Travel Tips

Greece is a wonderful and fascinating city. Before, it is home to three of the great wonders of the world and though they are now just ruins, the spirit and the culture of this great civilization still emanates. This is perhaps why a vacation in Greece is one of the most dreamed about trip. A lot of people want to visit and see for themselves the structures that have played a part in history.

But beyond the sight seeing, people can also do a lot of things in Greece. Here are some of the things that you can do while on vacation.

1. Shop
The girls will surely love this part. There are a lot of items that are uniquely found in Greece. Tourists will also love replicas of the famous structures. There are places that you go to, to look for bargains. Greece is known for their bazaars and markets where you can get great deals. Here you can find things that you can bring to your loved ones at home and at very affordable prices.

2. Tour the countryside
The city is no the only place where you can have a great time. In fact, exploring the countryside will afford you with more of the ambiance of Greece. Remember that the country is actually not citified. Most of the places that are really enjoyable to go to will be the ones that most people have not gone to. Besides, would it not be great to be able to tell your adventure in areas where people have not been to. That way, you will have a different story to tell.

One downside in doing this is getting lost. If you prefer to go gallivanting on your own, make sure that you have with you a local who can help you to get there. If you are not familiar with the place yet or if you do not have a local who can help you, then it Is better to stick to the tours. At least, you will be safer there.

3. Eat
Greeces restaurants are great places to relax and just rest after touring the place. This is especially true if you have gone through so many sights during the day. Relaxing at a local caf or a restaurant is a great way to cap your evening. You should also try their famous restaurants. For a list of the recommended restos in the area, check with the local tourism office or at your hotel concierge. You can also check the internet for any listings and for some recommendations from bloggers.

4. Bar-hopping
Greece may have been an ancient city but this does not mean that they dont have modern haunts like bars where you can drink and dance the night away. Before going to any bars though, make sure that you have asked locals for the right direction and to also check if the area is okay for tourists. Remember that you are still new to the place and will need to go to places that are tourist-friendly. You can get information from your hotel concierge.

5. Walk
Walking is one way to enjoy the sights and the ambiance of the place. You can go early morning or really late at night when the weather is not as hot. Be careful though in going out late at night. Always ask if the area is safe.

When we all saw the movie, Jurassic Park, we were glad it was make believe the idea of there being a place where you could reach out and touch gigantic lizards who were as dangerous as they are large. But if there was a place where you can get that close to wild and ferocious beasts that are as ancient as those frightening dinosaurs, you might just want to jump on a plane and go there as fast as you can.

There is such a place not that far from Miami in the Everglades National Park. This historic preserve has been carefully protected to save for all of us a real American swampland full of exotic creatures that are not in zoos but that you can visit virtually face to face.

A visit to the Everglades seems like you are being teleported to another world entirely. The exotic swamp setting has creatures that are wild and strange to most of us as well as plant life itself seems to be from an alien land. The trees hang down runners all over the swamp that themselves lay down roots and become new trees. There are flowers with huge blossoms that open wide for you to reach in and sniff. But be careful that you dont get to close in case it is a meat-eating flower that snaps down on unfortunate insects to fly to close and devours them.

You can get to the Everglades Park by car from Miami. But once you are there, the best way to really experience the exotic animals is to get a guide to take you deep into the swamps. As you glide along in his boat, your guide will point out the slow moving nutria moving along, taking their time as though time had stopped entirely. And you will feel as though it did as the rest of civilization disappears and you are surrounded by that primitive swamp with no one but the guide to help you find your way out. You will be glad he is a friendly sort and not the kind to abandon you in these dangerous swamps.

Perhaps he will guide you to the pools where huge swarms of flesh eating fish lie just under the surface. As he scatters tiny bits of meat, you will see a feeding frenzy that makes it look like the water itself was boiling as the tiny fish with their sharp teeth swarm over the morsels to get their meal for the day.

Finally, the time you have been waiting for has come as he tells you to prepare yourself to meet the mighty alligator who haunts these swamps. These are not tame animals trained to do tricks for strangers. As the guide whistles to draw them out, you see nothing more than their snouts and eyes at first. They swim toward you, it seems like dozens of them, to the boat because they recognize his call. He throws bread or donuts to them and you see those mighty jaws open and clamp down to snap up their share of the treats.

Your skilled guide will make sure you get a chance to come up along side of one of these amazing lizards to examine their long scaly bodies as they swim. Their appearance is frightening, repulsive and strangely beautiful. He may even carefully coach you in how to reach out and touch the back of the huge alligator, his body and tail perhaps as much as ten to twelve feet long so you can know the feel of that strange prehistoric body in its natural setting. This will be a sensation you will not forget for years and perhaps never.

You may feel a sense of relief as your skilled guide maneuvers his craft back to civilization and you see your trusty car again. But you will come away from your trip to The Everglades with a new appreciation for the wonders of nature and the amazing diversity of life God has put on this planet. This is unlike any tour you ever took because you were right out there with those strange, exotic and dangerous beasts. But the rush of excitement of that danger is what makes the everglades one of the most fun and thrilling sights you will see on any of your travels around America.

Seattle Washington is a great place to visit for many reasons. Whether you are a nature lover or more into the things that define a civilization such as shopping malls, museums, and one Starbucks, Seattle has a little bit of everything to offer its visitors. In fact, visitors could quite easily find that they have done and spent all that they should have rather early in their travel time if they aren’t careful.

Below you will find a few great things to do on your trip that won’t require robbing the children’s college fund in order to pay for. I’m all for paying good money for good fun, but if I can find good fun for free, that means there’s more money left for things that would have otherwise been off limits because of prohibitive costs. So go ahead and plan the dinner train, you can make up the cost by eating breakfast from a box two mornings in a row or spending an afternoon in one of Seattle’s many great parks.

If you’d rather find indoor activities that are free, here are a few suggestions:

1) Frye Art Museum. Not only is the art top of the line, but the architecture is glorious as well. Through January of 2007, the Frye Art Museum is host to a very unique sound sculpture called Trimpin: Klompen this exhibit is comprised of 120 wooden Dutch shoes that literally dance before your very eyes. This exhibit is only one of many great exhibits that are sure to delight everyone in your group. This museum focuses on contemporary art from the 19th century to the present.
2) Museum and Arts Center. This particular museum is located about 50 miles outside of Seattle but might be worth the drive, especially if you enjoy taking in the scenery of the area. The fact that the museum is free is sometimes enough to make it worth the drive. Among the many exhibits that you or your children may find interesting is an exhibit of mammoth and mastodon in addition to a video on the mastodon excavation. In addition to this exhibit there are other exhibits that feature local artists and pioneer and historical displays.
3) Bellevue Arts Museum. This museum is only free on the first Friday night of every month. In addition to free admission and great art, there are live music and lectures from 5:30-9:00 pm. I feel this bears mentioning here because there are times to visit when this is free and I feel that this is a culturally significant activity that the entire family can enjoy.
4) Seattle Asian Art Museum. This museum is free on the first Thursday and the first Saturday of each month. Currently there is an exhibit of exquisite Buddhist art that represent the influences of Indian, Chinese, Tibetan, Korean, and Japanese artistic interpretations.
5) Wing Luke Asian Museum. This museum also offers free admission on the first Thursday of every month. Here you will find art and exhibits that are devoted to the Asian Pacific American culture. There is also a multimedia station that allows visitors to hear interviews with Japanese American citizens who were forced into internment camps during WWII. I think this is a museum that should be on everyone’s to do list whether you can make it on one of the free days or not. There is a lot to be learned here and I hope that you will be up for the lessons.

While these museums are for the most part smaller museums, they still represent a significant contribution not only of art, but history to the world of art and artists. Even if the cultural offerings of the many museums aren’t that appealing to you on a personal level, the benefits to your children might be surprising-especially when you consider the fact that you didn’t have to pay a dime for admission.