Masamuru Ltd.

Located in the heart of Rome, close to Termini Main Station, this comfortable Bed and Breakfast is ideal for an holiday in Rome.
Ideal for those who want to be right beside the most important monuments of Rome.

Bed Breakfast Rome, Incanto Romano is situated in the heart of Rome, in Via Cattaneo, only threehundred meters from the Termini Railway station. This area is full with tourist facilities; there are bars (to enjoy your breakfast) everywhere, restaurants, internetcafe’s, laundrettes. You can find inside the Termini station a newly-built mall, called "Forum", that offers shops of every kind. You find your supermarket there, banks, convenience stores, but also shops like Sergio Tacchini or Armani. Due to it’s vicinity to the Termini station, Bed and Breakfast incanto Romano is connected extremely well with the centre of Rome. Most tourist sites only a short walk away, while the central bus station of Rome is located right in front of the Termini, as well as the underground (Metro).

3 double room with private bath
Third bed available in
All rooms are equipped with TV, hair dryer and safe box
Daily roomcleaning
Linen and towels
Iron
Free Internet use
Air conditioning

Other suggestion for Rome? Charming accommodation in the centre of Rome: find an Hotel close to Tiburtina Station, or compare price for Rome hotels Vatican Museums, or make a reservation for a Rome Walking Tour

Feeling a bit off-balance is a common by-product of modern life,
especially during the holiday season. In fact, the holidays seem to
come pre-packaged with specialized stress. With all of the pressure to
shop, cook, spend, travel and socialize, it is all too easy to be stretched
beyond your limits, unable to enjoy special times with family and friends.
As a rule, we (mistakenly) equate self-worth with doing and producing.
But being too busy, especially during consumer-crazy, socially
pressured holiday time, we miss out on our true nature and the
genuine spirit of the season.

By taking a yogic approach to the
holidays you can find a sense of stability, nurture your own spirit, and
create a happier family holiday.

Consciously cultivate an intention to take care of yourself and your
holiday obligations in a more centered way. Practice these nine mind-
body lessons for more balance, harmony, and joy this year’s holiday
season:

1. Find Refuge in the Body – When you feel yourself getting
tense or pressured, just notice your breathing. Perhaps you can stop
and breathe deeply and slowly. Then walk around a bit, feeling your
feet connecting to the earth as a way of grounding yourself. The idea is
to get out of your head and into your body.

2. Get Physical – Exercise keeps you centered, and building
it into your schedule ensures that you will slow down, no matter what the
day’s circumstances. Exercise cleanses stress chemicals from the body,
reduces fatigue and boosts energy. Try stretching for a few minutes
throughout the day.

3. Sleep More – Allow yourself extra time to sleep to
counteract the effects of stress. Napping and sleeping give us a chance
to slow down and turn inward. This is especially important for women,
who tend to jam sleep time to meet the high level of demands placed on
them.

4. Snack Smart – Avoid the energy swings created by
sugary snacks and processed foods. Instead, stock up on healthy
snacks like sunflower seeds, other nuts high in protein, and packets of
instant miso soup. Seek out complex carbohydrates for healthy energy.

5. Mindful Eating – You may be too busy for a proper meal
break, but you can make the most out of the little time that you have.
Practicing mindfulness while you eat will help you become more
conscious and remind you to focus on nourishing your body. Try taking
three relaxing breaths before you begin eating. Then, rest your hands in
your lap at least three times while you eat, and breathe deeply again.

6. Prioritize – Figure out what’s most important and take
action. This means the holiday season in general and individual
stressful situations as they come up. Do not react and fall back into old
habits or fears, but instead uncover what is crucial. Ask yourself, “How
can I best take care of myself in this moment?”, and, “What is the most
helpful thing to focus my attention on right now?”

7. Follow a Routine – Although schedules are disrupted, find
a way to maintain a modified routine. Balance is not working intensely
for several days and then collapsing for a few. Create a routine that
includes energizing and restful moments every day.

8. Get Creative – Paint, draw, or listen to music. Engage in
anything that stimulates the right brain, the seat of creative solutions to
old challenges. Getting creative refreshes the mind and revitalizes the
spirit.

9. Turn Inward – The real key to finding balance is to focus
inwardly and listen to what is inside. Take regular moments to connect
with yourself. If you can do it while connecting with nature, so much the
better. Whatever it takes to reconnect with your inner self is fine. A walk
in nature, a nap, a two-minute meditation or twenty minutes of yoga can
all create harmony. In stillness we may recover our strength and
wisdom; in the quiet of non-action we are led to what will give us
spiritual nurture.

With practice, this holiday season can be one of deep inner connection
and peace. Slow down and reconnect with your own inner wisdom each
day and you can feel grounded, rejuvenated and ready to bring your
balanced, best self to your holiday celebrations. Cheers!

“Who is there that can make muddy water clear? But if allowed to remain
still, it will gradually become clear of itself” Tao Te Ching

Namaste’

Karen B. Cohen C.L.C. RYT500 is a wellness coach and master yoga
instructor, writer and speaker residing in a college town in rural Virginia.
Karen leads people to their own limitless supply of creativity and vitality
so that they can express their talent and abilities fully in the world. She
incorporates her expertise in mind-body techniques to teach clients how
to harness stress for their greatest success. Karen provides seminars
and workshops, as well as individual coaching and training, nationally
and internationally.

For more
information go to KarenCohenYoga.blogspot.com and RockbridgeCoaching.blogspot.com

Set on the main European London-Madrid line, Le Mans is just 50 minutes from Paris by TGV. Its historic heritage has made this mediaeval town the most popular film location for French cinema. But far from being a “museum town”, Le Mans is strikingly lively and creative.

Like Nantes, Toulouse and Montpellier, Le Mans is on the way to becoming the next fashionable weekend destination of coming years. The fact seems crazy because this town has been so neglected for so long, too often remembered for its rillettes (potted meat) and its 24 Hour car race and the fact that it witnessed the birth of the first automobile in history, in 1873. And yet, on closer inspection, you can feel in this town a certain buzz, an atmosphere that is both friendly and committed. The charm of the surrounding countryside, the proximity of the capital, all served by an inspired and enterprising town policy, today combine to make Le Mans a “pioneer” town as regards quality of life.

Less famous than neighboring Tours or Angers, Le Mans immediately impresses visitors, not expecting to find such architectural gems or such harmony between stone, water, vegetation and sky! Along the Sarthe River, above the old tanneries district, you can admire the beautiful Gallo-Roman wall built under Diocletian in the 3rd century. This red 1,300-m-long surrounding wall, marked out with eleven towers and adorned with black and white geometric patterns, is one of the best preserved military buildings from the Roman world, along with the surrounding walls of the two Imperial capitals, Rome and Constantinople.

At the summit of the mound dominating the river, the Celts erected the town’s historic nucleus over 5,000 years ago and left an impressive menhir symbolizing both fertility and the centre of the universe. This mysterious pink sandstone rock, with its pleated forms, still stands against the Romanesque and Gothic cathedral of St Julien today.

Around the cathedral Vieux Mans (the old town) is a magnificent real life film set, with its winding alleys, 14th century half-timbered faades, turrets and corner pillars and gilded wooden sculptures. There Renaissance period mansions such as the Htel de Sceaux, at 54, Grand’Rue, where Marie de Médicis stayed and which is still considered the town’s most beautiful residence. In front of the house of Queen Berengaria (Richard the Lion-Heart’s widow lived and died in Le Mans in the 13th century), you will find the locations where the finest scenes of Cyrano de Bergerac (with Gérard Depardieu) or The Man in the Iron Mask (with Leonardo di Caprio) were filmed. Vieux Mans welcomes several film crews every year and each time its inhabitants are happy to act as extras.

Even if cathedrals are not your cup of tea, you might make an exception for the cathedral of St Julien – one of the biggest and most luminous in France. Begun in the 11th century and completed in the 15th, it is one of the greats of Gothic architecture with its double flying buttresses, 13 radiating chapels, lily-shaped stone filigree and its choir, which rises to 34 metres (112 ft). Like the cathedral of Chartres, it boasts one of the finest sets of mediaeval stained glass windows, mainly red, all made during the Hundred Year War by the master glassmakers of Le Mans. This cathedral is where where Henry II of England was baptised in 1133 and where the funeral of Queen Berengaria took place (in 1230).

Every night from 1st July to 31st August, the cathedral square, the Gallo-Roman surrounding wall, the faades of the houses, the gardens and cobbled alleys will be submerged by monsters and celestial figures of mediaeval imagination. This free “son et lumire” show will enable you to discover the history and treasures of the town. Last summer over 100,000 visitors played the game. This year, the musical angels painted on one of the frescoes of St Julien’s cathedral will be projected onto the faade of the building; each angel plays a forgotten medieval instrument, such as the mandora, échiquier, rebec, bagpipes, buisine and oliphant, double flute and string drum… Using these instruments, a contemporary composer has created a piece of music to be broadcast at the same time as the video images: this is the “concert des anges” (concert of the angels).

Le Mans, unlike many towns in Europe where more or less the same shops are always to be found, is full of boutiques and craft shops that you will find nowhere else. In the old town, comic book fans will head for Bulle, a leading bookshop known throughout France. Musicians or collectors will discover L’atelier d’Orphée, a specialist in the repair of old and new wind instruments. Nearby, an attractive boutique, Histoire de la mandoline, is entirely devoted to this now rare instrument, which provided inspiration for some of Vivaldi’s finest concertos.

Le Mans is also the home of six MOFs (Meilleurs Ouvriers de France – Best Workmen in France), among them the great chocolate maker Jacques Bellanger, the jeweller Houillon, renowned for the purity of his stones and the wrought-iron craftsman Jean-Franois Jousse, famous for his spiral staircases. And don’t hesitate to visit Atelier Avice, which perpetuates the Le Mans tradition of creating and restoring stained-glass windows. Grav’Or is a superb boutique specialising in glass engraving for cruise liners. The Crapeau Guindé prides itself on restoring old chairs and traditional saddles. Nelly Bichet is a milliner and fashion designer of great talent. Sébastien Drouet is the favourite clockmaker of all the locals. Gilles Mémin is a passionate antique dealer.

One of Le Mans’ greatest charms is to be able to find yourself immediately in the countryside, barely 10 minutes from the town centre. From this point of view, L’Arche de la Nature is an exemplary creation, which every weekend attracts thousands of locals who come to relax with their families. This 450-hectare (1,112 acre) natural area is mainly covered with hedged farmland and a forest (Scots and maritime pines, chestnut trees, birch trees and oaks) in which many wild animals live wild (roe deer, wild boar, pheasant and the very rare red partridge). The Ferme de la Prairie is a fascinating place where dying breeds of domestic animal are bred for example Percheron horses, Bayeux pigs, Touraine goats and the Coucou de Rennes (a rustic chicken native to Brittany).

4 km (2.5 miles) from Le Mans town centre, the Abbaye de l’pau is a lovely place set on the edge of the Huisne river in a 13 ha (32 acre) park where deer roam freely. Founded in 1229 by Queen Berengaria, daughter of the king of Navarre, dowager countess of Maine and widow of Richard the Lion-Heart (who died on a crusade), this is one of France’s last Cistercian abbeys. This imposing building has been superbly restored over 30 years. Here you will discover the recumbent figure of the queen (in the chapter house), but also the sacristy whose walls are adorned with beautiful 14th century paintings, the abbey church and the dormitory restored to its original layout. Every spring (from 1st April to 1st May) for the last 27 years, the Abbaye de l’pau has hosted the Europa Jazz Festival, attracting the greatest jazzmen of the moment (Richard Galliano, Jacky Terrasson, Aldo Romano, Stefano Di Battista, Daniel Humair for the 2006 edition). In summer, you can attend classical music concerts in the evening.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Travel

You feel like you’re in America in Philadelphia. Everywhere history calls out to you to stop and look at the place where George Washington, Ben Franklin, and other founding fathers performed miracles. Plus, the city is gorgeous with its fountains and ornate City Hall as the centerpiece.

One city feature to appreciate, the street name system, makes finding your way around the city easy. Because early Americans couldn’t read, they planted chestnut trees on one street, pine trees on another, spruce trees on the next, and so on. Therefore, the streets are named after trees with the cross streets numbered. Today, the streets are lined with gorgeous, huge trees!

Unlike other big cities we’ve driven around, such as Los Angeles and Mexico City, Philadelphia’s traffic keeps moving. Philly’s drivers amazed us with kindness: they stop and wave you through for left turns or stop and let you in line.

However, parking is a big problem. It cost us $22 dollars a night to park at the hotel. Most homeowners have to park on the street along with the tourists. Early Americans did not plan for so many cars.

We got to see South Street! I never connected this South Street to the 60s hit song, “Go on down to South Street, where all the hippies meet.” Of course, because I was a real Southern California hippy, it never occurred to me that the song referred to a street in Philadelphia. South Street is the home of the famous Philly cheese steak sandwich. I think over the five days we were there, our son ate five cheese steak sandwiches.

The Philadelphia Zoo should be called the Philadelphia Zoo and Gardens. It’s a perfect zoo because you can walk through it in a couple of hours. You get to see interesting animals without taking two days to walk around. The gardens have glorious peonies, which I’ve never been able to grow in California. Many of the trees were new to me; I wish they would label all the vegetation.

When you visit, get the Philadelphia Pass, which comes with a Big Bus pass. Save money by purchasing your city pass online before you leave home. The Big Bus Company has been operating live-guided, open-top sightseeing tours in London, UK since June 1991. The bus takes you on a tour of the amazing city with stops to see the Philadelphia Zoo, The Academy of Natural Sciences, and a ferry ride across the Delaware River to see The Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial. The battleship, our nation’s most decorated battleship, is berthed on the Camden Waterfront, across from Penn’s Landing and Center City Philadelphia. We never had time to go to Mummers Museum, so we have an excuse to return.

For Philly cheese steak and cheese fries, try Jim’s steaks on 4th and South, or Steve’s on 7th and South. You have to wait in line at Jim’s and walk up narrow, steep stairs with short treads to wait for a table to eat. Less-famous, but just as tasty, Steve’s has no lines and a great little diner. How do they get away with non-accessible rest rooms?

For a fabulous treat, go to the original City Tavern and dine like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson on exotic West Indies pepper pot soup, chestnut fritters, and pecan-crusted, honey-glazed roasted ducking. While you’re there, don’t forget to buy Chef Walter Staib’s City Tavern Cookbook.

Forget the “better than Hostess” cupcakes by Tasttee Cakes, even if the Big Bus driver raves about them.

Unlike Southern California and Texas, when you’re in Philly, you know you’re in the United States of America. If you’ve never been, go.

Copyright © 2005 Jeanette J. Fisher

Jeanette Fisher, author of Sell Your Home for Top Dollar–FAST! Design Psychology for Redesign and Home Staging, Doghouse to Dollhouse for Dollars: Using Design Psychology to Increase Real Estate Profits, Joy to the Home and other books, has researched the effects of environment on emotions for over 15 years. Besides flipping houses, Jeanette teaches college courses on Design Psychology and professional real estate investing seminars. For free Design Psychology reports, visit http://designpsych.com/