5/08/2008 at 11:06 AM
Tags: Mancations, Festivals, Sports Travel, Culture, Summer Travel (all tags)
Anyone can plan a golf excursion or a deep sea fishing trip, but only the brave would plan a mancation around attending a series of games that promise sweat, strength and the possibility of injury.
The highland games are celebrated all over the world as a way to embrace Celtic culture. Men in traditional garb compete in events such as the "caber toss," in which one attempts to launch a 100-pound, 20-foot-tall log as far as possible. We'd guess that your lady friends are unlikely to tag along.
The Cowal Highland Gathering held in Dunoon is the largest event of its kind held in Scotland. Set for the last weekend in August, this year brings the Red Hot Chilli Pipers to town. (Yes, they're a rock-and-bagpipe group.)
You can also celebrate your love for all things Celtic a little closer to home at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games in North Carolina. About 50,000 people attend the games in the western part of the state each year. The events kick off this year on July 10 and bagpipe their way through July 13.
Related Stories:
· Grandfather Mountain Highland Games [Official Site]
· Cowal Highland Gathering [Official Site]
· Mancations coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: sherseydc]
by kjb
4/21/2008 at 3:05 PM
Tags: Museums, Culture (all tags)
The Saints are marching in, and they have a lot of baggage. NPR reported this weekend that after months in storage, artifacts belonging to the New Orleans outpost of the Louisiana State Museum, which lost its roof in Hurricane Katrina, are being shipped back in trucks.
Pieces like Louis Armstrong's original trumpet are returning to their rightful place in the museum in two to four truckloads a day after they were evacuated to Baton Rouge.
The Museum is currently showcasing the exhibit "Let Your Motto Be Resistance: African American Portraits." It's planning an expansive exhibit on Katrina and New Orleans soon.
Related Stories:
· New Orleans Museum to Reclaim Artifacts [NPR]
· Louisiana State Museum [Official Site]
· New Orleans Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: folo01]
by egw
4/16/2008 at 2:00 PM
Tags: Mancations, Festivals, Culture (all tags)
April's half over and if you don't start planning this summer's mancation, you know none of your friends will. We suggest you join the thousands of spectators who flock to the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar and its surrounding Gobi Desert each July for the country's annual "Three Manly Games."
OK, so officially it's the Naadam Festival, but our name for it is pretty accurate. Whatever you call it, this mid-summer Mongolian manfest is not your average guys getaway.
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by CourtScott
3/21/2008 at 9:15 AM
Tags: Space Travel, Space Tourism, Culture (all tags)
Who would've thought it. Boomerangs come back even when you throw them in space. We were pretty skeptical when we mentioned the Japanese guy who decided he would test boomerang throwing while he was at the International Space Station, but now we humbly bow to him. He was right!
Astronaut Takao Doi said:
"I was very surprised and moved to see that it flew the same way it does on Earth," during an experiment that his bosses were quick to say he did in his spare time.
This really does open up some opportunities for future space tourism. If boomerangs work, then that's already one bonus activity that a space resort can offer us. Now they just need to find a place where we can go snorkeling, surfing and swimming and we'll all be ready for our trip on Virgin Galactic.
Related Stories:
· Boomerang Works in Space, Says Astronaut [news.com.au]
· Japanese Guy To Throw Boomerangs. In Space. [Jaunted]
· Space Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot]
by amandak
3/19/2008 at 1:30 PM
Tags: Chinatowns, Germany Travel, Tourist Attractions, Attractions, Culture (all tags)
On the outskirts of Berlin, a Chinese couple is working to build at €500 million Chinatown that'll be the first in Germany. But classic European bureaucracy is gumming up the works: The project has been in development for three years and ground has yet to be broken.
Before the bulldozers can start rumbling, all manner of paperwork needs to be finished. That has Chinese developer Hongbin Ren learning about Europe before he can share his culture with Germany:
He had never heard of some the expressions he was reading, phrases like "spatial planning procedure," "development of the local public transport system" and "substantiated preliminary draft development plan." It was time for Mr. Ren to get to know the real Germany.
Until then, he had seen the country as a place with good air, wide-open spaces and industrious people. He was about to encounter the invisible Germany, the land of ordinances and regulations.
Totally reminds us of trying to buy stamps in Italy. With some luck, work on the Chinatown project could start by this summer. There'll be lots to do: Blueprints call for pagodas, gardens, an opera house and even a replica of the Great Wall of China.
Related Stories:
· Planned Chinatown Raises Hackles in Rural Germany [Spiegel, via]
· Germany Travel coverage
by pbb
1/28/2008 at 10:45 AM
Tags: It's Summer Somewhere, It's-Summer-Somewhere, Festivals, Culture (all tags)
Head to where it's sunny and warm this week and get there just in time for a different kind of festival. February 2 brings Dia de la Candelaria to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where locals celebrate with parades, bullfights and a blessing of the candles.
That's right, residents bring candles to the church to be blessed for use throughout the year. They also bring their icons of Niño Jesús (or Christ child), dressed in their best, to the church for an evening of celebration.
Want to check into somewhere easy in PV? Try Dreams Puerto Vallarta. Yes, it's an all-inclusive, but it's literally the best around. Forget cheesy wristbands and buffets. Dreams has movies on the beach at night and a la carte restaurants combined with dramatic views of the rock-edged beach on Banderas Bay.
Related Stories:
· Dreams Puerto Vallarta [HotelChatter]
· It's Summer Somewhere Coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: dfnitivo]
by sedona
1/25/2008 at 9:45 AM
Tags: Space Travel, Space Tourism, Culture (all tags)
We always thought boomerangs were kind of the province of the Australians, but the headlines are telling us otherwise this week. It seems that a Japanese astronaut who's heading up to the International Space Station in March has taken on this bit of Aussie culture for himself.
Takao Doi, the 53-year-old astronaut, has decided he's going to test out whether or not a boomerang can fly back to you in zero gravity. Two problems: everybody thinks it won't work, and he's taking a paper boomerang. Sounds a bit like grabbing a paper airplane and trying to use it to fly around the world.
We're gunning for the boomerang idea to be dropped and perhaps when the first Australian Aboriginal heads into space, they can take a real boomerang and try it out. Or we could wait until our friend Richard Branson builds a resort up there and all the tourists can start throwing boomerangs around for fun.
Related Stories:
· Astronaut to Throw Boomerang in Space [News.com.au]
· Space Travel Coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: hangdog]
by amandak
1/21/2008 at 10:00 AM
Tags: Scandinavia Travel, Culture (all tags)
Liverpool has really captured the early headlines as the 2008 Capital of Culture, but we shouldn't forget that there are two. Little-known Stavanger in Norway deserves some attention this year, too.
There are lots of reasons to visit Stavanger: It's full of wooden houses (and they're cute, too), it's rich (as a center for the oil industry--there's even an oil museum), there are lakes and fjords nearby and it's home to the oldest cathedral in Norway.
This year as part of the Capital of Culture reign, Stavanger is focusing on getting its citizens involved in cultural activities. This means that rather than the flashy Beatles-inspired shows of Liverpool, Stavanger has chosen the theme of an "Open Port" and will promote artist residencies that give opportunities for visitors and locals alike to connect personally with the arts. But they still had a big fireworks extravaganza to open the celebrations.
Interestingly, this might be the last Norwegian city that achieves the European Capital of Culture status: From now on, the capitals will be selected from European Union members. Norway's gone it alone and created a northern non-EU outpost, which will mean its cities are outcast from cultural capital chances. Oops.
Related Stories:
· Stavanger 2008 [Official Site]
· Welcome to the Other Capital of Culture [BBC]
· Liverpool's Big Year of Culture [Jaunted]
[Photo: Lord Strobey]
by amandak
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