Cool Consortium

As much as I love the city (Toronto, that is), every once in a while I gotta get away and a few weeks ago I came up with the idea of a little winter weekend getaway with my sister-in-law Yolande and my nephew Jazz. So I started surfing around the Internet to see where we could go, and since I didn’t want to spend several hours driving, I settled on a destination just about an hour outside of Toronto: I came up with the city of Barrie whose surrounding areas include several ski resorts.

Yesterday was a gorgeous day, and at plus 8 degrees Celsius certainly not a typical Canadian winter day. After checking in at our overnight retreat, the Nicholyn Farms Bed and Breakfast just 15 minutes outside of Barrie, we drove downtown to explore this growing city of 125,000 which is located right on the shores of Lake Simcoe on Kempenfelt Bay.

Although our plans to go ice-skating fell through, Lake Simcoe was frozen solid enough so we could take a walk around Kempenfelt Bay, and like many others on this gorgeous day we were able to walk and play on the frozen lake. I started off with a brief walk through town to capture some of the essence of this country town that has become a popular bedroom community for commuters to Toronto. The completion of the railroad connecting Barrie to the City of York (now Toronto) in 1865 and the construction of Highway 400 in the 1950s were critical events that promoted this city’s growth. With its proximity to both Toronto and Ontario’s Lakelands and 4-season resorts, Barrie is ideally positioned for a quick winter getaway.

[SAFETY WARNING: Please ensure that you obey all weather warnings when venturing out on frozen lakes. This year the winter has been particularly mild and every year several people fall through the ice and drown. Please make sure that the ice is safe before you venture out on the lake!]

In close proximity to Barrie are 2 winter resorts, Horseshoe Valley Resort and Snow Valley, and not much further away are Blue Mountain / Collingwood (Ontario’s largest ski resort) and Mount St. Louis Moonstone. The forests and lakes around Barrie offer plenty of opportunities for hiking, cross-country skiing and snow-mobiling. Its proximity to Georgian Bay, one of Ontario’s favourite getaway areas, makes Barrie a popular travel destination close to Toronto. Lake Simcoe itself is a major hub for ice-fishing.

Barrie’s downtown is anchored around Dunlop Street which holds a variety of independently owned shops and retail outlets. Many of the buildings along Dunlop Street date back to Victorian times and the city has made an effort to preserve and highlight its architectural heritage.

Barrie’s waterfront is dominated by an impressive outdoor sculpture: the Spirit Catcher, which was designed by sculptor Ron Baird for the 1986 EXPO in Vancouver. The sculpture was donated to the Barrie Gallery Project in 1987 and represents the Aboriginal People of Canada and the Aboriginal myth of the Thunderbird. When the Spirit Catcher was erected, it was blessed in a special ceremony by the Rama Native Drum Group of the Mnijikaning First Nation.

In the spirit of human understanding , we had our own inter-cultural experience. After I returned from my little photographic tour through downtown Barrie, I reconnected with my sister-in-law and my nephew next to the Spirit Catcher on the waterfront. Yolande and Jazz had met a young German exchange student by the name of Martin who is currently completing a degree in Environmental Technology in Germany and managed to arrange an international coop assignment in a small town north of Barrie.

We had a fabulous conversation and Martin mentioned how tough it was to realize his dream of completing an international coop program in Canada. But he succeeded and is spending 9 weeks here in Ontario. He said he loves the country and is taken in by the Canadian mentality. Of course, he also plans to explore Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Niagara Falls and New York City during his short 9-week stint here in Canada. Martin told us that at his young age he had already travelled to 19 different countries, and no matter where he goes he loves to link up with people from different places.

It’s getting dark….

And apart from just having a conversation, Martin, full of youthful energy and mischief, was definitely up for a snowball fight and some horsing around, something that my 8-year old nephew greatly enjoyed. It was fabulous to see the two of them chasing each other on the frozen lake, heaving snow at each other and laughing their heads off. On one hand there was blond and blue-eyed Martin from Germany and on the other there was my brown-skinned nephew of Trinidadian heritage. Two total strangers, from totally different backgrounds and cultures, connecting through fun and outdoor activities. It doesn’t get any better than that….

After Martin had left, we continued our walk on Lake Simcoe and enjoyed our time in the warm sunshine like all the other people on the frozen lake until the sun slipped down beneath the horizon.

We took in the activities and watched float planes land and take off, we watched the dog walkers, the ATV riders, even mountain bikers on the lake, and glanced at the ice-fishing huts in the distance on the other side of the bay. One young boy was playing catch with his father, and with real Canuck determination, was dressed in shorts. He figured +8 degrees Celsius was enough to break out the summer garb. That’s the true Canadian spirit!

“Are we there yet?” “Mom, he’s touching me!” “Well, she’s looking at me!” “Are we there YET?” “I’ve gotta go!” “Aren’t we THERE YET?”

It’s phrases like these that drive fear into a parent’s heart, and make you wonder why you ever thought taking a family vacation was going to be “fun!”Florida Forum

So what is a parent to do? Traveling with kids doesn’t have to be a bad experience. Instead of deciding to leave the kids home for the next “family” vacation, relax! You can make traveling with the kids an enjoyable and stress-free experience by following these simple tips:

1. When possible, travel at night and let the kids sleep. But be cautious, because it’s easy to get tired. If you find yourself getting sleepy, roll down the windows, play music, or better yet, find a safe place to pull over and take a 20 minute nap.

2. Plan your trip during the day with stops about every 90 minutes. By planning ahead, and using travel planning software, online trip planning sites or travel associations, you can find — and stop at — kid-friendly places such as parks with playgrounds, historic monuments or view areas where everyone can get out and walk around for a few minutes. Giving the kids even a 15 minute break will give them a chance to “get the wiggles out” and work off some energy.

3. Bring along some sing-along music. Although your kids may groan at first when you start singing, they’ll soon join in, especially if the songs are either well-known, absurd or “gross.” Think of your own childhood favorites, or camp songs. Singing can really help to pass the time, and creates happy memories later on. To help cut costs, you can even record your own CDs? If the kids don’t know the words, create sing-along books for everyone by typing them in your Word processing program and printing them out.

4. Create a goodie-bag. Good ideas are travel toys and games, bubbles, inexpensive art books and pencils, even the latest in collectible cards or action figures. (To save money, look for seasonal sales or buy something every payday.) To cut down on arguments about sharing, you can set a time limit for playing with each game, before everyone has to switch. Individual presents can be wrapped or not, and given out at whatever schedule fits your needs and your kids’ boredom levels. You can even choose particular games for particular stops, such as bubbles, Frisbees or small balls, which will encourage running off energy.

5. Bring along individual “quiet time” activities. These could include an art box (keep the supplies inside an inexpensive plastic shoe box), postcards or writing paper, or even a journal given to each child at the beginning of the trip. Encourage them to write letters, or record their thoughts and feelings. You can also bring along hand-held games, or inexpensive CD players and earphones, so that everyone can listen to the music or books of their choice. Depending on the space you’ve got and the length of time you’ll be gone, each child could have their own box or backpack, to keep their things organized and accessible.

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The province Yukon is located north of British Columbia and it boarders Alaska to the west and to the east is the North West territories. Yukon was the 11th province to join the country of Canada. Yukon is probably best known for the Klondike Gold Rush in the 1890s. It is said that there is still gold in the rivers up there

This province is neat because of its beautiful landscape, from fresh water lakes to snow cover mountains there is so much scenery. If you are a hiker this is the place to visit. Hiking through the mountains and seeing all the wild animals is awesome. You can go fishing in the fresh water rivers and lakes. Or just float down some of the rivers in a raft. It’s something that you will never forget.

There is still a lot of mining industry going on. Yukon’s main industry is gold mining. Tourism is there next biggest industry. People from around the world come to this neat province to see these good mines. A lot of people like to tour the river where the big Klondike Gold Rush occurred. It’s got some awesome history there, so prep to learn a lot and experience the Klondike Gold Rush.

Facts -Largest city is Whitehorse -Is the 11th province to become a part of Canada? -English speaking province -Klondike Gold Rush

This province can offer a lot of history and its well wroth the trip to see it all, this is a province you don’t want to miss out on.

By playing more hands pre-flop, you can effectively widen your range, and make it more difficult for other pokern players to put you on a specific hand. As a beginning player, once you learn how play premium starting hands, and learn the basics of position and playing tight aggressive poker, you can start mixing in weaker starting hands and put yourself in the position to win big pots when the flop hits you, or give you future expected value as players will have a harder time putting you on a hand after you show down a strange starting hand.

Once you learn how to play the top ten starting hands, you can begin to mix in middle to small pocket pairs, suited connecting cards, and occasionally rags. Do this from position until you learn more advanced strategy. Playing these hands from position will allow you to continuation bet your pre-flop raise, and will allow you more possibilities to win the pot after the flop with incomplete information.

If you have the image of a very tight poker player, take that information with you as you go to the flop, and think about how your opponent uses that information against you, when you hold a hand like 6 7 suited. If the flop comes all face cards and you bet out, your opponent is only calling you with a hand that beats you, as he knows how strong you likely are. Conversely, if you flop a straight with 6 7, and bet out, he probably won’t believe you, and will pay you off or may even re-raise you. These are the benefits of playing hands that fall out of the top ten starting hands, especially as a player with a tight image.

Being creative with you starting hand holdings will also allow you to learn different nuances of the game in real time. Anyone can read a book and absorb information, but learning while doing is one best ways to learn. Even if you lose a pot trying something different, that creativity and exploration will pay dividends and help your game exponentially in the long run.

If you haven’t already been to Prague yourself then you will almost
certainly have friends that have been and if you are reading this article you
are probably planning a trip there in near future.

There are plenty of other articles that will tell you where to
visit, what to see, where to get cheap beer and how not to be ripped off by taxi
drivers. This article is about the holiday letting market in Prague and how to
get the most from it.

When booking a city break or vacation in Prague most people
immediately consider hotels with a recognisable brand. This is fine and you
will no doubt have a great time staying there – but at a price! If 3 couples
are travelling together and staying in 3 hotel rooms you could typically pay up
to $600 plus taxes for the group – PER NIGHT! The same quality of accommodation
in a Prague holiday apartment will normally cost $120 per night. Just think how much
more beer, or wooden toys or boat trips down the Vltava you can buy with that!

Where to Stay?
For obvious reasons many people are attracted to the Old Town
Square or the immediate vicinity to the Charles Bridge. If you are thinking
about this then consider the following:

• Stag and Hen parties congregate in these areas and can be very
  noisy, particularly late at night.

• Czechs congregate here for key sporting events normally shown on
  Huge TV screens – check you dates carefully.

• Pickpockets and street prostitutes frequent these areas.
• Prague city centre is very small and most places are either within walking
  distance or are served by excellent public transport links (metro and trams)

• Hotels and Apartments are generally more expensive in these areas.
• There are many other areas of Prague that are quieter, cheaper and
  well connected to the rest of the city. One of the most popular areas in my
  experience is Vinohrady (the Royal Vineyard). The architecture is fantastic
  with a real café society. It is a 10-15 minute walk away from Wenceslas Square
  and well served by public transport.

Two outstanding new developments have recently been built in
Vinohrady and there are many holiday apartments available. These are the Zvonarka and Korunni Dvur
developments. The apartments are generally furnished to a 4 star standard with
swimming pools and fitness facilities available either for free or a small
charge. These are well worth considering over and above a small, drafty, noisy
Old Town apartment.

Other pitfalls with Prague Apartments

There are thousands of apartments available for short term holiday
and vacation rental. But choose your apartment carefully!

Following entry to the Czech Republic there has been a great deal
of investment into this market from outside of the Czech Republic. It is easier
than ever before to buy and mortgages have become available to non-Czech
nationals for the first time – and at reasonable rates. These are normally
furnished to a high standard and in good, safe locations and add to the stock of
quality Czech owned apartments.

There are also a large number of ‘protected rent’ apartments that
are sublet illegally. These are much older and the ‘owners’ spend much less on
furnishings and maintenance because they are letting the flats illegally.
Protected rents were intended to provide affordable accommodation to Czechs
during the communist period and in the future these are expected to be phased
out.

But how can you tell what the apartment will really be like from a
few thumbnail pictures?

The best way is use a reputable website such as
http://www.praguerental.com to choose your property. These apartments are all vetted
and are in well furnished properties in safe, central locations. You can
reserve the apartment with a small deposit and be sure of local English speaking
support on arrival in Prague.

Holiday Rental Checklist

• Know the TOTAL price of the booking at the time of booking an
  insist on email confirmation

• Agree Check in and Check out times in advance. You will normally
  be asked to check out earlier than a hotel so that the apartment can be cleaned
  in advance of the next guests arriving. It is always worth asking for a late
  check out. Most owners will agree to this if they have no guests arriving that
  day. Make sure you discuss this in advance though as the cleaner will need to
  be notified.

• Extras. Normally airport transfer can be added to the cost of the
  booking for reasonable rates. Owners prefer to know exactly where you are once
  you arrive rather than have you show up on the door step at a random time
  somewhere near to when you said you show up. Taking advantage of airport
  transfers will normally save you money and get you to your apartment faster.

• Ask about security arrangements.

Ian Smith is an expat from the UK living in Prague for the last 8 years. He manages the prague apartment rental business http://www.praguerental.com and advises investors on the pitfalls of holiday buy-to-lets.

Camping outdoors has received much recognition throughout the years to be a complete alternative from your typical frantic life. Some days away from hectic schedules offers much pleasure and recreation options than any other holiday idea. If you are thinking to have a camping trip this spring then it is important that you try and find the best of camping gear to carry with for the best enjoyable camping experience.

Outdoor camping equipment often come in the way of camping tables camping kits camping gadgets to name a few. As the camping locations chosen are often different so are the camping equipment that are used for specific needs. Some people prefer to camp in the plains, whilst some love to go in the mountain areas, some in fields & some in woods. This means that the camping tools required will ultimately depend on the site you have chosen to camp in.

To enjoy the fun and excitement completely, it?s imperative to carry camping tools that you will need during your camping vacation. There are loads of hikers and campers who enjoy to camp & discover the most extreme parts of the world. Thus the camping requirements differ from person to person.

As a result before going camping outdoors it is essential that you acquire the things that you will need. To get the best camping gear it is better to search for a cheap camping equipment online store & request the stuff you desire to carry along. The light weight tents, portable camping stoves, handy weightless chairs, disposable tools, sleeping bags, walking shoes light fabric weightless clothes & other camping accessories can be bought online at the highest budget prices. It’s necessary to carry camping gear that weighs as least as possible so as to provide you as much liberty while trekking & hiking. Click here to find great deals on camping equipment and accessories.

Numerous variety of camping accessories are not cheap to procure & can be afforded only when you have a large budget. So you ought to make a list of items that you cannot do without while camping. Depending upon how often you go for camping, renting camping equipment is a wise alternative. Or else if you are a camping freak then having a collection of your own camping equipment is worth. Have a brilliant camping experience this spring by keeping all your camping requirements toned up.

Jetting off on that dream city break often means we forget the practical realities of packing our luggage. Last minute packing usually leads to mistakes and packing too much. Here are some ideas to avoid the hassles.

If you are flying on a short city break, aim to pack only what can fit into an overhead compartment. It will save you masses of time when you land. And if you plan to do some shopping, back a tiny collapsible bag that can travel in the hull on the way back as it doesn’t matter how long it takes to get the baggage when you have landed back home.

Shop for the items you need several days before your trip to avoid last minute convenience buying. Planning these things well could even help you pay for your holiday faster if you hunt out bargains and discount offers on your favourite toiletries or on a new outfit for your break away.

Collecting a few hotel freebies like shampoo bottles is a good thing as you can empty them out when you come home and refill them with your favourite shampoo and conditioner for the next time when you go travel again, saving you lots of baggage space.

Take with you a basic emergency kit with plasters, headache tables, indigestion tablets sunburn cream, insect repellents and so on as these things could cost quite a lot locally.

If you have to put your baggage in the hull of the plane, make sure that everybody pack a full change of clothes in their hand luggage, like socks, underwear, trousers or skirt and a shirt. If there are delays on your return trip, for any reason, it is reassuring to know that you will at least have fresh undergarments to wear!

Pack clothes that can be combines with each other so that you don’t need a full set for each and every day. But make sure to pack enough as hotel dry-cleaning is costly and spare change of clothes just in case is always a good idea.

Having a ready packed toiletry bag, stocked with the essentials is always a good idea. By having it ready you will reduce the likelihood of forgetting something important like your toothbrush! Although, for space saving, packing the near empty toothpaste tube is also a good idea as you can leave it in the hotel when the holiday is over and you then have some room for a bottle of your favourite tax free perfume.

Your city break holiday is always going to be an exciting break full of entertainment and fun. But make sure to give it the best start possible by planning your packing and preparing your stuff in advance. There are other tips on space saving packing as well that I could have covered, but the most important thing of all when packing your baggage is to prepare for it well in advance so that you don’t have to waste valuable break time looking for a pharmacy or a clothes shop because you forgot deodorant or underwear!

1. Always book your vacation rental as early as your planning allows. The better vacation rental homes book out quickly.

2. Check very carefully that the price quoted for your vacation rental is FULLY inclusive & that there are no hidden extras – if they do make quite sure that you are fully aware!

3. Always ask for full details regarding the location of your vacation rental reach you immediately after you have paid your full balance.

4. Do not book your flight or ferry UNTIL you have full confirmation that your vacation rental home has been reserved for you.

5. Ask for full details regarding exactly what equipment is in your vacation rental – you will then know exactly what you need to take with you.

6. The vacation rental marketplace is very competitive – it is always worthwhile to ask for a deal – just don’t expect to get one on every occassion, particularly in the high season.

7. If you require car rental along with your vacation rental, always ask the Vacation Rental Company for a quote – they will often get you a good deal, particularly if it seals the vacation rental deal

As of the 1st February 2006 Sun Villas Direct Ltd have increased their vacation rental offering throughout Europe, the USA & the Caribbean to in excess of 50,000 holiday home units. Vacation rentals are now offered within Europe in the UK, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bosnia, Croatia, Turkey, Greek Islands, Austria, Holland, Belgium, France, Spain, Portugal, Malta, Cyprus, Sardinia, the Balearic & the Canary Islands. Vacation rentals are also available in a number of Caribbean islands with over 300 available in Jamaica and a comprehensive vacation rental offering in Florida & throughout the USA.

Sun Villas Direct Ltd’s affiliation with Interhome, Novasol & Eurorelais follows their affiliation with Travel Now, a major vacation rental operator in the USA, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia & Australasia. With these vacation rental affiliations, Sun Villas Direct Ltd are now one of the largest European suppliers of holiday homes. All vacation rentals include the facility of direct online booking of holiday home units through the Sun Villas Direct Ltd site, www.sunvillasdirect.com .

Vacation rentals offered include villas, cottages, apartments, condos, gites, fincas & mobile homes. The vacation rental villas range from total luxury in Jamaica at $14,000 rental per week to a basic villa rental at $550 rental per week in the Czech Republic. Vacation rental cottages, apartments, condos, gites, fincas & mobile homes start from around $200 per week.

For further information on vacation rentals visit the vacation rentals search page at http://www.sunvillasdirect. com.

I hope your next vacation rental choice is absolutely everything you could wish for.

1. Free lodging!

Find a pen friend. Maybe you haven’t thought of this. It’s the best solution to your budget problems, but you can’t have it overnight! Greek people are hospitable and so are other countries’ people if you become friends with. It’s the simplest thing to do if you like writing letters or just exchanging cards and souvenirs. I’ve done it and a lot of other people have, why not you? Your friend will probably be happy to put you up for a couple of nights and show you around as well. The other alternative is to exchange your house/flat with somebody else’s abroad. There is a site online that will help you find a place . Try www.welcometraveller.org, they advertise ‘exchange homes free of charge’. Try also www.bigworld.com for offers and discounts.

2. Low cost travel

Stay at campsites. The cheapest alternative to free lodging, at least in Greece. You save money and have fun . Find a campsite at www.greecetravel.com/campsites

3. Invest on a bike.

If you like cycling, then you can do it. In Greece you can cycle to most places and see areas that are worth visiting. You can easily rent a bike , and if you are in Corfu you can try www.mountainbikecorfu.com

4. Rent a room in a village or at the port

There are families who rent rooms in their own house ; cheaper than hotel rooms but you have to follow the rules. Where can you find them?

Watch the port area if you come by ship. There are people who approach you and tell you about their own rooms around the area, at low prices. Sometimes you can even bargain to get a better price.

Well, if all these don’t suit you and you may own a caravan , you don’t have to worry about lodgings. You can stay at campsites at low cost, at the side of the road or even in a field for free. You can also hire a caravan and share the expenses, if you travel with friends.

Don’t know where to find one? In Greece you can try www.greecetravel.com/carrentals

Greece is ideal for traveling at low cost. But you must be inventive and explore all the sources available. Visit www.google.gr

This is a search engine that will help you find all the info you want. Just type the word Greece and click on Search.

GOOD LUCK!

Liana Metal has been writing fiction ,non fiction, ebooks and reviews for many years. Visit her at http://lianametal.tripod.com to read more about writing, books and markets.

lianamet20@yahoo.co.uk