Travel Notes – Travel Blog – Page 7 – ► Blogging About Travel

September 8, 2012December 22, 2012

Weekend Drives

How far would you travel for a short break and what makes a good weekend drive?

The nice thing about being based in Switzerland is that we are ideally placed for some great weekend getaways; Germany, France, Italy and Austria are all just a fews hours away.

Some say that we can have a taste of France, Germany and Italy in Switzerland; but there’s nothing like savouring the real ingredients: Beef bourguignon in Burgundy; Pesto in Genoa; or a Black Forest gâteau in Schwarzwald.

Leaving after work on a Friday, one can easily arrive in the South of France before the bars close and not have to get off the beach until Sunday afternoon. There’s no need to book flights in advance, just slide in to the driver’s seat and start the ignition.

Granted, it might mean driving a little too fast on the motorway and often joining a queue to get through the Gotthard tunnel, on the way back. Since the fire, in 2001, those queues have worsened.

If you fancy a little culture, with Pizza and Pasta, it’s a comfortable drive to Florence. Verona is closer still.

A good time to visit the Italian lakes is May and September. The crowds are gone and when it’s raining in Zurich, we can drive off for breakfast at an outside table in Como. That’s the beauty of living in Switzerland and sometimes I forget just how lucky we are.

As with any travel planning, a good map is essential.

For driving, I especially like the maps with scenic routes (often marked in green) and interesting places to visit (highlighted in yellow).

Depending on the map maker, the interesting places to visit may be indicated in a box, be underlined, or have a number of stars.

I usually have a couple of maps; a larger overview for the route and a more detailed map for travel in the region.

The yellow Michelin maps are the best maps to buy if you want to discover a particular area of France in detail; or invest in the France Road Atlas (same scale).

My favourite map for weekend drives from Zurich is the blue, Alpine roads map from Kümmerly+Frey (1:700,000).

This just about covers the maximum area for a good weekend drive and I’ve used it to plan numerous trips from Alsace to Bourgogne; Cotes-du-Rhone to Tuscany; Rimini to The Dolomites; and the area around the Innsbruck, Salzburg, Munich triangle. It even stretches out to northern Croatia, eastern Hungary and Bratislava.

This seems to have been replaced by the red Alpine Countries (Road Map) from Hallwag. More maps of the region from these companies can be found under the Swiss Travel Center domain. For drives north of the Black Forest, I’ve just purchased Germany South, or Deutschland Süd (1:500,000), and intend to give it a test drive.

For online planning, I previously reviewed a good online tool to judge a travel radius in How Far Can I Travel. I originally looked at it for planning a cycle trip but it’s ideal for driving too.

September 3, 2012

55 Top Travel Photos From Capture The Colour Competition

With the winners of the Capture The Colour contest to be announced this week, I’d like to share some of my favourites with you.

I can’t claim to have viewed every entry but I have spent the last few days visiting hundreds of travel bloggers around the web and there’s a lot of talent out there; with some very good collective sets, in a variety of themes – all around colour, of course.

As well as following links to blog posts from the #capturethecolour twitter tag and the Travel Supermarket Facebook page, I also browsed the images on the Travelsupermarket Pinterest Boards; almost 600 in each colour category.

As their boards didn’t seem to be followed by much more than 70 people, perhaps it won’t hurt to share the blogger love a little further.

While looking around the travel blogs I also pinned my favourites to five specially created boards: Blue, Green, Yellow, White, and Red.

The number of images I collected are about ten to twelve in each category. I wasn’t aiming for a ‘top ten’, it’s just how it turned out.

The selection of these images does not attempt to pick a winner, nor influence the judging process in any way. Entering the competition was a lot of fun; the taking part enhanced by travelling around the world through the eyes of others.

Let’s run through my favourites, in the order I pinned them.

Favourite Blue Travel Photography, inspired by Capture The Colour

The Blue Gondolas in Venice will not be winning because it’s a judge’s example from The Planet D. I did see a similar photo from Venice entered in the contest, which may be considered a shame.

It makes a change to get away from the sky and sea for a reflective look inside the bottle in Tallinn’s Raeapteek pharmacy, Estonia – from Runaway Brit.

The national bird of India, posing in Rajasthan – from Breathe Dream Go.

Lake Tekapo, New Zealand – Love the striking blue playing with the white; or is it the white playing with the blue? Either way will do – from Finding The Universe.

I’ve been over and under Lánchíd (Széchenyi Chain Bridge) in Budapest many times but have never seen it in this light before. I also appreciate the low angle, getting nice and low to the floating ice – from Kat Clay.

Le Louvre, Paris – from Paris Through My Lens.

Blue starfish on a beach in Bohol, Philippines. Its simplicity is striking – from The Black Twig.

Hagia Sofia Workers. A nice capture of a quiet moment; and the eye keeps getting drawn back to the blue, where the people are – from Wired 2 The World.

I like the ‘portrait of a vendor in East Jerusalem‘ because it’s so far away from the common sky and sea images, yet the wonderful shades of blue still give it an East Mediterranean feel – from Travel Reportage.

Venice Carnival. Nice and tight photo with sharp focus and no distractions – from Valerie and Griffin.

Girl playing football after school in Awasa, Ethiopia – from The World is Just Enough.

Favourite Green Travel Photography, inspired by Capture The Colour

Maybe it’s because I like waiting for trains and the Trans Siberian Railroad is still on my list; maybe it’s because I’ve never been to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; or maybe it’s that I wish I’d taken the photo myself. Green with envy – from The Polar Route.

I like the yellowy/bluey play to make up the green in Kerala’s Backwaters, India – from Tricia A. Mitchell.

I’ve never been drawn towards photographing insects but I do like this dragonfly in green – from huawei89 Photography.

A vivid display of green from the red-eyed tree frog; native to the rainforests of Costa Rica – from Enjoy The Journey.

I like the way we’re led down the path and deep into this bamboo forest in Ulsan, South Korea – from The Sajin.

The Ubud, Bali paddy fields are obvious, yet not. This angle wins for me because it’s in the not-so-obvious category of a sometimes obvious subject – from The Wrong Way Home.

The Spirit of The Forest – created by using the zoom during exposure technique. Once overused, I haven’t seen this in a while and it seems to work here – from Montreal in Pictures.

With so many pictures of nature associated with green it’s nice to see something different as these boys splash into the algae-green pools of the Mughal-built Fatehpur Sikhri, an hour’s bus ride from Agra – from Wanderings.

The water tupelo and bold cypress swamp on Natchez Trace shows just how impressive nature can be – from Mastering the Art of Travel photography.

What an interesting perspective of a walk in the park; with a wide-angle lens, long shadows and play-with-me doggy eyes – from Heather Buckley.

With so many green submissions capturing nature this green grabber at a metal recycling plant on the Bronx River in New York City really grabs attention; and what a vivid green it is – from Wind Against Current.

Favourite Yellow Travel Photography, inspired by Capture The Colour

Ballooning at sunrise over La Garrotxa volcanic region of the Catalonian Pyrenees – from Mallory on Travel.

Singapore is one of the most densely populated countries in the world – from Kat Clay.

I like the yellow meandering down the Escalante River valley, as seen from Scenic Hwy 12 in Utah – from Divermaiden.

Looming over the skyline of Yangon is the Shwedagon Paya, also known as the Golden Pagoda. The pagoda lights up the entire city with its golden glow, a beautiful sight visible from almost anywhere in the city – from Wild Junket.

South Africa’s KwaZulu Natal province – from 2Summers.

Pha That Luang (Golden Temple) – Vientiane, Laos – from Untitled Adventure.

Dallol, Danakil Depression (Ethiopia). The lowest point in the African continent and claimed to be the hottest spot on earth. It may look awesome but be warned, it smells of rotten eggs – from La Puerta Entornada.

Tibetan monk lights candles inside the monastery before morning prayers – from The Cinnamon Journey.

Child lighting a candle on a family grave for All Souls Day; Sagada, Philippines – from Living If.

Lao boys kick up dust on the banks of the Mekong in Vientiane, Laos – from Wanderings.

Rome at night, and not a Colosseum in sight – from Travel for Love.

Favourite White Travel Photography, inspired by Capture The Colour

A winter scene on a steep incline had me wondering what the state of the tyres were like on the truck – from My Nomadic Life.

A farmer handing a sample from one of his white wheels of cheese to an early morning patron in Annecy, France – from The Constant Tourist.

Lake Eyre, Australia. The dry salt lake that has only filled completely three times in the last 150 years – from Livin on the Road.

New York City Ballet performing in Saratoga Springs. The shot was something of an accident, but sometimes accidents are just meant to happen – from The Architect of Adventure.

Seeing skiing through the goggles; Columbia Mountains, Canada – from The Adventure Freelancer.

Bolivian Salt Flats – from Landing Standing.

School Girls at the Citadel; Hue, Vietnam – from Transformations Through Travel.

Drinking milk at the Semenggoh Orangutan Sanctuary in Borneo – from Living If.

Alberto is a hermit who’s been living in the mountains of the Tisey Nature Reserve, in Nicaragua, for over 30 years – from The Expert Vagabond.

El Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia; the forced perspective photography capital of the world – from Cynthia Ord.

Favourite Red Travel Photography, inspired by Capture The Colour

Eating Out in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I like the bold red background of the passing songthaew. Often we see a sharp (panned) red with a blurred background, like Ferrais in F1 racing, so this works (for me) as an opposite of that – from Wanderlust and Lipstick.

Locals set paper lanterns adrift in the night sky during the annual Lantern Festival; Tainan, Taiwan – from Matt Gibson.

Australian War Memorial, Canberra – from Dani Carlucci.

Not only has this image captured the colour red, but the facial expressions capture a sensual spirit of the Chiang Mai fest – from Where Sidewalks End.

Drinking red wine from the floating bar on a party-boat trip from Nha Trang, Vietnam. The photo is sharp, tight, full of character and the Vietnamese host even has a red strap to his hat. Probably a good job he’s fitted snuggly into a rubber ring – from i Backpacker Travel.

Hawaiian torch twirling in Maui – from Synne in Tacoland.

While I usually like to see tight composition and graphic elements in photographs, this example of red – which is clearly focused on the lady – beautifully captures the atmosphere of a single moment on a hot summer night in a Chinese street market – from Life on Nanchang Lu.

Adding a fresh lick of paint to the Red Fort in Agra, India. I like the feel to this photograph: the home-made ladders, the enthusiam of the boys and the chap on the ledge without any shoes on. His friend in red shorts has no shoes either. Great story – from Globe Scribbler.

Off to Lunch – Chimi Lhakhang Monastery in Bhutan. I also like the depth of field background blur, where the seated boy looks back out of the doorway towards our main subject – from Mira Terra Travel.

In an emrgency, press the shutter. An interesing look at what looks like an emergency window on a train. I really like the feel of motion while sitting still – from Playground Love.

Indian wedding in Jodhpur, India. There’s a lot going on here and I might have been inclined to crop in closer. It appears the main subject – the bride – is the lady on the left while the photographer has chosen to follow her gaze and bring our attention to the passer-by. Intriguing – from Snaps and Blabs.

Finally

I thoroughly enjoyed finding new travel blogs to keep an eye on and I hope you do too.

Sorry if I didn’t add your photograph to the collection, even if I commented on the blog. There are about five to ten very strong sets which could quite easily pick up points with all five judges. Fingers crossed that yours, or one that you like, is among them.

August 27, 2012September 15, 2016

Capture The Colour and Win £2,000 to Spend on Travel

There’s nothing like a deadline to get your creative juices working.

Capture The Colour

Capturing The Colour

To be in with a chance of a nice two grand (English money) to spend on travel, you need to submit a blog post with five awesome photographs that say something special about the colours blue, green, yellow, white and red – by Midnight on 29th August, 2012 (UK Time).

If you you don’t have five photos that illustrate these colours in some special way, you could still win an iPad 3 in one of the individual categories.

More specifically, you will need to link to your blog post from your Facebook wall, mentioning ‘Capture The Colour‘ and tagging the Travel Supermarket Facebook page; or include @travelsupermkt and #capturethecolour in a tweet that links to your blog post via Twitter.

If you’re not broadcasting on Social Media, you could always quietly send an e-mail including your name, e-mail address, phone number and all important link to your Capture The Colour blog post.

Official Terms and Conditions.

Impressing The Judges

Your capture of colour will need to appeal to five different judges, who all have their own tastes and interpretations of what they’re looking for in their particular choice of colour. You might want to find out more about what could appeal to them.

Alternatively, just give it your best shot and snap them out of a trance with something they didn’t know they were looking for.

Blue
Judged by Ken Kaminesky (@KenKaminesky)

If you’ve seen some of Ken’s photography you’ll know that he’s a talented guy and tough to match. But you don’t have to beat him, just appeal to his taste.

Ken would like to see some clever use of blue in a photograph and is probably looking for your special interpretation of the colour. The key here is to try and be original.

When thinking about blue; sky and sea, lakes and Santorini are all images that come to mind. So maybe we should forget about them.

Blue is also something of a reflective, calming colour; a favourite colour of many.

Blue is often associated with architecture; blue glass was manufactured in Mesopotamia and Egypt as early as 2500 BC and there are a number of Blue Mosques around the world.

Just something to think about.

Reflection in Toronto
When out and about with my camera, I like to find a different angle to a much photographed subject, like the CN Tower in Toronto.

Reflections often catch my eye and I must look awfully strange wriggling around trying to get the key elements to line up just where I need them. I like to think that I’m working to compose an image that nobody else has thought about; while trying to forget about what passers-by might be thinking, as my body contorts towards and away from the glass.

Green
Judged by Abigail King (@insidetravellab)

Abigail King ‘swapped a career as a doctor for a life on the road’.

As Abi likes to explore the world, ask questions and feel alive, it’s fitting that in your interpretation of green she’s looking for something unusual: an image from a place that makes her think of it in a whole new light.

To be in with a chance to win here, you may need to show Abi something she’s never seen before; tell her about how the place relates to its people, their attitudes and their history.

Above all, I hope you had fun taking the snap; because when you show it to Abi, she’ll know.

When thinking about green, it comes natural to focus on nature; the grass, the leaves and feeling the breeze.

Being a picture editor is not always easy, especially when you’re also the photographer and very attached to your creation.

Some of my favourite ‘green’ photos were from Plitvice Lakes in Croatia; where despite dripping with sweat in the summer heat, I really did have a lot of fun playing around with images of nature while trying not to get any tourists in the way.

I’ve never really thought of myself as a ‘landscape photographer’ but sometimes nature really is so beautiful that it’s hard not to take a ‘pretty picture’.

Girl in Green at Taj Mahal
There is so much beauty and colour in India that it’s often thought of as a photographer’s paradise.

While once again looking for different angles on a much photographed subject, I was struck by the natural beauty of this girl in green.

The flowing lines played so elegantly with the Taj Mahal and I even managed to catch the girl’s eye; just for good measure. I think I was almost lying around on the floor at the time, so that’s not surprising.

Yellow
Judged by Dave & Deb (@theplanetd)

Although the adventurous travel duo from Canada are both listed, I believe it’s Dave who’s going to be doing the judging here.

If you look at the photography used to illustrate some of the blog posts on The Planet D, you will surely be in awe at the awesomeness. You can tell that a lot of time is spent looking at the work of other great photographers.

I think you’re really going to need to impress here. Think of the clichés, then put them to the back of your mind.

You’ll need a very arty interpretation to win with yellow bananas. Did I hear you say lemons? I’m sure that will leave a sour taste in Dave’s mouth. Daffodils? Get away!

In the examples I looked at, in Let your Travel Photos Shine and Capture the Colour, something struck me like a bolt of clichéd, cartoon-yellow, lightning. Where were the people?

These photographs were all in landscape format, around 1034 x 683 in size (too big for most blog posts), and would make an excellent wall calendar.

This troubled me. Do we offer something the judge might wish he took himself, or an image with people; in portrait format, going totally against what seems like good advice.

The problem with people photos in professional travel photography, is that you might need a signed, model release to publish the images; especially if syndicating them through a picture agency or stock library. News images are different.

Enlightenment in Jaisalmer
It is said that yellow shines with optimism, enlightenment, and happiness; and I feel that this picture captures some of these elements.

One can sometimes feel strange wondering around the back-streets alone in a place like Jaisalmer, Rajasthan; very awkward even. Having a notebook and camera often gives me something of a shield, then all of sudden a little smile opens all sorts of doors.

This young woman was out collecting water and at the sight of my camera smiled with genuine happiness through her veil. I was then invited into her humble abode for a cup of tea.

Optimism, enlightenment, and happiness; we felt it all, in our strange moment of oneness.

Sometimes that’s the beauty of travel photography; meeting the people and sharing some happiness together.

White
Judged by Christine Gilbert (@almostfearless)

It’s hard to colour text white, unless you have a coloured background, so I’ll have to go with a whiter shade of grey.

I’m sure, that if she wasn’t the white judge in the Capture the Colour contest, Christine – or Almost Fearless as she’s almost always known – would be one of the first people’s blogs you’d turn to; especially if you’d like to know how Cole has fun with colour.

Christine is a real people’s person and a great story-teller; both with images and the written word.

If your photo can tell a story and make Christine want to go there – although I personally think it wouldn’t take much to tempt her – then you could be on to a winner.

The problem is, white isn’t really a colour that many people think of; unless you’re a wedding photographer or are a fan of winter sports.

Of course that’s the easy way of thinking.

Dai Girls in Xishuangbanna
White projects purity, cleanliness, and neutrality.

‘Six hours after we left Simao, the muddy Lancangjiang river appeared like a shadow at a lighted window. Another couple of bends and the curtains were flung wide open: Jinghong, the naked lady, lay there on her bed of green’. That’s pretty much how I introduce the reader to Xishuangbanna, in Nomadic Gatherings.

This area in the deep south of Yunan province, bordering Burma and Laos, is inhabited by a dozen of the minority tribes; namely the Dai, Han, Hanni, Bulang, Lagu, Wa, Yao, Jinuo, Zhuang, Yi, Hui, and Miao. Affected by the monsoon from the Indian Ocean, the region has a climate of high temperature and high rainfall and is mild throughout the year. There are no season distinctions; only wet and dry.

The rich forest is said to be roamed by herds of wild elephants, buffaloes, rhinoceroses, tigers, and gibbons. I only had time for a stroll to Chuan Huan Park and the surrounding Dai minority villages. Chickens and pigs roamed freely around the bamboo fenced territories of the raised wooden cottages.

The Dai are a colourful and friendly people and the region is celebrated for its annual water-splashing festival in April. I had a tourist meal of shredded pork, fried bananas, and sautéed rice at one of the minority guest house restaurants all for 7 Yuan (60p); and that included the Pi Jiu (beer).

Red
Judged by Daniel Nahabedian (@Eloren)

If you’d like to know more about what Daniel is about, take a look at his Canvas of Light portfolio.

Daniel says that colour in photography should be used not only to make an image pleasing, but to also direct the viewer to the main subject, grab his attention and tell a story. He especially likes ‘the use of complementary colours to create a harmonious balance in a shot’.

Oh, well that’s easy then. Think about the rule of thirds, forget them for a moment and then return with colours that work together to create the whole.

Interesting. Red is quite a striking colour but it really plays well with blue, white and yellow.

Lady in Red
Sometimes you don’t see the photo coming but it’s the preparation that can make or break the split-second shot.

I travelled to the Ski World Championships in Crans-Montana, Switzerland and was blessed with a beautiful blue sky and crisp white snow. I had skied the course previously and knew where a couple of jumps might be, to get a good view of the downhill skiers taking to the air.

Luckily there were a few agency photographers close to me and one of them had a friend on the brow of the hill raise a ski pole when a racer was about to come into view. The Austrian, Sylvia Eder, was then greeted by a whir of motor-drives; and was gone.

Nominations

At this late stage in the game, it’s difficult to find five bloggers who might not have already entered the Capture The Colour contest but I’ll go ahead and nominate Gary Arndt (Everything Everywhere); Edith Levy (Edith Levy Photography); Tricia A. Mitchell (Tricia A. Mitchell); Marie (mariesophoto); and Kalpana Kartik (Travel Photo Media).

You don’t need to be nominated to enter, so if you didn’t get a mention anywhere and you haven’t already heard about the Capture The Colour contest by Travelsupermarket, there’s still time (just) to submit your entry.

Enjoying The Colours

While it’s an awesome prize to win, the beauty is in the taking part; or at least looking around at some of the other quality photographs on display.

To see other last-minute entries and find out what you’re up against, be sure to check out the Travel Supermarket Facebook page and the #capturethecolour tag on Twitter.

You may also want to browse the Travelsupermarket Pinterest Boards: Blue, Green, Yellow, White, and Red.

There’s some stiff competition out there, but don’t let that put you off.

Short URL: http://tnot.es/Colour

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August 21, 2012July 6, 2016

Nomadic Gatherings Updated

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Updated >> http://tnot.es/Book
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July 8, 2012July 6, 2016

Nomadic Gatherings – Travels in Asia and Australia

The Nomadic Gatherings manuscript had gathered dust for far too long so I’m pleased to say that it has now been digitalised and is available through Amazon.

To have a published copy in my hands after all those years of travel is quite a feeling.

For those of you interested in reading the book, here’s a preview.

NOMADIC GATHERINGS – Synopsis of Chapters.

1. Taking Off:
To Japan, where a booming economy meant a healthy tourist industry. I was quite often the only blond foreigner surrounded by the ceremonious Japanese tour-guide and her flock of homely punters.

So much of Japanese life seemed uniformed with rules, rituals, and ceremony; keeping grace and saving face. I bowed; they giggled.

2. Kimchi and Gold Medals:
The Olympic ceremony was on in Seoul, and the event was being transmitted live to the on-board television above the driver. He was interested in the proceedings too, and looked up continuously while travelling in excess of the speed-limit on the outside lane.

People in the ‘Hermit Kingdom’ were open and forthcoming; often in an almost missionary way.

3. Little Sister:
Taiwan was a brief stop en-route from Seoul to Hong Kong. They found it amusing that I was heading for China.

4. Colonial Gateway:
Between the modern financial offices of Central Hong Kong, old trams still trundled along Des Voeux Road, and peddlers tinkled bicycle bells almost unaware of the diesel-fuelled double-decker buses behind them.

No-one stood still for a moment, it seemed that until 1997 at least, there would be a New York edge to ‘making-it’. I had to get a visa for China.

5. China Travel:
The hard-seat section of the train was already overcrowded. Heads poked out of open windows to escape the stuffiness inside, the little tables were piled high with food and soft-drinks for the two-day journey, and in the restaurant-car kitchen staff sweated and chopped vegetables.

Buying tickets can often be a problem with five-day waits and people camped at the station. And what if you can’t speak the language?

6. The Northern Capitals:
Beijing (before democracy protests), and Harbin. Japan invaded Manchuria in the early 1940s, and the Soviets followed in 1945. Some of the dome-shaped architecture remains from the Russian period, although much was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution.

7. Grasslands to Terracotta:
With temperatures that drop below -35 degrees Celsius and stay around -20 on a good day in the winter, it is a hard existence for the people of Inner Mongolia, and unfortunately many are giving up their nomadic way of life to pose for tourists or prospect for gold.

Then on to Xi’an.

8. Central China:
Workers ploughed, hoed and fine tuned the cloggy soil, while their children carried straw baskets on their backs to help with the work load. Further on, fishermen punted small craft on a river. One of them pulled up his net, but the train had passed before I could inspect the catch.

As with the rest of China, the day in Chengdu starts early. Still in the dark of night at six in the morning, figures swing through a restricted motion in a space between the trees; Tai Chi is a physical, meditational, art form popularised by the elderly. It seems a way of keeping fit without the need for fitness.

9. Minorities and Tourists:
The area in the deep south of Yunnan Province, bordering Burma and Laos, is inhabited by a dozen of the minority tribes. CAAC flights are notorious for cancellations, and when that happens in remote areas, a two-day bus journey is the only alternative.

The daily flotilla of tourists from Guilin has turned Yangshou into a Chinese Capri, complete with English menus and ‘traditional Chinese massage’.

10. Leased Lands:
I had flown into Britain’s leased land, left it by train, and now I would return on the waterway that many Chinese have risked everything in an attempt to float down undetected by the authorities.

When the British used aggression against the Chinese in the Opium War, the Portuguese diplomatically kept out of it; and today Macau finds itself the poorer relation of a more dynamic Hong Kong.

11. Down Under:
I was not emigrating, but as I flew from Hong Kong to Melbourne I was just as apprehensive about the land I was approaching: the World’s largest island and smallest continent, with a red centre and the largest monolith on earth, the largest coral in the world, and snow-fields larger than those of Alpine Switzerland.

Sophisticated commercial centres alongside outback cattle-stations and flying doctors; modern films, theatre, and music juxtaposing ochre-toned bark-paintings, and Aboriginal rituals; mixed with the imported colour and culture of the Mediterranean Europeans, the Lebanese, and the increasing number of Asians.

A young nation seemed to be making an old land work.

12. The Track:
After Adelaide’s social event of the year, the Formula One Grand Prix, it was time to hitch-hike up the Great Interior.

13. Alice and Nurses:
A car crash after my visit to Ayers Rock blurred events at The Centre, and I was flown to Alice Springs by the Flying Doctor Service.

14. The Top End:
Even without a railway link between the two major Northern territory towns of Alice Springs and Darwin, traffic on the road was still slight.

15. Queensland:
The road quality changed at the Queensland border. The bitumen was only wide enough for one lorry. When two trucks passed, both had to drive half on the dirt edge. If a car came, the lorry-driver held his course, and the smaller vehicle drove on the dirt.

16. A Trip to Cairns:
The reason for hitch-hiking was not to save money, but to get the whole of the country’s nothingness into perspective and perhaps unearth a few local gems by meeting the natives, or at least those on the move or on some personal mission. Albert was one.

17. South No Schedule:
I only had a directional skeleton plan, but I was subject to outside influences that could not guarantee time.

18. Along The Coast:
‘Beachies’ may look for work, but they prefer having fun in the sun on the sands of Noosa, Surfers Paradise, Byron Bay and Coffs Harbour; also known as the Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, and Holiday Coast.

19. City of Culture:
Whole books are written about Sydney, yet I try to condense the conscious capital into a chapter. With so much going on, I hope that I’ve managed to pull it off.

20. Moving On – Two Islands:
The beauty of moving is that you find something different, and somewhere among the sheep and the scenery of New Zealand, I hoped to find the people.

21. Coming Back:
The return flight to Australia.

I was told that anyone who spent more than a week in Canberra, the diplomatic meeting place, would find themselves attending the House of Representatives for entertainment. But the capital in the parkland was also the place to finalise visa formalities for onward Asian countries.

22. The Indian Pacific:
A two-night party of a train from Adelaide to Perth.

23. Bali:
Tourist or traveller? Paradise or an attempted retreat from the prying eyes and long lenses of the world’s press?

24. Surabaya to Singapore:
The crowded island of Java. And most of them seemed to be in the streets of Yogyakarta to see the Coronation and parade around the Kraton of the new Sultan.

Where was the genuine smile in Lee Kuan Yew’s towering-modern-triumph-in-the- tropics?

25. North Borneo – Not The Jungle:
“The Jungle?” the Dutchman in Jakarta had shown surprise when I expressed a desire to travel to the Philippines, via North Borneo. In fact there is a preposterous oil-wealth, alongside houses-on-stilts-in-the-water poverty, and a King with two wives.

26. Catholics and Communistos:
The only Catholic nation in Asia, Filipinos take their belief seriously; to the extent that in San Fernando, Pampanga, they are prepared to flagellate themselves and carry out genuine crucifixions on Good Friday.

The baranguay (local) elections were also approaching, and the ‘risk areas’ were in their thousands. The media contemplated rebel strongholds and announced the daily shooting toll, guerrilla leaders were being arrested, and Cory Acquino’s holiday movements would not be revealed.

27. Days Between Night Trains:
From Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok, via Penang and Koh Samui.

The best trains are the long-distance overnighters, where everybody lives on it for the moment. The restaurant car, sharing a bite to eat or a drink or two; the queue for a trickle of water to attempt to wash and clean your teeth in the morning, when no one looks quite how they like to present themselves; and the time-passing occupations of the passengers with their guard down.

28. A Splashing New Year:
The three-day New Year in Laos and North-East Thailand.

The Vientiane I found was nothing like Paul Theroux’s visit, where ‘a naked waitress jumped on to a chair and puffed a cigarette in her vagina by contracting her uterine lungs’.

29. The Saigon Scene:
The Vietnamese march of communism in South-East Asia was retreating in a bid to restore its ravaged economy. Even Communism needs capital, and Le Tho could return confidently with an US passport and his Dollars, twelve years after his bid for freedom.

Twelve years on, people were still sailing for the unknown; stories of piracy and almost terrible conditions did not deter them. Perhaps in ten or fifteen years time they too could return with an adoptive passport and gifts for relatives.

30. The Return:
On my return to Bangkok, I needed to think about where was home.

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June 25, 2012July 8, 2012

Le Tour de France

Lance Armstrong - Tour de France — Lance Armstrong in 2009 – by Michel Guntern

With the Euro 2012 finalists determined, the teams were given a couple of rest days before they compete in the final.

That’s an ideal opportunity for us to turn away from the football and look ahead to the next major sporting event to hit our screens – Le Tour de France.

There’s something special about the Tour de France that, like all great sporting events, should be experienced live.

The best place to watch the race unfold, is in front of the television.

Alberto Contador - Tour de France — Alberto Contador of Astana leading the way on the final climb to Verbier – Tour de France 2009

With cameramen on motorbikes and tv crews shooting from helicopters in the sky, you are treated to different visual angles of the cyclists rolling through a varied French countryside.

A good commentary team on board can share a wealth of background information on the various chateaux, regional foods, and even something insightful about the cycling itself.

If you’re a fan of Eurosport, you can even join in with other cycling fans on the (Yahoo) Message Boards.

While watching the race on television you’ll see places with a number in brackets. This number represents the French Department (département).

For real atmosphere though, you would want to get out on the road for a stage or two; especially after you’ve seen a few tours on the screen.

Where to See The Riders For Real

The first thing to do is to look at the Tour de France route and see if the peloton will pass by anywhere you intend to be, or anywhere you would like to visit.

If you’re using public transport, the departure and arrival points are often the easiest places to get to and there’s always a party atmosphere when ‘Le Tour‘ comes to town.

Last minute accommodation may be hard to find in ‘stage towns’ and large crowds can make it difficult to get good pictures, if you don’t have a photographer’s bib.

Tour de France in Delle — Throwaway Bidons at Feeding Station in Delle

If it’s photographs of the cyclists you’re after, then it’s better to stake out a place on the route itself.

This needs thinking about too; or you could find yourself waiting for hours, only for the peloton to pass you by in seconds.

Riders slow down at feeding stations and tend to go slower on the steeper inclines.

If you’re fortunate, you might even be lucky enough to have a bidon (water bottle) discarded in front of you; as we did, just after the Delle feeding station in 2009.

Getting Into Position

The official Tour de France website gives an estimated time schedule for each stage but not when the roads close; check out the local municipal websites for that.

If you have a camper van (RV or motor home) and want to park it on the side of the route, you need to find your spot early; sometimes the night before. Choosing this option also means you could be stuck in traffic jams for hours after the race.

You may prefer to study a local map and leave the car close to where you want to be but not on the route itself; for a quicker getaway.

Keen cyclists can always get themselves into good positions on the climbs and then beat the traffic jams back down to the bottom.

Waiting For The Riders

Graham Watson's Tour de France Travel Guide — Tour de France Travel Guide

The Caravane precedes the cyclists by about an hour and a half. This is when the decorated vehicles of the sponsors pass by; promoting their brands in something of a carnival atmosphere. When you see helicopters approach, you’ll know the cyclists are getting closer.

It’s also a good idea to check out the Weather in France for the coming week. Meteo.fr has a good weather map that you can zoom in on.

If you’re really interested in travelling around France to follow the tour, then you should consider getting your hands on a copy of Graham Watson’s Tour de France Travel Guide.

Paris Champs-Élysées

The last stage of Le Tour, with its prestigious finish on the Champs-Élysées, is always highly attended.

You may not get the best view of the riders at the finish but at least there’s plenty of hotels in Paris and you can say you were there. If you can get there early enough (the night before) the fountain by the final run-in is a good place to be.

The Place de la Concorde is where the team buses are parked up and you may catch some of the riders around here after the race is over.

Tour de France 2012 – June 30th to July 22nd:
Saturday, 30th June: Liège (Prologue).
1. Sunday, 1st July: Liège to Seraing.
2. Monday, 2nd July: Visé to Tournai.
3. Tuesday, 3rd July: Orchies to Boulogne-sur-Mer.
4. Wednesday, 4th July: Abbeville to Rouen.
5. Thursday, 5th July: Rouen to Saint-Quentin.
6. Friday, 6th July: Épernay to Metz.
7. Saturday, 7th July: Tomblaine to La Planche des Belles Filles.
8. Sunday, 8th July: Belfort to Porrentruy.
9. Monday, 9th July: Arc-et-Senans to Besançon (Individual time-trial).
Tuesday, 10th July: Rest Day.
10. Wednesday, 11th July: Mâcon to Bellegarde-sur-Valserine.
11. Thursday, 12th July: Albertville to La Toussuire – Les Sybelles.
12. Friday, 13th July: Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to Annonay Davézieux.
13. Saturday, 14th July: Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux to Le Cap d’Agde.
14. Sunday, 15th July: Limoux to Foix.
15. Monday, 16th July: Samatan to Pau.
Tuesday, 17th July: Rest Day.
16. Wednesday, 18th July: Pau to Bagnères-de-Luchon.
17. Thursday, 19th July: Bagnères-de-Luchon to Peyragudes.
18. Friday, 20th July: Blagnac to Brive-la-Gaillarde.
19. Saturday, 21st July: Bonneval to Chartres (Individual time-trial).
20. Sunday, 22nd July: Rambouillet to Paris Champs-Élysées.

Large Map – Cycling on Twitter.

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June 24, 2012June 22, 2012

Chianti Classico

In the Poland-Ukraine travel series, today’s quarter-final sees the winner of Group D (England) meet the runner-up of Group C (Italy).

When asked to name a favourite country, Italy usually comes out top; which rather surprises me, being the Francophile that I am.

Like France, it’s hard to know where to begin when doing an introduction to Italy.

As I talked about the Route des Vins yesterday, perhaps I should follow that with an Italian wine region – Chianti.

It may be a long drive for a bottle of Chianti Classico but you can’t buy the views in a supermarket.

The best way to explore the Chianti Classico region, between Florence (Firenze) and Siena, is by car.

I was quite surprised at how many people were making the effort to cycle around though, as it really is quite hilly.

If you head east out of Florence and cross the River Arno, towards via San Marco, you’ll eventually meet up with via Chiantigiana, the scenic route that is marked on maps and signposts as the SS222.

Ahead of you awaits a twisting route of vineyards and olive groves, followed by narrow streets punctuated with fortresses, castles and village churches.

Strada in Chianti, Greve in Chianti, Panzano and Castellina in Chianti are all names that will soon come to life.

There are plenty of accommodation options in Chianti, from farmhouses and B&Bs to hotels and villas.

As we were only on a weekend visit, we searched for Radda in Chianti hotels before we hit the Autostrada.

With a forecast of 35 degrees in Florence, a pool with a view seemed to make a lot of sense, but as we were expecting to arrive towards the evening I felt we would be better off with a hillside restaurant.

As it turned out, the Relais Vignale had both.

By booking online we even saved over 100 Euro on the advertised rates.

If you’re not a vegetarian, be sure your Chianti Classico accompanies the famous Beefsteak Fiorentina. The meat here was grilled to perfection; a crispy bite into succulent beef.

If you are a vegetarian, just raise your glass and enjoy the view.

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June 23, 2012June 22, 2012

Route Des Vins

In the Poland-Ukraine travel series, today’s quarter-final sees the winner of Group C (Spain) meet the runner-up of Group D (France).

With Spain and France already covered, maybe we should forget about the project for a day and do some real travelling?

I could travel to France and watch the football with the French in a Brasserie, or a Tapas bar; if we can find one. Maybe I should post about something they both have in common – wine.

There are many wine routes in France, but the one in Alsace is famously known as the Route des Vins – or Elsässer Weinstraße, in German. I’ll cover some of the others another day.

Route des Vins

The best place to start your tour of Alsace is in Strasbourg.

After you’ve done Strasbourg, head out of the city (on the N4) to Marlenheim. The winding road south, from Marlenheim to Thann, is the Route des Vins; between the Vosges mountains and the River Rhine.

Most of the vineyards are away to your right and you’ll be weaving your way through some wonderful little villages.

A good road map is handy, but the route is well signposted.

The signs are brown and have little images of grapes and a wineglass.

Sometimes the road is actually called Route du Vin, sometimes not.

You may get a little bit lost here and there, but that’s part of the beauty of discovery.

You see an interesting looking old Chateau away to your right, and you wander off to get a closer look. I’m one of those who never gets bored with France, although it does help that I can speak la langue.

As well as old ruins and churches, and cobble-stone villages with little museums, there’s plenty of places to stop and taste the bottled grape.

That’s what they do best in Alsace; sell you their wine.

Interesting Stops

Of course you should just stop wherever takes your fancy, but some of the more interesting places to keep an eye out for are:

Molsheim, Rosheim, Obernai, Andlau (turn off here and go up into the Vosges for excellent views), Ribeauvillé, Riquewihr, Kaysersberg, Niedermorschwihr, Turckheim, Colmar (large enough not to miss, but you might want to), Eguisheim, Rouffach, Guebwiller and of course Thann.

Eating Alsatian

Sauerkraut (choucroutte) and coq au Riesling are famous dishes, and snails (escargots) are quite popular too. If you end the Route des Vins in Thann, I recommend you treat yourself to a meal in Le Caséus (open 7 days a week, midday and evenings).

The interior is of varnished wood, with 5 open-plan alcoves for intimate eating; while allowing a full view of the other tables. A step down from the alcoves is a seating area for twenty. The tables are set for couples, although if there are four or six in your group, they can be pushed together.

Aperitif:
Degustation (tasting) au Caséus proposes you start with a Kir Alsacien (local white wine with a choice of fruity syrup).

There’s also ‘un petit tour viticole en Alsace’ – a wooden tray with seven 1dl glasses of various wines from the region.

Le Vins de Prestige: Pinot Gris – Gewurtramminer – Tokay Pinot Gris.

Thann is unique in Alsace in that all wines from the commune are classed Grand Cru. The 18½ hectares of the Rangen de Thann are planted with Riesling, Tokay Pinot Gris, Gewurtramminer and Muscat; on 45º slopes.

Outside of Thann is a McDonalds, but I can’t understand how any visitor to the region would want to eat there.

Wine and Cheese:
The main theme of the menu in Caséus, is La Fiesta – a selection of sautée potato dishes with different cheeses, served with a light walnut salad and accompanying glass of wine.

Patata Basque – Cheese from the Pyrénees, chorizo and a glass of Hermanos (white Spanish wine).

Patata Thannoise – Barkass cheese from Thann, local pork and a glass of Sylvaner.

Patata Normandie – Camembert, smoked salmon and a glass of Cider.

Patata Berger – Goats cheese, smoked ham and a glass of Riesling.

Patata Alsaciene – Munster, smoked collet (fish) and a glass of Gewurtramminer.

Patata Savogard – Reblochon, cooked ham and a glass of Pinot Blanc.

Patata Aveyonnaise – Roquefort, smoked duck breast and a glass of Alsace red.

Patata Hollandaise – Gouda, smoked salmon and a glass of Muscat.

The point of giving you half the menu is to show how the wines and cheese complement each other creatively in France.

The Rösti dishes are made in a similar theme, without the complimentary glass of wine. Maybe you’ve still got some left from your petit tour viticole en Alsace aperitif.

While You’re in the Region:

If you’ve got the time, the Route des Crêtes returns up from Thann to the Col du Bonhomme.

This is the crest line of the Vosges, where French and Germans fought each other during the First World War. The road was planned by the French to serve the front.

The Grand Ballon is the highest point of the Vosges (1,424m) and offers a wonderful panorama. Another popular summit is the Hohneck (1,362m).

The Vieil-Armand (Hartmanswillerkopf) war memorial is also worth a stop. You can appreciate how isolated these young soldiers were on this bitterly cold front. The stone crosses, facing towards the Rhine, seem neatly arranged on the sunny slope like vines. Muslims have special headstones in respect of their religion.

Best Time to Visit Alsace

Anytime is a good time to visit Alsace; as the changing seasons offer different perspectives.

Summer is crowded and you could find yourself stuck behind campervans.

Some of the villages have narrow streets and are not really suited to two-way traffic, so you’ll be giving way a lot of the time.

If you do choose Alsace in Summer, perhaps a tour of the vignobles by bike would be better.

Many Germans have bicycles on their motorhomes and do just that. Others from Karslruhe choose to roar down on powerful BMW machines, for a leather-clad weekend.

I prefer to visit many places outside of the high tourist season, and Alsace is no different.

In Spring the vines are cut back while in early Autumn (Fall) the vines are full of leaf and grapes are ready for picking. If you arrive during the vendanges you can make nice photographs of workers bringing in the year’s grapes in a warm late afternoon sunlight. After the picking of the grapes, many villages have a fête des vins.

And of course in Winter, the roads are deserted again and the vines are crystal coated in frost or snow.

Ah Alsace, to visit the region in different seasons is to drink in a culture that revolves around nature.

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June 22, 2012August 30, 2012

Focus on Germany

Continuing in the Poland-Ukraine travel series, today’s quarter-final sees the winner of Group B (Germany) meet the runner-up of Group A (Greece).

► Castles on The Rhine by Michel ► Photos.TravelNotes.org

I could probably write a book about all the places I’ve been to in Germany, so to keep it brief; if you’re planning a visit to Germany, or would like to find more about the country, here’s a quick tour of the country with the help of a regional map I made earlier and some links to further information you might find useful.

Around Germany

Known in German as Bundesländer, the Länder der Bundesrepublik Deutschland can be translated as States of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Stuttgart, Capital of Baden-Württemberg — ► Stuttgart ► Capital of Baden-Württemberg

Baden-Württemberg: (Capital: Stuttgart)
The State of Baden-Württemberg, in southwest Germany, ranks second only to Bavaria in its importance as a German tourist destination.

Bayern: (Capital: Munich)
Bavaria is Germany’s largest and oldest state. Its perception of itself and its sovereignty have evolved from a history spanning over one thousand years.

Berlin:
In the middle of the Brandenburg region, the city of Berlin occupies the flatlands on the banks of the Havel and Spree rivers and is criss-crossed with numerous canals.

Brandenburg: (Capital: Potsdam)
Tourist regions in the state include the Spree Forest (Spreewald), Frankfurt (Oder), and Brandenburg an der Havel. Cottbus is another citiy of note.

Regional Map of Germany – 1800-Germany.com

Bremen:
Bremen’s status as the smallest of Germany’s 16 states gives it indisputable advantages as far as communication and making contacts are concerned.

Hamburg:
Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, one of the 16 states of the federation, is the second largest city in Germany with its 1.7 million inhabitants. In this sense it is a city as well as a state.

Hessen: (Capital: Wiesbaden)
Life between the Rhine and the Werra often means a glass of local cider, Rheingau Riesling or wine from the Bergstrasse, while savoury sausage and Handkäs cheese are simple introductions to some of the culinary delights available in the heart of the German Fairy Tale Road.

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: (Capital: Schwerin)
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, in northeastern Germany, has the longest coastline in the country and the Baltic Coast is often overlooked by many visitors.

Niedersachsen: (Capital: Hannover)
Lower Saxony is a beautiful region. From the North Sea coast to the hilly country of the Weserbergland it offers up interesting and varied scenery, historic cities with a distinguished cultural tradition, and a rich history.

Nordrhein-Westfalen: (Capital: Düsseldorf)
North Rhine-Westphalia is the state ‘deep in the West’ of Germany.

► Cruising on The Rhine ► Photos.TravelNotes.org

Rheinland-Pfalz: (Capital: Mainz)
The state of Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate) was formed after the end of World War II, with parts of the Prussian Rhine provinces, the territory of Hesse on the left bank of the Rhine, and the strongly Bavarian-influenced Palatinate being joined together.

Saarland: (Capital: Saarbrücken)
In the heart of Europe lies Saarland, a German state that has France and Luxembourg as its neighbours, in a triangle of nations also known as ‘Saar-Lor-Lux’.

Sachsen: (Capital: Dresden)
Saxony has everything that makes a holiday special: metropolitan flair and small towns romanticism, river valleys and mountain ranges, meadows and woods, castles and fortresses, art and crafts, music and bar scene.

Sachsen-Anhalt: (Capital: Magdeburg)
Saxony-Anhalt (Saxony-Anhalt) offers its visitors a wide variety of memorable attractions. Follow the ‘Straße der Romanik’ (Romanesque Road), one of the most popular tourist roads in Germany.

Schleswig-Holstein: (Capital: Kiel)
The land between the seas, lying north of the Elbe and south of Scandinavia, brings together open air, nature, culture and all sorts of activities. It is a land of seafarers and watersports. Sea or lakes are never far away.

Thüringen: (Capital: Erfurt)
Thuringia – the green heart of Germany, known for its inviting countryside, vast forests, and world-class cultural centers. But Thüringen is so much more.

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June 21, 2012June 20, 2012

Focus on Russia

As the Group A winner (Czech Republic) and Group B runner-up (Portugal) have already been covered, today’s Euro 2012 focus is on Russia – who many thought would win Group A (myself included) and be playing in this quarter-final fixture.

Russia may have been knocked out of the European Championship tournament but they will be hosting the World Cup Finals; when the FIFA competition is next held in Europe, in 2018.

Moscow - Capital of Russia — Moscow, Capital of Russia – Photos.TravelNotes.org

I have visited St Petersburg and Moscow (travelling between the two by train) but would like the chance to see more of the country; and it really is a huge country.

Hermitage - St Petersburg, Russia — Hermitage – St Petersburg, Russia

Travelling on the Trans-Siberian Railway has always been on my to-do list and it would be nice if I could take the train all the way from Moscow to Beijing, with a visit to Mongolia, before football fans from around the world descend on Russia.

Of course I wouldn’t fly to Moscow but really do the overland experience – perhaps from Budapest to Berlin; through Warsaw to Minsk (where I’ve never been); then on to Moscow, via St Petersburg – to see how things have changed.

From Moscow the rail route would look like Nizhny Novgorod, Perm, Yekaterinburg, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk and Ulan Ude; before slipping down to Ulan Bator (Mongolia).

Russia 2018 Host City Candidates

The concept behind the Russian bid was to have 13 potential host cities and stadiums in four major clusters:

Central (Moscow); Northern (St Petersburg, Kaliningrad); Volga River (Yaroslavl, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Volgograd, Saransk); Southern (Sochi, Rostov-on-Don, Krasnodar); and the stand-alone city of Yekaterinburg.

From Rusia With Love – Photos.TravelNotes.org

To deal with the travel distance concerns (Yekaterinburg is 1,800 kilometres from Moscow) Russia has said that any fans travelling with World Cup tickets would be entitled to free train travel between the venues; hopefully on a high-speed rail network that is planned for 2018.

There’s currently high-speed rail service in operation on three lines: Moscow-St. Petersburg, Moscow-Nizhny Novgorod and St. Petersburg-Helsinki (Finland).

Kaliningrad:
Founded in the 13th century by knights of the Teutonic Order and formerly known as Königsberg.

Kazan:
The 16th century Kazan Kremlin is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Krasnodar:
Originally a fortress built by the Cossacks in order to defend imperial borders, this is the place to experience the Cossack lifestyle and culture.

Moscow:
Founded in the 12th century, Moscow is the capital of the Russian Federation.

Nizhny Novgorod:
Located on the Volga River, Nizhny Novgorod is one of a hundred world cities included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

St Issac's Cathedral, St Petersburg — St Issac’s Cathedral, St Petersburg

Rostov-on-Don:
Located 27 kilometres from Rostov-on-Don is the former capital of the Don Cossacks.

Samara:
During World War II, the government relocated here; complete with a 37-metre deep ‘Stalin’s bunker’.

Saransk:
Located in central Russia, it is said that the Finno-Ugric people (Hungarians, Finns, Mordvins, and Estonians) originated from around here. In 2007, President Vladimir Putin participated in a Finno-Ugric festival in Saransk.

Sochi:
Located on the Black Sea, Sochi rose to international prominence when it was awarded the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Saint Petersburg:
Founded by Peter The Great as Russia’s new Imperial capital, in 1703, Saint Petersburg city centre is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Volgograd:
Formerly known as Stalingrad, the Battle of Stalingrad (23rd August, 1942 to 2nd February, 1943) was a major turning point in World War II.

Yaroslavl:
The city centre of Yaroslavl is a UNESCO World Heritage site. A high-speed train service will soon cut the journey time from Moscow down to two hours.

Yekaterinburg:
Russia’s last monarch, Nicholas II, his German-born wife Alexandra and their children, were executed here by the Bolsheviks in 1918.

Visiting Russia:
The Beyond Moscow section of the Moscow Times is probably better than the official Russian National Tourist Office website for ideas of where to go ouside of Moscow and St Petersburg.

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