5 comments about Istanbul (Eyewitness Travel Guides).

1. If you're only going to buy one guide to Istanbul, this is the one.
   
   The principal reason is that Istanbul is a city of great architecture, which D-K's cut-away diagrams ideally showcase. You can quickly determine where you are within a building and which features you have not yet seen.
   
   For us, the most enjoyable attraction in Istanbul was the ferry ride up the Bosphorus, which ends at a charming village near the Black Sea with excellent restaurants where you have lunch before returning. There are commercial tourist boats that make this trip, but we much preferred the public ferry that cost approx. $10 round-trip -- one of the great travel bargains of the world. The discussion about it in this guide is quite good.
   
   Some things not covered in the book:
   
   * When we asked the concierge at our hotel for the best place to change money, he said "The Grand Bazaar, no question." Indeed. In addition to a narrow spread between buy and sell, there is no commission. The local merchants all use the money-changers there, and according to the concierge, exchange rates for the entire country are set there.
   
   * Among the best bargains in the Grand Bazaar are gold and silver, which are sold by weight with a reasonable mark-up, as opposed to the 400% markups commonly charged by American jewelers. Each jeweler has a gram scale where he weighs any given piece, and then prices it accordingly, based upon the price of gold that morning. The gold, by the way, appears to universally be 22 karat, worked in India. Because Indian workers are paid $15 per month, labor is not a material element in the price. A jeweler I spoke with priced a bracelet (pre-bargaining) at $650, when the price of the gold alone was $525. He was highly competent and straightforward in answering my questions, as were most of the merchants I dealt with. Similar savings seem to be available on diamond jewelry, although I did not consider myself competent to judge the quality of the stones and thus, did not buy anything.
   
   * Rug merchants appear to be somewhat less reputable and certainly more insistent (one becomes tired of hearing their ubiquitous "hallo"). If they ask which hotel you're staying in or when you're leaving, simply respond "Why do you want to know?" One rug merchant, who is married to an American woman and is himself quite americanized told me that many of the merchants import rugs from China and then represent them as being from Turkey or Iran. As with diamonds, it pays to know what you're buying.
   
   * Cab drivers are often dishonest. Know how much you should pay for a given trip and carry a lot of small bills and coins, so that you can pay exactly. Do not expect change. You may receive old lira (the Turkish lira was steeply devalued several years ago). Make sure the driver starts the meter when you get into the cab. The rate after midnight is 50% greater than before. Still, the (honest) rates are quite reasonable, especially since tips are not expected.
   
   * The food is excellent, good ingredients and wonderful spices. Explore or ask your concierge. The best place we found, on the advice of our concierge, was the Magnaura Cafe Restaurant at Akbiyik No. 27 in Sultanhamet, tel: (0212)518 76 22, three blocks from the Haja Sofia.
   
   * Be prepared to awaken at 6:00 am with the Call to Prayer, which is blasted from loudspeakers on the minarets of the mosques. It doesn't last long, but it will awaken you. I was not able to sleep through it, a problem that I rarely encounter.
   
   * Three must-sees that we regret having missed: (1) the Chora Church, (2) the Palace Cistern, and (3) the old city walls.
   
   All things considered, it's a great city.
   
   For a less functional but more beautiful and sophisticated guide, try Knopf Guide: Istanbul (Knopf Guides Istanbul and Northwest Turkey)
   
   Recommended reading: John Freely's Istanbul
   
   Recommended viewing: Byzantium: The Lost Empire, Topkapi, Biblical Treasures of Turkey, the Supercities VHS tape Istanbul], and the Teaching Company course The World of Byzantium-The Great Courses (24 lectures, 30 minutes/lecture)(6 VHS TAPES)
   
   DVD to avoid: Globe Trekker: Turkey



2. This is one of the best guide books I have ever read! SO easy to leaf through it and find exactly what one is looking for. The maps are well drawn and easy to navigate, and the photograph make the whole experience complete. I loved most the chapter on foods and drinks to be tasted in Istanbul. Will be a great guide to take along on my trip there.



3. I had never used this series of guidebooks before, so I did not know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised during my recent visit to Istanbul in June of 2007.
   
   The main selling points of these DK guides are the superior maps and illustrations of tourist attractions. Major museums, mosques and palaces are shown in detail, with drawings and photos of the interior and exterior, as well as nicely illustrated historical tidbits. For doing the touristy things like visiting major attractions and taking pictures, this guide is great.
   
   I am not sure how good this guide is when it comes to restaurants and nightlife. I did not explore that side of Istanbul as much, and what I saw did not impress me much.
   
   Overall, I think I would have preferred a guide geared more towards active young people with a slightly cynical edge - this guide seemed to present everything as pretty and somewhat sterile. From what I saw, Istanbul definitely has an interesting culture that this guide did not fully capture.
   
   Overall, good guidebook, and highly recommended. Read it ahead of time to know where the main sites and activities that interest you are located. Then do some more research online for good hotels to stay in - online reviews are more up to date.



4. This Travel Guide is Awesome! It's very easy to read, great pictures and cool tips regarding your next trip To Istanbul.
   
   It's a Must!



5. I am from Istanbul and I cal tell you this guide is fantastic. Before you visit my country Turkey read this guide. It is accurate and colorful.

5 comments about Bali & Lombok (Lonely Planet Travel Guide).

1. I bought this book when I revisited Bali with my wife. I was last there some 15 years ago using a different guide book. I bought and used this book to explore a few off the beaten track places I didn't see the last time. I find the recommendations on food and lodging excellent. The standard Lonely Planet layout makes it easy to find the info you need. This rewritten edition is not just informative but full of its own unique flavour as well.
   
   Not being a trekker, my wife found the info on restaurants and shopping to be very useful too.



2. Had the lonely SE asia book but had to buy this one because Bali is not covered in enough detail in the big bible. Found it to be useful and wouldn't want to have gone without it but at the same time I didn't find it absolutely essential. There are so many hotels, restaurants, sightseeing tours, spa places that you can easliy figure out online or when you're there.
   
   Conclusion: found this book good to give me good ideas of where to go/what places are like and the rest - well, you can figure out when you're there ;)



3. We purchased this book before our first trip to Bali. We have visited many memorable places that we would not have found out about if it wasn't for the book. The list of hotels and background information also helped us get situated very quickly. I highly recommend it for people who are traveling there for the first time, or want to rediscover more of this beautiful island.



4. We spent three weeks in Bali using this book as a guide. For overviews of different parts of the island, we found it very helpful, and we relied on the maps to sort of get our bearings. However, I suspect we could have gotten those things from any travel guide. The Lonely Planet book in specific was recommended to us by our travel agent, and because of the witty and intelligent writing, we thought it would be well-researched and trustworthy.
   
   Not so! We were very disappointed with a lot of places reviewed well by the authors of this book. We stayed in the hotel marked "our pick" in Seminyak and it was much more expensive, we couldn't get hot water, and we got eaten alive by mosquitos. It recommends an "art market" in Ubud that is probably worse for rabid hawkers than Jalan Legian in Kuta. It hugely understates the presence and tenacity of hawkers and touts. The authors seem unaware of Bali Belly, traveler's sickness, Montezuma's Revenge, whatever you want to call it, and there's no advice on avoiding that. It neglects to mention anything that I could find about women being barred from temples during "that time of the month" or where sarongs and sashes are required and how they're supposed to be worn.
   
   I don't think this book works as a stand alone guide. It paints a picture of Bali as the nicest place on earth, full of charming this and breathtaking that. We followed its advice and found a version of the island overrun by tourists, rife with scam artists, with culture and history pushed aside by Bintang t-shirts and anything else that could generate a quick buck. We also found amazing places and wonderful people, but only once when we put down this misleading book and started trusting our instincts.



5. I bought this along with the Lonely Planet Indonesia book...and well, this book didn't have much additional information than what was covered in the Indonesia book. Some sections were actually taken verbatim. Compared to other Lonely Planet books, I actually found the general Indonesia book to be quite detailed, so I think you should be fine without this supplement.

4 comments about Top 10 Barcelona (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE).

1. I decided to check out the Top 10 guide for Barcelona given the excellent experience I had in London with a similar guide on a past trip to the UK. I noticed the same compelling points with this guide as I'd noticed with the London guide -- a concise list of things to do in city, a list of various neighborhoods, list of best cafes/bars and sample itineraries for spending an entire day in each neighborhood, the top 10 things to look for at each attraction, and the best feature: the compact size of the guide.
   
   But I was looking for more than just the above -- I was traveling to a city where people don't talk in English after all. What I really liked about the guide was the main map that showed all the important street in an uncluttered fashion, and the mini-maps that were included in the assorted Top 10 lists, making it a breeze to locate the attraction or cafe/bar. I also loved the list of the Top 10 drinks you'll find only in Barcelona like the "Orxata", the "Granissat" and of course, the "Sangria" that is refereshingly different from what you might have had anywhere else. There are similar lists for food items (definitely try the "Pallela"), shops, etc. These are the things that make you blend in with the locals with confidence.
   
   I also loved the section on Streetsmarts -- when you're in a country where English is not the first language, you sometimes need a helping hand with even the simplest of things -- like what is the best deal on the Barcelona Metro? Should I buy single tickets or a "T-10" for 10 tickets? How do I make a local phone call? What should I avoid? (Answer: touristy scams at La Rambla). The Top 10 guide's Streetsmart section covers many of these "small" things on your mind and also include a few pages with popular Spanish/Catalan phrases with translation in English, eliminating the need to carry a phrase book, if any.
   
   With this guide, I was able to see Barcelona according to my schedule and tastes. I took in all the touristy attractions and spent time exploring specific neighborhoods like El Raval, Eixample and interesting detours. Not a day went by when I wasn't glad for having this guide by my side -- and at under 10 bucks a pop, I'm quickly acquiring a collection.



2. It was the perfect guide for my independent trip to Barcelona. It is the most user friendly city guide I used (I've also used Rick Steves and Rough Guide). The guide first identifies the top 10 sites and then what I loved is that it marks them on a map with numbers making it really easy to spot. The map in the guide was great and in color. It made my trip so enjoyable because I knew what I wanted to do and where to get there. Also, becasue it showed all the locations of the sites on a map I could easily plan which sites to see all in one area and thus make the most out of my days. It also gives history behind each site and also lists the top 10 things to see at each attraction!
   I loved this guide and wished they had one for more cities!
   
   The one complaint I have is that I really think Park Guell should be listed in the top 10. I almost missed the park (where the tradmark colored frog is and Gaudi's home) but a hostelmate told me about it. It is listed in the top ten for parks but just be aware that that park is a must see.



3. I spent 7 days in Barcelona in Nov 2006 and though I did some research before I arrived, took only this book with me. As an independent traveler (no tour groups) I used it very heavily during my stay - not only as my primary map and metromap, but as my only reference for locations, hours, and priorities in determining my daily itineraries. I also occasionally used it for restaurant, tapas bar and shopping recommendations. It never led me astray.
   
   It is very current - it even references that a few places will be closed for repair until month X to save you the effort of going there. And the way one large section of the guide is broken out by neighborhood makes it extremely easy to figure out the best way to spend your time in a given part of the city (it also suggests itineraries for each neighborhood if you don't want to plan them out yourself).
   
   It's also a great size - easy to toss in a daypack, purse, or even jacket pocket.
   
   I fully agree with the two previous reviews that the layout of the maps and color-coding of the sights makes it very easy to keep on track - even in a city as large as this one. And that Park Guell ought to be in the Top 10.
   
   My only suggestion for how it could improve would be to give even more "tips" than it sometimes does on the sides of pages. For instance, visit the National Art Museum of Catalunya in the latter afternoon on a Fri/Sat/Sun and stay for the Magic Fountain display at dusk. Visit La Pedrera near sunset (unless midsummer does not allow it) and go up on the roof as the sun sets and the lights come on. It's magical.)
   
   I've traveled pretty extensively and used a lot of different travel guides, others of which I can also recommend. But this is hands-down the very best I have ever used and I cannot recommend it highly enough if you are spending even one day in Barcelona.



4. This is the most helpful book I have seen on Barcelona. I believe it should be combined with a more indepth guidebook wo one can look up the most interesting locales in more depth. It is very hard to get perspective on sites to take in when there are so many fascinating places to visit. This helps with the highlighting and the winnowing. I got a total of five of these books and passed them out to all the other groups going with us.

No comments about The Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World 2009 (Unofficial Guides).

5 comments about China (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE).

1. The eyewitness travel series is the book of choice for any travel. And the China version doesn't miss.
   
   I traveled to China for vacation 2.5 years ago when I didn't have the Eyewitness guide. I got a good sense of my travels a the time by reading multiple books and asking my guide many questions.
   
   However in my trip this year...I had the Eyewitness guide. It not only strengthened my understanding of the many places, events, and culture which I experienced 2.5 years ago...it prepared me to open my eyes to a whole new world when I traveled in 2007.
   
   What sets DK apart is that it gives you not only practical information...But provide maps/pictures/illustrations which other's cannot present. And this is all that much important for the Western traveler where China is still in the process of fine tuning tourism and how sights are communicated to visitors.
   
   I recommend Eyewitness guides not only for any vacation...but especially for travels to China.



2. DK has again produced a fantastic guide - this time for all of China. While it is not definitive, and in know way can be, it covers an amazinginly large portion of the country, in good detail, and with DK's signature photographs. I saw many pictures in here of places in China I'd never seen before, and made me want to explore more of the country. I hope they publish a new edition soon though, before the 2008 Beijing Olympics.



3. This was my first Eyewitness Travel Guide, and I must say that it's really quite good. Photos, photos, and more photos, and lots of great feature pages (language and script, landscape and wildlife - by region, and so on). Also, superb diagrams permeate the pages, like the one of Shanghai's Bund. You no longer have to match number 23 to the 23 in a list of microscopic place names on another page, nor will you realize later that what you thought was (for example) the Palace Hotel was really, say, the Chartered Bank of India. Also, this type of book is outstanding in that it will show you something you are unfamiliar with and explain it to you. Ever wondered what all the different components of a temple are called or what their purpose is? Go to the archictecture section and look it up.
   
   I only have a couple of wee complaints. The map in the front would be much better if it were fold out and/or divided into provinces. Also, another map should be included to show rail lines and major roads without obscuring the provinces, etc. The two maps provided are OK, but you'll probably need other ones. Such a high quality book deserves better maps. Also, it's really very heavy, but I suppose that can't be helped. You'd have to be pretty adventurous to only use this guide book, but it would make an excellent supplement to a "traditional" one. Ideal for a couple. One can figure out where to stay, where the bus station is, etc., and the other can carry this volume and - in spite of the weight - be enlightened.
   
   Troy Parfitt, author



4. My husband and I travelled independently around China for 3 weeks with this book and the Lonely Planet. We found that the beautiful photography helped inspire our choice of destinations, and the maps and illustrations helped us navigate once we were there. We especially liked the axonometric drawings with labels.
   
   Although this book includes some practical information about the sites, the Lonely Planet was much more detailed in terms of how to actually get somewhere. I think it would be difficult to travel with only this book for guidance.
   
   A few hotels and restaurants are recommended in the back of the book. This information would have been much more useful if the names were also written in Chinese. We often found ourselves in situations where we could not communicate with taxi drivers or hotel concierges, so we relied on pointing to places (with Chinese names) in guidebooks. Having the pinyin names didn't do us much good since our pronunciation and accents were not understandable.



5. Trying to review this book is somewhat hard, technically it's a travel guide and as that its ok, but its really more than that. Its one of the best birds eye views of the major attractions in China. Kind of a Whats-What of China. Having been to China on several trips I can personally attest to the quality of the selection and information.
   
   They Layout is organized by region, usually two provinces to a Chapter. You get a brief overview of the province, then it moves to 1-2 pages per location (maybe a city or a park) in that province. The information is a smorgasborg of text, photos and illustrations. It covers the major attractions and why they are significant. The photographs are stunning (if small by necessity). The information is both informative and concise. Its amazing how much stuff they've packed in there.
   
   Sprinkled throughout the chapters are various shorts (1-2 pages) on Chinese history and culture. Again high level concise information but enough to get you started.
   
   The construction of the book is way above your newsprint guides. Its got good binding, vinyl covers and slick glossy pages. Top notch.
   
   The only thing I would knock it for is that as a travel guide its travel nuts and bolts (specific places to stay, eat, shop, train schedules, directions etc) is pretty weak. They have some information but it tends to be focused more on the high end stuff rather than the budget backpacker.
   
   This book is best bought, used and enjoyed as a overall reference book on China for people who just want to know more. As a travel guide it is a good source of information to get you started, but its not where you'll finish. You'll want to look at other information and resources when it comes to the specifics of your journey.
   
   So to Recap
   
   Pros
   Excellent Photos, text and diagrams
   Well organized
   Concise chocked full of info
   Good quality printing and binding
   Wide variety of information
   
   Cons
   Weak on travel specific information
   
   Conclusion
   A great book for someone thinking of a trip to china and wondering "what is there to see" as well as reference to China and its many highlights.

No comments about Rand McNally 2009 Road Atlas & Travel Guide (Rand Mcnally Road Atlas and Travel Guide: United States, Canada, Mexico).

5 comments about Route 66 Dining & Lodging Guide - 12th Edition.

1. We bought this book in anticipation of a Route 66 trip we are taking in a couple of weeks. The book is small but packed with information that we believe will prove very valuable. Each entry has ratings, exceptional places are marked with a star. There is information on which credit cards each place accepts or whether they only accept cash, a must know when hundreds of miles from home! I would purchase it again.



2. The book was helpful for finding food and lodging but I disagree on some of the ratings. Some motels listed as excellent were worse than some rated as good. The food ratings and recommendations I found to be more reliable. We stopped at many of the recommended food places and were not disappointed. The addresses listed in the book were helpful for navigating route 66 and determining what towns would be good for stopping.



3. I am going to be traveling cross country in a couple of weeks and I will be referring to this quite often.



4. We purchased this book to assist us with a planned trip down Route 66. We have still to do this journey so cannot say whether or not the book will be of any assistance. However, it gives a list of hotels/motels and places to eat, and at first glance this seems like the ideal book to take with us. It is small book so will not take up much room in our luggage and is ideal to carry around with us.



5. This book pretty much provides what it advertises. I was a little disappointed in the description of most of the places. It is very difficult to tell what is a true can't miss place to stay and eat, or just a run of the mill restaurant or motel.
   
   I will give it credit for the abundance of places listed through out all the states, look forward to making use of it on my Route 66 Journey.

5 comments about Michelin Italy: Tourist and Motoring Atlas (Michelin Tourist and Motoring Atlas : Italy).

1. Map is has an easy to read scale and user friendly spiral book binding. Although I almost always have my GPS with me, this map is great to get an overview of routes, serve as a back-up when the GPS malfunctions, plan alternative routes and see what other interesting places are near-by.



2. This is our second purchase of the Michelin Italy Atlas as we used the first so much that pages were torn and missing. We find it to be one of our better map guides for traveling in Italy.



3. I haven't field tested this atlas yet, but I like it already. Its very light, so it won't be a burden in my carry-on. It has detailed maps of a lot of towns too.



4. Rick Stevens says the traditional road atlas needs be 1/300,000 or larger scale in order to be useful for guiding drivers on the road. This atlas has the right scale.
   
   I have a GPS navigator (Tomtom GO 720) which works very well in Europe, I almost thought the traditional atlas was no longer necessary. But after two instances occurred to me during my 2-week driving in Europe (June 2008), I am very glad I had brought this atlas with me as a backup to my GPS.
   
   In the first instance, a scenic mountain pass identified by the GPS was closed midway, I must rely on the atlas to reroute. In the second instance, the entire traffic on our side of motorway stopped completely due to a traffic accident ahead. I had to rely on the atlas, ignoring instructions from GPS, and driving through country roads to reach my destination.
   
   The paper and printing quality of the atlas is first class. It's a worthwhile investment. Take it with you even you have a GPS already!



5. I hoped that the Michelin Italy Atlas was a good paper (pages), but the pages are very fine (fine pages), not good to travel by car (pratical).
   
   Thank you.

3 comments about Fodor's Paris 2008 (Fodor's Gold Guides).

1. Fodor's Paris 2008 has everything the average vacationer would need to experience France from the inside out.
   Here is a detailed index of what this book has to offer:
   
   -Clothing size, weight, distance, liquid volume, and temperature conversions inside the front cover
   -Detailed table of contents
   -"About This Book" page which tells you how to read and use the information in the book
   -General information about Paris such as cleanliness, diversity, and the general attitude of Parisians
   -Paris Planner which includes information on what to wear, when to go, and transportation
   -Detailed and easy to read maps of Paris and it's arrondissements
   -Detailed lists and descriptions of Paris's top attractions
   -Fun things to do in Paris with kids
   -Great Itineraries
   -Where to eat
   -Where to stay
   -A selection of gorgeous color photographs
   -Word of Mouth from Fodor's online forums
   -Detailed information about nightlife and the arts
   -Shopping
   -Free stuff to do in Paris
   -Books and movies of Paris
   -Vital vocabulary words
   -Information and advice on traveling such as travelers insurance, booking, rental cars, guided tours, emergencies abroad, electricity, money, taxes
   -A folded tear out map of Paris
   -Map of Paris's Metro system on the inside of the back cover
   
   I would recommend this book to anyone considering visiting Paris on vacation, anyone moving to Paris, or the average Joe who wants to learn more about the most romantic city in the world. It has everything you want to know about Paris.



2. I bought both Paris and London 2008 books for my upcoming trip to Europe, and I enjoy both. The guides are easy to read, tell you how to make the most of your time at various locations, tell you how to get to where you want to go and provide a variety of eating and shopping locations for all budgets.



3. I used this book on my first trip to Paris,and it was a valuable resource to pick how to spend our time. The maps were also very helpful in getting around the maze that is the Paris streets.

3 comments about The Conde Nast Traveler Book of Unforgettable Journeys: Great Writers on Great Places.

1. I was disappointed in this book because the stories are so lifeless. There are a lot of facts about each destination but it falls extremely short of inspiring travel. I think the people who wrote the chapters need a little excitement in their lives...but I'm not sure where they'll get it if Greece, Italy, England and South America don't evoke enough emotion for them. Maybe Cleveland.



2. I was looking forward to sinking myself into this book and finding myself dying to go to some of the places mentioned in the book. The book did not give me this feeling. Some of the essays were very good at convincing me not to travel to these places, i.e. Pico Iyer's Ethiopia for one. Others were just blah.. Only a few inspired.



3. The previous two reviewers both gave this two stars only. I think the arrangement of the articles, alphabetically by country, detracts from the power of the best entries here. The magazine obviously can attract top authors to contribute, yet the selections vary widely in length, focus, and inherent interest. While there are eight or ten fine pieces, too many others trudge along dutifully and make you wonder why, except for the commission from their publisher, the author bothered at all.
   
   There's not much in the way of editorial guidance. A skimpy introduction, and while each entry does have appended a relevant supplement that appears to be lifted from what would have accompanied the original article, there's no byline to verify or deny this. These "service addenda" are credited only in a list ending the acknowledgements. So, I'm not sure who wrote each one; only two of the authors appear here in this endnote. These suggested itineraries, reading lists, or travel tips, as with the original entries, veer all over the place in quality. From two decades, if these are the best 21 articles from "eighteen eminent contributors," then I'm glad I did not have to read the rest of the magazine's articles that didn't make the cut.
   
   Gregor von Rezzori floats down the Romanian Danube but fails to make us want to follow; Russell Banks did the same for me in the Everglades. Jan Morris on the Big Island of Hawai'i, Nik Cohn in Savannah, Edna O'Brien at Bath, and Patricia Storace in Provence all provide serviceable reports, but none of these grabbed my interest enough. Nicole Krauss enters Japanese gardens in Kyoto, and she does conjure up if you're curious why they cast their spell. Shirley Hazzard tells where to go on Capri, and again the appeal may lure those so inclined. Robert Hughes on Barcelona-- he wrote a long book on the city-- falls into masses of detail beyond the scope of a short essay. Philip Gourevitch uses his experience as an African reporter well, and if you're more curious about safaris than I am, it's a helpful primer. But, despite the noble attempts at ecological journalism by Suketu Mehta from along the endangered Himalayas, his contribution's tonally out of place among the more personal approach of the other entries. I liked better Edmund White's discussion of Petra's natural beauty and eerie remains. Simon Winchester dares to hike up volcanic Mount Mayon in the Philippines and you feel his pain.
   
   My favorite essays? Pico Iyer's visits to Iceland and Ethiopia both reveal, in a very religious vs. a rather secular locale, a poignant sense of the primeval beauty and terror that seem to have endured before mankind's arrival. Francine Prose in tracing Kafka through Prague certainly follows a well-worn path, but her knack for the uncanny makes her essay succeed: she ends it with a vignette of walking along as the streetlights blink out, rather than timed on, at her approach. William Dalrymple finds along his own pilgrim's trail to Compostella a vigorous counter to the pieties and predictabilities of a familiar traveller's tale. These three writers manage to show us what we may already know, as they do, while keeping an eye out for the happenstance. They mix the historical and the recent well, and do not descend into a potted recital of guidebook lore or hackneyed glimpses of quirky local color.
   
   Patricia Storace shows how invisible the reality of Athens is in its ruins and its legends that persist amidst a gossipy, noisy, and frank exchange of daily routine among its bustling and busybody natives. Similarly, Robert Hughes enters the funereal remnants of ghostly Etruria to plumb sarcophagi where the natural and the man-made appear to have exchanged places, such is their decay into the caves beneath the glare.
   
   Finally a couple of places I had no interest in going to, but whose narratives kept me eager to find out what happens next to the writer. James Truman drolly does this in Iran to elegant effect. John Julius Norwich elbows us through the Vatican; it's accompanied by a very detailed insider's walking tour of how to navigate the labyrinthine museums. Whoever wrote this skillful guide on what to see and what to miss amidst the Roman throngs deserves extra editorial credit.