• Home
• Blog
• About
• Advertise
• Store
• Contact

Travel Tip Tuesday : Italian Language Basics to Learn for Travel

There are those of you who love learning a new language, and those who don’t.  Many travelers heading to Italy have no desire to learn the language and think everyone will just speak English anyway, so what’s the point.

Personally, I am in the first camp, especially when it comes to learning Italian.  It’s just one of the most beautiful and melodic languages out there – I relish the opportunity to use it and learn more of it.

But I certainly understand those who don’t have the time or desire to tackle a new language.  But, I still think learning some beneficial Italian language phrases before traveling to Italy, is a good idea.  Here’s what I recommend:

1.  Learn Italian pleasantries. Yes (si) and No (no) are easy.  Hello and Goodbye (ciao), Please (per favore), Thank You (grazie) and You’re Welcome (prego) all go a long way and should be used often.  Basic Italian greetings like good day (buongiorno) and good night (buona notte) sound lovely and will come in handy.

2.  Learn how to ask questions. Who (Chi) , What (Che), Where (Dove), When (Quando) and How (Come).  My biggest recommendation of the bunch is where or dove, pronounced doh-vey. It is an invaluable Italian word for travel.  Very useful when you need directions, a bathroom, a specific restaurant, the post office or a museum. Commit Dov’é il gabinetto to memory. It means ‘where is the bathroom’?

3.  Learn the days of the week, numbers 1-10 and how to tell time.  These things will be very helpful when reading a train ticket, metro or bus schedule, as well as opening and closing hours for restaurants and museums.  It is important to know that Italy generally follows military time.

4.  Learn how to ask if  someone speaks English. Sure, if you ask them in English and they do speak English, they will most likely answer you back.  But asking in Italian is just more respectful.  Locals will like the fact that you are at least making an attempt to speak a little of their language and they may be more helpful.  Just ask “mi scusi, parla Inglese?”  Conversely, learn how to tell someone you don’t speak Italian by saying “Mi dispiace, non parlo Italiano.”

If you wish to learn some Italian language basics, and pronunciations, here are a few related links that might help:

• Mango Passport
• BBC Learning Italian
• About.com Italian Language Lessons
• ItalianPod101.com

Don’t forget to see what travel tips Cherrye has today!

Traveling to Italy? Click here to see how I can help!

Photo Essay : Most Beautiful Train Stations in France

I love taking the train when traveling through Europe.  It’s clean, fast and convenient.  But I’m also drawn to the history and architectural beauty that some of these train stations provide.  Today, I wanted to share a photo essay of some of the most beautiful train stations in France.  It’s no surprise that many of them are in Paris, but there are a few other surprises.

Gare de Lyon

One of the six train stations in Paris, it is perhaps most famous for housing the classic Paris brasserie, Le Train Bleu and was featured in the film, Mr. Bean’s Holiday.  Named after the city of Lyon, it was built for the World Exposition of 1900.  Its classic architecture is reminiscent of its time as evidenced by the clock tower that resembles Big Ben.

Gare de Strasbourg

Built in 1883 and located in the Alsace region of France, this train station was erected by a Berlin architect, Johann Eduard Jacobsthal.  An impressive glass canopy that covers the entire facade was recently added in 2000, marrying the older building with a new modern look.

Gare du Nord

It’s hard to decide if this Paris train station, which is the busiest in France, is prettier viewed from the inside or out. The facade is lovely, but when the sun shines through the roof’s glass panels and arched windows, and mixes with the warm glow of the globe lighting, the platform and rails seem to transform.  Built in 1861, it houses many art sculptures and has made appearances in many French and American films

Gare de Limoges-Bénédicitins

The Limoges station, originally inaugurated in 1929, is unique in that it actually sits over the rails, rather than next to them. The facade is concrete and limestone and the dome, which covers the concourse is made of metal and covered in copper.  Both the dome and the top of the twelve-level clock tower display that signature green verdigris color the French are known for.

Gare de l’Est

Opened in 1849, this large Paris train station is a perfect example of the Belle Époque era. Comprised of both an east and west wing, they are flanked with ornate statues on each end of the building, which represent two important cities on the rail line – Strasbourg and Varenne. This train station is also topped with a curved glass roof and large semi-circular windows, which are covered in intricate iron scrollwork designs.

Gare Saint-Lazare

This station is all about what’s happening on the outside – a combination of old and new.  A modern glass dome Metro entrance and quirky clock sculpture stand out against the Beaux-Arts facade complete with a mansard roof. This station, the first built in Paris in 1847, was a featured staple of artists like Monet and Manet, perhaps because the original line traveled to the picturesque Normandy area.

Gare d’Orsay

Though the former Gare d’Orsay in Paris, built between 1898 and 1900, no longer functions as a train station, it still deserves an honorable mention!  Since 1986 is has been home to the Musée d’Orsay which primarily houses French art and boasts an impressive collection of impressionist pieces.   Can you believe that they wanted to tear this gorgeous building down?

Photo Credits: jlastras / Jere L / kevinfranklin / boklm / jchristopherrobinson / gabrilu / robin locker lacey

Travel Photo Friday : A Netherlands Canal

This Travel Photo Friday we have a photo from a place I’ve never been.  The Netherlands.

The photo was submitted by Kate Mayer and she writes this about her photo:

“This photo was taken over the canal in Leiden Netherlands where I studied abroad in 2007.   Leiden is an awesome little town 20-30 minutes outside of Amsterdam. This was the first night I officially moved in and the sunset over the canal with the old cobblestone streets around was an awesome sight.”

—

Do you have an awesome travel photo that you’d like to see featured for Travel Photo Friday?  Send it, along with a short description, to mymelange [at] yahoo [dot] com.

See you on June 3rd for our next edition!

Travel Tip Tuesday : Overstock is Selling Vacations

If you are a bargain shopper, I’m sure you’ve spent quite a bit of time on or even purchased something from the website Overstock.com.  They are well-known for their great deals on clothing, home furnishings, decor and more.  Oh yeah, and who can forget their special $1.00 shipping.

Well, now Overstock is getting into the travel business. Yep, that’s right – Overstock is now selling vacations!

Generally I am not a vacation package type of gal.  But I will admit that sometimes it makes sense.  You just need to do the math, read the fine print and make sure you know exactly what you are getting yourself into!

A visit to the Overstock vacation deals portion of the website reveals a very attractive looking interface with larger-than-life photos that would make anyone want to click on the BUY ME NOW button.

Deals are supposedly anywhere from 30-40% off regular prices, don’t include airfare, but do include taxes and fees.  Domestic vacation spots like Hawaii, Miami, New York and Newport California are listed alongside International destinations like London, Buenos Aires, Mexico, Prague and Paris!

Of course,  I immediately zeroed in on the current Paris listing and decided to do a little comparison of my own.

Overstock has a three-night stay in September at the Redishome Prestige Opera, part apartment/part hotel, which is in a good location, at $351.99 per person (based on double occupancy).  That’s $703.98 total for three nights.

A direct search of the hotel website, produces a studio for two people, for three nights, at € 648, which as of this writing is about $960.

So, the Overstock deal seems to offer a savings of about $250 bones.  Not bad.  Not bad at all.

You can also sign up for deals delivered right to your email inbox, which I strongly encourage you to do!

So, what do you think?  Would you buy a hotel or vacay from Overstock?

Don’t forget to check out Cherrye’s travel tips today!