Country Vacations & Resorts

I’ve been anticipating this new season of Downton Abbey almost like a kid who can hardly wait for Christmas morning!

Here’s a sneak preview of the upcoming season!

UPDATE: January 9th…It was worth the wait! Streaming here for anyone who might be interested…

Take a closer look at Highclere Castle, home of the “Grantham” family…

Thinking of planning a visit? You’ll have to wait until after Easter 2012, but here’s a map of the castle’s location…

Interesting trivia: Maggie Smith was just as funny as “Lady Trentham” in the 2001 film – “Gosford Park.”

Time in Office: January 2001 to January 2009
Terms: Two
Birthday: July 6, 1946
Birth Place: New Haven, Connecticut

Notes:
Oldest of 5 children – one sister died of leukemia
Keen rugby player at Yale
Arrested DUI – 1976
Only President with a MBA
Most travelled president (to date) in US history

Grandson of a Senator, son of a Vice President and President – America’s 43rd President, George Walker Bush seemed destined for public and political life. Both the road to the Presidency and his years in office were at times, a bit rocky.

Born in New Haven, Connecticut, George W. Bush spent most of his time until the 7th grade living in Midlands, Texas. The family then moved to Houston where he first attended a prep school – then finished the last two of his high school years at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts.

He attended Yale from 1964 to 1968 when he graduated with a degree in History. After graduation, Bush was commissioned into the Texas Air National Guard where his selection for the pilot (flight) program remains controversial. He later drilled with the Alabama Air National Guard, was transferred to inactive duty and the Air force Reserve, and was honorably discharged November 1974 – while having also received a M.B.A. from Harvard Business School in 1973.

Multiple episodes of alcohol abuse plagued him even after his November 1977 marriage to Laura Welch. The couple settled in Midlands – adding fraternal twins Barbara and Jenna to the family in 1981. Bush has since stated that his decision to give up alcohol in 1986 was due to the stabilizing influence of his wife and family. In 1978, he launched a unsuccessful campaign for the House of Representatives after which he began several small oil exploration companies. These later merged and George served on the board of directors.

By 1988 George moved his family to Washington, DC to work on his father’s election campaign – working as a campaign liaison and media advisor. In 1991, he also worked on his father’s 1992 unsuccessful Presidential re-election campaign. After campaigning for his father, George returned to Texas and bought $800,000 worth of shares in the Texas Rangers baseball franchise. The sale of these shares for $15 million in 1998 gave George a tidy profit.

He declared himself a candidate for Governor of Texas in 1994 which he won – serving as the State’s Governor until December 2000. In June 1999 he announced he would run for United States President – which he won in a still controversial legal decision whose outcome went all the way to the Supreme Court in 2000. He was sworn in as President January, 2001.

Trying Times for a US President

The George W. Bush Presidential era covered not only the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, but meltdown of the financial industry and economic recession.

These events, followed by Hurricane Katrina and problems with FEMA response, questions regarding “WMDs” or “weapons of mass destruction”, approved torture at Guantanamo, questionable decisions regarding Afghanistan and Iraq, and the passage of the controversial “Patriot Act” – meant George W. Bush left the White House after two terms – as one of the most unpopular US Presidents – second only to Richard Nixon.

Presidential Travel

Countries Visited by President George W. Bush

2001
~Mexico ~Canada ~Spain ~Belgium ~Sweden
~Poland ~Slovenia ~United Kingdom ~Italy
~Yugoslavia (Kosovo) ~China

2002
~Japan ~Korea ~China ~Mexico ~Peru
~El Salvador ~Germany ~Russia (2) ~France ~Italy
~Vatican City ~Canada ~Mexico ~Czech Republic
~Lithuania ~Romania

2003
~Portugal ~United Kingdom (2) ~Poland ~Russia
~France ~Egypt ~Jordan ~Qatar ~Senegal
~South Africa ~Botswana ~Uganda ~Nigeria ~Japan
~Philippines ~Thailand ~Singapore ~Indonesia
~Australia ~Iraq

2004
~Mexico ~Vatican City ~Italy ~France ~Ireland
~Chile ~Turkey ~Columbia ~Canada

2005
~Belgium ~Germany ~Slovakia ~Vatican City
~Italy ~Latvia ~Netherlands ~Russia ~Georgia
~Denmark ~United Kingdom ~Argentina ~Brazil
~Panama ~Japan ~Korea ~China ~Mongolia

2006
~Ireland ~India ~Afghanistan ~Pakistan ~Mexico
~Iraq ~Austria ~Hungary ~Germany ~Russia
~Singapore ~Vietnam ~Indonesia ~Estonia ~Latvia
~Jordan

2007
~Brazil ~Uraguary ~Columbia ~Guatemala ~Mexico
~Czech Republic ~Germany ~Poland ~Italy ~Vatican City
~Albania ~Bulgaria ~Canada ~Iraq ~Australia

2008
~Israel ~Palenstinian Authority ~Kuwait ~Bahrain
~United Arab Emirates ~Saudi Arabia (2) ~Egypt (2) ~Benin
~Tanzania ~Rwanda ~Ghana ~Liberia ~Ukraine ~Romania
~Croatia ~Russia ~Israel ~Slovenia ~Germany ~Italy
~Vatican City ~United Kingdom ~France ~Japan ~South Korea
~Thailand ~China ~Peru ~Iraq ~Afghanistan

Regarding Presidential vacations, Bush appears to have taken full advantage of “Presidential” travel…

After leaving office Bush and his family settled for a short time back at their 1500 – 1600 acre ranch in Crawford, Texas but then purchased a home in the exclusive neighborhood of Preston Hollow – about 6 miles outside Dallas. He gives public speeches, attends both Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers sporting events, and threw out the first pitch of the 2010 World Series at the stadium in Arlington, Texas. His memoir, “Decision Points” was published November, 2010.

Human rights group still hound Bush for his acknowledgment that he ordered waterboarding of detainees. In February 2011, Bush cancelled a trip planned to Switzerland for fear of being arrested.

Former: President Bill Clinton

Presidential Travel Index

Time in Office: January 1993 to January 2001
Terms: Two
Birthday: August 19, 1946
Birth Place: Hope, Arkansas

Notes:
~ Father died 3 months before his birth
~ Skilled musician
~ Decided at age 16 that he would have a public life in politics
~ Graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Georgetown University
~ Rhodes Scholar
~ Played rugby at Oxford
~ Third youngest President at age 46
~ First “baby boom” generation President
~ Impeached for perjury; acquitted by the Senate
~ Opened the first official White House web site – 1994
~ Left office with the highest Presidential approval rating (65%) since World War II

“Our democracy must be not only the envy of the world but the engine of our own renewal. There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America.”

From Clinton’s Inaugural Address – January, 20, 1993.

William Jefferson Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States, began life as William Jefferson Blythe III. His father died 3 months before “Bill” was born and his mother left him with his maternal grandparents for most of his first 4 years while she attended nursing school.

Returning from New Orleans with a nursing degree in 1950, Bill’s mother married Roger Clinton and the new family moved to Hot Springs, Arkansas. Bill did not adopt his stepfather’s surname of Clinton until he was 15. Bill’s half-brother, Roger, was born in July 1956.

He attended Hot Springs High School in Arkansas and with the aid of scholarships attended the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University – interning with Senator J. William Fulbright in the summer of 1967 – and graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1968.

He was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship in 1968 – taking him to Oxford, England – after which he returned to the US and to Yale University from which he received his law degree in 1973. Also after leaving Oxford, Clinton met his future wife, Hillary Rodham, whom he married in 1975. Their only child, Chelsea, was born in Little Rock, Arkansas – February 1980.

After spending some time in California and Texas, Clinton returned to Arkansas as a law professor at the University of Arkansas. He was defeated in a run for the House of Representatives in 1974 but was elected Arkansas’ Attorney General in 1976 and Governor of Arkansas in 1978. Losing this seat in 1980, he regained it in 1982 and kept the Governor’s post for the next 10 years. In 1992, Clinton won the U.S. Presidential election.

Countries Visited by President Clinton

Note: In May 1993, President Clinton fired many members of the White House Travel Office claiming that financial improprieties had been found. Critics believed the firings were instead motivated by the Clinton’s desire to provide this Presidential travel business to their friends and business associates.

Clinton was elected for a second Presidential term in 1996. In 1998 the House voted to impeach Clinton regarding statements made in a sworn deposition. He was acquitted in 1999 and remained in office, finishing this second term January 20, 2001.

Presidential Travel

US Presidents have to be in good health – and for good reason. Bill Clinton made the equivalent of two international trips per month during 1994 alone. Good thing Air Force One is available and that he didn’t lose time waiting for his luggage to hit the good old airport carousel!

1993
~Canada ~Japan ~Korea

1994
~Belgium ~Czech Republic ~Ukraine ~Russia ~Belarus
~Switzerland ~Italy (2) ~Vatican City ~United Kingdom (2)
~France ~Latvia ~Poland ~Germany ~Egypt ~Jordan
~Syria ~Israel ~Kuwait ~Saudi Arabia ~Philipines
~Indonesia ~Hungary

1995
~Canda (2) ~Haiti ~Russia ~Ukraine ~Israel ~United Kingdom
~Ireland ~Germany ~Spain ~France

1996
~Italy ~Hungary ~Bosnia-Herzegovina ~Croatia ~Egypt
~Israel ~Korea ~Japan ~Russia ~France ~Australia
~Philapines ~Thailand

1997
~Finland ~Mexico ~Costa Rica ~Barbados ~France
~Netherlands ~United Kingdom ~Spain ~Poland ~Romania
~Denmark ~Venezuela ~Brazil ~Argentina ~Canada ~Italy
~Bosnia-Herzegovina

1998
~Ghana ~Uganda ~Rwanda ~South Africa ~Botswanna ~Senegal
~Chile ~Germany ~United Kingdom (2) ~Switzerland ~China ~Russia
~Ireland ~Japan ~Korea ~Israel ~Palestinian Authority

1999
~Jordan ~Mexico ~Nicaragua ~Honduras ~El Salvador ~Guatemala
~Belgium ~Germany (2) ~Switzerland ~France ~Slovinia
~Macedonia ~Italy (2) ~Morocco ~Bosnia-Herzegovina ~New Zealand
~Canada ~Norway ~Turkey ~Greece ~Bulgaria ~Serbia (Kosovo)

2000
~Switzerland (2) ~Italy ~India ~Bangladesh ~Pakistan ~Oman
~Portugal ~Germany ~Russia ~Ukraine ~Japan ~Nigeria
~Tanzania ~Egypt (2) ~Columbia ~Brunei Durassalam ~Vietnam
~Ireland ~United Kingdom

President Clinton holds the record so far for the least vacation days taken as President. However, he did seem to favor Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.

Travel: Post-Presidency

As he planned in 1963, Bill Clinton continues an active and involved public life after his time in office.

The William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park was dedicated in 2004 along with the publication of his best-selling biography, “My Life.” He has also created the William J. Clinton Foundation to address issues such as Aids and HIV – and the Clinton Global Initiative which is involved with public health, and religious and ethnic rights and issues. He is also heavily involved with groups studying the impacts of global warming, climate change, and global environmental pollution.

He and his wife, Hillary, the current US Secretary of State, live in Chappaqua, Westchester County, N.Y. His latest book, “Back to Work: Why We Need Smart Government for a Strong Economy” was published in November 2011.

Former: President George H. W. Bush

Next: George W. Bush

Presidential Travel Index

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.

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.

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

Sorry I missed a week on the gift basket countdown. Flu caught me pre-Christmas this year!

But here’s a great idea for travelers, history buffs, and fans of Andrew Jackson – all in one place! I know there are quite a few of you (like myself) since the Andrew Jackson “Traveling with American Presidents” page is one of the most popular on this blog!

Jackson’s Hermitage Museum in Nashville, Tennessee has a nice little museum store – and you can order gifts online.

I would hurry if you’re hoping for Christmas 2011 gifts, like the baskets linked below, but this is also a great travel destination idea for 2012. I’ve been to the Hermitage – the house and grounds are spectacular. You also have the vibrant city of Nashville nearby.

Happy shopping – time is running out!

Tennessee Gift Basket
Good Morning Basket

Here’s another guest post from our Spain insider – Jay…

Who wouldn’t like to live in Spain?

The weather is great, the country is beautiful, the big cities are impressive, there is a lot of culture, and there are many beautiful beaches. In other words, it is the ideal country to follow an education. On top of that, Spanish is beautiful and the third most spoken language in the world. But before thinking about studying in Spain, there are some aspects you need to consider. Below, I will explain the procedures of studying in Spain to help you decide if this actually is the right choice.

Is a study in Spain expensive?
One of the first things you need to know before considering an education anywhere is: Is it affordable?

Many countries in the world charge such a high tuition fee that students are bound to borrow money and get high debts. The United States is one of those countries where education is so expensive that you need to get a scholarship or a loan to get a proper education. Some countries support students through scholarships and Government financing.

Luckily tuition fees are relatively low in Spain compared to other countries. One year of study costs around a 1000 Euro a year. Compared to 15000 a year in the USA and 4000 in the Netherlands, this is quite cheap. Although in the USA it is possible to earn a scholarship and in the Netherlands, the government supports students financially for 4 years.

What requirements need to be met?
For locals, studying at a Spanish university is no problem. They only need to graduate high school. But for foreigners there are some requirements. Foreigners need to pass an entry test for foreigners and a Spanish language test to make sure you have no problem following classes. In some regions in Spain you may also be obligated to take language courses.

What are the formalities?
In general, students from inside the European Union are allowed to study in Spain. There are a few formalities however. Students are exempted from university entry tests provided that they comply with basic entry requirements. After this, the Universidad Nacional a Distancia will check student’s eligibility.

There is also an ERASMUS program in Spain. This gives students from other countries the chance to study in Spain by receiving 1000 Euros for the tuition. Degrees obtained here are also valid in other countries via the European Credit Transfer and accumulation System (ECTS).

Outside the EU
If you want to study in Spain from outside the European Union, first you need to get your diploma recognized by the Spanish ministry of education. If you pass the Spanish University entry test, you are then able to carry out a pre-registration to the University that you want.

Students from outside the EU must apply for a D Visa if you are planning to go to school in Spain for longer than 90 days. An application should be send from outside the European Union to a Spanish embassy or get one at a consultancy abroad. Make sure you have 3 passport sized photos, proof of enrollment and a medical certificate, health insurance, a financial statement and proof of payment of tuition fees ready to show the Embassy. Once you are in Spain, you have 90 days to apply for a resident permit. You can get one at the police station when you show your student visa. Once this is all taken care of, there is no problem studying in Spain.

Is a Study in Spain Recommended?
Even though the circumstances in Spain are ideal for doing an education, this does not mean it is a good idea for everyone. Before considering an education in Spain you have to check how the level of education is in that particular country.

Spain is the one of the few EU countries who did not implement the Bachelor-Master system yet. So this means they work with old degrees. Not only that, the difference between the vision of education between the Southern Europe and Northern Europe is different. In Northern Europe the focus lies on experience and in Southern Europe on theory (instruction).

In general Spanish people speak very little to no English. In my opinion, it is important to learn proper English. Spanish Universities don’t tend to value team work or simultaneous assignments and their curriculum is somewhat below average. In many cases, and depending upon your educational focus, other countries may be a better choice.

If you do come to Spain I recommend a study in Barcelona. That city is the most impressive one of all. It has the beach, culture, and the big city.

Article written by J.Besters, blogger and writer for apartime.com provider of Barcelona properties.