Gadling http://www.gadling.com Gadling http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.gadling.com/media/feedlogo.gif Gadling http://www.gadling.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[WWII-Era Parisian Apartment Found Stopped In Time]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/05/21/wwii-era-parisian-apartment-found-stopped-in-time/http://www.gadling.com/2013/05/21/wwii-era-parisian-apartment-found-stopped-in-time/http://www.gadling.com/2013/05/21/wwii-era-parisian-apartment-found-stopped-in-time/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Cyferus, Flickr
Love letters from fans bundled with a ribbon. A Giovanni Boldini painting worth more than $2 million. Hairbrushes caked in 70 years' worth of dust. All sitting right where the owner left them during World War II.

According to the Daily Mail, a time capsule of an apartment in Paris's 9th arrondissement was discovered three years ago upon the 91-year-old owner's death. She had fled to the south of France when World War II broke out, and it looks as though she never returned. Authorities found the once-elegant apartment in a cluttered, lived-in state, its brocade wallpaper faded and everything covered in cobwebs.

Among the abandoned possessions, one painting caught an expert's eye: a luminous image of a flirtatiously posed young brunette with a slinky pink silk or satin gown spilling far down her shoulders. The expert suspected it to be a Boldini (the Italian was a friend of Edward Degas and a noted portrait artist in Paris in the late-19th century). But he had no proof - until he found, among the scattered papers in the residence, a love letter from Boldini to the actress Marthe de Florian, a French star at the turn of the century. De Florian was the apartment owner's grandmother, and those bundled love letters were from her admirers, including one French prime minister.

Later identified as a 1898 Boldini, the painting eventually fetched more than $2 million at auction, six times its opening bid and more than any other work by the artist.

[Via the Daily Mail]

WWII-Era Parisian Apartment Found Stopped In Time originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 21 May 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>artparisworld war IIWorldWarIiTue, 21 May 2013 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Report: Government Oversight Allowed Known Terrorists Onto US Flights]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/05/20/report-government-oversight-allowed-known-terrorists-onto-us-fl/http://www.gadling.com/2013/05/20/report-government-oversight-allowed-known-terrorists-onto-us-fl/http://www.gadling.com/2013/05/20/report-government-oversight-allowed-known-terrorists-onto-us-fl/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Pmocek, Flickr

Some "suspected or known terrorists" on the TSA's No Fly list were able to board commercial flights in and over the United States for years, according to a new internal report from the Department of Justice.

The report, released this month and cited by Breaking Travel News, focused on the U.S. Marshals Service and another office's handling of terrorists in the federal witness security program (WITSEC), commonly called the witness protection program. It concluded that those authorities were not communicating with "national security stakeholders," such as the FBI, before admitting terrorists into the program and giving them a new identity. Part of the problem was that the new names didn't make it onto the Terrorist Screening Center's watch list or the TSA's No Fly list, creating a serious and surprising loophole:

We found that WITSEC Program participants include individuals known or suspected by the government to be involved in terrorism. This includes individuals trained in areas such as aviation and explosives, involved in plotting bombing attacks, and guilty of serious offenses such as conspiracy to murder U.S. nationals.

We identified some WITSEC Program participants who were on the TSA's No Fly list yet were allowed to fly on commercial flights with WITSEC Program officials' knowledge and approval. Moreover, these individuals, on their own accord, could have flown without WITSEC Program officials' knowledge and approval.

But that's not even the worst revelation in the report. This is:

Continue reading Report: Government Oversight Allowed Known Terrorists Onto US Flights

Report: Government Oversight Allowed Known Terrorists Onto US Flights originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 20 May 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>airport securityAirportSecuritydepartment of justiceDepartmentOfJusticesecurityterrorismtsaMon, 20 May 2013 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Plane Crash Memorialized In The Deep Sahara]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/05/18/plane-crash-memorialized-in-the-deep-sahara/http://www.gadling.com/2013/05/18/plane-crash-memorialized-in-the-deep-sahara/http://www.gadling.com/2013/05/18/plane-crash-memorialized-in-the-deep-sahara/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Google Earth
In a lonely corner the Sahara Desert, Google Earth shows what looks like a tattoo on the sun-parched sands: a dark graphic blot amid the vast remoteness of Niger's Tenere region. The negative space in the center of the dot forms the shape of a DC-10 jet plane. Four arrows outside the circle point in each direction, like a compass.

The dark mass large enough to register on a satellite is actually an arrangement of boulders improbably hauled to the desolate area and hand-placed to create the precise image of a DC-10 - a memorial for the 170 victims of the UTA 772 plane crash on Sept. 19, 1989. A terrorist's bomb downed the aircraft in Niger en route from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Paris, leaving no survivors.

Fifteen years later, victims' relatives from the group Les Familles de l'Attentat du DC-10 d'UTA used some of their $170 million settlement to fund the memorial. (Last year, another commemorative site opened at Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.) This photo gallery offers an up-close look at the arduous labor of love, illustrating such daunting tasks as excavating one of the wings, later incorporated into the design. Parts of the wreckage remained in the sand when the work began (a testament to the remoteness of the crash site), and the gallery includes stirring images of loose, twisted aircraft seats and other debris. Other striking photos show how the group spent two months moving stones by hand to outline a circle 200 feet in diameter and then fill it in with rocks, leaving an empty space in the shape of the aircraft with remarkable accuracy. Broken airplane windows ring the circle, one for each of the 155 passengers and 15 crew members who perished.

Considering that Lonely Planet describes the Tenere as a classic "endless, empty desert," the photo gallery will be the closest look most of us ever get of this amazing memorial.

Plane Crash Memorialized In The Deep Sahara originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 18 May 2013 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>LandmarksParisplane crashPlaneCrashsaharasahara desertSaharaDesertSat, 18 May 2013 15:01:00 EST<![CDATA['Fake' Pilot Wanted By Police After Flying Jets To London]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/05/10/fake-pilot-wanted-by-police-after-flying-jets-to-london/http://www.gadling.com/2013/05/10/fake-pilot-wanted-by-police-after-flying-jets-to-london/http://www.gadling.com/2013/05/10/fake-pilot-wanted-by-police-after-flying-jets-to-london/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

An American man found guilty of working as an airline pilot without proper credentials is on the lam after he failed to appear at his sentencing hearing in England last week, the BBC is reporting.

Michael Fay flew for Libya's Afriqiyah Airways on false credentials, according to the news story that referred to him as a "fake airline pilot." It claims he forged his pilot's license and medical certifications to get the position. Calling him a "clever and resourceful man" who had settled in Hampshire County in southeast England, a British law-enforcement official told the BBC that Fay "targeted Libyan aviation at a time when the country's political and economic standing was vulnerable and volatile."

During his eight months in the cockpit of an Airbus 320, the former U.S. Air Force pilot landed at London's Gatwick airport eight times, apparently without incident. But he aroused suspicion on an aviation forum online, prompting another user to tip off the British police. They arrested Fay in 2011, and he was found guilt of fraud. Though he failed to appear for his sentencing hearing last week, the court gave him a three-year prison term. According to the article, Fay might be seeking work as a pilot or flight instructor outside of the U.K.

A quick Internet search turned up a possible explanation for how Fay got the job. In 2010, a secondary school called La Salle Academy in Providence, Rhode Island, printed a letter from a graduate named Mike Fay in an alumni newsletter, under the headline "Mike Fay '69 Sends A Note From the U.K." His message:

"Had a few minutes of free time, so I thought I would take a moment and update everyone as to what is happening on the other side of the Atlantic!

I had been working as a pilot for the Royal Family in Abu Dhabi. However, one of their financial interests, Afriqiyah Airways, located in Libya had a very bad crash in May. I am not [sic? now?] the Director of Training there. Interesting would be an understatement to say the least. But, I spend about 2 weeks in Tripoli and then I am back in the UK.

As I write this email, I am sitting in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo."


Via the BBC

[Photo credit: Mauro Orlando via Flickr]

'Fake' Pilot Wanted By Police After Flying Jets To London originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 10 May 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>pilotFri, 10 May 2013 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Souvenir Of The Week: Bolsas De Mandados From Mexico]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/05/08/souvenir-of-the-week-bolsas-de-mandados-from-mexico/http://www.gadling.com/2013/05/08/souvenir-of-the-week-bolsas-de-mandados-from-mexico/http://www.gadling.com/2013/05/08/souvenir-of-the-week-bolsas-de-mandados-from-mexico/#commentsFiled under: ,

Bolsas de mandados translates to "errand bags," and they were fixtures at Mexican markets long before the BYO grocery-bag trend arrived on this side of the border. You see styles all over Mexico (and online), especially multicolored mesh bags, some with the image of the Virgen de Guadalupe. But the less-touristy score is a cheap, solid-color canvas or vinyl tote with plastic piping and handles, printed with a business' charmingly basic graphics, usually the name of a panaderia or carniceria. Merchants might make them to give out as freebies for the store's anniversary or a holiday. I happened to be visiting my in-laws in Mexico City when their mailman gave them the one pictured here on New Year's Day. To them it's a common utility bag that was probably destined for a spot under the kitchen sink, and they looked puzzled when I squealed and hugged it and made them translate the wording. Get your hands on one of these in Mexico if you can (in Oaxaca, the large market by the zocolo has sold even cooler retro styles in the past). Or look for plain ones in bright colors and stencil "El Trader Joe's" onto it yourself.

[Photo by Megan Fernandez]

Souvenir Of The Week: Bolsas De Mandados From Mexico originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 08 May 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>marketsMexico CityMexicoCityoaxacasouvenirsWed, 08 May 2013 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[For Your Health, End The Layover Laziness]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/05/03/for-your-health-end-the-layover-laziness/http://www.gadling.com/2013/05/03/for-your-health-end-the-layover-laziness/http://www.gadling.com/2013/05/03/for-your-health-end-the-layover-laziness/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,



What do you do on layovers? Nap? Catch up on email? Mindlessly watch some sports without any rooting interest? Christopher Berger, a physiologist, has a better idea.

It's simple. Stand up. Walk away from the gate. Heck, leave the premises if you have at least three or four hours. There's no rule that says you have to spend the layover inside the airport. Baltimore has a fitness trail encircling the airport grounds (and it's not the only one with a walking path). So what if it's not the most scenic stroll of your life? "Anything is better than eating fast food and waiting for your flight to show," Berger says.

Berger, chair of the American College of Sports Medicine's Task Force on Healthy Air Travel, is on a mission against the sedentary airport lifestyle. He understands that people on vacation might want to chill; he's not above vegging out in a gate area from time to time himself. But for frequent business travelers with a fitness regimen at home, falling out of the routine quickly takes a toll. "If you travel a lot, this is a big deal," he says. "You can't let yourself be that deconditioned. You have to have a plan if you travel at least once a week. It's worth talking about."

Continue reading For Your Health, End The Layover Laziness

For Your Health, End The Layover Laziness originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 03 May 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AtlantaBaltimoredallasexercisefitnesslayoverssalt lake citySaltLakeCitywalkingFri, 03 May 2013 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Souvenir Of The Week: Snake Wine In Vietnam]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/05/01/souvenir-of-the-week-snake-wine-in-vietnam/http://www.gadling.com/2013/05/01/souvenir-of-the-week-snake-wine-in-vietnam/http://www.gadling.com/2013/05/01/souvenir-of-the-week-snake-wine-in-vietnam/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Reportedly, it tastes like envelope glue. And there might be a gecko or lizard floating around, like a hair in the soup du jour. But who cares? You're not actually going to swirl and sip the snake wine you bring back from this Southeast Asian nation. You're going to casually set it on the table at your next dinner party and freak everyone out and give them yet another reason to use a camera phone at mealtime. Bottles of rice wine with a preserved reptile coiled inside (scorpions are another variation) are popular souvenirs from Vietnam, where the dissolved poison is said to be used for medicinal purposes, and they make fantastic conversation pieces - if you can get them through Customs. Bottles are subject to U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service prohibitions on importing certain reptiles.

[Photo credit: Flickr user Niko si]

Souvenir Of The Week: Snake Wine In Vietnam originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 01 May 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Southeast AsiasouvenirsUnited States Fish and Wildlife ServicewineWed, 01 May 2013 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Half The World Pedaled, Half To Go]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/04/30/half-the-world-pedaled-half-to-go/http://www.gadling.com/2013/04/30/half-the-world-pedaled-half-to-go/http://www.gadling.com/2013/04/30/half-the-world-pedaled-half-to-go/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,



Later this week, Vancouver firefighter and cancer survivor Rudy Pospisil will unpack his Giant Seek bicycle on the coast of Portugal, clip in and head for the Middle East. The road ahead stretches 9,000 miles, the distance between him and his goal of circumnavigating the globe on two wheels for charity. He knows he can do it, because he already has - between 2009 and 2012, he logged 9,000 miles completing the first half of his epic quest, surviving armed bandits, eating grass and riding one brutal 100-mile slog after another.

The 51-year-old's day isn't over after 10 hours on the bike. When he arrives at a destination, he's often expected at a local fundraiser, has blogs to write and letters from cancer survivors to answer. This is Pospisil's vacation - he takes off work six to eight weeks at a time to keep climbing this personal mountain, fighting a disease that has affected nearly every member of his family, including a dog.

Before his wheels started spinning in Europe, he talked to Gadling about Guinness Book of World Records requirements, why he's not allowed to get a new bike and the trick to surviving machete-wielding bandits.

First, how is your health?
Health is good. I lose about 20 pounds on each ride, and I'm fit and trim from training before I go. But health can change the next day after a scan or blood test. You never know.

When you say circumnavigating the globe, what do you mean?
The Guinness people have rules that qualify as a true global circumnavigation. You must use the same bike, always go the same direction (I go west to east), cross the equator twice, travel at least 18,000 miles and cross two antipodal points (exact opposite points) on the earth.

One bike for 18,000 miles?
Yes. I have to get lots of repairs after and on each leg. I ship it, trusting a bike shop to accept it and assemble it. Another cost and logistics issue. Portugal customs just seized (their translation was "arrested") my bike and equipment early this week. Wanted 600 euros, duties, import fees, "ransom," etc. Then possibly more to process it. They wanted me to arrive in person to release it. It was unfounded, as the declaration stated it was "personal used items leaving the country." They would not budge. I contacted my consulate and federal government in Ottawa. They then released by stuff. No apology.

Continue reading Half The World Pedaled, Half To Go

Half The World Pedaled, Half To Go originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adventureadventure-travelcancercharitycyclingTue, 30 Apr 2013 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[USA Today Enters the Travel-Guide Game]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/04/25/usa-today-enters-the-travel-guide-game/http://www.gadling.com/2013/04/25/usa-today-enters-the-travel-guide-game/http://www.gadling.com/2013/04/25/usa-today-enters-the-travel-guide-game/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



With its signature bold visuals and mainstream sensibility, USA Today has entered the travel-planning arena. A new online-only series called Experience Travel launched last week, aggregating the media giant's deep bank of travel content into easy-to-use overviews of popular destinations and travel themes.

Experience Las Vegas rolled out the series. Upcoming editions will cover cruising, food and wine, beaches, skiing, New York City, the Caribbean and Florida.

If the Sin City guide is any indication, the Experience Travel format offers a simple (and free) get-in-and-get-out way to browse for travel inspiration, insider tips and trends. It's uncluttered, abbreviated and driven by excellent, enticing photography. The best content is organized into photo galleries for different types of travelers. Tips take the form of the photos caption, often just one sentence.

There's a booking engine, too, but it simply sends you to an official tourism board's website to search for hotels, flights, tours and shows from square one. Experience Travel has no functionality built into its content.

That's fine with me - there are plenty of ways to book travel online. Experience Travel shines as a place for inspiration and ideas. For instance, the Vegas edition presents seven themed photo galleries, for penny pinchers, high rollers, shoppers and the like (gamblers and elopers, you're out of luck). The Wallet Watcher will learn of an off-the-menu steak dinner for $9 and a 48-hour, all-you-can-watch show pass at Caesars Palace for $119. There are 42 tips for cheapskates alone; unfortunately, too many are watered down and generic. Several amount to something like this: "Hard Rock's rates can drop below $60." Great - but when, usually? Some tips are just plugs and simply don't belong, like the Stratophere's observation deck for Wallet Watchers. Experience Las Vegas leaves out the admission price - it's $18 per person, and the thrill rides at the top cost extra. It's a great place to watch your wallet become a lot lighter.

The sections Best of Vegas and Vegas Buzz are rich with trend features and news pulled from USA Today's travel page. On the other hand, the sections for Hotels, Restaurants and Shows aren't curated; they're broad, rambling lists with scant details. It appears that every accommodation in the phone book is listed, down to the Hitchin' Post RV Park and Motel. To weed though these unfiltered sections, click "Show Only Editor's Picks" at the top of the page.

Though the company's release described the series as a set of "travel planning tools and information," its strength, at least at this early stage, is on the information.

[Photo credits: Moyan_Brenn and Taberandrew via Flickr]

USA Today Enters the Travel-Guide Game originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>GuideBookLas VegasLasVegasnevadausa todayUsaTodayvegasThu, 25 Apr 2013 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Forget Paris, Try Lyon]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/04/08/forget-paris-try-lyon/http://www.gadling.com/2013/04/08/forget-paris-try-lyon/http://www.gadling.com/2013/04/08/forget-paris-try-lyon/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,



It was nighttime when I first pulled into France's second-largest city, by car, and the lights were on - a wash of royal blue shining up onto orderly rows of stately Renaissance buildings in ochre hues and reflecting in the river that bisects the city. Handsome was the word that came to mind. A masculine gold-and-sapphire answer to Paris's ravishing, soulful beauty.

This was the postcard edge of Vieux Lyon, the old quarter of the city. Behind the grand, polished edifices lining the main avenue, a tangle of ancient, narrow streets delivers on the quintessential old-world European fantasy. At bistros called bouchons, people linger over slices of red praline tart, the city's signature dessert. The same silver bikes roving Paris by the thousands slide through traffic. Graffiti is covered by pink tissue paper in the shape of a poodle.

Lyon, the gateway to the Rhone-Alps region, makes a fantastic alternative to the country's famous capital for those interested in culture, food and enchanting surroundings. Located in the eastern part of the country, it's reachable from Paris by the high-speed TGV train and the new budget service, Ouigo, which launched on April 2. (You can also rent a car and wander there via the chateau-rich Loire Valley.) Significantly smaller and more affordable than Paris, it's easy to get around (by bike, streetcar or foot) and isn't overrun with tourists.

Lyon isn't Paris writ petit. It has charms all its own. These are the ones I've fallen in love with over the years visiting relatives who live there:

Continue reading Forget Paris, Try Lyon

Forget Paris, Try Lyon originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 08 Apr 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alpsLa Croix-RousseLoire ValleylyonParisPont du GardRenaissanceromanruinsTGVVélo'vVieux LyonMon, 08 Apr 2013 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Midwestern States Announce Wine-Trail Trail]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/04/01/midwestern-states-announce-wine-trail-trail/http://www.gadling.com/2013/04/01/midwestern-states-announce-wine-trail-trail/http://www.gadling.com/2013/04/01/midwestern-states-announce-wine-trail-trail/#commentsFiled under:



Five neighboring states in the Midwest announced a new tourism initiative yesterday that makes it easier to experience all 43 "wine trails" within their borders.

Over the last five years, individual state tourism offices have marketed related destinations as themed "trails." Indiana has its Garfield Trail and Hoosier Pie Trail, Ohio its Shawshank Trail, Kentucky its Civil War Heritage Trail. And every state has a medley of regional wine trails, identifying dozens of tiny, undistinguished backroad wineries.

That's great for wine-lovers, but enthusiasts of wine-related tourism trails are left to locate each self-guided route individually. "It's amazing that these programs have become so popular - a tourism trail is nothing but a website and a brochure at the visitors center," says Jeff Langley, a spokesman for the newly created Midwestern Wine-Trail Trail Association. "But people love them, and we are committed to helping them locate the area's absurd number of these loosely organized experiences."

The Midwestern Wine-Trail Trail website identifies five collections of wineries in Ohio, six in Indiana, eight in Kentucky, 10 in Illinois and 14 in Michigan. Together they represent 258 individual wineries, including a handful of regional-award winners.

However, Langley says most of those businesses won't see a bump in traffic thanks to this innovative tourism effort. "This is about recognizing the trails as an attraction and asset, not the wineries themselves," he says.

Langley says an Amish Quilt Garden-Trail Trail is also in the works.

[Photo credit: Fosmiling via Flickr]

Midwestern States Announce Wine-Trail Trail originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 01 Apr 2013 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Mon, 01 Apr 2013 17:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Vatican: Book A Stay At The Papal Apartments]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/04/01/vatican-book-a-stay-at-the-papal-apartments/http://www.gadling.com/2013/04/01/vatican-book-a-stay-at-the-papal-apartments/http://www.gadling.com/2013/04/01/vatican-book-a-stay-at-the-papal-apartments/#commentsFiled under:



Following its announcement last week that Pope Francis has decided to live in the Domus Sanctae Martae guesthouse rather than the Papal Apartments, The Vatican now says it plans to turn the lavishly decorated official suite into a vacation rental.

"Pope Francis supports this approach," says Rev. Franco Bertonelli, a spokesman for the Institute of Religious Works, commonly known as the Vatican Bank. "He doesn't want to see perfectly good shelter go to waste."

The Holy Father's modest tendencies have been much publicized since his election last month. He also opted against riding in the bulletproof "Pope Mobile" in favor of an open-air vehicle.

The Vatican registered an unusually high $15 million budget deficit last year. Hospitality experts estimate that allowing overnight guests into the holy quarters could generate about $1 million per year.

As vacation accommodations, the Papal Apartments complex is without equal in Vatican City. It sprawls across 10 rooms in the Apostolic Palace, overlooking St. Peter's Square, and features original 16th century architecture, Renaissance frescoes and inlaid marble floors. The main bedroom sits on the Seconda Loggia, where the pope delivers a blessing to crowds on the square every morning. Guests can use the sitting room and recently renovated kitchen with a built-in Miele espresso machine, but the medical suite and the staff's quarters remain off-limits.

Rates begin at $1,495 per night and include unlimited bread and water and use of the bulletproof Pope Mobile. Those who book the suite can add on a "Swiss Guard for a Day" experience and a private blessing upgrade. Payment must be made by leaving cash or check in a collection plate in the suite.

The development is the latest example of the pope's everyman tastes and desire to interact with the public. Last week, he became an authorized "Destination Expert" on Trip Advisor's Vatican City forum.


[Photo credit: Vgm8383 and The Papal Visit via Flickr]

Vatican: Book A Stay At The Papal Apartments originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 01 Apr 2013 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Mon, 01 Apr 2013 16:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Souvenir Of The Week: Mold-A-Rama Figurines]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/27/souvenir-of-the-week-mold-a-rama-figurines/http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/27/souvenir-of-the-week-mold-a-rama-figurines/http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/27/souvenir-of-the-week-mold-a-rama-figurines/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Decades before the dawn of 3-D printing and resulting wonders like self-portrait gummy bears, Mold-a-Rama vending machines were pressing hot wax into tiny figurines delivered in seconds. These vintage contraptions still exist at zoos and other attractions, where miniature keepsakes cost only a couple of dollars and smell like melted crayons.

At the Henry Ford Museum in Detroit, machines magically make models of Rosa Park's bus and wee wax Weinermobiles before your eyes:



Zoos are hotspots for Mold-a-Rama machines. At Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo, several generations of visitors have taken home 3-inch-tall wax gorillas. The city's Brookfield Zoo has 13 machines, currently spitting out dinosaurs.

According to the fan site moldamania.com, other zoos proffer macaws, dolphins, manatees, panthers and killer whales. The bust of Frankenstein and tiny space capsules can be found if you're lucky. Hundreds of molds existed back in the technology's heyday (the original was invented in the 1960s and spawned several imitators). Back then, Disneyland delighted park-goers with figurines of favorite characters, ready in 30 seconds.

Cheap? Check. Packable? Check. Better than a gummy bear in your likeness? You decide. Here's a list of Mold-a-Rama locations.

Do you have Mold-a-Rama memories from childhood?

[Photo credits: Craft*ology and Sarabeephoto via Flickr; video credit: Mark Frauenfelder via YouTube]

Souvenir Of The Week: Mold-A-Rama Figurines originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 27 Mar 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>lincoln park zooLincolnParkZoosouvenirsWed, 27 Mar 2013 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Video: Amazon Ants Transform Into Life Raft]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/25/video-amazon-ants-transform-into-liferaft/http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/25/video-amazon-ants-transform-into-liferaft/http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/25/video-amazon-ants-transform-into-liferaft/#commentsFiled under: , ,



If you're still haunted by the sight of spiders raining down on a Brazilian city, as we brought to your attention last month, this heartwarming nature video might be a palette-cleanser. Captured by the BBC, fire ants in the Amazon adapted to a flood by ganging together and turning themselves into a raft for their queen. Braving all manner of threats (speedboat on your left!), the colony clung to each other for dear life in the shape of a lily pad for the queen to glide down the river like Cleopatra. Add a Morgan Freeman voiceover and these little troopers could inspire the next Pixar hit.

Video: Amazon Ants Transform Into Life Raft originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 25 Mar 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>amazonnatureMon, 25 Mar 2013 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Beach Snob's Guide To Cancun]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/25/the-beach-snobs-guide-to-cancun/http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/25/the-beach-snobs-guide-to-cancun/http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/25/the-beach-snobs-guide-to-cancun/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,



So you're not the Cancun type. That's no reason to pass up a cheap flight to its airport, a gateway to lots of anti-Cancun destinations. The area has more than 80 miles of white-sand Caribbean beaches, and only a few of those are confined to the cheesy place you've been avoiding.

I'm a certified beach snob, and Cancun-area sands are some of the best for the money and the time it takes to fly there from most parts of the United States. The scenery and beach quality rival Turks & Caicos, the most postcard Caribbean beach I've ever seen.

The trick is to look beyond Cancun's strip to the broader area called the Mayan Riviera, and your options expand to include laid-back islands, secluded luxury resorts and yoga retreats that feel like they're located at the end of the earth. Some destinations are 30 minutes from the airport, some two hours. You can be on the beach with a thatched-roof balcony and your own hammock for around $100 per night - and no Senor Frog's for miles and miles.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with the Cancun type. The spas in the hotel zone are underrated, for one. But I like quieter places away from the crowds, and more placid waters than Cancun's. If you do, too, it's time to reconsider Cancun airfares. Snap up a deal and trust that you'll find a place your speed; shoulder season in late April and May (and again in September, October and November) is a great time to go because you avoid high-season hotel rates and the scorching summer weather. Here are a few destinations you might not have heard of:

The Island Vibe: Isla Mujeres
A slice of real Mexico, this small island is the closest Cancun alternative to the airport. Located six miles off the coast of Cancun and reached by ferry (pictured at top), it's anchored by a lively town that sits right on Playa Norte, a postcard soft-sand beach. The extended shallow water appeals to families with young kids. The most popular mode of transportation is a golf cart, and for such a compact place, there's an remarkable number of restaurants and places to stay. I like Ixchel Beach Resort for a new condo (via VRBO.com), Playa la Media Luna for a tropical beachfront bargain and Casa el Pio for a cute, cheap, in-town option.

Continue reading The Beach Snob's Guide To Cancun

The Beach Snob's Guide To Cancun originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 25 Mar 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>beachbeachesboutique hotelBoutiqueHotelCancuncaribbeanmayan rivieraMayanRivierariviera mayaRivieraMayatulumMon, 25 Mar 2013 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Making Sense Of Biden's $1 Million Hotel Bill In Europe]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/24/making-sense-of-bidens-1-million-hotel-bill-in-europe/http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/24/making-sense-of-bidens-1-million-hotel-bill-in-europe/http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/24/making-sense-of-bidens-1-million-hotel-bill-in-europe/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

So much for Amtrak Joe. The government spent $1 million on two nights in Europe for the Vice President and his entourage last month, according to government contracts posted here. CNN confirmed with the State Department that the contracts are legitimate and calls them a rare look at White House travel expenses.

The eye-popping numbers: $585,000 for one night at the Hotel Intercontinental Paris Le Grand and $459,000 for a night at the Hyatt Regency London the Churchill Hotel. (Plus $321,000 for a limousine company, although Biden's own limousine is flown over for such trips.)

The nice, round $1 million-for-two-nights number is lighting up Twitter with outrage and jabs. But the cost breaks down to about $500 per night at a five-star hotel in the world's most expensive cities. Nothing weird about that.

So why is the bill so high? The charges cover 136 rooms, not just Biden's. His entourage includes Secret Service, military, a medical unit, and a team that screens and serves his food, CNN reports. The room block may include reporters, though the government doesn't pick up their tab. Some rooms might be used as office space.

Some members of the entourage stay more than one night. The contract for the London hotel is for 893 room nights, which sounds like a lot, but it averages out to 6.5 nights per room.

The cost could include paying guests to relocate, too.

CNN ran the figures by officials from past Republican administrations, all of who said the costs were reasonable. One former senior White House staffer who supervised travel arrangements told CNN that it sounds normal to have as many as 136 rooms.

The government doesn't let hotels compete for these contracts or security reasons. Evidently it doesn't use Priceline, either.




[Via CNN]

[Photo credit: From documents posted on FedBizOpps.gov]

Making Sense Of Biden's $1 Million Hotel Bill In Europe originally appeared on Gadling on Sun, 24 Mar 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>governmentSun, 24 Mar 2013 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Know Your Spring Break Legal Rights]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/24/know-your-spring-break-legal-rights/http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/24/know-your-spring-break-legal-rights/http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/24/know-your-spring-break-legal-rights/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,



Spring Breakers, did you know that anyone boarding a plane is covered by a "passenger bill of rights?" Or that in Mexico you're guilty until you can prove yourself innocent?

Lawyers.com's editor in chief, Larry Bodine, has some legal insights that Spring Breakers should digest well before their first Jello shot - particularly the 120,000 students heading to Mexico this year.

What can I do right this instant to be safer on Spring Break?
Sign up for the U.S. government's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program. It's free, and in the feds' own words, "It allows the State Department to assist U.S. citizens in an emergency and keep you up to date with important safety and security announcements."

What's another thing?
Look up the U.S. consulate or consular agency closest to where you're staying. At travel.state.gov, check under Country Specific Information for a list of agencies in your destination. Print copies for you and your travel mates and enter the information in your cellphone.

Is there an app for that?
Yes! There's a Smart Traveler Program app for iPhone and Android.

American laws apply to me everywhere, right?
Wrong. Bodine says many college students think American citizenship grants them immunity from laws in other countries. This isn't true. If you're in Mexico or Jamaica or the Dominican Republic or anywhere, you are subject to that country's laws and punishments. "There are a lot of semi-innocent things we do the U.S. that are crimes in Mexico," Bodine says. "Walking on the street with an open alcohol container is a crime. Getting off the bus without paying. Taking off your clothes on the beach."

In another country you can't count on something like Panama City's Spring Break Court to minimize the repercussions. "The laws in Mexico are very different," Bodine says. "If you're charged with a crime, you are presumed to be guilty, and you have to prove you are innocent. If you are arrested, you'll be held for 48 hours before you get to make a statement. If they want to charge you, you can be held for a year without bail."

Check the most recent edition of a reputable guidebook for laws.

Continue reading Know Your Spring Break Legal Rights

Know Your Spring Break Legal Rights originally appeared on Gadling on Sun, 24 Mar 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cabo san lucasCaboSanLucasCancuncollegelawmayan rivieraMayanRivieraplaya del carmenPlayaDelCarmenpuerto vallartaPuertoVallartasafetyspring breakspring break 2013SpringBreakSpringBreak2013State DepartmentStateDepartmentSun, 24 Mar 2013 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Accusations Fly Over New Honduras Guidebook]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/23/accusations-fly-over-new-honduras-guidebook/http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/23/accusations-fly-over-new-honduras-guidebook/http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/23/accusations-fly-over-new-honduras-guidebook/#commentsFiled under:



The new edition of Moon Handbooks' guide to Honduras and the Bay Islands, published in December, already has 49 reviews on Amazon. That's 15 times more than the previous version of the book. But 39 reviewers gave it a one-star rating, the lowest possible. What happened to warrant such an unusual trashing? Did the author confuse Honduras for an entirely different country?

No - in fact, the writer, Amy E. Robertson, lived in Honduras for nearly five years and co-wrote two earlier Moon guides to the country. It's safe to say that she knows the place well.

But one hotel owner, Bobby Durette of D&D Brewery (a budget-conscious hotel/hostel/microbrewery in the Lago de Yojoa region), found his listing to be outdated and believed Robertson and Avalon Travel, Moon's publisher, whiffed on the reporting. He asked his Facebook followers to post low ratings of the book on Amazon. Dozens of them did, calling the book - not just D&D Brewey's listing - unreliable and disappointing.

Then the author's supporters rallied by posting five-star reviews (some based on their satisfaction with Robertson's previous Honduras guides) and tagging the one-star reviews as "unhelpful." Online democracy at work.

Unfortunately, both sides made too strong and possibly not fully informed accusations about the other for millions of Amazon users to see.

Continue reading Accusations Fly Over New Honduras Guidebook

Accusations Fly Over New Honduras Guidebook originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 23 Mar 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>amazonmoon handbooksMoonHandbooksSat, 23 Mar 2013 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Meet The Reclusive American Billionaire Who Bought Lonely Planet]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/20/meet-the-reclusive-american-billionaire-who-bought-lonely-planet/http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/20/meet-the-reclusive-american-billionaire-who-bought-lonely-planet/http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/20/meet-the-reclusive-american-billionaire-who-bought-lonely-planet/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,



Last year, the Wall Street Journal called Brad Kelley "the man with a million acres." Now the American billionaire and land addict has expanded his kingdom to include the world's biggest travel-guide publisher. Kelley's NC2 Media bought Lonely Planet from BBC Worldwide in a deal announced yesterday.

Most of the headlines focused on the huge loss BBC is taking by selling the company for about $78 million. It paid double that to buy the Melbourne-based publisher a few years ago. Some travel insiders are wondering if NC2, a small firm based in Nashville, Tenn. and specializing in digital development, will continue to publish the familiar blue-covered guides while devoting energy to digital expansion. NC2's chief operating office, Daniel Houghton, made some routinely vague comments about being committed to the brand's roots in publishing in a Q&A with Skift Travel. NC2 also produces "Outwild TV," a story-rich Web series on adventure travel:

Continue reading Meet The Reclusive American Billionaire Who Bought Lonely Planet

Meet The Reclusive American Billionaire Who Bought Lonely Planet originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 20 Mar 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adventureadventure traveladventure-travelAdventureTravelbusinessGuideBookGuideBooksguideslonely planetLonelyPlanetWed, 20 Mar 2013 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Souvenir Of The Week: Kooky Korean Socks]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/20/souvenir-of-the-week-kooky-korean-socks/http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/20/souvenir-of-the-week-kooky-korean-socks/http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/20/souvenir-of-the-week-kooky-korean-socks/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



In South Korea, everyone will see your socks because it's customary to remove shoes in most public places. That might be why Jonathan Kramer, Gadling's resident Kimchi-ite, tipped us off about the assortment of cheap, colorful anklets everywhere you go there. You might even find a sock vending machine. Designs are heavy on cartoons and bears, but hardly any motif is spared - the gamut runs from staid argyles, polka dots and stripes to sassy statements like boy bands, American cigarette logos, mischievous babies, Obama, schoolyard insults ("stupid") and your favorite global megabrands (Starbucks).

First person to find a pair of Dennis Rodman socks wins!

[Photo credit: Todd Mecklem via Flickr]

Souvenir Of The Week: Kooky Korean Socks originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 20 Mar 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>seoulsouvenirsWed, 20 Mar 2013 13:00:00 EST