May 20th, 2013 at 5:00PM:
What was once one of the world's most famous ships is now rusting away in an Italian shipyard. The U.S.S. Williamsburg, a naval ship that became President Harry Truman's personal yacht in 1945 and was once considered an American treasure, could be scrapped within a few years if a last-minute attempt to save the ship fails, NBC Nightly News reports. ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Iceland posts
Harry Truman's 'Seagoing White House' Rusts In Italian Shipyard
May 20th, 2013 at 5:00PM:
What was once one of the world's most famous ships is now rusting away in an Italian shipyard. The U.S.S. Williamsburg, a naval ship that became President Harry Truman's personal yacht in 1945 and was once considered an American treasure, could be scrapped within a few years if a last-minute attempt to save the ship fails, NBC Nightly News reports. ...Airline Hopes To Avoid Volcanic Ash Clouds With New Technology
May 10th, 2013 at 4:00PM: Volcanic ash is something commercial airliners want nothing to do with. When Alaska's Cleveland volcano erupted not long ago, shooting low levels of ash into the atmosphere, many airlines were concerned. Another blast could send ash higher, directly into their flight path between Asia and North America, causing major flight schedule disruptions. But while most airlines watch and wait, one is ...Adventure Travel Meets Luxury, In The Arctic
May 7th, 2013 at 4:30PM: The idea of "adventure travel" is hot and those who sell travel know it. Travelers who lead an active lifestyle as a big part of their everyday life want to continue that focus when traveling. Local adventurers who might camp, hike, hunt, ski or bike around where they live, want the thrill of doing that in an amazing place somewhere else on the planet. Even travelers once satisfied with a ...Alaska Volcano Erupts, Air Travel Disruption Possible
May 6th, 2013 at 4:00PM: It's been nearly two years since scientists at the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) warned that Alaska's Cleveland volcano could erupt at any time, issuing a code yellow eruption advisory. Saturday, those scientists were proven more than right.
"We haven't seen a phase like this where we've had multiple explosions," Rick Wessels, a geophysicist at the US Geological Survey's Alaska Volcano ...Your Kickstarter Vacation. My Money. No.
Apr 25th, 2013 at 11:00AM:
When we ran out of money, we were on a beach in Corfu. My boyfriend trawled the construction sites until he found a job hauling cement. I checked in at restaurants and hotels, but failed to turn anything up. I gave up after about a week; there was no work to be had. I spent the days reading on the beach. My boyfriend would come back to our campsite in the shell of an unfinished holiday ...Photos Of Products Sold In Iceland
Apr 22nd, 2013 at 3:00PM:
Laughing Squid's own Rusty Blazenhoff recently returned from a trip to Iceland with a curious photo album in tow. Taking it upon herself to photograph unfamiliar products for sale in the grocery stores of Iceland, the collection is both funny and enlightening. When I eventually make it out to Iceland, I'm going to strongly consider hunting down Viking Snacks for my meat-eating friends and ...Survey Ranks 'World's Most Unfriendliest' Countries
Mar 15th, 2013 at 2:00PM:
Have you ever been to a country that just seems to give tourists the cold shoulder? Now, there are some figures behind those unwelcome feelings; the World Economic Forum has put together a report that ranks countries based on how friendly they are to tourists.
The extensive analyses ranks 140 countries according to attractiveness and competitiveness in the travel and tourism industries. ...Flight To Comet Sold Out But There Are Other Options
Mar 8th, 2013 at 3:00PM:
Astronomers are calling 2013 "the year of the comet" as the first of two comets set to swing by Earth comes within view of the naked eye. Some avid sky watchers may be viewing with binoculars. Others may get an even closer view, thanks to a German travel agency.
On March 16, Eclipse Travel of Bonn, Germany, will have Air Berlin's flight 1000 full of stargazers, giving them two hours closer ...Fabled Sunstone Discovered In English Shipwreck
Mar 7th, 2013 at 4:00PM:
A team of French archaeologists believe they have found a sunstone, a strange crystal that was said to help mariners locate the sun even on overcast days.
Some of the medieval Norse Sagas mention this device. In "Rauðúlfs þáttr," King Olaf asks the hero Sigurður to point out the sun in the middle of a snowstorm. Sigurður points to where it is behind the gray ...Discover Scandinavia In Washington DC: Nordic Cool 2013
Feb 20th, 2013 at 11:00AM:
Aurora Borealis, new Nordic cuisine, ice hotels, hot springs, fjords, moose, meatballs and music? Scandinavia is at the top of the list for a lot of travelers these days. But if you can't book a ticket to the northern countries this year, Washington, D.C., might be your next best bet.
The city is the host of Nordic Cool 2013, a month-long international festival celebrating the culture of ...Video Of The Day: Aurora Borealis Iceland
Feb 6th, 2013 at 5:00PM:
"Dramatic Aurora Borealis. Iceland - Time-Lapse of a Winter Fairytale" from Anna Possberg on Vimeo.
I stumbled upon this video of the Aurora Borealis over Iceland on Vimeo today. Packed with dramatic shots of a colorful sky meeting a serene landscape, this video will refresh your day in just three and a half minutes. Accompanied by equally dramatic music, the sound matches the intensity of the ...
Northern Iceland: A Locavore Tour
Oct 3rd, 2012 at 10:00AM: The locavore turn seems to be everywhere in evidence. An intensified interest in local food products, the rediscovery of forgotten local food traditions and creative attempts to merge various culinary heritages with modern preparation techniques all fuel this turn.
One side effect of this movement is the increased prominence, in many places, of local food products – on menus, in markets ...Northern Lights Just One Reason To Visit Iceland
Sep 22nd, 2012 at 1:00PM:
The northern lights are a natural light display that occurs in the high latitude regions of our planet. Alaska is one of the best places to see the northern lights, especially in September and March when skies are dark and temperatures mild for comfortable viewing. Iceland is also a good place to view the display and offers some unique advantages.
One of several astronomical phenomena ...Kulusuk: Sneaking Into Greenland
Aug 13th, 2012 at 11:00AM:
Over the last decade, Greenland has opened up to increasing numbers of tourists. The Danish territory, with new powers of political autonomy as of 2009, inspires adventurous travelers with its extreme weather and dramatic geographies. Greenland is also incredibly expensive to visit, as there are no roads connecting towns and settlements along the coast. To get from town to town, one must ...Photo Of The Day: Flying To Iceland
Jul 12th, 2012 at 6:00PM:
Today's Photo of the Day may seem a bit pedestrian: it's a cup of (likely) mediocre airplane coffee. But the napkin comes with a fun fact about Icelandic settler Ingólfur Arnarson, whose trip from Norway took four days, and there were no napkins. Too bad he couldn't fly Iceland Air, like Flickr user shapes of dreams, who snapped this on her way to Reykjavik. Bonus points for her stylish ...Risqué Relics Inside Peru's Erotic Art Gallery
Jun 18th, 2012 at 1:00PM:
There are plenty of museums around the world dedicated to sex. Besides the now familiar Museum of Sex in New York, the Czech Republic has a museum centered solely on sex machines and Iceland has one concentrating on the study of phallology (complete with hundreds of... ahem... male specimens). In Peru, however, an archaeological museum shows that our fascination with sex is far from a modern ...8 Cool Cities For Summer
May 31st, 2012 at 2:00PM:
Many people's winter vacation plans understandably revolve around sand and sun and colorful cocktails sporting tiny umbrellas. But summer in the states can be just as oppressive, whether you're battling sweat-inducing humidity, malodorous public transportation, or overzealous mosquitoes. So for those who want to skip the sunscreen (I know, I know, you're supposed to wear sunscreen all year ...St. Brendan: Did An Irish Monk Come To America Before Columbus?
May 16th, 2012 at 10:30AM: Today is St. Brendan's feast day. To the Irish, St. Brendan needs no introduction. For those less fortunate in their birth, let me tell you that he may have been Ireland's first adventure traveler.
Saint Brendan was an Irish holy man who lived from 484 to 577 AD. Little is known about his life, and even his entry in the Catholic Encyclopedia is rather short. What we do know about him mostly ...Video Of The Day: Midnight Sun Shines In Iceland
May 7th, 2012 at 6:00PM:
The "midnight sun" is a natural phenomenon occurring north of the Arctic Circle and south of the Antarctic Circle when the sun never fully sets and remains visible 24 hours a day. Since there are no permanent human settlements south of the Antarctic Circle, countries and territories that experience the midnight sun are limited to those crossed by the Arctic Circle, including Canada, ...
For These Ladies, Paragliders Offered The Ultimate View Of Iceland. (Video)
May 1st, 2012 at 5:30PM: Paragliding pilots have the ultimate perch to get out and see the world. For two Icelandic women, a planned camping trip to the highlands of their country turned into one of the most mesmerizing videos I've come across.
In July 2011 two girls borrowed a 4x4, filled it with camping gear and paragliders and drove up to the Highlands of Iceland.
They experienced a new side of their own country, ...
