| Backpack
Network - Official Newsletter
Europe, February 2004
Volume 2, Edition 1
Dear Travellers,
Warmest wishes for the new year to all our readers. If
you're travelling through Europe we hope you are rugging
up from the cold and enjoying the warmth of heated museums,
cosy cafes and lots of pastas, frites or hot coffee! We
hope you will encourage your travelling friends to also
join up and get some useful tips for travels in the new
year.
In this edition we detail:
- new hostels and hostel news
- travelling tales
and expeditions
- travel destinations
- helpful travel websites
- new jobs + useful
job links
- upcoming festivals
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NEW HOSTELS AND HOSTEL NEWS
Thanks to all readers who have sent in recent reviews
particularly Kerith Stovell (Australia) and Claire Schiavello
(Australia) from their travels in Europe. Here are the
latest hostel reviews from our sites:
Auberge Internationale des Jenues Youth Hostel (Paris)
by Kerith Stovell
It was 13 Euro a nght which included a brekky of a baguette
with butter and jam and hot chocolate/coffee. It was clean,
people were friendly, they had good luggage storage facilities,
and it was located right near the Bastille so was quite
central.
Hotel Montclair (Paris)
by Claire Schiavello
The only problem we had was in Paris staying at Hotel
Montclair, although this was close to the main attractions
the Hotel was extremely dingy and shift. In fact, they
swiped my card twice, I have just found out on my statement
and I am getting the transaction investigated by my bank.
I definitely advise you not to recommend them in future.
Funny, I had a gut feeling about this place and I straight
away requested a bank statement. They also were very disorganised,
their floor and kitchen was absolutely disgustingly dirty!
Even after I nicely asked them to clean it.
Proconsolo Rooms (Florence)
by Claire Schiavello
And in Florence where we stayed although the place was
extremely beautiful it was 4 floors up without any elevator
which for someone without a pram it would be fine. They
met us in Florence and showed us the way to the apartment,
they were very helpful. It was very central right next
to the Duomo, and a 15 min walk to the famous Ponte Vecchio.
They had all facilities in the kitchen frypans, cutlery
etc. It was a quiet place.
Casale Antoinetta Sorrento
by Claire Schiavello
In Sorrento Marco met us once we arrived and called him.
He was a lovely man, the apartment was lovely including
all facilities, it was clean and for an extra charge a
sit down breakfast was included. At first we thought it
was a bit far away from the attractions but it only seems
that way, you just need to walk maybe 2 minutes to the
main road then catch the bus or walk to the main touristy
street ( 15-20 min walk) 3 minutes by bus. There were
2 beds in one room & 1 double bed in the other. The
place is a hidden, quiet, relaxing spot and its better
to stay a few days there. We actually cancelled our stay
in Positano and stayed at Sorrento longer because there
was more to see there and 1 night wasn't enough to explore
Sorrento. The pool was nice and only used by us. We left
our car at the apartment because it was a tight squeeze
to get in and out of there and public transport was close
by. The public transport stopped in front of a big camping
ground which is the stop you need to get on & off
at. The apartment had a small lane way at the back of
it that leads you to the main road across the road from
the camping ground. Also, it's better to catch the foil
boat from Sorrento to the island of Capri, rather than
any where else on the coast that way you are not back
tracking.
Kabul Youth Hostel, Barcelona
by Michael Smiddy
I stayed one night at the Kabul youth hostel. Very central,
lots of backpackers and English speaking staff. Seemed
decent enough. But not cheap. Has laundry facilities.
They will change their name soon if they haven't already
(seriously). My other 14 nights in this great city were
spent at a friend's place.
Easton Hotel and Hotel Boulevard, London
Sarah Joyce Uy
We stayed in Easton Hotel. I did not quite like the place.
We were in 1 of the basement rooms. In fairness, the place
was quite big and have the basic problem-free amenities.
However, the overall atmosphere is like we're living in
a storage room which made us uncomfortable. The location
however, is good because it is near the main train station.
The second one is called the Boulevard Hotel which is
also near the main train station. The room is really,
really cramped. Our luggage hardly fit the room so we
have to have our luggage stand everytime we wanted to
move inside the room. It was supposed to have airconditioning.
But when we were there, it was broken. Anyway, it was
portable airconditioning and I doubt it will get cold
anyway. I liked this better than the first one as it is
cheery, bright and furniture is pretty new. Both places
don't have elevators too. However, in the Boulevard Hotel,
walls and floors are thin. In our case, it was just ok
as the noise were at decent waking hours. By the way,
both of us are heavy sleepers so I'm not sure if light
sleepers will be comfortable.
We welcome all accomodation reviews. To read or add them
go to:
Italian
reviews
French
Reviews
Spain
Reviews
Worldwide
Reviews
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TRAVELLING TALES AND EXPEDITIONS
Roaming Europe - Spain
Australian speech pathologist Kerith Stovell left her
home in Bundaberg for an assault on Europe which took
her through Spain, England, Wales, France and Germany.
To read her Spanish journey click
here
Roaming Europe - Paris
This is another tale from Kerith Stovell of Australia
about falling in love with Paris. To read the tale click
here
If you have a recent tale (and pics) that you would like
to share please email us at editor@backpackglobe.com
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TRAVEL DESTINATIONS
Featured here are some of Europes lesser known islands
for you to consider this year in your travels:
Sardegnia, Italy
This island of the west coast of Italy is actually the
second largest in the Mediterranean and one of Italy's
least visited regions. It has remained somewhat isolated
over the centuries because of it's location. But this
has meant its people have a separate culture and identity
from mainland Italy or il continente . It also serves
to make it fascinating. People do understand Italian but
speak their own local Sardo dialect. There is plenty to
see from the Nuraghic ruins, unspoiled coastlines, colonies
of flamingo's and griffons to tiny medieval villages and
associated festivites. People are gracious and hospitable
and if you're lucky might invite you for some mirto or
even a cheese specialty - with maggots! For more information
we suggest you visit the following web page:
Corsica, France
This island off the south-eastern French coast has a unique
identity to the rest of the nation much like Sardegnia
to Italy. It has actually only been French for 200 of
its 4000 year existence and this may have something to
do with it. Among Corsica's claims to fame are its wild
and rugged coastlines and countrysides which are fantastic
for boating, walking and exploring; little towns of Genoese
origins with strong fishing industries; an ever prevalent
aroma of cheeses and wines; and also as the birthplace
of Napoleon Bonaparte. Some of the more interesting festivals
are held in October and November in Bastia so don't just
leave a visit for the warmer months. For more information
go to:
Shetland Islands, Scotland
If you want something remote, a little windy and more
Scandinavian than Scottish; travel the 97km sea journey
north of the Orkney Islands for a taste of something different.
There are excellent opportunities for walking with large
bird populations and an archaeological heritage dating
back 4000 years well before the Norse occupants who ruled
until 1469. There are 100 islands in total but only 15
are inhabited. Mainland is the largest and the capital
of Lerwick is the biggest town. If you base here there
is a fort, museum, fishing areas and castle ruins to see.
For more information go to:
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HELPFUL TRAVEL WEBSITES
As usual we are pleased to get you to check out our European
sites:
BackpackItaly
- independent travel in Italy
BackpackFrance
- independent travel in France
BackpackSpain
- independent travel in Spain
BackpackGlobe - independent global travel
Other good sites we've come across recently include:
http://www.guideforeurope.com
- great links pages with budget airlines listed
http://www.travelang.com/languages
- basic language guide for European, Middle Eastern
and African languages
http://www.visitedplanet.com
- worldwide travel images
If you have found an excellent travel website send us
the link - editor@backpackglobe.com
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JOBS AND USEFUL JOB LINKS
Work Links
For work in Italy try " Wanted
in Rome " - a publication advertising jobs for expatriates,
many do not require any level of Italian and can include
cafe and bar work, nannying, or English tutoring.
TNT magazine - advertises jobs mainly in the UK but occasionally
on the European mainland - http://www.tntmagazine.co.uk
The EduFind ELT Job Centre - for teaching English Abroad
- http://www.jobs.edufind.com
Working Abroad - http://www.workingabroad.com/
Teaching English as a Foreign Language - http://www.tefl.com/
If you want a job in a hostel this summer now is the time
to scouting out the major hostels in the larger cities
of Europe. A visit in March could prove advantageous when
positions can be advertised.
Bulletin Boards
We regularly list new jobs on our bulletin boards. Check
out the link below for details or to add your own bulletin:
Worldwide
Italy
France
Spain
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UPCOMING FESTIVALS
Here are some selected highlights from around Europe.
For more details email us at editor@backpackglobe.com
January
20th San Sebastian (Spain) La Tamborada
February
13-25th Nice (France), Carnaval de Nice - feasts, parades,
concerts and parties
For more information: http://www.nicecarnaval.com
April
1 week before Easter, Seville and Avila (Spain), Semana
Santa - processions of brotherhoods in penitents' garb
Late, Seville (Spain), Feria de Abril - six days of dancing,
music, horse riding and daily bullfights. Easter Sunday,
Florence (Italy) Scoppio del Carro or Explosion of the
Cart - the eruption of a cartful of fireworks in Piazza
del Duomo, set off by a mechanical dove released from
the altar during High Mass.
May
12-23 Cannes (France), Cannes Film Festival - prestigious
film festival for one week in southern France.
24-June 6 Paris (France), French Open Tennis - one of
the four major grand slam tournaments of the year at Roland
Garros. For more information: http://www.frenchopen.org
Mid May Sassari (Sardegnia, Italy) Cavalcata Sarda or
The Sardinian Cavalcade - a traditional procession of
more than 3,000 people in Sardinian costume winding through
Sassari.
Last Sunday Gubbio (Italy) Palio della Balestra or The
Palio of the Archers - a medieval crossbow contest in
Gubbio, dating from 1461.
For more details go to some of these links:
Worldwide
Festivals
Italian
festivals
Spanish
festivals
Fremch
Festivals
European Festivals - http://www.eurofestivals.com
Festivals.com - http://www.festivals.com
Worldwide festivals - http://www.2camels.com/destination17.php3
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We hope you found our newsletter interesting and helpful.
We plan for the editions to become more regular in 2004.
If you would like to make any comments or see something
different in the newsletter email us at editor@backpackglobe.com
If you would like to unsubscribe from this newsletter
go to this url:
http://www.backpackglobe.com/join_bp/newsletter.asp
For more information on travelling around the globe check
out our sites:
http://www.backpackitaly.com
http://www.backpackfrance.com
http://www.backpackspain.com
http://www.backpackglobe.com
http://www.backpackoceania.com
- coming soon!
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