United Kingdom Travel Guide
7/03/2008 at 9:20 AM
Tags: UK Travel, British Airways, Food, Restaurants (all tags)
We trace it all back to the mid-air curry explosion on British Airways last year, when a flight attendant re-heating a curry dish started a fire on a plane in flight.
Britain's curry woes are now continuing. With new immigration laws, the number of curry chefs in Britain is on the decline and many Indian restaurants across the country are being threatened with closure.
And on top of that, a British Airways flight this week from Belgrade to London had to be grounded because of a frightening smell--a terrorist gas attack was suspected. It turned out to be a large container of curry spices.
Related Stories:
· Curry Grounds Plane [Ananova]
· Emergency Call for Chefs to Save Our Curry Houses [Mirror]
· BA Curry Explodes Mid-Air [Jaunted]
[Photo: avlxyz]
by amandak
7/01/2008 at 11:30 AM
Tags: Museums, Art, Exhibitions, Martin Creed, Videos (all tags)
A new "installation" at the Tate Britian is made up of groups of runners sprinting through the neoclassical galleries. Work No. 850, which will continue at the museum until November 16, is a non-stop relay race back and forth through the museum, with each 15-second dash accompanied by a 15-second pause.
Artist Martin Creed says the work was inspired by his attempt to see the catacombs in Palermo, Italy in just five minutes, but we immediately saw another muse. In Bertolucci's "The Dreamers," Isabelle, Théo and Matthew sprint through the Louvre in a moment of youthful jubilation and rebellion.
Of course, that too was an homage. The original museum runners were the trio from Godard's "Bande à Part" in 1964. We've got the clips after the click.
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by pbb
6/30/2008 at 10:45 AM
Tags: Celeb Travel, Music Festivals, Music Travel, Summer Travel, Glastonbury Festival, Jay-Z, Kate Moss, Lily Allen (all tags)
The Glastonbury Music Festival is perhaps better known for its epic mess than its gritty performances. But this year's fest was remarkably dry, bringing the stars out in record numbers. There was rain, don't doubt it, just less than usual, so Kate Moss' boots looked more like a fashion statement than a meteorological necessity.
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by egw
6/30/2008 at 9:30 AM
Tags: Celeb Travel, UK Travel, Scotland Travel, Colin Firth (all tags)
We have to confess to just a tiny crush on Colin Firth, that quintessential English gentleman who we adored in "Bridget Jones's Diary" and is starring in "Mamma Mia!" soon. This tiny crush means we are very, very open to the travel suggestions he made recently in the UK Times.
Colin's especially keen on the desert, like the stuff you find in the northern Sahara in Tunisia, but it sounds like the place on earth that he'd most recommend is the west of Scotland.
He's vacationed in that part of Britain more than once, but he's also spent time around Loch Fyne filming a movie and says it had an "impossibly romantic glow." Right: Adding west Scotland to our must-travel list now. We hope the charming Colin Firth will come along with us.
Related Stories:
· My Hols: Colin Firth [UK Times]
· Anticipated Summer Movie Travel: Who Wants to Go to Greece? [Jaunted]
[Photo: rutty] by amandak
6/27/2008 at 2:45 PM
Tags: Summer Travel, Festivals, Nelson Mandela (all tags)
If you're in London right now, you still have time to grab a blanket and get to Hyde Park for the biggest, baddest birthday party the town has ever seen--and it's not even for the Queen!
Apparently Nelson Mandela's 90th-birthday wish list included performances by Josh Groban, Queen and (fingers crossed) Amy Winehouse with all proceeds from the concert tickets going to his AIDS awareness nonprofit, the 46664 Campaign.
The concert will also be televised, in case you're too cheap to buy the former political prisoner and past president of South Africa a gift.
Related Stories
· Stars Gather for Mandela Birthday Show [CNN]
· London Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: maggiejones]
by egw
6/26/2008 at 3:00 PM
Tags: Airlines, New Airlines, Celeb Travel, CelebAir, Television Travel (all tags)
A British TV network is planning a reality show featuring 12 celebs working as flight attendants and gate agents on a carrier they're calling CelebAir.
The eight-part series, set to debut this fall, will follow the stars as they work actual flights carrying paying customers. They'll have to pass requirements set down by the UK's Civil Aviation Authority to work the cabin, though none of the celebs are slated to pilot the single CelebAir plane.
While no names have been confirmed just yet, Gridskipper is hoping that Paris and Nicole will be on board. We can only assume that's because of this.
Related Stories:
· ITV2 Readies CelebAir on the Runway [Guardian, via]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]
by pbb
6/24/2008 at 1:45 PM
Tags: Animals, UK Travel (all tags)
A dolphin popped up in the polluted waters of the River Clyde in Glasgow, Scotland over the weekend. The unlikely animal sighting has experts worried because the dolphin appears to be badly injured and emaciated. Officials say they don't expect it to survive, but they may be able to help the dolphin if it beaches itself on a sandbar. In the meantime, we clearly have to name him Clyde.
Clyde has been identified as a Risso's dolphin. The species is found all over the world but it's rare for them to be seen outside of deep ocean water. That said, these dolphins do have a bit of a history of seeking out human attention. One named Pelorus Jack became legendary after spending nearly forty years escorting ships through a dangerous stretch of Cook Strait in New Zealand.
If Clyde survives and has a similar craving for animal stardom it would be the biggest windfall for the Scottish tourism industry since Braveheart. Go, Clyde, go!
Related Stories:
· Concern Grows for Injured Dolphin in Glasgow River [Guardian]
· Search Resumes for Clyde Dolphin [BBC]
· Animals coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: BBC]
by Hunter Walker
6/24/2008 at 10:05 AM
Tags: Train Travel, Trains, UK Travel (all tags)
England doesn't seem that big when you look at it on a map, but a journey from London down to the pretty southwest areas of Cornwall and Devin does take a while. Now that rail company First Great Western has revamped the London to Penzance sleeper train route, however, you don't have to waste time getting there.
This route's been there a while, but now that it's had a £2 million ($3.9 million) upgrade, Great Western is hoping to get a whole heap more passengers. A designer who's worked for Porsche has done new interiors for the trains and all fixtures, fittings and even the toilets have been completely upgraded.
The last time we traveled this route, it was neat and clean enough and very practical for saving a night's accommodation cost--now we're keen to try it again and do it in style instead. With a romantic name like the Night Riviera Sleeper, how can we go wrong?
Related Stories:
· First Great Western Night Riviera Sleeper [Official Site]
· Night Riviera Sleeper Train to Cornwall [Travelbite]
· Train Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: JZjr]
by amandak
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