Winter ‘08 Cheap Travel Newsletter

THREE FREE STARWOOD GLOBAL HOTEL NIGHTS

We previously reported on the Holiday Inn Free hotel nights offer. In fact, we used one of our Free nights to stay at the Paris Express Holiday Inn at Charles de Gaulle airport. We hate paying $150 for any airport hotel especially when such stays are usually short duration (arrive late and leave early the next day) and involve the most basic of hotel rooms to wit: room, bed, bath, TV and usually little or nothing more. For all these reasons we totally appreciated our Free pre-departure night at Charles de Gaulle airport. We now report on a new, current offer from Starwood Hotels. We DO NOT VOUCH for this offer and have not personally used it to date. We report on this deal since the cost for participation is ZERO DOLLARS, so no risk. You will need to check out their hotels including catabory one hotels which permit up to THREE FREE NIGHTS. Higher category hotels may permit only ONE FREE NIGHT using the FREE 10,000 sign-up bonus points. All in all it seems quite similar to the Holiday Inn offer and the Starwood group includes many major hotel chains such as Sheraton. Here are details of the Starwood offer: Who is Starwood? Here is Starwood’s description of the Starwood Preferred program and the Starwood group of hotels: Starwood Preferred is the hotel industry’s most rewarding frequent travel program. Members of Starwood Preferred Guest can earn points and redeem awards at most Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, Four Points by Sheraton Hotels, St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, The Luxury Collection, Le Méridien, W Hotels, and Westin Hotels & Resorts, - more than 825 participating hotels in over 95 countries. Starwood Preferred Guest also features no blackout dates on Free Night Awards., Bringing together the world’s best names in hotels and resorts, Starwood properties include: Sheraton Hotels, Four Points by Sheraton, St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, Le Méridien, W Hotels, and Westin. To learn more about Starwood, visit: www.starwoodhotels.com. STARWOOD’S THREE FREE NIGHTS OFFER: Another ‘easy’ give-away deal. Simply apply for the Starwood Preferred Guest American Express card and make ONE PURCHASE and you will receive 10,000 bonus Starpoints. The Bonus points will appear on your Starwood Preferred Guest statement 8-12 weeks after your first purchase. Bonus Starpoints are for first-time Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card members only. How do these points translate to THREE FREE NIGHTS LODGING? The points cost of one night of lodging at Category 1 Starwood hotels start at 2000 points for a weekend night.

For complete information on reward stays, visit www.spg.com Also on this same page you can find the Free 3 nights offer. On this page click on either the 10,000 Free Points Offer or the Three Free Nights Offer, both are in fact the same offer since 10,000 points qualifies for three Free catagory one hotel nights.

Be sure to create your Free Starwood Preferred account prior to or at the time you participate in this offer.

Pictured below on the left is the large deserts, salads and fruits and create your own fruit salad section. Beyond the center island, out of sight, is the grill/entree area. There is a pizzeria section that is not pictured. With dinner plate in hand you head for the grill to order an entree. Entrees include made to order beef, chicken, fish, rabbit and other goodies. Once you have your entree you may head for the center island (pictured). This island offers veggies, sauces, several types of fries and potatoes, rice and more. You have one shot at this island (no seconds) and may add as much as you wish to your entree plate. At this point everything on your plate is included for the price of your entree. Everything else offered on the other islands, ex. salads, deserts, drinks are strictly a la carte and extra as priced. Once your tray houses all your ‘eats’ you head a register, pay for the meal and leave the food area for the tables area.

Presently there are about THREE FLUNCH restaurants in Paris and all told about 100+ in France. Entrees include such as duck, fried rabbit with herbs, coq au vin, pasta bake, stuffed beef, salmon, fresh grilled burgers, and much more. Most dishes are priced in the $6 to $10 range which is bargain basement for Paris. FLUNCH restaurants are also located in many other countries. Here is the very French language FLUNCH web site which includes a list locations and addresses for all FLUNCH eateries.

• Web site: http://www.flunchtour.com/index.asp
  
• The two FLUNCH restaurants we visited were their Les Halles location and Rue Rambeteau
• locations, the latter next to the Centre Pompidou & Rue Rambeteau metro exit
• 
  THE CHINESE FAST FOOD OPTION
  In recent years Chinese ‘fast food’ restaurants have sprung up on almost every block in every neighborhood. One quickly learns to scan a block for the ‘usually’ red Chinese sign hanging above a small 3-8 table eatery. As you approach the restaurant’s window provides a tasty looking display of many dishes. Some that are common to all these restaurants are sweet and sour pork or chicken, beef pepper onions, crispy chicken, fried rice, noodles and sliced breast of duck.
  We love these convenient eateries that for all the best reasons. On the big plus side you may find 15-20 dishes on display each with a sign noting the price for 100grams (3.5 ounces) usually bargained priced at about $3. I simply point to a dish and indicate how many Euros worth of the dish I would like. Ex. Point and say: tois euros si vous plais. You may add the word chaud meaning warm so that the food will be nuked. Add the words pour emporter and they will pack it to go. Or we may grab a table for a fast, inexpensive meal.
  
  We have found the quality acceptable and most dishes are very good. There is always the issue of sauces which may or may not improve a dish to our taste. On the whole these eateries are available and almost always offer a fine, easy and totally inexpensive alternative to traditional fast food eateries and two hour traditional restaurant sit-down lunches. Here is the view of a four dishes you might in such a restaurants window display. And that is what often beckons us in. On the down side these dishes are not prepared to order. The colorful below restaurant’s window display dishes include beef and onions, chicken and veggies and sweet and sour chicken. In this rare instance the ‘price’ signs will be found on similar food displays inside the restaurant.
  
  
  
  
  AN ‘EXCLUSIVE’ CTN TIP - AOBA RESTAURANT

  We like buffet restaurants, especially the rare occasional buffet ‘find’ in a foreign country. When it comes to Paris such restaurants are very rare. The french words to look for are “a volante.” During our recent Summer 2007 stay in Paris we found a little gem of a volante restaurant. There are at least three things going for the Aoba restaurant. They are (1) great location (2) excellent quality gourmet type food and (3) super low price. Found on the right bank a couple of metro stops from the Opera at Metro Richelieu Drout (lines 8 or 9).

  Aoba, as the name implies, in an Asian theme buffet eatery that serves Chinese, Japanese and other Asian dishes that include sliced duck breast with orange sauce, frogs legs, grill/rotisserie meats, egg rolls, chicken and more. The buffet table is not huge and the offerings are somewhat limited BUT the high level of quality makes up for that. Here are two
  views of the buffet table and interior decor:
  

  Here is Aoba’s super low (for Paris that is) price list. Not French savvy? Evenings, weekends and holidays are about $20, with mid-week lunches going for about $16. Without doubt the BEST BUY is Aoba’s execellent dinner.
  
  
  

  We found the Aoba restaurant by chance, while exploring our apartment’s neighborhood. Our Aoba dinner was sovory and memorable. Good service, excellent food and all around a fun and tasty meal. Patty devoured frogs legs and we both feasted on the sauced sliced, boneless duck breast. Just before leaving we noticed a patron walking to a freezer where he helped himself to scoops of yummy ice cream. We had not noticed this and quickly joined in for this ‘inlcuded’ desert. We recommend Aoba for a fun and very different money saving dining experience. Also, because it is not a typical Chinese restaurant one finds an interesting variety of Asian dishes.

  Contact/location info: Aoba’s address is 106, rue de Richelieu, Tel: 01 42 60 26 22

  ANOTHER $$$$$ SAVING FOOD BUYING & LODGING TIP:
  Many readers have savored apartment life in Paris for weeks or months. We salute you! Recently we referred a friends college age daughter to New York Habitat, the agency we used on two occasions to rent our apartments, for a ‘short term’ one week rental. Of course the cost of any apartment is highest for such a short term rental BUT there are at least three great reasons to consider a short term rental. First, such apartments cost the same or less than better 2-Star Paris hotels currently charging $130-$170 per day. Second, the level of increased COMFORT in larger sized apartments and third the inclusion of a kitchen. Having a kitchen not only insures super savings on daily breakfast but permits home cooked savings whenever one tires of daily restaurant meals.
  
  Enter our recent Summer 2007 Paris stay and our neighborhood LIDL SUPERMARKET. What a great $$$$ saving find! This chain has about 25 markets throughout Paris. It offers super discount prices compared to all other markets including our second favorite market MONOPRIX. Ex. gourmet smoked salmon $50/lb in gourmet markets, $18/lb at Monoprix was just $9/lb at LIDL. And the quality was comparable. Our usual Diet Coke cost about $1.50 at Monoprix and the LIDL house brand of diet cola (amazingly would could not tell the difference in a blind test) cost an incredible low price of twenty cents per bottle or SIX to ONE.
  The LIDL company motto says it all: Quality is big and prices are small at Lidl
  Here is the LIDL store locator page for Paris: http://www.lidl.fr/fr/home.nsf/pages/i.home
  Check our our YouTube LIDL video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=GMLutMz6sVs
  
  
  A VERY DIFFERENT SEINE BOAT RIDE/TOUR - BATOBUS
  

  Over the years we have enjoyed many traditional day and evening Seine River boat rides that are 1-2 hours in duration. During our recent Summer 2007 visit we did something new and different. We took the Batobus, a water-bus that offers Hop-On-Hop-Off service at eight Seine River stops which are convenient to many of the city’s best sights. One, two and five day tickets are offered. One may ride the boats for hours at a time or use the hop on-hop off convenience to go sightseeing and then catch later boats to the next stop(s). Perhaps more important one may enjoy both a day cruise and exciting night cruise on Batobus saving many $$$$$ over the cost of two seperate traditional day and evening boat rides. The trade-off for this convenience is that Batobus does not offer a narrated guided Seine tour. One should have a good knowledge of the area or use a guide book during the ride. Here are the eight Batobus stops.

  

  Since we were living in Paris for much of the Summer and had a beautiful sunny day we rode Batobus, from the Tour Eiffel dock, for about three lovely liesure hours on the Seine finally exiting at the Champs -Elysees dock. By doing this our time on the Seine was about double that of any traditional boat tour.
  

  

  Batobus boats run every 15 to 30 minutes during the daytime year-round, except for a one-month winter break in January. (From late April to the end of September, service is extended until 10 p.m.) Look for the Batobus dockside signs like the Tour Eiffel Batobus stop sign on the right.

  
  No need to wait to buy a ticket.1 - day Pass: €12
  

  (€6 for children under 16, €8 Privilege rate ticket*)
  2 - day Pass**: €14
  (€7 for children under 16, €9 Privilege rate ticket*)
  5 - day Pass**: €17
  (€8 for children under 16, €11 Privilege rate ticket*)
  Annual Pass: €55 (€35 for children under 16

  
  10.30 am - 4.30 pm:
  from 8 February to 13 March
  and from 12 November to 18 December 2009

  10.30 am - 5.00 pm:
  from 19 December to 4 January 2009
  
  10.00 am - 7.00 pm:
  from 14 March to 29 May
  and from 1 September to 11 November 2009

  10.00 am - 9.30 pm:
  from 30 May to 31 August 2009

  Service frequency
  A Batobus every 15 to 30 minutes.

  Locations: Tour Eiffel, Musée d’Orsay, Saint-Germain-des-Pres, Nôtre-Dame, and Jardin des Plantes on the Left Bank; Hôtel de Ville, Louvre, and Champs-Elysées on the Right Bank. (The route is circular, with all boats going in the same direction.) here is the LINK for the Batobus English version web site: http://www.batobus.com/english/index.htm

  OFF THE BEATEN PATH PARIS SIGHTSEEING
  With a bit of help from YouTube we take this opportunity to mention some ‘old’ favorite off the beaten path sightseeing tips as well as new tips from our Summer 2007 Paris visit.
  
  First some oldie but still awesome tips:

  Jacquemart Andre Museum: Visit a central Paris private circa late 1890′ mansion with its monumental staircase and awesome private art collection. View our YouTube video at:
  http://youtube.com/watch?v=It8fz1HvNfA
  For more info visit:
  http://www.musee-jacquemart-andre.com/en/jacquemart/
  

  
  BOATRIDE ‘UNDER’ THE STREETS OF PARIS - THE CANALS OF PARIS

  
  Okay, you’ve done the tour Eiffel and other major Paris sights. BUT, have you taken a boat ride
  under the streets of Paris? This truly off the beaten path sightseeing was great fun. We took the Metro to the distant stop at the Parc de la Villette. Take a Chestnut-tree lined canal St. Martin, pass through quaint old locks and swing bridges, ride under the streets of Paris including the Bastille and finally reach the Seine River. The morning trip departs from the D’Orsay Museum while the afternoon trip departs from the Parc de la Villette.
  
  Here is your Canal ride YouTube video:
  http://youtube.com/watch?v=ucbdS6nPU4E

  For more info visit: http://www.pariscanal.com/sommaire.php3?lang=en

  SIGHTSEEING 2007 STYLE
  Given our many visits to Paris it was time to fine new, interesting and fun places to explore in the city of lights. We researched Virtualtourist.com for off the beaten path tips that we might check out.
  The tips and hence our list were impressive. Here are some of our favorites together with contact and YouTube LINKS.
  
  PARC DES BUTTES CHAUMONT: A waterfall in Paris? You bet. Seeing is believing. Check out Steve’s Butte Chaumont YouTube video for a mini tour of this overlooked park including the best waterfall in Paris.
  
  The park sports lovely picnic grounds, rolling hills, a mini lake (once a quarry) waterfall, suicide bridge and colorful ducks. A great respite from the sightseeing hoards while enjoying a unique piece of Paris real estate. The park itself was created by Napoleon III in the 1660’s. You reach the park via the smallest Metro line in Paris. That would be line 7B with its eight stations four of which form a loop.

  Location: The parc is located in the 18th arrondissenment with two Metro entrances at Metro Botzaris and Metro Buttes Chaumont.

  Good Buttes Chaumont article: http://www.aviewoncities.t YouTube video at:
  http://youtube.com/watch?v=cxwQ2K-xXRU

  And here is a cool shot of the quarry:
  
  

  The park is located in the 19th arrondissenment at the Rue Botzaris and has two metro entrances: Botzaris and Buttes Chaumont.

  
  PARC LE SQUARE VERT GALANT
  
  Enjoy this so cool spot in Paris located on the most western tip of the Ile Cite.This park is so central to Paris that many of us literally walk over and past it. Best of all is the out of sight VIEW of both sides of the Seine River. Bring wine, cheese and pick a spot near the very tip where your feet will dangle about 5-6 feet above the Seine River. Relax and take in the views as boat after boat passes by. Parc le Square Vert Galant may just be the best vest pocket park in the world. First, here is a great shot of the park. The park actual extends out for the mid-point of the above bridge as seen in this dramatic photo.

  

  Check out the equestrian statue of King Henri IV, who was assassinated by Ravaillac. By way of history King Henri was a womanizer and so the nickname ”old spark” AKA Vert Galant. Two of his mistresses were quite famous. They were Gabrielle d’Estrées and Henriette d’Entragues. This little triangular park was dedicated to the loving memory of this beloved king. Also, notice that it appears to be a sunken garden because it remains at its original level whereas the remainder of Isle Cite has been built up over the centuries.

  There is no better way to appreciate this gem of a park that taking a video tour led by Steve. Here is the LINK for Steve’s tour of Parc Le Square Vert Galant:
  Part One: http://youtube.com/watch?v=9:2Yq3odZWrA
  Part Two: http://youtube.com/watch?v=siErp7yV-lo

  VISIT OFF THE BEATEN PATH RUE BARRES
  
  This marvelous central Paris street should not be missed. It’s ancient cobblestone street, devoid of cars and lined with an awesome gothic-architecture church, makes the visit no less than a throw back in time.

  For those wishing our brief video tour here is the YouTube LINK:
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OF0zYzA6TU
  
  TOO OFTEN OVERLOOKED 15TH CENTURY HOTEL DE SENS

  Grab a book or simply sack out (as we did) on a bench as you take in the below view of the Hotel de Sens, built in 1475.We think that this picture says it ALL.

  
  
  Yes, we do. A bit of marvelous history is in order. The Hotel de Sens mansion is one of only three medieval private residences remaining in Paris. It was built between 1475 and 1507. Its original inhabitant was the archbishop of of Sens. During the sixteenth century it was a center of intrigue while the Cardinal of Guise lived there. In 1605 Queen Margot, the first wife of Henri IV lived here. Later, during 1689-1743, it was the office of the Lyons stage coach. It now houses the Bibliothèque Forney, devoted to decorative and fine arts, as well as industrial techniques. It also has a large collection of posters and wall paper.

  Location: 1, rue du Figuier Paris, 4th arrondissenment, Metro: Pont-Marie
  
  Take our YouTube tour: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_JN-tOwaUI

  WILDLIFE IN PARIS? YES, AND HAVE A VILLAGE AS WELL
  
  
  
  Bercy Village is another of our favorite off the beaten path destinations. The fairly new Bercy Village quarter was formed from renovated 18th century stone wine-warehouses and also offers a nearby new park and garden, Jardin de Bercy. The park even includes a small vineyard paying homage to the wine warehouses that used to fill this quarter! The village is comprised of a lovely cobblestoned main street lined with shops, wine bars, bistros and cafés.

  As for the promised wildlife……We took this photo whilst picnicking in the park:

  
  

  Getting there: Metro Cour Saint-Emilion

  
  

  
  

  
  PLACE D’LENA STREET MARKET

  
  
  There is no more fun than losing oneself in Paris. And all the better knowing that a fun surprise may lie just around the next corner. This time around we were on a bus that had departed from the Tour Eiffel and crossed over a bridge to the right bank. Suddenly, we spied a huge tented street market. If we had a car in Paris it would bear a bumper sticker exclaiming “We break for street markets.” Our initial reaction was more than justified as this market proved to be unique for its very high quality and also huge in size. The Place D’Lena market is open only two days per week on Wed. & Sat. Here you will find elegant carpets, colorful flowers, top quality meats, fish n’ fowl, ancient breads, fine wines, gourmet cheeses and delectable Foie Gras. As noted, unlike many other markets this one is not limited solely to meats, fruits and veggies. We have visited scores of the best street markets in Paris and this one is an all too often overlooked GEM.
  Note: Take Metro to either station Lena or Alma-Marceau. Hours about 8am to 1pm. Also, the market is on Avenue President Wilson.

  BONUS: Enough said, how about another deluxe VIDEO TOUR! Here is the LINK to our in depth video tour of this
  marvelous market:
  http://youtube.com/watch?v=lMGsSjbq7-A

  
  NUTS N’ BOLTS
  We found and wish to share this great, colorful ‘plan’ of all Paris arrisdissenments including a brief description of each neighborhood and its local attractions.
  http://www.paris-tourist-information.co.uk/Paris-Arrondissement.htm

  STEVE’S GIZMO COLUMN - A SUPER WAY TO VIEW TRAVEL PIX

  As the Christmas and Hanukkah season approached I was assigned the task of selecting some new, unusual, quality gifts for four close family members and friends. My diligent search plus an interesting Radio Shack ad pointed me in a fun, interesting direction. I had seen this product here and there over recent years but prices were far too high. This time around the timing and prices were perfect. Reading through the holiday newspaper ads one thing was crystal clear, namely, digital picture frames were the ‘in’ gift this season. Store after store, like Circuit City, Sears, Frys Electronics, Best Buy and even K-Mart and Target were getting into the digital frame game. How to choose?

  Just imagine, you have a whim to view any one of a dozens of travel slide shows on your desk, coffee table etc. And these shows are in brilliant high resolution that seems to pop right off the LCD screen. Read on……

  I did a quick study, checked reviews and prices and concluded that Radio Shack’s Smart Parts SP8RS 8″ digital picture frame was the way to go. Check out the below picture of the SP8RS and the descriptive bullet points.

  

  • Super high 800×600 resolution supporting JPEG files
    
  • 8″ frame is the ideal way to display your photos and compliments many décors
  • Slide Show mode is a convenient method to display all your pictures in a continuous mode
  • Slide Show mode offers you many preprogrammed transitions from slide to slide
  • Most functions of your digital picture frame can be controlled from the included remote control
  • Built-in card reader so you don’t need a direct connection to a computer
  • Card reader supports Compact Flash, Secure Digital, Memory Stick & Xtreme Digital (xD) memory cards
  • Frame allows you to delete, rotate and/or pan pictures
  • Internal flash memory of 126mb
  • Screen has a resolution of 800×600 and supports JPEG files
  • Opti-Pix software that adjusts pictures to better fit the frame’s screen.
    

  A good indication of quality is right there on Radio Shack’s web. The site includes no less than EIGHTEEN USER REVIEWS with an average outstanding rating of 4.5 out of five stars.

  I purchased ONE SP8RS frame to ‘field test’ at home. The frame’s high resolution image, just as I had read, is stunning. Everyone was so to speak picture perfect. Even the size, at 8inches, was impressive. I had seen many ads for 6″ and 7″ frames priced higher than the SP8RS. There are about ten transitions to choose from or one can select ‘random’ for true transition fun. Another feature permits one to put 3-4 pictures at a time on the frame. The frame will then dissolve one at a time replacing it with the new pictures. The Opti-pix software is super three-step easy and does a fine job of adjusting pictures to fit the frame. If you are using photo shop I have found that using a width size of about 1100 pixels will have the picture using the entire screen.

  SMART FRAME TIP:

  Ex. You create a Road to Hana (Maui) slide show folder and a Giza pyramids slide show folder and put them on the same memory card. Unfortunately ALL digital frames will play all the pictures in both folders. They do NOT permit one to select just one folder to play.

  Then, I had a lazy man’s epiphany. Perhaps older low memory 128mb cards were now very cheap. In short order I purchased 20 SanDisk 128mb SD cards on Ebay delivered for just $3 each. For starters I put together five mini side shows, each show running 5-30 pictures. The goal: no more having to wait until I erase and re-paste a new show. Rather, now I just grab any of the five slide shows and instantly enjoy them. Using all the cards I will be creating 20 such slide shows.* This plan has worked perfectly.

  *Note: Each card can hold from 100 high resolution pictures to 1000 or more pictures after they are downsized, with no loss of picture quality, by the OptiPix software. Despite this I find it entertaining to run a mint 5-10 favorite pictures show that runs continuously.

  PRICE: I do not often find best bargains at Radio Shack. This was an exception. First, the
  SP8RS usually priced at $149 (and even this price is lower than many competitor 8″ high resolution frames). The frame was on sale for the holidays priced at $99. Then I also used my Entertainment books $10 Off Radio Shack coupons to lower the price to a super low $89.95 each. At that price I bought a fifth frame for Patty!

  Here is the LINK to Radio Shack’s Smart Parts frame page:

  http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2928094&cp=&sr=1&origkw=digital
  +frame&kw=digital+frame&parentPage=search
  
  Smart Parts web site: http://smartpartsproducts.com
  

  MY ULTIMATE PICTURE FRAME CAN ALSO BE YOURS

  When it came time for Patty to buy ME a holiday gift I injected a bit of self-help and went for THE GOLD. Enter Smart Parts fabulous super 15″ size SP15MW digital picture frame. This frame is so large that it’s screen is equal to 3 1/2 eight inch frames. PLUS this frame has built-in speakers for musical slide shows, or to simply listen to music PLUS the frame also plays videos with sound/music. Basically, this is a Cadillac of digital picture frames. Frames with these specs can be very costly. Fortunately, this frame is carried by Costco and we snagged one for $239.
  
  
  
  Here is an online description of the frame:
  Enjoy your digital photographs of friends, family, and loved ones with the Smartparts SP15MW 15″ Digital Picture Frame. This Digital Picture frame has a high definition LCD screen that beams your photographs and also videos into any room in rich, vibrant color. It supports a host of file formats, including MP3s for music. It is also compatible with most memory cards. With a large genuine wooden border, this elegant picture frame fits perfectly in any room’s décor.

  While we recommend buying at Costco for best price and easy return for any reason this web site provides helpful, detailed product specs:
  http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3228138&Sku=W222-1008

  TECH TIP: I ran into one problem with my 15″ frame. While these frames are made primarily for slide shows I wanted to use the video clip feature as well. In this regard, I was totally unable to get my video clips to play without nasty video/audio glitches. Due to the Holiday season high sales volume Smart Parts customer service was AWOL. I emailed Smart Parts President and was contacted by the VP of their tech department who now took a personal interest. Where previously 9 of my 10 videos had failed his advice turned the tables so that now 9 of my 10 videos are working fine.
  Here is his brief reply and tech advice:
  
  I use http://movavi.com/videoconverter/ myself setting the output format to MPEG1,2…VCD NTSC compatible.
  Movavi Video Converter 6 is reasonalbly priced at $29.95. I plan to buy it.
  ________________________________________________________________________________
  
  EXCITING PERSONAL NOTES
  FROM STEVE & PAT

  We are pleased to report two pieces of exciting personal NEWS!

  CTN VIDEOS ON DISPLAY AT THE LONDON TRANSPORT MUSEUM
  
  

  
  

  We proudly announce that the world famous London Transport Museum has included two of our Paris Metro ’street artist’ videos in their new ‘Metros in Major Cities of the World’ exhibit. The museum was closed 2005-2006 for a 44 million dollar refurbishment. It just celebrated it’s grand re-opening in November, 2007. For those wishing to view our two selected musical videos here are the LINKS:

  Accordion Man: http://youtube.com/watch?v=cQCp2RAk8j4
  Paris Metro ‘Orchestra’:http://youtube.com/watch?v=hw_ALoE_P6Q
  See also the London Transport Museum: http://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/

  
  SHERLOCK HOLMES CALLED & WE ANSWERED
  

  For the past seven years veteran British actor Roger Llewellyn’s one man show ‘Sherlock Holmes the Last Act’ played to rave audiences. It played in London, Europe and many global venues. As the play concluded its long run Roger made an announcement that was cheered by his Sherlock Holmes fans. In March 2008 Roger opens his spanking new Sherlock Holmes show ‘The Death and Life of Sherlock Holmes.’ The show was written for Roger and opens in London. When it came time to design hand bills and the all important poster WE GOT THE CALL. We are delighted that Roger, his manager and the show’s director asked if they could use one of Steve’s photos for both the hand bills and show’s poster. The picture was taken during our video and photo shoot at the show’s London theater several years ago. In 2009 the show will be going on the road and is planning to visit New York City, date to be announced.
  
  Note: We took the photo of the poster at a bit of an angle to avoid nasty glare. Steve’s photo credit is found at the lower right corner. Without further adieu, here is the show’s poster.

  

  
  For those of you with a love of Sherlock Holmes and those who just plain love great theater check out our Sherlock Holmes video. We filmed, produced and edited the video to help Roger promote his show. In the film, Roger performs tour de force excerpts from Sherlock Holmes the Last Act. Here is the film’s YouTube LINK:
  http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZG7U7y-OUZg

  Readers fortunate enough to be in the UK March through September 2008 have a shot at catching Roger’s show. We should note that Roger takes his shows ‘on the road’ usually playing 1-3 days at various locations. During the first years of the show dates are usually booked throughout the UK and later the show will play to global audiences. It is worth going out of your way to catch the show.
  
  SHOW INFO/DATES: This LINK lists various dates and UK theater locations from the March 6th opening date thru September 2008. http://www.sherlock-holmes.org.uk/event_info.php?id=120

  This web site, for an April show date, is rather dramatic and includes a good description of the new show.
  http://www.theatreroyalmargate.com/p1_whats_on/ss08/s14_the_death_and_life_of_sherlock_holmes.htm

  SPRING 2008 ISSUE PREVIEW
  
  * Barcelona sightseeing TIPS
  * A great Barcelona apartment for UNDER $100
  * Best English book shop in Barcelona
  * Best 18 months travel calendar with 100+ of YOUR pictures
  * Money saving deals
  * And much more……….
  
  REMINDER: IF YOU WISH TO RECEIVE FUTURE CTN ISSUES ON THE DAY OF PUBLICATION SEND YOUR ADDRESS TO: STEVEPATCTN@YAHOO.COM

  HAPPY TRAVELS TO ALL!