Shoes for the British Summer

by Iva Skoch on

I got this photo from a friend in London and thought it was too witty not to share. I wouldn’t normally make fun of another country’s unfortunate weather but since I got this from a London resident, I figured I could.

Although the UK is not exactly known for their sunny summers, this year has been especially wet. As you probably know by now, Central Britain has been swamped by rain and flooding. Tens of thousands have even been left without electricity and running water, thousands fled their homes. Even London (some 80 miles from the areas hit hardest) is not an ideal destination right now – wet, wet, wet! If you are planning to go to London, you might consider rescheduling (or prepare yourself for spending your vacation in a pub.)

Photo of the Day (5/9/07)

by Adrienne Wilson on


When localsurfer strikes the Gadling Flickr pool with his whimsical, secret, shady, sunken tree-lined photographs he sure does strike hard or shoot with an incredibly focused eye, doesn’t he? How I’d love to be the lucky individual in blue walking towards the end of the path. According to localsurfer’s notes anyone can visit Clovelly for a fee, but not everyone knows the back way in. Nice work!

Blind Pilot Makes Successful International Flight

by Jonathon Morgan on

If there’s one thing common to all adventure travelers, it’s the drive to overcome adversity. One British man exemplifies this spirit — flying 13,500 miles from London to Sydney even though he’s completely blind.

Under the supervision of a sighted co-pilot, Miles Hilton-Baber took to the skies for 59 days in a microlight aircraft, competing with snowstorms, freezing temperatures, and torrential downpours. When the trip was completed, not only had Hilton-Barber fulfilled a life-long dream, but he’d also raised a possible $2 million for Seeing is Believing — a charity that works to prevent blindness in developing countries.

And if you think that’s impressive, you should also know that he’s climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Blanc, run marathons in the Sahara and Gobi deserts, and made an attempt at the South Pole. This man is proof that people really can do anything they set their mind to.

Trouble With Your Love Life? Visit the New Sexual Theme Park

by Jonathon Morgan on

As I’ve mentioned on a number of occasions, the sunny, temperate afternoons and lush green countryside make the UK a great pace to visit during the Spring and Summer. Ahhh.

Now there’s yet another reason for Britain-bound travelers to celebrate — a new sexual “theme park” is has opened in London.

In tourist-friendly Piccadilly Circus, you’ll find Amora, a “love and relationship academy” featuring exhibits that explore every aspect of sexuality, from flirting to fetishes.

After a jaunt though the erotic attraction, you can wander into nearby Soho — which not only is home to great bars, restaurants and jazz clubs, but also the city’s renowned red light district. And — while I wouldn’t normally admit this, but seeing as it’s pertinent — I can personally vouch for at least one of the district’s adult-themed stores. In what has been, as of yet, my only experience with a “sex shop,” I entered one of the Soho’s sleazier establishments at the tender age of 15, and…

Well, we’ll just say it was an eye-opener.

But, at least according to an Amora spokeswoman, sleaze is the last thing you’ll find at the new erotic museum, which aims to inform the more high-brow sexual connoisseur.

Seems worth a visit — as, by the sounds of it, you might even learn a thing or two.

Wet Carp Wars in Wessex

by Iva Skoch on

Right after Neil’s reminiscing about Christmas carp in Eastern Europe, comes a funny article in the Wall Street Journal today.

The British take their carp fishing pretty seriously, as evidenced by glossy mags like Carp Addict and Carp-Talk. Now, with the “invasion” of Eastern Europeans moving into Western Europe, as a result of the easing of work and travel restrictions because of EU membership, something fishy is going on.

Eastern Europeans are actually, gulp!, eating prized British carp. The Brits think nothing of spending $15 to $40 per day for the rights to test their skills against the wily fish, but they release their catch. Carp are smart, learn their lessons, and get bigger (50+ pounds even!) and more wary of fisherman, thus making fishing even more interesting.

This “tradition,” however, comes square up against traditions of folks like the Poles (and Czechs), who love to actually eat the fish for Christmas. So much for catch-and-release. One lake owner in Essex has gone so far as to ban Eastern Europeans from his property, for fear that they’ll eat his prize stock.

And it’s not that the fishing Poles are there for the sport: they say they’d happily buy the fish if it were sold at markets.