Traveling with your sweetheart can become quite a challenge in a city full of wonderful shops and nice boutiques. In the neighborhood called De Negen Straatjes (Nine Little Streets), a much beloved shopping area in the centre of Amsterdam, you’ll find no mainstream stores but all highly individual shops. To prevent a quarrel that would spoil the trip, go for JoJo on Huidenstraat 23 right in the middle of De Negen Straatjes.

JoJo

My darling once went there and bought (without me) a cashmere coat that made him look middle aged. Since they don’t allow returns, we had a high amount of credit to spend and soon became regulars. Eventually he bought a gorgeous suit there and of course we got married.

JoJo

For anyone who is always looking for a Canali shirt or a suit from Zegna but unable to afford it, you’ll find it at JOJO for a bargain if you are lucky enough. In addition to selling exclusive Italian brands, there are English shoes and hats, vintage shirts, silk or cashmere socks and different kinds of scarves - all  the bits and pieces of a gentleman’s wardrobe are part of their stock.

Laura Dols

Of course you should peep into Laura Dols on Wolvenstraat 7 because it’s always fun to dress up like a movie star, and don’t bother if you’ve forgotten your toothbrush - De Witte Tandenwinkel on Runstraat 5 will fullfill your kinkiest wishes concerning dental hygiene. For me, ever since Freelance left the city, Antonia By Yvette (Gasthuismolensteeg 16-18) is the best place for shoes. They sell for instance Sonia Rykiel, Spanish designers and have their own in-house label.

Rumor has it that Stockholm’s Hötorget – the Haymarket – has been a marketplace since nearly the founding of the city in the mid-13th century. It gives the place a certain charm to my American eyes, although few Swedes would find it charming I’d bet.

Intimidated by the haggling of the fruit and vegetable and flower sellers who are more likely to be from the Balkans than from Blekinge (which would be one of Sweden’s 21 counties), sniffing at the dingy cobblestones sticky with wilted leaves and smashed berries, it’s too disorderly and dirty for the typical Swedish Swede.

But I love the place.

All those strawberries, new potatoes and chanterelle mushrooms laid out in careful rows, buckets of peonies and roses and lilies, and the hawkers calling out their bargains in heavily accented Swedish. Just make sure you double check the arithmetic before you hand over any money – I nearly paid forty crowns too much when I bought a couple kilos of peaches this past Saturday.

Rowena Subido

Once you’ve gotten your fruit, go inside and down the stairs – they tore down the original market building in 1953 and built an ugly glass box to house a movie theatre and put the market in the basement – the sellers are less aggressive and even more international, selling everything from seafood terrines to Moroccan preserved lemons and merguëz sausages. My favorites are the Chilean empanadas, made fresh every day, bought from the Filipino-South American deli Kapit Bahay Katangi Tangi, in the northeast corner of the hall. You can even get a Guarana soda from the owner, Rowena Subido. Or just go with a Swedish classic, a can of Ramlösa water.

Now take your empanada, your Ramlösa and your pint of Swedish strawberries, find a clean spot – well, as clean as you can – on the steps of the the Stockholm Concert Hall and join the crowd sitting in the sun, with a great view of the statue of Orpheus on your left and the market in all its small glory in front of you.
 

As reported in an earlier blog, industrial action will take place at LOndon's Gatwick and Stansted airports, with a walk out of baggage handlers on August 25th and 29th affecting easyJet, Ryanair, First Choice and Thomsonfly. It is now confirmed that Manchester Airport will be hit by walk-outs on August 27th and September 1st, affecting Virgin Atlantic, Emirates, KLM and Air France.

Flyglobespan will operate a new weekly service from its base at Glasgow Airport the Turkish holiday resort of Dalaman with one-way fares starting at £100. Flights start on April 1st and operate on Wednesdays. Likewise they will open a new route from Glasgow to the Egyptian resort of Hurghada, with one-way fares starting from £120. Flights start on November 5th and operate on Wednesdays.

Virgin Atlantic will be adding flights to Hong Kong fillilng the void caused by the collapse of Hong Kong Oasis Airlines. Virgin Atlantic will add a 2nd daily flight starting December 4th. Starting October 28th the 2nd daily flight will operate three times a week - Tuesday, Thirsday and Saturday.

SkyEurope have started a book ahead and save campaign with special offers on a number of routes. For example Copenhagen to Prague from DKK 149 (€20); Cork, Luton, Birmingham and Manchester to Bratislava for €29. All fares are one-way and inclusive taxes and charges.

Cezayir means Algeria in Turkish and stands for excellent cuisine in Istanbul. The restaurant with the North African name is well hidden behind the Galatasaray High School and offers a state of the art blend of couscous and kebabs modernised and improved.

I bring my visitors there when they think they know all about what Turkey has to offer in terms of grilled meat, fish and mezze starters. Cezayir takes them to the next level.

Take the crispy pastry rolls (börek), which you will find in many Turkish restaurants. In Cezayir they are as thin as a pencil, twice as long and they come with pastrami served sticking from a small glass with a shot of a slightly spicy tomato sauce. And then, oh boy, there is the chicken liver pate made with whisky and pistachios. Usually it goes down very well even among those of my friends who don’t appreciate chicken liver or whisky.

From the list of main courses the sirloin with yoghurt and pita as well as smoked salmon with dried rose petals are all time favourites.

It all comes with an extensive wine list and an unusually knowledgeable and pretty good English speaking staff.

Cezayir, Hayriye Caddesi 12, Galatasaray; Beyoglu; Istanbul

 

Virgin Atlantic has discounted economy seats to various destinations in the US, including New York, Washington from Heathrow for £369 (€465) and Miami from Heathrow and Orlando from Gatwick for £377 (€475). Flights must be booked no later than midnight (UK time) on August 20th (Wednesday) for flights between August 23rd and December 14th. Fares are return including taxes.

Sterling are offering seats to all their destinations with reductions up to 50%. Fly Copehagen to Alicante, Algarve, Barcelona and Malaga for DKK 374 (€50), one-way including taxes and charges. Flights must be booked no later than August 25th with seats available until the 28th March, 2009.

Latest trend in the US to get around baggage checking fees is to send baggage with UPS or other shipping servics. Whilst a number of the low cost carriers in Europe charge for checking baggage - and as mentioned in yesterdays blg, RyanAir will introduce "Zero Bag" flights this fall - to my knowledge, non of the traditional carriers currently charge, whilst in the US, almost every domestic airline now charges for a second-checked bag, and four of the big six airlines charge for the first.  American Airlines, Northwest Airlines, United Airlines, and US Airways charge $15 for the first-checked bag and $25 for the second. AirTran, Delta, Continental, and JetBlue, Mexicana, Midwest and Virgin America charge for the second-checked bag, but still allow passengers to check one for free. Southwest allows two free checked bags - according to Travelocity.com.

Flymonarch have extended their olympic sale with £10 off 1m seats, until midnight Thursday August 21st.