Cosmopolitan Barcelona is the gateway to Spain’s Mediterranean coast, and has so much to offer, whether you have a day or a week in this fabulous city. You’ll find world-class museums, including the Museu Picasso, with some of this artist’s most interesting works. Or perhaps you’d prefer to wander the narrow streets of the Barri Gòtic (Gothic Quarter) filled with medieval buildings. Barcelona also has some of the most interesting architecture in Europe, especially the structures designed by Antoni Gaudí. Don’t miss the indescribable and uncompleted La Sagrada Família (Church of the Holy Family), Barcelona’s most recognizable landmark. Barcelona is an easy city to get around on foot. So, we've included walking tours of the interesting neighborhoods of this fantastic destination. And get ready to stay up late in Spain’s second-largest city, because Barcelona is known for its vibrant nightlife. If you have only a few days, we’ll make it easy for you to truly experience Barcelona. Our walks are designed for you to see the most sights in the shortest time. So forget those large, bulky travel books. This handy little guide to Barcelona is all you need to make your visit enjoyable, memorable—and easy.

You'll find it at amazon.com:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1975799046/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1505315606&sr=8-1&keywords=barcelona+made+easy

We're in the new Desert Outlook magazine!

​For more information, check out:
http://www.desertsun.com/story/desert-outlook/2017/09/01/art-travel-5-tips-awesome-european-holiday/627129001/
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​Europe has so much to offer. If art is your passion, there’s the Louvre in Paris, the world’s largest—and greatest—art museum. If eating and drinking in a festive atmosphere is more to your liking, you’ve got Madrid’s tapas bars. And if you’re a history buff, you can take a thought-provoking stroll along what was the Berlin Wall.

As the title says, our little guide will make your trip easy. Tuck it into your pocket and head out for a great day of sightseeing. You’ll have access to Europe’s top sights right at your fingertips (from the canals of Venice to the Sistine Chapel in Rome to the Picasso Museum in Barcelona to the Red-Light District in Amsterdam), with insider tips on cafes, restaurants, and shops. We’ve also given detailed directions for walks of the major sights of some of Europe’s most spectacular cities.

If you have only a few days, we’ll make it easy for you to truly experience Europe. Our walks are designed for you to see the most sights in the shortest time. So forget those large, bulky travel books. This handy little guide to Europe is all you need to make your visit enjoyable, memorable—and easy.

The following ten destinations are featured: • Paris • London • Barcelona • Madrid • Provence • Amsterdam • Berlin • Rome • Florence • Venice.

This updated 2nd edition features:
• Walking Tours
• Museums, Monuments, Historic Sights & Architecture
• Parks, Palaces & Gardens
• Dining & Nightlife 
• Travel Tips and Detailed Maps

Time to plan your summer trip to Europe. Our 2017 editions of Amsterdam Made Easy, Berlin Made Easy, and Paris Made Easy are now available on amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.

A guide designed for the time you actually have for your trip! The new 2017 edition of Paris Made Easy features the best walks, sights, restaurants, hotels and more. Go here to purchase it at Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1545252491/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1493062411&sr=8-6&keywords=paris+made+easy
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Our new edition of Paris Made Easy features some of the best known sights of Paris. We also cover some of the oddest. So here are your choices, broken down into categories: Animals, Crap, Dead Stuff, and Medicine. Enjoy! 

Animals:

Musée Fragonard d’Alfort (Veterinary Museum)
Ugh! Animal skeletons, skinned cats, a camel’s stomach and a partially flayed 200-year-old horse and its rider are just some of the rather grim exhibits at this veterinary school’s museum. Info: Métro Alfort - École Vétérinaire (line 8). In the suburb of Maisons-Alfort/Métro Alfort-École Vétérinaire. Located in the National Veterinary School. Open Wed and Thu 2pm-6pm and Sat and Sun 2pm-6pm. Closed Aug. Admission: €7, under 26 free. www.musee-vet-alfort.fr.

Cimetière des Chiens (Dog Cemetery)
The French love their dogs (and cats) so much that they have an entire cemetery with some elaborate memorials to countless poodles and even Rin Tin Tin. How totally French! Info: In the Asnières-sur-Siene suburb/Métro Mairie de Clichy (line 13). A 15-minute walk from métro on rue Martre, left at end of the bridge Pont de Clichy. Located along the river. 4 Pont de Clichy. Tel. 01/40.86.21.11. Open Mar 16-Oct 15 10am-6pm, Oct 16-Mar 15 10am-4:30pm. Closed Mon. Admission: €3.50, under 6 free. See photo above by Tommie Hanson/Wikimedia Images.

Crap:
Les Egouts (The Sewers)
Why would you want to visit the sewers of Paris? Many do, despite the smell (especially bad in summer). You can visit the huge underground passages in the bowels of the city (no pun intended), a museum, and view a film. Info: 7th/Métro Alma-Marceau. Pont de l’Alma (opposite 93 quai d’Orsay). Tel. 01/53.68.27.81. Open 11am-5pm (May-Sep until 6pm). Closed Thu, Fri and most of Jan. Admission: €4.40, €3.60 ages 6-16, under 5 free. See Eiffel Tower Area Map.

Dead Stuff:
Les Catacombes
Grim, strange and claustrophobic. Beginning in the late 1700s, six million people were deposited in what used to be stone quarries. It gets even creepier. The bones are arranged in patterns. Not for everyone. Info: 14th/Métro Denfert-Rochereau. 1 place Denfert-Rochereau. Tel. 01/43.22.47.63. Open Tue-Sun 10am-8:30pm. Closed Mon. Admission: €12, under 18 free. www.catacombes.paris.fr. See Montparnasse Map.

Chapelle Notre-Dame de la Médaille Miraculeuse 
(Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal)
Catherine Labouré was a young nun when she claimed that the Virgin Mary, dressed in a white silk dress, visited her (four times in 1827) to deliver a design for a holy medal. Go figure! Catherine’s body is here in a glass cage. The spot where the Virgin Mary is said to have sat during her visits is a place of veneration. You can buy a rosary or medal in the courtyard (they actually have a machine that dispenses these souvenirs). Another glass cage holds the body of St. Louise de Marillac (one of the founders of the Daughters of Charity). St. Louise is still wearing her habit. Info: 7th/Métro Sèvres-Babylone. 140 rue du Bac. Open daily 7:45am-1pm and 2:30pm-7pm (Tue 7:45am-7pm). Admission: Free. 
www.chapellenotredamedelamedaillemiraculeuse.com.

Around the corner is La Congrégation de la Mission (Congregation of the Mission). Here, the waxed corpse of St. Vincent de Paul (known for his charity) is found in an ornate glass-and-silver casket above the main altar. If you like this sort of macabre stuff, you can climb the stairs and get a close-up view of his body. Info: 7th/Métro Sèvres-Babylone. 95 rue de Sèvres. Open daily. Admission: Free. See Eiffel Tower Area Map.

Medicine:
Musée d’Histoire de la Médecine (Museum of Medical History)
Yikes! You can see implements used for skull drilling in this 100-year-old museum dedicated to medical history. The implements used to perform Napoléon’s autopsy are here, too. Info: 6th/Métro Odéon. 12 rue de l’Ecole de Médecine. In the René Descartes University (second floor). Tel. 01/76.53.16.93. Open 2pm-5:30pm except Thu and Sun. Admission: €3.50. See Left Bank Map.

The 8th edition of Eating & Drinking in Italy is now available in print and ebook. The Italian menu translator and restaurant guide has been expanded and includes 200 restaurants, wine bars, wine shops and more. Available in Kindle, nook, and ibook.  The print edition is now on bookshelves and can be purchased at amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/Eating-Drinking-Italy-Travel-Guides/dp/159360226X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1488903069&sr=8-1&keywords=eating+drinking+italy
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One great way to truly experience life in a European city is to rent an apartment. They’re usually less expensive and larger than a hotel room. Many come with a washer/dryer combination that allows you to pack less. There are many apartments for rent on the Internet.  We love out apartment on this trip. It is from www.vacationinparis.com and is right off of the wonderful market street of rue Montorgueil.

Here are five photos from our recent trip to Rome (and one bonus photo). The new edition of Eating & Drinking in Italy will be released this spring.