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Thomas Cook European Timetable
Over the course of human
civilization, mankind has managed to produce several books which we
think everyone should own. Among them: The Bible, Plato's Republic,
and the Thomas Cook European Timetable. Make no mistake, the last of these magnificent tomes
is an absolute necessity for informed European rail travel. Don't
waste time screwing around with those mini-schedules you can get at
the station. We've never failed to find the right train for a given
journey in the Cook Guide, nor has any listing varied even a minute
from the official posted station timings. Buy one, even if you're
not coming to Europe. You won't find better bedtime reading
anywhere.
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Nike ACG Ascent
Digital Compass Watch A digital watch with an altimeter, barometer, and
digital compass. This watch is
imperative for those frequent situations when knowledge of the exact
barometric pressure is of immediate and paramount importance.
I tried competing models from
Suunto
and Casio
but the bottom line is, if you want a watch with a digital
compass that is smaller than a palm pilot with straps, this is
it.
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Olympus Camedia C-4040 Digital Camera
This is a
really nice digital camera. Far nicer than what we need. oops. There are features on this camera that even the people
at Olympus can't explain. The upside is that we can take
pictures the size of a three story wall.
If anybody from Olympus is reading this, will you please email us
and explain how to take pictures at night without the flash giving
skin cancer to the people in the photo? thanks.
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Adidas
Fevernov Lance Soccer Ball (Football) A
great ball, purchased at Annecy's local Go Sport, which is
French for go sport. The very same ball used in the 2002 FIFA
World Cup. Well, my ball is the scaled down version (read 1/5
the cost) of the actual World Cup Fevernov ball. It's sort of
a soccer ball with training wheels. We use it to showcase our soccer "skills" for the
girls of Annecy on the green lawns of the Champ de Mars.
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Fujitsu Lifebook P-2040
Quite simply the greatest ultra-portable PC notebook
in the world today. Winner of
the prestigious Best of Show award at Comdex 2000, this
silver beauty is as pleasing to look at as it is to use. Don't
be fooled by its sleek styling and 3.4lb weight, this baby has a speedy processor and a CD-RW, DVD combo drive
under its 10.6" x 7" hood. If I had a euro for every girl that stopped
to talk to me simply because of this machine...
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Toshiba Libretto
This computer is easy to fall in love with. I spent
our first couple of hours together just staring, captivated. Not
available in the U.S. (but worth the short trip to Japan), it's one
of the world's smallest and most portable subnotebooks. And despite
its size, the L3D ships with a 600MHz processor, 40 gb hard drive
and the most brilliant screen you can imagine. I joke, of course,
about flying to Japan. Visit our friends at
dynamism.com; they'll be
happy to import one for you at a price you won't believe.
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Magellan GPS 310
What's the point of riding
trains if you can't know your speed and heading at a moment's
glance? This gon€urope team "Tool" has several other useful
functions, of course, like guiding us on Alpine hikes
and calculating the exact distance between various mountain peaks
and our desks back in Washington. We like this model for it’s size
and simplicity, but any of Magellan's GPS receivers will get the job done.
Whet your appetite at
www.magellangps.com.
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International Herald Tribune
It’s amazing that the New York Times and
The
Washington Post can cooperate at all on a joint publication, let
alone that the effort could yield one of the best newspapers in
the world. The International Herald Tribune has it all - quality
writing, balanced reporting, and a healthy international
perspective (and we’re not just saying that it because it’s the
only newspaper we can find here in English). If we had any
sense, we’d subscribe back at home, too. Try the online edition
or order a subscription for delivery at
www.iht.com.
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Rio-Volt SP100 MP3/CD Player
I dislike MP3s as much as the next guy but in
terms of portability you can't beat ripping 10+ audio cds to 1 disc. The model I have is pretty old. Hey Rio, send me a new one and
I'll say that I like it.
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Airborne
Strange little tablets that are essential for
staying healthy when
traveling in
unfamiliar lands. We're not sure what's in it, but it works.
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