How do you people find time for all this chatter? Don't you have jobs - or lives!

She: &quot;Put that thing away. It makes us look like tourists.&quot;<BR><BR>Me: &quot;But...we ARE tourists!&quot;<BR><BR>How to NOT look like a tourist in Italy?<BR><BR>According to Smart Travel's Rudy Maxa, clip a small (fake) cellphone to your belt, as EVERY Italian seems to have one.<BR><BR>I have to say, I haven't seen a group of people as fond of their cellphones as the Italians...

Until recently I would never have taken a video camera (we have several thousand slides and photos taken through the years). And I never wanted to watch videos of areas we had not seen--just wanted the thrill of discovering the places myself.<BR>Alas, the years are catching up--we plan to continue traveling for many more years--but we are not guaranteed beyond today. So now I'd like to have videos to enjoy just in case I don't make it back that way again.<BR>I purchased the smallest video camera made--a JVC GR_DVP3 that will fit in my pocket. It also makes good stills stored in a memory card. And I devised me a security lanyard that fastens to the camera and to my belt--so I feel safe with the camera in any situation.<BR>We spent 10 weeks in France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, and Spain this past summer. And now I have video memories to last the rest of my life. We even back-tracked to some favorite sites just to capture them on tape. <BR>So as winter approaches, my wife and I can snuggle up and watch and remember some memorable moments.<BR><BR>Regards,<BR><BR>Jinx Hoover