Hiring a car and venturing into the Greek countryside is one of the best ways to see this country. Many tourists prefer this arrangement for its flexibility alone, aside from the thrill of seemingly driving backwards through the centuries when crossing from the metropolitan city centres into the rolling countryside and ancient ruins. However, it's important to drive cautiously in Greece, as the road surface can be uneven at times and the hairpin turns can easily take you by surprise. Seatbelts are required by law for all front seat passengers and children less than 10 years old need to be secured in a child safety seat in the front section. Traffic drives on the right side of the street, and talking on a mobile phone while driving isn't allowed. The legal blood alcohol limit for all drivers in Greece is 0.5mg/ml. Finally, cars need to be equipped with a standard emergency kit which includes a red warning triangle, a first-aid pack and a fire extinguisher. The roadside assistance hotline can be reached by dialling 104, and accidents should be reported to police by calling 100. Athens is Greece’s most congested city, with rush hour traffic nearly unbearable. As a result, there’s a system in force that only permits locals to alternate driving every other day according to their license plates (odds on one day and evens on another). Tourists are exempted from this stipulation, as are hired vehicles and those with foreign plates which are permitted to drive any day of the week. Don’t be surprised to find complete city blocks of downtown Athens barricaded off during periods of exceptional congestion. Parking is clearly marked with signposts that read in both English and Greek. Yellow dotted lines indicate an area where stopping and idling is forbidden; otherwise, most public parking zones are by permit only. Generally, you can buy a permit from a booth nearby. Once you’ve had enough of Athens, you’ll most likely head out into the surrounding countryside. All of the inter-city roads are three-lane toll ways that levy a very light tax for their use. Heading out of Athens, travel time to Patras is 2 hours (130 miles) and to Salonica 5 hours (300 miles). Filling up the gas tank is no trouble at all. These days, most pumps are equipped with credit card readers that allow for 24-hour service. However, it’s not a bad idea to carry around a little cash when you’re driving in more remote areas, just in case the refuel stations don’t accept credit cards. As long as you aren’t ashamed to exercise a little caution, your time in Greece should be rewarding. Watch out for livestock on the road when driving across country; and on the other side of the spectrum, expect to spend significant time locked up in traffic at the urban centres. Whenever possible, plan your driving time around morning and evening rush hours. In no time at all, you’ll see why so many visitors choose to be their own tour guide in this unique place.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Great daytrips from Tenerife - Spain
Regardless of your reasons for visiting Tenerife, you will want to explore the island. As nice as basking in the sunshine is on any visit to this remarkable island, a trip here is not complete without taking a break from the beaches and making the most of the attractions and diverse landscape. By far the best way to ensure you experience all that you can on the island is to take daytrips. It is true that the landscape on Tenerife is like nowhere else on earth. Numerous attractions await every visitor and the real beauty of it is that given its size, nothing is very far away. The highlights include Puerto de la Cruz, the second city of the island; the famous statue of the Black Virgin Madona and the majestic Mount Teide volcano, towering over Tenerife at 12,200 feet. Being the most popular of the Canary Islands, some think that overcrowding would be a problem. On the contrary, you will have the whole coastline to choose from to find a suitable resort or hotel. Each area has something different to offer: Los Cristianos has a picturesque harbour and quiet atmosphere; Puerto de la Cruz offers real Tenerife culture, while Playa de la Américas is home to some of the best beaches on the island along with the liveliest nightlife. Where ever you choose to locate yourself, the choice is vast ranging from upmarket luxury to comfortable mid-range options. As you would imagine, Tenerife is easy to navigate given its small size. You can either rent a car or use the well integrated bus system to visit the sights on daytrips or alternatively, you can make use of the many travel agents dotted around the tourist areas who will take care of planning daytrips for you. A great way to ensure you make the most of your stay on Tenerife is to work around the island seeing the attractions. Get a bird’s eye view of the island by climbing to the top of Europe’s highest mountain or take the easy route via the cable car at Pico del Teide to the top and enjoy the view. Alternatively, visit Loro Park, home to 340 different species of parrots, or explore the busy port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Given Tenerife is surrounded by crystal clear waters, snorkelling, scuba diving and swimming are extremely popular activities for those who want to explore the underwater world of tropical fish and coral. Other off-island activities which are perfect for daytrips include glass bottomed boat trips, adrenaline pumping game fishing or exciting whale and dolphin watching. From the airport in the south of the island, an aerial daytrip is a must. An experienced helicopter pilot can take you on a tour of the island, flying over highlights such as Los Cristianos, Playa del Américas’ golf courses, and then heading out over the highest cliffs in Europe at Los Gigantes. If you are really lucky, you may see whales coming up for air when the flight takes you between Tenerife and La Gomera. The island of La Gomera makes another great daytrip, reachable via a short ferry journey. Once on the smaller island, the main highlight is the Garajonay National Park which is made up of over 10,000 acres hiding a laurel forest in the middle. This daytrip can prove to be absolutely magical as the mist descends over the park when the Atlantic winds mix with the warmer island air. For animal lovers, Tenerife provides suitable daytrip activities such as Loro Park, just outside Puerto de la Cruz and home to an aquarium, dolphin shows, jaguars, gorillas and parrots. If you are not satisfied with this daytrip then combine it with a trip to Tenerife Zoo to see the monkey park and the informative camel breeding centre. Another interesting daytrip means leaving the island of Tenerife and heading to another of the Canary Islands: Lanzarote. It is possible to do this in a day and it will give you a chance to explore some of the highlights of the neighbouring island. Lanzarote is however another destination in its own right.
Madrid City Breaks - Discovering the Undiscovered
Madrid, Spain's capital, deserves respect having struggled hard to establish itself over the years throughout the troubled history of Spain. Madrid is fascinating, highly intriguing with wonderfully interesting people. There are those who sarcastically referred to Madrid as Spain's second city after Barcelona by and large those are the people that have never really got to know Madrid. Now I know Barcelona has the Cathedral, the Nou Camp Stadium and was the venue for the most recent Olympic Games to be held in Spain but to write Madrid off as Spain’s second city seems to miss the point completely. Yes the Catalans may praise Barcelona for the creativity and elegance of the city but to regard to Madrid is any less important purely because parts of it might need the old lick of paint is extremely superficial. Madrid has very much the archetypal continental climate in that it has very cold winters and hot summers which means for those who don't like extremes in temperatures the spring and autumn are the best times to visit. Madrid has a great many attractions of which a royal palace, many grand public squares, three internationally renowned art galleries, and a great many museums filled with the treasures of the long and glorious history of Spain. Madrid like many international cities and probably more than most reflects in sections its historical past. Now we have to remember here that this was a major European city that for 400 years lay under the rule of North African influence, namely that of the Moors. This is reflected in the area of La Latina. This is an area of Madrid often overlooked by visitors and tourists alike but is rich in historical heritage and indeed during medieval times the Plaza la Paja was Madrid's main square. When the influence of the Moors declined in Spain, this area of Madrid became know as a moreria which actually means an enclosed ghetto where the Muslims live. Memories of a former age can still be found when you consider some off the place names such as Plaza de la Puerta de Moros and/or the historic architecture.Nowadays as in most cases things have changed and this part of Madrid becomes a party centre for the madrilenos, the people of Madrid later on in the day, every day. Perhaps one of the most overriding aspects of Madrid would lie with the juxtaposition off the modern international capital city and the apparent “down at heel” and slightly grubby appearance. Mention this to the madrilenos and all they will likely do is shrug, sigh and suggest that there are more important things in life worth bothering about?” Who is to say they are wrong? Elsewhere in Madrid you will find Malasana, a quaint cobble stones area stretching north from the city centre.Wonderfully described as possibly being like “the boyfriend or girlfriend you couldn’t bring home to your mother” all human life in Madrid can be found here. With graffiti, posters and street art on virtually every conceivable surface Malasana has an anarchic feel and atmosphere that tells you “this is the place to be at the right time of day”. The trouble is as far as perennial party goers will tell you, in this part of Madrid it is sometimes party time all of the day. There is an awful lot more to Madrid that initial impressions would indicate. Peel back the flaking paint and go beyond the many tourists spots and you will find a city that you will fall in love with for many a year. Miss Madrid and it will be your loss.
