Matador - europe

Pre-departure Orientation

Alixandra Gould — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 21:32:40 -0500

As I say goodbye to my family and friends on September 8^th, I’ll be headed for a brand new experience that will no doubt alter my perception of the world and of myself. I’m fortunate enough to have been granted the opportunity to participate in a student exchange program that will see me...

International Graffiti

Insolent Minx — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 06:03:50 -0500

Graffiti tends to mean images or letters etched, scrawled, spray painted or marked in any way, shape or form on anothers property. Graffiti is generally viewed as vandalism and severe penalties are in place for those damaging such property. Graffiti is also considered a form of art or...

Cut the Bull! Finding the real Spain

Sparklyscotty — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 08:03:37 -0500

I adore Spain. I have been here just over two years, and it feels more like home than any other place I have been.

I love the people, the food, the siestas, the fiestas, the scenery. I even love the six day work week.

Yet I had never wanted to come to Spain. My parents bought a holiday...

Request for travel blog request

awolracing — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:16:10 -0500

Dear Fellow Travelers:

There's a true story sometimes told in my house about me being born "feet first" (back in those days they tried to prevent it but they didn't do a c-section). My brother tells people that when I was born my feet hit the ground and I have not stopped running ever since! My...

Notes from a broad

risamay — Fri, 6 Jun 2008 17:18:34 -0500

It just so happens that I already have a travel blog. You should check it out. It rules.

Noambit has gone public: we are now accepting article submissions

noambit — Tue, 27 May 2008 08:26:53 -0500

www.noambit.com ; a website designed to provide info and tips for those headed to Europe has decided to start accepting article contributions. If you're a budding travel writer looking for a little exposure and have something to share regarding traveling Europe, please, check...

Belief in...What?

terryodee — Mon, 26 May 2008 15:21:08 -0500

The 'objects' I come across predominantly in rural areas, no matter where I travel in central and southern Europe, are religious shrines and icons of one description or another. The closer to the Mediteranian one gets, the more predominant they become.

Never came across any in England, which is not a...

Lovely Slovenia

Valerie — Thu, 22 May 2008 17:33:03 -0500

Slovenia has been described as the "cutest" of the former Yugoslav republics, and I couldn't agree more. It's got a blend of Slavic and Alpine (Austrian) cultures, which makes sense. Ljubljana may be small, but at the same time it's so grand that you don't even care. It's like a super compact...

How to get a Tourist EU (Schengen) Visa

The explorer — Mon, 12 May 2008 03:12:35 -0500

I would like to share the following information for people who are planning to visit Europe. I have been helping a lot of people, usually friends of mine who wanted to visit Europe. Here are the following:

Tourist Visa

SCHENGEN VISA: REQUIREMENTS FOR TOURIST VISA

A tourist...

Beating Your Budget While You Travel: keeping costs down

noambit — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:41:00 -0500

Your resolve is strong! Despite the ever weakening of the dollar you will see Europe no matter what it takes. Student loans, credit cards maybe even selling candy bars door to door (buy them at the dollar store at 4 / dollar and make a huge profit) are ways to get the extra money but...

Beating Your Budget While You Travel: keeping costs down

noambit — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:40:38 -0500

Sleepless in Helsinki

Valerie — Fri, 4 Apr 2008 19:36:51 -0500

After a 17-hour or so ordeal of flying and waiting in airports, I finally arrived in Helsinki yesterday evening. I actually got a Danish stamp in my passport rather than a Finnish one because that was my layover on the way here, after the one in Chicago O'Hare (a huge and confusing airport). I didn't...

Will it be Bullfights or Shakira at Las Ventas in Madrid?

noambit — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:29:18 -0500

Understandably there are a huge number of people out there who do not agree with Bullfighting. It is a bloody sport and comes across as very cruel to the average American spectator. However, you would be missing out on an exciting, truly Spanish cultural tradition if you pass up the...

Less Than a Week to Go...

Valerie — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 00:26:09 -0500

and I'm both excited and nervous. It was less than 3 months ago that I was on my last trip, and next week I'll be off on my major overseas trip for this year. Spring has more or less arrived here in the Bay Area, but where I'll be going (or at least where I'm beginning my trip) it'll still feel like...

The Best Dinner I Have Ever Had In Europe, Twice: seafood spaghetti that i traveled 8 hours to get

noambit — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 09:24:00 -0500

You will have to forgive me for not remembering the name of the place, despite hours of searching the Internet and still not coming up with it but after you eat there it will be easy for you to do. You may have heard of Cinque Terre Italy. Travel writer

How to plan for and get the most out of a trip for your money

noambit — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 09:16:32 -0500

You can approach the planning of a trip in a number of ways. For me I narrow it down to where I roughly want to go and then figure out how much it will cost. From here I can add or subtract locations or side trips. As I'm currently beginning to plan a trip to Europe...

How to choose a hostel: things to think about while searching for a bed

noambit — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 13:56:18 -0500

It is easy to go to hostelworld.com, punch in the city you will be arriving in, pick the first hostel that pops up, book it and cross your fingers. As one may guess however, this can lead to a stay in a place that is less than expected or downright horrible. Booking the right place to lay...

Nea Kamini

Keith K. — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 10:21:41 -0600

I think just about every ship to cruise the Aegean since Noah’s Ark has called at Santorini, for it’s unique among the Greek islands. I suppose the date 1450 BC is as indelibly engraved on the mind of a native of Santorini as 1066 is to an English person. That’s around when Santorini erupted, to...

Hostels: A Love/Hate Relationship

jgbrandt — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 22:43:06 -0600

For young travelers backpacking throughout the world, often the cheapest place to stay is in a Youth Hostel. A hostel is kind of like a hotel, except it's filled with other young backpackers, you share rooms and sleep in uncomfortable bunk beds, and they can offer you a range of activities to...

If I could own five houses...

Valerie — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 20:31:07 -0500

It's weird to think that people my age are now buying houses or saving up for one. I would like to say that I was doing the same thing but it's hard for me to decide whether I would want to stay where I am now (the SF Bay Area) for the rest of my life, or at least for the next 5-10 years. Part of me...

... should i cry or smile?!?!?!?!

francegirl — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 04:49:15 -0500

hey people!!!i told u from my problem, right??!!!!!and nobody is interessted in that... okay...i understand, no problem.

Because...,i found a solution by myself!!!!ha, there you looking stupid, what!!! :) (i´m just kidding,sorry)but wait, i tell you the hole story...

you still know this guy,...

Planes, trains, and automobiles...

RamblinLiz — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 18:00:44 -0500

Well, I'm up in northern Maine waiting for word on a local writing gig. In the meantime, I have no car, and I am completely at the mercy of those who are willing to give me a ride or lend me their vehicle. And whenever I'm stuck in this predicament, I always start reminiscing about all the...

Trivop - the best thing since Lonely Planet?

ameenehan — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 13:20:43 -0500

Sometimes, the most stressful part of any vacation is finding a good
budget hotel. We've all been there before, you book a hotel online only
to get there and find out it looks nothing like what you were
expecting. You want to back out, but it's too late - all that's left to
do is cross your...

Sevilla: Into the heart of authentic España

Ross — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 17:54:42 -0500

Although Madrid is geographically and politically the heart of Spain, there's no denying that the heart of authentic Spanish culture lies to the south, in Andalucia. Traveling through Spain is like visiting 7 different countries and the experience going from Madrid to Sevilla is no exception. These places...

Heaven Covered in Grease

GodzookieNYC — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 13:18:55 -0500

On my recent trip to Amsterdam, I fell prey to a hot, salty and greasy dish we like to call french fries. Or should I say Dutch or Belgian fries? I am a fan of fries the world over, but for some reason this guys really struck me as magnificent. Fresh and hot I attacked them after a long night on the...

Donning the tinfoil hat about IPCC "penalties", part 1.

Olivebeard — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 10:44:37 -0500

Time for my “Tinfoil hat” moment of the day.

I noticed some interesting language in a Reuters article about the surge in transportation usage in the coming years and its effect on global warming. Statements such...

The power of a decision...

EElisam — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 07:50:06 -0500

...my travelling plans go on and on and on... i start realizing that living in Europe means that people are spontaneous and flexible ... and they like to decide quickly if they want to travel or not. Like me in this case.

Yesterday, a friend of mine flew over to Mallorca (Spain) for a week... After...

101 Merits Which Make One a Traveler

ZTP Teo — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 07:29:46 -0500

1. “Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need ... roads.”

2. You receive food that in no way resembles the dish you ordered, and you don’t care.

3. You’ve seen the sun rise on every continent.

4. You’ve seen the sun set on each ocean.

5. You have to get a new passport because...

Pocket Guide to Western Europe

Olivebeard — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 12:55:12 -0600

note: File this under "failed article submissions". After numerous publications came back and said "Focus on one area," this piece fell into the pit of unused writing. "P-shaw!" I said, "People need the whole of Europe to be summed into useful stereotypes! What do you know, National Geographic...

Alcohol and Intestines of Europe

toby — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 04:37:55 -0600

Not that alcohol is the most appropriate topic to continue writing about, but, after all, it is that season when most of us need our cockles warmed (in this northern hemisphere, anyway), and the strong stuff does provide an interesting way to travel without going far from home! No, I’m not...