Texans denied entry into Ireland

by Jamie Rhein on

This story is an example of a traveler’s nightmare as well as what it’s like to win the lottery–an is the glass half empty or half full sort of tale.

Three strapping young men, high school graduates from Plano, Texas landed in Dublin, Ireland ready to embark on a back-packing trip around Europe. They were eager. Excited. If you’ve done a similar trip, you know the feeling. Then they were asked two magic questions by immigration that they didn’t know the answer to.

“Where are you staying?” and “How much money do you have?” They needed a bank statement to prove they were solvent. They came up with goose eggs on both accounts.

They didn’t have a place to stay yet, therefore, no address. Evidently, they didn’t have proof of enough funds either so there they were. Instead of following where their adventurous selves felt like going, they were sent back to New York City.

Hearing of their plight, and that shame had befallen Ireland that prides itself on being friendly, an upscale hotel group d4hotels.ie has offered the trio an all expenses paid trip back to Ireland. They’ve also been offered free cell phone service for a week and probably free pints of Guinness.

The three have accepted the offer, but feel nervous about the black mark on their passports. Hopefully, their best dreams are coming true and that Plano will be left behind for awhile. Let’s see if any other countries want to show how friendly they are.

Finnish trash cans talk back

by Tom Johansmeyer on

This summer, the garbage cans of Helsinki will have something to say … to you … in six languages. The strange people who brought you wife-carrying contests and team berry-picking (you just can’t make this stuff up) are happy to present the talking trash receptacle – which comes with a musical “thank you.” Nowhere else in the world is litter discouraged with such positive reinforcement. Maybe that’s why I didn’t see much trash on the ground when I was over there.

Last year at this time, Helsinki put four of these devices in the center of the city. They were so unbelievably successful that the Finns have doubled tripled down on the concept. Look for eight more of these contraptions in the Finnish capital this year. Simo Frangén, a popular Finnish TV personality, was kind enough to give his voice to the cause. The new trash cans will be located near Esplanadi, Senate Square, Sibelius Monument and Temppeliaukio Church.

These crazy devices will speak Finnish, Swedish, Japanese, English, German, Polish, and Russian.Also, some will provide fun musical sounds created by high school students from the Kruununhaka district of Helsinki as part of the Helsinki City Public Works youth campaign.”

Renoir going to Paris, you should too

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Don’t you want to hang out in Paris with Renoir? The exhibit “Renoir in the 20th Century” is coming to the national Galleries of the Grand Palais on September 23, 2009 and will stay through December 21, 2009. That gives you plenty of opportunity to soak in what promises to be an impressive exhibition. And, since you’re already hooked on Paris (who isn’t?), Concorde Hotels & Resorts is trying to lure you in the door … which shouldn’t be that hard when you see what they’re offering.

So, shell out for a hotel room (starting at $282 a night), and you’ll pick up two priority tickets to the Renoir exhibition and buffet breakfast for two for every night you stay. You can choose from six hotels for this package.

  • Hotel de Crillon – this 18th century masterpiece has a history closely linked to that of the Place de la Concorde
  • Hotel du Louvre – facing the Musée du Louvre and the Opéra Garnier in the heart of Paris’ fashion district, Hotel du Louvre is differentiated by its colorful interior
  • Hotel Lutetia – the grand hotel on the Left Bank is right in the middle of the action of Saint-Germain des Prés and its fashion boutiques and isn’t far from the Jardin du Luxembourg and the Musée d’Orsay
  • Hotel Concorde St. Lazare – uniquely charming and only a short walk from the Opéra Garnier and several famous Parisian department stores
  • Hotel Concorde La Fayette – located between the Champs-Elysées and La Défense
  • Hotel Concorde Montparnasse – you’ll find it in the heart of Montparnasse

French tourists voted worst in the world

by Scott Carmichael on

OUCH – If you are French, I recommend that you stop reading now, as this is bound to hurt.

The French have been voted worst tourists in the world, in a survey of 40,000 tourists. The results paint a pretty bleak picture of the French, calling them “penny-pinching, rude, pushy and terrible at foreign languages”.

I’ll leave my own opinion of the French out of this, as the survey seems to reach the same opinion I’ve often come to.

The survey was carried out by research firm TNS Infratest on behalf of Expedia, and asked hotels to rank their guests in 9 different criteria.

Joining the French at the bottom of the list are Spanish and Greek tourists. The best tourists come from Japan, followed by the Candians. US tourists got high marks for their generosity when it comes to tipping, most likely the result of the insane tipping etiquette in their own country.

The results are very much in line with the same research done last year, which obviously means the French don’t care too much about their bad reputation.

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Which countries *cough* smoke the most?

Man gored to death in Pamplona’s running of the bulls

by Sean McLachlan on

A man was gored to death today at the famous running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain. It is the first such death since 2003.

The victim, reported by Spanish media to be a Spanish national named Daniel Jimeno Romero, 27, was killed when a brown bull named Capuchino broke away from the main group and attacked a crowd of runners. Three other runners were injured.

The running of the bulls is part of the week-long Festival of San Fermín. Crowds of people traditionally dressed all in white and wearing red kerchiefs run through the streets toward the bullfighting ring, being chased by a herd of bulls. Later in the day matadors fight and kills the animals.

As seen in this video, the man was knocked to the ground before being gored in the neck. He was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery but died of his injuries. This longer video shows the entire run as well as the fatal incident.

The festival was made famous by Ernest Hemingway in his book The Sun also Rises and attracts thousands of runners a year, many of them foreign tourists. It remains a controversial and dangerous event. Since the running of the bulls started in 1922, fifteen people have been killed, including one American, and hundreds injured.

We here at Gadling extend our sympathies to Señor Romero and his family and want to remind our readers to think twice before engaging in risky activity while on holiday.

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