Understanding Rome's new hotel tax

Q: I'm worried about how Rome's new tax will affect a two week trip to that city. Any ideas on how I could avoid it?

-- J. Pick, Oshawa

A: Rome's new hotel tax kicks in Jan. 1. Travellers who stay at four- and five-star hotels in the city will be charged 3 euros per night, and travellers who stay a properties rated three stars or less will be charged 2 euros per night. Children under two and youth hostels are exempt from the tax.

Some travel companies have announced they will absorb the new tax for now.

Jeff Element, president of the Travel Corporation -- which includes sister brands Trafalgar Tours, Contiki Holidays and Insight Vacations -- says his company will be absorbing the cost in 2011.

"All clients who are currently booked or plan to book a holiday with us that includes a Rome hotel stay in 2011 will not be responsible for this new government- imposed tax since we feel very strongly in honouring our price commitment," he said.

Trafalgar has five new Italy itineraries with its new "At Leisure" programs. Contiki Holidays has two regional tours, Simply Italy and Italian Espresso. Insight Vacations has launched new Gold deluxe escorted tours that include an Italian Vogue itinerary. For more information, contact your travel agent.

Q: Do you know anything about taxis and public transit in Cardiff, Wales?

-- A. Harwansky, Toronto

A: Wales' capital has a relatively new fleet of environmentally friendly "bendy" buses. For transit information, visit cardiffbus.com. There are several cab companies in the city, which are listed on the official visitor's website of Cardiff, visitcardiff.com. One of the popular ones is Premier Taxis (premiertaxis.net) purported to have one of the biggest fleets in Wales.

Q: Can you offer any tips on finding information on green building projects around the world. My interest is primarily on architecture.

-- A. Stathorne, Mississauga

A: Environmentally sustainable buildings are gaining popularity around the world. I discovered an informative website devoted to green roofs (greenroofs.com) created by Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, a Toronto-based nonprofit organization. The website lists winners of the 2010 Green Awards of Excellence and also has a database of green roofs that are accessible to visitors. The search function allows you to narrow queries by location, building type, project name, project year, key words and more.

Q: Florida has been our winter getaway for many years but this winter we're interested in trying a new place. What destinations will be popular this winter?

-- N. Nolan, Etobicoke

A: Canadians continue to book winter getaways in sunny climes. Florida remains a favourite but if you'd like to try something new, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic are popular and well priced. All-inclusive resort holidays are big in the Caribbean. Sandals Resorts (sandals.com) has properties across the Caribbean including Jamaica, St. Lucia, Antigua and Bahamas. Luxury hotel chain RIU Hotels & Resorts (riu.com) has properties throughout Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Cuba, and also also in Tunisia, Portugal's Algarve and Morocco.

ilona@mycompass.ca, Twitter @mycompasstv

Spirits linger at Canada’s hotels

48 hours in Bethlehem

The birthplace of Jesus is hardly an easy “weekend getaway” spot, but for a taste of how today’s Holy Land feels, this hospitable Palestinian town draped over the steep hilltops outside Jerusalem is an essential place to visit.

Most foreigners fly into Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport, an hour away from Jerusalem, and enter via Israeli checkpoints into the occupied West Bank. Security remains tight but there is currently no tension to deter the hardy traveller.

Visitors love to come at Christmas, when a crowded Bethlehem celebrates its most famous date at the Church of the Nativity in Manger square. But the town hosts tourists year round. In the summer it’s hot. In winter, there can be a veil of snow on the rooftops so warm clothing is advisable.

Local correspondents help you get the most out of a stay.

FRIDAY

From your hotel on Manger Street (www.palestinehotels.com) you can easily tour the inner city by foot. The hills are steep and good walking shoes are a necessity. Taxis are inexpensive and plenty. A wider selection of hotels, restaurants, theatres can be found at (www.thisweekinpalestine.com).

10:00 am - Head to the Church of the Nativity, the oldest church in the Holy Land, and bend down low to pass through the worn stone lintel of the Gate of Humility. Among whispers in many languages from groups of awed pilgrims, compare the sweetly incensed air and hanging lamps of the Orthodox Church with the quiet, glassy light of the Roman Catholic Church beside it.

Be sure to see the beautiful mosaic tiling of the ancient floor exposed beneath your feet as you pass down ancient steps to the gloom of the Grotto where Christians believe Mary gave birth to the baby Jesus. A silver star embedded in white marble bears the Latin inscription “Here, of the Virgin Mary, Christ was born.”

11:00 am - Adjust to the bright light back outside in Manger Square and stroll through the esplanade over to the splendid Mosque of Omar, the tourist centre of Bethlehem where Christmas Eve celebrations are held. Check out what’s on year-round at the Bethlehem Peace Centre (www.peacenter.org). The square streets around are lined with shops and cafes serving pungent Arab coffee or sweet cappuccino.

12:00 - Walk up Pope Paul VI Street in the centre of the town and see convents and churches built by European religious congregations. Priests and nuns in the varied robes and hats of many churches are a common sight. But Bethlehem is an oriental city. The popular Star and Farahiya Streets display a model of Arab architecture typical of the Ottoman era.

2:00 p.m. - For lunch, choose al Madbasa restaurant in the old city and try “mansaf” a dish of tasty rice and baked lamb flavoured with yoghurt and toasted nuts and eaten with flat bread. (http://blog.sweetestmemories.com/pix/mansaf3.jpg)

For dessert, locals relish “kunafa” an oriental confection.

5:00 p.m. - Head to Three Arches souvenir shop (www.holylandshopping.com) where you will find mother-of-pearl and olive wood carvings, icons, and jewellery.

7:00 p.m. - You’ll need a rest before going down to dinner at the Tent restaurant, next to Shepherd’s Field. Furnished with traditional Arab seating and plump embroidered cushions, have a leisurely meal of hand-made flat bread, humus (mashed chick peas), tabbouleh (bulgar, finely chopped parsley with a little tomato, cucumber, onion, olive oil and lemon), mutabbal (eggplant with sesame and lemon) and jarjir (rocket with tomatoes, onion and lemon spiced with sumac). You have to be hungry. This is followed by a choice of grilled meats, rice or roast potatoes. As a digestif, try puffing on a nargileh (water pipe) prepared at your table by the boy with the glowing charcoal censer. Apple, mint and lemon flavoured tobacco are favourites.

9:00 p.m. - If you’re in the mood for drinks and dancing, check out the throbbing Cosmos disco on Crimisan Street in the Beit Jala quarter, where music switches from Western favourites to Arab pop stars. For a quieter evening order a nargileh with an Arabic coffee at Reem Al Bawadi cafe in Manger Street, from noon until midnight.

SATURDAY

8:00 a.m. - Skip breakfast at your hotel and go right to the Souk for a stroll through its bustling alleyways. The bazaar was renovated 10 years ago in the old style. Farmers from outlying villages arrive early with all sorts of fresh vegetables, beans, nuts and spices at the market by the Syrian Orthodox Church.

9:00 a.m. - You’ll have a sharp appetite for breakfast at Afteem restaurant near Manger Square, offering traditional humus and falafel, with freshly squeezed, sweetened lemon juice flavoured with crushed mint leaves.

10:00 a.m. - Visit the Milk Grotto next to the Church of the Nativity where Mary nursed the baby Jesus while hiding there from Herod’s soldiers before escaping to Egypt. It is hewn from soft rock that some believe was coloured white by drops of the Virgin’s breast milk.

11:00 a.m. - The lathes at Giacaman’s factory on Milk Grotto Street near the Nativity church will be humming as skilled workers carve Christmas and other Biblical scenes from the rich wood of gnarled old olive trees that are collected from all over the West Bank. The carvings cost from $1 for a simple crucifix to $7,000 for a hand-carved nativity scene with the Three Kings, the manger, Christ and the Virgin. 1:00 p.m. - Over-eating is a hazard in Palestinian restaurants, so for a light lunch get a fresh chicken sandwich at Marvel’s on Manger Street or a quick meal at the Square restaurant where there are tables outside in sunny weather. 3:00 p.m. - Visit the richly carpeted Mosque of Omar with its elegant minaret, built in honour of the second Caliph, Omar Ibn al-Khattab. Visitors must remove their shoes and women must cover their heads.

4:00 p.m. - It’s not easy to escape the symbols of religion in Bethelehem, but for a change take a look inside the nearby Arab Women’s Union Museum. Here you can see displays of a typical Palestinian diwan (living room) with clothing, jewellery, old photos, and personal items from the British Mandate era before the state of Israel was established in 1948.

7:00 p.m. - Dine at Abu Shanab restaurant where the fragrance of grilled lamb will whet your appetite, and drink the homemade “Arak” a pungent, resinous spirit similar to pastis or ouzo which turns milky when water is added. The lamb is served on skewers, in spiced meat rolls, or thinly sliced chops, with hot Arabic bread and an array of typical Middle Eastern salads in accompaniment, not forgetting the mandatory humus and tabbouleh.

9:00 p.m. - Take time to visit Dar Annadwa theatre on Paul VI Street to enjoy Palestinian folklore and dancing. Or have a stroll before bedtime along the hillside streets for a wonderful view of the lights of Jerusalem by night, just to the north.

SUNDAY

9:00 a.m. - Order a taxi and take a trip to The Wall. The towering gray concrete Israeli barrier wrapped around Bethlehem slices through streets and cuts off access to Jerusalem. The watchtowers and forbidding steel gates are a solemn reminder of the unresolved conflict. But there’s a hopeful aspect too. All kinds of graffiti, from simple spray-on slogans to elaborate paintings and nine images by the mysterious British artist Banksy bear witness to the wish of many visitors to see this barrier one day disappear. Check out Banksy’s ladder going up and over and kids scrambling through a hole in the wall. 10 a.m. - On the way out, you can see Rachel’s Tomb, or Belal’s Mosque, considered holy by Jews, Muslims and Christians, like many of the sacred sites just down the road in the Old City of Jerusalem. Many holy land tourists on short visits opt to “do” Bethlehem on a day-trip by bus from its bigger neighbour. But Palestinians think it’s worth a weekend all of its own.

48 hours in Frankfurt

Ways to enjoy the season

A Las Vegas-style "Elvis" Christmas show, sparkling New Year's Eve party and Disney on Ice are some ways to enjoy the season.

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Stage West's rockin' Christmas show

Be entertained with "The Way It Was," an Elvis show performed in a Las Vegas-style showroom, along with a sumptuous buffet dinner on Dec. 20.

The annual Christmas show, starring internationally acclaimed Elvis tribute artist Stephen Kabakos of Milton, Ont. has become a tradition at Stage West Theatre in Mississauga, Ont.

Kabakos is "the king in this spectacular live tribute to the legendary Elvis Presley," said Laurie Wallace-Lynch, director of marketing and public relations.

"He's got the moves, the looks, the voice and the respect for the music -- and nothing equals seeing a live performance," she said.

This performance showcases Elvis' early Sun Studio recordings through to the army, movies, 1968 comeback and "explosive concert years."

To mark the season, Kabakos and his 14-member TVB (The Very Best) Ensemble mix in selections of Presley's greatest Christmas music.

Crowned a world champion in Memphis where the Elvis' Graceland mansion is a huge tourist attraction, Kabakos provides an experience that is "note for note, song for song and word for word" authentic.

There's also pre-show lavish buffet highlighted by a turkey dinner with all the trimmings for dining at the tables in the showroom.

"If you are an Elvis fan, you will talk for days about how great this show is. If you aren't Elvis fan, you will be now," Wallace-Lynch said.

Kabakos is back at Stage West on Jan. 10 for the Elvis Birthday Show to mark the king's 76th birthday (Jan. 8), and again on May 16.

More Elvis sightings at the Cavalcade of Champions

Not one, two or three Elvis', but 10 tribute artists at Stage West's fourth annual Cavalcade of Champions on Jan. 3.

Seven Elvis "troubadours" perform several songs each followed by three award-winning artists each doing a 35-minute set.

James Gibb of Harrow will salute Elvis during the early years while Toronto's Marcus Wells pays tribute to his gospel music and Thane Dunn of Moncton closes the show with a salute to the king during the '70s.

The troubadors, "who will schmooze the audience while they dine," are Dave Stewart, Joey Cundari, Spencer Bristow, John Cigan, T. J. Jackson, Eric Evangelista and Anthony Carbone.

Current ongoing show at Stage West is Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat running through Feb. 14.

Hit the jackpot with Casino Rama's New Year Eve and shows

Casino Rama near Orillia, Ont. rings in the New Year with an overnight getaway, dinner and shows.

The New Year's Eve Hotel and Dining Experience for Two includes a stay in the luxury hotel, dinner at any of the dining places including the upscale St. Germain's Steakhouse and Willow Restaurant, breakfast or room service and "welcome favours." It's priced at $799 plus taxes.

The casino kicks off another "exciting, hit-filled concert season" on New Year's Day with the '70s soul group the Spinners, followed by the Righteous Brothers' Bill Medley on Jan. 2, said publicist Jenna Hunter.

Other shows include the Rat Pack, Jan. 6 to 9; Canadian country star Terri Clark, Jan. 14 and 15; the TSN Curling Skins Game, Jan. 22 and 23; Machine performing Pink Floyd, Jan. 28; and R&B's Boyz II Men, Jan. 29. www.casinorama.com; 1-800-832-PLAY (7529); www.ticketmaster.ca

Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy on ice

Join Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse as they travel to four magical destinations "all in one fun-filled ice production."

Publicist Beth Merrick said the Disney on Ice presentation of Mickey & Minnie's Magical Journey runs in Toronto at the Rogers Centre from Dec. 25 to Jan. 2.

The journey includes the "magical worlds" of Lilo and Stitch in Hawaii, Simba and Nala in Africa, Ariel and Sebastian in their undersea kingdom and Peter Pan and Tinker Bell soaring through the sky. www.disneyonice.com; (416) 870-8000.

Disney Live! Mickey’s Rockin’ Road Show! comes to seven cities including London on Jan. 9. Other stops are Kitchener, Jan. 7; Ottawa, Jan. 8; Oshawa, Jan. 13; Toronto, Jan. 14-16; Windsor, Jan. 21; and Hamilton, Jan. 22-23. www.disneylive.com

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If you go:

Tickets for the Elvis show Dec. 20 at Stage West Theatre in Mississauga are $63.99 plus tax and include the multi-course, pre-show buffet. The Elvis Cavalcade of Champions show is $65.99.

Tickets and information: www.stagewest.com; 1-800-263-0684.

Jim Fox can be reached at onetanktrips@hotmail.com

Christmas tree arrives at White House

Crush on Cairo

CAIRO -- The show starts the minute the taxi pulls out of the airport.

Like a movie reel playing beyond the windows of the ride, night or day, the city comes alive.

Merchants sell their wares; traffic hoots along while cars surgically pass one another, close as a razor to a gentleman's face; people weave between the motorists unaware of how brazen and how brave they seem -- everywhere there is something to see.

The stomach-churning thud is followed by an almost-human scream.

A shadowy image of the dog just struck by a car, now limping perilously in a losing bid to dodge oncoming traffic, is all the eyes can make out in the fading light of early evening.

The palpable pain forced from the unfortunate canine's throat quickly fades into the distance, the image burned in the mind but the sight and sound of it long gone as the cab turns another corner, hurtling down another street and the night ride through a city which is home to 12 million continues.

Welcome to Cairo.

Ten days in this city off the beaten track, without a single visit to the pyramids, the museums or many of the more conventional tourist attractions can be gruelling and at times heartbreaking.

But for the grateful, it is a lesson for any Westerner daring to complain about their comfortable day-to-day existence.

The seemingly innocuous ride on a metro can be unnerving -- poverty stares back painfully during a walk through an old neighbourhood from blind men feeding on bread and the kindness of strangers.

Young boys, who should be in school, instead give chase, selling trinkets or whipping by in three-wheeled taxis, dubbed 'toc tocs,' that zip past garbage often heaped on streets, offering feeding grounds for cats, dogs and donkeys.

The less sanitized take of life in Cairo is nothing like the promise of tour package offerings.

More than ever the sight of veiled women, young and old, speaks to the nation's religious majority.

And more than ever, minority Christians or tourists in the Muslim nation are outed simply by their attire.

But the common sight of young women in painted-on slacks with eyes made up to be sultry and mysterious is a glaring contradiction to apparent adherence to any moral code seemingly expressed by the head-dress.

The desire to adopt North American culture is everywhere, but its shallow grip is apparent when veiled women sport T-shirts with Englishworded slogans too naughty to repeat.

On the metro, the contradictions continue.

Some men trip over one another to offer their seat to a woman without a veil while others, so boisterous they are frightening, insist all females retreat to the women-only train cars.

Yet, in the midst of it all there is something to be said for the city where the warmth of so many of its people is so obvious and as much a trademark as scarabs.

There is not a street corner where people don't gather and greet others.

Travel guides suggest when asking someone for directions here to offer greetings first -- getting straight to the point can be seen as offensive if not prefaced with innocuous friendly banter.

Cafes where men smoke shisha literally spill on to the streets where cars dash by, sheep are herded past and many are up for a game of backgammon with a willing stranger.

A cup of aromatic Turkish coffee is served to the winner.

There is also fantastic food to be had in Cairo.

Snack on fresh nuts, no end of sticky, honey-soaked pastries and tea, tea, tea.

The more courageous might want to try a classic national dish, molokhia -- a thick soup made from a dark, leafy spinach- like vegetable pureed with olive oil and garlic.

The soup, often served with slices of lemon, is something people typically love or hate.

Kushari, hardly for those counting calories, is a carbohydrate- bloated delight.

A big bowl of macaroni, rice, lentils covered in crispy fried onions and spicy tomato sauce is easy to find.

The best, must-visit spot in Cairo is Khan el-Khalili, an ancient outdoor market which can deliver samplings of local food and easily eat up hours of time.

Everything from per-fume oils, to stone carvings, to painted papyrus, jewelry, clothing and tacky made-in- Egypt souvenirs (which may or may not be made in Egypt) tug open many tourists' wallets.

Wind through the narrow and beautifully chaotic alleys, to look, to buy or pull out the camera.

Or just get lost in it all. And don't worry about getting an early start to the day unless you want to find a perfect spot along the corniche overlooking the Nile to see a sunrise.

Many stores don't open until noon, but late into the evening merchants are still open, selling everything from fabrics and clothing, to melons at outdoor markets set up on virtually ever corner and everywhere in between.

Taking the subway is faster than hopping into a cab if the focus is getting from A to B.

But taking a taxi is probably one of the best, least expensive and recommended ways to get snapshot after snapshot (with or without a camera) of life in Cairo, a city that is a constant cacophony against a kaleidoscope of hustle, bustle, friendly and fascinating.

By all means see the pyramids of Giza and the famed Sphinx, visit Old Cairo, burn off hours at the museums, mosques and Coptic churches but break away from the tourists and see the city in an entirely different light.

And a lot of it can play out before your eyes from the seat of a cab, honking its way along the frenetic arteries of this ancient city.

nadia.moharib@sunmedia.ca

Rockin’ view of Manhattan

Christmas tree arrives at White House

A horse-drawn wagon delivered the White House Christmas tree on Friday, with first lady Michelle Obama and her children Sasha and Malia on hand to receive it as a military band played "Oh Christmas Tree."

The family gave the tree -- a Douglas fir from Lehighton, Pennsylvania -- a thumbs up before heading back into the White House on a cool day under overcast skies.

Reporters watching the arrival spotted President Barack Obama through an upstairs White House window holding what appeared to be a compress against his mouth.

Obama was accidentally elbowed in the face while playing basketball on Friday and received 12 stitches to his lip.

The tree will be set up in the White House Blue Room to be decorated by floral department staff and volunteers, according to the National Christmas Tree Association, which has been presenting a tree for the Blue Room annually since 1966.

It said in a statement the tree came from the Christmas Tree farm of Christopher Botek, who earned the honor at an NCTA contest in August.

Daring adventure in St. Kitts

Best & worst American airports

Portland, Oregon's international airport topped the list as America's best airport while New York's LaGuardia was ranked the worst, according to a Zagat survey of 30 U.S. airports released on Tuesday.

It was the fourth consecutive last-place finish for LaGuardia, a congested airport in the borough of Queens which is plagued by delays but hopes to burnish its image with new high-profile restaurants.

The airport, which managed only a 6.2 rating on a 30-point scale, scored far lower in the survey released this week than even reviled flying hubs such as Los Angeles International, Chicago's O'Hare and Miami International.

LaGuardia was down two points from its last-place 2007 finish, and far below Miami's lowly 7.8.

Portland, already lauded for low crime, a burgeoning food scene and tolerant citizenry, added another quality-of-life crown as the more-than 8,000 frequent flyers surveyed by Zagat rated its airport 22.5. This was nearly two points higher than second-place Tampa International.

The ratings appeared to skew geographically, with airports in the northeast or Mid-Atlantic states occupying six of the eight lowest positions.

Airports in the West including Denver, Salt Lake City and Phoenix also got relatively high marks. Houston's George Bush and Sky Harbor in Phoenix scored significantly higher than last year, bucking the national trend of lower ratings each year for most airports.

The survey, which was based on some 139,000 actual flights, also rated airlines with JetBlue tops for its economy service, Continental leading for premium, or non-coach service, and Singapore Airlines number-one for both classes of service among international carriers.

Southwest Airlines got high marks for its Web site, on-time service, check-in procedures, luggage policy and overall value, while JetBlue was tops for in-flight entertainment.

Notably absent from most all the higher rankings were major carriers US Airways and United Airlines.

Pearson airport voted worst in Canada