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.

Heinz opens London Gatwick airport relaxation lounge

by Scott Carmichael on

Heinz (yes, the Heinz behind the famous Ketchup) just opened a “welcome home lounge” at London Gatwick Airport. According to Heinz, passengers returning home love settling in a relaxing homely atmosphere stocked with Heinz products.

In a way they are right – as a kid growing up in the UK, Heinz Baked Beans were to me what Mac and Cheese is to American kids. But to be honest, after a long vacation, sitting down for some baked beans at the airport probably isn’t too high on the list of “things to do”.

Still, you have to compliment them on their creativity. Amazingly, Heinz wants to take things to the next level by introducing an assortment of products to the arrivals shops at the airport – because obviously, nothing says “welcome home” more than shopping for beans and pork sausages at the airport.

(Image from thisiscow / Flickr.com / Creative Commons via Fox News)

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European flights grounded due to Icelandic volcano

by Sean McLachlan on

The massive eruption of a volcano in Iceland may be turning into a local tourist attraction, but it’s seriously hurting the travel industry. Ash from the volcano is heading for the skies over the UK and Scandinavia and has caused most flights in the UK to be grounded.

The thick, gritty ash can damage engines, causing them to jam, so all airports in Scotland are closed, as are numerous airports in England, including Heathrow. Ireland’s airports are also reporting widespread delays and cancellations.

Other airports in Northern Europe are also closing or experiencing heavy cancellations, including in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland.

Twice in the 1980s airplanes flying through clouds of volcanic ash had their engines seize up. Both times the pilots were able to steer away from the clouds and restart the engines, but needless to say aviation officials don’t want to risk another incident.

Since the volcano is still churning out so much ash that it can be seen from space, as this NASA image shows, it is unclear how long the delays will last. If you are flying to, from, or around Europe over the next few days, call your airline for the latest updates. We’ll keep you posted here at Gadling too.

Customs arrests man for flying with postage stamps

by Sean McLachlan on

Customs officers are generally our friends. They keep people from boarding the plane with stolen antiquities or live reptiles, but occasionally innocent people get caught in their net.

Stamp collector Markand Dave of India seems to be one of those people.

Mr. Dave tried to board a flight from Sardar Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad, to Frankfurt, Germany, on his way to attend a stamp collecting exhibition in London. In his luggage he had a collection of rare, early Indian stamps. While Mr. Dave is a well-known philatelist and had an invitation to participate in the exhibition, he had forgotten to ask permission from the government to take the stamps out of India and ran afoul of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, which considers rare stamps to be antiquities. He’s due to appear in court on charges of antiquities smuggling.

Mr. Dave is probably not an antiquities smuggler, but as a leading philatelist he should have known better. Collectors should understand the laws that cover their collections and fill out the proper paperwork before they travel.

Besides, he should be thankful he didn’t have his rare stamps stolen by a baggage thief.
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Walk amid the butterflies in London

by Sean McLachlan on

London is a big city, and after being there a while visitors feel the urge to experience some nature. A new exhibit at the Natural History Museum lets you do just that.

Butterfly Explorers features a lush butterfly house with hundreds of species flying free. The house is divided into four different zones: Africa, Asia, North America, and South America. An outdoor garden features the butterflies of England and gives tips on how to attract them to your own garden. There’s a feeding table covered with fruit where you can see butterflies eat, and a hatchery where you can see tropical butterflies hatch from their chrysalises.

The Butterfly Explorers exhibit is especially geared for kids, although adults will like it too. The museum itself has lots of interesting permanent exhibits and is highly recommended for anyone interested in nature and science.

If the butterflies weren’t soothing enough and you still need some peace in the big city, try some of these quiet spots in London.

Butterfly Explorers runs from April 8 to September 26, 2010.