Australia's New Campaign

Australia has rolled out a new tourism campaign that has garnered a bit of controversy. The "So where the bloody hell are you?" campaign has hit a snag in Canadian and British soil, and apparently now with some groups in the United States as well, claiming that the catchphrase is too in-your-face at best, a total insult at worst.

I frankly don't see the big deal about it, but your mileage may vary. You see the website and ad can judge for yourself over at:

http://www.wherethebloodyhellareyou.com

Love, Irish Style

From Islands Magazine, via MSNBC.com:

I Love Ireland
Looking for love (and a pint of Guinness) at the Matchmaking Festival

Willie Daly moves through the crowd like a modern-day messiah. People crowd around, their eyes wide with expectation, their hearts open to his sermon of universal love. They clutch his forearm as if touch alone will hasten their quest, suffuse them with the energy that flows through this jovial, gray-bearded sage. At any other place you might think this was some sort of religious revival. But this is a jam-packed pub in Ireland, in a little place called Lisdoonvarna near the blustery west coast of County Clare on the North Atlantic. The occasion is the historic village matchmaking festival, and Daly is one of the last of the traditional Irish matchmakers — a faith healer, a heart mender, a miracle man of Irish love.

Read the whole story here.

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My wife and I honeymooned in Ireland back in 2002, and while we didn't go to Lisdoonvarna, we did pass by many similar small towns, places where, if you blink, you missed the whole thing. In County Galway, however, we did go to the town of Roundstone, very much a spiritual twin to Lisdoonvarna, and the shooting location for one of our favorite movies of all time (quite appropiately), The Matchmaker. The movie follows a young Boston woman who ends up in the (fictional) town of Ballinagra in the middle of a matchmaking festival, with all the romantic comedy fixings along the way. It is a wonderful and charming movie that showcases the beauty of northwestern Ireland as well as offer a glimpse, however movie-like, at this old Irish custom. Rent it/buy it, you'll like it.

Travels with iPod

From National Geographic traveler:

Travels with iPod
Ubiquitous MP3 players have altered the way we travel.

Electronic devices such as BlackBerrys and Treos changed business trips. Now MP3 portable music players--most notably the industry's standard-bearer, Apple's iPod--are fast doing the same for leisure excursions. Aside from bringing Dean Martin along to "Mambo Italiano" on a trip to Capri, travelers can now download everything from an unabridged copy of The Da Vinci Code for beachside listening, to an audio tour of Pompeii. Here are nine ways to use your iPod while on the road:

Get the full story here.

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This is fascinating! I have an iPod Shuffle at the moment, and half the time I have it loaded with podcasts, most of them Travel-related ones like Travel with Rick Steves and The Amateur Traveler, among others. These shows provide me with a small dose of armchair (or driver seat, as the case may be) traveling, not to mention great info that becomes useful once a trip has been planned. However, I always thought more could be done, and it is great to know that, indeed, the ubiquitous digital players are being put to optimal use during our travels. Definitely check out the options discussed in the article, and search for similar resources online.

State Department warns Americans visiting Italy

From USAToday.com/AP:

WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department warned Americans on Wednesday to take precautions this spring when traveling in Italy, saying next month's parliamentary elections are likely to bring demonstrations in parts of the country.

Get the whole story here.

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As a general travel tip (one I learned when traveling in Paris during the riots of Nov. 2005), as long as you stay to the tourist-friendly areas, you should be fine. Be mindful of where you are at all times, and if you see a demonstration, just admire it from afar, noting it down in your journal as a "cultural experience."