Happy Holidays, from Cyn & Char

Like many of you, I'm still in shock that it is already December and in a few weeks we'll be ringing in 2012 (I was still getting in the habit of writing the date as "2011"). As always, I fail to start my Christmas shopping on time, making me feel more like the Christmas Grinch and less like Santa's little helper. But reminiscing about the "Global Christmas Spirit" has helped put the warm fuzzy feeling back into my bones. Below, Cyn & I have mapped out a few of our favorite places to visit to find Holiday Cheer (just in case you temporarily misplaced yours).

Harrods, London
Harrod's holiday line makes a great keepsake tins filled with Christmas edibles. The assortment of Christmas Pudding is one of the more popular seasonal buys. But Harrods isn't just known for being the "Ultra Store." The monumental London-based store is a great scenic attraction for Holiday lights and window decorations.

Mark & Spencer, Oxford Street, London.
You can get all your shopping done in this one-stop shop. Our favorite? Walker Scottish shortbread cookies and M&S butter mints give a twist to gingerbread cookies and candycanes. (www.markandspencer.com)

Carnaby Street, London- An avenue of posh boutiques, alleyway of award-winning eateries, and vivid holiday lights! Carnaby's 12 streets are known as one of London's most popular districts.

 

Christmas Markets, Munich - From Nov 25th - Dec 24th, it will seem like every town square in Munich will have booths with holiday exhibits up. Everything from laughing Santa's, busy elves, and talking reindeers will keep visitors staring in. In others, you'll be able to smell roasted nuts and bratwurst firing up on the grill. Maybe you'll be able to score on some authentic "international" Christmas gifts/souvenirs ornaments to bring home. Ditch the hot cocoa and opt for a glass of Glüwine (warm red wine with spices) in a glass boot keepsake and you'll definitely feel all warm and fuzzy (and a bit tipsy). Go ahead and spread the Glüwine and all that newfound holiday friendliness with strangers. check the website for Christmas Market news and special events.

Lapland, Finland
Visiting Santa's village gave us the ultimate Christmas spirit even though we visited well into March. You can write a letter and stamp it at Santa's official post office, then go "dashing through the snow" on a reindeer sleigh ride before you end the day by meeting Santa at his toy shop. If this doesn't bring out your holiday spirit, you're screwed.

Christmas, "Island Style" 
Who said the holidays had to be all roasted chestnuts and egg nog?  Embrace something different than the snow storms and wintercoats and experience winter life in the tropics. Trinidad and Tobago holds Parang festivals in eastern towns like Arima, where bands sing traditional holiday songs in Spanish Creole. The Christmas Boat Parade in Bermuda cruises through Hamilton Harbor and the beautiful Parol lanterns in the Philippines both bring out the best lighting displays with a taste of culture.

But like many of us, the Holidays is a time that we spend close to loved ones, so we've outlined a few of our favorite local spots to find that warm Christmas spirit.

Christmas in the Park, San Jose, CA - local schools get creative and decorate trees with anything from recycled CD's to popcorn garlands in the Holiday Tree Gallery. Enjoy some cotton candy and a cup of cocoa sold on the corner stand while you sift through the exhibits and "fake snow" machine. The venue also provides an ice rink and carnival rides for the kid at heart. Check for special events at www.christmasinthepark.com

Global Winter Wonderland - Santa Clara, CA -  a fusion of Christmas lights and Disneyland's "It's a Small World" exhibit makes up Santa Clara's Global Winter Wonderland located in California's Great America themepark parking lot. From Nov 25th - January 2, visitors can enjoy a taste of lights from around the world and some fun activities and entertainment. Event Hours: Sun-Thurs 4pm-10pm, Fri-Sat 4pm-11pm. Address: 4701 Great America Parkway, Santa Clara, CA 95054 (www.globalwonderland.org/2011/)

Festival of Lights - Riverside, CA - From November 25th to January 7th, visit the 19th Annual Festival of Lights located at the Mission Inn Hotel and Spa. The fun includes a spectacular light display, a skating rink, carriage rides, carolers, food, and more. Address: 3649 Mission Inn Avenue Riverside, CA 92501. www.missioninn.com/festival-of-lights/index.cfm

Macy's Downtown San Francisco - and it's iconic window wreath displays. Its the perfect backdrop for a holiday picture and the last minute Holiday shopping you need to finish.

 

Union Square San Francisco - Lures visitors and holiday shoppers in with it's eloquently decorated 80ft Christmas tree covered with 21,000 lights. Sit and enjoy the view from one of the park benches or grab yourself some cocoa before lining up for some ice skating fun.

For those of you that have kept the Holiday spirit alive, I commend you. This time of year, we get a chance to reflect on the past year's endeavors, hardships, achievements, friendship and family ties. It is also the time where we should spread our gratitude and give back to others. If your spirit is temporarily lost, you may be able to find it by giving back. You can help spread the Holiday Cheer by giving back to these local charities or maybe just to someone you know that is having a hard time this season.

Coats for Kids
A Virginia based organization that provides coats for children in need during the winter season. Check website for local coat drives in your area.

Toys for Tots
Give a child a chance to experience joy this Holiday season donating new unopened toys to various drop-off locations in your area. Locations may include participating stores such as Toys R. US and even your local fire department. Check the website for participating vendors.

SPCA
Don't forget that animals need some lovin' too. If you are local to the San Francisco Bay Area, peep out the Macy's SPCA Holiday Windows that feature exhibits of adoptable furry little creatures. The displays will be up Nov 18, 2011 - January 1, 2012. If you can't take your eyes off the puppy pressing his nose against the window, you can adopt him on the spot at the outpost right inside Macy's. If you love animals but not ready to adopt, you can choose from various ways to give back to the animal shelter from  monetary donations, pet food, medication, pillows, or even volunteering your time.

We wish you Happy Holidays and a prosperous travel adventures for the New Year!

The Long Weekender's guide to an amazing shopping day in LONDON:

Start your day early at the famous Portobello Street Market in Notting Hill (yes, as in the same Notting Hill with Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant) which is open on Saturdays from 8am to 6pm. The earlier you get there, the better! It starts getting really crowded after 10am. It's London's biggest market, and stretches more than 2 miles down Portobello Road. The market is split up into sections: antiques, fashion, produce, new goods, and second hand goods. If I had a spare Saturday in London I could and would easily spend the whole day there. 

After Portobello Market make your way to Camden Town, and attempt to take in it's 1000+ stalls and shops (most of which are open daily from 10am-6pm). The lively and colorful Camden Markets has a unique atmosphere (much different from the rest of London) and there's no shortage in things to do. I loved all the clothes and shoe stalls/shops, but I have to say that my favorite purchase was a Banksy replica art piece. If you're not familiar with Banksy, he's an internationally known British street artist that isn't shy about conveying and combining his political views with dark humor. I'm a fan of his stenciling technique, and always keep an eye out for his work in any big city that I go to. 

The canal in Camden

Next stop is Oxford Circus. Oxford Street is one of the busiest shopping streets in Europe, it features many internationally known stores like H&M and Topshop. Make sure you find your way to Primark. Just a heads up, it's a jungle in there! There's always a ton of people and long lines but their prices makes it worthwhile. Think of H&M and Forever 21 type clothes but even cheaper! 

Finish your day in Knightsbridge, where you can find the famous Harrod's department store. Sure, it's ridiculously expensive and I can barely afford a Harrod's keychain but it's still worth a visit even if you just window shop. Personally, I can spend a number of hours here (without even buying anything) to just browse through their many displays/exhibitions, word on the street is that they'll have a Harry Potter exhibit soon (I'm a fan so I'm super excited), take pictures, or go to one of their 32 restaurants, ice cream parlors, tea shops. Harrod's motto is: "All things for all people, everywhere," and with 330 departments it seems fitting. 

Christmas in Harrod's

The Princess Diana tribute, one of Harrod's many exhibits

If you find yourself with extra time during the day, other shopping areas of interest are Covent Gardens and SoHo. 

If you're in the exact opposite situation and ran out of time before getting rid of the shopaholic bug, London Heathrow Airport has a decent selection of stores that you can get your last minute shopping fix at. They even have a mini Harrod's store, and their prices are the same if not slightly less than the original store. I know you're probably thinking that airport shopping is expensive…but most stores at Heathrow are actually cheaper because of duty free. 

For example, Longchamp…if you've read some of our previous blogs, you'd know that we are huge fans of their foldable totes (they make perfect travel bags). With a 4 hour flight delay, we ended up sitting in front of the terminal's Longchamp store, which for us is bad news bears. Surprisingly, they had the cheapest prices we've seen (gotta love that duty free price), and of course we jumped at the opportunity. Talk about the "ripple effect" in motion, once one person bought a bag, everyone else followed. Our group of 17 each bought at least one purse (many bought multiple). It's safe to say that their next commission check is going to very pretty, so you're welcome Longchamp employees!

And if you're interested in London's fall trends, here are the top 3:

1. Wellington boots aka "wellies"

2. Infinity scarves

3. Colorful tights worn under shorts 

We LOVE to shop til we drop, so you can expect more of our international shopping guides soon. Cheers!

Rotorua, New Zealand: Where having an adventure is absolutely necessary

Drive about 3 hours south of Auckland and you'll find Rotorua, which is also hands down in my top 10 must visit cities list. If you're an adrenaline junkie or just curious, Rotorua won't disappoint you. It ranks as one New Zealand's top adventure hubs, and there's no shortage in activities (adventure or leisure).

Fair warning, the city may have won the "Most Beautiful City" award four times in the past dozen years but it  smells like rotten eggs here. The strong stench of sulphur lingers in the air from the natural geysers found all over the city. But these smelly geothermal pools make for some great spa treatments. 

My top 3 must do adventure activities that is uniquely "Rotorua":

1. Zorbing 

Zorbing is (in a nutshell) rolling down a hill in a gigantic inflatable ball, also known as globes. It's surprisingly loads of fun, and I tell everyone going to Rotorua that if you do just one thing here, try zorbing! You have 2 options: trying a "Zorbit", which you are harnessed inside the globe; or a "Zydro" which you are put inside the globe filled with warm water (unharnessed) and slip and slide inside of it while rolling down the hill.

2. Luge & Skyline Gondola 

Rotorua proudly claims to have designed and built the "first" Luge system. The rider has full control of this 3-wheel cart as they ride down the slopes of Mount Ngongotaha as fast or as slow as they want. It's similar to go-karting, but the carts are not electric. There are three different luge tracks: scenic (you can even get off at designated spots to take pictures), intermediate and advance, so it's suitable and exciting for all ages.

To get to the tracks you have to take a Gondola up 487 meters above sea level to the top of the mountain. The slow and easy ride provides panoramic views of Rotorua City and Lake Rotorua. 

3. Shweeb 

Shweeb is what you get when you combine a monorail system with biking. You lay down in a pod that is hanging from a monorail and pedaling around the 600m track as fast as you can. It has 7 gears for you to work with and is completely powered by the driver (yes, you). Team races are available and along with your ride you get a certificate and your rank in your listed country.  

Other adventure/sport activities offered in the Rotorua district:

-Bungy Jumping- CLICK HERE for more of my bungy jumping experience in New Zealand

-Skydiving

-White Water Rafting of all classes

-Agrojet

-Swoop 

-Freefall Extreme

-Helicopter Rides

-Jet Boats

-Mountain Biking (Rotorua has some of the world's best mountain biking trails)

-Parasailing

Adventure activities aren't you're fancy? No worries! Rotorua has that covered too!

-Geothermal pools

-World class spas 

-Waimangu Volcanic Valley

-Sheep shows (live sheep shearing) at the Agrodome 

-Maori cultural experiences

Rotorua is also the heartland if New Zealand's Maori culture and they celebrate a deep sense of pride and history. Here are some recommended Maori Villages:

-Tamaki Maori Village

-Mitai Maori Village