Some German airports shut because of Iceland volcano

by Sean McLachlan on

Ash from the Icelandic volcano Grimsvötn that caused hundreds of flight cancellations in the UK, Denmark, and Norway yesterday has now moved over Germany, shutting down airports in the north of the country.

Hamburg and Bremen airports are closed. Berlin airport will probably close this morning as well. At least 600 flights are expected to be affected.

Poland may also be affected today but otherwise flights in, out, and around Europe should be operating. There may be knock-on delays because of the disruption in Germany so check ahead before going to the airport.

In better news, Grimsvötn has stopped erupting. Let’s hope it keeps behaving.

Have you been affected by the volcanic ash? Feel free to vent in the comments section!

[Micrograph of volcanic ash courtesy US Geological Survey]

UPDATE: (9:23 EDT) The BBC is reporting that Hamburg, Bremen, and Berlin airports have reopened. About 700 flights were cancelled.

Gramping: New camping trend?

by Alex Robertson Textor on

Is “gramping” the new camping trend?

Over the past month, the term has made its way into stories in the UK travel media. The Telegraph has devoted two pieces to the subject: a feature by Harry Wallop on the growth of an intergenerational travel trend and a column by Oliver Pritchett that argues humorously against the adoption of the practice.

Wallop’s article does a good job of supplying evidence for the development of the trend. In the UK, the recession and an increase in Air Passenger Tax as well as added fees and surcharges related to flying have prompted a decline in overseas air travel. Concurrently, Wallop notes, “holiday camps, camp sites and other British resorts have reported healthy booking levels,” and all have apparently witnessed an increase in extended family bookings.

This drive toward local holidays may be a significant factor behind the emergence of the intergenerational travel habit. Of course, camping experiences shared by grandparents and grandchildren are hardly new, but the emergence of a trend supported by evidence is interesting.

Though some of the anecdotal evidence points to relatively swank camping conditions on the part of the gramping set, gramping is most definitely not glamping. This, of course raises some questions. What would be the appropriate term for glamping with gramps? Glagramping? Grampglamping?

[Image: Flickr | Dakota O]

Five ways to get more European stamps in your passport

by Alex Robertson Textor on


Lake Ohrid, Macedonia.

Yesterday, I wrote about the fact that European passport stamps have become harder and harder to get. The expansion of the Schengen zone has reduced the number of times tourists are compelled to show their passports to immigration officials. For most Americans on multi-country European itineraries, a passport will be stamped just twice: upon arrival and upon departure.

Where’s the fun in that?

There’s nothing wrong with enjoying your passport’s stamps. They’re souvenirs. So ignore the haters and treasure them. You won’t be the first to sit at your desk alone, lovingly fingering your stamps while daydreaming of your next adventure. You won’t be the last, either.

And if you are a passport stamp lover with a penchant for European travel, don’t despair. There are plenty of places in Europe where visitors have to submit their travel documents to officials to receive stamps. Some countries, in fact, even require Americans to purchase full-page visas in advance.

The Western Balkans remain almost entirely outside of Schengen. Russia, Belarus, Armenia, and Azerbaijan all require visas for Americans, while Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia do not. Immigration officers at the borders of all of these countries, however, will stamp your passport when you enter and when you leave. Turkey provides visas on arrival. These cost €15. Among EU countries, the UK, Ireland, and Cyprus remain outside of Schengen for the time being, while Romania and Bulgaria will soon join it.

Pristina, Kosovo.

Ok then. How to maximize the number of stamps in your passport during a European jaunt? Here are five ideas.

1. Fly into the UK or Ireland and then travel from either of these countries to a Schengen zone country. You’ll obtain an arrival stamp in the UK or Ireland and then be processed when entering and leaving the Schengen zone.

2. Plan an itinerary through the former Yugoslavia plus Albania by car, bus, or train. Slovenia is part of the Schengen zone but the rest of the former country is not. Traveling across the borders of Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Albania will yield all sorts of passport stamp action.

3. Visit the following eastern European countries: Turkey, Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and/or Azerbaijan. Unavoidable passport stamp madness will transpire.

4. Visit San Marino and pay the tourist office for a passport stamp. The miniscule republic charges €5 to stamp passports. The bus fare from Rimini on Italy’s Adriatic coast is worth it for the bragging rights alone.

5. Visit the EU’s three Schengen stragglers, Cyprus, Romania, and Bulgaria. In the case of the latter two, visit soon.

Def Leppard to headline UK Dowload Festival

by Chris Owen on

Pour some sugar on what?

Joining Linkin Park, Twisted Sister, System Of A Down and others, Def Leppard returns to host and headline this summer’s Dowload Festival the multi-night summer music festival held annually at Donington Park, England

What began as a follow up to the Monsters of Rock festivals that ran between 1980 and 1996, the UK festival has grown to a musical spectacle that last year featured over 50 bands performing on five different stages.

2011’s festival scheduled from the 10th to 12th of June will be no different, beginning with the release of 10,000 peacocks into the arena just before gates are opened.

Photo DownloadFestival.co.uk


United Kingdom government does U-turn on forest sell-off

by Sean McLachlan on

Back on January 27 we reported that the government of the United Kingdom was planning on selling all of England’s publicly owned forests. Well, the English love their heritage (at least those English outside the government) and there was a huge public outcry. Half a million people signed a petition in opposition to the plan. Now the Guardian reports the government has backed down.

Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman stood up before Parliament and apologized for her “wrong” decision. The forests will not be sold and new laws allowing them to be will be struck from the books. The previous law allowed for 15 percent of forests to be sold, and Ms. Spelman wasn’t clear what would happen to the forests recently put on the auction block. Apparently this isn’t a complete victory for sanity.

The sale would have affected all forests owned by the Forestry Commission in England but not the rest of the UK. The Commission owns 18 percent of all forests in England. Now the Environment Secretary will have to find another way to slash her department spending by a third, the goal she set for herself.

[Photo courtesy user tomhab via Wikimedia Commons]