What an interesting topic! I've enjoyed reading this! I leave in 7 days for my first trip to France! Right now I am in my very quiet and peaceful upstairs office at home. I live in Seattle on a wooded hillside that has a 180 degree unobstructed view of the Puget Sound. I face west and enjoy the ferry boats & spectacular sunsets over the Olympic mountains every night. I love it here! (But can't wait to experience the beauty of France!) <BR> <BR> <BR>

I have already replied once, but had to check out this thread again...one of the best in a while!! <BR> <BR>Right now I'm in my office at the Gym where I work (one of two jobs- I also work in a bank). It's about 6:35 am, and I can hear the sounds of people playing Walleyball in the racquetball court (like volleyball, only bouncing the ball off the walls counts). Various people are coming and going, signing out towels, looking at the bulletin boards on the wall where we have the latest softball, soccer, and baseball team results posted. Some of the regulars have already been in, some will show up within the next 30 minutes or so. My early-bird customers are so predictable!! <BR>It's a gray day, may or may not get any sunshine. I suspect our Summer is over here in England - we are headed toward early Fall now. Leaves are already falling from the trees, and believe it or not, I have already seen geese flying overhead. Headed for warmer climes, perhaps? <BR> <BR>Wishing you all a wonderful day - wherever you may be.

Hi Everyone. <BR>I'm the one who posted the first question "where are you". I can't believe that post went for so long. You are a lot of amazing travellers. <BR>I am at home and use the internet of a night or weekend. I have a small study at the back of the house and I am surrounded by many books on travel, history books - mainly Australian and American - as I am deep into genealogy with a Massachusetts greatgrandfather folks! <BR>I don't have email access at my desk at work and just as well - I'm hooked. I live 18 kms west of Brisbane city near the Brisbane River. My study overlooks part of my back yard which is thickly treed and set out in a courtyard fashion. <BR>But best of all, guess where I will be in 17 days folks. FRANCE!!!! <BR>I have posted another question under Air France......I hope some of you can help me out with this. Happy travelling folks. Denise <BR>

Hi folks, <BR>I'm in the home office - 2nd floor of our 230 year old house (truly a money pit) on the the north shore of Long Island, NY (~40 miles from NYC). <BR> <BR>Looking out the west window is a view of the milldam pond and local harbor beyond. There are NO weeds in the gardens as my SO is fanatic about removing same. <BR> <BR>Our next sourjorn is a combined 21 days in mid-January. 5 days of business in UK and DE, then 16 days of driving around FR, CH, DE, skiing and visiting SO's sister. <BR> <BR>Enjoy your travels...have to get to work now as large cash infusions are needed to "feed" an old house and the travel bug. <BR>

Hi, oops think I lost the original message; if it shows up, forgive me..I am sitting at the computer in the dining room of a somewhat down at the heels Victorian in a leafy suburb of Boston (rather than travelling, should be putting the money into the house--not!) It's a plesant morning, though most of this summer here has been a washout---cooler than average and quite rainy. How I miss the heat, light and color of Italy!! I find I prefer warmth to cold, tank tops to sweaters and, alas, Rome to Boston....soon must return to my teaching, the kids will be going to school and I will be hurled once more into the routine of homework, dropoffs and pickups, my own work, house duties, etc. etc. My husband is an equal partner in the craziness of ordinary life, yet I yearn for dolce far niente--sweetly doing nothing! Actually, I am off soon for my last painting class at the MFA this summer--during the colder months will probably turn to my photos of Italy and try to recreate them on the canvas...I do feel lucky to live in an area where there are many cultural resources, and I am glad that I live on the coast--a direct flight away from my favorite continent of Europe.

At my desk at work in a century old mansion (hey, friends in Europe-that's OLD for us yanks), listening to classical music, waiting for the noon hour deadline when my husband and I will decide if we are going to make our 3rd trip to Provence for the year or not. When we returned a couple of weeks ago, for once I was SO glad to be home and not even thinking about the next trip, and then here came a wonderful offer and we may be leaving again in a few weeks! And to continue the garden thread, if we DO go, my husband will be weeding our friends' garden in Provence, which he loves to do!

Oop - forgot to include that this desk is located in northern Virginia, close to Washington DC.

I'm sitting on the 30th floor of my office in an investment firm in Philadelphia looking at the Schuylkill River and pretending the ten bridges that I see are actually on the Seine.

What a wonderful connection. Sitting in my loft/library in my Denver home, surrounded by photographs of family, a guash of 2 women sharing tea at the ocean, a growing stack of travel books and foreign dictionaries lining up to the right of me, a view out the window to an apple tree (in the winter, I have a glimpse of snow covered mountains)and the sweet aroma of coffee wafting up from downstairs. Like a true Fodors addict, I have not had my first cup yet. It's another day in paradise. In the course of my day, I carry around thoughts of "you people," and think of how wonderful, funny, generous with information, worldwise and willing to share not only what you know, but a whole range of feelings, thoughts perceptions, dreams and visions. Let those gardens grow!

I am in Paris at an internet cafe with very strange keyboards, where I just stopped on my way back to the hotel from a day trip to Lille. This little place looks out to a little street off St. Andre de Arts in the 6th, just a stone's throw from Place St. Michel. It is far too nice an afternoon (4:30 PM) to be spending much time here, but this topic was at the top of the list, so I couldn't resist posting.

Hey "Working Girl", I posted earlier but am also in Dallas and work for a large telecom company....might it be the same one?

Hello you all... Here from Brasil, I am in my 10 minutes break before going to lunch - trying to work but counting the days to my trip to Italy in middle October. Florence, Venice and Rome. I am writting from my office - Human Resources department of a pulp and paper company. People always in a hurry - and I keep looking at them asking myself why such worry when we have Venice to go! Travel for me means life, freedom and growing - and I am very glad I can do it with the help of all of you here in the forum. Thanks for all the good advices, and for such a beautiful group helping each other to make the dreams come true. Happy travels folks!

I am at work in a software company and I am counting the hours until I leave for Ireland, London & Paris (33 hours). Thanks to info I rec'd from the forum I am looking forward to a great trip! I have to reread the "travel stress" thread and take the advice to heart. I still have laundry to do, have not packed yet, and need to buy some toiletries. As well as watch the finale of Survivor. And I am trying to get everything caught up at work before I leave for 2 weeks! Reading the forum is my form of stress relief during the day.

I am at the office, not working, obviously. Things have been slow here the past few weeks, but I still won't give my company name because for all I know my boss could be reading this too. On my desk I have trinkets from travels to London and cross country, and a picture of me and my guy taken in Capri with the cliffs and blue, blue water in the background. My office is in midtown Manhattan. Outside my window I see "GE" over Rockefeller Center and the time and temperature on the New York magazine building. I hear jackhammers from all the construction, cars honking and the inevitable new-age-ish music from the South American Indian music groups playing on the street. I am about to get away from all this next week though when my fiance and I head back to his hometown on the Amalfi Coast. Can't wait.

It's another cold rainy day in upstate NY. I live on a lake about an hour northwest of Albany (state capitol) in the Adirondack mountains. It's a beautiful area. <BR> <BR>I've been a Fodors addict for at least 2 years. I spent a week in Scotland in July, mostly visiting family, but also using some of the advice I was given here. <BR> <BR>This is a great thread -- keep the replies coming!! <BR>

I'm sitting in the den-slash-office of my 1930s Washington, DC home, surrounded by writing I should be doing instead of posting to the forum. Behind me are windows looking out on my garden (desperately in need of weeding); I can see the fuchsia and lavender blossoms on the rose-of-sharon bushes if I turn my head. To my left on the desk is a mile-high stack of books on women's adventure sports and travel for a project I'm working on; to my right, on the bookshelf, is my travel book treasure trove: Access Paris, Access Budget Europe, Eyewitness Italy, Frommer's and Fodor's and Rick Steves and Let's Go, Bill Bryson and Thalia Zepatos and Susan Allen Toth. <BR> <BR>And in front of me--the really important part--are desk cubbyholes holding tickets to Greece (leaving next week) and to London (first week in October). <BR> <BR>Oh, and over on the glass-topped dining room table there's a white cat staring at me like he thinks he's supposed to be fed again.

Still here at work, but its kind of slow today. Paige, if German law requires windows, I want my company to be taken over by a German firm now and forced to conform to their rules. We have no windows to look out of and I think I might even be under ground, the building is into a hillside. I've heard it has been a rainy day, but I think a bomb could go off outside and we wouldn't know it until we punched out. I've been trying to plan a trip to London with a couple of friends next Spring, but their funds are somewhat limited. I've traveled a little, but am the most experienced at this and therefore am planning everything. (God help them) I may even ask some questions on this forum reminiscent of the "I was drunk..." thread. I have a couple of pictures from my trip to Southern Spain on my desk and a new picture of my dog, just to remind me of the important things.

Lynne, How did you train your weed to husband?? You could make money with that program! And, John, think a Rumpus is where the wild things are! This is a fun thread.

I'm sitting in our former living room, now a home office I commandeered from my wife when she gave up her consulting business to accept full time employment. Better to be here than in the blistering drought ridden heat of one of Atlanta's northern suburbs. Three bookcases filled with books on European travel, history and art line one wall. A three drawer file cabinet houses brochures and literature from national and regional tourist offices, my journals and travel notes, articles from the New York Times Travel section. Robert Shaw's CD of Berlioz' Requiem emanates from the sound system. One wall is covered with framed photos - a graceful suspension bridge over the Simplon pass; the beheaded statue of St. Denis from Notre Dame's north portal; a castle in Beersel, Belgium; the Baroque interior of the monastery church in Rottenbuch, Bavaria; the nineteen windmills of the Netherlands Kinderdijk; the lakeside of Hallstatt, Austria; <BR>The lakeside of Lake Como in Cernobbio with Villa D'Este in the distance; the wrought iron shop signs of Innsbruck silhouetted against the sky; a little girl in Salzburg enraptured by a puppeteer whose puppet wields a violin accompanying a boom box. <BR> <BR>Paddington, our four year old Clumber Spaniel, is sprawled at my feet snoring lustily. <BR> <BR>Retired, but working part time as a consultant for my former employer, I check Fodor's on my return from work and periodically during the weekend. I've just critiqued a proposed Bavarian itinerary for an earlier poster to this thread. I'm now working on some recommendations and suggestions for two sets of travellers with diverse interests who will be travelling to Belgium. Three unopened Emails await me. I'm beginning to piece together our next trip - to Spain? northern Italy? Belgium and Luxembourg? Bavaria? <BR>

This is a lovely thread. It's been great reading through it. What some beautiful places people live in. <BR> <BR>Here it is a quarter to midnight and I am sat in my lounge, laptop on my lap! watching "One foot in the grave" on the TV. I have just returned from a meal at a friends house and am checking my mail before bed. <BR> <BR>I live in Germany (but am English). I have been in Germany for two years and have six months to go here. I live in a beautiful city, Muenster in Northern Germany. It is about one hour NE from Dusseldorf and 40mins from the Dutch border. The countryside here is very flat but we have a multitude of castles in the surrounding area, including many water castles , one of which is known as "Little Versailles" and is especially pretty. <BR> <BR>I manage to meet many Americans over here which is great, and everyone has been very friendly. I am able to use the US Military bases , the PXs ect. It is wonderful also to be able to use the "Bookmark" book shops as I can stock up between visits to the UK! <BR> <BR>I enjoy meeting the local people. Occasionally I go to a nearby German Baptist church, unfortunately though my German language skills are not all they should be! <BR> <BR>Angela