Come and meet us - Spirit of Christmas, London…
Spirit of Christmas is the leading upmarket Christmas shopping experience and last year saw over 30,000 visitors stepping through the doors in search of stylish, luxurious and exclusive gifts and decorating ideas for the holiday season. Held from 3rd - 7th November 2004, the London fair takes place in Kensington Olympia and we will be exhibiting at this unique event so come along and discover our wide range of exciting and unusual winter holidays, from husky sledging to ice hotels, winter activity breaks and more. Our stand (number E24) is located in the Grand Hall on the ground floor. For more information on this event you can visit the website www.spiritofchristmas.cc

More upcoming shows…
You may also be interested to know that next year we will be exhibiting at the Daily Telegraph Adventure Travel & Sports Show on 14th-16th January 2005 at Olympia, London, as well as Destinations 2005 in London on 3rd-6th February 2005 and in Birmingham on 4th-6th March 2005 - more details to follow in our December newsletter. Watch this space!

Gothenburg Liseberg Christmas Market…
From mid November to 23rd December, Scandinavia's biggest and most picturesque amusement park, Liseberg in Gothenburg gets ready for Christmas. Liseberg is situated right in the city centre and is more than just an amusement park as it has 30 attractions, beautiful gardens, restaurants, cafes, boutiques and even theatres where stars such as Jimmy Hendrix, ABBA and Sammy Davis Jr. have performed. This 80-year old park has everything for family fun and its beautiful wooden rollercoaster, Balder, is the biggest in Scandinavia.

During the festive period, you can enjoy a traditional market with singing and music amongst the 700 Christmas trees and 6 kilometres of spruce garlands that decorate the park. The stalls sell handicrafts, there are even traditional rides, ice-skating and restaurants serve the traditional Swedish Christmas buffet.

If you’re looking for a festive holiday experience with a difference, then Gothenburg is definitely the place to be and our Arctic Experience brochure offers a great city break to Gothenburg with a choice of accommodation. Prices for a 2-night stay starts from £263 per person based on twin share with departures from October up to 30th April 2005. For more information please contact our expert sales team on 01737 214 255 or visit the website www.arctic-experience.co.uk/xmasmarkets.

For more detailed information on the Liseberg amusement park and Christmas market visit www.liseberg.se.

:Happy Birthday Icehotel Quebec!
This year the Icehotel, Quebec celebrates its 5th birthday anniversary and there will be many festivities to mark the occasion. The 2005 décor of the Ice hotel will be the cornerstone of the fifth season and there will also be new entertainment activities planned. As the only Ice hotel in North America and the second in the world, more than 22,000 people have visited and 10,500 of them have braved the temperatures and chanced the overnight sleeping experience.

You too can also experience sleeping on ice as well as enjoy the impressive wildlife and scenery of the Duchesnay Forest Reserve. As well as many excursions to enjoy, you can also explore the historic Quebec City itself and even extend your stay here. A 3-night stay costs from £798 per person based on twin share and includes flights. Extra nights in Quebec city cost from £59 per person per night. For more information please contact our sales team on 01737 214 255 or visit www.discovertheworld.co.uk/canada.

.Christmas customs in Iceland...
St. Thorlakur’s Day
On December 23rd, St.Thorlakur Thorhallsson, otherwise known as the Bishop of Skalholt, is Iceland’s major native Saint and the main custom celebrated is a meal of skate, which originated in the West Fjords. Expect everyone enjoying the decorating of the Christmas tree as well as lots of last minute shopping with stores remaining open until midnight.

Who’s afraid of the big bad…Christmas Cat…
Did you know that Christmas gifts were rare in Iceland until the late 19th century and families would receive a new item of clothing, which was a bonus for work well done. Those who were lazy received nothing and according to tradition, they say that if a person did not receive new clothes, they would be captured and eaten by the mean Christmas cat – certainly an incentive to get people to work harder!