Travel Movie: The Tourist

Critics aren't being kind to The Tourist, a suspenseful vehicle for stars Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp. With a Rotten Tomato rating of only 20%, most are decrying the absurd plot and wooden performances. One thing they can agree on, however, is the beauty of the Italian setting.

The film is attempting to bring Hitchcock-ian glamour and intrigue to the landscape with the impeccably turned-out Jolie sauntering from one location to the next. The sumptuous backdrops of the Venice Canals are doing all the work, it seems.

360° Views of Norway

VisitNorway.com has an interactive 360° panoramic view of the Geiranger Fjord in Norway, which features the beautiful Seven Sisters waterfall. Through the rotating camera, you can also see The Suitor, which is the single waterfall opposite.

What isn't clear in the image, though, is the bottle-shape in the lower part of the Suitor, visible from the water. You'd turn to drink as well if you were romancing seven sisters at the same time!

Check out the view here.

Word Travels Forum Round-Up #07

It's our Monday Forum Round-Up, so here are the hottest topics for the week:

Avoiding Stomach Trouble in India

Travel Safety in Mexico

Entry Requirements for the Dominican Republic

Not the info you're looking for? Ask our local experts yourself on the forum!

Free Entry to US National Parks for 2011!

Here's a little bonus freebie for you all: the US National Parks Service has just announced that it's increasing the number of free admission days from 15 to 17 this year! All 394 parks will be completely free on the following dates:

January 15-17th

April 16-24th

June 21st

September 24th

November 11-13th

Pictured above for your viewing please (and travel inspiration) is the iconic Grand Canyon National Park.

Win a Vacation at a Sandals Resort!

You could win a vacation at the Sandals or Beaches resort of your choice! Just fill out the form here.

5 First Impressions of Paris

I recently visited Paris on a 15-hour layover flying from the USA to South Africa. This was probably a very silly idea as I was on my own, spoke no French, and was tired enough to be only vaguely coherent. Nonetheless, to Paris I went on a grey Sunday morning. I skipped the ridiculous queues at most of the major tourist attractions, and just went wandering.

Working in the travel industry, you hear a lot about famous destinations, but I deliberately went unprepared in order to discover for myself what the city was like. Here are a few of my first impressions of Paris:

One of the first things I headed for was the Christmas market still running on the Champs-Elysees. I've heard much of these European markets, and Paris' has a bit of a reputation, but I came away unimpressed by the overpriced generic goods on offer. They seemed to sell only three things: hot mulled wine, Russian nesting dolls, and (fake?) fur hats.

I couldn't not do the Eiffel Tower, but I'll admit to being pretty underwhelmed here. It's pretty, but having to dodge twelve hundred guys throwing cheap plastic models at you and stand in a queue for four hours to actually go up the elevator rather cheapens the experience. I tried to take the obligatory 'me in front of the Eiffel Tower' photo, but in the end I just looked tired.

I had been warned that going to Notre Dame was a commercial experience likely to disappoint, but it was one of my favourite places in Paris. This is probably because I visited on a Sunday morning when there was a service in progress, which made the whole thing feel a little more intimate and special. Not so intimate and special were the rude tourists taking flash pictures of the congregation.

This statue, I found in the Luxembourg Gardens. I gave the gardens a handicap for scenery since it was January, but the statues were beautiful and somewhat enigmatic. Can someone tell me what is going on here?

My favourite spot in Paris was the Pont des Arts bridge over the Seine. Apparently 'love locks' pop up in many cities worldwide, but I had never seen them before. It felt personal and special to stumble on evidence of the love Paris has a reputation for, in the form of these locks put in place by lovers from all over the world. I've heard that the city considers them an eyesore and plans to remove them, but I sincerely hope they reconsider.

Top photo from here.

Travel Movie: The Last Holiday

I was reacquainted with this 2006 film on tv over my holiday vacation, and enjoyed it thoroughly. While there's nothing groundbreaking or controversial about the comedy starring Queen Latifah, there are some beautiful shots of the luxurious GrandHotel Pupp in the Czech resort town of Karlovy Vary.