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Bank
& Public Holidays
European countries have many public holidays; while that
may limit some sightseeing and shopping, it also means there
are numerous festivals and unique local entertainment to
enjoy!
Check the local holidays in the countries you plan to visit
as you might be in for a great treat if you plan well; processions,
parades and other public celebrations are a wonderful way
to learn about a culture. Some of the holidays are religious,
such as Christmas and Easter, while others celebrate local
traditions or are national public holidays. You will also
want to have this information in case it limits your plans
for that day. Museums, attractions, and transport may be
closed or working on a reduced, holiday schedule. Essentially,
banks and corporate offices close on national holidays,
although some shops and restaurants stay open.
Among the holidays celebrated in Europe are:
New Year’s Day (January 1).
Epiphany (January 6)
Easter (varies in late March or April)
Labour Day (May 1),
Assumption (August 15),
All Saint's Day (November 1),
Christmas (December 25),
Boxing Day/St. Stephen’s Day (December 26)
Other well-known celebrations that attract large crowds
and may impact your travel plans are Venice’s Carnevale
in February and Munich’s fall Oktoberfest , to name
just two.
Europeans tend to take their longest vacation during the
months of July and August. For tourists this can be a distinct
advantage as the cities are less congested. However, some
museums and businesses may curtail their opening hours during
this period. It pays to check schedules in advance of your
trip – check each country’s page for more detailed
information on public holidays.
Taking your Pet to Europe
Your Pet In Europe
Beware
Warning Pet passports lead to surge
in dogs dying from foreign diseases
A growing number of British pets are catching deadly diseases
on foreign holidays as more animals travel with their owners
on the "pets' passports" scheme introduced four
years ago.The School of Tropical Medicine in Liverpool said
that reported cases of some animal diseases picked up on
holiday had doubled since 2002.Last year 37 pet dogs - almost
half of the 84 tested at the school - were found to have
leishmaniasis, an incurable disease passed on by sandflies
in Mediterranean countries.The figure is more than double
the 17 dogs that caught the disease on holidays in 2002.
Symptoms include weight loss, eye disease and kidney failure.Other
diseases that have shown increases of about 100 per cent
include babesiosis and ehrlichiosis - blood diseases spread
by ticks - and heartworm, a parasite passed on by mosquitoes.Brian
and Jean Coleman, from Tyneside, were shocked and heartbroken
when Hamie, their much-loved West Highland White terrier,
died after contracting babesiosis when they were on holiday
recently in south-west France."He was only 16 months
old and had brought so much joy into our lives," said
Mr Coleman, 55, a retired teacher.Hamie was "perfectly
fit and healthy" last month when the Colemans left
to spend the Easter holidays at their cottage in the Dordogne.The
dog became seriously ill, however, shortly after the family
returned home to South Shields and, after developing distressing
symptoms, was taken to a vet and put on a respirator."We
knew Hamie couldn't go on like that and that we had to tell
the vet to stop the respirator," Mr Coleman said."It
was awful. I never thought we would lose our little friend
in such a terrible way. We were shattered by his death."Vets
estimate that about 300 dogs nationally were known to have
caught diseases abroad last year. They fear that many more
cases go undiagnosed or unreported.As millions of Britons
prepare to fly abroad for their summer holidays, Dr Jackie
Barber - a veterinary parasitologist - warned pet owners
that they should be aware of the risks."It is heartbreaking
for owners when their pets catch these diseases and, in
many cases, die. People must realise that it is a very real
threat."Babesiosis, which has claimed the lives of
at least two dogs since the Easter holidays, can kill pets
within days, while other diseases have incubation periods
of months or years.Dr Susan Shaw, a senior lecturer in veterinary
science at Bristol university, said: "Animals have
no immunity to the infections and there are no vaccinations.
It is crucial that pet owners use preventative measures,
such as repellents to stop the insects biting and spreading
the disease."The situation is made worse by the fact
that many British vets are unfamiliar with the diseases.
Most vets refer the pets to tropical medicine schools, sending
blood samples for analysis.Doctors fear that the diseases
could be passed on to other animals back in Britain - and
possibly to humans, although there is no evidence that this
has happened.Most of the exotic diseases are picked up on
beaches and in woods and gardens in Mediterranean countries
including France, Spain, Italy and Greece.Dr Barber said:
"We don't associate Europe with tropical diseases in
humans, but for animals it is as if they were travelling
to somewhere like Africa."The School of Tropical Medicine,
which mainly treats human diseases but works closely with
Liverpool University's veterinary department, has set up
a diagnostic scheme, Testapet, to help vets to detect the
exotic diseases.The Government's passport for pets scheme
was set up in 2000 to allow animals to travel to Europe
when their owners went on holiday. The scheme has been extended
to cover North America and up to 150,000 pets are expected
to travel abroad this year.Sandy Trees, a professor of veterinary
parasitology at Liverpool University, said that owners should
ask themselves whether they really needed to take their
pets abroad.A spokesman for the British Small Animals Veterinary
Association said: "It is vital that pets are checked
as soon as they come back to Britain if they show any signs
of sickness."British dogs are particularly susceptible
to babesiosis because, having never encountered the disease,
they have no resistance to it and can die within days of
the symptoms appearing."I'd never heard of it and I
was shocked when I did some research into it," Mr Coleman
said. "If we had known about this we would never have
taken Hamie to France."I hope our terrible experience
can serve as a warning to other pet owners: if you are thinking
of taking your dog abroad, don't."
My advice is to read this
and form your own judgement .
Cite - Europe
The Development includes a Carrefour hypermarket
along with such familiar names as Tesco, The Body Shop,
Victoria Wine, Toys 'R' Us and Benetton. And when you fancy
a break from shopping, you'll be spoilt for choice, with
30 places to eat and drink, ranging from the John Bull Pub
to the Pessenet Champagne bar and that old favourite, McDonald's.
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