The news going around travel circles is the new TripAdvisor annual European travel survey. The survey included 1400 travelers worldwide which means that the results have some weight behind them…how much weight? Nobody really knows, but survey results are always fun to look at. And as always survey results can be interpreted in many many ways.

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Solvang is a quiet little town, with an European reputation even though it is located in the heart of California. There are many small towns scattered all over California, but Solvang is much different than all other small towns. Danish and Dutch early settlers in California were determined to maintain their heritage in everything they did and most of all in everything they built. From shops and restaurants to office building have all been built in Danish style.

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Santa Barbara, California is the setting for many movies and soap operas. Beautiful beaches, rich people, movie stars and lots and lots of shopping. No wonder, Santa Barbara has become a real tourist attraction especially during the weekends. It is very rare for American cities to cater to the weekend traveler and the tourist, but Santa Barbara has made tourism a priority.

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What can I say about Bruxelles? We visited Bruxelles after visiting Paris and there is simply no comparison. But that’s to be expected right? I don’t know of many cities that can be compared with Paris in terms of tourist attractions. Well, Bruxelles is on the other side of the spectrum when compared to Paris…it lacks tourist attractions. It’s true that you have what to see in a couple of days but if you’re trying to stay more than two days in Bruxelles as a tourist you’ll probably be very bored.

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Europe is very different when it comes to means of transportation. While most of us in America, especially in California, rely almost entirely on our cars, Europeans rely most of the times on public transportation. This clearly shows that we prefer to travel alone or just with a few people while Europeans prefer mass transportation like trains, subway and buses. Without trying to analyze which pattern is better, I will write a few tips regarding travel in Europe.

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Yesterday I wrote about Big Sur and I couldn’t resist writing immediately about Monterey. For one thing if you have driven all the way to the small town of Big Sur you can might as well drive to Carmel and then a little further to Monterey. If you have the time to do this drive, you will be rewarded by gorgeous scenery on the 17 mile drive and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. In addition you will get to experience an old town feeling when walking on the Old Canery Road.

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Big Sur is an area on the coast of California, roughly in between San Simeon to the south and the little town of Big Sur to the north. It is not clearly defined and many people refer to different places when talking about Big Sur. Some talk about the Point Sur light house while some talk about the Julia Pfeiffer Burns park. Regardless of the proper definition of Big Sur, this area of the California Coast boasts some breathtaking views of the Pacific coast.

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The convenience of ATM cards and Credit cards extends over the ocean in Europe as well thanks to a few global cash networks. These networks allow cards to be used in different countries just as you would used them at home in the US. You should have no problems using your American cards anywhere in Europe provided you check a few things before you leave. This article will outline these few things you need to know before you use your ATM and Credit Cards in Europe.

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Gruyeres is a small mountain village in the Gruyere region of Switzerland. It is famous for cheese and the Gruyeres sour cream. The cheese is great indeed! However, we were not very impressed by the sour cream…it was way too thick and fatty. Most of all we were not impressed with the prices…but we got used to it in Switzerland…it’s just an expensive country.

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I have to start with Paris! This is my favorite city…I just love Paris! Ok, ok…enough said about Paris…but how about the Eiffel Tower? Some people may suggest that it’s not worth visiting, but I disagree completely. I believe the Eiffel Tower is worth all the effort and cash required for climbing all the way to the top. So is the Eiffel Tower overrated ?

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