http://www.ajc.com The latest headlines from AJC en-us Copyright 2008, Cox Newspapers Inc., AJC Tue, 2 Dec 2008 23:03:18 EST Newspapers COXnet RSS Generator v1.0 http://img.coxnewsweb.com/C/08/17/52/image_1352178.jpg http://www.ajc.com 5 http://www.ajc.com/services/content/travel/otherdestinations/int_stories/2008/12/02/venice_floods_recede.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=23 http://www.ajc.com/services/content/travel/otherdestinations/int_stories/2008/12/02/venice_floods_recede.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=23 Tue, 2 Dec 2008 15:14:42 EST VENICE, Italy — Strong southern winds pushed the Adriatic Sea into Venice again Tuesday, submerging parts of the lagoon city a day after an unusually high tide caused the worst flooding in 20 years. Tuesday's tidal surge peaked at 3 feet, 4 inches (102 centimeters), well below Monday's 5 foot, 1-inch level (156 centimeters), which marked the fourth-highest tide in the city's recorded history and the worst since 1986. Still, the water Tuesday was high enough to flood the city's landmark St. Mark's Square and other low-lying areas. http://www.ajc.com/services/content/travel/otherdestinations/int_stories/2008/12/02/toronto_budget.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=23 http://www.ajc.com/services/content/travel/otherdestinations/int_stories/2008/12/02/toronto_budget.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=23 Tue, 2 Dec 2008 14:33:33 EST Toronto — With the U.S. dollar surging against Canadian currency, a vacation north of the border is suddenly affordable again. The U.S. dollar was worth $1.23 Canadian in late November, a comeback from a one-to-one exchange rate last year. In addition to being a good deal, Americans headed to Toronto may also find Canada's largest city refreshingly hip, diverse and utterly cosmopolitan. Here are some tips to help you explore the city known as "Tronno" or "T-dot" while saving those loonies (the colloquial term for Canada's $1 coin). http://www.ajc.com/services/content/travel/otherdestinations/int_stories/2008/12/02/venice_flooding_update.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=23 http://www.ajc.com/services/content/travel/otherdestinations/int_stories/2008/12/02/venice_flooding_update.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=23 Tue, 2 Dec 2008 10:52:32 EST VENICE, Italy — Venice could use a bailout. The city built on water has too much of it. Residents and tourists waded through knee-deep water Monday as they navigated the city's narrow streets and alleys, and its historic St. Mark's Square was inundated. Boxes of tourist merchandise floated inside the flooded shops around the square and even the city's famed pigeons sought refuge on rooftops and windowsills. One of the highest tides in its history brought Venice to a virtual halt, rekindling a debate over a plan to build moveable flood barriers in an effort to save the lagoon city from high tides. http://www.ajc.com/services/content/travel/otherdestinations/int_stories/2008/12/01/venice_flooding.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=23 http://www.ajc.com/services/content/travel/otherdestinations/int_stories/2008/12/01/venice_flooding.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=23 Mon, 1 Dec 2008 12:50:36 EST VENICE, Italy — The worst flooding in Venice in more than 20 years forced residents and tourists to wade through knee-high water Monday. City officials said the sea level topped 61 inches (156 centimeters) on Monday, well past the 40-inch (110-centimeter) flood mark, following heavy rains. Alarms went off to alert citizens in the morning. "There are very few streets that are water-free," said a city spokesman, Enzo Bon. http://www.ajc.com/services/content/travel/otherdestinations/us_stories/2008/11/18/hotels_on_budget.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=23 http://www.ajc.com/services/content/travel/otherdestinations/us_stories/2008/11/18/hotels_on_budget.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=23 Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:05:53 EST NEW YORK — When the economy was booming, many hotel companies began building new properties. Some of those are opening now, resulting in a 2.5 percent increase in hotel room supply this year, just as demand is dropping by around 1 percent or more, according to Jan Freitag of Smith Travel Research. "We're going to see a substantial decline in occupancy this year," agreed Bjorn Hanson, an associate professor of hospitality and tourism at New York University's Tisch Center. Excess supply means opportunities for consumers. Here are some strategies for booking hotels on a budget. http://www.ajc.com/services/content/travel/otherdestinations/int_stories/2008/11/23/weekend_bermuda.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=23 http://www.ajc.com/services/content/travel/otherdestinations/int_stories/2008/11/23/weekend_bermuda.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=23 Mon, 24 Nov 2008 11:59:57 EST Budget Getting there The two-hour nonstop Delta flight averages $450 round-trip with a one-week advance notice. Other airlines frequently offer sales. http://www.ajc.com/services/content/travel/otherdestinations/int_stories/2008/11/21/frankfurt_free_cheap.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=23 http://www.ajc.com/services/content/travel/otherdestinations/int_stories/2008/11/21/frankfurt_free_cheap.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=23 Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:22:41 EST FRANKFURT, Germany — A world financial center packed with investment bankers sounds like a tough place to do on a budget, but even the Manhattan of continental Europe has secrets aplenty for the thrifty. From beautiful outside gardens to sizzling sausages, many of the city's pleasures are actually the cheapest. GETTING AROUND: Frankfurt is so compact that walking is the best way to see it, but for $2.40 you can use the U-Bahn in the city center ($5.90 for a day pass). For $7.65, tour the city on the "Ebbelwei Express," an old streetcar named after the drink served free on board, apple wine. If that's not to your liking, there is juice and of course pretzels, www.ebbelwei-express.com. http://www.ajc.com/services/content/travel/otherdestinations/int_stories/2008/11/21/free_cheap_berlin.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=23 http://www.ajc.com/services/content/travel/otherdestinations/int_stories/2008/11/21/free_cheap_berlin.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=23 Fri, 21 Nov 2008 11:32:54 EST BERLIN (AP) — If you show up in Berlin strapped for cash, you're in good company. The German capital's sizable student population, high unemployment rate and swelling starving artist contingent makes penny-pinching a citywide obsession. This is, after all, the city that has not only been dubbed one of the hippest in Europe because of its raging nightlife, plethora of museums, independent art galleries and concert spaces, but it's also known for being wracked with debt. So much so that in 2003 Mayor Klaus Wowereit lent it the accidental slogan: "We're poor, but sexy." GETTING AROUND: The BVG, which operates the trams, subways and buses, can whisk you from east to west Berlin for euro2.10 ($2.65). It's a real bargain when you consider the lengths East Berliners once went to. A Berlin Welcome Card provides 48- or 72-hours of unlimited travel on public transportation for euro16.50 ($21) and euro21.50 ($27), respectively. http://www.ajc.com/services/content/travel/otherdestinations/int_stories/2008/11/10/dubai_no_americans.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=23 http://www.ajc.com/services/content/travel/otherdestinations/int_stories/2008/11/10/dubai_no_americans.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=23 Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:29:36 EST DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - The six-lane highway that runs from the airport toward the world's fastest-growing city skyline is dotted with neon signs in Arabic script. If you could read them, they would sound familiar: Applebee's, Chili's, Pizza Hut. American fast food has found a home in Dubai, a once-impoverished desert kingdom that has become the frenetic, oil-rich financial capital of the Arab world. But Americans themselves are scarce. In this burgeoning oasis of modernity, U.S. citizens number 19,000 of the estimated 1.2 million foreigners living here. http://www.ajc.com/services/content/travel/otherdestinations/int_stories/2008/10/31/cape_town_bargain.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=23 http://www.ajc.com/services/content/travel/otherdestinations/int_stories/2008/10/31/cape_town_bargain.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=23 Fri, 31 Oct 2008 13:02:06 EDT CAPE TOWN, South Africa — One of the world's most beautiful cities is probably one of the cheapest. Cape Town, the sparkling jewel in South Africa's tourist crown, regularly wins international travel awards. It combines excellent infrastructure and hotels with magnificent beaches, wildlife and winelands, making it a favorite among business conventions and wealthy surf and safari seekers. But even for those on a budget, the so-called Mother City is as welcoming as its name. Best news is the weakness of the South African rand, which make dollars and euros go further. http://www.ajc.com/services/content/travel/otherdestinations/int_stories/2008/10/30/wales_golf_courses.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=23 http://www.ajc.com/services/content/travel/otherdestinations/int_stories/2008/10/30/wales_golf_courses.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=23 Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:17:54 EDT Nefyn, Wales — There was a time, like maybe up until this very moment, when you wouldn't have thought of Wales as a golf destination. It's odd that a British country so close to Scotland and Ireland would not be known for golf. Certainly the game is a passion among the Welsh, as evidenced by their 200 golf courses in a nation the size of Massachusetts. Yet Wales has never hosted a British Open or a Ryder Cup, and you'd have to look far and wide to find an everyday American golfer who could name a single course there. http://www.ajc.com/services/content/travel/otherdestinations/int_stories/2008/10/30/wales_tintern_dylan.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=23 http://www.ajc.com/services/content/travel/otherdestinations/int_stories/2008/10/30/wales_tintern_dylan.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=23 Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:04:15 EDT TINTERN, Wales — Here, amid the ruins of the medieval Tintern Abbey, the serenity recalled by William Wordsworth is almost palpable to 21st-century visitors. "Once again/Do I behold these steep and lofty cliffs,/That on a wild secluded scene impress/Thoughts of more deep seclusion; and connect/The landscape with the quiet of the sky." Wordsworth wrote the poem after revisiting the abbey in 1798, at a time when it was fashionable for romanticists to seek inspiration in such picturesque places as Wye Valley in Wales. http://www.ajc.com/services/content/travel/otherdestinations/int_stories/2008/10/30/wales_swansea_dylan_thomas.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=23 http://www.ajc.com/services/content/travel/otherdestinations/int_stories/2008/10/30/wales_swansea_dylan_thomas.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=23 Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:04:12 EDT "Do not go gentle into that good night, "Old age should burn and rave at close of day. "Rage, rage against the dying of the light." http://www.ajc.com/services/content/travel/otherdestinations/int_stories/2008/10/29/castle_frankenstein_halloween.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=23 http://www.ajc.com/services/content/travel/otherdestinations/int_stories/2008/10/29/castle_frankenstein_halloween.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=23 Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:41:35 EDT MUEHLTAL, Germany — Boris Karloff never walked these grounds, but the history of Burg Frankenstein may have inspired Mary Shelley's famous monster. http://www.ajc.com/services/content/travel/otherdestinations/int_stories/2008/10/29/london_eco_restaurants.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=23 http://www.ajc.com/services/content/travel/otherdestinations/int_stories/2008/10/29/london_eco_restaurants.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=23 Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:52:38 EDT LONDON — At first glance, the Duke of Cambridge, with its sleek bar, hardwood floors and dark blue ceiling, looks like any other upscale London "gastro-pub." Yet its standard blackboard — normally scrawled with names of ales at other pubs — reveals instead a list of the restaurant's ethical business practices, including a promise that 80 percent of its fresh produce comes from the "Home Counties." And in place of a printed menu on each antique table, diners find a flier providing yet another two pages of eco-facts about Britain's first certified organic pub. "In the beginning, I kept the environmental aspects of my business very quiet," said Geetie Singh, whose pub, which she founded in 1998 in Islington in North London, was until two years ago the only restaurant in London with a strict environmental agenda. "It was just my own philosophy. "Now, all my customers want to know the provenance of the meat, how the fish was caught, and how our green energy policy works. So now, I am happily providing them with information."