European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 12, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                May 1985 the stars and stripes Page 17 off the beaten track Modena there Are at least two or three dozen Small towns and cities in Italy that Are Worth an excursion some Are very Well like Assisi and others much less like Todi and one place that never seems to me to get its due is the Industrial City of about Northwest of Bologna where Ferrari and Maserati among other Are its which has just been is one of the very finest romanesque buildings in notable especially for the sculptured decoration doorways executed by a 12thcentury Lombard master known As the sober brickwork is relieved by a Graceful Rood screen supported by Lombard the local dominance of the Este family is reflected in a Library containing the most Beautiful of which Are on and a Good Small picture Georgio whose company Sells millions of bottles of Aceto Balsamico a potent Herb vinegar and Zamponi pigs operates a modern hotel in Modena plus a restaurant with about 200 regional Spe easy excursions can be made to Mantua Mantegna Parma Correggio frescoes and a baptistry with magnificent carving by a fit rival for Wili Gelmo and Ferrara the Este Barcelona where to go in Spain the coast will be the old moorish cities of the South Toledo even More and Madrid will be too the proud and com Pelling catalan capital would be my i agree with James Michener when he to travel across Spain and finally to reach Barcelona is like drinking a respect Able red wine and finishing with a bottle of this is the City of Antonio the fiercely individualistic architect considered one of the fathers of Art his Sagrada Familia begun in is still under construction it is open to the and you can also visit Guell Park and two downtown apartment the Casa Battlo and the Casa museums abound the vast museum of catalonian Art on month Rich which is filled with treasures from churches museums devoted to the work of two famous catalan Pablo Picasso and Joan Miro the mares with a renowned collection of polychrome Wood and the cambo with works by Botticelli and this is the place to shop for leather goods of All at prices a third of those in new and for elegant modern and Barcelona offers absolutely Superb which shows the influence of neighbouring ranging from simple local fish dishes try the restaurant Siete Puertas to highly innovative cooking in Lush surroundings try Ama Lur and Jaume de per haps Best of All is Raco Den about 20 Miles North East of stay at the soothingly old fashioned Ritz if you the Peloponnesus the Peninsula West of Athens has More than its share of glorious arc ecological it is less crowded than Athens or Delphi or the main and its people Are incredibly warmhearted toward whatever the Papandreou government May be saying or doing at the a year or so my wife and i stopped at a Rural to Varna for a Quick lunch and stayed for several talking to local people who introduced themselves through the simple expedient of sending samples of what they were eating and drinking to our the land scape Arcadian a word we take from the name of the Hilly area in the Central part of the Pel opon in a weeks unhurried you could see the ruins at Corinth the theater at probably the Best preserved in Greece the charming coastal islands of Poros and All of which can be reached by ferry agamemnon capital at excavated by the Brilliant German Heinrich starting in 1876 evocative in name but sterile it reality Remote with Lovely Little Apricot Orange byzantine churches scattered across a Hillside and filled with Luminous frescoes a perfect Little Temple isolated on its Ridge Between two and Birthplace of the there Are adequate and a few Good in such centers As near and Sparta and but this is a circuit Best made without firm stopping where whim even if the accommodation May be itts report heavy dockings the american military Community has heard the message Europe is going to be crowded this itt offices Are reporting heavy bookings already for the vacation the Strong Dollar is a big said Edna Anderson of the Munich everyone seems to want to travel to travel More and to travel she said the Tours Are booked out earlier than that her office is already booking Tours for August and that is very she usually the people Book a couple of weeks in Anderson also noted that More relatives Are visiting and that the families Are booking Tours rather than a spokesman at Kaiserslautern itt also noted an increase in the popularity of bus and at Darm Stadt a spokesman said that units Are getting Well organized and booking unit vacations far there seems to be no trend As to popularity of All Europe is now the Munich office reports the special popularity of Italy this the Munich office has chartered a boat in the with cruises in the greek islands set for the july 4 and labor Day if there is enough another sailing can be sched the Darmstadt office said Spain is number Kaiserslautern put in a word for Paris and it is All part of the buying Power of a Strong which is expected to bring a record number of Ameri cans More than six travel Industry representatives estimate to Europe this mostly in sum add this to the fact that europeans like to vacation in and it is Little wonder that Many Choice hotels is some destinations Are already sold so if you dislike making a lot of Advance travel arrangements and prefer simply to follow your Momen tary think carefully before you head even with no you will not be turned but you May face Many disappointments and be forced into the of is the major hotels in London Are almost fully booked from late june through mid july first because of Tennis at suburban Wimbledon and then because lawyers Are expected at a convention of the american bar Assoc a in some deluxe hotels such As the Georges the Crillon and the Meurice Are offering reduced rate packages because their the Busi Ness is usually absent at vacation asked what would happen of you simply showed up july 5 at the tourist information Center in London Victoria station and asked for help in getting a Bedford manager for Public relations in the new York office of the British tourist said they would probably find you but probably not to your standards or not in a location where you would like to you would probably have to do without a private depending on your tastes and spirit of this May not be the same goes for travel within Europe it could be rewarding if you have but without them it could be dont give up if you Are told today that there Are no Many airlines and hotels keep waiting and if you have stayed at a particular hotel it May help to say so if there Are the main Point is said Baruch president of dial a new York booking company that represents about 250 Swiss from july 2 to Zurich is sold he there expecting about people for a pentecostal Conven and you cant drop a pin but if youre willing to be 20 minutes outside the you can still get similar comments were heard from More than a dozen hotel representatives and european tourism officials who were asked about the Outlook for for Amelia Nedwied of the italian govern ment travel office in new York strongly suggested that travellers plan on staying in smaller such As Poleto or in try the if you have a she Rome should have enough but Florence and Venice will be a Little Pace of the British tourist authority said some of the Best bets for late reservations in London Are in individually owned the British tourist office can put you in touch with luxury hotels in Paris were reported to be wide open for although the Strong Dollar was putting them within reach of Many americans who could not afford them some hotels Are offering reduced rate such As three nights at the George v for about for two including a deluxe full american service and All major european cities and most Small ones have official tourist bureaus frequently at key Railroad stations that will find you a room right but you May have to take a eur Alpass or other unlimited mileage ticket gives tremendous flexibility in moving at will about Western but if you want to take major especially on summer Reserve seats or berths As far in Advance As possible bookings Are usually accepted up to two months before according to Dagobert assistant general manager of the French National railroads and an official of the eur Alpass Organ it is Best to avoid the periods june 28 to july july 31 to 5 and 30 to sept when Many european vacationers will be ferryboat that ply the English North Adriatic and other european Waterways can get extremely jammed on summer Cabins often must be reserved far in and generally this can be done through your travel said Sonja Sako marketing manager in new York for the hellenic Mediterranean which sails Between and Greece if youre willing to spend 19 hours on that what were talking about if you do go Over there without Check with your automobile club or the tourist office of the place you plan to visit for heavily booked Many of them have calendars of the Peak vacation York times