5 comments about Rick Steves' Istanbul (Rick Steves).

1. This has all the things that make Rick Steves' guides great. The clear maps, the insider tips, the historical back-story. The Authors are Rick's guides who live there, and know their city forward and back. This gives you the indispensible knowledge to make a visit to Istanbul safe and rewarding.



2. This useful guidebook is compact in size, concise in descriptions, and colorful in discoveries. Husband-and-wife authors Lale and Tankut Aran love Istanbul with such passion, enthusiastically guiding readers through the back doors, back streets, and back stories of their beloved city. They single out Turks you can track down for a chat; don't miss their picks of several Grand Bazaar shopkeepers who happily share their stories and, of course, their wares.
   
   I especially like the self-guided walking tours; museum must-sees; and money-saving transportation tips. Although I've been to Turkey six times, this little guidebook helped me rediscover Istanbul with fresh eyes and a renewed sense of appreciation for this complex, appealing country.



3. Rick Steves's guide to Istanbul had all the details that I needed. Everybody in my group was surprised about all the information that I was able to give them based on what I read in the book.



4. This Istanbul follows Rick Steve's usual formula of focusing on the main sights, providing practical information, good walking tours and useful travel tips. I have used Rick Steves guidebooks for over 7 years livng and vacationing in Europe. My only disappointment with this book was with the eating recommendations. The restaurant descriptions were not as honest as they could have been - especially for the Sultanahmet touristy area. If I am going to eat in a tourist trap I prefer to be forwarned. At one recommended $$$ fish restaurant, the Balikci Sabahattin our group of 3 adults and 3 children was subjected to snobby service and were outright scammed into ordering multiple servings of first course dishes (dishes were the same size but contained different numbers of portions) - NOT the treatment I expect from a Rick Steve's recommendation. Buy this guide for the sightseeing and the Lonely Planet Turkey guide for complementary information and restaurant recommendations.



5. I've bought the Rick Steves phrase books (which are the best, by the way) but this was my first of his guide books and, I have to say, I'm hooked. I absolutely love his list of the top sights. Not only does he rank order them from the must-see to the could-probably-miss, but he includes a very brief description of the site, the days and hours it's open (great for planning!), and the page number you can go to for more in-depth information. I put a post-it note on this page and was constantly referring back to it. There's really great information on each site you visit and my friends started out our first day in Istanbul making fun of me for always referring back to the book for the fun facts he includes. By the end of the first day there they were coming up to me asking what Rick Steves had to say about where we were at :) I love that he includes lots of budget and mid-range options. Europe isn't cheap and Rick Steves helped me stay within my budget. After using this book, I've now purchased Rick Steves Rome, Paris, and London books as well. I know they're going to be worth every penny!

5 comments about A Thousand Days in Tuscany: A Bittersweet Adventure.

1. I found myself reading slower as I got near the end of this story. I didn't want it to end. A THOUSAND DAYS IN VENICE was a delightful book but I found this one more captivating. Ms. De Blasi weaves a beautiful, true adventure as if the reader was traveling along with her each step of the way. Her descriptions and characters are so real in her words I thought I might be there. BRAVA, de Blasi!!!!!!!!!



2. A THOUSAND DAYS IN TUSCANY is Marlena de Blasi's second memoir recounting her life in Italy, after 2002's A THOUSAND DAYS IN VENICE. In the book's opening pages, she and her husband and soul mate, Fernando, have left Venice for a dilapidated farmouse deep in the Tuscan countryside. The residents of the idyllic village near their new home welcome them with a meal, which inevitably lasts for hours, ending with a dessert whose cream was just milked from a blue-eyed cow that morning. Subsequently, Marlena and Fernando are befriended by Barlozzo, one of the town's oldest residents, who is eager to share stories about the locals and to introduce them to timeless Tuscan traditions: hunting for truffles, baking bread, picking olives for olive oil, crushing grapes for wine, harvesting chestnuts... But it's not just Tuscany that Marlena and Fernando learn about during their stay in one of the world's most beautiful places; they also learn a lot about each other and about themselves, and a lot about what it means to slow down and enjoy a life free from the hustle and bustle of the modern world.
   
   This was a beautiful, beautiful book, with some of the most stunning writing I've ever come across. De Blasi's descriptions bring Old World Tuscany utterly and completely to life; you can almost taste the olive oil, can almost feel the grapes bursting under your feet, can almost imagine yourself there, in an old Tuscan farmhouse, starting out the window at that marvelous landscape. The pictures de Blasi paints of the townspeople are insightful and vibrant, and the recipes at the end of every chapter are completely succulent, including the recipe for the "one true bruschetta" (no tomatoes, no garlic, no onion or herbs...just fresh-baked toasted bread doused in olive oil and topped with a little bit of sea salt). It's really obvious from her writing that de Blasi loves everything about Italy: her people, her food, her breathtaking vistas and her sun-drenched, relaxed way of life.
   
   I fell in love with Marlena de Blasi's Italy, with her gorgeous writing, her delicious traditional Tuscan recipes, and her vivid portrayals of the people who live in the beauty and romance of Tuscany every day. There were moments when I felt like her writing bordered on pretentious, but mostly I just thought everything about this book was gorgeous. I haven't read A THOUSAND DAYS IN VENICE, but I'm definitely going to. You can definitely tell how much Fernando and Marlena are in love in this book, but I'm eager to learn how their love story began.
   
   The Tuscan state of mind can best be summed up with the following passage, spoken by one of Marlena's dearest Tuscan friends: "Maybe the only thing that matters is to make our lives last as long as we do. You know, to make a life last until it ends, to make all the parts come out even, like when you rub the last piece of bread in the last drop of oil on your plate and eat it with the last sip of wine in your glass." A THOUSAND DAYS IN TUSCANY is a book for people in love, for people who long for a simpler way of life, for people who go to that idyllic Tuscan countryside every night in their dreams. I loved everything about this book!



3. I love this book and would love to give a copy to everyone I know. I wish I had MDB in my life too. Reading that books moves you to look around and enjoy/love the life you find yourself living. The food and recipes are great, but what I really take away from this book is the philosophy/life lessons.
   
   My favorite quote from the book, "First prize for not waiting, for not waiting to splash in a river, for not promising myself that I would someday splash in a river, but for doing it now, right now."



4. Thank you, Marlena and Fernando, for the warmest, loveliest winter reading experience (s) I have had in a long time! You got me through the howling winter evenings, and the dreary grey days, armchair travelling to your beloved Italy from my upstate NY lakeside community. I have told many of my friends about your books, and cannot WAIT for the latest installment, with old friend and new acquaintences filling your cornucopia of Life to overflowing.
   
   It is evident you had a love at first sight, as we have reading your story.
   
   My hope for you both to continue in good health (and great food and interesting beloved friends) as you make this life's journey together. Your story is an inspiration for those of us afraid of major life changes at 'any age.' GOD BLESS YOU BOTH!



5. This book was my introduction to Marlena De Blasi's collection of stories. In my opinion, "Tuscany" is the best story of the series. De Blasi paints beautiful pictures of the people, places and food on her adventure in Tuscany. Her humor and lust for food are always evident and her ability to weave the story tightly with these elements succeeds in transporting the reader to the kitchens, vineyards and orchards of this little village. This book launched me on the path to continue to read more of Marlena's stories, but perhaps like a first love...those that follow pale by comparison.

5 comments about Spain (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE).

1. I own four Eyewitness Travel Guides (France, Germany, Greece and Spain) and they are always useful for my trips. Additionally, I use them as guides even when I am not travelling anywhere, just to get knowledege about places I will not visit. Sometimes I think that some information as ticket pricing is necessary and not provided by this guide, but it is a minor issue when we see the complete usefulness of it.



2. great product...but a bit heavy to tote around Spain! Read it before you go.



3. Very Practical, though its bits of information..if you are planning in to visit a particular city, you should buy the book of that particular city. This book its like a run-through of Spain. But it has the most important guides and tips (Survival Guide). A really good value. It has really great pictures and drawings, great maps, a phrase book with translations and how to pronounce it. It has the maps of the metros in Barcelona and Madrid. It has a street finder, which is also very practical. Its a great book for "on your own trips", for it has the opening hours and its schedules.



4. Not only does this beautiful book have all the information one could need about getting around Spain, it is a joy to look at, with detailed maps, step-by-step articles, illustrated in color, on, for example "How sherry is made", "Moorish Architecture", "Flamenco, the soul of Andalusia", and many, many more. There are stunning full-page photographs and the quality of the paper and binding is excellent, yet it is not bulky or expensive. It has large colored photos of the Spanish currency,and information on Spanish ATM's, public phones, airports,etc and how to use them. The index is comprehensive. Even if you don't go to Spain this book is well worth studying!!



5. This informative book about Spain was an excellent purchase. The Seller is trustworthy and the book was in mint condition. It was every bit as great as I thought it would be. Seller is the BEST!!

5 comments about The Discovery of France: A Historical Geography, from the Revolution to the First World War.

1. I will not repeat the praises of the preceding reviewers with which I fully agree. This I must say: with Graham Robb I'm absorbing rather than reading. Like his Victor Hugo's biography, this book is a smooth flow of information that pumps one full. I feel satiated and richer in knowledge.



2. Robb has done more than a yeoman's job in producing this book. It's not that difficult to write a book like this to be informative, but it is hard to write one that is pleasant to read. Robb has spun out a great many anecdotes while making the information not only plausible but entertaining.
   My only regret is that he spent so much time researching a 'People' who probably will never appreciate what he has done.
   
   Like the stereotypical French Cafe Waiter (never snap your fingers and yell Garcon); the French will probably turn up their collective noses at the thought that anyone but a "true" frenchman (i.e. a Parisian) could 'know' much less write about La Belle France. Most Parisians still look at their countrymen outside of 'Le Capital' as country bumpkins and half literate imbeciles who marry their first cousins.
   
   In parts of the book (like the stories of the Cassini's I->IV), Robb mentions that there is little information about such and such. Here's hoping that he continues to write about these 'little known' areas and people so that the rest of us can be entertained while opening our eyes to more 'hidden history'. Thank you M.Robb.



3. France is more than just Paris! There seems to be little written on life in provincial France and the author has certainly filled that void with this book. Who would have thought that life in rural France was so backward compared to not only Paris, but rural life in other European countries? Peasants at this time prayed to stone fertility statues, believed in werewolves and witches and were very ignorant of life outside of their little village--and most didn't even speak French.
   
   This book is chock full of the history of cartographers, early travelers as well as daily life and thought.
   
   There was a France long before there were the French.
   
   If you're interested in French history, this is a must read.



4. Robb has generated a book which taught me much about a place I know little--France beyond Paris. The book seems a compilation of provincial lore and wisdom accumulated over several years' of bicycle travel through this country of peoples. It was generally enjoyable, but like a long uphill climb, was tiring in places. I often enjoy books in this genre, but I found this one occasionally lacking. I still recommend it, for it will open most readers' eyes to new notions, and the author is competent. I most enjoyed the section describing Cassini's mapping of France.
   
   My lack of enthusiasm may be because I did not find the book to be tightly structured, and I sometimes found myself wanting a crisper roadmap for the direction of the text. I also wanted a better roadmap of France in the illustrations, as the many localities described had me turning to my own atlas much of the time. The major theses of the book are lightly woven into the text. One mildly recurring theme is a whiff of anti-clericism. At one point the author suggested the Church had more to fear from latent paganism than the revolutionaries of 1789; I suspect the thousands of clergy who were massacred by the Republicans after seeing their churches destroyed and properties taken might come to a different conclusion.



5. Every page of this book yields unexpected and brilliant insights and sidelights into the motley collection of nationalities, languages, and races that somehow became France. The story of Bernadette of Lourdes. The creation of the "official" meter. The persecution of a particular group for a thousand years (and no, it wasn't the Jews). Add to this a smooth and witty prose style and you have a book that shouldn't be missed. It's one of those rare books about which, as Holden Caulfield would say, you feel like calling up the author after reading it.

3 comments about Let's Go 2008 Europe (Let's Go Europe).

1. There's a lot of details on the important things you need to know when traveling. Examples include: what documents you will need in each country, transportation options and their costs, important phone #'s and some detailed maps of the larger cities. It's a good book for people who already know where they are going to but just want more information about it. There are no pictures, just black and white maps.



2. A lot of insight and tips on how to move around on a budget. I have yet to use it in the field though.



3. I love this book.... Lots of places to visit and excellent tips. Can't wait to actually use this book in Europe.

5 comments about Turkey (Country Guide).

1. Come ivsit Turkey and use Lonely Planet to help you with your tour! I have lived in Turkey for a year. The Lonely Planet goes everywhere with us...it is worn and bent and highlighted and marked up and excellent. We have been completely happy with all the suggestions from LP. Here is the thing. Turkey is a fabulous country, however, there are a few things LP cannot control.
   
   1. The prices are inaccurate but that is not LPs fault. The Lira is very unstable and has had an outragous inflation rate. Also, you have to be good at bargaining to get a good rate and most of us Westerners are uncomforatble with this.
   
   2. Directions/ getting around....the majority of Turks rely on public transportation. There are VERY FEW road signs if you are driving. LPs maps are great, but unfortunately hard to follow without signs. I know people are sometimes frustrated with the bus routes...they can be inconvienent and drop off in the middle of the night, and hard to find your way around if you don't speak Turkish....again not LPs fault. Just keep asking for someone who speaks English to help you and the hospitable people of Turkey will find someone.
   
   I find LPs history background one of the best things about it. It is just enough to get you interested in seeing a place and you can supplement it by GOING to the museums. We have been 100% satisfied, but you must have realiztic expectations.



2. The proper name of the country is TURKIYE, not turkey. Why do the english speaking countries change the names of all existing countries but yet force those countries to use their own created names? for instance USA. This should not be so. If an existing country has their own name, it shouldnt be changed, therefore it's TURKIYE...........please make a note in the future



3. Im not the kind of guy that usually buys travel guides, but I was impressed with this lonely planet. It has excellent coverage and ideas for alternative trips, and this is the new version which was printer in Apr 07 (so its very upto date) worth purchasing!!



4. Reading the accommodation sections throughout the book and comparing them to the REALITY, I am getting the following impression about "how it works": a person from the Lonely Planet contacts the property and says: "Hi, I am from Lonely Planet travel guide! Would you please tell me how much your rooms are?". The property owners (especuially in Turkey!....) immediately sense a great opportunity for them (their propery is going to be listed in the worldwide travel guide! wow!) and respond to the Lonely Planet with some totally irrelevant, dirt cheap and UNTRUE rates. What happens next? The Lonely Planet prints out that garbage, in many thousand copies. How come EVERY property I contacted quoted me the prices being MULTIPLE TIMES higher, than what the newest, crisp copy of this book says?! I had especially unpleasant experience with the "prominent" Shoestring Pansion in Goreme. When I requested an explanation why the prices they quoted were multiple times higher than the ones listed in the book, our nice and friendly correspondence has abruptly ended. I have never received another word from them. So.... expect to pay for your accommodations in Turkey much more than the Lonely Planet listings and for the Lonely Planet I would wish to investigate the hotel prices in a little more professional way, before they actually give them away to the world.
   Very disappointing!



5. We just used this guide -- thankfully supplemented by others -- to travel around western Turkey, including Izmir, Selcuk and Istanbul. We found it uniformly atrocious. Lonely Planet, I think, enjoys telling you *every* available restaurant, hotel, and cultural attraction, and aggressively refuses to filter. Consequently, we ended up staying at an abysmal hotel in Izmir and eating at any number of subpar restaurants. When we switched to the Time Out guide for Istanbul, we had nothing but success. I recommend Time Out Istanbul in the highest possible terms, and DISrecommend Lonely Planet Turkey with the same intensity.

5 comments about A Thousand Days in Venice (Ballantine Reader's Circle).

1. Reading De Blasi's story is like going to Venice in person. Love her comments on italian men and all her recipes that come with the book.



2. In a world of multitudes of choices, Marlena chose the road (or actually, waterway), less travelled. She fell in love with someone she barely knew and moved half way round the world in the process. She opted for the unexpected - an adventure. I chose Marlena's story as my "beach read" this summer and it was perfect. It's quick and light - fun! She didn't weigh her story down with complaints about how different we all are - she chose the language of love (and food) to find commonality - yet she still added charming stories that suggested how Italian lifestyle and priorities are a bit different from Americans. Instead or wondering "what if..." - she did it! What a brave soul!



3. If you are looking for a wonderfully human story of pure delight, this is the book for you... It gives you a real flavor for one of the most romantic cities in Italy.... You can almost smell the food... and feel the puch of the tourists... She is steeped in the Italian experience...



4. I thoroughly delighted in this true story only after getting through the preposterous, high fructose corn syrup sappy, first 20 pages - factual though they may be. Having guffawed, rolled my eyes, and saying out loud to no one, "I am not reading this!" at page 12, weeks later I picked it up with my interest piqued and didn't put it back down until the end. Marlena is an intelligent writer, never wasteful with her perfect words and allusions. She was enraptured with her Italian settings and immersed in them, not distant from their ancient exoticism like so many authors who prattle on with some cold, repeated, textbook authority. I would read anything by her again in a heartbeat. There is purity and security both in her romance and her writing. Actually she is pretty inspirational by simply following her heart, her loves.



5. This book was recommended as a better read than the current best seller, Eat Pray Love. While they are superficially similar, in that both authors love Italian culture, food and the joy of living, this book is more in depth at giving a flavor of Venice and background into Italian culture, through the eyes of an american visitor.
   The author describes the many steps necessary to make the transition as an american into a country with ancient, almost ingrained customs. Her love of Italy, the food and the traditions, comes through with gusto.
   This is also a memoir of an unlikely middle age romance, which is refreshing, even when things don't go smoothly within the marriage.
   As a counterpart to studying Italian conversation and language, this is a wonderful book about Italy and Venice and Italy's people, and what they've survived. I have gone on to read the 2 subsequent books about the couple's travels and adventures in other regions of Italy.

5 comments about London (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE).

1. I would warmly recommend this tourist guide, as it is very very helpfull. It was my first time in London, and I manage to navigate through this huge city very easily, and to see all the tourist attractions. Also, the texts about the sites of interest were not too long not too short, with an accent to the important stuff to see.Great restaurant guide as well.



2. CAUTION: Do not pick up an Eyewitness Travel Guide unless you are prepared to take a huge hit on your savings account and buy a plane ticket. Any and all of these books make your mouth water for the beautiful and exotic places featured within the pages.
   
   Now that the commerical is over, we'll get down to what I didn't like.
   
   The pictures are amazing and beautiful and inspiring, but that's more or less where this book's assets end. If you're looking for information, pick up Frommer's instead. There are very brief travel helps in the back of the book, but if you had to be stranded in London with one guide book, you'd be foolish (and lost) if you chose this one. The travel information and survival tips are kept at a bare minimum, and even information on the sights and sites mentioned or pictured in the book are lacking. Think National Geographic captions.
   
   If you're planning a trip, it's worth checking this book out of the library to help you make a list of all the beautiful places you want to see, but if you want to know the best place to stand for the Changing of the Guard or where to find cheap food that resembles food, find another book.



3. It's a great book if you've never been there before to find out what you want to do. Everything is categorized in the back, and great pictures! It's definitely a good thing to purchase before you go and study on the long plane ride.



4. The book has great maps and nice pictures, but doesn't help with making decisions for what to do on limited time. It also doesn't provide tips on avoiding lines or what days are best to go like other books



5. I loved this book and it did give some good ideas where to visit.
   Lovely colour maps showing walking tours.

5 comments about Viking Ships At Sunrise (Magic Tree House 15, paper).

1. I think you should buy this book because Mary Pope Osborne has great illustrations in this book.The book is about Jack and Annie.The story is set to Ireland a long time ago and they gt in truble with some vikings.You have to read the book to find out what happens.



2. I read The Magic Treehouse # 15: Viking Ships at Sunrise. This book is very good. Whenever Jack and Annie want to visit a place, they point to a picture and say, "I wish to go there." Morgan sent Jack and Annie to Ireland to solve a mystery. They had many adventures. The most exciting part of the book was when the serpent rose out of the water.
   
   I learned some interesting facts when I read this book. Ireland is a country in Europe. Each day there is a dark hour in Ireland. Vikings were very dangerous.
   
   I would recommend this book for three reasons. It teaches you interesting things about Ireland and its history. The characters were realistic, and you can relate to them. This book was very funny. The Magic Treehouse #15: Viking Ships at Sunrise is a great book.



3. My 1st grader hates to put it down, he would rather read Magic Tree House books, than play video games. He even reads them to his class and explains the story for show and tell. In his kindergarten class the teacher would also let him read the Magic Tree House books out loud, not to give her a break, but to promote reading out loud. Great books!



4. When my son REQUESTED "Magic Tree House" books I knew they had to be great reading! I ordered the complete 40 book series. He's almost 9 yrs old and reading two "Magic Tree House" books a day.



5. My four year old son is in love with this chapter series! A friend suggested it to us since he seemed ready for a more advanced reading material at bedtime. My husband reads him a chapter every night...sometimes more because they don't want to stop. It's become a great tradition for them, and something they both look forward to. We love that there are so many in the collection! Start with number 1 and just continue. :)

5 comments about Rick Steves' Venice 2008 (Rick Steves).

1. My husband and I were fortunate enough to be seated across from some ladies who had this book on the train from Florence to Venice. After learning that we had no guidebook for the city, they very kindly gave it to us to use during our stay. We are soooooo grateful! We used it constantly. We loved the way Rick had all the walking tours laid out, and we did several of them. Since we only had two days in the city, we made use of the feature recommending which sites to see and which to skip. Also, I think that if we travel to Italy again, we will skip many of the agency "guided" tours--which mainly consist of being herded like cattle through the museums during peak hours and rushed past some of the most interesting pieces--and opt instead for the self-guided tour features in Rick's guidebook. We took the self-guided for I Frari and St. Mark's, and both were far more informative than our 40 Euro tour of the Doge's Palace. We ate at a number of the recommended restaurants (including the Juice Bar--delicious!) and didn't have any problem with crowds or waits, even during the peak hours of 8-9 pm. Since our hotels were pre-booked through a travel agency, I can't comment on the accomodations section. But I loved that Rick's recommendations were all budget-friendly. By the time we got to Venice, we'd been all across Italy and funds were low. It was nice that this guidebook had actual price ranges inside, so we could budget a little better--and know, unlike another unsuspecting couple we met, that coffee at Florian's could end up costing 50 + Euros. This book would be a great investment for any Venice-bound traveller...and thank you again, ladies! You (and Rick) helped make our trip absolutely fabulous!



2. I use this book for a two day trip to Venice. As I had very little time it really helped me focus on the important sites. Most important were the little hints about when to see the sites. Although Venice was overrun with tourists, I did not find the restaurants or musems to be a problem if I followed the time recommendations. Skip the commercial tours and follow the book recomendations.



3. I used this book for my recent trip to Venice. You can skip all guided tours offered by agencies in Venice, if you have this book. It is very helpful with historical overviews, but when come for food advices - just browse local restaurants and look for "tourist menue" (around 15-18 euros for 3 dishes, but be sure it doesn't' come with "cover charge" which is extra 2 euros). It is the best deal to get variety of dishes for reasonable prices. Also, visit Realto market for fresh fruits and vegetables, and small stores for ham and cheeses.
   
   I went on day trips to Padova , Vicenza, and Verona. The book was extremely helpful for giving the guidance for day trips. Don't miss to try Recioto wine in Verona.



4. This is another great book from Rick Steves. It gives you all the information you need to plan a trip with many details. We have relied on his book in the past and are never disappointed.



5. Rick Steves 2007 book had one good thing, in the front of the book there is a comprehensive 1 page map of Venice with vaporetto and traghetto stops and all street names. I used this map. Otherwise, his recommendations were a hit and miss. I checked out a recommendation of a restaurant he gave around San Marco and the price was appalling (one squid dish and one 1/4 glass of pinot grigot for $16 euro. This food was so so and I think the touristy menus (15 euro for 3 course meal with drink I had another night) that emphatically he warns against seemed like the better deal in Venice. Anyway, I used Timeout Venice more extensively as it had info on how to get from the aiport from Treviso (Ryanair). He had no info on this at all. He also did not talk about a grocery store in Venice just off the Piazza Roma where you should buy food before you head to your hotel, since everywhere in Venice is expensive including water. Anyway, my co-worker swore by his book but I think it's overrated. Get Timeout Venice if you want more details and more pictures too!