Travelsmartplanet

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Cafe-Konditorei Fürst created a treat made of marzipan, pistachios, nougat and dark chocolate and was renowned for its perfectly round shape. Each individual bonbon is put on a small wooden stick to be dipped into the chocolate.

Paul Furst opened a confectionery shop at Brodgasse 13 on Salzburg’s Alter Markt marketplace square in 1884. This shop quickly became popular with Salzburg’s fashionable crowd and the crowd loved these Salzburger Mozartkugel. You can find them all over old city in Salzburg, Austria.

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The Shard is the newest tourist attraction in London and it was fabulous. You lift off in multiple elevators to get to the 72nd floor where there are 360 degree views, viewing platforms, selfie options, a flower wall, and a café. You can walk down to the 68th and 69th floor for more views. Notice here the Tower Bridge, the snaking path of the Thames and the London Eye.

Since 1962, racing legends from around the world have come to Daytona to compete in a grueling 24-hour marathon.  The Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona is infamously relentless on both driver and machine as sleep-deprived crews perform mechanical phenomenons. From sunrise to sunset to sunrise again, witness as both man and machine are pushed to the limit in this twice-around-the-clock marathon.

The Rolex 24 at DAYTONA, a 24-hour sports car endurance race executed on the track’s 3.56-mile road course, is a perfect battle between machine, driver and time.

The four-day event begins with qualifying races on January 25, a BMW Endurance race January 26 and the Rolex 24 January 27-28. Two-time Formula 1 World Champion Fernando Alonso brings the driver star power to this most challenging race.

Schedule of Events:

Thursday, January 25th
9:00 AM
Stadium & UNOH Fanzone opens
9:20 AM – 10:20 AM
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship practice session #1
10:40 AM – 11:25 AM
Ferrari Challenge practice session #3
11:40 AM – 11:55 AM
IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge practice session #3
12:05 PM – 12:20 PM
IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge ST qualifying
12:25 PM – 12:40 PM
IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge GS / TCR qualifying
1:40 PM – 2:40 PM
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship practice session #2
3:00 PM – 3:15 PM
Ferrari Challenge qualifying #1 group 1
3:20 PM – 3:35 PM
Ferrari Challenge qualifying #1 group 2
3:55 PM – 4:10 PM
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD qualifying
4:20 PM – 4:35 PM
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTLM qualifying
4:45 PM – 5:00 PM
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship P qualifying
5:00 PM – 5:20 PM
IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge practice session #4
6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship practice session #3

Location: Daytona International Speedway, 1801 W. International Speedway Blvd. Daytona Beach, FL 32118
Date: Jan 25 – 28, 2018
Time: Various – See Schedule Above
Tel: 386-253-7223
daytonainternationalspeedway.com/Events/2018/Rolex-24-At-DAYTONA/Rolex-24-At-Daytona.aspx
For Regional Accommodations, Restaurants & Attractions: daytonabeach.com

Doors open to the 27th Annual Greenland Craft Fair & Pie Sale on November 19th, where each year on the Sunday before Thanksgiving you can find a line of people waiting at the Greenland Central School.

Over 500 pies are sold (and eaten!) and  the Woman’s Club mans the cafe with home cooking. Expect to see more than 100 talented artisans and crafters including edibles, fiber artisans, jewelers, and many others will be selling their wares.

The Annual Greenland Craft Fair & Pie Sale is one of the longest running Fairs in the Seacoast. Hosted by the Greenland Women’s Club, a member of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, the Fair raises funds that are used for a variety of local, national and international charitable purposes supported by the GWC. Free Admission

Plan to stay for lunch, the cafe will be serving homemade soups, quiche and of course, pie!

Location: Greenland Central School, 70 Post Road, Greenland, NH 03840
Date: Sun, Nov 19, 2017
Time: 10am – 3pm
Tel: 603-498-0099
greenlandwomensclub.org/pie-festival-craft-fair
For Regional Accommodations, Restaurants & Attractions: portsmouthnh.com

Named among the Top 10 criterium bike races in the country by USA Cycling, the Wilmington Grand Prix will celebrate its 11th anniversary May 19-21, 2017.

This international cycling event includes a free six-block street festival, a parade, a bucket-list recreational ride through a dozen world-class cultural attractions, sidewalk cafes, live music, demonstrations and a variety of free family rides and attractions.

The action starts Friday night (May 19) with the Monkey Hill Time Trial, a 3.2-mile race against the clock through Wilmington’s Brandywine Park. Saturday (May 20) will feature two amateur races in the morning, culminating with the Women’s Pro and Men’s Pro races in the afternoon. Sunday (May 21) will see the return of the Seventh Annual Governor’s Ride and the Sixth Annual Delaware Gran Fondo. Last year’s Gran Fondo attracted cyclists from 15 states and three countries by offering them a scenic tour through the Brandywine Valley and some of Delaware’s most-prized cultural attractions.

You do not have to be a cycling fan to enjoy Downtown Wilmington’s largest outdoor event. Visit website for more information and schedule. Enjoy lunch and watch the races with a table right on the course. This event is held rain or shine.

Location: Downtown Wilmington, 818 Market Street, Wilmington, DE 19801
Dates: May 19-21, 2017
Hours: May 19 – 5 pm—8 pm, May 20 – 11 am —5 pm, May 21 – 8 am —5 pm
Tel: 302-655-6483
wilmgrandprix.com
For Regional Accommodations, Restaurants & Attractions: visitwilmingtonde.com

The Flagler Museum invites you to tumble down the rabbit hole and enjoy all the splendor of their “Mad Hatter’s Tea Party”.

Families are invited to come dressed for Tea on Saturday, March 11th, 2017 at the enchanting ambiance of the Flagler Museum. The morning will commence at 10am with parents and children creating their own festive bonnets and top hats.

Sporting their fashionable masterpieces, parents and children will then be entertained by a  story from “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and learn proper table etiquette from the Mad Hatter.

The ending is as divine as the start,  culminating with a Gilded Age style tea lunch in the Museum’s Café des Beaux-Arts, designed in the style of a nineteenth-century Beaux Arts railway palace. Families will be delighted with an assortment complete with dainty tea sandwiches, traditional scones, and sweets.

Space is limited, advance purchase is required. To Buy Tickets: flaglermuseum.us/museum-store/mad-hatter-tea-party

For those of you unable to make this charming event, fortunate for you that the Flagler Museum offers an afternoon tea each day, which features an array of delicacies and refreshments reminiscent of the elegance of entertaining during the Gilded Age. Don’t miss the chance to treat yourself to a a selection of gourmet tea sandwiches, traditional scones, and sweets complemented by the Flagler Museum’s own Whitehall Special Blend™ tea, and served on exquisite Whitehall Collection™ china. Hours: 11:30 – 2:30pm Tues – Sat, 12 – 3 pm on Sun

Photo Courtesy of: © Flagler Museum

Location: One Whitehall Way, Palm Beach, FL 33480
Date: Sat., March 11, 2017
Time: 10am
Tel: 561- 655-2833
flaglermuseum.us
For Regional Accommodations, Restaurants & Attractions: thepalmbeaches.com

If  you’re in the Montreal or Ottawa area,  you are only 1 1/2 hours away from an exciting safari adventure. Parc Omega is the perfect day outing for kids (and folks) of all ages. It’s an 800 hectare park where the animals roam free and you are “caged” in your car. It’s such an easy drive to be able to come face to face with Canadian wildlife: reindeer, elk, arctic wolf and fox, bison, musk ox, turkey, boar, coyote, black bear, and many kinds of deer.

Along a 12-kilometere safari nature route which takes you past lakes, meadows, small valleys, forests and rocky hills, you meander at your own pace. You can pick up bag of carrots at the visitor center (or bring your own), and as you slowly make your way through, you are allowed to open the windows to feed the wildlife. Kids are thrilled that they do not have to be in their car seats here and can flit from side to side of the vehicle to say hello to the animals.

You tune your radio to a station which fills you in on all sorts of information about the species you will be seeing.

• We learned which males are good daddies and stay around to raise the youngsters and which ones only show up for mating season.
• I never knew that the musk oxen’s heads are strong as hammers and they butt and knock everything down. Their quarters are specially built to withstand their strength.
•  You pass by low slung “condos” for boars designed to keep the big predators out.
• Coming here in winter gives you the opportunity to see how the arctic fox blends into the snowscape.

About 2/3 through, there’s a place to stop,  get out to stretch legs and visit some wooden buildings for bathrooms, gifts, food and hot cocoa. Friendly deer are in the parking area to get a snack too – those carrots – buy lots.

This is one experience that all Canadian families should take advantage of. It’s not only educational and fun, but will bring lasting memories for the whole family.

Location: Parc Omega is a safari park in Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours, Quebec, Canada
Address: 399 Route 323 North, Montebello, QC J0V 1L0 Click for map 

Phone: (819) 423-5487
www.parcomega.ca

Celebrate autumn in Elkton’s historic downtown, where 18th-century buildings are now filled with art galleries, cozy cafes and antique shops.  Since 1997, the Elkton Fall Fest has attracted thousands of families to visit the small-town shops, watch special county contests, and participate in community activities. The outdoor, pedestrian-only street festival event is held on Main and North streets.

The commemoration gets underway with Fall Fest Friday Night Kick Off Party; on main street souped-up hot rods line the streets for a car show and live entertainment is performed by a Neil Diamond tribute band throughout the evening.

Saturday’s festivities includes a compilation of contests including: Cecil 500 Push Cart Derby, Elkton’s Pretty Baby Contest, Miss Fall Fest, The Voice of Elkton singing contest, and a Delmarva DockDogs event featuring 3 areas of competition, horizontal and vertical jumping abilities as well as their speed in the water.  The Downtown Festival of the Arts is new to Fall Fest, a juried row of art from the Courthouse to Cecil County Arts Council.

The Fall Fest weekend will be filled with a variety of food, crafts, games, children’s activities, live musical entertainment and fun for the whole family.

Location: 101 East Main Street, Elkton, MD 21921
Dates: Sept. 16 – 17, 2016
Hours: Fri 5 – 9 pm, Sat 8- 8 pm
Tel: 410-398-5076
elktonfallfest.com

For Regional Accommodations, Restaurants & Attractions:
elktonalliance.org
ccgov.org/tourism

Discover Richmond’s food scene by taking the Carytown Food & History Tour. Get acquainted with the neighborhood of Carytown, otherwise known as The Mile of Style, an eclectic mix of restaurants and boutiques while exploring Carytown?s food, history and culture on this 2.5-hour walking tour.

Along the way, you will be popping in and out of various restaurants, cafes, and shops. Get an insider’s perspective as you sample delicious food and snacks from 5-6 local eateries including food tastings of fresh seafood, world-renowned tacos, popular Virginia peanuts. Hear from owners and chefs about how these establishments got their start. This culinary and cultural walking food tour is authentic and quirky and the perfect mix of food, history, and fun.

Location: Carytown, Richmond, VA 23221
Date/Time: Every Sat at 2:00pm
Tel: 804-479-8929
rivercityfoodtours.com/tours/carytown-food-tour
For Regional Accommodations, Restaurants & Attractions: visitrichmondva.com

The Frog Pond Cafe in Cheticamp, NS has coffee, pastries, snacks, a gift shop and wonderful Cape Breton hospitality.