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Boning Up on Europe

I was just 19, in Romania for my first time. A new friend took me inside his home, to the hearth, and introduced me to what was left of his great-grandfather. It was a skull — and as was the tradition apparently there in the mountains of Transylvania — families remembered long dead loved ones with this honored spot above the fireplace. I remember feeling a little bone envy.

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Affordable Europe

Given the economy, the number one question I've gotten lately from people is whether to go to Europe. It's true that many people will put off their trips for another time. But millions of globetrotters — who see exploring our world as a way of life — will find a way to keep on traveling.

Let's be honest. Europe is expensive. Prices are high for locals — and for Americans. Yet regardless of the soaring cost of living, Europeans remain experts at living well. Even those who don't have much money manage plenty of "la dolce vita." And savvy travelers can join them on the cheap.

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Andorra: Not Lost in the Pyrenees

High in the mountains where France and Spain come together, I drove and drove. My goal: to stand a top a ridge looking into a rugged mountain-ringed basin where nature cradles an ancient tribe. There was an age when these pint-sized kingdoms were commonplace. But today, only a few survive. I finally reached my destination, deep in the rugged Pyrenees Mountains. Before me stretched the principality of Andorra.

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A Taste of Europe

I've been trying to analyze why I enjoy traveling so much. All I do is work all day long, every day, and yet it brings me pure joy.

Just last night, I was sitting with my camera crew on the beach of a remote Danish isle, digging into a grand picnic as the sun was sinking heavy and red into the sea. It was like an hourglass — unstoppable, dictating when we would be done filming. We set about shooting the great scene, getting the opening of the show at the same time.

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Exploring Frankfurt, Germany’s Hub

Though it’s often avoided by tourists (who use only the city’s airport), Frankfurt’s modern energy makes it a unique, entertaining city. Linking the wine-and-castles stretch of the Rhine to the north with the fairy-tale Romantic Road to the south, Frankfurt is just a 12-minute train ride from its airport, and even a two- or three-hour visit can make a powerful impression.

You can get a feel for Frankfurt’s Jewish history with a visit to the Holocaust Memorial, at the site of the old Jewish ghetto, where the city’s main synagogue once stood. Commemorating 12,000 murdered Jews, it’s a moving and evocative collection of images. Around the cemetery is the Wall of Names, with a tiny tombstone for each Frankfurt Jew deported and murdered. This gives each victim the dignity of being named; a data bank inside the adjacent museum keeps their memory alive with everything known about each person. The pebbles atop each tomb represent Jewish prayers.

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Scotland’s Independent Streak

My fondest memories of travels in Scotland are in the pubs with folk bands stomping the paint off the floor as locals came together with the same twinkles in their eyes. This is an example of a time when I really feel I’m in Scotland instead of Britain. Home of kilts, bagpipes, whisky, golf, and haggis, go-its-own-way Scotland boasts a culture that stands apart from the rest of its British brethren.

Like Wales, Scotland is a country of ragtag Celts sharing an island with wealthy, powerful Anglo-Saxons. Since the days of William “Braveheart” Wallace, the Scots have chafed under English rule. Throughout the centuries — after the 1707 Act of Union tied Scotland to its southern neighbor — Scottish nationalists have rioted for independence in Edinburgh’s streets and led rebellions in the Highlands.

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Under the Roman Sun in Provence

Deep in the south of France, Provence offers an almost predictable palette of travel experiences: oceans of vineyards, fields of scented lavender, adorable villages, and intoxicating bouillabaisse. But the area is also crammed with ancient history — the Roman ruins here are some of the best anywhere. Many scholars claim the best-preserved Roman buildings are not in Italy, but in France.

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