Leaf peeping in the northern hemisphere

by Brenda Yun on

Let’s face it: autumn is here. But why not embrace the fall by heading to the hills and enjoying the turning of the leaves from green to fiery red?

It’s no secret that New England is one of the world’s top fall foliage destinations, but I bet you didn’t know that there are several other places in the northern Hemisphere where you can see the trees in their autumn glory. An additional bonus? Fewer people travel in the fall, and prices tend to be cheaper too!

Here are a few of the world’s best places to check out fall foliage:

In the USA:
Arizona Highlands — Arizona might have deserts and canyons, but the higher elevations around Flagstaff and its White Mountains have really photo-worthy foliage.

The Great Lakes Region — The Lakes region is famous for its huge expanse of fresh water, but the trees in fall paired with the blue of the water makes fall a great time to travel north.

Maine — This whole state is ablaze with fall colors come October. Just ride the I-95 north and breathe in the New England air. It’s no wonder the state slogan is, “Maine: The Way Life Should Be.”


In Canada:
Vancouver Island — Canada’s western isle is teeming with fall colors — from the city of Victoria, British Columbia’s capital, to the wilderness of Strathcona Provincial Park.

Prince Edward Island — Leaf peepers can hike, bike or take a horseback ride through the uncrowded trails on Prince Edward Island. Additionally, Charlottetown rings in the fall with its Fall Flavours food and wine festival.

In Europe:
High Tatras, Poland — Poland’s eastern mountains are great for skiing in the winter, but the fall offers fantastic opportunities for hiking. Zakopane makes a good base for fall excursions.

Lot Valley, France — Walk, bike, or drive around Lot Valley’s orchards and vineyards, which glow with autumn colors. The region is great for active bird watching or just a quiet weekend retreat.

Bruges, Belgium — Take a stroll around Bruges’s canals or drink a Belgian beer while admiring the trees. This is one of the few places where the city offers just as many photo-worthy fall shots as the outskirts.

The Swiss Alps — While this mountain range is famous for its skiing, fall offers great opportunities for multi-day hiking or road tripping along winding mountain roads as you admire the warm colors of the hills.

Lake Bled, Slovenia — Take a boat onto Lake Bled and take in the perfect blend of the area’s clear waters and the trees’ fiery hues.

[via SkyScanner.net]

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!

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.

Brit tourist locked in French town hall overnight

by Alison Brick on

Why name a building “hôtel” if it’s not really a hotel?

That’s what a British tourist ended up thinking after she popped into the hôtel de ville in Dannemarie, France on Friday night.

Unfortunately, she hadn’t realized that “hôtel de ville” translates to “town hall.”

Just when she might think it’s her lucky day to find a bathroom before checking in, the day proved her wrong. At that same moment, officials in the building wrapped up a meeting and exited, locking the doors shut.

She called for help. She flicked the lights on and off. But she couldn’t get the attention of anybody on the outside–until Saturday morning.

She did it by posting a note on the inside of a window, which caught the eye of someone on the outside. The British woman couldn’t speak fluent French, but she got her message across. Her note said: “Je suis fermer ici. Est ce possible moi la porte ouvrir?” (I am to close here. Is it possible me the door to open?)

Even when she was a free woman on Saturday, she wasn’t entirely lucky. As a town of only 2,500 people, Dannemarie’s hotels were booked and the only rooms available on Saturday night were in neighboring towns.
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Photo of the Day (8.8.09)

by Brenda Yun on


At first glance, this cliff looks precarious and tall, but when you look even more closely, you can see just how precarious the dwellings that sit atop it truly are. While I’ve always wondered what it would be like to live atop a cliff, I don’t think I’d ever be so daring as to do it.

This shot was taken on the lovely island of Corsica in France by mikegoldstein, whose photographs span nearly half the globe — from southeast Asia to the warm beaches of Europe. I’m in awe of the contrast between light and dark and the medium tones of the water that balance this photo so perfectly.

If you have some great travel shots you’d like to share, be sure to upload them to the Gadling pool on Flickr. We might just pick one as our Photo of the Day!