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The Grouse Grind is a fairly intense hike up Grouse Mountain, one of three mountains on the North Shore. It's a rewarding hike, and you can further reward yourself with a pint at the top and a Gondola ride back down the mountain if you don't feel like trudging back down.
Similar to the sea-wall around Stanley park, this is a paved path along the waterfront. It gets much less traffic than Stanley park though, and offers great views of the city from across the water.
West Vancouver
Meander through this peaceful public park with its huge green spaces and shady trees to a fabulous beer garden where you can choose food and beverages from different booths: sausages, fish and chips and beers or if in recovery mode, tea and huge sugary doughnuts.
U-Bahn lines 3 and 6, alighting at Universitat or Giselastrabe
Just outside downtown Vancouver, Stanley park is a delightful wooded and grassed park on a peninsula in Burrard Inlet with wonderful views of Lion's Gate Bridge and Vancouver Harbour. You can spend several days here wandering around the forest paths, bathing at the beaches, seeing the impressive totem poles, as well as visiting the fantastic aquarium or relaxing in the Rose Garden.
Just go there and see for yourself why it's so great!
1 mile to the west of downtown Vancouver;
www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/Parks/parks/stanley
The Drive (Commercial Drive) is a street in Vancouver that boasts a vibrant community. All the stores and restaurants are unique and interesting. A Subway was proposed along the Drive and a committed campaign was raised to prevent it from succeeding.
Many coffee shops along The Drive have slam / beat poetry sessions if you look for them. Also, one place of particular interest is Magpie Magazine Gallery, wherein one can find magazines of all stripes. Feel free to browse forever -- it's easy to get lost in them. Slightly north along the Drive is Britannia Community Center, where there is an ice rink and a swimming pool as well as a large park.
Another place of interest is the Vancouver East Cultural Center where various dance groups and theatrical performances can be seen.
The Drive is uniquely Vancouver and it reflects a slightly anti-corporate sentiment here - as I said before, it belongs to small businesses and restaurants that are not chains. It is ideal to spend an afternoon (sunny, of course) walking along, starting at Broadway and slowly making your way north along the street, stopping for coffee or ice cream or sushi or Thai or...
Enjoy.
Commercial Drive, from Broadway to Venables;
www.thedrive.ca
Magpie Magazine Gallery: 1319 Commercial Drive
Vancouver East Cultural Center: 1895 Venables Street;
www.vecc.bc.ca
A beautiful complex designed by Moshe Safdi (he designed Habitat in Montreal). The courtyard is a great place to grab a snack and sit. There is a calendar of readings/performances, etc.
350 West Georgia Street;
tel: 604 331 3603;
www.vpl.ca/branches/LibrarySquare/home.html
This place in Circular Quay is worth popping into. The two exhibitions I saw, by Edwin Wurm and Ron Mueck, were both been fun and thought provoking. You don't need to be a great art lover to like this place. The cafe attached has great food too
140 George Street, The Rocks;
tel: 9245 2400;
www.mca.com.au
If you are going to go all the way to Krakow then you should seriously consider staying in Zakopane, which is set in the picturesque peaks of the Tatra mountains.
The people are friendly and the cultural traditions of this part of Poland are kept alive for all to admire and enjoy. It costs nothing to walk the peaks of Poland's highest mountain - Rysy and to breathe in the pure fresh air.
Zakopane and the Tatra mountains lie 150km to the south of Krakow. You can either take the train or the bus. The bus is quicker (2.5 hours) and a lot cheaper than the train;
www.zakopane-life.com
St Mary's church is the most important church in Krakow. It is also famous for it's unique Gothic interior, magnificent vaulted ceilings and the wooden altar, which is only opened during High Mass at noon.
The windows of one of the two towers of this dominating church hosts the hourly trumpet blow which is broadcast all over Poland. It marks the death of a Tartar soldier who was killed whilst warning Krakow's citizens of an invasion. It's free to listen to this even if you choose not to see the church itself.
St Mary's church is a 5 min walk from Krakow's main market square;
www.cracow-life.com/guide/Krakow_Old_Town/St_Mary's_Church.php
In the Plaszow district, which lies to the south of Kazimierz, is a memorial to commemorate the thousands of Jews who died at the labour camp that once stood there. The former Pope was forced to work at this camp during WW2. It is a poignant reminder of Krakow's war ravaged past.
Trams 4 and 9 both go from Krakow city centre to Kazimierz. The Plaszow district is a 10 walk from Plac Novy in the centre of Kazimierz.
Take the A and C lines of the subway to the first stop beyond the East River, which is High Street. Then walk back across the Brooklyn Bridge, keeping in the pedestrian lane - the cyclists come fast! You'll have a splendid view of the Manhattan skyline, though little is left of the tenements of Miller's View from the Bridge.
Likewise the free (yes, free) Staten Island Ferry will delight with this cityscape.
One of the most beautiful and secluded beaches on the island - and yet it's just around the corner from San Antonio. A nice little bar with very reasonable (if simple) food, clean sand and beautiful water. It's not exactly a secret, but is never crowded even in peak season despite its small size. The other sun worshippers are usually Spanish or Italian, and you'll be very unlikely to find noisy gangs of Brits. Good for families as well. When you get off the taxi boat you'll be at the Aquarium which is also beautiful and well worth a look.
Take a taxi boat from San Antonio for a few Euros, or it's probably walkable. Take a taxi to Hotel Tanit and walk towards the sea
The beach at Las Salinas is the island's most southern tip. It's beautiful and the best place to go and sunbathe if you're feeling beautiful in your bikini (ladies). Certainly don't go if you're having a “fat day” as you'll stand out wearing anything more than something to hide your modesty. In fact most people don't even do that. Salinas beach is renowned for attracting an attractive and fashionable crowd. Besides the stunning beach and crystal clear sea, there are plenty of cool places to relax and enjoy a cocktail - my favourite is the Jockey Club, and Sa Trincha is good too.
Can be reached by hire car, bicycle (be careful of the traffic) or bus from Ibiza Town (10 km) or Playa d'en Bossa (6 km).
A 14th century enclosed courtyard chapel complex that somehow manages to be the quietest place in the city whilst also being spitting distance from the centre of everything, just off Spui.
The silence is unbelievable - it's a proper oasis in the middle of the city. It's a private religious property, though, so respect the silence, take a book and spend a half hour getting your breath back.
Walk down the Kalverstraat from the palace, turn right onto Spui and the entrance is on Gedempte Begijnensloot;
www.begijnhofamsterdam.nl/index_engels.html
I love this place for Sa Trincha's bar and the Jockey Club. Chill out under the warm rays of the sun while listening to some of the coolest sounds of the summer. A place for the happy smiling people. Magic.
10km from Ibiza Town, at the southern end of the island. Hire a car or catch the bus.
Go at sundown to hear all the hippie drums and see all the cool fire dances. In short, the way ibiza was 30 years ago in its pre-Ibiza Uncovered days.
Then get dinner at the restaurant on the right-hand side of the beach, not the yucky one on the left. The nicer restaurant also has an amazing gift shop.
Reached only by car-follow signposts for San Miguel.
These are free publications with detailed listings of bars, restaurants, guesthouses, shops etc plus useful articles, maps and so forth. They are very handy for tourists and other newcomers to this rapidly changing city, where annually published guidebooks can be out of date almost as soon as they are published.
The guides are available at guesthouses, bars, restaurants and shops.
Vigeland Park is a huge park in which to stroll and browse the sculptures of Vigeland - both bronze and stone – which are overwhelming in their beauty and size. The children I was with were climbing all over the sculptures at the top of the stairs, near the monolith crawling with naked stone bodies! What a wonderful experience. Ideal in summer, but lovely in winter too.
Right in the centre of Oslo;
www.visitoslo.com/Vigeland-Sculpture-Park/
The National Gallery in Oslo has an interesting and varied collection of paintings and sculpture, including Monet, Picasso, Munch and Vigeland.
Universitetsgate 13, N-0164 Oslo (behind the Law Faculty of the university);
tel: 47 2220 0404;
www.nasjonalmuseet.no
Head to this sprawling flea market between Mitte, Prenzlauer Berg and Wedding for a colourful mix of buyers and sellers, buskers, beer and bratwursts. The perfect chilled out Sunday if you've got an eye for a bargain, an impulse to haggle or just want to nurse a Weissbier while the Berliners sell off retro furniture, oversized sunglasses and classic LPs around you. All in the middle of a leafy park - and there's even a place to leave the dog.
Bernauer Straße 63–64
13355 Berlin (Mitte)
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