Apr
17

Barcelona – The Spirit Of Catalonia In Northern Spain

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Las Ramblas - Barcelona, Spain

Las Ramblas - Barcelona

 

We’re in northern Spain today.

We have have just completed two days attempting to experience and see everything that Barcelona  has to offer the visitor – an impossible task.

Barcelona truly captures the essence of a wide range of artists, architects, and others with an intense imagination and vision of just how exciting a city that combines a wealth of vivid colors, rich and vibrant scents, amazing shapes and unforgettable flavors.

The names of some of the most well known individuals with links to Barcelona and its northern Spain include:

  • Antonio Gaudi
  • Pablo Picasso
  • Salvador Dali
  • Joan Miro
  • Jose Carreras
  • Pablo Cassals

Within the old quarter of the city of Barcelona, it is easy to become entangled in the history of this part of Spain and the vibrance of the narrow winding streets and alleyways often crowded with a mix of locals and tourists from all over the world, especially during the weekly Sunday family promenade.

According to legend, Hercules founded the city in Spain some 4 centuries before the establishment of Rome.

In the 3rd century B.C. The region was redeveloped by Hannibal’s father, Hamilcar Barca of Carthaginia. The current name for the city owes its origins to this time. However, another school of opinion credits the name to the ancient Iberians who are said to have founded a village named Barkeno on the site over 2000 years ago.

However, whatever the true origins of the city, Barcelona remains an exciting place to visit whilst you’re traveling through northern Spain and in which to become immersed during your stay.

It nowadays boasts some 1,700,000 residents, with its urban region being home to more than 12% of all Spain and well over 75% of Spain’s  Catalonian community.

We arrived at the Port of Barcelona on board Royal Caribbean’s Liberty Of The Seas on the morning of Saturday April 16th, after stopping in a number of ports in Spain, and were taken directly to our hotel for our overnight stay, the Salles Pere IV Hotel. To find out more visit: Peres IV Hotel Barcelona Spain

We were lucky enough to be able to access our room immediately, and consolidated the plans for our activities during our stay in Barcelona.

We purchased a 2-day metro card for 11.5 euros each, and this allowed us access to a wide range of transport options, including the city’s underground metro system, the Renfe (railways of Spain) local rail network, many buses and trams.

We made extensive use of this means of transport, since Barcelona does have an extremely efficient and effective public transport system.

Our travels took us for a stroll along La Rambla – the main tourist shopping region of Barcelona. In addition, we travelled on the Rodalies de Catalunya rail service to Castelldefels, a great seaside community some 20 km south of downtown Barcelona. We spent time exploring the historic quarter, admiring the wide variety of architecture and also enjoying the waterfront marina featuring Historical Museum of Catalunya.

We’ll shortly be boarding our TrenHotel (the Salvador Dali service) from Barcelona’s Estacio de Franca to Milano.

More of experiences in Spain later.

Categories : Accommodation, Destinations, Rail
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Apr
02

6 Days In A Very Different US City

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Metromover In Downtown Miami

Metromover In Downtown Miami

We’ve just spent several days in Miami waiting for the start of our planned cruise.

Our location has been south west of downtown Miami in the Kendall area.

The decision about where to stay came about as a result of a misunderstanding with the owner of a condo unit in the Doral region of Miami, west of the Miami International Airport. We had initially decided to stay at this location due to its proximity to both the airport and Miami’s Dolphin Mall and the Miami International Mall. This option offered everything that we had been looking for without the hype and expense of a location in the Miami Beach area.

Unfortunately this reservation was unilaterally canceled by the owner of the condo, who simply sent me an email and returned the rental payment back into my PayPal account. We were then left with little option but to start seeking other accommodation.

There is obviously a warning here to be aware that bookings made through private owners are not as firm as those made through a business.

We then discovered that due to the lateness of the action of the owner of the Doral property, our options in Miami Beach were severely limited. What was then on offer was either poor quality or overly expensive or in many case both of the above.

A detailed search of options that were available to us resulted in the discovery on the TripAdvisor website of Comfort Inn Suites, Kendall, Miami.

This property combined good quality accommodation (with a great bed), a gymnasium, spa and heated outdoor pool along with laundry facilities, complimentary high speed internet and a breakfast that exceeded that of many similar hotels.

Without the ratings provided on the TripAdvisor website, it’s unlikely that we would have elected to stay at this type of property.

We have to say that it certainly surpassed our expectations, particularly in terms of personalized service and attention to detail.

We decided to take advantage of Miami’s public transport system, and found that it really offered a cost effective and comprehensive way of getting around town, as long as time wasn’t of the essence.

I purchased a Miami Dade County Easy Card the morning after our arrival and loaded it with $20. At the end of our 6 day stay in Miami, the card still carried a balance of some $8, despite being used on 4 consecutive days for bus and rail travel around the metropolitan area. When within the downtown city center, Miami boasts a free metro loop system with unmanned above ground trolley buses running around the downtown parts of the city.

One of the elements of our stay in Miami that will remain with us for some time was the level to which English is treated as a second language in many businesses. We had an experience in the local supermarket where the cashier on duty needed to write down the total cost of the transaction because she was unable to translate the amount into the English language. Although we were happy to disregard this episode, we were nevertheless very surprised that Spanish seems to be considered as the default language in many parts of Miami.

 

Categories : Destinations, Rail, Road, Vacations
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Mar
25

Our Latest Venture – Around The World In 49 Days!

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John and Barbara With The Get Packing BookWe have a couple of personal milestones coming up, and as a result have planned a trip that takes us first from Melbourne in Australia across the Pacific into the US of A, thence by cruise ship across the Atlantic and into Spain.

We plan to then travel largely by train around a number of the Eastern European countries before arriving in London en route back to Melbourne via Singapore.

We will be posting stories and experiences about this trip and the places we visit on this website as we go.

 

Categories : Accommodation, Air, Destinations, Rail, Sea, Vacations
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Apr
21

Earn Frequent Flyer Points While Travelling By Rail In Europe

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Fly and Rail Image
The concept of “code-share” has become common in the airline industry since the coining of the term by Australia’s Qantas Airlines in 1990.

It refers to the use of a common flight identifier code for services operated by different carriers.

One of the common advantages of code-sharing is that frequent flyer programs often enable passenger miles earned on a code-share flight to be added into a passenger’s account.

More recently, a number of airlines have formed linkages with several European rail carriers to enable the concept of code-sharing to extend to high speed rail travel as well.

The most recent of these arrangements was announced by Qantas Airlines on 19th April. Qantas plans to commence the new arrangement with German rail operator Deutsche Bahn between Frankfurt and seven cities in Germany from 1 May.

This will enable Qantas customers to connect with Intercity-Express (ICE) rail services from Frankfurt Airport to Cologne, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Hanover, Munich, Nuremberg and Stuttgart. A Qantas spokesman said that the daily rail services complemented Qantas’ air services, whose daily flights arrive in Frankfurt at 0550 with rail services departing approximately 90 minutes after landing, depending on the destination.

A number of other airlines have introduced such code-share plans into the marketplace in recent years, among them being American Airlines, Continental, China Airlines, Lufthansa, TAP Portugal and Emirates.

In Europe these Rail & Fly systems are used to divide markets by selling these combination tickets abroad for a lower price to attract more customers. Rail operators participating include DB in Germany and SNCF in France.

Conditions for these code-share tickets vary, but most seem to offer accumulation of mileage points, and some airlines offer the rail component as a no-cost extension of the airfare for international travelers.

Why not consider this as an option when next flying into Europe.

Submitted by John Kumm www.onlinetravelconsultant.com

Categories : Air, Destinations, Rail
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Apr
15

A “Not To Be Missed” Experience In Shanghai

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Shanghai is located on the Yangtze River estuary. It is China’s largest industrial city and has an area of nearly 6,000 square kilometers, and a population of nearly 19 million.

Today’s Shanghai has embraced the forces of business and design and rewritten its rule book shaping a fresh multi-cultural metropolis with both modern and traditional Chinese features.

The Bund is a riverfront area within the former Shanghai International Settlement, in the eastern part of Huangpu District. The Bund usually refers to the buildings and wharves on this section of the road, as well as some adjacent areas. It is arguably one of the most famous tourist destinations in Shanghai.

Shanghai is the hotspot of modern China, buzzing with the concept of ‘lifestyle revolution’, showcased in art, architecture, dining and contemporary urban living.

You must not miss an airport transfer on Shanghai’s flashy new Maglev, the world’s fastest train, which has been tested at speeds up to 500 km/h. The futuristic magnetic levitation system may yet redefine travel everywhere. The thrill of low flying is amazing. The Maglev isn’t about getting from point A to to point B. Rather, it’s the ride, a glorious glide, from the past to the future.

The Shanghai subway is one of the youngest in the world and might well become the most rapidly expanding. The first line opened in 1995 and the first section of the second line followed only four years later. You will find that travel on this service is clean, fresh and well run. A truly great way to travel around the city.

Above all, the rule for Shanghai is to lay low during, or altogether avoid the Chinese New Year; the city grinds to a halt and public transport is flooded. The rest of winter offers good hotel discounts and few tourists.

Submitted by Barbara Walsh-Kumm www.onlinetravelconsultant.com

Categories : Air, Destinations, Rail, Technology
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Apr
15

South Africa’s Blue Train – for the Discerning Traveller

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The Blue Train experience is unique – not merely a trip, but a taste of real luxury combined with the romantic charm of rail travel.

The service operates between Pretoria and Cape Town, and runs on a regular schedule. There are also charter options for extensions of the journey to other South African destinations.

Traveling by train is a highly enjoyable, hypnotic escape into another world. Great trains romantically carry wide-eyed travelers to the very brink of all that is wild and wonderful, smoothly covering diverse terrains across the four corners of the world.

This service offers all inclusive luxury rail cruising, with opportunities to view South Africa’s spectacular landscapes and visit interesting tourist attractions en route.

From Pretoria to Cape Town, the train travels south through spacious farmlands to Kimberly, the epicenter of the worldwide diamond rush.

An off-train excursion through this historic town is available to passengers.

The trip then continues through the heart of Great Karoo, where vineyards and summer roses line a descent into beautiful valleys toward Cape Town’s imposing and instantly recognizable Table Mountain.

Whilst not for the budget traveler, this cruise offers an experience that will long be fondly remembered.

Further information can be obtained from the company’s website at: http://www.bluetrain.co.za/

Submitted by Barbara Walsh-Kumm www.onlinetravelconsultant.com

Categories : Destinations, Rail, Vacations
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Apr
10

A Memorable Rail Journey in Germany’s Harz Mountains

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This was a truly wonderful find to us on a recent trip to northern Germany.

The Harzer SchmalspurBahnen railway operates from Wernigerode at the North side of the Harz Mountains, and Nordhausen to the south.

This narrow-gauge steam-hauled railway takes us to Brocken, the highest mountain in the Harz region at over 3,700ft. During the Cold War, Brocken was a military base used for border surveillance and until the fall of the Berlin Wall, the mountain was off-limits to all but the Soviet army.

The Harz mountains, 90 kilometers (56 miles) long, 30 kilometers wide, and some 400 million years old, straddle the border between what was once East and West Germany, in the central part of the country.

Brocken Mountain, has an ancient reputation of being a haunting ground for witches, goblins and other creatures in the pagan pantheon. The well-traveled Goethe called the Brockenberg his favorite mountain, and gave it a place in literary history by using it as the setting for the witches’ orgiastic Sabbath scene in Faust.
At 60.5 kilometers, it’s the the longest narrow-gauge steam locomotive route in Germany.

Other towns to visit in the region are Wernigerode, with its many half-timbered houses, Bad Lauterberg, which has the leading health spa in northern Germany based on the unusual “Kneipp” method, and Goslar, whose medieval old town is so well preserved that it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

You can find out more about this fascinating trip into history and fantasy, by visiting:

www.hsb-wr.de/hsb_barrierefrei/hsb/streckennetz/harzquerbahn_e.htm

Submitted by Barbara Walsh-Kumm www.onlinetravelconsultant.com

Categories : Destinations, Rail, Vacations
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Aug
21

Limited security implications for rail travel in US

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It is reported that US passenger train and cruise line operators are making decisions that are likely to have some implications for passenger security checks, but that it hasn’t triggered a major tightening of security procedures.

It seems that Amtrak is increasing the number of random inspections of baggage rooms and passenger waiting areas. Amtrak staff are bring kept aware of security issues, and report suspicious situations to the Amtrak Police Department.

Note that all baggage is required to be tagged to ensure carriage, and that identification must be provided when checking baggage.

Submitted by John Kumm www.onlinetravelconsultant.com.

Categories : Rail, Security
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