Archives for October 2008

From our colonial history to our contemporary beauty - experience a ride through time. Soak up the sights and sounds around the world’s greatest harbour. Sydney Bike Tours is a fantastic and environmentally friendly way to enjoy all this superb city has to offer.

Pedal Power – it’s clean – it’s green – it’s how Sydney should be seen. Let our expert local guides take you on a breathtaking journey. Pedal past our many wonders and cruise down our back alleys. We’ll take you to places well off the tourist track. The photo opportunities are endless.

You will see more of Sydney by bicycle than from inside a bus. There is no better way to enjoy a real local Sydney experience than to ride with a Sydney sider as they show you their beautiful backyard.

The trains in Europe are amazing for getting around while still being able to see the countryside and get a feel of where you are.  The normal second class cabin is as nice as any train I've ridden in in the U.S. so generally speaking an upgrade to first is not needed.  The main things to consider when looking at buying train tickets is your overall travel needs. 

They are offered in multiple packages covering 2-3-5-10-Ect...so knowing what you want to do before arriving in Europe is a large plus in getting your moneys worth. 

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It's hard to say what you'll find most breathtaking about the Eternal City - the arrogant opulence of the Vatican, the timelessness of the Forum, the top speed of a Fiat Bambino, the gory resonance of the Colosseum, trying to cross a major intersection, or the bill for your caffe latte.

Make like the locals and souse your senses in the glut of pleasures the city has to offer, from the grandiose thrill of feeling centuries of turbulent history under your feet to the small but potent intoxication of eating chestnut gelati on a hot day.

Top value holiday company Cosmos has unveiled its Europe 2009 brochure, offering tours from as little as $79 a day and a chance to beat the exchange rates with confirmed prices in Aussie dollars.Cosmos land prices are protected from currency fluctuations once a full deposit is paid, giving Australians unbeatable value in Europe no matter what happens in the currency markets.

The Cosmos Europe 2009 brochure offers more than 60 holidays at prices almost impossible to achieve travelling independently, capitalising on Cosmos’ packaging power and the experience of the Globus Family of Brands.

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Europe is one of the most user-friendly destinations in the world. Depending on your budget and timeframe, you could use literally every mode of transportation within one vacation.Once in Europe, the options are numerous: airplanes, ferries, trains, buses, taxis, rental cars and even bicycles are all great ways to enjoy different aspects of the European adventure.

Low-cost carriers are among the most popular ways to take the edge off pricey intra-European flights and can sometimes be less expensive than train travel for the same distance. Check which airports the low-cost carriers operate from as many of them fly to cheaper, less congested airports which also happen to be some distance from the major city they serve. However, most offer regular shuttle services to the relevant city. Since they emphasize cost, they are usually booked online.

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Germany — Remember, back in your childhood, those fairy tales set in the Black Forest featuring ogres, trolls, tiny gingerbread houses, and handsome princes and beautiful princesses? Such a fairy-tale setting still exists in Baden-Baden, right at the edge of the Black Forest, about an hour’s drive from Frankfurt and half that distance from France’s Alsace region.

In all fairness, though, it must be said that the traditional fairy tale has taken on a decidedly different twist: Ogres and trolls are no longer allowed within the town limits, gingerbread houses have been renovated into fashionable boutiques and intimate restaurants, and the handsome princes and beautiful princesses,

 far from imperiled, are pampered within an inch of their lives at some of the world’s best spas.Baden-Baden has been a spa town since Roman times, when Emperor Caracalla came to soak in the natural spring waters in hopes of curing his rheumatism. Today, that original bath remains, one of 22 in the area, allowing Baden-Baden to challenge Bath in England and Vichy in France as Europe’s spa capital.

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The Cape Kidnappers golf course, with green fees of $400 a round, has been rated the world's best by England's Daily Telegraph newspaper.

It heads a top 10 that includes, in order, Royal County Down, Northern Ireland, Pebble Beach, United States, Leopard Creek, South Africa, Green Monkey, Barbados, Domaine de Sperone, Corsica, Turnberry, Scotland, Canouan, The Grenadines, Doonbeg, Ireland, and Royal Melbourne.

Telegraph travel news editor Charles Starmer-Smith says: "This course, on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island, comes top of our list for its dramatic location.

"Built on what was a sheep station, its fairways play out along a series of jagged ridges that jut out like fingers into the Pacific before plunging down to the rocks below.

"Players must contend with fearsome ravines, contoured fairways and fast, tilted greens."

The Tom Doak-designed par 71 course will host Australian Adam Scott and Americans Anthony Kim, Hunter Mahan and Brandt Snedeker in the made-for-TV 36-hole Kiwi Challenge event later this month.

There have never been many places to stay on Romney Marsh. Around it, yes. On it, no. Visitors were perhaps put off by the prospect of falling into a giant dyke, such as Jury’s Gut Sewer, catching marsh ague or being caught in crossfire between smugglers and blockade men. So hats off to David and Zara Rhys-Jones  yes, he’s Sophie’s brother  for taking over the pub in Brookland, on Walland Marsh, two years ago and opening two rooms as well.

I was impressed by the swift, good-humoured responses to my chaotic pre-arrival emails (Have I booked? Did I book the twin? Is late supper OK as my friend Fi is coming on a late train to Ashford?). I was impressed, too, on arriving just after opening time, to be greeted warmly, have my bag taken and be offered a drink in front of the fire while waiting for David, who then talked me through the area’s highlights  the famous marsh church next door has a stand-alone belfry, like a bionic pepper pot and told me the way to Ashford station.

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The Louvre Museum (Musée du Louvre) is the largest museum in the world, and arguably the most popular as well. Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code” probably made Louvre a more famous place than it already was.