Trip Tip a Day

Tip of the day: Enjoy the fountains! What do I love? Fountains. And Paris has some beautiful fountains.

Tip of the day: Have a sandwich I was surprised to see pre-made delicious looking sandwiches on crusty yummy looking bread in Italy and France. Can you picture any beautiful display of pre-made sandwiches in America? Hmmm......I can't. Enjoy the European sandwich if you need a snack or lunch.

Tip of the day: Have good friends who bring you treats from Europe! My friend just returned from a 2 week European tour with chocolates for the gang. There were many choices, but when I saw the familiar lavender wrap on the Milka chocolate I chose it. And, lo and behold, Milka has come up with a resealable wrap. No foil on this chocolate. That's handy. My daughter is sick today, possibly early pneumonia. Tonight was the night to break out the chocolate and let one of the little squares melt on my tongue. Ahh.

Tip of the day: Apply for your passport EARLY! We just got back from the County Clerk's office where we applied for Passport books for our 2 younger children. You need the U.S. Passport book for Europe It's a pretty painless procedure at our County Clerk's office. If you stop by ahead of time, they'll give you detailed instructions and the application form. Then when you come back, it's a piece of cake. When I return I bring: -the application filled out ready to go (not signed!!!) -the original birth certificate (the State/City/County copy), -the child (must be present), -their natural father, my spouse (must be present), -$60 check to Dept. of State for each passport, -$35 cash for each passport for execution fee ($25) and photos ($10), -my driver's license. They told us today it would be a 4-6 week wait. We'll see. When a trip is even a glimmer in your eye, go ahead and apply for your passport. Then, when the time comes, you'll be ready to go.

Tip of the day: Enjoy the park by the river Aare in Berne The walk to the river The walk back from the river We passed by this clear pool on the way to the river. Nearby, were little (naked) children playing in the water and parents relaxing with their picnic lunch.

Tip of the day: Float the River Aare in Berne Switzerland Ever since my Swiss "brother" Kurt, told me about floating down the River Aare in the summer, I was determined to experience this. As a long time swimmer and current master's swimmer, I love the water. I even talked my daughter into accompanying me. Kurt acted as cameraman for us. In late July, you can see that we were the only (crazy) souls floating that day. The water was freezing. I don't even know what the temperature was, but it took your breath away upon entry. It was too cold for the Swiss to float, but for us "perhaps once in a lifetime Americans", we went for it. See our little heads coming down the River? The gorgeous blue of the water? I can't wait to go back and experience this again - maybe next time all the way to downtown Berne in August. Too fun. Your comments are welcome! I'd love to hear from you dear readers.

Tip of the day: Find the Medici Fountain at the Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris The Jardin du Luxembourg is very large and very beautiful. Within it, you may find the Medici Fountain. It will feel a bit like a scavenger hunt, but a challenge is always fun. There's lots of history - but I'll leave that to you to discover!

Tip of the day: Visit the Vatican Do your internet research at home before launching a Vatican visit in Rome. We just dropped in, and I didn't have my shoulders covered. I wasn't permitted to enter St. Peter's Basilica, but there is a nice virtual tour of it at the Vatican website: http://www.vatican.va/phome_en.htm Here is a photo of the large screen that shows the Pope when he gives mass to the masses! St. Peter's Basilica

Tip of the day: Visit the local pharmacy, ask for the pharmacist's help We became very friendly with the local pharmacies after my daughter received 27 mosquito bites in Florenc e. Bern Free Sample Anti-itch cream (most frequently used to treat sunburns, itching, nettle rash, insect bites, and mild burns) Then I called for the big guns - Corticosteroid cream When she was going crazy itching with large red welts, we tried a Zyrtec type antihistimine. And you know what did the trick - "tincture of time" as my father-in-law calls it. It was a long process, and some of the creams and medicine might have helped a bit, but over time they finally relented.

Tip of the day: Find a coffee or tea you love in Europe, bring it home and enjoy the warm memories http://bewleys.com Lucky me... my niece lives in Ireland and my sister just brought back some Bewley's Explore Java Coffee for us. Rated 5 for strong, it's delicious. Thanks sis!

Tip of the day: Celebrate the 120th birthday of the Eiffel Tower http://www.tour-eiffel.fr/teiffel/uk/ There are some fun views of Paris on the Eiffel Tower website. This view of the Tower is from the Trocadero.

Tip of the day: Buy glass and glasses in Venice Our companion bought these beautiful goblets in Venice at our friend's shop. I didn't consider buying goblets, because I didn't know the merits or history of Venice glass. (I'll show you what I bought in a future post...) If you'd like to know more, here's a link to an 1881 NYT article on glass making in Venice. query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D07E2DD1730EE3ABC4B51DFB466838A699FDE Upon arrival at our Swiss friend's apartment, he served up some orange juice in these lovely glasses. But, the big surprise is the absolute lightness of these glasses. They are super super light - a hallmark of this type of Venice glass. A very nice momento of our trip.

Tip of the day: Pay a couple Euro at an internet "point" and update your status! Internet Point - Roma For those dinosaurs (me) that don't carry smartphones, you can use internet "points" or cafes in Europe to update your friends and family on your travels. You'll pay a couple Euro for an hour of computer use. What you'll get is the chance to do a little email, a little status update, maybe some Twitter, or some surfing. It's always interesting to do something different on a trip - like wait in line to pay to use someone else's computers in a big group of people doing the same thing.

Tip of the day: Enjoy a coffee at a neighborhood cafe

Tip of the day: Have a Breton-style crepe at Creperie Beauborg Paris Enjoy the delicious breton-style buckwheat crepes as you watch the animated goings on of la fontaine Stravinski (see previous post). It's a nice place to sit in the shade on a hot July day and visit.

Tip of the day: Visit la fontaine Stravinski near the Centre Pompidou Paris This wonderful colorful automated fountain spews water, rotates, and moves. Hard to appreciate in these still photographs. But really fun in person. The Pompidou was closed for 14th July when were there, but we had a nice crepe lunch with a fountain view. (future post)

Tip of the day: Find some water, enjoy a sunset How many places have you been where sunsets are celebrated? On the Gulf of Mexico, in Naples, Florida USA the crowd gathers at the beach to see the amazing colors of the sunset. Sometimes there is applause. People sit with their wine on the beach, or on the wooden stairs that lead to the beach waiting and talking, then taking it all in. In college at the University of Vermont, we would race down to Lake Champlain at sunset to catch the glow over the water. Red sky at night, sailor's delight, red sky in the morning, sailor's warning. Two places with georgeous sunsets. Then there is Venice. As the sun set I strolled to the end of the sidewalk to take in the sun's reflection on the water. Magic.

Tip of the day: Understand Venice 1, 2 and 3 and consider staying near the train station Venice 1 - the waterways Venice 2 - the sidewalks Venice 3 - the sidewalk bridges over the waterways This was my first trip to Venice. Before arriving, I just couldn't conceptualize Venice. Did you need a boat to arrive at someone's front door? How did that work? Our exchange student friend from Venice told us she walked everywhere and that there were no vehicles. Water everywhere, walking everywhere, no vehicles.... I was stumped. Well, here is your 1-2-3 Venice introduction - you can walk everywhere with very nice little bridges that cross the waterways. Many bridges, however, have steps up and steps down (so that the boats can go underneath). The only people who really weren't looking like they were having fun were the people carting baby strollers and dragging luggage on wheels up and down the steps time after time. My advice - find a hotel near the train station so you don...

Tip of the day: Keep your eyes open for the unusual - unique - never before seen A four person bike, parked and locked along a brick sidewalk in Amsterdam. Tires looking low, reflectors on the pedals. Who rides this machine? Can you imagine?

Tip of the day: Find the love, wherever you go Is this going to be my first super cheesy post? "Find the love, wherever you go?" Heart shaped Cacti? Huh? It's just fun to walk a city and be open to the unexpected.

Tip of the day: Relax at a sidewalk cafe with a drink and postcards Upon arrival in Amsterdam (early am) we checked in to the CitizenM (see previous post), settled a bit, and headed out for our day. It was easy to walk from the hotel to the airport, go down a level, and take the train in to the city. That's what you've got to love about Europe - EASY transport. The postcard stands beckoned, and of course the sidewalk cafes called to us even louder. We bought a few postcards, ordered up our Lipton "ice" tea (with ice! - see previous post), wrote some cards and enjoyed a delicious lunch. We sat taking in the sights: the canal, the architecture, the accents and languages of the people at nearby tables, the young traveler's with big backpacks, all of it.

Tip of the day: If you are heading to Amsterdam, or have a layover there, stay at the CitizenM Hotel We walked from the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport to the hotel - with our baggage (on wheels of course). A short distance. Coming out of the airport doors, turn right and begin walking down the sidewalk . Then look for the covered walkway that leads to the CitizenM. Once you get out of the airport doors and head down the sidewalk to the right a bit you'll see the hotel off to your left. We were greeted at the hotel by a cool, hip look, friendly staff, and a simple check-in. On our way up to the room, we saw 4 gleaming iMacs in the lobby for guest use, no charge. Ooh, now we were salivating. We could get on Facebook and email to touch base with the folks back home to let them know we had arrived. We went up to the room and found this cool Jetson like layout. There is a frosted glass circular around the toilet, a glass circular around the shower, a privacy curtain, one super com...

Tip of the day: Do some planning and research on your airline ticket - not just for price, but for the route and airports that work well for International travel. European trips are enhanced by smooth sailing on the way over and the way home. Try to maximize your vacation by doing what you can to create smooth airline travel by choosing airlines and airports that work well. Then, be ready to go along for the ride because the rest is out of your control. Sit back and enjoy your flight! We flew on KLM/Northwest nonstop Dallas to Amsterdam using frequent flier miles. Northwest recently acquired KLM, or the other way around. This was a great benefit for our trip because we knew we wanted to see the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. I like flying to Europe on a European carrier - the trip starts the moment you leave the ground. Plus, free wine! Flying directly (nonstop) to Europe is a great way to start your trip. You do the whole sleep prescription thing (see previous post on minimizing ...

Tip of the day: Walk from the Jardin des Tuileries to the Louvre (or the other way around). See the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel (ADTDC - see previous post) in the background of the above photograph? And the glass and metal pyramid of the Musee du Louvre in the foreground? The 2 are so close. You'll enjoy sitting and re-collecting by the water at either spot. How to get there (and begin orienting yourself to this area ripe with so many Paris treasures): From the Jardin de Tulieres, stand near the "little" Arc (ADTDC) and face so that your back is to the LARGE ferris wheel (great for orienting your location). Point left and just head that direction to visit the Louvre and this wonderful fountain. http://www.louvre.fr/llv/commun/home.jsp?bmLocale=en . Check the "visit" tab on the website for a guide to the different locations and entrances to the Louvre.