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Forget a motel, forget an RV you have not had the best vacation
you have ever had until you have stayed in a Mountain Cabin.
Mountain Cabin Vacation

Mountain cabins are usually found in the best locations situated
in beautiful mountain settings and range from brand new to
rustic charm. What more could you want from your mountain cabin.

You may be thinking rustic charm may mean old fashioned but
today many mountain cabins are fully equipped with all the
latest mod cons such as wonderful log fires, hot tubs, cable TV
and fully equipped kitchens. One of the best features though of
a mountain cabin, is unsurprisingly, the mountains. I suppose
that goes without saying that you would expect mountains next to
a mountain cabin, after all it seems sensible, but until you
have visited some of the best places to vacation in the US you
may not have been to the mountains before and boy are you
missing something.

So try us folks up here in the mountains where the air is
clean, the views are superb, the food is great and the
activities are unparalleled.

Mountain cabins come in all sizes from single one bed roomed
mountain cabins which are great for single couples, especially
anyone on their honeymoon, to large 10 bedroom affairs which are
great for group activities such as team building ventures.

One of the biggest attractions in vacationing in a beautiful
mountain cabin is the peace and quiet you can find in a secluded
cabin, yet most things are on your doorstep. You are so close to
nature, with trails to walk and hike, short backpacking trips,
skiing in the winter months, lakes for swimming, sailing and
fishing and just plain good fresh air.

So stop thinking about mountain cabins, stop planning to rent a
mountain cabin, stop dreaming of having a vacation in one and
just do it. Book one and book one this week. Plan your next
vacation in your own mountain cabin in some of the best mountain
scenery in the US.

Ladysmith BC on Vancouver Island is only a 85 km (53 mi) drive north of Victoria BC on Hwy 1…a short trip filled with ocean and mountain views. Ladysmith BC is 26 km 16 (mi) south of Nanaimo BC. South of Nanaimo, closer to Ladysmith is Cassidy, home to the Nanaimo Airport and the Duke Point Ferry Terminal providing various easy access points to the Ladysmith BC area.

Recreation includes water sports such as kayaking, canoeing, swimming, fishing, diving, boating, and water-skiing. The archipelago of islands around the Ladysmith area makes it one of the most popular paddle sport destinations in N. America. There are three marinas: two are public, and one is commercial. Attractions include Skateboard park, par 3 golf courses.

Transfer Beach Park is a popular spot for swimmers, picnics and large gatherings. Popular attractions are the amphitheatre, logger sport facilities, horseshoe pitch, barbecue huts, kids playgrounds, sand volleyball and basketball courts, concession stand, and kayak rentals. It is a well-planned and attractive park with acres of grass and flowerbeds, surrounded by big trees.

Behind Ladysmith in the hills is a 4-kilometer hike through a rainforest with bridges, wildlife and waterfalls. This area includes Stocking Lake, one of the two main sources of Ladysmith’s drinking water.

Ladysmith has focused its interest on attracting tourism by setting up world-renowned annual festivals and events. In spring there is a two-day festival which attracts hundreds of paddle sport enthusiasts for boating fun, food and music. On Canada Day there is cake, fun and music on Ladysmith’s historic waterfront. On BC Day there is a daylong weekend parade, a soapbox derby, logger sports, games, rides, music, entertainment and fireworks.. Ladysmith Fall Fair in late August or September, showcases Ladysmith and area talents in horticulture, arts and crafts, home economics, beer and winemaking.

There are two main shopping areas: the First Avenue in the downtown area and the modern Coronation Mall on the Island Highway, with a wide variety of shops, services and eateries.

Ladysmith, with its downtown heritage buildings, was named one of the ten prettiest towns in Canada by Harrowsmith Country Life magazine. Ladysmith has been given the National Communities in Bloom Award with a 5-Bloom rating, with a special mention for Heritage Conservation.

Ladysmith was originally known as Oyster Bay, formed in the late 1800s…then came the coal mining and logging industries. In 1986 the logging industry pulled out, and in 2003 Ladysmith introduced the Festival of Lights, which displays thousands of lights, from the last Thursday of November till the New Year, attracting over 10,000 people in one night and continuing to the present day. An official light -up ceremony includes a parade, spaghetti dinner and fireworks.

James Dunsmuir, owner of the mines, was laying out his new township of Oyster Harbor in 1900 when he received news that British troops under the command of General Buller had broken the four month siege of Ladysmith in Natal province, South Africa and decided then that his new town would be named Ladysmith to honor this British victory of the Anglo/South African war of 1899 to 1902. Ladysmith was used as a dormitory and recreation complex for the miners and their families and as a shipping port for coal from the Extension Mines in Nanaimo. It was incorporated in 1904 and the town grew rapidly over the next few years mostly due to the coal industry, but also because of copper excavated from Mount Sicker, which continued ’till 1912. The following year the coal miners up and down the Island went on strike. Bombs targeted equipment and homes, prevailing for over a year when the military was called in and the riots were crushed. Ten years later the mines were shutting down as the demand for coal was dissipating and the coal getting harder to find. The areas residents turned to logging and other forms of employment after the mines closed in the 30s, but in 1933 1000s of trees toppled in a massive windstorm [known as the Big Wind] and the logging industry was born when the Comox Logging & Railway Co used the harbor as a shipping port.

Trail Guide: The Holland Creek Loop, The Heart Lake Loop, The Stocking Lake Loop, The Rotary Lookout Trail, The Estuary Trail, The Marine Walk. Developed through the collaboration of volunteers, government grants, and staff.

by Margot B,

About the Author

Web site designer and writer
http://margotbwritersforum.com

Florence Italy accommodation as far as hotel and farmhouse are concerned, let your imagination go from richly furnished five star hotels either in the hub of the city or smaller town accommodations, hidden away in the green hued countryside. From palaces to castles exquisitely decorated and pensions or guesthouses owned by friendly local people. These all year round lodgings have a wide price range but you can assured that good bargains are to be found in the low season. Florence welcomes everybody to be comfortable and caters to everyone’s budget.

Wealth and Comfort in Florence Italy

The Savoy Hotel is a favourite for those wishing to fulfil a desire for luxury sleeping, not forgetting the shopping gallery and excellent cuisine at the restaurant. The Hotel II Guelfo Bianco on the Via Cavour right near the San Marco Square has antique art treasures and original paintings and excellent commodities. Or maybe a stay at the Grand Hotel Baglioni with its sweeping grey stone stairway so typical of many Florentine monuments and wooden beams decorating the ceiling all which give you that special feeling of peace and relax.

Florence city needs to be visited during an extended period of time and if this is not feasible, then short visits are ideal to take in all the museums. And for me, one of the best ways to do this is by staying in a small town farmhouse near Florence and with your Florence car rental, enjoy small joints into the city. One of the cutest medieval towns nearby is San Gimignano, situated in the triangle of Siena, Florence and Volterra. San Gimignano is undoubtedly known for its thirteen remaining towers of the original seventy-two which once existed. Here, you can have sweet dreams sleeping in a mansion from the 14th century and have breakfast in a precious patio. Or in a rural house with high ceilings and worked iron beds.

Praise Good Italian Cooking

At some of these farmhouses there are cookery classes and it is here where I learned to cook Stracotto or ‘Pot Roast’. This is a very popular weekend Sunday meal in Italy as well as in Great Britain and North America. The Italians serve it over a delicious noodles bed of pasta enriched with the Chianti wine sauce where the others serve it with potatoes. Here goes……

Stracotto (serves 4-6 persons)

- 3 to 4 lbs. top round beef
- 4 thinly sliced garlic cloves
- 3 medium thinly sliced carrots
- 3 medium diced onions
- rosemary leaves
- 2 cut up celery stalks
- 2 cups water
- 1 lb. ripe tomatoes ( peel, seed and cut them )
- 1 fourth cup olive oil
- 1 and a half cup Chianti or dry red wine
- 1 tbsp. melted butter
- 1 tbsp. flour
- salt and pepper as you like
- 1 lb. pasta of your choice

Roll and tie up beef and then make small holes to put the garlic into.

In a saucepan, heat the oil and slowly cook the carrots, onions and celery until soft and add in the rosemary. Push these vegetables to one side and put the beef roll in the middle and brown on all sides at the same time as you are saut©ing the veggies. Add in the tomatoes and when they are getting soft, add the wine. Boil until the wine liquid has been consumed to about one half cup and add 1 and a half cup of water and let simmer for about 1 hour more. Separate the meat and vegetables from the broth and let the meat cool. With remaining half cup of water mix the flour and the melted butter in with the broth and cook, constantly stirring it for 3 minutes. Slice meat and put the pasta and the sauce in the middle of the plate and two or three meat slices to one side and top with some more sauce if desired. Bon appetite!

This is just one of the Florence Italy recipes that I learned. Stay tuned for more!

Peter Wilson publishes for the www.florence-italy-guide.com internetsite. Peter is working on topics such as sightseeing tours around Florence and around Italy.

There are loads of road trips people take in Australia that look like a snap when looking at the map, but surprisingly translate into many hours when actually on the road.

Sydney to Brisbane is one of those road trips. You could do it quickly - as long as you don’t mind strapping a brick on to your accelerator and spending the next 12 hours trying to avoid running into the other, more sedate drivers on the road.

The other, more road-safe option, is to meander your way up the Pacific Highway, and stop off at your leisure. There’s all sorts of nooks and crannies dotted up the coast that you can drop in for a quick visit and wander.

If you don’t have a car, you should think about booking a rental car online and saving yourself a bit of cash. Sites like www.vroomvroomvroom.com.au pool together all of the current prices and specials on offer from the most popular car rental companies in the country. You can directly compare all the prices available with one click of the button to make sure you get a brilliant car hire Sydney deal.

Once you’ve piled into your motorised transport of choice, one of the first popular places for a stretch of the legs would be by the Hawkesbury River, which flows into Broken Bay, and is surrounded by, not one, but three national parks. If you only have time to tramp around one, Ku-Ring-Gai Chase is the most popular - plenty of lovely walks and interesting Aboriginal paintings scattered about at various sites. Or there’s always a spot of fishing and sailing to be had at Broken Bay itself.

Just a little further up the road you’ll find the town of Terrigal. It has followed the tradition of the likes of Byron Bay where a residual alternative vibe has been frilled up to serve a relaxed and palatable mainstream holiday feel. Artsy-crafty shops and a good street-side café culture.

Newcastle will probably be your next stop - although if you’ve paid any attention to word of mouth, you may not be eager to stay very long. But that would be a shame - Newcastle has its attractions. Like what? Well, its got five beaches (try Nobbys Beach, it’s the most popular and it has a bad name - what else do you need?), a huge student population (ie: thriving music scene), some beautiful architecture lurking in colonial buildings and terraced housing - and after a long walk you can head to Darby street to satiate your food and coffee needs.

Ever onwards and upwards will find you pulling in to Port Stephens, which is barely an hours drive away from Newcastle. If you’ve ever dreamt of dolphin spotting, then this is one of the places to do it. There’s a local population of bottle-nosed dolphins which play in the waves near the coast. You can grab any one of the innumerable charter vessels available to take you out.

From here on in, there are plenty of little towns and laid-back cities - you’ll be passing by the beach-laden Port Macquarie, the tiny resort town of Nambucca Heads, the big banana near Coffs Harbour. But you’re now fast-approaching one of the most popular corners of NSW.

The farmers came for the soil, the hippies turned up and hugged the trees, and the yuppies - well yuppies always follow the hippies and make everything fashionable and launch the careers of many hundreds of professional barristas.

The north-east corner of NSW takes in the truly picturesque towns like Bangalow, Mullumbimby, and Byron Bay; the alternative vibes of Nimbin; and tiny villages like Mooball - where the telephone poles and local servo are painted in the pattern of dairy cows. There’s rolling hills, odd communes, pretty beaches, rainforest, spectacular bushwalks and enough chilled-out vibe to make you seriously consider investing in a comby and a didgeridoo.

The local pub scene is fantastic - try to check out Byron Bay’s Beach Hotel, the Nimbin Hotel (in Nimbin of course), and the Tumbulgum Tavern (Riverside Drive in Tumbulgum - just outside of Murwillumbah), just to name a few.

It’ll be a bit of a shock leaving the area and driving through Tweed Heads, Coolangatta and the Gold Coast. Don’t worry too much about the first two towns - not much personality - all fibre glass and concrete. But the beaches can be nice.

The Gold Coast - Surfers Paradise - is where the well-off go to spend money in Jupiter’s Casino, and the young dress in sparse clothing so they can congregate in the loud, vibrating clubs that muscle up against each other in Orchid Ave. Spend a bit of time here, and you’ll eventually be making your sorry way up to Brisbane penniless or hung-over, or both.

Don’t worry, laid-back Brisbane can soothe away your travel wrinkles. You’ve got Southbank, South Brisbane and West End to chill out in, watch the river and the traffic and the people roll on by (although you can’t see the river from West End - you’ll just have to content yourself with people watching).

Alyssa Betts has travelled around a bit (from Europe and the UK to parts of Southeast Asia and Australia) and very much likes the southeast QLD/northeast NSW part of Australia. She works for http://www.vroomvroomvroom.com.au

1. Under which calendar is New Year’s Day Jan. 1?
A. Julian Calendar
B. Gregorian Calendar
C. Jewish Calendar
D. Chinese Calendar
E. All of the above

B. Gregorian Calendar
QQ: New Year’s Day is the first day of the year, Jan. 1, in the Gregorian calendar. Traditionally the day has been observed as a religious feast, but in modern times the arrival of the New Year has also become an occasion for spirited celebration and the making of personal resolutions.

2. What calendar determines the date of the Chinese New Year?
A. Lunar
B. Solar
C. Chinese
D. Zen

A. Lunar
QQ: The Chinese New Year, traditionally based on the lunar calendar, is celebrated in many American cities with the roar of blazing firecrackers, dancing dragons made from papier mch© and cloth, and traditional music.

3. Rosh Hashanah is the beginning of the new year for what religion?
A. Muslim
B. Christian
C. Buddhist
D. Jewish

D. Jewish
QQ: Rosh Hashanah (Hebrew, “beginning of the year”), Jewish New Year, celebrated on the first and second days of the Jewish month of Tishri (falling in September or October) by Orthodox and Conservative Jews and on the first day alone by Reform Jews. It begins the observance of the Ten Penitential Days, a period ending with Yom Kippur that is the most solemn of the Jewish calendar. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are known as the High Holy Days.

4. Kwanzaa is a seven-day holiday that begins Dec. 26 and extends through Jan. 1. What does the word mean in Swahili?
A. First fruits
B. First people
C. First days
D. First dance

A. First fruits
QQ: Kwanzaa, or matunda ya kwanza, is Swahili for “first fruits”. This is an African American holiday observed by African communities throughout the world that celebrates family, community, and culture. Kwanzaa has its roots in the ancient African first-fruit harvest celebrations from which it takes its name. However, its modern history begins in 1966 when it was developed by African American scholar and activist Maulana Karenga.

5. In the Middle Ages most European countries used the Julian calendar, so they observed New Year’s Day when?
A. Feb. 14th
B. March 25th
C. April 1st
D. May 21st

B. March 25th
QQ: In the Middle Ages most European countries used the Julian calendar and observed New Year’s Day on March 25, called Annunciation Day and celebrated as the occasion on which it was revealed to Mary that she would give birth to the Son of God.

6. The name January is derived from the Roman god Janus. What is he the god of?
A. Wine and grapes
B. Babies and childbirth
C. Clocks and calendars
D. Gates and doors

D. Gates and doors
QQ: The name of the month is derived from Janus, the Roman god of gates and doors, and hence of openings and beginnings. January was the 11th month of the year in the ancient Roman calendar; in the 2nd century BC, however, it came to be regarded as the first month. On January 1 the Romans offered sacrifices to Janus so that he would bless the new year.

7. When to the practioners of Tibetan Buddhism celebrate New Year’s?
A. Never
B. January
C. February
D. March

C. February
QQ: Much of the ritual of Tibetan Buddhism is based on the esoteric mysticism of Tantra, devotions that involve both yoga and mantra, or a mystical formula, and ancient shamanistic practices. On special holidays the temples, shrines, and altars of the lamas are decorated with symbolic figures; milk, butter, tea, flour, and similar offerings are brought by the worshipers, animal sacrifices being strictly forbidden. Tibetan Buddhist religious festivals are numerous. The most notable are New Year’s, celebrated in February and marking the commencement of spring

8. The Roman New Year festival was called the Calends, and people decorated their homes and gave each other gifts. In early times, the ancient Romans gave each other New Year’s gifts of branches from sacred trees. Later they gave small items, such as nuts or coins, imprinted with pictures of what God?
A. Julius Caesar
B. Jesus Christ
C. Janus
D. Zeus

C. Janus
QQ: In later years, they gave gold-covered nuts or coins imprinted with pictures of Janus, the god of gates, doors, and beginnings. January was named after Janus, who had two faces–one looking forward and the other looking backward. The Romans also brought gifts to the emperor. The emperors eventually began to demand such gifts.

9. What New Year’s gift did ancient Persians give?
A. Money
B. Eggs
C. Cakes
D. Rugs

B. Eggs
QQ: The ancient Persians gave New Year’s gifts of eggs, which symbolized productiveness.

10. In ancient Egypt what event dictated the timing of New Year’s celebrations?
A. Pharaoh’s birthday
B. Flooding of Nile
C. Solar eclipse
D. Exact alignment of stars with Great Pyramid

B. Flooding of Nile
QQ: In ancient Egypt, New Year was celebrated at the time the River Nile flooded, which was near the end of September. The flooding of the Nile was very important because without it, the people would not have been able to grow crops in the dry desert. At New Year, statues of the god, Amon and his wife and son were taken up the Nile by boat. Singing, dancing, and feasting was done for a month, and then the statues were taken back to the temple.

You can enjoy more trivia created by Deanna Mascle at Trivia Teaser, Fun Trivia Online, and Trivia Tidbit.

Hurricane season can be a rather tricky time for summer travelers. Kids are home from college, the younger kids are out of school, mom and dad are taking time off of work and the family want to take a vacation. Wait…what about hurricanes? The official hurricane season in the Atlantic begins June 1 and extends until November 30, encompassing the entire summer season in the Caribbean.

In 1998 the Phantom, a ship on the Windjammer cruise line lost its ship and all of the crew members after it sailed off into sea to avoid a hurricane. In trying to avoid the hurricane, they ran straight into the storm. Thankfully, the passengers had all been dropped off safely on the shore, but the captain and crew of the ship were not so lucky. This is a wake up call to all of those out there who think that cruise liners are unsinkable–obviously, they are not. A year later a Carnival cruise liner experienced some problems during a hurricane, but fortunately the ship, crew, and all the passengers made it out of the storm in one piece.

Situations such as this can cause a lot of travelers to second guess their travel plans, thinking that cruises and hurricanes do not mix. Of course, hurricane season and cruise liners do not go together well at all, but somehow the cruising industry has managed to stay above the hurricane season at least most of the time, making the summer one of the best times ever to take a cruise to the Caribbean. From August to December, the prices of cruises and everything that goes along with it (dining, ship lodging, activities and such) are at an all time low.

Hurricane season can be a real bummer, and those of you who have had your summer vacation displaced by a pesky hurricane or have had your long-awaited and oh so well-deserved cruise vacation cancelled due to inclement weather know exactly why that is. The good thing in all this is that as technology has advanced, so has the capabilities of the cruise liners and the liner companies themselves. No, this does not mean that a cruise ship can take on a hurricane. What this does mean is that shipping companies and weather services go to extra measures to insure that mishaps such as those that occurred with the Phantom never occur again.

Of course, this means that nothing is promised. Do not take any cruise reservations to be final ones, because any slight inkling or joke of a storm will cause the shipping company to yank their ship (their biggest investment) and their passengers (those who fund their biggest investment) off of the ocean in heart beat.

A strong piece of advice is not to finalize anything! Don’t pay any hefty deposits for anything having to do with your cruise during the summer months, the peak of the hurricane season.

Kirsten Hawkins is a cruise and travel expert specializing in discount cruises and travel. Visit www.luxury-cruise-deals.com/ for more information on how to cruise the world for little or no money.