A Sober Warning
Written by Admin on December 19, 2008 – 2:11 am -Wine producers in Burgundy say the current financial crisis has caused a slump in sales to its biggest importer – Britain. According to the Burgundy wine board, sales fell by 23 per cent in September. The board’s spokesman, Cecile Mathiaud, said: “For three years, the climate in Britain was euphoric. Banks, the business world and high-class restaurants took everything we had without looking at the costs.” “Now we get the feeling that a page has turned and the UK is no longer an Eldorado. The English are counting their pennies.” Burgundy relies heavily on its exports, with just over half of its wine shipped abroad. The US has also traditionally been a big customer. The region is relatively small, producing five times less wine... more
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Sleaze-Busting In Old Amsterdam
Written by Admin on December 19, 2008 – 2:11 am -I’ve written recently about Venice’s efforts to improve its image and now I hear Amsterdam is following suit. (See “Tracing The Traders In Tat” and “Venice Battles The Boors“) The authorities in the Dutch capital have unveiled plans to clean up the city’s old town and red light district by halving the number of coffee shops - where marijuana is bought and smoked legally - and brothels. They’re concerned that, although it’s a popular tourist destination, the red light area is also a magnet for organised crime. A council spokesman said: “We can still have sex and drugs, but in a way that shows the city is in control.” In addition to its blitz on sleaze, the city will spend £30 million ($44 million) to try... more
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No Frills
Written by Admin on December 17, 2008 – 6:11 pm -Here at Luxique, we deal in only the most luxurious places to stay, but I thought I’d share with you details of one of the cheapest – and arguably the most depressing - hotel experiences. The Null Stern (no star) hotel in Switzerland is inside a converted nuclear bunker. There’s no heating, so guests are issued with hot water bottles. They also get complimentary ear-plugs to help dull the racket of the ventilation system and slippers to walk across the icy concrete floors. Being a nuclear bunker, there are no windows; the only view of the outside world is a row of monitors in reception. Customers enter a draw for the luxury of a hot shower in the morning. Breakfast? Forget it. The Null Stern was the brainchild of twin brothers,... more
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A Green Christmas
Written by Admin on December 16, 2008 – 10:11 am -The Vatican is doing its best to go green. Christmas at St. Peter The largest Christmas tree ever to be placed in St Peter’s Square was lit up last Saturday and the Vatican says all the wood will be recycled to make toys for needy children and benches for schools. The 33-metre (109-foot) red spruce, which is about 120 years old, came from the forests of southern Austria. Hundreds of pilgrims from Austria sang carols in the pouring rain as the tree was officially unveiled. It’s decorated with 2,000 gold and silver balls, white lights and a shining star. It stands next to a larger-than-life-sized Nativity scene, which will be unveiled on Christmas Eve. The recycling of the wood after Christmas is the Vatican’s latest effort to be environmentally... more
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A Sour Note
Written by Admin on December 13, 2008 – 6:11 pm -In May, I wrote that the former home of the Von Trapp family – made famous by the film, The Sound of Music - was to open as a hotel - Trapped In Your Hotel. Salzburg, Austria Sadly for lovers of the evergreen musical, the local council in Salzburg has now turned down the proposition. Residents of the Aigen area, where the villa is situated, had put pressure on the authorities, fearing they’d be overrun by fans. The residents’ spokesman said the identity of Salzburg should be tied to its most famous son, Mozart, and not to what he called this ‘tacky’ musical. But one of the entrepreneurs behind the project said it was folly to block a venture like this when the global financial crisis could reduce the number of tourists coming to... more
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France Fumes
Written by Admin on December 12, 2008 – 10:11 am -It was always going to be a challenge – a smoking ban in the land of Gauloises and Gitanes. DNF Smoking Ad The French seemed to have embraced - somewhat reluctantly - the idea of pollution-free bars and restaurants, but the association representing non-smokers, the DNF, has highlighted a problem. Eating out in Paris It says the ban is being cancelled out by the existence of smoking terraces, whether these are semi-covered or entirely closed. The DNF’s study found that tiny particles from cigarettes were present in large numbers in the non-smoking sections of 250 bars and restaurants in France. “Pollution comes in through doors when they are open all the time, but also through air vents and air extraction systems,” said the study.... more
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Rudeness Is In The Air
Written by Admin on December 11, 2008 – 2:11 am -There are plenty of annoying features of air travel: the long lines for check-in and security, the lost or delayed luggage, the cost of airport coffee … The Joy of Air Travel What about fellow passengers? Yes, they can be pretty grim too, according to a new survey. Tripadvisor asked its clients to identify the most irritating air travellers and nearly 60 per cent said ‘oblivious parents.’ Noisy and uncontrolled children and those who spend the entire flight kicking the back of the seat in front scored most highly in the survey of shame. Michele Perry, Tripadvisor’s Vice-President of Global Communications, commented: “The people travelling with kids and the people travelling without them tend to be equally vocal about how... more
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Ordeal By Glass
Written by Admin on December 11, 2008 – 2:11 am -I was discussing with a friend who shares my fear of heights what would constitute our ultimate nightmare. We thought of such vertiginous venues as the Eiffel Tower, the glass-floor elevators in the CN Tower in Toronto, a bungee jump platform and any number of ancient Italian bell towers with just some flimsy wooden bar between you and fresh air. But eventually, we decided that, for sheer unadulterated terror, it was impossible to separate ‘The Edge’ at the Eureka Skydeck in Melbourne and the Grand Canyon Skywalk. The Edge Eureka Skydeck Melbourne I wouldn’t want to spoil the whole ‘Edge’ experience by giving too much away, but suffice to say that those brave enough to volunteer are projected nine feet out from a building in a glass... more
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Airport Is Going To Seed
Written by Admin on December 9, 2008 – 6:11 pm -A decision has finally been made about the future of most of the Tempelhof airport site in Berlin – it’s to be turned into a park. (See “Farewell Flight” from October 10, 2008) The airport, which served as a lifeline for West Berlin during the Soviet blockade, closed last month after more than 80 years’ service. The city government says it will spend 61 million euros (£51 million / $79 million) converting the airport into a leisure area about the size of New York’s Central Park. A spokesman for the Berlin government, Marko Rosteck, said the architecturally important limestone terminal building would be preserved. A wide variety of proposals for its use were still being considered. “We’re very fortunate to have a giant... more
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Sand, Sea And A Sinister Structure
Written by Admin on December 7, 2008 – 2:11 am -A Nazi-era resort on the island of Ruegen in the Baltic Sea is set to get a make-over and be opened again to holidaymakers. Prora Resort Construction in Prora began in 1936 as part of Hitler’s ‘Strength Through Joy’ programme to keep Germans fit and healthy. But it was abandoned in 1943 because of the war. The beautiful sandy beach was never opened to the public; the only Germans to live in the half-built resort were refugees from bombed-out cities and those fleeing the invading Soviet Red Army. The windows are either broken or boarded up, the roofs are leaking and the plaster is crumbling from the walls. But the six-storey concrete buildings planned as a holiday complex for 20,000 have survived otherwise unscathed. Now, the... more
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