Destination: Europe
The Two Sides of Tenerife
by Tom Swick | 09.10.09 | 10:10 AM ET
Photo by Tom Swick Contemplating and celebrating the world of travel
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Yahoo! BuzzTurn Up the Tunes, Break Out Your Phrasebooks
by Elyse Franko | 09.09.09 | 8:44 AM ET
Elyse Franko wonders: Is the United States at the beginning of a linguistic musical revolution?
European Flesh and the American Prude
by Rick Steves | 09.08.09 | 12:54 PM ET
Alexandra Beier/Reuters Exploring Europe, exploring travel as a political act
‘A User’s Guide to Understanding Parisians’
by Michael Yessis | 09.04.09 | 12:12 PM ET
Among the tips from longtime Paris residents Pauline Harris and Simon Kuper: Know their codes. “When Parisians are rude to visitors,” they write, “it is often because they think the visitor has been rude. This city has an old-fashioned etiquette, and unlucky tourists trample it with both white-sneakered feet.”
Finding ‘The Third Man’ in Vienna
by Eva Holland | 09.03.09 | 4:21 PM ET
Paul Gogarty’s Graham Greene-themed tour of the Austrian capital goes well beyond that famous Ferris wheel.
Skip the Colosseum? Give Prague a Pass?
by Eva Holland | 09.02.09 | 10:24 AM ET
Eva Holland sees an emerging trend in the world of travel advice, and she's not happy about it
Video: An Idiot’s Driving Tour of Moscow
by Michael Yessis | 09.01.09 | 2:38 PM ET
Here’s the idiot, who recklessly tried to re-create a car chase scene from The Bourne Supremacy:
If you want an accelerated travel experience, you’re better off doing this. (Via Gulliver)
The Virtue of European Tolerance
by Rick Steves | 09.01.09 | 10:23 AM ET
Exploring Europe, exploring travel as a political act
‘Eat, Pray, Love’ Update: Eating in Rome With Julia Roberts
by Eva Holland | 08.31.09 | 2:33 PM ET
The actress has been spotted at restaurants and markets around the city as filming for the first phase of Eat, Pray, Love gets under way. Meanwhile, since our last update, Billy Crudup, Viola Davis and (rumor has it) James Franco have all signed on to the project—fine additions to an already outstanding supporting cast.
If it’s August, it Must Be ‘Les Vacances’
by Eva Holland | 08.28.09 | 3:17 PM ET
We’ve all been there: wandering in a medieval town emptied of locals, or reading the note in our guidebook about business closures for the month of August—those pesky paid vacation days again. Global Post’s Teri Schultz takes a look at government-mandated vacation time over in Europe, and the lack thereof back in the States.
In Venice, Will Tourists Put up With the Advertising ‘Bombardment’?
by Michael Yessis | 08.28.09 | 2:06 PM ET
As Judith Martin writes, “Venice has always been frankly and happily commercial.” But it’s also taken pride in its beauty. Now that Venice is in a bad place financially, it’s turning more and more to commercial advertising that resides on and around the iconic places we all want to see when we visit. Martin’s piece in the Financial Times looks at the possible repercussions.
McWorld Goes Local
by Jim Benning | 08.28.09 | 12:16 PM ET
Further evidence (not that we needed it) that a globalized McWorld does not necessarily mean global homogeneity: Increasingly—though it has been going on for years—fast food franchises around the world are rolling out menu items created for local tastes.
Domino’s pizzas come topped with squid in Taiwan, black beans in Guatemala and feta cheese in Greece. In China, Kentucky Fried Chicken sells rice congee, while Col. Sanders in India woos vegetarians with offerings like the Chana Snacker, a chickpea burger topped with Thousand Island sauce.
Brit Lit and Venice: A Love Affair
by Eva Holland | 08.27.09 | 3:00 PM ET
In the Independent, Peter Popham has a thoughtful essay about the world’s—and, in particular, the British writing community’s—ongoing fascination with Venice. He writes: “Venice is the great seducer, the feminine city incarnate, risen like Venus from the waves and always threatening to sink into them again; demanding to be rescued, to be immortalised yet again by pen or brush, even though already, 250 years ago, one jaded visitor complained it was a city ‘about which so much has been said and written—that it seems to me there is nothing left to say.’”
He wraps up the essay with a list of artistic Brits who’ve gotten caught up in the city’s charms, from Lord Byron to Elton John. I’d add Jan Morris’ “Venice” to the list of worthy titles Popham mentions.
Photo We Love: Tomatina Warrior in Spain
by World Hum | 08.27.09 | 11:30 AM ET
REUTERS/Heino Kalis One happy man flashes a smile yesterday at the annual La Tomatina Festival in Buñol, Spain.
The Best British Beaches
by Eva Holland | 08.26.09 | 4:52 PM ET
I know, I know: Most folks don’t head to the U.K. for their sand ‘n’ surf fix—but this list of 50 great British beaches just might leave you tempted. I can vouch for several of the picks in Cornwall and Northumberland.