I straighten my curly hair every morning…except for the summer I spent in Europe. I had remembered to pack my straightener, but I packed the wrong adapter.
Did you know that there are at least 12 different sockets in widespread use! It’s already tough enough to pack!
Continue to read how it all happened.
The race is on for searchers to locate the black boxes from Air France flight 447, as their locator beacons are only active for 30 days. However, preliminary evidence has been released by the airline which shows that, in the minutes leading up to the crash, two key computers malfunctioned and the plane was not flying at its ideal speed.
The data provides a chronology, albeit cryptic, of what happened in the minutes before the plane’s failure.
3am (BST) – The pilot reports hitting tropical turbulence, data says the plane had passed through “tall, dense cumulonimbus thunderclouds.”
Apparently at this stage, the plane’s speed was “erroneous.” Every plane has an ideal speed at which to travel through difficult weather, and AF 447 was not traveling at that speed – it is unknown at this point, however, if the plane was traveling too fast or too slowly.
3:10am – Pilot is presented with a series of error messages in the four minutes leading up to the disaster.
The auto-pilot system was disconnected, either by the pilot or automatically. (Auto-pilot shut down when the system is faced with a serious error.)
It is possible the pilot disconnected the system to try to manually avoid a dangerous cloud zone – at this high altitude, this maneuver is extremely dangerous.
At this same time, another emergency backup system switched on – this system allows the plane to keep flying using minimum power, but reduces stability.
3:12am – Two vital computers, which provide information on altitude, speed and flight direction, stopping working correctly.
3:13am – Electricity breakdowns in two principal and auxiliary flight computers.
3:14am – Final message: “cabin in vertical speed,” which suggests a sudden loss of cabin pressure. It is unclear whether this loss of pressure was because the plane broke apart in midair, or if the loss of pressure caused the plane to break apart. (The theory that the break broke apart in the air is lent credence by a Spanish pilot who was in the area who claims to have seen an “intense white flash” in the air.)
Sources close to the investigation argue that some of the details in the chronology are false, namely the fact that the computers providing info on altitude, etc, malfunctioned.
Searchers are continuing to scour the area for debris, and more information on what happened. Read more…
An Air France overnight flight from Paris to Rio de Janeiro has disappeared off radar, and is presumed crashed in the Atlantic Ocean. 228 people were on-board the Airbus 330. The plane was last heard from when it encountered severe turbulence and thunderstorms, when it reported some electrical faults and loss of cabin pressure.
It is unusual for a modern airliner to disappear over open ocean without notification, although there is no evidence of hijacking or terrorism. Read more…
Presumably, before you travel you have some sort of plan of which attractions you’d like to see. And presumably, your list is very similar to everyone else who will be visiting that same location. Here is a list of the nine most disappointing attractions in Europe; they might be disappointing because of over-hype or too many tourists:
Castles inevitably have a rich history, and are therefore a great interest to travelers. Here is a list of some of Europe’s most important and beautiful castles:
Check out a few more of Austria’s castles in WatchMojo’s travel profile:
Here is a list of countries around the world that are most friendly to expats. The list is based on the ease with which relocators can make friends, join local groups and learn the local language. Check it out:
The annual World Brand Index results were released. Compiled by international consulting firm FutureBrand, this study “ranks countries as brands and assesses opportunities, insights and findings related to nation branding.” Here are this year’s rankings:
Julian Beever is an English artist who’s famous for his art on the pavement of England France , Germany , USA , Australia and Belgium Beever gives to his drawings an amazing 3D illusion.
Look closely and try to find which is the real Julian Beever and which is the real beer.
Here’s his website for even more examples of his work.
You’re on vacation and you want to go somewhere special. It’s hard to say what makes a bar sexy, but good music, good drinks and good-looking people probably have a lot to do with it. Fortunately for you, here is a list of some of the world’s sexiest bars. Use it at your own risk… (*Wink*):
Le Ti St. Barth, St. Barths
Denis Simachëv, Moscow
Bellini Bar, Hôtel du Cap Eden-Roc, Antibes, France
Nublu, New York City
Buzz Beach Bar, Ölüdeniz, Turkey
Moon Bar, Banyan Tree Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand
Nuth Lounge, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Dino’s Beach Bar, Tofo, Mozambique
Giardino d’Inverno, Hotel Principe di Savoia, Milan, Italy
Shalvata, Tel Aviv
Travelling with your family can be tough. Fortunately, it can also be a walk in the park. Parks are great locations to bring your family for many reason: picnics, relaxing, taking in the sights, or fun activities. Here is a list of some of Europe’s most family-friendly parks:
Hyde Park & Kensington Gardens in London, England
St. James’s Park in London, England
Jardin des Tuileries in Paris, France
St. Stevens Green in Dublin, Ireland
Keukenhof Park near Lisse, Netherlands
See the Keukenhof Gardens in WatchMojo’s travel profile of The Netherlands:
The Culture of the Netherlands
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