Word for the Travel Wise (03/26/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

How time flies! It’s been quite sometime
since I covered an Italian word and considering its usage I better get on the ball, right? Without further delay let’s
dive back into this awesome language by feeding our brains with a word that provides direction or will assist in
helping you ask for them.

Today’s word is an Italian word used in Italy:

Dov’é – Where is…

No more getting lost, unless that is your travel style of course. Italian is yet another Romance lang spoken by
some 70 million people primarily in Italy. Beautiful indeed. Seeing how popular the language is there isn’t much
difficulty finding learning resources on the web. I’m a little unsure about what’s going on with this June29 site, but they have three very simple lessons to get your
learning motors going. You might find the BBC your one stop shop
in handling your needs. Dictionaries, lessons, audio, and slang are all included. Distance learning is always
recommended in my book. Check out some of these programs abroad where you can study in various cities across the
country and even Lugano, Switzerland. A few links to study abroad are as follows: Amerispan, World Link
Education, and ILUSS. Head over to this Italian Book Store for suggested text.

Past
Italian words: qualcosa

Three Best Road Trips in the World

by Neil Woodburn on

Road trips are the bread and butter of the travel world.  It is so very easy to simply throw some gear in
the car and head north or west or whatever direction you choose with the realization that the very best road trips are
those where the destination is actually secondary to the journey itself. 

Since nearly anything involving a car and a passenger constitutes a road trip, I found it rather ambitious that
The Sunday Times tried narrowing down the three very best in the world.  And
frankly, they do a pretty good job of it, detailing daily itineraries, places to stay, things to see while driving and
even the best type of car to rent (and where to rent it). 

And what are the three best road trips in the world?  Well, Pacific Coast Highway in
California is the first on the list, as well it should be.  Although the trip can be done in one long day, The
Sunday Times provides an amazingly detailed itinerary for an entire week. 

Lake Garda and the Dolomites come in at number two on the list.  This tour of the lake
country in Northern Italy sounds simply magical, winding along cliffs, lakes, mountain passes and jaw-dropping
scenery. 

Number three is a drive through the western highlands of Scotland.  This journey leaves from
Glasgow and heads past a number of lochs and glens before riding along the coast up to the majestic Isle of
Skye.  

Deadly Ski Season in Europe

by Erik Olsen on

Wow, I had no idea things were so rough on the other
continent. What has seemed like a rather tame winter here stateside, has been rather tragic in the Alps. Fierce
winds and heavy snowfall have led to some gnarly avalanches in the French Alps, dragging down and killing skiers,
making this the most deadly ski seasin in 35 years.

The rash of valanches have killed 53 people in ski resorts this
season, said the National Association for the Study of Snow and Avalanches. Climbers, skiers and even a ski patroller
and a mountain rescuer, got snagged and turns out, like last year, many of the folks killed have been the backcountry
folks who strayed off-piste. Even an Idaho kid got killed in
Italy. Be careful out there.

Luxury Train Travel: The Orient Express

by Neil Woodburn on

Train travel is my favorite kind of travel.  I can stretch out my legs, walk around, watch the scenery rush
by, and chat, eat and play cards with my fellow travelers.  In fact, when it comes to train travel, the longer the
journey the better the trip.

The most famous of all train journeys is undoubtedly the Orient Express.  While other train journeys might be
longer or more scenic, none match the luxury and allure of the Orient Express, according to a nice piece on CNN.com.

There are actually a couple of “Orient Expresses” but only one which truly replicates the days of
upscale, pampered train travel: The Venice Simplon
Orient Express.  Passengers travel 1,066 miles from London to Venice in restored vintage trains from the 1920s
and 30s.  A staff of 40 caters to their needs during the 31 hour journey, serving breakfast in bed and a sumptuous
dinner in the dining car—an event for which passengers wear dinner suits.  In fact, there is actually a dress
code onboard to uphold the dignity and opulence of the luxury train travel experience. 

And luxury it is, at $2,440 per person.  This is just another one of those trips where the journey is more
important than the destination itself.

 

Chocolate: Turin's Best Sport

by Neil Woodburn on

Last week we
posted about the surprise (at least to me) culinary tradition of Turin,
site of the Winter Olympics.  It turns out that this region of Italy is actually more famous amongst Italians for
its food than its winter sport facilities. 

The LA Times initially introduced
us to the pasta and truffle specialties found in the Turin region which we posted about.  Last Sunday the
paper spotlighted another culinary
joy for which Turin is famous: chocolate.  Confectioners in Turin have been perfecting the art of chocolate
making for more than 500 years, and according to journalist Bill Shaikin, it looks like they’ve got it
right. 

Peyrano, for example, is just one of the many famous,
family-owned chocolate shops that has a long tradition of churning out rich morsels and creamy hot chocolate that would
melt the biathlon course.  Interested tourists need not just limit themselves to one or two chocolate houses,
however.  The ChocoPass, just $12, allows the hungry and gluttonous a free sample at all of Turin’s
chocolate shops.  That’s 23 pieces of chocolate in case you’re counting.  

And if that’s not good enough to quench the chocolate cravings, the city hosts the Big Chocolate Fair from March 24 to April 2.  I just can’t
imagine what an orgy of chocolate this must be.  Screw the Olympics!  Get those athletes out of Turin as soon
as possible so the city can concentrate on what it does best.