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Huntsville - a touch of southern comfort.
The city of Huntsville, nestled amongst the hills of north Alabama, is certainly not the backwater southern town that I perhaps expected. It manages to combine a delightful historical old-town with a state of the art high-tech modern city built around the U.S. space programme. ... Full story
Car Hire - Safety Tips for Driving Abroad
There are fifty two weeks in a year, and most of us will spend fifty of those daydreaming about the glorious two weeks we will spend away from our regular lives, in some remote corner of our own personal paradise. But before you set off to enjoy your well-deserved holidays, there are a few things you should keep in mind to make your journey as safe as possible. ... Full story
Venice - Always Special
A trip to Venice is always special but it doesn't have to cost the price of a small mortgage to be truly memorable. On a recent visit we stayed in a hotel across the lagoon in Mestre which whilst lacking the inspirational views and atmosphere was a relaxing alternative to the over-priced accommodation on the Islands. ... Full story
Devilish Drums and Parisian Sounds in the French Caribbean
The drums of Africa get married to elegant court music from Paris No church Sanctus: drums were nothing other than the devil’s work in the eyes of the clergy. Nonetheless, the rhythm of the slaves from Africa found fertile ground on the French Caribbean islands. It blended with quadrilles, polkas and waltzes from Paris to create new Creole sounds with their own distinctive identities: bélé, gwo-ka and biguine are the counterparts to the reggae and calypso of the English-speaking islands. ... Full story
Grenada - Drummers Spicing It Up
Grenada‘s drummers spice up the fire of Africa with Asian discipline. “When we play, the audience gets something to watch,” says Livingston Nelson confidently. He and his Tivoli Drummers have taken Grenada’s traditional drumming and developed something completely new out of it: a meticulously composed spectacle combining hot rhythms and fascinating choreography. ... Full story
Tobago Weddings - anywhere but the Church
Wedding in Tobago: People get married anywhere but in church or at the registry office There’s no place too adventurous to say "Yes". Monika Schenkel has arranged marriages on deserted beaches, in the jungle and even on the bottom of the sea. ... Full story
Tobago's Forest Guardian
Guardian of the tropical jungle: Tobago's forest spirit really exists He puts the fear of God into careless hunters: if you kill too many animals, Papa Bois will come and get you, goes the legend. And that’s what Tobago’s inhabitants now call David Rooks in their old Patois language: "Father of the forests". Since, just like the legendary character of the same name, the lively 67-year-old is considered as the guardian of Tobago’s jungle, the oldest rainforest reserve in the world. ... Full story
Why you should hire a car on holiday - and pitfalls to watch out for!
With the world now only a click away, the trend of booking a DIY holiday is now greater than ever. More and more people are turning to the World Wide Web to search out the best bargains on flights, accommodation and car hire. There are many benefits in booking your holiday in this way, as you are able to tailor every detail to suit your holiday requirements. The car hire part of a holiday is generally last on the booking list and often people beg the question: “why do we need a car hire?”. ... Full story
Secluded beach idylls - Where to enjoy sand, palms and sea all to yourself
Have you been dreaming of having a palm-studded beach all to yourself? – Where the only traces of human life are your own footprints in the sand? – Where there is no sound to be heard except the rush of the waves? – Grenada’s south-eastern coast conceals more than a dozen such Caribbean paradises, hidden away in dramatic tropical fjords – usually accessible only over bumpy roads or on foot. If you know how to find them... ... Full story
Dominica's Caribs chasing 'tasty' Pirates of the Caribbean
Johnny Depp only narrowly escapes coming to a tasty end on the grill. He is chased through the jungle by gruesome figures with grinning skulls decorating their heads and wearing necklaces made of human bone. How the charming pirate manages to escape the cannibals without getting cooked is revealed in the second "Pirates of the Caribbean" film, much of which was filmed in Dominica. ... Full story