Prague Pictures: A Portrait of the City (Writer and the City) (Hardcover)

Prague Pictures: A Portrait of the City (Writer and the City) (Hardcover)
By John Banville

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Customer tags: czech republic(3), travel book(3), prague history czech republic josef sudek, prague, eastern europe, central europe

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The fourth book in Bloomsbury's Writer and the City series.

From one of the foremost chroniclers of the modern European experience, a panoramic view of a city that has seduced and bewitched visitors for centuries.

Prague is the magic capital of Europe. Since the days of Emperor Rudolf II, "devotee of the stars and cultivator of the spagyric art", who in the late 1500s summoned alchemists and magicians from all over the world to his castle on Hradcany hill, it has been a place of mystery and intrigue. Wars, revolutions, floods, the imposition of Soviet communism, and even the depredations of the tourist boom after the Velvet Revolution of 1989 could not destroy the unique atmosphere of this beautiful, proud, and melancholy city on the Vltava. John Banville traces Prague's often tragic history and portrays the people who made it: the emperors and princes, geniuses and charlatans, heroes and scoundrels. He also paints a portrait of the Prague of today, reveling in its newfound freedoms, eager to join the European Community and at the same time suspicious of what many Praguers see as yet another totalitarian takeover. He writes of his first visit to the city, in the depths of the Cold War, and of subsequent trips there, of the people he met, the friends he made, the places he came to know.
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The Rough Guide to Europe On A Budget (Paperback)

The Rough Guide to Europe On A Budget (Paperback)
By Rough Guides

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Customer tags: europe(3), budget travel(2), budget(2), travel guide(2), travel book, 2010

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"The Rough Guide to Europe on a Budget" is the ultimate guide to exploring this fascinating continent on a shoestring, with coverage of all the top sights, the clearest mapping of any guide and handy hints on how to save money. You can discover the highlights of Europe, from the vibrant capitals of London, Paris and Rome to the great outdoors, whether skiing in the Alps, hiking in the Tatras or surfing on the Portuguese coast. You can read about Europe's great attractions from the Sistine Chapel in Rome to the Aya Sofia in Istanbul. And with coverage of four new countries - Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia and Bosnia-Hercegovina, "The Rough Guide to Europe on a Budget" is more comprehensive than ever before. You can find practical advice on travelling around Europe, whether by InterRail, Eurail or bus, and what to see and do in each country. With up-to-date descriptions of the best hostels and budget hotels in Europe, bars in Europe, cafes, cheap restaurants, and European shopping and festivals this guide is the budget-conscious traveller's must have item for European trips. Read more

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Rick Steves' French, Italian and German Phrase Book (Paperback)

Rick Steves' French, Italian and German Phrase Book (Paperback)
By Rick Steves

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Ordering cafe au lait in Paris, calamari in Venice, or bratwurst in Munich, it helps to speak some of the native tongue. Rick Steves, bestselling author of travel guides to Europe, offers well-tested phrases and key words to cover every situation a traveler is likely to encounter. This handy guide provides key phrases for use in everyday circumstances, complete with phonetic spelling; an English-French/Italian/German dictionary; the latest information on European currency and rail transportation, and even a tear-out cheat sheet for continued language practice. Informative, concise, and practical,Rick Steves' French, Italian and German Phrase Bookis an essential item for any traveler's backpack.If you're planning your Continental tour, or just heading Europewards and letting the winds of fate waft you this way and that, you'll want some language assistance, preferably in a form that doesn't require an extra set of luggage. Rick Steves, noted Europe expert and writer of candid, accurate, and entertaining guide books, has a phrase book and dictionary that contains the three major languages you're likely to encounter in ramble around Europe or a trek in the Alps.

For each of the three languages, there are chapters on basic survival phrases, numbers, money, and time, transportation, sleeping, and eating, plus activities such as sightseeing, shopping, and nightlife. There are also sections on phoning and mailing, health and emergencies, and making small talk--including the essential section on animal noises (because what's woof woof to you is ouah ouah to the French, bau bau to Italians, and wuff wuff in German). There are also lists of the animal noises made by humans (also known as profanity) so you can enjoy the linguistic color as the man next to you drops his fragile souvenir, or swear like a Roman when you stub your toe in the Coliseum.

The menu decoders are quite useful, and, despite the book's small size, it covers most contingencies--from bartering over hotel-room prices to rental-car considerations, interpreting train schedules to discussing medical conditions such as constipation and diarrhea, hemorrhoids and indigestion, body odor and the giggles. The dictionary in the back shows the English, French, Italian, and German for each of 1,200 words, and there's an appendix of useful information, including the European phone numbers for various calling-card operators as well as their international access codes and country codes, a chart of monthly temperatures for each country and a metric conversion table, as well as tongue twisters in French, German, and Italian, to while away the train-travel hours and impress your compartment mates with your willingness to launch into their language and dare to sound like a fool. --Stephanie Gold Read more

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Hostels European Cities, 5th: The Only Comprehensive, Unofficial, Opinionated Guide (Hostels Series) (Paperback)

Hostels European Cities, 5th: The Only Comprehensive, Unofficial, Opinionated Guide (Hostels Series) (Paperback)
By Paul Karr

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The Only Comprehensive, Unofficial, Opinionated Guide

 

*

 

Praise for the Hostels series

 

“These books are super-useful! What to do, how to get there, and what it’s like, all rolled into one. You can’t get this information all in one place anywhere else!”
—Hostelling International

 

*

 

Here is the unbiased lowdown on more than 200 hostels throughout Europe. From Vienna to Lisbon, Prague to Edinburgh, Berlin to Paris—more than thirty cities are covered. Whether you’re looking to party or just looking for a clean, quiet, affordable place to crash, this guide will get you exactly where you want to go.

 

Inside you’ll find:

- At-a-glance ratings
- Candid descriptions
- Local Must-sees
- What’s nearby

 

Hostels European Cities also tells you which hostels provide such “extras” asInternet access, kitchen and laundry facilities, bike rentals—and more!

 

Easy-to-read icons are included for:

 

- Attractive natural setting
- Ecologically aware hostel
- Superior kitchen facilities or great cafe/restaurant
- Offbeat or eccentric place
- Superior bathroom facilities
- Romantic private rooms
- Comfortable beds
- A particularly good value
- Wheelchair accessible
- Good for business travelers
- Especially well suited for families
- Good for active travelers
- Visual arts at hostel or nearby
- Music at hostel or nearby
- Great hostel for skiers
- Bar or pub at hostel or nearby
- Editors’ choice: among our very favorite hostels

 

 

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Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door 2011: The Travel Skills Handbook (Paperback)

Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door 2011: The Travel Skills Handbook (Paperback)
By Rick Steves

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You can count on Rick Steves to tell you what you really need to know when traveling through Europe. This guide explains how to plan your itinerary and maximize your time by packing light and finding good value hotels and restaurants, travel smoothly by train, bus, car, and plane, avoid big crowds and tourist scams, hurdle the language barrier, understand cultural differences and connect with locals and save money while enjoying the trip of a lifetime. With this guidebook, you'll experience the culture like a local, spend less money, and have more fun. Read more

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Let's Go Western Europe: The Student Travel Guide (Paperback)

Let's Go Western Europe: The Student Travel Guide (Paperback)
By Inc. Harvard Student Agencies

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You can’t really go wrong in Western Europe. Every country has its own personality and its own trademarks—any beer hall you go to in Munich will probably be amazing and any ruins you visit in Rome will probably be breathtaking. Let’s Go Western Europe doesn’t need to tell you that the desserts are delicious in Austria—but we can tell you where to get the best ones, how much they’ll cost, and whether to expect a surly or pretentious server. Plus, we do it all with our trademark wit and irreverence, so you’ll never be bored.

Let’s Go Western Europe is ideal for any kind of traveler, whether you’re whipping through London, Barcelona, and Bern in five days or spending a leisurely year abroad. Our extensive, up-to-date coverage is your resource for la crème de la crème of French cuisine, the most hedonistic islands in Greece, and the best skiing in Switzerland. Read more

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Chasing Bohemia: A year of living recklessly in Rio de Janeiro (Paperback)

Chasing Bohemia: A year of living recklessly in Rio de Janeiro (Paperback)
By Carmen Michael

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Carmen is a jaded 28 year-old travel industry executive when she ditches her job in London and goes to Rio de Janeiro for a holiday. However, her dreary middle class life is swiftly turned upside down when she meets fiery Italian revolutionary Chiara, moves into a yellow mansion owned by a flamboyant, caftan-clad queen and falls in love with a local hustler. From there, Chasing Bohemia sets a cracking pace of melodrama that only a fantasy backdrop like Rio de Janeiro could sustain. Carmen's story winds its way through the anarchic backstreets of bohemian Rio, far from the sweeping beaches for which the city is more famous, and looks at the violence, unapologetic hedonism, and rampant infidelity that govern this far-flung paradise of the Latin tropics. Chasing Bohemia is a story about living recklessly and the surprising little truths about yourself you can discover through being immersed in poverty, isolation, and a culture that is not your own. "Carmen Michael's memoirs remind you of a way of life that makes you want to relive the golden years of European Bohemia..." - Director Stephen Hopkins "Vibrant, colorful and thoroughly entertaining... Chasing Bohemia is a delicious poolside read and a great introduction to the otherworldly, often violent extremes of Rio..." - CAA Creative Artists Agency Hollywood "An outstanding book about bohemian life in Rio... Always insightful, never self-indulgent, this is travel writing at its best' - Sydney Morning Herald "Well-realized and often highly amusing, Michael writes with pace and panache" - The Weekend Australian "A winning cocktail" - The Age. Read more

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Italy Plane Reader - Get Psyched About Your Upcoming Trip to Italy: Stories About Italian People, Places and Eats (GoNomad Plane Readers) (Kindle Edition)

Italy Plane Reader - Get Psyched About Your Upcoming Trip to Italy: Stories About Italian People, Places and Eats (GoNomad Plane Readers) (Kindle Edition)
By Max Hartshorne

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Getting excited about your trip to Italy?

The GoNOMAD Plane Reader provides you with a collection of 31 articles highlighting everything Italy has to offer . . . from Sicily to Torino, from the Adriatic to Tyrrhenian sea, through thousands of years of history, seeing some of the world's most romantic places, and best of all, the chance to mingle with Italians, who manage to have more fun than any other people on earth. Read more

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