Situated in the centre of the country, Madrid is the capital. It is a city of over 3 million people and a crossroads for rail, road and air travel. Its altitude of 660 meters gives rise to a classic temperature profile of cold winters and hot summers, making spring and autumn the best times to visit. Those who can get away from Madrid during August make for the cooler north or south to the Med.

Despite the climate the capital city has its own individual personality. It holds the Paruqe del Retiro, a world famous area of paths and avenues, a royal palace and grand public squares. Its museums are brimming with Spain?s historic treasures. Madrid is a city that has the best in shopping facilities. The latest designer clothes are sold in classy upmarket stores. There are food markets throughout the city and the centuries-old Rastro, open every Sunday, is one of the world?s greatest flea markets.

The central plateau is covered in dry plains and massive rolling fields. Given the attractions of the Costas and the Islands it is not an area where many Europeans call home. It is a place to work. Long straight roads and huge fields with wheat, sunflowers and grape overwhelm the region. It is deserted and of real beauty, suitable for those endangered in agriculture or for those who want to get off the beaten track, going back to the roots in old rural Spain.

Contributed by S.Fry of http://www.spainlog.co.uk, see more of her work at Spain family holidays

South Lake Tahoe, especially the Nevada side has really interesting architecture. It tries to recreate the Las Vegas experience within a half mile stretch. Tall hotel towers, bright lights, glitter and gamblers. Harvey’s Casino Resort is located right on the border with California so many people cross over from the quaint California side (just across the street) to try their luck. We stayed at Harvey’s in the middle of May ….

Our room had outstanding views. Lake Tahoe in all its glamour with surrounding forests and snow capped mountains. I found myself staring at this wonderland all the time … Hotel room was decent. Clean and modest. Moving through the hotel though did not give me a Lake Tahoe experience at all. Air inside the resort was very smoky. Everything had a gambling focus. With all this wonderful nature around us, we were completely isolated from it.

Staff was pleasant. Hotel was a bit dated though it seemed like they made the most of what they have. We did not try any restaurants here.

The highlight of the entire trip included being far away from any urban areas. Lake Tahoe is so beautiful and offers such variety of activities that once you are here the last thing I would recommend is to hang around your hotel and inhale cigarette smoke. On our next visit we will probably to stay on the California side in a smaller hotel/motel.

Harveys Lake Tahoe
P.O. Box 128
Stateline , NV 89449
Phone: 775-588-2411

Michael Philip is one of the editors and contributors for the SeeTheGlobe.com web site. SeeTheGlobe.com is a travel information web site and community. Reviews of restaurants, hotels, airlines and other travel resources are provided from first hand accounts.

The city of Berlin is built around the River Spree and its hospitality extends a warm welcome to tourists and visitors. Berlin hotels offer good budget accommodation making Berlin City a popular destination for those visiting.

This exciting city is home to innumerable landmarks. The tallest structure in Berlin City, the Fernsehturm Television Tower is a prominent tourist attraction. Be sure to check out Potsdamer Platz complete with shops, bars, cafes and places of entertainment. You will come across the Egyptian Museum which incredibly houses 6000 year old artifacts. During the course of your tour you will be able to view sculptures as well as old and modern paintings by Van Gogh, Cezanne and Picasso in the many art galleries worth a visit in Berlin.

To de-stress oneself, you can visit Berlin?s central park over 630 acres, the Tiergarten. The surroundings here full of gardens, trees, flowers and beer garden provide a secluded environment where one can quietly sit in solitude and experience peace within oneself. The Brandenburger Gate, an important symbol of German reunification is an important landmark which joins two sides of the city and has a busy road running underneath it.

The exciting thing about Berlin is that it provides a relaxed atmosphere, very conducive to attracting tourists and making them feel welcome. It has something to offer almost everyone. Thrills, excitement, history and exhibitions, animals and exotic locales, you can expect almost everything here in Berlin. An easy way to go about sightseeing is to buy hop on / off bus tour tickets which allow you to leave the bus to explore and get back on when done.

http://www.stayresgermany.com/berlin-cities.html

http://www.stayresgermany.com/berlin-hotels.html

Unless you live right near Disneyland then when you organize your holiday, you know that it means you are going to have to take into account how to get there. There are two issues that you need to deal with. The first is what transportation method you?ll use and the second is how you will keep your young children amused on the way. There is no denying that traveling with children is a whole new test of your parental ingenuity.

Do the scout/girl guides thing and be prepared with backups and lots of distractions. Who knows maybe by following these tried and true tips you?ll arrive triumphant at the other end?OK, maybe not triumphant but perhaps you?ll manage to keep your cool the whole way and that is something!

Here are 12 things you need to carry with you and not in the trunk or luggage hold:

1.A change of clothes for each child and socks (it can get cold on airplanes and the socks provided don?t come in any size other than big).

2.Extra clothes for you in case of spills.

3.Tissues (can you ever have too many where young children are concerned?), a few empty plastic bags (to contain any smelly nappies and dirty clothes) and a face washer. Take a Ziploc bag for the face washer so that when it?s wet, not everything else in your bag gets damp.

4.Variety of snack food (cereal, sultanas, crackers, fruit etc) in Ziploc bags. If you?re on a plane, the food never comes quickly or often enough and if you?re in a car, you can guarantee a child will be hungry 15 minutes after you departed.

5.Drink bottles ? disposables are handy but sometimes having the comfort of a familiar drink bottle makes it worth taking your child?s with you. It depends a bit on the child and how adept they are at drinking from a regular bottle.

6.A new toy for each child ? something they haven?t seen before and won?t see until you get going and they start to get restless. Make it something that isn?t noisy, doesn?t take batteries (or if it does, take some spares), that they can interact with, that doesn?t require your involvement to put it back together if it falls apart and that isn?t made up of a million pieces that can get lost down the back of the seat. A tall order I know but I can tell you from experience that it?s worth spending a bit of time choosing something that fits the bill.

7.A couple of books, preferably one or two new ones.

8.Balloons ? they don?t take up much space and are perfect for that transit stop that seems to take forever. There is nothing like a child chasing a balloon to make everyone feel that bit better and lighter about life. The other thing to do with balloons is to blow them up and then let the air out slowly with the opening directed at the child. My children love this. They squint and turn their faces away and then double up with laughter and shout ?more, more?. Again this may require a bit of discretion because the noise of an exhaling balloon can be loud and well, unbecoming.

9.Bubble mix ? another space saver that works a charm. Best saved for outdoors.

10.Drugs. I?m going to get controversial here as I know this isn?t a choice everyone is comfortable with but drugs to help children sleep, especially on long haul flights, can be an absolute lifesaver ? for you and the child. Taking children across many time zones in a steel capsule with an uncomfortable chair for a bed isn?t their choice for a good night?s sleep, so make it easier for them by helping them to get some rest. It means you will all arrive in better shape.

11.A favourite toy or sleep buddy (preferably something small) can be an enormous comfort to an over-tired or stressed child.

12.And lastly don?t forget to take something to read for yourself. You never know they may sleep or watch a movie and you could be left wondering what to do with yourself. Nothing too ambitious or bulky. A magazine or short story should do the trick

What should you put it all in? If you have to do any walking, a daypack is best because it won?t slip off your shoulders, leaves both hands free and has lots of compartments so you can find things, like your wallet, in a hurry.

If this list sounds like a lot to you, believe me when I say that being prepared can make all the difference between a never-ending ordeal and an unusual, possibly pleasurable way to pass time.

Happy traveling!

If you’re planning a Disney holiday then you’ll be sure to want to find out the insider information that the official sites tend to gloss over. For articles, up-to-date news and resources on Disney holidays go to Disney Insider Info.

The best way to see Amsterdam is from the water. To get the best sight a range of boat excursions can be booked at the information offices of Amsterdam Tourist & Convention Board. There is lot of choice it can either be a jazz cruise, or an architecture trip or even a trip by Museum Boat. There is a wide range of excursions in and around Amsterdam. There is so much choice that one is spoilt for choice. Though Amsterdam itself is a good tourist destination, it does not mean that you can?t go sightseeing outside the city limits.

In addition to tours through the city, various excursions take a person to towns and places of interest around Amsterdam. One can go to Marken, Edam, Alkmaar and the windmills of Zaanse Schans, the Keukenhof and Waterland.

The type of excursion a person is planning will be the base for booking any trip. Is the outing with a group of friends, relatives or colleagues? One can book many group excursions available from the tourist information office. A bike tour which goes along many surprising sights in or around Amsterdam may be just what a person is looking for. There is enough choice to even arrange an all-inclusive theme parties, such as a typically Dutch party or a Rembrandt Night.

To say that Amsterdammers are avid cyclists is a bit of an understatement. There are some 400km of bike paths in the city alone. These paths give top priority to cyclists, and nowhere is the humble cycle so revered, here even cars and pedestrians come a poor second. To have a local’s perspective on the city, one can just hire a bike and go along the way one wants to.

The Vondelpark is an exquisite place for a stroll or a jog, particularly in spring, however if one wants more of a serious leg-stretch, the sprawling Amsterdamse Bos is the place to head. The lover of skating can get to skate on frozen canals and the Museumplein pond during the winter, though if a person goes in the Jaap Edenbaan indoor and outdoor rinks instead. The healthy atmosphere of Amsterdam gives everyone a chance to be a tourist as well as to be fit.

Rahul viz recommends that you visit http://www.bookings.nl/city/nl/amsterdam.html?aid=305255 for more information on AMSTERDAM – THE TOURS.

Barcelona?s renaissance can be traced back to 1992, the year the Olympic torch arrived in the city, but 14 years later the Catalan capital is still seeing phenomenal growth in the number of visitors.

It?s easy to see why though, as it offers visitors a mild, northern Mediterranean climate, a healthy dose of culture, and what seems like an almost infinite number of bars and restaurants. It is also easy to see why Barcelona was chosen to host the ?92 Olympics as it is home to one of the greatest sporting clubs on earth, Futbol Club Barcelona.

Getting there

Barcelona was first made easily accessible to the UK by easyJet and the dramatic increases in tourism is surely as much due to the availability of cheap flights as to the desire to visit Barcelona. These days there are dozens of flights to Barcelona operated by budget airlines in the UK, Germany, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe, while Ryanair flies into Girona-Costa Brava airport and Reus from a number of countries including the UK and Ireland — both these airports are less than 2 hours from Barcelona. The latest country to be able to easily experience the charms of Barcelona is the United States, with Delta now operating direct flights from New York and other locations.

Where to stay

Probably your first thought will be a hotel, but there are also good deals on short-term apartment rentals. Usually massively renovated, apartments can be suitable for up to 10 people, although some of them are in Barcelona?s less salubrious neighbourhoods ? if in doubt you should ask your rental agency.

Barcelona has a decent list of hotels too, although award winning Hotel Arts is a little too far from the real action to be considered by anyone wanting to get in the thick of it. Hotel Majestic is just a few minutes from Pla?a Catalunya though and so perfect for seeing the sights ? Gaud??s Casa Batllo and La Pedrera are a stone throw away — and has a first-class restaurant and rooftop pool too.

Other notable hotels include Le Meridien, just off the Ramblas, while directly opposite Barcelona?s cathedral is Hotel Colon. Of course there are plenty of hotels offering slightly less in the way of luxury too.

Sightseeing

Although your time may be short, there are some things you just cannot afford to miss in Barcelona. The first of these is a simple walk down the Ramblas. Although rather touristy these days, it remains somewhere to watch life go by while soaking up some of Barcelona?s atmosphere. There are plenty of bars and cafes on the Ramblas, so when you feel like a rest for a coffee or a beer you just need to grab a table and attract the attention of a waiter.

You should also not miss any of Gaud??s fantastic architecture, from the iconic Sagrada Familia cathedral, still unfinished after more than a century, to Casa Batllo and La Pedrera on Passeig de Gra?ia. And one much overlooked Gaud? project is the Parc G?ell, again uncompleted, but fantastic to walk around to marvel at his designs. There you can also visit a museum dedicated to his life and work.

As these sights are rather spread out you are best off taking the tourist bus from Pla?a Catalunya. The bus allows you to hop on and off where you like, on a tour of the city that allows you take in all the best sites, including the Gaud? wonders. For around 15 Euros for a day it is excellent value and its route allows you to get an overview of much of Barcelona without wearing your shoe leather too much.

Food and drink

One of Barcelona?s great benefits is the number of restaurants and bars, and good restaurants abound. Many visitors are surprised at how cheap restaurants can be, perhaps compared to the menus in London, Paris and Rome, but to find good food for a reasonable price you need to follow one simple rule ? stay away from the Ramblas, Maremagnum — near the old port — and the Port Olimpic.

One area that has been gaining in popularity for a few years now, first with the locals and now with tourists too, is the area known as El Born. Consisting of a maze of streets that at one time were virtually a complete no-go area, the area today has a real buzz and the best restaurant to eat in is any that has a table for you. Remember that the Spanish eat late and so restaurants will be empty before nine o?clock, but where is the fun in that? And instead of a sit-down meal you can also trail from bar to bar eating some any of delicious tapas that appeals to you – particularly recommended are the Basque tapas bars you find in the area.

David Leigh has been a frequent visitor to Barcelona for most of his life, finally settling there in 2001. You can visit his two Barcelona-related websites at http://www.catalunya.co.uk and http://www.simplybarcelonatickets.com