M40間諜米格魯的秘密日誌

常常有在看這個部落格的讀者們應該會發現一個現象,那就是我很少推薦土耳其熱門觀光區的'廉價'旅館.原因其實很簡單:因為近年來我自己本身很少住青年旅舍或是廉價統鋪旅館(之前發生過好幾次烏龍事件,所以後來就慢慢地避而遠之了...),因此實在沒有什麼'廉價'旅館可供推薦給其他人 ...

事實上我算是相當重視住宿旅館品質那種人,尤其是旅館衛浴設施的整潔度和房間的通風度(因為對灰塵過敏),所以在選擇住宿時,只要價格不會貴的太過份(也就是與那一區的物價/房價相比還算合理),我會把房間舒適度,服務品質和地點列為最主要條件,價格倒是其次.因為我出門的目的是去玩,不是去因塵埃過敏而感冒咳嗽打噴嚏的.如果是非常有特色或歷史意義的旅館(或是由富有歷史特色之建築物所改建成的旅館),就算貴一點也不要緊,畢竟老建築物的改建與維修費用都不便宜,而歷史是無價的.花個50歐元住在一間有上百年歷史的精致小旅館真的不能算貴.加上我覺得自助旅行,應該要以安全為上,在個人經濟能力允許範圍之內,選擇設備較好的正規旅館,這樣一來如果不幸發生什麼意外事件,對自己的人身安全與權益也比較有保障.而且住宿的地點也很重要:尤其是獨自一人旅遊者,千萬要注意不要住在比較復雜的區域,別為了省幾塊錢而因小失大.

Horta is named after Joss van Hurtere, a Flemish nobleman who founded a small settlement on Faial and which later came to be known after the transliteration of his name. The town is actually much prettier than I thought, and its surroundings and public infrastructure certainly are kept in a much better state than many of the towns on Mainland Portugal.The town is set amidst picturesque settings: with green hills in the background, blue oceans and the impressive sight of the volcano of Pico rising high up above the horizon into the clouds.

The promenade of Horta's marina.

The viewof Horta's promenade from the sea.

To be honest, Madalena on the island of Pico gives one the feeling that it is just a point of transit; most people simply consider it a place of arrival/departure. As a result, the whole town has a somewhat 'irrelevant' feel to it. Apart from the  harbour (to catch a ferry to other Azorean islands), a few cafes and shops in the town's main streets, there is almost nothing which calls for serious attention.

The old harbour of Madalena. Basically there is nothing much to do in this town, except for getting off and on the ferries. There are a few cafes where you can spend your time looking at the sea while waiting for the ferries, but that's it actually. It is a bit boring a place to visit, even for a short day-trip. You certainly need a car if you want to explore the beauty of the Pico island.

Passengers waiting on the pier of Madalena's harbour to board the ferry to Horta,

It is very easy to cross over from Faial to Pico by ferry. Daily services by Transmacor (http://www.transmacro.pt ) depart from Horta to the habrour town of Madalena (on the island of Pico). As of August 2009, there are 6 sailings per day by conventional ferry. One way ticket costs 3.40 euro; children under the age of four can travel for free.

In addition, on certain days there are also a high speed catamaran that sails between Horta - Madalena (Pico Island) - Sao Roque (Pico Island) - Velas (Sao Jorge island). One way ticket between Horta and Madalena with the catamaran is 4.10 euro.

Turkey's national carrier, Turkish Airlines, will operate a direct flight from Izmir to Athens, thus saving all travellers the need to fly via Istanbul.

TK 1844 Izmir - Athens will depart Izmir's Adnan Menderes Airport (ADB) every Monday, Wednedsday, Thursday and Saturday at 06:00, arriving at Athens International Airport at 07:00 local time. There is no time difference between Izmir and Athens.

TK 1843 Athens - Izmir will depart Athens International Airport (ATH) every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday at 23:20, arriving at Izmir's ADB airport at 00:20.

I love cafes. It is not just a lifestyle: it is a ritual. Everywhere  I go, I will try out the cafes in town and find one that I prefer most. In Portugal, you will easily find plenty of decent bars and cafes that serve excellent gelao (coffee with milk) at reasonable prices, but this one, Cafe Internacional right across the road from Horta,'s Marina stands outfrom most other cafes in Horta because of its art deco/Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) interiors.

The main counter of Cafe Internacional. The location of this cafe is ideal, right across the road from Horta's Marina and a stone throw away from the Tourist Information Office, the Pousada de Santa Cruz hotel as well as Cafe Sport Peter.

Every island of the Azores has a name: Faial is known as the 'Blue Island' thanks to the overwhelming presence of hydrangea  all over the island. Due to the relative absence of efficient public transport systems, it is advisable that you rent a car if you want to visit the various parts of the island in depth. It takes less than 3 hours to drive around the entire island.

Rental car companies congregate around two streets in the centre of Horta: the Rua Vasco da Gama, and Rua Conselheiro Medeiros. It is advisable to enquire around for prices and availability, as prices and the class of cars available at short notice differ hugely between different car rental companies.

We rented our car from Auto Turistica Faialense Rent-a-Car. They are very friendly and offer efficient service. The only thing you need to watch out for if you want to rent a car in Horta is, try to make a reservation as soon as possible because in the summer months, often you will need to wait 3-4 days before a car of your choice is available. Otherwise you might have to pay much more for a bigger car if you want something immediately. In addition, it seems most of the rental car companies in Horta do not offer rental terms with unlimited mileage. Instead you are required to pay for a fixed minimum daily charge, plus additional kilometer charges.

Driving around Faial is a joy because of the beautiful, lush green scenery and the abundance of nature everywhere you go. Roads are in good condition, although sign posts are somewhat inadequate. Make sure you have a copy of latest road map with you while venturing inland on Faial.

The Caldera in the middle of the island is a beautiful crater landscape, 2km wide and almost 0.5km deep. The crater used to be a huge crater lake, but it was said that the water in the crater lake disappeared overnight during the undersea volcanic eruption of 1957/58. A small path for hiking surrounds the entire perimeter of the crater; the hike will take about 2.5 hours.

Horta is a quaint little town with a world famous marina. The marin is world famous because it is an important provision stop for Trans-Atlantic yachts. In the 1930s, Horta was an important signal stop for trans-Atlantic telex cables; it also served as an intermediate stop for flights to and from the US/Europe.

Cafe Sport Peter is known amongst seafarers and yacht sportsmen all over the world as 'the watering hole' in the middle of the Atlantic. For decades, yachtsmen reprovisioning at Horta's harbour on the way to/from Europe would stop at Peter's place, have a drink or a meal, and exchange news about sailing conditions or the journey ahead. The Cafe also serves as a 'post office' for yachtsmen: you can have your mails sent to Cafe Sport Peter and pick them up when you arrived at Horta.

The Azores are a group of  volcanic islands located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, about 2.5 hours - 3 hours by flight from Lisbon. Since their colonization by the Portugese seafarers in the 15th century, the Azores have been part of the Portugese Empire and a strategic transit point on the Trans-Atlantic sea and air route. Today, the Azores are an autonomous region within the Portugese Republic, and part of the European Union. 

Horta, the biggest town on the island of Faial, is served by TAP Portugal and SATA (the regonal airlines of the Azores) via Lisbon or Ponta Delgada (on the island of Sao Miguel). The airport at Horta has a relatively short landing strip, which means the thrust reversers were immediately put into action as soon as the SATA Airbus 320-200 touched down on the runway.

The airport of Horta is located in the village of Castelo Branco, about 10km outside of Horta town centre. There is a inter-village bus service that stops at a bus stop on the main road, right outisde the entrance to the airport.

This is the news many people have been waiting for. For many years, the Istanbul - Athens - Istanbul route has been dominated by  two companies: Turkey's national carrier, Turkish Airlines, and Greece's national carrier, Olympic Airways. As a result one way fares are often horrendously expensive given that the flight is less than an hour.

以前在英國念書時,常常一有空就往其他的歐洲國家跑;以下是我在倫敦的土耳其領事館 (Consulate-General of the Republic of Turkey, 在倫敦的 Rutland Gardens 那裡,靠近 Knightsbridge) 辦土耳其簽證所需的文件:

注意: 所有想在倫敦的土耳其領事館申請簽證者,需要先打特別熱線電話預約送件面談時間.土耳其領事館不受理事前沒有預約的申請者.

台灣護照:送件之後3個工作天可核發.

這個問題應該算是老掉牙了,然而申根簽證(Type C)的有效期限/到期日的計算方法的確會讓人覺得混淆,所以我把自己貼在www.backpackers.com.tw 的文章轉貼在這裡:

如果你持有的多次出入申根簽證(Multiple Entry Schengen Visa - Type C)是六個月之內可以停留90天 (any 90 days within 6 months) 那種, 到期日是以簽證上印的 Date of Expiry 為準, 並不是從你第一次入境申根國的那一天算起.

6個月90天的申根簽證,意思是從 Date of Issue (簽證核發日)到 Date of Expiry (簽證到期日)這6個月之內,你可以在申根區域之內待上最多90天(包括入境日和離境日).