Community Forum - Blogs - title by lhbrown http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/lhbrown/ en Sat, 25 May 2013 08:31:54 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.luxurylink.com/community/images/misc/rss.jpg Community Forum - Blogs - title by lhbrown http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/lhbrown/ Foot loose and fancy free - Exploring Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Southern Germany http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/lhbrown/foot-loose-fancy-free-exploring-garmisch-partenkirchen-southern-germany-1259/ Wed, 28 May 2008 15:24:17 GMT Hello there, May is a wonderful time to explore the Bavarian Mountains, and what better place to do so than Garmisch-Partenkirchen. We had spent... Hello there,

May is a wonderful time to explore the Bavarian Mountains, and what better place to do so than Garmisch-Partenkirchen. We had spent some time there in the past, doing some climbing, hiking and biking there, but this time, we decided to rent a Ferienwohnung (vacation apartment) in the Partenkirchner part of Garmisch-Partenkirchen for the whole month of May. Spring is the perfect season to enjoy the delights of Bavaria, without the crowds that fill this Aspen of Germany for winter sports or summer music- an excellent time for quiet rambles, good food and perfect mountain views.



Garmisch-Partenkirchen lies 55 miles (89 km) south of Munich. Wile it might be handier to refer to the area as "Garmisch", don't! Each town has a long individual history. The Romans built a road throught he valley and established an outpost at "Parthanum". During the Middle Ages, traders stopped at Partenkirchen on their route to Italy, and Garmisch loggers sent the area's timer down the River Loisach. The area was "discovered" by the 19th-century travelers, but the 1936 Winter Olympics brought the world to this valley - leading to the forced union of the town names. To this day, they are still separate two fire stations, two ski clubs, etc.

Partenkirchen is the elder sibling, with a well-tended historic district along the Ludwigstrasse, as well as a modern commercial center. Our home base/vacation apartment in Partenkirchen near the Zugspitzbahn lives up to its name, with balconies that face the Alpspitz, the kleine and the grosse Waxenstein and the icy talon of Germanys highest mountain (9,721 feet or 2,964.9 m). Our landlord has blended modern comfort with Bavarian tradition to craft a manorial experience for his guests classy rather than kitschy, and downright comfortable. Our apartment is within easy walking distance of the train station and just a few blocks away from the Marienplatz that is the center of Garmisch.

Walking is the way to get around town and indeed, all of Bavaria. Well-marked trails network the valley and the mountainsides, with shelters, restrooms and inns. After we had settled into our "new home for the month of May", we began our rambles in Partenkirchen. Did we have the gravitas for the Philosophen Weg (Philosophers Way)? Or should we choose the simple stroll of the Woods Walk?



We chose the PlagueChurch painted with a giant fresco of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse for our first stoll along the Philosophen Weg. Following the signs for St. Antons, we headed up the steep path, past a fountain and toward the green hillsides. The cherry trees and daffodils were in bloom. We heard chickens cluck, and saw a sign for fresh milk beside a pocket pasture and small barn. Steep-roofed houses presided over tiny flowerbeds sheltered behind clipped hedges. Backyards are often guarded by wooden fences, but glimpses of daily life are frequent - from woodpiles stacked with Teutonic precision to a man grooming one of the horses that pull Pferdekutschen (horse cabs) and sleighs (in the winter time) through the streets.
At the edge of the village, Stations of the Cross appeared beside the road, each in its white-painted arched niche. The Pilgrim Way was steep, toward a white church with black onion domes. A chapel offered a moment of meditation, to the flicker of candles and the sound of birdsong on the porches of St. Antons, plaques bore images of World War I soldiers and pleas for prayers.

As we continued to the Berggasthof (Mountain Guest House) Panorama and its view of The Golden Land, signs warned that the hillside path through fields occupied by spotted cows was private. So it was back to the crossroads, and the Philosophenweg. While edelweiss may have been blooming at the edge of mountain snows, here , enzians, violets and primroses were thick among last falls leaves.

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After our first stroll, we returned happily to our comfortable apartment to relax and enjoy a beer and watch the lovely mountains in front of us from our balcony. Tomorrow we would take our bicycles out and follow the Loisach to do some more exploring, but in the meantime, Life was good... ]]> lhbrown http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/lhbrown/foot-loose-fancy-free-exploring-garmisch-partenkirchen-southern-germany-1259/ Lunch at the Mohonk Mountain House in the Shawgunk Mountains http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/lhbrown/lunch-mohonk-mountain-house-shawgunk-mountains-996/ Wed, 14 May 2008 00:34:51 GMT Ahhhthe hidden wonder in the woods. Its amazing how many people live in this areaor go to school close by and have never been to the Mohonk Mountain... Ahhhthe hidden wonder in the woods. Its amazing how many people live in this areaor go to school close by and have never been to the Mohonk Mountain House. This interesting resort, perched on a mountaintop, truly is a destination.

The very first time my husband and I went to the Mohonk Mountain House we were kind ofho hum about the whole thing. Our friends told us all the time about how we just HAVE to visit here or HAVE to visit there. This time our friends insisted we join them for Lunch at the Mohonk Mountain House.

We arrived at the Mohonk Mountain House front gate and were kind of taken back at the fact that they wanted us to buy the fixed price lunch right then and there and so we did. We drove through the gate and continued on for a two mile drive through the woods. Hmmmthis place was pretty nice. It was a very well taken care of path through the woods. We saw hikers on both sides of us enjoying the wilderness. The trees canopied over the road making things very shady and cool, just the way we like it.

When we arrived at the base of the hotel, we saw a few fenced in areas with horses. Pretty cool. Thenwe parked the car and walked up the hill to see the front of the hotel.

Wow, what an interesting place.

I think we were expecting something else. We walked up to the front and saw valet parking and about one hundred rocking chairs on the front porch facing the Catskills. I was beginning to like this place more and more. I really could get into sipping some redwine and rocking my life away.
We continued through the hotel to find that the inside was strikingly similar to the Shining long halls,lots of wood anda good number of staircases. I could just imagine how many fireplaces this hotel had. There were people walking through quickly on their way someplace important and those who were just wandering aimlessly looking at the many lovely paintings. We were right in the middle because we had no idea where we were going. We finally met up with our friends whom we were meeting for lunch. The four of us were taken to our table and after ordering drinks we were instructed to proceed to help ourselves at the lavish buffet. What a great spread the hotel put on. The food was all excellent and the service most pleasant. After lunch we explored the hotel some more and heard some sort of activity towards the back of the hotel. With our friends we beganheading towards it. Hmmmtea time. I can do this. We werent sure if this wasmeant for the guests or for everybody. Since we had paid to visit and to have lunch, we and our friends considered ourselves guests. We proceeded to enjoy tea and cookies with the rest of the guests. It was so funny We also feed the many large and magnificent trout that were swimming in the Lake just down below the porch.

Now that our appetites were more than satisfied, we wandered off the back porch towardsthe lake. Let me just tell youwell, take a look.
Have you ever seen anything like it? Remember, this place is on top of a mountain. Behind the hotel is a huge mountain (down). This is where everyone hangs out and goes boating, swimming and hiking. People weremaking their waysup to the tower on top of the mountain, along a wonderfully shaded hiking trail, others took the carriage ride along the lake. Our friend and we opted to make it to the top of the mountain to the tower through a climbing garden, called the Lemon Squeeze. This was a wonderful path that had us hoping from rock to rock and squeezing between boulders no wider than your waist, using ladders to cross boulders or getting up some steep rocks. It was a challenging, but fun path which made the time fly and before we knew it, we had reached the top of the mountain with its tower and magnificent view over the Catskill Mountains. On the hike down along the ridge, there were many lookouts and also some lovely places to sit and ponder.
If you exit the back of the hotel and make a left, you can visit the gardens.
This is a great area to get married. Apparently many people do. Being the botanists that our friends and we are, we loved looking through the large variety of flowers and plants.

There are so many things to do at the Mountain House, but since we only had an afternoon, we regretfully had to hustle back to the car. We were thinking, wouldnt it be nice to spend the night there. We will have to keep that in mind for next time, especially now, that the Mohonk Mountain House is being offered as auction package on Luxury Link.





Message Edited by lhbrown on 05-13-2008 06:02 PM ]]> lhbrown http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/lhbrown/lunch-mohonk-mountain-house-shawgunk-mountains-996/ Viaduct des Arts and Secret Gardens in Paris http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/lhbrown/viaduct-des-arts-secret-gardens-paris-1258/ Tue, 06 May 2008 14:16:00 GMT Hi, A few days ago we took a walk around the Viaduc des Art, near the Gare de Lyon and ended up at a planted promenade, an elevated, sort of... Hi,

A few days ago we took a walk around the Viaduc des Art, near the Gare de Lyon and ended up at a planted promenade, an elevated, sort of secret garden.The Promenade Plantee, as the French call it, is just that, a promenade that is simply full of plants. And, it's elevated. The Promenade Plante is one of Paris' most secret gardens, a zealously-guarded place to stroll, muse, and enjoy the blooms. Its contemporary appeal is unbeatable: the long, narrow stretch of trees and planted flowers is built above-ground on what once was a railway track. A few lucky Parisians have direct views of the garden from their apartments, which themselves become part of the view for curious strollers.

The Promenade Plante, which is also referred to by locals as "La Coule Verte", stretches from Bastille through the area around Gare de Lyon and Bercy, all the way to the west entrance of the Bois de Vincennes.

In 1859, a railroad track for freight trains was constructed, a portion of which was elevated on a viaduct, connecting the station at Place de la Bastille, now removed and replaced with the Opera Bastille, to the station in Saint-Maur, 14 kilometers southeast of Paris, where the RET line A now runs.

In 1969, the use of this rail-line was discontinued. It was abandoned for years, becoming an eyesore in an already struggling neighborhood.


In the early 1990s, the City of Paris transformed this weed infested railroad track into the Promenade Plantee and Viaduct des Arts.

The abandoned viaduct Daumesnil, crumbling and scheduled to be demolished, has been transformed into the Viaduct des Arts. The original 70 red brick arches of the 1.5 kilometer viaduct have been restored, renovated and enclosed with glass and now house arts and crafts workshops, galleries, furniture showrooms, a restaurant and a caf.The original idea was for the artists and crafts-people to work in view of passer-bys on the sidewalk. For several reasons, this proved to be impractical, though there are some artisans who can be viewed working.

Among the many studios of the Viaduct des Arts are cabinet-makers, sculptors, ceramicists, tapestry-makers, violin and flute makers, restorers of furniture and art objects and interior designers.The Viaduct des Arts was open to the public in 1998 though it wasn't completely finished until 2000. It has since become a contemporary Parisian landmark.


The elevated portion of the Promenade Plantee runs from the Opra Bastille to Jardin de Reuilly, a distance of 1.5 kilometers. Underneath this section of the Promenade is the Viaduct des Arts.This elevated part of the Promenade Plantee is a narrow walkway, occasionally opening to wider, wooden-planked areas when it crosses over a street. Generally, a stairway down to street level (or up to Promenade level) will be found here. There is an elevator, which occasionally works, located just west of Boulevard Diderot.

The elevated level offers interesting perspectives of the variety of buildings which the Promenade Plantee passes.

The Promenade passes closely by old and new apartment buildings, and once seems to go right through the building.

The mass of plant-life that borders and sometimes encroaches the already narrow trail can give the impression of being momentarily lost on a forest trail. Then, sporadically, there are breaks in the herbage, offering views of the surrounding city.

One of the more unusual sights is that of 12 reproductions of Michaelangelo's "The Dying Slave" which adorn, of all places, the top of the Police Station of the 12th arrondissement.

The original statue of "The Dying Slave" by Michelangelo is found in the Louvre Museum.

Among the plants that are found along this walk are hundreds of rose bushes, hardy shrubs, acanthus, triton, lavender, bamboo, ivies and vines and wisteria and cherry trees, maples, lime trees and many other varieties.

The Promenade has two consecutive narrow ponds (everything is narrow up here) each with maybe a duck or two and a rose arbor or two.

The walkway goes through an area of modern-styled apartment buildings, then it becomes a metal bridge which opens up onto a plaza with a four-foot high floor sundial.

Here is the Jardin de Reuilly, the Reuilly Garden. The entrance sign to the Jardin de Reuilly states that the Garden is situated near the ancient Chateau de Reuilly which was a vacation house for the Merovingian Kings.

More recently, the Jardin de Reuilly occupies the site of an old freight station. It includes a large circular central lawn, a series of beautifully planted terraces and walkways, a children's playground, statues, a rose garden and an open-air caf. The main entrance to the Garden on Avenue Daumesnil is furnished with ramps making the Garden accessible for wheel-chairs and baby-strollers. One can either enjoy walking directly through the Garden, or traverse it by an arched, lightweight footbridge made of metal and wood that spans the central lawn of Jardin de Reuilly. It is the most elevated portion of this walk.

East of the Jardin de Reuilly is the Alle Vivaldi which basically runs through an office building plaza. Beyond this Alle, the Promenade splits into a pedestrian path and a bike lane and enters a gaping underpass that has five individual rock waterfalls within it. Once through this underpass the Promenade Plante completely changes.

What was an elevated walkway has become a sunken walkway where both sides of the Promenade Plantee are bordered by 30-foot tall outward sloping hillsides. For those who don't like heights, here is where to begin. The walls are covered with foliage as are the borders along the walkway. It is a very interesting sensation to be suddenly below street level after having been above it for the past 1.5 kilometers. It is a lovely, cool walkway, sometimes under a canopy of tree boughs. It passes through two old railroad tunnels which have ivy dangling down over the arched entrances.

For those who may be missing the upper elevations, there are observation towers to climb along this part of the trail.The Promenade Plantee splits at Avenue Gnral Michel Bizot. The trail to the right leads to Square Charles Pguy which has a children's playground, ping-pong tables and a series of small multi-leveled ponds that cascade into one another. It's a quiet and comfortable small park.

The trail to the left at Avenue General Michel Bizot continues to the Priphrique (the freeway which encircles Paris) where there are ramping paths that branching to the left and to the right to residential streets. Continuing straight, there is a metal spiral staircase that leads up to Boulevard Carnot.The Bois de Vincennes is a few blocks to the south. Two streets to the north is Porte de Vincennes. A couple streets to the left (west) on Porte de Vincennes is the metro station Porte de Vincennes on line #1.
In the spring, the Promenade Plante's cherry blossoms, chestnut trees, long "halls" of bamboo, and vibrant perennials make for an unforgettable stroll. Come here to unwind and see a side of Paris few tourists ever venture to explore.

Location: Main entrance at Avenue Daumesnil, above the "Viaduc des Arts". Take the stairway up to access the garden.
Metro: Bastille (Line 1, 5, )



Message Edited by lhbrown on 05-06-2008 07:28 AM ]]> lhbrown http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/lhbrown/viaduct-des-arts-secret-gardens-paris-1258/ Visiting the Gardens of Bagatelle http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/lhbrown/visiting-gardens-bagatelle-1257/ Sun, 27 Apr 2008 21:39:18 GMT Le Parc Floral de Bagatelle Now that Spring and fine weather has finally come to Paris, we took our bikes out at the spur of the moment and took... Le Parc Floral de Bagatelle

Now that Spring and fine weather has finally come to Paris, we took our bikes out at the spur of the moment and took a spin through the Bois de Bologne. It is in the very middle of the Bois de Boulogne, in the XVIth arrondissement of Paris, that we discovered the Jardin de Bagatelle.

It was thanks to a bet between Marie-Antoinette and her brother-in-law the Count of Artois in 1777 that this splendid garden took form in only 64 days! Today it is considered as one of the capital's finest parks. It is easy to see why, when we admire the artificial rocks, the cascades, the little bridges over mirrors of water, the centuries-old trees...

But what makes the reputation of the Jardin de Bagatelle, is without any doubt its magnificent rose garden, containing over 1,100 varieties. Every year since 1907, the famous New Roses competition has taken place in this rose garden.

The Jardin de Bagatelle consists of a landscaped park, where it is pleasant to stroll and a large number of small themed gardens, the Nymphas pool, the iris garden, the garden of hardy plants and even a kitchen garden.

Now that Spring and the sun has returned to the Parc de Bagatelle, numerous concerts also liven up its pathways.

For a lovely walk in this exceptional park, take the metro to station Pont de Neuilly then bus line 43, or Porte Maillot then bus line 244.
The address is:Alle de Longchamp, Route de Svres Neuilly, Bois de Boulogne (Paris 16)




Message Edited by lhbrown on 04-27-2008 02:44 PM ]]> lhbrown http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/lhbrown/visiting-gardens-bagatelle-1257/ Adventures at the Coast of Maine http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/lhbrown/adventures-coast-maine-1202/ Tue, 11 Mar 2008 10:16:52 GMT After biking from Inn-to-Inn in Germany and Austria, my husband and I were ready for a new adventure. We wanted to do some sea kayaking on the coast... After biking from Inn-to-Inn in Germany and Austria, my husband and I were ready for a new adventure. We wanted to do some sea kayaking on the coast of Maine for a few days, preferably kayaking from Inn-to-Inn, but was there such a thing?
I didnt mind doing some of the hard work (the paddling), but I also wanted hot showers and a warm bed at night.
I didnt want to do all of it (the cooking, etc.)
Finding help in arranging such a trip wasnt easy. Water Walker Sea Kayaks, (207-338-6424), www.touringkayaks.com, based in Belfast, ME, is a rare outfitter leading guided and guide-supported inn-to-inn trips on the Maine coast (Penobscot Bay) for beginners and intermediate paddlers.

We opted for guide support, which meant that the owner of the company, Ray Wirth, devised an itinerary and provided us with nautical charts, compass, guidebook and radio, and accompanied us for the first hour to give us safety tips and paddling pointers.

Our route went north from Tenants Harbor, stopping for one night each at bed-and-breakfasts a few miles apart in South Thomaston, Rockland and Camden. In kayaks we could dip into coves and inlets and circumnavigate small islands, exploring a seldom-seen side of Maine.

We started on a late August day at the town dock in Tenants Harbor, adjacent to Cod End, a seafood restaurant whose backyard was littered with stacks of lobster traps and bushes of wild roses. A gusting onshore wind flooded the entire harbor with the smell of roses as we pushed off past moored lobster boats and the occasional white clap board house.

The wind sent a ripple of whitecaps across the oceans surface and kicked up some waves, which washed over the tandem kayak my husband and I were paddling. There was also an issue of the tide, which can be quite strong because it is linked to the extreme tidal fluctuations of the Bay of Fundy, and the fact that the water was a biting 55 degrees. But Mr. Wirth had told us that in eight years of guiding, he had never seen a tandem capsize.

To be extra safe, we headed for the leeward side of Whitehead Island, three miles out from Tenant Harbor, surfing the waves into a the calmer waters of a small channel, then cruising alongside gray granite slabs surrounded by rose bushes. Our boat skimmed a couple of feet above boulders covered in weeds that looked like the seas answer to shag carpeting, and we glided around the island until we popped out at the base of the magnificent Whitehead Island Lighthouse, at the southern entrance of Penobscot Bay. Seeing the lighthouse, it felt like an official Maine welcome. We continued on through Seal Harbor and into an inlet where, according to our chart and itinerary, we would find our lodging for the night, the Blue Lupin B&B. As we searched the coastline for the inn, a great blue heron flew past us, and a plump seal sunbathed on a rock.



The Blue Lupine (207-594-2673)
www.bluelupinbandb.com in South Thompson, ME is a white two-story house on a grassy bluff side with a pier. We dragged our boat up off the beach and set it under one of the three hulking maple trees on the lawn. Inside the house we found the innkeeper, Helen Mitchell, sitting on her living room sofa finishing up some sewing.

Staying at the Blue Lupin was like stopping in for a night with your great aunt if you were lucky enough to be born into a family with a stunning oceanfront plot of land and one of Maines best lobster shacks as a neighbor. To get to the shack, Watermans Beach Lobster recognized a few years ago by James Beard Foundation for its lobster roll we walked out of our rooms, across our private deck, a hundred yards through the grass to the beach and up a set of stone steps beside the pier. We ate lobster, of course, and rhubarb pie (both to die for) as we watched lobstermen on the pier pulling traps and a group of local kids on the beach skipping stones. Later that night in our room, we listened to waves breaking outside while studying the chart, planning our next days route.

After a good breakfast, it was time to get back on the water. We packed the boat and paddled past dozens of colorful lobster buoys, headed for the Muscle Ridge Island, an archipelago a couple of miles offshore where underwater ledges serve as a breeding ground for harbor seals. We reached the archipelago within an hour, landing our boat on Birch Island for a short hike. The cries of an osprey protecting its nest on the far side of the island grew more urgent the closer we got, so we backed off and returned to our boat, swishing past tufts of daisies and roses. A seal popped up its head and then disappeared at the sight of an oncoming lobster boat.

It was a long paddle to Owls Head, where we would have our choice of a few stony beaches with good shelter for lunch beneath the 1825 lighthouse that marks the entrance to Rockland Harbor. We stuck close to the shore, examining giant maples and pines rising up from a thin layer of soil covering slabs of rust- and brown-colored igneous rock. The rock blocky and jagged, reminded me of a brooding Picasso painting. The tides had been against us all day and the sun was in our eyes as we paddled into the harbor at Rockland, ME. My husband and I emerged from the marina in our life jackets and spray skirts lugging paddles, nautical charts and clothing across the street to the Old Granite Inn, our shoulders sore and heads aching from two hours of paddling in the heat. We were so tired we thought about going straight to sleep.

When you reach it by road, Rockland doesnt look like your quintessentially quaint Maine town. But because we approached it from the water, we missed the Walmart and Pizza Hut most people drive past. Our visit to Rockland started with the Old Granit Inn, (800-386-9036) www.oldgraniteinn.com
- an airy bed-and-breakfast with a meticulously kept garden and a front porch overlooking the harbor.

When my husband and I walked into the Black Bull, (205-593-9060) www.blackbulltavern.com, a bar two blocks from the Old Granite Inn, we were so exhausted, we had given up on dinner. My husband had been attacked by some tiny black flies at Owls Head and his forehead was now bulging with a welt the size of a ping-pong ball. The bartender came to the rescue with ice for the welt, dinner reservations at Primo, a local restaurant, one of the best one in Main, he assured us and a taxi to take us there. Even though the Black Bull serves food (including a delicious burger, according to our innkeepers), he was adamant that we have dinner at Primo, (207-596-0770) www.primorestaurant.com. People fly in just to eat there, he told us. I wonder how many people had paddled in
Thats how we wound up having fresh-fruit cocktails from the garden of Primos owner, Melissa Kelly, a James Beard-award-winning chef who trained with Alice Waters and grows most of her ingredients in Primos backyard. We went on to order a delicious halibut caught just offshore that was served with steamed mussels and sweet shrimp gnochetti.

Our last day of kayaking was leisurely, the wind and tides pushing us all the way to Camden, about 25 miles from our starting point at Tenants Harbor. We beached ourselves just below the Camden library, to the right of a waterfall. Mr. Wirth met us there, we hauled the boat onto his trailer, and he dropped us at our final stop, the Hawthorn Inn, (866-381-3647) www.camdenhawthorn.com a massive Victorian where a king-size bed and Jacuzzi bathtub awaited.

We still had to drive back down to Tenants Harbor to pick up our car. But first, we stopped at Camden Cone for a scoop of Maine blueberry ice cream, filled with enough whole berries to rival the flavor of those heavenly strawberry-and-rhubarb drinks wed had, the ones that tasted so good after a long days paddle up the coast of Maine.



Message Edited by lhbrown on 03-11-2008 03:25 AM

Message Edited by LL_Editor on 03-11-2008 10:47 AM ]]> lhbrown http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/lhbrown/adventures-coast-maine-1202/ Service above and beyond at the Arlberg Hospiz in Saint Christoph, Austria http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/lhbrown/service-above-beyond-arlberg-hospiz-saint-christoph-austria-1193/ Sun, 24 Feb 2008 22:57:18 GMT Hi,

For one of our best hotel experiences, I would have to name the Hotel Arberg Hospiz in Saint-Christoph, Tirol, Austria because of its "above and beyond service".

Some years ago, we returned there on a Saturday evening for a week of skiing with both of our suite cases missing. I was coming from Germany, and the train baggage service had lost my suitcase. My husband was coming from the States, and his suitcase had not made it either.... We literally just had the clothes on our back. On Sunday morning, Mr. Adi Werner, the owner of the Hospiz, looked at us and then invited us up to his private quarters. He opened his wardrobe, took a ski suite of his wife, handing it to me along with a hat, gloves and gogles. Then he did the same for my husband, handing him one of his own ski suites, hat, gloves and gogles, and sent us out to enjoy the slopes. For days, he made all the phone calls to the airlines and train stations to find our suitcases but they never caught up with us. He organized a Toga Party in the tavern where he handed everybody sheets and safety pins to dress up for a Roman Feast. We were grateful for the change of clothes...and the party was a blast. Would it not have been for the generosity of Mr. Werner, this ski vacation could have been a real disaster, but he saved the day... This is service that went above and beyond.... ]]> lhbrown http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/lhbrown/service-above-beyond-arlberg-hospiz-saint-christoph-austria-1193/ The Adirondacks - where Nature Rules http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/lhbrown/adirondacks-where-nature-rules-1191/ Tue, 19 Feb 2008 10:17:51 GMT In the Adirondacksgreat camps and cozy cabins dot a vast wilderness of magnificent mountains and lakes. Historic inns offer legendary hospitality and... In the Adirondacksgreat camps and cozy cabins dot a vast wilderness of magnificent mountains and lakes. Historic inns offer legendary hospitality and dining amid rustic elegance.
Even though the Adirondacks are almost in our backyard, in late September, we took a 5-Day break and let the Adirondacks, with its lush forests, sparkling lakes and majestic mountain peaks provide the magnificent backdrop for some culinary adventure.

Day One

Before we began our tour, we spent the night at the luxurious Fort William Henry Resort (fortwilliamhenry.com) on Lake George.




We eased into vacation mode in our Jacuzzi and woke up refreshed for a day in the Village, where you can browse the shops and enjoy a concert, carriage ride or boat tour. We took a short side trip to the Ralph Kylloe Gallery (raplhkylloe.com ), a finely crafted collection of Adirondackand rustic art, furniture and curiosities displayed by the leading expert and author on rustic design. We headed north through the village of Bolton Landing. We strolled the unique antique shops, boutiques, and galleries. By mid-afternoon, we checked into the Sagamore Resort, (thesagamore.com), a striking Victorian hotel on its own 72 acre private island. We reserved some time at the spa for a soothing afternoon refresher.

We signed up for a sailing lesson, and sat at the magnificent veranda and marveled at the mountains and water that inspired artist such as Georgia OKeefe and Kenset. Dinner at the Sagamores elegant Trillium, was pure delight. If you are a golfer, be sure to book an early morning round of golf on the legendary course designed and built by Donald Ross. The first tee rewards you with a breathtaking view of sunrise. If you prefer signature Adirondack cuisine that exemplifies the High Country regions you can sample a variety of these dishes at the elegant Inn at Erlowest, (theinnaterlowest.com), located at the romantic stone mansion overlooking the lake. The four dining rooms include The Chefs Table, located off the kitchen where a menu of eight to twelve courses will be created especially for you.



Day two

All aboard! was the word. We journeyed north to ride the rails of history on the Upper Hudson River Railroad (adirondackrr.com). Stationed in North Creek, the line is known for Hudson River views and for transporting


Teddy Roosevelt on part of his famous night ride to the presidency. We shopped at the rustic ski town of North Creek before the mid-day meal at The Gardens, (copperfieldinn.com), a four diamond restaurant located at the luxurious European-style Copperfield Inn. Afterwards, we journeyed on to Gore Mountain, (goremountain.com), for a gondola ride with grand views of the High Peaks and Southern Adirondacks. A scenic drive took us to Friends Lake Inn, (friendslake.com), a four diamond country inn, our destination for the night.




At the Friends Lake Inn, each room has its own delightful personality, and dinner tantalized with innovative New-American cuisine, complemented by a celebrated wine collection, and served amid quiet elegance. As an alternative, you could head to the Owl at Twilight, (518-251-4696), a hidden gem at Olmsteadville. This unassuming farmhouse, secluded deep in the midst of the Adirondacks, offers sophisticated dining with a fusion feel. Its popular with savvy weekenders, so call ahead.

Days three and four

On a beautiful early morning, we headed north to Blue Mountain Lake to explore the Smithsonian of the Adirondacks, the Adirondack Museum, (adirondackmuseum.org). Exhibits include an early wilderness hotel and luxurious rail car once used by the wealthy to reach their summer estates called Great Camps. We continued north on Rte. 30 to Long Lake where we chartered a 30-minue seaplane ride for an astonishing view of the vast wilderness. We wound our way north to Tupper Lake and toured the recently opened Wild Center, (wildcenter.org), a natural history museum. After our visit, we took Rte 3 east to the village of Saranac for a late lunch at the A.P. Smith, (hotelsaranac.com), set in the historicHotel Saranac. Culinary students from Paul Smiths College work alongside professional chefs to create a superb dining experience. We strolled through the village, a former logging town and health resort, (home of the Trudeau Institute), its streets lined with shops and galleries. The Paradox Lodge (paradoxlodge.com ), lives up to its name with its rugged, classic Adirondacksetting and fine attention to detail, from the dcor to the five-star cuisine prepared by Chef Moses LaFountaine. Or settle into the nearby Wawbeek, (wabeek.com), a turn-of-the-century Great Camp, on Upper Saranac Lake. Renowned for its setting and cuisine, The Wawbeeks restaurant sits on a rock promotery overlooking the lake.

We opted for two nights at The Point Resort (thepointresort.com or relais@chateaux.com/thepoint). Yesterdays Rockefeller Great Camp is todays most luxurious hotel. The Point is considered the most enchanting lakefront sanctuary of its kind in America by the Hideaway Report. It felt like paradise found as we were waking up to the sound of the Loons. We found service fit for royalty and Rockefellers, mingled with the authentic rustic, but truly elegant, dcor that marked the era. The Points Executive Chef and full kitchen staff are all trained by world-renowned, three-star Michelin chef, Albert Roux. Zagat calls it pure bliss. Our every wish was truly their command, from our favorite drinks to wine and food made to order, to boat rides on the lake, all requests were graciously met. We were most surprised by their exceptional service providing us with a full tank of gas and a picnic lunch waiting in our car when we got ready to leave.



Day five

We left Saranac and drove south to Lake Placid. We started our visit there with a tour of Lake Placids Olympic venues. We began at the Olympic Center, (orda.org), where famed figure skaters and hockey players earned their gold, and today hone their skills year round. We had a thrilling bobsled ride but we did forego a ride on the luge. The bobsled ride was excitement for a lifetime. We perused the shops on Main Streetand found them interesting for discerning shoppers from around the globe. Our elegant room, a pampering spa and a memorable dinner awaited us at the Mirror Lake Inn Resort and Spa, (mirrorlakeinn.com ) which is rated as one of the Worlds best Hotels by Travel and Leisure in 2006. Chef Sorgule presented a dining experience that was elegant, exciting and fun.


]]> lhbrown http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/lhbrown/adirondacks-where-nature-rules-1191/ New York City http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/lhbrown/new-york-city-984/ Tue, 25 Dec 2007 03:29:14 GMT New York City is undeniably the most exciting city in the world with its center of finance, fashion, art and culture, and its epitome of fine dining.... New York City is undeniably the most exciting city in the world with its center of finance, fashion, art and culture, and its epitome of fine dining.
If I can make it there, I can make it anywhere as the song suggests, New York, New York, sets the standard for excellence. So we decided on a short 4-day get-away to pay New York City a visit this past October to experience grand performance throughout the city - the stage for the worlds finest chefs and restauranteurs.

On our first day, we strolled through three of New York Citys most intriguing neighborhoods on an insider walking tour with Savory Sojourns (www.savorysasojourn.com). We began our tour amid the cast-iron buildings, cobblestone streets and trendy galleries in the ultra chic Soho , with breakfast at a European-style bakery where we watched as artisan breads were made by hand. In Little Italy our included a visit to a homemade pasta store and a family-owned cheese shop offering tastes of their fresh mozzarella which wet our appetite for an amazing lunch. We walked a few blocks to Chinatown, where the tiny, crooked streets are filled with sights, scents and sounds that transported us the Far East. With cuisines from half a dozen Asian countries, this area offers many options for delectable dining. Our guide however recommended an excellent choice for lunch, The Modern, (11 West 53rd Street - 212-333-1220). Set in the Museum of Modern Art, the fine dining establishment features original cuisine prepared by Chef Gabriel Kreuter, superb dishes such as chorizo-crusted Chatham Cod, or Long Island Duck Breast with black truffle marmalade. While there, we took a refreshing walk through the museums AbbyAldrichRockefellerSculptureGarden.

If you are inclined for an afternoon of shopping, New York offers you a world of choices. If you are looking for bargains, check out the trendy shops and vendors on the Lower East Side. If you are looking to splurge, check out the lavish chic designer boutiques on Fifth Avenue.


After a long day of walking, museum and gallery visits we went back to our Hotel, the Essex House (www.essexhouse.com) which is nestled between Central Park and Broadway. This lovely hotel is recognized around the world as a model of graceful elegance and art-deco design. We picked this hotel because it houses the restaurant Alain Ducasse (www.alain-ducasse.com) for which we had secured reservations months in advance. Alain Ducasse offers innovative cuisine, an elite selection of great wines, high style, and is rated #1 in New York City for meticulous service by Zagat.

As an alternative, you could head to the Upper West Side for an early dinner at Picholine (35W 64th Street, 212-724-8585) where Chef Terrance Brennans menu showcases creations such as roasted John Dory with grapes and truffles. And for dessert, you could indulge with an evening performance at the LincolnCenter. A world-class opera, music, or dance would the perfect grand finale to your Big Apple day.


We, however, after a superb diner at Alain Ducasse, just took the elevator up to heaven to contentedly fall asleep in our wonderful room, to do it all over again the next day.
On day two, we arranged a cooking class for two, at the Instiute of Culinary Education in Chelsea, (www.iceculinary.com, 50 West 23rd Street). Courses range from Cooking of Imperial Russia to Regional Thai Cuisine.

Afterwards we relaxed at Arabelle (www.arabellerestaurant.com, on 37East 64th Street at Madison Ave. 212-606-4647) with a traditional afternoon tea featuring delicate sandwiches, homemade scones, pastries and chocolate. New York City is the ultimate destination for dining, with more than 18,000 restaurants serving cuisine of ecvery culture, from Argentina to Ukrainian. After freshening up a bit, we headed to Kittichai, (www.kittichairestaurant.com ) called a little bit of Bangkok in Soho by Vanity Fair. Chef Chalermkittichai, former chef of the Four Seasons in Bankok, has gained a worldwide reputation for combining traditional Thai cuisine with international favors and techniques. Kittichai is located in the hip boutique hotel in Soho 60 Thompson Hotel that has earned rave reviews from the New York Times and Conde Nast Traveler. It was rated Best New Asian Restaurant and Best Manhattan Thai Restaurant. Our dinner was excellent and the service perfect. We had a little life left in us and so we headed up to the Blue Note in the WestVillage where once Dizzy Gillespie, Sarah Vaughn and Ray Charles have played. We stayed another night at the Essex, nestled between Central Park and Broadway. Or you could try to stay at the Tribeca Grand Hotel, set on a cobblestone corner in Tribecca, one of the richest, most sought-after neighborhoods in Manhattan, and within walking distance of Soho, Chinatown, Greenwich Village, Little Italy, and the Hudson River.


On day three, we started out doing a little window shopping on Fifth Avenue, went browsing in some of the galleries and boutiques and then took a romantic carriage ride in Central Park. What a delightful way to spend the morning.

After that we made our way to Brooklyn to take in the spectacular view of the Manhattan skyline, as we tried to get a table for a waterside lunch at the River Caf (www.opentable.com - 1 Water Street, Brooklyn Tel 718 522-5200). The outstanding menu showcased American cuisine, such as Grilled Hanger Steak Medallions with chanterelle mushroom sauce, creamy spinach and crispy shallot rings. We then spent the afternoon exploring the Brooklyn Museum of Art, where vast collections, from Egyptian masterpieces to contemporary art, represent a wide range of cultures. We felt like steak and so we decided to have dinner at Sparks Steak House, (www.sparkssteakhouse.com 210 East 46th Street, Manhattan 212 687-4855) rated the best steak in Manhattan by New York Magazine and awarded Wine Spectators Grand Award annually since 1981. Before returning to our hotel, we enjoyed a performance at the renowned Brooklyn Academy of Music. That evening we sank into our beds after a more than full day of fun.

On day four, after a lovely breakfast, we hailed a cab to Queens, one of the nations most culturally diverse areas, to explore the varied ethnic neighborhoods. Attractions include the iconic Unisphere in Flushing Meadows Corona part and the Queens Museum of Art. After a full morning, we stopped in Long Island City at The Waters Edge restaurant (www.watersedgenyc.com at 44th Dr at the East River, Queens 718 482-0033) for our mid-day meal, offered al fresco in season, with views of the soaring skyscrapers across the river. Next, we marveled at the P.S.1 ContemporaryCenter, affiliated with the Museum of Modern Art, or you could check out the nearby IsamuNoguchi GardenMuseum, with over 200 works of the renowned sculptor. After a busy afternoon at the museum, we hailed a cab to take us to 155 West 51st Street in Manhatten where we had dinner reservations at Le Bernardin, (www.le-bernardin.com), a four-star seafood restaurant where Chef Eric Rippert, recentlyh recognized by the James Beard Foundation as Outstanding Chef of the Year, presides over extraordinary culinary creations.
The next morning, for our grand finale, we had breakfast at the Ritz Carltons restaurant, the Atelier, (50 Central Park, S. Manhattan, 212 521-6125) and then my husband took me to Tiffanys, located around the corner on Fifth Avenue, just to have a look.







Message Edited by lhbrown on 12-25-2007 09:23 AM ]]> lhbrown http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/lhbrown/new-york-city-984/ Macon, Georgia - Song and Soul of the South http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/lhbrown/macon-georgia-song-soul-south-978/ Tue, 30 Oct 2007 03:44:10 GMT When we got into Macon, GA we found lodgings at the lovely 1842 Inn www.the1842inn.com. (http://www.the1482inn.com./) I knew this Inn was at LL... When we got into Macon, GA we found lodgings at the lovely 1842 Inn www.the1842inn.com. I knew this Inn was at LL auction, but we did not want to spend 3 nights there since we were anxious to get to Sarasota, Florida, but we did want to stay at a nice, historic Inn to soak up the athmosphere of the South.

The 1842 Inn was no disappointment. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the 1842 Inn is located in a charming residential district. With an athmosphere straight out from Gone with the Wind, the 1842 Inn blends amenities of a grand hotel with the ambience of a country inn. The rooms and the public areas of the Inn are within a Greek Revival antebellum house and an adjoining Victorian house that share a quaint courtyard and garden. The rooms, parlors and library are tastefully designed with fine English antiques, oriental carpets, tapestries and paintings. When we got there, the Inn was serving complimentary hors d'oeuvres at the cash bar in the Library. We ordered drinks, enjoyed the tasty hors d'oeuvres and started to relax before going out to dinner. We strolled back looking at some of the private and public mansions, each dramatically lit in a free nightly display of Southern elegance and grandeur. When we got back from dinner our bed was turned down with chocolates on the pillows.



The next morning, after a lovely breakfast at the couryard garden, we set out to visit historic Macon. Macon is often called the Song and Sole of the South. We set out to see what Sherman didn't burn, in a History of War... anything but Civil.
We visited The Cannonball House where on July 30, 1864 Union Armee soldiers attacked this authentic Greek revical home (built in 1853). This house is the only site struck by a cannonball during the war. We heard where the cannon ball fell and saw where it still lies inside this historic museum. It also houses magnificent authentic Macon furnishings and the gift offers Civil War and Old South books and memorabilia.


Next we went to the Hay House, stepping back in history at "The Palace of the South". This Italian Renaissance Revival Villa was built by William Butler Johnston, one of Macon's wealthiest men. The mansion is exquisitely decorated with antiques collected by the three families who occupied the house beginning in 1859; the Johnston, Felton and Hay families. The house is now owned b y the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation and is made up of 24 rooms, 19 fireplaces, a beautiful tromp l'oel, magnificent plaster moldings, and a secret room said to have housed some of the Confederate gold.



After Lunch we went to the Rose Hill Cemetery which is listed on the National Historic Register of Historic Places. This is one of the oldest surviing public cemetery parks in the United States. Winding paths and terraced hills overlook the Ocmulgee River. Located inside Confederate Square are the markers of 600 Confederate and Union Soldiers.
Our last visit for the afternoon was to the Ocmulgee National Monument and site of the Dunlap Farm House where the troops of General Sherman, led by General Stoneman, fired cannons upon the city of Macon only to strike the white columned home, the Cannonball House and a military hospital. The Ocmulgee National Monument is also Home to over 10,000 years of Indian heritage and culture. ]]> lhbrown http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/lhbrown/macon-georgia-song-soul-south-978/ Adirondacks a Land of ancient Mountains and glacial Lakes where Nature rules http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/lhbrown/adirondacks-land-ancient-mountains-glacial-lakes-where-nature-rules-977/ Mon, 29 Oct 2007 00:33:52 GMT In the Adirondacks great camps and cozy cabins dot a vast wilderness of magnificent mountains and lakes. Historic inns offer legendary hospitality... In the Adirondacks great camps and cozy cabins dot a vast wilderness of magnificent mountains and lakes. Historic inns offer legendary hospitality and dining amid rustic elegance.
Even though the Adirondacks are almost in our backyard, in late September, we took a 5-Day break and let the Adirondacks, with its lush forests, sparkling lakes and majestic mountain peaks provide the magnificent backdrop for some culinary adventure.

Day One

Before we began our tour, we spent the night at the luxurious Fort William Henry Resort (fortwilliamhenry.com) on Lake George.




We eased into vacation mode in our Jacuzzi and woke up refreshed for a day in the Village, where you can browse the shops and enjoy a concert, carriage ride or boat tour. We took a short side trip to the Ralph Kylloe Gallery (raplhkylloe.com ), a finely crafted collection of Adirondack and rustic art, furniture and curiosities displayed by the leading expert and author on rustic design. We headed north through the village of Bolton Landing. We strolled the unique antique shops, boutiques, and galleries. By mid-afternoon, we checked into the Sagamore Resort, (thesagamore.com), a striking Victorian hotel on its own 72 acre private island. We reserved some time at the spa for a soothing afternoon refresher.

We signed up for a sailing lesson, and sat at the magnificent veranda and marveled at the mountains and water that inspired artist such as Georgia OKeefe and Kenset. Dinner at the Sagamores elegant Trillium, was pure delight. If you are a golfer, be sure to book an early morning round of golf on the legendary course designed and built by Donald Ross. The first tee rewards you with a breathtaking view of sunrise. If you prefer signature Adirondack cuisine that exemplifies the High Country regions you can sample a variety of these dishes at the elegant Inn at Erlowest, (theinnaterlowest.com), located at the romantic stone mansion overlooking the lake. The four dining rooms include The Chefs Table, located off the kitchen where a menu of eight to twelve courses will be created especially for you.



Day two

All aboard! was the word. We journeyed north to ride the rails of history on the Upper Hudson River Railroad (adirondackrr.com). Stationed in North Creek, the line is known for Hudson River views and for transporting


Teddy Roosevelt on part of his famous night ride to the presidency. We shopped at the rustic ski town of North Creek before the mid-day meal at The Gardens, (copperfieldinn.com), a four diamond restaurant located at the luxurious European-style Copperfield Inn. Afterwards, we journeyed on to Gore Mountain, (goremountain.com), for a gondola ride with grand views of the High Peaks and Southern Adirondacks. A scenic drive took us to Friends Lake Inn, (friendslake.com), a four diamond country inn, our destination for the night.




At the Friends Lake Inn, each room has its own delightful personality, and dinner tantalized with innovative New-American cuisine, complemented by a celebrated wine collection, and served amid quiet elegance. As an alternative, you could head to the Owl at Twilight, (518-251-4696), a hidden gem at Olmsteadville. This unassuming farmhouse, secluded deep in the midst of the Adirondacks, offers sophisticated dining with a fusion feel. Its popular with savvy weekenders, so call ahead.

Days three and four

On a beautiful early morning, we headed north to Blue Mountain Lake to explore the Smithsonian of the Adirondacks, the Adirondack Museum, (adirondackmuseum.org). Exhibits include an early wilderness hotel and luxurious rail car once used by the wealthy to reach their summer estates called Great Camps. We continued north on Rte. 30 to Long Lake where we chartered a 30-minue seaplane ride for an astonishing view of the vast wilderness. We wound our way north to Tupper Lake and toured the recently opened Wild Center, (wildcenter.org), a natural history museum. After our visit, we took Rte 3 east to the village of Saranac for a late lunch at the A.P. Smith, (hotelsaranac.com), set in the historicHotel Saranac. Culinary students from Paul Smiths College work alongside professional chefs to create a superb dining experience. We strolled through the village, a former logging town and health resort, (home of the Trudeau Institute), its streets lined with shops and galleries. The Paradox Lodge (paradoxlodge.com ), lives up to its name with its rugged, classic Adirondack setting and fine attention to detail, from the dcor to the five-star cuisine prepared by Chef Moses LaFountaine. Or settle into the nearby Wawbeek, (wabeek.com), a turn-of-the-century Great Camp, on Upper Saranac Lake. Renowned for its setting and cuisine, The Wawbeeks restaurant sits on a rock promotery overlooking the lake.

We opted for two nights at The Point Resort (thepointresort.com or relais@chateaux.com/thepoint). Yesterdays Rockefeller Great Camp is todays most luxurious hotel. The Point is considered the most enchanting lakefront sanctuary of its kind in America by the Hideaway Report. It felt like paradise found as we were waking up to the sound of the Loons. We found service fit for royalty and Rockefellers, mingled with the authentic rustic, but truly elegant, dcor that marked the era. The Points Executive Chef and full kitchen staff are all trained by world-renowned, three-star Michelin chef, Albert Roux. Zagat calls it pure bliss. Our every wish was truly their command, from our favorite drinks to wine and food made to order, to boat rides on the lake, all requests were graciously met. We were most surprised by their exceptional service providing us with a full tank of gas and a picnic lunch waiting in our car when we got ready to leave.



Day five

We left Saranac and drove south to Lake Placid. We started our visit there with a tour of Lake Placids Olympic venues. We began at the Olympic Center, (orda.org), where famed figure skaters and hockey players earned their gold, and today hone their skills year round. We had a thrilling bobsled ride but we did forego a ride on the luge. The bobsled ride was excitement for a lifetime. We perused the shops on Main Street and found them interesting for discerning shoppers from around the globe. Our elegant room, a pampering spa and a memorable dinner awaited us at the Mirror Lake Inn Resort and Spa, (mirrorlakeinn.com ) which is rated as one of the Worlds best Hotels by Travel and Leisure in 2006. Chef Sorgule presented a dining experience that was elegant, exciting and fun.








Message Edited by lhbrown on 10-28-2007 07:19 PM ]]> lhbrown http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/lhbrown/adirondacks-land-ancient-mountains-glacial-lakes-where-nature-rules-977/ Capital -Saratoga A celebration of the Arts, History and Horses http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/lhbrown/capital-saratoga-celebration-arts-history-horses-975/ Sat, 22 Sep 2007 03:49:02 GMT CapitalSaratoga, where dancers twirl and horses run and a patchwork-quilt landscapes surround historic cities rich in cultural treasures and sure... CapitalSaratoga, where dancers twirl and horses run and a patchwork-quilt landscapes surround historic cities rich in cultural treasures and sure bets of great lodging and dining.

Albany, the Capital-Saratoga region is my backyard. If you have a few days or a long weekend, here are some fun suggestions for a short break in the Capita-Saratoga region with a long tradition of history, hats, health and fast horses.
Day one

Albany, with its captivating skyline that reflects four centuries of history as well as ultramodern innovation, is a perfect starting point. Check in early at the areas premier B&B, the Morgan State House (statehouse.com), one of the many historic mansions bordering scenic Washington Park. The Morgan is close to Museums, riverside trails, restaurants, theaters and New Yorks Capitol, a magnificent example of 19th-century architecture that took four decades to build. Tour the famed New YorkStateMuseum(nysm.nysed.gov) and get a taste of the states history and cultural reach. Across the Plazzayou will see The Egg, an architectural marvel and premier performing arts center. Nearby Lark Street is lined with eclectic ships and fine dining venues like McGuires (518-463-2100), where you can watch Chef Andrew Plummer in the open kitchen, as he creates a stunning array of cleverly devised, beautifully presented dishes, many with an Asian touch. Pearl Street is home to a thriving entertainment scene with live music in several clubs, acclaimed theater at Capital Rep (capitalrep.org), and internationally-known rock, country and classical musicians at the Palace Theater(palacealbany.com). Across the street, Nicoles Bistro at Quackenbush Square (518465-1111), is one of Albanys most romantic restaurants.

If the weather is agreeable, grab a table at the courtyard. Jacques Oyster House (jacksoysterhouse.com) on State, has been an integral part of Albanys landscape for over 90 years and is still operated by the same family. Warm hospitality combined with the unique cooking style of Chef Dale Miller, one of only 55 Certified Master Chefs in the United States, satisfies a faithful clientele. Long considered the hotspot for politicos and the famous, Jacks ambiance is reminiscent of the clubby New York style restaurants so in vogue todayi; t has been proclaimed Albanys Greatest Restaurant Ledgend and the areas Best Restaurant of the Century.

You can also dine on Broadway: reviewers are raving about Angelos 677 Prime (677prime.com), an upscale steakhouse with hardwood floors and plush leather chairs that draw you into the stylish dining room to enjoy a menu of fabulous steaks, fresh seafood and luscious desserts. Also on Broadway, opposite the ornate University Plaza complex, try the imaginative Contemporary American Cuisine at Franklyns Tower (franklynstower.com). The restaurant was named after a Greadful Dead song, but the buildings history goes back much further. Keep your eyes, ears, and sixth sense tuned: owner Patrick Hall says any empty chairs are taken by ghosts from Albanys colorful past. Across the room you might catch a glimps of Babe Ruth, who hoisted a few here in 1940s. Across the Hudson in Troy, you will find art galleries, antique shops, bakeries, brew pubs and bookstores to poke around in. TroySavingsBankMusic Hall (troymusichall.com) presents top artists in jazz, classical and popular music. Cap off the day with a Captain JP Cruise (captainjp.homestead.com) along the historic riverway, or treat yourself to an Italian feast at Lo Portos Ristorante (518-273-8546), famous for its calamari. Return for the night to The Morgan, with all the comfort of an elegant private home.

Day Two

Head to Schenectady, the Electric City, to tour the SchenectadyMuseum(Schenectadymuseum.org), and learn all sorts of fun facts about GE products, from household appliances to jet engines. Explore the interesting Stockade National Historic Landmark, one of the nations oldest historic districts. Enjoy an exquisite riverside lunch, with a choice of wines from around the world, at the Glen Sanders Mansion, (glensendersmansion.com), located in nearby Scotia, then tour the fascinating structure steeped in history dating back to 1658. Your evening requirement: a trip to Proctors Theater (www.proctors.org), recently restored to its original 1925 grandeur. Located in the hub of a booming creative district, Proctors features some of the worlds top performers from every genre. For a truly sweet ending to a perfect day walk across the street to the Villa Italia Pasticceria, (villaitaliabakerie.com), home of divine pastries and authentic Italian gelato. Settle in for the night at the upscale Parker Inn, (parkerinn.com), one of the areas finest hotels.

Day Three

Begin your day with a round at the Saratoga National Golf Club, named one of the best public golf courses in the nation by Golf Diguest. Lunch at the clubhouse, Sargos, (sargos.com), recently awarded Wine Spectators Award of Excellence and the AAA Four Diamond Award. Sink into the pampering services and healing waters of the Roosevelt Mineral Bath, at SaratogaSpaState Park, (guideonputnam.com) or Crystal Spa, (thecrystalspa.com), at the Grand Union Hotel. And, of course, there are the horses! Visit the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, (racingmuseum.org), and, if its racing season, don a fancy hat and head to the track. After the races, Siros, (sirosrestaurant.com), directly adjacent to the trackis the place to see and be seen. Diners range from Saratogians, tourists, horse trainers and owners to movie stars and socialites. The four-star cuisine was praised as the most imaginative in the region by Gourmet magazine. Dining out in downtown Saratoga Springs is a grad tradition. Favorites include Chez Sophie Bistro, (chezsophie.com), a highly praised French restaurant now set in the renovated Saratoga Hotel; The Wine Bar, (thewinebarofsaratoga.com), where Chef Mark Graham creates a distinctive menu to complement the wine list, and Lancis, (lancisrestorante.com), where Chef John Lanci invites you to experience the true taste of famiglia cucina, or family kitchen, and offers unique wine and food classes such as Women and La Dolce Vita. Stop in for a song or two at the legendary Caffe Lena, (caffelena.com), where musicians like Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger got their start. At the SaratogaPerformingArtsCenter (SPAC), (spac.org), you can enjoy outdoor concerts by famous, popular artists and performances by the New York City Ballet. Stay in town at the elaborate Adelphi Hotel, (adelphihotel.com), a rare surviving High Victorian Inn that attracts a clientele of performing artists and notables from the racing world. For breakfast, stroll across the street to Mrs. Londons Bakery and Caf, (mrslondons.com), for freshly baked Viennoiseries-morning pastries and many other tasty delights.


PS: Game of the Kings

The oldest team sport in the world was first played by nomadic warriors over two thousand years ago. This sport, known as Polo, is popular among kings and princes, but today, you dont have to be royal to attend an exciting Polo match. Every summer since 1898, Polo ponies have competed up and down the fields of the Saratoga Polo Club. Prepare for an action-packed afternoon, then as the sun sets, unwind over dinner at the Clubhouse, featuring award winning cuisine.

A Marvelous Melon

August is not only the height of the racing season in Saratoga, it also heralds the harvest of the famous melons grown by the Hand Melon Farm since 1925. Purists would never consider chopping this treasured softball-sized cantaloupe into a salad, preferring to savor its sweetness on the half-shell. The New York Times called them the sweet, juicy luscious muskmelons that some gourmet consider to be the finest melon they have ever eaten. We agree! ]]> lhbrown http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/lhbrown/capital-saratoga-celebration-arts-history-horses-975/ Paddling from Inn to Inn on the Coast of Maine http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/lhbrown/paddling-inn-inn-coast-maine-974/ Sat, 22 Sep 2007 03:34:24 GMT After biking from Inn-to-Inn in Germany and Austria, my husband and I were ready for a new adventure. We wanted to do some sea kayaking on the coast... After biking from Inn-to-Inn in Germany and Austria, my husband and I were ready for a new adventure. We wanted to do some sea kayaking on the coast of Maine for a few days, preferably kayaking from Inn-to-Inn, but was there such a thing? I didnt mind doing some of the hard work (the paddling), but I also wanted hot showers and a warm bed at night. I didnt want to do all of it (the cooking, etc.)
Finding help in arranging such a trip wasnt easy. Water Walker Sea Kayaks, (207-338-6424), www.touringkayaks.com, based in Belfast, ME, is a rare outfitter leading guided and guide-supported inn-to-inn trips on the Maine coast (Penobscot Bay) for beginners and intermediate paddlers.

We opted for guide support, which meant that the owner of the company, Ray Wirth, devised an itinerary and provided us with nautical charts, compass, guidebook and radio, and accompanied us for the first hour to give us safety tips and paddling pointers.

Our route went north from Tenants Harbor, stopping for one night each at bed-and-breakfasts a few miles apart in South Thomaston, Rockland and Camden. In kayaks we could dip into coves and inlets and circumnavigate small islands, exploring a seldom-seen side of Maine.

We started on a late August day at the town dock in Tenants Harbor, adjacent to Cod End, a seafood restaurant whose backyard was littered with stacks of lobster traps and bushes of wild roses. A gusting onshore wind flooded the entire harbor with the smell of roses as we pushed off past moored lobster boats and the occasional white clap board house.

The wind sent a ripple of whitecaps across the oceans surface and kicked up some waves, which washed over the tandem kayak my husband and I were paddling. There was also an issue of the tide, which can be quite strong because it is linked to the extreme tidal fluctuations of the Bay of Fundy, and the fact that the water was a biting 55 degrees. But Mr. Wirth had told us that in eight years of guiding, he had never seen a tandem capsize.

To be extra safe, we headed for the leeward side of Whitehead Island, three miles out from Tenant Harbor, surfing the waves into a the calmer waters of a small channel, then cruising alongside gray granite slabs surrounded by rose bushes. Our boat skimmed a couple of feet above boulders covered in weeds that looked like the seas answer to shag carpeting, and we glided around the island until we popped out at the base of the magnificent Whitehead Island Lighthouse, at the southern entrance of Penobscot Bay. Seeing the lighthouse, it felt like an official Maine welcome. We continued on through Seal Harbor and into an inlet where, according to our chart and itinerary, we would find our lodging for the night, the Blue Lupin B&B. As we searched the coastline for the inn, a great blue heron flew past us, and a plump seal sunbathed on a rock.

The Blue Lupine (207-594-2673) www.bluelupinbandb.com in South Thompson, ME is a white two-story house on a grassy bluff side with a pier. We dragged our boat up off the beach and set it under one of the three hulking maple trees on the lawn. Inside the house we found the innkeeper, Helen Mitchell, sitting on her living room sofa finishing up some sewing.

Staying at the Blue Lupin was like stopping in for a night with your great aunt if you were lucky enough to be born into a family with a stunning oceanfront plot of land and one of Maines best lobster shacks as a neighbor. To get to the shack, Watermans Beach Lobster recognized a few years ago by James Beard Foundation for its lobster roll we walked out of our rooms, across our private deck, a hundred yards through the grass to the beach and up a set of stone steps beside the pier. We ate lobster, of course, and rhubarb pie (both to die for) as we watched lobstermen on the pier pulling traps and a group of local kids on the beach skipping stones. Later that night in our room, we listened to waves breaking outside while studying the chart, planning our next days route.

After a good breakfast, it was time to get back on the water. We packed the boat and paddled past dozens of colorful lobster buoys, headed for the Muscle Ridge Island, an archipelago a couple of miles offshore where underwater ledges serve as a breeding ground for harbor seals. We reached the archipelago within an hour, landing our boat on Birch Island for a short hike. The cries of an osprey protecting its nest on the far side of the island grew more urgent the closer we got, so we backed off and returned to our boat, swishing past tufts of daisies and roses. A seal popped up its head and then disappeared at the sight of an oncoming lobster boat.

It was a long paddle to Owls Head, where we would have our choice of a few stony beaches with good shelter for lunch beneath the 1825 lighthouse that marks the entrance to Rockland Harbor. We stuck close to the shore, examining giant maples and pines rising up from a thin layer of soil covering slabs of rust- and brown-colored igneous rock. The rock blocky and jagged, reminded me of a brooding Picasso painting. The tides had been against us all day and the sun was in our eyes as we paddled into the harbor at Rockland, ME. My husband and I emerged from the marina in our life jackets and spray skirts lugging paddles, nautical charts and clothing across the street to the Old Granite Inn, our shoulders sore and heads aching from two hours of paddling in the heat. We were so tired we thought about going straight to sleep.

When you reach it by road, Rockland doesnt look like your quintessentially quaint Maine town. But because we approached it from the water, we missed the Walmart and Pizza Hut most people drive past. Our visit to Rockland started with the Old Granit Inn, (800-386-9036) www.oldgraniteinn.com - an airy bed-and-breakfast with a meticulously kept garden and a front porch overlooking the harbor.

When my husband and I walked into the Black Bull, (205-593-9060) www.blackbulltavern.com, a bar two blocks from the Old Granite Inn, we were so exhausted, we had given up on dinner. My husband had been attacked by some tiny black flies at Owls Head and his forehead was now bulging with a welt the size of a ping-pong ball. The bartender came to the rescue with ice for the welt, dinner reservations at Primo, a local restaurant, one of the best one in Main, he assured us and a taxi to take us there. Even though the Black Bull serves food (including a delicious burger, according to our innkeepers), he was adamant that we have dinner at Primo, (207-596-0770) www.primorestaurant.com. People fly in just to eat there, he told us. I wonder how many people had paddled in
Thats how we wound up having fresh-fruit cocktails from the garden of Primos owner, Melissa Kelly, a James Beard-award-winning chef who trained with Alice Waters and grows most of her ingredients in Primos backyard. We went on to order a delicious halibut caught just offshore that was served with steamed mussels and sweet shrimp gnochetti.

Our last day of kayaking was leisurely, the wind and tides pushing us all the way to Camden, about 25 miles from our starting point at Tenants Harbor. We beached ourselves just below the Camden library, to the right of a waterfall. Mr. Wirth met us there, we hauled the boat onto his trailer, and he dropped us at our final stop, the Hawthorn Inn, (866-381-3647) www.camdenhawthorn.com a massive Victorian where a king-size bed and Jacuzzi bathtub awaited.

We still had to drive back down to Tenants Harbor to pick up our car. But first, we stopped at Camden Cone for a scoop of Maine blueberry ice cream, filled with enough whole berries to rival the flavor of those heavenly strawberry-and-rhubarb drinks wed had, the ones that tasted so good after a long days paddle up the coast of Main. ]]> lhbrown http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/lhbrown/paddling-inn-inn-coast-maine-974/ <![CDATA[Hiking Along Vermont's Long Trail]]> http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/lhbrown/hiking-along-vermonts-long-trail-972/ Mon, 20 Aug 2007 22:45:15 GMT Hi, This past week, we met up with old friends in Johnston, VTto do some hiking. Our friends, long time Vermonters and avid outdoorsmen and... Hi,

This past week, we met up with old friends in Johnston, VTto do some hiking. Our friends, long time Vermonters and avid outdoorsmen and hikers, planned this lovely hike for us. The sights, food, and Lodging on this 39-mile, 3-day hiking trip along Vermonts Long Trail left us as excited as former Governor Howard Dean on a soapbox.

The Route: South from Route 15 in Johnston,we followed the LongTrail to Smugglers Notch, then down to Route 108. We headed South on Route 108 to Sterling Pond Trail and back to the Long Trail, descending to Route 108. Then we went North on Route 108 to the Long Trail to summit both Mount Mansfield and Bolton Mountain, accessing Bolton via the resorts cross- country ski trails.

On Thursday morning, the four of us left our friends house in Johnston, VT early and accessed the Long Trail. Seven miles in, we had exquisite views of Canadas Sutton Mountains, Lake Champlain, and Whiteface Mountain. Once we hit Madonna Peak, we continued on the Long Trail to the base of Smugglers Notch ski area and turned in at the Donomar Inn Bed and Breakfast (doubles $85.00, www.donomarinn.com), complete with down-comforter-covered beds and whirlpool tubs.



The next day, Friday, we hopped back on the Long Trail and pushed hard to make it to Topnotch Resort and Spa, (a favorite of mine and former LL auction property), (doubles from $325.00, www.topnotch.com) by mid-afternoon for some pool time before bed or you can hightail it to Sterling Pond to hang out with the resident moose. The fellows decided they would give it a try to spot the moose, my friend and I opted to stay in the hot tub complete with waterfall that offered spectacular views of Mt. Mansfield, and then get a massage The guys didnt see a moose.but the girls were super-relaxed after a heavenly massage. We enjoyed a lovely dinner together, good food and good wine, and then got to bed early...




The next morning at dawn, Saturday, we fueled up on wild blueberry pancakes and Vermont Mountain Coffee, then headed up 4,393 foot Mount Mansfield, Vermonts tallest peak. (On a clear day, it is said, you can see the Montreal skyline we did not see quite that far, but nonetheless, the views were spectacular). When we arrived wearily in Bolton, we got cleaned up at the Bolton Valley Resort (doubles from $89.00, www.boltonvalley.com) before we headed to dinner, devouring delectable crme brule at Baileys Restaurant (boltonvalley.com/baileys).

Our friends had managed to leave a car at the Bolton Valley Resort, so the next morning, Sunday, after breakfast, we drove back to Johnson, VT, after an exhilarating, fun 3-day hike. ]]> lhbrown http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/lhbrown/hiking-along-vermonts-long-trail-972/ Palazzo Massimo in Rome - Open to the Public every March 16th, since1583 http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/lhbrown/palazzo-massimo-rome-open-public-every-march-16th-since1583-971/ Thu, 16 Aug 2007 00:27:43 GMT Even though my husband and I had been to Rome several times, we stayed pretty much in the area we liked most: for us, the Hotel Raphael behind Piazza... Even though my husband and I had been to Rome several times, we stayed pretty much in the area we liked most: for us, the Hotel Raphael behind Piazza Navona was the absolute best place to be in the Eternal City. There was nothing we enjoyed more than tramping up and down the narrow streets and tiny squares surrounding the enormous and sumptuous oval of Piazza Navona, stopping here and there to have an espresso at a coffee table. Each time we took one of those walks, we discovered something we had never seen or noticed before, even though we thought we knew the place well.

Two years ago in March, we found a Renaissance palace on Corso Vittorio, right behind Piazza Navona, that we had probably passed a dozen times but never "seen." The doors were open so we walked right in, past the vestibule and into the courtyard. We felt a little funny at first, as if we were trespassing, but the doors had been open.
Rounding a corner, we ran into a group of five or six people. Embarrassed, we started to back out, until we heard English spoken and realized that one of the men, who turned out to be a guide, was inviting us to join them. He explained that the Massimo family opened their palace to visitors each March 16th in honor of a miracle that occurred there may years ago. We tagged onto the back of the group as they headed up the old stone steps. We passed through room after room filled with rarely-seen paintings, sculptures and furnishings that were sumptuous beyond belief.
At one point, when we passed a red velvet rope strung across a stairway, we were told that the Massimo family still occupied the palace and retired upstairs each year on visiting day. The guide led the group away, but we hung behind, staring beyond the velvet rope in fascination, remembering "The Grass is Greener," an old movie where Texas oil millionaire Robert Mitchum is part of a tour group visiting one of the great manors of England. He crashes the family's private quarters and falls madly in love with Lady Deborah Kerr, who promptly returns his sentiments because, for some unfathomable reason, she is bored with her husband, Lord Cary Grant. (Ah, Hollywood, the things you expect us to believe!)
Resisting the temptation to step over the red velvet rope, we wandered after our fellow visitors. Eventually we came to an exquisite chapel, which our guide explained had been created to commemorate the miracle of Palazzo Massimo. This astonishing event had taken place on March 16th, 1583, when Saint Filippo Neri brought back the Massimos' young son from death's door. It is said the saint talked to young Prince Paolo as he lay on his deathbed, with the grieving and praying family gathered about him. When the boy had uttered his last prayers and declared he was ready to die, Saint Filippo Neri told him to, "Go and be blessed and pray to God for me." Paolo promptly recovered, and in gratitude for God's intervening hand, Pap Massimo turned the boy's bedroom into a chapel. From that day forward, every March 16th the family has thrown open its doors to welcome those who come and visit the place where the miracle occurred.

A lovely story! A beautiful place to visit if you happen to be in Rome on that particular day, March 16th. It costs nothing, and to get in, all you have to do is show up. If you can't be in Romeon March 16th, the portico and vestibule of the palace are always open and you can peek in if you want. Also, you can go around behind the palace to the seldom-visited Piazza dei Massimi, onto which the back door of the palace opens. Its painted faade, executed by Polidor da Caravaggio, is worth the added effort needed to find a way into what may be the tiniest piazza in Rome.

Palazzo Massimo is located on Corso Vittorio Emanuele between Piazza San Pantaleo and Corso Rinascimento.








Message Edited by lhbrown on 08-28-2007 12:56 PM ]]> lhbrown http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/lhbrown/palazzo-massimo-rome-open-public-every-march-16th-since1583-971/ One of the finest wine routes in Europe - Alsace, France: Two Cultures in one http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/lhbrown/one-finest-wine-routes-europe-alsace-france-two-cultures-one-964/ Thu, 19 Apr 2007 16:57:48 GMT Of all the French wine-growing areas, Alsace, close to the German border, stands apart. Its differences from the rest of France are obvious: The... Of all the French wine-growing areas, Alsace, close to the German border, stands apart. Its differences from the rest of France are obvious: The landscapes, the architecture, even the food, seem to have more connections with central Europe than with the rest of France. Place names and the local dialect are clearly more German than French.

Thanks to its rich architecture and cultural heritage, this wine-growing region attracts enthusiasts with a combination of wine and other pleasures. Today wine-tastings and visits are organized around innovative or more traditional local cuisine. Against the backdrop of magnificent landscapes and historical treasures, vineyards are the ideal setting for stays ranging from a long weekend to a weeks vacation with wine as the main theme.
Planning your visit:
www.franceguide.com
www.tourisne-alsace.com
www.vinsalsace.com
www.alsace-route-de-vins.com
Wineries


Hugel et Fils, 3 Rue de la Premier Armee, 68340 Riquewihr, www.hugel.com One of the best established wine companies in Alsace, their base is an old building in the very touristic village of Riquewihr. A wider range of very good wines is produced.

Domaine Weinbach, Clos des Capucins, 68340 Kaysersberg, www.domainweinbach.com Unusual for the region, the premises lie outside the town in a former monastery, surrounded by walls. Run by three ladies, this is a model of a top-quality, small volume producer. One must book ahead, but tasting here can be a memorable experience. I have met the three ladies at an evening at the Vignerons at the Ritz in Paris, and their wines were truly outstanding.
Sleeping and eating

Relais Gourmands

Alsace is a gastronomic paradise with good restaurants and may different price levels. Here are a couple of its up-market stars:

Au Crocodile, 10 Route de lOutre, Strasbourg, Alsace, France
The heart of this special Crocodile beats in the midst of the old town of Strasbourg. This tasteful setting is dedicated to the art of living under the watchful eye of Monique Jung in the dining room and Emile, her husband, in the kitchen. Devoted to bon vivants and lovers of rare emotions, the cuisine at the Crocodile sits very well with the cultural ambience and admirably marries the seasons past, present and future - in delicious, original dishes adorned with a pinch of soul.
Restaurant Burehiesel, 4 Parc de lOrangerie, Strasbourg, Alsace, France

This Molsheim farm was rebuilt in the Parc de lOrangerie for an exhibition in 1895. It has since become a luxurious dwelling whose extensive conservatory is housed in a glass prism. There you can savor the cuisine of Antoine and Eric Westermann, imbued with the richness of the Alsatian region, which the chef metamorphoses into astonishing creations like poularde de Bresse cuite comme un Baeckeoffe.

Relais & Chateaux in France

Hostellerie Abbaye de la Pommeraie, 8, avenue du Marchal-Foch , Selestat, Alsace, France

The Abbaye de la Pommeraie, once part of a Cistercian abbey, awaits you in the heart of one of the finest vineyards, in Slestat, the humanist centre of Alsace. You can be sure of a warm Alsatian welcome and will be thrilled with the attentive service of your hosts, by the elegant, spacious rooms looking onto the old town or garden. The cuisine in both the Prieur and the Apfelstuebel does full justice to the flavors and products of the region.

Chateau dAdomnil, 54300 Lunville (Meurthe-et-Moselle)

When the Duke of Lorraine created his own "petit Versailles" he built it in Lunville. Standing close by in a spacious park, the Chteau dAdomnil possesses the same architectural elegance. As the Lorraine light glints on the wood paneling and antique furniture of the chteaus interior, mallards glide around the moat outside. Refined cuisine is enhanced by a rare Ctes-de-Toul or a fruity Gewurztraminer.

Hostellerie La Chenaudire, Colroy-la-Roche, Alsace, France

Nestling between Alsace and the Vosges mountains, this picturesque residence features calm, comfortable rooms with breathtaking views of the mountains and forests. After relaxing in the sauna, whirlpool or indoor-pool, guests can choose between two restaurants, one offering gourmet cuisine, and the other regional specialties. The Hostellerie La Chenaudiere also offers their prestigious wines.

Any one of the three properties mentioned here would make a welcome and worthy addition to the Luxury Link portfolio.

A bit of History of Strasbourg, Obernai, Slestat and Haut-Koenigsbourg

Strasbourg, Capital of Europe, has 2000 years of history behind it but still resolutely looks towards the future.From the sublime Notre-Dame Cathedral to the Petite France district, not forgetting the Kammerzell House, Orangery Park or the Rohan Palace, the city has one of Europes most beautiful urban landscapes.

If, in addition, we take a proven culinary tradition and splendid Christmas market into account, it is clear why people persistently return to Strasbourg.
Obernai, birthplace of Ste-Odile, the patron saint of Alsace, combines a rich historical heritage (Six Seaux well, Church of St-Peter and Paul, cornhall) and high-class culinary tradition.

A few miles away, MountSte-Odile offers a superb panoramic view of the Alsatian plain. Further south, Haut-Koenigsbourg, a magnificent 12th century castle towers majestically more than 800 meters above the ground. Truly a must-see place.

Not far away, Slestat, the capital of humanism in the Renaissance, has one of the rare libraries still in existence devoted to this movement, as well as a very appealing old quarter (around the Churches of Ste-Foi and St-George).

What else to see and do

Unterlinden, Colmar, www.musee-underlinden.com
This privately owned museum is not to be missed. In the center of Colmar, it contains one of the masterpieces of medieval painting, the Rectable of Issenheim by Gruenwald, as well as a wonderful collection of gothic sculpture and much more. ]]> lhbrown http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/lhbrown/one-finest-wine-routes-europe-alsace-france-two-cultures-one-964/