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Tis the Season...

My parents just recently asked me to write my WISH LIST for Christmas. So I thought I would write some of my ideas on here:

 

1. Backpack for traveling
2. Day Pack 
3. Backpacking books: Lets Go,  and Lonely Planet
4. Money belt
5. Sleeping bag liner (silk)
6. Locks
7. A NEW CAMERA (to document my travels) 
8. More items to come...

A great website for all your travel needs is Travel Independent! 

What's on your Wish List? 

(Photo cred: http://images.clipartof.com/small/21527-Clipart-Illustration-Of-Santa-Claus-Screaming-In-Shock-While-Reading-A-Long-Wish-List-From-A-Child.jpg)

Begin Saving!

Once I decided I was going to backpack through Europe this year, I desperately needed to start saving. I automatically got a part time job at the beginning of this year at MOXIE’S CLASSIC GRILL on Richmond as a dinning room server. Training for this position took a bit longer than I ordinary thought, but it has prepared me to know the menu inside and out.

Here are my top 5 favorite things on the menu:

Favorite Drinks: White Peach Bellini and Moxie’s Signature Ceaser

Favorite Appetizer: Sweet Potato Fries

Favorite Salad: Top Sirloin Steak Salad with Goat Cheese (MUST TRY)

Favorite Sandwich: Greek Salad Steak Wrap

Favorite Dessert: White Chocolate Brownie (mouth-watering)

Next time you go out for a bite to eat check out MOXIE’S CLASSIC GRILL on Richmond. The décor it absolutely beautiful and the food is delicious.  

SEE YOU THERE :) 

 

Top 5 Hostels in Ibiza

None of these Hostels have included Breakfast, but they all offer Private Rooms!

1. Costa Sur Hotel: located in the bay area of San Antonio. Quiet! 

2. Lux Mar Complex Apartments: 10 minute walk to the town's centre with all the nightlife. 

It seems that the definition of hostel versus hotel seems to be a grey area in Ibiza!!

3. Marco Polo II Hotel: Surrounded by restaurants and bars 

4. Hotel Maritimo: 5 minute walk to the Ibiza town 

5. Apartment Dausol: Again close to the town 

Funny Commercial from SPAIN

For more Information about hostels look at Trip Advisor and Rail Europe 

(Photo Cred: http://traveldestinationtips.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Ibiza.jpg)

Top 3 Hostels in Barcelona

1. Barcelona Dream Be Hostels: Just 15 minutes from the centre of the city "Plaza Catalunya" and right opposite the subway

2. Barcelona Mar Be Hostels: in the El Raval neighborhood and very close to everything

3. Barcelona Urbany Hostel: A MUST stay as it has an indoor pool, sauna, and jacuzzi. It is father away from the centre as it is a newer hostel but still close to the subway. 

For more information look at Trip Advisor and Rail Europe 

(Photo Cred: http://www.hostelsinbarcelona-hostels.com/img/cabeceraBarcelona.gif)

Top 3 Hostels in Madrid

1. Cat's Hostel: They have their very own bar called "Cave Bar" to start the night off right with cheap beer and new friends. Even located in a 17th Century Palace and right in the centre of the city. 

2. La Posada de Huertas Hostel: Located in Madrid's "District of Letters" home to many of Spain's great writers: "Cervantes, and Vega"

3. Bull's Hostel: Located in Santo Domingo and in the heart of down town Madrid 

For more information check out Trip Advisor or Rail Europe 

(Photo Cred: http://www.hostels-in-madrid-hostels.com/blog/img/cabeceraMadrid.gif) 

Out with the Old and In with the NEW

The three-part mini-series THE END deals with Radio, Television, and Print mediums. Host Jian Ghomeshi continually makes reference to the idea that “conventional” and “traditional” mediums will come to an end making way for new technologies to appear.

What does the audience want?

Young adults today prefer to use technologies that are FREE and easily accessible. We see this with how young adults gain information from other sources like the Internet instead of print sources like a newspaper or magazines. Personally, being a student and having a student budget I can no longer buy magazines such as People and US weekly so I  turn to blogs like Perez Hilton that offer similar content.

How do we gain Freedom and Choice?

The “traditional” medium has faded because the audience has chosen to watch, listen and read what they want and how they want. Pod casts for example are personal mediums for viewers as they have the power of ON DEMAND controls. This is the same for television and PVR’s (personal video recorder) as having the ability to record a show and watch it back skipping all the commercials. 

Although I do find that the Internet is the number ONE online medium, I personally will not give up “traditional” mediums. I think the real question is how much we use these “traditional” sources? 

• I only listen to the radio while driving as it continually offers me new songs to listen to and I am a captive audience. 
• Being up at school it is extremely difficult to watch a television program on my computer as my Internet signal is not that strong. I love to watch television the conventional way, although I have adapted to the PVR. 
• As for print mediums, I enjoy to read a book instead of on a screen for certain texts such as pleasure or school reading. Yes I still print out everything to then read the conventional way perhaps our generation is still betwixt and between “traditional” and “new” mediums of communication. 

If you would like to watch THE END click here. 

 

PARTY in IBIZA, SPAIN

During my travels to Spain I have heard you cannot miss taking the ferry over to the Party Island, known as IBIZA. My cousins have related it to Cancun, Mexico but a lot classier. This place is known to party into the wee hours of the morning, so we might be stopping by for a short period of time. Not to mention it is incredible expensive to party here. 

Here are some photos from Club Ammesia!

Funny Comic Strip WELCOME TO IBIZA!

WHATS YOUR CRAZINESS PARTY STORY?

(COMIC STRIP: www.CartoonStock.com.)

Barcelona

Who wouldn't want to visit Barcelona after watching the film "Vicky Christina Barcelona" an intertwined love story between two young females and the seductive painter, Juan Antonio. Check out the trailer!

Places to visit while in Barcelona:

1) La Sagrade Familia: unfinished building and Gaudi's most famous work to date.

2) Poble Espanyol: is another little Spanish village with many shops, cafes, and restaurants. 

For more information visit Hostel World. 

Madrid

Madrid is Spain's Capital

Home to many museums and art galleries that I wouldn't mind checking out like "Museo del Prado" or "Thyssen Bornemisza Museum." Madrid also has many relaxing and beautiful parks like "Buen Retiro Park" to take a stroll though. 

Places to visit:

1) The Plaza Mayor has many bars, cafes, and shops that would be fun to visit. 

2) El Rastro: said to be one of the world's largest flea markets, located in the city. 

3) It would be neat to see the Real Madrid Football Stadium (capacity 75,000) as I have visited the BMO Field (capacity 16,000) to see TFC in Toronto and the atmosphere during the game was amazing. 

Visit Hostel World for more information 

Pepsi commercial with the amazing good-looking soccer player David Beckham:

Saludos desde Espana!

"Traveling through SPAIN by rail its the cheapest way to see the country especially  if you opt for a rail pass" (rail europe). Remember as you travel to "keep your friends close but your enemies closer" because Spain is known for pick pocketing so make sure to keep your belongings close to you at all times. 

FUN FACT: Spain has no liquor licensing laws. 

I hope to visit Madrid, Barcelona, and Ibiza while in Spain so stay tuned! Although, I do have family in Spain. My cousin Stephen owns a flat in La Duquesa that is located about 82 km south of Malaga near Gilbraltar. Here is a photo of his beautiful terrace. 

Visit the Spain Tourism Board. 

Real or Fake?

I came across this photo and thought it was appropriate for my blog :) 

"The Mayor of London has decreed that Westminster bridge will be closed in the early afternoon on sunny days. This is because a strange phenomenon happens when sunlight passes through the balustrade of the bridge, forming a small army of...well...see for yourself!" 

Do you believe this photo is Real or Fake?

(Photo Cred: http://message.snopes.com/showthread.php?t=52983)

Top 4 Hostels:

I'm going to have to dig deep into my pocket to afford a room in Zermatt, Switzerland. I can tell you now this stay won't be long. All these hostels are ridiculously expensive and only a couple of them have an 80% or above rating. 

1. Zermatt Youth Hostel: I didn't want to buy the place only wanted a room for a night or two.

2. Hotel Alfa Zermatt: This one is going to break the bank. 

3. Matterhorn Hostel

4. Hotel Bahnhof: "This hotel has a loft with 17 dorm beds for 30 CHF (swiss franc) each. The accommodation is spartan and a little expensive for what you get, even in Switzerland, but if the Matterhorn Hostel is full and you don't want to pay 56 CHF a night then this is a reasonable option."   

Information founded at Hostelz

Top 4 Attractions in Zermatt, Switzerland

This Beautiful little town Zermatt, is where I might be visiting. It is "on the italian border of the canton (country or area) of Valais in the west of Switzerland."

1. Glacier Palace 

  “Discover mystical, icy worlds in the highest glacier palace in the world. You arrive at the glacier palace 

with one of the 2 lifts directly from the Matterhorn glacier paradise station. You then walk into the palace through an ice tunnel that is almost fifteen metres below the surface of the glacier. Adventurers and daredevils can return by walking through a glacier crevasse. Discreet lighting and

 ethereal sounds accompany you through a minor wonder of the world of glaciers. Information about the creation of the glacier palace, glaciology and impressive statues sculpted from ice round off an experience of a very special kind. The sculptures are regularly renewed.”

2. Igloo 

“Zermatt lies at the base of the Matterhorn in the Valais Alps of southern Switzerland, at 1600m above sea level. To reach Zermatt, travel through the Visp Valley all the way to the end, where Zermatt is located. Park your car in Täsch and come to Zermatt by train or taxi. From the car-free town, in which carriages and electromobiles are the main modes of transport, take the Gornergrat railway towards the highest Igloo Village. The magnificent alpine panorama offers the perfect ambience for the perfect igloo experience!”

I believe its way to expensive to sleep in the cold since its close to $200 canadian a night in a regular room (but I might visit the bar and indulge in the igloo cheese fondue during the day). 

3. Dirt Scooter 

“The ultimate challenge for the adventurous: Travel up to the Schwarzsee paradise as often as you like in the cable car, and race back down into the valley with the dirt scooter (downhill trottinett/scooter).”

4. Cinema 

“Zermatt has only one cinema, but what a cinema! The

"Vernissage" is a masterpiece of the Zermatt artist Heinz Julen. Inside the multi-function area in the typical Heinz Julen design with its movable chandeliers.”

For more information about any of these attractions Click Here

(Photo Cred: http://images.gadmin.ch/n5576/images/detail/GletscherPalast_korr.jpg and http://images.gadmin.ch/n6097/images/detail/Vernisage03.jpg)

Six Fun Facts about Switzerland

I found these FUN FACTS on various websites, ENJOY!

1) “Switzerland has the 4th highest nominal GDP (gross domestic product) per capita in the world (after Luxembourg, Norway and Iceland).”

2) “Switzerland has the second highest employment rate of any OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) after Iceland.”

3)  Four spoken languages in Switzerland: German, French, Italian, and Romansch

4)"The Glacier Express is perhaps Switzerland’s best known tourist train. It links St. Moritz to what other popular tourist destination? 

Answer: Zermatt: three private rail companies combine their resources to provide the Glacier Express. The entire trip from St. Moritz to Zermatt (or vice versa) takes about eight hours."

5)  "The air in Zermatt is clear, dry and clean, because, since 1947, only electric cars without a combustion engine are allowed to operate in the village."

6) " Skiing and snowboarding the whole year round, with 365 days of snow – you can only find this in Zermatt"  

Websites: Funtrivia , Eupedia , Zermatt 

(Photo cred: http://www.bugbog.com/images/galleries/switzerland_pictures/switzerland-large-photos/switzerland-zermatt.jpg)

Top 4 Hostels:

1.     Flying Pg Beach Hostel: (Extremely Cheap) but situated 30 minutes away from Amsterdam in a town called Noordwijk.

2.     Stayoaky Stadsdoele: Relatively close to the centre of Amsterdam

3.     Stayoaky Amsterdam Zeeburg: (New and Modern) on the east side of the city but only a 15 minute bike ride from the centre of Amsterdam.

4.     Lucy Lake Hostel: (Private Room) on the outskirts of Amsterdam but they have a shuttle bus (which is 30 minutes) into town.

Visit both RailEurope and Hostel World for more information. 

Top 5 Attractions:

1. Amsterdam Canal Bus Day Pass (boats): “Stops at 14 major attractions and shops. All stops are near must-see attractions such as the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museums, which house the works of such renowned Dutch artists as Rembrandt, Vermeer, and, of course “Fou-Rou” (that’s the “crazy man’s” nickname). Enjoy an authentic Heineken or a coffee-brew at one of the city’s 1,000 brown cafes, named because of their dark-wood paneling. Looking for a potpourri of people-watching? Amsterdam represents at least 172 nationalities! So grab a bench at Vondelpark, which features an open-air concert venue, large outdoor cafes, and a Film Museum. No adult-only trip is complete without a visit to Amsterdam’s uniquely “revealing” Red Light District.” (RailEurope) Price $32.00 on the RailEurope Website.

2. Anne Frank House: Tells the story of where Anne Frank and 7 other people who hid there from the Nazis for over two years. Admission Price: 7.50 Euros

3. Dam Square: “Has many historic buildings like the Royal Palace, famous museums and many shops, pubs and restaurants”. For more information Click Here. 

4. De 9 Straatjes (The 9 Streets): “Between Leidsestraat and Raadhuisstraat there is an area known as De 9 Straatjes (The 9 Streets), named after the nine side streets connecting the main canals. Together they constitute an appealing neighbourhood full of unique shops, wonderful places to have lunch and a great atmosphere.” Click Here for more information.

5. Heineken Brewery: Admission Price: 15 euros. A new experience in the Heineken Brewery is an interactive ride. For more information Click Here.

Red Light District that is Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the capital city of The Netherlands and in the old city there are numerous buildings dating from the 17th century  “Today, some of these placid old structures house brothels, smoke shops, and some extravagant nightlife.” (RailEurope)

I am very excited to visit the Heineken Brewery, here's there new commercial: 

Hostels

Hostels seem to be very expensive in Paris. I have also found that many of them do not include breakfast so it is convenient that Paris offers many markets where you can buy fresh baguettes in the morning. 

Top 4 List: 

1.    Bastille Apartments (Private) (breakfast not included) (Apartment style): Close to the where the French Revolution started and is easy to travel by Metro (Subway) to all the attractions.

2.    St. Christopher’s Inns (Shared) Again close to the Metro. 

3.    Vintage hostel (Private and Shared rooms are the same rate) Located in Monmartre the arts centre of Paris.

4.   Apartments Pere Lachaise (Breakfast not included) (Apartment style) again close to the Metro, is everywhere in Paris close to the Metro!!!!