Picture Yourself There

Women-Only Beach, Riccione, Italy

Ladies across the globe can breathe a collective sigh of relief this month, as Italy has opened its first ‘women-only’ beach club.  Stop sucking in that stomach girls, embrace your cellulite and dig out the bikini you never thought you’d wear again, the man free beach is finally a reality.  The beach is the concept of Fausto Ravaglia, an Italian businessman, who wants to give Italian Mama’s the chance to relax and unwind without their demanding other halves and cries of ‘Ciao Bella’. 

Beach 134, at the Adriatic resort of Riccione, displays ‘No Men’ signs at the entrance and kids are not welcome either (the beach encourages them to be left at home with Dad) so that women can be left in peace.  All the Beach Club’s staff are female with two exceptions – the hairdresser and the lifeguard - well no beach would be complete without their very own David Hasslehoff. 

Ladies get the NavPix here…

Posh and Becks Jet off to LA Galaxy

After what seems like months of house-hunting and media hype, Posh and Becks supposedly wave goodbye to life in the Spanish capital today and jet off for their new life in LA. Now we all know the move is purely to bring football to the kids of America - and nothing to do with the whopping pay cheque or the designer shopping on Hollywood Boulevard - but if Pele and Best both failed to convince the US of the art of the Beautiful Game, we think young Mr Beckham could have quite a task on his hands.

Speculation amongst football pundits is all about whether David will be able to maintain his position in the England Team with the American game being – dare we say it - not the most competitive in the world, whereas celeb watchers are waiting with baited breath to see if Victoria can infiltrate the Brangelina camp as successfully as she has with TomKat.  If you fancy checking out some soccer stateside then head on down to LA Galaxy’s stadium, the glamorously titled ‘Home Depot Centre’, to see the LA Galaxy Team in action.

Get the NavPix here…

National Kissing Day, Musee Rodin, Paris

Pucker up and start looking for a partner as next Thursday is National Kissing Day. According to a recent survey by women’s mag Get Lippy, the British public are not getting enough mouth-on-mouth action, with 95% of women claiming a shortage in the kissing department. But what the Brits lack in quantity they make up for in quality as they topped the poll as Europe’s best kissers, followed closely by the passionate Italians and the amorous French.

And, where better to celebrate this occasion than the capital city of the nation that gave its name to the art of French kissing - Paris.  As well as being widely renowned as the most romantic city in the world, the French capital is also host to the ‘Rodin Musée’ where visitors will find a marble cast of one of the sculptor’s most famous works, The Kiss.  Sadly the lovers depicted in the statue met a tragic end when they were interrupted by the woman’s jealous husband and killed.  We hope you do not suffer the same fate.

Get the NavPix here…

World Worm Charming Championship, Wollaston, Cheshire

Always on the look out for a weird and wonderful pastime, we were delighted to discover the World Worm Charming Championships taking place this Saturday in the Cheshire village of Willaston in the North West of England. We think this one might be even wackier than Cheese Rolling. 

The event is in its 28th year and has a rapidly growing fan base.  If you’re keen to be in with a chance of winning the Championship you’ll need to brush up on you’re ‘twanging’ skills –  bet you didn’t know that the art of vibrating a four pronged garden fork into the ground about 15cm deep is currently regarded as the most effective method of worm charming. The record is currently held by Tom Shufflebotham who charmed an impressive 511 worms in 1980. But watch out, the International Federation of Charming Worms and Allied Pastimes (IFCWAP) regulatory board will be on hand at all time to ensure that the 18 rules are strictly adhered to.

Get the NavPix here…

La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona

With the weather in the North of Europe being positively miserable over the last week, we set to work scouring the NavPix Library for a location with sunnier climes (well, we can all dream can’t we). And after much deliberation we are all in agreement, this week Navman loves Barcelona. All together now…‘Barcelona. Such a beautiful horizon. Barcelona. Like a jewel in the sun….’ So much more than just a Queen song or the venue for the 1992 Olympics, the Catalan capital has it all culture, beaches, paella and above all the infamous Gaudi.

This week the religious authorities who are responsible for completing the building work on the artist’s masterpiece – La Sagrada Familia - have revealed that the building has been without planning permission for the 125 years that it has been under construction. We advise taking a trip to the stunning city before any over-zealous council officials call for Gaudi’s most famous creation to be demolished.

Get the NavPix here…

iPhone Launch, Apple Store, New York

The wait is almost over… this Friday sees the much anticipated launch of the iPhone; the latest offering from Apple in their bid to topple the Microsoft towers. Greeted with the same excitement by gadget fans as the fashionistas’ enthusiasm for the launch of the Kate Moss range in Topshop, the iPhone is this year’s hottest gadget. It’s time for Nokia’s N95 and the LG Shine to move over, there is a new King in town and he wants his crown.

The iPhone won’t be hitting European shops till sometime this autumn so if you’re desperate to one of the first to get your hands on the gadget, you’ll have to jet over to New York.Get yourself down to the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue where the iPhone will be available from 6pm.  But as this phone’s been greeted with more anticipation than a Take That Reunion Tour, you’d be wise to get there early - chances are you probably won’t be the only one after Steve Job’s latest creation.

Get the NavPix here…

Gioco di Ponte (Battle of the Bridge)

In stark contrast to the stiff upper lip of the British and the laid-back style of the French, the stereotypical Italian character is known (and loved) for a passionate and fiery temperament. Think Romeo and Juliet, Julius Ceasar, Don Giovanni, erm… Maximus from Gladiator… This hot-blooded nature is perhaps best manifested in the Gioco del Ponte in Pisa, or ‘Battle of the Bridge’ where today, at the Ponte di Mezzo, residents from the South and North regions of the river will do battle once again (despite nobody really remembering what they’re fighting about in the first place).

To be fair, this isn’t the brutal contest it once was – now a treasured tradition in Pisa, the two camps will take part in what is now more of an endurance test as they attempt to push a huge wooden chariot onto the opposition’s side of the bridge.

Bravissimo! Get the NavPix here…

Wimbledon 2007

Wimbledon: It’s about so much more than tennis. It’s about who’s got the most daring on-court outfit. It’s about Cliff Richard leading an impromptu singalong when the weather takes a turn for the worse. And it’s about all the girls still thinking that Andre Agassi was even more fanciable with his big blonde coiffure.

But more than this, it’s about a nation united in support of the valiant underdog. OK, so maybe we won’t get a Brit in the final – but just as we’ll have strawberries and cream even when it’s bucketing with rain, we’ll cheer on our guys and girls as if they’d already won.

Pimms, anyone? Get the NavPix here…

Goodwood Festival of Speed

One of the most eclectic and electric events in the world of motor sport, the Goodwood Festival of Speed begins today with a few practice runs for all the cars and motorcycles that will be taking part in Sunday’s hillclimb competition. As well as live music and air displays, you might even be able to spot some of Britain’s most talented drivers amongst the visitors – as well as Jenson Button, David Coulthard and Anthony Davidson, man of the moment Lewis Hamilton will be making an appearance on Sunday.

A world away, then, from the trucker jailed earlier this week for steering with his knees while eating spaghetti from a saucepan. Having seemingly strayed straight from the set of Wacky Races, this reckless character was openly branded stupid by his own solicitor. How’s my driving? Erm, not so good.

Don’t know about you, but even up to speeds approaching the sound barrier we’d feel safer with Hamilton behind the wheel. Get the NavPix here…

Verona Opera Festival

One of the greatest opera composers of the Romantic period, Giuseppe Verdi is known for his dramatic and emotionally tumultuous works – Rigoletto, telling the story of the tortured court jester and his fallen daughter; Otello, depicting the doomed romance between the hero and his love Desdemona... less exciting is the fact that Verdi would in English have been known as John Green - takes the edge off, doesn't it.

With heavyweight tragedies like Aida and La Traviata on the bill, we'll be honest: it’s not necessarily going to be a barrel of laughs. (And if you think you’re going to get many smiles out of Puccini’s La Boheme, also showing, well you’d be wrong.) But it’s going to be stunning. What better place to have a good cry than at the Arena de Veroni, where the festival will run until September.

See – you learn something new every day at Picture Yourself There. Don’t forget your hankies, and get the NavPix here…