Metropolitan Library System

In Venice, we'll sample the splendor of the Doge's Palace, St. Mark's Basilica, Grand Canal, and masterpieces from the Venetian Renaissance - then take a glide on a gondola.

In Paris, we'll cruise the Seine River, pay a visit to Napoleon's tomb, and take in the majestic Louvre. Then we'll shop in a village-like neighborhood, attend church in a pipe organ loft, and celebrate Bastille Day.

We'll ride a unicorn into the Middle Ages at Paris' Cluny Museum, get a heavenly look at stained glass in Sainte-Chapelle, go on a tombstone pilgrimage at Père Lachaise Cemetery, and savor the Parisian cafe scene.

We'll start with a cruise through Venice's lagoon, pausing to savor fresh fish canal-side. Then we'll sample the treasures of the Accademia Gallery, explore some back-street wonders, and luxuriate in a venerable cafe on St. Mark's Square.

In this first of three shows focusing on European travel skills, we'll visit the Netherlands and Germany to learn about transportation by train and car, changing money, and settling in upon arrival.

We explore Rome on a more intimate scale - dodging Vespas in Trastevere, roaming through the historic Jewish Ghetto, and enjoying art treasures in a string of rarely visited churches to uncover the charms of hidden Rome.

In this third of three travel skills episodes, we'll visit the Swiss Alps, Paris, and London while covering tips for finding hotels, using transit, and selecting restaurants.

Zipping from Haarlem to Rotterdam, and from Delft to the former Zuiderzee, we'll enjoy fragrant cheese markets, soggy polderland, charming towns, and windmills both new and old.