Wow what a year it has been for us, with lots of travel and tons of writing, but we got it done! We must confess that we didn’t know what to expect when we set foot in Paris at the start of our whirlwind European jaunt. The truth is that the atmosphere there was as if nothing had ever happened. People in Paris (seemingly mostly locals) where filling the streets and cafés every night in a joyous mood, perhaps just happy to be out and about again. We thought, Okay that’s the French for you… they want to live their life and don’t worry about things so much.

But then it was the same way in Italy, Spain, and the UK. That’s why we say yes, go to Europe now. It’s fantastic. Sure, you might have to take a Covid test here or there, especially if you go from one country to another by airplane or rail, but it turned out to be no big deal.

Anyway, the new 2022 versions of our travel books are super-fun and have more than a few surprises, like our new independent excursion from Rome to Tivoli’s breathtaking Villa D’Este for only €18 a person complete! It’s much better than the multitude of online tours that charge you a fortune and tell you when to sit, when to eat, etc. With our books you’ll always know how to do everything on your own!

We sincerely hope you enjoy these new books. Happy travels, Dean and Andie, & the Clued In Travel Book team

Oh one more thing… we were so busy traveling that we neglected our home city of New York. We are working on that book now and hope to have Clued In New York for 2022 published around the start of the new year.

We just got home from Italy and will be making an immediate change to our “Clued In Rome” book which will be republished immediately on Amazon to reflect it:

Unfortunately, one of our recommended restaurants, I Clementini, has been sold and is under new ownership with the same name, same google info, same pics, etc. We can no longer endorse this restaurant due to the recent changes to their food.  As usual, we are the guinea pigs so you don’t have to be! It will not be included in our upcoming new edition of “Clued In Rome” for 2022.   

Yes, we’re back and we have a lot to share with our readers. (All of it will be presented in our soon-to-be-released 2022 editions on Amazon.com) As usual, it was one of those wild Clued In trips that leave us completely exhausted -in a good way. We hit Paris, Rome, Tivoli, Florence, Chianti, London, and Oxford. Whew! And five Covid tests later, we’re still “negative.” We ate countless meals in countless restaurants through three countries and can honestly tell you that there was one standout, hands down, no contest. Our best meal in the month spent traveling was Babette in Rome. If you are in Rome this evening or will be going there soon, make a reservation right now. There is something for everyone on their menu and it is seemingly all exquisite. As an added bonus it happens to be located at the end of our favorite street in the Eternal City: via Margutta. Run don’t walk!

• 

• 

• 

We just got home from France… If you need the health “Pass Sanitaire” and necessary QR Code but don’t know where to go, there is only one place we found that will help American tourists… and it’s quick and easy. Visit Pharmacie Bader at 10 Boulevard Saint-Michel, which is open every day. In less than 30 minutes you will have your code and be on your way for under €25.

The official Covid testing centers that have been set up in tents all around Paris will not give out the code unless you have a French cell phone. Who has that? Most pharmacies don’t even offer the testing! It’s very frustrating, so just go to this location instead and you’ll be very happy.

All of this could have been avoided of course if our French QR codes for being vaccinated had come through the official website but alas we waited 30 days to no avail. We flew here with nothing and went looking for the Covid testing right away and were lucky enough to stumble upon the pharmacy mentioned above.

Happy and safe travels, Dean and Andie.

That’s right. Italy now requires travelers wishing to enter Italy to present a pre-departure, negative Covid-19 test (taken within 48 hours of the flight) even if they are vaccinated! Self-tests do not qualify for this so be aware.

Safe travels, Dean & Andie

Immunity from having the disease does not count.

All restaurants, bars, clubs, gyms and larger indoor venues will be required to obtain proof of vaccination from patrons and employees to protect against the continued spread of Covid-19.

Here is the official declaration:  “We know that for our city to bounce back from the pandemic and thrive, we need to use the best method we have to fight COVID-19 and that’s vaccines,” said Mayor Breed. “Many San Francisco businesses are already leading the way by requiring proof of vaccination for their customers because they care about the health of their employees, their customers, and this city. This order builds on their leadership and will help us weather the challenges ahead and keep our businesses open. Vaccines are our way out of the pandemic, and our way back to a life where we can be together safely.”  

It seems that you need only show your CDC Vaccination card to enter.

Hope this helps! Dean and Andie

August has seen a major expansion of Italy’s new “green health pass.” Europeans will need it in order to access a wide range of sights including bars, cafés, museums, cultural sites, and bus and train travel. How can visiting Americans get it? Fortunately they won’t have to!

Italy has suddenly decided to accept the CDC card of vaccinated folks from the US in lieu of the digital green pass. You must carry it on you at all times along with your passport to prove your identity that matches the card. That’s it. So what are you waiting for? Plan that trip!

(Example of this update -from Venice’s Peggy Guggenheim Museum- is shown below.)

Happy and safe travels, Dean and Andie

-See recent blogs for other Covid travel info

Update as of Dec. 6, 2021: the following info from the CDC website may be of interest to some travelers: The CDC order states that everyone over age two flying into the United States from another country must show a recent (within 1 day) negative Covid-19 test result at the airport before they fly. This is for both citizens and non-citizens.

What type of Covid tests are acceptable under this CDC order? Passengers must be tested with either an antigen test or a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT).

Can I use a rapid test before the flight? Rapid tests are acceptable as long as they are one of the accepted viral tests.

Does a self-test meet the conditions of the CDC order? International air passengers traveling to the United States can use a self-test (sometimes referred to as “home test”) that meets the following criteria:  The test must be a nucleic acid amplification test [NAAT] or an antigen test allowed by the FDA.

–The testing procedure must include a telehealth-service affiliated with the manufacturer of the test that provides real-time supervision remotely through an audio and video connection like Zoom. (Some FDA-authorized self-tests that include a telehealth service may require a prescription from a doctor.) The airline must be able to review and confirm the person’s identity and the test result details. The passenger may also be required to present the documentation of test results to U.S. officials upon arrival.

So should I bring my own test with me on my trip then? It depends. Some countries may restrict the importation of tests that are not authorized or registered there. Travelers who are considering bringing a U.S. authorized test with them for use outside of the United States should contact authorities about it at their destination before they travel.

Can the BinaxNow antigen self- test for Covid-19 be used to show negative proof for travel/airlines? No, this is for personal use (and peace of mind) only and doesn’t provide a documented test result that you can display when traveling.

Here’s a very helpful website that explains more of the necessary details in a very clear manner.

Happy and safe travels, Dean and Andie

We have just loaded our “City Extras” with great summer happenings in each Clued In city. From an amazing new Mexican Seafood restaurant in Miami Beach to new performances at London’s Royal Opera House, the world is coming back to life. Check out these special content pages now at cluedintravelbooks.com.

Happy travels, Dean and Andie

After the successful reopening of most of Paris’ galleries and museums earlier in June, many wondered if the restaurants would indeed follow suit as expected. The answer is yes and no. It seems that most of the cafes and restaurants that are now fully open are the same ones that never really closed down in the first place. These folks did okay during most of the pandemic lockdown, offering both pick-up and delivery of their menu items, however limited those might have been. Now with their dining rooms reopened for seating, it’s back-to-normal time (without the American tourists of course.)

For the restaurants who perhaps had high rents to consider, or a highly paid chef de cuisine, it made more sense to just close up the kitchen and send all the employees home, at least temporarily. Now some fourteen months later, it’s not that easy just to get back into full swing. Restaurants like Le Soufflé, Le Procope, and Jules Verne depend on the tourist trade to fill their tables and used much of the pandemic to renovate or spruce up their restaurants. Even the Asian fusion restaurant Marc-Lee has been on hiatus and has yet to announce a date when they will be serving food again. Some former foodie hotspots that have been on hiatus have announced a reopening date of September 1st which sounds to us like their expectation of hungry foreign travelers finally arriving in the city. Unfortunately, some small privately owned restaurants like the quirky Pancake Sisters have already announced a permanent closure.

On a positive note, more Parisian restaurants are open than not. And when all those hungry Americans (like us) begin to arrive, we believe that “back to normal” will come very quickly indeed. -Happy travels soon, Dean & Andie

• 

• 

•