Travel Spain

Bullfighting in Madrid

Bullfighting is as ubiquitous in Madrid as cricket is in the Indian sub-continent, and bullfighters are given the same celebrity status as sport stars. Your trip to Madrid would not be complete, if you are not intending to witness a spine-tingling bullfight.

Plaza Monumental de Toros de las Ventas, often referred to as the Mecca to bullfighting, draws some of the finest matadors in Spain. It is believed that a matador who hasn't proven his bullfighting skills in Las Ventas is not considered to be a top-fight artist.

Bullfighting season in Madrid is between March and October. During this period, bullfights are organized every Sunday at 7 PM at Las Ventas, but during the Feria de San Isidro and the Feria de Otoo, there are bullfights everyday. Talent scouts mingle with the spectators on these two occasions, and matadors who distinguish themselves in the ring are signed up for Majorca, Málaga, and other places.

Bullfighting is all about testing the strength of matador and bull. The chief matadors also called toreros, are the ones who actually kill the bull, and they are dressed in gold, while their subordinates wear either a silver or black dress. A typical corrida (bullfight) is divided into 6 fifteen minutes sections called faenas, which are further segregated into three sections.

In the first section, the matador and his assistants use large magenta and yellow capes to test the bull's (toro) strength. Picadors on horsebacks pierce the bull in the back of the neck to weaken it as well as compel it to drop it's head to the level of the matador's capes.

In the second section, the banderilleros stab the banderillas into the back of the oncoming bull. The banderillas are long, brightly colored barbed sticks that remain in the bull's back for some time and aggravate it.

In the final section, the matador faces the bull alone and displays his bravery and skills through a series of elegant manoeuvres. His ultimate aim is to kill the bull and to achieve his goal he exchanges the long straight sword he has been using to position his cape for a smaller one with a curved end.

To execute the kill, the matador tries to mimic the angle formed by the head of a charging bull with his cape. As the bull reiterates, it's vital area between the shoulder blades is exposed and the matador simply inserts his sword to reach the bull's heart. A skilled matador, executes the bull in one go, but generally several attempts are required to subdue the bull.

Tickets for the bullfight can be purchased from Las Ventas itself. Alternatively, you can contact one of Madrid's best ticket agents, Localidades Galicia for bullfight tickets. The prices of tickets vary depending upon the day and where you plan to sit.

Sombra are the best seats, as they are available in shades. The cheapest seats are filas, but they are always in the sun and provide the worst view. Barreras are the front row seats and Delanteras are third row seats. Delanteras are available in both the alta (high) and the baja (low) sections. The bullring isn't too big but, if you plan to see the action without paying a lot for your seats, binoculars are probably a good idea.

About The Author
Clint Dixon is a search marketer and author on many varied topics. http://www.puertobanusguide.com Marbella Spain is one of the areas he has an interest in and writes about holidays in Spain, events and activities.

Worldwise - Mexico Holidays

Mexico Holidays & Packages

Mexico the country with its turbulent history encompasses fantastic legends and lore. Its culture with its Spanish connection has its own indigenous appeal. That appeal has infiltrated into its art, design and architecture.

From museums and opera houses to tranquil beach resorts, travellers in Mexico will definitely not ask for anything more. Over 500 festivals and holidays are celebrated annually throughout Mexico City and nearby towns showcasing deep historical ancestry.

Mexico is one of the most admired tourist spots. The first name that comes in mind is Riviera Maya, Mexico. Due to its lush jungle, landscape, shoreline and history, Riviera Maya has a variety of attractions to entice travellers. Playa del Carmen, a major town in the region and runs along the beach offering tourists prominent hotels, it also provides the shoppers an array of colourful local handicrafts to meet the latest trends in European fashions. Next comes the Yucatán Peninsula, an archeological goldmine, situated on the Gulf of Mexico's southern shore. It was the center of Mayan civilization throughout their rule.

The beach resorts outside the capital city is one of the places that people who travel to Mexico will surely enjoy. The beach destination is also regarded as the most accepted option for a romantic honeymoon getaway. Acapulco is one of the popular tourist spots where you can enjoy fishing as well as water sports. Acapulco is also noted for its hotels, casinos and beach resorts. Mazatlan is also an admired tourist destination, a place where pre-Lenten carnivals and fishing tournaments take place. One can also find in Mazatlan an observatory and one of the tallest lighthouses in the world. Other beaches that travellers in Mexico should not miss are the Cancun Island, the Puerto Vallarta and the Los Cabos. Mexico is one of the most important museum destinations in the world.

Museums that travellers in Mexico should visit are the National Museum of Anthropology, Museum of National History, Snail Museum, Technology Museum and the Museum of Modern Art. Children will also enjoy the Mexico City Zoo and the Papalote, a children's interactive museum. Travelling to Mexico will not be complete without visiting the Basilica de Guadalupe, the Metropolitan Cathedral, and the Chapultepec Castle. The monuments abound in the Paseo de la Reforma are Angel of the Independence (the symbol of the country's national identity), Cuauhtemoc Memorial and the Diana Cazadora (the statue of Diana the Huntress). The Zona Rosa or the Pink Zone is an ideal shopping paradise covering boutique squares, shops and hotels. The Alameda Park is also a shopping district, which borders the Palace of Fine Arts. Travellers can find the Pyramid of the Sun and Moon in Teotihuacan that face each other, providing a great view of the surrounding regions from the top.

Mexico is one of the most popular vacation destinations of North America. Winter is the best time for a tour to Mexico, as majority of Mexico is positioned in the tropics, making weather somewhat reliable and the months of July and August inevitably avoidable, when temperatures may not drop below 90F at night. Great waves, sea caves and the closeness of many interesting locales strengthens the lure of this western peninsula.

For details on the Travel Holidays visit www.worldwiseholidays.co.uk.

About The Author
Maria Thomas was the pen name for Roberta Worrick who lived for 20 years in African countries, having first arrived as a Peach Corps volunteer in 1971. from Her stories appeared in Redbook, Story and The New Yorker. She was a Wallace E. Stegner Fellow and received an Overseas Press Club's commendation for reportage in Harper's.
sally@worldwiseholidays.co.uk

Great Deals At Discount Hotels

Nowadays hotel market competition is high, giving rise to various special offers and discount hotels. Price-cutting, freebies, and rewards have become the norm in most places.

The best way to get a discount is to go in low season. During the low periods, airlines, hotels, tour operators, and other travel companies are eager to attract paying customers by offering deals.

In Europe, when visitation rates are down in wintertime, hotels and airlines may halve prices. Besides paying less, visitors who come to a tourist spot during the low-season will enjoy less crowding. You'll also get to experience more local color, and you may even find that the residents, who won't be overwhelmed by hordes of tourists, treat you with more courtesy.

However, the number one reason for an area being off-season is weather-related, so it is important to find out what weather conditions are like during these periods. Hot or cold temperatures might be an acceptable drawback, but a serious weather problem might rule out a destination.

Note that each hotel, airline, or travel company individually defines the dates it considers off-season. Use a guidebook for the destination or a "travel guide" website. For example, you can look for discount hotels at traveladvisor.com. It is a free internet resource that lists reputable tour operators and has tourists' reviews of major hotels. On-line booking is a good way to save money. There are plenty of travel websites, enabling online reservation of discount hotels, like choicehotels.com, travelaxe.com, hotels.com, quikbook.com, triprewards.com, newtravelagent.com and others. They will save the time that you generally waste searching the internet for good deals; they will do all the search.

Choicehotels.com offers discount hotels for business travelers, government and military personnel. Mature travelers (over 50) will save 10%, AARP members (formerly the American Association of Retired Persons) will enjoy a 15% discount. There is also travel service partner offers, you can reserve a car at a website and have a 10% off standard daily rates, or you will be offered discounted rates for airport ground transportation. Numerous existing reward programs will help you to earn free nights and flights.

Anyway, the greatest discount opportunity is to book at the last minute. Usually this means leaving booking until a fortnight before your departure. Although you may not be able to get your exact choice of destination, the number of offers available is surprising. Hotel rooms, apartments, flights and packages can all be found at a substantial discount if still unsold 2 weeks prior to departure.

A number of Internet based companies have sprung up to cater for this market. The most famous of these in the UK is lastminute.com. This market is also being tapped by the providers themselves, just look for Bargains or late bookings on their websites. If there exist special offers and discount hotels, why not taking this wonderful chance to economize? Travel websites claim to offer up to 70% discounts, but even a 20% saving is already a very good deal!

About The Author
David Brights writes for http://www.showcheaphotels.info where you can find out more about cheap hotels and other topics.

Grand Canyon Vacation

Every American (okay, every human for that matter) owes it to him/herself to head to Arizona and visit the Grand Canyon at least once in their lifetimes. It's truly amazing to see how a little trickle of water eventually turned into the Colorado River, which eventually carved out the Grand Canyon.

You can approach your trip to the Grand Canyon in a couple different ways. One way is to stay within the park at one of the lodges on the South Rim and take time to experience all the different things the park has to offer. The other way is to stay in one of the surrounding Arizona towns and take a day trip to the Grand Canyon for a "hit and run" view of the Canyon. Both have their plusses.

The part of the Grand Canyon The South Rim is the part of the Grand Canyon most people are familiar with. It sits on the Arizona side and can be accessed all year round. The North Rim is closed from mid-October to mid-May, and is not as visited as the South Rim.

The benefit of staying within the park is the ability to take your time to view the magnificent Canyon from different viewing points, which you can access by walking the rim trail or taking a shuttle from point to point. For those of you staying for several days, a trip to the Northern Rim of the Grand Canyon would be a lovely addition, though the drive is about 4 - 5 hours long. For those not wanting to drive, there is a shuttle which provides rim to rim service from mid-May to Mid-October.

For those staying on the South Rim, there are numerous trails down the canyon, as well as a trail along the top of the Canyon called the "Rim Trail." If you're staying in one of the lodges and are planning a day hike into the inner Canyon, just be aware that you probably cannot make it down and back in one day. As a matter of fact, each year around 250 people are rescued from the inner Canyon, the majority of whom are able-bodied young men between the ages of 18 to 40 who attempted to hike down and back in one ay. Don't be one of them. A good day hike would be a couple hours down and then back up. The hike up will take longer than the hike down. Also, be sure to wear good hiking shoes as some trails can be very rocky.

Some people choose to hike down one day and either camp at the bottom or stay in the Phantom Ranch. Be aware, however, that you have to make arrangements well in advance of your trip if you choose to stay at the bottom. Campers require a backcountry permit, and Phantom Ranch is usually booked months ahead. Permits are sometimes available on that day, but why risk it? For reservations at the Phantom Ranch, you can call 888-297-2757.

Some people prefer to stay outside the park and visit the Canyon for a few hours and move on. There are numerous areas in Northern Arizona where one can stay and take a side trip to the Grand Canyon, such as Sedona and Flagstaff. While such locations are still lengthy drives (an hour from Flagstaff, two from Sedona), it's still close enough for a day trip. Both Sedona and Flagstaff are lovely places to stay, with Sedona being the most 'touristy" of the two towns. Flagstaff, to me, is the quirkier of the two, perhaps because it is a "university town," home to Northern Arizona University.

Sedona and Flagstaff are also visually different. Flagstaff is surrounded by a pine forest, while Sedona is in "red rock" country. Sedona abounds with numerous high-end resorts, galleries and expensive eateries. Flagstaff is cheaper all-around, with inexpensive lodging and restaurants. Both are close enough for a day trip to the Grand Canyon.

Of course, you can always opt for an even quicker bus tour, hopping from one tourist stop to the next. But, why not take a cue from that little trickle of water which started it all? Take your time and enjoy the view.

About The Author
Diane McCalley is an accountant, avid traveler, and creator of http://www.thetravelerscompanion.com.

Luxury Hotel Rooms At Lowest Prices For Top Holiday Destinations

Whether you like to spend your holidays in the snow, sand or seaside, you can find the best hotel deals in the most popular destinations of the world. Below are some of the most popular holiday destinations with links to book luxury hotel rooms at lowest prices.

Amsterdam

A confident mix of old and new, Amsterdam, capital city of The Netherlands, features beautiful 17th- and 18th-century buildings and boasts some world-class museums, most notably the Van Gogh Museum, and the Rijksmuseum, home to some of the world's finest artworks, including those by famous Dutch artist Rembrandt. Nightlife in Amsterdam is as mixed as the city itself, with something for everyone's tastes available. A trip to Amsterdam would not be complete without renting a bicycle (Holland has more bicycles than residents), or cruising down the canals by boat.

http://www.hotelclub.net/hotel.reservations/Amsterdam.htm

Barcelona

Barcelona is the Mediterranean metropolis of excellence and yet at the same time open to all cultural influences flowing in from beyond the Pyrenees. Its well-ordered and proportioned town grid has given it quarters of unrivalled beauty, such as the Gothic Quarter, Las Ramblas and the modernist Paseo de Gracia.

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Brussels

The capital of Belgium, Brussels, is a cosmopolitan city, with liveliness and an appeal that are intimately related to its role as a crossroads for all of Europe. The many aspects of Brussels are expressed in the four quarters of the city. The Lower Town, which extends from Manneken Pis via the Grand Place to the Botanique. The Royal District in the Upper Town occupies the area between the Warande and the Palace of Justice. In the North of the city lies the Heizel with the Atomium and Bruparck. Just outside the city centre visitors will find the Cinquantenaire park and the European District facet.

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Edinburgh

Scotland's capital Edinburgh, is perhaps the country's most alluring city, it is a fascinating place with many historical and artistic treasures, a fantastic pub scene and scenery as beautiful as the Scottish highlands. Edinburgh Castle is a good place to start your exploration of the Scottish capital. The castle is beautiful, mysterious, romantic and a reminder of the city's bloody past. Edinburgh's Royal Mile is one of the world's most captivating streets.

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London

London, the capital city of England, is energetic, cosmopolitan, hectic, diverse and thrilling. It is the largest city in Europe, and is a mixture of wealth and poverty, of glitz and grime, of imposing buildings and elegant shops, of world-class theatre and incredible nightclubs. Sights not to be missed include the National Gallery, the Tate Gallery, the British Museum, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, and Covent Garden.

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Melbourne

Multicultural Melbourne is the second largest city in Australia behind Sydney. Located on the Yarra River at the mouth of Port Phillip Bay, Melbourne is a city of style, of Victorian architecture, of trams, of fashion, food, theatres, art galleries, and leafy gardens. It is a sport-mad city, which hosts events such as the Australian Tennis Open, the Australian Formula One Grand Prix, and the premier horse race, the race that 'stops a nation,' the Melbourne Cup. The "Great Ocean Road" is a popular drive for tourists and locals alike, acknowledged as one of the world's most spectacular coastal drives, visitors can view the spectacular site of the Twelve Apostles.

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Paris

Paris is the economic, artistic, historic, and cultural capital of France. It is also deeply traditional, almost village-like and in parts, a dilapidated metropolis, which houses around 2 million people. The river Seine bisects the city, the Right Bank is home to the grand boulevards and most monumental buildings, many dating from Haussmann's nineteenth-century redevelopment. The Left Bank has a noticeably different feel, it has an atmosphere of Bohemian, dissident, intellectual connotations, and it shows in Paris' best range of bars and restaurants. The Eiffel Tower is Paris' most famous and instantly recognizable landmark. The Champs-Elysees is the city's most well-known boulevard. Elegant and broad, it links Place de la Concorde with the Arc de Triomphe.

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Prague

The capital Prague, largest city of the Czech Republic, and former capital of Czechoslovakia, is located on both banks of the Vltava River. Visitors are drawn to the 'fairy tale' characteristics of Prague, but this is only part of its lively blend of styles. Prague is unquestionably a city best explored on foot, the entire central area has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city centre is like an enormous open-air museum with an interesting mix of architectural innovation including Renaissance, Baroque, Gothic, Romanesque, Cubist and Art Nouveau styles.

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Rome

Rome combines a sense of living history with a bustling, lively capital city. It is endlessly fascinating, utterly compelling and a feast for the eye with fountains, churches, palaces and ancient monuments at every turn. From the awesome splendour of the Colosseum, the Sistine Chapel, the Pantheon, the Trevi fountain, the Spanish Steps, the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica oozes romance and excitement.

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Stockholm

Visitors can experience the magic of age-old traditions, historical sites and breathtaking settings in practically every part of this unique country. The most popular tourist destination is the Swedish capital, Stockholm. The grand old city by the water is known for its unique wonders such as the Vasa Ship; its elegance and grandeur, typified by the Royal Palace and surrounds, and its wonderfully preserved Old Town, "Gamla Stan", with 13th-century roots, subterranean vaults, church spires and narrow, cobbled laneways.

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Sydney

Many visitors would be surprised to find that Sydney, it's largest city, is not the capital of Australia. Built on the shores of the stunning Port Jackson, Sydney is one of the world's landmark cities, and is also Australia's oldest city. Sydney, the nation's premier metropolis, mixes a flare for groundbreaking architecture, a love of the arts and high-powered commerce. The must-do's on every visitors list include the Harbour Bridge, Opera House, Centrepoint Tower, The Rocks, Bondi Beach, Olympic Park Homebush better known as the site of the 2000 Olympic Games, and Darling Harbour.

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Vienna

Located on a plain bordered by the Wienerwald and the Carpathian foothills, the Austrian capital, Vienna, is a cultural, industrial, commercial, and transportation centre. Vienna owes its spectacular architectural heritage to the Habsburg dynasty that controlled much of Europe for 600 years. Of special interest are the Hofburg, or Imperial Palace, with it's 14th century Augustinian church, Imperial Apartments and Royal Chapel where the Vienna Boy's Choir sing. Many of the world's most important composers including Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, Strauss and Mahler have lived and performed behind Vienna's Baroque facades.

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About The Author
Chloe Lim is a photographer and avid traveler. She travels extensively for work and family vacations. She is always on the lookout for bargain travel deals and discount luxury vacations.
This article is courtesy of http://www.hotelclub.net, you may freely reprint this article on your website or in your newsletter provided this courtesy notice and the author name and URL remain intact.
chloelim1@yahoo.com.au