Travel

Portmeirion is a small resort village in North Wales famous for its Italianate architecture, and for being the setting for a sinister late-1960s TV show called The Prisoner, which starred Patrick McGoohan as “Number Six”. Portmeirion was created by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, who bought the land in 1925 with the intent of creating a purpose-built community inspired by locations he had visited around the Mediterranean, in particular the Italian town of Portofino. Much of the village was built before construction was halted with the onset of World War I in 1939. Beginning again in 1954, Williams-Ellis spent another couple of decades perfecting his design. Portmeirion is a true resort – there is an admission fee to visit, and all the houses are rented as holiday cottages. The only residents are people who work in the hotel, shops and cafes which cater to tourists who generally arrive at the ‘Welcome Centre‘. This is rather different to The Prisoner, which saw visitors being knocked unconscious with gas and transported to The Village against their will. The 17 episodes of The Prisoner featured scenes filmed in Portmeirion, and during 1966 and 1967 the combination of science fiction and psychological drama quickly attracted attention to the village, even though the filming location wasn’t revealed until the final episode. The number of annual visitors doubled to 100,000 in 1968, and today close to a quarter of a million people visit each year, either as tourists, or as visitors to the annual fan convention or music festival, Festival No6. Taking a tour of filming locations gives us a good look around Portmeirion, so we’ll start with Number Six’s house, which is now used as a shop selling The Prisoner memorabilia. The small plaza here is called Battery Square, and has several examples of the whimsical flourishes found all over Portmeirion to help with the Mediterranean feel. From Number Six’s house, you go “across the square, across the street, and up the steps” where you “can’t miss” The Green Dome (now grey since being re-roofed) where Number Two lives and welcomes new residents to The Village. During the summer tourist season it serves as an art gallery. Portmeirion is centered around a Central Piazza with a pond and ornate gardens which feature heavily in the exterior scenes of The Prisoner. The Piazza includes several structures and portions of buildings moved from elsewhere, used here solely as decorative elements. These include the Bristol Colonnade (used as a bandstand) and the Gloriette. After waking up in The Village in the first episode, Number Six heads across the Piazza to a café and the arch with a ‘phone box’ and nearby ‘free information’ booth, where the full realization of the strangeness of his situation starts to sink in. Continuing along the road around the gardens, we reach the ‘Town Hall‘, which is actually a restaurant, and presumably doesn’t employ a force field to keep unwanted people out. As we reach the shore, we can glimpse the lawn used as the helicopter landing pad, though it is today dominated by a swimming pool. Then we get to the Old People’s Home, which is actually the main hotel for visitors staying in the village. The Stone Boat is named the Amis Reunis. Originally a real boat which docked here, it was shipwrecked around 1930, but some portions were salvaged and used to create this permanent structure. From the path along the shore we get sweeping views of the estuary sands and sea which feature often in the series, including at the end of the iconic opening sequence, where Number Six declares “I am not a number, I am a free man!” A short distance north-east from the village (although considerably farther than it appears to be in the TV show) is The Hospital – in reality a medieval mansion called Castell Deudraeth. The building was extensively renovated and opened as a hotel in 2001. Portmeirion has been used as a location in numerous other TV shows, m

Mostar does not hide its character. It is an Ottoman jewel with its history written in bullet holes, old cobbled streets, and the creases on the faces of old Mostarians. It is the rare place that is easier to picture 400 years ago than 20 years ago, when the Croat-Bosniak war tore the town to shreds, taking with it every bridge and several buildings as well as lives, but all the while, making the character of Mostar that much stronger. Even the perfect Stari Most bridge that connects the city above the emerald Neretva river was destroyed, but it took an estimated 60 shells of tank fire to take down the 400 year old masterpiece. In the early nineties, CNN called Mostar a permanent shooting gallery with 50 casualties per day. Every graveyard was full, so bodies were buried in parks. It was a war so complicated that after researching it for a couple days, I am even more confused than when I began. There is an old video at the end of this post if you want to see what Mostar was like 20 years ago.So why come to Mostar? Beauty and hope. The town is absolutely beautiful, just like its people, who still manage to crack a smile despite 40% unemployment. It may have been bombed, beaten, and sieged, but Mostar never lost its identity as a beautiful place to take in a history that ripens with each passing day. The cafes blare Balkan music, the summer sunsets are long drawn out affairs, and cats play in dimly lit back alleys, more curious than threatening. As for hope, this is not a place where one thought he could visit twenty years ago. And yet, the tour buses embark for Mostar daily. It gives me hope that in 20 years who knows what other destinations will be unlocked and open to travelers. The old town of Mostar A moon hangs in the Balkan sky A plate of local food One of Mostar's many mosques The famous Stari Most bridge, rebuilt in 2004 after being destroyed after 4 centuries of existence in the war of teh early nineties A bunch of cafes and restaurants line the Neretva River on both banks Most buildings are very old and have survived many wars Some Muslim women sit at the waterfront Some locals at a bar PS3 and PS2 arcade A more modern house Kristin really enjoyed the shopping scene in Mostar An old building inside a mosque courtyard Ottoman influences are everywhere Fabrics Mosque courtyard There are graves everywhere, as they ran out of space at the graveyards during the war Kristin and the bridge The bridge with surrounding old town Some guys celebrating Some awesome mannys The two towers on each side of the river are called Mostaris or bridge keepers A little Medieval Kristin buying copper goods Details details How many times can I take a picture of the same thing? Ask Kristin Lots of little kids with moms Some local dress - I dont even remember taking this picture A diver about to jump from the 70+ foot tall bridge The area is beautiful and the river is the strangest shade of green Some old cafes Windows Spinach stuffed with rice and meat Tiers Peddlers I love the door shutters An old cobbled street Bullet holes can be seen in many buildings and some are still bombed out The call to prayer echos throughout the Muslim and Christian city A newer part of town Some markets View from the Stari Most Our place the Muslibegovic House, which doubles as a hotel Old Hajj passport Inside our hotel Great place to buy fabrics Some guys jamming on the waterfront. How Serbian does the guy in grey tank look? Minaret looms over the river This bridge is incredible in person, looks like something out of an alternate universe, or maybe game of thrones A shop keeper jamming This guy was the jam - Mostar has very exotic looking women The surrounding mountains flank Mostar Age Some Bosniak women amble down a main road The waterfront HDR of a Mostar bridge jumper

The night spent at our emergency stopover turned in to two the weather was pretty miserable but we took advantage of the sites free WiFi to plan our next few stops and devise a daft game Campsite CrocClog Snooker to do with scoring points if you spot someone wearing a pair of crocs of a certain colour we had too much time on our hands yes. With a route planned we headed off on t

Friday May 17 2013. Istanbul Day 2.We showered and dressed in the clothes we had not packed apparently plenty of people show up at disembarkation dressed in their PJ39s and went for our last posh breakfast with Roy the super waiter. We waited our turn and left the cabin when Purple 1 our luggage label number was called.The disembarkation was shambolic with queues all the way down the stai

Confession time: Isn’t this a scenario we all dream of being faced with: Two equally wonderful suitors vying for our affections? That’s what solo travelers are faced with right now with two Norwegian cruise ships: The Epic and The Breakaway. Both feature innovative Studio Staterooms designed and priced for solo travelers, making them each a potentially perfect love match for the solo cruiser. But with all love triangles, eventually, we have to choose one. (At least, for the first marriage cruise. Heh.) The question is: Which one is best for you? They are similar in many ways that will make an independent solo traveler happy: With Freestyle dining, you have the freedom to choose where and when to eat, just like eating out in any other vacation destination. Both offer lots of programming and activities to keep you engaged and active. Both ships offer a variety of room options to fit your cruising style and budget. But each one has its own unique personality and appearance as well. As is true with choosing a potential partner, which ship you choose will be a very personal decision. You may have a wish list of qualities for your perfect match; some are negotiable, and others are deal-breakers. Let’s help you figure out which of these two ships may be the perfect match for you by comparing them in some categories that may be important to you: The Studio Staterooms and Lounge Both ships have them, and the rooms themselves are identical in size and layout. However, Breakaway is a lightweight compared to Epic. There are just 59 Studio Staterooms aboard Breakaway vs. 128 aboard Epic. The Studio Lounge is also much smaller on Breakaway, about half the size. How does this make a difference to you? Well, the odds are in your favor of making new friends amongst your fellow solo travelers aboard the Epic, simply because there will be many more of them. You also stand a greater chance of booking a room aboard the Epic, since there are more of them. If you want to book the Breakaway, I’d do it early if I were you. Winner: The Epic, hands down. Atmosphere This may be one of the major differences to choose from: Are you more of a Las Vegas fan or a New York City fan? This may decide which ship you prefer. Epic’s major shows are The Blue Man Group and Legends in Concert, both of which are Vegas-style shows. Breakaway, however, has gone the Broadway route with its key show, the Tony-nominated Rock of Ages musical. Its other primary offering is Burn the Floor, a sexy ballroom-dance style show. The Epic has a Vegas-style White Hot Party, where guests dressed all in white get down as a DJ spins dance music until the wee hours. Breakaway features an ’80s style dance party with retro clothing and ’80s music, which goes hand-in-hand with its Rock of Ages musical. (Party like it’s 1984, y’all!) If you’re a huge fan of themeing, you’ll find more of it aboard The Breakaway, in little New York touches around the ship. (If you’re not a fan of themeing, this may annoy you. Especially if you’re from New York.) For instance, Breakaway’s ice bar features ice sculptures of New York City landmarks, while Epic’s features a Viking and Polar Bear (which have nothing to do with Las Vegas, but neither do many of the ice bars that are actually in Las Vegas). The Winner: It’s a draw. For Foodies Do you consider yourself a foodie? Is dining a major part of the travel experience for you? Both the Epic and the Breakaway offer more dining choices than you would expect of a cruise ship. But Breakaway offers more. Epic has two main dining rooms that are free: The Manhattan Room and Taste. Breakaway has those, plus a third free dining room: Savor (which, to be fair, is a lot like Taste). In addition to all the extra-fee restaurants available aboard the Epic, Breakaway also offers the celebrity chef restaurant, Ocean Blue by Geoffrey Zakarian (along with Ocean Blue on the Waterfr

The title says it all we rode a top a majestic steed a king among elephants today. Pinky was no ordinary elephant he was a friend a confidante a protector....among other things. His name was Pink and he changed my life today. We rode Him to the Amber Palace and Fort. We the explored the labrynth of a palace which looks across to a massive wall second in size only to the Great Wall of China. A

This post was produced in partnership with our friends at New Belgium Brewing. Craft beer in America is more popular than ever. Today’s drinkers become more educated by the day, and the breadth of choices available to them has never been so extensive. This is great for beer lovers, and beneficial on the supply side as well, as a high-quality product created by friendly, local brewers gets consumers to open their wallets a little wider. It’s no longer uncommon for enthusiasts to plan a brewery visit into their vacation. In fact, the opposite is trending: Plenty of people I know actually plan their vacations around a great beer destination. Remote, highly respected breweries such as Russian River (Santa Rosa, CA) and Hill Farmstead (Greensboro, VT) are regularly hit up by this crowd. Here are 20 recommended cities to visit on your beer-based travels (listed in no particular order). 1 San Diego, CA • AleSmith's consistently excellent IPAs, stouts, porters, and barleywines impress critics year in and year out. • Right down the road from AleSmith is one of SoCal's better-known craft breweries: Ballast Point, with 27 taps and specialty drafts. • Green Flash Brewing is also in the neighborhood, and bring your appetite: these guys love their food trucks. • A short drive east down I-8 leads to the Alpine Beer Company, home of some of the world's best IPAs. I'm not sure why the best IPAs seem to come from rural breweries (Hill Farmstead, Kern River, Alpine), but I don't particularly care. Each is worth the drive. • 2008 saw San Francisco's acclaimed Toronado open a sister location in San Diego. This craft beer bar has 56 draft lines and an impressive bottle list. Plus, they often unleash top-notch limited brews for their special events. Photo: Evoflash 2 Austin, TX • (512) Brewing sends kegs all over Austin and South Texas. I enjoy their Pecan Porter. • Jester King began brewing farmhouse-style ales in 2009 and quickly developed a loyal following. Although state law prohibits them from selling beer directly to customers, the brewery tour is a fun way to spend an afternoon in the Texas Hill Country. • Live Oak Brewing's focus on a just handful of beer styles pays off: Their hefeweizen is among the best made anywhere. • Drive about hour south on I-35 to Freetail Brewing in San Antonio. Here, you’ll find an enjoyable mix of traditional American ales with barrel-aged stouts and wild ales. In my opinion, it's the best brewery in Texas. Photo: 3CENT 3 Grand Rapids / Kalamazoo, MI • Founders Brewing has mastered the art of producing exceptionally high-quality beer on a macro scale. Their Grand Rapids brewpub is a popular destination. • In Kalamazoo, Bell's Brewery bottles and kegs an impressively diverse range of beers for all tastes. Some of their best work is only found at the brewpub, however, so stop by to see for yourself. • Since famously declining an invitation to appear in a Nickelback video, Dark Horse Brewing's fanbase has grown rapidly. Photo: Emery Co Photo Intermission 20 best beer towns in America Beer Quest 2008: The search for America’s best microbrew Guide to beer drinking in Alaska 4 Fort Collins, CO • Chances are you already know about New Belgium Brewing and their diverse selection of beers. You might not know they were one of the first sour programs in the US, though, so stop by for a tour and a sample or three. • Oskar Blues led the charge to promote canning in the beer industry. • Left Hand Brewing's popular Milk Stout gained them notoriety, and a visit to their home base will prove they aren’t a one-trick pony

Kim After our brief stop over in Vicenza we trained on to Verona and tried to make our way to our next accomodation. We were staying in a little town called Sona which didn39t sound too far out of Verona when we booked however it was a bit of a mission to get to. Some intense study of the bus timetables and an hours ride later we arrived in the dark finally found our BnB and after checking

Road Trip. CC Image by .aditya. (Flickr). By DON ELFRINK There’s nothing more evocative of summer than the road trip. Whether you’re beach-bound or heading up to the higher elevations in the mountains for a little R&R, this is the time of year to do it. However, if you’re planning a road trip, you’ll need a few basic tips to help ensure that not only do you survive it, but that you arrive safe and sound at your destination. Here are some essential tips for summer road trips. Stay Off the Road during Peak Travel Times Summer is the nation’s peak travel season, but there are specific peak travel times when you need to stay off the road. Obviously, you want to avoid rush hour traffic if you’ll be traveling through an urban area, but in general you should stay off the road during the afternoon when possible. Avoid driving during the highest temperatures of the day. Not only will this help you avoid problems like your car overheating, but it can also help you squeeze a few more miles out of each gallon of gas. Service Your Vehicle before Leaving While keeping up with basic maintenance is always important, you should have your car professionally inspected before taking a road trip. Take care of any impending maintenance issues now (oil changes, tire rotations, etc.), but also make sure that the shop inspects the car for any problems that might rear their heads during the trip. This can and should include an inspection of your radiator and hoses, your brakes, your tire pressure, your suspension system and a check for oil leaks. It should also include a full charging system test (battery, starter and alternator). Check before You Leave Don’t leave anything to chance. Just because you recently had your car serviced, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be vigilant. Just before you leave, do another check of all your car’s fluids, including the engine oil and the radiator coolant. Double-check the tire pressure and condition, and visually inspect the belts and hoses under the hood. Is the A/C Working? If you’re traveling during the summer, you’re going to need a working air conditioner. Unless you plan to drive only at night or in the very early morning, this really isn’t optional, either. If the A/C in your car seems to be cooling less than it used to, have it checked at your mechanic’s shop. A quick shot of coolant might be all that’s needed to set things right. Pack Right One of the most important parts of preparing for a road trip is to make sure you’ve packed correctly. This goes far beyond making sure you have your bathing suit and toiletries. You should make sure that your car is stocked with an emergency kit in case you break down somewhere. The kit should include water, blankets, nonperishable snacks, a flashlight, jumper cables and a first aid kit at the minimum. Plan Ahead Too many road trip disasters occur because drivers didn’t plan ahead. Make sure you map out your route. Even if you’re using a GPS unit, make sure you also have a physical map on hand as well. Electronics have a habit of dying when it’s least convenient, and you can avert disaster just by being prepared. You should also read up on what natural dangers you might encounter along the way and at your destination – bears in the mountains for instance, or snakes indigenous to the area around the lake house you’ll be visiting. Having an issue with your car while traveling can put a damper on the entire trip, but your summer road trip can be a blast if you take the right steps before venturing off on vacation. Don Elfrink is the owner and operator of AutoMatStore.com. AutoMatStore focuses on providing custom floor mats for your car or truck. Prior to opening his own business, Elfrink spent over 30 years working in the automotive industry. The post Preparing Your Car For Summer Road Trips appeared first on Travel Blissful.

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