Galesnjak, Croatia – This little islet may not immediately spring to mind as an ideal spot for romance, but a bird’s eye view of it will clue you in on why it’s one of the most romantic spots on Earth. This drop of land is perfectly heart-shaped, and no one lives on it, so it may just be the perfect desert island getaway you and your lover are looking for.

New York, USA – The harried pace of life in The Big Apple may not seem conducive to romance, but look closely enough, and you’ll find it in every corner. Whether you’re splashing out for a ride in a horse-drawn carriage or sharing a hotdog in the rain, you’ll be sure to have many moments to remember.

Prague, Czech Republic – The City of a Hundred Spires is an unashamedly romantic city, its endless cobbled streets and many bridges providing lovers with a beautiful backdrop to an unforgettable affair. Steal a kiss under an ancient spire, or wander through its centuries-old streets hand in hand just like countless other couples have done throughout the ages.

Venice, Italy – Venice and romance go together like, well, like a couple just meant for each other. A gondola ride while the sun sets may be too cheesy for words, but you can always hire a boat and explore the canals yourself. This way, you won’t have a noisy gondolier intruding on your romantic moments. Have dinner at a cosy little family-run restaurant by the water to cap off a wonderful day.

One evening after dinner, in our comfortable floating hotel, we were studying the map of Danube Delta to decide how to continue with our strategy for finding big groups of White Pelican. One thing I learnt, even if the linear distances  from A to B are not immense, being in the Delta you have to navigate via channels, lakes, ponds even the Danube, and so from A to B can take you easily many many hours.

My guide Iliuta Goean was indicating me a region far north-east in the Delta, almost at the border with Ukraina were some lakes are usually visited by flocks of pelicans. So, let’s go there tomorrow!
As we navigate the next morning in the never ending maze of the Delta, I understand that these people here have some kind of GPS installed in their brain, there is no other explanation how to get thru these 1000s of channel crossways. By the way…GPS. Do you think we don’t have a real one? Of course we do! It’s in one of Helmut’s magic bags!! Every day he has something that surprises me in those bags. Today for example: we were more or less in the middle of nowhere in our small boat. I just had one of my sandwiches with ham and tomato when all of a sudden my mind went to something I’m addicted to: Dark Chocolate.  You know, when you are awake and dreaming and you speak out your thoughts, like :”hmmmm, how wonderful it would be now to have a piece of dark chocolate!” I immediately see Helmut behind me in the boat, reaching for one of his bags and ualà! he has a box of dark chocolate (of one of the best german brands, of course!) in his hands. This man is unbelievable!!

OK, after the unexpected chocolate pause, we look for pelicans, which, guess what? Are not here!!
However, today it will reveal as a wonderful day anyway as we encounter a colony of Red-Footed Falcons in full mating activity. So we park the boat under a willow tree in the shade, surrounded by the calls of the falcons mating and fighting for territory against invading crows, and enjoy the activity in front of us for several hours. Today I completely forgot about the Pelicans and really had a proof of the Danube’s Delta various bird activity! What a magic place.

The long way back to our floating hotel will be lots of fun as we carry a big pair of red-deer antler (found on the ground in the forest, not in one of Helmut’s magic bags this time): everyone we encounter on our way is looking at these 3 weird guys wearing camo clothes in a camo boat and with horns in the front – “are these special wildlife guards?? And why are they laughing so loud???”

Manuel Presti / Wild Wonders of Europe

Na Zdravi! (Cheers!)

Especially for them, Austrian Airlines Vacation Center offers a unique vacation package to Prague (Czech Republic). Its “Here For The Beer” vacation package, includes roundtrip air transportation on Austrian Airlines between New York (JFK) or Washington (IAD) and Prague, Czech Republic, three (3) nights hotel accommodation in Prague in a three-star hotel in the city center plus daily buffet breakfast. In addition, travelers will get a Prague beer tour with dinner, a Pilsen and “Pilsner Urquell” brewery tour (full day tour including entrance fee to Pilsner Urquell Brewery, Beer Brewing Museum and lunch in the Spilka Beer Restaurant) and more. The package is valid for travel between November 1 – December 10, 2009, and again between January 4 – March 25, 2010.
In addition to this three-night “Here For The Beer” package, a variety of other vacation packages (called City Steals and Combo City Steals) are offered for travel to Europe by Austrian Airlines Vacation Center this winter. Single supplements, upgrades, additional combinations and extensions are available upon request.

All packages must be paid in full within 7 days after reservations are confirmed, and no later than 14 days prior to departure. Once confirmed, the packages are non-refundable, non-transferable, and cannot be changed. All packages will be booked on Austrian Airlines in economy class and are subject to schedule and space availability. The minimum stay is 3 nights or one Saturday overnight, and the maximum stay in Europe is 30 days. Package prices include fuel surcharges but do not include US Customs / INS / Aphis fees / International Transportation Tax / Passenger Facility Charges / Civil Aviation Security Fee / domestic and foreign Security and Airport Charges of approximately USD $145 per passenger, depending on the itinerary. Additional taxes and fees may be collected by foreign governments. All taxes / fees / surcharges are subject to change and exchange rate fluctuations and may vary on the day of booking.

You only have to look around online to find some great travel blog content so, this month’s blog carnival I have chosen five of my favourite posts bookmarked on my StumbleUpon page. If you want to be featured on future carnivals, add me as a friend.

Six indie places to soak up the sunshine this summer

Summer is here and most of us will be heading off on holiday, either in Britain or abroad. I am not the type of person who likes to lie around on the beach but this is a well written guide that highlights six great places to have some fun this summer.

Find out which destinations are featured

In defence of British Food

It’s good to read someone defending our great British food. I have to say that I do not think British food is particularly healthy and quite stodgy, but, you cannot beat a nice roast dinner with Yorkshire puddings on a Sunday.

Join in the debate about British food

Four great scenic coastal drives in Bali

I have never been to Bali, but after reading this in-depth guide and looking at the photos I now want to go. It features tons of great advice about the coast drives and the types of tourist attractions that you will find on your drive.

Learn more about Bali

Ten tips for planning a round the world trip

Another really in-depth blog post providing great trips on planning your next round the world trip, the guide covers everything from places to visit to budget planning and advice on how to find accommodation. A great read.

Get planning for your RTW trip

Top cities for partying

I envy Matt, not only is he travelling around the world, but he’s also partying too! I have heard of the Full Moon party in Ko Phangan, but never realised that over 20,000 people attended it. Very useful post if you’re looking to find a destination where you can party till’ the early hours.

Find out where the parties are

Feel free to add comments on your favourite post featured this month.