In this part of a series of write ups to continue, we’ll look at what Caribbean islands suit what need!

Best Caribbean Islands For Dining

Whether African, Indian, French or Spanish is your choice – there’s much that’s on display when you’re in the Caribbean Islands. Caribbean fine dining might actually surprise you with all its hidden secret places.

• St. Maarten/St. Martin
• St. Barts
• Anguilla

• Guadeloupe
• Barbados

Best Caribbean Islands For Families

Are you planning a trip just with your husband or your wife; or perhaps you want to head out with the kids! We’ll tell you the spots that have just that to offer if you do zero in on the Caribbean Islands.

• Grand Bahama
• Grand Cayman

• Montego Bay, Jamaica
• Dominican Republic
• Aruba

Best Caribbean Islands For Nightlife

No matter how hot the Islands get during the day, it has much to offer even at night. Read out to find those ‘hotspots’ of Caribbean Nightlife.

• Havana, Cuba
• San Juan, Puerto Rico

• Negril, Jamaica
• Antigua
• Barbados

Best Caribbean Islands For Romance

Why must the concept of romance be relegated only to the honeymoon couples? Spice up your relationship by planning a holiday to one of these spots.

• St. Lucia
• The Grenadines
• British Virgin Islands

• Tobago
• Abaco Islands

Best Caribbean Islands For Just Getting Away

You like taking the path that no one else may have trod before. If taking the unbeaten path is your thing, we’ve got just the holiday destinations for you.

• Curacao
• Bonaire
• Nevis
• ortola, British Virgin Islands
• Virgin Goda, British Virgin Islands

Best Caribbean Islands For An Eco-Escape

You’re bothered about the carbon footprint your holiday is going to leave on the world! If that’s you, firstly we’re proud of you; and secondly, you might want to look at some of these options the Caribbean Islands provide you with, in terms of an eco-friendly holiday.

• Trinidad and Tobago

• Stocking Island, St. Lucia
• Culebra National Wildlife Refuge, St. Lucia
• Grenada
• St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands

Best Caribbean Islands For A Beach-Y-Experience

With over 7000 islands to choose from, we doubt you’ll ever be left with few choices. White sand, palm trees, and the perfect amount of sun. Need say more?

• Maygen’s Bay, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
• Cape Eleuthera and the Cove, the Bahamas
• Grand Anse, Grenada

• Salt Cay, Ambergris Cay, Parrot Cay, Turks and Caicos
• Sandy Ground, Anguilla

Best Caribbean Islands For Snorkeling and Diving

You like the concept of being underwater? Gliding around the coral and gazing at what the underwater world has to offer. You might want to try these Caribbean islands when you plan your next holiday.

• Bonaire
• Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands
• Cayman Islands

• St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
• Saba

Best Caribbean Islands For Sailing

If sailing the blue waters like the great explorers did is your cup of tea, then perhaps a holiday which includes a sail boat might be just the idea for you.

• British Virgin Islands

• The Grenad
• ines
• St. Lucia
• Antigua and Barbuda
• St. Martin

How Universal Bagged the Deal -

The main reason that Universal cited for getting this project was that nobody else would be able to create a more authentic looking park keeping in mind the sets that were designed even for the film.

When the ‘muggles’ set out on a journey to conquer the magical world by creating a theme park around the idea, one can be convinced that it’s not going to be a cake-walk. The team that designed this park had to slog to put this project together.

Pulling Things Together –

It definitely seemed like a Herculean task – having to conjure up the most imposing of castles to remind you of the Hogwarts you saw in the Harry Potter movies and the images you made up when you read the books; creating fake snow that would be built to withstand the heat of the Florida sunshine; making for the perfect recipe for that Butterbeer that everyone could enjoy, regardless of their age. It was important, however, for Rowling to be kept in the loop about every development. Sources claim that Rowling was involved in even the most mundane of activities, like choosing the plastic cutlery for the restaurant ‘The Three Broomsticks’.

Harry Potter Theme Park Sees the Light of Day –

Five years down the line, and after burning a hole worth $ 250 million, the theme park finally opened for people.

According to sources that were there on the opening day, the tills were constantly ringing at the Honeydukes Sweet Shop and there were longer queues at the souvenir shops than there were at the rides. People were ecstatic over the Harry Potter mementos.

One of the longest queues, however, was for the well known Butterbeer. The ever-frothing head and its sweet, fizzy texture was the brainchild of Universal’s chef; and they got it approved by Rowling when they flew all the way to Edinburgh for a special tasting session.

Rowling also made another suggestion, which has been abided to – you will find no bottles of Coca Cola when you’re in the park; all you’ll find is chilled bottles of pumpkin juice.

Right across the street from here, you’ll find the Owl Post; where you can get your postcards stamped by the Hogsmeade Postmark.

The Rides –

The Dragon Challenge
This ride is based on ‘The Goblet of Fire’s Triwizard Tournament’; and is a double rollercoaster wherein a Chinese Fireball and a Hungarian Horntail are competing against each other to see who can perform the most turns and twists; and they come as close to 12 inches from each other at one point in the ride.

The Flight of the Hippogriff
This one is a more leisurely ride, but seems extremely short at just 45 seconds. At one point, you hear Hagrid’s voice instructing you to bow to him. There wasn’t any dire consequence that you’d have to face if you didn’t play along.

The Forbidden Journey
This ride seems to the favorite of them all. This one takes you to the Hogwarts castles; and is replete with dragons, spiders, Harry, Hermione and a real Quidditch match.

~Frank Sinatra’s lyrics to the song ‘I Love Paris’

There’s something about the air of Paris that sets it apart from other cities of the world. This capital city of France is famous for being an important centre of culture, education, fashion, media and science. There is, but, one more thing that Paris does beautifully – its churches and cathedrals.

They stand as witness to the years gone by. Their stained glass windows gently looking down upon you as you enter their gates. The walls whisper stories of miracles that these cathedrals and churches have witnessed over the years. Listen carefully and you’ll be surprised at what you hear. When in Paris, you must think of visiting these few churches.

NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL –

This is perhaps one of the most famous churches of Paris; and even more so one of the world’s most famous cathedrals. Victor Hugo’s novel ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ helped popularize this divine structure even more. Do not be surprised to see large crowds of people when you arrive here; it is crowded at almost any point of time in the year. You’ll have a long wait before you actually get a shot at climbing up the tower, but we suggest you keep your patience and wait; since the climb is totally worth the wait.

SACRE COEUR–

Located in the Montmarte area of Paris, the Sacre Coeur is almost equally famous as the Notre Dame Cathedral. The picturesque location atop the hill coupled with its dramatic white tones make for one superiorly photogenic structure. Get to the top of the hill and savor the views of Paris that this place has to offer.

SAINT CHAPELLE –

This chapel may not be as famous as the predecessors on this list; but it does fall many a times on the must-see list of tourists. The stained windows make for a magnificent view; and if you’re lucky to get in on a day when it isn’t as crowded, you’ll see how peaceful this place can be.

SAINT- SULPICE CHURCH–

The first thing to hit you when you near the Saint Sulpice is that it is a masterpiece of what is known as the French Classical Style of Architecture. The interiors of the church was completed in the 17th century and its external façade saw the light of day in the following century. The use of this structure in the Dan Brown book ‘The Da Vinci Code’ has made the place even more popular with tourists. The other specialties of this church would include the paintings that were done by Eugene Delacroix and the grand organ that was built by one of the greatest organ builders of the 19th century – Cavaille-Coll.

An Introduction:

Champasak lies in Lao, which is a landlocked country in South East Asia. Not as popular as it’s neighbors, Lao has remained unvisited by hordes of tourists.

Champasak as a town lies around 25 miles downstream of Pakse’s southern hub. It is accessible from the Ban Muang docks; you could take a boat down from the shore that is located opposite the highway, once you’re there.

A reminder of the town’s distinctive past stands in the form of a stone fountain, which is half decayed at this point in time. The entire town (well, literally almost all of it) is laid out on the stretch of a single road that runs parallel to the River Mekong.

There is hardly any traffic to speak of and the town is generally quiet. Which is exactly why it makes for a good stopover.

The Grandeur of the days gone by:

Champasak is like the backpacker’s paradise. There is, however, much more to this place than just a hammock nap or sweet banana milkshakes.

People in Champasak seem to have the ‘go with the river’s flow’ kind of mentality happening. The pace of things is leisurely.

The French were the ones who consolidated the region and added the ’s’ to its name – it’s currently called Laos. Before that it was called Lao and had three separate Lao kingdoms. One of them happened to be the Kingdom of Champasak; and the kingdom of the yesteryears is still seated in the town that bears its name.

You might find it difficult to believe that this town was once host to royalty. There is a little to remind you of the days gone by. But some of the colonial buildings remain standing; as lone witnesses of the sombre days gone by. These buildings carry with them the burden of time and humidity; both of which seem to have taken a toll on them.

You could make a trip down to one of those mellow restaurants at the riverside and sip on a beer as you watch the Mekong do its business of flowing by.

The Jewel of the Crown:

Champasak boasts of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The ruins of Wat Phu Champasak are the unique selling point of this otherwise sleepy town. The temple complex of Wat Phu served as the nexus of spiritual fervor in the ancient times. It boasts of a culture that is as old as over 2000 years back.

There are frangipani blossoms that bloom at multiple levels of the site; and you could soak in the experience as a devotee as you ascend the stone stairs. You’ll pass statues that have been adorned in saffron robes and flowers that scream ‘fresh’.

The only time of the year when you might find it unlikely to get accommodation is during the months of February when there is the Bun Wat Phu Champasak festival. Buddhist revelers from across the world will come and partake in the festivities.

Then after a period of five years, came the twist in the tale. While work was in full swing on the third floor of the tower, the unusual happened. The tower began to sink into the foundation. A weak unstable foundation only three meters in depth was the culprit. But history had its mind set on the completion of the glorified tower. And hence almost a century the work on the tower was abandoned as the province of Pisa was busy engaging its neighbors in the battlefield. And so time healed and so did the soil of the foundation, which only great stronger with time elapsed.

As construction resumed in the year 1272, steps were taken to stabilize the permanently tilted structure. The floors built then onwards had one side taller then the other.’Giovanni di Simone’ was the architect of the tower. The construction of the seventh floor was completed in the year 1319. Tommaso di Andrea Pisano is credited with the addition of the bell chamber to the tower in 1372.He effortlessly blended the Gothic elements of the bell chamber with the Romanesque feel of the tower. There are seven bells in the bell chamber. The bells reflect the seven musical notes. In 1655 the largest of the bells was incorporated. The fifth bell is older then the bell chambers itself and used to ring on the Easter Day.

Even today the structural strengthening of the tower is an ongoing progress, considering the historical heritage of the Tower of Pisa. Controversy surrounds the original architect of the Tower of Pisa, with many big names contesting the title. Recent studies however hold ‘Diotisalvi’ as the architect of the Wonder Tower. The Tower of Pisa stands tall at a height of 58.36 meters from the foundation. There are 296 steps to reach the top of the tower.

Galileo Galilee the famous astronomer and scientist is said to have dropped two canon balls from the Tower. He hence demonstrated the relation between mass and speed at the historical setting of tower of Pisa. The Nazis discovered the importance of the Tower during the World War 2. During the World War the monumental Tower gave strategically advantage to the Nazis who used it as a Observatory post.

In the year 1987 the Tower of Pisa was acknowledged as the UNESCO World Heritage site. The Tower of Pisa was also one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The Tower stopped titling in May 2008 when engineers stabilized the structure. It is now said to be stable for another 200 years.After all the applause and envy, came some dressing down. Many German churches challenged the structure for its tilted pride. Last month, June 2010, the Leaning Tower of Pisa lost its crown of the most tilted man-made tower. The Guinness World Records pronounced the Capital gate Building in Abu Dhabi, UAE as the World’s Furtherest Leaning Tower made by man.

The Discovery Of Altamira:

A hunter called Modesto Cubillas was the first one to chance upon this cave. He had, all excited, entered the cave in the hope of chancing upon a lion or a bear; or some sort of wild animal. When he found nothing there, he continued on his hunt.

Years later, Marcelino Sanz de Santuola, a nobleman from Santander, who considered himself as an amateur anthropologist, reached the caves with his daughter. His 8 year old daughter, Maria, is supposed to be called the real ‘discoverer’ of this fine piece of history that had been embalmed her for years together.

The father-daughter duo had lit their charcoal lamps as they climbed in to explore the cave. The father got down to scouring the floor in the hope of finding some bones or arrowheads; or anything that could throw some light on which age this cave belonged to. The daughter, however, was the one who lifted her lamp up high, and noticed the paintings on the ceilings and she exclaimed in delight, “Mira, Papa, son bueyes”; which translates to “Look Dad, they’re cows!”

Altamira Caves – A brief insight:

The discovery of a few cows on the walls of an old cave may not have seemed like too much at first. But what the father-daughter duo discovered that day has turned out to be one of the most integral parts of the world culture; and Spanish culture too. The Altamira caves are one of the biggest and greatest collection of cave paintings that were ever discovered.

How Were They Saved Until Now?

The only viable explanation for why the paintings have remained untouched and unspoilt by climatic and human conditions is that the entire cave had been embalmed by a previous landslide; which had almost acted as a tomb for the cave. This is what helped preserve the paintings.

The Paintings:

The main paintings in these caves are that of bison, deer, boars and horses. These are the most commonly seen figures. They date back to around 14,000 years ago. The uneven surface of the cave walls are used by the artists to their advantage. Given the fact that the surface is not even, it was used to make the figures look more life-like. The technology used by them is a little akin to modern day – 3D technology. The best part about this is that the effects have been achieved by using just three colors – ochre, red and black.

The bisons that have been popularized by the Altamira cave paintings have become so much a part of Spanish iconography that it now features on a popular brand of cigarettes called ‘bisonte’.

Replica Of The Cave:

If you wish to visit the cave in today’s date, it may be quite a difficult task. The carbon-dioxide that was being released by the number of visitors was causing damage to the paintings; and for this very reason, they closed down for public viewing. An exact replica of the cave has now been created, so that people can (almost) have the real deal. They even hold exciting workshops here, which are aimed at children and adults who want to learn more about how these paintings were created a long time ago.

Make a trip to the little Deia village in Mallorca and you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

About Deia

When you approach the village of Deia, you are greeted with a view of the Serra de Tramuntana, which makes for a picture-perfect backdrop of this Spanish Village. The ancient church which sits atop the hill gives an almost divine feeling to this entire region.

Deia, as a whole, sits almost precariously above the seashore. It seems like its clinging to Tramuntana mountains while it gets flanked by olive groves, orchards full of lemon and a generous outburst of pine and cedar forests.

Cala de Deia

The shingle beach of Deia is more pebbly than anything else; but the sight of clear waters make you forgive anything and everything that you may not have liked before. Given the fact that the routes to Cala de Deia are not well marked, not too many people know about it. So if you do manage to make your way down there, you’ll have one helluva great swim. Guaranteed!!!

La Residencia

La Residencia or La Res as it is popularly called by the locals is perhaps the most popular spot in Deia. Given the fact that Mallorca is the largest island in Spain, you’d expect your vacation to be spent lazily, basking on the sandy beaches, with wind in your hair. But Le Residencia has different plans for you.

The Surprise Package

The granite mountains of Tramuntana dominate the geography of this idyllic village, and make their presence felt by the shadows they cast upon the village. The La Res takes advantage of this natural gigantic structure that they have at their disposal, by arranging for a climb up the mountain paths.

The medium of transport – Donkeys! Donkeys have an advantage in comparison to other animals when it comes to breathing in rarefied air. They make the vertical climb quite easily.

You’ll have your lunch set out for you by the time you reach halfway up; and the scenic spot that has been chosen will make the entire climb until now seem worth it. The high altitude, the rarefied air, the stunning view and some lovely wine make for a combination that was never before thought of (makes you wonder why no one thought of it before!)

The history of La Res

This is the place where Princess Diana took refuge when her marriage was shattered into pieces. Andrew Lloyd Webber is said to have booked the entire hotel for his 60th birthday. Yes, this place does get its generous sprinklings of celebrity glimpses from time to time.

This hotel is originally made up of four separate mansions. They are, till date, linked by secret passageways. The lovely olive terraces make for a spectacular view; and the private beach, the spa with all available facilities just add to the already existent appeal of this place.

E. LUCAS BRIDGES

If anyone can be given credit for aptly describing the experience of living, eating, sleeping and breathing in Ushuaia, it is E. Lucas Bridges. In his book ‘Uttermost Part Of The Earth’ published in 1948, Bridges speaks of his experiences in this remote city of Tierra del Feugo. As most who have read the book and visited the place will agree, there is no better rendition of a traveler’s experience to the ‘Uttermost part of the earth’. It’s almost like him giving you an insider’s view on the life of the American Indians. It is recommended that you read the book before you plan a trip to this tip of the world. It’s better to know what you’re headed for, isn’t it?

TREKKING IT UP

An absolute must do when here is a hike up to the Glacier martial, which is part of the Mount Martial range that lies directly behind Ushuaia. If you’re in the area during the heavy tourist season, you needn’t worry since there is a ski-lift that will help whisk tourists up to the top of the slope. If, however, you decide to hit the city during its off season, then you’re pretty much on your own. You could, however, as a traveler once wrote ‘hoof it’; and, yeah, he did manage to hoof it! If you are the types who likes the idea of ‘being one with nature’, then this is an absolute must for you.

THE CHEAPEST THING IN USHUAIA

You can be assured that everything (read: everything) in this city is expensive. Its even more expensive than Buenos Aires (Don’t ask me why!). Funnily though, the only thing thats non-expensive, and very affordable is goat cheese. If you’re an ardent lover of this milk product, then you’re in paradise; because Ushuaia is, simply put, a goat cheese lover’s paradise.

THE PENGUIN ISLAND BEACH

This beach can, most safely, be called the best place to visit when in Ushuaia. When you near the beach, you will be given instructions on how you’re expected to stay quiet and not startle the penguin population that inhabits the island. When you’re finally there, you’ll notice how the penguins are ‘curious’ by nature. They’ll encircle you, and have a good close look at you. You’re also given a chance to glance at their nesting areas. If you’re there at the right time of the year, chances are that you’ll get to see the chicks as well; and that can be quite a sight.

All in all, the experience of being in the southernmost country of the world can be almost surreal. You definitely can feel the difference about being away from the noisier cities that most of us come from; and this stark difference is something that everyone ought to experience once in their lifetimes.

Fret not! Journey idea has the perfect idea of an unconventional vacation that is bound to make for some lovely pictures to show your friends back home, or you could just upload it onto your facebook account. That ought to do the trick. Prepare to have the most obscure photos, because we’re giving you a lowdown on three of Europe’s numerous weird buildings. We think you mustn’t give these a miss if you’re in Europe and around these areas.

THE DANCING HOUSE, CZECH REPUBLIC

The dancing house is a nickname given to an office building that is located in downtown Prague, Czech Republic. The brain behind this one was that of designer and architect Vlado Milunic, who worked with a Canadian architect, Frank Gehry to create magic on this front. The unconventional design of the building has aroused a lot of curiosity from tourists who fleet to the area to click pictures in front of this weird building. The president, Vaclav Havel, who for decades had lived close to this site, had hoped that the building would become a center of cultural activity. Alas, these plans didn’t come true. A lot of MNCs, however, run their companies out of the office space in this building.

UPSIDE DOWN HOUSE, POLAND

This structure is located at the village of Szymbark in Northern Poland. Its construction was completed on the 31st of July, 2007. It may be a bizarre attraction for the tourists today, but this weird building is also meant to double up as a statement about the Communist Era. With 114 days taken for its completion, the house took quite some time to build. The reason for the delay was that the workers were quite baffled due to the weird angling of the walls.

BLUE BUILDINGS, NETHERLANDS

These buildings were created to furnish the cause of being a block of derelict buildings that were intended to be demolished. The deal cracked with the residents of the neighborhood was that until there was a viable plan for the area, this block would remain blue. Once upon a time, in Rotterdam, these houses were not given a second glance. In today’s day, however, they have turned into one of Rotterdam’s most photographed buildings.

Make it a point to visit these 3 weird buildings, and be rest assured that your trip will be anything but ‘conventional’.

Theodore Roosevelt, after his 1913 visit,
– A Book Lover’s Holiday in the Open

Biggest Natural Bridge

The biggest naturally formed bridge in the world, the Rainbow bridge towers could have been easily lost amongst the canyons located at the base of Navajo mountain. The structure, that is now declared as a National Monument, has been inspiring people throughout time.

The discovery

The bridge was discovered by the outside world in the early 20th century. Hordes of people began to visit the monument every year; and researchers started studying the formation of this miraculous bridge. Very few, however, are aware of the fact that the existence of the bridge was known to the Navajo tribes that surround the area; and they considered the bridge sacred. They’d known about the formation for years before any of us heard of it.

It is tucked safely at the base of the isolated canyons of the Navajo mountains. By the 1800s, the Rainbow Bridge was accidentally discovered by some wandering cowboys. However, the bridge got its due publicity only in the 1909. Until then this area had gotten famous by the word-of-mouth medium of news. Two exploration parties set out to find the place – one that was led by the University of Utah dean – Byron Cummings and the other that was set up by the government that had W.B. Douglass as the head. These two parties, after months of sweat and toil, decided to combine their efforts. It finally happened for them, when on 14th August, 1909, while they were coming down what is today known as ‘Bridge Canyon’ that they chanced upon the Rainbow Bridge for the first time.

In 1910, the then President William Howard Taft, created a Rainbow Bridge National Monument to preserve the ‘natural yet extraordinary’ bridge. The bridge got its name from its arched form, which makes it appear like a rainbow. This structure also gets a lot of attention from scientists since it is a rare example of eccentric steam erosion.

HOW TO GET THERE?

You could travel across the Lake Powell in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. A courtesy dock is available for those who want to make the 2 mile walk to the bridge.

You could, alternatively, backpack to this national monument, across the Navajo Nation Islands. This one will, however, need a permit from the Navajo nations. Do not attempt entering the area without a legal permit in hand.