GRACE CATTAROSSI ha scritto:

> hey this is almost like the Alfredo of Roma....

Well, just a quick note to say that I am from Rome and lived here all my
life, but there's not Alfredo here! It's just an American invention,
like the sauce which my friends told me about and I never ate before!!!!
I guess it started from an Italian immigrant to America who's name was
Alfredo.

Ciao
Flavio in Rome

--
The most valuable travels are often had
by those with more time than money

Homepage: http://travel.to/flavio
ICQ#: 37350119

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Santrav@... ha scritto:

> I probably know many of you from travel-l or travel-ease.  I love to travel
> and share the good things/deals i find as well as hear about others' travels.
> Just returned from Prague and Czech Republic where I had a wonderful time,
> stayed in an apartment in 16th century monastery instead of a hotel, and made
> some wonderful friends.

Welcome Sandra! Nice to hear you had good time in Czech Republic, that's a
beautiful country.Enjoy this list as much as the others!

Flavio in Rome


--
The most valuable travels are often had
by those with more time than money

Homepage: http://travel.to/flavio
ICQ#: 37350119

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http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/travellers

Hi Ziners,

it is not a question strictly touristic but I think that someone can help me.
My sister, Monica, is looking for a seasonal employment, may be in the
touristic field (hotel or restaurant), in England for this summer to improve
her English and catch some money (England is expensive for Italian...). Do
you know web sites or employment agencies (preferable whit an e_mail
address) or other advisement about seasonal employment ?

Thanks for the help.

Marco (and Monica) in Milan (Italy).

My name is Rosaly Greenberger and I live with my husband in Allentown, Pa.
in a beautiful garden apartment complex.  We moved here 3 years ago from
Bayside in NY where we had our own home for 45 years.

Our son and daughter in law live here and that is the reason for our move.

I make friends quite easily and have found some very nice ones here in this
lovely community.  It is a beautiful area with lots of parks and lush
gardens and several colleges where there are great cultural activities.
We have been on 27 cruises and that is our favorite way traveling. I play
piano at two nursing homes (singalongs) and also play for pay at parties,
etc.

OUr most recent voyage was a repositioning cruise on the Royal Olympic
Triton which was sensational. If you wish to read my review of that ship as
well as the Maasdam aor the Regal Empress, I suggest you look at Ken Stutt's
Wheelhouse (www.stuttm/wheel/meet.htm)  He sends a monthly bulletin with
some very interesting cruise news.

If anyone has any specific questions, do not hesitate to email me.  Best
wishes to all.   rosalyg
    W  W


_______________________________________________________________
Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com

As I checked my email today, I was surprised to read that you was in
Graz. If somebody was in Austria, you always here that they were in
Vienna, Salzburg or Innsbruck but not in Graz or Styria.
I hope you enjoyed your stay,

Rene
(Austria)

--- AEiger1068@... wrote:
> From: AEiger1068@...
>
> Hi!  I don't reply much but when I saw you were from
> Graz, I wanted to.  We
> were there for a few days several years ago.  We
> intended to stay just
> overnight, but we found your city delightful and
> very pleasant.  Enjoyed the
> view from the old castle by the clock tower and the
> pleasant restaurant
> there.  Intend to return there someday. Alan
_________________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com

Hello Flavio, Do you mean that  there is no person called Alfredo, but there are
only the various, one, two...etc Alfredo 's rest. in Rome... right? Well here
probably  there is some kind of marketing trick also....anyway if there is No
Alfredo in Rome , the Italian si non e vero e bien trovato?  is adecuate , dont
you think? ( Excuse my Italian I am guessing the spelling ) Best regards,
Graziella Miami Beach

>From: re sp <resp68@...>
>Reply-To: TheTravelzine@onelist.com
>To: TheTravelzine@onelist.com
>Subject: Re: [TheTravelzine] Hi there
>Date: Tue, 1 Jun 1999 10:53:58 -0700 (PDT)
>
>From: re sp <resp68@...>
>
>As I checked my email today, I was surprised to read that you was in
>Graz. If somebody was in Austria, you always here that they were in
>Vienna, Salzburg or Innsbruck but not in Graz or Styria.
>I hope you enjoyed your stay,
>
>Rene
>(Austria)
>
>
I believe you have the wrong address as I have never been to Austria. Better
check your mail.   rosalyg


_______________________________________________________________
Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com

Hello.  Yes, we enjoyed our stay very much in Graz. we stayed longer than we
intended.  I t was one of those gems you come across once on a while
traveling.  A bit off the beaten path and not as well touristed.  Another two
like Graz are Vicennes in Italy and the Dolomite region of Italy.  We stayed
in a small town called San Vito.  Very few Americans ever go to these places.
  Alan

Hi everyone. I don't write a lot but I need some advice. Last summer I went
to France-Paris, Nice, Cannes and Monaco and I absolutly loved it. I am
thinking of living there some day. I now have the opportunity to go back, but
it would only be to Paris and Normandy and places around there. I am really
bummed not to be able to go down South again. Can anyone tell me a little
about the North? What is the weather like, and is it a pretty spot? Thank you
very much!

Jen

In a message dated 6/1/99 3:07:15 PM Central Daylight Time, JDRS@...
writes:

<< I am really
  bummed not to be able to go down South again. Can anyone tell me a little
  about the North? What is the weather like, and is it a pretty spot? >>

Normandy and Brittany are lovely; you will have a great time!  I spent about
5 days in the area in October 1997 and dearly hope to go back.

Sally Watkins, CTC
Century Travel and the Cruise Capitol

Buona Sera Grazia,

you are a new guest, aren't you? Well, you are planning your third Italy
trip. I imagine you know the most important and famous Italian towns,do
you?
	 Not really.  We avoided the big ones and have visited Orta San Giulio,
Pordenone, Aquilea, Scarperia, Chiusi, Pienza (my favorite), Orvieto,
Montalcino, Cortona and more of the smaller places.  I will definitely look
into the sites you mention because Urbino does sound like our kind of
place.  How long would it take to drive there from Chiusi?  I expect we
will spend much of our visit at Hotel La Querce which we really, really
enjoyed.

  if you don't speak Italian,
	 I don't speak much Italian but know some Spanish so I hope to be better on
the next trip.  I can read it fairly well though.  A site being in Italian
does not stop me at all!

Thanks for all the helpful information.  I may be asking more questions as
our trip becomes reality.

Ciao,
Janet in Riverview

Hi Graziella,

Hi janet, sorry I re read your e mail  and the answer about the real
Columbia  is there!!! ,  so  there are at least three restaurants!, next
time in Tampa I shall make a point to have dinner at the original..
	 There are many, now.  I know of one in St. Augustine also.  If you want
good Spanish/Cuban food, I will send you places where you will get much
better for much less.  If you want to experience the original, go to Ybor
City.  And if you like night life, this area which used to be almost a slum
is now a very lively gathering spot with lots going on.

How old are your children now,? when our   children where teeagers we took
them everyear to Europe, and explained once and again the museums , the
cathedrals and the art, food, and .... that is so abundant there...
	 There are 3 boys, 29, 26, and 24.  We could not afford Europe.  The camper
allowed us to go lots of places and I knew every free attraction around.
Our specialty was factory tours which were fun, educational, free, and
often gave out samples - not at the Corvette factory alas.

All four of  them  appreciated in depth  this great opportunity   later in
college and in work...
We also go for some reason during Eastern to Europe, this year we went to
Spain and Portugal and was really fantastic, last year we spent Easter in
Budapest....and Italy
	 You have gone some interesting places.  Where are you from originally?
(Few people are from Florida originally.)

	 Spain is one of my next places to visit since my heritage is from there as
well as Italy.  I am just afraid I cannot stay awake until dinner time.  :)
Hasta la vista

Hasta Luego,
Janet

Hello again Graziella,
I love this State for the many lovely  places that has to offer ...the West
coast is absolutely beautiful.
	 I am glad you are happy here.  When people move here, use up the water,
cement over the wetlands, and complain, I get very upset!

We like it here too because we face the ocean and although in a condo, I
see mostly the sea,, sand and oats...you must get really sad when you see
so much developments, right?
	 I only wish I were near the water.  We are in the woods which are nice but
suburbia is coming way too close.  How right you are about the development
issues.

I do love the Everglades too, and for me  nothing matches a canoe trip in
the Florida rivers and in the Thousand Islands...

Keep in touch,
Janet

Hi all!

	 So many good places to go!  Italy, New Zealand, Thailand... and the
kids want Disneyland... <sheesh>  I guess I'm going to have to revert to the
"one for you, one for me" method of trip selection.  (Hey! That's twice as
much travel, isn't it?)

	 I've thoroughly enjoyed reading everyone's suggestions and
experiences.  Please keep up the good work!

	 Karen
	 Irving, TX

Marco De Angeli ha scritto:

> My sister, Monica, is looking for a seasonal employment, may be in the
> touristic field (hotel or restaurant), in England for this summer to improve
> her English and catch some money (England is expensive for Italian...). Do
> you know web sites or employment agencies (preferable whit an e_mail
> address) or other advisement about seasonal employment ?

Marco,

as you probably know there are plenty of agencies that find you a job in
England. BTW, when I asked them, they told me you have to rent the apartment or
choose another
accomodation through them. I already had a lady who could host me, but they told
me the only chance to get the job was to rent the apartment through them. And
the rent was about
the same than the salary!!!! So there were not even money for eating!

My suggestion (that's what I did a few years ago) is to go there and start
asking around in every bar, hotel, ...... England has some places called Job
Center where you can read
announcements and ask to an operator to fix an interview. (like the Italian
ufficio di collocamento, but working!). I didn't have many problems: asked
everywhere and after 5 days
found a job in a bar.

London BTW is full of tourists and people from all over looking for a job. I
would suggest a smaller town, maybe a touristic place for locals. I was in
Brighton (about a hour
south of London, on the beach). It's small enought o give you security (I used
to walk alone at night and nobody ever bothered me) and at the same time big
enough to give you
everything you need. Furthermore, life is cheaper.

Ciao
Flavio in Rome

--
The most valuable travels are often had
by those with more time than money

Homepage: http://travel.to/flavio
ICQ#: 37350119

Wanna join a mailing list of young people from all over the world?
http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/travellers

GRACE CATTAROSSI ha scritto:

> Hello Flavio, Do you mean that  there is no person called Alfredo, but
> there are only the various, one, two...etc Alfredo 's rest. in Rome...
> right? Well here probably  there is some kind of marketing trick
> also....anyway if there is No Alfredo in Rome , the Italian si non e
> vero e bien trovato?  is adecuate , dont you think? ( Excuse my
> Italian I am guessing the spelling ) Best regards, Graziella Miami
> Beach

Well, Alfredo is a name, and there are a lot of people with this name.
But none of them is famous as a cook.
Ciao
Flavio

--
The most valuable travels are often had
by those with more time than money

Homepage: http://travel.to/flavio
ICQ#: 37350119

Wanna join a mailing list of young people from all over the world?
http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/travellers

Flavio thank you for your information, many years ago we ate with our four
children in one of the Alfredos restaurants in Roma, ....you are right !!! the
pasta was more to the american taste, lots of cheeses,....but again si non e
vero e bien trovato and  we had fun eating the pasta from the fake  non existant
vero Alfredo, thank you for your information. Graziella Miami Beach.

Hi all you fellow travellers,

My wife and I will be spending two days in Bruges.
Can anyone give us some ideas as to what to see and do.

Thanks in advance,
Richard.

Hello Richard, Bruges is a picture perfect medieval small town. You will have no
problem visiting the main sights listed in the local travel office.... Just
walking is a pleasure although is a highly tourist town. For restaurants ask the
locals some are hidden in the upper floors of little twisted streets and narrow
alleys , I wish I could remember the names. One thing I remember no French
there, they look at you as if you were speaking Chinese... Well I am afraid I
have not been of much help, the matter in fact I shall keep my eyes opened  to
learn from other replies. Have fun. Graziella form Miami Beach

In a message dated 6/2/99 2:45:45 PM Central Daylight Time,
ricardo@... writes:

<< My wife and I will be spending two days in Bruges.
  Can anyone give us some ideas as to what to see and do. >>

FABULOUS little town!  I recommend just wandering and enjoying the canals and
scenery. The Beguinage (spelling?) is lovely, and the former hospital that is
now an art museum is certainly worth your time.

Where are you staying?

Sally Watkins, CTC
Century Travel, Austin, TX

Hello Jen, well do not expect such good weather as in the South of
France.!!!!!!!! One year we went to Normandi  in  July, took the bathing suit,
instead end up buying socks,stockings, and a couple of sweaters. The beach,
bathing??? ....not even once.

But the place is gorgeous, the cheeses fantastic,, you have of course Rouen with
among many things a glorious cathedral, you remember of course the series of
paintings by Monet, that are at the Museum of Modern Art in NY? well, this is
it.
Of course the cathedral took various beatings  during WWII,  as I recall one of 
the 2 towers is a masterpiece of flamboyant gothic, it is called the Tour of
Beurre which sounds right in this region of cheeses and butter. If  I recall it
right it was paid by the people in exchange for the privilege of eaten butter at
Lent.
2) Jumieges  was fairly in ruins when we visited  it. Neverheless  it was  
worth going ...maybe it has been totally remodeled by now. I do not know.
3)Bayeux is a must. It is a quaint little place but the piece of resistance not
to be missed is the Musee de la tapisserie de la Reine Matilde, you know she was
the wife of William the Conqueror,, it is masterly display, a long, long
embroided tapestry
some 20 inches wide  depicting the story of  the conquer of England, look for
the comet Halley it is there someplace.

The Cathedral is also very beautiful.

In Bayeux we stayed in a nice and inexpensive little hotel called  the Reine
Matilde, ( what else?)  23 Rue larcher but this was like 10 years ago.

3) Honfleur although to much of a touristic  destination is also a must. The old
harbor is charming, there is a fair there sometimes and it is very colorful and
the
Musee Boudin is worth going if you care for impressionists, he was born there.
Rember him?, Van Gogh used to love his little clouds as most everybody did those
days...well he was born here.
We  ate  at la Ferme St Simeon, rue Adolphe Marais, route de trouville, this is
a famous place because it is said to be the place where the impressionism was
born.
  Courbet, and Monet and Boudin and also Baudelaire used to be around there,  so
they told me.

The restaurant is in the old Norman style and you can dine outdoors weather
permitting.
Also L'Absinthe , I remember its name, ....so peculiar...dont you think?  We ate
there once too and enjoy it. Hope it is still there.
and of course there are a lot of charming places and in the frontier  with
Brittany you have the famous, so famous that is difficult to visit in a quiet
nice way for my point of view ....but of course is a must, must ...Mont St
Michel. It is considered one of the most important attractions in France, and in
Europe .The Benecditine Abbey is fascinating , it is very special.
We tried as everyone else the omelets of La Mere Poulard,  which is more of a
souffle than an omelet. I think they have some rooms, but we didn stay in St
Michel and left at sunset.. ( actually they sell omelets all over the place)
Ok that is all I remember more or less. Good luck.

Hello Richard

My wife and I also spent two wonderful days in Bruges (the Flemish
name is Brugge). We enjoyed the following:

- The Marktplein (Market Square) with its beautiful old buildings, the street
cafes and the clock tower of which the bells played "Pomp and
Circumstance" every hour.
-  A visit to the old brewery where the local "Straffe Hendrik" beer is still
brewed.
- The many small chocolate shops with their divine merchandise.
- A stroll alongside the many canals (you can also go on a boat trip on the
canals).
- A walk around the "Minnewater" (a small lake) where romance is
supposed to be rekindled.
- The Chapel of the Holy Blood on the Burgplein.
- The small coffee shops with their figurines and delightful names, eg.
"Jantje van Pardoens".
- The lively and colourful market on the Marktplein if you are there on a
Wednesday.

We stayed in the Cordoeanier Hotel in a quiet street just a block or so
away from the Marktplein. It was good value for money.

Enjoy your visit. It is a lovely place.

Sincerely

Maans Kemp
Port Elizabeth
South Africa

Hi, at the time , we stayed at a very nice hotel,  4 stars, it was called
the Pandhotel, Pandreije 16 , this was some 10 yeasrs ago, but I suppose
everything remains the same in this Middle Age Town, and ten years are
nothing...good luck.
-----Original Message-----
From: Smwatk@... <Smwatk@...>
To: TheTravelzine@onelist.com <TheTravelzine@onelist.com>
Date: Wednesday, June 02, 1999 4:30 PM
Subject: Re: [TheTravelzine] Bruges


>From: Smwatk@...
>
>In a message dated 6/2/99 2:45:45 PM Central Daylight Time,
>ricardo@... writes:
>
><< My wife and I will be spending two days in Bruges.
> Can anyone give us some ideas as to what to see and do. >>
>
>FABULOUS little town!  I recommend just wandering and enjoying the canals
and
>scenery. The Beguinage (spelling?) is lovely, and the former hospital that
is
>now an art museum is certainly worth your time.
>
>Where are you staying?
>
>Sally Watkins, CTC
>Century Travel, Austin, TX
>
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>Share your story with us at http://www.onelist.com
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http://www.ONElist.com.

Hello...we arrived at Annecy with no reservations and had a bad time finding a
hotel, everything was full for some reason, so one of the hotels recommended the
Crystal Hotel, or Crystal House, 20 rue L. Chaumontel without a restaurant, a
few blocks from the Old Town, phone 50 57 33 90 fax 50 67 86 43, it is on the
upper floor of a modern building, not particularly  charming  or Old World 
ambiance, but it is quiet French for one thing, very clean which is good, and
has the modern conveniences ( TV, phone etc)  and the real good part to
recommend it is very      inexpensive. Good luck. Breakfast of course is
available. I am not sure but a plus was that I believe we left the car on the
street, anyway we walked to the old town even at night.  Graziella from  Miami
Beach.

The enclosed is the information i have on restaurants, shopping and
sightseeing Brugge, it is a fabulous city.  sandra

RESTAURANTS

La Civiere d'Or, Markt 33.  On the corner of Market Square for about 40
years.  Very Flemish interior with an outside terrace for summer dining.
Dinner for two about $30.

Malesherbes, Stoofstraat 3.  A small French bistro-delicatessen on an old
fire lane near the town center.  Very small.  Parisian owner does a great
beef Bourguignon and Breton fish soup.  Dinners run about $11 per person.

't Nieuw Walnutje, Walplein 4.  A small brasserie on a delightful square.
Has a very cozy, French- bistro ambience.  Food very Flemish and good.
Dinners about $9 per person.

Belle Epoque, Zuidzandstraat 43, in the city center, serving some delicious
regional dishes.  Inexpensive.

Duc de Bourgogne, Huidenvettersplein 12; 332038, a hotel restaurant with
heavy chandeliers, tapestry curtains and walls that are covered with takeoffs
on the masters by students of the city art school.  Discreet, efficient
service serving very good food, especially fish dishes.  Prices run $28-$60
per person.

Malpertuus, Eirmarkt 9; 333038, a simple place with a lobster tank in the
cellar dining room with main dishes with opening courses from $18-$35 per
person.

't Schryverke, gruuthuse 4; 332908.  Stands along museum row and offers
reasonable lunches like smoked ham and mixed salad for $11.

't Vagevuur, Sint-Amandsstraat 23, a bistro on a busy shopping street,
sidewalk tables are arranged in front.  Very good food between $5-$17.

SHOPPING

City most famous for its delicate lace made with spindles.  Center of lace
industry is on Breidelstraat, the street that connects the Grote Markt with
Burg Square.

Best places to buy lace:
Belgian Lace Center and School, 3A Peperstraat
Rococo, 9 Wollestraat
Selections, 10-14 Breidelstraat
t'Apostelientje, 11 Balstraat

Main shopping streets are those leading to the Markt and the old town gates.

Steenstraat is the city's prime shopping avenue.  It runs southwest from the
main square, changes its name to Zuidzandstraat then ends at 't Zasndt, a
collection of modern sculpture and fountains that tops the city's underground
parking lot.

Shopping hours:  From about 9 am to 6 or 7 pm.  Fridays stores open until 9
pm.

Markets: Saturday morning at 't Zand & Beursplein.
		 Wednesday morning on the Burg.
		 Sat. & Sun. afternoons flea market on the Dijver (Mar-Oct)

Apostelientje Lace Shop, Balstraat 11, offers a selection of antique and
contemporary lace $25 and up.

The Little Lace Shop, Markt 11, is a good source for investment lace,
including monumental lace tablecloths and napkin sets that sell for thousands
of dollars.

Firma Pickery, Vismarkt 13, near the old Fish Market, good place for souvenir
lace where doilies and runner cost from $1 to $70.

SIGHTSEEING

Best time to come is late September or October after the tourists have left
and before winter sets in!

You can book an official guide through the tourist office.  There are no
conducted tours at set times.  Cost:  $9.00 an hour with a 2-hour minimum.
(About $20 for 2 hours.)

You can also take your own walking tour of Brugge.  Map at Tourist office,
Markt 7.

Horse-drawn cabs depart from the Markt.  Tour is 35 minutes.  $20 per
carriage.  Over that time it is 80BF per 15 minutes.

Boat-trips on the city canals.  Daily March through November 10 am to 6 pm.
Boats depart when filled, trip takes 32 minutes.  Fare: about $4.00.
Probably the best way to orient yourself to Brugge.

Bicycles can be rented by the hour, day or week.  Upon presentation of valid
train ticket can get a discount on bike rental.  About $2.00/ hour, $4.50/day
($3.30 with train ticket); about $12.50/week.  Because countryside is flat
there are bike paths everywhere and this is a good way of exploring.

St. Saviour's Church (Cathedral), the oldest parish church 12th-15th century)
in Brugge.

Church of Our Lady, 13th-15th century.  Famous for its paintings, carvings
and the white marble statue of the Madonna by Michelangelo.

Belfry and Halles, most remarkable monument of the town, 13th-16th century.
Has 260-ft. tower.  On second story wrought iron railing of the former
medieval treasure-room and the triumph-bell.  The carillon of Brugge is most
famous in Europe.

Basilica of the Holy Blood, a 12th-century structure that for 7 centuries or
more has held a scrap of cloth said to be soaked with the blood of Christ.
On Fridays the relic is displayed for the public.

Government Palace, neo-Gothic style.  Seat of the Provincial Council of West
Flanders.
Town Hall, one of the oldest Gothic town halls of the Low Countries,
1376-1420.

Court of Justice, 18th century building taking the place of the palace of the
"Brugse Vrije" of 1520.

Medieval town gates:  Cross Gate 1403; Donkey's Gate 1615.

Blacksmith's Gate, well-kept medieval fortification, dates from 1297.

Jerusalem Church, modeled after the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in
Jerusalem.  TO get in, just ring the bell to the right of the gate.    Nearby
is the lace-making center, a casual sort of place where women of all ages
drop in to socialize and craft intricate items such as doilies and lovely
collars.

Museum voor Volkskunde, a row of pale-yellow former almshouses, now
displaying scenes of various medieval craftsmen.

Groeninge Museum has Belgian and Dutch paintings, including the spectacularly
detailed 15th century work of Jan van Eyck.

The Gruuthuse Museum, a converted 15th century palace are found several
centuries'  worth of kitchen tools, household accessories, outmoded weapons
and in one dark corner, a 15-foot high guillotine from 1796.

Tanner's House, 17th century. #10 Rozenhoedkaai.  Most picturesque spot in
Bruges

To all of you who have sent in some great info on Brugge--many thanks.  It
was not me who requested the info, so thanks to the poster, too--I believe
it was Richard.  We will be going there for only (sad) a day next spring and
I have printed everything and it will go with us.

Gretchen




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G'day,

I've just joined this list although I have been an on-and-off member of
Travel-L for a number of years.

As a travel writer and photographer, (based in Melbourne, Australia), I
earn a major part of my living through travel. The photography is usually
commissioned work for clients who want photographs for their travel
brochures and that work has until recently been mostly in Australia.

The writing side is self-commissioned. I have an idea for a story and then
go off, do the research, take the accompanying photographs and then hawk it
around newspaper and magazine editors. Having a track record, knowing the
editors and what they want makes that bit so much easier.

I have a fascination for the  more obscure parts of the world. In the last
few years I have been to Mauritius, India (rode a motorcycle over the
Himalaya), Eritrea, Egypt, the UK and Western Europe and Tonga. In previous
years I've  packed my bags for North Korea, Vietnam, Nicaragua, Tahiti,
Tibet and others.

It's not an easy life doing what I do and it's not all the glamour people
assume it to be. I accept that I'll never be wealthy from my work but it
feeds my addiction for new places, experiences and people.

Why then am I interested in travel lists where people's travel plans are
not the same as mine? Well I like to hear of other people's experiences.
These often trigger "that's a possible place for a story" thoughts and I've
got a vast database of fellow travellers of whom I can ask questions. On
the other hand I'm willing to pass on any useful information and answer
questions. My web page is http://werple.net.au/~pdhorton

Changing the subject - a friend of mine is a travel agent in Australia and
the Serbian/Kosovo conflict has affected his bookings for strange
geographic reasons. A group of Australians recently cancelled a tour to
Scandinavia thinking that the Balklans and the Baltic were one and the
same. Another group, from the US, cancelled a trip to Russia assuming that
Serbia was part of Russia. China, perhaps more naturally, has been out of
favour since NATO bombed the Chinese embassy. Seems there are a lot of
extremely cautious travellers out there.

Patrick Horton


Patrick Horton,  Photographer and Writer, Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
PO Box 678,Dandenong,Victoria 3175,AUSTRALIA

http://werple.net.au/~pdhorton/tour/tour.htm for details of a photographic
tour in the Himalaya in July 1999.

To: Sandra, Grace, Sally & Maans.

Many thanks for the great info.
If we were not too sure about going to Bruges before posting the request, we are
absolutely positive we will be going now.
We are spending six weeks travelling through the south of France and had no
intention of going to another country.
A friend of ours recently returned from a trip through Germany, with a side trip
to Bruges. He said that. "Even though Bruges is very much  tourist oriented, it
would rank high as one of the best towns he had ever seen". This got us
interested and so we tacked an extra two days onto our holiday and the rest you
know.
I wonder if I could ask a couple of more questions:
What would be the best and fasted way of getting from Paris to Bruges and
return?
Would it be best to get an overnight train or the TGV.?
How far is the railway station to the town centre?
Grace & Maans mentioned two hotels, and I will be looking into them, but has
anyone got names of other hotels, preferable in the centre of town?
Once again I thank everyone in advance and look forward to their replies,
Richard.

<< What would be the best and fasted way of getting from Paris to Bruges and
return?
  Would it be best to get an overnight train or the TGV.?
  How far is the railway station to the town centre? >>

It takes less than 3 hours to go from Paris to Brugge; you take a train to
Brussels (about 90 minutes) Midi Station, then change for the
less-than-an-hour trip to Brugge. There are high-speed trains between Paris
and Brussels.

The two main squares in town are in walking distance of the rail station in
Brugge.

Sally Watkins, CTC
Century Travel, Austin, TX

Hi Kemp,

your trip plane in Portugal is interesting but it is very long. The road are
quite narrow and there are a lot of TIR on the road then traffic is slow. In
particular the trip from Porto is very ambitious, I am afraid you'll spend
many hour driving and very less time visiting. I suggest you to get the
highway when it is possible. ....Yes, I now that driving on highway is not
beautiful but you can save time for visit.
I visited Portugal 2 years ago and major problem was to drive quickly!

About accommodation, I found a good rate quality-price in the Ibis hotels.

Have a good trip.
Marco in Milan (Italy).





At 08.22 31/05/99 +0200, you wrote:
>From: Maans Kemp <maans@...>
>
>Hello All
>
>Some time ago, when the Travelzine was young, I posted questions on
visiting Spain and/or Portugal. I received some very friendly and useful
responses. My wife and I have now decided to visit Portugal in the second
half of September and our flights are reserved. We have only 13 days
available and have had to make some difficult choices. For reasons connected
with our interests and tastes we decided to spend more time in the north
than in the south and more time in the rural areas than in the major cities.
We will spend most of the time driving. We have also decided to pay a brief
visit to Galicia in Spain.
>
>We have studied Don and Linda's travelogue as well as a number of other
resources (Rough Guides, etc.) and are now reasonably well informed of the
major and most popular travel destinations. We would now really appreciate
inputs of a more personal nature from Travelzine members - those places that
you found special. I give a summary of our provisional itinerary below. I
would sincerely welcome suggestions on worthwhile sights along our way. In
the case of many towns we will merely be "passing through" and any
suggestions along the lines of "If I only had time to see one thing in this
town, what would it be?" would be very helpful.
>
>The places where we are thinking of  sleeping over are given in brackets.
In their case I would appreciate suggestions on economy class - I actually
mean "cheap" :-) - accommodations and eating places.
>
>The rough itinerary is as follows:
>
>(Lisbon, including a day visit to Sintra) - Sagres - Lagos - (Vilamoura) -
Faro - Vila Real de Santo Antonio - Beja - Evora - (Estremoz) - Santarem -
(Obidos) - Lisbon [fly to Porto - this is included in our package] - (Porto)
- Coimbra - Lamego - (Braganca) - Chaves - (Ourense) - A Coruna - (Santiago
de Compostela) - Portino - (Braga) - Porto [fly out in the evening]
>
>Thanks very much, in anticipation, for any responses to the Travelzine or
directly to me.
>
>Sincerely
>
>Maans Kemp
>Port Elizabeth
>South Africa
>
>maans@...
>
>
!
>!
>

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