Category Archives: America

Daredevil Holidays

Leave a reply

A far step away from the lazy holidays which see you relaxing on the beach, some of us just love going on holiday where we can feel a burst of adrenaline. Although holidays are normally for relaxing, fun and exciting holidays where you get a sense of danger can be just as rewarding as they are a reminder of the challenges you faced and overcame. Extreme holidays are not for the faint-hearted and often end up testing your endurance as well as your strength and your ability to do well under pressure. Let us have a look at a few popular daredevil holidays!

 ice climbingIce Climbing
What is better than hiking up huge mountains where you could easily slip and fall to your death? Doing it again in snow and ice! Ice climbing can be used to describe ascending any number of ice formations including icefalls, frozen waterfalls and cliffs. Depending on the type of ice and the gradient, there are different techniques you need to use to successfully ice climb.

Crampons, ice axes and ice screws are a must for any ice climber but depending on where you go you may need extra climbing supplies. The Chamonix Valley is a well known ice climbing venture and is famous for its beautiful ice falls. You can choose from over 200 routes and there are routes for ice climbers of all skill levels.

The Swing on the End of the World
Located in Ecuador this very oddly named swing does exactly as described. Built underneath a small wooden treehouse originally used to observe the active volcano Mr, Tunguruhua, this crude wooden plank of swing provides thrills aplenty. The swing has no harness, no safety net or any other discerning feature apart from a small strap across the front and literally sends riders swinging out into the abyss.

The swing hangs over a deep ravine covered with trees and foliage and if you can get over the initial motion sickness or vertigo – didn’t realise until now you were afraid of heights? Shame – it makes for a stunning view and a great photo spot.

5250487136_04241b5283_mFree Climbing
Free climbing represents true exhilaration. The concept of climbing up massive rock faces and mountains, even dangling upside down at certain points in the climb, without any safety harnesses can be a frightening thing. However if you’re used to hiking and braving the elements and want just that little extra bit of danger, perhaps free climbing is for you.

Only for seasoned professionals, Free Climbing is an excellent way of getting a thrill without having to pay extortionate prices as you would with, say, a skydiving experience. Yosemite National Park is a hotspot for free climbing and has a number of beautiful mountains for both beginners and experts to choose from.

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Hot Dog Day!

Leave a reply

Happy Hot Dog Day! A world renowned and widely loved snack, the origins of the term ‘hot dog’ is unclear, but we do know that although it is incredibly popular with American sporting events, Frankfurters – the type of sausage normally used for a hot dog – were originally invented in Germany. Germany is well known for its spiced meats and various meat products and has produced the frankfurter (from Frankfurt) and the hamburger (from Hamburg) as well as the Wiener (from Vienna, Austria, whose German name is ‘Wien’).

hot dog 1When visiting Germany in December, it is incredibly easy to find several different types of sausage and hot dog floating about their Christmas markets, although ‘wurst’ is enjoyed year round in its many forms in Germany. With hundreds of years experience cultivating and curing meats with herbs, Germany combines exotic flavours with various different types of sausage and pork meat to create new and exciting types of ‘wurst’.

The frankfurter is the most recognisable form of sausage, but other popular types are the Landjager which is similar to salami and can be eaten cold or boiled, the Leberwurst (Literally ‘Liverwurst’) which is like a pate to be spread on bread or crackers and the Blutwurst or ‘blood sausage’ a delicacy made from congealed pig or cow blood and bulked out with oatmeal, meat and fat, to be eaten cold.

The first recorded instance of a hot dog was when German immigrant Charles Feltmen began selling sausages in bread rolls in Coney Island, USA in 1870. Later on one of his former employees, a Polish-American named Nathan Handwerker, separated from the business to start his own, creating Nathan’s Famous, a world renowned hot dog company that is still in production today.

hot dog 2Nathan’s Famous  started in 1916 with the help of $300 from a few friends. Handwerker quickly gained popularity by selling his hot dogs at a reduced price of five cents each whereas Feltmen was charging ten cents per hot dog. Now it boasts world fame and products in millions of supermarkets and stores throughout the USA.

You can even still visit and enjoy a hot dog at the original Nathan’s Famous store in Coney Island, Brooklyn. If you’re planning a holiday in the USA and have always wondered what an original, award winning hot dog recipe was, why not grab a hired car and head over for a tube of American and German history?

The top ten holiday destinations to propose

Leave a reply

If you’re planning to propose (or create the right opportunity for that certain someone to think about proposing) then a trip to somewhere significant is the way to do it. Make your proposal memorable with somewhere romantic and scenic. Here are our top ten destinations for proposal opportunities.

paris1)      Paris – a perennial favourite with lovers the world over, France’s capital city has a long history of romance with plenty of spots to do the deed. If you don’t fancy scaling the Eiffel Tower, then maybe you can use the Pont des Arts over the River Seine, or aboard one of the river’s many cruise boats.

2)      Dubai – Hot, exotic, and containing some stunning modern architecture, Dubai is a shopper’s paradise. Dubai is a great choice if you want to combine a proposal with engagement ring shopping. A trip to Gold & Diamond Park and other shopping malls and souks could be on the itinerary! There are a plethora of potential proposal spots in one of Dubai’s many skyscrapers, aquarium restaurants, or fountains.

new york3)      New York – With trans-Atlantic flights faster than they used to be, a short break in New York is more than feasible. A trip to New York feels like visiting a living film set, and where better to propose than atop the Empire State Building, on a helicopter over the Statue of Liberty, or in the world famous Times Square? Shops galore with the peaceful haven of Central Park, New York offers it all.

4)      Venice – Venice is possibly Italy’s most famously romantic city, and attracts around 50,000 tourists a day. It is famous for its waterways and canals, and you can’t go to Venice without taking a gondola ride along the Grand Canal.

norway5)      Norway – if your loved one is not a fan of exotic weather, then a trip to see the Northern Lights could be a winner. There are lots of places to stay where you have a good chance of seeing the lights, and you can also take a dog-sledding tour, or a cruise around the fjords. Please see the website of Visit Norway for the best places.

6)      Dublin – for a proposal filled with fun, Dublin is a lovely place for a bit of sightseeing and bonding over beer. If you need a bit of Dutch courage and feel the ‘luck of the Irish’ would be most welcome, then making your proposal in Dublin could result in success!

7)      London – The UK’s capital and one of the world’s biggest cities provides a whole host of proposal opportunities. The London Eye is a popular choice, or maybe the scenic Trafalgar Square. If you want to add height to your proposal, then a trip up London’s tallest building The Shard is the place to do it.

propose8)      Sydney – for the trip of a lifetime, and one you will never forget, take a trip to Sydney, Australia. Often thought of as Australia’s capital (it isn’t), it’s probably the most recognisable of Oz’s cities. The harbour area with the Opera House is simply stunning, and if you want to introduce an element of peril into your proposal then you can join a climbing tour of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

9)      Barcelona – the beautiful Spanish city of Barcelona in the region of Catalonia is a mix of green space, coast, and interesting architecture created by Gaudi. Proposal sites could include the wonderful Park Guell, or the mountainside park of Montjuic. Ride a cable car to the hillside villages, and if you’re a sports fan, the Olympic stadium and The Camp Nou are worth a tour.

10)  Las Vegas – Not keen on long engagements? Propose in Las Vegas and you can be engaged, married, and on your way home before the hangover has even kicked in. Feeling extra lucky? Try one or two of the many casinos and maybe you can stretch to an even better ring.

Wherever you propose, make it a good one. Good luck!

The Bus to Downtown Vegas

Leave a reply

When someone says they are going to Las Vegas for a holiday, often people think of the bright lights, the never sleeping city, the flashy casinos and huge atmosphere that Las Vegas portrays in all the big films, right down to its 99c postcards. However there is a little place not far from the strip, between the Strip and downtown Vegas, which is so stark in its contrast it is a little scary.

ehtiopiaTake a bus ride downtown and particularly in the evening, you’ll see a sight not far from the Strip, but with a very different atmosphere.

With its mish-mash of shingled roofs and flat roofs, metal fencing, whitewashed walls next to heavily graffiti-d walls downtown almost seems like a ghost town.

Many of the hotel and casino staff of the Strip live here and it is worth the trip to see just how strange the scenery of Las Vegas becomes once you leave the Strip.

Fairy Lights and stark white lights dot around the place but unlike the Strip’s huge flashing lights and billboards, the trip downtown seems almost empty and desolate. The houses are clustered together like a make-shift town and streetlights blink on and off like some apocalyptic future world.

Downtown Vegas itself is much more colourful, with large signs boasting deep fried Mars bars and drinks aplenty, it is hard to believe that in a simple bus ride between the main Vegas Strip and Downtown Vegas, such a desolate little land exists. It may sound creepy but after the vivid life pumping out from the Vegas Strip, this little stretch of land is eerie, fascinating and almost acts as a welcome break to the craziness of Vegas.

downstownIf you happen to be visiting Las Vegas for a holiday in the near future, make sure to take a bus trip to downtown Vegas.

Downtown in itself has a fair few tourist attractions but the bus journey itself is an experience that is chilling, yet interesting.

With Penguin car hire you can choose from thousands of different companies at thousands of different locations to find the right hired car for you or your family while on holiday. We provide a huge database to ensure that you are never left in the lurch on holiday. With a number of different taxi and hired car points available throughout Las Vegas, book a hired car for your next holiday today!

Visit Las Vegas – Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam

Leave a reply

Although made famous by the thousands of casinos lurking in the giant hotels, bars and shops located across the strip, Las Vegas is a fantastic city with far more to offer than simply gambling all your holiday money away. The Strip is a section of the city that is larger than life, covered with huge structures, artistic portraits and happy-go-lucky costumed characters plus with miles and miles of entertainment lurking within every door; it is so easy to get lost in one of its many hotels.

Las Vegas is a city built in the desert, with sheer sand dunes and stark mountains rising all around it, it seems like a misplaced dot of light on an otherwise dark deserted crop of land. Surrounded by the Mojave Desert and with the Las Vegas Bay to the east, Las Vegas is full of both natural and manmade wonders. Two such wonders are the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam.

Grand Canyon

canyonWidely considered one of the wonders of the modern world, the Grand Canyon that stretches 277 river miles long, 18 miles wide and is a staggering 1 mile deep. The layers of rock shown through the Grand Canyon encompass almost 2 billion years of Earth’s geological history, slowly eroded by the Colorado River winding through the canyon.

The Grand Canyon was actually once home to a number of Native American families who built settlements in the canyon and lived inside its various cave systems. The Canyon is a sight to behold and helicopter rides are offered over the Canyon for a truly spellbinding experience. Taxi rides are available from Las Vegas itself to the Canyon, for a day trip to see the canyon and experience a number of Nevada’s other attractions.

Hoover Dam

Hoover_damOriginally known as the Boulder Dam, the Hoover Dam was controversially renamed after President Hoover as a symbol of his presidency as a ‘great engineer’. It was built over the course of five years during the Great Depression following the idea that building a dam would allow the population to control floods and use the water for hydroelectric power.

The Hoover Dam seals off Lake Mead which is the largest reservoir in America and is a staggering 725 feet high and 1,244 feet long. The dam’s generators now provide power for both public and private purposes in Nevada, Arizona and California and are visited by hundreds of thousands of people each year looking to see one of the largest human structures built to hold such an intense body of water.

The Hoover Dam can be reached by hire car from Las Vegas using one of Penguin’s thousands of hired car searches, or you can book a tour while you are out holidaying in Las Vegas.

World’s Wackiest Rollercoasters – Voyage

Leave a reply

Everybody loves a different style of holiday. Some people like to tan it out through two weeks of sun, sand and sangria, whereas others will relax in warm shade and read a book or two. Some people like to see the world, snapping photos of ancient ruins and crumbling mountains and some love to ski down the sides of beautiful snowy mountains. Then there are the pleasure seekers. The ones who can easily be happy enough with a day ticket pass to Thorpe Park, where they would ride every roller coaster twice if they had the time.

Whether you belong to one of the former categories or the latter, or you are just looking for a few ways to get some thrills into your life, why not have a look at some of the world’s biggest, highest, longest and wackiest roller coasters with us at Penguin car hire?

Todays Coaster: Voyage
voytageVoyage is a traditional wooden roller coaster and is on both top ten lists for the longest and the fastest wooden rollercoaster in the world. Located at Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana, the coaster is a staggering 6442 feet in length and the whole ride takes around 2 minutes and 50 seconds. The carts can reach up to 67.4mph which can be pretty intimidating for a wooden roller coaster, and climbs to a height of 163 feet at various points along the course.

Voyage also holds a world record for the amount of airtime – time in which passengers are lifted from their seats either gradually or violently – which is a gut-wrenching 24.2 seconds. Half a minute may not seem like a long time now but while you’re spiralling down at 60 miles an hour with only a padded metal bar across your lap preventing you from falling, it can get pretty exhilarating. The course ricochets through the woods of Holiday World, dipping underground at two points during the ride and starts off with a stomach-churning 154 foot drop.

As the coaster descends underground, passengers are treated to complete darkness and a rush of cool air and then suddenly plunged downwards into two more drops before emerging back out into the sunlight. For a warm Indiana day the sudden temperature change can be as thrilling as the ride itself.

With Penguin we have thousands of car hire destinations to choose from. For a hire car to Holiday World, Indiana you can drive from Terre Haute, Indianapolis or even Nashville, Tennessee. What are you waiting for? Get out there!

50 States Road Trip – Massachusetts

Leave a reply

Massachusetts is the 3rd most densely populated states in the USA. The state has played a significant role in shaping American History. Plymouth was the site of the colony founded by the pilgrim passengers of the Mayflower in 1620 and the oldest institute of higher learning in the entire 50 states; Harvard University was founded in Massachusetts in 1636. Massachusetts was also the first U.S state to legally recognise same-sex marriage, in 2004. A leader in higher education, healthcare technology and financial services, Massachusetts has a lot for tourists to offer.

current state

[penguin] witch salem blogSalem

Famous (or is that infamous?) for its Witch trials, take a step into the history books as you learn about the historic importance of this city, and its connections with the witch trials of 1692.

A lot of Salem associates with the witch trials of 1692; police cars have witch logos on them, an elementary school is named Witchcraft Heights and most of the athletics teams in the schools are known as the Witches.

Salem is also home to a number of quaint New Age and Wiccan boutiques, as well as being a popular location for holidaymakers around Halloween!

Cape Cod

For the chance to see some extreme weather, head on over to Cape Cod. It is a beautiful cape that, due to its location, receives slightly colder winters and slightly warmer summers. Consisting of 15 distinctive towns each sporting their own unique charm, Cape Cods beautiful beaches that attract hundreds of tourists and honeymooners in the summer months.

If you are planning on visiting Cape Cod on your holidays, make sure to check the local weather report, as every five-six years a tropical storm accompanied by high winds tends to hit the Cape, so take care!

[penguin] nantucket blogNantucket

A beautifully quaint little island located to the south of Cape Cod, Nantucket is well known for its sparkling beaches and iconic home designs. Nantucket’s beaches are known to be some of the most pristine and beautiful beaches in the world. Littering is strictly prohibited and punishable, as it could damage the fragile ecosystem of the island.

Plus with houses, cottages and time share rentals available, you can own your own little piece of paradise during the holiday season.

Next Stop

Our next state is the state of Rhode Island. Why not hire a car in Providence, Rhode Island’s capital city by using Penguin’s Car Hire service?

National Corn Dog Day and the Super Bowl

Leave a reply

Tomorrow Saturday 15th March is National Corn Dog Day! A traditional American fast food snack, the corn dog is commonly associated with large sporting events in America among other popular snacks such as the giant turkey leg, the funnel cake and churros. The Corn dog consists of a hot dog sausage coated in a thick layer of cornmeal or cornflour batter, stuck on a stick and then deep fried until it is a nice golden brown.

[penguin]corn-dog blogCorn dogs were first thought to have been introduced by German Texan sausage makers who applied for dipping, cooking and holding apparatus in conjunction with the deep frying of various foods on a stick. One of these foods was the sausage, and so the Corn Dog was created. The Americans are well known for their intense sporting enthusiasm and it is hard to get into the cheering spirit without a snack or two to keep your energy levels up.

The most famous event of the year for sporty America is normally the Super Bowl; the championship game of the National Football League which was held on February 2 this year. Each Super Bowl is played in a different host stadium, and a total of 22 different stadiums have hosted the Super Bowl so far.

The stadiums are chosen three to five years in advance and it is considered a pretty big honour to be able to host the Super Bowl. Wembley stadium has even occasionally been mentioned as a possible future Super Bowl host stadium, but so far the Super Bowl has not yet been hosted in a region that lacked an NFL franchise.

[penguin]american-football blogThe Stadium that has played host to the Super Bowl the most frequently is the Louisiana/Mercedes-Benz Superdrome, located in New Orleans, Louisiana. Hop into a New Orleans hire car to take a look at this iconic stadium while you are on your next holiday to Louisiana.

Will you be taking part by supporting any of these events? Do you follow a particular American Sporting team and are looking for a way to take your patriotism that one step further? Corn Dogs are such a staple when it comes to watching sports in America, even if you’ve never tried one it is good to take the plunge just to see what you could be missing out on.

50 States Road Trip – Maine

Leave a reply

Maine is the most north easternmost state in the province of New England and is well known for its rocky mountains and jagged coastline. With dense forests and awe-inspiring waterfalls, its natural beauty rivals that of countries such as Norway and Scandinavia. The state experiences a range of weathers, from cold and brisk in the winter to fairly warm and humid in the summer.current state

Puffins

There are a number of Puffin nesting places along the coast of Maine, as well as on various smaller islands just off the Maine Coastline, including Western Egg Rock and Seal Island. However by the early 1990’s, these  numbers had dwindled to just a single pair of puffins living south of the Canadian borders.

Atlantic_Puffins,_Scotland

Local lighthouse keepers made efforts to preserve these birds and now there are around 150 pairs of puffins living on the Matinicus Rock Island, and the number is still growing. Take a trip out to the coastline of Maine to catch a glimpse of these beautiful birds.

 

Eartha

Maine is also home to the world’s largest 3D scale model of our revolving earth. A massive 41.5 feet in diameter, it was given the title of the ‘World’s Largest Revolving/Rotating Globe’ by the Guinness Book of World Records in 1999 and still holds the title to this day. It took two years to build and represents the Earth as we would see it from space.

Stephen King

The world famous horror, sci-fi and fantasy novelist Stephen King was born and grew up in Scarborough in Maine, and many of his horror novels and short stories revolve around various towns in the state. A special tour guide SK-tours will provide a tour around all the sites in and around the city of Bangor which feature in the author’s many horror stories.

Bangor is better known in the Stephen King world as its fictional name; Derry, and the tour visits up to 30 sites including places where Stephen King used to live and work, as well as various sights and informational spots that inspired him to create various stories. The tour lasts around 3 hours. Alternatively you can always hire a car in Bangor and make your own way around the various sites.

Next Stop

We head south in continuing our road trip to the state of Massachusetts, well known for Cape Cod and the city of Salem, known for its infamous Witch hunts.

50 States Road Trip – New Hampshire

Leave a reply

Located in the New England region of the United States, New Hampshire was named after the southern English country of Hampshire and is the 5th smallest of the 50 states of America. As one of the 13 founding states of the original United States of America, New Hampshire’s history is vast and long. However for tourists visiting the state, New Hampshire is more famous for its large ski mountains and recreational activities.

current state

Winter Sports

New Hampshire is well known for its many different winter sports, including skiing, snowmobiling, hiking and mountaineering, as well as its beautiful sea coast. A number of hiking trails are available on its large ski mountains, and fans of snowboarding will find New Hampshire a great place to go to practise in the winter.

Isle of Shoals

White_Island_Light,_Isles_of_Shoals,_NH

Hop aboard for a unique cruise around this cluster of 9 tiny islands located just off the New Hampshire coast. The tiny islands are just picturesque as you cruise around them on a guided tour, plus some of the larger islands such as Star island even have accommodation available for those wishing to live their own isolated paradise for a day or two.

Chutters Candy Store

Who doesn’t love sweets? With the world’s longest candy counter and a huge selection of both traditional sweets and the latest trending flavours, Chutters candy store in Littleton will have anyone feeling like a kid again.

With 112 feet of large glass jars with a huge range of flavours from everyday to   those exotic, limited edition flavours, you’ll find something for everyone in Chutters.

Whale Watching

whale-watch During the warmer months, visitors to New Hampshire and the locals get the exciting opportunity to be able to see various different species of whales as they migrate to the coast of New Hampshire and Maine in order to head out to the major feeding grounds along these coasts. Keep your wits about you as you try to identify Humpback whales, Finback and Minke whales swimming and playing about the water. You can try to see them from the coast or head out on a whale watching tour where you can get closer to the action.

Next Stop

We grab a hired car Maine to head slightly north onto the next state in our 50 states road trip, to the state of Maine, which is the home state of esteemed horror writer Stephen King, where many of his novels and short stories actually take place.