Teens capture amazing shots from 20 miles above the Earth

by Karen Walrond on

(Via Daddy in a Strange Land and Gizmodo) : Four teenagers in Spain have gone where no Spanish-teenagers-with-a-camera-operated-weather-balloon have gone before — they’ve taken astonishing photos from 20 miles above the Earth’s surface.

The Meteotek team from IES La Bisbal school in Catalonia built electronic components from scratch, harnessed them to a heavy-duty latex balloon, and were able to capture beautiful images from the edge of space.

Said team lead Gerard Marull, 18: “We were overwhelmed at our results, especially the photographs to send our handmade craft to the edge of space is incredible.”

You can see the photographs of their process, as well as their stunning results, here. Well done, boys!

And NASA? You might want to keep an eye on these young men.

Bury a sardine for Lent: A tradition across Spain

by Jamie Rhein on

Before today, I knew of only one other celebration centered on a fish. During the Walleye Drop on New Year’s Eve in Port Clinton, Ohio, townsfolk drop a walleye. Not a real walleye–one made out of some sort of fiberglass material. Here’s another case of fish frivolity. This Mad Culture video depicts the Burial of the Sardine in Madrid. The celebration, attended by folks of all ages, is connected to the end of Mardi Gras. The mood is fun and festive complete with people dressed in costumes, some carrying images of sardines.


Burial Of The Sardine Madrid from Phillip Stark, Ben Dornan, Justin Metz, and Karina Stenquist of RedHill Media (a new production house in Madrid, Spain specializing in travel videos) on Vimeo.

The sardine burying tradition, according to what I found out here, came about in 19th century when some students in Madrid wanted to recreate a pagan holiday connected to the allegorical characters Don Carnal and Doña Cuaresma. The symbolism has something to do with carnal pleasures over moderation. The festival has since spread throughout Spain, and does indeed involve burying a sardine. The video explains it all.

Bargain Europe: Camping Across The Continent

by Kraig Becker on

In these economic times we’re all looking to find ways to save a little cash without giving up our travels. Airfares are more affordable than they have been in a long time, which means that we can at least afford to get to the places we want to visit. But what happens once we get there? Are there any affordable places to stay?

Most travelers making their way across the pond to Europe tend to stay in nice hotels. Some, looking to go on the cheap, will stay in hostels along the way. But the Times Online has another suggestion, one that often goes overlooked. They recommend frugal travelers consider camping their way across the continent.

In their first article on the subject, they recommend the best place to camp in Paris. Yep, that’s right, camping in Paris itself, within sight of the Eiffel Tower, on a small river island on the Seine, at a place called Paris Camping International. The place offers a quiet escape from the sights and sounds of the City of Lights, but is just minutes from the chic cafes and art houses that Paris is famous for.

And if that wasn’t enough, the Times followed up that story with a list of the 20 coolest campsites across the rest of Europe. The list has suggestions for Portugal, Spain, France, Holland, Germany, Italy, and more. The camp sites offer some amazing scenery, with backdrops ranging from the Swiss Alps to the Mediterranean Sea, and they are all rich in charm, but short on expense.

Looking for a bargain trip to Europe this year? Perhaps you should pack a tent when you go and take advantage of these unique places to camp.

Winter Adventures in the Pyrenees

by Kraig Becker on

Spain is seldom considered a great destination for skiers, but this story from the Wall Street Journal, says that the Pyrenees Mountains, found in the northern part of that country, are amongst Europe’s hidden gems when it comes to winter outdoor adventure.

Far from the crowds that are the norm for the top ski destinations in Europe, the Pyrenees of Spain offer plenty of solitude and untouched snow, along remote trails that wind their way between rock towers and hidden valleys. The area is almost completely lacking in ski resorts as they are traditionally known, so those looking to ski Spain’s northern mountains will generally need a guide to help them find the safest and best cross country or downhill routes. These trails generally aren’t as long as those found in the more developed resort areas of the Pyrenees or Alps, but they make up for it with their unique setting.

The fact that the region hasn’t been over developed yet by ski resorts doesn’t mean that visitors will have be lacking in other amenities. Over the past ten years, Northern Spain has been a growing destination for tourists in general, and that has led to the construction of a number of inns and weekend apartment complexes, as well as given rise to mountain guide services. Restaurants and clubs have added to the nightlife as well.

The region is also rich in culture and history, making the entire experience very different from the more overly commercialized skiing destinations in other European countries. Head here when you want to escape the crowds and have a ski adventure unlike any other.

Visit the Prado Museum from your computer

by Annie Scott on


Okay, people, Super Budget Travel time.

You may not get that great museum smell, and you won’t see Madrid out the windows, but you can now see hi res images of 14 of the artworks at the Prado Museum (Museo Nacional del Prado) on Google Earth. You can even see brushstrokes.

Click here to try it. The video above shows you how they did it and how it all works.

Kudos to the Prado for making their art so available. Even if you bought a big coffee table book of these works, you wouldn’t see detail this fine. This is an all-new idea.

The masterpieces the Prado allowed Google Earth to photograph include paintings by Rembrandt, Raphael, and El Greco. See them all really close without leaving your desk.