Gadling

Maybe it's because I work for an adventure travel magazine, but I am always drawn to outdoor shots. Taking nature photos can be difficult because the scope is so large, but in this one carlhancock draws us in with the mountain's reflection. Then again, it's probably hard not to take a good picture in Rocky Mountain National Park, but this one manages to be a truly excellent one.

Think you have a great travel shot? Submit it here to be considered for Photo of the Day.

Have you ever missed a flight? It's a stressful and frustrating situation, especially if you have a carefully planned out itinerary that requires your presence in certain places at certain times. When a man named Dave missed his flight from Portsmouth to Munich -- where he was to celebrate his friend's bachelor party by drinking beer at Oktoberfest -- he decided to forgo the airlines. Instead he hailed a cab.

"I thought he was having a laugh to start off with or it was one of my cabbie mates doing a wind-up on me but he was deadly serious," says Mick Hogan, the cab driver who was hailed down by Dave. Hogan explained that the cab ride would cost £1,950 plus £250 for the English Channel tunnel and a hotel for the night, but the high price didn't stop the passenger; it was Munich or bust.

The drive from Portsmouth to Munich certainly isn't a short one, but Hogan didn't find the task so boring after all, "It's not something I'd want to do every day but it beats taking a few pensioners out to the shops."

We all know that Parisians have a reputation for being smug and snooty. Want to order a coffee? Better pronounce café au lait with an impeccable French accent or you can forget about good service. But stereotypes are just that: stereotypes. And not all Parisians have a propensity to rudeness, at least not those part of Paris Greeter.

Created by a group of locals intent on showing the good side of the Parisian nature, Paris Greeter is a service that provides the traveler with free tours in nine different languages. Groups of up to six are led by true Parisians that have a love for their city and a love for sharing it with foreigners; the organization's French name, Parisien d'un jour, Parisien toujours is very fitting.

These aren't trained tour guides working for big companies, they're just regular locals that want to give their city a good name. In the words of one of the volunteers, "I've always heard my American friends say things like, 'Paris is wonderful - except for the Parisians. And I always wanted to do something about it."

[Via World Hum]

The thing that strikes me most about this photo is how European it is; would you see that many scooters on an American street? And then, far down the avenue, a tiny glimpse of the Arc de Triomphe. All in all, an excellent shot by Larixk.

Do you have a great shot? Submit it to the Gadling Flickr pool to be considered for Photo of the Day.

For those that get upset while going through airport security, here's a way to make yourself heard without getting pulled aside for questioning. Artist Evan Roth is working on a new project which will bring new excitement to your carry-on luggage. Pack that metal plate into your bag and the message will appear when x-rayed.

The project isn't quite finished yet; Roth still needs an x-ray machine to test the plates out. If you happen to have access to an x-ray machine, he'll give you a set of the plates in exchange for use of the machine. Find out how to email him here. Pretty humorous, although I don't know how TSA officials will feel about it.

[Via Boing Boing]

Hopefully you're an avid Gadling reader. With popular features like The Cockpit Chronicles and Galley Gossip and helpful tips on new travel gadgets and which destinations to avoid, how could you not be?

Ok, enough with the shameless self-promotion; we're obviously not the only travel website out there. The Times Online just published an article on the 10 travel websites to watch for October. The list is a good combination of sites that give you everything from dirty pilot rumors to tips on staying slim while on the road. Keep in mind that since it's from the Times Online, the list has an English twist - many of the sites are Britain related.

Check them out yourself:

1. Professional Pilots' Rumour Network - check out the topic "nicest celebs" for the inside scoop
2. Seatplans.com - aircraft seating plans and flight reviews
3. Thetrainline.com - find cheap tickets in the UK and on Eurostar
4. Hotels.com Visualiser - custom select your ideal hotel and the site finds on that matches
5. Mr. & Mrs. Smith route planner - plan your itinerary with the site's tips on local pubs, etc.
6. Virgin Holidays + Hip Hotels - uber stylish hotels for the glitterati
7. Slimtree - fitness workouts you can download and use on the road
8. Trivago a new travel search engine
9. RogerandRandy.com - business travel experts give their two cents
10. Great Hotels of the World -the name says it all
    

The colors in this photo of Lake Louise in Banff National Park are incredibly striking; jrodmajr masters the combination of the intense red and the calm blue in the background that make this a very visually appealing image. Even though the water looks so inviting, I am going to guess that its temperature probably doesn't make for the best of swimming opportunities - but I still just want to jump in!

Do you have an excellent shot from your travels? Submit it to our Gadling flickr pool to be considered for Photo of the Day.

Nearly two million visitors visitors come every year to explore the Gettysburg National Military Park to learn about both the Civil War and the infamous 1863 Battle of Gettysburg. But two million visitors is a lot, and in order to better accommodate them, new facilities had to be built; in order to expand educational opportunities to visitors and to highlight the historical importance of the site, the Gettysburg Foundation and the National Park Service therefore pooled together $103 million and constructed a new visitor center.

Although it opened in April 2008, the new Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center kicks off its official grand opening celebration tomorrow, Friday September 26. The new visitor center has an extensive collection of artifacts and archives. And like any good visitor center, there are plenty of interactive displays, complete with a voice theater for readings from battle participants -- well, people acting to be them.

The grand opening also marks the debut of the Gettysburg Cyclorama painting. A colossal circular oil painting, the Cyclorama is the only one of its kind in North America. The painting has been undergoing a $15 million restoration effort for the last five years; that's certainly one expensive face lift worth seeing.

The grand opening is set to start at 11 a.m, and even Governor Edward G. Rendell will be making an appearance. You can find a full schedule of events here.

Summer might be over, but it's never out of season to take a road trip down the Oregon Coast. From summer sunshine to winter storms, following the Oregon's Pacific coastline by way of Highway 101 provides for spectacular views, quirky stops and more fish and chips than you could ever want. Here's your quick and dirty guide to making the best of it.

Getting started
Before you take off for the coast, spend a few days exploring Portland. Oregon's largest city is known for its coffee culture, diverse array of restaurants and excellent microbrews; definitely the ideal place to kick off your road trip. Stop by Powells to pick up a map and even a guidebook to the coast; although driving down 101 is pretty straightforward -- just go straight -- it's nice to know what towns you're going through and where state and county parks are located so you can play on the beach.

Switzerland is known for many things: the Alps, chocolate, fancy banks, neutrality, etc. Now we can add gastronomic breast milk to that list. Sound a little wierd? It is.

A Swiss restaurant owner by the name of Hans Lochner has created a bit of controversy by announcing that his menu will now feature local specialties such as meat stew and various soups and sauces containing at least 75% human breast milk. It might sound strange, but to Lochner, the idea is a simple one. "We have all been raised on it. Why should we not include it in our diet?" he said.

In fact, as Lochner points out, a mother's milk is healthy and great to cook with: "One can cook really delicious things with it. However, it always needs to be mixed with a bit of whipped cream, in order to keep the consistency." Better book a table at the Storchen restaurant next time you're in the country... or just stick with the chocolate.