Popular Sights

Sunday, October 11, 2009

The beaches of this magnificent island run the range from white to black – and are all bounded by beautiful emerald seas that offer a full variety of watersports.

Green Sand Beach – If you’re looking for something adventurous, try a 5-mile round-trip hike across various terrains to see this rare, green-sand beach. Because of its relatively remote location at the very southern tip of the island and the hike it takes to get there, this beach is usually less crowded than others.

Hapuna Beach – One of the best white-sand beaches on the island, Hunpa is great for snorkeling, swimming, surfing, and bodyboarding. It’s about 1 mile long, and it can get a bit crowded on weekends.

Punaluu Beach – If you want to see a black-sand beach, this is your spot. The rich, dark sand glistens in the sun, giving it an otherworldly feel. An if the black sand gets too hot, just scoop up the beach and sit underneath the many palm trees. Huge green sea turtles often lumber ashore to sun themselves there.

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

AN AFTERNOON IN FLORENCE

When we travel, my husband and I enjoy the half day city sightseeing tours to get acquainted with a destination.  However, rather than choose another tour for the afternoon, we enjoy getting to know the ambiance, local shops and people.   After a visit to the Academy to see the famous Michaelangelo’s David as well as the artist’s numerous unfinished and fascinating sculptures, we went to the Arno River.   The only bridge to survive World War II was the Ponte Vecchio and it is a must!  It’s a short walk actross the Arno with lovely little open air jewelers and other shops and when you arrive at the south end of the bridge, there are charming outdoor dining venues with incredible pasta.   After relaxing over a leisurely lunch, walk just a few steps to the fabulous Pitti Palace.  This was originally owned by a Pitti but is famous as the residence of the infamous Medici family.  It’s a small art museum and the Boboli Gardens behind the museum are also well worth a look.   Besides lush plantings, there are waterfalls, reflecting pools, sculptures and an amazing view of Florence itself as it is up on a hill.  Great photo ops…

Written by: Laura U
laura@atlastravelweb.com

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Maui is known for taking a trip up Haleakala, attending Luau's and enjoying the beaches, but here are some other island attractions you might not be aware of.

Bailey House Museum -This historical treasure is one of the earliest structures built by the missionaries. Once a women’s seminary, the building now contains furnishings from the mid- to late-1800s, ancient Hawaiian artifacts, an art gallery, a gift shop and a 100-year-old dugout canoe.

Waimoku Falls – Part of Haleakala National Park, this waterfall is Maui’s largest. The area includes the pools of Oheo Gulch.

Tedeschi Vineyards – The product line at this vineyard includes pineapple wine, as well as champagne and traditional reds and blushes made from grapes. Free samples are offered in the tasting room (valid ID required) – a structure that was built in the 1880s and served as a vacation home of the last male monarch of Hawaii, King Kekaulike. Free tours are offered daily.  
 
Maui Ocean Center – This aquarium was built to highlight the island’s unusual sea life. Indoor and outdoor exhibits include a walkthrough tunnel that allows you to get nose-to-nose with sharks and a coral reef display the re-creates the scenery beneath the ocean’s surface.

Pacific Whale Foundation – This company offers boat tours from both Lahaina and Maalaea harbors with more than a dozen outings per day during the whale season. The nonprofit organization uses the funds from the tours in its research efforts. The foundation also offers a wild dolphin excursion to Lanai, which operates year-round from Lahaina and it conducts snorkeling outings to Molokini.  

Thursday, September 17, 2009

In London, there is an amazing fortress that holds a reputation all over the world. It is said to be full of wonders to explore, sights to see, and stories to be told within its walls. The Tower of London has become one of the most iconic places in history. Today the Tower of London attracts about two million visitors per year. It was built in the early 1080s by William the Conqueror. He started off by building a massive stone tower at the center of his London fortress. As centuries passed, successive monarchs added to the fortification. The Tower served as a fortress, palace and prison.

If you only have 1 hour to visit, you have time to see the Crown Jewels, pay a visit to the White Tower built by William the Conqueror, which today houses displays from the Royal Armories' collection and walk through surprisingly rich colors and comfortable furnishings of the Medieval Palace. If you can stay for 2 hours, join one of the famous Yeoman Warder tours and hear exciting tales from the Tower's past, and then follow the route above. If you're not in a rush, other things to see and do include enjoying lunch in the New Armories' Restaurant and visiting the Traitors' Gate.You can also take an audio tour. Personal interaction makes it an awesome experience, and you can choose five different tours about the Medieval Palace, imprisonment, executions, the dazzling Crown Jewels or learn about what it's like to live in the Tower today.

The hours of operation for the Tower of London vary throughout the year.  In the summer, March 1 through October 31, the hours are Tuesday-Saturday 9:00-17:30 and Sunday-Monday 10:00-17:30 with the last admission at 17:00. During the winter, the Tower of London is open through November 1 to February 28 on Tuesday-Saturday 9:00-16:30, and Sunday-Monday 10:00-16:30 with the last admission at 16:00. If you are interested in a tour, the last Yeoman Warder tour starts at 14:30 (winter), and 15:30 (summer). All the internal buildings close 30 minutes after the last admission. The Tower is closed on December 24-26 and January 1. It is always recommended that visitors allow at least 2-3 hours. During busy times, lines, (known as queues in London,) are likely to form within the Tower. Also, if visiting during school holidays or in the summer, more time may be needed for your visit to allow for a thorough exploration of the Tower.

The cost of admission for visits through March 1, 2009 and February 28, 2010 is £17.00 per adult and £9.50 children ages 6 through 16. Children under the age of 5 are free of charge, and the Tower strictly enforces that they must be accompanied by an adult at all times. You may book by telephone, in person, and most conveniently online.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

For those that are new to travel, you may be wondering when reading through an itinerary what is a UNESCO World Heritage Site?

A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site that holds a list of outstanding cultural or natural universal value such as, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. It could be a monument, building, mountain, forest, lake, desert, complex or city.

So how is a site selected?

Only countries that have signed the World Heritage Convention, pledging to protect their natural & cultural heritage can submit nominations for properties on their territory to be considered for inclusion in UNESCO’s World Heritage list.

A nominated property is independently evaluated by several Advisory Boards. Once a site has been nominated & evaluated, the intergovernmental World Heritage Committee makes the final decision. One per year, the Committee meets to decide which sites will be inscribed on the World Heritage list.

The program aims to catalogue & preserve sites of outstanding importance, either cultural or natural, to the common heritage of humankind.

There are currently 878 World Heritage Sites in 145 countries. These include 679 cultural, 174 natural and 25 mixed properties.

You may have visited a place in the U.S. already, not realizing it was a UNESCO site such as the Statue of Liberty, Grand Canyon, Yosemite Yellowstone or Olympic National Park.

Click here for a full list of site.

I have seen 20 sites in 9 countries, so only 858 to go, but I have to say that certain countries do not interest me AT ALL, so my goal would be to see at least half of the UNESCO sites while traveling the world.

How many UNESCO sites have you visited?