Europe String

Mmmmmm… cheese. I love it. Check out any food market in Europe and you’re likely to discover dozens of varieties you’ve never tried before.
This was definitely true for me on my first trip to Amsterdam’s famous Noordermarkt. This organic farmer’s market is located in the Jordaan quarter of Amsterdam and takes place rain or shine every Saturday. The friendly vendors were happy to give me a taste of various cheeses to help me choose which ones to buy.
Even if your accommodations don’t include a kitchen, the Noordermarkt organic market is definitely worth a visit for foodies visiting Amsterdam. The experience …read more

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Amongst the girls in the windows of Amsterdam’s red light district, visitors can make an unexpected discovery. The Amstelkring Museum is a preserved 17th-century home with a most unusual upstairs. A Catholic church, aptly named Our Lord in the Attic, is hidden inside this unassuming house. The church dates to the Reformation, when Catholics were forbidden to practice in Amsterdam.
I enjoyed learning a bit about Amsterdam’s interesting history while visiting the Amstelkring Museum. The museum is open daily and costs €7 for adults. Entry is free with an I amsterdam card.

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Don’t you just love it when you stumble across a great travel value? That’s how I felt while we were staying at the Hotel Austria Wien in central Vienna – what a find! The staff was welcoming and helpful, the rooms were modern, clean, and quiet, and even breakfast was included in the completely reasonable rate we paid. And the location was great, too, in a neighborhood full of restaurants and shops, and just a short walk to the central pedestrian area.
A double room with private bath goes for EUR 109 – 150. You can pay less if you stay …read more

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As much as I love taking pictures when I travel, I hate lugging around big equipment. I usually travel with a compact digital camera, and I never bother with a tripod.
Although I’m still able to get great shots most of the time, the problem I most often encounter is camera shake, which leads to blurry pictures. My husband’s solution to this is to use the top of my head as a camera stand (affectionately referring to me as his ‘bipod’), but what’s someone like me supposed to do when there’s no one shorter around to pick on?
I was amused to …read more

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Super Bowl XLII is coming up – on February 3rd, 2008, to be exact. You don’t hear much about this American game over here in Europe, but all is not lost if you’re a fan who finds yourself on this side of the pond for the big day (assuming you’re willing to stay up late).
The game is actually broadcast live on free TV in many European countries, minus most of the pre-game shows, and, sadly, without all those fancy commercials. Broadcasts start at around midnight CET; check the local listings for the country you’re in to find out whether …read more

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I was browsing books on Amazon (I do this a lot, given that I live in a place without easy access to giant English-language bookstores) and noticed that Rough Guide is about to come out with The Rough Guide to Europe on a Budget. I want! I’m a huge fan of Rough Guides, so this sounds fabulous to me.
But then I noticed that it’s not coming out until April 2008. Hmmmm. I guess you could pre-order it for someone as a Christmas present? But that would be a lot of delayed gratification. OK, I’ll let you know if I come …read more

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Yes, we are growing. Soon enough, wherever it is you plan to spend your vacation, b5media’s Travel & Culture Channel will have a blog to help you discover your destination of choice.
For now, we have three new great bloggers to guide you:

Jed can show you around the capital of England over at the London Traveler.
Geoff brings to you the beer-drinking sausage-eating German-speaking part in the North; the winde drinking shopaholics near France; the warmer part with cappuccino drinkers in the southeast; and the classi Swiss flugelhorns and mountain landscapes in the center over at the Switzerland Traveler.
Heather will …read more

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An iPod can definitely do more than just entertain you during a long flight. Budget travelers can also use it as a travel guide by downloading one of the many PodCityGuides available online. You can also listen to travel podcasts for some insight over at Fashion Tribes.
Of course, we should all not forget the main function of iPods… to hear music!!!
But why stop there? Before you embark on your next European sojourn, check out b5media’s newly-launched Music Channel for news. Whichever music genre you might prefer, you will definitely find a blog that would rock your world.
Uh-oh, …read more

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The Colosseum in Rome, Italy made it to the list of the world’s top human-built wonders, the new seven wonders of the world. Others which made it on the list are: The Great Wall of China, Petra in Jordan, Brazil’s statue of Christ the Redeemer,Peru’s Machu Picchu, Mexico’s Chichen Itza pyramid and India’s Taj Mahal.
What does this mean? Not much, I suppose. Even without the wonder of the world label, millions of visitors have already been traveling to see Rome. So…
I wonder, though if prices would skyrocket. Not that Rome was ever cheap.
I’ll let you know …read more

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If AirHitch’s destination surprise is not exactly your cup of tea, you may have to spend a lot of time online just to find a great airfare deal. You can check your favored airline for their offers. You can also use aggregators to help you look for what they deem is the cheapest deal available.
OR… you can use Your Amazing Personal Travel Assistant.
No, you need not spend your next paycheck to pay a dedicated travel agent. That would be stupid.
Your Amazing Personal Travel Assistant is a new tool which you can fondly call yapta. It can help you …read more

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