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!

Wide Angle: Travel ideas from another National Geographic book

I recently discovered Wide Angle - National Geographic Greatest Places. Beautiful photography (as always).

This book pretty much covers everything in the world. As far as Europe is concerned, it spans several chapters.

Since pictures (especially National Geographic ones) are worth more than a thousand words, I would not even attempt to describe the beauty of those places. However, if you could get a copy of the book (in stores or at your local library), you might get some new ideas for discovering Europe.

Central and Eastern Europe travel ideas:

- visit the gardens and palaces in St Petersburg, Russia

- go see the painted monasteries of Romania (featured: Moldovita)

- go people-watching in Austrian coffee shops - Salzburg, Austria

- watch kids at play in Istrian Peninsula, Croatia

- go for a ride in a horse-drawn wagon on a snowy day in Bavaria, Germany

- visit Europe's largest white pelican colony in Romania's Danube Delta - Lake Rosca, Romania

- enjoy scenic mountain views in alpine village Hallstatt, Austria

- visit Moscow's Red Square - Moscow, Russia

- discover turn-of-the-century beehives at the Ethnographic Museum in Roznov, Czech Republic

- discover simple life in rural Slovakia - Parnica, Slovakia

- visit the Liechtenstein Castle in Germany

- face history at splendid Church of the Resurrection (location where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated) - St Petersburg, Russia

- admire the scenery across The Caucasus Mountains in Russia (and find out why some people check the race box: Caucasian)

- discover The North Wall of Mount Triglav, rising 9,393 feet above the Vrata Valley, Slovenia (previously immortalized in one of Albrecht Altdorfer paintings)

- mingle with the locals in Bialowieza, Poland

- observe nomadic life style with gypsies in Buzescu, Romania

- have you ever considered visiting Dracula's Castle, in the region of Walachia, Romania (spooky) - actually the Bran Castle, near Brasov, Romania

Northern Europe travel ideas:

- how about swimming almost naked in the midst of winter - Blue Lagoon - Iceland ?

- spot perfect symmetry while visiting St Mary's Cathedral and the Georgian row houses surrounding it in Edinburgh, Scotland

- visit the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England

- go pub hopping in Ireland

- walk along the streets of Gamla Stan, the medieval center of Stockholm

- uncover centuries of histories at The Althing, where Iceland's leaders have met each year since 930 a.d. - Thingvellir National Park, Iceland

- Lake Bandak - Telemark, Norway

- discover stone burial chambers - Betws-y-Coed, Wales

- visit the local cemetery in Inverness, Scotland

- take your kids on a geography tour - walk along the brass strip marking Zero Longitude at Greenwich, England

- see how economic forces have altered once profitable working coal miles in Big Pit in Blaenavon,Wales (a popular museum)

- climb atop Ben Nevis, Scotland (highest mountain in Britain)

- visit London

- attend the Annual Braw Lads Gathering in Galashiels, Scotland

- visit Britain's largest Puffin Colony in St Kilda

- breathe history in Machynlleth, Wales

- admire the ancient tradition of burning fishing boats (to send the spirits of the dead to heaven) on Finland's Seurasaari Island

- visit the beautiful gardens of Hampton Court, Greater London, England

Western and Southern Europe travel ideas:

- running of the bulls - Pamplona, Spain

- ride a gondola in Venice, Italy

- go swimming in Lake Thun, Switzerland

- find out what happens when people don't buy laundry dryers - Genoa, Italy

- discover what inspired Claude Monet along France's Canal du Nivernais

- the architecture of Casa Mila, Barcelona, Spain

- more impressionist inspiration at Gervais Courtellemont, France

- relax with the locals in Place des Vosges, Paris, France

- take your kids white stork spotting in Spain

- visit the harbor of Honfleur, Normandy, France

- admire beautiful painted facades in Lisbon, Portugal

- how many tulips can you pick in Keukenhof, The Netherlands

- admire Switzerland's Bernese Alps

- attend a Basque Festival in Bayonne, Pyrenees-Atlantique Department, Aquitaine Region, France

- see Mount Etna, Sicily, Italy

- go shopping in Milan, Italy

- visit Tuscany, Italy

- find out why bulls are garlanded in Agia Paraskevi, Lesbos, Greece

- make your way up to a Basque Sheperd's cottage (looks challenging)

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: Great Restorations

Without a doubt, many of today's impressive royal gardends would not be on display without the tremendous work of restoring and preserving the centuries-old gardens.

Here are a few the author recommends:

Hampton Court - London, England (the supreme Royal Garden, as proclaimed by the author)

Het Loo - Apeldoorn, The Netherlands (garden completely destroyed, then completely restored)

Isola Bella - Lake Maggiore, Italy

Charlottenburg - Berlin, Germany ("considered by many the greatest braoque palace and garden composition")

Beloeil - Brussels, Belgium

Again, the book is Royal Gardens of Europe by George Plumptre.

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

The Da Vinci Hype

The Washington Post got it right: it is a hype. Up until the release date of the movie, everywhere I turned (especially online) I could not escape the explosion of Da Vinci Code hype. That includes travel, of course.

So I was not surprised when European Destinations came up with its own 'A Da Vinci Code European Vacation', a 10-day customizable package starting in Edinburgh, continuing with London, Paris, and ending up in Rome. I even liked the original write-up:

You might be able to re-read Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code” on your way to Europe, but you should set aside at least 10 days of travel if you are to follow the book’s characters in Edinburgh, London, Paris, and Rome.

Start in Edinburgh and work your way South and East, as you will save some time on your transatlantic flight in the critical first days of your trip, when you will need to adjust to Europe’s time.

Just outside Edinburgh, in the village of Roslin, you will get to visit the famous Rosslyn Chapel. While Edinburgh is not a large city, we recommend spending two nights here to allow your body to recover from jetlag and fatigue.

Your next stop will be London after a high-speed train ride aboard the Inter City Express. While in London, don’t forget to visit the Temple Church located in the Bloomsbury neighborhood close to the Temple station, St James’s Park (near St James’s Park station) and the Westminster Abbey (near Westminster Stop). After two nights of London, head for Paris aboard the modern EuroStar.

While in Paris, don’t forget to visit at a minimum the Louvre, the Champs Elysees, Bois de Boulogne, and Saint-Sulpice.

After two nights in the French capital, enjoy a different train ride aboard the comfortable and luxurious Artesia, which will take you on an overnight trip to Rome. Obviously, you would not want to miss out on Vatican City, the center of Catholic Faith. But you should also try to get out and visit the Gandolfo Castle.

Ahhh, you gotta love that hype. However: seriously, if you are interested, you should go.

London Museums for free

Thanks again to the excellent material published online by the NY Times on Europe's top best selling cities, we find out that most museums in London are free, which is definitely a bliss, given the exchange rate USD - British Pound.

In fact, this makes otherwise expensive London rather attractive, assuming that you are there for its history and culture and not for its fashion and pubs. Regardless, we find out from the same article that one of the best budget-saver hotels is Kensington Close, a statement with which we agree but we would also like to recommend some other handpicked, budget hotels that are not roaming with London's own version of Cancun spring breakers:

- Oxford;
- Ambassadors Bayswater;
- Central Park;
- Henry the Eighth;

More budget hotels in London here.

Of course, we remain vehemently opposed to the idea of booking a hotel separately, especially if you are planning on combining London with other European cities. For more suggestions on packages that combine London with Paris and other major European cities, go to this page.