New Lessons in Online Savings

What you'll find in this story: Reykjavik travel, Reykjavik restaurants, Reykjavik culture, Reykjavik affordable travel, Iceland neighborhoods Whether it's due to the cost of importing or the lack of competition, nothing comes cheap in Iceland. The idea of healthy living hasn't really caught on, either. Having said that, there are quite a few nice little restaurants, most in the downtown area, that are affordable (at least by Icelandic standards). Eld smidjan An almost life-size James Dean stares at a haunting blonde painted by former punk princess Elly. On the floor above, a painting by Harpa shows death having a drink with friends. But there's more to Eld Smidjan than decor. It has the best pizzas, with toppings from fish to snails. Can't decide? Leave it to the chef, who'll usually whip up something involving cream cheese. From $9 for a 10-inch margherita pizza. Bragagata 38a, 011-354/562-3838. Hornid The name means "corner," appropriately enough, since it's on a corner in the center of town. Reykjavik's oldest Italian restaurant is only 25 years old. But it's still perhaps the best (and the candles on the tables are more than you can say for some places). Look at the blackboard for the day's special, which might be pasta, baked seafood, or panfried saltfish; it comes with soup ($18). The pizzas, calzones, and pastas are nice ($15 to $20), as is the salmon, from a local river ($31). Hafnarstræti 15, 011-354/551-3340. Nonnabiti Nonnabiti is the top manufacturer of batur, or "boats," more or less what more advanced cultures call submarine sandwiches. It closes later than most restaurants here, which means 2 a.m. weekdays and 6 a.m. weekends, so it's a favorite of pub crawlers. (Get a dollar off before 1:30 p.m.) The big, greasy boats have a unique taste due to Nonni's sauce, which he invented--only he and his wife, Björk (no, not her), know the recipe. Try the lamb or fish boat ($10), or a holiday boat, with smoked pork, if you're in around Christmas or Easter. Hafnarstræti 11, 011-354/551-2312. Graenn Kostur Graenn Kostur ("green choice") is completely vegan: no sugar, no bleached flour, nothing from the animal kingdom. (Not exactly true--Antonio, a chubby cat thought to resemble a Latin lover, is served dairy products.) Actor Viggo Mortensen stops by on his frequent horse-riding trips. If you're in luck, the day's special ($12) will be a stuffed pepper or, failing that, a spinach pie. A second helping costs $3. Skolavördustigur 8b, 011-354/552-2028. Baejarins Bestu The Icelandic hot dog is not to be missed, and this stand, "the town's best," lives up to its name. On a sunny day the line stretches down the street. The hot dogs are made mostly from lamb, and if you ask for one with everything ("eina med öllu"), you get mustard, ketchup, raw and fried onions, and remoulade. A hot dog costs $3, but you'll want a pair. Two members of Metallica--James Hetfield and the new bass player--shared seven. Bill Clinton stopped by in August but only wanted mustard. Now you can ask for a Clinton and get just that. Tryggvagata (no street number), 011-354/894-4515. Vitabar The words best and cheapest don't often go together, but it's the case here--this is one of the few bars in the center area that has a "local" feel. For $7.50 you get a delicious burger and fries. Or ditch the fries and order a gleym-mer-ey ("forget-me-not"), a blue cheese and garlic burger ($11). A steak costs $22 but comes with beer, salad, and fries. Bergthorugata 21, 011-354/551-7200. Reykjavik Bagel Company Owner Frank Sands is originally from Boston but has become a naturalized Icelander; he's lived here for 11 years and is married to an Icelandic woman. He initially taught in a high school in the Westman Islands but has entered the catering business and also started the successful Vegamot bistro and bar. You can get any bagel with regular or flavored cream cheese for $4.50. Included in the price is Wi-Fi access, if you have your laptop. Laugavegur 81, 011-354/511-4500. Jomfruin Owner Jakob Jakobsson is the first man to earn the title "smörrebröd virgin." Smörrebröd, a Danish invention, consists of bread hidden under a pile of toppings, such as roast beef, herring, shrimp, or gorgonzola. A virgin in smörrebröd terms is, ironically, someone very proficient in the art of making the bread. On summer Saturdays, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., the top jazz acts in Reykjavik play in the garden. Half a slice (a lot more filling than you'd think) goes for around $10, a full one for between $18 to $30. Laekjargata 4, 011-354/551-0100. 3 Frakkar The name means "three Frenchmen," and 3 Frakkar used to be a French restaurant. When new owners took over two decades ago and turned it into a seafood restaurant, they didn't change the name, because conveniently enough, 3 Frakkar also means "three overcoats." The house specialty is whale. Whaling has been forbidden for 15 years, but the chef has a few frozen from before then. Fin whale is served raw or as a pepper steak. The restaurant also has puffin and guillemot on the menu, and a wide selection of fish. Main courses cost around $35; weekday lunches are roughly a third less (and include soup). Baldursgata 14, 011-354/552-3939.

What you'll find in this story: Italian travel, Italian culture, Italian attractions, Italy train schedules, Florence travel, Rome travel "Two years ago, my husband got activated with the military," Andrea Farrow, of Murrieta, Calif., wrote to us last summer. "While he has been all over the world, he has actually 'seen' very little of it other than military bases." Andrea was planning on dropping off her three sons with Grandma and taking a two-week trip to Europe in late March with her husband, Richard, a member of the Air Force Reserves, soon after he was released from duty. She wasn't sure where to go, listing Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Ireland, and Scotland among the places that interested them. When pressed for specifics, Andrea named Pompeii and Venice, and it became clear that we should help them focus on Italy. A short while after agreeing to coach the Farrows, we got an e-mail from Richard: "My wife doesn't think that we're going, because of some money issues. If she e-mails you about it, just ignore her. I guess this vacation is now going to be a surprise." Andrea never told us they were canceling the trip outright, but after a few weeks we stopped hearing from her. Richard stayed in touch with us between missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, and we managed to keep the planning a secret. At one point, worried that Andrea was "getting a little snoopy," Richard even switched e-mail addresses to throw her off. "Andrea thinks we can't afford this," Richard wrote, "but we'll manage. I will sell my car if I have to." The Farrows wanted to travel primarily by train, and we told them to research routes and schedules at trenitalia.com. After plotting out a rough itinerary according to their requests--a mix of Italy's major attractions with some off-the-beaten-path fun--we suggested that they spend $564 on a second-class, two-person Italy Rail 'n Drive pass, which comes with four days of train travel and a two-day compact-car rental. "I'm a history teacher," Andrea had said, "so castles, ruins, and historical sites are a must." The Farrows' first glimpse of Italy is in Rome, where their tight schedule allows for three days. Although they want to see the city's big-name attractions, we told them not to get bogged down with a checklist of sights. There are a number of ways to enjoy Rome, such as window-shopping the fashion boutiques of Via dei Condotti, tasting the creamy gelato at Giolitti, and wasting an afternoon at a café on Piazza Navona (so that Andrea can engage in an activity that she had requested--"sitting outside and watching people as they move about their daily lives.") The Farrows are using the first day of their rail pass to head two hours south to Naples, where they'll switch to a private rail line not covered by their pass (Circumvesuviana, $3) for a 40-minute ride to Pompeii. We pointed out to the Farrows that to be most efficient, before they leave Napoli Centrale station for Pompeii they should place their luggage in a storage room and reserve a sleeping berth, or couchette, on an overnight train to Venice that evening (roughly a $20 supplement to their rail pass). Wandering around the dusty streets, crumbling temples, vacant houses, intact bakeries, and amphitheater of Pompeii--all frozen in time (a.d. 79, to be precise) by the hot ash of a volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius--should eat up five or six hours. Snack trucks lining the road to Pompeii provide a simple lunch, and gift shops sell excellent illustrated guides to help navigate the ruins. If they limit themselves to three hours in Pompeii, they may be able to squeeze in Herculaneum, the less crowded and in many ways more evocative victim of Vesuvius. They just need to hop out at the Ercolano stop on the return to Naples. The overnight train arrives in Venice at 5:31 a.m., a great opportunity to watch the sun rise over the city of canals. We instructed the Farrows to drop their bags at their hotel--the family-run Hotel Bernardi Semenzato--and head directly to the famed Piazza San Marco, which will be wonderfully empty at that time of day. The Secret Itineraries tour of the Doge's Palace, adjacent to St. Mark's, is up next, and guides give an overview of the 1,000-year history of the Venetian Republic while bringing visitors through cramped wooden chambers hidden behind tapestries in the lavish palace. As part of the special tour, Richard and Andrea will even get to clamber up to "the leads," the attic prison cells from which Casanova once escaped. "We'd like to go to some out-of-the-way places that most tourists don't see," Andrea had insisted, prompting us to recommend that on their second day in town they explore Venice's outlying islands by ferry, or vaporetto. The glass factories at Murano, a mini-Venice with canals and cathedrals but no crowds, are fascinating. The fishing village of Burano is known for its brightly colored houses, and then there's also the largely abandoned island of Torcello. It was a former haunt of Ernest Hemingway and is home to little more than some weedy canals, a couple of restaurants, and a 1,000-year-old church glittering with mosaics. Limiting Venice to two days may seem like sacrilege, but the Farrows demanded a fast pace. Andrea had said she wanted to see as many things as possible, concerned that they'd never take a similar trip again. We told them to hop a morning train that by early afternoon would land them in Pisa for mandatory photo ops of the Leaning Tower. A couple of hours is plenty. They'll continue on to the seaside village of Riomaggiore, where brothers Roberto and Luciano Fazioli rent fantastic apartments for $65 to $130 double. Riomaggiore is the southernmost of five villages along the cliffs of the Riviera known as the Cinque Terre. The villages are connected by a series of ancient goat paths that are scenic and great for hiking. Next is Florence and two days of sightseeing, followed by a day of cycling through the small towns and hills of the Chianti region with an outfit called I Bike Italy. The Farrows pick up their car in Florence for a final two days, heading south to San Gimignano, a kind of medieval Manhattan with 14 stone towers atop a hill. After lunch at La Mangiatoia--with a bottle of the local white wine, Vernaccia--they drive on to Siena, one of the best-preserved medieval cities in the world. The Campo, Siena's sloping, scallop-shaped central square, is a stone's throw from the place we recommended the Farrows stay, the Piccolo Hotel Etruria. Before returning to Rome, the Farrows have one last stop. Along the back road from Scansano to Manciano, at a sharp bend just beyond a bridge, they'll see cars parked on the shoulder. Across the field is Saturnia's Cascata del Gorello, hot mineral waters that spill down the hillside in a series of relaxing pools. The total cost of the couple's trip should be about $4,500--well within the budget Richard gave us. "My wife has done an outstanding job raising our three sons and taking care of our house while I've been away," he said. "She deserves this." Now they know they can afford it. We just wish we could see the look on Andrea's face when she finds out.

What you'll find in this story: Spain travel, Spain culture, Spanish attractions, Madrid museums, Spain lodging, Spain restaurants The government is pouring money into cutting-edge museums, performing-arts spaces, and convention centers. Not surprisingly, there has been a trickle-down effect, as the recent wave of infrastructure has inspired galleries, stores, and restaurants to open near the new buildings. Industrial wastelands are being reinvented as vibrant, hip neighborhoods. Right, you're thinking, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. Indeed, if there's one symbol of the country's changes, it's the Guggenheim, which opened in 1997. But Frank Gehry's jutting, curving, titanium-clad wonder was only part of a $1.5 billion citywide overhaul, which included a convention hall, British architect Norman Foster's Blade Runner-esque subway stations (nicknamed Fosteritos by locals), and an airport designed by Spain's own Santiago Calatrava that looks like a cavernous dinosaur fossil with structural "ribs" made of steel. Bilbao, however, is only one example of what's happening across the nation. Name your favorite city--chances are a glittering architectural marvel is sprouting up between red-tile roofs. Historical context only makes these changes more dramatic. In the space of 30 years, Spain has shifted from a dictatorship to a democracy, from economic stagnation to growth, from cultural isolation to a place on the world's main stage. From 1939 to 1975, Francisco Franco basically ran the country with an iron fist, keeping strict control of regional governments from his center of control, Madrid. The problem was that, like Italy, Spain is wildly diverse--as those who have tried to flex their high school Spanish in Barcelona can attest. A Catalan or Galician from the north eats different food and often speaks a different language from a Castilian from Madrid or a Canary Islander. Franco, in a sense, forced Spain to unify. After his death, the country reorganized into a constitutional monarchy of 17 autonomous regions. Ten years later, in the mid-1980s, the newly empowered community leaders of Galicia used their authority to make over the blighted city of Bilbao--luring in the Guggenheim with $40 million in funds. The national government paid for a new airport and subway. Close to 6.3 million people have visited the Guggenheim since its opening, generating $173 million in GDP in 2003 and morphing Bilbao from a faded shipping port to a must-see European attraction. Nothing succeeds like success: Cooperation between national and regional governments became the model for Spain's future. Bilbao wasn't the first time politicians realized what a lot of planning and money could do. To prepare for the 1992 Olympics, Barcelona transformed a 183-acre riverside section of the city into stadiums and athlete housing. After the games, the area was revamped into a posh neighborhood with apartments, malls, even an aquarium. Now Barcelona is kicking off another phase of redevelopment. This past year, a 74-acre complex of buildings in the industrial riverside district of Sant Adrià de Besòs opened as a 15,000-person-plus convention space for southern Europe. Before the conventions arrived, however, the head of the Catalan government, Pascual Maragall, chose to mount Forum 2004, a progressive-themed world's fair in what is a decidedly capitalistic zone. The themes: cultural diversity, sustainable development, and conditions for peace, all of which sounded rather dry unless you saw the Forum in action. Around the convention buildings (a dramatic glass box by Spaniard Josep Lluis Mateo, and a teetering purple triangle by the Swiss firm Herzog & de Meuron) stood palatial tents where African bands, Chinese acrobats, and American pop stars performed. A huge seawater pool stretched down the center of a riverside esplanade. In effect, the site was turned into a humanistic block party, where folks from all over the world came together to eat, drink, dance, sunbathe, swim, and learn a little about global issues. As with the former Olympics sites, most of the Forum areas have been converted into parks, and the construction of public beaches, housing, and a marina is creating an urban fun zone along the Besòs river. Swank hotels and a new metro line have already sprung up on the main thoroughfare. At the end of the day, Barcelona will spend more than $2.3 billion on the project. Barcelona is Barcelona, though--a major European city with an inherent appeal. Some of the most exciting evidence of the new Spain is in lesser-known cities. Like Bilbao, they're gambling on major architecture as a way to make the world pay attention. In the hills above the medieval cathedral city of Santiago de Compostela, in the northwest corner of the country, a $125 million performing-arts complex designed by American Peter Eisenman is under construction, with three of the buildings due to open in 2006. Encompassing 810,000 square feet, the project--which the local government has named the City of Culture of Galicia--includes a history museum, a library, a landscaped forest, and a theater for ballet, opera, and symphonies. Santiago, which has 92,000 residents, is clearly hoping that the City will draw new visitors, as well as the usual religious pilgrims, to help pay the tab. About 600 miles southeast, in the Mediterranean port of Valencia, the City of Arts and Sciences is just finishing up construction. Also designed by Santiago Calatrava, the massive bone-white structures form a kind of museum compound--the buildings arc across several shallow fountains, each the size of a football field. Inside are displays and interactive exhibits on everything from dolphins to global warming. Last spring, the 20-acre aquarium opened, to be followed in 2005 by the Palace of the Arts, a glass and metal helmet-like dome with venues for opera, theater, and dance, including a 1,600-person auditorium. Total cost: $3 billion. On Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands, Calatrava built a stunning, $70 million opera house that opened in 2003. It rises above the city of Santa Cruz in the shape of a cresting wave. Architects Herzog & de Meuron designed an esplanade to complement the project. Judging from the attention Tenerife has gotten in the media, tourists may one day skip the nightlife and beaches of the island in favor of a performance of La Traviata. Where's the money coming from? The national economy is growing at a rate of 3.2 percent a year (among the fastest in the current EU), increasing tax revenues for projects. Furthermore, for the past few years Spain has been awarded the lion's share of infrastructure subsidies from EU headquarters in Brussels. When Spain first joined the EU, it was one of the poorest nations in the union and needed investment to get up to economic speed. Despite notable improvement in its fiscal situation, the country still received $8 billion in infrastructure subsidies last year. As Poland and smaller eastern European countries become active members, Spain will likely have to forfeit much of its funding. Nevertheless, national hopes remain high. Even Madrid is getting in on the action, if on a smaller scale. By the end of 2005, the city's three world-renowned museums will be renovated and connected by the  Paseo del Arte (Art Walk), which takes 10 minutes to cover on foot and resembles the Mall in Washington, D.C. Each museum is also making significant additions. At the Prado, a new building is planned, along with a reconstruction of a Romanesque cloister. As of last June, the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza completed the addition of 16 new galleries. The Reina Sofía, home to Picasso's Guernica, plans to open three new buildings (designed by French architect Jean Nouvel) to house works by modern masters such as Joan Miró and Salvador Dalí, as well as a library and a restaurant. The Madrid projects are stately, functional, and sure to appeal to international visitors. But compared with what's going on in the rest of Spain, they're definitely less risky--quiet assimilation versus loud reinvention. Perhaps these cautionary tendencies are a result of the capital's stately character. Or perhaps they're a legacy of Spain's previous president, José María Aznar, a conservative. Aznar 's power struggles with the regional governments, along with his support of the Iraq war, led to his defeat last year. His more liberal successor, José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, has loosened the grip of the central government, withdrawn troops from Iraq, and promised more social changes, including support for stem cell research, increased wages and pensions, the creation of affordable housing, and the legalization of same-sex marriage--all in a predominantly Roman Catholic country. The social landscape of Spain, it appears, may be changing as quickly as the physical one. Because any serious renaissance is about more than just buildings. How to do the new Spain Our rip-and-go guide--including affordable hotels that don't skimp on style. Bilbao Beyond the Guggenheim (011-34/94-435-9080, guggenheim-bilbao.es, $13), the city is exploding with contemporary art galleries. One local favorite, Sala Rekalde, is just a five-minute walk from the museum (30 Alameda Recalde, 011-34/94-406-8755, closed Mondays). Naturally, the mod Gran Hotel Domine Bilbao also has a small art gallery; order a Domine cocktail--champagne, vodka, orange juice, and grenadine--at the lounge overlooking Jeff Koons' Puppy, a giant, flower-covered dog sculpture at the Guggenheim entrance (Alameda de Mazarredo 61, 011-34/94-425-3300, granhoteldominebilbao.com, champagne cocktail $18, weekend rate $208, summer specials $121). Tenerife Treat yourself to classical music and avant-garde architecture at the Tenerife Opera House. Mozart, Hayden, and Mahler are all on the bill for this spring. Click on programación at auditoriodetenerife.com for schedules (in Spanish, but clear enough). To buy tickets, check out generaltickets.com/cajacanarias, $16 to $35 for most performances. Barcelona For a virtual tour of the Forum site, see barcelona2004.org. The fastest route to the actual Forum site (the intersection of Av. Diagonal and Rambla Prim) is the new Forum station on the upgraded Metro Line 4 (stop: El Maresme Forum). The exhibits have closed, but you can hang out by the outdoor seawater pools--chairs are even provided. Instead of a hotel, book one of the five design-inspired loft apartments housed in an old post office (Apartments Correu Vell, 011-31/64-560-6674, bcn2stay.com, $108, last-minute specials $81), then tour the nearby artsy El Raval district. Home to the Contemporary Art Museum of Barcelona, or MACBA (Plaça dels Àngels 1, 011-34/93-412-0810, macba.es, $9), it's yet another neighborhood that's turning around as we speak. One last note: This month marks the start of the city's "Gastronomic Year"--a celebration of Catalan cuisine, with fiestas, walking tours, and more. See barcelonaturisme.com for info. Santiago Sure, you'll tour the famous cathedral. But do make time to visit the compelling architectural models of the City of Culture, currently under construction (City of Culture Foundation, Rúa de San Roque 2, Hospital San Roque building, cidadedacultura.es). Several other designs--inventive, but ultimately rejected--are also on display. For atmosphere, you can't beat the Hotel Airas Nunes, in a medieval stone building right by the Cathedral (17 Rua do Vilar, 011-34/90-240-5858, pousadasdecompostela.com, from $81). And bear in mind the option of staying in one of Spain's renovated historic inns, or paradores. Parador de Santo Estevo, once a Benedictine monastery, is a group of Romanesque buildings updated with individually designed, antiques-filled rooms (Nogueira de Ramuín, Galicia, 011-34/98-801-0110, parador.es, from $155). The new Spain is fantastic, but so is the old Spain. Madrid Start your art walk at the Reina Sofía museum (Santa Isabel 52, 011-34/91-573-6245, museoreinasofia.es, $4), then head north to the Prado (Paseo del Prado, 011-34/91-330-2800, museoprado.mcu.es, $4, Sundays free), and end at the Thyssen-Bornemisza (Paseo del Prado 8, 011-34/91-369-0151, museothyssen.org, $8). The Prado and Thyssen-Bornemisza are closed Mondays, the Reina Sofía is closed Tuesdays. Eat lunch at the Thyssen café, run by chic restaurant Le Paradís. For a more affordable taste of the city's cuisine, cross town for a mint-and-tarragon-topped burger at Fast Good, opened in April 2004 by master chef Ferrán Adrià (NH Eurobuilding, Padre Damían 23, 011-34/91-353-7300, $10). The hotel of the moment is Hotel Urban, a sleek monument to design. Prices are steep, but the company does offer specials ($133 and up) on its website, derbyhotels.es. There's also a wonderful newish group of small, stylish hotels called Rusticae (rusticae.es) all over the country, as well as in Portugal, France, and Argentina. One within walking distance of downtown is Room Mate Mario (011-34/91-548-8548, $133); another is Acis y Galatea (011-34/91-743-4901, $160). Valencia On your way to a day of museum-going, stroll the three miles of unhyped parks along the Turia River, where the city kicked off its transformation. At the southern end of the gardens stands the City of Arts and Culture (011-34/90-210-0031, cac.es). Check out the Hemispheric planetarium's metal "eyelid"; the Oceanographic's underwater aquarium restaurant; and the soon-to-be-finished Palace of the Arts. The 28 rooms at the Ad Hoc Hotel, in the historic Xerea quarter, are done in a semi-modern decor, some with pretty, exposed-brick walls (Calle Boix 4, 011-34/96-391-9140, adhochoteles.com, weekend rate $120).