CERN Hadron Collider Works!

Woo hoo! Now, we’re all going to be swallowed into a Black Hole! Scientists at the Cern research center near Geneva got the Hadron Super Conducting Super Collider working again and have started slinging protons at each other to research the processes at the creation of the universe.  Doomsday scenarios have suggested that the machine could create a black hole which will eat the world – or at least large parts of Switzerland and France. We’ll hold our breath. Meanwhile you can visit CERN yourself. Visiting CERN Hadron Super Collider Center Geneva

Website Traffic Explodes!

Okay, maybe explodes is a little graphic, but a single story can take your website traffic to new heights without trying vary hard. A story on the “Fall of the Berlin Wall Anniversary” on the Bargain Travel Europe website found its way into many thousands of web browser searches daily in October and November, driven by the world press stories and overall interest.

Amelia Mystery

This is neither a movie review nor historical accuracy polemic, but an observation one takes away from the new movie “Amelia” about famous aviator Amelia Earhart played by Hilary Swank and her love affair with George Putnam, played by Richard Gere. The disappearance of Amelia Earhart has been a supposed mystery for 80 years, who “disappeared” over the south Pacific ocean on a world record attempt to fly around the world, but the film easily solves the mystery. In fact reveals her vanishing to be no mystery at all, no alien abduction or being eaten by aboriginal cannibals. Amelia Earhart couldn’t navigate. This is not exactly a spoiler to those who have yet to sea a pirated version on the movie – she missed her landing. One gets clearly that in all her major flights for which she received ticker tape parades and magazine covers, Amelia Earhart rarely managed to land where she intended. Following Charles Lindburgh’s all the more stunning feat to arrive in Paris in his solo effort – on her first transatlantic flight, rather than reaching Ireland, she missed by 400 miles and landed in Wales. On her solo attempt to repeat Lindburgh’s arrival at Bourget Airfield, out of fuel from being 1,000 miles off course she landed on the first farm field she could find in Northern Ireland, near Derry. On the last leg of her around the world trip, even with Fred Noonan aboard to navigate, Amelia Earhart missed her intended landing point by probably 200 miles and just ran out of fuel. For a pilot, pulling on the stick is not a difficult part of flying. Almost anyone can sit at the controls of an airplane and wander around the skies. Its landing the thing on a spot on terra firma you intended to reach that is the ultimate essence of flying, the part any pilot will tell you is the toughest to learn. Mystery solved.

A&O Hostels and Hotels Offers Summer Specials for the Budget Traveler

Looking for cheap lodgings in Germany’s favorite big cities? A&O hotels and hostels is one of Europe’s most recognized budget friendly operators of low cost accommodations, located primarily in Germany. With properties in Berlin, Hamburg, Dresden, Munich as well as Vienna and Prague and other smaller cites in Germany.
In August of 2009 A&O is offering a special at its Leipzig location for only one euro per person including breakfast for a one-night stay, with no minimum stay required.

Many of A&0’s hostels, and low cost tourist hotels known for added service and convenience is opening a third location right on Hamburg’s Reeperbahn. And another in Düsseldorf within walking distance of the Konigsallee shopping district, and the Altstadt old town with its bars, cafes and restaurants. A&O accommodations are already well known among the students and Europe’s backpackers. Unlike many hostel and 2-star properties, A&O is known for service and additional comfort – each location offers a full service reception, shared or private rooms and a bunch of extras. A&O Hostels

San Francisco Summer Discount – Go Card

If visiting to San Fancisco or Bay Area Go Card Single Price Admission cards can save some costs on admission to popular attactions and activities. The cards inspired by European travel service discount cards are now in use un the US and available for several  cities.

Porsche Museum Stuttgart

The new Porsche Museum has finally opened in Stuttgart. Planned since 2004 and designed like a top, the museum of sports and racing cars representing the speed and agilty of the Porsche brand is in the factory district of Zuffrenhausen north of Stuttgart at Porscheplatz. The white floors of the new garage are so clean you could picnic on them.

Folk Parks

Found a few Folk Parks particularly interesting. After riding on a bus with 40 or so journalists in the green hills of Croatia, found the Birthplace of Tito and Folk Museum in Kumrovec quite interesting and the Ulster American Folk Park in Northern Ireland  with its very realistic recreation of 19th Century seaports, including ship and farm towns on both sides of the Atlantic impressive for Scotch-Irish Ancestry.

Travels About

So, I’ve been traveling for pretty much a solid month and starting to knuckle down to cover my rabid wanderings to Croatia, Ireland, Wales, England, Austria and Germany.  No time for breath, hiking up mountains to castles and listening to Mozart played by musicians in wigs.

D-DAY ANNIVERSARY – GALERIES LAFAYETTE

Travelmode saves French-US relations.  Galeries Lafayette is offering a special comemmorative “Thank You” pin to U.S. UK and Canadian Citizens in recognition of the 65th Anniversary of D-Day. The pin comes with a 10% discount and a logo shopping bag at the Galeries Lafayette Paris, Caen and Rouen stores until June 10th. Okay, I suggested it. 2009 D-Day Anniversary Galeries Lafayette Pin Deal

Visit Europe Magazine

Okay, so I have an article coming out in Visit Europe Magazine on April 5, 2009, a suppliment sponsored by the European Travel Commission as an insert in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and San Francisco Chronicle. The article is “They Can’t Wait to Go Again – Making Dreams of Europe Come True in Times Like These” interviews of recent travelers to Europe.  They got the byline name right, Michael January, but for the website - a printing error in the Visit Europe Magazine put BudgetTravelEurope.com when the correct website is BargainTravelEurope.com  -  So if you’re looking for Budget Travel Europe information, don’t take a tour of Texas.