From the crème de la crème of haute cuisine, the shopping (oh, lord love the shopping), the glitzy theaters and the never-ending list of bougie bars and boutique hotels, London is an expensive city. But as the age-old saying goes, there are pleasures in life that money simply cannot buy—and believe it or not, some » Read more

ASK Theadora Brack in Paris— DEAR Theadora: Next month I plan to visit Paris with my family. Do you have any pâtisserie recommendations? Or do you not nibble and tell? Your fan, Earl, New York, New York DEAR Earl: As a lover of sweets, I don’t just nibble and tell, Sweet-tooth, I nibble and yell! » Read more

While it’s not hard to find a supermarket in Rome that carries all of the essentials on your grocery list, there’s nothing like scouring a mercato all’aperto (an open-air or farmers’ market) for the freshest fruits and veggies. Ah, yes. Shopping at these markets is a real Roman rite of passage and the perfect chance to » Read more

You know Germans take their baked goods seriously when the recipe for the famed Black Forrest Cake is strictly regulated by the state. Fittingly, one of the most venerable traditions in Germany is Kaffee und Kuchen, or coffee and cake eaten after an afternoon stroll. Finding affordable Kaffee und Kuchen is… well, a piece of » Read more

Florence is a medieval fairy tale city of churches, palazzos and cobblestones. However, like in other cities, it has had to adapt to modern times and technology. In January 2010, Florence took a giant leap into the future by christening the first of three tramway lines servicing the city center and surrounding areas. Despite much » Read more

Spain’s high-speed rail network was inaugurated in 1992 with the opening of the Madrid–Seville link. Latterly the network served by super-fast trains (known as Alta Velocidad Española or AVE services) has been extended to include Málaga (in 2007) and Barcelona (in 2008). A new AVE service to Valencia will start in December 2010. High-speed links » Read more

Paris did it, albeit with a few setbacks, and now it’s London’s turn to implement a public bike-share program. The mayor has championed cycling in the capital as a green and healthy means of navigating the city. He was also keen to be snapped riding about on one of the new bank-sponsored bikes for the » Read more

In a city where customer service is as low a priority as cleaning up after your dog, the scarcity of tipping in Paris should come as no surprise. Still, many Americans find it difficult to stop calculating 15-20% of the bill before it hits the café table. Some visitors and foreigners in Paris take a » Read more

Finding the best gelaterias in Venice was undoubtedly some of the best research I’ve done for a blog post! It was hard work, but someone had to do it. Armed with determination (and a few companions), I started my search for good ice cream shops in Venice. When I mean good, I mean places that use real » Read more