Jan Mayen Travel Forum

Hi all,
We'll be traveling in Italy in early December and have gotten lots of great tips on where to spend our time. I just thought it would be nice to get a few more thoughts on people's favorite towns and villages just in case we are able to extend our trip a bit. THanks!
-Lela

Ill give it my .02

My Mount Dora Florida was named the best place in USA to retire a few years back. VT member AnnK has the best pages on Mt D with its antique stores and a great regional theater(Ive done 31 plays ther;-)Mt D is located in Lake County Florida 12mi south of the largest pine forest in the south The Ocala National Forest. Daytona beach is 40mi away, Orlando is 27mi away and Tampa an hour and 1/2.

I also love Ithaca New York and NOT just because I went to Cornell. Its in upstate NYs Finger Lakes on Cayuga Lake and is rife with great places to eat in Ithaca and In/around the area. Plenty of GREAT cultural opportunities at Cornell and Ithaca College. Watkins Glenn is close by, Seneca Falls(Womans Hall of Fame), Great Western and Bully Hill wineries(among others). Catskill Mts and Adirondack Mts are within shooting range and longish daytrips to Niagara Falls and 1,000 Islands are possible. Also closeby are cities like Auburn, Geneva, Rochester and Syracuse ...even NYC is a little over 200mi away.

Mike

My bad...I though it was a thread on small towns in America...shouldnt have had that last glass of wine!

Small towns in Italy...there are almost too many to mention,,,,Amalfi in the south and almost any town in or near Lake Como. I liked em all.

Yeah...on my 1st trip to Italy I was very tired and via train skipped Florence because I couldnt imagine it was any big deal as I had already seen Rome.(!)

Ive learned alot since then

hehehe

I guess a lot depends whether or not you have a car. If you do, and are planning a trip to Venice, take a quick tour of Padova, and many of the little towns within a forty mile radius. Also strongly suggest the countless towns situated on Lake Garda, just north of Verona. Verona is also lovely.

Must caution you however, driving in the Veneto Region in early morning, or mid evening can be hazardous due to heavy fog. December is particularly bad.

Pa

hey Pa

Thats right...you LIVE in Italy now LOL. You would have some great insight indeed.

Now I know the best small towns in Italy and America :) THanks for the advice and the chuckle!

Why is it on Jan Mayen thread? It looks like the least suitable place for a family travel :).

Sorry, did I post in the wrong forum? I'm pretty new at this.

Actually, you did somehow, but since VTers are such resourceful people, we found you. I'm rather glad you messed up because I'd never heard of this island before. If not for you, I would have gone through life a little more ignorant. Thank you.

Pa

Introduction Jan Mayen
Background:
This desolate, mountainous island was named after a Dutch whaling captain who indisputably discovered it in 1614 (earlier claims are inconclusive). Visited only occasionally by seal hunters and trappers over the following centuries, the island came under Norwegian sovereignty in 1929. The long dormant Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg volcano resumed activity in 1970; it is the northernmost active volcano on earth.

Location:
Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the Norwegian Sea, northeast of Iceland
Geographic coordinates:
71 00 N, 8 00 W
Map references:
Arctic Region
Area:
total: 373 sq km
land: 373 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
124.1 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 4 nm
contiguous zone: 10 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate:
arctic maritime with frequent storms and persistent fog
Terrain:
volcanic island, partly covered by glaciers
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Norwegian Sea 0 m
highest point: Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg 2,277 m
Natural resources:
none
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2001)
Irrigated land:
0 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
dominated by the volcano Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg; volcanic activity resumed in 1970
Environment - current issues:
NA
Geography - note:
barren volcanic island with some moss and grass

Population:
no indigenous inhabitants
note: personnel operate the Long Range Navigation (Loran-C) base and the weather and coastal services radio station (July 2004 est.)

Right, it is no problem posting here, it is just that if smbody is only looking at Italian forum, your thread is not visible (I came across looking through Europe forum). Also, it seems to be the very first thread on Jan Mayen on VT. It must be a fabulous place, with no regular population and no means of getting there (a special permit is needed from the Norwegian defence ministry, and even then there are no transportation option).

Very interesting! I wonder how that happened, exactly? Ah well, I guess we've all learned a little something. Maybe we'll just go to Jan Mayen instead.. now, if I could only find my Norwegian passport :)
Thanks again!

Jen, if there is only one place you are allowed to see in life again, make it Sicily! I'm totally in love. The history is amazing as everyone has been there, so too is the architecture for the same reason. A mix of Greek, Italian and moslim mostly, with the odd Norman castle thrown in. Etna...a huge volcano giving mineral rich soils in turn giving great wine and fruit. Food is fantastic...the people...they've seen so many different people on their island they are very welcoming...

There are very few tourists on Jan Mayen ;o)
...though there are some cruise boats that pass by.
As far as I know, there is a small Norwegian manned weather station on the island

What has Jan Mayen got to do with Italy??? :-)))

Absolutely nothing, but the original posting was accidently put on this cold and bleak location for the next VT meet. I'll bring the ice.

Pa

I'll bring the ginandtonic

Ill bring the limes.

Gee Jen, the description sounds lovely,

Pa

Cunnamulla
A pleasant service town just north of the New South Wales border.
Located 972 km west of Brisbane, 120 km north of the NSW border and 188 m above sea-level, Cunnamulla is the administrative centre for the vast Paroo Shire which covers 47 617 sq. km of South-West Queensland. With a population of 1600 Cunnamulla is significantly larger than the other three towns in the shire - Eulo, Yowah and Wyandra. In fact the rather makeshift mining town of Yowah is the shire's second-largest town with a floating population that rarely exceeds 150.

:-)))

Pa, I could see if we could transport the entire Ice Hotel from Jukkasjärvi :-)

As for Italian towns, my input is Agrigento - not the most beautiful but certainly the most genuine :-) Amongst the ones I haven't seen myself, Positano is a dream destination.