01 April 08

The File

The File

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Travel Tips…

The emails arriving in Ryanair Magazine’s inbox are coming thick and fast these days, so much so we could almost dedicate a whole page to them. But that doesn’t mean you should stop sending them in! Send us your travel tips to ryanair.ed@ink-publishing.com, along with your address and telephone number and, if we print yours, we’ll send you a cool tome from the Ryanair Magazine book stash!

1. Stuck in a city where you don’t speak the language and the taxi driver doesn’t understand where you are staying? Don’t worry, just remember to take the hotel’s business card with you when you go out exploring. If you get lost, you can simply show the driver the card and they’ll be able to whisk you straight back to your hotel without any hassle. LAUREN KANGARS, UK
2. If you are travelling on a tight budget and don’t want to spend all your money on overpriced sandwiches and coffee, hit a local supermarket for your lunch. For only one or two euros you can get pre-made rolls and sandwiches, a cake for about €1 and a drink for 60 cents. It may not be gourmet, but the money you save can be spent on other things. SCOTT GURNEY, AUSTRIA

Personal Disorganiser

Every self-respecting city dweller gets their box of organic fruit & veg delivered weekly from the countryside these days.But no one is providing the same servide in reverse: country folk should be able to order the very best junk food from urban junk food providers.

The service would effectively be the same: boxes would be delivered weekly to remote rural areas, along with a letter updating customers on the latest urban news ,such as muggings, stabbings, etc ., as well as tips on storing and reheating their junk food safely.

Rites of Passage

Over the weekend of 26-27 April the inhabitants of the little Dordogne town of Nontron celebrate the Bellows Festival or, as the French say, Le Carnaval des Soufflets – and they do it by dressing in nightgowns in the style of Wee Willie Winkie, painting their faces like clowns, carrying bellows, and using them to blow air up each other’s nightshirts, while singing a traditional Occitan song.

This curious pastime harks back to medieval carnivals, when the Nontronians used their bellows to purify the town air and rid it of evil spirits wherever they lurked, including under women’s skirts. Supposedly, monks from Saint Sauveur Abbey nearby began the practice on Ash Wednesday in order to enter Lent in a state of purity. The festival begins on Saturday night with a feast in the Salle des Fêtes. The main costumed procession – if you fancy joining in – takes place on Sunday, and is called the Parade of the Soufflaculs.WWW.SOUFFLACULS.COM