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    <title><![CDATA[Latest and greatest experiences from World Reviewer]]></title>
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    <description><![CDATA[The latest and greatest travel experiences from World Reviewer.]]></description>
    <pubDate>Sun, 08 Nov 2009 09:45:28 +0000</pubDate>
    <copyright>Copyright World Reviewer 2009</copyright>
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      <title><![CDATA[Nottingham Castle]]></title>
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      <description><![CDATA[Nottingham Castle has stood on its own natural rocky outcrop, one with 130 foot cliffs to the south and west since the year after the Battle of Hastings: 1067 &ndash; overlooking its surrounds.  In its first incarnation it was a wooden castle, protected by a stern wooden fence, and later stone versions, still stern, until the current model was erected in 1660, more a 'Ducal Mansion' that a medieval castle &ndash; though it stands on top of the medieval cellars, passageways and foundations.  It's been open as a museum since 1878, after being renovated by Thomas Chambers Hine and opened by King Edward VII while he was still the Prince of Wales.
Some of the most famous events surrounding the castle involve the stories of Robin Hood, who had many supposed show downs with the Sheriff of Nottingham, who took over the castle grounds while Richard the Lionheart was away fighting the Cursades, and before his brother Prince John came down to take over.  When Richard returned he took it back from John by force using the de-siege machines he's developed in Jerusalem.
In the 18th Century the castle was again the location for royal intrigue, when Edward III snuck in via one of the underground secret passages and captured rule from his mother and her lover.
By the time of the Civil War the castle had already been part ruined several times and by the end of it it was entirely broken up to prevent it being used again.]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Sat, 07 Nov 2009 22:18:12 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title><![CDATA[Self-drive safari in the Kruger National Park]]></title>
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      <description><![CDATA[The Kruger National Park, established in 1898 to protect the wildlife of the South African Lowveld, sprawls over an area of nearly two million hectares and is home to an impressive number of species: 507 birds, 336 trees, 147 mammals, 114 reptiles, 49 fish and 34 amphibians according to the South African National Parks authority. That means that even when you don&rsquo;t see one of the famed Big Fives (elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, rhinoceros) there still is plenty else to look at. And when a majestic elephant bull unexpectedly emerges from the bush to cross your path, the undisturbed privacy of the encounter makes it all the more precious.
Game drives in elevated open vehicles complete with ranger and spotter afford exceptional views over the surrounding bush, and seeing a good selection of game is almost guaranteed as guides exchange sighting tips over the radio. Guided trips are also the only form of safari that allows off-road and night time exploration. I particularly enjoyed self-drive safaris, a specialty of the Kruger National Park. A network of tarred and dirt roads crisscrosses the park and visitors are free to roam at their leisure, provided they never get out of their cars in the bush and return to camp or exit gate by sunset.
I took off every morning armed with a road map, plenty of drinking water, a full gas tank, a dusted-off telephoto lens and a healthy dose of patience. Alternating between the peaceful solitude of remote dirt roads and the comforts of the easily-accessible main sites, I spent hours watching a hippo&rsquo;s nostrils poking at the surface of a lake, a beetle building up a dung ball much bigger than its own body or a baboon nursing her young.]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:27:32 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title><![CDATA[Lewes Bonfire Night]]></title>
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      <description><![CDATA[Lewes combines celebrating the uncovering of the Gunpowder Plot with the anniversary of their burning 17 Protestant martyrs, which took place about 50 years earlier, then they bundle the whole thing up into one huge explosive celebration.  As well as bonfires and fireworks Lewes also celebrates in the form of parading though the streets in their six fireworks societies before joining together to parade all at once.
Though they seem to take quite a miserable attitude towards people joining in their festivities &ndash; in the 19th Century they threw a local magistrate into the river when he objected to the practice, and these days their website lets you know up front that there's no parking and that the public transport is a nightmare, especially if the weather is bad, and they remind us that it is November, implying that it's better to go to your own local celebration.]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:28:21 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title><![CDATA[Chez Lucienne]]></title>
      <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/worldreviewer/otnq/~3/TPXYbCHprfc/</link>
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      <description><![CDATA[This is a fabulous Michelin-starred French restaurant in Harlem.  Planning on visiting the newly re-opened fantastic El Museo del Barrio on Museum Mile, we decided to start uptown, on 125th Street and walk around that vibrant neighborhood.  Chez Lucienne is at 308 Lenox Avenue between 125th and 126th Streets.  The food, wine selection, ambience, and service were outstanding.  Ask for a table by the window overlooking Lenox Avenue for the best people watching.  The restaurant offers nightly jazz.  Following your meal, walk towards Museum Mile on 5th and visit El Museo del Barrio for its exciting and political art, where you'll always learn something new.]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:43:03 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title><![CDATA[HMS Mary Rose]]></title>
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      <description><![CDATA[Back in the 16th century, King Henry VIII built himself a navy.  The biggest ship he built was named the Mary Rose, and was part of the fleet that challenged the French at the battle of Solent.  Unfortunately, the ship is well-known for sinking during that battle.  Well, I say during the battle, but that brings images of shooting and fighting to mind.  The truth is that the Mary Rose sank because when she turned too fast, her poor design caused her to heel over so far she filled with water and sank, with the loss of nearly all hands.  Forgotten for centuries on the bottom of Portsmouth harbor, she was raised in the 1980s by an expert team of archaeologists.
Once raised, the remainder of the hull (about two thirds were left) was placed in a closed dry dock with a controlled environment, and began spraying the wreck with a type of wax.  This humble author has fond memories of seeing the wreck on display as the wax was being sprayed over it.  The waxing continued from 1994 to about 2004 (That's a lot of wax) and since then they have switched to a different type of sealant.  This second phase of spraying is due to be completed in or around 2010, but until then you can't see the ship.  Fortunately, conservators have set up a museum in Portsmouth's historic dockyard.  This exhibition has a wide variety of stuff they recovered from the excavation; I saw everything from cannons and bows to shoes and carpentry tools.  There's a lot there.  In fact, I was talking to one of the guides, and he told me that if they added up everything on display in the museum and counted everything once, they would only have about 1/8th of everything they found.  That's...rather impressive.
Also, the museum is definitely kid friendly.  They even set up some rigging for kids to mess around with!  Or, um, twenty-year old travel writers.]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:19:34 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title><![CDATA[Pienza Duomo]]></title>
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      <description><![CDATA[Pienza's Duomo is in the centre of its piazza, which is not unusual for an Italian town.  It's three sided facade, with column and arch details in the medieval style, is nothing out of the ordinary either, but the bell tower gives is a more Germanic look to it, the result of the Pope Pius's time spent in Germany &ndash; he had a taste for the way the light shone on the art that decorated the inside of the churches &ndash; and in the case of Pienza's Duomo there are five beautiful paintings in the Sienese style.]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:09:01 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title><![CDATA[Chiusi]]></title>
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      <description><![CDATA[For those who don't know, the Etruscans were the bullies of the Italian Peninsula until the Romans knocked them off their perch (and bullied the rest of the known world!) While the Etruscans were at the height of their power they commanded a confederation of cities.  One of these was Chiusi.  Once a rival of Rome, this city has seen better days.  Being conquered, resettled, and rebuilt didn't do a whole lot for the city's well-being, and it shuffled between owners for the next thousand years or so.  It was the seat of the Lombard duchy for a while, however.  That's worth something.Nowadays Chiusi is home to some of the finest Etruscan artwork you'll find anywhere.  Tombs litter the surrounding countryside.  Some are closed for renovation, some you can find a guide for, and some are open for visitors to traipse around in. Obviously, they might not be in the best condition, but caveat emptor, hey?Visitors will also want to see the Romanesque Cathedral of San Secondiano.  Interstingly enough, the church was built and rebuilt on top of ruins, and contains a roman bath underneath the tower.Chiusians, obviously used to visitors, have developed some excellent restaurants for tired tomb-goers to frequent.]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:06:46 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title><![CDATA[Tarquinia]]></title>
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      <description><![CDATA[Ever wonder who came before the Romans?  The Etruscans, that's who.  They fought and lost to the Romans, who (thankfully) didn't erase all traces of their former enemies.  Luckily for us, that means that towns like Tarquinia still exist.  That also means that the architectural wonders and beautiful art of the Etruscans still exist, too.
Hundreds of Etruscan necropoli with intact wall paintings are buried underground.  Many have been excavated; the National Museum holds many of their findings.  Hire a guide and spend your day underground, if you can.  The Tomb of the Augurs is particularly well-known for it's depictions of Etrucan sports.  If you finish early, there are plenty of more modern (well, relatively) sights to see.  A 16th century Cathedral with intact frescoes, medieval towers, the Communal Palace, and half-dozen churches each with incredible art (statues, paintings, stained-glass windows...you get the idea).
Come to Tarquinia if you want a break from the Italian countryside or if you just want to see some really old stuff.]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:04:07 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title><![CDATA[Todi]]></title>
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      <description><![CDATA[Called &quot;the world's most livable city&quot; Todi has built up something of a reputation in Italy.  It's been a long time in coming, as some estimates put Todi's founding date at or near 2000 B.C.  It's an old place.  Originally one of the main cities of the Etruscan Confederation, the city has been attacked and rebuilt many times.  The double walls that held of Hannibal still remain, as well as the usual huge variety of churches and cathedrals you'll find in any Italian town.
Speaking of which, if you visit the cathedral be sure to check out the giant fresco depicting the Universal Judgment.  Also in the city are a group Palazzos, most built between the 13th and 14th century.  In betweent the Palazzo del Popolo, the Palazzo del Capitani, and the Palazzo del Priori, I'm sure you'll find one to your taste.  The church of San Fortunato is ancient, and holds the tombs of its namesake and other saints.  If you're still church-hopping, head over to the Renaissance church Santa Maria Della Consolazione.  It doesn't look like a normal cathedral, but it's certainly got more than it's fair share of artwork and statuary.  The main altar holds a miraculous image of the Madonna, reportedly found by a worker during construction.  Amazing churches and intact walls make Todi a pleasing proposition for architecture lovers.]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:27:54 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title><![CDATA[Plantation to Atlantic Oceanfront Ride]]></title>
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      <description><![CDATA[Geographically the smaller part of the two island nation of Trinidad and Tobago, the landscape of Tobago still provides a diversity to enjoy whether in its mountainous areas or along its unspoilt shoreline.  While many Caribbean horse riding treks either only pass by some of the interesting historic plantations or completely focus on beach and oceanfront riding, on Tobago you can actually experience being in the midst of an existing large property or following the trails by the sea.  The long established Friendship Stables is based in the midst of a 400-acre coconut plantation, which in turn is bordered by a diverse wetlands area and picturesque Canoe Bay on the southwestern area of the island.
The denser countryside gives way to the area of Canoe Bay, which is a well-landscaped oceanfront that was once the site of a large Amerindian settlement.  Although a popular beach, the yellow sands here are also fine for riding treks in addition to the country lanes near the plantation and the trails along the plantation itself.  Friendship Stables uses English tack, but their fourteen horses are calm, friendly and well-adapted to either the novice or advanced equestrian.  They will provide a brief lesson before the start of a ride for those who have never been on horseback or children.]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:52:43 +0000</pubDate>
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