Greek Islands

If you travel to Athens, Greece, and you want to visit an offshore island, it's easily done. From the port city of Piraeus, the Argo-Saronic islands are popular weekend getaways for Athenians, and they also provide tourists with a convenient close-by island destination, be it for a quick visit or a longer stay. For tourists the most popular islands include Aigina, Poros and Ydra. Aigina is the site of the Temple of Aphaia, considered the most well-preserved temple in all of Greece (see photo). Both Poras and Ydra are famed for their quaint villages and casual atmosphere, and on Ydra, no motorized vehicles are allowed so bikes and donkeys provide the local transportation. All of the islands are accessible by a reliable ferry service from the mainland, and one-day, three-island cruises are recommended for those with limited time; they're affordable, they're fun and they're very Greek!

Prague

I am reminded almost daily of one of my favorite European cities by a picture on the wall of my office, one taken from the historic Charles Bridge in Prague, Czech Republic. It was a brisk fall day, and in all directions Prague had that fairy tale-look going on, and it would be almost impossible to take a bad picture even for an amateur photographer like me.


Prague is a very striking city, as it's so perfect it's almost like a fantasy. The Charles Bridge spans the Vltava River and as I crossed the Charles Bridge on my way to Old Town Square, a canal (yes, a canal caught my eye) as it reminded me so much of Venice. Turns out that near the shoreline a few canals wind their way from the river through the old buildings and then, under the bridge.


In all of Europe Prague is one of the favorite cities of international travelers, and in addition to its beauty, prices here are very inexpensive now and it is truly one of the best bargains on the entire European continent.

High Water

For those of us fortunate enough to have traveled to Venice, Italy, like me, they've no doubt stood in Saint Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco) and marveled at the many historical buildings and monuments, as well as the boat traffic on the Grand Canal that fronts this beautiful place. (photo by webmaster)


A few visits back, while researching streets for a series of travel guide maps, I stood in the Piazza with water almost to my knees. This is a somewhat common occurrence in Venice supposedly caused by rising tides, high winds and very low atmospheric pressure. Well, yesterday the water rose again by almost four feet, flowing over the banks of the Grand Canal and on into the Piazza. Regardless, tourists were seen having lunch with their feet covered by water.


That water receded rather quickly, but nevertheless, when you travel to Venice (and you should), you might consider packing a pair of waterproof shoes.

A Fake Rolex

Street shopping in Rome is quite an eye-opening experience and if you journey to this most-interesting of cities I suggest you take a look at the street vendors, as Rome is certainly "Knock-off Central." Of all of the cities I've traveled to (including Hong Kong) here, on most days, but especially on the weekends, knock-off entrepreneurs seem everywhere, selling fake (but labeled as real) name brand clothes, pens, purses, scarfs, shoes, watches and more. The most incredible thing about it is many sell their wares on the same street that the actual (real merchandize) is sold, and yet it seems that the authorities just look the other way. Actually, on almost anything passively illegal in Italy, the authorities look the other way.


I collect watches of all kinds and over the years I've bought my share of cheap and expensive, real and fake. What's rather weird is that even though the knock-off watches are of inferior quality, I've owned a few of these replicas that have lasted for a quite a long time. I had one that ran perfectly for almost two years and I own a few that look exactly like (and I mean exactly like) a real Breitling, Bvlgari, Cartier, Patek Philippe, Tag Heuer or Rolex. Now once the battery goes in these look-alikes, it's usually time for the trash can, but at these very low street prices ($15 - $40) they can easily be replaced.


The street vendors (for sure) understand and speak English, and once you look at their merchandise, well the real fun begins and it's all about bargaining. For me, once I find a watch I like, I put it on my wrist, set the time and date and ask the vendor his price. Whatever he says I would never pay more than half. If he refuses to budge I simply walk away and most of the time the "dirty deed is done" as he chases after me in earnest.


A fake watch makes a great gift for any occasion, but I would encourage honesty to be the best policy when it comes to knock-offs. I once picked up a (very real looking) Rolex on a street corner in Florence, had it wrapped very nicely (box and all) and gave it to a friend of mine in Texas as a gift. In the bottom of the box I put 30 dollars. He opens the box and loves the watch, I mean really liked it. "Is this real?' he asked. I didn't answer him and he continued to rave about. "God, it sure looks real, so is it real?" Finally he spotted the cash and asked what the money was for. "Well," I replied, if this one ever stops working you can use that money to buy another one." He laughed for the longest time.


Ciao from Rome!

Venice, Italy

My personal travels throughout Europe, especially in Italy, will be the subject of my posts to the www.worldatlas.com Europe Blog. In the next few days I'll be providing some interesting info and tips on staying in Venice. If you have any comments or questions for me, please fire away.

Andorra Mountains

I just returned from a brief trip to Andorra, and I must say that this very small European country has some of the most beautiful mountain scenery in all of Europe. If you haven't been, I would certainly suggest a visit.