Here’s a holiday story to warm
your heart. The small French village of Mael-Carhaix (pronounced…mail, um, mail, car…um, nevermind) in the region of
Brittany got a Christmas gift of nearly $1.6 million when Francis Kerfers, a one-time resident of the little town left
the dough to the people there. Kerfers bailed on the town in 1949, but apparently thought it was a nice enough place
to give them some money. In the story here on NPR, Jennifer
Ford, who resides just outside of Mael-Carhaix, discusses what this gift will mean to the small village and its
inhabitants.
Hungary’s Robin Hood
I don’t check out Salon Magazine as often as I should largely because I get sick of waiting for the long ads to show as I enter Salon Premium. But I should check it more often. The articles are always quite good. Snarky, but informative. I guess I’d go back a LOT more if they brought back their travel section: Wanderlust. I LOVED Wanderlust. I even check out some of the old Wanderlust archives every so often. And remember we did a podcast way back when with Lonely Planet’s Don George? Guess what? He basically started Wanderlust.
Anyway, all this is to say that I found an interesting piece in Salon today about a Hungarian guy known as the Whiskey Robber (AKA Attila Ambrus). As the article itself points out, the story could be something from a Coen brothers film. The guy, apparently good looking…judge for yourself from the picture…I guess he looks a bit like Colin Ferrell. Anyway, his antics and past have inspired a cabaret theater show, a hit song, a
La Robe Creole Restaurant
Dominica’s La Robe Creole Restaurant is more than a website dedicated to what seems to be one of the country’s best family owned restaurants. (Both Washington Post and Fordors give great reviews.) A trip to the website will not only give you a visual taste of what your palate has in store, but provides comprehensive background information on the country in a glossary full of terms. Visitors planning a trip to the Caribbean island can also use the La Robe Forum to find out cultural and creole language information. Want to experience Carnival in Dominica? Fine information about the event here too.Play La Robe’s Game Quiz and score points while trip planning.
Returning to the more important topic of food, they offer basic burgers to island fav’s like chicken roti and callaloo soup. Those looking for light selections can have a small feast on delicious fish au gratin, accras, and shrimp in coconut flakes. For the picky eater, take a look at the food photo gallery, which may not cure your being picky overnight, but could help you decide what to order. Everything looks incredibly tempting, especially the fruit. Mmm.
Luanda Welcomes Travelers
Well the war in Angola is over. In case you didn’t know. It has been done with for the last three years and while it may have left much of the country in shambles, officials hope to woo foreign tourists in with whatever they can. Like many African countries Angola is banking that a swing in tourism could help the economy in more ways than one. I’m sure. As for right now the country has planned the construction of six new four and five star hotels and with the little bit of long undeveloped Atlantic coastline, lush tropical forests, beautiful mountains, waterfalls, exotic birds, and other wildlife left they may be able to reel in a good number of tourists. All it takes is a little advertising to let the people know Luanda, Angola welcomes travelers! CNN provides some coverage on the country’s future plans.
In the meanwhile consider Angola on your next African adventure. Careful research and planning could surely give off-the-beaten path type travelers an unimaginable experience. Lonely Planet still notes the country as being a rather unsafe place to visit, but if you must go and would like to go to find out for yourself then they also recommend a visit to the Elinga Teatro art gallery. Personally I’d consider a trip to the country just to trace the connection of the capoeira done in Brazil to their roots in Angola. That’s just me.
Aceh: One Year Later
The folks at the Washington
Post have done an
extraordinary job covering multi-media-wise the state of things in Aceh, Indonesia, year after the Tsunami.
This really is an extraordinary series of videos, panoramic photos and more. I am constantly impressed by how
the Post does Web multi-media, and they have taken the whole concept a step or two further with this series. Give it a
look, and marvel at how well panoramic photos tell the story of a place. I’m so into this and thrilled to see pano
photography and video get some real attention.