Fight the Cold

The untold instinct of man to survive his everyday life pervades the ultimate reality of existence. When threatened with an unpredicted event, it is almost second nature for man to find ways to prolong his life.

Even with the onslaught of modern technology, it is imperative that man learns survival basics and alleviate himself from the bondage of innovation and technological advancement.

The key is to survive life’s challenges without the tools.

Beating cold weather, for instance, is one of the most basic survival skills that man has to learn. You never know when extreme cold will hit you unless you are magically powerful.

If you want to know how to survive cold weather without resorting to innovative devices such as heaters, here are some pointers:

1. Choose windows wisely

The key to cold weather survival is to find products that will stimulate heat within the area. Getting a double-glazed window, for example, will trap the heat inside your home.

Consequently, you do not have to depend on your heater most of the time just to survive the cold weather. With double-glazed windows in your home, there will be very little heat that will escape your home.

2. Be wary when choosing clothes

It is not practical that you just wear layers of clothes to trap heat from your body. The key is to wear clothes especially designed to trap body heat. These clothes have special fabrics that can lock in heat so that it helps keep you warm.

Do not rely totally on materials that may seem to protect you from extreme cold weather. Many clothing manufacturers are now trying to cut back the cost of producing cold weather materials by replacing them with fake ones.

Take “fur coats” as an example. Most fake fur coats cannot effectively function in the same way as true fur coats.

3. Trap the heat from the top

What most people do not know is that body heat is usually emitted from the top—the head. So it makes sense to stop the heat from escaping from your body by covering your head with a good winter hat.

Keep in mind that it will be totally useless to wear winter clothes if your head is not protected from cold weather.

These are just the basic ways to trap body heat and survive cold weather. By following this advice, you need not depend on heaters or other technological devices that require additional energy consumption.

Miami

Miami is a sub-tropical city, climatically very different from most places in the USA. The city is a cosmopolitan playground that attracts more visitors than any other US destination.

Miami appeals to holiday makers wanting warm sun, clean sandy beaches, a laid back lifestyle, sophisticated entertainment in clubs and bars and a mix of art, music and international cuisines.

Travelers visiting Miami may actually spend their time in Miami Beach, a separate municipality situated 4 miles (6 km) across Biscayne Bay from downtown Miami. The combined greater Miami area includes several ethnic neighborhoods such as Little Havana and Little Haiti.

The population of the Greater Miami Area is a 50% mix of assorted Hispanic and the diverse cultural mix is evident in Latin American languages, cuisine and music throughout the city and. Dining in Miami offers the opportunity to visit a different ethnic restaurant every night and enjoy diverse international cuisines.

Once upon a time, Miami attracted mostly retirees turning their backs on snowy, colder climates but nowadays it attracts the ultra-chic glitterati, cashed up yuppies, the boating and yachting fraternity and Cuban immigrants.

** Miami Vacation Attractions

Greater Miami is a great base for access to several major Florida holiday attractions. The northern tip of the Florida Keys is just off shore, the Everglades are just a short distance inland and the affluent enclaves of Palm Beach and Boca Roton are just a short distance along the coast.

The Miami Beach Promenade, aka South Beach, is a favorite spot for cyclists, skaters, joggers and skateboarders. This is the most instantly recognized beach front location in existence and the place to be seen if appearances are important.

Many of the early Miami buildings from the early 1900's have been restored. A walking tour around the South Beach precinct is recommended to see the spectacular rejuvenation of the 1920's buildings in the Art Deco Historic District.

Miami boasts fine museums, galleries, historic gardens, zoos, sports stadiums, spring fed natural pools and of course, the ever present golf courses. Greater Miami has lots to brag about when it comes to world class golf courses and is home to some of the most testing courses in the world.

** Miami Vacation Cruises

The busiest cruise ship center of any city in the USA is the Port of Miami with holiday cruises to the Caribbean and Latin America making up the bulk of these cruises, but there are also cruises to all parts of the world.

Cruises are usually well equipped for gambling and casinos open as soon as the ship passes into international waters. Non stop food, games, movies and onboard activities ensure guests are always entertained and well fed.

** Miami Hotels & Resorts

Miami visitors are offered a range of hotels, resorts and vacation rentals to satisfy all tastes and budgets. There's accommodation and prices to suit everyone, ranging from the restored boutique hotels in the Art Deco and South Beach district, modern glass and chrome high rise hotels, budget hostels, beach front condos and villas, serviced apartments, inns and guesthouses... it's your choice.

** Miami Vacation Transport

Miami International Airport is one of the major airports in the USA, and a major hub city for American Airlines. Major domestic airlines such as Delta, Northwest/KLM, United and US Airways and Continental all servive Miami as well as several economy carriers.

There are two Amtrak trains that run daily from New York down to Miami and the travel time is approximately 27 hours.

The Metro-Dade Transit Agency runs two Miami rail systems, one being Metrorail which is a modern elevated commuter train that connects downtown Miami and the southern suburbs. Metromover is an elevated line looping the downtown precinct and connecting with many of the important attractions, shopping and business districts.

Tri Rail is the south Florida commuter train service that connects Miami with North Palm Beach and all centers in between.

EME Fussion, Seville, Spain

The last time a new hotel caused such an uproar in Seville, it was 1929 and King Alfonso XIII had just inaugurated his namesake hotel for that year’s huge Ibero-American Expo. The new EME Fusion may have less regal origins, but it doesn’t skimp on style. A cluster of fourteen 18th- and 19th-century houses in the heart of Seville has been ingeniously cobbled together into a 70-room property. Shaded patios, a stunning rooftop pool terrace with a bar and drop-dead views of the cathedral, a tranquil spa and no fewer than four restaurants are the happy byproducts of the transformation. It has all been blended together with a mix of cutting-edge design, Andalusian practicality and a few over-scaled Moorish architectural elements: most notably the loopy grilles on the interior windows, which were adapted from fretwork harem screens. No wonder the hotel recently graced the cover of Spain’s well-respected Diseño Interior magazine.

THE LOCATION

You can’t do any better. Face to face with La Giralda, as the cathedral’s famous bell tower is affectionately known, the hotel is smack in the city center, and the clip-clop of horse-drawn carriages mingles with the fragrance of orange blossom from the street below. The Alcázar, Plaza España and María Luisa Park are a leisurely stroll away, as are the city’s best shops and the taverns and squares of Barrio Santa Cruz.

THE ROOM

Each room is unique, but they all share a welcome sense of cool reprieve from the heat and hubbub outdoors. The décor is a luxurious riff on modern monastic — unpolished stucco walls and sleek tester beds with rustic Andalusian grass rugs that seem suddenly urbane when dyed an inky black. My room, No. 219, wrapped around an interior courtyard and felt more like a chic pied-à-terre than a hotel room. Six suites and two superior rooms have terraces with private Jacuzzis.

THE BATHROOM

Spacious and slightly quirky: my large shower had a column in the middle of it that required standing directly under the showerhead. The citrusy-smelling Etro bath products seem at home in Seville.

THE LOBBY

There is little lobby per se, since much of the public space is given over to dining and drinking, which explains why smartly dressed locals join the hotel’s guests sipping juices or spirits on the front terrace by day and practically line up at night to make it up to the popular roof bar. There is also a quiet and comfy lounge opening onto the main courtyard.

ROOM SERVICE

Why bother? The hotel has four restaurants ranging from a tapas bar, a salad and juice bar, a pan-Asian spot called Japo, and the see-and-be-seen Santo serving modern Mediterranean cuisine.

AMENITIES

The rooftop pool tops my list, but there is also a decent gym and a spa with sauna, steam room and Turkish bath. The in-room minibar stocks free beers and water.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Doubles start at 280 euros, about $392 at $1.40 to the euro, but can climb much higher during peak tourist season in the spring, so it’s worth booking early. The prime location and the current buzz surrounding the hotel’s chic design, lively restaurants and roof terrace make it feel like the center of the Sevillian scene at the moment.

Hotel EME Fusion, Alemanes, 27; 34-95-456-0000; www.emehotel.com.