Trips posted in
Continental Europe
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Top Attractions in Nice: Food, Art, and Culture
This city bubbles over with a sprit of fun. I fell in love with Nice, and didn’t mean to. After a week in Provence, the last thing I was in the mood for was a city. But it was so relaxing, delightful, colorful, friendly, complex, cultured, relaxing, busy, that I extended a three day visit…
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Escape the cacophony of Rome for Ostia Antica: Once Rome’s mighty port, open, preserved and off the beaten track.
Ostia Antica. Rome is overwhelming in its magnificence but let’s admit it, it is just as overwhelming a city because of the tourist hordes. Everyone wants a piece of the magnificent beauty and history. Is there even an off-season? But imagine a place of intact frescoes, ornate mosaics, tall marble columns, buildings and avenues free…
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New Years in Vienna: The luxurious 9-day rail trip through Central Europe
New Years in Vienna: The Golden EagleDanube Express. A tour unlike any other. Having loved trains of all sorts all our lives, this 9-day tour of the Central Europe capitals and countryside, was like some surreal dream carved from the early 20th century. While there are several in-depth postings on the Destinations page, here we…
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Hungarian National Parliament: ornate, haughty, imperious and the home of a shaky democracy.
Humankind has a proclivity to build massive, ornate, governmental buildings so the rulers can impress the ruled with their power. Such is the Hungarian Parliament building of Budapest. This is more than just another huge structure, it represents the painful dynamic of a country at odds with itself and its history. We entered the visitors…
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Four Seasons Gresham Palace of Budapest: Art Nouveau gem where a drink in the bar calls
As you walk into the Gresham Palace, now a Four Seasons Hotel, take a moment to pause and draw in the entirety of the T-shaped entrance and lobby with its incredible Art Nouveau style and detail — a style evident everywhere in the hotel, from lobby to bathroom. Art Nouveau was a dominant architectural style…
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Tigris, restaurant of Budapest: gourmet yes, but perhaps the royalty of Foie Gras
Foie Gras draws on strong opinions: people either love it hate it. Yes, there are always those in-between, of which may be be one, but I definitely like it…a lot. We ate here on our last night in Budapest at the recommendation of the concierge. At Tigris, a block or two from the Gresham Palace,…
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Evora, Portugal: postcard of cathedrals, and an unforgettable local amazing lunch.
Lisbon is a great base for day trips. We took three: Sintra, and Obidos to the north; Evora to the west. All are highly recommended. This is about Evora and a restaurant and lunch that should not be missed. Hugo, my Lapa Palace concierge, one of the all-time best concierge’s, recommended renting a car for…
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Paris and the Hotel Regina: Gracious, Warm, Luxurious With a Few Surprises
Ah, Paris. Having mainly stayed on the Left Bank, this time we chose the Hotel Regina. A 5-star, former Red Cross headquarters in the heart of classic Paris. The entrance faces the gold statue of Joan of Arc, and to the left of the entrance as you leave, the Louvre. Basically, it sits squarely between…
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Spring Mill Cafe, a reliable French restaurant, takes the big dive.
A foodie cries in the dark — Spring Mill Cafe, what happened? Few things are sadder than when a perennial place, a restaurant you have always relied on for good food, takes a dive. You go year after year, you take guests, invite friends and family, and then one Saturday night, bam, the quality falls…
Outspoken Traveler 