Heather on her travels Podcasts show

Heather on her travels Podcasts

Summary: Audio podcast traveling with Heatheronhertravels.com around Europe and the World, with travel diaries, interviews, destination information and travel inspiration

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  • Artist: Heather Cowper
  • Copyright: Heather on her travels Copyright 2009

Podcasts:

 08 Valencia in the Springtime – podcast | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 15:08

Podcast Episode 8 in my travel podcast series takes us to the coastal city of Valencia, Spain that I visited with my family in April 2008. Hear me talking to my local Valencian friend, Angel, about the best things to enjoy as a visitor to Valencia. You can hear the dancing and folk music of Valencia, about the pyrotechnical Fallas festival that takes place in March, and about the other places to go such as the beach, Turia Gardens and Mercado Central. Link to audio file To subscribe to all my podcasts in ITunes click here If you enjoyed this podcast, check out all my other Travel Podcasts in my Podcast Archive I contacted Angel through the travel networking website, Hospitality club, and he spent the day with my family, cycling with us through the Turia Gardens and to the beach where we relaxed for a while before returning the same way. I hope you also enjoy the slideshow below with my photos from Valencia, that you can watch while listening to the podcast. Shownotes for Valencia in the Spring In the podcast we covered the following; Meeting other travellers through the travel networking website Hospitality Club, either for accommodation, to meet for a drink or a meal or just for tips on things to see. The Fallas Festival that takes place in March, when different neighbourhoods of the city club together to create wooden and paper sculptures, set off fireworks and bangers, eat Paella,  parade through the streets and then set alight the sculpture at the end. The best sculptures from each year's festival are preserved in the Fallas museum that you can visit at any time of year. The Mercado Central in the centre of Valencia where you can look at all the different food stalls and buy a picnic - don't miss the fish section at the back and you can also try some tapas at the small bar in the Mercado. The Turia River Park where we spent the day cycling with Angel. The park was created from the bed of the river that used to run through the city but was diverted in the 50s due to flooding. You can hire bikes from several different bike shops in the centre and then ride along as far as the port and the beach. Going to the city beach which is a favourite place for Valencians to go at the weekend and is the best place to eat seafood or Paella in the restaurants along the boardwalk - you can cycle as we did or take the tram from the centre. Walking around the centre at night, especially the area around the Cathedral and the Plaza de la Virgin that is close behind it - you'll also find plenty of nightlife in the Bario Carmen Visiting the modern leisure complex of the Cuidad de las Artes Y Las Ciencias or City of Arts and Sciences, where you'll find museums, cinemas and concert halls as well as the Aquarium or Oceanographic where our kids enjoyed the Dolphin show when we were there. Best time to visit is spring and early summer or autumn - you'll probably find it too hot in July and August when all the Valencians head for the coast and the beach. If you enjoyed this travel podcast please check out my other podcasts in my Travel Podcast Archive Check for the best hotel prices in Valencia and book here. Other Valencia Podcasts Listen to my podcast interview about our trip to Valencia at the Amateur Traveler Podcast www.flickr.com heatheronhertravels' Valencia - cycling in the Turia Gardens photoset   Read more travel articles at Travel Blog Home Don't miss out - subscribe to Heather on her travels If you enjoyed this podcast, check out all my other Travel Podcasts in my Podcast Archive

 07 Interview with Lara Dunston and Grantourismo – Podcast | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

In Episode 7 in my travel podcast series, you''ll find an interview with travel writer and blogger, Lara Dunston who's embarking on a year long project together with her husband, photographer Terry Carter, which they're calling Grantourismo. They'll be travelling the world, staying in different apartments around the world sponsored by Home-Away holiday rentals in the UK and you'll also hear from Sarah Chambers of Home Away on why the company decided to take this approach to promoting their holiday properties. Link to audio file To subscribe to all my podcasts in ITunes click here If you enjoyed this podcast, check out all my other Travel Podcasts in my Podcast Archive Shownotes In the podcast we talked about; How Lara first got started in travel writing, working in public relations, film-making and media studies which developed into travel writing, first on a part time and later on a full time basis. The realities of being a travel writer - from the fun bits such as eating out in great restaurants, as well as the more mundane bits such as updating guidebook information. How Lara and Terry work together as a husband and wife as well as a working partnership. How Lara and Terry deal with the practicalities of moving all their belongings, laptops and camera equipment around the world and how they persuade airlines to waive their excess baggage charges. The advice Lara has for those who'd like to adopt their lifestyle as a travel writer or location independent worker. How Lara and Terry came up with the idea of taking a contemporary Grand Tour for a year, getting into the culture of each place and travelling more slowly and with an authentic flavour. What HomeAway Holiday-Rentals can offer travellers looking for holiday apartments, and how they wanted to promote the benefits of extra space and privacy and staying in local neighbourhoods. How Home Away wanted to tap into consumers looking for travel information online and to provide them with something that would inspire them to a different way of travelling. The Grantoutismo itinerary that includes Marrakesh, Spain, Paris, Montenegro, Puglia, Sardinia, Venice, Asia, Indonesia, New York, Austin Texas, Mexico, Costa Rica, Brazil, South America, Kenya and back to Europe in January 2011. The trends that Lara sees in travel writing and blogging, with the recession hitting traditional media, leading to travel writers exploring new ways of working on line. Sarah Chamber's view that more travel companies are promoting themselves through inspirational content on-line and will be experimenting with approaches like the Grantourismo project. You can follow Lara and Terry's progress at Grantourismo and on Twitter @gran_tourismo You can find holiday apartments like those Lara and Terry are staying in at HomeAway Holiday-Rentals To subscribe to all my podcasts in ITunes click here If you enjoyed this travel podcast please check out my other podcasts in my Travel Podcast Archive #flickr_badge_source_txt {padding:0; font: 11px Arial, Helvetica, Sans serif; color:#666666;} #flickr_badge_icon {display:block !important; margin:0 !important; border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0) !important;} #flickr_icon_td {padding:0 5px 0 0 !important;} .flickr_badge_image {text-align:center !important;} .flickr_badge_image img {border: 1px solid black !important;} #flickr_www {display:block; text-align:left; padding:0 10px 0 10px !important; font: 11px Arial, Helvetica, Sans serif !important; color:#3993ff !important;} #flickr_badge_uber_wrapper a:hover, #flickr_badge_uber_wrapper a:link, #flickr_badge_uber_wrapper a:active, #flickr_badge_uber_wrapper a:visited {text-decoration:none !important; background:inherit !important;color:#3993ff;} #flickr_badge_wrapper {} #flickr_badge_source {padding:0 !important; font: 11px Arial, Helvetica, Sans serif !important; color:#666666 !important;} www.flickr.com

 06 Weekend in London at the Mandarin Oriental – Podcast | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 35:29

In Podcast Episode 6 in my travel podcast series, I'm in London for a winter weekend meeting up with friends and staying at the fabulous Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park Hotel in Knightsbridge. As I travelled with my teenage daughter you'll hear some recommendations from friends who live in London on the things that children will enjoy, as well as suggestions from the Concierge at the Mandarin Oriental on London attractions that his guests enjoy close to the hotel. I'll be telling you about our Asian style dinner at the Park restaurant, the luxurious suite in which we stayed overlooking the park and our experiences shopping with teenagers in London. If you enjoy the podcast, please subscribe to my podcast series on I-tunes to be updated with new podcasts. If you are a subscriber to the blog you’ll already receive podcast updates as well as all my other articles. Link to audio file To subscribe to all my podcasts in ITunes click here If you enjoyed this podcast, check out all my other Travel Podcasts in my Podcast Archive Show Notes In the podcast today you'll hear; Recommendations from Daisy (aged 10) and Lola (aged 8) who live in London on things that children will enjoy. They love the Tate Modern gallery , The Sea-life Aquarium on the South Bank , The Science Museum in South Kensington, Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, the Princess Diana Memorial Playground in Hyde Park and seeing shows like Sister Act, War Horse, Hairspray, Billy Elliott and Mary Poppins. About our Prince of Wales suite in the Mandarin Oriental which was extremely luxurious in classical English style, overlooking Hyde Park. Shopping for teenagers in the huge fashion store, Top Shop, at Oxford Circus. Admiring the hampers at the food emporium Fortnum and Masons, with a hamper for every occasion from a gift of English produce to Graduation hampers to tuck boxes to send to your children at boarding school. Eating in the Park Restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, where they serve top class Asian food and I ate Crab Cakes and Thai Green Curry and finished with African Amber tea. A chat with Senior Concierge, Mike Selcuk at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park Hotel, about the things that he recommends for his international guests from the Middle East, US and the UK. He suggests the following activities; In Hyde Park behind the hotel you can find many activities for families, such as boating on the Serpentine lake, horseriding, feeding the ducks and the Princess Diana Memorial Playground and the Memorial Fountain. Across the park you'll find Kensington Palace where some of Princess Diana's dresses are on display and you can take tea in the Orangery. For shopping there's Harrods and Harvey Nichols and further on are the three museums of South Kensington, as well as the Royal Albert Hall where you can have a tour or attend a concert. In the other direction is Buckingham Palace which is open in the summer when the Queen is on holiday, and where the Changing of the Guards takes place daily in summer. Families may enjoy the London Eye, the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London and Madame Tussauds and taking the hop on hop off bus around the sights of London. There is a Duck Tour which is a combination of bus and boat that goes on the river that you can take by the river near Waterloo Station and the Cabinet War rooms used by Winston Churchill in the war. Miko also often makes reservations for his quests to see popular shows like Oliver, Lion King, Mama Mia, Billy Elliot and the new show Legally Blonde as well as getting reservations to the top London restaurants. The music on the podcast today was Venus as a girl by Andy McKee and Travelogue by George Wood on MusicAlley.com I received a complimentary stay at the Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park Hotel, in order to write an article for Kiwi Collection.com - read my review of the Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park, London here.

 05 An autumn weekend in Lisbon – Podcast Episode 5 | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

In Podcast Episode 5 in my travel podcast series, I'm taking you to Lisbon where I took a weekend break in November with my husband. In the podcast you'll hear about the gorgeous boutique hotel where we stayed, our sightseeing at the Monastery of Jerónimos and Castelo de Sao Jorge, the delicious local specialities we tried, the mournful Fado music we heard and our chat with Sergio, a local designer who gave us an insider's view of Lisbon. If you enjoy the podcast, please subscribe to my podcast series on I-tunes to be updated with new podcasts (if you are a subscriber to the blog you'll also receive podcast updates as well as all my other articles) To download the Weekend in Lisbon podcast, right click here 39 min [mp3] To subscribe to all my podcasts in ITunes click here If you enjoyed this podcast, check out all my other Travel Podcasts in my Podcast Archive I hope you also enjoy the slideshow which is designed to accompany the Podcast; Shownotes In the podcast you'll hear about the weekend we spent in Lisbon in late November 2009 including; How we easily and cheaply got from the airport into the city centre using the aerobus service A description of the welcoming boutique hotel Heritage Av. Liberdade, where we stayed for 2 nights The dinner we ate at Casa do Alentejo a restaurant set in a Moorish Mansion that serves as a Cultural Centre for the Alentejo Region of Portugal Our breakfast at the hotel of local specialities like Pasteis de Nata, air-dried ham and local cheese with a slice of quince preserve, with exotic teas served from an old apothecary's counter Why you should wear your most comfortable shoes when visiting Lisbon and the Elevadors that will help save your aching legs Our visit to the Monastery of Jeronimus and the nearby Monument to the Discoveries commemorating those who sailed from Lisbon to the Indies and Africa The delicious custard tarts called Pasteis de Belem that you can buy at the famous cake shop near the Monastery The Catelo de Sao Jorge perched on the top of the hill with a view over the roofs of Lisbon and the River Tegus, although as it was raining we couldn't see as much of the view as we would have liked! Meeting local designer Sergio and his partner Marco for tea in their appartment near the castle and their recommendations on what to see in and around Lisbon. Our evening out in the Fado restaurant where we enjoyed the music but found the meal a little disappointing and had to have a Ben & Jerry's ice cream on the way home to make up for it. Our Sunday morning visit to the church of Sao Domingo where the walls are still blackened from a fire in the 1950s in contrast to some of the other highly decorated churches you find in Lisbon You can subscribe to all my podcasts on I-tunes The signature music was Venus as a Girl by Andy McKee on MusicAlley.com All other music was recorded in Lisbon If you enjoyed this travel podcast please check out my other podcasts in my Travel Podcast Archive Other recent Podcasts 04 Visiting the Munich Christmas Markets 03 Ecuador and the Amazon Rainforest 02 My Istria Travel Diary 01 Family Travel with Hospitality Club Looking for a hotel in Lisbon? Compare prices and book through Hotels Combined Lisbon Resources Visit Lisboa - Official Tourism Website Go Lisbon Blog - I found lots of useful articles on things to do in Lisbon On this trip we stayed at the gorgeous luxury boutique Hotel Heritage Av. Liberdade, which was ideally located for sightseeing On this trip I used the Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Top 10 travel guide to Lisbon which is a pocket sized guide that's ideal for sightseeing if you're there for a short time - read my review here Podcast - Hostelworld Podcast - Only in Lisbon Podcast - Guardian Unlimited Podcast - Lisbon   www.flickr.com heatheronhertravels' Lisbon photoset  

 04 Visiting the Munich Christmas Markets – Podcast Episode 4 | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 19:15

In my Podcast 04 in my travel podcast series, I'm taking you to the Christmas Markets in Munich getting into the festive spirit, with snow on the ground, German carol singers and the smell of gingerbread in the air. You'll hear about my visit to the Residenz Palace, the market we found in it's courtyards, the ethnic, alternative Tollwood Winter Festival and all the Bavarian food and drinking specialities we tried while we were there. Link to audio file To subscribe to all my podcasts in ITunes click here If you enjoyed this travel podcast please check out my other podcasts in my Travel Podcast Archive This was a weekend visit that I took with my parents and our visit was ideal to get us into the Christmas spirit, but all too short to really explore the city of Munich. I'd love to return in the summer when the air won't be so chilly and I could see something of the parks and lakes near Munich and the alpine scenery of Bavaria. I hope you enjoy the slideshow of photos from the trip which is designed to accompany the podcast.

 03 Ecuador and the Amazon Rainforest – Podcast Episode 3 | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

In my travel podcast series, I have a podcast interview about the rainforests of Ecuador you'll hear how to enjoy how to enjoy your rainforest experience, as well as the many other diverse areas of of the country, the Avenue of the Volcanoes, the Indian markets, and the beaches of Manabi province where you can see migrating whales.To download Ecuador and the rainforest podcast, right click here 30 min [mp3]To subscribe to all my podcasts in ITunes click hereIf you enjoyed this podcast, check out all my other Travel Podcasts in my Podcast ArchiveWhile I was at the World Travel Market recently, I met up with my friend from Ecuador, Luis Hernandez who was part of the Ecuador country stand, promoting his travel business and Cuyabeno Lodge. When I visited Ecuador with two friends two years ago, we spent an amazing week travelling by canoe down the Rio Bobonaza and stopping at the Rainforest Community at Sarayaku for a few days, all of which was organised by Luis and he also accompanied us.Luckily Luis had made the journey before, so he knew the local communities and also had military connections which smoothed our journey through the lower river military zone near Peru considerably. Luis had also been elected as a member of the Ecuadorian Congress, just before our trip and so he was the man the rainforest communities wanted to meet, to put across their point of view and speak in the schools to their students.I thought Luis with both his military jungle experience and knowledge as a tour operator and guide would be a great person to talk to about the best of Ecuador. I hope you enjoy the interview. Show notes In this interview with Luis Hernandez we discussed;The Cuyabeno Lodge in Ecuador; where it is, how you get there, the type of accommodation and what you would do while you are there The steps the Cuyabeno lodge take to be eco-friendly, such as using solar energy, using biodegradable products and recycling waste, as well as employing local people or transport by canoe and guides. The variety of Flora and Fauna you can find at Cuyabeno Reserve and lagoon, such as birds, plants, flowers, river turtles, cayman and even pink dolphins How to deal with a snake, cayman or anaconda if you should meet one in the forest The equipment that you might need in order to be comfortable in the jungle, such as wellington boots, hat, suncream, insect repellant, torch and what health advice Luis gives to his visitors. The problems in Ecuador with oil exploration and logging and how supporting tourism in the rainforest areas will put money into the local economy and prevent the destruction of the rainforest. Other areas of Ecuador to visit, such as the mountainous Andean area of the Avenue of the Volcanoes where you can hike and walk on the volcanoes of Cotopaxi and Chimborazo staying in old haciendas. The Indian markets of Otavalo on Saturdays and Saquisili on Thursdays On the coastal area, Luiz recommends the south of Manabi province which has the Machalilla national park and the beach of  Canoa in the north and Isla de las Plata where you can see migrating whales in July and August. The political situation in Ecuador which is generally calm and stable - although the factions within the government may dispute among themselves, the situation for tourists is calm. The government is also creating a good network of roads and infrastructure, which makes it easy for visitors to get around. The music on the podcast was Venus as a Girl by Andy McGee on Musicalley.comResourcesCuyabeno Lodge and Neotropic Turis - Travel company in Ecuador the organises tours throughout Ecuador as well as to Cuyabeno Lodge Sarayaku Rainforest Community that we visited on my trip to Ecuador Ecuador Tourism website See all my Ecuador Photos on Flickr Read all my Ecuador articles To subscribe to all my podcasts in ITunes click hereRead Related Posts

 02 My Istria Travel Diary – Podcast Episode 2 | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

A podcast recorded while visiting Istria in Croatia, based near Porec at the resort of Plava Laguna, covering swimming, cycling, sightseeing, eating out

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