I will try to make each newsletter special with extra travel tips before they come on to the website. So, you will be the first to read them! I’ll even put in a nice little extra now and than, like a recipe or a cocktail you can try to get yourself into the spirit of abroad!

The topics in this months edition are:

• Things to Do: Destinations to visit in the month of June
• Things to See: Description of a new destination: SALZBURG
• Things to Make: How about making a nice cocktail?
• Things to Know: Travel Updates: WHTI
• Fun Facts
• Tip of the Month
• Quote of the Month

• Barcelona

  Barcelona is a nice city to visit during this period of the year. It’s usually sunny, practically no rain, with an average day temperature of 24° Celsius (75 Fahrenheit). Next to the beautiful weather, June is also a good month for visiting because of the cultural calendar. With the biggest highlight on 23th June: Sant Joan. Every year St John's Day (Sant Joan) is celebrated throughout Spain with an explosion of bonfires, fireworks, concerts and dances. If you want to visit this great city, check out my Barcelona Travel Guide on how to get there and the Places to visit in Barcelona!

• Rome

  Another lovely city to visit during June is Rome! Because of the sunny weather and a nice average temperature of 25° Celsius (77 Fahrenheit), this is a pleasant time to visit Rome. It is also in this month that Estate Romana (Roman Summer) starts. During 3 months, at different locations all over the city, there are music and theatre events organised. For more practical information on how to get to Rome, visit my Rome Travel Guide and Places to visit in Rome.

Salzburg is a cozy city in Austria and world famous because of the movie The Sound of Music. One of the places you definitely have to see while visiting Salzburg is The Mirabel Garten. The garden looks beautiful in the spring and summer with all the flowers. Maybe you can even attend one of the summer concerts they organize outside in the Garten.
The old city centre has lots of nice boutiques, places to sit down and have a nice cup of coffee with world famous pastries. For instance Demel (at Mozartplatz 2) known for their Sachertorte.

Refreshing Cocktail

This is an own creation I made when I was experimenting in the kitchen. I call it an Isabelle’s Travel Cocktail :) It’s based on a Mai Tai. The recipe I was following was for a Mai Tai consisting of dark rum, Amaretto, Cointreau (or triple-sec) and lemon juice. For me the lemon was too much, so added some pineapple juice to soften the taste. Because I had some champagne left from a party, I decided to add this as well. And what do you know, that tasted fabulous!
Recipe I followed > ingredients for 1 cocktail: 20 ml (0.68 oz) dark rum, 15 ml (0.68 oz) Amaretto, 15 ml (1/2 oz) Cointreau (or Triple-sec), 20 ml (0.68 oz) lemon juice. I added pineapple juice and champagne. The pineapple you can just add that to your own taste, as well as the champagne. You don't need lots of champagne though! Add some icecubs to make it refreshing and you can decorate the glass with a fresh piece of pineapple... this tastes like vacation!!!


Things to Know: Travel Updates

The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) requires U.S. and Canadian travelers to present a passport or other document that denotes identity and citizenship when entering the U.S. It is a result of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (IRTPA).

The goal of WHTI is to facilitate entry for U.S. citizens and legitimate foreign visitors, while strengthening U.S. border security. Standard documents will enable the Department of Homeland Security to quickly and reliably identify a traveler.

WHTI will go into effect June 1, 2009 for land and sea travel into the U.S. WHTI went into effect for air travelers on January 23, 2007. Official website for extended information or on Travel State Gov.


Fun Facts

I thought I could teach you guys some Flemish sentences. If you ever come over to Belgium, you can use these! We’ll start of with these:

How are you? Hoe gaat het? (Hoo ghaat het?)
Very well, thank you. Heel goed, dank u. (Hayl ghoot, dhank ew)
See you soon. Tot ziens. (Tot zeens)
Do you speak English? Spreekt u engels? (Spraykt uw eng-uhls)
I don’t understand. Ik snap het niet. (Ik snahp het neet)
Could you speak slower? Kunt u langzamer praten? (Kuhnt ew lahng-zarmer-praat-tuh)
I’m sorry. Sorry (sorry)



Tip of the Month

With the summer ahead, let me give you guys this tip: Don’t use sunscreen more than one year! If it’s more than one year old, the protection is fading. But you can always use your leftovers as bodylotion!


Well, it’s been a pleasure writing this newsletter and I hope to see you all soon on my website for more new information!

Keep your eye out for the next edition next month. For now I want to close this newsletter with the
Quote of the month

“I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.” Susan Sontag

Before I forget: For travelers around the world who want to express themselves by sharing a travel story, please feel free to send it to me through my contact page and maybe you'll end up in the next edition or on my website!


HAPPY TRAVELS,

Isabelle from Isabelle’s Travel Guide