Milton Keynes comes high on the list for many things, but as a destination for skiers and snowboarders? Surely not…
Well, OK, you’re probably not going to book a week’s skiing holiday in the city, but as a place to head to for a day’s snow-bound fun, it’s actually one of the best options in the UK.
The massive Xscape complex on the edge of the city center includes, among other things, a 170m purpose-built artificial slope, complete with genuine snow, a beginners’ area, and even an ice-slide. HostelBloggers gave it a bash over the weekend as a bit of a team outing, and found it to be as much fun, as, well, bombing down a slope on a couple of planks of wood…
Getting There: The train from London (Euston) only takes about 40 minutes and costs just under £15; having arrived, it’s another five minute bus ride to the Dome.
Facilities: Along with the SNO!Zone facility itself, the complex includes a bowling alley, rock climbing walls, a cinema and a bunch of assorted snow-wear shops such as Quicksilver, Rossignol and Animal.
Skiing/Boarding: The snow at SNO!Zone is genuinely impressive (or so the experienced ones amongst us claimed!). It’s soft and completely natural - not at all like the gritty ’snow-cannoned’ snow you sometimes get out on the busy open-air slopes.
A two hour pass costs £31, including equipment hire. Lessons are a little more costly - £27 for an hour, or £72 for three hours.
There are also regular ‘freestyle’ sessions where the slope is decked out with kicker and rail combinations for the more accomplished boarder.
Apres Ski: In true ‘piste’ style, SNO!Zone caters for those looking to indulge in post-exertion fun. The stylish 
SNO!Bar is a good place to retreat to after a few runs on the slopes (or a good place to start if you need to steady the nerves). Come Friday night, the bar turns into a real dancehouse, with a DJ spinning tunes while you ski or chat the night away. A ski pass on these nights is £35 for 4 hours (7pm - 11pm). And for those content to just prop up the bar and watch everyone else break their necks, entrance is free.
So, the verdict? SNO!Zone in Milton Keynes is a well-run place with lots going on and helpful, friendly staff. The slope is ideal for beginner or newly intermediate skiers/borders - anyone of a higher level should make sure they go during ‘freestyle’ hours to maximize their fun.
But part of the appeal is the good vibe - it’s essentially just about the ideal place to spend a few hours or so mucking around with your mates.
While we’re on the subject of adventure travel, we’d like to share the whispers we’ve been hearing about an exciting new television show…
Basically, they’re trying to hunt down a female traveler and survival enthusiast to front an upcoming travel project.
The premise will be similar to that of hit British program ‘Born Survivor’ with Bear Grylls in which the explorer eats grubs, climbs up some very steep cliffs and generally proves his mettle in extreme situations. Only this time, they’re looking for a woman to take on the challenge.
So if you think you’ve got the know-how and the spirit to be cast as the first female survival star on the telly, please leave a comment saying why you’d love to be the female Bear Grylls (with your email address) and get ready for an adventure!
We’ve just come across an ad placed on the job section of hostelmanagement.com by the International Student Center in Manhattan, New York.
They’re looking for a full-time member of staff to man the front desk, deal with bookings, check people in and help with the various non-profit educational programs that the hostel runs (these include an Arts for PEACE gallery and an International Counselor Exchange Program).
Salary is to the tune of $300 per week, which is really pretty good when you consider the free accommodation that’s thrown into the deal. Seems like a good way to land on your feet in New York to us…
There are a few things in life that are guaranteed to come around once every other year or so. A sporting tournament that whips everyone up into a state of nationalistic frenzy, for example, or a largely disappointing Oasis album.
And then, of course, there’s James Bond. This sleek, sexy, and occasionally Scottish super-spy is about to return to our big screens in the much anticipated, and ludicrously titled, Quantum of Solace. (Having thought about it for some time, we’re fairly sure this basically means ‘A Little Bit of Comfort’, which sounds a whole lot less Bond-like…)
Anyway, Quantum already has Bond fans salivating, not least at the caveat that the film will end with a chase set to the backdrop of the spectacular - if precarious - Il Palio di Siena. (Unsurprisingly, the same warning has left animal rights activists spitting poison at the movie.) Whatever your stance on the moralistic quandary, the scene promises to be another memorable set-piece in a long line of famous Bond locations…
1. Piz Gloria, Switzerland; On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
In Bond circles, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is the one that got away. The film has everything to make a great addition to the Bond franchise - wicked action sequences, a great plot, and some arm’s length anti-authoritarian sentiment, too. Everything, that is, apart from any real semblance of Bond.
George Lazenby just doesn’t cut the mustard in the role, and as a result the film is as famous for his wooden acting as it is for the thrilling ski chase down the Schilthorn Mountain. Still, there’s some great scenery throughout to distract you from Lazenby’s ineptitude - not least the magnificent Piz Gloria establishment. Sitting atop the Scholthorn, today it’s a swanky restaurant where you can take in the view over a ‘James Bond Breakfast’.
2. James Bond Island, Thailand; The Man with the Golden Gun
Camp and perversely comic, The Man with the Golden Gun marks Roger Moore’s second ‘outing’ as Bond. Christopher Lee aside, the film isn’t very interesting until its closing moments, when the famed Hall of Mirrors combine with the breathtaking scenery of James Bond Island to produce a real cinematic highpoint.
James Bond Island is perhaps the exotic Bond movie location. Formally titled Ko Tapu, the island changed its name after The Man with the Golden Gun used its shores as Scaramanga’s iconic lair. Settled in Pha Ngang Bay, James Bond Island is about two hours’ boat ride from Phuket, and is now heavily inscribed on the tourist map.
3. London, UK; The World is Not Enough
Pierce Brosnan’s third Bond film is basically a winner, though you only really have to watch the opening 15 
minute sequence to experience the film’s fundamental thrills. Set on the banks of the River Thames, The World is Not Enough wastes no time throwing Bond into the heat of the action. First he’s launching out of the MI6 building in a souped-up stealth boat, then he’s sliding down the Millennium Dome’s vast tarpaulin - all in chase of a typically attractive vixen, and all without so much as fraying one dyed black hair.
London looks awesome during these moments, and (whisper it quietly) makes a bit of a mockery of Brosnan’s peacock-like sense of self-regard.
4. Sugarloaf Mountain, Rio; Moonraker
For a film that was supposed to jump on the 70s sci-fi bandwagon, Moonraker actually boasts some of the most consistently jaw-dropping (and defiantly Earth-based) locations of any Bond film. From the gorgeous canals of Venice to the mighty Iguazu Falls, Moonraker is surely a testament to one location scout’s eagerness to blag an open ticket around the world’s headlining sites!
One moment of location splendor stands out, however, and that’s Sugarloaf Mountain. Perched on the edge of Guanabara Bay, this oddly-shaped mountain is the awesome backdrop to a monumental fight between Bond and his indestructible adversary, Jaws. They grapple along the lines of a cable car, suspended hundreds of meters up, before Jaws finally falls to his death. Or does he?
5. Cadiz, Spain; Die Another Day
Die Another day is straight-up stupid. While watching its desperately outlandish attempts to keep up with modern-day blockbusters - from a man with a ‘dream mask’ to a disappearing car - it’s pretty easy to see why producers decided to totally reinvent the formula for the following Bond installment, Casino Royale.
And yet, Die Another Day did pretty well at the box office. Why? Could it be something to do with Halle Berry - and especially her emerging, bikini-clad, from the Cuban ocean? Probably, although the informed Bond fan will know she was nowhere near Cuba at the time. Rather, she was in Cadiz, where the scene was actually shot.
Presumably, the Spanish government were a little easier to persuade than their Cuban counterparts when it came to the filming of a Western spy flick. Still, Cadiz’s beaches are wonderful, and the scene loses none of its undoubted power…
___________________
Any other locations that should have made my list? Feel free to leave any comments or suggestions below…
JBC
So the banking system has crashed, no one has any money left to speak of (just where has it all gone?), and we’re now all doomed to a life of eating cigarette butts picked off the road. Or something like that.
Alright… so we’re hardly experts on world finance, but it does seem that people are going to have a little less cash to splash in the coming months. Before you go hastily canceling your backpacking plans, however, it’s worth taking a mo to figure out a cheaper way of doing things. Of course, it goes without saying that you’ll be staying in a hostel, but how about saving on transport, too?
Hitchhiking has a bad rep. And it’s undeserved, since it’s quite simply one of the very best ways to travel the world: you meet new people, you see the great outdoors though the window (or, if you’re that way inclined, from outside the window, tongue lolling like an excitable dog…) and you spend practically nothing.
What better way, then, to negotiate the world during these supposedly troubled times than to get yourself on the road and start exercising that imploring thumb action? Here you have it, then, our Top 10 Tips for Hitchhiking…
1. Find Out about Local Hitching Customs
It’s not always easy to do, but when possible try to find out about the official and unofficial local laws of 
hitching. It can be helpful to know, for example, that while hitching isn’t exactly illegal in the US, there are major restrictions, and these can change from state to state. Similarly, knowing that hitchhikers are often expected to pay their way in parts of South America can help you avoid unexpected and unnecessary arguments.
2. Two’s Company, Three’s a Crowd
Hitching in pairs can be a great way of cutting down on roadside-waiting time, especially if you’re a mixed pair or two women traveling together. While a lonesome figure thumbing a lift instantly calls to mind images of escaped convicts (well, for some at least), two friends looking for a ride appear comparatively amiable and less inherently dangerous. Avoid groups of three or more, however. That’s a gang (and it’s also logistically less plausible for small cars).
3. Scrub Up
Working on the fairly safe assumption that drivers are a little wary of picking up escaped convicts, try not to look like an escaped convict! The shabbier you appear, the less likely you are to get a lift. So hide those stripey rags, dress in something at least a little clean, and maybe even have a wash and shave, too. Trust us, it’ll help.
4. Look Happy
Even if you’re wearing your Sunday best, drivers aren’t likely to stop if your face screams ’suicidal junky without a fix’. Try to look alert and interesting.
5. Choose a Spot
This is a big one. Choosing a good spot is vital if you want to be picked up quickly. Common knowledge amongst hitchers has it that you need to find a spot where cars will see you for as long as possible, and where they have plenty of space to stop if they decide to help. So try to avoid corners and busy roads without run-off areas.
Your spot doesn’t have to be on a road - it could be outside a petrol garage, or at a motorway rest stop. Hitching from these places is more likely to land you a long-haul ride inside a truck, as it’s a lot of effort for truckers to stop their heaving juggernauts on the side of the road.
Finally, while hitcher theory differs on this one, we say choose a spot and stay there. It’s a bit like fishing… Or panning for gold… The grass is always greener, and it’s always easy to be tempted into thinking your spot isn’t good enough. But it’s all random really, and you’re on the road anyway, so where’s the rush?
6. Make Eye Contact
Assuming you’ve found a good spot where you can see cars from a long way off, try to make eye contact with drivers - that little flicker of human contact can make all the difference. Don’t, on any account, wear sunglasses. Escaped convicts wear sunglasses to hide from the law.
7. Talk to the Driver Before Getting in
Once a car’s stopped for you, walk up to the driver’s seat and ask the driver where they’re going. That way you have a little time to assess your potential ride, and decide whether it appeals or not. If there’s something not quite right, you’re not in the car, so you can simply walk away.
8. Talk to the Driver Once You’re in
Hitchhiking is all about the stories and the characters… so get chatting!
9. Carry a Phone if Possible
If you have a mobile phone, carry it with you in your pocket. The phone may come in handy if you get yourself into a situation you wouldn’t want to be in. In reality though, it’s more likely you’ll use it as something to write your new traveling buddy’s number into.
10. Do Unto Other (Hitchers) as You Would Have (Other Hitchers) Do to You
Compared with the heady days of the 40s and 50s when just about everyone was hitching all over the place, today hitchers are something of a dying breed. So if you meet a hitcher on the road, respect them as brethren - don’t steal their ride by standing 20 meters in front on the same road!
Unless they’re an escaped convict, that is, in which case stand behind a tree and call the police.
Over on the HostelBookers Facebook page, there’s been a competition to see who’s got the best adventure travel pictures.
What’s an adventure travel picture, we hear you ask? Well, it’s a photo you’ve taken of the most extreme, wild, and maybe even downright scary adventures you’ve encountered on your travels. Maybe it’s a pic of you careering down the Yungas Road (aka the Road of Death) in Bolivia, or a pic you’ve taken of a friend coming face-to-face with a killer whale in the San Juan Islands.
And the prize? A copy of Rough Guides’ Adventure Travel Guide, so you can work out what perilous situation to put yourself in next! Here’s a taster of some of the entries we’ve had so far…
Vannitha Balasingam goes Zorbing…
Victoria Amy Wilkins tries sandsurfing…
And finally, Alex Lichtenburg camps out in the Adirondack Mountains during -10 degree conditions. We felt this last one was so extreme that it stood, somewhat defiantly, in a category all of its own. Alex - you’re made of much, much sturdier stuff than HostelBloggers. A noble effort.
Wednesday, Oct 8th, 2008
Categories: Nightlife
The first thing that every backpacker in Spain knows is that tapas (delectable little portions of Spanish food) comes free when you order a drink in Granada. This, in fact, (along with the host of other great free things to do) is practically the main reason that most go to the city!
The city, it’s claimed (largely by proud Granadinos who don’t care that Seville says something very similar) has more tapas bars per capita than anywhere else in Spain. But it goes without saying that there’s tapas, and then there’s tapas.
As we mentioned in an earlier post, one of the HostelBloggers crew has spent quite a bit of time in the city. So while this list of five tapas bars in Granada isn’t a definitive list, by any means, it’s a personal list, and some of the places below are like old friends…
1. Chopp; Calle Abenamar
When it comes to going for tapas in Granada, there are few better places to start than Chopp. A stone’s throw from the tourist traps on Plaza Nueva, Chopp is a tiny broom cupboard of a place that specializes in little grilled sandwiches. Plonk yourself at the bar, order your drink, and before you know it you’ll be staring at a very tasting looking (and very free) little sandwich.
They’re not grand, and they’re not exactly haute cuisine, but they really hit the spot and make it well worth staying for a couple… Which is precisely what HostelBloggers did, chasing a pair of grilled tuna affairs down with a few ice cold beers.
2. Bodegas la Mancha; Calle Joaquin Costa
Just around the corner is a real institution of a Granada tapas bar: Bodegas la Mancha. Much more of a typically old-fashioned Spanish place than Chopp, the crowd is often on the ‘mature’ - and male - side. During the day, especially, you usually can’t move for old men bellowing at each other over a glass or two of vermouth.
The food served is a selection of old Spanish favorites, from jamon serrano (as evidenced by the swinging pigs’ legs in the photo above) to manchego cheese. Elbowing our way to the bar, HostelBloggers, incidentally, ordered a large portion of morcilla (black pudding), before sidling on to the next place on our itinerary…
3. Bodegas Castañeda; Calle Almericeros
There’s no two ways about it: Bodegas Castañeda is a classic. Not to be confused with its sister restaurant 
on Calle Elvira (which isn’t terribly good), it’s noisy and crowded, the floor’s filled with crumpled up napkins, the wine’s excellent and the atmosphere’s unique… In short, it’s everything that’s so great about tapas in Granada! At this point in proceedings, HostelBloggers switched from beer to calicasas (a potent house specialty that’s made up of vermouth and a couple of other local wines); then we wolfed down a couple of free tapas, before ordering a small tabla (board) of smoked fish and cheeses.
On this note: it’s a common mistake to think that all tapas in Granada is free. When you order a drink, it’s the custom to be given a small dish of food to go with it. This can be anything from ham, cheese or olives up to a full plate of stew, but it is (usually) quite small. As such, it’s often necessary to supplement what you’re given for free with some actual - shock horror! - paid for dishes.
4. Casa de Vinos; Calle Monjas del Carmen
Over on the other side of Plaza Nueva (tucked away into Calle Monjas del Carmen), Casa de Vinos is not exactly a tapas bar in the strictest sense of the word. It sells food - very nice food, in fact - but it is (as the name suggests) a wine bar, and the focus is firmly upon the wine. It’s also, incidentally, HostelBloggers’ favorite bar in Granada.
How to describe Casa de Vinos? A cozy, wood-paneled nook of a place; the sort of place where whole evenings can slip by without you noticing, in a haze of wine and conversation. The wines, by the way, are absolutely fantastic, and for the most part, pretty affordable.
After the calicasas in Castañeda, we were feeling a little bit too well lubricated for such an early point in the evening(!); so we sat at the back, (carefully) sipping a couple of glasses of rioja and munching some more cheese and paté.
5. Loop Bar; Calle San Matias
Having stayed a little too long at Casa de Vinos, we wound our way down to Calle San Matias. Now beginning to feel a little worse for wear (as given away by the blurry image), we bundled into a place we’d never been to before: the Loop Bar.
Totally different from the other places on the list, Loop is a seriously cool spot that doubles up as a record shop during the day. HostelBloggers gobbled down some delicious free tortilla (if memory serves…) and got stuck into a few beers.
So far, so good. The night had started in typical Granada tapas tour-style and we’d blazed a trail of eating and drinking through some great bars. But for now, it was about midnight, the music was cool, the bar was rammed and a long night lay in store… It was good to be back in Granada.
You don’t have to wander too far into Granada’s tangled web of crumbling streets to realize that it’s a city of graffiti. And one artist is largely responsible: the legendary El Niño de las Pinturas. His work can be found all over the web, whether it’s being analyzed in various articles (if you can speak Spanish) or Flickr pages in his honor.
But obviously it’s only on the streets of Granada, that you get to come face to face with the real thing. From tattoo parlors on Calle Molinos…
…to bars on Calle Elvira…
…and even adorning the walls of hostels in Granada (like Funky Backpackers)…
…you can hardly move without bumping into one his curious (haunting, even) works. Hunting for his handywork down dark alleyways, on the sides of abandoned houses or in the deserted plazas of the Realejo, both makes for a great way to explore the city, and another fantastic free thing to do in Granada in and of itself.
As to why Granada should have such a lot of really good, creative street art…? Well, it’s a beautiful, mystical sort of a place with a faintly mournful feel to it. And that’s always attracted a crowd of alternative types, hippies, artists, soul-searchers and assorted would-be bohemians stretching all the way back to Washington Irving.
Who, after all, wouldn’t be inspired by the spectacle of this Moorish gateway on Calle Elvira?
One of the things that makes Granada so special is the way in which its Moorish past is so evident, so tangible. And about halfway down the Carrera del Darro, where the lower Albazyin rolls down the hill to the river, is a case in point in El Bañuelo - the old Moorish baths. An 11th century bath house built during the reign of Ziri Badis, it’s one of the best preserved in Andalucia. It’s also - rather conveniently for the budget traveler - one of the best free things to do in Granada.
As you enter, the building immediately opens up onto a shady entrance courtyard (which for a sweaty HostelBloggers made a welcome break from the decidedly warm temperatures of the city outside!) with a pool at its center.
Leaving the patio through the tiny door in the far corner (which we duly smacked our head on), you come to the first of the baths’ rooms: the cool room or ‘Al-bayt al-barid’.
Passing through the cool room (with its starry ceiling)…
…you enter the next chamber - the main steam room or ‘Al-bayt al-wastani’.
The baths were once one of countless others that were dotted throughout the city, but which gradually, over time, slid into disuse and neglect. In the wake of the fall of the city to Christian forces - when Islamic customs like bathing were banned - the baths came to be used as a laundry by the women of the area.
Leaving the cool of the baths, and stepping out blinking into the bright sunlight, you’re confronted by the collapsed arch of a bridge. Tracing the curve that it once would have followed, it’s clear that it would have been quite a spectacle in its day. As with almost everywhere you turn in Granada - from the Alhambra on the hill, to the gardens of the Albayzin and the twisted alleyways of the Realejo - it’s impossible not to be struck by an acute sense of the scale and beauty of what once was.
Everyone, it seems, who’s ever been to Granada falls in love with the Albayzin. (HostelBloggers certainly did - utterly head over heels!) And it’s hardly surprising: a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it’s one of the most beautiful old quarters of any city in Europe. But just as surprising is how few travelers fall under the spell of - or indeed even really notice - the Realejo.
Over to the west of the city center, the Realejo is Granada’s ‘other’ historical quarter. And if it doesn’t (quite) have the outrageous charm of the Albayzin, it’s still a winding maze of narrow streets and time-worn old houses, convents and churches that’s great for exploring.
The best place to start a walk round the Realejo is probably at the crossroads of Calle Colchas and Calle Pavaneras. Here, a bronze statue of the great Jewish translator Yehuda Ibn Tibon stands, brandishing a parchment. It’s a symbolic place to begin because, just as the Albayzin was Granada’s Moorish neighborhood, so the Realejo used to be the home of the city’s Jewish population.
The Realejo stretches away to the statue’s left. And if - as was the case when HostelBloggers were in Granada - it’s summer or autumn, it will be with some relief that you scuttle out of the withering heat and down the narrow, shady Calle San Matias.
About halfway down Calle San Matias, turn right onto Escudo del Carmen and you enter one of the oldest parts of the Realejo. Here, the houses increasingly begin to lean in on themselves, almost shutting out the sunlight from above. If you take a left onto Calle Laurel de San Matias, you pass a handful of 16th century houses (their gorgeous courtyards, unfortunately, locked away behind private doors); turn left at the end of the street, and you start to double-back upon yourself.
Wandering through this part of the barrio, you see more evidence of the area’s ethnic roots. As is the case everywhere, it’s the tiny little historical details that tell the city’s story and now make it such a bewitching place for the traveler in Granada.
As you come out onto Calle San Matias again, you’re faced with the facade of the Church of San Matias. Around the right-hand side of it is a leafy little square - the Plaza Abside de San Matias - that makes a great place to sit in the shade and catch your breath before you crash on again.
If you leave the little square at its far left-hand corner and head to the end of the street, you come to another plaza: the striking Plaza Padre Suarez. From here, it’s just a quick right turn and a short stroll down Calle Escolastica to the tiny Bar Candela (No. 9, on the corner). Yet another of the many atmospheric tapas bars in Granada, it’s a perfect spot for a drink and a moment to take stock.
As well as being an attractive old quarter, like the Albayzin, the Realejo has a real sense of community. There are plenty of the sort of noisy cafes and spit and sawdust bars in which HostelBloggers feel most at home; old ladies shuffle about with their shopping carts, or talk - for what seems like days - in the butchers; mopeds snarl their way down narrow streets; dogs sit on doorsteps eyeing you with lazy suspicion…
It’s a proper neighborhood, in other words, and it’s that more than anything else that makes it one of the most interesting parts of Granada.
