The first thing travelers and festival lovers should know is that the fun-filled Russian Winter Festival does not take place in The Russian Federation — as a matter of fact, the festivities happen on Trafalgar Square in jolly old London. Londoners and folks from around the world have grown to love the tradition of gathering together to appreciate and experience Russian culture, including food, music, dance, street theatre, military marching bands, and more. Of course, many talented artists from the Russian Federation perform in the festival, bringing east and west, and young and old together in a moving and thoroughly entertaining celebration of culture.
Kicking off it’s 4th year, the Russian Winter Festival takes place on 13, January 2008 (near Russia’s Old New Year’s Day) on the cobblestone streets of Trafalgar Square. What may festival-goers expect to experience at the one-of-a-kind event this year? Here are some highlights:
Food is a major highlight of the festival, as Trafalgar Square becomes warm and fragrant with traditional Russian dishes. Some tasty and savory treats will be pirozhkis, shashlik, borsch, and Russian pancakes, all wafting steam into the winter air of London. (more…)
May 11th, 2008
Easter is a very important celebration both in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, called Velikonoce - from Veliké noci or Great Nights. Although the religious connotations of Easter were suppressed under the communist regime, nowadays Czechs and Slovaks are again aware of the strong Christian background of Easter, although they regard it as mostly fun times. Many traditions are still observed, especially in villages. Several bloggers have been describing some of them.
Green Thursday
The Thursday before Easter is the day of the last supper, when Jesus Christ feasted with the apostles on lamb with bread and wine. Because of that, it is usual to bake lamb for Easter, but now real lamb often gets replaced with gingerbread lamb replica. The Journeys of Captain Oddsocks explains that Green Thursday is so called “because of the long green robes worn in church and the spinach and cabbage traditionally eaten on the day.” He also describes the customs of the day:
… customs include the boys’ game Chasing Judas, and the baking of twisted spiral buns representing serpents, the symbols of betrayal. In some villages there are processions led by a captive Judas in a straw suit which is ceremonially burnt at the end of the day. When sprinkled into a clean jug of water, the ashes of Judas were believed to have special powers including the abilities to guard against fire and protect the health of livestock for the coming year.
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May 11th, 2008
When you’re shoveling snow off your car this winter, or standing in a busy check-out line doing holiday shopping, or just in the middle of a typical hectic work week, do you ever just long to get away from it all? For many of us, soft sand beaches, warm sun on our shoulders, and tropical breezes are the perfect salve to alleviate our stress. Hawaii is the quintessential winter escape — perfect weather, breathtaking scenery, plentiful attractions, and world-class hotels. Hawaii is also just a hop, skip, and a jump from the continental United States, making it easily accessible to all kinds of travelers. Today we offer you some ideas to plan your next trip. Get ready to catch some rays! Your welcome lei is waiting.
Honolulu
Hawaii’s capital city Honolulu has immense popularity, and all for good reason: its hotels are some of the nicest in the world, and award-winning restaurants combine innovative menus with a dining experience that takes advantage of the balmy Hawaiian climate with plenty of patio seating. Top that with superb nightlife, great shopping, and gorgeous beaches, and you’ll never even have to leave the city! If you do want to experience all the natural wonders of the island, a short drive will get you to volcanoes, waterfalls, mountains, and more.
Check out our Honolulu Hotels page to see the variety of accommodation options available. Looking for another city in Hawaii? Here is a handy hotel guide, listed by city: Hawaii Hotels.
Attractions
Looking for more ideas besides Honolulu? How about swimming, scuba diving, sailing, dancing, or visiting cultural sites and museums? If you’re a surfer, winter boasts the biggest waves. There are no shortage of things to do in Hawaii. While on her vacation to Oahu this past September, Realtraveler Brisbird experienced scenic drives, visited a macademia nut farm, toured a pineapple plant, and saw many sites including the Halona Blow Hole and the Japanese Byodoin temple. In the evening, she saw a great show: (more…)
May 11th, 2008
Along with soaking up rays, swimming in warm surf, hanging ten on the crest of a wave, playing beach volleyball, diving and snorkeling amidst tropical fish, whale watching, or the multitude of other fantastic activities beaches offer travelers, helping the environment and making sure it stays beautiful for the next generation of travelers is a great way to spend the day at the beach. Beach cleanup is becoming a small, but extremely important, part of the beach lover’s travel itinerary. Programs dedicated to sustainable tourism are helping travelers become volunteers, by organizing beach cleanup groups. These groups are a fun way to meet other travelers, and to give something back to the gorgeous environments that make traveling so extraordinary.
RealTraveler ISingInTheRain spent a semester studying in Hawaii. Along with trips to beautiful Volcano Park, hikes through Waipio Valley, and plenty of days relaxing and playing on Hawaii’s awe-inspiring beaches, this traveler also dedicated some time to helping clean up trash along the sands of South Point Beach in Hali. She describes the experience as both fun and fulfilling in her journal, Beach Clean Up, Whale Watch and Makalawena!: (more…)
May 11th, 2008
People scream, yell and cheer as they see it pass: in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, the newest celebrity is the Metro transportation system. The city is buzzing at the new metro system which starting last Saturday began operating tentatively for testing to bring visitors to and from the Santo Domingo Book Fair [es]. (more…)
May 11th, 2008
On April 22, Vladimir Lenin would have turned 138 - and quite a few Russophone bloggers still remember the date.
Oleg Panfilov - LJ user oleg_panfilov, director of the Center for Journalism in Extreme Situations - chose to write (RUS) about his native city - Khujand, Tajikistan - which was known as Leninabad from 1939 till 1992:
You know, [Soviet/Russian scholar Dmitry Sergeyevich Likhachev] once supported the idea - put forward by myself and my colleagues - to return the ancient name to my native city. And it successfully made it back into history as Khujand, not as Leninabad, which it had been for over 50 years, even though Comrade Lenin had never visited it.
To me, April 22 is now the day when I can smile sarcastically - perhaps he lived and used to be alive [allusion to these lines by poet Vladimir Mayakovsky], but he’ll no longer be in my city. Thank God!
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May 11th, 2008
In my opinion, absolutely nothing on this planet more fully embodies hassle-free travel than a nice long stay in one of the world’s many resort towns. The popularity of these all-inclusive resorts is definitely on the rise, as many find themselves wanting that spectacular beach getaway, without all the trouble of booking accommodations, researching destinations and planning itineraries, and instead just want a great, relaxing vacation without feeling like they have to put in the work equivalent to a second job to plan it.
One of the most popular places for travelers from the U.S. to visit when they get the itch for all-inclusive, no-stress travel is the Mexican Riviera. With such great (not to mention famous) destinations as Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta, this locale offers an abundance of simple options for some of the most easygoing travel you’ll ever experience. Plus, if a little more activity is what you’re looking for, you still have to look no further, as a huge variety of daily excursions and adventures are easily planned with the help of resort staff. (more…)
May 11th, 2008