TRAVEL ARTICLES
Friday, 30 May 2008
America? China? It's all Greek to me...
To enjoy classic and Modern Greek cuisine, you don't necessarily have to travel to Greece. Thousands of Greeks have travelled across the world and made their homes elsewhere; many have settled in America and now embrace its lifestyle and traditions. However, they always carry with them a strong sense of their homeland's pride and culture; integral to that culture are the mouth-watering aromas and ingredients of their unique cuisine.
The Greek Food Festival in Little Rock, Arkansas estimate that, during the three days of their celebration, food-seekers will consume over 10,000 sourota, 17,000 pieces of baklava, 57,000 melomacarona and thousands more assorted sweet pastries - not to mention the savoury dishes!
Dallas also holds a Greek Food Festival of its own; an annual event hosted by the Greek Orthodox Church. As well as the startling array of dishes available, spectators can listen to traditional Greek music or learn and participate in dances that are steeped in history. They will also have the chance to learn more about the country's culture and history and enjoy cooking demonstrations held by local chefs.
The Astoria neighbourhood in New York is one of the most vibrant and eclectic in the city itself, with a strong, effervescent Greek community. Subtle and alluring smells infuse the side-streets, creating an exotic and sensual atmosphere. Here you can sample authentic shish kebabs, grilled fished with olive oil, lemon and garlic, chicken souvlaki and the traditional Greek salad, as well as much, much more. The region plays to host to some of New York's finest and favourite Greek restaurants, including Espirides and Opa! In addition, you can practice your own skills after purchasing produce from the teeming open market or relax with a pungent Greek coffee.
Greek cuisine hasn't just settled in the States; it has permeated into many cultures and has comfortably been absorbed into the host country's landscape. Even as recently as 2001, Beijing opened its first Greek Restaurant, the Athena. The restaurant took two years to gain approval, but a word from the Greek ambassador to China managed to convince the Athena's parent company to open a restaurant in the city. His astonishment that a major capital city was not hosting a restaurant that represented his homeland has been of great benefit to the city's diners and the Athena now hosts regular clients, many of whom are Greek.
It may seem a little absurd to travel to a country other than Greece to sample Greek food, but the option is there to holiday abroad and experience the best of many different cultures in one sitting. Thanks to fierce competition in the holiday market, travel agents are now offering great deals to virtually anywhere in the world. Expedia can save holidaymakers substantial sums of money, while sites like lastminute.com offer great deals on trips to the mother land, including reasonable Athens hotels, whilst Flymonarch.com do cheap flights to Lanarca.
The Greek Food Festival in Little Rock, Arkansas estimate that, during the three days of their celebration, food-seekers will consume over 10,000 sourota, 17,000 pieces of baklava, 57,000 melomacarona and thousands more assorted sweet pastries - not to mention the savoury dishes!
Dallas also holds a Greek Food Festival of its own; an annual event hosted by the Greek Orthodox Church. As well as the startling array of dishes available, spectators can listen to traditional Greek music or learn and participate in dances that are steeped in history. They will also have the chance to learn more about the country's culture and history and enjoy cooking demonstrations held by local chefs.
The Astoria neighbourhood in New York is one of the most vibrant and eclectic in the city itself, with a strong, effervescent Greek community. Subtle and alluring smells infuse the side-streets, creating an exotic and sensual atmosphere. Here you can sample authentic shish kebabs, grilled fished with olive oil, lemon and garlic, chicken souvlaki and the traditional Greek salad, as well as much, much more. The region plays to host to some of New York's finest and favourite Greek restaurants, including Espirides and Opa! In addition, you can practice your own skills after purchasing produce from the teeming open market or relax with a pungent Greek coffee.
Greek cuisine hasn't just settled in the States; it has permeated into many cultures and has comfortably been absorbed into the host country's landscape. Even as recently as 2001, Beijing opened its first Greek Restaurant, the Athena. The restaurant took two years to gain approval, but a word from the Greek ambassador to China managed to convince the Athena's parent company to open a restaurant in the city. His astonishment that a major capital city was not hosting a restaurant that represented his homeland has been of great benefit to the city's diners and the Athena now hosts regular clients, many of whom are Greek.
It may seem a little absurd to travel to a country other than Greece to sample Greek food, but the option is there to holiday abroad and experience the best of many different cultures in one sitting. Thanks to fierce competition in the holiday market, travel agents are now offering great deals to virtually anywhere in the world. Expedia can save holidaymakers substantial sums of money, while sites like lastminute.com offer great deals on trips to the mother land, including reasonable Athens hotels, whilst Flymonarch.com do cheap flights to Lanarca.
Thursday, 29 May 2008
3 Spanish cities
Madrid
The capital of Spain is a cosmopolitan city and business centre with spectacular cultural and artistic heritage, which also boasts fantastic nightlife. The city offers excellent shopping, exclusive restaurants, luxury hotels and friendly people in some incredible surroundings.
'Palazio Real', located a few minutes away from the Opera metro station, is the spectacular Royal Palace of Madrid and is the official residence of the King of Spain. Visitors can take a tour inside and the grand interiors and beautiful grounds make this a very nice place to visit and relax in.
Every Sunday in the old part of Madrid is 'Rasta market', a large open-air flea market nestled between the city's small, steep streets. With everything on sale from clothing to jewellery and artwork the market is very popular with tourists and locals alike and the little streets where it is held can get completely swamped with people. When evening draws in 'Calle de Manuela Malasana' is a good place to go for top quality restaurants and bars.
Barcelona
Over the past twenty years Barcelona has transformed itself into one of the most lively and stylish cities in the world. Fantastic architecture, fashion, restaurants, shopping and nightlife (especially in summer) make this city an absolute must on any trip to Spain.
The highlight of Barcelona is the incredible 'Sagrada Familia', a Roman Catholic Church which was originally designed by Gaudi and is still in the process of being completed. A stroll down 'La Rambla' is another absolute must and many long summer evenings can be spent sitting out at any one of the cafes watching street performers, listening to local musicians and just watching the beautiful people go by.
Seville
Seville is a deeply stylish and atmospheric city in southwest Spain. It offers all of the things you would expect from a leading city like excellent shopping, restaurants and nightlife all within a distinctly intimate setting.
A visit to the 'Museo de Bellas Artes' is essential to see some of Spain's incredible artwork. Culture aside, 'Calle Tetuan' is the place to go to for shopping, or for the more exclusive designer shops try the boutiques on 'Plaza Nueva'. When evening comes 'Plaza Salvador' has a great choice of bars where you can enjoy a drink or two with friends.
For more city breaks you might want to look at lastminute.com. Fly Monarch offer a wide selection of cheap flights to Spain; flights to Barcelona are available in November starting at £52 (One way ticket including taxes).
The capital of Spain is a cosmopolitan city and business centre with spectacular cultural and artistic heritage, which also boasts fantastic nightlife. The city offers excellent shopping, exclusive restaurants, luxury hotels and friendly people in some incredible surroundings.
'Palazio Real', located a few minutes away from the Opera metro station, is the spectacular Royal Palace of Madrid and is the official residence of the King of Spain. Visitors can take a tour inside and the grand interiors and beautiful grounds make this a very nice place to visit and relax in.
Every Sunday in the old part of Madrid is 'Rasta market', a large open-air flea market nestled between the city's small, steep streets. With everything on sale from clothing to jewellery and artwork the market is very popular with tourists and locals alike and the little streets where it is held can get completely swamped with people. When evening draws in 'Calle de Manuela Malasana' is a good place to go for top quality restaurants and bars.
Barcelona
Over the past twenty years Barcelona has transformed itself into one of the most lively and stylish cities in the world. Fantastic architecture, fashion, restaurants, shopping and nightlife (especially in summer) make this city an absolute must on any trip to Spain.
The highlight of Barcelona is the incredible 'Sagrada Familia', a Roman Catholic Church which was originally designed by Gaudi and is still in the process of being completed. A stroll down 'La Rambla' is another absolute must and many long summer evenings can be spent sitting out at any one of the cafes watching street performers, listening to local musicians and just watching the beautiful people go by.
Seville
Seville is a deeply stylish and atmospheric city in southwest Spain. It offers all of the things you would expect from a leading city like excellent shopping, restaurants and nightlife all within a distinctly intimate setting.
A visit to the 'Museo de Bellas Artes' is essential to see some of Spain's incredible artwork. Culture aside, 'Calle Tetuan' is the place to go to for shopping, or for the more exclusive designer shops try the boutiques on 'Plaza Nueva'. When evening comes 'Plaza Salvador' has a great choice of bars where you can enjoy a drink or two with friends.
For more city breaks you might want to look at lastminute.com. Fly Monarch offer a wide selection of cheap flights to Spain; flights to Barcelona are available in November starting at £52 (One way ticket including taxes).
Botswana Safari
The landscape and wildlife of Botswana has long delighted and inspired visitors. Mark and Delia Owens describe its varied wildlife in great detail in their 1992 best-selling book 'Cry of the Kalahari' and there are few other African countries better for safari. Tourism plays a key part in the country's economy and Botswana now has hotels and facilities to match its breathtaking natural surroundings and wildlife. Some of the county's key safari locations are explored below.
Okavango Delta
The Okavango Delta is the world's largest inland delta. The delta's waterways have created a vast number of palm islands and lush grasslands with vegetation and with no outlet to the sea they also irrigate the Kalahari Desert each year. Large numbers of mammals such as elephants, giraffe and buffalo, as well as an impressive variety of birds, can be seen on the delta's banks and this draws large numbers of tourists to the area. However, a unique selling point of Botswana is that it is less crowded with tourists than some other African countries like Kenya, and you are unlikely to see other vehicles when on safari.
Moremi Reserve
This reserve can be found on the middle of the Okavango Delta and was named after Chief Moremi of the BaTawana tribe. It is widely thought to be one of the most beautiful wildlife reserves in Africa. In the park visitors can see a variety of animals including elephants, giraffe, buffalo and zebras, as well as a variety of predatory animals including lions, leopards and cheetahs.
In the heart of Moremi lies the Xakanaxa Lagoon, which boasts an incredible amount of antelope, leopard and wild dog. Several private camps and lodges have been setup along the edge of the lagoon and this is one of the best places to stay in the reserve. 'Camp Moremi' and 'Chiefs Safari Camp' are two of the most luxurious lodges in this area where the camp has been so skilfully integrated into the landscape that guests can often view game without even having to leave the camp.
The Desert
Botswana has fascinating and intense deserts, which are best visited when the seasonal animal migrations take place, from March to May. The best way to get around the desert is to hire a 4x4 vehicle and camp out under the starts, but be warned you will need proper supplies and a guide to lead you.
Bushmen guides can show you round specific parts of the desert. Animals that live in the desert include hyenas, lions, jackals, antelope, as well as many unusual species of birds and reptiles.
A luxury safari to Botswana starts from £3,445 per person for an eleven-night trip with Abercrombie & Kent, with lots of other complete package deals available on the web. Alternatively you could go for the more rustic (and consequently cheaper) option of booking your own flights and hiring a 4x4 vehicle, opting to camp out most nights.If you'd rather construct your own holiday package its worth checking out sites like Cheapflights.com and Lastminute.com for flights and hotels.
Okavango Delta
The Okavango Delta is the world's largest inland delta. The delta's waterways have created a vast number of palm islands and lush grasslands with vegetation and with no outlet to the sea they also irrigate the Kalahari Desert each year. Large numbers of mammals such as elephants, giraffe and buffalo, as well as an impressive variety of birds, can be seen on the delta's banks and this draws large numbers of tourists to the area. However, a unique selling point of Botswana is that it is less crowded with tourists than some other African countries like Kenya, and you are unlikely to see other vehicles when on safari.
Moremi Reserve
This reserve can be found on the middle of the Okavango Delta and was named after Chief Moremi of the BaTawana tribe. It is widely thought to be one of the most beautiful wildlife reserves in Africa. In the park visitors can see a variety of animals including elephants, giraffe, buffalo and zebras, as well as a variety of predatory animals including lions, leopards and cheetahs.
In the heart of Moremi lies the Xakanaxa Lagoon, which boasts an incredible amount of antelope, leopard and wild dog. Several private camps and lodges have been setup along the edge of the lagoon and this is one of the best places to stay in the reserve. 'Camp Moremi' and 'Chiefs Safari Camp' are two of the most luxurious lodges in this area where the camp has been so skilfully integrated into the landscape that guests can often view game without even having to leave the camp.
The Desert
Botswana has fascinating and intense deserts, which are best visited when the seasonal animal migrations take place, from March to May. The best way to get around the desert is to hire a 4x4 vehicle and camp out under the starts, but be warned you will need proper supplies and a guide to lead you.
Bushmen guides can show you round specific parts of the desert. Animals that live in the desert include hyenas, lions, jackals, antelope, as well as many unusual species of birds and reptiles.
A luxury safari to Botswana starts from £3,445 per person for an eleven-night trip with Abercrombie & Kent, with lots of other complete package deals available on the web. Alternatively you could go for the more rustic (and consequently cheaper) option of booking your own flights and hiring a 4x4 vehicle, opting to camp out most nights.If you'd rather construct your own holiday package its worth checking out sites like Cheapflights.com and Lastminute.com for flights and hotels.
