Argophilia

Αργοφιλία: For the love of the journey.

New Zealand Quake Unhinges Glacial Ice

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A deadly earthquake has stunned the people of New Zealand leaving in its wake at least 65 dead and many more injured or in a state of upheaval. The 6.3 magnitude quake caused the city of Christchurch to shudder violently, and even dislodged a massive chunk of glacial ice.

Stay.com Lets Users Roll Their Own Travel

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Norwegian travel startup Stay.com release their version 2.3. As a mid-term development release, what Stay offered up was fairly significant. Stay.com affords users unparalelled tools for building, sharing, and printing their own personal travel literature, and great hotel deals as well.

Karlo Damijanić – Croatia’s World Class Bartender

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Karlo Damijanić from Pula, Croatia took fourth place in the recent World Bartender Championships in Singapore. Taking part in the “flair category,” the 23 drink juggler extraordinary gave gave a superb stage performance, taking Croatia to the World Cup for the first time ever. Karlo is aiming even higher for next year’s competition.

Russia’s SAT & Agoda Join Forces

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Agoda.com, Priceline.com’s Asian global hotel booking site, announces partnering with Russia’s SAT Airlines. The resulting collaboration will allow SAT travelers instant access to Agoda’s over 150,000 hotels.

Linking Europe to Asia – Georgian Military Highway

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The Georgian Military Highway runs north through the Caucasus from Tbilisi to the border of Russia. Since 1799, it has served as an important link between Asia and Europe. This highway was not referred to as the Military Highway until Russia annexed east Georgia during the 19th century, improving the track for the purpose of troop movements. For the traveler the highway is significant because it travels past some of the most awe inspiring landscapes and attractions in the world.

Online Travel Warfare To End Soon

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The war in online travel over basically who gets what & when continues this week with Delta Airlines snatching seats from Rick Seaney’s FareCompare, American Airlines going hog wild trying to engage on their own, and Google outlining (see Matt Cutts video below) how they can manually crucify websites for SPAM. Meanwhile travelers just want some price break justice.

Tnooz’s THack Uncovers Some Tech Greatness

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Travel Technology Europe wrapped up earlier this week in London, and what was revealed is pretty significant for ongoing travel developments. Tnooz’s THack initiative in particular uncovered and showcased some extraordinary travel technology assets. Voice enabled travel search, advanced API use tools, and even superior advertising solutions were offered, among the many other cutting edge technologies.

Opodo Deal Worth Over Half a Billion

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Just about every news outlet in Europe is all a buzz about private equity firm Axa, and Permira headed for a deal to buy Amadeus’ Opodo. The OTA started in Germany in 2001, if the deal goes through as suggested, will be worth between $500 and $700 million. An unnamed source at Amadeus IT Holding SA told Reuters the sketch details of the negotiations.

Moldova’s World Famous Wine Cellars

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The underground wine cellars at Cricova are the largest such storage facilities in the world, making them Moldova’s wine treasure. The perfect combination of humidity and temperature make these massive caves underground the perfect spot for storing the best wines of Moldova. Best of all, visitors can tour these extraordinary cellars via tours.

A Swiss Alternative – Ski Stowe in Vermont

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When Switzerland is out of the question, an even the value of skiing or snowboarding Eastern Europe seems impossible, there is Stowe, Vermont. For the weekend Winter excursion for easterners, Stowe represents a top notch skiing solution. While not the cheapest lift ticket in the world, Vermont accommodations are famous for rustic luxury.

TUI Travel Gains Confidence and Russian Investment

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Russian billionaire steel tycoon Alexei Mordashov has increased his stake in German tourism group TUI. Mordashov raised his stake to above 20 percent from just above 15%. The transaction was made via his S-Group holding company. In TUI’s latest corporate documents, it is clear the company intends massive expansion into the Russian Federation.

HomeAway & the Business of Super Bowl Commercials

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With Super Bowl XLV headed to living rooms and sports bars everywhere this weekend, one highly anticipated aspect of that great event is, of course, the ever present commercials which often entertain more than the game itself. Remember the time when your parents rented that beach house for the Summer? HomeAway remembers.

Cease Fire Called In Online Travel Wars

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The ceasefire between American Airlines and GDS giant Sabre signals an “all quiet” moment on the front lines of the online travel wars we have been covering. The announcement that the two companies would attempt to resolve their differences out of court, at least until June 1st, calmed the churning business cauldron for online travel for some.

New Year’s Spring Festival Singapore

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Right now in Singapore visitors have a special treat as the Lunar New Year Spring Festival takes place from January 15th through February 28th in Chinatown. This occasion marks the importance of family, and celebrates happiness.

The Places of the East: Alexander Spendiaryan

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The Alexander Spendiaryan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater is located in Yerevan, the capital city of Armenia. It takes its name in honor of Alexander Spendiaryan, an Armenian composer who wrote the opera Almast. This opera was the first one that was performed at the complex. The facility did not take on this name until 1938, five years following its official opening.

Northern Cyprus: An Emerging Paradise

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The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus stands to gain much from the forward thinking and engaging tourism industry efforts Turkey has initiated these last couple of years. Investment in Northern Cyprus tourism will eneviatbly pay off not only for the investment concerns, but for the people of the Republic as well. While many countries in Europe have suffered from losses in tourism dollars these last couple of years, Turkey and brother states have done exceedingly well, holding their own against all rivals.

Valentine’s Room Service Eastern Europe Style

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This Valentine’s take that special someone to a love nest never before experienced, Eastern Europe for example. Prague and Malta make for unforgettable romantic getaway spots. And the room service is incomparable.