The final days of a Boeing 747 – from king of the skies to a pile of rubbish

by Scott Carmichael on

The Daily Mail has an interesting article on the final resting place of a Boeing 747. The Jumbo had been in service for 35 years and covered over 55 million miles but took its final trip to Cotswald airport in the UK.

In just two days, experts from Air Salvage International turned the mighty beast into a pile of twisted metal. The owners of the jet (Dubai Air Wing) first made sure that anything of value was removed from the plane, and all parts taken out will be tested to see if they are in good enough condition to be resold as spares.

The final job of this 747 was probably its most interesting one – transporting horses around the world. The plane was one of just a few dedicated horse carriers, flying the four footers to major equestrian events. In the final photo of the article, you see the small pile of debris which was once a 747 – and once flew British Airways passengers around the world.

Love the past? There’s a new website for you

by Sean McLachlan on

Hotels have review sites, restaurants have review sites, heck even strip clubs have review sites, so why not ancient monuments?

The folks at Current Publishing, who publish two of the UK’s most popular archaeology magazines, Current Archaeology and World Archaeology, have started a website so people can review archaeological attractions in England, Scotland, Ireland (North and Republic), Wales, and the Isle of Man. Reviews cover everything from museums to stone circles and there are interactive maps based on subject, region, or managing organization. There’s a special section for Stonehenge and its surrounding area, as well as Hadrian’s Wall.

There’s also a section reviewing archaeological digs that accept volunteers. Volunteering on an excavation is a different and rewarding way to spend a vacation.

Called I Love The Past.com, this site has a nice, clean layout without a lot of the flashy features that distract the reader and clog up bandwidth. It’s simple to navigate and the maps make it easy to discover places near where you’re traveling. The downside is that as a new project, most sites only have one review, and some important sites are not yet covered. There’s nothing on the archaeologically rich Orkney Isles, for example. A forum would be a nice addition too, as it would encourage discussion and probably lead to more reviews being posted. Still, it’s an interesting concept and different than the flashier and bigger Heritage Key, which focuses on articles and well worth a look if you have a fast connection. If you’re a museum or ruins junkie, I Love the Past has some potential.

Stranded travelers have days to wait

by Sean McLachlan on

More bad news for travelers stranded by the volcanic eruption in Iceland–the cloud of ash has spread across a wider swath of Europe and it will be days before it dissipates.

The volcano is still churning out large amounts of ash, and with the current wind patterns meteorologists say the cloud will probably stay put until later this week. Even after the skies become safe to fly again, nobody is sure how long it will take to deal with the tremendous backlog of passengers.

Yesterday only 5,000 flights flew within Europe, out of a scheduled 22,000. These flights were between the few remaining nations lucky enough to still have clear airspace. The cloud has affected international flights too, with the majority of flights to Europe from the United States having been canceled.

Those countries that have closed down their airspace entirely include: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Those with partial closures and severe delays include Italy, Norway, and Spain.

Yesterday the European Union asked KLM and Lufthansa to run test flights to see if the engines would be damaged by the ash. All eleven airplanes made it to their destinations safely and are being examined for damage. KLM said its initial tests show no problems, and the airline Ukraine International has declared that after its own safety tests it was resuming service.

From a personal point of view, I don’t hold out much hope of seeing my wife fly back from England anytime soon. The best bet seems to be for her to take the Eurostar from London to Paris, and then another train back to Madrid. But with thousands of other people jostling for tickets, and the trip costing more than 300 euros with no guarantee that she’ll be reimbursed, it’s a pretty poor option. In the meantime she’s visiting friends in Oxford and would be cheered up if you looked at her photos from our Ethiopia travel series.

Travel chaos continues in Europe

by Sean McLachlan on

Hundreds of thousands of travelers remain stranded for a third day as flights stay canceled across northern Europe. Ash from an erupting volcano in Iceland continues to blow eastward and numerous countries have limited flights or have closed their airspace entirely.

The following countries have no flights operating: Austria, Belgium, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.

These countries have limited service with severe delays and numerous cancellations: Belarus, Croatia, France, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, and Serbia.

Questions are arising about how this is going to affect an already struggling airline industry. Some sources are estimating that the airlines are losing $200 million a day, with several companies already talking about laying off employees or putting them on unpaid leave. There has been no public discussion of reducing executive bonuses.

The Eyjafjallajoekull volcano in southern Iceland is still spewing out ash, although Icelandic vulcanologists are saying at a lower rate. Clouds of ash are hazardous to jets because they can make their engines stall, as happened with two flights in the 1980s.

Ferries and trains such as the Eurostar are reporting record ticket sales as people look for other modes of transport.

As I mentioned in the post about delays on Friday, my wife Almudena, who took many of the best photos in my Ethiopia travel series, is trapped in the UK. Her story is typical of countless other travelers. On Friday, British Airways told her they had rescheduled her flight for Saturday morning, but a few hours later the flight was canceled. UK airspace is now closed until at least 1 am local time Sunday. So at the moment I’m a single dad, she’s given up hope of getting to her meeting in Toronto and went to visit friends in Oxford, and our son is drawing pictures of mom flying over an erupting volcano. I have a feeling a lot of European kids are drawing pictures like that right now.

Daily Pampering: Detox at The Dolder Grand

by Melanie Nayer on

This Switzerland retreat knows you’ve had a rough winter. All those hot totties by the fireplace skewed your usual caloric intake, and the cold winter winds wreaked havoc on your skin. No worries, the healing process is about to begin.

Zurich’s Dolder Grand is offering “Detox” and “Retreat” packages with 30% savings to encourage health and wellness this spring. Whether you’re in need of a detox escape or just a relaxing spa getaway, experience one of the world’s most exceptional spas at Dolder Grand. The best part: both of these treatments are available through Dec. 31, 2010, so you have plenty of time to make your way to Zurich.

The Grand Detox Program:

  • Five nights luxury accommodations at the Dolder Grand
  • Complete five day detox nutritional meal plan, including introductory interview including “needs analysis” and daily coaching with the Dolder Grand Spa Team
  • Fitness and body composition analysis
  • Daily fitness and relaxation sessions
  • Daily treatments of Cleansing and Detox Rituals with custom massage
  • Consultation for continuation at home
  • Unlimited use of Dolder Grand Spa
  • Total cost: 8,600 CHF/ Double occupancy (approx. $8,000 USD) or 4,720 CHF/ Single occupancy (approx. $4,400 USD)

The Grand Spa Retreat:

  • Three nights luxury accommodations at the Dolder Grand
  • Daily breakfast at the Garden Restaurant per person
  • One dinner in the Garden Restaurant per person (beverages not included)
  • One 90-minute La Prairie Caviar Firming Facial per person
  • One 90-minute Grand Body Ritual, with replenishing scrub, therapeutic bath and massage application, per person
  • One 90-minute Bamboo Shiatsu Massage per person
  • One 60-minute Kerstin Florian Classic Pedicure per person
  • Unlimited use of Dolder Grand Spa
  • Total cost: 3,100 CHF/ Double occupancy (approx. $2,880 USD) or 1,770 CHF/ Single occupancy (approx. $1,645 USD)

Sit back, relax and detox.