the traveler's resource guide to festivals & films
a FestivalTravelNetwork.com site
part of Insider Media llc.
Travel Feature
Thoughts on a Gibraltar Street Fair
- Details
- Parent Category: Travel Info
- Category: Travel Feature
- Published on Tuesday, 22 June 2010 13:42
- Written by Eric Lurio
Some major cities have several every weekend during the summertime like in New York City -- though Mayor Michael Bloomberg is threatening to cut them down or eliminate them all together. In other places, they're an annual affair. In Gibraltar, it's the latter and is called Calentita; this year they had fireworks. It took place a few weekends ago.
For some reason, Calentita only goes back four years. Why the Ministry of Culture didn't come up with it earlier is something I forgot to ask. But this is Gibraltar, a teensy-weensy British sore on the skin of Spain, a mountain on a peninsula surrounded by a small town and a bunker-like border.
Except for a small glass factory and banks designed for tax avoidance, (and the navy) there's nothing really here except tourism, which is why one of Calentita's highlights is the introduction of the Miss Gibraltar contestants (Miss World). Pretty women are always fun to look at, and while doing so; it's interesting to ponder how this pinprick on the Mediterranean, and it's Spanish counterpart in Africa, Ceuta, fit into the bigger picture of international politics, especially the Middle East.
On the face of it, Gibraltar and Ceuta should be totally inoffensive. They are extremely tiny, and filled with friendly people who wish no one any harm and provide tourist dollars for people living on the other side of the border. But actually they're extremely offensive to their neighbors. The main reason is that they're There. It hurts the dignity of Spain and Morocco to have these tiny enclaves just sitting there figuratively thumbing their noses at two major countries.
Spain blockaded Gibraltar for most of the last third of the 20th century (they gave up in 1984) and when the Blair government in Britain negotiated a co- dominium with Spain in 2002, but the locals had to be consulted, and the referendum rejected the proposal by 17,900 to 187.
Ceuta is a slightly different matter. The Portuguese "stole" the city in 1415 and Spain took it over a century and a half later. In the only known referendum to take place prior to the 18th century, the people decided to stay with Spain when Portugal got its independence back in 17th century.
When Spain gave Morocco back most of the "occupied territory" in 1956, it kept Ceuta on the grounds that it had the city before it grabbed the rest. The Moroccan government is still fuming...
Like Gibraltar, Ceuta's border with Spain is a bunker-like affair, and there's a major illegal alien problem there. Morocco is to Europe what Mexico is to the United States, and this enclave and its sister Melilla -- a few hundred miles to the east -- are the equivalent of Tijuana or Nuevo Laredo, easy gateways to the riches of Europe. Everyone in Africa wants to pass through. The Spaniards down there feel Arizona's pain.
But getting back to Calentita... Casemates Square, right off Main Street, was filled to capacity as everyone waited for the fireworks display. I was amazed how much Spanish was being spoken. One shouldn't be though; since the border was opened, lots of Spaniards came to get work. Then it happened. I was amazed on how low to the ground they were. That plus the music and the freaky lasers made it quite an experience.
Fortunately, Spain has pretty much given up getting the Rock back, but they will never fully accept it and always resent it being British. It's been that way for over 300 years, longer than the Spanish have held it after they took it from the Moors in the 1430s.
This should be a lesson for the Middle East. Nobody is going anywhere so get used with it.
The Sun Shines on Phuket Island Environs
- Details
- Parent Category: Travel Info
- Category: Travel Feature
- Published on Sunday, 13 June 2010 14:20
- Written by Perry Santanachote
Off the west coast of southern Thailand, Phuket Island is a paradise for beach bums and adventure seekers alike. Well known as “The Pearl of the Andaman Sea,” this tropical island is endowed with beautiful white beaches, spectacular limestone peaks and forested hills.
Avoid the overcrowded and polluted Patong Beach, which has lost its charm, and instead book a day trip to one of the surrounding mini islands.
Phang Nga Bay is a complex network of river estuaries with dense mangrove and nipa palm forests. Protecting the shoreline are limestone cliff formations that extend up to 1,000 feet out from the sea.
Touring the area in a small motorboat or canoe allows you to explore the mysteries of the mangrove swamps and take in the natural beauty of coves, bays and idyllic remote beaches.
Many of the rock formations are hollow and conceal hidden caves and lagoons. Local guides know the secret passages, but you’ll have to get out of the boat and swim. If you can handle swimming through a tight, dark cave, it’s completely worth it. You’ll find pristine white sand beaches without a single footprint, surrounded by lush tropical vegetation. The experience evokes a surreal feeling of traveling back in time a million years.
If you want to stay in the boat, go to a limestone island called Tham Lawd, which boats are able to pass through. Look up and check out the stalactites hanging from the ceiling like chandeliers. You may even glimpse a bat or two.
If you’re the more adventu
rous type, put on a wet suit and take a day trip to the Similan Islands. About 12 miles north at Koh Bon is a 110-foot vertical wall and a step-down ridge that goes down nearly 150 feet to the sandy flats beneath. Leopard sharks are commonly seen in this area.
Another 15 miles north is Koh Tachai, with an underwater ridge that is considered to be one of the finest dives. This spot is famous for stingrays, leopard sharks and bill turtles. Whale sharks are also known to make appearances now and again.
On dry land, a three-hour drive from Phuket is the Khao Sok Rainforest. The 460 square mile nature preserve features thick native rainforests, waterfalls and an enchanting island-studded lake. There are several trails for hiking, rivers for rafting, as well as a guided safari tour. One any given day you can expect to see wild elephants, leopards, serows, guar, Malayan sun bears, dusky langurs and nearly 200 species of birds
Finally, for those looking for a nice beach to lounge on, Phuket has endless possibilities. A popular one is Karon Beach, with its unusual squeaky sand. Yes squeaky. You’ll understand once you hear it for yourself.
Comestible Survival in Cannes
- Details
- Parent Category: Travel Info
- Category: Travel Feature
- Published on Sunday, 09 May 2010 03:36
- Written by Ron Dicker
Where I go in Cannes after film festival screenings is dictated by two forces: my exact whereabouts and whether I can secure free grub at a seaside soiree. If 
complimentary cold rosé and hors d'oeuvres aren't in the offing, then it's time for my old reliables.
La Pizza (3 Quai Saint-Pierre) gets the publicity for attracting journos, but Xavier Pizza (10 Rue Marceau) gets my heart. French-style thin crust, stronger-than-usual cheeses and a fresh-catch bounty on its seafood pizza make it the best around. I've gotten film writers from all over the world to try this place. If it weren't for the hike, they'd eat here all the time. It sounds crazy to pour spicy olive oil over all that grease, right? You just do it and you love it.
My drinking hangout is a nondescript two-dollar-a-glass joint catty-cornered from the train station. It's called Bar Splendide, but it's not to be confused with the bar at the Hotel Splendide (4-6 rue Felix-Faure) -- a decent two-star place (or as one guide describes: "an old-style hotel that rises above the Allees de la Liberte, just a hop from the Palais des Festivals (where the annual film fest is held) and facing the Cote D'Azur; this hotel's turn-of-the-century charm goes hand in hand with modern comforts"). 
You will find reporters, flacks and marketers tipping back le vin as the night creeps on. By-the-carafe brings the tally to about a buck a glass. The more you drink, the more you ignore the shady characters emerging from the station. I sometimes bring outside food -- ham and cheese and tuna sandwiches are everywhere -- to the sidewalk tables, and I've never been hassled by the staff.
In the morning, I like to wolf down a croissant or two as I hustle to the 8:30 a.m. screening.
There is only one option as far as I'm concerned. Pains de Provence (24 Boulevard de la République), a slight climb into the foothills, serves 'em up a buttery golden brown for about a buck apiece. These could make the Pillsbury Dough Boy seek a new line of work. I get my espresso and juice for free in the Palais press bar. Hey, I'm on a budget.
For dessert, I don't want patisserie in Cannes. I want ice cream. Local stalwart Vilfeu closed its prized location on Rue des Etats Unis and now has two spots (14 Rue Bivouac Napoléon and 9 Rue Montaigne). Try the pear sorbet and the pistachio ice cream. And... You're welcome.
La Pizza
3 Quai Saint-Pierre
06400 Cannes, France
04 93 39 22 56
www.crescere.fr
Xavier Pizza
10 Rue Marceau
06400 Cannes, France
Vilfeu
14 Rue Bivouac Napoléon
06400 Cannes, France
Vilfeu
9 Rue Montaigne
06400 Cannes, France
Pains de Provence
24 Boulevard de la République
06400 Cannes, France
Hotel Splendide
4-6 rue Felix-Faure
06400 Cannes, France
Related FFTraveler stories:
Durham, N.C. - Places To Go
- Details
- Parent Category: Travel Info
- Category: Travel Feature
- Published on Tuesday, 06 April 2010 20:44
- Written by Laura Blum
Several years ago a producer friend attended the Full Frame International Film Festival, and gold-starred it as a "destination festival." Not only was its host city of Durham, N.C. "beautiful," he clucked, but it offered so many "Things to See and Do."
Having grown up there, I'd never heard anything more preposterous. Except perhaps Thomas Wolfe's assertion that you can't go home again; any place where the grocery checkout girl asks how you'll be fixin' your Granny Smiths and pecans bears revisiting. But the hick town of my Boone's Farm-soaked youth, a tourist attraction?
The Lord works in mysterious ways.
I got to reckoning that my friend — and Durham's five and a half million annual tourists — had a point. Red clay; pines silhouetted against the Carolina sky; magnolias by the Eno River (and sass like "We Southern magnolias grow in dirt"): pretty soon I'd slopped together a mess of arguments for the Bull City's appeal, not only for its scenery, history and cuisine, but as a whole heap of culture to boot.
Bennett Place
Soon after General Robert E. Lee's Appomattox 1865 surrender, Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston and Union General William T. Sherman met at James and Nancy Bennett's farm to effectively end the Civil War. Stick around for a week after Full Frame (April 8-11, 2010) and catch the 145th Anniversary Surrender Commemoration (April 17-18) at the exact spot where the War's largest troop capitulation was signed. Tack, anyone?
4409 Bennett Memorial Rd.
Durham, NC 27705
(919) 383-4345
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.nchistoricsites.org/bennett/
Duke University Chapel
As Duke students know, getting high needn't involve chemistry lab. Rising 210 feet above West Campus, this neo-Gothic stone chapel has been elevating souls since the Depression. Climb up to its 50-bell tower, and if the view of Duke forest guilt-trips you over next year's Christmas tree, repent downstairs at a church service accompanied by the 5,200-pipe Flentrop Organ.
100 Chapel Drive, Duke University
Durham, NC 27708
919-681 1704
www.chapel.duke.edu
Sarah P. Duke Memorial Gardens
Everything comes up rosy at Duke University's botanical gardens, offering lovers great make out spots since 1934. Wander its five miles of paths through exotic leafy things, and toss a Frisbee on the South Lawn. Fun factoid: the 36th Parallel of Latitude cuts through here, a 1988 discovery giving new meaning to the Terrace Garden's landscaping model, the globe's seven lines of latitude. Renovation is currently underway to de-scuzz the famed lily pond stocked with Koi, comets and goldfish.
Campus Drive at Bynum St
426 Anderson Street
Durham, NC 27708
(919) 684-3698
www.hr.duke.edu/dukegardens
Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University
I just happened to be visiting the Nasher when a terrific show of Andy Warhol photos was up, featuring, among other beautiful people, Nancy Nasher. The Duke grad and her family are to thank for opening their alumni association envelopes. N
ow five pavilions radiate out from a huge sky-lit hall, giving Durham a respectable museum. Permanent collections span Medieval, Renaissance and pre-Columbian art plus contemporary works with my new favorite assemblage, Petah Coyne's haunting tangle of decayed flowers, birds and found materials known as “Untitled #1111 (Little Ed’s Daughter Margaret).”
2001 Campus Dr
Durham, NC 27705
919-684-5135
www.nasher.duke.edu
Duke University Lemur Center
If you like the animated film, Madagascar, you'll love this research center dedicated to lemurs and other prosimian primates. Ring-tailed lemurs, galagos and even those real-life cartoons, Aye-Ayes, make up the roughly 250 frat members of Duke's best behaved animal house. Who says they're the evolutionary predecessors to monkeys, apes -- and humans? Call in advance to schedule a tour.
3705 Erwin Rd
Durham, NC 27705
919-489-3364
www.lemur.duke.edu
Eno River State Park
Escape the quiet of Durham to the quiet of Eno River State Park, heading due northwest. Outdoor enthusiasts will find canoeing, fishing and 21 miles of well-maintained hiking trails to feed body and spirit before cracking into the gorp. To bivouac in its riverside campsite, make reservations in advance.
6101 Cole Mill Rd
Durham, NC 27705
919-383-1686
www.ncparks.gov
American Tobacco
Gone are the days when a kid could wake up to the sweet smell of tobacco spicing the town, or score a foot-long cigarette at a field trip of a cigarette factory. But not all is lost: the former Lucky Strike cigarette factory now anchors an entertainment, shopping and restaurant complex in the heart of downtown. Parent company American Tobacco Company also built the nearby Watts and Yuille tobacco warehouses, which was recycled 20 years ago as a hotspot, Brightleaf Square.
318 Blackwell St.
Durham NC 27701
(919) 433-1566
http://www.americantobaccocampus.com
Brightleaf Square
Once used to store, age and ferment tobacco, the neo-Romanesque brick warehouses of this indoor/outdoor mall date from the early 1900's. Like Bullington Warehouse, the restored site is on the National Register of Historic Places.
905 West Main Street
Durham, NC 27701
(919) 682-9229
www.brightleafsquare.com
North Carolina Museum of Life and Science
Interactive exhibits, a railway ride and a dinosaur trail are part of the hoopla to be had at this 70-acre swath in northern Durham. Flit around the Magic Wings Butterfly House in the recreated tropical rainforest, or ferret out ampler creatures – like bats, gators and owls -- in the Carolina Wildlife zone. The Museum's newest resident is a black bear yearling named Yona, whom you'll find cavorting in the bear yard of Explore the Wild.
433 Murray Ave
Durham, NC 27704
919-220-5429
www.ncmls.org
Bullock's Bar B Cue Inc
For folks like me who colonized Durham prior to the advent of the bagel, this southern establishment with its heavenly hush puppies gave us our daily bread. Comfort food doesn't get homier than Bullock's overcooked green beans and saucy barbecue brought out – s l o w l y – by waitresses with piled hair. Romantic décor and snappy service may be in short supply, but clear your innerds for the heaping flavors of the Carolinas preserved within these 60-year-old walls.
3330 Quebec Dr
Durham, NC 27705
(919) 383-3211
For a related article on Full Frame Film Festival, see http://filmfestivaltraveler.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=655:full-frame-documentary-film-festival-serves-non-fiction-feast&catid=31:general
