10 latest experiences http://www.hereorthere.com/members/intotheflame en-us On every second corner in Venice you will find either a mask shop or souvenier store displaying various glass vases, figurines and items of jewellery. We discovered that one of the islands close by Venice, Murano, is famous world-wide for its glass-works, and my cousin and I decided to take a day trip out of Venice to visit the birthplace of the exquisite glass art we'd seen and heard so much about. We managed to get a tour to three Venetian islands for around 11euro per person and turned up at 10am the next day, already sweating in the scorching heat. The cool breeze that hit our faces as the tour boat picked up speed was welcome after having baked in the summer sun for several days in the city. First stop was Murano. It was a lot less glamorous than I had imagined, but I followed our tour guide with eagerness to see what the simple buildings held within. I asumed we were being led to a showroom, and on the way I peaked into a few doorways to find men at work on brightly-colou... Venice, Italy intotheflame Sat, 03 Nov 2007 02:21:24 +0000 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/intotheflame/experience/1099 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/1099 High up in the Paris neighbourhood of Montmartre stands an exquisite piece of architecture - the Sacre Coeur, or "Sacred Heart" of the city. It's brilliant white stone reflects the sun on a bright day, standing as a pure beacon on the Montmartre hill. The basillica was built towards the end of the 19th century and serves as a holy site of Catholic devotion and attracts many pilgrims every year. Since I fell in love with Paris on a trip there in 2006, the Sacre Coeur has remained one of my favourite spots in the world. It is particularly special in the evening when the sun is setting and the tourist hoards are dwindling. I love to go there with a picnic of wine, bread and cheese (oh so French!) and sit on the steps to watch the city grow dark. Before the sun sets too low, you can spot the many monuments and sights of Paris, either using the telescopes provided (for around 1 euro) or with the naked eye. Le Louvre, Notre Dame, Invalides (church where Napoleon is buiried)....an... Paris, France intotheflame Mon, 15 Oct 2007 13:53:55 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/intotheflame/experience/1039 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/1039 It was our last evening in Stari Grad town, Hvar island. My friend and I were due to leave on the 11pm ferry for Split from where we'd catch a bus to Dubrovnik to catch our flight back. We had gathered in Antika bar to say a reluctant goodbye to our travel friends and local Faropis festival hosts for whom I'd performed. It came to 10.30pm and suddenly someone suggested we stay and take the 5am ferry, that way we'd spend a few more hours with them enjoying another night of stargazing and drinking on the island. We agreed and I started reminiscing with one of my camp-mates about all the things we could have done. "It would have been amazing to rent a car and travel the island in a day," I said. He looked at me and we clicked at the same time. To everyone's confusion we jumped up and ran off. Five minutes later we were stood with the owner of Stari Grad rent-a-car who we'd called from the mobile umber printed on the door of his closed shop. He seemed fine with us ringing him... Hvar, Croatia intotheflame Tue, 11 Sep 2007 18:23:50 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/intotheflame/experience/924 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/924 We arrived into Hvar island's main ferry port at 4:30pm, absolutely drenched in sweat from having baked ourselves on the ship's deck for the entire 6 and a half hours of the journey from Dubrovnik. My travel buddy even had the tan lines to show for it, but me being a total whitey had hardly turned a shade of "olive". We had stopped off only once on the way at Korcula, a pretty-looking island with a town that claims to be the birth place of Marco Polo. This is a contested fact, as most recall Marco Polo as the famous VENETIAN explorer, but Croatian locals seem to hold fast to their belief that the great traveller hailed from their homeland - hence the name of our ferry: Hvar, Croatia intotheflame Tue, 11 Sep 2007 17:34:42 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/intotheflame/experience/920 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/920 Among the excusrions and boat trips to various gorgeous islands offered by Stari Grad's taxi-boat service is the opportunity to attend a "Fish picnic". I had never thought of such a thing before and the concept was amusing as I imagined a group of fish getting together on a stretch of green grass to pinic in the sun together...a bit Alice-in-Wonderland eh? Well, I'd recommend the experience to anyone. Our taxi boat was captained by a hyperactive man whom we named 'Captain Jack Sparrow' for his long hair and slightly crazed, yet happy, demeanour. We were taken to a small, secluded bay on the island of Brac where we were met by a hilariously dressed man in a chef's hat and apron, decorated with a woman's bikini-clad body. We were all in stitches as our chef and 'Captain Jack Sparrow' hauled the boat up to the shore. Hvar, Croatia intotheflame Tue, 11 Sep 2007 17:10:38 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/intotheflame/experience/921 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/921 Dubrovnik is a beautiful place, but it is clouded by the inevitable mist of tourists that spoil it's charm somewhat. The Old City, enclosed in a walled fortress which dates back to over 1000 years ago, is a beautiful sight. As you enter the old city through a gateway, the narrow alleyways transport you back to a time before our own. Dubrovnik, Croatia intotheflame Wed, 29 Aug 2007 18:43:09 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/intotheflame/experience/872 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/872 Designed by Antoni Gaudi and built between 1905-07, the Casa Batllo is a masterpiece of modern surreal architecture. The locals call it the Casa dels Ossos (house of bones) and I have to agree with them, from the out side anyway. It's skeletal balconies and window frames give it the look of a mythical beast, the rainbow mosaics that decorate the front glinting like scales in the sun. Inside, the Casa Batllo is just as mesmerising. Every room has a concept, every doorway a different shape, celings ripple like water pools and the intense colour of mosaic tiles that are used a lot throughout the house's decor dazzle you. The first wonder we came across was a staircase that was built to look like the spine of a sea creature, the walls surrounding it painted with subtle scales to make it look like sheer skin, or a thousand tiny waves on the surface of the sea. Barcelona, Spain intotheflame Fri, 17 Aug 2007 16:31:36 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/intotheflame/experience/793 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/793 This is the kind of thing that's normal after a few days in Barcelona. Where Diagonal Avenue meets Passeig de Sant Joan you will find the Rotulos Roura Company building from the top of which this wonderfully weird 2D creature peers down. Apparently, it used to be a luminous advert for the company which develops and installs neon lighting. It used to emit hypnotising circled of light from its eyes, but since 2003 that's been stopped - probably cos they found themselves with a bunch of pedestrian zombies standing outside the office every morning having been hypnotised the manic-eye-owl during the night... Barcelona is like a museum; the buldings and districts of the city are works of art, purposefully exhibited in the public eye - and mostly for free! Of course, Barcelona has been home to many famous (particularly modern) artists over the decades: Picasso, Joan Miro, and of course, Gaudi (to name a few). Gaudi's works lie scattered all over the city, monumental reminders ... Barcelona, Spain intotheflame Fri, 17 Aug 2007 02:12:46 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/intotheflame/experience/791 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/791 Having been to Ireland every years since I was eight, I can say that despite that fact that the stunning scenery and hospoitality of the Irish people never changes, there's always something to keep things fresh - we had a great laugh at these Father-Jack-inspired hay bails (for those who've watched 'Father Ted') which welcomed us on the route from Cork airport to our house in Lauragh, a small village in the ring of Kerry. The view from our small cottage looks something like this: Lauragh, Ireland intotheflame Fri, 17 Aug 2007 00:47:37 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/intotheflame/experience/790 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/790 Our second day in Amsterdam and, despite being shattered from trapsing the allies and canalways all day, we were determined to have a cracking night out. Browsing the rack of advertisement cards at our campsite, I see a note on "JazzCafe Alto" - the oldest jazz cafe in Amsterdam, apparently. Live Jazz every night. Centre of town night life - Sorted! Two hours later my cousin and I are wandering round and round one particular street, half-sure that we're in the right place for all the bars, restaurants, meandering couples and groups of friends seeking drink and merriment. We walk up and down Korts Leidse-Dwarsstraat and Lange Leidse-Dwarsstraat several times, for over half an hour, in fact. Eventually, on the road that we've spent half an hour wandering, Korte LD, we come across a narrow doorway with JazzCafe Alto above it in blue neon. God knows how we missed it! Inside, the cafe was just scrumptious. Dim lighting, smoke curling upwards and dispersing through the room creat... Amsterdam, Netherlands intotheflame Sat, 11 Aug 2007 14:49:24 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/intotheflame/experience/724 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/724