Rover. Sunday, features the Classic Run, when over 100 classic Land Rovers from the Association of Land Rover Clubs will travel from the Solihull Land Rover factory to the Heritage Motor Centre. Thanks to Karl from dnadublin.com for the pic.
A 'thank you' gift, made 60 years ago, from the Netherlands to Ottawa, Canada, of 100,000 tulip bulbs, was used to start the Canadian Tulip Festival. The festival has since grown into a kaleidoscope of color, with more than three million tulips decorating Canada's Capital each spring.
Reckoned to be the largest Tulip Festival in the world, all events are free and it is described as the 'festival without fences'. Canadian Tulip Festival May 2 to 19, 2008.
Americans have been really creative in satisfying tourists' latest desire for culture tours. New York City, the city that already offers a 'Sex and the City' tour, takes tourists on a 'TV and movie' trek and provides the opportunity of a 'Harlem gospel' expedition, now offers the ultimate gourmet experience, the Pizza tour.
Learn more about these tours in the NY Daily News.
SEPAQ, the national park network in Québec have announced that they now have 99 ready-to-camp sites with 62 Huttopia tents and 37 tent trailers, in 13 national parks.
The French manufactured, Huttopia tents, are available from June 20, 2008 and are equipped to offer a comfortable stay, right in the heart of nature. They have a wooden platform, canvas walls and roof, two bedrooms separated by a curtain, and a living room fully furnished with camping style furniture. All the benefits of camping without the bother of transporting your own kit.
It will be possible to visit a Huttopia tent during the 7th Montréal Outdoor Festival. A tent will be set up at Parc Jean-Drapeau from May 23rd to 25th and will allow visitors to discover this latest addition to Sépaq's range of accommodation.
Tourism Australia have announced a marketing campaign, aimed at 18 to 30-year-olds on the social networking site, MySpace.
The interactive campaign will not only be used to promote travel to Australia but to also advertise Australia's working holiday visa program, which runs in Britain, the US, Canada and Ireland. Read more about the Tourism Australia announcement.
Spring has arrived in Canada but the Barrie Examiner reports that, following a major funding announcement, snowmobile clubs in the Ontario area are already looking forward to next winter.
The Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs will receive $3 million from the provincial government to help attract more sports and adventure tourists to use the province's 40,000 kilometres of snowmobile trails. It is part of an initiative to promote the province as a prime snowmobile tourism destination.
This year, 1 May, May Day, falls on a Thursday and since in most of Europe it is celebrated as a public holiday, many people will be taking the opportunity to take a four day weekend.
May Day was originally a country holiday to welcome the arrival of spring but for the last 150 years has been closely associated with the labour movement and the rights of workers. Whatever its meanings and origins, the day is now widely celebrated with fetes and festivals throughout Europe. Perhaps the largest is a huge free music festival in Rome, organised by the unions.
If you plan to travel in Europe over the holiday weekend, just remember to plan ahead and check that places are going to be open.
Sunday sees this year's London Marathon. Always a big day for thousands of fun and charity runners, it now also forms part of the World Marathon Majors series.
The series brings together the world's 'big five' city marathons: the Boston Marathon, the London Marathon, the Berlin Marathon, the Chicago Marathon, and the New York City Marathon, but also includes any IAAF World Championships marathons and Olympic Games marathon races held during the period.
There are a men's and a women's series, each running over two-years. The winners of each of these races earn 25 points, with 15 going to second place, 10 to third, five to fourth and one to fifth. To qualify for the prize, runners must complete at least three races over the two years of a series, with a maximum of four scoring races counting towards their points total. They must also finish at least one qualifying race in each year of the series. For which, the top man and woman at the end of a two-year series, not only get to have had the fun of running marathons and the pleasure of being super-fit, they get to split $1 million in prize money. See the leader boards on the official World Marathon Majors website.
Berck sur Mer, France is the site for Europe's largest kite festival. Held during April each year, it attracts kite flyers from around the world and is free to spectators. The flat sandy beach at Berck sur Mer is notably long, running into Le Touquet, the home of sand yachting or kite buggies, but the event attracts huge crowds and the sky is filled with kites of all shapes and sizes. There are demonstrations, contests, exhibitions and kite flying classes.
This year's event has been running since 5 April and finishes on Suday, so there is still time for many Europeans to get along this weekend. Berck sur Mer is just south of Boulogne sur Mer.
More information is available from the official web site but it only seems to be available in French.
I picked up on this event a couple of months ago and suddenly I find that it is almost upon us. A large pagan gathering near Weymouth in the UK, to celebrate the festival of Beltane, is being organised by Dorset druids and witches. Several hundred people are expected to attend the festival, running from May 2 to May 4, 2008, which will culminate in the ritual burning of a wicker man.
Lucca in Tuscany, Italy, birthplace and home of the great operatic composer Giacomo Puccini, is organising a rich calendar of events celebrating his birth, 150 years ago.
Many arias from Puccini's operas are enjoyed daily, throughout the world, for example the moving Nessun Dorma and the haunting O Mio Babbino Caro, making him the world's most performed composer.
Lucca, enjoys an excellent geographical position, just 20 km from Pisa, 70 km from Florence, 25 km from Viareggio and approximately 100 km from Massa. It boasts mountains and lakes, beaches, wetlands, underground grottoes and thermal springs. The region offers tourists an infinite variety of landscapes and activities, not least, renowned food and wine to accompany great music. No wonder Puccini was never short of inspiration.
Highlights of this season's two-week long festival include a concert by Nigel Kennedy, an opera marking the 150th anniversary of Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini, and several exhibitions, interlinked with Hungary's Renaissance Year; 2008 is the 550th anniversary of the coronation of Matthias Corvinus, who's reign (1458-1490) is regarded as the most glorious in Hungarian history. The different exhibitions have been designed to complement each other, both thematically and chronologically, providing a comprehensive picture of Renaissance culture in 15th century Hungary.
The Waterfront Trail is a waymarked trail following the shore of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River in Ontario, Canada. It connects 41 communities, 182 parks and natural areas, 152 arts and culture heritage attractions and 170 marinas and yacht clubs.
37 waterfront festivals are held annually along the trail and this year sees the first End-to-End Bike Tour, the Great Waterfront Trail Adventure. 680 km in 8 days, July 4th-11th, 2008, starting at Niagara-on-the-Lake and ending at the Quebec border.
You can register on the Great Waterfront Trail Adventure website, for the whole eight days tour, or just a part. Everyone is welcome, experienced cyclists, occasional cylists, lapsed riders, families, groups and single bikers; kids are encouraged to be a part of the adventure as well. Maps of the entire Trail, from Niagara-on-the-Lake to Brockville, are available for download.
Fashion Fringe, now in its fith year, was concceived by Colin McDowell as a dynamic fringe event to coincide with London Fashion Week; it helps to support and promote young talent in the British fashion industry. Created in 2004 by IMG global sports, entertainment and media company, under the creative direction of Colin McDowell, who is a fashion historian and senior fashion writer for the Sunday Times Style Magazine, the event offers the winner the opportunity to create their own fashion company, with a prize of more than £100,000, together with mentoring, business support, PR and legal advice.
Applicants (Design Duos are also permitted to enter) must have been resident in the UK or Eire for 3 years or more, or have a valid work permit until 2012, and they must also be over the age of 21 to enter. Closing Date for Applications is 2 May 2008 and you can apply online.
It seems like we have no sooner got over the Hogmanay hangover, than the Irish begin their annual party. Monday 17th March is St. Patrick's day; that special day filled with music, velvet black stout, dancing and still more of the black stuff. The day when the Irish celebrate being Irish and the rest of the world celebrate with them, wishing that they have at least a little Irish blood running through their veins.
In Dublin, they celebrate in the famed Irish style, warming up with five days and nights of celebrations. Music, street theatre, family carnivals, comedy, street performances, dance, a treasure hunt and night spectaculars. What is more, almost all of the events are free.
Then, the celebrations, involving 4000 performers and 1 million people, come to a magnificent climax with the world famous St. Patrick's Day Parade on Monday 17th March.
This year, England's famous Salisbury Cathedral will be celebrating the 750th anniversary of its consecration which was completed in 1258. There is a full programme of celebration events and activities including a Medieval Fair, Flower Festival and Organ Recitals, a series of seven monthly recitals by leading organists, running April through October, 2008.
The Medieval Fair, 4th and 5th May 2008, features Living History Encampments, Man at Arms displays, led by the spectacular Paladins of Chivalry, along with medieval music, dance, falconry, court entertainers, costumes, food, ales, Medieval crafts and stalls.
Then, for five days over 17th-21st June 2008, a spectacular festival of flowers, designed by internationally renowned floral judge and arranger Michael Bowyer, will fill Salisbury Cathedral with an exuberance of colour and fragrance.
An adventure race called the Madagui Trophy, has been organized by VietAdventure Company, in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund.
The race will take place March 15 and 16, 2008, in Madagui Commune, south of Lam Dong Province and 150 km outside of Ho Chi Minh City. More from Truong Son, reporting in the Thanh Nien Daily.
Between Friday, March 21 and Friday April 4, the Sri Lanka skies will be filled with the spectacular sight of 22 hot air ballons. Over 72 participants, including balloonists from the UK, Ireland, Japan, and Saudi Arabia will be taking part in the Sri Lanka Balloon Festival 2008
The event encourages family participation and is regarded as an ideal family vacation, in a country that is establishing a high reputation as an Asian adventure destination. Known as the 'Pearl in the Indian Ocean', Sri Lanka is proving to be a real gem for the adventurous tourist.
UK sailors have returned from Qingdao, China, with the best Olympic medal haul for over a century and gold medal winners Ben Ainslie, Paul Goodison, Iain Percy, Andrew Simpson, Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson, will arrive on Mike Golding's yacht Ecover 3, at 10am tomorrow, together with other Skandia Team GBR members, to formally open the show.
Sunday, features the Classic Run, when over 100 classic Land Rovers from the Association of Land Rover Clubs will travel from the Solihull Land Rover factory to the Heritage Motor Centre. Thanks to Karl from dnadublin.com for the pic.
