Rex

I got three books: <BR> <BR>Insiders' French: Beyond the Dictionary <BR>by Eleanor Levieux, Michel Levieux <BR> <BR>Les Bons Mots : How to Amaze Tout Le Monde With Everyday French <BR>by Eugene Ehrlich <BR> <BR>and <BR> <BR>The Best American Travel Writing 2000 <BR>by Bill Bryson (Editor), Jason Wilson <BR> <BR>Of the first two, I am finding "Insiders' French" the (slightly) better of the two; both are a bit like reading the dictionary for fun, but I susoect that it will add to my understanding of reading _contemporary_ French (for example news stories), with its liberal explanation of acronyms, government agencies, and "new" words and social customs that other dictionaries, phrase books or textbooks will never cover. "Les Bons Nots" is a little closer to other "slang" books - but the expressions seem more historical (which is not to say any less interesting nor useful, especially in conversation) and "classic". <BR> <BR>I have not yet really dug into the Bill Bryson collection, but it rates a five-star rating on Amazon, and another title by the same author - - "I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America after Twenty Years Away" is often cited as a travel writing classic. <BR> <BR>Best wishes, <BR> <BR>Rex

Sheila

Daft answer...but I got a laundry bag! Just what I'd asked for.<BR><BR>Hope you like Bill Bryson; I do, very much; although the new one- the Australian one-is not so good.

Tony Hughes

'I'm a stranger here myself' isn't travel writing, it's mostly about his home life in New Hampshire. One or two of the articles are travel but that's it. <BR> <BR>Sheila, I enjoyed his Australian book (has got diff. names depending on where you purchased it) and you can see that he now does a lot more research before writing which does tend to bore some people (walk in the woods was his least popular travel effort). He's moved from being left field to the norm these days. Read five lines of his stuff and you know it's him writing, he's obvious. However I still rate his first two travel-related books.

Howard

I got a wall calendar featuring colonial architecture of Mexico. That type of architecture is among my favorite, and now I can enjoy looking at the pictures all year long. I am putting it up in my office. <BR> <BR>I also gave a "travel" calendar - one of Ireland - to someone who had been there earlier this year. I think they are good, inexpensive gifts! <BR> <BR>Howard

Maira

Travel-related gifts? I got compact binoculars for my trip to Rome, a digital camera, and a gift certificate from a bookstore for MORE FODOR's books!!!

ilisa

Well, my husband and I didn't exchange gifts; we bought ourselves a combination video/digital camera a few weeks ago. But, we did receive a travel stroller from my parents for our daughter.

Liz

The best travel gift I got was a small photo frame, with photos of my loved ones in it. I will be taking this to Greece with me, when I'm away for 6 months, to remind me of everyone who loves me at home.

Brian in Atlanta

I got my wife one of those tiny Cannon Elph cameras so we can avoid the "who's going to lug the camera around" discussion before we leave the hotel.

Jackie

i received the book "italy in mind" which is a collection of prose and poetry by various travelers, including Charles Dickens, Susan Sontag, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and D.H. Lawrence. A good read so far. Also, I received a calendar of Italy.

nancy

The one I like the best is a book I asked my husband to buy, <BR>Italian Festival Food , by Anne Bianchi <BR>I love cook books ,and read them just for the fun of it.But this book is more than just a cookbook <BR>This book is divided into regions, and describes either a festa (religious) or sagre (secular) event in each of these regions. There are also recipes included.and some pictures. <BR>I also got an italian calender, in italian, not english, <BR>and *two* of those 365 day calenders with italian sayings! <BR>But our best present will be the trip we are taking this summer, 18 days in italy.

elvira

Oldhand gave me a packet with travel stickers and stationery (when I plan the Loon trips, I make up booklets for everyone with all the info and decorate with stickers, pictures, etc., so this was a dandy gift!) and a book about an <BR>American family in Paris. From my oldest friend in the world, who chaperones highschoolers' trips to Europe, I got a Picasso scarf from the museum in Spain, a pair of Celtic design earrings from Scotland, and...a mug from the Cavern&lt;-going in the safe deposit box.<BR><BR>Not one lame travel gizmo in the lot.

Carol

I got a 4-foot high black wire model of the Tour Eiffel (from Pottery Barn), and a book "Paris to the Moon," a series of essays by Adam Gopnik about living in Paris with his wife and baby from 1995-2000. I've just started it and am enjoying it immensely.

Paulo

"Roads to Santiago", by Cees Nooteboom, a series of 25 chronicles written between 1979 and 1992, on art &amp; architecture, history and culture of Spain, as perceived visiting mainly the backroads and places rarely visited by foreigners. Quite poetic and introspective, true "travelers" should rate if very high ... not recommended for "tourists"!<BR>Paulo<BR>

Beth Anderson

Hey all! <BR> <BR>Merry Xmas to everyone! <BR> <BR>I got a Fodor's Europe 2001 from my bro - pretty comprehensive, gives brief (40-50 pages or so) on just about EVERY country in Europe so it's a good start for the places I have not seen yet. <BR> <BR>I also got a gift cert to Borders so I piled on a few more Italy books (Time Outs) as well as Artwise Florence & Venice laminated maps. (museum/street maps - great! the back has the opening hours, phone numbers, a blurb on the museum itself, etc.) <BR> <BR>I also got a travel humor book "Not so funny when it happened" edited by Tim Cahill - many many travel writers tell their tales of woe. My mom and I laughed our butts off driving home (she drove, I read out loud) <BR> <BR>however, my fam & friends are going to get all THEIR Xmas stuff from me, from Italy - I leave tomorrow. The list is getting longer... I'll be back in time for the Orthodox Christmas - Jan 6 I return. so it isn't exactly cheating. except that I am not exactly Orthodox (in more than one meaning of that word) so maybe it is cheating. works for me though! <BR> <BR>hee hee <BR> <BR>Beth <BR> <BR>ps. Rex those books sound great. I am a reference book geek though!

Thyra

Carol I got that same Pottery Barn Eiffel Tower! And my spouse got the Cannon Elph camera as well. Also, my husband gave me an Insight guide to NYC for our trip there in March, he also gave me a historical Biography of Georgiana: The Duchess of Devonshire... to juice me up for our return to Paris and London later this year. I gave my mother in law a case for carrying jewelry.. since she and my father in law have now been bitten with the travel bug...big time. But the best gift I could imagine came from my father in law to my Mother in Law... on their first trip to Greece and England this October.. he had taken a picture of the two of them kissing under a tree in THE Sherwood Forest.. he had " I shalt love the 'til I die, maiden fair. Engraved on the frame... this first trip really helped smooth over some bumps they'd been having in their marriage and my Mo'Law started crying when she opened it.

elvira

Carol, honey, darling - that's the same book I got!<BR>From my sister (last year's gift I just got in November - don't ask), I got an Eiffel Tower LAMP to match the one I already have (love the Pottery Barn ET, tried to justify buying it for myself, couldn't). Girls, is it as good as it looks in the catalogue?

sandi

We rec'd "Italian Painting - Artists and their masterpieces throughout the ages" and "Italy by Air" which has beautiful arial photos of major cities and countryside across the country. Lovely images.

carolyn

I got the Eyewitness Guide to Great Britain from my husband who is doing me a favor and going with me in September. Pray for the travel bug to bite him--he usually enjoys his trips more after he gets home and tells people about them.

Leslie

Received "Paris to the Moon" (Adam Goptik), Plan de Paris par Arrondissement, (which is full of vital information and for sale at Restoration Hardware) and a little book called "Through the Windows of Paris" -fifty unique shops and is mostly photographs.

carol

Hey Elvira--after I submitted my post, I wondered if you and I got the same book--if you haven't started it do, he writes really well. <BR> <BR>Thyra--where the heck are you putting that huge Eiffel Tower--I'm havin' a tough time finding space for it in my NYC apartment!