My trip to Alexandria & Siwa with My Vacation iPhone app

I’ll admit to being a late starter where iPhones are concerned. While every blogger in the world seemed to have one, I dithered at the expense, until one day my husband took matters into his own hands and just bought me one. Now my iPhone is my constant companion, we’ve been on holiday together and although it wasn’t love at first sight, I think it’ll be a long term relationship.

Since an iPhone is nothing without a few apps to play with, when I was asked to review the My Vacation iPhone app from Jasper apps I decided to give it a go on my recent trip to Egypt.

The My Vacation iPhone app allows you to create a mini blog of your journey and share it with your friends and family. You choose your theme, set up your trip, and then each day you can write a mini journal on your iPhone. Add some photos that you’ve just taken on the iPhone, or maybe even some audio if you’re feeling daring. Behind the scenes a map is created from the location of the photo, so that you can see where you where you took it and later see the whole map of your journey.

If you take the time to build up the record each day, by the end you have a cool record of your trip that you can show friends in a slide show with commentary on your phone.

All that is fun to share at the end of the trip, but to be honest I wouldn’t be making the effort if it weren’t for the fact that there are multiple ways to share the record that you’ve created. For instance you can e-mail the record of each day or several days to friends and family, send one of the photos as a cute email ‘postcard’, export the whole set of photos to your Flickr account, or send the photos as Tweets. If you have a WordPress or Blogger blog you can also send the journal to create a new post, and you can see the results at the bottom of this article.

I haven’t covered the features exhaustively, for instance you can also use the app to make lists before you go, but these are the features that I found useful and enjoyed. It was fun to e-mail my husband & kids a visual account of what I’d done that day, or to send friends a ‘postcard’, and just this weekend I was showing my parents the slideshow on my iPhone.

I also think the map feature is really cool – if you click on the map links in the blog post at the bottom you’ll see what I mean. It’s a bit spooky to get the close-up satellite view of the place I was standing when I took the shots -  better make sure you don’t mind revealing your whereabouts or you’d be found out big time.

Downsides? Obviously if you’re in the middle of the desert in Western Egypt the free wifi is not on every street corner, and with my roaming switched off I couldn’t be quite as spontaneous as I might have liked, but had to wait until I got back to the hotel to do my sharing. Also I noticed that when I took a few new pictures, the app didn’t access them until I turned the phone off and on again.

On the blogging front, the way that the content was imported into my site wasn’t that attractive, but there would be nothing to stop me doing a quick bit of editing to make it pretty before publication. Take a look below and see what you think.

Still for £1.79 I’m hardly complaining. If you’re really skint you can download the free lite version and give it a try first, and this will allow you to set up one trip with up to 15 photos, then upgrade if you like it.

As a blogger, who’s already photographing, audio recording, shooting video and scribbling notes in between, I did find it was a bit arduous to remember to do it all again on the iPhone app. But then I don’t represent most travellers, for whom this could become their mini blog of the trip. That said I’ll definitely use the app on future trips as a way to send updates to friends and family and the ability to upload photos directly to my Flickr account without any wires is alone worth it’s weight in gold to me.

My Vacation apps to giveway

JasperApps kindly gave me a couple of free apps to give a way, so if you’d like one please leave a comment at the bottom and in a week or so I’ll choose 2 of you at random to send a free download code and give the app a try. If you can’t wait then it’ll only cost you £1.79 anyway.

I was not paid to do this review but Jasper Apps kindly gave me a free app to try & a couple to give away.

Where you can get the My Vacation iPhone App

My Vacation iPhone app on iTunes
Jasper Apps website

Take a look at the video below covering the My Vacation iPhone app features

And here’s how it came out as a blog post

Alexandria, Matrouh , Siwa, El Alamein
Sat 07 May – Sat 14 May

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Day 1 – Off To The Airport

 

Saturday, 7 May 2011

Just off to the airport

Flying Egyptair from Heathrow to Cairo and on to Alexandria. Will get there after midnight.

On the coach to Heathrow [Map]

Egyptair through Cairo to Alexandria [Map]

Day 2 – Arrived In Alexandria

 

Sunday, 8 May 2011

Had a relaxing morning staying with my friend who works and lives in Alexandria.

Then I went downtown to meet a fascinating English gentleman called Gordon who knows everything about the architecture and history of Alexandria.

He took me around the old Italian and Turkish quarters where all the buildings are crumbling and through the different areas of the market with each street selling something different, from stationary to party decorations to fruit and finally the jewellery street. Most of the shops were closed on Sunday but I still managed to find one that was open and chose a pretty necklace.

	The Majestic Hotel where the we’re E.M.Forster sta [Map]		Into the part of the souk where they sell everythi [Map]
	A lunch of Meze and kebabs in Tahir square [Map]		This dried root is made into a drink that gives wo [Map]

Day 3 – On the coast at Matrouh

Matrouh

Monday, 9 May 2011

Set off early for the 3 hour drive along the coast west to Matrouh, a resort that’s a very popular holiday resort for Egyptians, especially those from Alexandria.

On the way we passed many separate developments of holiday houses, each with slightly different designs but all built closely together between the busy main coast road and the sea. Every so often there was a gap where you could see what the desert was like before the building boom.

We reached Matrouh in good time and checked into the Beau Rivage Hotel, a resort style hotel beside the sea on the edge of town. In high season it would be packed but in May it was pretty deserted even though the sun was hot, the pool inviting and the sea a clear turquoise.

Later we drove into town and found a fish restaurant where the fish was all laid out on ice for is to choose what looked most fresh – it was all locally caught. Then we finished the evening in a cafe catching up on the emails using the free wifi surrounded by men (not a woman in sight) sitting on pink and purple plastic chairs smoking shisha pipes. Most incongruous.

	On the private beach at our hotel [Map]		The pool at Beau Rivage Hotel [Map]
	My room at Beau Rivage [Map]

Day 4 – On To Siwa

Siwa

Tuesday, 10 May 2011

Drove on through the desert to the oasis at Siwa where wells and springs have created a number of lakes and a green oasis in the middle of the desert.

We checked in to the Siwa Safari Gardens hotel which proved to be a mini oasis within the Oasis with palm trees in the garden and a swimming pool fed from the spring.

We took a drive around some of the sites and saw the temple that Alexander the great had visited and then on to Cleopatra’s spring, a round pool fed by a spring with gas bubbling up through the green water. We sat in the open air cafe beside the spring and drank hot sweet lemon grass tea served in a metal pot workbench glasses.

We met a local English lady who showed us the house in the old quarter that she was renovating, using traditional techniques of salt blocks and clay. What a labour of love!

	Siwa Safari Gardens Hotel [Map]		Oracle temple at Siwa [Map]
	Oracle temple at Siwa [Map]		Cleopatra’s spring at Siwa [Map]
	Tea at Cleopatra’s pool in Siwa [Map]

Day 5 – Around Siwa

 

Wednesday, 11 May 2011

We enjoyed Siwa so much that we decided to stay an extra day and had a look around the Shali, once the fortified old town. The mud brick houses are all broken down leaving a somewhat lunar landscape and you can clamber up to the top for great views over the town.

In the evening we did the traditional thing and went to see the sunset from Fatnas island, sitting under the date palms sipping sweet mint tea.

Mint tea at Fatnas island [Map]

Sunset at Fatnas island, Siwa [Map]

Day 6 – Siwa to Marsa Matrouh

Matrouh

Thursday, 12 May 2011

A last look around Siwa and then drove 3 hours through the desert to arrive back at Marsa Matruh, this time staying at the Jaz Almaza Beach hotel just outside the town. The hotel is part of a resort complex with 3 other hotels and is 5 star luxurious but nothing much to see or do outside the hotel.

We had the place to ourselves as it would normally be full of Italian holidaymakers but the start of the holiday season had been postponed due to the Libyan crisis, but they were expecting to be full the following week.

	Jaz Almaza Beach hotel in Marsa Matruh [Map]		Beach at the Jaz Almaza beach hotel in Marsa Matru [Map]
	Gardens at the Jaz Almaza beach hotel in Marsa Mat [Map]

Day 7 – Al Alamein and Alexandria

El Alamein

Friday, 13 May 2011

On the way from Marsa Matruh to Alexandria we stopped at El Alamein, site of the famous Allied desert campaign in WW2. We looked at all the information and uniforms in the museum with a different room for each of the nations, German, Egyptian, Italian and British. There were plenty of different tanks and army vehicles on display outside.

Just down the road we stopped at the Commonwealth and British war ceremony, beautifully kept up by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Then onwards back to Alexandria

	The museum at El Alamein [Map]		Tanks at the museum at El Alamein [Map]
	Tanks at the museum at El Alamein [Map]

Day 8 – Holiday Ends, Home Again

Alexandria

Saturday, 14 May 2011

Early start from Alexandria airport and on to Cairo then home to the Uk

Photo 1 [Map]

 

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Sent from my iPhone by My Vacation app (www.myvacationapp.com)

 

 

www.flickr.com heatheronhertravels’ Egypt – My Vacation iPhone App photos photoset

 

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com – Read more travel articles at Travel Blog Home

You’ll also find our sister blog with tips on how to build a successful travel blog at My Blogging Journey

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16 Salzburg and Lake Wolfgang in Austria – Podcast

In Podcast 16 in my travel podcast series, I visit Salzburg in Austria and the nearby Lake Wolfgang at the beginning of May with my family. We looked in at Hangar 7, a combination of motor and aeronautical museum and foodie destination, climbed up to the Hohensalzburg Fortress that dominates Salzburg, and tapped into the musical connections that the city has with Mozart and the Sound of Music. After a couple of days we drove east of Salzburg to Lake Wolfgang, stopping to see the trick fountains at Schloss Hellbrunn and stayed in the wonderful Hotel Im Weissen Rössl by the lake and took the steam train up the mountain for amazing views of Lake Wolfgang and the other lakes nearby.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Link to audio file

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If you enjoyed this podcast, check out all my other Travel Podcasts in my Podcast Archive

Formula 1 cars at Hangar 7 in Salzburg

Smart Food at Mayday Bar in Hangar 7 in Salzburg

Shownotes

Our first stop on arrival in Salzburg was Hangar 7, a domed hangar on the edge of Salzburg airfield, filled with vintage planes and Formula 1 cars, with an art exhibition in one area and a computer game console with a motor racing game.

We ate in the Mayday bar, which serves Smart Food, that is delicious, beautifully presented and nutritionally designed to do you good. You can choose between the Brain Menu, the Mood Menu or the Beauty Menu and in the podcast you’ll hear what I enjoyed from the Brainfood Menu.

The next day we visited the Hohensalzburg Fortress, ascending on the funicular, with birds eye views over Salzburg and the countryside around. From the audioguide tour we learned how the wealth of the city was built on salt and how the Bishops of Salzburg who ruled here built up the fortress over the centuries. As we came down from the Fortress, the Mayday celebrations were in full swing and we found a beer tent with a brass band at the foot of the Fortress where we ate lunch of bratwurst and sauerkraut.

Across the river we wandered through the Mirabell gardens where the formal parterres were filled with a colourful display of tulips and pansies. The gardens are a favourite place for newly married couples to come and have their wedding photos taken, and as I’d visited the gardens as a child with my sisters, we recreated the photo of our family sitting on one of the stone unicorns in the Mirabell gardens.

Next we visited the museum at Mozart’s Birthplace set in the house where Mozart was born and his family lived. The family apartment is quite small with only one bedroom where Mozart was born, although the museum stretches over other rooms, and contains family portraits and information about Mozart’s life. The rooms were quite bare so you couldn’t get much sense of what the house was like when Mozart lived there.

Our last sightseeing stop was the Museum der Moderne, Salzburg’s Museum of Modern Art. Although the Museum is set on the top of a cliff, there’s a lift that takes you up from street level. There was a Giacometti exhibition and I enjoyed the large outdoor sculptures on the wooded terrace outside the main Museum building.

I’d been recommended by Austrian blogger @Travelwriticus to visit the Steinterrasse on the 7th floor of the Steinhotel. From here we got another great view over the town of Salzburg and we sat in the late afternoon sunshine enjoying a coffee, slice of Sacher Torte and an ice cream sundae.

Later that evening we ate at the Sternbräu restaurant where I interviewed Restaurant Manager, Johannes Magoy about some of the traditional Austrian dishes served at Sternbräu. The Sternbräu restaurant is one of the largest restaurants in Austria, with 14 restaurant rooms, all serving traditional Austrian dishes. The restaurant used to be a brewery until it moved out of the city and it is thought that Mozart also came here to eat.

Johannes recommended traditional Austrian dishes such as Tafelspitz – boiled beef with horseradish sauce, Bierfleisch, a goulash made with beef cooked in a beer sauce. For desert he suggested you try the Salzburg Nockerl, a sweet souffle of eggs and sugar and Topfenknödel a dumpling filled with cream cheese. If you love cakes you should try the Sacher Torte invented at the Sacher Hotel in Salzburg as well as the Apfelstrudel, apple pie Austrian style. Sternbräu serves 7 different kinds of draught beer including the Stern beer that is brewed especially for the restaurant and the Weissbier or Wheat beer that some people say tastes like bananas.

Sternbräu in Salzburg

Sternbräu restaurant in Salzburg

Driving out of Salzburg we stopped at Schloss Hellbrunn, built by the Archbishop of Salzburg, Markus Sittikus in 1613. The park is free to enter and there is a country house to look around but Schloss Hellbrunn is best known for the trick foruntains. The archbishop was brought up in Italy and had visited Italian villas with similar fountains and he made the fountains as a diversion and amusement for his guests. The trick is that when turned on the fountains spout water from unexpected places and directions to soak the unwary passer by.

There is a large stone table where the jets of water spout out of the table and seats and a grotto where there is a fountain was topped with a golden crown that moved up and down on the jet of water to represent the rise and fall of power. We also passed by a water theatre with small models which turn around, all powered by the flow of water.

The evening before we had watched a DVD of the Sound of Music which was filmed in and around the city and there are popular Sound of Music tours to visit the film locations. I watched the film after we had spent a day sightseeing and we had fun spotting the locations where we had been earlier in the day such as the Fortress that is the backdrop of many scenes in the film, the Mirabell gardens and the squares and fountains that feature in the film.

At Schloss Hellbrunn, we saw the pavilion that features in the film where Liesel sings I am 16 going on 17 and Captain Von Trapp proposes to Maria. It would be fun to do a Sound of Music tour but you can see many of the locations just by wandering around Salzburg.

Most of the things we saw in and around Salzburg were with the Salzburg Card that we purchased at our hotel. The card allows free or discounted entrance to most of the major sights and attractions in Salzburg as well as free public transport and is especially good value if you are there for 2-3 days. While in Salzburg we stayed in the comfortable Hotel Zur Post, a family run Gasthaus that is a short bus ride from the old centre of Salzburg.

From Salzburg we drove to Lake Wolfgang where there was a Mayday celebration taking place in the town with bands playing and different stalls selling food and wine and beer.

We were lucky to stay at Im Weissen Rössl, one of the nicest hotels in St Wolfgang – well known as the setting of the popular opera also called Im Weissen Rössl, about a head waiter who falls in love with the widow who owns the hotel. There is a spa, indoor pool and lakeside terrace at the hotel with an outdoor pool and jacuzzi which we enjoyed swimming in. The lake water is known for being of drinking quality being very clean and clear.

While in Wolfgangsee I interviewed Wolfgang Linsmayer who I met at the Mayday celebration and runs Gastof Burglstein, a 4 star hotel beside Wolfgangsee. He told me the story of how St Wolfgang build a church in the town, which has been a centre of pilgrimage over the centuries. The story goes that St Wolfgang threw his axe from the mountain and where the axe landed he decided to build the church. Saint Wolfgang made a bet with the Devil and as the Devil lost, he had to help build the church.

Wolfgang recommends that his guests enjoy swimming in the lake and there are plenty of walking and hiking trails in the mountains surrounding the lake, as well as a cycle path around the lake. Being in the centre of the Salzkamergut region there are many things to do such as visit the town of Salzburg, and see the nearby Salt mines at Hallstatt or the Ice caves at Werfen.

On our last day we took a trip on the Schafbergbahn, a steam powered cog wheel train that runs up the mountain from St Wolfgang. The train takes 45 minutes to get up to the top of the mountain with amazing views over the lakes below. At the top you can do some hiking or just have a coffee or drink in the cafe at the top before coming down again.

On our return to the hotel we had a final ride in a pedalo on the lake provided for guests at Hotel Im Weissen Rössl before heading for the airport and back to the UK.

If you enjoyed this travel podcast please check out my other podcasts in my Travel Podcast Archive

Links to places mentioned in the Podcast

Hangar 7 – Free entry motor and aeronautical museum and stylish foodie destination
Hohensalzburg Fortress – dominating the town, this Fortress was built up over the centuries by the Prince Archbishops of Salzburg
The Museum of Mozart’s Birthplace
Museum der Moderne – Salzburg Museum of Modern Art
Steinterrasse – the open air terrace cafe on the 7th floor of Hotel Stein
Sternbräu restaurant – one of the largest restaurants in Austria with 14 different rooms and courtyards serving traditional Austrian dishes
Hotel Zur Post – a comfortable Gasthaus where we stayed while in Salzburg
Schloss Hellbrunn – a country house with lake and gardens that is known for its trick fountains
Im Weissen Rössl, (The White Horse Inn) – a small luxury hotel set on the shores of Wolfgangsee in Austria
Gastof Burglstein – the 4 star hotel by Wolfgangsee, run by Wolfgang Linsmayer who I interviewed at the Mayday festival
Schafbergbahn – the steam powered cog wheel railway up the mountain
Salt mines at Hallstatt – The wealth of Salzburg was founded on salt
Ice Caves at Werfen – the largest system of ice caves in the world
Salzburg Card – provides free or discounted entrance to all the major attractions in Salzburg and free public transport
Salzburg Tourist Information website
Wolfgangsee Tourist Information website

For more information about Holidays in Austria visit the Austrian Tourism Website and follow them on Twitter @Austria_UK

My thanks to the Austria National Tourism Office UK for sponsoring our trip to Salzburg and Wolfgangsee

Music Credits: The music at the start of the podcast was Venus as a girl by Andy McKee and the Mozart music was Piano Quartet in G 3rd Movement played by Linda Holzer  both on Musicalley.com, other band music was recorded at the May Day Festival in Wolfgangsee

www.flickr.com heatheronhertravels’ Salzburg – around Salzburg photoset

 

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com – Read more travel articles at Travel Blog Home

You’ll also find our sister blog with tips on how to build a successful travel blog at My Blogging Journey

Don’t miss out – subscribe to Heather on her travels

Walking In Wales – 10 Easy And Inspirational Day Walks

As the weather warms up, this article from Ellis Brigham Mountain Sports will give you some great ideas for inspirational but not too demanding one day walks in beautiful Wales. Ready to ramble? Then choose one of these accessible and easy routes in Wales.

It’s fair to say that when you think of walks in Wales, imposing peaks, undulating hills and valleys and precarious coastal pathways spring to mind more readily than easy and accessible walking routes. Yet there are plenty of less challenging strolls to embark upon that will still enable you to enjoy the breathtaking countryside scenery – without turning you into some kind of reluctant extreme off road hiker. However, it’s still worth noting that the weather in Wales can sometimes be inclement (who’d have thought it!), so even if you consider the walk an ‘easy’ one make sure you have the right kit in case you’re caught in the rain or wind.

Here’s a selection to whet your appetite and make sure rambling’s on your mind…

1. Anglesey – St Beuno and St Cwyfan

These two circular walks – two and four miles respectively – are very flat and involve the coast path and Ffraw estuary, starting and ending at the village of Aberffraw.

2. Anglesey – Caer y Twr

An Iron Age hill fort on top of Holyhead mountain is accessible via a well-trodden track from the café car park. There are remains of the base of the tower, and the fort’s advantageous position makes it a site of ancient historical interest.

3. Snowdonia – Morfa Nefyn to Porth Dinllaen

Take in panoramic views of the peninsula on this mostly flat walk across all kinds of terrain, beginning with the beach. Keep your eyes peeled: you might even spot a few seals and porpoises…

4. Bangor – Llandegai Village

Strike out from Llandegai and head for the village of Llanllechid. Prepare to check out the Rhiw Goch hill fort and expansive vistas over the Menai Straits.

5. Dolgellau – Barmouth

There are a number of gentler strolls involving Barmouth, a historic town situated between the sea and the mountains at the South West corner of Snowdonia National Park. The Mawddach Estuary and Fairbourne & Barmouth Railway offer other accessible diversions.

6. Betws-y-Coed – Conwy

This short but sweet circular walk starts out at the Conwy Valley railway station, crosses to the Conwy Valley Rail Museum, then passes by St Michael’s Church, and continues sandwiched between the golf course and riverbank. Finally, you’ll come to a farm and a Motor Museum, of all things, before returning to the station car park.

7. Penbryn to Llangrannog – Ceredigion

Penbryn Beach to Llangrannog, nine miles from Cardigan Bay, is a coastal treat of a stroll along a wildlife-packed two-mile stretch. It also takes in the Castell Bach Iron Age fort, and rounds off in the village with its two pubs, shop and café.

8. Talacre – Clwyd

This two-hour beach and occasionally tarmac path route features superb wide-angle views, an atmospheric lighthouse, dune-bound yet flat terrain and an RSPB hide, plus easy opportunities to extend your walk. Beware the tide however…

9. Chirk Castle and the Ceiriog Valley, Wrexham

A beautiful river walk of around three hours, with varied scenery courtesy of the Ceiriog Valley (aka Little Switzerland). Plus there’s the National Trust-owned castle built in 1310 by King Edward I to explore.

10. Bosherston Lakes, Stackpole Estate, Pembrokeshire National Park

A haven for otters and other wildlife, the Stackpole Estate also has great accessible walking through woodland from the Stackpole Centre, around the picturesque Bosherston Lakes. More challenging circular routes radiate out from here to take in cliffs, beaches and bird colonies.

My thanks for this sponsored post to Ellis Brigham, who offer a full range of trekking and walking clothes and camping equipment online and in any one of their 25 stores. Pop in and see them for any of your walking kit needs.

Photo credits: Aberffraw by chrisbravotown, Mawddach estuary photo by Andy2580, Ceredigion coastline photo by Rikdom, and Talacre lighthouse photo by Eifion.

More inspiration from Wales

A fairy tale of camping in mid Wales
Camping in sunshine and showers on the Gower in Wales
A snowy break in the Brecon Beacons

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com – Read more travel articles at Travel Blog Home

You’ll also find our sister blog with tips on how to build a successful travel blog at My Blogging Journey

Don’t miss out – subscribe to Heather on her travels

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