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Whilst much of England and Wales has been battered by torrential rains causing wave upon wave of flooding, Scotland - not normally renowned for great weather - has completely escaped the severe downpours and has been enjoying a notably drier summer than its Southern counterparts.
Each year between July and September, Edinburgh plays host to the largest arts festival in the world, drawing crowds from all over the world to indulge in an eclectic collection of culture, music, films, books and comedy on show across various venues within the city. Commonly referred to as the Edinburgh Festival, the event is in fact a collection of discrete festivals, which includes the Festival Fringe, the Edinburgh Film Festival and the Edinburgh Book Festival among many others.
Despite the vast majority of performers at the Edinburgh Festival being amateur performers and students, some of today's biggest names on the UK comedy and theatre performance circuits attribute the Edinburgh Festival as helping them make their breakthrough into the public eye.
Scotland isn't just about festivals, however, and many visitors choose to combine a visit to the Edinburgh Festival with a Highlands and islands escape; and Scotland's rugged beauty, low population density and diverse wildlife make it very popular with outdoor enthusiasts.
Scotland's outdoor sports aren’t just good - they are world class. In September 2007, the UCI Mountain Bike and Trials World Championships will come to the small town of Fort William in the Scottish Highlands, offering a fantastic opportunity to witness the big names and Olympic champions of the mountain biking world, as well as to see the rising stars of the future tearing up the mud in a beautiful setting.
There will be about 750 competitors from around 50 nations; and if you fancy your chances, you can even have a go at riding the downhill and cross country competition courses yourself.
For those that like their nature a little more relaxed, Scotland's vast system of walking trails provide the ideal way to escape into the wilds and witness the beauty of the land for themselves. All lengths and difficulties of walking and mountaineering are catered for, from short strolls with the kids, to multi-day hikes into the wilderness.
Anglers and golfers flock to Scotland's clean rivers and famous courses, while water babies can take advantage of Scotland's vast coastline, with hundreds of inlets and islands perfect for exploring in a kayak. Such areas also offer a good chance of seeing Scotland's marine wildlife, which includes whales, dolphins and porpoises.
Getting North of the border is now easier than ever, with internal and international flights arriving at Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee, as well as ferries to Scotland operating from Northern Ireland, Orkney and the Shetland Islands and Zeebrugge in Belgium.
So, from the biggest culture festival in the world to stunning lochs, ancient glens and rugged mountains, Scotland offers the best of urban buzz and serene retreats - which probably explains why it receives over 18 million tourists a year.
| ©2007 Adam Singleton. All rights reserved. |
Here's a trip that James Bond wouldn't have the time for. But if you do, your Bond girl will never forget it. "She'll be catching her breath for six months."
Start in Orlando for a few days at DisneyWorld and get a hotel near "Downtown Disney" or at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Then take AmTrak from there overnight to Philadelphia.
From the Philadelphia train station rent a car (with a
navigational system) and drive to Atlantic City to sea the
boardwalk, the Atlantic and gamble a little. There's not too
much else to do besides gamble and eat, so after
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There I was, sitting in my office, gazing through the window at the falling snow, daydreaming of warmer days. Ever so slowly, an idea began to take form.
Why not leave the cold, dreary winter behind, and head for warmer climes. But where would I go? The southern hemisphere seemed a good option, but I immediately realized that I had to narrow it down a bit, or I might have a problem getting an airplane ticket. A quick internet airline check and I reached a brilliant decision.
I called my wife and told her to pack us a couple of bags and
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The first port for our Royal Caribbean cruise of the western Caribbean was Labadee, Hispaniola which is actually a part of Haiti. This specific port is leased out to Royal Caribbean, so only their cruise ships come here. Labadee is actually a peninsula with a few beaches. Getting to land from the cruise ship is by tender.
There is a small section for kids with floating fake icebergs to
climb and water slides but they charge an admission fee.
Flotation mattresses are also available for rent for those who
just want to float in the ocean. There are also locals who help
with getting beach chairs for you but they
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One of the most popular ports of call for Caribbean cruise ships
is St. Thomas, one of the U.S. Virgin Islands. On the three
Caribbean cruises that I took so far, two of them included a
stopover in St. Thomas. On both occasions, there was a consensus
among other passengers we met that St. Thomas was one of the
nicer islands visited. Although the driving in St. Thomas is on
the left hand side, it is still U.S. territory so this Caribbean
island features many other conveniences of being American soil.
These included easy telephone connections for calls back to the
mainland, the use of U.S. currency and English
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It's amazing how a person's adventurous spirit gets a wake up call by simply watching a Tarzan re-run.
"Hey," I thought. "I'm due for a holiday. I've always wanted to visit Africa. What about an African Safari?" What about it indeed!
So I rang my local travel centre and posed the question..."What do you have in the way of African Safaris?" The chirpy voice on the other end of the line immediately responded. "Sir, you've certainly come to the right place. What type of safari are you interested in?"
Pausing for a moment just a little confused by her question I replied.
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