Good Beach Guide names best British beaches

by Sean McLachlan on

The United Kingdom generally isn’t the first place people think of when they decide to go to the beach. Indeed, the beaches of Spain, France, and Cyprus are filled with lobster-red Brits, so it appears the locals agree, but the Good Beach Guide, published by the Marine Conservation Society, says the UK’s beaches are improving, at least in terms of water quality.

The latest report reveals that 421 of the UK’s 769 beaches have “excellent” water quality, up 33 from last year. In addition, fewer beaches are getting a failing grade. This is a positive trend after heavy rainfall in the past three years made sewage systems overflow and sloughed off fertilizers and agrochemicals from farmland.

The UK can’t sit on their laurels, though, because starting in 2015 the EU is going to enact tougher standards for water purity, and many beaches that are now borderline cases will get failing marks. The BBC has published an interactive map showing what regions do best. Of the two most famous beaches, Blackpool didn’t get the highest “MCS recommended” rating, but Brighton Pier did, which is interesting because the area recently elected the UK’s first Green Party Minister of Parliament.

Now if they could just do something about the weather. . .

Image of Blackpool beach courtesy zergo512 via Wikimedia Commons.

The top 50 cities for quality of life

by Sean McLachlan on

If you don’t live in Vienna, you might consider moving there.

A new survey lists the top 50 cities for quality of life and Vienna comes out as number one. The survey, conducted by Mercer, a human resources consultancy firm, looked at criteria such as infrastructure, economy, housing, recreation, personal and press freedom, and education. Vienna certainly scores high in all that, plus it has historic neighborhoods and cool clocks. It’s just a shame the Toilet Bar had to change its decor.

The top ten cities are:

Vienna
Zurich
Geneva
Vancouver
Auckland
Dusseldorf
Frankfurt
Munich
Bern
Sydney

European cities dominate the top fifty. No U.S. city shows up until number 31 (Honolulu) followed by San Francisco (32), Boston (37), Chicago and Washington (tied at 45), New York City (49) and Seattle coming in surprisingly low at 50. Canada did much better with Vancouver at number 4, Ottawa at 14, Toronto at 16, Montreal at 21, and Calgary at 28.

Mercer actually surveyed 221 cities, with Baghdad scoring dead last. Go figure. They also listed the most eco-friendly cities, with Calgary taking the top spot.

Image of Cafe Central, Vienna courtesy Andreas Praefcke via Wikimedia Commons.

Naked hiker wins right to bare all

by Sean McLachlan on

All he wanted to do was hike naked.

The 46 year-old man headed out, sans habillement, through the Swiss canton of Appenzell Inner-Rhodes to enjoy the scenery. He passed by a public barbecue area, keeping a safe distance so as not to get his wiener cooked, and near a Christian retirement home. Somebody complained, he got fined, and he went to court, this time wearing clothes.

Appenzell is very conservative (it only gave women the right to vote in 1990) and while it’s not a crime to hike nude in Switzerland, the canton recently made it an offense. The judge ruled that this was contrary to Swiss law and that nude hiking isn’t indecent.

Appenzell has become a popular destination for naturists and the fine was supposed to discourage that. Now that the new law has been shot down the first time it was enforced, it looks like there will be more nude walking in the future, providing alternatives to the traditional nude beaches and resorts.

Photo courtesy Richinud via Wikimedia Commons.

Colosseum to open underground tunnels

by Sean McLachlan on

Archaeologists have almost completed a $28 million project to preserve the basement of the Colosseum so it can be opened to the public.

Underneath the famous building is an underground network of cells and corridors that housed gladiators, wild animals, and prisoners as they waited for their turn to go out on the sands and offer a day’s entertainment to 50,000 screaming fans.

The Colosseum is already an atmospheric place, but when these chambers open to the public it will be even more so. Imagine what it must have been like to be a gladiator looking up at the stone vaults, hearing the distant roar of the crowds, and wondering if you’d ever stand under another roof again.

Archaeologists have shored up the walls and are adding walkways so that the millions of tourists who visit Rome’s iconic building won’t damage the remains. It’s not clear exactly when it will open, but the archaeologists have said their work is nearly done. Stay tuned.

BBC news cameras got a sneak peak at what’s sure to be a prime stop on any tour of Rome. You can see the clip here.

Image courtesy Dilif via Wikimedia Commons.

Madrid book fair opens today

by Sean McLachlan on

Madrid is one of the art capitals of the world, with amazing museums like the Reina Sofia and El Prado. What many visitors don’t realize, however, is that it’s a major hub for publishing too. Many of Spain’s large and small presses are based here, and the countless bookshops are a bibliophile’s delight.

Now book lovers are getting an extra treat, because today is the opening of the 69th annual Feria del Libro, Spain’s national book fair.

The book fair hosts the usual things you’d expect–readings by authors, a chance to meet the famous and not-so-famous, workshops, lots of events at like-minded cafes and bars, etc. While these are all great, the majority of events are in Spanish, although some writers from the English-speaking world such as Claudia Gray will be there.

The best part for the casual visitor (especially one who’s only Spanish comes from Taco Bell commercials) is the collection of bookstalls. More than three hundred publishers, bookstores, and rare book dealers have congregated at Madrid’s lovely Retiro Park. Books on every subject and every language will be on sale here, from cheap paperbacks to one-of-a-kind medieval manuscripts.

The Feria del Libro runs until June 13 and most events are free. After perusing the books all day, don’t forget to go out and enjoy Spain’s nightlife, assuming you haven’t spent all your money on books.

Image courtesy Feria del Libro.