National Geographic's City Guides: Rome

National Geographic has a fantastic website with guides to all of the great cities of the world, which includes the cities we are visiting.  Check out the Rome guide here.

Carnaby in London

One of the areas we're sure to visit (and indeed went to last year) is Carnaby Street in London.  It's an eclectic mix of shops and pubs that will make for a fun stroll.  Here is the Carnaby Street website--check it out!

A $100 Weekend in Paris

Is it possible?  The Frugal Traveler, a writer for the New York Times, says yes and shares his experiences in this article.

Cultural Inventory: France and Italy

The Vatican and St. Peter's Square

Get a little French and Italian culture before our trip.  Rick Steves relays some gleanings from a meeting he recently had.

London: The Royal Wedding

There's an article today in The Guardian about the wedding party for the royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton.  William has chosen his little brother Harry as his best man.  Of course, we'll be in London about eleven days before the April 29th nuptials so the souvenirs will probably be available in full force.  Get your British pounds ready!

Next Meeting: Wednesday, February 16th at 5:30pm Room 625

We sent out an email several days ago informing everyone about our next meeting which will be Wednesday, February 16 at 5:30pm.  We're excited to get together for our second of three meetings.  We hope that you've either secured your passport already or will be receiving it soon.

One of the things we'll discuss Wednesday will be departure and arrival times.  We've gotten some preliminary information from EF Tours and we're eager to share that with you at the meeting.  We would like all travelers to be present.  Non-travelers are not obligated to attend.  Please let us know if you will not be able to make it.

EF Tours Paris Video

Second stop on our tour will be to Paris, France.  After a couple of days in London, we'll take the Eurostar through the Channel Tunnel and into France's crown jewel.  Above is the video of the city by EF Tours.

Since we're on the topic of packing light...

Mrs. Mills on the far left, Mrs. Herrick's head in the center, and Mr. Randall with his neck pillow in the foreground.

Since we're on the topic, we came across a shot from last year's trip that reminded us that packing light is a necessity.  Remember, you have to be able to haul and care for your own luggage.  This picture is taken right after we arrived in Paris and are leaving the Gare du Nord and heading out to our motor coach.  Note that everyone is rolling their suitcase along.

If you're not able to haul your own stuff, it does slow the group down.  There will be times when we're walking a little distance and it's imperative that we all are able to handle our belongings.  So pack light.  It's okay if you wear the same shirt/pants combo more than once; we're looking at Notre Dame Cathedral, not your pants!

London Snow

You may remember the snow that blanketed Europe this past December wreaking havoc on travelers for several days.  This shot above is from December 20, 2010 on Oxford Street in London as people were wrapping up their holiday shopping.

EF Tours: Packing Light

A couple of days ago we posted an entry with REI's tips for traveling light.  EF Tours just posted a blog entry about packing light on their tours.  The writer writes about his trip with students just last week to...London, Paris, and Rome, the same as our trip!  Find out how heavy one girl's bag was at the blog entry here.

PASSPORTS!

Just a reminder to get those passports taken care of.  We don't want to leave you behind!  Here's the website for the Department of State that will help you get the passport process rolling.