International+Locations


 * Please Share Your International Travel Experiences**:


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Good airline employees know the bargain prices and small crowds that travelling during 'shoulder season' afford. India makes for great, inexpensive in March before the temperatures start to skyrocket. March and April are also great times to visit the less crowded beaches of Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore. May is a great month to visit Australia -- the weather is still great before the onset of their winter. And airfares and flight loads from the states are at their lowest. Morocco in September is another great trip -- the European vacationers have left, but the weather is still great. September is a great time to go on an African Safari in the southern part of the continent before the foliage completely leafs out to obscure the game. October is a wonderful month to visit Mediterranean resorts and cities (Barcelona, southern France, Italy, Athens, Greek islands) for good prices and ample sunshine.


 * Mike Summers - PARIS - October 2016**

We flew into Charles de Gaulle airport. Our flight landed at Terminal 1. After picking up bags, you need to take a shuttle tram/train called CDGVAL to Terminal 3 from Terminal 1. At Terminal 3 look for signs for the RER Blue line Sud (South) to Paris. If you fly into Terminal 2, it has its own RER Station to Paris. It costs 10 Euros to get into Paris. The 10 Euros allow you to take the RER into the city then switch to a Metro train. Most people get off the RER and get on the Metro at the large Paris Nord station. Our hotel was the Grand Hotel Francais (Website: http://www.grand-hotel-francais.fr/en/hotel-paris-nation/ ), which was clean with a great staff, and it included breakfast and an evening Manager's Happy Hour. The hotel was on the Sycamore tree-lined Boulevard Voltaire near the Metro station 'Nation' and near the Metro station 'Rue des Boulets'. We bought a 5 day Paris Visite Pass to ride the Metro unlimited at a cost of 41 Euros each. October temperatures range in the 60's. Even though we had been to Paris before, we used the Fodor's Paris Guidebook as our bible. The book included five different walks through neighborhoods, which we enjoyed. As for food, we had breakfast at the hotel each morning. We returned to the hotel for a break around 6:00 PM and enjoyed the free wine and munchies. Then we headed out for a typical French late-night dinner. Near our hotel as you walk toward the 'Nation' Metro station, we found two nice eating establishments: Comptoir Voltaire (website: http://comptoirvoltaire.com/ ) and Pozada (website: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187147-d2437089-Reviews-Pozada-Paris_Ile_de_France.html ). One of our favorite areas for food is about two blocks west of 'Place Monge' or 'Monge' Metro stop on the 7 Line in the Latin Quarter. The Square is called Place de la Contrescarpe (Websites: http://parisadele.com/portfolio/la-contrescarpe/ and Café Delmas: http://www.cafedelmasparis.com/en/ ). It's very active after 8:00 PM although we went to Café Delmas for Happy Hour. Hemmingway and Orwell both lived and wrote in the area by the Place along the Rue Mouffetard (Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rue_Mouffetard ). Many restaurants of all types are in the area. We tried La Crete and its Greek Cuisine (Website: https://www.tripadvisor.com/RestaurantsNear-g187147-d191100-Rue_Mouffetard_Market-Paris_Ile_de_France.html ). La Crete Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Restaurant-La-Crete-Rue-Mouffetard-137638336323041/ ). Paris has many food options, but we sure enjoyed these! As for things to see, the guidebooks are your best resources. Make sure to climb the Eifel Tower, visit the Louvre, walk through Notre Dame, see the Orsay Museum, walk the Champs-Elyses, climb the Arc de Triomphe, walk along the Seine, take a boat ride on the Seine, climb Montmartre and Sacre-Coeur Basilica, check out Napoleon's Tomb, walk Parc de la Villette, see the Pantheon, explore the Latin Quarter, trtaverse the Cimetiere du Pere-Lachaise, and Enjoy!


 * Mike Summers - AMSTERDAM - October 2016**

We took the Thalys high speed train from Paris Nord station to Amsterdam Centrale station (Website: https://www.thalys.com/be/en/ ). The earlier you book, the cheaper the ticket. Our tickets were 30 Euros each. We booked our hotel on Hotwire. We were lucky to stay at the Notting Hill Amsterdam (Website: http://www.hotelnottinghill.nl/ ). When we arrived at the Amsterdam Centrale station we bought two two-day passes for the local public transportation (Website: http://www.iamsterdam.com/en/local/about-amsterdam/transportation/public-transport ). If your hotel is within the Central area, you can walk anywhere in 40 minutes or less, but it helps to have the option. Watch out for bicycles! They are everywhere! Make sure you order and pay for the Anne Frank House tickets a few weeks before you go. If you don't, you can wait in line after 3:30 PM. We had a great lunch about one block from the Anne Frank House at Spanjer en van Twist. Here's a list of other good restaurants in the same neighborhood (Website: http://www.10best.com/destinations/netherlands/amsterdam/western-canal-ring/restaurants/spanjer-en-van-twist/ ). If you're short on time, try the Anne Frank House, the Museum Ons' Lieve Heer Op Solder, Dam Square, Museum Van Loon, the Red Light District, and the Rembrandtplein. (Rembrandtplein website: http://www.amsterdam.info/sights/rembrandtplein/ ). A nice place to sit and enjoy the evening is Mulligans on the north side of Rembrandtplein (Website: http://www.mulligans.nl/ ). Our favorite restaurant was Casa Nostra and its wonderful Italian menu (Website: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g188590-d6133039-Reviews-Casa_Nostra-Amsterdam_North_Holland_Province.html ). Of course there are many other museums and sites to visit, but part of the fun of Amsterdam is walking around and seeing the neighborhoods, canals, and homes. Enjoy!


 * Mike Summers - Northern ITALY- October 2015**
 * Mike Summers - Northern ITALY- October 2015**

We flew into Milan on American by way of Miami from Denver. Milan's Malpensa Airport is above average with easy signage to direct you around (Website: http://www.milanomalpensa-airport.com/en ). We had prearranged a car rental through Thrifty before our trip. Avis, Budget, Dollar, and Hertz also have counters at the airport (note: instead of "car rental" they call it "car hire"). There is also the Malpensa Express train ( Website: http://www.milanomalpensa-airport.com/en/directions-and-parking/by-train ) that links the airport with Milano Centrale Station in the city. We decided ahead of time to do a car trip. When driving on the highways there are many advertised speed traps that warn you about automated photo radar. Keep your eyes open for those! Because we decided to check out Milan at the end of our trip, we left Milan and headed directly to Venice. It's a direct drive on an Interstate type highway that takes about 3 1/2 hours. It's a great idea to either bring your Garmin GPS or rent one with your car. You'll be taking your car into Venice on the SN11 Highway. Once in Venice, your car is useless. You have to park it while you stay. Here's some Websites that try to explain your options: http://livingveniceblog.com/venice-instructions/coming-going/venice-arrival-by-car/ and http://www.garagesanmarco.it/en/rates. We used the Garage San Marco in Piazzale Roma to park. It's where the SN11 ends. From the garage, you cross the street and walk toward the Water Taxi stop on the Grand Canal ( Websites: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piazzale_Roma and http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/aerial/piazzale-roma.htm ). We bought a three day pass for the water taxi service, which is essential to get around the city. Venice is the most unique city on earth. The water taxi's "vaporetto" are the city's bus service that take you around to the various stops (Website: http://www.venicewelcome.com/actv/vaporetto.htm ). There are hundreds of hotels to choose from. We stayed at the Hotel Torino (Website: http://www.reservations.com/hotel/hotel-torino-venice-it#location ) at $65.00 per night. One note: Don't take a lot of luggage with you from your car to the hotel, there are many steps and narrow streets in Venice. I would suggest having a separate bag just for Venice that's ready to take with you. The hard part isn't the vaporetto ride, it's finding your hotel once you get off the boat! Once your settled at your hotel, get out! The city is alive all night long. Use your travel books to find and visit various tourist attractions. Here's your typical top ten lists that will give you some direction on what to see and do in Venice. Three days does not do it justice: http://www.italylogue.com/featured-articles/top-10-things-to-do-in-venice.html and https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g187870-Activities-Venice_Veneto.html. We really enjoyed Il Refolo and it's out of the way location with outdoor tables facing the Canal (website: https://www.fodors.com/world/europe/italy/venice/restaurants/reviews/il-refolo-578335 ). After three days in Venice, we headed back to our car and proceeded to Ravenna. There are many little towns in this part of Italy that have interesting places to see and visit. Ravenna is a two hour drive south of Venice along the coast. We visited Basilicas, Museums, Dante's Tomb, and Battisteros. Websites for Ravenna: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravenna and https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g187806-Activities-Ravenna_Province_of_Ravenna_Emilia_Romagna.html. From Ravenna we drove west and south toward Florence, but we booked our hotel in Montecatini Terme (Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montecatini_Terme ). The reason we chose Montecatini was because we wanted a fairly central location for day trips to Florence, Sienna, Pisa, and Cinque Terre. There are many hotel choices in Montecatini Terme although there is not a lot to do in the city. It's more of a breakfast community ( Website: https://www.tripadvisor.com/SmartDeals-g194830-Montecatini_Terme_Province_of_Pistoia_Tuscany-Hotel-Deals.html ). From Montecatini Terme we headed to a day trip to Florence. We parked our car in a garage near the main train station, which is called Firenze Santa Maria Novella. From there it's an easy walk to the many sights ( Florence Map: http://www.mappingeurope.com/italy/florence-map.htm ). Plan ahead with what you want to see (Website of Florence sights: http://goitaly.about.com/od/florenceitaly/tp/florence.htm ). In addition to the many sights, there are many places to eat. Our next day trip was to Siena. Siena feels like you walked back in time by about two-hundred years. I would highly suggest eating somewhere near the Piazza del Campo. (Siena top ten: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g187902-Activities-Siena_Tuscany.html ). A really neat place to visit. On the way back from Siena to our hotel we stopped at San Gimignano, a small walled medieval town that is worth visiting (Websites: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Gimignano and http://www.sangimignano.com/en/ ). It has a lot of touristy stores, but the view is amazing. Le Terrazze is worth visiting for a light meal. Our next day trip took us to Pisa. It's well known for a tower. Websites: http://www.italyguides.it/en/tuscany/pisa and http://pisaitaly.ca/ and http://goitaly.about.com/od/pisa/p/pisa.htm. Everything in Pisa is pretty centrally located. The tower is a must. It's a good idea during tourist season to order tickets to climb the tower before leaving the states. Our next day trip took us to Cinque Terre, which deserves two days to visit. The Cinque Terre (pronounced CHEEN|kweh TEHR|reh) consists of five small villages (“cinque terre” means “five lands” in Italian) which cling to the Ligurian cliffs along Italy’s western coast. They are usually thought of and visited collectively, mostly because they’re so close to one another that you can walk from the first to the fifth in a matter of hours, but there are five different towns and each does have its own personality. Websites: http://www.italylogue.com/cinque-terre and https://www.incinqueterre.com/en/. I would say after Venice, this was my second-favorite part of northern Italy. After visiting Cinque Terra on the second day, we drove back to Milan for our final day. We stayed near the Airport in Milan, dropped off our car, and used public transportation to take us into the city. Milan is a great city. I think that it's undervalued as a tourist destination. Websites: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milan and https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g187849-Milan_Lombardy-Vacations.html and http://milanitaly.ca/ and https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g187849-Activities-Milan_Lombardy.html. Eleven days was a perfect time frame, but two weeks would be better! Enjoy!


 * Becky Crozier - PARIS - November 2015**
 * Becky Crozier - PARIS - November 2015**

We left Paris hours before the terrorist attacks, so our week would have ended quite differently had we tried to leave during an emergency. That said, we had a great time. A few additions to add to Mike's article: We bought the PARIS MUSEUM PASS for less than the Paris Pass and added the Arch de Triumph.. Then we bought our own Hop On Bus for 2 days and added the river cruise. So for 2 days we used the Hop On bus for our transportation. For the rest of the transportation we bought a carnat, which is 10 tickets for about $13, I think. We might have saved money doing this. In the past I stayed further away and rode the train in, but this time we had an apartment and then a hotel a couple blocks from Notre Dame. What a difference to get out and walk over to the river and in to the Latin Quarter. Our apartment was 90 euros a night and out hotel was 76 euros. http://www.vrbo.com/3497824ha (This location you walk through a courtyard and through a privacy gate to a street with bakeries and stores) http://www.hoteldenice.com/en/ (Got a special price with Priceline, and I didn't have to do the auction, name your own price) Another place we really liked was the Washington Poste on a side street off the Champs Elysses.


 * Alan Olds - IRELAND - September 2014**
 * Alan Olds - IRELAND - September 2014**

Travel to Ireland in September! We saw only a few drops of rain, lots of sun, and the temps were in the 60's most days. Locals everywhere said this is typical of early Sept weather. I had been in **Dublin** 15 years earlier and found it damp, dirty, and depressed. Not so in 2014, despite the country's continuing recovery from the recent economic meltdown. We took the Airbus from airport to downtown, 6 euros. Our accomodation, **The Harding Hotel**, was across from **Christ Church**, one of the stops on the bus route. Two blocks away was the **Temple Bar**, which served our favorite Kilkenny beer on tap and included a simple but filling menu (try the lamb stew). Nightly music and dance shows. In our one full day in Dublin, our travel buddies Tim Hartman and wife, Karen, and Sherryl LaGrone spent their day on the **Hop On/Hop Off bus,** a great way to see lots in a short time and to get oriented in the city. My wife and I walked to **Trinity College** to see **The Book of Kells**, a 9th century illuminated manuscript of the four Gospels. Admission also included a walk through **The Old Library** of the college. **(Book of Kells).** A few blocks away is the **National Gallery** (free admission), a modest collection of art with a few knockouts -- see **Carravagio**'s The Taking of Christ and **Vermeer**'s A Lady Writing a Letter. (**National Gallery**). The day was warm and sunny and we strolled through the parks -- **Merrion Square** (statue of Oscar Wilde with some of his best quotes worth a stop) and **St. Stephen's Green** (pathways, lakes, gardens and an odd Yeats monument) before heading to **St. Patrick's Cathedral.** where **Jonathan Swift** is buried and memorialized. Our hotel had an attached pub (**Darkey Kelly's)** where we congregated for a late dinner and music by Cathal Hickey, singer and guitarist, who took his yoga breaks between sets (deep breathing of hand-rolled cigarettes). We split our travel over the next 8 days between trains and a rental car. If you go by train, book online at **Irish Rail** for fares 50-75% cheaper than at the station. Don't get the visitor passes, which are over-priced and come with restrictions. I booked a rental car from **Kenwel** (European Auto Rental)) online before the trip for a very reasonable rate. We took the train from Dublin to Cork, a relaxing 2 1/2 hour ride through pretty countryside, then we picked up our rental car at the Cork airport (There is bus service from the train station to airport, but a cab is quicker and worth the expense). We drove to a guesthouse (Glebe House) in the tiny village of Ballinadee about 10K out of town, then on to nearby **Kinsale** on the southern coast for dinner at Fishy Fishy. Loved Kinsale enough to return there the next morning. Wandered through the artsy old town and harbor area, and bought lunch supplies at the local farmer's market. We drove to the **Ring of Kerry**, through **Killarney**. Could have made a stop at **Blarney** to kiss the famous stone, but left that to the caravans of tourist buses. The Kerry peninsula takes a full day to circumnavigate. The narrow roads are clogged with buses, and at Sherryl's advice we took the clockwise route with the traffic to avoid meeting them head on. First stop at **Killarney National Park** for a picnic on the grounds before walking through the **Muckross House** gardens. Then on via spectacular views along the western-most part of the peninsula to **Waterville**. We stayed at **Brookhaven Guesthouse**perfectly situated to explore important sights. Our hosts, Mary and John, were great -- offering to drive us to dinner and to make reservations for a boat trip to the **Skellig islands** (unfortunately we should have booked sooner as no space was available). At their advice we ate at the Fisherman's Bar in the **Butler Arms Hotel**, where former guest Charlie Chaplin has a sunny dining room named in his honor. Next day drove to nearby **Derrynane House,** ancestral home of Daniel O'Connell, known at The Liberator of Ireland. See the video before touring the house -- very informative. We walked over the dunes to nearby beaches and then through the estate gardens before stopping in Derrynane at **The Blind Pipe**r for a hearty lunch. Drove on to the island of **Valentia** and on one-lane roads to the summit of **Geokaun Mountain** and the most spectacular views of the whole trip (better than the Cliffs of Moher, according to Tim and Karen). There is a world-class golf course outside of Waterville and we ate dinner near it at the **[|Smuggler's Inn.]** Next day we drove on to **Dingle** with a stop at **Inch Beach**, an incredible finger of sand that stretches out into the bay between the Kerry and Dingle peninsulas. Dingle has been discovered and developed, but is still worth a stop. We spent two nights at **Emlagh House** (there is also an Emlagh Lodge a bit outside of town), our most expensive but also most elegant B & B of the trip. An easy 5-minute walk into town. We were there the weekend of the Trad Fest, an Irish folk music extravaganza, so every pub and street corner had musicians. We spent a morning driving the **Ring of Dingle**, which is only about 30 miles long. We stopped at an ancient ruin, **Dunborg Fort**, which is no longer open due to erosion from storms. Stone fences cover every hillside along the drive. Beehive huts, stone igloos, still stand. We did not stop, but old farmhouses abandoned during the famine are open to tourists, although many are now being bought and refurbished as vacation homes. About 1/3 way round the Ring there is a stop overlooking a wide beach and rocky shore with benches for a picnic lunch. We went on to **Gallaras Oratory**, a small chapel-like structure built of stone 1300 years ago and still standing. Good video on local history and geography at the visitors center. On the recommendation of the Oratory visitor center cashier, we hiked to a nearby "Tower House" of stone for a picnic lunch, although it was not open to the public on the day we were there. An easy drive back to town. Back in Dingle that night we had a yummy dinner at **Doyle's Seafood Restaurant.** Drove back to Cork and on by train to **Galway.** Found out later that the bus is cheaper and more direct. We stayed with Karen's relatives but had time to also explore Quay Street and the historic pedestrian downtown. Galway is compact and surrounded by interesting places -- **Claddagh** (which still has its own king and is famous for the friendship ring that bears its name), the beautiful countryside of Gaelic speaking **Connemara**, and the **Cliffs of Moher** (we didn't have time but many recommend seeing them from a boat tour).


 * Mike Summers - IRELAND - October 2014:**

Like Alan above, my wife and I decided to head to Ireland. Our week-long trip saw temperatures in low 70's and upper 60's in mostly sunny skies, but for an occasional shower on three of our seven days. Non-rev travel can be by United through Washington Dulles, by American through JFK New York or Chicago, or on US Air through Philadelphia or Charlotte. Travel companies have very reasonable packages that you can book ahead of time that include air, hotel, and rental car. We used a rental car for our entire trip. Enterprise was our company of choice. I loved the opportunity to drive on the 'wrong side of the road' with a manual transmission. Roads can be extremely narrow or can have cars parked in the right of way. The Irish don't seem to mind what a fellow driver needs; they let people merge, turn, or pass with no problem. We never heard a car horn during the entire week of travelling through the country. The Irish drivers are very hospitable. I would say that the Irish are the nicest, most polite people that I have ever met. We landed in Dublin, but saved it for the last two days of our trip. If you don't have your own GPS/Garmin that you brought with you, I highly recommend renting one from your rental company. Before leaving the car rental lot, set your location on the Garmin as "home". This will make life easier on the day of your return to the airport. Irish side roads can lead you in places that you may want to go. When leaving the airport, you initially travel on the M50, which is a three to five lane 'Interstate' highway with a toll. There are no toll booths, instead you can pay at a gas station or online before 8:00 pm the next day. It's easy to pay, just stop at a gas station, take your car keys with the plate/registration information attached to the attendant at the station. He/she will type in your information, collect your money, and give you a receipt. After paying our toll we headed southwest from Dublin on a nice four-lane highway to Kilkenny and Waterford. Kilkenny is a city of about 25,000 people and (Travel websites: [] and [] ) is a great place to start with the 800 year old Kilkenny Castle, St. Canice's Cathedral, the Butter Slip, and Smithwick's Brewery Tour. The Dylan Whiskey Bar and Tynan's Bridge House Bar are two places to grab a drink. We then headed to Waterford and decided to skip the Waterford Crystal tour which we hear is very nice. Instead we stopped along the waterfront and visited the 900 year old Reginald's Tower which houses an exhibition on Viking Waterford (Waterford Travel Website: [] ). We also stopped at Jack Meade's Pub on Cheekpoint Road (Website: [] ) for some bar food and drink. Sit downstairs in the bar area and chat with the locals and bartender. We then headed to Blarney Castle and the Blarney Stone. Two things surprised us: 1) the beauty of the grounds around the castle, and 2) the lack of people. Even though some people scoff about this tourist trap, we actually enjoyed the experience (Website: [] ), and we would recommend it. We spent our first night in Cork (Website: [] ). We squeezed a lot into our first day, but our flight arrived at 5:15 AM Dublin time, and we kept going! The Abbey in Cork was a nice place for a late night stop & Paul Street was filled with many quirky shops on a pedestrian street. The Electric (Website: [] ) is a more modern, pricey restaurant/bar that was very nice with great outdoor seating by the river. Three oysters and a pint of Guinness for 7 Euros was a good nightcap. We stayed at the Jury's Inn Cork. It was a solid, place to stay.The next day we headed to Kinsale, which is a seaside town (Website: [] ), where we checked out the White House Pub and took a walk around the harbor while stopping at some shops. From Kinsale we headed to Killarney & the National Park (Website: [] ). The Ring of Kerry has many nice sights and there are a lot of websites that you can use to research it. Here are three to give you some background (Websites: [] and [] [] ) that you can explore. From the Ring of Kerry we headed to the Cliffs of Moher (pronounced "more") which is a top 3 place to visit in Ireland (Travel Website: [] ). Plan to spend some time here (1-2 hours). We thought that the south trail from the visitor center had the best views especially in the afternoon as the sun drifts to the west. After the Cliffs we headed to Galway. Galway is the fourth largest city in Ireland. (Travel Website: [] ). Our favorite area is Quay Street (pronounced "key street") where there is a lot of shops, bars, and nightlife. The Kings Head was one of our favorites. Christopher Columbus was a Galway visitor in 1477. We stayed at the Park House Hotel. The next day we headed west to Connemara Park and Clifden. Clifden is a nice small town with a couple of nice pubs that made up for a not too exciting Connemara Park. From the Clifden Square we drove the 9 mile Sky Road witch has great views of the coast. Although Clifden had two great pubs with great local music (Lowry's and EJ Kings), we would probably do something different the next time. Here's some Clifden Websites for some background and for two pubs in the city: [] and [] and []. We stayed at the Abbeyglen Castle Hotel -- very nice! Our fourth day was a drive back to Dublin along the M6 and M4. We stayed in Dalkey on the southeast side of the city at the Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel, which was a short convenient drive (one mile) near the DART train station. Dalkey is home of Bono and other U2 Band members. The DART makes it easy to travel into the city without driving (DART Website: [] ) and the Dalkey Station had a parking lot that we used. Dalkey has a couple of nice Pubs like Finnegan's (Website: [] ) or the Magpie Inn (Website: [] ). From Dalkey we took the DART to the Pearse Street Station. We bought roundtrips tickets both days. Alan described above the same sights that we visited in Dublin. We started our sightseeing with the hop on and hop off bus that we caught just outside the main gates of Trinity College. This gave us some ideas and some bearings of the city. We visited the Temple Bar District with it's many pubs and music venues (Websites: [] and [] ) and enjoyed adult beverages and a lot of music. The Quay, the Temple Bar, and The Old Storehouse Bar are touristy, but nice. The Porterhouse (Website: [] ) near the Grafton Street pedestrian mall had their own locally crafted beers along with many bottled favorites. The Irish Stew and Pot pies were great. Like Alan mentioned above, check out Trinity College and the Book of Kells and the Library's Long Room; Christ Church Cathedral, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Henry Street Mall, Grafton Street Mall, and O'Connell Street. When it was time to head back to the Dublin Airport, we paid our M50 toll in a Dalkey Gas Station while filling up our gas tank the night before our drive. I failed to mention that we got a diesel car, diesel is cheaper than unleaded gas, but it still runs about $6.00 per gallon. What you have to understand about Ireland is that there are not a lot of ancient treasures and artifacts due to the fact that the Vikings, feuds between clans, Henry VIII, Cromwell, and other conflicts pretty much destroyed ancient objects and sites, but what is lost in historic sites is gained in Irish hospitality, natural landscapes, food, adult beverages, and music!

Enjoy!


 * Alan Olds - ICELAND - June 2014**

We spent the last week of June driving the circumference of the island. Jim C has already explained below ticketing and how to contact Icelandair. We would add that the airline is similar to Frontier -- low fares and options for purchasing food and upgrades. The flight leaves Denver in the late afternoon, so grabbing a bite before getting on the plane is recommended. That said, we did buy dinner onboard (a decent chicken curry) but my brother and wife were farther back in the plane and by then few choices remained for food. We made travel arrangements through Nordic Visitor Once you inquire about booking you are assigned an agent who communicates via email. Our agent (Gudrun) always responded within 24 hours and was helpful with special inquiries. We selected a 6-day self-drive package that provided car, insurance, extensive maps and driving info, a day by day itinerary including annotations on sites along the way, nightly lodging + breakfast, a cell phone with 500 minutes for use within the country, and transfers to and from the airport. Gas is expensive (about $8/gallon) so factor that into choices between driving yourself or joining an excursion. Everything is pretty expensive in Iceland, although you can eat hot dogs everyday and hitchhike (saw lots of that, even in remote areas). But, we recommend the food -- all fresh, local and prepared with care. The Denver flight arrives at 6:30 am so we checked into the **Sunna Guesthouse**, literally across the street from Reykjavik's massive **Hallgrimskirja Cathedral** and walked around the city until lunchtime. Everything -- historic center, waterfront, shopping, restaurants -- is within walking distance. After a nap we heard an afternoon organ concert in Hallgrimskirja. The organ is as massive and impressive as the church; this was a highlight of the trip for my sister-in-law, who is a musician. Temperatures ranged from low 50s to mid 60s while we were there, at the mildest time of the year. **Bring layers of clothing!** We saw everything from driving rain and fog to clear skies and sun. The country is stunningly beautiful in any season, but summer brings out endless green hills and flowers everywhere. There are fields of lupine that have overtaken the countryside -- actually a problem as an invasive species, but colorful nonetheless. The Golden Circle route that Jim describes below (Pingvellir Park, Geysir, Gullfoss waterfall) is a good one-day excursion from Reykjavik, which can be arranged through hotel or the Gray Line travel station. Hiking trails and overlooks from the visitor center give views of historical and geographical sites, an easy 1-1.5 hour walk. You can also hike to an overlook above Geysir (the original spouting geothermal feature that gave its name to geysers everywhere) that takes in the farming countryside. And a short walk from an overlook to Gullfoss puts you right in the mist of the two-tiered falls, equally impressive as Niagara. We stayed the first night in **Vik i Myrdal** on the south coast. The black beach leads to a spectacular rock arch and basalt columns offshore that locals say are trolls who turned to stone when the rising sun caught them unawares. Puffins are in the cliffs along the shore, although the weather prevented us from getting near enough to see them. Stayed at the **Icelandair Hotel** (connected to **Hotel Edda Vik**) -- modern, very Scandanavian, almost brand new. The highlight of the next day's drive was **Jokulsarlon**, a bay of huge chunks of ice, calved from the **Vatnajokull** glacier, Europe's largest chunk of ice. In other seasons snowmobile and cross-country ski trips allow you to explore deeper in to the interior. In summer, it's open for driving, but you have to rent a 4 x 4 if you want to drive into some totally wild country on rudimentary roads (river crossings and potholes abound, but everyone who's done it says it's worth the extra expense and adventure). We spent the night in a tiny fishing village **Djupivogur** in **Hotel Framtid**. The hotel is built of knotty pine, a rarity in Iceland. Excellent restaurant attached (My wife had lobster). The following day was a long one across some barren northern countryside. Much of Iceland's soil is from volcanic rock. That plus the fact that early settlers burned every living tree for fuel make for some wide open views. We stopped at **Myvatn** and had a dip in their thermal pool. Much less expensive than the Blue Lagoon, overlooking lakes and farmland. Highly recommended. Ate lunch at a working farm, the aptly named **Vogafjos Cowshed Restaurant** -- all food and dairy products fresh from the barn/field to you. Our destination was **Husavik**, a northern fishing town and **major whale watching** hub, also the site of the first settlement in Iceland in 870. Took a fantastic four-hour trip with **North Sailing** (most expensive by a bit, but also most experienced) aboard a 2-masted schooner to see puffin island (literally thousands of birds nesting and flying about or diving into the ocean) and a humpback whale that we watched for over an hour. Stayed at **Hotel Husavik** -- nothing special and no room darkening shades which was a problem since the sun didn't set while we were there. Lots of other hotel choices (see Trip Advisor). The town has an old church and harbor/waterfront with choices of restaurants; we ate at **Gamli Bakur** twice -- dinner and lunch. Great bar and local decor, good food, outdoor seating. From there we drove through the northern fjords -- snow capped peaks and wide pasture lands. Everyone has sheep grazing and baled hay in white plastic rolls that look like giant marshmallows. This day we also saw dozens of Icelandic horses -- beautiful animals in a variety of colors and patterns, all with long manes and thick coats even in summer. Caution -- Icelanders eat horse meat, but when it was on the menu it was clearly identified. Stayed at a remote lodging complex run by an eccentric cook and family, **Hofsstadir Guesthouse.** There is nothing nearby, so we ate dinner on site, excellent lamb and fish dinners but outrageously expensive, even by Icelandic standards. The last day drove back to Reykjavik and stopped in **Bogarnes,** a good sized town with an interesting museum (**The Settlement Centre**) and attached cafe. Our wives did their present buying in the attached gift shop -- lots of local crafts and unique art (runic jewelry, fish skin wallets, etc).
 * Reykjavik** itself is a walkable city with historic houses and civic buildings. Very clean. **Laugavegur St.** is the main restaurant area and walking mall. There is a flea market near the harbor we walked through. Good place for cheap and exotic eats (putrid shark, horse meat hamburgers, lamb meat hot dogs). The city also has many second hand stores if you forget something or need to add a layer of clothing without spending a fortune on the trendier brands.


 * Jim Cullen - ICELAND - September 2012:**

Ticketing: I called Iceland Air and listed before going to the pass office to get my ZED fare electronic ticket. Total cost for 1 R/T ticket was $240. When I called Iceland Air, they were very helpful, giving the exact number of available seats and number of nonrevs listed. Flight time was about 6 hrs. Travel: I beleive that weather will play a role in any trip to Iceland. The wind blows constantly. Don't underestimate the cold. During our trip in September the daytime highs were about 50 but felt much cooler. We were snowed on a couple times too. **I strongly recommend warm clothes and rain gear**. The Iceland Air non-stop from Denver arrives in Reykjavik about 6:30 AM. After clearing customs/immigration and getting our car, we were just in time for rush hour. We spent a couple hours in Reykjavik but there was not much open that early. None of our credit cards worked in ATM's so we went to a bank to get cash on our card.. We drove about 1 hour north to Pingvellir Natl. Park. This is a very facinating place for 2 reasons. It is the sight of the first democratic paraliament in AD930, held by the Vikings, and it is the site of the seperation of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. We were getting pretty tired after nearly no sleep on the flight so we checked into our lodging at the Gullfoss Hotel, near Gullfoss Falls. We both liked this hotel, it's very isolated but near the falls. Small place with great food and beautiful setting-not near any towns. Gullfoss Falls is well worth the drive. It is a huge, 2 tiered falls complete with it's own rainbows on a sunny day. Geysir is nearby also. If you've seen Yellowstone you may be disappointed by the small size of the geothermal activity at Geysir but, since your driving right past it.... Our plan was to spend the majority of our trip in the Western Fjords area so we drove about 4-5 hours the following day to get to Stykkisholmur. This is a ideal spot for touring the Snaefellsjokull peninsula and National Park. The drive around the pensinsula is absolutely wonderful, endless beauty full of photo opt after photo opt. Lunch in Helnar at a pictuesque spot accessable only by walking down a path to a location perched above the bay. There is also a nice hike through lava fields along the sea--RT is about 1 hour. The ferry to the Western Fjords leaves from Stykkisholmur. Seatours offers a "unique tour " of the harbor and it was a fun way to spend our morning since the ferry didn't leave until 3:00 PM. and it's a 2 1/2 hour ferry ride. We spent that night in Flokalunder at the only hotel. The rooms were incredibily small but it's located just a couple miles from the ferry dock. There is a very private hot springs located about 100 yds from the hotel along the bay. The next day, we drove to the Latrabjarg Bird Cliffs. The birds were gone having migrated in mid-August. We had planned to spend the night in Talknafjordur but there was no lodging there and we drove to Isafjordur. This area of the country is extremely isolated and spectacular. We were driving for 1-2 hours between small fishing villages, often not seeing othere cars for 1/2 hour or more. The scenery is constant and endless. You could literally take terrific photos anyplace along the road. At times the dirt road followed the coastline and other times the road went up and over the fjord to drop down into another spectacular fjord. Isafjordur is the largest town in the Western Fjords at about 2,000 residents. It is very isolated accessable only by lengthy drives or plane. The setting is again spectacular. I really can't describe the constant beauty of the Western Fjords area. It's huge vistas of snowcapped mountains of 3-4,000 ft. dropping down to the ocean and it's one beautiful fjord after another with very few villages or people. From Isafjordur we made the drive back to Reykjavik in about 5 hours. The roads were icey in spots and we were snowed on a couple times. Iceland is about the size of Kentucky but the curvy roads and road conditions make driving slow. **It is very, very expensive**. We were paying about $9.50 per gallon of gas and an evening meal was $50-75 without drinks. Given the weather and high cost of everything, I'd go back again anytime and probably will soon. The scenery is too great to pass on. We spent the early part of the departure day at the Blue Lagoon. It's a vast goethermal about 10 miles from the airport and a good spot to say good-bye to Iceland. Here's a YouTube Video of Iceland: [|http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=r-xdQ1or3dw#!] Enjoy. Jim Cullen


 * Kris Mitchell - MELBOURNE (MBN), AUSTRALIA - December 2013:**

This was a fantastic trip for $407.00 round trip/Zed I flew to LAX on F9, caught the 11:30 pm flight to MBN arriving 16 hrs. later at 8 am. I flew Qantas on an A380 Airbus which seats 500. I was the last person on! This is an awesome plane that looks like one plane sitting on top of another. Service was excellent, friendly crew, pilot explains the route. Dinner is served one hour after take off, then the lights are turned down and everyone is encouraged to sleep. I took pills called Jet Lag, which helped me relax, sleep, and I felt very little jet lag on my arrival! Busses are available to take you to the city for $15.00. Get the round trip ticket/its cheaper. I arrived on Christmas Eve day(MBN is a day ahead of us) so my daughter & I rode bikes to church service and the Christmas displays in the city. She lives in ST Kilda district, just a 15 min bike ride to downtown. Trolly cars run this route, too. Very safe & inexpensive. We rented a car and drove up the East Coast to Sydney for their spectacular New Year's Eve celebration/fireworks display. This is world renoun & they spend billions of dollars on it! Definitely do it! When traveling up the coast we spent 3 nights camping. Campgrounds are abundant, clean, near the beach and very safe. I took our tent & supplies in a large duffle bag which I shipped under for free.


 * Sarah Lind - BRAZIL - February 2010:**

Travel is safe in Brazil, but you need to know what to do and where to go. I have been to Brazil a few times, and traveled within the country alot. I have been to Sao Paulo, Rio de Janerio, Iguassu, Maringa, Londrina, and a few other places. The beaches are amazing, and well worth the trip, as well as the Falls of Iguassu--don't miss these waterfalls! Flights can be expensive if paying full fare for tickets to Brazil, but non-rev travel is possible, with a lot of options. Travel within the country is fairly cheap. Lodging and food is very affordable, we stayed in a nice resort in Iguassu for around $20-30US per night. The 'real' Brazilian steakhouses (like Rodizio, Texas de Brazil) are authentic, delicious and about $10US per person. :) Must apply for a visa through the consulate's office (located in HOU), this can be an involved process. Ask me for details and tips about visa and other Brazil travel. -Sarah Lind


 * Cheryl Hydrick - ENGLAND - March 2012:**

Travel to London Heathrow from Denver on American Airlines connection in Chicago for around 135 medium zed. If you start your travel in Denver you become a through passenger in Chicago and it elevates your passrider status above others. In London you can take the tube for around 10 dollars or the Express Train for around 20 into London.

We stayed one block from Victoria Station at an amazing hotel Topham which is a row house location. It is just a few blocks from the royal mews ( behind Buckingham Palace) for around 120 a night with a very big private bath and good sized room. Ian Flemming lived next door, while he was writing James Bond.

Although you can still use swipe credit cards for better exchanges, England now prefers tap credit cards, kind of like our badges. Transport is easy on foot, tube or double decker bus, but quite expensive. Take a boat ride down the Thames to Greenwich, to see the Maritime museum and the fish and chips there were fantastic. Walk through the park to Blackheath where all the vicitims of the plague were buried. Great pubs around here. Boat ride takes about an hour up with lots of history pointed out on the way there and back, around 15 dollars.

One day, take the train (around 20) to Cambridge to see all the colleges within a small city area. You do need to take a bus in from the train station. Amazing trip through the countryside and so worth it. Trains leave every half hour all day to and from.

Get a city pass for easy access to all tourist sights. Free wifi in all pubs, use cloud.

Enjoy Oxford and Regent streets, Harrods, Picadilly Circus, the theaters, etc.

We walked everywhere day and night and never felt unsafe, although you do need to be careful of pickpocketers around sights like changing of the guard at palace etc. where people are taking pictures and in close proximity to others.

Flying out of London is very, very expensive due to taxes. Most inexpensive way was to take a low zed fare on US Airways to PHL and then to DEN on Frontier. Flights are an easy connection getting in at 3:30 and leaving at 5ish. Flight home cost around 255.

Keep in mind that the summer olympics are pushing up prices and construction is everywhere in anticipation. Cheryl H.


 * Mike Summers - BARCELONA - May 2011:**

We flew on Lufthansa from Denver to Frankfurt. We then connected on Lufthansa to Barcelona. The Barcelona airport was updated when they hosted the 1992 Summer Olympics. It's very easy to transfer to a train that takes you into the city (Websites: [] and [] . We were travelling with my in-laws. We decided to take the RENFE train to the city Centre, and then switch to the Metro to get to our hotel. The RENFE train service runs approximately every 30 minutes to and from Barcelona airport to the city Centre. Travel time is approximately 25 minutes. If travelling from the airport to the city Centre you can get off at **Barcelona Sants**, **Passeig de Gràcia or Clot** which are serviced by metro stops. From these you can change for the Barcelona Metro underground system to go to your final destination. My in-laws took the Aerobus (Website: [] ). We beat them to the hotel by less than five minutes. Both alternatives seemed to work out well. You will most likely need to switch to the Metro from either the RENFE train or the Aerobus to get to your hotel. The Barcelona Metro (Website: [] ) will get you all over the city. We bought a 2-day unlimited travel Barcelona Card at a Metro station for our trips through the city. We stayed at the Novotel Barcelona City Centre (Website: [] ), which was about three blocks from the Metro **Glories** station (Map: [] ). The neighborhood was upper middle class with banks nearby that made it easy to access my home bank account using my debit card with the local ATM's. The nearby Metro stop made it easy to visit various parts of the city. Our primary reason to visit Barcelona was to take a Mediterranean Cruise on Celebrity. To reach the cruise terminal, you pretty much need take a taxi. It's quite a walk from the nearest Metro stop to get to the terminal. Make it easy on yourself and have the concierge arrange for a taxi on the day of your cruise. Barcelona Cruise Terminal Map and Information: []. As for things to do in Barcelona, two things come to mind: 1) __Walk the length of La Rambla__ (along with side streets) (Websites: [] and [] and visit the various sites. and 2) __Visit Familia Sagrada__ church (Websites: [] and [] ) and (YouTube: [] ). Construction began in 1882, and it continues today. I would also recommend taking the Fat Tire Bike Tour of Barcelona (Website: [] ). You see a lot of the city, get some exercise, and have a tour guide who has a lot of information to share. It takes just a few hours. (You Tube Barcelona: [] ). Other attractions website: [] . As for food there are many excellent options. One is L'Oliana Restaurant, we went there for lunch the very last day of our trip, the best Cannelloni and Cod fritters (Website: [] ). La Tramoia (Website: [] ) is excellent. The best atmosphere was Café de L'Academia, which was hard to find in the Gothic Quarter (Website: [] ), but well worth the chance to sit an old square. Our favorite was Les Quinze Nets (Website: [] ) with its excellent, cheap table wine and an excellent variety of food. There is almost always a line, but it's worth the wait! It's located in Placa Reial just off La Rambla (Website: [] }. There are two other restaurants in the square, which we also tried. They're worth visiting if you don't want to wait at Les Quinze Nets. Enjoy Barcelona!


 * Mike Summers, Jim Campbell, Frank Veucosovic, and Robert Maciel - LONDON - February 2011:**

We flew to London by way of United from Denver to Washington (Dulles) to London Heathrow. Zed fare cost was $461 round trip per person. We liked United because of the multiple flights (options) for non-rev travel. Once landing in Heathrow (Airport Website: [] ), we took the Underground (subway) from the airport to our hotel. London Underground's Piccadilly Line provides the most cost-effective rail route between Heathrow Airport and the capital. Journey time is under an hour and you shouldn't have to wait longer than ten minutes for a train, even off-peak. A cash single fare to central London (Zone 1) is £5.50. Tickets are available at all London Underground stations (from ticket offices or self-service machines) and at the Travel Information Centre located in the Heathrow Terminal 123 station. The best deal is to buy an Oyster card with pay as you go credit and pay a £5 deposit, which you can use during the rest of your visit on all underground aka tube services. Oyster cards (Website: [] ) are available at all London Underground stations (from ticket offices or some self-service machines) and at the Travel Information Centre located in Heathrow Terminal 123 station. You can also purchase a Zones 1-6 Day Travelcard which is £8.90 (from 0930 Monday to Friday and all day Saturday, Sunday and public holidays) or which is £16.40 (all day Monday to Friday excluding public holidays). Travelcards can be used on all tube and bus services and on most National Rail services. Tickets are available at all London Underground (London Underground Website: [] ) stations (from ticket offices or self-service machines) and at the Travel Information Centre located in Heathrow Terminal 123 station. Our hotel was the Novotel London West (Website: [] ) near the Hammersmith Tube station which is between the airport and central London (great location). There was also a Holiday Inn Express in the same area that seemed nice (Website: [] ). There are many sights to see in London, my favorites are: Westminster Abbey (Website: [] ), Tower of London (Website: [] ), St. Paul's Cathedral -- just for the climb through the dome to the very top and the panoramic view of the city (Website: [] ), British Museum (Website: [] ) and the Rosetta Stone, Buckingham Palace and the Changing of the Guard (Website: [] ), Trafalgar Square, Tate Modern Art Museum, Piccadilly Circus (London's Time Square), Houses of Parliament and Big Ben (Viewed from the opposite side of the Thames), and a Thames Cruise to Greenwich (Website: [] ) and a walk up to the Royal Observatory. We took a Network Express train from Waterloo Station to Salisbury to visit Stonehenge. At the Salisbury Station we hopped on a Wilts and Dorset bus that takes you out and back to the Stonehenge site for $10.00. If time allows check out the Salisbury Cathedral and have a pint at the Salisbury Haunch of Venison. We also took a train from the Paddington Station to Bath. Bath is well known for its Roman mineral springs and the Royal Crescent. It's an easy walk from the train station through town. We took another train ride to Windsor Castle from Waterloo Station. The Castle tour was cool. Visit St. George's Chapel and see Henry VIII's tomb. As for Pub Grub, we liked the Anchor Inn (Website: [] ), Black Friars (Website: [] ), Churchill Arms (Website: [] ), and the Blue Anchor (Website: [] ). We also did this Pub Crawl along the Thames visiting the Town of Ramsgate, Captain Kidd, Prospect of Whitby, and Grapes (Website for Pub Crawl: []) ). Here's a website that I found for some other Pub Crawls: [].

Of course there's much. much more to do in London; go purchase a travel guide to help you decide where to go and have fun!


 * Mike Summers - PARIS - December 2009:**

We flew to Paris by way of United through Chicago. Our ZED fare was $276.16 per person round trip. Paris is obviously a great city to visit. We decided to purchase the Paris Pass Card, which allows you to enter many sites like the Arc de Triomphe and the Louvre; it allows you to by-pass many lines, and you can use it on the Paris Subway System (The Metro). The Card (Website: [] ) is fairly expensive, but worth it in the long run. Our cost was $183.59 per person, but the savings in time and money were worth the initial investment. With the card we visited all of the top spots, which included the Louvre (Websites: [] and [] ) and the iconic Mona Lisa along with the Venus de Milo. The Le Café Marly in the Louvre is a great place for lunch (Website: [] ). The Eiffel Tower (Website: [] ), Notre Dame Cathedral (Website: [] ), Arc de Triomphe (Website: [] ), Champs-Elysees (Website: [] ), Musee d'Orsay (Website: [] ), Pantheon (Website: [] ), Place de la Concorde (Website: [] ), Sainte-Chapelle (Website: [] and [] ), Les Invalides and Napoleon's Tomb (Website: [] ), Versailles Palace (Website: [] ), and Fontainebleau (Website: [] ) were on our list of places to visit. You'll want to buy a travel book for Paris like Fodor's and check out some other sites that you may want to visit that pertains to your interests. The Metro (Website: [] ) is excellent at getting you anywhere that you want to visit in the city. We stayed near the Roissy Airport (also called Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport) (Website: [] ) at the Marriott (Website: [] ). This hotel had a free shuttle that took you back to the airport where you picked up the RER line train to Paris where you could switch to the Metro. What was nice about Roissy was that it was located close to the airport and about 15 miles northeast of Paris (kind of like DIA's location to Denver). At the airport two high-speed rail stations, one a part of the Réseau Express Régional (RER) line and the other a Train à Grande Vitesse (TGV) station, can be accessed from the terminal. While the RER focuses primarily on Paris and its suburbs, passengers on the TGV can go to several French cities from Roissy. We focused on taking the RER to the city every morning (Website with step-by-Step photo instructions: [] ). As for food, we often ate in the Latin Quarter (Website: [] ). One Restaurant was the Paros Restaurant 28, rue St Severin 75005 and another was the Au Gourmet de I'isle Restaurant, which is a bistro with a good lunch menu. What can you expect of a meal in the Latin Quarter? It should be inexpensive. Be sure to take advantage of the menu offerings. Do not expect to be able to make substitutes. Stick to the fixed menu and be careful of the extra cost for drinks like wine and coffees. You can always ask for a carafe d’eau as opposed to a bottle of mineral water. Parisians eat late. So, you can easily get a table at 6:30 PM. Most restaurants in the Latin Quarter have menus printed in French and English and most have wait staffs that speak English. Paris is a wonderful city. We loved it and wouldn't hesitate returning.


 * Mike Summers - ROME - June 2009:**

We used our United miles to fly to Rome through Washington Dulles. If you did this trip non-rev on United it would cost around $350.00. US Air has flights to Rome through Philadelphia with the non-rev cost at around $300.00. When flying to Rome you land at Rome Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport (FCO), which is about 20 miles southwest of Rome (Airport Websites: [] and [] ). You can take taxis, rent a car, or take one of two trains to Rome. Taxis cost 40 to 60+ euros depending on your hotel or destination. As for the trains, inquire at the APT Tourist Information Counter in the International Arrivals Hall (Terminal B) or the train information counter near the tracks to determine which train takes you closest to your destination in Rome. One train, the 30 minute non-stop Airport-Termini Express (called the Leonardo Express) goes directly to Track 25 at the Termini Station (Rome's main train station) where you can pick up the Rome Metro, taxis, or buses. It costs 11 euros. FM1, the other airport train, leaves from the same tracks as the Leonardo Express, and runs to Rome and beyond. It has more stops; so, it takes longer to get to Rome. The cost is 5.50 euros. Both trains leave every 30 minutes. Train information: []. For either train, buy your ticket at a vending machine or at ticket counters at the airport. At the airport stamp the ticket at the station gate at the train platform. At other stations there are little red or yellow machines that stamp your ticket. Failure to stamp can result in a 100 euro fine! We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express - San Giovanni, which was an easy FM1 train ride from the Airport to the Tuscolana station stop. From the station it was about a 1/4 mile walk to the hotel (Hotel Website: [] ). Up the street from the hotel was the San Giovanni Metro stop, which is on the Orange Line (Websites for Metro: [] and [] ). The Metro is easy to use. It's very simple...it's just a huge 'X' that crisscrosses the city.

I'll get to the main sights below, but the part of Rome that we really enjoyed was the Piazzas. When you go to a piazza, you find a comfortable table at a wine bar and sit and do people watching. It's kind of like being at a beach and watching the waves. Our favorite piazzas were: Campo de' Fiori (Websites: [] and [] and [] ), Piazza di Spagna which is at the base of the Spanish Steps (Websites: [] and [] ), and the Piazza Navona and the Fountain of the four rivers (Websites: [] and [] ). Rome has many sights to see like the Trevi Fountain (Website: [] ), the Spanish Steps (Website: [] ), the Pantheon (Website: [] ), the Forum (Website: [] ), the Colosseum (Website: [] ), and the Vatican with the Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Basilica (Websites: [] and [] ). I'd suggest taking a tour through the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel -- you learn a lot from your tour guide, and you get to skip the long lines.

A Fodor's Guide Book is very useful for Rome. We also took a tour to the Catacombs, the Via Appia Antica, and the Aqueduct. On another day we went to Tivoli. and on another day we took a train to the town of Frascati.

There are many churches (big and small) that you can visit for the artwork, the architecture, or the relics. Start with the largest (St Peter's Basilica (Website: [] ), then visit Rome's official cathedral named San Giovanni in Laterno (Website: [] ), next visit Santa Maria sopra Minerva (Website: [] ) with Michelangelo's //Risen Christ.// Another church to visit is San Pietro in Vincoli (Website: [] ) which contains Michelangelo's statue of //Moses// and the the chains of St. Peter's final imprisonment in the Mamertine Prison in Rome, which are located in glass under the altar. Another church is Sant' Agnese in Agone (Website: [] ) which is found on the Piazza Navona. Inside this church is a shrine for Saint Agnes, containing her skull. Another church is Sant' Ignazio (Website: [] ) was built to honor the founder of the Jesuits. Still another small church is Santa Maria Cosmedin (Website: [] ), where, in a side altar on the left of the church is kept the flower crowned skull of St Valentine. San Clemente (Website: [] ) is a Basilica built to honor the third pope, St. Clement. In addition to the church there are excavations taking place below the sanctuary. Still another church is Santa Maria in Aracoeli (Website: [] ), which contains the remains of St. Helen. And still another church is Santa Maria in Trastevere (Website: [] ), which contains a relic of Saint Apollonia, her head, as well as a portion of the Holy Sponge that was dipped in vinegar (or in some translations sour wine) and offered to Christ to drink during the Crucifixion. One last church that we visited was Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (Website: [] ), which contains many relics such as a section of the sign that was placed on Christ's cross, two thorns of Christ's crown, pieces of his cross, a large fragment of the Good Thief's cross, the bone of an index finger, said to be the finger of St. Thomas that he placed in the wounds of the Risen Christ, and a single reliquary containing small pieces of: the Scourging Pillar (to which Christ was tied as he was beaten); the Holy Sepulchre (Christ's tomb); and the crib of Jesus. All of these are free to enter. The architecture and art are amazing to see.

As for food, we liked Brasia, which is on a back street near Campo de' Fiori for the pizza. Our favorite wine bar was Cavour 313 (Website Review: [] ), which had lots of great food. Panattoni is another great pizza place also known as the "Morgue" (Web info: [] ). Rome has many enjoyable places to eat. Even though I took a year of Italian in college, you can easily use English within the city.

We're looking forward to coming back.


 * Mike Summers - ATHENS - May 2011:**

We cruised into Athens by way of the port of Piraeus. It is a pretty good idea to use a cruise ship's excursion to visit the Acropolis and Parthenon in Athens. If you want to save money (and walk about 30 minutes), here is a website that gives you an excellent description of how to get to the Athens Metro Piraeus Station (Website: [] ). This information will put you on the Green Line (#1) toward the central city (Athens Metro Guide and Information: [] ). If you are going **straight to the Acropolis** you have two ways on how to do it by the Green Line. The f**irst option** is getting off at the **Thissio station** which is on the **green metro line**, the one you embark on in Piraeus. You can get an Athens metro map here. The ride from Piraeus metro station to Thissio is about **15 min long** and it doesn’t involve any change of lines or trains. From Thissio station, walk to the bottom of the Athens Acropolis for about 10 minutes, and from there climb up the steep hill to reach the top with the Athens Parthenon. The s**econd option**, if you’d like to enter the **Athens Acropolis complex** from its main entrance, is to take the **Green line to Omonia** and then change to the **Red line**. Acropolis metro station will be the third stop on the red line from Omonia. The whole ride will take about 15 minutes more than getting off at Thissio. (Metro map: [] ) for reference. Plaka is the old town of Athens and has been populated for over 5,000 years. Situated on the north and east slopes of the Acropolis (Acropolis Information: [] ), it is rich with historic sites, such as ancient monuments and churches. Plaka (Plaka Information: [] ) is well worth exploring. Within Athens there are eight large hills, including the Acropolis, and on the outskirts, Mount Parnitha, Mount Pendeli and Mount Hymettos surround the city. A trip to the Greek capital's most famous tourist attraction, the impressive Parthenon (Website of Parthenon Information: [] ), built on the Acropolis around 2,500 years ago, is extremely memorable to say the least and a must-see. There are an extraordinary number of historic tourist sights in Athens and many of these are known world-wide. Some of the top places of interest include the Agora - a grand, ruined Roman building that was funded by Roman emperors (Website: [] ); the Temple of Zeus - built around 1,500 years ago for the worship of the Greek God Zeus (Website: []) ); Hadrian's Arch - originally the city gate linking the Roman quarters with the original town of Athens (Website: []) ); and the stunning Dionysos Theatre - the world's oldest theatre where many great plays have been performed over the years (Website: [] ). There is also plenty of historic information about Athens for tourists when visiting the city's world-class museums, and the best of these cultural offerings include the wonderful National Historical Museum - with collections of objects that illuminate the history of Greece (Web Information: [] ); the National Archaeological Museum - with superb statues and vases (Web Information: [] ); and the National Art Gallery (Web Information: []) ), featuring many great works of art. On our afternoon visit, we had lunch in the Plaka area. I have included a website for restaurants in the area (Plaka Restaurants Website and Link: [] ), but we only visited one on our trip. It was the Hermion (Website: [] ) with a nice outside seating area. We tried a Greek Lager beer called Mythos. It had a nice flavor with a bit more body than Budweiser (Mythos Information: [] ). Athens is worth a visit! The scenery, history, views, and nightlife around the Acropolis is really neat. English is spoken just about everywhere.

**Matt Hart - August 2010:**

Covering less than 1000 scenic kilometres on good roads, this route makes a sight-packed, week-long driving loop; Dublin, Kilkenny, Cork, Limerick and Galway are ideal overnight stops. You could easily make the trip shorter by only visiting a selection of the places below. It's also possible to cover this itinerary by bus (or in some sections, by train), but allow longer for connections and some minor backtracking.

Dublin Pin this image

Kick off your journey in the buzzing Irish capital. Stroll through stately [| St Stephen's Green], learn about the country's Bronze- and Iron-Age history, Viking heritage and Celtic customs at the exceptional [|National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology] , and stop for lunch in casual or formal surrounds at [|Fade Street Social]. Afterwards, visit prestigious [|Trinity College] to see one of the world's oldest manuscripts, the Book of Kells. Fans of the 'black stuff' will want to hit the [|Guinness Storehouse], while history buffs shouldn't miss [|Kilmainham Gaol]. Cross the Ha'penny Bridge over the River Liffey for dinner at restaurant/bookshop the [|Winding Stair]. Dublin's literary history and its legendary pubs both deserve thorough exploration; combine the two on the animated [|Dublin Literary Pub Crawl]. Sleeping options abound, from state-of-the-art hostels like [|Isaacs Hostel] to refined townhouse digs such as [|Trinity Lodge].

Kilkenny City Situated 125km southwest of Dublin, the delightful 'city' (really, town) of [|Kilkenny] is Ireland in microcosm. Straddling the swirling River Nore, it's crowned by a magnificent castle and dazzling cathedral. After exploring its ruined abbeys, tangle of medieval lanes such as sloping [|Butter Slip], and art and craft galleries including the excellent [|National Craft Gallery & Kilkenny Design Centre] , dine on some of the finest Modern Irish cuisine in the country at [|Campagne] , then linger over a pint at historic [|Kyteler's Inn]. Amid beautiful grounds, turreted mansion [|Butler House] has individually decorated hotel rooms with atmospherically creaky floors.

Rock of Cashel Pin this image

Appearing like an apparition above the fertile plains of County Tipperary, 62km southwest of Kilkenny, is the iconic [|Rock of Cashel]. Dating from the 4th century, 'the Rock' was a centre of power for Irish kings for over 400 years. Within its stone walls, surviving structures include a complete round tower, a 13th-century Gothic cathedral and an exquisite 12th-century Romanesque chapel. Allow a couple of hours here before a gourmet lunch at nearby [|Cafe Hans].

Cobh Set in a glittering estuary on Great Island – one of three islands that fill Cork Harbour – just over 100km southwest of Cashel, [|Cobh] (pronounced 'cove') was the ill-fated //Titanic//'s final port of call. The original White Star Line Offices, where passengers embarked, are now home to the poignant [|Titanic Experience Cobh] museum. Around the back, the [|Titanic Bar & Grill] has a panoramic terrace. History also comes to life at the fascinating heritage centre [|Cobh, The Queenstown Story], housed in the old train station; if you're tracing your Irish ancestors, there's a genealogy centre here. Lording it over the town's steep streets and colourful terraced houses is the colossal [|St Colman's Cathedral].

Cork City Just 25km northwest of Cobh, the elegant Georgian parades and narrow alleyways of the Republic of Ireland's second-largest city, [|Cork], spill over with lively restaurants, pubs, music and theatres. County Cork is renowned as Ireland's gourmet heartland, and its bountiful produce is showcased at the ornate Victorian-era Cork [|English Market]. Upstairs, the [|Farmgate Café] serves market-driven dishes; get a balcony table for a bird's-eye view. [|Electric] has a Modern Irish menu as well as a fabulous bar with a deck overlooking the River Lee. A Cork landmark for over 200 years, the //grande dame// [|Imperial Hotel] has an unbeatable city-centre location and intriguing history. Head 8km northwest for 15th-century [|Blarney Castle]. (Just think twice before kissing the much-puckered-up-to Blarney Stone to acquire the gift of the gab.)

Adare An impossibly quaint clutch of thatched cottages make up 'Ireland's prettiest village', [|Adare], 93km northwest of Cork (and 84km north of Blarney Castle) in County Limerick. They were built as workers cottages by 19th-century English landlord the Earl of Dunraven during the construction of [|Adare Manor], now home to a magnificent hotel and golf course. The Adare Heritage Centre arranges summer tours of ruined [|Adare Castle], dating from the 12th century, and can also point you in the direction of other impressive ruins including a 15th-century Franciscan friary. Don't miss a meal at one of the Emerald Isle's dining gems, [|Restaurant 1826 Adare].

Limerick City Pin this image

Just 16km northeast from Adare is [|Limerick City] (the Republic's third-biggest), immortalised by the late Pulitzer Prize-winning author Frank McCourt in //Angela's Ashes//. Overlooking the mighty River Shannon on King's Island, refurbished 13th-century [|King John's Castle] is the stuff of medieval fantasies. Nearby is the 1168-founded [|St Mary's Cathedral]. The country's inaugural Irish City of Culture, Limerick also harbours outstanding art at the [|Limerick City Gallery of Art], and artefacts at the hands-on [|Hunt Museum]. Alongside lively George's Quay, the [|Locke Bar] is a great spot for gastropub grub or just a pint. If you don't mind staying in the (noisy) heart of the action, the [|Boutique Hotel] has groovy, great-value rooms and local artwork.

Galway City Pin this image

[|Galway City], less than 100km northwest of Limerick on beautiful Galway Bay, has an artistic, bohemian soul. The city itself is the chief attraction here: allow time to wander its narrow laneways lined with brightly coloured shopfronts, stroll its seaside promenade to [|Salthill], and check out its cracking live music scene. The [|Crane Bar] and [|Tig Cóilí] are fantastic bets for trad music; for the next big Irish acts before they hit the big time, head to [|Róisín Dubh]. Seafood is the city's signature delicacy; try it at [|Oscar's] or Michelin-starred [|Aniar], or tuck into home-style fish and chips at local institution [|McDonagh's]. Galway is awash with accommodation, from heaving hostels such as [|Snoozles] to funky design properties like the [|House Hotel].

Connemara Pin this image

Unfolding northwest of Galway, the wonderfully remote [|Connemara] region is one of the country’s major Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking) areas. A half-day-or-so's drive (or bus tour) lets you discover its undulating bogs, vast valleys, mountainous peaks and brooding lakes. Top stops include the charming fishing harbour of [|Roundstone], [|Leenane] on Killary Harbour (Ireland's only fjord), and Connemara's 'capital' [|Clifden] , with the panoramic 12km-long Sky Road providing dizzying coastal views. Back in Galway, it's a straight 200km shot east to return to Dublin.