Your Travel Notes

Archive for September, 2009

Navigating Through Your New Zealand Travel

New Zealand travel is quickly becoming one of the absolute coolest things to be able to say that you have done. This country is the best kept secret in the entire world but more and more people are discovering it everyday. There are seven different climatic regions in the entire world and New Zealand has six of them. New Zealand travel is the best way to see golden sand beaches and marine parks that are protected that you can view them from on or below the surface. You will also be able to get up close and personal with active volcanic areas but do not worry because they are completely safe. The Australian Alps are unlike anything else with their pristine snow caps where you can ski or climb depending on the time of year.

Australia is full of tours that allow you to explore the forests and amazing plant life that is all around. There are basically two different parts of New Zealand: the North Island and the South Island. The North Island is home to Auckland which is the largest urban and suburban area in the entire country. This suburban area has a population of almost two million people and it is surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery with harbors and beaches that are to die for. If you are a surfer then you will find this area to be especially unique because there a so many different undiscovered surf areas that will truly open your eyes to a new world of surfing that you never thought imaginable. To the west of Auckland you can find some rather large vineyards so if that is what you are in to then plan to be there for the entire day. Auckland has a very strong reputation as being a Mecca for sailors and that has been reaffirmed again and again over the years. It actually has more boats per capita than any other city in the entire world.

Do not worry if you are not a surfer or an avid boater because this city boasts some of the best shopping galleries and museums in the world. These areas are great because they provide a multicultural environment blending European Asian and Polynesian cultures. There are many other great tourist attractions so whether you are traveling alone or on a family vacation you will have no problem finding something for everyone to enjoy.

About the writer:  To know more about New Zealand travel please visit our website.

Menorca Tourism Set To Increase

Menorca has always been a popular holiday destination amongst holiday makers from all over the world. This is more than likely due to the tropical climate beautiful beaches and abundance of activities available. Unsurprisingly this has also led to an increase in the number of people buying Menorca villas because they can see the potential in investing in homes in holiday ho spots.

The level of tourism is set to increase further as it has been announced that coming up to the summer season more flights are going to be flying to and from the island. Not only does this mean that more people can holiday there because there is more availability but it also means that people are more likely to go there because it is easily accessible.

This can only be good news for holiday makers as airlines are no doubt going to start competing against each other in order to offer the lowest air fares. This as well is likely to increase the number of people buying Menorca villas because it is clearly an up and coming place that is going to see a lot of tourists visiting in the next couple years.

Whereas previously holiday makers could only fly to the island from the major UK airports there is now a much better selection. Flights are now available from London Gatwick Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport Manchester Bristol and Newcastle. This means that people who may have wanted to go to Menorca before but couldn’t now can. This is ideal for those who simply want to holiday there or who are interested in investing in Menorca villas.

Although the new flights will see an increase in the level of tourism on Menorca tourist authorities are keen to make sure that the island keeps it reputation as a relaxing holiday destination. It is currently popular with families couples and groups of friends who are keen to take some time out and escape the stresses of everyday life. The island is less busy than some of its neighbours such as Ibiza and is keen not to turn into a resort filled with young party animals.

This is more than likely one of the many reasons why so many people are interested in buying Menorca villas because the country offers the perfect combination of everything you want for a holiday. There is plenty to do yet you are not faced with hundreds of clubbers filling the streets until the early hours of the morning.

About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Menorca Villa Holidays menorca villas have a range of villas to suit everyone whether you want your own holiday home or simply somewhere to stay for a week or two.Submitted by search engine consultants at http://www.webrepairservices.co.uk

Meet The Ghosts Of Chicagos Bachelors Grove

By Michael Kleen

Bachelors Grove in the southwest Chicago suburb of Midlothian has been an enigma for over three decades but like most such locations it started out with a mundane existence. Over one hundred years ago picnickers dressed in their Sunday best lounged under oak trees in the parklike atmosphere of the cemetery. Two of the groves neighbors heated their small homes with coal burning stoves and drew water out of their brick wells while horse drawn buggies trotted down the dirt road. It was a much different scene from today.

Much of the origins of Bachelors Grove have been obscured by the passage of time. Even its name is a mystery. Some say it was named after a group of single men who settled in the area around the 1830s but a family named Batchelder already owned the land. According to Ursula Bielski author of Chicago Haunts the cemetery itself was originally named Everdons. Its first burial was in 1844 and the cemetery eventually contained eightytwo plots.

In the early half of the twentieth century the Midlothian Turnpike ran past the cemetery over the stream and beyond. Today the broken road appears to end at the cemetery gates but closer inspection of a long ridge across from the stream reveals a roadbed that has been nearly reclaimed by the forest. The road was closed in the 1960s. Locals say that was when the trouble started.

According to the Chicago Tribunes Jason George the body of a teenage girl was found in the woods in 1966 and in 1988 a man who had been murdered by a former girlfriend was found in the cemetery. Aside from those gruesome incidents grave desecration regularly occurred. Bodies were dug up animals were sacrificed and headstones were moved or stolen.

Then the ghosts came.

One of the most controversial sightings involved a phantom house. In the 1970s Richard T. Crowe a local ghost enthusiast collected stories from dozens of eyewitnesses who claimed to have seen a white farmhouse complete with a glowing light in the window at various places in the woods alongside the trail. However there is no house on the property nor anywhere near the site Ursula Bielski wrote. No property records exist to suggest that there ever was. Haunts pg. 59 She does mention that most anyone familiar with the area will offer to show you the foundations of a house that they claim did exist. Haunts pg. 61

Claim is an interesting choice of words since there are in fact two separate foundations one east of the cemetery and one west of it. Although the two are hidden in plain sight both of them are very real. As www.bachelors grove.com has well documented there also exists two wells near these foundations. Hundreds of visitors have probably seen these and later reported them as houses. Time and imagination took care of the rest.

Another popular ghost is the White Lady or Madonna of Bachelors Grove. Cemeteries in the Chicagoland area are overpopulated with these women who are almost always searching for their lost infants. Bachelors Grove contains a monument to an unnamed infant daughter which has become a shrine for visitors and adds fuel to the story. This ghost or one very much like it was supposedly captured on a now famous photograph taken using infrared film. Unfortunately the ghost in the picture casts a shadow on the headstone she sits upon suggesting that she is not very transparent; at least not in the way ghosts tend to be.

Visitors also commonly report seeing orbs or ghost lights a staple of haunted locations everywhere. These bright will o the wisps are patriotic appearing in red white and blue colors. Although I have been to the cemetery nearly a dozen times I have yet to see one.

The pond adjacent to the cemetery has its own share of legends. Stories say it was one of the hundreds of places scattered around Illinois where mobsters dumped their victims during the roaring 20s. One of these victims apparently grew a second head and has been known to crawl out of the water. Lastly a number of years ago a policeman reportedly saw the apparition of a horse followed by a man and a plow walk out of the pond and cross 143rd Street. The ghost is said to belong to a farmer who drowned in the pond when his horse decided to take a swim one day.

Disappearing cars sometimes sleek black 1920s and 30s style or the sounds of car doors slamming have been reported along that stretch of 143rd Street. Richard T. Crowe has written that he personally witnessed two of these phantom automobiles.
Although the number of visitors to Bachelors Grove has declined and vandalism has trickled off there isnt much left to vandalize the curious still routinely travel to Midlothian to snap pictures leave cryptic notes or place offerings at the stone of the infant daughter.

If you are in the area check it out. Parking is available at the Forest Preserve across the street but it is closed after dark no exceptions. For more information on Bachelor’s Grove and other haunted locations around Illinois visit The Legends and Lore of Illinois.

About the writer:  Michael Kleen earned a masters degree in American history from Eastern Illinois University in 2008. He is the author of several books including Tales of Coles County Illinois; Six Tales of Terror; and One Voice. Michael has spoken on local history and folklore at Teapots Caf in Beecher Charleston Middle School and the 2007 Conference on Illinois History in Springfield. He has appeared on Joliet Paranormal Radio AM1050 WLIP and has written several articles for Paranormal Underground magazine and KILTER the journal of Gothic Art Chicago. He is also the publisher of Black Oak Presents a quarterly digital journal of Middle American art and culture.