Hi, Glacier. Nice to hear from you. And I guess we know where your screen name comes from. We did not make it to Glacier on our Ribbons journey, but I've heard that it's one of the most spectacular of the national parks. I believe there's a road called Going-to-the-Sun Road (that may not be quite it, but it's close) that is a stunning mountain drive. I've also heard that Glacier is a haven for serious hikers, as much of the most dazzling alpine and glacial scenery is in the backcountry and requires some hiking to reach. You must be a hiker?? And, sadly, I've heard that the eons-old glaciers that give the park its name are disappearing, likely because of global warming. We really need to listen to the wake-up call the earth is giving us. I wrote a blog story a few days ago called "Kilimanjaro takes off his poncho" about the near disappearance of Kili's famed snowcap. Read it here: http://ribbonsofhighway.blogspot.com/2005/05/kilimanjaro-takes-off-his-poncho.html .

I'm so glad you enjoyed the book. And, I'm glad you're enjoying the blog, too. I'm having a great time with it, and I've "met" so many people from all over the world through it. The power of the Internet amazes me. People from around the planet have stumbled onto the blog and have become regular readers. It's a thrill and an honor to provide them (and you) with new stories and photos and links every few days. Thanks for your kind feedback.

Now, to the topic Dianne brought up a few posts ago -- villa rentals. (And Dianne, I just reread your St. Tropez-cum-topless-waitress post and my eyes popped out. Lunch was $900 for two?! That beats my Monaco croque monsieur story by a landslide. I think those cheese sandwiches were somewhere around twenty bucks apiece, but a $900 lunch! Wow. Hopefully you had one heck of a bottle -- or two -- of champagne with that dejenuer. Good thing you won the eight grand at the Derby. Paid for lunch in St. Tropez.)

For a wonderful travel experience, consider renting a villa. Don't let the word "villa" scare you off. What we're really talking about here is renting, by the week (some rental companies offer rental periods as short as 3 days), a house, cottage or apartment. There are high-end villas and even castles and wings of castles, but regular folks with regular budgets can afford many of the properties on offer by the "villa rental" companies.

Over the years, we've rented houses or apartments in Nerja, Spain; Menton, France; Moneglia, Italy; Perros-Guirec in Brittany in France; and Polperro, in Cornwall, England.

I can highly recommend the company that we used, Interhome. You can order Interhome's print catalogs or you can cruise the available properties online at www.interhome.com . Interhome offers rental properties in 16 countries and in Florida. In addition to top spots like France and Italy, Interhome offers properties in less expensive European countries like the Czech Republic (Prague is an exquisite city), Hungary (ditto for Budapest) and Croatia (the Balkans conflict is long over, and Dubrovnik, a medieval gem on the Adriatic, is waiting for your visit).

Dianne, I'd love to hear about the company you rented your villa from. Of course, you've got the "Linda connection," so maybe she had an inside scoop on a place?

Another company you might want to consider (or just visit online and dream) if you're going to Italy is www.cuendet.com or its American affiliate, www.countrymanors.com . I haven't booked through Cuendet, an Italian comapny, but I have been impressed by the response I've received when I've asked for information. I always test out an outfit before booking with them by asking them questions via email and rating both their response time and the quality of the response, and by asking for material to be sent via snail mail. If I'm pleased with the way they treat me in the inquiry stage, only then do I go to the next level and consider giving them my business. Cuendet has impressed me, and I've got their fat, tempting catalog of gorgeous Italian properties sitting here on my desk -- sent to me by first-class airmail from Italy.

If you cruise Interhome or Cuendet, you'll find properties that start in the $400 per week range for two people, in low season (note that in low season, you may have to pay for the heat, which will add to your total cost). Before writing this post, I visited the sites and found houses available this month, May, for two people, in the Arezzo area of Tuscany for $315 and $400 per week. Yes, high-end luxury villas with private pools and drop-dead sea views booked for high-season weeks in July and August can run $4000 per week. But, there are plenty of small gems to be had, and, if you can travel in low or shoulder season (winter can be a fascinating time to immerse yourself in a place and see how the people really live -- and airfares are cheap), you can find houses, cottages and apartments for short money.

And what an experience. Total immersion into a town or neighborhood. You become part of the fabric of a place's daily routine, and you move to the rhythm of real life, not to the often frenetic pace of the tourist who keeps moving and tries to "see everything." You buy your baguettes each morning at the village boulangerie. You go to the local church. You watch the fishermen mend their nets. You get to know the schoolkids who pass by each morning in their uniforms. It's a wonderful, slow motion immersion.

If you like the idea of your own place but need a little support, there's a company called Untours that offers apartment stays and a ground staff to guide you along. I've never used Untours, because I don't need the safety net, and the prices are higher than I can arrange on my own, but the company has a great reputation, lots of repeat business and has been around for a long time. Untours' prices include airfare. You can find them at www.untours.com .

Another long post, but renting abroad is such a marvelous alternative to hotel stays. Worth talking about and investigating.