Ice-wine from Mikulov and special kind of wine from Marcincak - straw-wine. It is wine dried on straw 3 months before pressing. see more www.mikulov.cz

The two things we always bring home with us from every trip are books on the area (we like to re-live our trips over and over again) and calendars. They are year-long reminders of precious time spent. Oh, and a cookbook from each country.

When in Italy we always bring back olive oil, balsamic, etc.

It may sound funny but we also bring back tubes of condiments as we do not have them in Saskatchewan (i.e. mustard, ketchup).

My mother is forever asking for beauty products that she reads are "better over there."

Best gifts: I took Spanish Christmas candy (turron, mantecados, mazapanes, etc) back to Dallas and gave them to my little cousins. To quote one "This is like pie, but the best pie."

I don't really buy stuff because I move around so much, but there have been a few irresistables: the most amazing tapestry coat ever (thank you, Iceland), the most convenient day planner (Barcelona), an exquisite antique lighter (again, Barcelona), and a belt made of shined rocks (Morocco).

Claire

I am a sucker for antiques markets, and especially artwork. The more foxing and missing paint the better!

My favorite is a painting of the Chapel of la Garoupe in Cap d'Antibes that I purchased at the Port de Vanves market in Paris. It was great to actually bike to that very chapel when I was in Antibes a few years later.

I still love my shearling coat from Florence, Christmas 2002. I always get compliments and comments -- but the most awkward one, "Are you wearing fur?!" So I have a very brief "shearling is like leather if cows had wooly exteriors" instructive statement worked out. I'm actually only assuming the entire sheep is used for food but seems like it makes economic sense to use the entire animal and not just the hide. I know PETA and vegetarians alike are probably horrified by now, but mmm, lamb is so good, why would they just toss it?

I am in Europe twice a year, so my collections are getting out of hand. I always bring back at least one Steiff bear each trip and one Louis Vuitton item every other trip. I also love to antique, so I look for anything unusual.

Great thread! bookmarking

Started our souvenier tradition by accident - saw some great cheap watercolors being done at the Piazza Navona and bought them. When my $5 pictures were framed they looked fabulous. So each trip we buy a piece of "art" to frame for our dining room - something that reminds us of our trip. We have the whole range - architectural drawings from Assisi, a sketch of the street where we stayed in Lower Swell (Cotswolds), cows in the field by an old abbey in Ireland.

Our best bring home gift was the 40 gallons of olive oil we had shipped from Assisi - gave bottles and cans to everyone we knew!

Is it cheaper to shop in Europe for Louis Vuitton, Gucci, etc. vs. shoppin in the US? Thanks

debbie7370,

It has been my experience that bargains of varying degrees can be had on "luxury" brands. I saved between $200 - $225 on Prada and Salvatore Ferragamo shoes in Rome last year*. (* when I factored in the VAT refund and the 15% sales tax I did not have to pay at home).

Are certain cosmetic brands cheaper if they're made in France (eg. Fresh)?

Does anyone know how much you'll save on LV given the weak exchange rate?

Fresh is an American company owned by two Russians. Not sure what the prices are in France vis a vis the USA. LV will be cheaper in Paris than in the US but the discount will not be anywhere close to 50%. If you are buying luxury goods in Europe, the best prices will generally be in their country of origin. And of course you will not pay US sales tax, and you will get the detaxe refund if you spend enough.

Thanks... I assumed Fresh would be cheaper since it was made in France. Are L'occitane products cheaper?

ttt...Leaving for Rome and Paris next week. Anything special to buy that we can't get in the states?

ttt