Get out and go: Events around the world (September 30-October 1)

by Brenda Yun on

Happy Hump Day, Gadling’ers! It’s time to look at the festivals and events happening around the world, and this week has a particularly international selection of happenings. If you’re close and have time, then you have no excuse to get out and go!

  • Victoria (Australia) – Spring Racing Carnival: The Spring Racing Carnival will take place today at various race courses in Victoria. The carnival is a series of racing and fashion events which will continue until November 18, so if you missed the first event, you still have 6 more weeks to take part!
  • Shanghai – Shanghai International Music Fireworks Festival: One of Shanghai’s most lively festivals will begin today in Century Park, Pudong. The event will continue until November 6, so you have plenty of time to catch some music or other festivities.
  • Belgrade – Belgrade Jazz Festival: This international festival begins October 1 and lasts the whole month. A series of concerts by domestic and foreign performers is held at the Belgrade Youth Centre, the hall of the Belgrade Trade Union House, Kolarac Foundation and other venues.
  • Colombia – Hip Hop in the Park: Bogotá’s “Hip-Hop al Parque”, a festival of beats and rhymes that begins tomorrow, has taken place annually since 1968, providing two days of bass and hip-hop.
  • Paris – Spring Summer 2010 Ready to Wear show: If you’re into high fashion, head to Paris this week! Its Ready to Wear show presents the latest fashion. The show begins tomorrow and will continue until October 8.
  • Cuba – Celebration of The Cubania: The celebration of Cuban art and culture begins today in Bayamo, Cuba.

If you make it to one of these events, let us know how it was, or if you know of an even that’s coming up, please let us here at Gadling know and we’ll be sure to include it in the next “Get out and go” round-up.

‘Til next week, have a great weekend — the first of October!

Golf, spa and 15th century charm in Brittany

by Tom Johansmeyer on

A round of golf and a trip to the spa can make any vacation even better. Now, put both those activities – and you – in Brittany, on the northwest coast of France. It’s even better, right? If this sounds good to you, check out the Hotel Domaine de la Bretesche‘s new “Golf and Spa” package. It runs through the end of the year and can save you more than 35 percent.

For €537 a night, you’ll get a room at Hotel Domaine de la Bretesche, breakfast every day and dinner at the hotel’s le Montaigu restaurant – run by Michelin-starred chef Gilles Charpy. You and your traveling companion will each get a treatment at Spa de la Cour Carree and 18 holes on the hotel’s golf course. Essentially, pay for the spa, meals and golf, and your room is free.

The hotel has only 32 rooms, all in a fortified 15th century estate. Enjoy this old world elegance … and don’t forget to bring your clubs!

Air France’s A380 comes to the USA

by Grant Martin on

The third official Airbus A380 route has officially been scheduled into the United States. Air France, the third air carrier to take delivery of the massive, double decker airplane, plans on using the behemoth to fly between Paris (CDG) and New York (JFK), a hotly contested, jetset route.

The tightly packed 538-seat double decker will contain about 449 economy seats, 80 in business class and 9 in first, each with the latest in entertainment technology and sporting that snazzy new plane fresh scent.

Inaugural flights from Paris and New York are tentatively scheduled for November 20th and 21st respectively, with a fair share of pomp and circumstance planned in parallel. But the best part of the whole affair is that tickets are open to the regular public.

By auction that is. Starting on October 1st, the French airline will be opening up 380 seats from each flight for auction, the proceeds of which will go to humanitarian efforts local to each flight. Ebay will be operating the entire sale of tickets, which include return fare on a regularly scheduled AF flight, a local shopping and culinary experience in your target city and discounted hotel stays each night. And don’t forget that it’s for charity.

The auction kicks off in two days, which should give you plenty of time to dig through your couch for spare change. See you on the flight!

Cyclist circles the globe in 174 days

by Kraig Becker on

Last weekend, British cyclist James Bowthorpe rolled into London’s Hyde Park, finishing an epic ride around the globe, and setting a new world’s record in the process. Bowthorpe became the fastest person to circumnavigate the planet by bike, finishing the 18,000 mile ride in 174 days, beating the old record by 20 days.

Bowthorpe’s journey took him across France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, the Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Iran, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States, before returning him home. In order to finish in this record time, he averaged more than 100 miles per day, and near the end of his journey, he was riding as much as 150 miles in a single go.

The 32-year old cyclist, who rode to raise funds for Parkinson’s research, faced plenty of challenges along the way. The weather was a constant adversary with high winds and rains tormenting him at times, while heat and humidity took their toll at others. Road conditions were tricky in some of the more remote areas as well, and while he was riding through India, Bowthrope took ill and spent three days in bed trying to recover.

The new record bests the one set by Mark Beaumont last year when he circled the globe in 194 days. Beumont is currently on another long distance cycling expedition, riding from Anchorage, Alaska to Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in South America.

Although the ride may be over for Bowthorpe, his goal to raise money to find a cure for Parkinson’s Disease continues. He had hoped to raise £1.8 million on his journey, and he is still focused on reaching that goal. To find out more about James and his long distance ride, and how you can contribute to his cause, go to GlobeCycle.org.

Paris catacombs vandalized, closed for repair

by Katie Hammel on

Paris’ catacombs, underground passages full of neatly stacked human bones, have been temporarily closed to the public after being vandalized.

A spokeswoman for the Paris prosecutor’s office would not go into detail on the extent of the vandalism, which took place over the weekend, but said that the site would be closed because in its current state it was hazardous to visitors. According to the AP, a photo in a Paris newspaper showed “bones and skulls scattered along the walking paths”. There was no word on when the catacombs would reopen, but as they are a major tourist attraction visited by over 250,000 people each year, it seems that the city would do its best to clean the mess and repair any damage as soon as possible.

The catacombs open to the public are just one part of an 186-mile network underneath the city. The bones of over 6 million Parisians are contained here, having been moved to the site in the 18th and 19th centuries after the city’s cemeteries became overcrowded and contributed to the spread of disease.