Global Gourmet - Europe

Under rather sad circumstances, the NY Times published what was probably R.W.Apple's last submission to that publication.

The article, titled Global Gourmet, gives us the author's top 10 favorite restaurants in the world. Why weren't I surprised to see that 6 out of 10 restaurants were from Europe? Ahhh, the charms of the Old World! Please note the author's preference for smaller town restaurants in France, Italy, and Spain.

FLEURIE, France

SANT’AGATA SUI DUE GOLFI, Italy

SAN SEBASTIÁN, Spain

BRUSSELS, Belgium

LONDON, England

GOTHENBURG, Sweden

Enjoy!

Royal Gardens of Europe: From Grandeur to Privacy

The final chapter from the book Royal Gardens of Europe by George Plumptre is taking the reader from Big to Small, showing how the small and the private became - in time - the new beautiful.

The author recommends:

Fredensborg Palace - Lake Esrum, Denmark

Balchik - Balchik, Bulgaria

Castle of Mey - Caithness, Scotland

Laeken - Brussels, Belgium

Isola Bisentina - Lake Boselna, Italy (near Orvieto)

Highgrove - Gloucestershire, England

Enjoy your trips!

Royal Gardens of Europe: Botanists and Plantsmen

It seems that horticulture was long a passion of the kings and queens of Europe, as their royal gardens often displayed exotic plants. Some of them actually became of international interest for the variety of plants, turning into veritable botanical gardens.

Le Park du Vasterival - Dieppe, France (Eastern Normandy)

Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew - London, England

Osborne House - Isle of Wight, England

Chateau de Belvedere - Brussels, Belgium

Sizzling Hot Brussels (but is it affordable?)

Conde Nast Traveler (August 2006 issue) published a story on Brussels, "Europe's Hot New Capital". (sidenote: I could not link to the article on their website, because this magazine apparently did not embrace the newer business model of giving away free content against massive advertisement on their site). Alas, it's a pretty good story (with lots of good pictures), written and displayed in their characteristic style resembling more a fashion magazine than a travel publication. I did not see any references to prices that made the articles in NY Times Affordable Europe series so much more valuable. It may be that the story's focus was on the city itself and less on the money issue. Could it be that Brussels is not an affordable city? I really doubt it, but this does not explain why the NY Times writers did not include "Europe's Hot New Capital" in their series.

Regardless, here are a few good packages that would make Brussels a lot more affordable than both Conde Nast and the NY Times would make you believe.

London - Brussels
Brussels - Bruges - Paris
London - Paris - Brussels
Amsterdam - Brussels - Paris from $886 (with air from NYC)
Amsterdam - Brussels - Bruges - Paris