Lou Delap

Hi! We're a family of 4, 2 kids 10 and 13, from Long Is, NY. We want to visit the Thousand Is. this mid Aug. We love water, hiking, fishing. Looking for an eff cottage or similar. Pre. resort type with other activites and kids. Would like to have all this with no crowds or traffic too near by. Hope it's not too much to ask. Thanks!!! Lou

Elizabeth

Lou - I suggest you post on the Canada Forum as well as your U.S. dollars may go further in Canada .

Owen O'Neill

YOur $$ will definitely go further on the Canadian side. There are some low key old-fashioned type resorts (usually a main lodge with rooms and also some cabins) in and around the areas of Ivy Lea and Gananoque (just west of the Thousand Islands Bridge). I believe that Clayton has less to offer if you have children and Alex Bay is a bit of a party town. The typical exchange rate the past few years has been about $1.40 - $1.45 Candian for every US dollar. Also note that the VAT or GAT (provincial and national tax) adds up to about 13-15% but you can get refund forms at the border or toursim offices and get the tax refunded after you return home (only for items over $50 each and I believe liquor and cigarettes are not included). I grew up in central NY and often visited the Gananoque and surrounding areas as a kid. It's a beautiful area and the people are very friendly.

degas

A person asked me recently what drew me to Italy. I'd expect my personal interests are much like the majority of people who travel to Europe as a whole.

The trick seems to be in balancing your limited time and find easy opportunities for many of the interests found below.

I'm still looking for that one trip that hits them all. Take a look at my initial list. First time I typed them out and I'm sure a few good ones are missing:

setting my big flat feet on the ground where history was actually made

viewing impressive town walls/gates/forts/ towers/bridges (think old stone)

seeing how other people live/work/play

being amazed by and often praying in churches/convents/abbeys of all types

eating gelato

viewing unique fountains/monuments/statues

getting my fill of impressionist art

discovering panaramic views

spending time at famous pubs and cafes

eating sweets of all types

relaxing at parks and gardens

finding pretty places to take long walks or bike rides in the country to see flowers, farmland and groves

visiting small villages and hilltowns

buying picinic supplies at outdoor markets

drinking good beer and wine

shopping for unique local products

interacting with locals and other travelers

relaxing at outdoor cafes with views

discovering restaurants where more locals eat than tourists

visiting "period" homes and old palaces and mansions

eating fresh bread and pasta

visiting museums & art galleries

listing to church bells

wandering narrow, twisting old cobblestoned streets

hearing classical music in famous places

taking pictures of street scenes

looking around food & old book stores

riding great public transportation

discovering old doors/signs/street lamps

taking boat rides on famous rivers

collecting postcards and old coins and stamps

Did I mention eating gelato and sweets?

ira

Hi degas,

Didn't we do this a few weeks ago?

jdraper

Great list degas. I would add the following:
Meeting people and getting a different view of myself and my country;
Eating great food and drinking great wine;
Walking where others that I have read and heard about all of my life have walked;
Eating great food and drinking great wines;
Being so far from home that the cell phone won't work and the office can't contact me;
Did I mention eating great food and drinking great wine?

degas

ira, I really don't know.

At my age, every day is a new day, except for the far distant past which seems just like an hour ago.

Humor me and contribute something I missed. So, what were we talking about?

ira

>...listing to church bells<

Lay off the limoncello and the wine for a bit.

degas

ira, don't be making fun of my precious church bells - I have many fond memories of being young and silly while listening to them. Actually, being old and silly also,

Mischka

Great list degas and I second them all, but I think you forgot to mention eating gelato and sweets

Robespierre

I have a vivid recollection from June, 1963, when my PanAm 707 descended through the clouds on approach to Orly, and I got my first glimpse of La Belle France. It went something like this:

Wow. This is where it all happened. Charlemagne and the Franks and William of Orange and The Sun King and the storming of the Bastille and Napoleon and the Commune and Eiffel's tower and Verdun and Omaha Beach and...and...

picky

I'm quite a bit older than most of the people who respond but I am awe struck by the Effiel Tower, the canals of Venice, The ruins of Pompei etc. These were pictures in my history books 75 years ago when I was in school and at a time only the Astor's & Vanderbilt's went to Europe. Today these great places can easily be enjoyed by everyone and that is why I travel.

cigalechanta

Because the countries are older and have more interesting architecture, because we have made many friends in many places, and we find it all so beautiful. There's alot to be said about the proper behavior expected in European households, that can teach us a nicer way of life.

Judy

The church bells, actually waking up to them, remind me that I'm NOT in Virginia Beach but in Europe!

Kascha912

The church bells in New York made me cry.
Stayed in a hotel off Wall Street and I had to lay down with a migraine. And when the church bells (not sure from which church) started ringing it just choked me up. Only then did I realize that bells is one of the things I miss since I moved to the US in June.

And so I have to say: Why I fly to Europe? To see my loved ones!

Scarlett

Walking down a street and not understanding what anyone else is saying...but not caring.
Watching the people go about their days, just like we do, but so different.
Always wanting to taste something different ( that they don't have "back home")
Add to that, see something different and DO something different.
Soaking up as much as I can from my time spent in another place and trying to bring it all back with me.

Gelato does nothing for me but I will be happy to talk about the cheese courses, the pastries and the wine ~

Nikki

In 1972, I was on a train in the French countryside, watching the fields go by and thinking this is like being inside an Impressionist painting. I felt like I was on hallowed ground.

ira

Hi all,

I find that it's always a bit thrilling to come upon a sign that says "fondee 876", or something like that.

I like it when people argue over whether a building was constructed in 1142 or 1270.

See http://user.intop.net/~jhollis/oldnewsynagogue.htm

traveldawg

We have been going to Europe as much as possible since 1970. Lived there and then have been back over 25 times. The scary thing is that we have friends that have never been to Europe and have to desire to travel at all. Time and money is not the issue. They simply have zero sense of adventure or curiosity about any part of the world outside of their hometown.

Why do we go to Europe? It is never dull. You see the things that you read about in the history books. Interesting people. Adventure. Mountains. And on and on and on. The US is the only place in the world I want to live....but Europe? We will be going back as much as we can as we age. No other place like it.

cigalechanta

travelbug, that is also true of the people who live in the provinces, they don't travel much and may not know where a village is that maybe thirty miles away, should you ask for directions. But they are happy, so be it.