Most people are familiar with swimming baths. But if you ever visit the Baths of Caracalla in Rome you will be amazed that the Romans had their own version of our modern baths way back in AD 216, when they were finally finished.

And they were quite impressive too, especially when you consider how long ago they were built. The Baths, or Thermae, as they were known, were housed in a large building that looks stunning from the outside. It has survived the ensuing centuries very well, and while it does not look exactly the same as it did all those years ago, you can get a pretty good idea of what it did look like back then. What’s more they were in operation for a full three centuries before finally falling into disuse.

What you see today is a shadow of the former baths as the Romans would have known them. But this does not make any visit here any less worthwhile. You can stand where the Romans would once have bathed and see marks on the walls where other levels would once have been. You may need to use your imagination to get an idea of exactly how they would have looked back then, but you do not need to use much to see how the Romans would have come here to relax and socialise.

There are statues here too and you can see one of Aesclepius which is a full four metres high. It stands among the ruins that cannot fail to charm or delight visitors, no matter how deep their love of Roman history runs. You only have to use your imagination to picture the Romans coming here to swim, to relax and even to box. There was a part of the baths that was dedicated to this activity.

The Baths of Caracalla were so called because they were named after the son of the Emperor Septimus Severus, whose idea it was to construct the baths in the first place. Could he possibly have known or believed that hundreds of years later we would be staring at the majestic ruins of his vision?

Rome is a city that will never run out of things to show you. Your first visit will likely take in many of the most famous sights however, and one of those will surely be the Trevi fountain.

It is not often that you get to see a large fountain taking up lots of space in a relatively small square, but that is what you will see here. And as you might expect from such a famous fountain, there is a legend that goes along with it as well.

The legend states that if you stand in front of the fountain and turn your back to it, you should throw a coin over your shoulder and let it drop into the water. If you do this you will return to the city of Rome at some point in the future. Since many tourists do go in for this legend, it would appear that Rome has enough to offer to make it a firm advantage to want to return to the city.

The fountain itself is breath taking mainly because of its size. Measuring an amazing 85 feet high, you will hear the water long before you actually reach the square that the fountain sits in. This makes it quite easy to find and you will definitely be amazed at the sight of it when it finally comes into view.

The idea for this fountain first came about back in 1629, although it would be some time before it developed to anything beyond an actual idea. In reality it would not be until 1762 that the Trevi fountain was finished for all of Rome to see.

Needless to say since then it has made it onto many people’s ‘must see’ lists while they are in Rome. This at least makes it a good thing that the fountain is so big, because lots of people can crowd around it to throw in their coin and it doesn’t get crowded.

So the next time you are in Rome, listen out for the rushing waters of the Trevi fountain and bring a coin out of your pocket.

Rome is filled with sights that are left over from ancient Roman times. Wherever you go you will see one or more of them without really having to look.

But while the Colosseum is probably one of the best known sights in the city, the Roman Forum has been there longer. It is also one of the biggest sights and wraps up plenty of temples and arches all in the one space. And that makes it well worth seeing for lots of different reasons.

The first thing you will notice about the Roman Forum is the size. There are three basilicas included here alongside plenty of different temples, all dedicated to different people. That should give you an idea of size, as a temple isn’t exactly one of the smallest structures in the Roman world.

The Arch of Septimius Severus is worth seeing as it has survived hundreds of years of changes relatively intact. Look for the writing right at the very top – it is still perfectly readable.

The Temple of Julius Caesar is another popular sight for obvious reasons – Caesar is one of the best known figures from ancient Roman times, both for his life and his death. The remains of the temple are in far worse condition than many others in the area though. You can only see the remains of the base of many of the walls, and there are no real pillars or other sights on offer. This is in direct contrast to the Temple of Romulus for example, which is in much better condition.

If you are going to see the Roman Forum, be sure to take plenty of water with you and wear some comfortable shoes. You can spend hours wandering around and immersing yourself in what is left of the buildings and structures where the ancient Romans used to spend their days.

There is no doubt that the Roman Forum has many stories to tell – you only have to wander around to hear them. Don’t miss it if you are going to Rome in the near future.

15 July 2007

Frequent travellers to Europe know to cut expenses by traveling in the off-season, choosing buses over taxis and prowling supermarket aisles for lunchtime fare.

Here are other tried-and-true tips from travel agents, tour guides and frequent travellers for cutting costs in Europe without having to resort to hostel bunk beds, fast food and shared baths.

Click on this link for more cost effective tips.

http://www.modbee.com/life/travel/story/13791927p-14370730c.html

On the fitting day of July 7, 2007, the new seven wonders of the world were announced after months of voting at http://www.new7wonders.com/ which ended at 6 p.m. ET Friday. Over 90 million votes were cast for 21 sites.

They were then announced at a lavish ceremony in Lisbon, Portugal on Saturday which featured performances by Jennifer Lopez and Chaka Khan and hosted by Hilary Swank, Ben Kingsley, and Bollywood star Bipasha Basu. The seen winners announced include:

¨ The Great Wall of China

¨ Petra in Jordan

¨ Brazil’s statue of Christ the Redeemer

¨ Peru’s Machu Picchu

¨ Mexico’s Chichen Itza pyramid

¨ The Colosseum in Rome

¨ India’s Taj Mahal

The 21 nominated attractions were made public for voting in early June. Among these, the oldest was Stonehenge in England, and the newest was Australia’s Sydney Opera House. All of the competitors had to have been built or discovered before 2000, and they are all among the top tourist attractions around the world.

After these were announced, voting doubled to about 50 million votes being cast. Voters were able to vote multiple times. However, some complain that the campaign was not universally recognized. The United Nations’ cultural organization UNESCO claimed to have no link to the voting ballots. Many of the votes came from text messaging, and the others were from the website.

Now, the Seven Wonders site is holding a contest to choose the top seven wonders of nature. Nominations are being considered until August 8, 2008. A list of 21 candidates will be chosen from a panel of experts, and then final voting will begin. The rules maintain that the natural site may not have been created or significantly altered by humans.

Physical or natural phenomena like the northern lights, gulf stream, or shooting stars are not eligible. The nominations must fit into one of the following categories: natural site, natural monument, or landscape, animal reserve canyon, fjord cave, grotto coastline, cliff forest, wood geological site ,glacier mountain, volcano, rocks, nature conservancy park oasis, deserts, prehistoric natural site, underwater world, reef water, sea, lake, river, waterfall, or other.

2 July 2007

The London Eye has come top in a poll of Europe's visitor attractions, beating the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre in Paris, and the Coliseum in Rome.

The list was put together from the travel editors and users of the popular website www.tripadvisor.com, which ranked the world's tallest observation wheel, the London Eye, as Europe's biggest visitor draw.

London also took second place with the Tower of London, home to the Crown jewels, followed by Paris' Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, and the Rome Coliseum.

Also in the top ten was Anne Frank's House in Amsterdam, the Musee d'Orsay in Paris, St Peterburg's Hermitage museum, Denmark's Tivoli Gardens, and Spain's Alhambra palace and fortress.

The website also polled its users and experts on the USA's top visitor attractions, revealing Magical Mecca in Orlando, Florida as the top visitor draw.

Also in the top five were Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Hana Highway in Maui, Hawaii, the Grand Canyon in Arizona, and Central Park in New York City.

29 April 2007

Running an out-of-town marathon used to be a weekend experience: fly or drive down on Friday, go to the expo on Saturday, race on Sunday morning and head home Sunday night or Monday morning.

Now, according to travel industry experts (who are mostly people at travel agencies trying to sell trip packages), marathon tourism is on the rise. People are booking vacations around their marathons and visiting exotic destinations where they combine sight-seeing and racing, rather than zipping in and out as quickly as possible.

One thing to consider is how to fit the marathon into your vacation timeline. If you put the race at the end of your visit, pre-race anxiety and diet restrictions may limit your holiday fun. If you race first and tour later, you may have to set aside a day or two for recovery.

Many tourists head for the world's biggest marathons in New York, Boston, Chicago, London and Berlin or to other big-city races like Paris and Rome.

However, here are eight different marathons in exotic and touristy locations that promote themselves as ideal places to race and visit.

Great Wall Marathon

May 19, 2007 and May 17, 2008: Held in China's Tianjin province, the Great Wall Marathon includes six kilometres of running on the wall itself, including 3,700 steps, plus a

flatter portion through the Chinese countryside. "A little tougher than a usual course," the race website says, "but no extraordinary experience is obtained ordinarily." I'm not sure whether the second half of that sentence is Confucian or just confusing, but "a little tougher" might be an understatement. Last year, only four runners broke four hours.

Easter Island Marathon

June 10: Some marathon courses make you feel like you're running in the middle of nowhere, but Easter Island is 3,700 kilometres from any major population centre, a little dot in the South Pacific. You get to run past the giant monolith statues for which the island is famous and ... well, that's it really.

Safaricon Marathon, Kenya

June 23: Had enough of Kenyan runners coming to North America and winning our races? Then go win the marathon in Kenya. The race is run on dirt roads through an African game park and wildlife conservatory. Trying for a personal-best time? Consider that lion following you as a pace bunny. Seriously, the organizers actually provide armed rangers to protect runners from pesky animals.

Niagara Falls International Marathon

Oct. 28: The only cross-border marathon in the world, the race starts in Buffalo and crosses the Peace Bridge into Fort Erie, Ont. The course then follows the Niagara River Parkway and finishes right at the Falls. Once it's over, you can begin a second marathon of tacky souvenir shopping.

Venice Marathon

Oct. 28: The pace cars aren't gondolas but you do get to run alongside and across some of the city's famous canals. The race begins 25 kilometres outside the city and finishes in the heart of the City of Water. Just before the finish, you cross the Grand Canal on a pontoon bridge built specifically for the race.

Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend,

Jan. 12-13, 2008: The perfect family vacation. You get to run through all the major theme parks and then limp along in a vain attempt to keep up with your kids as they race through them the next day. They hold the half-marathon the first day, the marathon the next. Finish both and you get a special Goofy medal!

Dubai Marathon

Jan. 18, 2008: It's one of the wealthiest cities in the world and the centre for banking and commerce of the Middle East, so perhaps it's no surprise that the 2008 race is being billed as the richest marathon ever.

You may not have a shot at the $1-million U.S. purse, but you can still make it your richest marathon experience by staying in a $1,500-per-night suite at the Burj al-Arab, which markets itself as a seven-star hotel.

Antarctica Marathon

March 5, 2008: The 2008 event is already sold out and the 2009 edition is half-booked. The marathon was created by a tour company, Marathon Tours & Travel, specifically so that some of its clients could form a Seven Continents Club by running a marathon on every continent.

The trip starts with a few days in Argentina, followed by a cruise down to Antarctica including lectures and wildlife excursions. "You will come face to face withicebergs, penguins, seals and whales while exploring the most pristine corner of the planet," the marketing material says.

I didn't know icebergs had faces.