Destination: Europe
Americans Gone Wild in Italy—Again
by Joanna Kakissis | 03.27.08 | 10:43 AM ET
Didn’t we hear this story last year? Does it get juicier if the drunks involved are well-heeled American women spending their college study abroad programs “vomiting off the sides of the cobblestone streets,” as a city councilman in Florence told National Public Radio? About 80 percent of the 7,000 American study-abroad students are women, and hundreds of them are partying like they’re on a long, wild spring break.
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Yahoo! BuzzHow To Dine Solo in Paris
by Eva Holland | 03.25.08 | 10:37 AM ET
Inside the Gridlock Capital of the World
by Michael Yessis | 03.21.08 | 9:33 AM ET
It’s Bangkok, according to Time. The story seems to offer support for both sides in a brewing debate in our comments section about whether it’s more difficult to cross the street in Rome or some cities in Southeast Asia. The chaos of Bangkok sounds crazier than Rome, but so does the gridlock. And if cars in Bangkok are perpetually stopped, isn’t that an argument that it should be easier to cross there than in Rome?
Related on World Hum:
* How to Cross the Street in Rome
Ireland, Mermaids and a 500-Year-Old Grudge
by Michael Yessis | 03.17.08 | 10:49 AM ET
When Bryan Patrick Miller’s mother was dying of a terminal illness, she asked him to visit Ireland and piece together their family’s history. It didn’t take him long to find out his “family was hated all over southwest Ireland.” His terrific New York Times Magazine story chronicles the revelation.
Related on World Hum:
* Family Traveling
TripAdvisor to Athens: Dirty Isn’t Sexy or Cool, Unless You’re London
by Joanna Kakissis | 03.14.08 | 10:41 AM ET
Athens is tied with Rome as the third dirtiest city in Europe, according to a survey by TripAdvisor. If the survey had been done this week, however, Greece’s capital might have made first place. Garbage collectors have been on strike for days, as part of a nationwide union protest against government pension reforms.
Dollar Hits 12-Year Low Against Yen
by Jim Benning | 03.13.08 | 4:13 PM ET
You want bad travel news? We got your bad travel news. The dollar’s tumbling value in Japan is today’s big headline. (Japan-bound budget travelers might want to cancel that hostel reservation and book a night here.) But the dollar has been sinking around the globe, from euro-land to India, for some time now. Get this, from the AP: “At the Taj Mahal, dollars were always legal tender, alongside rupees, for entry into the palace. But because of the falling value of the dollar, the government implemented a rupees-only policy a month ago.”
New Palermo Shop Goes Mafia Free
by Michael Yessis | 03.12.08 | 3:49 PM ET
Punto Pizzofree, which opened last weekend, promises that “all products and staff are 100 per cent guaranteed Mafia-free, supplied only by shops and producers which have stood up to Sicily’s Cosa Nostra and refused to pay protection money,” according to the Guardian.
My ‘Unsung’ British Attractions
by Eva Holland | 03.12.08 | 10:15 AM ET
Last year, the British Museum received almost 5.5 million visitors. The Tower of London saw 2 million “punters” pass through, while Westminster Abbey logged just over 1 million. In all, according to the newest statistics from Britain’s Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA), 20 major sites received at least 1 million visitors in 2007. That adds up to some serious queues for tickets. Near the end of the ALVA’s table, though, are the sites whose annual visitors number in the tens of thousands, and The Guardian’s Dixie Wills has picked her 10 favorite unsung attractions from the list.
An Expat in Athens: Carnival’s Kites and Calamari
by Joanna Kakissis | 03.11.08 | 4:31 PM ET
Yesterday was Clean Monday for Eastern Orthodox Christians, which means that Apokries (or Carnival celebrations) are winding down and Lent has officially begun. In Athens, where I shot this photo, Greeks spent the day eating fish—fried calamari and taramosalata, or fish roe dip, are special favorites—and flying kites on Philopappus Hill near the Acropolis. This year, Athens was far emptier than usual, since many Athenians had gone out to the provinces for the festivities.
Renzo Piano, Museum Maker Extraordinaire
by Jim Benning | 03.11.08 | 3:52 PM ET
Travelers who love architecture and museums are well aware of Renzo Piano’s work. He has 12 museums or additions under his architectural belt—including Paris’ must-see Pompidou Centre, pictured—and several more in the works.
Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum Closed Until At Least 2012
by Jim Benning | 03.10.08 | 11:08 AM ET
Bad news for art lovers: The museum housing the work of Vermeer, Rembrandt and other Dutch masters was originally scheduled to reopen this year after closing several years ago for renovations, but conflicts with the contractor over costs have caused major delays. A limited number of pieces remain available for viewing in one wing.
Related on World Hum:
* Sex, Drugs and Changing Times in Amsterdam
Photo by Rob Lee via Flickr, (Creative Commons).
Switzerland Tops World Economic Forum Tourism Rankings
by Michael Yessis | 03.10.08 | 10:25 AM ET
Austria and Germany took the second and third spots in the annual Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index. The index measures 14 factors in an attempt to pinpoint which countries have the most “conducive environments for developing the travel and tourism industry.” Here are all the rankings. (via Jaunted)
Related on World Hum:
* U.N.: Iceland Rocks. Sub-Saharan Africa? Not so Much.
How to Cross the Street in Rome
by David Farley | 03.06.08 | 12:57 PM ET
Walking across a busy street in Italy's capital is no easy feat. It's an art, and as David Farley explains, you need some serious sprezzatura.
Protesters of Heathrow Expansion Hit the Roof
by Eva Holland | 02.28.08 | 3:23 PM ET
Five members of a group called Plane Stupid managed to breach security and climb onto the roof of the British parliament this week, to protest the planned expansion of London’s Heathrow Airport.
The Implications of a Viable Northwest Passage
by Michael Yessis | 02.28.08 | 7:09 AM ET
We’ve touched on what a navigable passage through the Arctic will mean for international shipping and travelers. The latest issue of Foreign Affairs offers a thorough look at the economic and political implications of an ice-free Northwest Passage, something that, according to experts, could happen as soon as 2013.