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I checked out a baseball match at Shea Stadium (Queens/Flushing). Home of the Mets, the stadium is due for demolition next year when they move to the Citi field being built next door. It was a good occasion although I know next to nothing about baseball!
The tickets we brought were $39, and it wasn’t a bad view. There are $25 tickets much further back in the stands.
We are standing in searing 38ºC heat in a small Spanish village square with goggles on. We are amongst a staggering 30,000 people and are being doused with water, buckets of it, from the flats above. Meanwhile, there are people trying to climb a greasy pole to reach a Serrano ham at the top.
BANG! A cannon fires.
The crowd roars and dumper trucks arrive, tipping tomatoes into the street. The crowd surges, grabbing tomatoes and hurling them at anything in sight. Within minutes we are ankle deep in tomatoes, water and assorted t-shirts. All three are also hitting us from all sides.
This is the madness that is La Tomatina, the biggest, messiest food fight in the world. For just one hour, the streets are filled with half-naked people covered in the sticky smelly mess. Then, the cannon fires once again and the wonderful Tomatina is over for another year and the cleanup begins.
Just where did it all begin? The story goes that one day in the 1940s a resident of this little town was walking across the town hall square singing, badly, and through a makeshift megaphone. Market stallholders and shoppers expressed their views of his bad singing by hurling tomatoes at him and a salad fight ensued. It was such fun that they decided to do it annually. It has survived bannings and public uprisings over the years to become one of the best known of the Spanish Fiestas of the year.
Oh, and why the goggles? Just try rubbing squashed tomato in your eyes!
Long live La Tomatina!
Buñol, Comunitat Valenciana, Spain
www.thisisvalencia.com/latomatina.html
The palace in Stockholm is well worth the SEK 120 admission fee - it was one of the highlights of our stay in the city. For a little extra grandeur and spectacle, try to catch the changing of the guard which takes place at 12.10pm (1.10pm on Sundays).
Slottskajen, Gamla Stan
If you're travelling in the Loire Valley, plan to visit the chateaux at night as many have light spectacles. At Blois on Wednesdays, it's in English. On July 4/5 over 2,000 candles are lit in the grounds of Villandry and Azay-le-Rideau has a wonderful show most evenings.
They don't start till late (sunset 9.30pm) so, if you have kids, eat somewhere late then visit, most of the nearby villages have bistros. Chenonceau has musicians roaming and night lights. Other events can be found below.
For other events in the area see: www.myweekin.net
The International Festival of Alternative and Experimental theatres is one of the oldest theatre festivals in Poland. It has been organised continuously since 1975. Always taking place in April, it is a good opportunity to combine a spring city break and cultural event. The weather in spring is usually bit more friendly than in London and you will enjoy spending the first nights out, having a drink.
The festival is an opportunity to get a first glance at the new season's productions. It uses the theatre in an attempt to make us aware of a problem that concerns us all from an unknown and extraordinary angle.
The ITB is the biggest tourism show in Europe. It is totally amazing - more or less every country is representing itself. You get great inspiration for your next trip, also you can discover new stuff, enjoy national cuisine, talk to locals, enjoy shows and entertainment. A must for everyone who is keen on travelling.
11-15 March 2009
Messe Berlin
www1.messe-berlin.de/vip8_1/website/Internet/Internet/www.itb-berlin/englisch/index.html
A series of open-air concerts in Lucca, Tuscany each July, the main 'venue' being Piazza Napoleone, also known as Piazza Grande.
For such a small, albeit perfectly formed, town, this event has attracted some big names over the years - Oasis, Paul Simon, David Bowie, Neil Young, Van Morrison, Alanis Morrisette, Black Eyed Peas, James Brown - to name a few, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Concerts usually begin at around 9pm; it's still warm, and the main square is closed off from early evening. During concerts most of the bars and shops around the square remain open, and the majority of the events are standing only - but not all.
The official website is notoriously late in announcing the lineup, but for 2008 some names are confirmed already - Sheryl Crow, Leonard Cohen, Alicia Keys, Chicago, Erykah Badu and Mick Hucknall. The latter is a fixture by now, be it as himself or Simply Red. Elton John is also a frequent visitor. It's rare for tickets to sell out, so you can usually be sure of showing up and buying on the day, but the official site also explains how to get tickets.
Below are some links - the official site, a blog post about the 2008 festival, and our favourite site for Lucca hotels:
www.summer-festival.com/
blog.ahotelinitaly.com/italy/2008/03/18/lucca-festival-2008-new-concerts/
www.ahotelinitaly.com/italy/hotels/tuscany/lucca/lucca/
Lucca, Tuscany, Italy - main venue is Piazza Napoleone, inside the famous city walls.
'Nuit Blanche' is an annual event in Paris, whereby (so rumour would have it) everything stays open all night for revelry and awe. Imagine touring the Louvre at 2am, followed by a quiet 4am brunch in a streetside cafe watching the crowds walk past, and the carnival-like atmosphere.
It would be great - if it were true!
Last year's was a shambles. The authorities didn't (wouldn't) release guides until the night itself (and then didn't explain how to get them) and most Parisians had no idea what was open, or where.
We joined the crowds milling outside the Louvre (closed), tried the Musee d'Orsay (closed) and settled for a Bateau Mouche - which turned out to provide the long awaited guidebook once you'd bought your ticket.
The boat trip itself was pleasant, during which we could read the guide - to discover few places indeed were open at all, and the promised 'all night opening' of the Metro only applied to certain lines in certain directions.
The only bar we could find open and not crammed with similarly baffled tourists was Australian (not very Parisian). When we finally gave up, we joined the thousands of others equally trying to desperately get a taxi home in the sub-zero temperatures, and ended up huddled in a Metro entrance (closed) for warmth until the hordes had thinned enough for us to try and get back.
It can't be blamed on our being tourists - as we have French friends who live in Paris and who we'd joined to spend the 'event' with!
Hopefully this year's will be better, but I'd definitely check every detail out in advance, just in case!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuit_Blanche
www.paris.fr/portail/Culture/Portal.lut?page_id=6806
goparis.about.com/od/events/p/Nuit_Blanche.htm
Should you care to rise slightly earlier on the last Friday in any month and make your way to the Post Office in Avignon you will enjoy the sight of hundreds of locals and a sprinkling of visitors setting off for a two-hour skate round the town.
Youngsters on skateboards, grandperes on ancient four-wheel rollers, and the more sportif flash past on inlines and even petites enfants wearing trainers with built-in wheels whizzed along by parents.
This entertaining spectacle reinforces the town’s reputation as the roller capital of France and in May/June it hosts the Avignon Roll'air festival.
Every new year, Valpo is home to the biggest and best fireworks display in South America.
Over a million people from Chile and abroad descend on the city for one huge party. Hotels need to be booked by October at the latest (prices 3-5 times normal) and reconfirmed at least 3-4 times in December to ensure they're honoured.
The fireworks used to be only in Valparaiso but now stretch 20-30km all the way along the cost to Con Con. The display lasts almost half an hour.
The best place to watch them is on Cerro Concepcion and Alegre where the police are out in force making it the safest area to be.
youtube.com/watch?v=jZnkUdb5Q34
All over Valpo
The annual carnival celebration in Basel is unlike any other: held after Lent begins, filled with traditions, images and rituals dating back to the Middle Ages, a truly (Protestant) Swiss celebration. Fasnacht is for the locals, although visitors are welcome to watch the parades and displays. This year's Fasnacht kicks off at 4:00am on Monday, February 26th.
For a description, visit
www.basel.ch/en/culture/fasnacht/fasnacht_carnival
This festival rocks. Who couldn't resist the lure of an enchanting landscape and one of the best line-ups I’ve seen in years? I’ll definitely be back. No other festival can quite compete with its wicked, friendly crowd, beautiful views and lovely weather (how did they manage that in Scotland?)
The Isle of Skye is the most northerly island of the Inner Hebrides.
www.skyemusicfestival.co.uk.
Seville is famous for its Easter celebrations, but if you can't face the crowds go in September. The weather is tolerable and you can take part in the street parades and activities that are part of the Festival of St Michael (Feria de San Miguel). Watch the locals struggle with heavy silver tableau through the streets at night, sit at the back of candlelit churches and breathe it all in. And it's free!
Feria de San Miguel takes place at the end of September each year (2006: 23 - 24 Sep).
This is a big, friendly event - in fact it's one of Central London's largest environmentally-friendly festivals. It's held on the first Sunday of every June in Regents Park.
At the festival you'll find many stalls offering options for the environmentally conscious consumer, with everything from herbs to green electricity and eco-holidays. Another aim of the event is to reduce its environmental impact each year.
The Bikefest allows punters to try out all sorts of bicycles and find out about cycling activities going on in London.
Regents Park
www.camdengreenfair.ik.com/
This'll be the seventh year Galaxy Radio have been on Ibiza with their legendary Weekender, with special broadcasts, exclusive parties, artist PAs and guest DJs. It's a chance to get up close and personal with some of the world's biggest DJs and all for the price of a drink.
More venues and lineup information on www.digitalgalaxy.co.uk
A heavyweight on the jazz scene, the Copenhagen Jazz Festival takes over the city like few other events. For 10 bad-ass, funkarythmic days each July, every form of jazz can be heard at dozens of locations throughout the city.
Big names feature regularly, but the best thing is the portable stages that can be found on every square in town, allowing music to waltz through the air wherever you wander.
Ten days every July (2006: July 7-16).
Check the English site at:
festival.jazz.dk/start.asp?l=2
It all started in 1912 when rodeo competition was arranged to celebrate the old west and the cowboy culture. For ten days every July this busy oil town dons denim and stetsons and has a party. There is rodeo and chuckwagon racing galore, as well as Native American culture and a fun fair.
You can eat free for the duration as many shopping centres put on pancake breakfasts. Yeehaw. Yahoo. And all that.
It's good, clean fun (unless animal cruelty is an issue for you) and at the very least it's fascinating to see such a large city get so into an event that they change their wardrobe en masse.
At Stampede Park on McLeod Trail. Easily reached from downtown by train. Starts on the first Friday in July every year.
calgarystampede.com/
A rendezvous that's been going on for years and still feels totally impromptu: every Sunday, a bunch of musicians (mainly drummers, and the odd saxophonist) gathers around the Etienne Cartier statue in the beautiful Parc du Mont Royal and entertains a happy crowd of young and old hippies. Informal and really uplifting. In the winter you can enjoy a full range of seasonal activities - hockey, lovely walks and cross country ski trails that are easy, have great views and are open all evening.
Parc du Mont Royal - www.lemontroyal.qc.ca/en_index2.html
Forgive the Dutch for laying it on a bit thick this year with the 400th anniversary of Rembrandt's birth, and get yourself to Amsterdam for an art-lover's dream. There's exhibitions all over the city, with the comprehensive displays at the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum among the highlights. One of the only chances you'll have to see so much art in one place at the same time.
Once yearly show (around Eastertime) where Sydneysiders can see a bit of the old country on there doorstep. Excellent shows (sheepshearing, hearding, etc), traditional food and a great fairgound.
But best of all the show is famous for its children's goodie bags - children can buy for next to nothing themed bags of sweets and toys. Our kids still go on about them a year later. As parents we were dreading it but had a great day out!
Royal Easter Show, Sydney Showground,
March 2006
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