Vacations That RockWritten by Andrew Kress
Vacations That Rock Initially, Elizabeth Duss was a little hesitant when her husband, Anthony told her about his special plans for their anniversary. “When my husband said that he was taking me away on a romantic weekend for our anniversary, I was thrilled, until he told me he was planning on taking me to Boise. But it was best anniversary we ever could have had.” Like tens of thousands of people nationally, Anthony had discovered newest thing in getaway weekends—Event Based Travel. “I looked at a lot of stuff, but since it had to fit in a weekend, most of places that really appealed to my wife were either too far or too expensive.” Said Anthony. “But then I found out her favorite band from high school—Journey—was on tour.” “With help of my travel agent, I found out that I could take her to a show only an hour away by plane much cheaper than I could take her to Jamaica. And we had a great time. She got in her Concert babe wear, and just had a blast.” More and more people are finding great values in planning vacations around events like concerts, sports, and comedy. “Comedy is my Favorite” Said Lisa Martin, of Valdosta, Ga., So when I planned my vacation, that was definitely a factor. I was able to go to Tampa, and in one long weekend, I saw Dave Atell, Tommy Blaze, and three other headliners, Which I never could have done month at home.
| | The World's Biggest Capital VillageWritten by Sharon Jacobsen
Oslo. Norway's capital city. Population about half a million. Compared with places like New York, London, Paris and Tokyo, it's little more than a village although it does cover an astonishing 454 square kilometres.Smack bang in middle of city you’ll find Royal Palace. For those not used to kind of freedom enjoyed by Norwegian royals, palace can be quite a surprise. There are no fences surrounding it and gardens are open to public at all times. You’ll find families picnicking there, people walking their dogs, but unfortunately, you’ll also find that it attracts hard drug users. Luckily, they tend to keep themselves to themselves and there’s rarely any trouble from them. Used needles don't appear to be too much of a problem either, maybe because park's regularly maintained. There are guards but they generally leave you alone. As late King Olav once said, who needs bodyguards when you have entire population of your country protecting you? From Palace, Karl Johans Gate leads down towards parliament buildings. The road is divided in two, with open-air cafes and gardens in middle. People of all ages congregate here, but it’s especially popular with younger people enjoying a half litre of lager (pils). Karl Johan is also main shopping street of Oslo but be warned, prices in Norway are higher than you're probably used to. Make sure you've taken enough of your hard earned cash with you. Example prices: ½ Litre of lager: kr 45 (about £3.80) Loaf of bread: kr 16 (about £1.30) 20 cigarettes: kr 70 (about £6.00) 3-course meal in a good restaurant: kr 700 (about £60) Lunch in a nice café: kr 150 (about £12.70) Norwegian enjoy a high standard of living even if they too complain about prices. Lager and cigarette prices are what peeve them most. Most people associate Norway with snow, ice and extremely cold temperatures, tending to forget that they also enjoy warm, humid summers. Although Oslo is alive and kicking all year round, it’s during summer that average tourist who isn’t particularly interested in winter sports, can enjoy maximum benefits of a visit to city. In fact, variation in temperature and magnificence of surrounding countryside offer Oslo benefit of a plethora of outdoor activities that cannot be competed with by any other capital city. Oslo is situated at tip of Oslo Fjord, with its harbour being one of its main features. From here, you can take numerous boat trips out to surrounding islands, including Bygdoy with its abundance of museums. Along Aker Brygge (Aker Pier) you’ll find street musicians and other pavement performers doing their thing while visitors and people of Oslo enjoy fresh prawns and a half litre of lager which, incidentally, is always served ice cold. In fact, being able to down that first outdoor “summer pils” is part of Norwegian culture; a symbol of spring and yet another long, cold winter behind them. A varied assortment of restaurants, trendy cafes and bars can be found along pier, offering something for most tastes and budgets. Remember to leave a tip in cafes and restaurants. 5-10% is norm. The people of Oslo are generally friendly and most speak very good English.
|