If you enjoy a more personal and authentic kind of trip, then Iceland may be your kind of people, says Frommer's Iceland author, Lisa Gail Shannen.
Jane - my Iceland co-author - and I already know that Iceland is one of the best travel destinations in the world, but it's always nice to have it noticed by others such as the National Geographic, where Iceland is currently heading their "Best of the World 2012" travel list.
Apart from the more recent economic attraction the country offers, the main reason people visit Iceland is to experience the unparalleled magnificent landscapes and other worldly illuminations. The Icelandic tourist board have focused on this aspect for many years, but now they're interested in making a trip here extra special, and in doing so have come up with an excellent idea adding a new dimension to the traveller's experience.
As a follow up to their award-winning Inspired by Iceland campaign featuring famous friends of Iceland such as Viggo Mortensen and Yoko Ono, visitors to Iceland will get the opportunity to experience the "unique charm of Icelandic hospitality" by getting to know the people and culture on a more personal level. As part of this new campaign, Icelanders from all walks of life are currently opening their homes and hearts to tourists, by inviting them to dinner or to accompany them on a range of different activities including: photography tours, mountain climbing and even kayaking, with one musician promising to give tourists a concert in their own hotel room.
Even the president, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson has invited visitors to join him and his wife at his home in Bessastadir for delicious pancakes with cream. Visit their website for an introduction to the campaign and to see the list of diverse and interesting invitations.
Musicians are captivated by Iceland's mysterious landscapes as the country gears up for this year's Iceland Airwaves (12-16th Oct), says Iceland Author Lisa Gail Shannen.
Joanne Kearney is an Irish singer songwriter living in Iceland. I first saw her perform at the legendary Iceland Airwaves off-venue concert, hosted by The Reykjavik Downtown Hostel last year, where she opened for Bombay Bicycle Club. It only seems like the other day, but it's been almost a year since I was there listening to her superb acoustic set. When she was done, she famously introduced the main act as the 'Bombay Motor Cycle Club', much to their amusement and delight, and then she kindly lent them her guitar. Since then she's been busy putting together her beautifully crafted debut album 'Phases' that was released last month. The album is complete with 12 songs, each arranged acoustically with spellbinding melodies that weave between moments of ascending emotion and earthly celtic chants. Musically the style is a developing combination of classical and folk music that creates a familiar yet foreign organic sound. Sometimes pure, sometimes powerful, her voice both permeates and dominates the modern--medieval tapestry of the music. The title 'Phases' is a great summary of the themes present throughout. The lyrics are particularly distinctive, covering a range of emotional stages, personal growth and transformation.
Photo: Phases Album Credit: Joanne Kearney
The idea for the album was conceived in her hometown of Dublin, Ireland, but the evolution of it was accelerated by her experiences here in Iceland. She originally came to Reykjavík on holiday but was so inspired and curious she ended up staying to explore the mysterious landscapes beyond Mount Esja. Her adventures took her west to the picturesque town of Grundarfjörður on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula; this is where she began work on perfecting her captivating compositions. The project was completed in Reykjavik with the help of her talented musical friends and is now available for download on tonlist.is and Gogoyoko
Tickets to Broadway shows are often difficult-to-get and expensive. So skip Broadway and check out one of the thought-provoking and exciting Off-Broadway shows--and if you go during Off-Broadway week, you can score seats at half-price.
Off-Broadway, you’ll find the controversial musical comedy Avenue Q (www.avenueq.com), a type of naughty Sesame Street parody, which garnered rave reviews and was performed on Broadway until 2009, as well as interactive performances like Blue Man Group (www.blueman.com) and Fuerza Bruta (www.fuerzabrutanyc.com). There are also more serious dramas and plays, as well as a wide range of lighter comedies and musicals.
There are plenty of great shows on offer, and if you go during Off-Broadway week, from September 26th to October 9th, you can check out these Off-Broadway shows at half-price, with 2-for-1 tickets. Visit www.nycgo.com/offbroadwayweek/?a=1&b=1&cid=tw_obw for a list of shows, as well as tickets and information.
It's hard to say goodbye to the spectacular Icelandic summer sunsets; this year's were particularly memorable says our Iceland author Lisa Gail Shannen.
I first came to Iceland on holiday back in 1994 and moved here permanently in 2003. I've since seen countless sunsets, in all seasons and from untold locations, but I have to say that the best time to catch Icelandic sunsets is between May and August, though around June is the perfect time to witness the famous midnight sun.
Photo: Summer sunset in the West Fjörds Credit: Vladimir Rymarenko
During these summer months, the west coast of Iceland becomes an excellent viewing platform for some of the most epic sunsets you'll see. Reykjavik is particularly well situated for such scenic observations with some fantastic locations to take snapshots, including the lighthouse at Grotta in Seltjarnarnes, or on the waterfront by Sólfar - the Sun Voyager viking ship sculpture, for example. The Pearl building is another great place to see the impressive display of light and colour, often affected by variations in the weather.
In all these years I've lived here though, I thought I'd seen it all, until one night in July, when I saw something completely new - a sunset rainbow! Seeing the red and golden blaze reflected in my neighbour's window was the cue for me to grab my hat and coat, and head for the coast. My focus was, of course, on the awe inspiring summer sunset; however, when I turned and looked back across the city, a rainbow of solid pink was leading a band of heavy rain clouds towards the fiery edge of daylight. As the sun descended further, the pinkness intensified and was briefly embellished with a golden crest until the sun concentrated into a final point, and then both vanished. I would say 'awesome', but its overuse for describing things such as hotdogs etc. has diminished its meaning and power.
As is usual for the time of year the light didn't completely disappear in a few magnificent moments, because of the country's high latitude the sun sank just below the horizon and skies remained in a protracted state of glorious, gloaming illumination until around 4am, when the sun rose again.
Tomorrow is July 14th, which means that it is Bastille Day, the French national holiday that commemorates the storming of the Bastille prison on July 14, 1789, marking the start of the French Revolution. Also called la Fête Nationale or le quatorze juillet, Bastille Day is celebrated throughout France and around the world.
In Paris, the holiday begins with a military parade that proceeds down the Champs Élysées, ending at the Place de la Concorde. Festivities continue throughout the afternoon and evening at bars and restaurants around the city, culminating with a massive fireworks display over the Eiffel Tower. Every French town and city has its own celebration, as do many cities and towns abroad.
To celebrate, don your red, white, and blue attire--the colors of the French flag--and find a local celebration where you can drink some pastis, play pétanque (a French game akin to bocce), and nibble on French delicacies. Here are a few places to celebrate around the U.S.:
Los Angeles: In L.A., head to Elysian Park for a pétanque tournament, a Parisian waiter’s race, performances, vendors, and lots of French food; the celebration here runs from noon to 9pm. For more information, visit Bastille Day Los Angeles. And, lots of French restaurants are also offering deals and specials. New York City: In NYC, Bastille Day celebrations began early, with street fairs in Brooklyn and Manhattan last weekend. However, the celebrations will continue throughout the upcoming weekend around the city. On July 14th, enter the pétanque tournament at Cercle Rouge in Tribeca, and then celebrate into the evening at the Bastille Day Ball at the 404 restaurant. For more information on other celebrations in New York, visit Bastille Week.
Washington, D.C.: PAUL Bakery is hosting a Bastille Day Baguette Relay Race, in which participants pass a baguette rather than a traditional baton; the race begins at 11:30am, and it’s free to enter. Also in town is the French Maid Relay Race, hosted by L’Enfant Café & Bar; here, participants--both men and women--race in the frilly attire of a stereotypical French maid. Various French restaurants around town also host festivals; check the Washington Post listings page for more events.
Besides the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, Paris is also known for its array of majestic hotels. However, the city is large, so choosing a neighborhood to base yourself in is always a difficult choice. I recently returned from Paris, and on this trip, I decided to base myself in the right bank, near the Champs-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe. I chose this area for its convenient location, within close range of many attractions and Métro stops, and for its iconic status as a shopping neighborhood. Here’s what I discovered:
Photo: Le Royal Monceau - 37 Avenue Hoche. Credit: Philippe Garcia/LaSociétéAnonyme.
Designed by Philippe Starck and owned by the luxe Raffles brand, this hotel stands out for its unique design and high level of service. Although this hotel was first built in 1928, it recently underwent a complete overhaul and reopened in 2010 as a Raffles property. Today, it still evokes the roaring ‘20s, but it has been completely re-imagined by superstar designer Philippe Starck, who transformed the hotel into a high-design haven. Starck designed everything in the hotel, from the grandiose lobby to the individual accents, like asymmetrical desks and sculptural glass lamps, in the guestrooms.
Upon entering the hotel via a red carpet and being greeted by doormen in top hats, it becomes clear that the service here is in a caliber of its own. In addition to having the amenities and services you would expect from a luxury hotel, the Royal Monceau also offers a unique service: an art concierge. The art concierge can help you plan tours of artists’ studios, and get insider access to Paris’s museums and galleries. The hotel focuses heavily on art: unique pieces, like sculptures by Anish Kapoor, are sold in the gift shop; artwork is prominently displayed in the halls; and there’s an art gallery in the building.
The 149 guest rooms and suites, decorated in tones of tan, red, taupe, and white, feel like a refuge. It’s clear that Starck conceptualized the design of each room: everything seems intentional and well thought-out, from the position of the bed (so that it gets the most light) to the strategically-placed TVs (which are sometimes hidden inside 2-way mirrors). Bonus: there’s also a guitar in each room, which guests are encouraged to play.
The Royal Monceau is a chic yet untraditional high-end choice that’s perfect for the design-conscious traveler. Rates: 780 euros–930 euros double; suites from 1,200 euros.
Photo: The dining room of the Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée restaurant. Credit: Pierre Monetta.
Nothing says quintessential Parisian luxury like the Plaza Athénée. Built in 1913, this Art Nouveau beauty, located on the chic shopping Mecca of Avenue Montaigne, is a Parisian landmark. After passing through the grand lobby, with its lavish tapestries and crystal chandeliers, visitors can proceed on to the Galerie des Gobelins, a lavish tea salon, or la Cour Jardin, a charming interior courtyard draped with vines and dotted with red sun umbrellas.
Guest rooms are designed in two styles: art deco or classic French style. Suites resemble grand Parisian apartments--you may recognize one of them from the Paris scenes of the Sex and the City series finale.
However, even if you don’t stay at the Plaza Athénée, it’s worth visiting the hotel solely to dine at its exquisite restaurants. Celebrity Chef Alain Ducasse oversees the meals at all of the restaurants in the hotel, including the 3 Michelin–starred Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée--widely considered to be one of the best restaurants in the city--and Le Relais Plaza, the hotel’s traditional Parisian brasserie. At Le Relais Plaza, in addition to offering up traditional Parisian bistro-fare, like steak tartare with French fries and veal escalope Viennese style, the chef showcases seasonal ingredients with dishes like salmon with chanterelle mushrooms and fresh spring peas.
And if you haven’t been pampered enough by this point, there’s also a Dior Institut spa, with truly luxurious spa rooms and treatments.
Come here to indulge in la vie Parisienne--it’s the classic Paris experience. Rates: 865 euros–965 euros double; suites from 1,160 euros.
Photo: Renaissance Arc de Triomphe Hotel Façade and Arc de Triomphe by night. Credit: Courtesy of the Renaissance Paris Arc de Triomphe.
Slightly recessed off of Avenue de Wagram, only a few blocks from the Arc de Triomphe, you’ll recognize this building by its sleek, undulating glass façade. This hotel, which opened in 2009, attracts the young and hip with its modern décor, large rooms, and cool lobby and lounge. The large, 118 rooms and suites are decorated with wood paneling, crisp white linens, and pink accents, and are equipped with modern technology. Even though my room faced the busy street, I slept blissfully in the comfortable bed--thanks to the soundproofed windows. The on-site Makassar Lounge & Restaurant is a cool bistro and bar that serves French and Indonesian dishes.
This is a great choice for the young and trendy, but it’s probably not ideal for families. Rates: 279 euros–770 euros double; suites from 419 euros.
Note: Last week marked the opening of the new Mandarin Oriental, Paris (www.mandarinoriental.com/paris). The renowned Asian hotel chain is known for its luxurious properties and high level of service, so the new 177-room hotel, located on the rue Sainte-Honoré, is bound to be equally impressive.
London on a summer's Friday night and where better to meet for a post-work drink than London Zoo? It may sound a bit crazy - and it is a little. London Zoo Late Nights pack in the over-18 crowds from 6 to 9pm on Fridays. The night a group of us went was warm - and yes we headed straight for the bar near the Penguin Beach. Drinks were a little pricey (think £6.50 for a beer, wine or margarita) and your bags are searched on entering to make sure you don't bring any in, but if some of the money goes towards the zoo, that's a good thing right? You can order a picnic (a la Gordon Ramsay) from the website, but we decided to try out one of the many stalls, which included everything from burgers, and paella to mac 'n' cheese. There's also a Champagne bar and a Tiger beer bar (near the tigers). At some enclosures you could take food in but not drinks, and then some no drinks at all, so we had to slurp our drinks quite quickly before entering the gorilla enclosure, but at Penguin feeding time at 7:30pm we could take our drinks. Some might say that the zoo was actually outside the enclosures as the animals seemed to be behaving themselves better--the meerkats gave us an odd look, the gorilla turned her back on us (and even scratched things as if to say "I can play that game better than you"), while the tiger roamed around growling, maybe wanting to join in the fun. The zoo was heaving--and it turns out there are a lot of big kids, some dressed up as 6ft rabbits, while the queue for the face-painting hut was very long (just to remind you this is an over-18s night only). It all closes at 9pm, which is enough time to wander around the zoo, have a bite to eat and a drink and then head on to Camden for a few more drinks and a bit of clubbing.
London Zoo Late Nights: every Friday night in June and July. Cost: £18.45 (reduced online for groups of 10 or more). Drinks and food extra. www.zsl.org. Tel: 0844/225-1826.
Mamma Mia! Finally, what I've been waiting for--I can now follow an Abba city walk in Stockholm, the city where the band lived and worked.
Stockholm City Museum starts their Abba City Walk in English this summer from July 1 every Friday and Saturday at 4pm right through to September. The tour lasts 2 hours.
You start at Stadshuset (City Hall) where Benny performed for the very first time, then on to the Sheraton Hotel, a 1970s' landmark where some of the hotel scenes from Abba-The Movie were filmed. It continues through Gamla Stan (Old Town) where Benny and Anni-Frid once lived and also includes the Royal Opera, which was the location of the 1976 royal wedding gala performance, when Abba no doubt sang "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do".
Budget travelers take note: If you can make it to Washington, D.C. this summer, you might be able to experience a bit of South America for free. You’ll simply have to time your trip to coincide with the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in late June and early July, when Colombia will be the guest of honor. The annual festival, which typically attracts more than one million people and has championed cultural heritage since 1967, will offer visitors a unique chance to sample the best of this recently transformed South American nation.
Tourism to Colombia has doubled since 2002, and a delegation of over 100 people will be at the free festival to highlight some of the country’s many cultural and eco-friendly attractions. Song, art, and dance performances will focus on Colombia’s three largest cities -- Bogotá, Medellín, and Cali -- as well as some of its key ecosystems, ranging from the Amazon rainforest to the Andean savannah. On a typical festival day, visitors might learn about traditional crafts like basket and cloth weaving, savor Colombian food and drink like arepas and coffee, and enjoy dance performances like Colombia’s wilder interpretation of "Argentine" tango.
The Smithsonian Folklife Festival will be held outdoors on the National Mall from June 30 to July 4 and July 7 to July 11, and will also feature exhibitions on the Peace Corps and Rhythm & Blues. For more information, visit www.festival.si.edu/2011/Colombia/.
Colombian Tango Performers Originally posted by Jennifer Reilly
Last winter we had a very successful cover photo contest at Frommers.com, so we've teamed up with Barnes & Noble to do it again.
Winner Claudio Lombardo's image of a surfer on a cell phone underneath a Huntington Beach pier captured Los Angeles perfectly and appeared on the cover of Frommer's Los Angeles 2011.
We expect some excellent contributions again this time around. As one of the four judges, I'll be going through the tens of thousands of entries over the next month to select the top contenders. And since I'm a judge, I'll offer four pieces of advice for entrants that you ignore at your own peril
No photos of animals in zoos
No close ups of flowers, plants, or spider webs
No pics of your backyard, event if it's a great place for a staycation
Your family is very handsome, but it's not cover material
We've put together a few links from last year's contest that you can look to for inspiration and/or guidance.
