Tagged With "special event"
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Nov 17, 2015: Mdina Gates, Malta
Mdina is one of the few places I've been that's, in my experience, unlike any other. I thought it so beautiful on my first visit that I booked a room in the closest hotel just outside this gate and spent several days exploring it and the adjacent town of Rabat. Lunch at the restaurant of, I believe, the only hotel in Mdina, the Xara Palace , was memorable, wonderful service and food and a small compensation for not staying in the 5 star hotel. Thanks for the memory, IslandMan.
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Re: Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit, Kennedy Space Center
Thanks for an orbit of memory lane! I think for me the most amazing aspect of the whole space program is how we have moved from each launch being a major news event before, during and after to seeing space in the papers only when something goes wrong--and these days, it seems to be mostly plumbing issues on the International Space Station. Looking at the pictures...it's amazing how big some aspects are, and how small the actual shuttle is!
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Re: Do you Like these Hotel Tipping Tips ?
Yes. I get the picture Paul. To be blunt about the experience - I don't care who's fault it is ! Perhaps dining out in the UK is a less frequent event. But when I go out for Dinner I want a pleasant experience. I don't want to hear about other peoples problems. I never get a reduction in the price because the service was bad. And I'm certainly not going to reward it either ! Minimum wage of a waitress in the UK is about = $400 US for 40 hrs. But we still tip for good service !
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Re: Doctor List for Traveling
Mac says, a good travel insurance policy is an absolute requirement - The part he left off was "for me", for him. Insurance, any kind, is playing the odds. When you buy it you're betting you'll have a disaster. When you don't you're figuring the likelihood of a dire event is low. If you take an occasional trip of short duration and can afford insurance, sure, why not. When the number & length of trips begins to mount and the budget becomes more of an issue then maybe not. It's called...
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Re: Beautiful collection of mate cups at the Puerto de Frutos market, El Tigre Argentina. Mate is the national drink of Argentina, a type of tea
Yes, those are gourds that are decorated (among the nicer ones we saw). You cal pick from all kinds of cups, though, ranging from cow horns to hooves to porcelain cups to whatever. Drinking mate is a social event, to be shared among friends. You never use more than one straw (everyone sips from the same) and saying "thank you" means you've finished. I'll have more on mate in the future, PM, as you might have guessed
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Re: The Candy Church, Lamèque Island, New Brunswick
A while back, Vivie sent me a link to a nice article that the Boston Globe wrote on the area, including the church. http://www.bostonglobe.com/lif...y.html?event=event25
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Re: New Orleans—Museum Highlights Young Voices of Resilience
Great post! New Orleans is such a vibrant and amazing city with rich history & culture. The people of the city lived through such a horrific event, but to see that some light has come out of the darkness is uplifting.
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Re: The Battle of Waterloo, June 2015 (part 2)
Thank you very much Garry. The spectacle made the photos so easy to capture. It was quite humbling to go to this which was a real once-in-a-lifetime event. Very pleased to share it with TG and happy you enjoyed it.
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Re: No more TGV: France says 'Oui' to new name
Why would they want to name it something that sounds like "boredom, difficulty, tedium, obstacle?" I don't get it. Seems strange. Or were they going more for, "Je m'ennui de toi" so I'm going to hop on a fast train! Also reminds me of, "Gimme a ticket for an aeroplane Ain't got time to take a fast train. Lonely days are gone, I'm a-goin' home My baby, just-a wrote me a letter" In any event, still not getting it for the TGV's new name. I know the pronunciations are a bit different but reminds...
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Re: ...and you thought Austin was only for country music: 7th Annual Bug-Eating Festival
I'm not even going to look - yet another confirmation that any event name ending in "festival" should be avoided for a variety of reasons and at all cost.
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Re: Summer Solstice at Stonehenge 2014
Hi Dr. F. - No limit to the numbers who can attend and very few other restrictions (e.g. no bottles, drugs etc) for the 2 Solstices each year. This year was attended by a massive 37,000 people doubtless due to the excellent weather (the best in the past 8 years). Maria went 2 years ago whilst I was travelling and it poured with rain.... Not good. However, these are now the only times that you can touch the stones since they are normally roped off. The sights this year were just great. A real...
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Re: UKs First National Civil War Centre to Open With Huge Civil War Re-Enactment
The English Civil War will be re-enacted in Newark, Nottinghamshire England. More details of the event and photos of the Castle are in: http://www.britainexpress.com/...ns.htm?attraction=93
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Re: Why You should visit Nevada's Valley of Fire
You are correct, GarryRF. There have been a number of movies filmed in the park. Lifted straight from Wikipedia , here is a listing of these: Film History : Valley of Fire is a popular location for shooting automobile commercials and other commercial photography. It has provided a setting for the following films and television shows: The Professionals with Burt Lancaster , Lee Marvin , and Claudia Cardinale was filmed in 1966. As of November 2012 a piece of the movie set is still up for...
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Re: World's most attractive libraries
Technically speaking, it's not a "best of..." but a "world's most stunning" list. I understand I may be splitting hairs with that argument. In any event, one needs to make an exception for really valuable lists, like libraries or books. There's something special about a great book and a great bookshop. The smells, the textures, the visual stimulation -- always work wonders for me. Thanks for these additions.
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Re: France to Send 120 Extra Police to Secure Channel Tunnel
Prior to me leaving for Europe I had read about the stoppages. But I had purchased my ticket back in the winter when there wasn't any such talk, and I foolishly didn't spend the extra $2/ trip for refund insurance in the event of a halt to the service. But I made the crossing and next time that $2 will be well spent for worry-free travel.
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justvipibiza
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Feb 14, 2014: Alnwick Castle, Nothumberland
Thanks PortMoresby, very kind words. It just blew me away when I first saw the castle and then to learn that it had featured in just about every major military event in England's history... Well, Iwas dumbstruck!
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Re: Tampa Bay Automobile Museum: 3) cars from the USA and UK
Great pics of great cars. I will put the Tampa Bay Museum on my list of things to see. Additionally, The National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky is awesome, as well. It includes a 50's diner cafe featuring period stuff for lunch. Less than a mile away is the Corvette assembly plant, which offers tours. This is the only place in the whole wide world where Corvettes are assembled. Both are definitely worth a visit. The National Packard Museum is located In Warren, Oh and is small, but...
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Re: Hawaii: Coping with Hurricane Ana
It's not often we get an inside view of an event like this, while it's going on. Thanks! I've been wondering whether people on Kauai, where Iniki changed everything, had very different reactions to the possible storm than those on the Big Island?
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Memphis, Tennessee 3) The rest of the city
There’s a lot more to Memphis than Graceland, although Graceland is by far the city’s most popular attraction (which I’ve previously discussed here ). A city of about 650,000, Memphis has a...
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Dry Falls – Home of The World’s Largest Waterfall!
Imagine a waterfall with a precipice over three and a half miles (5.5 km) long and a drop of over 400 feet (120 m)! By comparison, Niagara Falls is about 1/10th as wide. Think of the millions of gallons of water pouring over it each...
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A springtime hike on the Yakima Rim Skyline Trail
After a rather long winter I was ready for a pleasant dayhike. While I’d rather head up to the mountains for a stroll in an alpine meadow, there’s way too much snow up there in April. Fortunately in the Northwest there are some...
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Lisbon: Cheap, but Steep!
That’s my short take on Lisbon after two weeks there last summer. A variety of economic factors, not all connected with the Euro crisis of the past few years, have made Portugal incredibly cheap for foreign travelers—but you have to be...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, January 8, 2015: Statue of Elvis Presley, Beale Street, Memphis, TN
Today is Elvis Presley's eightieth birthday. In honor of this event, it seemed fitting to do a Picture of the Day dedicated to "The King". I came across this attractive bronze statue of Elvis on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee....
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Punalu'u Black Sand Beach Park, Hawaii Island, Hawaii
I love visiting the state of Hawaii. Although I have enjoyed all the Hawaiian islands I have visited (Oahu, Kauai, and Hawaii Island), my favorite island would be Hawaii Island (aka the Big Island). The diversity of the Hawaii...
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Booking.com Changes as Travelers Change : Interview With Stuart Frisby
One of the biggest stories in travel over the last 20 years has been the growth of accommodation website, Booking.com. It was founded by a computer scientist, Geert-Jan Bruinsma in 1996 and is based in Amsterdam. Priceline bought Booking.com in 2005...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, February 2, 2015: The Steelpan - National Instrument of Trinidad & Tobago
Carnival season 2015 is in full swing. To the world Carnival may be most popular in Brazil, but Trinidad and Tobago has a massive celebration that may just be second biggest. The Carnival season starts immediately after the...
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Brooklyn's Spectacular Botanic Garden (Where Gumbo Was #112)
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden, a pint-size treasure that always seems bigger than it is (and which occupies an outsize place in botanical research) was this week's answer to Where in the World is TravelGumbo? Because the Garden presents an array...
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New startup aims to be "Airbnb for yachts
Airbnb has made a name for offering vacation rentals that range from a couch to a condo to a house or caravan, including the occasional boat. Beds on Board, a new startup, aims to do more or less the same, except they're focusing on yachts. ...
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How cold is this winter? Niagara Falls has frozen over!
With temperatures down at times to minus double-digits, and day after day of extreme cold, Niagara Falls has frozen solid. It's not the first time it's happened, but it's not a regular event, either. So...don't plan a winter honeymoon at The...
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Where in the World is TravelGumbo? (#106)
Today's puzzle photo was snapped while Gumbo was enjoying a cultural event. Colorful, interesting. There's some clues here; anyone know where this might be? I'll be posting additional clues assuming the puzzle doesn't get...
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Carnival Celebrations in Trinidad & Tobago
Carnival is an annual celebration of life found in many countries around the world. It first originated as a pagan festival in ancient Egypt which was subsequently celebrated by the Greeks and then the Romans. Carnival was later adopted by the Roman...
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A Day in Ponce, Puerto Rico (Where Gumbo Was #87)
On our second-to-last day in Puerto Rico, we headed to the south shore of the island, to the city of Ponce. It's smaller than San Juan, has less tourist traffic—all that, and yet it considers itself the cultural equal of the capital or of...
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American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame, Amarillo, TX
Samantha explores this museum dedicated to a favorite American breed, and shares the excitement with us.
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Healy Hall, Georgetown University (Where Gumbo was #234)
Gumbo was visiting Healy Hall in Georgetown University. George G shares the history and some great photos of the site.
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EasyJet builds trans-Atlantic connections
EasyJet will partner with Norwegian and Westjet to offer through connections to North America through London Gatwick airport.
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Top 10 Things to Do in Birmingham
Birmingham is the second largest city in the UK with a population of approximately 1,000,075 at the latest count. With a distinguished history based on its manufacturing heritage this proud city is now a magnet for tourists from all over the world and whether it is shopping you love, attractions or festivals and events, Birmingham and its surrounding area has everything you can think of. Murder Mystery Events If you are thinking of taking a weekend break in Birmingham why not try a Murder...
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Svartisdal, Norway, Part 2
Bob Cranwell continues his tale of visits to the Svartisdal region in Norway, and some of the potential perils of hiking around this beautiful piece of geography.
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Southwest has its eyes on Hawaii
Southwest's passengers are eager for Hawaii, and the airline wants to, but not just yet.
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How to Plan the Perfect Summer Festival
Summer is here and the time for festival-goers to once again enjoy a full schedule of festivals and events – including yours! But you need to get it right, as poor performance makes for a poor impression. With your festival’s reputation dented, it can be hard to gain support for future events. Here are a list of some of the do’s and don’ts of festival planning. What would you add to the list? On the DO list… Keep attendees and staff hydrated – and that means having plenty of refreshment...
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July 26, 2017: Lady Liberty—The Statue of Liberty
Samantha takes us to visit the famed Statue, and fills us in on its history.
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After drops, London and Paris see more visitors
After a bad year marked by tourism losses after terror incidents, the two cities are seeing visitor numbers rise again, though not yet to 2015 levels.
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How to hold a wedding ceremony
For couples, a wedding ceremony has a particular occasion. Usually on important anniversaries (20 or 20, 50, etc.), or when they have a very hard time, want to relive their commitment to each other. It is also possible that when married two people cannot afford a large, expensive wedding ceremony, this time wants to compensate. Here are some guidelines, but there are many ways to celebrate a wedding ceremony without sticking to one. Decide whether you want a big celebration or an intimate...
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New York's Circle Line gets new boats
New York's iconic boat ride gets a pair of updated boats, with more to come.
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Ultimate thrill ride? Zip-lining the Eiffel Tower
Perrier gives 100 lottery winners a chance to zip-line from the tower to the ground in celebration of the French Open tennis tournament.
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5 Things You Must Tell A Limo Service Company While Hiring Them
Using a limousine service adds a sense of class and luxury to the person who is sitting in its back seat. Traveling in a limousine is an experience most people can only dream about. Most people hire limousine services for important life events, and therefore one needs to be careful in choosing the service. No matter what the event is, whether you want a luxury limousine service , a corporate event, or a wedding, there are a few things you must check with a limousine service company when you...
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Hundreds of 'Tramps' mark Chaplin's birthday
At a Swiss museum dedicated to his career, a record-setting gathering of imitators.
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Big Chihuly exhibit comes to NY Botanical Garden
Artist Dale Chihuly's work will be highlighted at a 6-month New York exhibition featuring a number of new works.
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Berlin's uneasy path to a pedestrian mall
Berlin has ambitions to follow Paris and New York in creating urban pedestrian spaces, but its plan for Unter den Linden is raising questions.