Daily Pampering: Thanksgiving in Tuscany

by Melanie Nayer on

You could hang around the family dinner table at Thanksgiving, listening to Mom whine about the fact that you’re still single and she has no grandchildren while Dad pours himself another scotch and Uncle Chester keeps missing his mouth and spilling stuffing all over his lap. Or, you could pack it up and head to Tuscany for a stay at The Castello di Vicarello, a 900-year-old castle that has been transformed into a seven-suite luxury retreat with organic vineyards, restaurant and olive orchards.

Castello di Vicarello is offering a Thanksgiving in Tuscany travel package for the week of November 21-28, 2010. Guests can book the entire property in the Maremma region of southern Tuscany for an exclusive family holiday retreat or a solo getaway (if you so desire).

In addition to exclusive use of the Castello di Vicarello, you and the family can indulge in the authentic Tuscan farm-to-table cuisine produced by owner Aurora Baccheschi Berti and her team of chefs. In preparation for Thanksgiving meal, you can even participate in a hunting excursion to the Castello’s exclusive nearby Valle di Buriano estate, where they can hunt wild boar, quail and partridge. Of course, the estate’s award-winning red wines will be part of the feast. When the decadence at the table is over, stretch and soak at the Castello di Vicarello’s Ayurvedic spa with a massage, yoga lesson or visit to the hot tub, sauna and Turkish bath.

The price for a week in Tuscany for Thanksgiving? Approximately $36,355 (Euro 26,000). That’s about what your sanity goes for these days, right?

Want more? Get your daily dose of pampering right here.

Curacao and St. Maarten become autonomous countries: what it means for travelers

by Meg Nesterov on

Get ready for two new passport stamps: the former Netherlands Antilles has dissolved, and Curaçao and St. Maarten are now autonomous countries. Smaller islands such as Bonaire will now become Dutch municipalities. Aruba, the biggest of the ABC islands, has been a similarly autonomous state since 1986. It’s not a major status change for residents, as Curaçao has been self-governing for more than 50 years, but it will mean greater independence from the Dutch monarchy and more control over their own finances and local courts.

So what does this mean for travelers? The new independent status means more tax dollars for both Caribbean islands, meaning more money for tourism infrastructure and development. Curaçao, with one of the only UNESCO World Heritage sties in the Caribbean, has already seen huge growth in visitors from North America, up 40% this year. Development so far in Curaçao has been conservative and thoughtful, with many well-kept public beaches and no mega-hotels or high-rises spoiling the scenery. Even the island’s newest resort, the 350-room Hyatt Regency Curaçao Golf Resort, Spa, and Marina, barely makes a dent in the landscape; let’s hope the island maintains its charm.

In other news for Curaçao, the island is planning to enter the space tourism game with flights to space in 2014, perhaps the new tourism revenue stream will speed up the process.

[Photo credit: Flickr user Jessica Bee]

Men play hilarious practical joke on London Heathrow Airport PA system

by Scott Carmichael on

NOTE: This video clip may be “NSFW” – so turn the volume down before you hit play!

Since today is the last work day of the week, I’m sure you wont’ mind some lighthearted travel humor. If you’ve ever seen the
Simpsons, you’ll know how much fun it can be to provide a weird name which sounds different when spoken. In this joke, the men provided foreign names which sound like “I hate this F******g job and I will be fired”.

Juvenile? Yes. Funny? You bet!

Go ahead and waste some of your Friday afternoon watching this clip. Got any others you’d like to share with us? Leave them in the comments section!

[Via: Gizmodo]

Travel+Leisure names the world’s scariest bridges

by Scott Carmichael on

Anyone reading this article that suffers from Gephyrophobia may want to find something else to read. And yes – Gephyrophobia is a real phobia, defined as an abnormal and persistent fear of crossing bridges.

Travel+Leisure compiled a list of the scariest bridges in the world – adding locations from some unexpected locations. Eight of the bridge structures are in North America – and includes the Mackinac Bridge in Michigan – which earned a spot on the list because of the extremely high winds crossing the strait.

Of course, some of the bridges in the lineup really deserve a spot – like the Capilano Suspension Bridge in Canada, where pedestrians cross a 120 year old bridge that is suspended 230 feet over the valley.

Others in the list are just downright freaky, like the monkey bridges in Vietnam or the Hussaini Hanging Bridge in Pakistan – one does not have to suffer from fear of bridges to be scared of the mere thought of crossing these.

At least when you have finished walking those bridges, you’ll be at the other side – unlike the famous El Caminito Del Rey in Spain where you pass over bridges, narrow walkways and parts that have completely crumbled into the deep gorge, forcing you to hold on to the rock wall.

For the entire list of world’s scariest bridges, head on over to Travel+Leisure, just don’t say I didn’t warn you about how scary some of these structures are!

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[Photo credit: Capilano Suspension Bridge]%Poll-54355%

Oktoberfest bathrooms (and tips for next year)

by Gadling Staff on

With so much beer consumed at Munich‘s Oktoberfest, it’s only logical that urination becomes a world-class activity. The bathrooms at the festival run the gamut from: good, fine, okay, crowded, packed and insane (see below) to convivial, non-existent, trees, bushes, lampposts and grass. Don’t be shocked to find many people — usually men — at the Theresienwiese (festival grounds) discharging in public. Oktoberfest is still a wonderful, memorable experience, but we human beings, well… we do have to go, so try not to be surprised.

Although I was sitting with other “specially invited guests” at of the Hacker-Pschorr Brewery on the last night of Oktoberfest, I finally had to head for a much-needed bathroom break. I’d heard about a mysterious “VIP-Pee,” but learned it was reserved for women only. So when the inevitable time came, I boxed my way down a crowded staircase, then out the door and headed for the nearest bathroom.

%Gallery-7107%After turning the corner around the exterior beer garden I encountered a dense, swelling crowd of maleness — guys of all ages and nationalities pushing to enter a small white shack labeled, “WC.” Speaking quasi-German now, “I Hav-en-to-pissen,” I joined a group of about 150 pushing hard to enter the one doorway. I was squished from the each side and back as purposeful masculine energy heaved the group forward. Against this tide, guys were attempting to exit through the one door, looking for a seam and slithering out of the onrushing squirming horde. It reminded me of a fullback attempting a tough draw through a stout defense. Most, but not all, of the guys found the situation funny, and I heard lots of German, English, Danish, Italian, Spanish, French and other languages. Some laughed while others swore with words I could not comprehend. Finally getting in, I went and turned around to get out of this insane WC. Finding some big blockers, I pushed hard against the group and popped out like a kidney stone into the fresh air. Whew, this scene was worse than when I saw Johnny Rotten at the Roseland Ballroom.

By contrast the bathroom inside the Hacker-Pschorr tent was a model of German efficiency as you stood up next to — and facing — fellow urinators standing on the other side of a partition. It was a time for light conversation, a time for reflection and a time to pee. Plus it had an actual exit door – how civilized.

Some insights for next year’s Oktoberfest which runs September 17 – October 3, 2011.

* Visit the beer tents early in the event and early in the day. You stand a much greater chance of walking in and finding a seat than in the evening. Then, you can return to your hotel early, or have dinner elsewhere. Normal, non-crazy times around lunchtime or before 4:00 PM are ideal.

* For evening fun, definitely make reservations for visiting Brewery tents. There is no fee for entrance, and again, walk-ins are welcome, but there are times when every single inch at the Oktoberfest tents are full and you’ll be left outside looking in. My favorite tents were the big Paulaner tent, the Augustina Brewery tent (the oldest brewery in Munich, dating from 1328) and my favorite, the beautiful tent from Hacker-Pschorr. Everyone has their own favorite. Ask around and do some research.

* Remember, tent reservations are free but highly sought after around the world. Use this link for reservation information. The owners of the tents aren’t exactly the breweries themselves, but it matters not for visitors. Sign up as early as possible.

* Try and order a glass of water (wasser) along with each beer. I should have had more water, especially the last night.

* Don’t forget to eat enough. It will help with beer consumption issues.

Until 2011 – Prost!

Previously:
* Oktoberfest by the numbers
* Arriving at Munich’s Oktoberfest
* Munich, Germany’s 200th Anniversary of Oktoberfest
* Beer logistics at Munich’s Oktoberfest
* Oktoberfest: Lots of food and more than 8 million gallons of beer

Bob Ecker is a Napa, California based travel writer/photographer providing worldwide magazines and newspapers with compelling travel, hospitality, wine, culinary, skiing, film and innovative feature content. He is constantly on the go, traveling the world, unearthing new stories and uncorking emerging regions. He is current Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) member and former President of the Bay Area Travel Writers (BATW).

[Images: Flickr | Ethan Prater; mahmut; Herr_bert]

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