Well I finally got all my pictures together on a webpage from the European Dream tour on September 25.

http://www.encinitasonline.com/jvanhooser/europe/

Let me know what you think of the pictures, and if anyone from that group see's this send me a message!

Thanks
Joel

Hi! Joel -

I really enjoyed your pictures!!! I was wondering about optional excursions on this tour. You said you went to the Sistine Chapel, was that an optional excursion? Did it include the catacombs? Did you have the option of Burano in Venice, a folklore dinner in Switzerland or a cabaret show in Paris? Approximately how much were the optionals per person?

Thank you for any information!!

The sistine chapel was extra, as was the catacombs (which was a separate optional, but that one included seeing the statue of moses)

There was an option to see glassblowing too, but it wasn't on the island (I think thats where I was told the majority of that is done) rather it was just in a shop right around the corner from St. Marks Square.

The folklore dinner was not an option like some people had in the past. Our tour director said they took it off the optionals because not many people cared for it after seeing it.

The only one I can remember roughly how much it costed was the cabaret show which was about 110 euro's. That included a really really good steak (or chicken or vegetarian if you want) dinner, with plenty of wine and champagne included. FYI that show has a lot of topless women in it which they don't say a whole bunch about ahead of time. It suprised me (as did most of the rest of the group that went), because they way it was described to me was way different than it was.

I'll look and see if I can find the optionals paper, and if I do, I'll post what all the optionals / costs are.

Thanks! Joel -

It would be awesome if you could find the options paper, but if not, the help you've given is great!!

I have tourd before so I know about the cabaret, but thank you many people reading this may not know, and friends are going with us who have not seen it and they don't want to miss it...

Burano is the island with the seafood and lacemaking...and the best part of Venice to me...so I am interested in finding a tour that includes it...

That's why we're still searching...need to meet a lot of people's preferences... but in a shorter tour as we only have 10 -12 days d/t varying work schedules...

Thanks again for the help!!!

joel -- really enjoyed your photos -- do you use digital? What kind? I've just started using digital and find it ok, but never what I've gotten with my trusty 35 MM Canon. Thanks for sharing!

I use a canon S45 digital camera, I used to use a Nikon N70 35MM camera but after this new canon digital camera, there's is absolutley no way I'd ever go back.

Hi! Joel -

I was wondering if you were able to find your options paper? I showed your pictures to my husband and now he's getting as excited as I am...thanks

Also, what was the weather like when you traveled? Did it rain a lot?

Thanks!!

SGS

Sorry but I've been really busy and haven't been able to find it yet.

It did rain but every single time it did, it was either at night or when we were on the bus, so it worked out perfect. Otherwise the weather was beyond awesome the rest of the days.