I wonder if they were actually "overheated"... It makes sense that they did not have enough time to recover from transplant shock though, as they were planted too late in the season. Trees that size will be tough to protect, and they better be planning to cover/tie the fronds this time, not just the trunks. They need to do at least what the Iowa palms guy does/did to winter his larger palm(s). If he can get washingtonias through an Iowa winter, the trachys should be doable. Big job though! By the way, thanks for posting the follow-up dln949!

Haha Misty. I had a similar experience not too long ago. We planned a weekend in Ithaca, NY.. a much needed getaway. Unfortunately it was parents' weekend at Cornell and the hotels and inns were full. The only room we could find was in the turret of a seemingly very nicely appointed inn. Oh boy was our impression wrong. We walk into the room-- connected to the rest of the inn by an uncovered bridge to the turret-- there in front of us was a round bed with mirrors on the ceiling.. and LAWN FURNITURE stuffed into the very small space between the bed and the round walls. The bed was pretty much the whole room. There was a lovely jacuzzi tub with beautiful views but it was set immediately above the bed-- so that one (or two) could presumably roll out of the tub into the bed. YUCK. I wondered how or if they kept the mattress clean. (Though I have a vague recollection that it may have been a waterbed hahah) We got a good laugh out of the whole experience but man, it was so not my idea of sexy or romantic... and we actually paid MORE for that room. That said, it is usually the small inns that I want to steal ideas from.. not the hotels.

I really really like the second one(the one that got nixed)...I think I wrote it somewhere in your previous lighting thread? imagine the light..would be gorgeous.. (I really tried to involve my DH in choosing the lights..he was so overwhelmed, since I saved like several hundred images(after vetting them)..and it took him ages..and he would come up with these long lists of "on one hand..but on the other hand.." in short. unless it was a Craigslist find and we just went together..I gave up and chose everything myself without asking him. which went pretty well..given half of the fixtures have flowers, either are of flowers(Murano glass), or have flowers on the fabric, or have flowers painted on ceramics..lol yeah..I have all sorts of other lights too, I like too many lights, different periods. Also have plaid and polka dots)) the only thing I got from him very strong-he didn't want library sconces because they (paradoxically, I know)) reminded him of a public library..so I respected this aversion of his and got a small tole light for my nightstand that can be directed any way I want to)

First and foremost, avoid the peak months of June-August wherever you go, unless you plan to spend your time in Northern Europe (which everyone leaves at vacation time to go south.). Another thing to remember is you'll often get a better fare if you arrive and leave from the same European city, so that suggests the need for some kind of circular route. In my teens and twenties, it was nothing to grab a backpack and a train pass and bounce around like a pinball from place to place. As the years have passed, my expectations and preferences are higher and I won't go anywhere without staying at least 3 nights - 4 is better and more even better. The European continent is large and you can't quickly bounce from place to place without spending time (and money and effort) for the trip. Do you want to see cities (that's the best choice)? For three weeks, I'd pick 4-5 major cites in adjacent or nearly adjacent countries and travel by train. Or spend 3 weeks in Italy, or 3 weeks in Spain, or 3 weeks in France. Pack light. Pick the place you want to see most and then riff from that. Rome? Then I'd include a day trip to Naples (Pompeii) and go to Florence, then on to Munich - Vienna-Prague-Budapest-Berlin (pick a few). Or, London-Paris (channel tunnel train is very quick)-Brussels-Amsterdam-Rhine River boat ride for a few days (pick a few) or fly to Berlin and Prague. There's not one itinerary, everyone has different interests and preferences. To me, the best things to spend time doing are live entertainment (theater in London and concerts elsewhere), visiting museums, a few churches (depends where you are) and especially visiting historical sites. I always allow time for people watching and mingling among the people in their everyday activities. My best suggestion is to keep the distances down. Allow plenty of time to wander around, sitting in cafes and observing life (just as locals do). Sometimes quicker than the train for longer distances are the cut rate airlines. Carriers like Easyjet, flybe, Ryanair, etc. They're perfectly adequate but expect to be nickeled and dimed for basic stuff though the ultimate cost will remain a bargain. For close cities, trains are faster and they take you from city center to city center. Better to see fewer places well than more places in a rush. Leave many destinations unvisited to allow for more future trips.