Discover Europe by Train

Travel to Switzerland, Austria, and Italy by train - instead of by plane. A great mixture of scenic routes and travel destinations worth discovering leads through the Alps. 

The right ticket for a two- to three-week tour with a total of seven days of travel: the Global Pass for 335 euros (those under 28 or over 59 pay only 258 and 302 euros respectively). And until December 31 you will get a 10% extra discount!

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Here is a Trip Example:
Stage 1: Trip to Switzerland to Lausanne on Lake Geneva. From there, we like to take the regional train to Saint-Saphorin or Chexbres and relax for a few days in the Lavaux wine region. Overnight tip: the Auberge de la Gare in Grandvaux.
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Stage 2: The route from Lausanne through the Valais to Brig, where you change trains, is a scenic highlight. We will stay in Andermatt for a few days for hiking. A cozy place to stay is in the Guesthouse Bären.

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Stage 3: Again there are great views. We drive via Chur to Tyrol and discover Innsbruck at our leisure. A great small hotel is Gasthof Weisses Roessl in the quiet downtown of Innsbruck where you can walk everywhere.

Stage 4: From Innsbruck, we drive via Fortezza in northern Italy over the Brenner route to Lienz in East Tyrol. Overlooking Lienz, there is a lovely place to stay, even for a couple of days: Pension Gaimberg.

Stage 5: It leads to Trieste on the northern Adriatic. The combination of Italian flair and Habsburg history is absolutely worth seeing! A much-praised place is the Bed & Breakfast Punto8, located near the old town.

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There are now two days left on the Interrail Pass for the return journey to Germany - perhaps with a stopover in Vienna or Salzburg.

https://www.europebyrail.eu/

https://www.interrail.eu/en/interrail-passes/global-pass

https://www.aubergegrandvaux.ch/?lang=en

https://www.shakermaker-group.ch/baren/

https://www.roessl.at/en/

http://www.pension-gaimberg.at/pages/en/apartments/route.php

http://www.punto8.it/

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/free-things-vienna

https://www.salzburg.info/en

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Book Review: To Live is to Fly

Memoirs of an Executive Pilot by Doris Daily is a swift peek inside the lifestyle of an executive corporate pilot. Early on, Doris had no great ambitions to be a pilot. A pilot needed to be good at mathematics and physics and that simply wasn’t Doris’s thing.

She was more interested in the arts and so, when a friend suggested she take a radio communication course, it ignited a passion inside her to learn to fly and to ultimately become a commercial pilot during a period when female commercial pilots were still a rarity.

Living in Europe meant that her professional career was always going to offer unusual and exciting destinations with lots of variations. In this story, she documents the journey she took in a “man’s world” and how flying became as critical to her life as breathing.

Along the way she gives advice on how to avoid some of the pitfalls she encountered, especially as she makes a comparison of the pros and cons between commercial piloting for an airline and the corporate executive flying, which she preferred.

This is a book about a life that no doubt had its fair share of adventure. TO LIVE IS TO FLY: Memoirs of an Executive Pilot really is the story of one woman’s passion and love of aviation.

Her sheer pleasure in her job shone through on every page. Author Doris Daily’s writing style is simple and uncomplicated and I found the anecdotes both funny and interesting.

Of special interest were her dealings with airport officials in Soviet Bloc countries both before and after the collapse of the Soviet Union. It was fascinating to view the differences between the two Germanys that still clearly existed even after reunification.

As someone who has a deep fascination with air travel and has never pursued it, Doris Daily’s story allowed me to vicariously live the life of a pilot and understand that it is not always about glamour and glitz - it is the love of flying that commands pilots to stick at it.

I thought her comparisons between the life of an airline pilot and that of an executive corporate pilot were very telling and it was clear she felt she had made the right choice of a career path in aviation. This is a fascinating read and I can definitely recommend this book.
Reviewed By Grant Leishman

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Magnificent Christmas Markets in Europe

Advent in Hellbrunn/Salzburg

Christmassy scents and magical glittering lights, burning-hot chestnuts and mulled wine: every year they make us fall into the Advent mood despite all the Christmas bustle. But where does the tradition of fairytale Christmas markets come from and which ones are particularly beautiful?

In the early Middle Ages, the pre-Christmas markets were used to gather supplies for the long winters. From this tradition, the Christmas markets or Advent markets with mulled wine, gingerbread, and other sweets have developed in the course of time. Here are just a few examples of the many that visitors can experience:

Prague

From mid-November, Prague will be one of the best places for those who want to stroll through the Christmas market with the scent of Christmas cookies, chestnuts and mulled wine on the Prague Square of Peace. Other markets can be found in Prague Castle, Wenceslas Square, Old Town Square, Tylovo and Republic Square.

Dresden

Dresden features a total of 12 Christmas Markets, it has the largest number of Christmas markets in the eastern part of Germany, namely the famous Striezelmarkt. Most Christmas markets there start in the last November week. The Striezelmarkt in Dresden - and the oldest in Germany - is considered the first genuine Christmas market in the world. Founded as a one-day market in 1434, it celebrates its 585th anniversary in 2019.

Striezelmarket in Dresden

Nuremberg

The Nuremberg Christmas Market is also one of the oldest and largest Christmas markets in Europe. At the market stalls, you can find traditional, handcrafted Christmas decorations and beautiful gift ideas. Strengths can be found with Nuremberg gingerbread and the famous grilled Nuremberg sausages. The Nuremberg Christkind (a young lady) appears on the balcony of the Church of Our Lady to open the holiday season.

Innsbruck

The location of Innsbruck with the mountains surrounding it makes a wonderful atmosphere. There is not only the Golden Roof that shines at Christmas time but also the stalls of the Christmas Market which nestle against the historic houses. A large Christmas tree is the center point with various stalls around it. In addition to traditional crafts and Christmas souvenirs, punch, gingerbread, and many other delicacies are offered.

Then there is also the Rattenberg Advent in a medieval town close to Innsbruck - best known for its glass manufacture - with fine old buildings with a pedestrian center. Visit Hall in Tirol's Christmas Market also. It is lower-key but very nice.

Bozen - Bolzano

Für ein knappes Monat erfüllt weihnachtlicher Duft die Straßen und malerischen Gassen der Südtiroler Landeshauptstadt; der schillernde Glanz romantischer Leuchten und flackernder Kerzen taucht Bozen für kurze Zeit in zauberhaftes Licht. Der Christkindlmarkt Bozen in Südtirol ist der größte Weihnachtsmarkt Italiens und lockt er mit seinem ganz eigenen, besonderen Flair alljährlich unzählige Besucher an den in der Adventzeit prächtig geschmückten Waltherplatz.

Bozen Christmas Market

My Personal Favorites in all of Europe are the Advent Markets in Salzburg:

Mountain scenery, historic churches, tranquil alleys, and cozy castles - all lovingly decorated with thousands of lights and a glittering blanket of snow - that's Salzburg in Advent. Various Christmas markets in the city area, especially the one in front of the cathedral, are definitely worth a visit. My favorite, however, is a little outside at Hellbrunn Palace.

Hellbrunner Adventszauber 

Amidst the stunning scenery of the palace and the park of Hellbrunn, you can enjoy Salzburg's most festive and idyllic Advent market and its varying program. 

Monday to Thursday - FREE ENTRANCE and Friday/Saturday/Sunday after 6 p.m. 

Saturday/Sunday, during the day until 6 p.m. - € 5.00 per person. Children under the age of 6 are always free. For the entrance every visitor is given a voucher for a drink (mulled wine, hot punch or children's punch) worth € 3.70 and it includes the entrance to the Salzburg Zoo. The drink-voucher can be redeemed during the opening hours in the Advent 2019 - and also at any other day.

Already from mid-November, there is a fairy forest consisting of more than 400 conifers, decorated with 13,000 red Christmas baubles and fairy lights, which allow the entire area to shine in a very special light as soon as dusk arrives. 

A great number of traditional Advent huts, romantically hidden between the green trees, make the time waiting for the Christ Child pass more quickly. It’s a unique ambiance and a festive setting that can't be found anywhere else. 

• Every Wednesday at 3 p.m. you can enjoy Stubenmusi in the “Adventkaffee in the Orangery” (traditional folk music is called Stubenmusi).
• Choirs: traditional live music with wind players (Weisenbläser)
• Nativity scene exhibition 

The area of the water park to the Sternweiher is accessible during the opening hours of the Advent market. The Hellbrunn Palace Park is illuminated by a festive, enchanting light installation. Visitors can reach Hellbrunn by bus line 25 from the train station, the Mirabell Gardens or from downtown.

Salzburg at Night

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Salzburg Downtown in Advent:

Don’t miss the Christmas Museum! It is open daily from 10am to 6pm

During the Christmas holidays: 1st Advent - 31st December (24th December & 31. December: 10 am till 1 pm) as well as during Salzburg Festival 

Or take a short train ride out to Oberndorf: The tiny “Silent Night Chapel”, built on the site of the church where, on December 24,1818, a priest and his organist first sang the carol singers' favorite - now the most famous Christmas song

Mozart

Salzburg revels in its Mozart connection, naming sweets, squares and special occasions after him. But the only site that cuts the genius down to human size is Mozart's birthplace, the claustrophobic third floor at Getreidegasse 9. See a locket holding his infant curls, read personal letters to his sister and, marvel at his baby-sized violin.

Make it to the end of the Getreidegasse and you can dig into the story of the real “Von Trapp” family at the Sound of Music World museum.

Restaurants:

Zwettlers, Getreidegasse 3

Using only ingredients from local suppliers, this 160-year-old restaurant serves the Austrian holy trinity — soup, schnitzel, and strudel. Delicious!

St. Peter Stiftskulinarium

This cellar has been feeding pilgrims since 803. No surprise, then, that its vaulted medieval chambers score top marks for ambiance. Try their Salzburger Nockerl, a light meringue-and-cream dessert.

My Favored Hotel

Art Hotel Blaue Gans, located in the famous Getreidegasse in a 14th-century building but with brand-new rooms, is only minutes from the Dome, the Mirabell Castle and all the other famous and historical places in the city. No car needed at all! Stellar location!

It certainly has free Wi-Fi, free, excellent breakfast and has large, modern rooms. The only thing I would wish is more electrical plugins, but the reception could help with an extension cord. 

Salzburg is a very bike-able city — Avelo Mozartplatz has bikes for hire. You can easily cycle along the Salzach river to the next village, Hallein. Or visit the Guglhof Distillery for a Schnapps-tasting.

Enjoy enchanting Adventtrips to Europe!

http://www.hellbrunneradventzauber.at/

http://weihnachtsmarkt-salzburg.at/galerie

http://www.salzburger-weihnachtsmuseum.at/

https://www.salzburg.info/en/sights/top10/mozarts-birthplace

https://www.weihnachtsmaerkte.it/de/weihnachtsmarkt-bozen-suedtirol.aspx

https://www.rattenberg.at

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Photo Impressions of Dresden, Germany

Dresden is also called "Florence at the Elbe" thanks to its idyllic location on the banks of the river, the city's beautiful coffee shops and Biergartens, its excellent examples of Baroque architecture, and world-class museums. 

Dresden Zwinger

Most of the city's attractions are all within walking distance from Dresden's Altstadt, the Old Town. The Zwinger Palace is one of the most excellent examples of late Baroque architecture in Germany.

Frauenkirche

Last time (25 years ago) I was in Dresden, the famous Frauenkirche was only a pile of stone rubble, left from the bombings of WWII. In the meantime, within a few years, the baroque church was rebuilt to its old glory and was again opened in 2005.

Schiller Biergarten

Join the locals during the warm months at the "Biergartens".

Pfunds Dairy Store

"Pfund’s Dairy" is the most beautiful milk store in the world. Don’t leave without trying some local cheeses, homemade ice cream, or a glass of fresh milk.

Dresden-Loschwitz

Dresden-Loschwitz: Wein, Water, and Villas. The Loschwitz district of Dresden is famous for its stylish villas and traditional wine-growing. The location on the Elbe slopes alone, with height differences of over 100 meters, makes the district something very special. 

Elbe River and Old City

Don't end your sightseeing in the City, there are lots of beautiful castles nearby, easily reached by boat or train. Why not take a boat trip on one of the historic paddle steamers on the river Elbe? You can take a coffee cruise in the afternoon (where you can eat as much German cake as you want) or take a boat tour to Meissen, famous for its porcelain artists.

Dresden might be much smaller, but it beats Berlin as a city destination in the Eastern part of Germany.

Out of the ordinary tips for Dresden can be found here too:

https://hostelgeeks.com/things-to-do-in-dresden-germany/

For example, the tip to eat at the University Mensa, or to visit the Café Oha, a cozy coffee place stuffed with sofas and creative decorations on the wall. It’s located in one of the buildings of Dresden’s Academy of Fine Arts.

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Blue Angels and the Naval Museum

What can be more fun than to hang out at the lovely Gulf Beaches around Pensacola and watch the Blue Angels training for their next air show? See their unbelievable precision flights at the Sun’n Fun air show - or any other air show in the country?
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4e0GMwy2s4

The next best thing would be a visit to the National Naval Aviation Museum, the world’s largest Naval Aviation museum and one of the most-visited museums in the State of Florida.  Open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.  More than 150 beautifully restored aircraft are representing the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Aviation. 

Best of all: Admission is free!

The entrance is at the West Gate off Blue Angel Parkway 

(1878 S Blue Angel Pkwy)

Forms of identification acceptable to get on base: Driver’s License, Passport, Voter Registration, School ID, Native American tribal Document, Federal, State or locally issued ID Card. An international passport is required for non-U.S. Citizen visitors to access the Naval Air Station Pensacola. After all, visitors are entering a military base!

Movie Times in the Museum:

9:30 a.m. Journey to Space

10:00 a.m. Magic of Flight

11:00 a.m. Aircraft Carrier

12:00 p.m. Magic of Flight

1:00 p.m. Aircraft Carrier

2:00 p.m. D-Day:  1944

3:00 p.m. Magic of Flight

4:00 p.m. Aircraft Carrier

National Naval Aviation Museum visitors can now even take a virtual walk on the moon through the museum's new attraction: The Apollo 11 VR Experience.

One day at the museum is just too few to admire all the wonderful artifacts and the skillful arranged vintage decorations which creates the mood for the times in which the airplanes have been flown.  Very moving also to watch Navy veterans who are visiting the museum, some are in their nineties.

Light Tower Museum at the Naval Air Base

Just a minute from the Naval Air Museum is the tiny Pensacola Lighthouse Museum.  Do your daily workout and climb up 177 steps to the top of the light tower.  During the week you might be even able to be at flight level with the Blue Angel squadron. 

Have a picknick in the lovely grounds around the light tower and walk or jog the foresty surroundings and admire the many native plants - year round - such as these berries in late December.

American Beauty Berry

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Selma, Alabama - the Movie and the City

Throughout March of 1965, a group of demonstrators faced violence as they attempted to march from Selma, Alabama, to Montgomery, Alabama, to demand the right to vote for black people. 

One of the pivotal days was March 7, when 17 people were injured by police, including future Congressman John Lewis.  At least 50 protestors required hospital treatment.  The brutality that was displayed on this day was captured by the media; however, the media was held back as the protesters retreated, the violence continued for some time.  The attack caused outrage around the country.

The civil rights protestors sought and received an injunction for another march, which was granted by Judge Frank M. Johnson, Jr. on March 17. On March 21 the official Selma to March began with the final number of supports reaching near 25,000 people on March 25.  Five months later, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act which prohibits discrimination in voting practices or procedures because of race and color.

The Movie “SELMA”
The unforgettable true story chronicles the tumultuous three-month period in 1965 when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led a dangerous campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition.  The movie shows scenes from the “Bloody Sunday” in Selma.

The epic march from Selma to Montgomery, the Capital of Alabama is one of the most significant victories for the civil rights movement.

SELMA
See a short movie trailer:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1020072/videoplayer/vi1276686105?ref_=tt_ov_vi

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Selma, the city west of Montgomery, AL, visited also by Oprah, 

Mark Zuckerberg, Hillary Clinton, and recently myself : )

A lovely, quiet place on the banks of the Alabama River with very friendly people. One can’t imagine it was the place of the March 7, 1965 “Bloody Sunday”.  State troopers and deputies were beating and gassing African Americans and white sympathizers near the Edmund Pettus Bridge.  Just because they wanted to march the 54-mile trail for their right to vote…

I arrived too late in the afternoon to visit the National Voting Rights Museum or the Enslavement Civil War Museum.

But I walked all over town and took lots of photos. I wish I would be a billionaire and buy some of the empty houses on Main Street or the old hotel and bring them back to life.
And preserve the amazing history of this city.

There is even a ghost town, the “Old Cahawba”, Alabama's most famous ghost town. In 1819 the town was carved out of the wilderness to be the state's first capital. Although the state changed the location of the capital in 1826 to Montgomery, Cahawba continued to grow into a thriving and wealthy river town. By 1870, however, the population diminished to 300. By the turn of the century, most of Cahawba's buildings were lost to fire, decay, or dismantlement.

Sturdivant Hall, a historic Greek Revival mansion had been turned into a museum and belongs to the National Historic Places. It is situated right in downtown Selma.

When planning your visit to the Trail, allow sufficient time to stop and see the sites, cross the bridge, and learn more about the century-long struggle for civil and voting rights that ultimately led to the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

To begin your tour, start at the Selma Interpretive Center (2 Broad St.).  Strategically located at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the center serves as an introduction to the National Historic Trail.  The center features brochures, videos, exhibits and a small bookstore to explore.

As you stroll through this three-story building, you will hear stories of courage, hate, triumph, fear, and hope that undergirded a journey of a hundred years by African Americans to gain the right to vote.

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Helpful Tips for Travelers to Europe

Battery empty and suitcase dented, orientation lost and in addition this terrible jetlag: For those who are traveling, breakdowns are not an option. "Travel Hacks" make traveling easier.  Pack wisely, scan documents, bring along a hotspot - a few simple tricks will help.

Traveling by Train:
An hour-long train journey is imminent, the battery from the mobile phone has just broken down... If train drivers want to work with a laptop on the train or recharge their mobile phones, they should make sure when making a reservation that they have a place with a socket. Where and whether there is electricity in the wagon varies depending on the type of train, year of construction and route.

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Internet More Important than Good Sleep?
Guests are better off at Maritim Hotels. In Germany, they can surf for free anywhere in their room. If you want more bandwidth, you will pay 4.95 euros for the Premium Package in all hotels for 24 hours. Also with the Steigenberger hotels, the entrance is free to the standard Internet, the high-speed Internet costs eight euro per day.  Just to check your emails, find free internet at Starbucks coffee shops, in tourist information places, in local libraries, or at MacDonald's joints.
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Travel Documents
Better additionally digital: if you're smart, scan all your travel documents.
Before departure you should scan all your travel documents once: Passport, booking confirmations, travel and location plans. Save the documents on your smartphone and send an email with attachments to yourself to make it easier if you really lose something or get it stolen. I also print these documents out. Safe is safe if there's an Internet outage.

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Pre-paid Credit Cards
Some prepaid cards can even save on exchange fees if you pre-load them with the local currency before you leave home.  Finally, since a prepaid travel card isn't a credit card, it requires no credit check or top-tier credit score.

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How to Pack Most Effectively
Rolling Instead of Folding: Silk paper for the jacket.  The heavy things down.  Shoes should never go empty into the suitcase - if you stuff your socks into it, you have more room in the suitcase.
If you have arrived at your destination and your suit wrinkles despite careful packing, hang it up in the shower at the hotel and turn on the hot water for a while. The steam smoothes the wrinkles.
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More Tips:
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/travel-tips-and-articles/how-to-pack-light-tips-from-a-master-packer/  
https://www.eaglecreek.com/blog/6-ways-become-master-packer
http://traveltips.usatoday.com/pack-suitcase-months-stay-103511.html

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View Airports and Train Stations Online
Where to go now? Those who first take a virtual look around will find their way around more quickly.  Especially if you have to change trains quickly or have to meet deadlines, it can be worthwhile to take a virtual tour of the airport or train station before you arrive. Google Street View offers insights into the terminals of numerous airports in Europe, Asia, and America.  Examples include Mexico City, Eindhoven, Alicante, and Tenerife.  And there is more every day.

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And Here are the Train Stations:
Italy:
Rome, Palermo, Naples, Florence, Bologna, Turin, Genoa, Milan, Verona, and Venice

Great Britain:
Liverpool, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester and ten London stations such as Paddington Station, Waterloo Station, and Victoria Station.

Some stations in Taiwan and Japan have also been included - and the list is constantly being expanded.
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Suitcase Tips:
Many travelers shy away from colorful luggage - and then have to make an effort to find their black or anthracite-colored suitcase at the baggage carousel between all the other black and anthracite-colored suitcases.  Use a colorful suitcase belt to strap around the luggage - a colorful cloth knotted to the handle does the trick, both can be removed quickly.

Many travelers have also experienced that it can be worth trying to put a "Fragile" sticker on the suitcase.  If the airport staff is alert, your suitcase will be in the top position when the aircraft is loaded and will, therefore, be one of the first on the conveyor belt.  But, of course, this is not a guarantee.
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The Hotel W-Lan is Slow? 
Bring your own router. Hotel Internet connections are often very slow.  Some houses even limit the number of devices you can dial in with - and let you pay for more.
An elegant technical solution to both problems can be to take a W-Lan Pocket Router with you - the devices are cheap and small.  With this, you can connect yourself onto the stationary network and build your own W-Lan, which often works much faster, provided that you have the appropriate cabling.

However, the range is usually limited - you probably won't get into the breakfast room.  But you can probably work more effectively and faster on several devices in your room if the hotel's W-Lan is paralyzed - and the routers are so small that they hardly carry any weight in your luggage.  Beyond creating a secure internet connection, travel routers can also help with built-in storage for sharing files or streaming music to multiple devices.

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More Tips:
https://www.lifewire.com/top-travel-wireless-routers-2377742
https://www.visitberlin.de/en/public-wi-fi-berlin

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How to Avoid Jetlag
Adapt immediately to the rhythm of the day in your travel destination.  You probably can't choose whether to fly east or west - if you do, choose west, the day will feel longer, the body will cope better with it.  If you travel east: At home, go to sleep one or two hours earlier a few days before you start your journey, and get up a few hours earlier.  If you go west, stay up long before you fly.

On the plane, set your watch to the time at your destination.  When you arrive in the morning: Have breakfast, even if you feel more like having dinner. If possible, have three suitable meals a day to cope with the change faster and better.  Business appointments should be made in such a way - if at all possible - that they are felt to be in their most awake time at their hometown.
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Move Around
A pair of running shoes, a T-shirt and shorts should fit in your suitcase - most hotels have at least an ergometer or a treadmill.  Many hotels also offer plans with jogging rounds, which you can get at the reception.  Or you can download a fitness app onto your mobile phone that offers you training options without the need for any devices. Or simply do sit-ups in your hotel room.
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What to Eat on Long Road Trips
Not a problem in most European countries where good restaurants are everywhere from early morning coffeeshops to late night eateries. However, if you travel through North America this might be not easy - unless you are a fan of greasy and unhealthy fast food.
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My Grocery List for Long-distance Road Trips
Bottled Water
Bananas & Apples
Nuts, lots of nuts
Avocados
Carrot sticks
Boiled Eggs
Cooked Ham
Half a Grilled Chicken
For the first day of the trip, I prepare lots of sandwiches with ham, egg salad, cream cheese, Schnitzel,  and Salami.

Scandinavian Dry Bread (available at Trader Joes, ALDI, Walmart - in Europe in nearly every grocery store)
Swiss Cheese (WalMart)
Cream Cheese
Salami Sausage
Salad Mix
Potato Salad
Ready-to-Eat salads (Walmart, Whole Foods Salad buffets in large cities)
Avocados

If you know your hotel room has a Microwave:
Potatoes and Cheese
Steam Dinners
Instant Noodles
Instant Rice (flavored)

On a Picknick Table or in Your Hotel Room:
Mix the boiled eggs with the potato salad, maybe add some ham or avocado.  Wash and pierce small potatoes and let them cook in the Microwave for 5 minutes, cut in the middle and place cream cheese or Swiss Cheese on top.  Heat it for another 12 seconds.
Mix avocados, ham, and boiled eggs.  Prepare instant rice in the microwave and have it
together with your grilled chicken for a full meal.

Enjoy your trip!

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Mardi Gras in the Southern US States

New Orleans Celebration Costumes

Mardi Gras is a Christian holiday and popular cultural phenomenon that dates back thousands of years to pagan spring and fertility rites. Also known as Carnival or Carnaval, it’s celebrated in many countries around the world—mainly those with large Roman Catholic populations—on the day before the religious season of Lent begins. 

Along with Christianity, Mardi Gras spread from Rome to other European countries, including France, Germany, Spain, and England.  Brazil, Venice and New Orleans played host to some of the holiday’s most famous public festivities, drawing thousands of tourists and revelers every year.

Tradition for Thousands of Years
Mardi Gras is a tradition that dates back thousands of years to pagan celebrations of spring and fertility, including the raucous Roman festivals of Saturnalia and Lupercalia. The excess and debauchery of the Mardi Gras season became a prelude to Lent, the 40 days of fasting and penance between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday.

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What Does Mardi Gras Mean?
Mardi is the French word for Tuesday, and gras means “fat.”  In France, the day before Ash Wednesday came to be known as Mardi Gras, or “Fat Tuesday.”

Lilac, Gold, and Green are the colors for Mardi Gras

Traditionally, in the days leading up to Lent, merrymakers would binge on all the rich, fatty foods—meat, eggs, milk, lard, cheese—that remained in their homes, in anticipation of several weeks of eating only fish and different types of fasting.

New Orleans Mardi Gras
The first American Mardi Gras took place on March 3, 1699, when French explorers Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville and Sieur de Bienville landed near present-day New Orleans, Louisiana. They held a small celebration and dubbed their landing spot Point du Mardi Gras.

In the decades that followed, New Orleans and other French settlements began marking the holiday with street parties, masked balls, and lavish dinners. When the Spanish took control of New Orleans, however, they abolished these rowdy rituals, and the bans remained in force until Louisiana became a U.S. state in 1812.
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The heart of Mardi Gras will always be in New Orleans, Louisiana, but there are some crazy-amazing celebrations and parades during the forty days of carnival in other coastal cities in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and even Florida just to name a few of the US States where the carnival is celebrated. 
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Read more:
https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/mardi-gras
https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/us/things-to-do/events/mardi-gras/index.html
https://www.coastalliving.com/travel/top-ten/best-mardi-gras-celebrations
https://www.aol.com/2014/03/03/mardi-gras-top-9-cities-not-named-new-orleans-to-celebrate-fat/
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Ottawa, Canada, Winter Pleasures

Ottawa is one of the very few cities in the world where you can ice skate to work on the celebrated over 7km (4,5 miles) long Rideau Canal in downtown. Food and beverage vendors are located on the ice at the rest areas. Think coffee and other hot beverages, fast food, the famous BeaverTails® pastries, maple taffies…


Ice Rink at City Hall and Governor General Park
There’s also free skating (with the bonus of refrigerated ice) at City Hall’s Sens Rink of Dreams, Lansdowne Skating Court and—since the 1870s—at Rideau Hall, home to the Governor General of Canada.

Winter Carnival for Newcomers
From Saturday, February 23, 2019, 1:00 pm to Sunday, February 24, 2019, 4:00 pm: Celebrate your first winter in Canada’s Capital Region! The NCC is organizing a winter carnival for newcomers to the Capital to discover the joys of winter. Free admission and bus transportation.
http://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/events/winter-carnival-for-newcomers-to-the-capital

If You Want to Splurge…
Take a tour with Tours Expédition Ottawa. Make fresh tracks to Gatineau Park, located north of the city. Tours Expédition Ottawa offers excursions to Renaud Shelter, situated deep in the snowy woods. The outing includes a lunch—complete with linens—to enjoy by the lodge’s wood stove, as well as gear, a guide, and photos of your journey.
Gatineau Park is one of the largest cross-country ski networks in North America.
http://www.teottawa.ca/

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