Who parked the boat in the middle of the square?

Piazza di Spagna or the Spanish square is situated in Rome and is very well known to travellers around the world. Most people remember it by the monumental staircase that is the biggest and the widest staircase in Europe. Other stories about this place include how it was divided between the French and the Spanish; about the triangles on the ground, the connection between the church (Trinita de Monti) and Basilica di San Marco…

My first association about Piazza di Spagna is the Fountain of the old boat, of in Italian ‘Fontana della Bracaccia’. Legends say many different things; how after the great inundation of Rome in 1588 one boat was left stuck in the mud at that exact place or how Pope Urban VIII wanted it installed because he was impressed by some boat that was brought by the river. What really happened was that Rome was, at that time, often flooded by the Tiber river (Tevere) and people had to move around the area in boats. The Romans didn’t like the fountain for a long time because that area in the 17th century belonged to Spain. And today, it is still mostly Spanish (the Embassy, the church, even sculptures dedicated to Spanish saints).

So, who really parked the boat in the middle of the square we don’t know, but it is believed that Pietro Bernini designed the fountain. Pietro Bernini was the son of the famous Bernini that designed the monumental square in front of Basilica di San Marco (Vatican City).

Piazza di Spagna is now flodded with people and tourists taking photos every day throughout the year. During summer many people sit on the stairs resting, soaking up the sun.

Stella – European Travelling Advisor

Hotels as adventures – different type of travel

Travellers are a lot more demanding these days. In the times when categorization is no longer possible (or needed) and when all attention gets focused on whatever is new and different, we started changing our outlook on vacation. It’s still not hard to be original but, you can always exceed expectations.

Have you ever wanted to do something way different, try something uncommon, something you have never done before? Have you ever thought about hotel stays as adventures?

We all know about boutique hotels and themed hotels…that’s not it. More and more people are opening hotels in unusual places and it’s becoming rapidly popular.

You are familiar with

castles turning into hotels (they have been that way for years in Europe; some located in: Austria, Slovenia, Italy, France, Spain…) as well as

historic buildings like monasteries, churches and train stations (located in: Sweden, France, Ireland, Norway, UK, Italy, The Netherlands,Turkey, Belgium, Spain, Hungary…)

It seams like everything can turned into a hotel…and the crazier, the better!

lighthouses (The Netherlands, Norway…)

tree houses (Sweden, Germany, Turkey)

caves (Sweden, France, Turkey)

they can even be found in forests (Sweden)

underwater or floating (Turkey, Sweden, The Netherlands, Switzerland)

made from ice (Switzerland, Andorra, Sweden, Finland)

as prisons (Sweden, Slovenia)

or inside planes and trains (The Netherlands, Sweden, UK)

even inside pipes in parks

As you can see, Scandinavia is at the leading edge at the moment. In my opinion, some ideas are quite interesting…why not change the way we look at accommodation and travel. If it can be more fun, more exciting, and if you are up for it, you already have a good choice. It’s definitely changes the concept of travel and adventure…

Are you up for this kind of adventure?

Stella – European Travelling Advisor

Venice announcement

Walking around Zagreb this last month I couldn’t get away from screaming travel agency windows with offers to spend Valentines Day or Carnival in Venice, Carnival in Rijeka and other usual tours that haven’t changed since 1980s. I wanted to visit Venice again. It’s been a long time since I last visited…and shame on me! because it’s so close. I’m actually really lucky; living in middle Europe, Mediterranean moreover has its benefits – you feel like you’re close to everywhere.

I decided to go to Venice, some time later in the week. My reason for going is to finally take photos of Venice Carnival. I’ve never been there this time of year. On my way home I picked up some itineraries in a few travel agencies to see what they offer. One day itinerary included a guided tour around the city, a couple of hours free to see the carnival and scheduled return home at 5 pm. If you take a two day trip, you arrive later in the day, have a guided tour and return to hotel outside Venice for dinner. The next day you have a tour of Murano, Burano and Torcello and you are off! I know that these tours differ from country to country but, in the end, it’s all the same. It’s a weekend trip.

Where is my free time, what do I do there? Why would you go somewhere, be shown around and then sent home. It sounds more like a museum tour. What happened to ‘travelling meant exploring’?

So, my plan is to take a train Zagreb – Venice – Zagreb. I will arrive around 7.15 am which will give me just enough time to take photos of sun rising upon Venice and of interesting places when they are more or less empty. Then I’ll have a whole day of exploring in front of me but, I won’t  tell you now what I have in mind   The train leaves at 9.20 pm, which is perfect! To avoid the crowds, I won’t go during the weekend.

That’s it.  Venice, here I come!

Stella – European Travelling Advisor

Local or local travel agency?

There is a topic I have been thinking and wanting to write about for a while now. A common thing in todays travel industry is to go to your local travel agency, pick a destination and book your trip with them. No, this is not another thought on why a personalized travel adventure is the way to go… I’ll try show you something in another way than you probably ever thought of it.

80 percent of spending by travellers and vacationers on package tours go to international businesses. This means that when you go to your local travel agency and buy a package tour, most of your money goes to airlines, hotels and other services. The money doesn’t go to local businesses and workers. Now, this may sound as a sustainable tourism topic, but I’m not writing this for travel writers or to tell you who should get your money. I’m not interested in that, either. My point is that you can get a package tour in most of the cases by the local travel agency in the place you are going to. That is only an indicator that it doesn’t matter much where you book your tour. Online services, guides, companies… The only thing you have to count in is what kind of vacation you want.

If you put yourself in a position to think that way, you can find all kinds of benefits; better service, lower prices, different dates, maybe get suggestions that your local agency wouldn’t give you…because they didn’t know or couldn’t arrange something like it. And just to make something clear…everything can be arranged, just not in the same price range. That is why a different point of view for time to time is a good way to find out what you didn’t know before.

To put all of this into perspective, let me give you an example…if I were to go on a cruise in Finland, I would probably want to contact a Finnish company that organizes cruises on their ships and book with them. No big deal, you can do it all online. Then I would book a return flight. And that’s it. You’ve cut your costs twice: you didn’t have to pay for travel agency’ service and you could choose a low cost airlines if you wanted to, book in advance to get the lower price on your ticket, use your flyer credits… you’ve also benefited by choosing the ship and the company you want to go with. There is never one option.

There are many reasons why do one over the other. The point was to give you an idea, a direction in which you will be able to think while planning your trips and decide which option is, in that case, a better one.

Stella – European Travelling Advisor

Venice connected

When I think of February in travel, I think of Venice. For the very simple reason – Venice carnival. That is one of the most popular times to visit Venice. In addition to that, many travellers around the world dream to spend Valentines day in this city. But, in this post, I’m not going to talk about what you can do in Venice at this time of year,  I’m first going to show you something that was just launched that will help you plan your trip and stay in Venice.

Venice connected is a new online service that allows you to buy a number of services that might be necessary to you when you come to Venice. The plus side of it is that you can now plan and organize your trip more easily. Since all products and services are organized by season, you can plan your expenses in advance and what is more important, you are not dependable on travel agencies. Venice is the kind of place that is usually more expensive if you travel alone. Now, you can customize your Venice trip, besides hotel, easier. By that I mean, choose the number of days you want to stay, secure a parking space if you arrive by car, etc. It’s not packaged.

Many cities around the world have the option of buying and/or booking tickets online to avoid long waiting in lines, especially where is a limitation on the size of the group. At the end, people didn’t come all that way to stand in line. So, if you’re still not using that option when travelling, start searching, it will allow you to spend a lot more time on something else than standing in lines. Venice connected offers tickets for museums, public transport, securing a parking space and many other. If you buy products for more than one day, you get free internet access via wifi in San Giuliano Park. There is only one catch about Venice connected; you need to buy whatever you might need 15 days in advance. Also, Venice connected offers reduced prices.

Their website has a calendar where you choose your dates  and search for places on marked Google maps. Very simple, with only the basic information. But enough for booking what you need.

Hope this is a helpful source for you!

Stella – European Travelling Advisor

Design Hotels (TM)

One of the benefits while travelling is staying at great hotels. If you like art and design, you will afford to stay at a boutique hotel that appeals to you. On the plus side, every design hotel is a reflection of culture and art at its best, so wherever you go, you’ll have a different feeling. There are many interpretations, or styles, from which you can choose. In today’s developed (but still not enough) travel industry, there will always be a company to offer special services, discounts, and people and hotels who will remember frequent guests and give you a special treatment because you keep on coming back…no matter where in the world.

Design Hotels (TM) is a company that gathers some of the best design hotels around the world. Most of the represented ones are located in Europe, form capitals to coasts. Once you choose the country and the place, you’ll be shown a list of hotels. Every hotel is presented to you with a description, list of facilities, explanation of the design concept and accompanied by a gallery of exceptional photos. Also, on the right hand side of every hotel page is a booking option so, you can check availability and prices while you are there.

On the plus side of this (these) company is that they offer better rates and discounts then you would get sometimes when booking directly with a hotel or through some other websites. You can join Desing Hotels Club and receive benefits such as 50% discount for new members, special rate as long as you are a member and additional offers from time to time. Recently, Design Hotels (TM) introduced a 10% off for booking 21 days in advance.

GO PRIVATE + is a service that offers anyone to book the entire hotel for business meeting or vacations, weddings, gatherings… Whether it’s you with your friends, family, colleges or partners, you can call Design Hotels and let the arrange the booking for you. Sweet!

Which design hotel did you stay? Which ones you would like to go to?

Stella – European Travelling Advisor

Monocle

In my last post I started talking about travelling as staying in touch with the world and as “staying in touch with ourselves”. Today, I want to talk to you more about the “pre-part”, about gathering information. Personally, I never use/read travel magazines; I try to avoid arid, same, told over and over again stories by different people as if they all experience the same place in the same way. We all don’t enjoy the same things, that is one of the reasons I started this blog. To show you a lot, told for my perspective, and to then let you pick a little of this and a little of that.

Today you have websites to tell you the facts and people to talk to about their experiences…or, at least, that’s the way it should be. One of my so-called resources is a UK magazine Monocle. Some of you probably know it and are thinking what does Monocle have to do with travel? It’s just news from all over the world… Well, that’s exactly why. Monocle includes Affairs, Business, Culture, Design and Edits category, every of which end with a Briefing – shortcuts on various topics. The reason why I believe it’s a good resource is because, well, except that I don’t perceive travel as sightseeing, it has a different outlook on the country, city, place… Without the usual “you should go there” and “Oh, it’s so beautiful…” you get to form your own opinion after you’ve read the article.

That is how I’ve found out about The Faroe Islands, that you can get there by helicopter, about the society faced with many challenges, their plans for the future and about the distinctive landscape. Also, where will you find out that Paris is building a new sculpture park, that 20,000 immigrants enter Italy illegally every year, about an interesting graphic retail in Barcelona or the art of making kimonos? The positive and the negative sides, they are all in Monocle. 

Monocle has also opened its first shop, not long ago, in London. They offer a range of products created in partnership with leading design brands, some of which are very appealing to travellers. If you’re in London, find Monocle shop in 2A George Street.

What are your travel special resources? What is your area of interest?

Stella – European Travelling Advisor

Travelling – staying in touch with the world

Travelling is a way of staying in touch with the world, of following the changes, of finding that perfect place. In our “quest” to absorb the foreign world around us, we travel every day…we read a book, a magazine, visit an exhibition. Travelling is a way of gathering information. If you’re not away somewhere, you are preparing yourself in a way; doesn’t matter  if you have a definite date or no.

Every time you take a magazine or  a book and  just leaf through and find a happening, a story, that is of interest to you, remember it. The next time you decide to travel, recall of those things – that is what you should do or where you should go. Organize your trip from those little parts. In my experience, it always works out the best. Yes, I will still see some of the usual sights, go shopping…whatever is “inevitable” but only because it’s what you like.

For example, when I went to Ireland, I set out to have a different experience. Before going, and even knowing I was going to take that trip, I read about the legends, seen many many photos, fell in love with the green, the shores, the cliffs… when the time came, I didn’t take the usual bus tour around castles. One of the days spent in Ireland, me and my friends took a roadtrip and went to places we wanted to go to, those we explored. We went and searched for places that no one would have shown us. So, a thousand kilometers, hundreds of photos, runs on the beaches and standing on the high edges amazed by the strong and painstaking ocean later I got the best experience of my life. I felt so happy and exhilarated because that was – me.

Do you know what experiences inspire you the most? Do you ever go that extra mile to have the greatest time even though you might be afraid or instead of saying: “Nah…that’s just not for me…I’m not going to do that…”

Stella – European Travelling Advisor

AirBed&Breakfast

AirBed&Breakfast is a newer online service for renting accommodation. I came across it searching the web quite some time ago but wanted to see how it was going to unfold. So, what is it all about…

I would explain it as an interactive online service where you can rent accommodation as a traveller or rent accommodation to other traveller coming to your city. AirBed&Breakfast offers travellers around the world to find accommodation all over the world, whether it’s just a room or a whole apartment. When you search for your stay, you can see the pictures, the description, information like breakfast and internet access, profile of a person who rents their place,a map and testimonials. The point is to get as much information and to communicate with each other. That way, you can choose the right stay and the right person you want to stay with. Another goal is also affordable accommodation. Depending on the location and the size and quality, you can find a stay for as low as €20 a night.

The service provides you all the booking options, as well as, cancellation one day in advance with a full refund. Payments can be made via credit cards and Paypall. As a host, it’s a great opportunity to make extra money or to present your room or any type of accommodation if you are already renting. You will receive a payment after providing the service via Paypall or a check. The great thing about it all is that every guest and every host must write a testimonial about each other that will be available for everyone to see. So far, people are mostly satisfied with the experience, being safe and inexpensive.

The idea came from the US; most of accommodation available is still across the pond but it’s slowly spreading all over Europe and other parts of the world.

In my opinion, having a host can be a very good idea. You have someone give you first hand information, meet local people and maybe even be shown around. But, the way I see it is private accommodation rental (you would search for somewhere else) put online where you can get to know a little better your host or your guest before you meet, or before you accept their request for stay. Not so bad, right?

Stella – European Travelling Advisor

Berlinale Film Festival 2009

This morning, tickets for one of the most prestigious film festivals in Europe went on sale. The 59th Berlinale Film Festival opens on February 5 and lasts till February 15.

Berlin traditionally opens the winter term and partially serves as a European premiere for American film just before the Oscars. Berlinale came forward, during the last seven years, on the map of Europe and hosts today the largest audience of any film festival in the world, around 200,000 viewers. With up to 400 films every year of every genre, lenght and format, it’s comes as no surprise that it attracts the audience from around the world who come to witness this spectacle.

But what would be a film festival without the awards…Silver and Golden Bears are awarded to all category winners by the international jury. The official Berlinale awards are given to winners of “Competition” (major international films), the “Panorama” (independent and art-house cinema), the “Forum” (experimental section), the “Generation” (aimed at young audiences) section and Alfred Baner Prize for a film that opens new perspectives in the art of filmmaking. As well as Berlinale Shorts section and Christal Bears for the “Generation” section. In earlier years of Berlinale, the audience was the highest jury; but since the festival was given an “A-status”, the international jury became the highest even though the audience still has a possibility to vote.

Festival films will be shown in a number of cinemas around Berlin as it’s written in the programme. Tickets can be bought on central ticket counter every day (starting today, February 2), through Eventim network with € 2 surcharge or they can be booked online (limited amount) with € 1,50 surcharge. Tickets range from €3-€15, depending where the film is shown.

Berlinale hosts films for all parts of Europe and the world every year. Though, it seams like it’s gaining it’s popularity for a combination of European directors and Hollywood actors.

None the less, it’s a great opportunity for all film enthusiasts to visit and enjoy Berlin during this two-week period.

Some of this year’s competitors:

Mei Lanfang (Chen Kaige, China)

Eden e a l’ouest/Eden is west (France, Greece, Italy)

Mammorth (Sweden)

Tatarak (Poland)

In the electrical mist (France, USA)

Berlinale has introduced and offers another advantage; guests and visitors are able to receive all contents of this year’s film festival on their mobile phone as well as a guide for an interesting selection of galleries, museums, wellness spots, and other sights. Everything is going online and is getting more accessible. Congrats to Berlinale organization!

Stella – European Travelling Advisor