Florence, it's absolutely beautiful! The color is like whipped cream mixed with a bit of rasberry. Obviously, CS doesn't always ball!

Maureen I sure hope you and your dh are feeling better soon and that your trip will clear up any remaining cold symptoms. I drove back and forth across southern Spain twelve times when I was working for a Spanish company years ago, and at the time I was familiar with every little bend in the road. But things will have changed since then. But here are some tips and must sees. If you need a hotel, there is nothing better than the Spanish National Paradores......the government chain of inns located in old castles and modern buildings, in some of the most beautiful and historic places in the country. The menus in their dining rooms reflect the local cuisine and I can't praise them highly enough. Here's another site with info and photos of the Paradores. Places not to miss: - the white village in the province of Almeria.....a beautiful Moorish town perched on a hill, and looking down over the Parador of Mojacar. NERJA - another charming town......albeit somewhat touristy now. The focal points are the caves and the Balcón de Europa, a magnificent viewpoint. ANTEQUERA - a beautiful medieval town. MIJAS - another lovely white village on the Costa del Sol. RONDA - another must place to visit, having one of the oldest bullrings in Spain, now a museum. A historic and beautiful place with lots to see. GRANADA - of course The famous is a MUST see. Keep your camera batteries charged and have lots of memory cards when you go! I'm sure the southern coast is now somewhat overdeveloped with holiday apartments and mass tourism, but once you get out into the villages you will still find much of that Andalucian charm. Food.....try places where the local folks are eating and avoid the eateries populated by tourists. Ask a local person....taxi or bus driver, news agent etc. where they would recommend trying the typical dishes of that area. PS....Oh and if by unfortunate chance you are stricken by "travellers tummy" (hope not)...one of the best Spanish products to help you out are tablets of "Salvacolina" available at all pharmacists. And if your cold symptoms persist, a very good remedy is a medicated hot lemon drink which comes in a box of little pouches of powder which you dissolve in hot water called Frenadol which is what I use to stop cold symptoms. No prescription needed. Good Trip....¡Buen Viaje! SharonCb

We are looking at this ceramic tile for flooring. However, on the sample board, the color does not seem to go all the way to the tile edge leaving a whitish edge all the way around the tile. Is this common among ceramic tiles or possibly just unique to the tile on the sample board? Should we be leary of this and that the ordered tiles would all come in colored in this manner. I don't think grouting would disguise it as we would be using a darker grout.

Stacy, my daughter & I were in Amsterdam the 3rd week of April last year. It was still cool (low 50s) with showers almost every day, but the trees were budding out & the grass was greening. I didn't see any mention here of the tram/street car service, which is very good. Lots of routes & they run about every ten minutes. It's not inexpensive - a day ticket is a better deal rather than a single fare. Almost all the tram stops have route maps on the backs of the stop shelters. The Rijksmuseum had just opened when we arrived & we spent a couple of hours in the Dutch masters area. They do close at 5 PM. There is a very pleasant-looking restaurant in the center of the bldg. English is spoken everywhere - we never had a problem. Be sure to try a Dutch pancake with butter & powdered sugar - a national treasure, & big - about 10 inches across. Yum yum. There's a local restaurant across from the flower market that has good ones. Many sidewalks, especially along the canals, are cobbled - my ankles got tired of holding me straight. Wish I could tuck into your suitcase - you will be enthralled.