Get out and go: Events around the world (November 11-15)

by Brenda Yun on

It’s time to look at the festivals and events happening around the world, and this week has a particularly international selection of happenings. If you’re close and have time, then you have no excuse to get out and go!

  • Saskatoon – The Saskatoon Fall Fair, an agricultural and livestock show in Saskatchewan, Canada, will begin tomorrow, November 11, and continue until November 14.
  • Tokyo – The Shinjuku Ootori Matsuri Festival will take place November 11-12 and 23-24. The festival attracts over 600,000 people to the Hanazono Jinja Shrine.
  • Tallinn (Estonia) – Thursday 12 November 2009 The Black Nights Film Festival combines feature films with the sub-festivals of animated films, student films and children/youth films. The event begins Thursday, November 12, and continues for a full month until December 6.
  • Boulder – The Boulder Adventure Film Festival will be held November 12-14. This gritty, raw film fest is dedicated to the beating heart of adventure and a community undertaking run by adventurers, filmmakers and artists wishing to spread the creativity, enthusiasm, and activism inherent to outdoor adventure.
  • Frankfurt – The ‘Botticelli’ exhibition showcasing the art of Sandro Botticelli (c. 1445–1510), whose work has become a landmark of the Italian Renaissance, opens this Friday, November 13, at the Stadel Museum and will continue until February 28, 2010.
  • Boston – The city’s annual Christmas Festival of Lights will take place this Friday, November 13. The lights will be on display until January 3.

If you make it to one of these events, let us know how it was, or if you know of an event that’s coming up, please let us know and we’ll be sure to include it in the next “Get out and go” round-up.

Get out and go: Events around the world (October 21-25)

by Brenda Yun on

Here’s a travel factoid for the day: Did you know that it was 32 years ago today that three members of the rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd were killed in the crash of a chartered plane near McComb, Mississippi?

…But don’t let that fact prevent you from traveling and experiencing the world!

It’s time to look at the festivals and events happening around the world, and this week has a particularly international selection of happenings. If you’re close and have time, then you have no excuse to get out and go!

  • Montreal – The Travel and Adventure Film Festival begins Wednesday, October 21 and continues until the 24th. The festival celebrates both short and long films.
  • Brisbane – The Caloudra Music Festival will take place at King Beach Bark in Caloundra, near Brisbane, on Thursday, October 22. This is a family-friendly event aimed at celebrating diversity in the local community and will continue until October 25th.
  • Kyoto – Kurama Himatsuri, Japan’s legendary fire festival, will see boys carrying torches through the streets of Kyoto, eventually converging at the Yuki-jinja Shrine, this Thursday, October 22.
  • Montego Bay – Wata Rose Hall Health and Wellness Festival begins Friday, October 23, and culminates with a triathlon on October 26.
  • Boston – Harry Potter: The Exhibition opens at Boston’s Museum or Science this Sunday, October 25. The exhibition showcases the supreme artistry and craftsmanship that went into the making of the ever-popular film series.

If you make it to one of these events, let us know how it was, or if you know of an event that’s coming up, please let us know and we’ll be sure to include it in the next “Get out and go” round-up.

Photo of the Day 10.12.09

by Karen Walrond on


I’m always impressed with a good black-and-white photo, but this one by the ubiquitous fiznatty positively took my breath away. What you’re looking at here is the exhalation of a humpback whale, photographed in the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia, Canada. Beautiful, isn’t she?

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

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]

The world’s oddest airport names

by Katie Hammel on

I once took a flight from Batman Airport, had a layover at Useless Loop and then landed at Monkey Mia. Okay, I didn’t. But I could have flown in or out of those and several other airports with equally odd names. Batman is located in Turkey, and Useless Loop and Monkey Mia serve Western Australia.

Skyscanner has put together a list of some of the strangest airport names in the world, including these. On the titillating side, there’s Brest Airport in France and Ogle Airport in Guyana, while Asbestos Hill Airport in Canada and Mafia Airport in Tanzania are on the “airports you might not want to fly into” list. But at least neither of those sound as scary as Danger Bay Airport.

There are airports named for animals: Canada is home to Squirrel Cove, Muskrat Dam and Goose Bay Airports while the US has Chicken, Fox and Duck Airports. Then there are the ones that just sound silly: Wee Waa, Wagga Wagga, and Woodie Woodie Airports are all in Australia and Flin Flon and Kar Kar serve Papau New Guinea.

The site also lists some funny airport codes like BUM (Butler Airport), PEE (Perm Airport), and SEX (Sembach Airport).

Check out the full list of strange and silly airport names here.

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