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Italy's Best Kept Secret- Montefeltro
Norm Goldman, Editor of the travel site, www.sketchandtravel.com and the book reviewing site, www.bookpleasures.com recently discovered one of Italy's best kept secrets, Montefeltro.
Norm interviewed an expert on this region. Read what he...
Relax, and Get Away from "It All" With a Dude Ranch Vacation
If you've ever heard someone say that he needs a "vacation from his vacation", that person did not spend his time at a dude ranch. Vacation is meant to be a time of relaxation, a break from the stress and chaos that too often comprises daily...
RV Vacations: Ten Tips
Perhaps you have wondered about taking an RV vacation. It seems like fun and you'd like to try it, but you aren't sure if it's for you. Well, it's a growing industry. Annual RV retail sales topped $14 billion in 2004. As baby boomers take to the...
The Japanese Started cannery row
No visit to the southwest would really be complete without a
drive along Highway 1.The road offers dramatic views of
California's sensational Pacific coast as it weaves from San
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Top Ten Travel Nursing “Hot Spots”
The great thing about being a traveling nurse boils down to one key component – it’s about the travel! For those of us who love moving around and seeing the world, travel nursing is the profession of our dreams. There are many travel...
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Out And Around Calpe In Spain
Some called it Calpe meaning steep rugged hill made of rock, the
Phoenicians called it Ifach which meant north. So the whole town
of Calpe was referred to as the north craggy rock, having
Gibraltar as the south reference. Calpe, which is north of Altea
and south of Denia, is an ideal vacation spot on the Costa
Blanca on the Mediterranean Sea in Spain. Going back as far as
1935, Calpe took advantage of its privileged coastal location
and inaugurated its first hotel in the town where some
well-known celebrities such as Hemingway once stayed. A closer
look at Calpe and the Penon As mentioned earlier, Calpe's main
attraction is not its town nor even its beautiful soft sandy
beaches but the tall craggy rock formation called the Penon de
Ifach. It is hard to believe, but this is the smallest natural
park in Spain together with the Columbretes Islands in
Castellon. It was declared a Natural Park in 1987 because its
300 varieties of vegetation and colonies of birds needed
protection from the expansion that this small fishing village
was undergoing at an incredible speed. It measures about 35
hectares and has a botanical, landscape and tectonic interest.
The swift or martin birds together with the silver seagull and
plants not found anywhere else are closely protected because
some of these were about to be become extinct. Not everyone may
feel capable of climbing this fascinating rock formation, but
from the top, the panoramic view of the Costa Blanca is
unforgettable. You can zig-zag your way up, changing direction
and passing through a tunnel which was built in 1918. Even
though it is free, during the summer season and Easter week, you
have to get a ticket because there is a limit of about 50 people
who can go up every hour. If mountain climbing has always been
on your list of something impossible to do, then you will have
to cross it off once you have done this marvellous experience.
To, From and staying in Calpe If you have planned on doing a
car hire, and have decided to catch a flight to the Valencia
airport in Manises, then you have about a 105 kilometres drive
to Calpe. Or if your flight has taken you to the Alicante
airport, then you are only
about 61 kilometres away. Either way,
you can take the National Highway N-332 which is free or the A-7
Pay Highway which is quicker and safer, especially in the summer
season. There are also buses from either of the airports.
As in all tourist areas, there are many types of lodgings to
choose from. There are campings for the nature lovers or on a
limited budget, economical hostels which could cost about 45
euros, one which is about 80 euros right at the foot of the
Penon, and hotels up to about 150 euros right in front of the
beach.
As in all shore areas, the seafood is usually quite fresh, but
here in Calpe ( http://www.alicante
-spain.com/calpe.html ) the restaurants at the harbour offer
their goods openly to their clients for them to personally
choose which piece they prefer. It seems like a food auction
because the waiters are out on the promenade and when the people
pass by, they offer them a morsel to try and some sangria to
lure them into their restaurant. The most typical dish is the
'Arros de Senyoret' ( a fish stew with rice) or the LLauna de
Calpe ( an old fishermen's recipe of different types of fish,
garlic, tomatoes, parsely, red pepper and saffron). The paella
is always on the menu, too. Things and interesting places
around Calpe Either with your car, by bus or train, you should
not let the opportunity to visit other cities like Benidorm,
Torrevieja or Alicante pass you by. Benidorm is fun city with an
incredible list of theme parks like Terra Mitica with fun rides
and shows, Terra Natura where you can visit with all kinds of
animals and have a splash on the water shoots or Mundomar Marine
Animal Park where you can see, smell and even touch animals you
had only seen on t.v. or in books. Whether you only stay in
Calpe or you venture away, the Costa Blanca has everything you
have ever dreamt of.
About the author:
Robert Carlton writes many articles for the internet site http://www.alicante-spain.co
m . Within his publication he is working on topics such as
cities around the Costa Blanca and Spain.
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