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europe posts
Time-Lapse Video Shows Europe's Changing Borders, 1000 AD to 2003
May 16th, 2012 at 3:00PM:
This quirky time lapse shows how Europe's borders have expanded, contracted, and expanded again. We're pretty sure the original intent was to help those studying for a World Geography test or the like, but it's a fun tool for travelers too – is the area you're visiting this summer a part of the original Hapsburg empire? Has the hotel you're staying in always been in France? Watch it. ...
In-Flight Cellphone Calls To Be Allowed On Virgin Atlantic Flights
May 14th, 2012 at 2:30PM: Passengers on Virgin Atlantic will soon be able to make in-flight cellphone calls, send texts and browse the web on their way home from Europe, it was just announced. The new service is part of the airline's upgrade to the Airbus A330, which will also provide expanded in-flight entertainment, USB ports and a very spiffy upper class. Cellphone service will initially be available only on London to ...Torture Museums Look At The Dark Side Of History
May 13th, 2012 at 9:00AM:
Ah, the Good Old Days, when everyone lived in a perpetual Renaissance Festival quaffing ale and shouting "Huzzah!" It must have been wonderful.
Not!
People died young, the cities were filled with rats and open sewers, and God help you if you ever got arrested. You'd be taken to a torture chamber in order to "confess" while being subjected to various imaginative torture devices, like the ...How To (Legally) Stay In Europe For More Than 90 Days
May 10th, 2012 at 3:00PM: Planning an extended stay in Europe, travelers are often focused on what it takes to be there longer than 90 days, what is commonly believed to be the limit for tourists. Armed with a desire to stay longer, travel blog Nomadic Matt found a way and shares it in a recent blog post.
Getting to the heart of the matter, Matthew Kepnes, founder of Nomadic Matt's Travel Site, blogs "when people talk ...Travel For The Inexplicable Human Connection
May 1st, 2012 at 2:30PM:
Editing a contribution to the site from Jill Paris the other day I was reviewing her bio at the end of the article and took note of the reason why she travels: "for the inexplicable human connection."
Those connections affect all of us when we travel, whether we know it or not, and it's a big part of what makes the journey so special. For me, personally, I have wonderful stories of meeting ...
Vintage Aircraft Come Home
Apr 30th, 2012 at 3:00PM: Vintage aircraft fascinate those who travel by air. Pilots and aviation fans, along with frequent fliers, enjoy visiting air displays and museums to get up close and personal with aircraft that are often older than they are. As time goes on, efforts are being made to bring rare aircraft from World War II back to American facilities where they can be viewed and some even flown.
Central Florida's ...Cockpit Chronicles: Getting More Out Of Layovers
Apr 19th, 2012 at 9:00AM: For some, life couldn't be any more perfect than if they were paid to travel. I've run across three airline crew members who have discovered ways to keep their jobs fresh and exciting by embracing what is for them the biggest benefit that comes with working for an airline: travel.
You hear about the turbulence in the airline industry nearly every week – layoffs, pay cuts, pensions lost ...Welcome To Zurich, Home Of The $12 Big Mac Meal
Apr 16th, 2012 at 12:00PM: There are no Dollar Stores in Zurich. But if there were, they'd probably offer single sticks of gum, paper clips or kernels of popcorn. In February, Zurich assumed the top spot in The Economist's annual list of the world's most expensive cities, knocking Tokyo off its perch, largely due to the strength of the Swiss Franc.
I'm a frugal traveler – the kind of person who prides himself on ...Six Of The Most Scenic Train Trips In Europe
Apr 11th, 2012 at 10:30AM:
Forget flying around Europe. At 30,000 feet it's impossible to truly experience the continent's remarkable landscapes. Rather than being shuttled around in a plane that only allows a birds-eye view, train trips immerse travelers in the terrain. There's a reason why trains are often thought of as the most romantic mode of transportation: riding the rails makes you feel more connected and in ...10 things you probably didn't know about Holland
Mar 7th, 2012 at 6:00PM: While Holland is well known for its bright flowers, the canals of Amsterdam, and wooden shoes, there are still many surprises to discover about this region. To help expand your knowledge, here are some things you probably didn't know about Holland.
1. Rotterdam is the only Dutch city with a true skyline. In fact, it is so impressive the area is known as "Manhattan on the Meuse." In terms of ...Navigating the unique street food of Turkey
Mar 1st, 2012 at 12:00PM: One of the best ways to get to know a country and a culture is through its food. While restaurants often serve delicious local and international meals in a pleasing ambiance, the best way to taste authentic regional and budget-friendly cuisine is by sampling the street food. One great destination that can give your palate an adventure is Turkey.
Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey, is the only ...Turkey's unique national pastime: oil wrestling
Feb 25th, 2012 at 2:00PM:
While America has baseball, New Zealand has rugby, and Australia has cricket, Turkey has a national pastime that some may find a bit odd-- oil wrestling. Also known as "grease wrestling," the sport involves men clad in black leather pants carrying wicker bags that contain bottles of olive oil, which they must pour over every inch of their flesh. Because it's so difficult for a participant to ...
Video: Skating the canals of Amsterdam
Feb 13th, 2012 at 4:30PM:
The cold snap that has brought much of Europe to a stand-still this winter has invigorated the Dutch. For the first time in more than a decade, the canals in Amsterdam have frozen solid, creating a network of rinks between the city's iconic, gabled canal houses.
The above video captures the beauty of central Amsterdam as well as the warm, festive spirit of its residents. Watch as ...
EuroCheapo launches budget travel guides for Switzerland
Feb 9th, 2012 at 2:00PM: While Switzerland is not usually thought of as a budget-friendly destination, there are actually many worthwhile hotels, sights, and restaurants that won't cost you a fortune. To help travelers navigate their way around this usually costly country, EuroCheapo has launched budget travel guides for the cities of Zurich and Geneva, marking their first Swiss guides on the site. These guides will not ...Photo of the Day: Olives, olives, and more olives
Feb 7th, 2012 at 6:00PM:
Honestly, have you ever seen olives look so appetizing? This epicurean Photo of the Day was snapped at the Mercado San Miguel in Madrid, a traditional Beaux-Arts food market recently restored and reopened in 2009. Flickr user LadyExpat used a Nikon D90 to capture the details in the delicacies: the vibrant colors, the fillings contained in the olives, the reflection of light in the juice. ...A Traveler in the Foreign Service: A birthday that went up in smoke in Belgrade
Feb 6th, 2012 at 10:00AM: There's nothing like having a sealed train compartment full of Serbian farmers blowing smoke in your face on your 30th birthday. One of the strangest elements of expatriate life is that you sometimes find yourself celebrating major occasions with people you just met, rather than friends and family.
I had just started a tour as an American Foreign Service Officer in Macedonia right before my ...How much does it cost to travel the world for a year?
Feb 4th, 2012 at 12:00PM: $15,000 is how much, according to travel bloggers Kyle and Briana of RollGlobal.org who traveled to 19 countries in Asia, Africa and Europe, tracking their daily expenses to prove that it is not only possible to quit your day job and travel the world, but it can be affordable, too.
As we see in this infographic, it could have been less too but bad weather put them in a hotel a few nights and ...Airport Carbon Accreditation program grows in Europe
Feb 4th, 2012 at 9:00AM: Europe's Airport Carbon Accreditation program is now boasting fifty-five major European airports as members and making a significant dent in carbon emissions. The voluntary program has a four-level rating system that assesses and recognizes the efforts of airports to manage and reduce their carbon emissions to achieve carbon neutral operations for all emissions over which the airport has control. ...A museum of microcars in Germany
Jan 11th, 2012 at 12:00PM:
Before the automobile industry developed cars capable of going 0-60 mph in 5.9 seconds, there were the microcars. In the 1950s and 1960s, several European countries, in particular West Germany, manufactured cheap, zippy microcars that were one step up on the evolutionary chain from motor scooters. Most of these models are long gone today, save for those hiding in the garages and warehouses of ...Luxury Vacation Guide 2012: Baku, Azerbaijan
Jan 9th, 2012 at 10:00AM:
Alternately called the Paris of the East and the Next Dubai, Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, is poised to become the Middle East's next big luxury travel destination.
Once the busiest harbor on the ancient Silk Road, Baku is the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. A recent flood of oil money has led to massive development in anticipation of a 2020 Olympics bid, and ...
