2 comments about Michelin Green Guide Alsace-Lorraine-Champagne (Michelin Green Guide: Alsace Lorraine Champagne).

1. This was a great companion to our (my husband & I) tour of the Alsace reagion of France which is worth the trip! It is a beautiful not-well traveled region of France. We visited this French/German area on a trip where we visited Mont Blanc and the French Riveria as well. We were greeted with only friendliness from the wineries and other French people that we met on our visit to Alsace.



2. Maps are good, but could be a little more complete. Found a typo or two on it, but worked for me to navigate to more obscure parts of Alsace.

1 comments about If I Lived In Germany.

1. As a teacher of preschool German, I found this to be a very educational, fun way to teach my kids German. They enjoyed the words and pictures very much. I took this book to my college German advisor and she is going to add it to her list of books for her foreign language education class.

No comments about Munich, Bavaria & the Black Forest (Regional Guide).

3 comments about Frommer's Munich & the Bavarian Alps (Frommer's Complete).

1. The book highly recommended the 'Splendid" hotel. IT was the worse hotel I have stayed in, even for Europe. I have spent 2 months in budget hotels in Italy, and this hotel was worse than all of them.

   The windows overlook a tram, which sounds like an earthquake or a plane landing on the roof. No insulation, the windows must be a hundred years old. The bathroom fixtures were broken.

   When I was checking out, their modem did not work. They held my credit cards hostage for 30 minutes while a taxi meter was running. The red headed women manager never apologized due to their incompetence. The stay at the hotel was terrible.




2. As someone who visited Munich and who is soon to relocate and start working there...I had to set the record straight about this book. Contrary to the one other review, this is a good book. The thing I like in general about Frommer's is that they present you with an itinerary; if you need to hit the 'must see places' then this is your book. Sure the must see places are all overrun by tourists...but some of them as we all know are a must. For example...Hofbrauhaus is where every visitor wants to go...but truth is no native Munchener hangs out there...all tourists. But ya gotta do it.

   When I went to Munich, I travelled with this book and Lonely Planet Munich...Lonely Planet doesn't provide you with a 'must see places' list, but it is more detailed. Together they complemented each other perfectly. I recommend spending the extra money for the second book; in contrast with the amount you are spending on everything else during your whole trip...it's well worth it.

   As for the other reviewer's bad experience...Germany's service people(hotel staff, waiters etc) are typecast as being slow and having attitudes...waiters especially. And that info is actually in this book.

   Hope this helps. Have fun in Munchen.




3. I usually travel with two or three travel books and at some point in my last trip to Munich I just threw away my other book. The Frommer's book had everything I needed in regards to seeing all the major attractions, and I ended up relying on it more than the other book I brought. I thought it was accurate and had great info. on restaurants and hotels.

5 comments about Time Out Berlin (Time Out Guides).

1. Time Out's 320-page guide is both compact & comprehensive. I've used it to plan a visit to Berlin & will be in a much better position to assess how well its savvy-sounding advice pans out in actual practice after I've put it to the test. If Rimmer's opinions turn out being ill-informed, I'll post an update. So far, I'm satisfied that for $13 I got good value for money.



2. I bought this guide before going to Berlin to study German for a summer. I had no experience with Time Out guides before this, but I just knew I was sick of the bland and sometimes out of date recommendations I kept getting from Lonely Planet guides and ready for something new. Well, what a great decision--I lived in Berlin for 11 weeks, and this guide was the only thing I ever needed. Ideal for the 20-40ish crowd, it definitely has a younger, more hip (or maybe "cosmopolitan" is a better way to describe it) focus than any guide I'd encountered before, and I loved that. For one thing, because of that kind of focus, I found all these great, inexpensive "art hotels" listed in the book, and the experience of staying in those amazingly unique hotels absolutely made my trip.
   
   The guide also has great suggestions for fun bars and clubs, restaurants and cafes, shopping, and English-language bookstores. The history and sightseeing sections were thorough and fascinating to read, there's a section on the city's fabulously modern architecture, and there's a great guide to museums and art galleries. There are also sections on music (classical and opera), things to do in Berlin with children, sports and fitness, gay and lesbian Berlin, day trips (Potsdam, etc.), overnight trips (Dresden, Leipzig, etc.), and even a section on visiting Hamburg or Prague. Especially important is the guide's directory, which provides basic information about everything from the climate, to driving in Berlin, to health care providers, to public toilets. The vegetarian restaurant suggestions (important to me, personally) were reasonably ample, but as it turned out I mostly lived off falafel from street vendors anyway.
   
   My copy is tattered and written all over after almost three months of continuous use, and I never found a single mistake in the book. Berlin has so many treasures, and this guide helps you to the best of them all. Highly recommended!



3. I was in Berlin for two weeks, and this guide helped a lot. Its not a heavy book, easy to carry in a day bag, and all the tips for sightseeing etc were helpful.



4. I chose this over the other guides for my recent trip to Berlin based on the reviews here. Normally I use Let's Go! or Lonely Planet guides. The layout took getting used to: it's arranged by category (hotels, restaurants, sights, etc) then by district within the category.
   
   The biggest complaint I have with the book is that it's not targeted at the on-a-budget traveler. It was hard to find restaurants listed that were inexpensive - maybe 1 out of every 3 or 2 of 5 was less than 10 E for meals.
   
   Also, the book has no mention of the (frequent!) German holidays, when businesses and museums have altered or no opening hours.
   
   But it helped me in planning out what I wanted to see, so it wasn't a total wash.



5. This is the best guide for you if you've think you've outgrown the Lonely Planet books or aren't getting enough detail and insight from the Eyewitness Guide. The color pics and maps outdo the LP guide and the variety of touristy and off-beat sites beat the EWG. While LP is best for the younger/collegiate, budget traveler and EWG is great for broad overviews in a colorful format, the Time Out is the ideal prep for a grown-up trip to Berlin and even better to have in your pocket.

5 comments about Michelin Germany (Michelin Map).

1. The tour book is full of information, color illustrations, maps, information that many tour books are without. The book has flaps that can be used as markers. The information is excellant in comparison to frommer, fodor, and lost planet. They include history of the country, even detailed information on the smaller towns, places to stay, activities and even shopping for the female readers. I feel this is the best guide for germany.



2. BE AWARE that the 3rd edition, the most recent edition of the Micehelin "Green Guide for Germany," was published in 2000 with most of the editing probably having been finished in 1999. All of their prices are in DM, not Euros....museums, transportation, everything.

   This dramatically decreases the every day value of this guide. Plus the language is so stilted.




3. This book has a brief summary of German history and then lists German cities and sights alphabetically so they are easy to look up. It describes and rates interesting things to see throughout Germany, as well as giving historical information for various cities. It includes a big map with ratings on it and has city maps and color pictures throughout the book. It is extremely helpful for planning a trip to Germany. If you want to go around and see the best sights in Germany, this book clearly highlights what you should prioritize. If, on the other hand, you want to savour a particular region, this book also provides a lot of information on what there is to see and do in each region, including smaller cities. It even includes the prices for museums and other attractions. It does give brief recommendations for places to eat and sleep. My only complaint is that it doesn't list youth hostels among these, but they're easy to find on the internet.



4. Anyone traveling, especially by car, should not be without this handy reference book to the towns you will be visiting. It gives a brief description as well as points of interest.



5. Exceedingly helpful. If you like history and culture do not go to a country without this book. It's like having your own tour guide. History, maps, suggested routes, it's all there. Get a fodors or other guidebook if you want family and fun destinations as well. This is more history and museums.

3 comments about Streetwise Munich Map - Laminated City Street Map of Munich, Germany - with integrated metro map including S-Bahn and U-Bahn lines and stations.

1. I travel to Munich and a few other European capitals a few times a year -- I recently bought a bunch of the Streetwise Maps. The Munich one is rather weak -- it contains just the city center and leaves one in the dark about the suberbs, airport, and surrounding towns. Also it fails to include much the business areas and Olympic Stadium.

   The small U-bahn and S-bahn map is also cropped in a way that excludes many important places, this map would be good only for the day tourist to the city center.




2. I was extremely disappointed in this map, which is incomplete, inadequate and even inaccurate in spots. If you're a casual tourist who is only spending a day in the Bavarian capital, then this map would probably fit your basic needs. But if you're planning on spending a week or more in the city, or if you want to see more than the city center, then avoid the map at all costs.

   The map shows only the inner city, with few streets shown beyond Briennerstrasse or the Isar. This is simply not acceptable, especially if you want to see anything of the city beyond Marienplatz. There is also some outdated information on the reverse, giving U Bahn stations on the wrong cross streets. This could present clear problems for travelers. I do not recommend this map to anyone unless you're restricting yourself to a small area in the pedestrian-only zone.




3. The people at Streetwise should be embarassed to even sell this map. Its poor design is EXTREME. I was so shocked at its terrible quality because OTHER Streetwise maps have always been so useful. Not this one. Streetwise Munich is missing a majority of Munich, it doesn't include an U-Bahn or S-Bahn plan, and is so difficult to read that you'll be more confused than aided by it. It is a total failure.
   
   This map does not live up to the Streetwise name. I don't recommend this product at all.

1 comments about Michelin Red Guide 2008 Deutschland (Michelin Red Guide: Deutschland (Germany)).

1. I understand it's terrific -- very thorough -- however, it is written in German so I hope you are fluent!

3 comments about Berlin Then and Now (Then & Now Thunder Bay).

1. This book is a good size, and photos are given full priority on each page. It's kept nice and simple with old on the left, new on the right, and with just as much informed commentary as you'd need running along beneath.
   
   Only a few of the 'then' pics are from the 50s and 60s; the majority show the Berlin streets as they were before the devastation of the Second World War, and as such are as fascinating as looking at pictures of ancient Rome.
   
   An excellent book from an excellent series.



2. All I can say is awesome.I did a now and then tour of Berlin last year in October and I can only wish that I had the book with me then. There is nothing like knowing where you stand if you are a history buff on ww2 like I am. Going over to do the Bulge at the end of April. Berlin Then and Now is money well spent.
   Greg
   greg@54.co.za



3. I purchased this book prior to spending a week in Berlin. I read through it on the train on the way to Berlin from Frankfurt and found that in contained great photography and solid background information on major landmarks. This book is not an in depth history of Berlin, but if you'd like to take a look at how things WERE compared to how they ARE and have the major sites explained in plain English, this book works well. It's a must have if you're traveling to the area, but makes a good coffee table book now as well.

5 comments about Half a Wing, Three Engines and a Prayer.

1. This book is highly informative. My father, a B-17 Bombardier in the 8th Air Force apprecitated the authenticity of this book. Well written without the Hollywood fluff.



2. Whether this is your introduction to daylight bomber operations over Europe, or you've read hundreds of accounts, Half a Wing, Three Engines and a Prayer will not disappoint. What really sets this book apart from a typical account, is that O'Neill has managed to get the entire crew's recollections mission by mission. Each individual's perspective is different, and taken as a whole provides a remarkably complete picture of life on a B-17 crew during the most intense period of air combat in the ETO. You will be hard pressed to find a better book on the subject.



3. Half a Wing, Three Engines, and a Prayer , written by Brian O'Neal, is the historical account of a B-17 Bomb Wing in Europe during the Second World War. Though many crews and other wings are followed in the book, the central story is that of the 303rd "Hell's Angels" Bomb Group and the B-17 crew of Lt. Bob Hullar. The period covered is from training in 1942 to combat over Europe from 1943 to 1944.
   
   Though several previous histories of Air Combat in World War II had been written, few had given the full perspective of the individual bomber crew. For B-17s, this consisted of 10 men, 3 of whom were officers and the rest enlisted. Together they flew the airplane, operated navigation instruments and radios, sighted and dropped the payload, and used machine guns to fend off attacks from enemy aircraft along the way. Often noted by the book was the fact that nearly 25% of these air crews would never return from the European Theater of Operations.
   
   The crews of the 303rd Bomb Group began their training for the most part in 1942, following the American entry into World War II. These men came from all walks of life and trained at bases all across the country before being assembled at a base in Washington for their final phase of training, where they trained as the crew they'd be a part of in Europe. From there, they were sent to England, where the 303rd was based as part of the strategic bombing campaign of the 8th Air Force against occupied Europe and Nazi Germany. The Group operated the four-engined B-17 "Flying Fortress", and crews typically flew different airplanes during their tour in Europe, which required 25 missions to be completed. Bob Hullar's crew would fly no less than 10 different aircraft during their tour, several of which were later destroyed, rendered irreparable by damage, and one of which had to be ditched in the English Channel.
   
   O'Neal relied heavily on interviews from members of the crews, particularly that of Bob Hullar. Each chapter of the book is devoted to a mission flown during the Hullar crew's tour, their targets ranging from coastal towns in France to large industrial cities deep in the heart of Germany. Likewise, the missions varied from somewhat un-remarkable to enormous aerial battles and fierce anti-aircraft fire. Regardless of the target, however, every mission posed extraordinary danger to the crews who flew on them. They remained in constant fear of their own destruction, and this perhaps played a role in how well the individual crew members could remember the particulars of each mission decades after it occurred. When events could not be correlated with the accounts of the crew's, O'Neal turned to the official records of the 303rd Bomb Group and even those of the German Luftwaffe to determine what actually occurred during the air battles documented in the book.
   
   The story of the American Amry Air Force in Europe was first made famous by the story of the crew of the Memphis Belle, which was the first B-17 to complete 25 missions and served as the platform for a now famous documentary on the subject, made during the war. Since that time numerous documentaries and books have been produced on the subject, making it one of the more well understood aspects of the war in Europe.
   
   Overall, one learns a great deal from the individual accounts that are contained in the book. They give an eye-witness view to the carnage and fast-paced action that occurred thousands of feet above the earth during the air war, and offer a glimpse into how it actually felt to be caught in the middle of this. One is surprised to learn the ineffectiveness that often plagued American bombing missions, which frequently missed their intended target or did little damage, despite the involvement of hundreds of airplanes for each mission. At times there were well over a thousand aircraft, both bombers and fighters, engaged in accomplishing these missions. The crew of Bob Hullar , one finds out, was lucky to survive the slaughter that took place at 25,000 feet on an almost daily basis, and the story of the air war in Half a Wing, Three Engines, and a Prayer is forever memorable because of it.



4. It's always a pleasure to find a non-fiction account of any period which is so good you don't want to put it down. Here's an account of the American contribution to the bombing war in the European Theatre of Ops which is truely readable at all levels (no pun intended.) The story concentrates essentially on bombing operations, in a chronological order, explored mainly through the eyes of the bomber crews themselves as recorded in their diaries and wartime interrogations and de-briefings. These experiences are reinforced by solid research into US and German records, just to confirm the men's accounts. The story concentrates mainly on the crews of one bomber group as they go through their tour of duty. But in the process, it recounts what many men saw and did in the air over Germany. This is NOT a statistical account of the US strategic bombing offence. This is an up-close-and-personal account of men at war, trying to beat the odds and survive the full 30 Ops needed to finish a tour and go home. So when planes blow up beside you and Messerschmitts pop out of the clouds behind, you'll discover what it felt like to have your guns jam at the critical moment, to feel enemy cannon shells hammer your airframe, to sense the hand of death at the controls, then to see 'little friends' come racing to the rescue. The paperback edition contains some unpublished aerial photos, and some surprises - like a photo of the first US experiment with flying bombs, which looked like miniature Lightning fighters carried under a B-17s wings. Most of all, this book is a good read - covering lots of action at a ripping pace. It's a good, thick book and well worth the price. I was glad I bought it.



5. Bob Hullar was my father. I was born in 1948 and my Dad went back into the newly formed US Air Force shortly after that and retired as a bird colonel. While my Dad and I were pretty close, he didn't talk much about WWII and what he did. As a kid, I knew that he was a B17 pilot based in England and that he probably dropped a lot of bombs, but that was about it. This book opened up a part of his life to me that I didn't really know and couldn't possibly understand. My mother, Jean, provided a lot of documents, photos and information to the author as he was researching for it. "Half a Wing, Three Engines and Prayer" is very well written and factual, but also manages to convey the incredible dangers these men continually confronted and the courage they must have had to get back into those planes day after day. As I was reading it, I constantly asked myself "Could I have done this?" and "What was I doing at age 25... surely nothing like this!" It helped me to understand my Dad, who remained a quiet, complex man for the rest of his life and gave me a glimpse of what surely was his peak lifetime experience. For anyone who is interested in the World War II and the US Army Air Force, I think it is a must read.
   Thanks to the author for undertaking this task and doing such a great job!