Gray Line Wanderings Travel Blog

'Van Gogh Dream' for iPad

The enigmatic genius Vincent Van Gogh, shortly before his untimely death, famously said, “One day, I believe I will have an exhibition of my own in a café.”

Now, iPad app designers have created an incredibly rich exhibition experience of the master Dutch painter’s life work that will fit in your book bag.

Art and analysis

Whether you take it to a café or not is up to you …

The app “Van Gogh’s Dream,” created in concert with the renowned Institut Van Gogh, is a beautiful

and thought-provoking window into the turbulent life and genius career of one of the world’s most renowned artists.

The app is like flipping through an immense multimedia “book” – with striking reproductions of many of Van Gogh’s paintings on one page, to personal letters (images of the original hand-written notes, of course) on another, and expert analysis and art history on the next.

Interactive, original letters

The iPad proves – again – to be the ultimate publishing platform for subjects that lend themselves to visual as well as audio, video and plain-text information. Art history of all kinds fits particularly well.

No doubt someone will open “Van Gogh’s Dream” up in a café somewhere, some time, further cementing Van Gogh’s now absurd, understated prophecy.

But perhaps the best way to take advantage of the amazing app is to tote it along with you on a tour of the Van Gogh Museum, as part of an Amsterdam tour. It’s a digital companion that perfectly complements any tour of the great painter’s work.

The rapidly expanding Uturuncu volcano in Bolivia.

I’ve only lived in South America for a few months, but one thing I’m quickly getting used to is having to check out the geological forecast along with the local news and weather. Living in proximity to the planet’s Ring of Fire will do that to you …

For example, last week a family member came for a visit to Buenos Aires and we found ourselves tracking the daily activity of the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle in nearby Chile. As it is wont to do, Puyehue (roughly pronounced “poo-shay-WAY”) belched a bit of volcanic ash miles into the stratosphere, shutting down flights across the continent from Chile to Brazil for a time. In truth, our guest was hoping to be forced into an extended stay … “volcanic eruption” must surely fall under the umbrella of acceptable excuses for missing work back home, right?

But there is something even bigger brewing in neighboring Bolivia. And it has the potential to produce something that modern human civilization has never seen – a possible supervolcano that likely will one day spew more magma than the equivalent of 1,000 eruptions of Mount St. Helens. The last supervolcano eruption happened in Indonesia more than 74,000 years ago, but one may be in the offing today in Bolivia.

Uturuncu is one of the highest points in Bolivia at more than 20,000 feet, and scientists say the broad base of the mountain is expanding at an incredible rate. New studies recently reported that magma is filling in all around the base of the peak by 1 to 2 centimeters every year.

It’s essentially inflating, and building and building to what scientists say could be the most explosive volcano any of us will ever be around for.

The rapid inflation has been happening for at least the last 20 years, when satellite images first became available. Scientists say that other supervolcanoes in the immediate area – the region is one of the densest collections of dormant supervolcanoes anywhere – collect sub-surface magma at an average of 300,000 years before blowing their considerable tops.

Uturuncu last exploded … 300,000 years ago. And when it does go off again, not only will flights from Bariloche to Buenos Aires be canceled, but probably more like Australia to Austria.

'Wonderful' Iguazu Falls

Back in Hellenic days, Greek historians sought to catalog what were then the world’s greatest creations, compiling the original list of the “Seven Wonders of the World.” Of course, back then, the “world” consisted of a pretty limited area surrounding the rim of the Mediterranean Sea.

Today, people for some reason are still compelled to boil down all of the planet’s wonders – both natural and man-made – into neat little lists reflective of that original concept. As if it was possible …

But, in an effort to contribute to this continued fruitlessness, we’ll bring you the results of the most recent attempt. Some group called the New Open World Corporation (this just sounds like something George Soros dreamed up) announced their compilation of the New Seven Natural Wonders of the World, after a round of online voting that ended 11-11-11 at 11:11 and 11 seconds.

I’m writing from Argentina, and the list was (relatively) big news in Buenos Aires because the insane Iguazu Falls area that straddles the border with Brazil made the cut. The truly awesome site is made up of some 275 waterfalls cascading more than 80 meters. It is certainly worthy of “wonder” status. You can book a great tour of the Argentina side HERE, and check out an offer from a Brazilian tour operator HERE.

Also on the, er, complete list is, um, is the Amazon Rainforest … the entire region, apparently. It spans nine countries and almost 2 billion acres. We’re sure it is “wonderful” but in terms of specific natural sites of interest across the globe, this one seems a bit of a stretch.

Halong Bay, Vietnam

That’s not to say it’s not worth exploring, though. You can book an adventurous tour near the headwaters in the Peruvian city of Iquitos. Of course, you’ll need to fly in or travel by boat to get there, as roads don’t reach this remote jungle outpost.

Rounding out the new list are some pretty amazing places in and of themselves: Halong Bay, Vietnam; Jeju Island, Korea; Komodo, Indonesia; Puerto Princesa Underground River, Philippines; and Table Mountain, South Africa.

Conspicuously absent? The Grand Canyon. And the Dead Sea. Mount Everest, anyone? Great Barrier Reef, perhaps?

We’re sure you have your own favorite places that could be on the list, which further demonstrates how nearly impossible the task is of narrowing the planet’s great treasures into short lists.

Instead, UNESCO has compiled a comprehensive list of world sites deemed to have “outstanding universal value.” You can find it HERE. We suggest checking out as many of these as you can during the course of your travels. And not limit yourself to some small, arbitrary number.

Famous thin-crust New York pizza

The U.S.A. has a reputation around the world for pretty much over-doing everything, and when it comes to food, the stereotype seems to fit fairly nicely. McDonald’s world domination ring a bell?

And as the States are a melting pot of cultures and influences of the highest order, it also fits that there is not a single food that best typifies the American experience. Rather, there are a few culinary delights that can be considered typical American foods, and it’s not surprising that some U.S. cities have gone considerably over the top in the number of spots that cook them up every day.

The website TheDailyMeal.com felt compelled to somehow quantify America’s food fixations, and recently released the results of a study that rated cities based on the number of restaurants offering up one of the country’s signature foods. If your travels take you to any of these tasty hotspots, don’t miss the chance to sample the goods!

Pizza — #1 city: New York. With an amazing 1,737 pizzerias across the city, The Big Apple dominates this delectable category. The whole thin-crust versus deep-dish debate, ongoing with the Second City, Chicago, is pretty much squashed by these numbers. Chicago is second on the pizza list, but with a distant 747 pizza places.

L.A. staple In-N-Out Burger

Hamburgers — #1 city: Los Angeles. Sure, the hamburger is named for someplace in Germany, but the pressed grilled meat sandwich is omnipresent in the States. Fast-food or sit-down, it’s Los Angeles that’s the city where they are most available, at 531 restaurants offering up burgers. For visitors, hanging in LA means almost certainly stopping off at an In-N-Out Burger joint at some point.

Hot Dogs — #1 city: Chicago. They do dawgs the correct way – with yellow mustard, a poppy seed bun, onions, tomatoes, pickle spears, peppers and celery salt – and they have 98 hot-dog stands to serve them up. Our favorite, after a night in the clubs: the aptly-titled “The Wieners Circle.”

Fried Chicken — #1 city: Dallas, Texas. They’re always on the hunt for the best crust-to-chicken ratio, and the 113 chicken shacks in Dallas are experimenting every day on the perfect balance.  Kentucky may be finger-lickin’ good, but Texas is tops in the U.S. in greasy poultry; Houston is number two on the list with 106 fried chicken joints.

Mmmmmm, donuts.

Donuts — #1 city: Los Angeles. We’ve heard anecdotal evidence that Rhode Island is by far the per capita leader when it comes to donut shops, but L.A. seems to be leading the nation in guilty pleasures, as evidenced by its 343 donut shops. And yes, that’s where they make “The Simpsons” …

Yes, this is a hot tub.

From the beginning of time, folks have enjoyed a good soak.

And for travelers, spending days shuffling from site to site — or canned in planes, trains, buses and cars in transit to all the spots on their itineraries – there is perhaps no sweeter relief than relaxing in a therapeutic thermal pool after a long day’s travels.

Lucky for us, our planet is stocked with geothermal energy, and it bubbles up to the surface in hot spots all around the globe. Through the centuries, kings have built palaces around thermal springs, lords have constructed massive bath structures for themselves and their concubines, and more recently man has carved countless pools and parks into volcanic hillsides to tap into the trapped heat just below.

Make these destinations part of your travel plans, and at many of these spots you can still soak your travel stiffness away.

Other-worldly Pamukkale

Pamukkale, Turkey – Some off the most ancient natural hot springs in which soaking is still part of the visiting experience can be found in southwestern Turkey, in Pamukkale. An area literally translated as “cotton castle,” the mix of hot springs and thermal pools are interspersed among carbonate terraces that have been naturally formed over thousands of years. New protections have kept recent development at bay, and you can still wade in the waters that date to Greco-Roman and Byzantine eras, when the city was known as Hierapolis.

Take a tour of the ruins and experience for yourself the thermal therapeutic pools by clicking HERE.

Hua Qing Hot Springs, Xi’an, China – This is a popular stop-off for folks checking out the extremely popular Terracotta Warriors, though you won’t get a chance to soak your bones here. The lush gardens at Hua Qing, however, surround one of the most tranquil spots in the province, and date to the Tang Dynasty. Hop a tour by clicking HERE.

Chilean respite at Huife

Huife Hot Springs, Chile – How’s this for a big day: Wake up early in the spectacular Andean city of Pucon, trek up a live volcano spitting rings of smoke into the skies, have a ski down sugary powder, and finish with a soak in the natural mineral-rich thermal pools at Huife. Book this awesome day HERE.

Bath, England – Roman ruins on the English mainland? Check. See the elaborate Georgian architecture that dates to the 15 century, which surrounds the famous waters of the Bath Abbey west of London. THIS great tour combines the pools at Bath with the mystery of Stonehenge, and has you back in London by dinner time.

Tabacon alight

Tabacon, Costa Rica – This is Disneyland for hot tub hounds! Carved right into the side of the towering, grumbling Arenal volcano is the Tabacon Spa, an incredible complex of thermal pools naturally heated by the area’s volcanic energy. Dozens and dozens of individual pools are hidden among jungled nooks and pathways, each of varying degrees of heat. Rivers of thermal waters connect them all. After a quick trip down a thermal water slide, you can swim up to a poolside bar for a cold Imperial. The facility is first-class in terms of food, accommodations and service, too. Thus the big, well-worth-it, price tag.

Book a day tour away from busy San Jose by clicking HERE … and enjoy the dreams of your Tabecon soak from every day forward.

Perusing an exhibit at Art Basel Miami Beach 2010

Even if you’re not the type to paint, sculpt, mold, design or collect the world’s great modern art, you can be part of the planet’s most stylish art crowd by visiting Miami Beach in December, for the return of the Art Basel festival.

This year Miami marks 10 years of the major art confab, quickly rising in prominence in the art world as the leading showcase for artists in the Americas. The show is the sister of Art Basel in Switzerland (thus the name), the granddaddy of art festivals held every June since 1970.

Art Basel Miami Beach 2010

This year, Miami Beach will be swarmed with thousands of creators, collectors and aficionados alike from Dec. 1-4, and more than 260 galleries and 2,000-plus artists will be decking out the Miami Beach Convention Center. You can visit the festival’s website HERE.

If you’ve ever had the chance to walk the halls of a great art festival, like the Art Basel shows, you know how entertaining they can be – even if art’s not your bag, necessarily. It’s fun to cruise booth to booth and seek what suits your specific eye. There is no right or wrong, just preference, and it’s terrifically entertaining to play critic for a day.

Head hunting at Art Basel Miami Beach 2010

Even if you can’t make it to the convention floor itself, this year there is a cool public art component as well. The festival is pairing with a local museum to transform popular Collins Park into a huge public art space, and a massive outdoor display at the Frank Gehry-designed New World Center will be showing modern video art productions sure to dazzle.

Creepy Catacombs in Paris

Since the season of the supernatural is in full swing, with Halloween and other celebrations around the world, we thought we’d offer up a short list of destinations with a spooky bent … places with the potential to make your hair stand on end during a visit. Travel at your own risk!

#1 – Catacombs Museum, Paris: In the middle of the 19^th century, the masters of the great rebuilding of Paris encountered the slight problem of how to stabilize the massive structures and grand boulevards being built to make the great city. One of the architects’ answers: Dig up graves and use human bones as building materials. What could go wrong?

They say the spirits of the disturbed souls still haunt the Paris underworld, and ghost hunters have been drawn to the area ever since. A small portion of the creepy catacombs is open to the public as a museum (you’ll find the museum’s web page HERE), but spirit seekers claim hundreds of secret entrances and tombs are spread across the city. Reports of apparitions go hand in hand with their explorations.

Haunted history at Edinburgh Castle

#2 – Edinburgh Castle, Scotland: Paranormal researchers have been drawn to Scotland since the study of the supernormal became recognized science, and for good reason. The country’s history is littered with massive battles, countless tortured prisoners of warring factions of all sorts, death by disease and plague, and general torment and torture.

The haunted heartbeat of Scotland is Edinburgh Castle, site of more than 900 years of conflict and inconsonance. Left over, according to many with a particular supernatural interest, are cavernous rooms and vacuous vaults cool with spirits, known to rattle the walls and make themselves known to those of us dwelling among the living.

A tour that you can book HERE hits all the highlights of Edinburgh, including a visit to the castle.

#3 – Transylvania, Romania: What list of haunted destinations would be complete without including the mythical home of the fictional Dracula? Travelers to the Transylvania region of Romania might be a bit disappointed if they’re looking for gothic haunted castles and mystic mountaintop fortresses, though. While the medieval era is still remarkably preserved in the seven-town region, it’s more of a holiday destination these days – with sun-soaked meadows, ski resorts, and quaint villages that hearken to the 12^th century.

Vampire hunters can get their fix, however, at Dram Castle near the city of Brasov. (Click HERE for the castle’s web page.) Vlad the Impaler, the man upon whom the fable is based, reportedly stayed at the castle for a short stint back in the blood-thirsty day.

England's crown jail, the Tower of London

#4 – Tower of London, England: The place that has served for centuries as the prison for the English crown, and been the site of countless beheadings over the ages, is a no-brainer for our list. (Couldn’t resist the obvious pun …) Among the tower’s most famous temporary residents said to still haunt the place are Ann Boleyn, Thomas Beckett, Henry VI and Sir Walter Raleigh.

The tower is one of the stops on THIS great tour, which takes in many of the best historic and modern sites in London.

#5 – St. Augustine, Florida, U.S.: It’s fitting that the oldest incorporated city in the U.S. would have perhaps the country’s richest haunted history as well. The city itself has an old feel – with cobblestone streets, architecture reminiscent of eras past, and remnants of battles and conflicts you won’t find anywhere else stateside. Of the dozens of spots in town where the paranormal has been reported to pop in, three sites so frequently frazzle the nerves of visitors that they can actually be classified as “haunted.”

First, the Castillo de San Marcos, or “The Old Fort,” is one of the most recognizable tourist draws in Saint-A. First built in 1672, soldiers and watchmen who met their doom here over countless battles still roam the grounds, according to believers who have witnessed their presence.

Saint-A's Old Fort

Next, visit the St. Augustine Lighthouse, a magnet for the unexplained over the years. Strange sounds continue to rattle the walls, recently captured on tape by some of the world’s leading ghost hunters. Many attribute all the paranormal activity to a tragic accident that happened during construction in 1873, among other ill history at the place.

Lastly, the city’s Old Jail is perhaps its spookiest spot. Local legend Henry Flagler opened the jail in 1891, and in a strangely karmic nod, designed it to resemble the finest seaside hotels of the day. It, in fact, was as far from plush as possible; the humid heat and harsh conditions made the place one of the most punitive a prisoner could find in their day. Scores met their end by noose, and the gallows are still around today. More than 90 years of brutal punishment seems to have manifested itself in the modern metaphysical influence on the place, not lost on the many visitors who have reported more than an uneasy sense while visiting.

A great way to see the old city is by hopping on or off the sightseeing trolley, which is included in a tour you can book HERE.

Defame the Thai King at your peril

As if you needed further proof that the system of laws you enjoy in your home country doesn’t follow you on your jaunts across the globe, we provide this most recent example of astonishingly harsh punishment of a foreigner living in a fairly well-traveled country:

According to reports, American citizen Joe Gordon is facing a massive 15-year jail term in Thailand, accused of the heinous crime of (wait for it …) defaming Thailand’s royal family.

Seems the 55-year-old, Thai-born Gordon translated excerpts of an unflattering biography of Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej and posted it on the Internet. Unfortunately for Gordon, Thailand has perhaps the world’s strictest “lese-majesty” laws, which have been used to jail political opponents for years. Human rights advocates have protested them many times over.

That said, Gordon has been denied bail, and will reportedly plead guilty to the charges, in the hopes of winning a royal pardon.

“I want the American government to help me, because this is about freedom of expression,” London’s Daily Mail reported Gordon as saying.

Unfortunately, that particular freedom evaporated the minute Gordon stepped through Thai customs.

It's illegal in Mexico for foreigners to take part in protests.

Let this be an obvious lesson to world travelers: Know the laws of the counties in which you are a guest, and don’t push the limits. Avoid conflicts while a guest in another country. Dodge situations where legality is even minimally questionable.

Perhaps the best tip we can give is to familiarize yourself with the unique legal restrictions of every country you plan to visit. The U.S. State Department provides an excellent legal and advisory synopsis of every recognized country in the world, which you can find HERE.

“Things don’t have to change the world to be important.”  Steve Jobs

However, many of the products developed under the visionary direction of the recently departed founder of Apple did change the world, and were important. For travelers, one of the most innovative products from the Apple factory is, of course, the iPad, and it’s worth taking a look at why it makes such an excellent travel companion.

First, for all its computing power and capabilities, it’s extremely lightweight — even for travelers used to bringing the sparest of belongings. The TSA will let you keep it in your bag while going through security, too. Its huge high-resolution screen, despite its slim size, is a godsend on long flights or any other situation requiring the killing of extended periods of time. (Travel much?) Battery life? Phenomenal, easily gets eight hours and sometimes 10.

The touchscreen interface is ideal for folks on the go. Standing up, sitting down, waiting in line, hands full of bags, having a smoke, eating a sandwich … all are possible times when you can surf the web, read books, or flip through photos with a flick of single finger. For those who can’t seem to leave the office totally behind while on vacation, the iPad is your workstation as well. Typing is a challenge on the touchscreen, but the addition of a Bluetooth keyboard makes it seem like you’re on a full-sized laptop. Keep all your files in the cloud. Add a VoIP application (like TruPhone) and your iPad can be your business phone, by tapping its WiFi connective capabilities. In short, there is little you cannot do work-wise while on the go.

Some downsides? Sure, but certainly not insurmountable. It doesn’t support Flash, so there are some limitations there with some sites. Can’t multitask, but is that such a bad thing really? We’ve already mentioned typing on-screen, which is easily solvable by bringing along the add-on keyboard. Another add-on you’ll need: A camera connection kit ($29) since there’s no USB port. Also, it’s not very friendly with the omnipresent Microsoft Word or Excel documents, but they’re pretty much disasters anyway.

A few more tips: Get a case. It’s great protection, and keeps your computer stealthy. And while on the topic of stealthiness, be aware when using your iPad in public. A tourist using a beautiful computer is a major target in many countries, so be stealthy yourself in certain locales to avoid becoming a robbery victim.

Finally, part of the fun of having an iPad is loading it up with cool apps, so here are a few we recommend with particular utility for traveling:

Kayak – The best search engine for flights and hotels. Their iPad app is even easier to use than their website.

WiFi Finder – Unless you want to rack up serious roaming charges, you’ll likely be turning off the 3G and switching to WiFi for most of your trip. This app will find you all the free WiFi you can handle in cities around the world.

OffMaps – Awesome iPad and iPhone app that lets you download city maps for use even in offline mode. Your iPad’s GPS is accessed and applied to the maps, even when you’re not Internet-connected or out of 3G mode.

WeatherBug Elite – You get an insane amount of weather information for any spot in any corner of the globe, for $4.99.

iBooks – Assuming you’ve already loaded up your iTunes library with enough movies and TV shows to keep you occupied, the iBooks e-reader and iBookstore give you an interactive library at your fingertips. Great way to read.

Happy trails, to you as well Mr. Jobs.

A common refrain you’re likely to hear from people lucky enough to make their home in ski resort towns — especially in spectacular Rocky Mountain states like Colorado and Utah — is that they came for the skiing, but stayed because of the summers. It seems the ski resorts themselves are set to catch up with that sentiment, and boost their summer tourist numbers in the process.

A new bill is sailing through the U.S. Legislature that will open ski areas on National Forest land to year-round recreation. Look for ski resorts to capitalize on the new window of opportunity by adding new adrenaline-pumping activities like zip lines, climbing walls, alpine slides and mountain biking trails. Most Western resorts operate on National Forest lands, and offer some of these types of adventure activities already through selective exemptions. For example, many resorts in Colorado already have developed extensive summer activities on their mountains. Breckenridge has built an alpine coaster and developed a peak area full of summer activities. On a sunny day in Vail, bikers heading up on the gondola nearly match the number of hikers. You can still go snow tubing at the top of Keystone Mountain, even in summer.

But the new legislation (which in early October breezed through the U.S. House without a single vote opposed) should open the floodgates for resort operators everywhere to expand their adventure activities. Ski season may be just around the corner, but a trip next summer to a ski resort should be even more on your radar now.