For the answer to last month's question, scroll to the bottom of this newsletter.

Be sure to check next month's e-news for another fun trivia question and the answer to this one!

Travel Tip.
  More & more passengers are opting to ship luggage to ease travel and avoid fees.  There are several private suppliers as well as UPS and FedEx.  They collect luggage at your home and deliver to your destination.   If you are cruising, cruise lines have preferred transfer companies that they use.
 

Enhancements for European Travel

in 2011.

How many times can you visit Europe? Or the same European country? Or even the same European city?  For many of us, it is a favorite destination.  And each year, new tweaks appear to add a bit more flavor to your vacation.  Here are some suggestions:

1.  We'll always have Paris.  Now you can book your visit to the Eiffel Tower online and reserve a spot that takes you to the second level.  The city is also bursting with new hotel openings.

2.  A foggy day in London town.  Prepping for the 2012 Olympics, the city is now offering guided tours of the Olympic construction site.  Combine this with the rail line that takes you to Greenwich and the upbeat docklands area.  Don't overlook the "little wedding" April 29th!!

3.  Ich bin ein Berliner.  On summer weekends in 2011, the museums, historical sights and cultural centers will be open with illumination and lighted until 2 am!  In advance, you can book entry to the renovated Neues Museum to visit the famous bust of Queen Nefertiti (circa 1340 BC).

4.  Arrivederci Roma.  Good news for shoppers!  Starting this year, Rome's fashionable city center shops are skipping their 3 hour lunch break and will be open from 10 am to 7 pm.  The Vatican Museum now has a pre-reservation system; some lucky visitors could possibly snag a Friday evening spot as the Museum will be open from 7-11 PM.  Across town the Colosseum, after a thorough cleaning, has permanent lighting!

5.  Bella Italiano!  Other news from around the country.  Florence's Galileo Science exhibit is open as is a new contemporary art museum in Venice, Punta Della Dogano, with its own ferry gondola from Harry's Bar.  The Leaning Tower of Pisa is now open late on summer evenings, and Milan's Pinacoteca di BreRa  will feature 22 pages of da Vinci's Codex Atlanticus in individual  glass cases.

6.  Viennese Waltz.  The Vienna opera  will have a huge screen on the side of the building and broadcast live performances - free entry.  At the St. Charles Church, float in the clouds with cupids and angels as you ride the elevator to the base of the dome!

7.  Espania.  Spain's high speed train system, AVE, can now whisk you between Madrid and Barcelona in 3 hours.  In emerging Valencia, shop for antiques and "junque" in the Plaza Casanova every Sunday.

8.  Prague.  Next to the Charles Bridge in Mala Strana district is one of the finest shops for Bohemian crystal,  iMaterial.  Shoppers and collectors take note.

9.  Lisboa.  An innovative and adventurous way to explore Lisbon's narrow streets and steep hills is with SideCar Tours.  You have your own private driver for the motorcycle as you enjoy a side car for 2!

Enjoy! 

Travel Inquiries 

From the desk of Trish Timmerman...

USA Revisited...

There is renewed interest in travel within the United States, both escorted and independent travel.  Just last week, I arranged with Tauck Tours for a group of six friends to visit Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons.  Now I'm planning a custom escorted driving trip to the Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce and Yellowstone National Parks.

America's National Parks can be visited in whichever way you desire.  Tour operators like Tauck Tours, Abercrombie and Kent, Disney and Collette Tours offers escorted tours of various lengths.

Let the American history of the rugged West unfold as you travel through and enjoy some of the greatest sights this country has to offer.  Maybe rafting, horseback riding or rodeo, but for sure, spectacular scenery awaits you.  

Family Travel Ideas

From the desk of Barbara Valeriay...

"The Most Magical time of all is Family Time!"

Created with all the imagination of Disney dream makers, Disney's newest ship, the "Disney Dream" has arrived.  The ship offers activities for all generations - a wonderful way to get the whole family together.  There are venues and experiences designed to delight kids, teens and adults in enchantingly different ways.    

The AquaDuck, first water coaster at sea, is a wild, watery ride. With a 765 foot long winding slide, it propels you up, down, and all around!

Kids' imaginations will be inspired in enhanced spaces like the new "Disney's Oceaneer Club" where they are completely transported to dream destinations like Pixie Hollow and Andy's Room.  (inspired by Disney/Pixar's Toy Story film).

Tweens get, their own club, "Edge".  Teens enjoy "Vibe", an exclusive indoor escape and outdoor lounge.

Adults can savor new indulgences in two restaurants reserved just for them.  "Palo", and the all new "Remy" which offers fine French cuisine.

The staterooms are family-friendly with clever conveniences like split baths and extra storage space.  Even inside staterooms have a virtual porthole that comes with animated surprises and views.

Families can now enjoy exclusive Disney entertainment, including original Broadway-style shows.  They also have a new "Goofy's Sports Deck" with a crazy nine hole miniature golf course, virtual sports simulators and more!

Call us and we'll make the magic happen!  

 Travel Suggestions

From the desk of Julia Shore...

Well known as the setting for the story of Romeo and Juliet, historic Verona is a tangle of its storied past and modern industry.  However, Verona has much more to offer.  Also known as Urbs Nobilissima, it is the second largest city in Veneto (after Venice) and one of the cities that has better preserved its artistic heritage.

As you can imagine, seeing a performance of the story of Romeo and Juliet in its true setting is a staple of most travelers' visit to the city.  The summer months bring about Verona's famous Opera Festival Season.  Beginning June 13^th and ending September 3^rd, performances take place at the Verona Arena. A Roman amphitheater which is internationally famous for large scale opera performances, it is one of the best preserved ancient structures of its kind.

A visit to Verona can easily be combined with another real jewel, Maremma, a vast area of southern Tuscany, offering natural beauty of undiscovered wilderness, national parks and unspoiled medieval hilltop villages.

For more information and to view my suggested itinerary, click here. 

• Light -colored cupcakes, 1 regular and 3 mini         
• White Frosting
• Shredded Coconut
• 3 large and 2 small white gumdrops
• 1 Junior Mint candy
• Chocolate Chips, 4 regular and 4 mini

Instructions:  

1. First, frost the top, sides, and bottoms of both a regular-size cupcake and a mini cupcake with white frosting.  For each cupcake, frost the bottom first; then use a fork stuck into the bottom to hold the cupcake while you frost the rest of it.

2.  Roll the cupcakes in shredded coconut; then, working on waxed paper, set the cupcakes on their sides with the top of the smaller cupcake stuck to the bottom of the larger one to form the bear's head.

3.  Add 2 horizontal slices from a large white gumdrop for ears, a Junior Mint candy for a nose, and 2 chocolate chips for eyes.  For each cub, frost a mini cupcake and a large gumdrop, then roll them in coconut and arrange them on their sides as shown.  Add 2 horizontal slices from a small white gumdrop for ears, a chocolate chip nose and 2 mini chocolate chip eyes.