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posted by Charles H. Russo on Oct 29
Starting January 1, three Parisian museums will be free to visitors. This experiment, which will be tested over a 6-month period, comes after a campaign led by President Sarkozy, and much contemplation by cultural officials who wonder: will free museums attract the growing number of cultureless bums that are at home watching “Baywatch” reruns?
posted by Charles H. Russo on Oct 28
Photographs of Paris peniches or houseboats lined up along the River Seine. My husband, who typically doesn’t notice many details, took these photos of the boats’ names while on a solitary stroll. He walks to and from work every day. While he notices some things that are out-of-the-ordinary and tells me about them, he doesn’t often photograph them.
Seeing these photos reminded me of a passage from Julia Cameron’s book Finding Water. “…Walking, the simplest of tools, is among the most profound. It makes us larger than we are. When we walk, we wake up our consciousness. We enliven our senses. We arrive at a sense of well-being…” “…That still, small voice is automatically amplified a footfall at a time.”"Solvitur ambulando,” St. Augustine is said to have remarked. “It is solved by walking.”
posted by Charles H. Russo on Oct 27
Setting sail in early 2008, Scenic Tours River Cruising’s all new “space-ships” will be the highest standard river cruise ships ever built in Europe. Completely unrivaled on European waterways, the vessels feature large open-air balconies with over 25 sq. feet of space. Passengers can enjoy luxurious five-star accommodations while cruising along Europe’s magnificent Rhine and Danube rivers.
“We are very eager to launch the first of four brand new vessels. Working with Europe’s pre-eminent river ship designers and naval architects, we developed a totally new design in river cruise ships exclusive to Scenic Tours,” stated Vice President of Sales and Marketing, North America, Nicole De Wilde. “These unique ships will undoubtedly make Scenic Tours River Cruising the ultimate river cruising experience.”
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posted by Charles H. Russo on Oct 27
Travelocity has announced the beta launch of the RoadTrip Wizard, a new tool that streamlines and simplifies the road trip planning process. First to launch the RoadTrip Wizard platform, Travelocity customers can now benefit from a new way to plan every aspect of their road trip all in one place - a task that previously required multiple Web sites. This tool is available through an alliance with LeisureLogix, a new travel and navigation services company.
“Road trips are a part of the American culture,” said Andres Fabris, vice president of business development, Travelocity. “What our customers were missing was one place to plan their road trips based on what they want to see and do. The RoadTrip Wizard will not only fill this gap, it will also allow them to personalize plans based on what they want to get out of their trip.”
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posted by Charles H. Russo on Oct 27
As of January 1, 2008 Kuoni Destination Management will expand its activities into China, by integrating the existing inbound operations of Kuoni Travel (China) Ltd, a Hong Kong subsidiary of the Kuoni Travel Group, which operates under the brand of S.K.Y. Travel. This addition to the Kuoni Destination Management network underlines the significance of the strategically important Chinese market within the inbound sector in the areas of Leisure (groups, FIT) and MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, events).
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grouptravelblog.com
posted by Charles H. Russo on Oct 27
1. Why/ How did you become involved in the travel/ tourism industry?
A part time job in a hotel many years ago has lead to career spanning more than 25 years. I have worked for small and large hotels, national hotel chains, for a tour operator and for the past 10 years for the Tunica CVB. Best lesson I’ve learned is don’t focus on selling a room, a tour or even the destination. Instead sell the experience and the memories to be had.
2. What advice would you give to a group travel organizer to recruit someone who has never experienced a group tour and would like to try it?
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posted by Charles H. Russo on Oct 27
Hotwire, a service that allows consumers access to discounted air, hotel and rental car inventory is having some success in attracting small groups. The service is simple to use - select your destination and the services you require (air, hotel, car) and Hotwire quotes rates that are often far below what suppliers charge directly. The “catch” so to speak, is that you don’t know the service provider until after you put your credit card down. That being said, Hotwire represents top brands that have excess inventory to unload, but don’t want to ruin their brand pricing inventory. The author has used their services dozens of times for individual travel and small groups - with 100% satisfaction.
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posted by Charles H. Russo on Oct 27
A lovely vignette at Agape, Paris. The 28-drawer hanging chest is coming home with me, possibly destined for Savannah to hold Jordana’s sewing supplies. Doesn’t the man in the painting look rather like a 19th-century explorer?
Wish I had room in our apartment for this mercantile chest with its original handles!
posted by Charles H. Russo on Oct 27
Where is Moldova? It is a common question what foreign travelers ask sometimes. Some of them don’t even know that Republic of Moldova exists. Even if they heard something about Moldova, it is usually the fact, that we have beautiful women and a good wine.
For the beginning it is not bad, but let me help you to discover more about this amazing country, and understand better how Moldova looks like. First of all you should know the geographical fact, that Moldova located in the Southeast part of Europe and has two neighbors; Romania to the West and Ukraine to the East. The official language is Romanian but in the big cities communication is done in Russian as well, or often in a mixture of the languages. Moldova is a small but very valuable country, and our biggest treasure is people. If you have visited Moldova once, you will never forget the warmth and hospitality of Moldovan people.
City life
Welcome to Chisinau! It is the name of the capital of Moldova. Chisinau is very green and compact city where you will feel comfortable and welcome. It contains historical, administrative, and cultural parts. For city orientation; the main things to know is Stephan Cel Mare Boulevard, central Cathedral, the main square of the General National Meeting, and two central parks. Besides that we have museums, art galleries, churches, cinemas, and theatres. There is the Art Market in the town as well. Here you can find local paintings for good prices and other things worth bringing home. There are many nice places to stay in Chisinau. Prices are varying, depends on your budget. You can stay in a Chisinau hotels, or if you want to feel a nice home atmosphere, and comfort, you can rent the apartment.
Pride of Moldova…
Wine is the pride of Moldova. If you journey outside of the capital you may have the good fortunate to be offered some home brew. Most households in the countryside ferment their own wine. Wine for sale is cheap and generally of high quality. If you want to try Moldovan wine , you should visit “Cricova” and “Milesti Mici” wine cellars which recognized as the biggest underground wine cellars in Europe.
Those who like hiking we would gladly point to “Saharna” and “Tipova”. You will be amazed of the natural beauty of the places. You can walk and climb there enjoying the waterfalls and landscape. That peace of land will attract you with its wildness and mysteriousness.
If you are an adventurous heart, then you definitely need go to “Soroca” town. Today it is a small city located on the “Dniester” river and it is famous with its fortress of the XVth century. The city divides into two parts. The upper one is a Gipsy part. The largest Gipsy community in Moldova lives there. At the entrance of the city you will see the “Candle of gratitude” which opens a beautiful view of the town and surroundings.
Unfortunately, there is no sea in Republic of Moldova, but it doesn’t mean there is no place to swim, and have fun. There is a nice public beach on the “Dniester” river in the place called “Vadului Voda”. You can also have a nice boat trip down to the “Dniester” river or have a drink at the one of terraces. It is a perfect place for those who like crowded summer places as well as for those who like peaceful places and beautiful nature.
Are you excited to visit Moldova? Then just pack your bag, take everything necessary, and enjoy your trip!
Article sponsor: Chisinau apartments for rent from online Moldova guide Rent.md
posted by Charles H. Russo on Oct 27
This fall, parisian events was asked to organize a lunch at the Mona Bismarck Foundation in honor of the American painter, Barbara Ernst Prey. The request was to build a lunch around the theme of the featured image of the show: Family Portrait- a cluster of bright red Adirondack chairs scattered in a field of tall grasses and wildflowers.
Using these and other elements from her paintings, we created an Autumn in New England-themed lunch reception. We used the deep reds for the menus and floral focal points, and paired it with
