Beginnings

I am spending far too much time in front of the computer screen working on my book, "Traveling Naturally in Western Europe" - I would rather be hiking and drinking lattés.

Hope you enjoy these samplings:
Health in a Bottle:
If you are traveling in Switzerland (or most other European countries) try these over the top juices made by the Biotta company, headquartered in Tagerwilen, Switzerland which has been making organic juices since 1951. They have twenty-three different juices made with organic vegetables or fruits and processed with natural, dairy-free lactic acid, so even though the juices are bottled they taste like freshly made juice. Biotta farms organically, with 600 acres in Switzerland, 900 acres in Germany and smaller parcels in Israel and Northern Italy. Most health food stores, some pharmacies or apothecaries, and large supermarkets sell Biotta juice, which does taste like health in a bottle. http://www.biotta.ch - web site avaiable in German, French and English.

Alternative Health Care Extraordinaire:
Paracelsus Biological Medicine & Dental Clinic, Lustmuhle, Switzerland - www.paracelsus.ch - is a comprehensive, outpatient clinic employing state of the art biological medicine therapies, including Chinese, anthroposophical, homeopathic and detoxification therapies and treatment of all diseases. The adjacent dental clinic can be visited separately or as part of your whole body care at the clinic. My husband who has debilitating and joint-deforming Rheumatoid Arthritis, lives pain-free and with high energy since starting treatments at this clinic three years ago.

Clever No-Carbon Transpo in France:
Paris and Lyon have city-wide bike rental services. In Paris there are 750 “Velib” stations where bikes can be easily picked up or dropped off with 230 miles of bike lanes in the city. A day pass costs 1 Euro while a full year is 29 Euros and a 7-day pass
is 5 euros – these prices are assuming you have any one bike for no more than 30 minutes. Additional charges apply per every extra 30 minutes you have the bike. For a one-year pass, apply online at www.velib.paris.fr (Choice of French, English and Spanish in upper right corner) for list of bike stations and one year pass. If you want a 1- or 7-day pass, have your credit card ready for one of the automatic ticket machines at the Velib stations. (All passes are subject to 150-euro refundable deposit.) Renters need to be 14 years or older and at least 5 feet tall. You need to have your own helmet. If you want the same bike for an extended stay it may be less expensive to use the Velo-Rent-a-Bike with English website at : www.paris-velo-rent-a-bike.fr/index-gb.php