Country Vacations & Resorts

After posting the article last week from My Favourite Holiday Cottages regarding the movie “War Horse” which was filmed in Dartmoor, I decided I had to see. I’m glad I did.

Although some of the scenes were a bit rough for a person as sensitive about animals as I am, the film tells a great story not only about the bond between the horse and the human or about the horrors of war, but about having determination and strength of purpose.

The surrounding scenery from the film made me want to pack my bags and move! You can quickly see why this southwestern area of rural England is a prime tourist destination. Discover more about Dartmoor National Park.

Coming up January 8th, 2012 is the return of “Downton Abbey.” We’ve covered the area nearby the gorgeous Highclere Castle – home of the fictitious Lord Grantham and his family here.

I found a 10-minute preview of Downton Abbey, Season Two for you. Season One is also available streaming between now and the January 8 release date of Season Two.

Movies and films often provide us with a glimpse of a new destination we’d love to visit. “War Horse” and “Downton Abbey” are certainly prime examples…

UPDATE: January 8, 2012…

Pictures of Prince William and his wife Katherine, Duchess of Cambridge at the “War Horse” premiere, London – January 8, 2012.

From Country Vacations & Resorts…

Here’s the last in our “Christmas in Tuscany” series from our knowledgeable insider, Matt…

I thought the last appointment of this mini series on Christmas in Tuscany should be about the way Tuscan people spend their Christmas Holiday period celebrating these festivities. After all, the day is almost here, and there is no better advice I could give out than a few tips to help you celebrate it the Tuscan way in your home.

Let’s start from Christmas Eve. The Tuscan tradition says that you should eat no meat the evening before Christmas. However, this is just a popular belief, as Catholic religion only forbids meat on good Friday and any Wednesday during Lent. But for many the prohibition still stays on December 24 as well.

A Tuscan proverb even states that “who disrespects Christmas Eve has body of wolf and soul of dog”. The reverse thing happens on the day after, as festivities are always celebrated with meat dishes, especially roasted or grilled. Although poverty and famine in Italy and Tuscany are a long forgotten affair, centuries of tradition are still hard to eradicate. When meat was rare and expensive, it made sense to eat it only on very special occasions. Indeed, those that could not have it even during such days were commiserated. Nowadays, the Christmas table always includes either capon, chicken, guinea fowl or pork, and some would go to the extent of getting lamb or piglets. So much that the other proverb “Chi non carneggia non festeggia” is much popular. The rhyme is hard to translate, and it could be rendered as “who doesn’t eat meat, is not up to the beat”.

As a consequence, on December 24 only fish and vegetables are common at the Tuscan dinner table. This dinner is also an occasion to spend time with one side of the family if the next day Christmas lunch will be spent with the other side. This avoids any feelings of exclusion and resentment. The family: you know, Tuscans are still Italians!

There is not much going on in the streets of Tuscany during these hours, as everyone is busily preparing for the evening and the following day. Many eat their Eve’s dinner quickly to be in church by 11 pm. This is when the midnight Christmas Mass starts.

Candles are lit outside the church, people greet and hug each other exchanging best wishes, then enter the church for a two hour long function. Others, usually small children and the elderly, go to church the morning of Christmas day.

After lunch on the 25, which may last several hours and include many entries, Tuscans timidly take the streets for a short stroll visiting markets or friends and relatives for a digestive chat. Others prefer to hit the couch for a nap of few hours. I still remember with a laugh when returning from a stroll I found all my guests scattered in the living room, each one snuggled on a comfy spot. Dinner is often times skipped to compensate the Pantagruelian lunch.

Christmas day in Tuscany is a family occasion, although many also enjoy leaving the house to have lunch in a restaurant. Following, a relaxing stay in a thermal water center or a visit to a characteristic mountain town is a nice way to end a Tuscan Holiday spent in an unusual way.

If you would like to live a true Tuscan experience, ask Matt from ThriftyTuscany.com, a site including only Tuscan villas by owner.

The most hotly anticipated movie of this year’s Christmas holidays is undoubtedly Steven Spielberg’s ‘War Horse’.

If you haven’t yet seen the previews for “War Horse” – in theaters in the US Christmas Day – here’s a quick look – and then some great information on cottages available for rent in this beautiful region of England.

Thanks to our neighbors at My Favourite Holiday Cottages – I can hardly wait to see this film!

Released on Christmas Day, War Horse tells the story of Joey the horse and his human companion, a young Devon boy called Albert Narracott. With the outbreak of the First World War Joey is shipped to France separating the pair, leaving Joey to experience some of the bloodiest battles of the 20th century serving both in the British and German armies. Unable to forget Joey, Albert then embarks on a ambitious journey to France to find Joey and return him to back to Devon.

Shooting the film took Spielberg through many locations in Southern England, however, much of the filming was done in Dartmoor National Park, the fictional home of the Narracott family. With its kilometres of natural rugged beauty, Dartmoor is one of the most popular rural locations in the South West of England.

The National Park has always been incredibly popular for walkers, cyclists and horse riders throughout the year. To experience some of the scenic locations and stunning beauty of the moor there are a variety of self-catering holiday cottages both in and around the area to spend a vacation.

On the west side of Dartmoor is Owls Roost Cottage, a charming stone built property which sleeps 2. With exposed wooden beams and a king sized pine bed the property has been designed for luxury and romance.

Alternatively, to experience both the joys of town and country, Tavistock Railway Cottages are a a set of 3, 5-Star rated self-catering properties which can sleep up to 14 people. The cottages have also recently won the ‘best restored railway station’ award by the National Railway Heritage Group and can provide an ideal location to explore the Dartmoor area.

Finally for those looking for a property big enough to accommodate multiple families Chestnut and Elderberry Cottages at Sherrill Farm might be your answer. Connected by an internal door, the two properties can be joined together and can sleep 26 people. The cottages also come with shared access to the swimming pool, Jacuzzi and sauna, which are an ideal way to spend an evening after a long ramble.

Review our “UK Cottage of the Month” series for more holiday cottage rentals…

Here are the shipping deadlines from Hammacher Schlemmer – and a couple gift ideas taken from the best sellers this holiday season!

+ Premium (All States) – Wednesday, 12/21 3:00 p.m. EST
+ Express (All States) – Thursday, 12/22 3:00 p.m. EST

The Dingle Peninsula Fishing Sweater

The Machine Washable Irish Aran Sweater

The Side Opening Bison Leather Weekender

The Organized Traveler’s Carry On

Time in Office: January 1989 to January 1993
Terms: One
Birthday: June 12, 1924
Birth Place: Milton, Massachusetts

Notes:
~ A school leader at Phillips Academy
~ Parachuted out of his burning plane during World War II
~ Flew 58 combat missions during World War II
~ Graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Yale in 2 and a half years instead of 4
~ A millionaire by the age of 42
~ Two terms as US Vice President (under Reagan)
~ Was acting President for 8 hours during a Reagan surgery
~ One son was US President, another is Governor of Florida
~ Director of the CIA
~ Awarded the Medal of Freedom in 2011

The 41st President of the United States, George Herbert Walker Bush was born in 1924 in the town of Milton, Massachusetts. Soon after George’s birth, the family moved to Greenwich, Connecticut where he attended the Greenwich Country Day School and Phillips Academy – Andover, Massachusetts. George was a well-rounded student – playing both basketball and baseball – along with being president of his senior class and a active member of the school’s newspaper.

George was accepted to Yale but when he graduated from Phillips Academy in 1942 he instead entered the Navy and World War II. Commissioned in 1943 as an Ensign and aviator in the US Naval Reserve in Chorpus Christi, Texas, Bush began his Naval career 3 days before his 19th birthday.

Flying missions off the aircraft carrier San Jacinto, Bush had to once abandon his burning aircraft and spend 4 hours on the sea in a lifeboat waiting for rescue. Bush took part in missions in the Bonin Islands and the Phillipines.

Reassigned to the naval base in Norfolk, Virginia and then to a naval air station in Michigan, Ltjg (junior grade) Bush was honorably discharged September 1945.

Earlier in 1945 George Bush had married Barbara Pierce and had finally begun his time at Yale. He was captain of the baseball team and was elected president of his fraternity. He graduated in 1948 and moved his family to West Texas to take a job as a sales clerk at an oil company where his father was on the board of directors.

Bush started his own oil company in 1951. He moved company operations from Midland, Texas to Houston, and by the time Bush began to pursue his political ambitions in 1966, he was the company’s chairman and a millionaire. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1966, was appointed by Nixon as Ambassador to the United Nations in 1971, and by President Ford as Chinese envoy. In 1976 Ford appointed Bush Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Deciding to run for President in the 1980 election, George’s unsuccessful campaign took him some 250,000 miles to over 850 political events. Feeling discouraged, he sold his home in Houston and bought his Grandfather’s estate in Kennebunkport, Maine. He was soon selected for the Vice Presidential spot by Ronald Reagan – the Republican party’s eventual winner. After serving two terms as Vice President, George H. W. Bush was elected President in the 1988 US election – taking office January 1989.

Bush was busy during his Presidency dealing with political upheaval in Panama, the Soviet Union after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the NAFTA agreement, civil war in Somalia, and the Gulf War. He was a frequent traveler. International trips for the President were enhanced by his receipt of the new Boeing 747s – which technological advances enabled him to function as if he were at the White House while traveling. Bush was defeated in the Presidential Election of 1992 by Bill Clinton.

Presidential Travel

1989
~Canada ~Japan ~People’s Republic of China ~Korea
~Italy ~Vatican City ~Belgium(2x) ~Federal Republic of Germany
~United Kindgom ~Poland ~Hungary ~France(2x) ~ The Netherlands
~Costa Rica ~Malta

1990
~Columbia ~Canada ~United Kingdom ~Finland ~Czechoslovakia
~Germany ~France ~Saudi Arabis ~Egypt ~Switzerland ~Mexico
~Brazil ~Uraguay ~Argentina ~Chile ~Venezuela

1991
~Canada(2x) ~France(2x) ~United Kingdom(2x) ~Greece ~Turkey
~USSR ~Spain ~Italy ~Vatican City ~The Netherlands

1992
~Australia ~Singapore ~Korea ~Japan ~Panama ~Brazil
~Poland ~Germany ~Finland ~Saudi Arabia ~Somalia ~Russia
~France

++ 2011 hourly costs to US taxpayers for Presidential travel on Air Force One?

$181,000 per hour.

Bush and his wife live in Houston and at their estate in Maine. George holds his own fishing tournament at Islamorada in the Florida Keys.

In November 1997 the George Bush Presidential Library opened on the Texas A&M campus – College Station, Texas. Bush continues to make public appearances and in 2009 was with his son, then President George W. Bush, at the commissioning of the aircraft supercarrier bearing his name.

Former: President Ronald W. Reagan
Next : Bill Clinton

Time in Office: January 1981 to January 1989
Terms: Two
Birthday: February 6, 1911
Birth Place: Tampico, Illinois
Date of Death: June 5, 2004
Place of Death: At his home – Bel Air, California
Buried: Ronald Reagan Presidential Library – Rancho del Cielo, California

Notes:

~ Nicknamed “Dutch” for his haircut and round “Dutchboy” face
~ Lifelong nickname, “the Gipper” from the film “Knute Rockne, All-American”
~ Was nearsighted
~ Performed 77 rescues as a lifeguard
~ Oldest man elected to the Presidency
~ Only US President to have been divorced
~ Began his political life as a Democrat – swithcing to Republican
~ First sitting President to survive being shot in an assassination attempt

Reagan’s most famous statement: “Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem.”

Ronald Wilson Reagan, America’s 40th President, was born in Tampico, Illinois February 6, 1911. The family moved to nearby Dixon, where Reagan eventually attended the nearby Eureka College and where he was captain of the swim team, a member of the football team, and student body president.

After graduating from college in 1932, Ron drove to Iowa where he landed a job as a radio announcer. He continued this career path until 1937 when a screen test he took while in California landed him a Hollywood contract. At the same time, he was completing Army Extension (homestudy) courses and would, by the end of the Second World War in 1945, help to complete some 400 training films for the Army.

Having served on the Board of Directors of the Screen Actors Guild since 1941, Reagan was nominated as its President in 1947. He continued his film (and now television) career – serving as host of the General Electric Theater which required he travel to GE plants 16 weeks of the year. His final acting role took place on the TV series, “Death Valley Days” in 1965.

Ronald Reagan’s first marriage was to actress Jane Wyman (1940) and his second to another actress, Nancy Davis in 1952.

Sworn in as Governor of California in 1967, Reagan served until 1974 – while also surviving a recall attempt in 1968. In 1976 Reagan ran an unsuccessful challenge against incumbent Republican President Gerald Ford who then lost to Democrat Jimmy Carter.

He was successful against Carter in the 1980 election and took office as President January 20, 1981. Just over two months into his Presidency Reagan survived an assassination attempt by John Hinckley. Hinckley has been in the news again lately as he wants to spend more time out of the psychiatric hospital he has been residing in for over 30 years…

Sworn in again as President January 1985 on one of the coldest days on record in Washington, Reagan left office for the last time January 1989. He and his wife Nancy purchased a home in Bel Air, California (the home is on the market right now) – in addition to their ranch in Santa Barbara. Reagan continued to be politically active and in 1992 he established the Ronald Reagan Freedom Award. In November 1994 it was announced that Reagan had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. He died of complications from pneumonia, June 5, 2004.

After a State Funeral was conducted in the Washington National Cathedral, Reagan’s body was flown back to the Reagan Presidential Library in California. Opinions and discussions over Reagan’s popularity and effectiveness as President continue today.

Presidential Travel

From Wikipedia:

“Reagan’s presidency would be transitional in international travel. During his term in office, he ordered the two special mission Boeing 747s that would become the new presidential transport to replace the aging Boeing 707s. Heavy lift aircraft could bring security,limousines, and helicopters. After that time, the president had access to inflight bedrooms and showers, boardrooms, and communication equipment and with refueling virtually unlimited range. Summit meetings would proliferate, and international travel would become more of a constant expectation of the presidency.”

Below are the countries visited by Reagan during his Presidency. Over 661,000 miles in less than 8 full years while taking some 335 days total “vacation” – usually at his ranch in Santa Barbara. Though this is the (current) highest number of vacation days taken by any President except George W. Bush, remember – Presidents’ “on vacation” means they still meet with advisors on an almost daily basis, and are on call 24/7 in case of emergency. Just lucky for them they don’t have to make hotel reservations like the rest of us! And these aren’t the horse and carriage or slower train trips of past US Presidents.

1981
~Mexico (2x) ~Canada (2x) ~France (2x)

1982
~Jamaica ~Barbados ~France ~Italy ~Vatican City ~United Kingdom ~Germany
~Mexico ~Brazil ~Columbia ~Costa Rica ~Honduras

1983
~Mexico ~Japan ~Korea

1984
~People’s Republic of China ~Ireland ~United Kingdom
~France

1985
~Canada ~Germany ~Spain ~France ~Portugal ~Switzerland ~Belgium

1986
~Mexico ~Granada ~Indonesia ~Japan ~Iceland

1987
~Canada ~Italy ~Germany

1988
~Mexico ~Belgium ~Finland ~USSR ~United Kingdom ~Canada

Former: President Jimmy Carter
Next: George H. W. Bush

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Consider it payback for your “last minute” nerves of steel! Or decide you can save enough to take that holiday trip after all!

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