Here you will find the latest information on travel in Europe, as well as lots of other great stuff like recipes for some of my favorite European foods, schedules of upcoming travel seminars, tips and tricks on traveling in Europe, and answers to reader questions about European travel.
For more information about hotels and restaurants like those featured in our blog, or for help in planning your own independent trip to Europe, please contact us about our Self-Guided Trips or Custom Itinerary Planning services.
Travel Thought for the Week
Mon, Feb 22 2010 08:39
| travel thoughts
“You know more of a road by having traveled it than by all the conjectures and descriptions in the world.”
-- William Hazlitt (1778 - 1830), English writer
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Hotel Postcard: Munich, Germany
Uhlandstrasse 1, 80336 München
tel. 089-543-350 fax: 089-543-35250
e-mail: info@hotel-uhland.de
www.hotel-uhland.de
27 rooms. Singles: €70 to €75; Doubles: €75 to €95; all major credit cards accepted.
This beautifully kept mansion, built in the late 18th century, has been a family-run hotel for over 50 years. Located in a quiet area near the Oktoberfest grounds, but just a 15-minute walk from the main train station.
Staff is wonderful, breakfast is superb, and the rooms are well kept. There are three categories of rooms, and the cheapest (Tourist class) are very basic. It’s generally worth the extra Euros to go for the Standard or Komfort class rooms.
News from Europe: Belgian train chaos, stolen art, and the Vatican behind closed doors
Tue, Feb 16 2010 15:29
| news
Belgian chaos
A train accident in Belgium Monday morning has thrown the rail system into chaos. The accident in Halle, just southwest of Brussels, happened during rush hour. At least 18 people are feared dead. Eurostar trains from London to Brussels have been canceled, as have Thalys high speed trains connecting Brussels to the Netherlands, Germany, and France. To add to the troubles, Belgian rail workers have used the crash as an opportunity to stage a strike. Read more . . .
Italy to Getty: let my statue go
Italy is demanding the return of a bronze statue known as the Statue of Victorious Youth. The statue, a beautifully preserved 2000-year old Greek bronze, was pulled from the sea off the coast of Italy in 1964. The Getty Museum in California purchased the statue for more than $4 million in 1977, after it had been smuggled out of Italy. Italy claims that the Getty failed to check provenance of the piece, while the Getty maintains that they purchased the statue in good faith. The former curator of the Getty, Marion True, is on trial in Italy for criminal charges related to antiquities smuggling. Read more . . .
Vatican: art behind the scenes
If you've ever visited the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, you know what the experience is like. It would be sublime, were it not for the hundreds of other people pushing and shoving for space on the chapel floor, the rising level of voices competing to be heard, the guards shushing those rising voices, and constantly yelling "No photo!" at people who think the rules are meant for everybody but them.
So how can you get a private look at the Vatican? I mean, short of becoming a priest, working your way up through the church hierarchy and eventually becoming a member of the College of Cardinals. On about a dozen nights each year, the Vatican opens its doors to a select group of people for a private tour of the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums. Imagine standing in the Sistine Chapel with only 20 people. How do you become a member of this select group? All it takes is money. Read more . . .
A train accident in Belgium Monday morning has thrown the rail system into chaos. The accident in Halle, just southwest of Brussels, happened during rush hour. At least 18 people are feared dead. Eurostar trains from London to Brussels have been canceled, as have Thalys high speed trains connecting Brussels to the Netherlands, Germany, and France. To add to the troubles, Belgian rail workers have used the crash as an opportunity to stage a strike. Read more . . .
Italy to Getty: let my statue go
Italy is demanding the return of a bronze statue known as the Statue of Victorious Youth. The statue, a beautifully preserved 2000-year old Greek bronze, was pulled from the sea off the coast of Italy in 1964. The Getty Museum in California purchased the statue for more than $4 million in 1977, after it had been smuggled out of Italy. Italy claims that the Getty failed to check provenance of the piece, while the Getty maintains that they purchased the statue in good faith. The former curator of the Getty, Marion True, is on trial in Italy for criminal charges related to antiquities smuggling. Read more . . .
Vatican: art behind the scenes
If you've ever visited the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, you know what the experience is like. It would be sublime, were it not for the hundreds of other people pushing and shoving for space on the chapel floor, the rising level of voices competing to be heard, the guards shushing those rising voices, and constantly yelling "No photo!" at people who think the rules are meant for everybody but them.
So how can you get a private look at the Vatican? I mean, short of becoming a priest, working your way up through the church hierarchy and eventually becoming a member of the College of Cardinals. On about a dozen nights each year, the Vatican opens its doors to a select group of people for a private tour of the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums. Imagine standing in the Sistine Chapel with only 20 people. How do you become a member of this select group? All it takes is money. Read more . . .
Travel Thought for the Week
Mon, Feb 15 2010 18:27
| travel thoughts
“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.”
-- Martin Buber (1878-1965), German philospher
News from Europe: Overhead bins, shatter-proof pints, protected pizza
Tue, Feb 9 2010 11:57
| news
Angling for the Overhead
Frequent flyer Rick Seaney, CEO of FareCompare.com, gives his advice on how to make sure you get some of the space in the overhead for your carry-on bag. To make sure your bag fits, check out my packing page. Read more . . .
No more getting shattered over a pint
Apparently more than 85,000 people each year attack someone in a pub using a broken pint glass as a weapon, their rage no doubt fueled by the former contents of the glass. The government recently introduced a new shatter-proof pint glass in an attempt to curb health care costs related to these attacks. Read more . . .
Protected pizza
The European Union has granted the pizza of Naples protected status, as part of Europe's food heritage. Much like Champagne, which can only legally be made in the Champagne region of France, real pizza margherita must be made with San Marzano tomatoes and buffalo milk mozzarella . Read more . . .
Frequent flyer Rick Seaney, CEO of FareCompare.com, gives his advice on how to make sure you get some of the space in the overhead for your carry-on bag. To make sure your bag fits, check out my packing page. Read more . . .
No more getting shattered over a pint
Apparently more than 85,000 people each year attack someone in a pub using a broken pint glass as a weapon, their rage no doubt fueled by the former contents of the glass. The government recently introduced a new shatter-proof pint glass in an attempt to curb health care costs related to these attacks. Read more . . .
Protected pizza
The European Union has granted the pizza of Naples protected status, as part of Europe's food heritage. Much like Champagne, which can only legally be made in the Champagne region of France, real pizza margherita must be made with San Marzano tomatoes and buffalo milk mozzarella . Read more . . .
For more information about hotels and restaurants like those featured in our blog, or for help in planning your own independent trip to Europe, please contact us about our Self-Guided Trips or Custom Itinerary Planning services.
