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Archive: September, 2009

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Costa Rica Vacation – Best Flight Out of Town

After my girlfriend and I took a look at the various locations and the entertainment provided we made a decision. It seemed the best thing to do was to do a 10-day trip. We thought that 5 days on the coast and 5 days inland around San Jose and Monteverde would give us a nice visit and allow us to see a wide area of the country.

I got on the phone and called a local travel agent and had a little talk. I learned quite a bit. You can book your own flight because these days there aren’t many tour discounts. That is becoming a thing of the past. But with tours you have it made easy for you. You are picked up and directed to the different restaurants and entertainment available to you.

September, October, and November are the rainy and hurricane season. Prime season is January, February, March, and April. You will pay top dollar for these times of year. It seems there is a small window in the beginning of December and again for the month of May for you to get good rates.

When I talked to the travel agent she said she had been to Costa Rica a couple of years ago. She said that the traffic in San Jose was miserable. I am from Seattle and I hate traffic. It seems I can never get away from it. When I said that I had issues with traffic I was told that I could fly into Liberia Airport the other side of the island and avoid the capital all together.

It seemed to me that spending one day in the capital would be sufficient. I wanted to spend the rest of my 5 days inland at Monteverde and visit the Arenal volcano. So I decided that I would fly in from Houston Airport to Liberia Airport on the coast of Costa Rica spend my 5 days there, and then I would fly out of the San Jose airport back home.

I was still unsure of when I would be able to actually take this trip but I did ask the travel agent to give me some sample rates for flights. She gave me Wednesday thru Thursday bookings because she said that you get better rates booking that way instead of weekend to weekend. It allows the hotels to maximize their occupancy. You might keep that factoid in mind when asking the boss for time off.

The agent gave me sample prices for flights. For the high season of January, February, March, April, the plane fare on Continental and Delta were $655.00 per person. In the off-season the plane fare was $502.00 so at least there is a choice.

The first thing I have to do is get a passport and that has worried me. With all the changes brought about by 911 I know it is nowhere near as easy as it used to be to get a passport. I had heard that it can take you up to a year to get one. I asked the travel agent about this and she said that things were running much smoother and it was taking a little more than 12 weeks to get your passport.

When planning your trip, consider your comfort. The Caribbean side of the island can be more humid, especially in the summer months.

categories General

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Seeing Architecture on your Italy Vacation

During your Italy vacation you will find that architecture here has had strong ties to religion through the ages. Many of the great architectural pieces are religious buildings such as churches and chapels. Just walking around the tourist attractions and in the country side you will come across several chapels and churches with great and unique architectural design. There are numerous other pieces to see in the architectural center of the world. But as with many things when you are on vacation you will draw more out of a tour if you have a guide. You guide will be able to provide you with the history surrounding what you are seeing and its significance. He or she will be able to accurately describe the architectural style and point out important details.

Although a lot of architecture is surrounded by religion in Italy, nothing says a great piece of ancient architecture like the Colosseum. This is one of the most popular destinations for tourists on vacation in Italy and also the world but the name of its architect is unknown. It is the huge stadium that was built for sporting events and is now infamous for the gladiator games that took place here. It could seat 50,000 people and had 80 entrances! During your Italy vacation you can enter the Colosseum by yourself or with a group for an unlimited time but you can take a guided 45 minutes tour which will only cost you a few dollars more. You will probably get more out of your visit by taking the guided tour option.

An excellent piece of architecture that you may be able to see if you are in Venice while in Italy for vacation is the Il Teatro del Mondo. This translates to “The Theatre of the World.” It is a more modern piece of architecture designed by Aldo Rossi that opened in 1979. Modeled after the floating theatres that were in Venice in the 18th century, it was constructed in a shipyard and then carefully towed across town. Using steel beams for support the builders welded the beams together to create a raft that now sits on the water. The architect Aldo Rossi had a dream to recompose Venice and as you will see during your Italy vacation here he managed to bring old Venice into the new.

If you are in Florence, Italy on vacation, you should probably see the Pallazo Vecchio. It is huge gothic town hall with a famous copy of Michelangelo’s David statue. At one point in Italy’s history, this building was the seat of the government around 1865. It is now where Florence’s city council holds its offices. Each room, courtyard and entrance features beautiful architectural designs. There are private rooms and studies and each room is named after an architectural feature in the room. During your Italy vacation, you can take a guided tour of this huge building or you can walk through it at your leisure to marvel at the amazing ceilings and beautiful designs.

categories Vacation

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Visiting the coast for your Italy vacation

If you are like many people you need to see some water to feel like you are truly on vacation-lots and lots of water! Italy boasts some of the most beautiful beaches and resorts in all of Europe.

The Amalfi coast is just south of Naples and you may want to visit this area as part of your Italy vacation. Amalfi is a resort town also known for its lemon trees. Not only do you get the sea here but this is the region that has the famous cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum and also the Mt. Vesuvius volcano. During your Italy vacation here you will find that public transportation is very easy to use especially around the Bay of Naples. If you do decide to drive around here on your Italy vacation you must remember that the roads along the coast tend to be narrow so you have to be very careful. There are several beach hotels and resorts and along with the sandy shores and green-blue waters this promises to deliver a beautiful Italy vacation.

If you would prefer a seaside vacation away from most other tourists you would do better to visit the old fishing villages along the Italian Riviera. The Italian Riviera is a portion of the Italian coast that lies between the Liguiran Sea and the mountains. The capital of the Liguria region is Genoa. During your Italy vacation in the area, you will find that fishing is a huge part of the economy here. The fishing village of Portifino is world famous and tends to be visited by many tourists but it will not be as crowded as the Amalfi Coast.

Here you will find the Statue of Christ of the Abyss placed about 17 meters under water to protect the fishermen and divers. Beach resorts in Japan and Orlando, Florida have been built to recreate the details of the Portifino Harbor on the Italian Riviera.

For more beautiful coastal scenery during your Italy vacation, you may want to visit Bordighera. This is also a fishing village along the Italian Riviera. There will probably be fewer crowds here and this place is known for being a vacation spot for the wealthy in Europe. The palms used on Palm Sunday in the St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome are from Bordighera.

If you love seafood, you will have plenty of opportunity to indulge in delicious delicacies while you are visiting the coast for your Italy vacation. Seafood is a big part of these regions and you will be able to taste the freshness in the meals prepared by the restaurants you eat at along the coast during your vacation. Some of the best seafood restaurants in Italy will be found along the coastal regions.

During your Italy vacation here you will get the chance to sample some mouth-watering herb-crusted shrimp, scallop linguine and traditional halibut fish with leeks. Olive oil, garlic and Italian sweet parsley are widely used in seafood dishes here along with other Italian herbs such as basil, oregano and rosemary.

categories Vacation

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