Photograph by Kaymaria Daskarolis

When in Nafplio—about two and a half hours from Athens by bus—do as the Italians do. Yes, Nafplio is in Greece, but given the heavy Venetian influence, consider functioning like an Italian and getting yourself some gelato.

Antica Gelateria di Roma (Farmakopoulon 3 and Komninou, tel: +30-27520-23520), a traditional Italian ice cream shop, is open every day of the week from 8:30 a.m. until 1:30 a.m. or 2 a.m., keeping with Greek tradition of closing whenever the shop’s proprietors decide to shut the doors. On Fridays and Saturdays, it is open until around 3 a.m. The owners, Italian transplants to Greece, speak Greek, Italian, and English, and offer yummy ice cream and a welcoming atmosphere.

Our favorite flavors here are coconut, caramel, hazelnut, and chocolate. The coconut ice cream is refreshing and palate-cleansing. Caramel is mouth-watering, smooth, and creamy. Hazelnut is like cold Nutella, but with a slightly less intense flavor. Bitter chocolate is not quite as bitter as we would have liked, but it’s still a delight for chocoholics. The chocolate with grappa is rich and flavorful. A small cup of this culinary bliss costs only €1.50. We recommend the slightly larger cup, which will set you back €3.50.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Photograph by Baby Skinz

Just in time for the spring strike season, Paris is celebrating the work of one of the most notorious revolutionaries in modern history, Ernesto “Che” Guevara. You’ve already seen the t-shirts, watched The Motorcycle Diaries and probably seen a likeness of the revolutionary’s face too many times to count.

Few, however, have viewed the photographic oeuvre of Ernesto Guevara. Marking the anniversary of Guevara’s controversial death is a Paris exhibit devoted to his photography. Organized by Guevara’s oldest son Camilo, the work chronicles his life as a photographer and revolutionary, and includes work from the 1955 Pan-American games in Mexico to a self-portrait taken shortly before El Che’s death.

“Le Che photographe” will show at the Barrio Latino, 46 rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine, until May 7.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Photograph by ALA-Gator

We finally got around to taking a look at our April issue of Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel. Our favorite item therein? Well, thanks for asking. We found Marilyn Holstein’s “Gently Down the Stream” suggestive, even inspiring. Holstein’s article is essentially a narrative of her river cruise journey from Nürnberg to Budapest.

We have to confess that we’ve never been cruise people. They’ve just never really appealed to us. But the thought of a small cruise wending its way down a river is infinitely more appealing than the thought of a massive jumbo ship lumbering across open seas. The intinerary Holstein describes is quite lovely, to boot. In addition to Nürnberg and Budapest, her cruise took in Kelheim, Regensburg, Passau, Melk, and Vienna. It’s not difficult imagining how gorgeous this journey would be during the summer.

For gold-star Cheapos, Holstein’s budget may be out of reach. The cheapest cabin we found on her Viking Lines cruise was $1799 for “E” class accommodations.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Photograph by Tyrianterror

UFOs exist and they are hovering over French countryside.

Witnesses of unidentified flying objects the world over have France’s National Center for Space Studies to thank. As reported last week, the public is now invited to space out on more than 100,000 pages of testimonies, photographs, film footage, and audiotapes from its UFO archives via its Web site. Up until now, most Western countries have considered such records to be classified matters of national security.

Finally, we can post those pictures we took last July of the mysterious flashes illuminating the Eiffel Tower. Or, wait…was that just a laser light show?

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Yesterday’s New York Times’ travel section had some tasty pieces, including:

Madrid is the Spanish Major
Dale Fuchs offers a “Siesta to Sunrise” itinerary to prove that Madrid has eclipsed Barcelona in the cool category. We’ll see you at 6 AM for some churros and hot chocolate.

Also in Dale’s guide to Madrid:

Eating and Drinking in Spain’s Capital
Some suggestions for eating (tapas and “avante-garde” cuisines), drinking, and clubbing in Madrid.

Shopping, Art, and Fashion in Madrid
Haute couture, something to frame, and matador suits.

The Latest Amenity: A Hypo-Allergenic Room
Hotels have started offering “Pure Rooms,” taking sterilization to new levels. But who wants to sleep alone?

France’s Le Perche Is the Last Terroir
Colette Rossant takes us on a weekend getaway toLe Perche, an idyllic getaway in lower Normandy, France.

Into the Mystical Unreal Reality of the Faroe Islands
An exploration of life on the “archipelago of 18 upthrusted hunks of igneous rocks in the middle of precisely nowhere.”

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Photograph by Amelia PS

Until May 13, 2007, Georgia O’Keefe: Nature and Abstraction will be on display at the Irish Museum of Modern Art.

Like most Irish museum exhibits, the Georgia O’Keefe exhibition is absolutely free to visitors.

Presented in association with The Irish Times, this O’Keefe exhibition will next travel to the Vancouver Art Gallery in Canada. The exhibition consists of 30 works completed between 1918 and 1977. It includes landscapes, flower pictures, and abstract art.

O’Keefe’s paintings have always been viewed as richly erotic—see the ode to O’Keefe above—and this O’Keeffe exhibition may be just the place for a romantic rendezvous. Hopefully, giggling school children won’t be in attendance.

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Photograph by Kaymaria Daskarolis

Yesterday (March 25) was Greek Independence Day. This date marks the day when the Greeks, after 400 years of slavery, took up their fight for freedom against the Turks in 1821. It is, obviously, an important date for Greeks, and is celebrated with patriotic parades and displays of Greek culture hidden the other 364 days of the year.

On March 25, groups of children from Athens to Thessaloniki to Corfu to Ikaria can be found performing Greek folk dances. Outside of Greek Independence Day, Greek folk dances are few and far between these days, barring the occasional wedding reception.

Though many businesses in Greece close on Greek Independence Day, it’s nevertheless a great time to visit. If you happen to be planning a spring trip to Greece, it’s worthwhile to have your visit coincide with Independence Day. Aside from the value of witnessing how a country understands itself, it provides a rare opportunity to witness Greeks in Greece performing customary folk dances and wearing time-honored celebratory outfits.

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Photograph by angelocesare

How many pharmacies can claim frescoed ceilings and whispering shoppers? Only the Officina Profumo Farmaceutica Santa Maria Novella in the former chapel belonging to the Dominican monastery of Santa Maria Novella in Florence.

Since the 15th century, this herbalist and pharmacy has collected a faithful following of jet setters and average Florentines who fancy luxurious soaps, perfumes, pomades, and ancient infusions. Our top picks include Pasta di Manorle, a sweet almond hand cream perfected by the Monks, and a magic blend of handmade organic potpourri.

Good luck finding these rarities outside of Florence. If you do manage to do so, prices are double or triple what you pay in the original Pharmacy of Santa Maria Novella. Although not quite as cheap as the items on offer at the corner Boots or Duane Reade, these 600 year-old potions a relative bargain when purchased on site.

The pharmacy is located a stone’s throw from the Santa Maria Church on Via della Scala.
39-055-216-276

Popularity: 8% [?]

Photograph by Julien Hery

Paris city administration will launch an ambitious bike lending program this summer called “Velib.” The curious name is a hybrid of the French words for bicycle (”velo”) and freedom (”liberte”).

A fleet of 14,100 bicycles will be made available at 1,420 hiring spots for daily, weekly or yearly rentals. The rates? Dirt cheap. After paying a subscription fee of €1 for a day or €5 for the week, one will be able to pick up a bike and use it for free for one full half-hour. After that, your credit card gets charged at the following rates: €1 for the first half-hour, €2 for the next half-hour and €4 for every subsequent half-hour. The system is stacked in favor of short, point-to-point trips. If the city authorities deliver on the promised density of the network, it should work like a dream for visitors.

Children under 14 are not allowed to use the system and those aged between 14-18 have to show authorization from a legal guardian. More information will be available on a Web site due to launch later this year.

Work to set up the pick-up and drop-off points starts this week. The three-speed bikes will be grey and equipped with sturdy front baskets. Paris boasts over 300 kilometers of bicycle paths inside the city, and some streets are closed to traffic on Sundays and public holidays for cyclists, pedestrians, and roller-bladers. Take a look at the city’s cycle path maps.

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We just discovered rooms.ch, a network of over 200 Swiss budget hotels in over 140 localities throughout Switzerland. Given Switzerland’s Cheapo-hostile price index, a resource like this one is indispensible.

We weren’t able to find any available rooms on the site for some random dates in July, however. We’re not sure if this inability reflects technical problems or a prior run on Switzerland’s few cheap hotel rooms.

In any case, rooms.ch is a key addition to the Cheapo bookmark archive.

Popularity: 6% [?]