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A Guide to The Serengeti Safari
The Northern Game Parks in Tanzania is famous wildlife migration which continues its annual cycle through the Serengeti and the Maasai Mara in Kenya is without doubt one of the most exhilarating natural spectacles on the planet. The awesome beauty...
Casares, the most famous of the "White Villages"
The Costa del Sol is blessed with several traditional Spanish white villages,
or Pueblos Blancos, each with its own unique atmosphere. However there
is something about the village of Casares that just makes you stand and stare.
As...
Discover The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens is located on 150 acres of land at 1150 Oxford Rd. in the city of San Marino, California. San Marino is best known for the financial wealth of it's residents and for it's proximity to...
Hints and tips for your holiday in Peru
Planning your holiday in Peru
Peru is a country with a rich and varied cultural and
architectural heritage. Facing the Pacific, it enjoys
spectacular and varied scenery, including Lake Titicaca, the
world's highest navigable lake, and has...
Travelers Urged To Remain Vigilant As Holidays Approach
Travelers everywhere are warned today to remain vigilant against terrorist attack especially as the holidays draw near.
Intelligence experts believe that it is only a matter of time before there is another terrorist attack in the U.S. and mass...
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Invasions of Mallorca
The island of Mallorca is the largest of the Balearic chain, which lies off the eastern Mediterranean coast of Spain. Thanks to its rugged topography, balmy climate, and old world architectural charm, Mallorca has been a favorite of European tourists since the 1960's. Many Americans have found their way to Mallorca as well, but Americans do not have the advantage of the cheap air and rail fares that the Europeans enjoy. The history of the Balearics is rich and culturally diverse. The islands' numerous protected ports have made them a logical stop along the trade routes of sailors for centuries, consequently the influences of African, Asian, and diverse European peoples is seen throughout the indigenous culture.
The 1960's saw a massive influx of tourists from first France, and then England and finally Germany as dictator Francisco Franco relaxed his foreign policy in the latter years of his life. On Mallorca, the first wave of tourists to fall in love with and "invade" the island was French. Since the Mallorquin people never really accepted Spanish rule, and still consider themselves first Mallorquin, and second Catalan, accepting their French neighbors was not a long stretch. The Mallorquin people, by nature are very capitalistic; therefore, though they grumble about the foreigners, they quickly learn their languages and find ways to take their money.
On a larger and more unattractive scale, the "English invasion" which came in the late 60's was accompanied by under- regulated construction of budget tourist accommodations, and nightclubs. Fortunately this budget class tourist tends to seek sun, sand, and sex, and they have proven to be satisfied with one or two infamous coastal towns designed for their pleasure. Many of the young English tourists on package holidays spend their entire fortnight visit drinking and chasing the opposite sex in the town of Magaluf, and never venture any further. This arrangement worked relatively well for the islanders for 25 years. The ugly tourists rarely encroached on their homes. The government of Mallorca, to their credit, learned a lesson from this period of unchecked development, and has since become quite strict about new construction. No longer does one see the poorly constructed high-rise eyesores of 30 years ago. These unattractive buildings are gradually being renovated or replaced.
The wealthy, well-healed tourists carved their niche on the dramatic Northwestern coast from Estellencs
through Valledmossa, Deia, and Soller. Here, care was taken to preserve the beautiful old fincas, and a number of them became small exclusive hotels and resorts. This area was always more exclusive than the more accessible regions of the island because of the Serra de Tramuntana Mountain range which divides it from the rest of the island. Up until the late 1990's when the EEC began to make money available for major development, even the major roads leading to the Northwestern coastal towns were very narrow and poorly maintained. The trip to Deia from the airport at Palma took over an hour even though the actual distance is only about 30 km as the crow flies. Now, however, new roads have made travel much easier.
Today Mallorca is home to quite a few expatriate residents from England, and America, but many of these long-term residents are leaving due to the current "German Invasion." As European Union became a certainty in the 90's, Germans afraid of loosing money with the equalization of the European currencies began to flood Mallorca spending exorbitant sums on properties and businesses where the rate of exchange worked in their favor. The net result of all this German investment was rapid, massive inflation on the island. Now, less than ten years later, no native Mallorquin can afford to buy property. On entering any restaurant, foreign guests now are addressed in German first. Upon learning that the guest is not German, many waiters will visibly relax, and if the guest speaks Spanish or Mallorquin, the waiter will often indulge in a bit of good-natured "German-bashing."
The negative effects of tourism long ago seeped through the very fabric of life on Mallorca. Now, however, with the dramatic escalation of prices the locals can no longer afford to buy houses. Maintenance work for those who already own their houses can only be done at outlandish prices since wages have increased to compensate. The Germans have been chilly neighbors, fortifying their properties with impenetrable walls to keep prying eyes away.
Now, however, the financial advantages for the Germans have evaporated, and the other expatriate residents are expecting property prices to return to a more affordable level.
About the Author
(c) 2003, Kim Davis Spent 6 years as a resident of Mallorca, and loved every minute of it. She is the author of the highly acclaimed "The Yachtie Bible: How to Get Paid While Traveling in Style." Visit www.kpdavis.com or www.yachtie.net for details.
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Holidays on the Net - Welcome |
Includes music, graphics, historical information, suggested activities, kids pages, links, and other features for most holidays. |
www.holidays.net |
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Kids Domain - Holidays |
HOLIDAY FUN with crafts, recipes, printables, games and activity suggestions for your family to enjoy. |
www.kidsdomain.com |
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Earth Calendar |
Every day is a celebration! The Earth Calendar is an online calendar of holidays and observances around the world. |
www.earthcalendar.net |
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Federal Holidays Calendars from 1997 to 2010 |
Offers a list of federally-recognized holidays celebrated in the United States. |
www.opm.gov |
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TELETEXT HOLIDAYS : Cheap Flights, Last Minute Deals, Ski Holidays ... |
Search for package holidays from over 250 tour operators, find last minute charter flights, ski holidays, snow reports, cruises, destination guides and ... |
www.teletextholidays.co.uk |
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Thomson.co.uk - Great Value Holidays from the UK's no.1 Tour Operator |
Thomson Holidays Online offer cheap package holidays, flights, sun holidays, faraway holidays to exotic destinations, late deals, city breaks, hotel booking ... |
www.thomson.co.uk |
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Holiday - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
4.1 Holidays traditionally in the winter holiday season ... Public holidays can be either religious, in which case they reflect the dominant religion in a ... |
en.wikipedia.org |
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Bargain holidays and cheap flights from Bargainholidays.com |
Choose from 2 million+ late availability cheap flights and last minute bargain holiday packages departing from the UK. Order online from an ABTA bonded and ... |
www.bargainholidays.com |
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First Choice - Book your dream holiday online - Great value ... |
Find great value package holidays online with First Choice. Book last-minute holidays, all inclusive holidays, family holidays and villa holidays. |
www.firstchoice.co.uk |
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Holidays Around the World for K-12 |
Holiday Internet links for US and international holidays, religious holidays, and a holiday calendar for K-12. |
falcon.jmu.edu |
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Holidays - cheap holidays, bargain holidays and bank holiday deals ... |
Book your cheap holidays and bargain bank holidays at lastminute.com. |
www.lastminute.com |
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Cheap holidays and package holiday discounts - Holiday.co.uk |
Cheap Holidays and package deals from all the major UK tour operators including Airtours, Argo, Avro, Balkan, Club 18-30, Cosmos, Crystal, First Choice, ... |
www.holiday.co.uk |
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Virgin Holidays |
Tour operator offering holidays to mainland USA, the Caribbean, the Far East, South Africa and Mauritius as well as a ski programme in California and New ... |
www.virginholidays.co.uk |
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Saga Holidays, Travel Insurance, Short Breaks, Vacations, cruises |
Specialists in providing travel services to people over 50. Details of river and sea cruises, resort holidays, tours, short breaks, special interest and ... |
holidays.saga.co.uk |
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Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators - Holiday Information |
A categorized, annotated list of over 2500 sites to help educators, teachers, and parents enhance instruction and support the curriculum. |
school.discovery.com |
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Queensland Holidays - Queensland Holidays |
Queensland Tourism & Travel Advice - Find accommodation, events & activities as well as special packages & deals - Queensland Holidays. |
www.queenslandholidays.com.au |
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BBC - Holiday |
Information on worldwide destinations as covered in the series, plus advice and travel information, presenters, message boards and postcards. |
www.bbc.co.uk |
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COSMOS - Package Holidays, All Inclusive Holidays, Self Catering ... |
Looking for cheap holidays online? COSMOS offer great value deals on package holidays, all inclusive holidays self catering holidays, villa holidays ... |
www.cosmos.co.uk |
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Late Holiday Deals and Discount Holidays at DirectHolidays.co.uk |
Book late holiday deals online at Direct Holidays - discount breaks to destinations around the world. |
www.directholidays.co.uk |
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Contiki Holidays - Holiday packages for 18 to 35 Year Olds |
Contiki Holidays offers holiday packages and budget travel tours for 18 - 35 year olds including destinations to Europe and the UK, Asia, Latin America, ... |
www.contiki.com |
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