Transcript: Miami Vacations

The news is good: Given enough time, anyone can work abroad. All you need is information and a few good leads-and you'll soon have both. The real trick isn't landing a job. It's landing a good job. Let's say you dream of being a ski bum in the French Alps. With some effort, you land a spot washing dishes. You're thrilled to have work, but you soon discover minimum wage doesn't get you far in a pricey resort and the 48-hour weeks (fairly standard) don't allow time to put on your skis. And, as the lone washer, you're too busy to meet anyone. Eventually, you wonder what the point is. For me (I actually had this job), it took two weeks. I left the suds and found work guiding snowmobile trips into the mountains. The pay was double, the trips were such fun I would have done them for free, and, best of all, I was able to log nearly 100 ski days. The type of job for you Factoring in living costs, does the job pay enough to cover future travel? Is it interesting, or does it provide a valued skill? Does the workload allow you to partake in local activities you enjoy? Now get a fundamental grasp of the overseas employment situation. In other words, what's legal, what's illegal, and does it matter? Here's the scoop: To be completely safe, get a work visa. If you possess a skill the locals don't (or don't have enough of), an employer can usually justify to the government that you need to be imported. And, as with most imports, you must be properly processed and stamped at the border when you arrive. Which means securing permission before leaving home. Fortunately, you can find just about everything you need online at the immigration or work-visa section of the country's Web site. For a list of foreign embassies, try embassyworld.com. And don't forget this insider loophole: your heritage. If your parents or grandparents were born in another country, you may be eligible for a special permit, such as the four-year extendable work visa in the U.K. for some descendants. And if you use family ties to get a passport for one E.U. country, you're allowed to work across Europe. Illegal under-the-table work (serving, picking fruit, dishwashing) isn't much different, in principle. Employers generally prefer locals, but sometimes need foreigners for various skills, such as English-speaking waitresses at international resorts. In the manual-labor market, positions are usually underpaid, otherwise locals would be lining up for them. Thousands of travelers thrive on this type of high-turnover, undocumented work. But before accepting an under-the-table position, learn the law of the land. The consequences may be more severe than simply losing your job. If you're seen as stealing a good job from a local, you could be slapped with a fine, clapped behind bars, or chucked out of the country for good (and guess who pays for the ticket home?). Professional work International guiding Teaching English Winter-resort work Work programs Harvest-season work Schoolteachers Diving instructor You can also travel on a Divemaster certification or higher. At padi.com, get contacts for nearly every diving resort on the planet. Many instructors make personal contact and get paid under the table. Or they return with a legal visa from home. Among the major diving centers are Airlie Beach and Cairns in Australia, Belize, Cozumel, and Ras Mohammed on the Red Sea. Tip: You may have more luck at the lesser-known sites you stumble across on your travels. Massage Bartending Entrepreneur One of the most popular DIY jobs is tutoring, whether it's private lessons in English, dance, or music. Gardening, baby-sitting, and cleaning are also popular. Typically, a few well-placed notes on area bulletin boards will start you off, and word of mouth takes it from there. Creative types set their own schedules making jewelry or art, or sell themselves in the classic entrepreneurial travel gig: performance. A busy corner doesn't always bring good fortune, but as an American you know that showmanship makes up for short talent. Be careful: Some towns demand permits and enforce the law vigorously, and no amount of song-and-dance will save you from penalty. Editor's note Every country has laws limiting employment to foreigners, with some defined exceptions. Our writer discusses those exceptions ("legal employment") and also deals with cases in which a country deliberately declines to enforce its own labor laws (creating safe "illegal employment"). Budget Travel warns that normally "illegal employment" is not without risks and should be discussed with a local adviser.

Since the 1990s, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and above all South Miami Beach have developed no shortage of swank restaurants catering to the "beautiful people" (physically or financially--some of America's highest household incomes are found on Miami's residential islands). Overall, though, Miami is America's poorest large city, so there's also a dizzying variety of more affordable dining options. It's a little tougher to find good quality for rock-bottom prices in Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale, but plenty of regular folks--including immigrants and students--live there, too. And they manage to scrape by on considerably less than Gloria Estefan, Rosie O'Donnell, and Ricky Martin. The immigrants in particular have set a-bubbling a culinary melting pot whose strongest dishes hail from Latin America and the Caribbean. Especially in the Miami area, you'll find heaping helpings from Argentina to , with an obvious emphasis on Cuba. Even , infamous for its spring-break madness, has managed to shed some of its white bread, surf-and-turf reputation. Miami/Miami Beach Tropical on the Beach 1413-15 Washington Ave., South Beach, 305/532-4242; open 24 hours Since 2001, this cavernous space has seen a steady stream of diners round-the-clock (as well as folks crowding the counter up front for fancy pastries and Argentine sweets, and surfers at the Internet terminals in back). It really gets hopping in the wee hours, when club-goers most appreciate the Latin fare turned out to a pop-music beat. The menu is dominated by specialties of Cuba, owner Mairely Rodríguez's homeland, and dishes are similar in quality to those at Puerto Sagua, the longtime landmark just below South Beach. But the setting here is spiffier (green-tile palms on cool white walls, exposed ceiling ducts, mod light fixtures) and the location is central--two blocks west of Ocean Drive, three blocks south of the chichi pedestrian mall known as Lincoln Road, and three blocks north of the distinguished Wolfsonian Museum. The frita cubana (Cuban-style hamburger, $3.70) and Cuban sandwich (cold cuts and pickles on French bread, run through a sandwich press, $5.55) are top picks from the sandwich menu. But the best deals are at the steam tables, with lechón asado (succulent roast pork) and about a dozen other items for $5.55, including two sides (rice, beans, potatoes, plantains, cassava, or sweet potatoes). À la carte platters, most of which cost $9, include the same sides along with the likes of chicken and steak. Tropical calls itself La Casa del Churrasco (House of Steak), and for good reason. The vaca frita (fried flank steak with onions, $9) is less crisp than at other Cuban restaurants, instead playing up tenderness and flavors of lemon and garlic; the picadillo a la criolla (ground beef sautéed with olives and raisins, $5) is hearty and rich; and the joint's former Argentine influence shows in the high quality of its 12-ounce steak platters ($14.95). Tap Tap 819 5th St., South Beach, 305/672-2898; 4 p.m.-11 p.m. Mon.-Wed., 4 p.m.-midnight Thurs.-Sat., 4-11 p.m. Sun. Haitians are another major Caribbean ingredient in its cultural stew. But most of the Haitian restaurants are in dicey neighborhoods. So, Katharin Kean founded Tap Tap eight years ago, both to introduce the general public to kizin kreyòl and to give middle-class Haitian-Americans a nice place to enjoy it. The result is a mini-maze of five dining spaces, painted in cheerful primary colors and named after local artists and various Haitian voodoo gods. Tap Tap's funky, friendly vibe couldn't be further from the attitude of the rest of South Beach--especially on Thursday and Saturday evenings, when live bands do their thing. And the food? It's not unlike Jamaican, with subtle twists and sometimes different spicing. The stewed beef ($8.95) and chicken ($5.95) are delicious, but you'll also find tender goat (grilled, $12.95, and in a more elaborate creole-style stew, $8.95) and conch (same preparations, for about a dollar more). All main courses come with at least two of the following: rice, beans, fried plantains, or cassava fries. Soups, salads, and sides involving other Caribbean staples like okra and pumpkin are also reasonably priced. For dessert, try the blancmange ($3), a coconut pudding with an almost cake-like consistency. Scotty's Landing Chart House Dr., off South Bayshore Dr., Grove Key Marina, Coconut Grove, 305/854-2626; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. weekdays, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. weekends Coconut Grove, once a charming 1920s harborfront town of wood cottages and cobblestone lanes, has finished its long, strange trip from boho hippie hangout in the '60s and '70s to a land of Starbucks, Armani, and the mansions of Madonna and Stallone. Enough of the charm lingers to make the Grove something of a party magnet--especially on weekends--but there's also the lure of a historic mansion (Miami's oldest) called the Barnacle, the Coconut Grove Playhouse, the Vizcaya Mansion, the Miami Museum of Science and Space Transit Planetarium, and Key Biscayne, with its Seaquarium. Fortunately, there are a handful of refuges from high prices and plastic atmosphere--Scotty's Landing foremost among them. For 12 years, Scotty Wessel has run a weathered bait shack and an open-air dining area that's basically a dock under a green-and-white canopy, flanked by banana trees and coconut palms (you can even pull up in your boat). The clientele is made up of weekend boaters, grizzled old salts (especially around the bar), and slick, young investment bankers who all sit under overhead fans and watch the yachts slipping in and out of the marina; unspoiled Grove Key is in the background, Miami Beach is across the bay. Friday through Sunday, bands set up under a nearby banyan tree and serenade everybody with island rhythms. It's a great spot for knocking back a cold one at sunset (drafts from $2.35). This is some of the area's freshest, most unfancy seafood. The cracked conch is nice and moist ($6.95 with fries), and the 10-ounce grilled blackened mahi steak with fries and salad ($10.95) is another favorite. There are plenty of other mahi and conch options (including conch fritters jazzed up with a touch of Scotch bonnet, $4.75), as well as shrimp, clams, oysters, and calamari. Scotty's can be a little stingy with drinks (no refills at meals, no happy-hour discounts), but there's no better place to soak up the flavor of old Coconut Grove. Versailles Restaurant 3555 SW 8th St., at SW 36th Ave., Little Havana, 305/444-0240; 8 a.m.-2 a.m. Sun.-Thurs., 8 a.m.-4:30 a.m. Fri. and Sat. First things first: It's pronounced "vehr-sigh-yes," in the Spanish manner. This vast, must-visit landmark has reigned famously over the western end of Little Havana's Calle Ocho, the heart of Miami's Cuban exile community, since 1971. The ambience is heavily Latin, with glass chandeliers and etched, backlit mirrors that mean to suggest the original Versailles but wouldn't have kept the Sun King up nights. You get 'em all here: gray-hairs, blue-rinses, families, sleek young Yucas (young, upwardly mobile Cuban-Americans). It's not the finest Cuban food in town, but it's the best mix of good solid fare and an entertaining local scene. Start with the smoky black-bean soup ($2.55) or a plateful of crunchy/velvety croquettes (ham, chicken, or cod, $4.95), followed by a house specialty, lechón asado (juicy roast pork, $8.75) or a more acquired taste such as lengua asada (ox tongue in wine sauce, $8.95). Daily specials start at $5.25, and most entreés include sweet plantains and white or yellow rice. On a larger scale, the two surtidos cubanos (Cuban samplers, $10.95) come with two entrées apiece, accompanied by a croquette and the standard sides. Whatever your pleasure, wash it all down with sweet, herbal Materva soda ($1.10) or an Hatuey beer ($3.25). After your feast, stroll around the galleries and shops of Calle Ocho--old guys in starched guayabera shirts will be playing dominos in (where else?) Domino Park, cigar rollers will be making stogies the old-fashioned way at La Gloria Cubana. Nearby, the Latin American Art Museum is also well worth a look. Guayacán 1933 SW 8th St., at SW 19th Ave., Little Havana, 305/649-2015; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. daily They still call it Little Havana, but in parts it's looking more like Central America these days--with Nicaraguan, Honduran, Guatemalan, and Salvadoran restaurants popping up right and left. So Nicaraguan food is what, exactly? Find out by pulling into a cute little mini-mall and pulling up a chair in this warm, homey dining room with plank-and-beam cathedral ceilings, red terra-cotta floor, and charming art and tchotchkes on the blue walls. The food can occasionally call to mind Mexican (corn tacos and tortillas, pico de gallo) but can also bop over to the Caribbean before you can say tostones and maduros (fried plantains, salty and sweet). But it has its own savory vibe, too--especially when it comes to roasted meats. The star of the show is chimichurri, a garlic, parsley, and olive oil slurry that when slathered on a succulent churrasco (charbroiled skirt steak, $14.75) adds up to a carnivore's ecstasy. The pork is just as luscious, subtly seasoned in a way that may remind you of Indian tandoori. Seafood abounds too, though it's a little pricier. Splurge just a tad on the abundant platter of mixed appetizers ($13.25); the fried cheese is another treat ($3.75). Drinks can get a touch exotic for gringo tastes--on the order of cacao (milk with cocoa beans), cebada (barley water), and semilla de jícaro (a sweet soft drink brewed from fermented corn). The crowning glory of Nicaraguan food is a decadent little dessert called tres leches ("three milks," $3.25)--a creamy half-pudding, half-cake that's such a Miami hit, it's now a staple of most local Cuban and other Latino dining spots. At lunch, you can get out of here for as little as $6.75--for an entrée plus rice and beans, bread, salad, and a choice of plantains and other sides; the same meal at dinner starts at $7.95. And if you want a little live música with your food, stop in weekend nights or all day Sunday. Delicias del Mar 2937 Biscayne Blvd., at NE 30th St., Miami, 305/571-1888; 10 a.m.-midnight And now for something completely different: Peruvian seafood, a growing restaurant trend. Delicias del Mar is on the eastern edge of the burgeoning design district--already bursting with galleries, and awaiting an elaborate new performing arts center in a year or so--and just north of downtown landmarks like the Miami Art Museum. Under a red-shingle roof and behind a white stucco facade, the dining room has paneled walls tarted up with Peruvian arts, crafts, and photos of Lima and Machu Picchu. The room really comes alive because of the crowd (almost all Latins, but menus are also in English), having a grand old time as Andean music warbles in the background. The menu lists nearly three dozen delicias del mar (marine delicacies), from a simple fillet of corvina--grilled or fried, with rice and salad, for $9.50--to more complex dishes, such as a whole red snapper served with plantains and salad, for around $13. There's also plenty to satisfy meat eaters (bistec a lo pobre is a delicious kitchen-sink steak concoction crammed with rice, beans, eggs, and plantains, $10), and even vegetarians (papa a la huancaína is a Peruvian classic: diced potatoes in a subtle, creamy cheese sauce, $4). Drink an Inca Cola if you like--it tastes a little like bubble gum, or maybe Red Bull. Fort Lauderdale The Floridian 1410 E. Las Olas Blvd., at 15th Ave., 954/463-4041; open 24 hours Remember Flo, the sassy TV sitcom waitress? Her sisters-in-spirit are alive and well at this 65-year-old diner--which happens to be widely known as "the Flo." Conveniently located toward the eastern end of Fort Lauderdale's fancy Las Olas boutique and restaurant corridor and a short drive west from the beach, it's popular with everybody from neighborhood old-timers to club kids piling in at around 4 a.m. The Flo is kitschy-kitschy cool; walls are awash in chrome, mirrors, neon signs, and celebrity pix. There are also cute touches like the Champagne Room, an otherwise unremarkable booth mirrored on three sides topped with a crystal chandelier. But you can't eat crystal. Considering the moderate prices, the variety and quality of the food is impressive. Try the "international" meatloaf platters (dressed up with chili for Mexican, tomato and mozzarella for Italian, and so on; $7.25 with two sides); the mahi sandwich with slaw and fries ($7.95); chicken Alfredo over penne (with soup and salad, $10.25); desserts such as the enormous four-layer chocolate cake ($5.95) and "Atkins" cheesecake ($4.95); and the extensive 24-hour breakfast menu. Also worth noting: a special "gourmet burger corner," from the small and plain ($4.95) to the extra large with blue cheese ($8). The best deals in the house are the 20 hot combination platters, which come with two sides, usually a potato and veggie ($6.25 to $10.95). Grandma's French Café 3354 N. Ocean Blvd., at NE 34th St., 954/564-3671; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Tues.-Sun. In the Gulf Ocean area, north of Lauderdale's main stretch of beachfront, an ice cream parlor called Grandma's was turned into a locally cherished, off-the-tourist-track café. The dining room has French country flavor--yellow walls with blue trim, fleur-de-lis curtains, and soft lighting, and the crooning of Edith Piaf, who seems to regret nothing night after night after night. (The oversize tropical fish tank is a more South Florida touch.) There's also outdoor seating on a cute porch. The menu lists 16 exquisite, meal-size crepes ($4.95 to $10.95); a particularly tasty one involves Bourgogne escargots with mushrooms and tomatoes in garlic butter ($9.95). But there's more, from a tasty croque monsieur ($7.95, with salad), a meal-size chef salad ($7.95), and a small selection of entrées such as a tuna steak à la Provençale (in lemon and olive oil), accompanied by rice and unusually crisp, rosemary-scented ratatouille ($10.95). The $8.95 daily specials, also with rice and ratatouille, give the word special its meaning back, whether blanquette de veau (veal stew), beef Bourguignon, or salmon in a delicate tarragon sauce. For dessert? Ice cream, in a dozen flavors (one scoop $2.20, two scoops $3.20), chocolate mousse ($3.95), and a silky crème brûlée ($4.95). Típico Café 1910 E. Sunrise Blvd., Gateway Shopping Ctr., at NW 19th Ave., 954/463-9945; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Mon.-Thurs., 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sun. Broward County also boasts more than its share of Hispanics, but up here they tend to be Puerto Rican and Mexican. So it's no shocker that many of South Florida's better Mexican cantinas are to be found in Fort Lauderdale--including this relatively new little spot in a strip mall (in this city, even fine restaurants can be found in strip malls) off a busy thoroughfare just a short drive in from the beach. Cozy and family-run, the restaurant is a nicely lit space with warm wood floors and adobe walls. Típico does a great job with the Tex-Mex standards--fajitas, burritos, chimichangas, quesadillas. But the menu's also well sprinkled with less common regional goodies such as Tampico-style steak, felicitous inventions like the "Mexican stir-fry" (with ginger sauce, no less), and favorites from elsewhere in Latin America (Cuban-style roast pork, for example). And the damage? An à la carte platter crammed with entrée and sides, plus drink, comes in at just over $10. There are great specials at lunch (from $5.95), and an early-bird dinner offered from 4 to 6 p.m. ($8.95), the latter of which throws in soup and either soda or a glass of house wine. All in all, a terrific way to keep your budget from zooming north of the border. Hot spots at lower costs Even the area's posher nibbles aren't always out of reach. Every August and September, the Miami Spice promotion puts multicourse prix fixe dinners on sale for $29.99 at 60 hot eateries like the Forge, the Blue Door, Yuca, and China Grill (305/539-3000, ). Broward County has gotten into the act with its September promotion, Savor Greater Fort Lauderdale (). Some 20 dining spots--including stylish favorites like Casablanca Café and Bar Amici, along with the very tony likes of Mark's Las Olas--offer prix fixe lunches for $10.03 or $20.03, dinners for $20.03 or $30.03.

Florence is the cradle of the Renaissance; Venice, threaded with canals, is that most serene city of Gothic palaces. Both are renowned for their excellent cuisine. Florentine cooks choose the thickest, juiciest cuts from the Chiana valley's snowy white cattle, brush them with olive oil and cracked peppercorns, and slow-grill them to perfection to become the mighty bistecca fiorentina. Venetian chefs cruise the ancient loggias of the Rialto market with an eye for the finest fish and shellfish caught that morning, which they will put in their famous fresh-seafood medleys. So basically we're talking about one town famous for its steak and another for its seafood. Neither comes cheaply. We're here to help. Below are a dozen of the best cheap meals these two capitals of Italian culture have to offer. We've got everything from a pizzeria in Venice to a stall in Florence's food market; a Venetian tavern where Casanova took other men's wives for romantic trysts to a candlelit Florentine trattoria suitable for a romantic dinner. At all of them, you can get a full meal, including first and second courses and wine or water, for under E13 ($14.04). The prices quoted here are based on the exchange rate of E1=$1.08. To call Italy from the United States, dial 011-39 before the numbers listed below. Buon appetito! Florence loves its food. When Brunelleschi was erecting the cathedral's great dome, the engineering marvel of its age, he installed a trattoria up in the fabric of the dome itself so the workers could enjoy a full meal on their lunch breaks. Here are the joints where latter-day laborers, market workers, and farmers in town to sell their harvest find inexpensive, filling meals of traditional fare. Trattoria Mario Via Rosina 2r (on the north corner of Piazza del Mercato Centrale), 055-218-550, www.trattoriamario.com. Closed for dinner and on Sundays. E8.45-E12.90 ($9.13-$13.93). No credit cards. Tucked into a side street behind slightly pricier trattorie surrounding Florence's central food market, this unabashedly old-school trattoria doesn't seem to have changed one iota since Mario Colzi opened it in 1953. His son, Romeo Colzi, Romeo's wife, Patrizia, and brother Fabio refuse to alter the simple tiled walls, glassed-in kitchen, ancient wood ceiling, and culinary traditions (tripe on Mondays, fish on Fridays, etc.)-or the habit of shoehorning strangers into already packed tables to make new friends and enjoy genuine Florentine cooking at the lowest prices in town. The menu is hand-printed at the door and on the wall, and changed constantly to include such everyday delicacies as mezzelune al rag- (half-moon cheese ravioli in meat sauce) and coniglio al forno (roast rabbit). Even if you order both the most expensive first course and second course on the menu and have wine, you still ring in under E13-practically unheard of in Florence. Le Mossacce Via del Proconsolo 55r (halfway between the back side of the Duomo and the back of Palazzo Vecchio), 055-294-361. Closed Saturdays and Sundays. E10.70-E15.80 ($11.56-$17.06). You can tell this is a working-class trattoria: It's only open weekdays, and you have to thread your way past the bar to the single tiny room in the back to sit elbow to elbow with strangers at tables stuffed around a busy open kitchen. Most primi, including the tagliatelle, rigatoni, and minestrone, are E4.20; for cannelloni (Florence's famed meat-stuffed pasta tubes) or cheese ravioli it's E4.70. To stay strictly within our E13 limit, order boiled or roasted chicken for your second course. If you're willing to go a little over budget, the field opens up to include succulent involtini (thinly sliced veal wrapped around veggies, then stewed) or spezzatino (a goulash-like stew)-pretty much everything except the cheapest bistecca fiorentina in town, which weighs in at E12 to E14 and is well worth the splurge. La Mescita Via degli Alfani 70r (at Via dei Servi, two blocks north of the Duomo, one block southeast of the Accademia), no phone. Closed for dinner and on Sundays. No credit cards. E10.55-E12.65 ($11.39-$13.66). Mauro's tiny, one-room joint is a happy compromise between a fiaschetteria (see box, p.94) and a trattoria. You set your own table and retrieve your own dishes from the bar's high glass counter. It's open for wine by the glass and panini (E1.60-E3.50) from 8 a.m. but doesn't start serving hot dishes until 11 a.m. These include delectables such as fettuccine alla lepre (noodles in a hare rag-), penne alla rustica (pasta quills in a heady pesto of oregano, capers, and zucchini), saltimbocca (veal layered with sage and prosciutto), and scaloppine alla pizzaiola (veal drenched in mozzarella and tomato sauce). Nerbone Mercato Centrale (inside the central market, between San Lorenzo and Piazza del Mercato Centrale), 055-219-949. Closed for dinner and on Sundays. No credit cards. E3.50-E7 ($3.78-$7.56). A stand-up lunch at Nerbone is something of a rite of passage into true Florentine dining. Since 1872 Nerbone has occupied a corner stall inside the Mercato Centrale food market (itself a limitless supply of picnic goodies). Many market workers and other regulars wolf down their food while standing at the bar; those without a stall to return to often prop their elbows on the bar and spend an hour nursing a small beer. More leisurely diners take their trays and grab one of the few tables set in an alcove across the corridor. The menu is simple: trippa alla fiorentina (diced tripe stewed with tomatoes and sage); panino con bollito (a boiled-meat sandwich that's bagnato, or dipped quickly into the bubbling meat-filled pot, before being handed over); pappa al pomodoro (a thick bread-and-tomato soup); and salsicce con patate (sausage atop a mound of boiled potatoes). Trattoria La Casalinga Via Michelozzi 9r (in the Oltrarno, on a side street between Pitti Palace and Santo Spirito), 055-218-624. Closed Sundays. E10.85-E13.65 ($11.72-$14.74). One sign of an otherwise unremarkable trattoria truly favored by the locals: People actually line up and wait for it to open. The old vaulted rooms of La Casalinga open into blandly modern ones, heritage of an expansion several years back that sucked the spirit out of the place (but the food is still both cheap and good). It's tough to break the E13 barrier here, so feel free to order anything ... la carte, be it ribollita (a stewlike vegetable soup), tortellini in a rabbit rag-, polpette al forno (giant baked meatballs), or faraona arrosto (roast guinea fowl). Trattoria Antichi Cancelli Via Faenza 73r (on the main hotel drag two blocks east of the train station), 055-218-927. Closed Mondays. E12 ($12.96). This endlessly popular trattoria's location-nestled amid the cheap hotels near the train station-belies its quirky atmosphere. Ancient wine bottles, garlands of garlic, and framed placemats with artistic doodles line the walls under vaulting of hand-cast bricks. Steaks come not on a plate but on a cutting board, and main courses include a complimentary side dish (usually roast potatoes or boiled spinach). The most inclusive E12 men- turistico in town gets you a choice of among roughly ten primi (tortellini in broth, pennette in tomato sauce, or Tuscany's storied ribolitta) and ten secondi (veal piccata with lemon or under tomato sauce, Florentine tripe stewed with tomatoes and sage-just steer clear of the dry and tasteless grilled chicken), plus a dessert of macedonia (fruit salad) or gelato, and wine or water. The food's not particularly outstanding, but it's the closest you can get to a true restaurant experience for E12. Venice presents a particular challenge. Not only is it the priciest city in Italy, but seafood is included in nearly every traditional dish. As I pondered which restaurants to include, I realized none of the usual suspects fit the bill. The tried-and-true cheap eats of Venice can feed you very well for E15 or E16...but E13? I could picture only pizzerie and cicchetti bars (see box, p.97). I ended up going local: I asked masons and fishmongers, gondoliers and budget hoteliers, the guy at the newsstand and the plumber fixing my hotel's water heater. Many laughed in my face: "A full meal for E13? In Venice? Impossible!" A few told me their secrets, where they and their cronies went for lunch. I sampled a dozen; six made the grade. These are the best E13 meals in all of Venice. Cantina Do Spade Calle Do Spade 860, San Polo (it's hidden: cross the Rialto bridge to the San Polo side, go through the little market and then dogleg a few feet left to keep walking straightish down alleys and passages until you see a profusion of chalkboard menus around the doorway), 041-521-0574, www.dospadevenezia.it. E10-E15 ($10.80-$16.20). A few years ago, Giorgio Lanza expanded his venerable cicchetti bar of 1415. He added more tables, started offering a full menu, and reopened the back room where Casanova once wined and dined his romantic conquests (it has a back door so the famed lothario could slip out should any husbands show up). After a few years and many old customers' clamoring (well, okay, I clamored), Giorgio has finally brought back his five-alarm, tastebud-searing do spade sauce. It graces one of the many bruschetta menus (E10-E11), each of which pairs a slab of peasant bread topped with squid, tuna, or shrimp with a main dish, perhaps baccal... (dried cod), or sausages and polenta. He also offers several E13 to E14 menus that let you mix and match a few genuine Venetian dishes-pasta with peas or baccal..., fried sardines with onions and polenta, sausage and polenta, or pasta with roasted veggies. A E15 menu offers spaghetti with clams (Giorgio's pride keeps him from using frozen seafood) followed by baccal... or calamari and polenta. Rosticceria Teatro Goldoni Calle Teatro 4747, San Marco (at Ponte del Lovo, a block east of Calle dei Fabbri on the main route between San Marco and the Rialto), 041-522-2446. E13 ($14.04). A rosticceria is basically a tavola calda (literally "hot table," a sort of cafeteria with excellent pre-prepared dishes) that also serves roast chicken. This joint behind plate-glass windows near the Rialto has been around since 1950 and goes above and beyond typical rosticcerie by offering a vast array of choices, plenty of seating, and a particularly ample E13 tourist menu. This comes with half a dozen choices each for both primo and secondo-meat-filled cannelloni alla bolognese, pasta and beans, lasagna, one quarter of a roast chicken, breaded veal cutlet alla milanese, mixed fish fry, pork chop-along with a salad, fried potatoes, or veggies; bread and fruit or cheese; and a cup of coffee. Osteria a la Campana Calle dei Fabbri 4720, San Marco (just a few blocks north of Piazza San Marco en route to the Rialto), 041-528-5170. Closed Sundays. E12.75 ($13.77). It just says Osteria in the window, and from the door you can see only the bar. The wood-paneled dining room hidden to the left has curtains in the windows as if to keep the tourists who wash up and down the busy street from discovering this budget eatery. Venetian dialect buzzes from the tightly packed, tiny wooden tables. There's no menu; waiters just rattle off the day's pre-prepared dishes when you sit down (come early before the good stuff's gobbled up). They operate under a true home-cooking mentality: If the rigatoni's tomato sauce is flavored with tuna, then the fried polpette (meatballs) will be tuna as well. Dishes change daily: perhaps pasta with prosciutto and peas, bocconcini (morsels) of veal cooked tender in milk, or batter-fried fish. The sfuso (table wine) is from the Friuli, and if soccer season is on, so is the TV up in the corner. Ae Oche Calle del Tintor 1552, Santa Croce (just south of Campo San Giacomo dell'Orio), 041-524-1161. E8.50-E12.90 ($9.18-$13.93). This perennially popular pizzeria is far enough from the tourist centers-about halfway between Campo San Polo and the train station-that it's packed with mostly Venetians. It's done up as a sort of ersatz American roadhouse, rock music playing softly, the rough-planked walls painted with peeling old sports-team logos, classic American signs from the era when Pepsi cost 5>, and a large map of Yosemite. A meal of pizza-more than 90 to choose from-and beer runs E8.50 to E11, though you could also squeak into our price range a fuller meal of fusilli in a tomato and basil sauce followed by a grilled chicken breast with spinach. Vini da Pinto Campiello Beccarie 367, San Polo (cross the Rialto bridge to the San Polo side and keep walking straight until you see the fish market on your right, just before the first bridge), 041-522-4599. Closed Mondays. E13.70 ($14.80). How fresh is the fish? You could lob a clamshell from your outdoor table and hit the guy who sold it to the chef that morning-Venice's main fish market sprawls under a brick-and-marble Gothic loggia a few feet away. Fishmongers and other neighbors have jostled at Pinto's bar since 1890. A few curious tourists file past them into the blessedly air-conditioned dining room beyond, where they can sit in designer chairs under ancient wood beams. But what really counts is the food: simple, but good and filling. The E12 menus include everything but drinks-once you add E1.70 for water or E2.50 for wine, you're a wee bit over budget-served on one plate, either spaghetti alla bolognese with a grilled steak, seafood-studded spaghetti pescatore with fried calamari, or a generous slab of lasagne alla bolognese with a breaded veal cutlet alla milanese. Trattoria Cea Calle del Prestin 5337-5422/A, Cannaregio (just south of the Fondamente Nuove), 041-523-7450, www.trattoriacea.it. Closed for Saturday dinners and on Sundays. E13 ($14.04). You can sit on straw-bottom chairs inside, listen to Italian radio, and play elbow hockey with the local workmen who pack the place at lunchtime, or you can snag one of the four lovely outdoor tables ranged around an ancient marble wellhead, under an arbor thick with leafy vines. Most everyone orders the fixed-price menu, which offers choices such as pennette in rag- or a rich vegetable soup to start, followed by a mix of roasted meats, sarde in saor (fried sardines in vinegar-a Venetian specialty), or oven-roasted pork, with a salad or vegetable side included. Florentine fiaschetterie: The original wine bars Florence's traditional fiaschetterie are modest little wine-shops-with-a-bar named for the fiaschi, or straw-bottom flasks, in which Tuscan wines were once delivered from the vineyards. Although these flasks are now only used to hold cheap table Chianti and destined to become candle holders, at a fiaschetteria you can still get a sandwich, a platter of meats and cheese, or even a simple dish or two along with your tipple. Many are not much more than holes in the wall. Florence's best, I Fratellini, is a six-foot-deep doorway where two young men behind the counter continue a 128-year tradition of whipping out scrumptious panini (E2.10) and pouring E.80 glasses of wine to be enjoyed while standing on the flagstones of this pedestrian street in the heart of town. It's at Via de' Cimatori 38r, off Via dei Calzaiuoli between the Duomo and Piazza della Signoria (055-239-6096). Another classic is Antico NoS, where namesake Noah's drunkenness is reenacted daily by the winos who hang around this passageway in a slightly disreputable corner of town near Santa Croce. It's under Volta di San Piero 6r, off the very eastern end of Borgo degli Albizi (055-234-0838). Few tourists bother hunting down one of the locals' favorites in the Oltrarno. Enoteca Fuori Porta has one of the best wine selections and the broadest menu. It's at Via Monte alle Croci 10r, hidden halfway up the hill and rising to the panoramic viewpoint Piazzale Michelangelo (055-234-2483). Le Volpi e l'Uva is newer and modern, but the wines are carefully hand-selected by the owner, who also serves excellent cheese and prosciutto platters (E4-E4.50) and teeny panini (E1.50-E2). It's just off Via Guicciardini on Piazza de' Rossi (055-239-8132). Cicchetti: Venetian Tapas In the early evening, Venetians will duck into a b caro (wine bar) to prendere un'ombra, literally, "to take a little shade," but really to sip a glass of wine and chat. To complement their wine, many bars offer snacks-on-toothpicks called cicchetti-anything from a savory chunk of salami or pxt, on a roundel of bread to an anchovy filet wrapped around a pickled onion. Cicchetti cost E.75 to E1.50 each, although if they put together a platter the cost per piece usually comes down. You can stroll from one b caro to the next, sipping glasses of house wine and nibbling your way toward a full meal. B cari that don't turn into pubs later tend to close around 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., so if you're making this into a light dinner, plan it early. One of the best and most atmospheric cicchetterie is the 1462 Cantina Do Mori, a long bar under low, wood-beamed ceilings near the Rialto market. Upended barrels serve as tabletops, and though it's widely cited in the guidebooks, Do Mori's staunch local clientele will never let the tourists take over. It's at Calle Do Mori 429, San Polo, just over the Rialto, through the street market, then dogleg a few feet left to continue straight; it's on the next block (041-522-5401). Enoteca Cantinone Gi... Schiavi offers not only a broad selection of E1 cicchetti and inexpensive glasses of vino, but also a few dozen wines under E10 a bottle, so you can take an ombra home with you. After your snack, walk to the far end of the fondamenta to see one of the last surviving squeri (gondola workshops) in Venice. It's at Fondamenta San Trovaso 992, Dorsoduro, over the Accademia bridge, your first right; when you hit the first canal turn left and follow it halfway down. The bar's across from a small bridge (041-523-0034). Though Vino Vino serves cicchetti, it really leans more toward being a full osteria, offering little wooden tables and a few dishes prepared by the chefs at its parent restaurant, the pricey Antico Martini down the block. True to its name, it also boasts one of the best wine cellars in Venice, with many excellent selections available by the glass. It's at Ponte delle Veste 2007, San Marco, just south of La Fenice opera house (041-523-7027).

On Halloween night, the full moon dominated the clear Bucharest sky, glowing and sinister. Like Jonathan Harker of Bram Stoker's Dracula, I realized I'd be heading into Transylvania on the morrow. Yet despite that unfortunate fellow's experience, I wasn't a bit apprehensive. After a splendid $5 meal, I was happily ensconced in plush velvet seats at the Romanian National Opera (eighth-row orchestra tickets $1.75) with Andrei, my charming guide, enjoying a magical Swan Lake - no ominous encounters looming on the horizon. Thirteen years after the overthrow of the Stalinist dictatorship of its latest vampiresque ruler, Nicolae Ceausescu, I'd expected Romania to be an unrelenting parade of Soviet-grim towns, eyesore apartment blocks, a few decrepit monuments, and dour denizens. Yes, there is a bit of Communist hangover, but mostly I discovered enchanting medieval villages, gorgeous landscapes, a good travel infrastructure, and warm, friendly people whose Eastern European reserve is tempered by a Latin culture left over from membership in the Roman empire. With 23 million people nestled into an area the size of Oregon, Romania was originally inhabited by an ancient tribe known as the Dacians, conquered and Romanized in the 1st century A.D. (that's why Romanian is a Romance language). Over two millenia, Saxons and Slavs, Magyars and Huns, gypsies from India, and the mighty Ottoman Empire raided, invaded, or settled-a historical Cuisinart yielding a kaleidoscopic melange of travel options at a fraction of typical European costs: decent digs for $12, savory meals for $5, bottles of wine under $3. The land whose native son Eugene Ionesco invented the "theater of the absurd" is the land of "prices of the absurd." At some 32,000 lei to the U.S. dollar, you can answer the question "Who wants to be a millionaire?" for about $32. One of Europe's most inexpensive corners also qualifies as one of the cheapest places on earth. Arresting Bucharest Thanks to its graceful nineteenth-century architecture, Romania's capital (pop. 2.2 million) was once dubbed "the Paris of the East." Gracious buildings braceleted by iron-filigree balconies flank stately boulevards punctuated with parks - there's even an Arc de Triumf. Bucharest is cosmopolitan and hip again, as fashionably clad girls, hair in hues like "Bucharest Burgundy" and "Revolution Red," check out Swatch watch displays at the malls before rendezvousing with friends in trendy cafes. Romanians are friendly, and you can meet them in music clubs such as Green Hours (downtown at Calea Victoriei 120), through listings in local English-language sources like Nine O'Clock and Bucharest - What, Where, When, by placing an ad on rotravel.com, or by taking advantage of numerous homestays (see below). Navigating is easy. On public buses, a one-way ticket is 5,000 lei (16:), an all-day Metro (subway) ticket is 15,000 lei (50cents), and a Metro-plus-bus ticket is 30,000 ($1); a book of ten will run you a whopping 37,000 ($1.25). Taxi fares are 4,000-6,000 lei (12cents-19cents) per kilometer. In addition to exploring Bucharest's myriad museums, palaces, and churches (my favorites being the National Art Museum and National History Museum), few visitors leave without visiting the eye-popping Palace of Parliament, the world's second-largest building after the Pentagon (admission 60,000 lei/$2). Built in 1989 by Ceausescu and designed by a 27-year-old female architect, this gargantuan Stalinist-style monstrosity groans with 3,107 rooms, one-ton chandeliers, and 35 million cubic feet of marble. From its central balcony, Michael Jackson (yes, the gloved one) made a 1992 speech that Romanian fans still remember. Another must-see, especially if you don't visit the countryside, is the outdoor Muzeul Satului (Village Museum), where admission is 40,000 lei ($1.35); 90,000 ($3) if you bring a camera. Located north of downtown in Herastrau Park, it comprises an extensive collection of actual traditional furnished houses and churches from Romania's different rural regions. Avoid souvenir-hunting in the gift shop - you'll fare better elsewhere. Bucharest beds & bites You generally get better lodging discounts through tour operators, who can obtain 40 percent off listed prices, rather than booking independently or trying to haggle with inflexible hotel managers. The best hostels in Bucharest include the 30-bed Villa Helga (2 Calea Salcamilor, tel/fax 1/610-2214, helga@rotravel.com) in a quiet residential neighborhood near the Piata Romana Metro stop. Safes, kitchen, laundry, and Internet facilities are available. The per-person cost with breakfast is 300,000 lei ($10) a night, 810,000 ($27) for three nights, 1,680,000 ($56) weekly. Elvis's Villa (5 Calea Avran Lancu, 1/315-5273, elvisvilla.ro) is a recently opened hostel in district 2 with four rooms of two to ten beds at 360,000 lei ($12) a night, doubles for 874,500 lei ($29), including breakfast. Among more standard hotels, the coolest budget find in town is the elegant, conveniently located, 28-room Hanul Manuc (Strada Franceza 62-64, 1/313-1411, fax 1/312-2811), where the peace treaty following the Turkish-Russian War of 1812 was signed. Cobblestone paths and massive iron doors lead to a central courtyard with an outdoor cafe. Doubles are 725,000-990,000 lei ($24-$33), with bath, TV, and heating but no air-conditioning (true for all lodging below unless otherwise noted). Breakfast isn't included, but the terrace pastry shop is an inexpensive treat for both edibles and ambience. You'll find various rock-bottom options around the train station; a good choice is the Hotel Cerna (Bulevardul Dinicu Golescu 29, 1/637-4087), whose 88 rooms are sparse but clean and functional. A single with shared bath runs 315,000 lei ($10.50), a double 450,000 ($15); if you want private bath, TV, and breakfast, it's 450,000 ($15) and 600,000 ($20), respectively. A bit up the line pricewise, near the airport and the Village Museum, the Hotel Turist (Bulevardul Poligrafiei 3-5, 1/224-2328, fax 1/224-2984) has 293 rooms with good lighting and amenities including a swimming pool, bowling alley, and tennis court. Singles cost 930,000 lei ($31), doubles 1,230,000 ($41), including breakfast. Near the railway station, the 168 rooms at the Hotel Astoria (Bulevardul Dinicu Golescu 27, tel/fax 1/212-6854) are small, but larger than other railway-neighborhood options. All have private bath and include breakfast for 1,080,000 lei ($36) single and 1,575,000 ($53) double. Also in this area, the Ibis (Calea Grivitei 143, 1/222-2722, fax 1/222-2723, ibishotel.com) is a branch of the spiffy French chain, offering recently refurbished rooms with TV, A/C, phone, and modern bath for 1,770,000 lei ($59); avoid the pricey $7 breakfast, though. When it comes to getting fed, bucatarie romaneasca (Romanian cuisine) is tasty and filling, so don't bother with the ubiquitous $2 Big Mac combo when you can dine sumptuously on the likes of sarmale (savory meat-and-rice-stuffed cabbage) for half that; soups, salads, and beer for under a buck; bottles of good local wines like Premiat for $3 or less; and palinka (potent plum brandy, the national tipple) for 80,000 ($2.65/liter). For breakfast, neighborhood patisseries serve calorie-laden extravaganzas of chocolate, whipped cream, and fruit for 7,000 to 12,000 lei (23cents-40cents), and coffee for 4,000 (13cents). If your hotel has a fridge, groceries are cheap (loaf of bread 6,000 lei/20cents, processed cheese 63,510 lei/$2 a pound, yogurt 5,000 lei/17cents a container). The Bucharest dining scene is becoming more international every year, but there are plenty of excellent, centrally located spots to enjoy local grub. A favorite is country-style Terasa Doamnei (Strada Doamnei 9, sector 3, 1/314-6481), with wooden furniture and pottery tableware, serving roast sirloin with wine sauce or chicken fricassee for 30,000 to 50,000 lei ($1-$1.65). The vaulted brick cellar of the Hanul Manuc (see above) is now a bistro where hot entrees and grilled meats go for 18,000 to 73,000 (60cents-$2.40). Becker Brau (155 Calea Rahovei, 1/335-5650) is a faux-rustic restaurant/pub where German-style bere (beer) is brewed on the premises and homestyle entrees run 105,000 lei ($3.50). Good bets for quicker bites are Braseria Cina (Strada Franklin 12, 1/310-1017), an outdoor cafe with a lively young crowd (most female patrons have magenta hair) and stalwart dishes like grilled trout (78,000 lei/$2.60) and beef stew (92,000 lei/$3). At folksy Boema (Strada C.A. Rosetti 10, 1/313-3783), welcome mats of fresh evergreen branches are followed by a plate of smoked sausages and beans for 68,500 ($2.30). Three other novel spots are not to be missed. Burebista (Strada Batisetei 14, 1/211-8929) is styled as an ancient, candlelit hunting lodge, with boar's heads, antlers, and animal pelts, and specializes in traditional cuisine (especially game) such as lettuce with venison and wildberries (45,000 lei/$1.50) and pork fillet stuffed with sausages and garlic (40,000 lei/ $1.35). At Casa Oamenilor de Stnnta (Piata Lahovari, 1/210-1229), housed in the elegant 125-year-old Romanian Academy of Sciences, you're given a free tour of the ornate upstairs before dinner. At its nine tables, diners are feted with the likes of beef schnitzel (63,000 lei/$2.10) and fried carp (72,000 lei/$2.4) to live violin music. The Count Dracula Club (Splaiul Independentei Strada 8A, 1/312-1353) starts guests off with drinks in the Weird Bar, then follows up in the Medieval Room, Count's Library, or Chapel with imaginative (and unbloody) treats like cheese-stuffed polenta with bacon (70,000 lei/$2.35) and wild duck with fruit (130,000 lei/$4.35). Transylvania beyond Dracula Speaking of the toothy count, many outsiders' only image of Transylvania is still hopelessly mired in cheesy Bela Lugosi flicks. In reality, Romania's central region, surrounded by the Carpathian Mountains, is awash in dramatic scenery, history, medieval villages, outdoor activities, and cultural diversity. The real Dracula, fifteenth-century prince Vlad Tepes, was one of the most dreaded foes of the invading Ottoman Turks. Though all in all he probably wasn't any more bloodthirsty than the average medieval ruler, "Vlad the Impaler" is remembered for his favorite version of the death penalty: impaling enemies on wooden stakes, then relishing their slow deaths as he dined (and giving new meaning to the concept of a "stake dinner"). Locals are planning to cash in further by opening a Dracula theme park by late 2003. Only one-and-a-half hours from Bucharest by train, the town of Sinaia, 2,500 feet in the Bucegi Mountains, was established by a wealthy seventeenth-century lord who visited Mount Sinai in Israel and built a similarly named monastery. Sinaia climbed in social importance after King Carol I built his summer residence, the fanciful 160-room Peles Castle (admission 60,000 lei/$2), in the 1870s. Today this charming old town lined with elegant villas and gingerbread-style houses is also a ski resort (equipment rental around $4 to $6 a day, lift tickets $8 adult, $3.50 child). Northeast of Sinaia is Bran Castle (50,000 lei/$1.65, also includes admission to the Village and Customs Museums). Perched atop a 197-foot rock aerie, this standard stop on the Dracula trail is extremely atmospheric, with its four towers, Gothic arched ceilings, and secret stairway through the chimney. Alas, the bloodthirsty luminary never actually resided here - but it was owned by Vlad's granddad between 1395 and 1427. You'll find good buys in surrounding souvenir stalls. Continue a bit farther north to Brasov, a stunning twelfth-century walled town (100 miles/21/2 hours from Bucharest by express train, first-class 185,000 lei/$6.15), built by Saxons and boasting Romania's largest Gothic church, the fourteenth-to-fifteenth-century Biserica Neagra (Black Church; admission 15,000 lei/50cents), with an extraordinary collection of ancient Turkish carpets; services (in German) are on Sundays at 10 a.m. Anchoring Brasov's historic district is Piata Sfatului, the central square, rimmed with fifteenth-and-sixteenth-century buildings in muted sherbet palettes (now housing shops, pubs, and outdoor cafes, ideal for an afternoon of browsing). Another two hours (first-class train 165,000 lei/$5.50 each way) northwest of Brasov is Sighisoara, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built by Saxons in the twelfth century. There are two main squares, lined with fifteenth-and-sixteenth-century houses, and it was in a mustard-colored house on one of them, Piata Muzeului, where Vlad Dracula was born around 1431. It's very much a living town; I once noticed a bride dressed in foamy white cascading down the cobblestone streets to a ribbon-bedecked Citroan. The fourteenth-century clock tower (35,000 lei/$1.15 for tower and museums) contains eclectic displays of medical instruments, beer steins, and more on the way to the top's spectacular views. The nearby torture room exhibits delights such as a finger crusher, rack, beating sticks, stocks, and chains. If you drop your bags in Sinaia, do so at historic Complex Economat (44/311-151, fax 44/311-150) near Peles Castle. This grand chalet with wood-trimmed pink stucco (where King Carol's guests waited for audiences) has 34 rooms; rates with bath in the hall run 425,000 lei ($14) single and 850,000 ($28) double; doubles with bath 950,000 ($32). There's a spiffier section for about $6 to $8 more that includes a voucher for 450,000 lei ($15) daily to be used in the hotel restaurant (most full entrees 64,500-73,100 lei/$2.15-$2.45). A terrific value! In Brasov, most hotels are in the $30-to-$70 range; one cheaper bet is Aro Sport (Strada Sf. Ioan 3, 68/478-800), where doubles with shared bath are 420,000 lei ($14). Nearby Sighisoara has more options, so it makes a better base. The Hotel Rex (Strada Dumbravei 18, tel/fax 65/777-615, hotelrex@netsoft.ro) offers 28 clean, spacious units with TVs, refrigerators, and large bathrooms for 490,000 lei ($16) single and 590,000 ($20) double, including breakfast. It's a 15-minute walk or quick public bus ride (10,000 lei/33cents) to the main sights. More atmospheric is the seventeenth-century Casa cu Cerb (Stag House), adorned with heads and antlers and housing a new inn/restaurant called Messerschmitt (tel/fax 65/774-625, info@er-messerschmitt-s.ro). It has ten Ikea-furnished rooms (all with bath) for 420,000 lei ($14) single and 840,000 lei ($28) double. The restaurant's brick-vaulted ceilings form a canopy for crisp white linens and forest-green upholstered seating, where diners feast on pork in paprika sauce with dumplings for 59,600 lei ($2) and clatite (pancakes with jam) for 11,400 (38:). You can also dine at Casa "Vlad Dracul" (773-304) in the Impaler's very birthplace. Diners ascend stairs past a fresco of the town dominated by a mega-Vlad looming like a malignant Gulliver, then sit in tall, carved wooden chairs and dine on omelettes with ham and mushrooms for 25,000 lei (83:) and pork cordon bleu 89,000 ($3). The stakes on the wall, they say, are for decorative purposes only. To really soak up local culture, consider village homestays. Through ANTREC Romania in Bucharest (tel/fax 1/223-7024, antrec.ro), you can arrange delightful guesthouses such as Cheile Gradistei in the Carpathian foothills village of Moeciu de Jose convenient to Bran Castle and Brasov on a public bus line. Rooms are spotlessly clean, and some have private verandas with breathtaking views. Doubles with bath run 750,000 lei ($23) and 600,000 lei ($20) without. A stream runs through its chalet-style restaurant, where beef stew or meat-stuffed cabbage rolls are 75,000 lei ($2.50). Maramures: Still Dacian after all these years Inhabitants of the northern portion of Transylvania are of Dacian descent, culturally distinct from the remainder of the province. Here in Maramures, village customs and crafts like gaily embroidered costumes, pointed footwear, and intricately carved wooden gates have been handed down for centuries. Horse-drawn wagons go clipping by, loaded down with animals and people heading to market, horses' bridles bobbing with orange tassels for good luck. Village markets are a cacophony of cowbells, clinking bottles of palinka, bleating goats, and folk music spewing from boomboxes. From Sighis-oara to the region's capital, Baia Mare, the train takes five hours via Cluj (first-class 343,000 lei/$11.45). Explore villages like Birsana, with its beautiful monastery, and Surdesti, with the world's tallest wooden church, all by public bus (autobuz) for 15,000 lei (50cents) per 30 miles or in a rental car (gas: 63,967 lei/$2 a gallon). Twenty miles from Baia Mare, don't miss one of Romania's most fascinating sites, the Cimitirul Vesel (Merry Cemetery) of Sapanta, a 67-year-old garden of carved wooden crosses painted vibrant blue and bearing first-person epitaphs with sometimes poignant, sometimes amusing tales of the deceased ("I worked with sheep, but a bad Hungarian cut my head from my body. I curse this man"). Maramures is also the perfect area to try a homestay; otherwise, good bets include Motel Siesta, in Sighetu Marmatiei (4925 Sighetu Marmatiei Avram Iancu 42 Maramures, 62/311-468, fax 62/311-253, siesta.mm@alphanet.ro), 450,000 lei ($15) single and 600,000 lei ($20) double, with breakfast. All 16 rooms have baths with stall showers, and the hotel restaurant serves filling dishes such as smoked pork with beans (43,900 lei/$1.46) or chicken with rice (27,700 lei/92cents). Hotel Cerbul (Borsa Complex, 62/344-199), with singles at 560,000 lei ($17) and doubles at 700,000 ($23), including breakfast, is a quaint ski resort with 29 bath-equipped rooms and a restaurant overlooking the mountains. It dishes up roast beef for 30,800 lei ($1) and pork with mushrooms for only 22,450 lei (75cents). Moldavia: Paint your monastery Moldavia province is best known for the UNESCO World Heritage Sites found in its northern region, Southern Bucovina. The fifteenth-and-sixteenth-century Orthodox monasteries (admission 20,000 lei/66cents each) were erected by Stephen the Great and his son, their outsides painted with biblical scenes to teach religion to the illiterate. Miraculously, the images still survive, and the most famous monastery, Voronet, dubbed the "Sistine Chapel of the East," is a veritable symphony of color, one wall displaying a masterful Last Judgment, vibrant in "Voronet blue." The six monasteries, as well as Romania's finest citadels, built four to six centuries ago to withstand Ottoman invasion (admission 10,000 lei/33cents each), are connected by public bus (10,000-15,000 lei/33cents-50cents) from the region's now industrialized main town, Suceava. Southern Bucovina abounds with charming options for eating and sleeping. My favorites in Suceava are the ten-room Casa Calin (Strada Horia 1, Vama, 94/549-929, bucovina.casa.calin.ro), where singles (450,000 lei/$15) and doubles (660,000 lei/$22) include breakfast and private bath; the delightful proprietors will also cook dinner for a few bucks. Casa Elena (Voronet 8, 30/230-651, fax 30/230-968, webmaster@casaelena.assist.ro) offers 22 doubles at 650,000 lei ($22), all with private bath. There are great mountain views from the indoor or al fresco restaurant, where spit-roasted meats are 80,000 lei ($2.65). Romania-mania! Get more information from the Romanian National Tourist Office (14 E. 38th St., New York, NY 10016, 212/545-8484, fax 212/251-0429, romaniantourism.com), or online at beautifulromania.com, mtromania.ro, romaniaguide.com. Tarom Romanian Airways (212/560-0840, tarom.digiro.net) flies direct from the U.S.; a round-trip coach ticket from New York to Bucharest costs $350 to $650, depending on time of year. British Airways (800/247-9297, britishairways.com) and Austrian Airlines (800/843-0002, aua.com) are among several European airlines connecting to Bucharest. Fares from New York range from $481 to $935. For packages, contact CMB Travel in Bucharest (tel./fax 1/210-5244, cmbtravel.ro). Once in Bucharest, you can get good rental-car rates from Absolut Rent A Car (1/330-4255). When calling Romania from the U.S., first dial 011-40.