Rundown for the week of July 24, 1999
Cruising the Canal du Midi
Wouldn't it be nice to slow down...really slow down for a while? For example, to take a leisurely ride along the Canal du Midi, a 150-mile-long man-made waterway that meanders across southern France, linking the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. The Savvy Traveler's Tom Verde spent a week last spring navigating the waters of the 17th century canal in a self-skippered rental boat.
Q&A: Your Answers: Stranded on the Beach
Rudy talks to listeners about the beach upon which they wouldn't mind being stranded.
Bill Bryson Interview
We've all experienced culture shock. It usually happens when we visit other countries. But for American Bill Bryson, author of the New York Times bestseller A Walk in the Woods culture shock hit him right here at home, after having lived in England for two decades.
Italian Flair in North Beach
You know, you can even feel like an alien in a place you've lived for years. The Savvy Traveler's Joan Reinhardt Reiss lives in San Francisco, a city where, Mikhail Gorbachev once declared, the residents should pay a special tax for living in such beauty. Joan moved to San Francisco a decade ago, but recently she worried she was becoming complacent about her dream city, so she decided to go on a journey of rediscovery. She began by finding out what tourists like about San Francisco, starting atop windy Twin Peaks, the highest point in the city.
Deal of the Week
Bora-Bora, courtesy of 7-Eleven.
Q&A: Ask Rudy
Rudy answers your travel questions. He mentions:
- Health and Fitness Cruise
- Exploring Spain
Summer Travelers Check-In
A few weeks ago we met Randi Somers and her grandson Jesse Lee, who left Alaska to follow the highways and back roads of the U.S. You may remember that Randi and Jesse were chosen to be The Savvy Traveler's "roving correspondents" this summer, so they've been checking in with us along the way. Randi's a seasoned traveler, but this is Jesse's first time really seeing the country. We wondered how a sixty-something grandma and her 11-year-old grandson would get along, so when Randi called us from Nevada, we asked how Jesse was adjusting to life on the road.
Next Week
Be sure to come back again next week as things get very exotic and luxurious. We'll spend a decadent day in those famous Turkish baths. This is not your average day spa.
Clip: "Entering the hammam is like going back in time. It feels almost like you're in a place of worship. There are about a dozen men here, swathed in towels, lying down on deck chairs. They look seriously relaxed."
And speaking of places of worship, why would anyone spend the night in a monastery instead of a Hilton?
Clip: "It's out in the middle of nowhere: it's high atop a hill north of Assisi. And the peace and quiet there is unlike anything I've experienced anywhere else."
Bed & Blessings, plus your travel nostalgia in next week's journey of The Savvy Traveler.
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