Posted by: gardner310 | September 28, 2009

twitter: How to Retweet

This is not exactly a travel post but if you, like me, are getting into Twitter, Facebook or any social networking circles you may enjoy this information.

I am just getting into Twitter and did not realize there is so much to it if you want to actually do it right.  It is way more complicated than I thought but I am finding it a great learning experience.  I just discovered retweeting and why you should be doing this.  Here is an article from www.bloggingbits.com that I found usefel so thought I would pass it along.

How to Properly Retweet

Before we get into the greatness of retweeting, it would probably be a good idea for you to understand how to properly retweet.

The common syntax starts off with the use of a label. My favorite label to use is “Retweet:” – the label “Retweeting:” and “Reading:” work as well.

Next comes the crediting. You can credit the original poster by simply using the @reply syntax, for example: “@originalPoster”.

Lastly, you should add the link along with a quick note about the link and why it is relevant. Here is a full example of retweeting:

Retweet: @originalPoster The 5 Best Blog Tips http://is.gd/56f – great tips

Now that you understand how to properly retweet, lets move on to some basic concepts of retweeting.

Only Retweet Content You Find Truly Interesting and Relevant

The natural instinct many of you will have is that if you retweet another individual’s content, then there is a better chance that the original poster will retweet your content in the future. While this holds true (and I will cover that in a minute), you should not simply retweet everyone’s content for your own personal gain. You must be selective when you retweet since the whole point of this practice is to benefit your followers.

Retweeting Provides Value to Your Follower

There is a reason why people follow you, value. If you can provide value to your follower you will not only make that individual happy, but you will most likely attract more followers. Providing quality content is always a great way to provide your followers with value. The first thing that comes to mind is writing up a great blog post, and linking the post in a tweet. While this is one way to approach this concept, it is not the only way. Another way to provide your followers with great content is to link to other relevant and interesting content.

Retweeting Will Benefit Your Personal Brand

Retweeting will most likely build your personal brand as well as your follower’s loyalty. If you point a reader to an external source that is truly relevant and beneficial to them, the amount of trust that individual has in you will increase. The next time you post a link, whether it be to your blog or to another source, the chances of that individual clicking that link are higher than before.

Retweeting Will Help You Build Relationships With The Original Posters

As mentioned previously, the likelihood of being on the other end of a retweet increases as you retweet. Retweeting someone else’s content is an act of kindness, and for the most part bloggers like to return such acts. This isn’t to say that you should expect someone to retweet your content just because you retweet theirs. Again, retweeting is all about providing value to your followers, and an individual isn’t going to retweet a post of yours if it is not top notch.

A Concern: Doesn’t Retweeting Steer My Followers Away From Me?

Actually no. In my opinion retweeting will never lose you a follower or reader (unless you send them to some sort of spam, or even worse you RickRoll them!). Why would someone stop reading your blog or following your twitter because you sent them off to another website? Keep an open mind when it comes to your readers, they are usually smart and good people.
Conclusion

Retweeting is a great way to add quality and value to your Twitter. If used incorrectly retweeting can actually hurt your personal brand and future traffic. If done right, retweeting can help you educate your followers, build your personal brand, increase future traffic, and connect you to other bloggers / content creators in your niche.

Posted by: gardner310 | September 21, 2009

Paris, A City to Revisit

I discovered this and thought it an excellent comment on Paris, a city that needs to revisited as many times as you can manage.  It is from Troy Media.  PARIS, France, September 11, 2009/ Troy Media/ —  ENJOY!

It doesn’t matter how many times you go to Paris, there is always more to see and new discoveries to be had. This is my twentieth visit – I made a lot of quick business trips there when I lived in England – and, like all those, it was too brief.

Getting from the airport to Montparnasse, where we stayed, was easy. An Air France shuttle bus takes you to the area and you can walk/taxi to the hotel of your choice. Alternatively, there is a local train leaving from the airport every fifteen minutes which takes you to a location very close to your destination – you may have to change trains, but the cost is low.

Our hotel – Hotel des Artistes – is very well designed and comfortable, and the price was discounted due to the recession. On arrival, we had lunch at a café, took a nap after a long flight and then went for a walk by the Sorbonne. The trick to overcoming jet lag is to stay with local time as long as you can possibly manage it. A good, long meal of five courses helps you both stay up – a Paris restaurant never rushes the meal – and also helps you sleep.

Tour Eiffel

Tour Eiffel

Being a tourist, even for just a few days, is hard work. The trick is to pace yourself and focus. You can’t see it all, so you need to decide what is important for this visit and then do an exceptional job of visiting those locations. On this occasion we wanted to see the Musee d’Orsay, especially the portraits by Degas, and the art work in the Luxembourg gardens. We also wanted to just enjoy the French air and people watch.

The Musee d’Orsay, on the Seine River opposite the Louvre, is an old railway station converted into one of the finest art galleries in the world. Its impressionist collection is something remarkable – well worth the visit. It also has two nice café’s which serve excellent snacks. The collection, though, is vast and you cannot possibly see and experience it all in a day. Pay, go in and head to the fifth floor and walk through the impressionist gallery. Look closely at the portraits by Degas and be amazed at how he captures more than a face – he was able to capture character and spirit as well as looks. Contrast his portraits with those by others and see for yourself just how good Degas was. Take your time leaving, but make sure you have a clear memory of the Degas. Of course, if your interest is in other painters, substitute your painter for Degas here – but the trick is not to do too much.

We then had lunch in a little seafood restaurant – fresh oysters from Normandy, mussels from the Mediterranean and John Dory from the French Riviera (a rich fish and likes to live near rich people). The French seem to be able to make a simple meal be an experience.

Pere Lachaise Cemetery

Pere Lachaise Cemetery

We then strolled through various parts of Paris between the Seine and the Montparnasse. Each Saturday, there is a food market in the Montparnasse – fresh fruit, olives, nuts, cheeses. We bought bread, some wine, some cheese, some fruit and had a feast in the park.

The Luxembourg quarter of Paris, which includes the Luxembourg Gardens, is a fine district of elegant shops, street cafes, market stalls and churches. On a Sunday, it is busy – there is a children’s play area, café’s in the park, several games of boules (sometimes referred to as bowls) and a lot of people walking, sitting, thinking, sunbathing. Even in the first few days of September, it was 30 degrees Celsius and climbing. At the south-west entrance to the park is a small gallery which shows work by local artists – some very good. At the north of the park, near the Senate building, is a gallery which changes its exhibits each month. Both  galleries are free and both are excellent value.

But the real trick with the gardens is to find a seat in the shade and watch. The French are either elegant or interesting, but rarely both. In a typical people-watching session, you are likely to encounter philosophers extolling the virtues of the human mind, grandmothers berating their children, lovers quarrelling over where to eat, or patriarchs instructing their obedient families as to the best course of action in case of an attack of poor manners. In our case, we also acted as picture-takers for young couples wanting a picture of themselves near the Fountain of the Medici.

Then our time was over, except for a wonderful meal at a restaurant specializing in dishes from Madagascar. Then it was on to the Gare de Lyon, where our high speed train sped us to Nice in very elegant style.

Paris is always a great place to start a vacation – it is impossible for the city to be confused with anywhere you else you are likely to have been recently and it invites you to relax and enjoy its wonders. Providing you take heed, that is to relax and enjoy by doing less, it is a great place to spend a long week-end.

Parisian Street Cafe

Parisian Street Cafe

Posted by: gardner310 | July 17, 2009

Be A GREEN Traveler

ASTA (American Society of Travel Agents) has a green program for travel agencies and suppliers.  Membership is optional and an extra cost but those of us who are serious about the environment opt in.  THE Travel Specialist is a GREEN agency. There are ways to make your office and /facility green in order to better preserve the environment and thus enable the traveler to have a better experience.  Below is a list of actions you can take as a responsible traveler to be green.  The list is from the French Tourist Office and mentions but these actions apply to anywhere you may go.  The better we treat our environment the longer it will be there for others to visit.

Rules and codes of practice for the responsible traveller are a valuable guide to encourage tourists to minimise their impact on the places they travel through. Here are some useful links, together with a summary of the main actions for travelling responsibly in France.

Green actions for walkers
The French Walking Federation sets out its ten commandments for the responsible walker. These include not building campfires and not washing up with detergent in crystal-clear streams when camping, etc. They also remind walkers to take their picnic waste with them in their rucksacks, and not to leave anything behind.

Green actions for mountain-goers, in winter and summer
With its guide to “eco-friendly” mountain resorts and its ski slope clean-up actions, mountain-goers organisation Mountain Riders provides a stimulus to local authorities and all mountain tourism actors. It has compiled a list of “good actions” for the planet when on a summer or winter mountain holiday.

Green actions for divers
Longitude 181 is an organisation that works towards the protection of the marine environment and a more equitable distribution of its resources, by publicising and implementing the International Guide for the Responsible Diver, launched in February 2002.

Green actions in protected sites
A whole legal arsenal codifies the use of classified and protected natural areas (national parksregional natural parksmarine areas, etc.).

Here is a summary of the main actions for the responsible traveller in France:

– Abide by the rules of the places you visit.

– Do not leave behind any kind of rubbish; take all your rubbish with you and dispose of it in the appropriate rubbish and recycling bins.

– Keep to waymarked paths.

– Respect the silence of nature.

– Do not feed animals and keep your distance.

– Do not pick plants or flowers in protected areas.

– Do not damage works of art, sites or monuments; simple actions like stroking a fresco with your hand can seriously alter it if they are repeated by thousands of ill-informed visitors.

– At your hotel, ask for the sheets and towels not to be changed every day.

– Avoid using air-conditioning.

– When shopping, give preference to local, seasonal produce and avoid plastic bags.*

– Offset the CO2 emissions from your mode of travel.

* The end of plastic bags at the cash-out is announced for 2010, but in France small shops and large supermarkets alike have not waited for the law to abolish this abundant stream of freebies, replacing them with reusable shopping bags or bags made from biodegradable materials.

Posted by: gardner310 | July 9, 2009

I Love Chicago

The Bean in Millennium Park

The Bean in Millennium Park

I am from Philadelphia, PA but have lived in the Chicago area since 1979 after living in LA for several years.  When I told people I was moving from Los Angeles to Chicago the common reaction was shock and horror.  Today there is still a perception that there is no reason to visit our wonderful city.  It is cold and windy, right?  They forget we have a summer and a LAKE!  Most foreign visitors hit both coasts and miss the middle which is regrettable for them and the city.  Following is an article from the official visitors site for Chicago.  It offers a lot of information that still just touches on what we have to offer here in Chicago for those venture into the center of the country.  I am available to book your vacations or business trips in Chicago as an individual or a group.  Do contact me, I like nothing better than showcasing Chicago.  Enjoy.

Chicago offers a staggering number of exciting things visitors can enjoy free of charge throughout the year. Here are a few of our favorites: At historic Navy Pier, the Midwest’s #1 tourist and leisure destination, the full lineup of free entertainment includes shows, special seasonal events, and music and dance performances from around the globe. Fifty acres of parks, gardens and promenades make this lakefront playground – open daily except Christmas and Thanksgiving – a lovely place to stroll and enjoy an unparalleled view of the cityscape. And on summer Wednesday and Saturday nights, dazzling fireworks displays off the Pier light up the nighttime sky. Inside the Pier, Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows exhibits 150 stained glass windows – both religious and secular windows in Victorian, Prairie, Modern and Contemporary styles – in the first such museum in the U.S.

Frank Geary's Bandshell in Millennium Park

Frank Geary's Bandshell in Millennium Park

In the heart of the city is Millennium Park, an award-winning gem of art, music, architecture and landscape design. Performers utilizing this spectacular space for theater and music include Grant Park Music Festival, which serves up the nation’s only remaining free outdoor classical music series in the magnificent Jay Pritzker Pavilion on summer evenings. Ever-changing displays of art and sculpture throughout the year include ice sculptures in winter. And master gardeners point out native plantings and Chicago symbolism during free guided tours of Lurie Garden.

Unsurpassed displays of plants and flowers and seasonal shows are presented at Chicago’s two “gardens under glass” – Garfield Park Conservatory on the city’s west side and Lincoln Park Conservatory just north of downtown. A few steps from Lincoln Park Conservatory is a world of wildlife in Lincoln Park Zoo. This natural oasis in the shadow of skyscrapers is home to reclusive reptiles, massive mammals, beautiful birds, and countless creatures in between.

In the heart of the Loop, the Chicago Cultural Center could easily rest on its laurels as an architectural landmark…but it also works hard as one of the most comprehensive free arts showcases in the country. Hundreds of programs in dance, music, theater, and film, plus art exhibitions, literary programs, lectures and discussions provide nonstop opportunities to spark visitors’ imaginations.

Check out the dozens of other Chicago attractions which also offer free admission every day or free admission on select days.

Posted by: gardner310 | July 1, 2009

10 Things to Buy in Italy

Italy's Most Famous Export

Italy's Most Famous Export

Rome

1. Leather goods

2. Fashion Clothing – Dulce & Gabbana, Versace, etc

3. Fashions for Less – McArthur Glen Designer Outlet is an easy ride from Rome via the Metro and the bus

4. Vintage Clothing and Shoes – Daily morning  market in the Via Sannio neighborhood

5. Gelato

Naples

6. Designer Chocolates – Gay Odin shops featuring spectacular chocolate Mt. Vesuvius

Venice

7. Murano Glass

8. Masks

Messina, Sicily

9. Ceramics – also found in Deruta

Florence

10. Jewelry – goldsmiths and jewelers along the Ponte Vecchio Bridge

**From Carnival Currents

Posted by: gardner310 | July 1, 2009

2009 Top 10 Favorite Asia Family Travel Experiences

The toboggan at the great wall

The toboggan at the great wall

Family travel ranges from a trip to grandma’s in the same state or the cabin in Wisconsin or Disney World in Florida to a trip to Europe or an Alaskan cruise.  More and more families are tagging along on business trips with dad and taking advantage of the perks that brings.  I found a list for families who are looking for some exotic ideas.  This is from a travel professional who travels 6-8 weeks a year in Asia, Randy Lynch.  These are some great suggestions that will provide a fun filled vacation for everyone.  Call me if you want to try one, or more!

2009 Top 10 Favorite Asia Family Travel Experiences

1. Kyoto, Japan: Private Geisha dinner and girls’ “dress-up”
2. Chengdu, China: Private panda audience
3. Beijing, China: Toboggan down the Great Wall at Mutianyu
4. Siem Reap, Cambodia: Volunteer at COSO Orphanage & Donation to village water well
5. Mekong River: 2 day/1 night LuangSay Cruise on the Mekong River between Luang
Prabang, Laos and Chiang Rai, Thailand
6. Chiang Mai, Thailand: Maesa Private Elephant Camp
7. Halong Bay, Vietnam: 2 day/1 night Junk Cruise
8. Guilin, China: Biking/Trekking/Chill at Hotel of Modern Art (HOMA)
9. Dali & Zhongdian, Yunnan China: The Linden Centre & Banyan Tree Ringha
10. Thailand & Vietnam: Family Beach Fun!

Posted by: gardner310 | June 24, 2009

Event Calendar for Chianti, Italy

Forra in Chianti - 6 Bedrooms

Forra in Chianti - 6 Bedrooms

Italy remains one of the most desirable destinations in Europe.  Villas make vacationing there more economical and allow a true Taste of Italy, living as a local.  Shopping in the markets, eating in local restaurants and meeting the residents of your village will make lasting impressions and perhaps even friends.  Villas are available in all shapes and sizes throughout Italy for parties as small as 1 looking for peace and quiet up to 20+ for a family or friends reunion.

Below is the summer/fall event calendar for Chianti, one of the most requested areas in Italy.  For villa pricing and choices, contact me.  Rates are as much as 25% off for some properties.

Castelnuovo Berardenga

Performance of Bruscello (Villa Chigi Saracini – Castelnuovo Berardengna) – 26/28/29 June. Theatrical performance in eight rhyme, that originates from antique traditions

Cinema and Chianti – (Villa Chigi Saracini, Castelnuovo Berardenga), 18-25 July. Every year this festival is dedicated to a great film director, with large screen projections, meetings with leading film characters, exhibitions…

Calici di Stelle– (Castelnuovo Berardenga) 10 August. Wine tasting and tasting of typical products, craft markets, shows

Passato e Presente (Festival Past and Present) – (Casetta/Montaperti) – the last week of August and the first week of September. Tradition festival, one of the most popular in the Siena territory. The historical battle of Monteaperti (mentioned even on the “Divina Commedia”, Dante Alighieri) is remembered with torchlight procession

Festa del Luca (Festival of Luca) – (San Gusmè) first 2 weeks of September. One of the more interesting and popular festival in the territory. Good quality of food and wine.

Festa dell’Uva (Festival of the Grape) (Vagliagli) last week of September. Exhibition of carts accompanied by men and women in traditional costumes. Good food and wine.

Gaiole in Chianti

Mercatino medioevale dei SS. Pietro e Paolo (Gaiole in Chianti) 29 of June. Medieval market

Assalto al Castello di Meleto – (castello di meleto, Gaiole in Chianti) 29 of June. Medieval festival with music, exhibitions, gastronomy

Cicloraduno di biciclette d’epoca 01 October (Gaiole in Chianti)

Chianti Festival – (Gaiole in C. Radda in C. Castellina in C. Castelnuovo Berardenga) – 03-26 July. Performances.

Radda in Chianti

Festa del Perdono – (Radda in Chianti) – 29, 30, 31 August, 01 September. Music, gastronomy, wine

Greve in Chianti

Chianti in Rock – (Campo sportivo, Panzano in Chianti) 27 of June. Music and fun

AVIS in Piazza – (Piazza Landi, Strada in Chianti) 03, 04 05 July. Music, dancing, performances

Festa di Sant’Anna – (Sant’Anna, Greve in Chianti) – 25 July. Music and dancing

Rioni in Piazza – (Greve in Chianti) – 06 September. Handicraft’s market, parade, music, performances.

Vino al Vino – (Panzano in Chianti) – 11, 12, 13 September. Wine tasting

Stradainfiera – (Strada in Chianti) – 19, 20, 21 September. Music, gastronomy, markets

Festa delle Castagne (Festival of chestnuts)– (Lucolena in Chianti) – 17 and 18 October

Siena

Concerto della Banda “Città del Palio” – 30 June. Performance of the band with pop-modern and symphonic music 22h.

Palio , 2nd of July and 16th of August

Calici di Stelle – (Siena) – 10 August. Music, wine-tasting and typical products

Mercatino dell’antiquariato (Piazza del Mercato) – every 3rd Sunday. Antique dealing

Other areas

Chiusdino (SI) – Sagra del Ciaccino 01-03 August. Music and gastronomy

Radicofani (SI) – Festa del Raviolo di Contignano: 16-20 August. Music and gastronomy

Vivo d’Orcia (SI) – Sagra della Polenta August 2009. Music and gastronomy

Posted by: gardner310 | March 22, 2009

Lion Kill

Lion Kill

I’m at Thakadu Tent Lodge this evening after driving 2 hours from Sun City.  We are on the river and I am currently in my bed surrounded by mosquito netting.  My bed is turned down and the bug spray is sitting on the night stand, just in case.

We arrived this afternoon, had a lovely lunch and went and went on a game drive with local guide, Kaiser.  The hit of the game drive was finding a small lion pride that just made a zebra kill. 

 

Wildebeest at Thakadu Lodge

Wildebeest at Thakadu Lodge

 

 

We saw blood on the road and downtrodden grass so we knew they were close.  Sure enough, a short distance off the road a young male lion was sitting there licking his chops.  You could see in the immediate distance the larger male picking up the remainder of the carcass and high-tailing off with it to safer ground.

We watched for many minutes while the young males strode around and then walked off to a take a nap, most likely.  It made for some good photos.  The video shows one of the young ones hauling a leg off to finish but you have to look closely.  It was quite exciting being in the midst of dinner, even if we were uninvited guests.

Posted by: gardner310 | March 19, 2009

Zulu Land

Kwazulu-Natal is the province of the Zulus and Shaka Khan and the Boer War.  It is a fascinating and lovely province offering both beach and game reserves.  It is not the quickest place to get to but I am finding that traveling in Africa takes time and patience.  I flew from Jo’burg to Richard’s Bay at 605am and then had a transfer of about an hour up to Stewart’s Farm where you can stay in an authentic Zulu boma overnight or just visit for the day and learn about Zulu life.  Sonya Newland, one of the owners, made all my all my arrangements for this portion of the trip through her company, Africa tours.  I visited the village and had breakfast with my traveling companion for this portion of the trip, Monika.

We met Douglas, our Zulu driver, and off we went north to Thonga Beach Lodge on the Indian Ocean.  That took another hour and a half to get to Coastal Cashew Factory, where the lodge vehicle picked us up.  The factory shop had empty shelves because they haven’t had production since December due to machinery breakdowns!   Another hour and a half and one flat tire later we arrived at Thonga Beach at 3pm. 

 

Flat Tire, repaired by a scuba tank

Flat Tire, repaired by a scuba tank

 

They held lunch for us on the deck and helped scare away the monkeys so we could eat.  The 12 huts are charming with a lovely bathroom and a huge bed.  Each one is separate and set into the hillside, some have a view of the beach but all are very romantic.  I headed out almost immediately for my first sundowner, which is a game drive and cocktails out in the bush or in our case by the lake watching the hippos. 

Thonga Beach

Thonga Beach

 

 

It was a couple that were scuba divers and myself and it was fun to talk to them about the country.  We were back by 630pm and headed to the bar for socializing before dinner on the deck.  What a civilized way to live.

Zulu Hut

Zulu Hut

Posted by: gardner310 | March 17, 2009

Thanda Private Game Lodge

Thanda Lodge

This place is over the top.  My room is a building!  It goes on forever and I am here as a single.  The Lodge has 9 buildings (rooms) and I was in #8.  You cannot walk alone between the lodge and your room in the evening because the resort is not fenced.  Thanda is a private fenced reserve of about 7ooo hectares.  This is a small reserve at the moment but they have plans to add more land over the ext few years.  Compare this to Kruger Park, the most well known park, which is bigger than Switzerland.   9 rooms, 3 vehicles and the park all to ourselves, it doesn’t get better than that.    No crowds at the sightings and plenty of opportunities for photos and just staring at the animals

As usual it took hours of driving and another flat tire before Monika and I arrived but we make it for tea prior to the game drive.  Game drives depart at 430pm and you are out for between 3-4 hours,

Thanda Lodge Bedroom Section

Thanda Lodge Bedroom Section

 depending on your luck.  I discovered I brought all the wrong clothes.  I could have left most of the shorts and short-sleeved shirts at home and substituted another pair of long pants and a few more long sleeve shirts plus a heavier windbreaker.  It is cold at 7pm and at 530am!

 

Ben was our guide and Nbeki was our tracker.  We got off to a good start with impala, zebras, white rhinos, giraffe, birds, warthog, wildebeest and even a leopard turtle (one of the Small five).  The experience of actually tracking lions and then driving through the bush to get next to a Cape buffalo or a rhino is breathtaking. 

Once you do a game drive I can see that the local zoo will have less appeal.  Ben and his wife are both guides at the resort and he was very knowledgeable about the area and the animals and photography.  We were 4 in the land rover and our companion had a camera with a huge lens that was new.  Ben was great about giving him tips on ISO and F stops so I poached some information to use on my new video/still shot camera.  It is my belated Christmas that Michael does not know he is buying me yet.  Made it much easier to get photos in low light at the end of the drive.

Dinner was in the boma with the staff providing the entertainment, Zulu singing and dancing.   A boma is an outdoor location where people gather to eat and socialize.  The food is what is served at a traditional South African braii or barbeque.  We had impala, crocodile brochettes and warthog sausages plus vegetable sides.  I ate it all.

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