Destination: Uncategorized

I’ve just been working on a big magazine project and find that many of my jokes have been censored by editors. These jokes aren’t rude or crude, but they just keep readers on their toes and give things a little edge. I like historic jokes that both shine a light on a sightseeing topic and tickle your bone (the funny one). But I’m not sure where the line is.

For instance, in centuries past, lots of popes died of syphilis. Because they claimed to be celibate, would it be OK to call the disease that brought them down the “immaculate infection”?

It’s fun to think of special ways to really connect with Back Door destinations we recommend in Europe. If you’re heading for these favorites, here are a few tips to do it right.

Mostar — A must-see town when visiting the former Yugoslavia, just a three-hour drive from Dubrovnik
Local guides give intimate insight into the war and its aftermath and are inexpensive for the service they provide.

While a major road links Mostar with Dubrovnik and the coast, taking the rugged-but-scenic backcountry route through Serbian Herzegovina (Dubrovnik-Trebinje-Nevesinje-Mostar) is far more interesting.

Since six young villagers had a vision of the Virgin Mary in 1981, more than 30 million Roman Catholics have turned the farm hamlet of Medjugorje (just south of Mostar) into a thriving pilgrimage center.

Bistro Verona sits along the bombed-out but increasingly revitalized Boulevard, Mostar’s former front line. While as charming as a strip-mall diner, it’s a chance to eat dinner surrounded by a humble, friendly, and perfectly authentic scene without a hint of tourism.

Tallinn — Spice up your Scandinavian itinerary, just a two-hour boat crossing from Helsinki
For the best information, skip the official tourist office and use the student-run “Travelers’ Tent” just across the street. This creative service offers cheap tours, bike rentals, and candid insider tips you’d never get elsewhere.

Ever since communist times — when private enterprise was risky — local women have supplemented their family income by selling handmade knitwear at the “Sweater Wall.” They still do.

While hotels are no bargain in Tallinn, staying with locals is. The Rasastra Bed & Breakfast agency, run by Urve Susi, provides a wonderful referral service (www.bedbreakfast.ee).

Venice — One of the most popular and visited cities in Europe, it’s also a challenge to do smartly
To cross the Grand Canal like a local, ride the traghetto. Good maps locate the handful of these gondola crossings that save you lots of needless walking, provide a very cheap memory, and leave you feeling pretty savvy.

Take advantage of the free Rick Steves’ audio tour of the Grand Canal. Just grab a front seat on the vaporetto at the train station or car park, sit back, and enjoy the cruise with full narration.

St. Mark’s Basilica comes with a notoriously long line — and no one is let in with large bags. Those checking their bag at the nearby Ateneo San Basso (a free service in a former church a block from the basilica) use their claim check to enter St. Mark’s directly without waiting in the normal line.

The Doge’s Palace is also plagued by long lines. These lines are not for entry, but to buy a San Marco Museum Plus Pass to get in. Buy your pass instead at the nearby Correr Museum (where there’s never a line) and walk directly into the Doge’s Palace.

It’s fun to think of special ways to really connect with Back Door destinations we recommend in Europe. If you’re heading for these favorites, here are a few tips to do it right.

Istanbul — My favorite city in Europe for an extended visit (along with London, Paris, and Rome)
Every rush hour, the Bosphorus Strait is churning with more than a million Istanbul commuters riding the colorful and ramshackle ferries between Asia and Europe. Join them just to be part of the scene (and say you took an intercontinental cruise).

For a vivid slice-of-life experience, take a taxi to the Chora Church (and see its exquisite frescos). Then explore the Lonca, Balat, and Fener neighborhoods between there and the Golden Horn.

Stroll the length of Istiklal Caddesi to feel the pulse and energy of the city. At the fish market, sample every local’s favorite treat: kokorec (chopped-up sheep intestines, grilled and served with tomatoes, green peppers, and fresh herbs).

Bring a plastic baggie of show-and-tell items from your life from home (photos of your family, work, school, whatever). Share these with new friends in a neighborhood teahouse.

Prague — The best-preserved Baroque city in Central Europe
As you stroll across the Charles Bridge with all its lively crowds and entertainers, remember that it’s one of the most popular places in Europe for pickpockets.

To escape all the tourists, join romantics in a leisurely paddleboat ride among the swans in the Vltava River. Boats rent cheaply by the hour; look for them on the river island near the National Theater.

The Via Musica Box Office (under Tyn Church on the Old Town Square) is a handy place to get tickets to concerts. A clear schedule of all the events is posted on the wall next to photos of each plush venue.

A typical mug of Czech beer is 17 ounces and lands on your table like water in the US. When you’re done, another seems to appear until you say stop. Czechs don’t go from bar to bar like many other Europeans. They say, “In one night you must stay loyal to one woman and to one beer.”

Rome — The Eternal City can be both eternally challenging and eternally rewarding
Roman taxis are regulated. They can charge only the fixed €40 rate from the airport into the town center. But non-Roman cabs can charge €60. Upon arrival at the airport, be careful to hop into a city cab (look for “SPQR” on the door).

 The little “Elettrico #116” bus winds silently through the narrow lanes of Rome’s medieval core from Campo de’ Fiori to the Pantheon and up to the Villa Borghese Gardens. While designed for local seniors who don’t walk well, they are great for simply joyriding.

To enjoy Rome with the help of Rick Steves’ Audio Tours, download the file to your iPod (or other MP3 player).

It’s fun to think of special ways to really connect with Back Door destinations we recommend in Europe. If you’re heading for these favorites, here are a few tips to do it right.

Bruges — The cutest town in Belgium
Rent a bike (or take a bike tour) and in minutes you’re in the wide-open countryside. For the best, easiest bike ride from Bruges, just follow the canal to the charming town of Damme.

Herberg Vlissinghe, with Dutch Masters’ ambience and a boules court in the garden, is the oldest pub in Bruges. An €8 bowl of angel-hair spaghetti and a great Belgian beer makes for a wonderful Bruges evening.

Bruges has some of Europe’s best B&Bs. For  €70 a night, you get a fine double room with private bathroom and breakfast — and a chance to actually feel like you have local friends.

Bruges’ bell tower is famous for its carillon. Benches are placed in its courtyard for music lovers to enjoy free concerts several nights a week through the summer (schedules are posted).

Vernazza — Get properly connected to the best town of Italy’s Cinque Terre (in spite of its tourist crowds)
Twin Sicilian brothers entertain their visitors with tasty Sicilian pastries and drinks each evening and at breakfast time. Their café is at the top end of town — no Mediterranean view…just lots of crazy camaraderie and good prices.

Dead Vernazzans are given the best view in town. Visitors can hike above Vernazza to its cemetery to enjoy the same vistas and witness a community tending the tombs of their loved ones.

The village subsidizes a shuttle bus to connect Vernazza with hamlets high in the surrounding hills. Any tourist can use it as a scenic joyride or a cheap lift to a high country of scenic hikes.

Really late, after things close up, the young and hedonistic waitstaff of the Vernazza’s many restaurants and bars gather at a cave at the end of the town beach.

Cotswolds — A collection of the cutest little towns in all of England
Visiting a formal English garden is a must. Hidcote Manor Garden, one of England’s best, is just four miles from Chipping Campden.

The Cotswold Farm Park (just outside Stow-on-the-Wold) delights young and old alike with a chance to meet rare and endangered breeds of local animals. Be careful. I greeted a rare old goat and he ate my map.

Keith Harding’s World of Mechanical Music (in Northleach) offers a unique chance to listen to 300 years of amazing, self-playing musical instruments. Music-box lovers give private tours with plenty of demonstrations.

It’s fun to think of special ways to really connect with Back Door destinations we recommend in Europe. The next five blog entries include tips on how to do it right.

Aeroe Island — My favorite rural experience in Denmark
As you wander around town, peek through windows and into homes. Locals love it. That’s why they leave their drapes open.

Be on the Urehoved Beach at the edge of town at sunset, when Danes gather to barbecue shrimp and sing songs.

The best lunch deal in town is smoked fish at the Aeroeskoebing Roegeri. When they open the cooker, an eruption of smoke announces to hungry locals that their choice of delicious fish is ready.

Each evening in July and August, the night watchman (Jan Pedersen) takes anyone who is interested on a historic stroll through town. Unless you want to hang out with the farmers in one of the town’s two pubs and drink, it’s the best (actually…the only) action going on after dark.

Baden-Baden — Relax with the Germans in their ultimate spa resort
Ride the funicular from town to the 2,000-foot summit of a peak called Merkur. From there, enjoy a frothy beer on the restaurant terrace while watching thrill-seeking paragliders leap into space.

For dinner in a cozy cellar or a leafy garden courtyard, eat at Weinstube im Baldreit, where Nicole serves and her husband Philippe cooks gourmet regional dishes at great prices.

For a chance to connect with the latest town scandal, ask a local about the Russian mafia owning most of Baden-Baden…and what the current mayor is doing about it.

If you’re going to the casino to gamble, you’ll need to dress up. Men who don’t wear a coat and tie can rent them for 11 euros.

Blackpool — Party with Brits in a low-end Coney Island way
Harry Ramsden’s is a fixture in Blackpool. It’s considered the place to eat mushy peas with fish and chips – surrounded by families who actually get excited about good mushy peas.

If you visit any time but summer weekends or during “The Illuminations” festival (September through October), there are plenty of rooms, and prices are soft. But during those crowded times, you’ll pay a premium to sleep in Blackpool.

Blackpool is accessible to Brits who can’t afford to vacation in Spain. During a soft drizzle, take a photo of families on the beach pretending it’s actually sunny.

If Blackpool is too far north for your travel plans, Brighton (two hours south of London) provides a similar, Coney Island brand of tacky fun.