Destination: Europe
The Rise of the Russian Traveler
by Michael Yessis | 06.16.08 | 10:53 AM ET
Fascinating front-page story in yesterday’s New York Times about how Russians, newly prosperous and free of Soviet-era travel restrictions, are hitting the road by the millions. Countries like Turkey are now scrambling to cater to the influx of Russians—one resort resembles the Kremlin and St. Basil’s Cathedral—and Russians are wondering how seeing more of the world may change the way they see themselves and their homeland.
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Yahoo! BuzzWhat’s the Cost of Tourism in the Water-Starved Mediterranean?
by Joanna Kakissis | 06.13.08 | 9:47 AM ET
Last year, when I was driving through the Mesara Plain in southern Crete, I found not the green farmland I remembered as a kid but a cascading plain of desiccated land. Some swathes looked like desert, covered only by dehydrated foliage. The island has always been dry, with resourceful farmers literally working the land to life. But I’d never seen it look as dry as this.
Bush-Bashing No Longer Entertaining for Germans
by Elyse Franko | 06.11.08 | 2:55 PM ET
The German tradition of protesting Dubya’s visits has died an unexpected death after six years. Apparently, they’d rather be tanning.
Shakespeare & Company’s Paris Literary Festival
by Jim Benning | 06.11.08 | 12:22 PM ET
Who among us would not like to be in Paris for this? The third annual festival organized by the famed left bank bookstore takes place June 12-15 and will feature Paul Auster, Jeannette Winterson, June Chang and Alain de Botton, among others. This year’s theme: “Exploring Memoir and Biography.” (Via TEV and IHT)
Photo by ktylerconk via Flickr, (Createive Commons).
Europe’s Top World Music Venues
by Jim Benning | 06.11.08 | 12:18 PM ET
Very handy list in the Guardian.
Should Czech Travelers (and Everyone Else) Leave Their Food at Home?
by Eva Holland | 06.11.08 | 12:10 PM ET
Nearly 10 percent of Czechs take their summer holidays in Croatia, and most of them fill their cars with groceries from home before they cross the border. So when Croatia banned the import of meat and dairy products last week, self-catering Czech travelers were incensed. But, says Guardian blogger Kevin Rushby, tourists who travel with BYO groceries are missing half the fun.
Axum Obelisk Returns to Ethiopia
by Eva Holland | 06.11.08 | 10:46 AM ET
In an extreme case of touristic vandalism—a very, very extreme case—the 1,700 year-old obelisk had been removed by occupying Italian troops in 1937. According to Agence France-Presse, it will be reassembled throughout the summer.
New (Sort of) Travel Book: ‘Stalin’s Nose’
by Frank Bures | 06.10.08 | 4:04 PM ET
Full title: “Stalin’s Nose: Across the Face of Europe”
Author: Rory MacLean, also the author of “Under the Dragon: A Journey through Burma”
Released: Originally in 1992; reissued today with a new preface by Colin Thubron
Travel genre: Roots travel
Territory covered: Berlin to Moscow
Arthur Frommer on ‘Touristic Vandalism’
by Eva Holland | 06.09.08 | 12:17 PM ET
In March, we heard about the Finnish tourist who chipped an earlobe off one of Easter Island’s moai. Then, two weeks ago, mystery vandals took a hammer and screwdriver to Stonehenge. Vandalism at major cultural sites is nothing new, but with these recent incidents, it’s had a higher profile lately. In this Globe and Mail story, Arthur Frommer offers a possible solution:
The Latest Haven for the Homeless: Heathrow’s Terminal 5
by Joanna Kakissis | 06.06.08 | 3:17 PM ET
Homeless advocate Howard Sinclair says he’s helped and counseled at least 100 itinerant Londoners living at the terminal in the last three months, according to NPR. Heathrow officials are evicting people, as U.S. airport officials are forced to do. But the brass at London’s biggest airport have also hired specialists like Sinclair to help the homeless find homes and support.
Related on World Hum:
* Terminal Men Spend Almost Seven Weeks Living in Delhi Airport
* Tale of a Travel Martyr
* What a Difference Between the quality of the Items Handed out by Air France
Can’t We All Just Get Along?
by Eva Holland | 06.06.08 | 11:59 AM ET
Forget about “How To ‘Green’ Your Travels” or “5 Ways To Stretch Your Holiday Dollars.” German newspaper Bild has taken the “How To” article to a whole new level, printing a guide to help its readers avoid British tourists abroad. According to the Independent, the guide was a response to a successful lawsuit by a British traveler, who sued his tour operator after finding himself at a resort full of Germans. Just another beautiful We Are The World moment in international travel.
On the $64 ‘Turkish Delight’ at an Istanbul Bath
by Jim Benning | 06.05.08 | 1:07 PM ET
Writes Melissa Myers: “Of the 1,000 Things to Do, I wondered, how had sprawling buck-naked on a wet floor made the list?”
In What Country Does a Gallon of Gas Cost $11?
by Jim Benning | 06.03.08 | 10:40 AM ET
Beautiful Turkey. It topped a recent survey of various nations’ fuel prices conducted by AP correspondents. I wound up discussing the article with a big, burly Turkish immigrant who runs a copy shop I occasionally visit here in San Diego. He shook his head and said with a wry smile, in a way that suggested years of frustration with the country he left behind, “At least Turkey is number one in something.”
Related on World Hum:
* The $4 Gallon Survival Guide
* Visiting Orhan Pamuk’s Istanbul
Photo by Wrote via Flickr, (Creative Commons).
‘Where on Earth is a Casual Public-Transport Drinker To Go?’
by Eva Holland | 05.30.08 | 11:26 AM ET
That’s the question on Laura Barton’s mind now that London’s new mayor has announced a plan to ban drinking on the city’s underground train system. In The Guardian this week, she rails against the ban and laments the state of public-transit-drinking worldwide.
Photo by slimmer_jimmer via Flickr (Creative Commons)
Leaning Tower of Pisa Declared Stable
by Michael Yessis | 05.29.08 | 4:39 PM ET
Engineers say it has stopped moving for the first time since it was built in the 12th century. A team had been working for 10 years to stabilize the famous Italian structure, which should now be good to go for another 200 (BBC) or 300 years (Reuters). Glad it’s stable, but knowing it’s no longer moving kind of takes the romance out of it, ya?
Photo by izarbeltza, via Flickr (Creative Commons)