Gustave Courbet paintings

Gustave Courbet paintings
Guido Reni paintings
Drop in currency value since a year ago: 51%No developed country has suffered as much from the credit crunch as Iceland, which has seen its banking system and its currency, the kronur, all but collapse. The silver lining in an Arctic cloud: what was once one of the most expensive, if memorable, destinations in Europe has suddenly gone budget. Icelandair flights from New York City start at $500 round-trip, and decent hotels in the hip capital of Reykjavik — like the Centerhotel Thingholt — are as low as $60 a night. Sure, if you go in the late fall or winter you'll get only about five hours of sunlight a day — but Icelanders know how to make those
George Inness paintings
hours count. Move fast — tourist agencies are reporting a huge spike in visitors to Iceland.CANADADrop in currency value since a year ago: 21%If Canadians didn't want us to make fun of their traditionally weak currency, why did they call it the loonie? A year ago, the joke was on us — a Canadian dollar was actually worth more than its American counterpart. Fortunately, economic catastrophe has reasserted the natural order of U.S.-Canadian relations. From the cosmopolitan charm of Montreal to the amazing skiing of Whistler (and, in between, Saskatchewan), America's