Travel Forum / Destinations / Europe / November 2003

The trade union of OeBB workers has started an unlimited strike at Wednesday
Nov. 12 0:00. The trade union protests against the OeBB-restructuring plans
of the government.
With the exception of some local private lines no passenger and no freight

Does anyone know the dates of the street festival in Verona?  It is sometime
in December, in the streets around the Arena . . .

I am going to Val D'Isere in March and was planning on beginning and
ending my trip in Paris.  I am likely going to take the TGV down and
back on the twin Saturday's that bookend my trips.
I've heard that these TGVs are very crowded, expensive, and difficult

I'm looking for opinions on the best travel guide books for Italy.  It
will be a gift for the in-laws, and not being that "adventurous,"
they'll probably stick to the beaten path.  Thanks for the help.
Tim

I will be in London at the end of the year through the first week of
January. What is my best bet for New Year's Eve? Is Trafalgar Square too
much of a mad house? Do you need reservations for pubs (do they even stay
open that late on that night?) I'm open for suggestions but don't ...

With George W. Bush coming to London next week I thought it would be a
good time to discuss the impact of democratic protests on tourists in
London.
During protest days you should expect to have to mainly walk across

Does anybody know where I can rent a 15 passenger van in Paris? I have
checked the major car rental companies, and I haven't found one that
rents a 15 passenger van.
- Tak

My wife and I are considering going to Paris this Easter. The arrival
day would be Palm Sunday (1 week prior to Easter Sunday) with a
departure on Good Friday, traveling to London. I know that many of the
sites and museums are closed on Mondays and / or Tuesdays in France.

After believing my Zurich hotel (Hotel Opera) when they assured me that
procuring tickets to "Die Meistersinger" the next to last week in
December would be no problem for them, in July I booked (and paid for) a
non-changeable, non-refundable airline ticket from L. A. to Zurich.

Would like to visit Madrid in April with some friends and take in the Madrid
v Barca game.
Anyone how to go about getting tickets? (Yes, I know it's a massive game,
and they're probably not easy to come by).

Does anybody know how is Portobello road market on sundays?... Is a good
place to see for a sunday morning?
Thanks,
Rob.

This week, it looks like it's been fairly cold.  Is this typical for this
time of year?

Any idea about renting a peniche in France?

I am planning for a 2 week holiday in Italy in December.  Do you think I
could get away with a regulation sized carry-on luggage plus a medium-large
sized backpack.  The backpack will not be one of those frame ones that
hikers use, rather a large version of a standard backpack maybe ...

Zurich's Bahnhofstrasse is noted as an expensive place to buy.
Is that true of watches?  Is it really cheaper to take a train to Luzern
or another city like Basel to buy a watch?  Or is the price difference
not worth the round-trip train ticket?