Monthly Archives

Monthly Archives for June 2013.

Picnicking on an ice block

Something to add to your list of things not to do on holidays…. A volunteer rescue team saved four US tourists who became stranded on an ice floe in Fjallsárlón glacier lagoon after it broke loose from the shore. Five tourists set up a table and chairs to picnic on the ice when part of the ice floe broke loose and drifted off ten metres (yards) into the water. One tourist jumped off and got help. Staff members from Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon located west of Fjallsárlón were despatched with a boat to rescue the tourists…

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Adios Room Service

I have stayed twice at the New York Hilton Midtown.  The largest hotel in the city, it occupies almost an entire city block on Sixth Avenue, between West 53rd and West 54th streets. It has almost 2,000 rooms. From August, 2013 there will be no room service. Instead it will open a cafeteria-style restaurant called Herb n’ Kitchen which will offer breakfast, lunch and dinner. This follows other Hiltons that have done the same thing. Not that I would notice, having never ordered room service at any NYC hotel! With a whole city of amazing late night food…

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Driving on the wrong side of the road

An endless source of discussion with international friends is the division of the world into countries that drive on the left and countries that drive on the right. Which side is “wrong”? For my US friends, Australia drives on the “wrong side”. We feel the opposite. My understanding is that up to the 17th century, all rode on the left. In fact, in 1300AD, Pope Boniface VIII stated that all pilgrims heading to Rome should keep left. Napoleon reversed this. Some say because he could. Others say because he was left-handed and others so he…

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