1. Product: FLSUN PubDate: 08-12-2007 Zone: BR Edition: 1 Page: TRAVELF@1 User: vcordo Time: 08-07-2007 19:30 Color: C
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• Sunday, August 12, 2007 • BR www.sun-sentinel.com/travel
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TRAVEL MADRID CHIC
A STROLL THROUGH
THE HIP BARS AND
SHOPS OF MALASANA.
PAGE 2
SECTION EDITOR THOMAS SWICK, 954-356-4731, tswick@sun-sentinel.com BUSINESS TRAVELER 2 • AROUND FLORIDA 3 • SENIOR SCENE 6
Thomas
Swick
TRAVEL EDITOR
A tale
of two
The airports
KING
I recently flew from St. Peters-
burg, Russia, to Miami the long
way — through Frankfurt and JFK
— and the two transit points pro-
vided a striking study in contrasts.
In Germany, I walked from my
arrival gate into a rustic tavern. It
had been plopped inside the ter-
minal and furnished with wooden
US
tables, a central hearth, a pretzel-
and hung bar. The word gemutlichkeit
— signifying a warm, cozy friend-
liness — immediately came to
mind. The patrons seated behind
steins were all waiting for planes,
of course, but they looked as if
they were seeking shelter from a
Black Forest blizzard.
I was tempted to join them, but
it was 7 a.m. and I still had a long
day ahead of me.
I walked down a series of corri-
dors and found my terminal,
which doubled as a mall. Shops
At Graceland, a father and son and restaurants filled multiple
levels, a mobile hung from the
get in touch with their inner Elvis. ceiling, large windows gave onto
sun-lit planes.
BY NICK TATE An international crowd parad-
S TA F F W R I T E R ed past Boss, Hermes and Swa-
rovski. Sophisticates chatted in
H
is presence — and absence — is everywhere. the Goethe Bar, watched over by a
larger-than-life statue of the re-
In the stylized portraits that grace the rooms cumbent writer. I had never seen
and hallways. In the archival footage — hips such a wide-awake airport at such
an early hour. It felt as if the world
eternally gyrating — on TV monitors placed through- had left home.
out the estate. And in the Southern-boy swagger of his I rested a while next to a young
Indian woman reading Jane
recorded voice, welcoming you to his former home, at Jacobs’ The Death and Life of
the start of the self-guided audio tour. Great American Cities. She lived
in Delhi, and was on her way to
It’s been 30 years since Elvis Aaron Presley perma- visit her boyfriend’s parents in
nently left the building on Aug. 16, 1977, but the King’s Toronto, but she had studied four
years at the University of Chicago.
larger-than-life presence still draws capacity crowds Which, of course, explained
to Graceland, with some 600,000 visitors a year. Frankfurt.
Over in the bright newsstand a
This week, the extraordinary story of Graceland, middle-aged cashier — Turkish,
and its most famous resident, is getting a hyperventi- perhaps — greeted everyone who
approached and then sent them
lated new reading. The King’s mark off with a loud “Nice to meet you!”
on American music is being celebrat- I bought the Herald Tribune —
“Nice to meet you!” — and took it
ed in dozens of 30th anniversary to a cafe, where I ordered a brat-
events during what has come to be wurst and pretzel. The sausage
came on a plate with a garland of
called Elvis Week, which runs through greens.
Want to take a video tour? Aug. 19. I returned to the newsstand and
Go to Sun-Sentinel.com/graceland bought a Ritter Sport chocolate.
But for the faithful and the curious alike, there is no My old cashier was busy meeting
better way to experience the Elvis phenomenon than new people, so I went to her col-
league who, on hearing me say I’d
take euro coins as souvenirs,
■ GRACELAND CONTINUES ON 4E fished for ones representing dif-
Staff illustration/
Suzanne Palma;
ferent countries.
File photo
■ SWICK CONTINUES ON 5E
SEVEN WONDERS OF FLORIDA:
23
NO.3 ST. AUGUSTINE & NO.2 THE KEYS
The Keys, St. Augustine are tops (and bottom)
One is at the top of Florida; one is at the bottom. One is a city; the other an archi-
pelago. One oozes history; the other, while historic, embraces the outdoors. There
would seem to be little linking St. Augustine and the Florida Keys, other than the fact
that they are both perceived wonders (numbers 3 and 2 respectively in our Seven
HISTORIC
Wonders of Florida reader poll) of this wondrous state. ST. AUGUSTINE
visitflorida.com
The “old world” feel, the history, the fort, the original Flagler hotels (now a college and a photo
museum) — St. Augustine is the New Orleans of Florida.
— Amy Letter
As a native of the nation’s oldest city (my ancestors, the Pacetti family, have been here for
230 years), of course I would like to see this historic city finally get the attention it so greatly
deserves.
— Michelle Reyna
One of the largest coral reef systems in the world, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanc-
tuary is home to millions of aquatic animals and extends over 200 miles from the Dry Tor-
tugas to Key Biscayne.
— Jim Thompson
The American Caribbean, the Florida Keys form an archipelago of about 1,700 islands. For
sport fishing, scuba diving, snorkeling, boating, sailing, kayaking, eco-tours, or simple peace
and quiet, it has everything Florida is about: adventure, recreation, nature and relaxation.
— Amy Tanner
ANGLING OFF
See the other top six wonders at Sun-Sentinel.com/wonders. ISLAMORADA
And read next Sunday’s Travel section to find out about No.1. AP photo