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Whether you are planning a vacation to Denver, or you’re a local looking for something new to see or do, chances are you’d like to find something for free. Good news: you’ve come to the right place!

Let’s start off our free day (if today happens to be a Tuesday during the warmer months) by dropping in at Denver Botanic Gardens. Enjoy a fitness walk through the beautiful gardens, followed by a healthy snack (also free!). To add more balance to your morning, attend the free T’ai Chi class as well. (For more information: call 720-865-3500 or visit www.botanicgardens.org/pageinpage/fitnesswalks.cfm)

That was invigorating! Now, let’s head downtown to the Colorado State Capitol Building. The distinctive dome is plated with Colorado gold. The gold has been replaced several times, using rolls of ultra-thin gold, requiring only 47 ounces of gold to coat the entire dome!

As you explore the building on your own, or join a free tour, enjoy the murals, stained glass portraits, wall hanging, and presidential portraits. During the legislative session, step into the Senate or House of Representatives gallery to watch state legislators in action.

For those Coloradoans who’ve visited in the past and remember hiking up and up the spiral stairs into the dome to enjoy the views of the city and of the building below, we have some bad news. After 9/11, this part of the building was closed to visitors. The good news is that visitors are still able to stroll through much of the building to enjoy its beauty and fascinating history. (For more information: call 303-866-2604 or visit www.milehighcity.com/capitol).

As we approach lunchtime, how about browsing the incredible book offerings at one of the Tattered Cover bookstore locations? What’s a bookstore doing in an article about free things to do in Colorado? Well, my friends, the Tattered Cover isn’t just any bookstore. What started out over 30 years ago as a small, cozy bookshop with an eclectic selection of books evolved into an amazing place for anyone who enjoys books. Not only will you find an outstanding selection of books (over half a million in the two original locations, consisting of over 150,000 titles), but you’ll still enjoy the feeling of being in a cozy shop where you feel welcome to curl up on a sofa or sit back in a recliner to enjoy reading a book, magazine, or newspaper. This is the bookstore that some of the “big box” booksellers wish they could be.

Although lunch isn’t free, may we suggest a light meal at the in-house coffee shop, or if you’re visiting the Cherry Creek location of Tattered Cover, take the elevator up to the Fourth Story Restaurant & Bar to enjoy a lovely lunch. (For more information: call 303-322-7727 or visit www.tatteredcover.com).

Are you up for one more tour? If your free day is a Wednesday or Saturday, and it’s now about 2:00 PM, head over to the historic Brown Palace Hotel downtown. Meet in the sitting area beside the entrance to the Ship Tavern inside the hotel, and enjoy learning some fascinating Denver history on this 45 - 60 minute free guided tour. See a hotel that has hosted kings and presidents, executives, rock stars, and even people like you and me. (For more information, call: 303-297-3111 or 800-321-2599 or visit www.brownpalace.com/historical_tours.cfm).

Next up: Dinosaur Ridge by Morrison. This site gives new meaning to the term “leave only footprints” when hiking! You’ll be amazed at the variety of prehistoric animal tracks, both large and small, which are available for viewing along this well-preserved site. Stop by the Visitor Center, and then take time to experience the self-guided tour which includes sixteen interpretative signs that describe fossil remains as well as other relevant features of the area. (For more information, call: 303-697-3466 or visit www.dinoridge.org).

From Dinosaur Ridge, it’s just a quick jaunt over to the gorgeous Red Rocks Amphitheatre and Visitor Center. From Opera to Rock, Jazz to Reggae, Folk to Swing, Classical to Country; all types of musical performances have occurred at this spectacular natural amphitheatre since the early 1900s. During the day, or late into the evening when no concert is scheduled, you can come explore this beautiful concert venue.

When you’re done exploring the amphitheatre, don’t miss the captivating Visitor Center, which opened in 2003. The Visitor Center is tucked under the seating, so it made a minimal impact on the appearance of the area. Watch a 10-minute film that describes the history - both natural and musical - of the park. Reminisce as you view concert posters from the past 40 years, see instruments belonging to favorite musicians, or use the interactive computer terminals to find out who performed here or to remember a special concert. (For more information, call: 303-295-4444 or 303-640-2637 or visit www.redrocksonline.com).

Are you up for one final stop and a few free beers? Take a tour at one of Colorado’s best-known companies, Coors, and enjoy up to 3 free samples of their variety of beer products (if you are over 21), or complimentary soft drinks if you are younger or prefer something non-alcoholic.

More than 250,000 people take this popular free tour each year. Participation is on a first-come, first-served basis; no reservations are taken. Your personable tour guide will show you the main steps of the brewing process at the world’s largest brewery at a single site.

The tour takes 35 to 40 minutes; allow additional time to enjoy your 3 beer samples, to browse the gift shop, and sober up before you drive. (For more information: call 866-812-2337 (toll free) or 303-277-2337 (303-227-BEER) or visit www.coors.com).

Whew! That’s enough fun for one day. Thanks for joining me.

Diane Winger is co-author of several hiking and travel guidebooks, including “Highpoint Adventures” and “The Essential Guide to Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve”.

Visit http://www.Colorado-for-Free.com for more fun ideas for free things to see and do throughout Colorado.

Diane Winger ©2005 All Rights Reserved.

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Before going on your next vacation or business trip abroad, consider learning some of the language that is spoken where you’re going. You can get started learning easily and relatively inexpensively. Learning the local language can enhance your travelling experience, sometimes in ways you never thought of.

You can begin with just a few greetings and phrases, progress to a more ’survival vocabulary’ level, or if you really like, you can go ahead and spend months studying the language in-depth. In any case, if you find you like speaking and learning the language, you can always expand on what you’ve learned at first and further your study.

Why learn the language? For one thing, it is easier to deal with the local people if you speak even a little of their language. Don’t assume everyone speaks English. Numbers, greetings, directions and simple questions are not very hard to learn and are very useful. The locals will appreciate the effort on your part, and in fact, you may receive slightly better treatment than you would otherwise. In a perfect world that wouldn’t be true, but every little bit helps.

Improving communication with the locals is important. By learning some of the language, you reduce the possiblity of miscommunication. “Please,” “Thank You,” “How much is that?,” and “Where is …” are all easy to learn and can go a long way toward friendly encounters. These phrases can be very handy for all the times you go to restaurants, buy something, take a taxi etc.

Travel is simply more fun when you speak the language. It’s all part of the adventure. Learning the country, the people and the culture will expand your possibilities. By learning another language you can increase your social contacts and travel opportunities. Work, study and even retirement abroad all become more possible.

So, how do you go about starting to learn a new language? There are lots of different sources you can use to get started.

First is online. There are endless websites that can help you start learning a particular language. Travlang.com offers free online words and phrases with audio that you can use to pick up the basics. About.com is also an excellent source with some more in-depth tutorials for many languages. You can also do a search on any search engine for “learn spanish” or “learning chinese” or any other language, and you will find many sites with free tutorials.

There are also loads of commercial products to help you learn a language, many designed for the traveller. There are books, tapes, cd’s, videos and software products. In some cases, there are combination packages that can be very comprehensive. The Pimsleur line of audio tapes and cd’s are ideal for a simple, pain-free introduction to a language. The Living Language line of book and tape combo’s are also relatively inexpensive and effective. RosetteStone, Teach Yourself, Transparent Language and many others provide products for whatever medium you are most comfortable with that can get you started learning a language.

Another possibility is a class or tutor. The personal interaction between people is what language is all about, so for many people, this is the best way to begin learning a foreign language. You can also go one step further and take a ‘learning vacation.’ This is an immersion class or learning tour in the country you are going to.

Just about anywhere you go it will benefit you to learn the local language. Learning a language for travel will broaden your horizons and present you with a growing list of opportunities for your future. The bottom line is to enhance your travel and just have fun. Learning even a little of a new language will make travelling easier and more rewarding, with minimal risk on your part. You may even find it enjoyable enough to continue your study further. If you can improve your travelling experience, and add a valuable life-skill in the process, then why not do it?

Ron is a long-time language enthusiast, exploring Spanish, French, Swedish, Esperanto and others.
Learn more about studying a language on your own at
Language-Learning-Advisor.com This guide for self-study language learners has reviews and recommendations of language learning methods and products, links to online learning resources, learning tips to maximize your study time and effectiveness and articles on language learning.

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Girona and the “Dali Triangle” are destinations known to the lucky few who travel Spain. This area in Catalonia is one of the undiscovered gems of Spain. Girona is about 100 km from Barcelona, but no one who chooses to travel Spain should miss this lovely area. Easily accessible by train, bus or even automobile from Barcelona, this destination recalls some of spain’s most interesting history and one of its greatest artistic minds.

Girona is an beautiful, quaint town with an long history. The town was inhabited by Romans, Jews and Moors at different times in Spain’s history, and traces of each group can be seen in this lovely city. The local dialect is Catalan, not Spanish, but the language of the lovely sights will speak to all visitors.

The Old Quarter is the center of the town’s historic district, filled with medieval arches and dark, winding passageways that recall a different era. Filled with churches, lovely old houses and cobblestone drives, this picturesque section of town has homes dating from the middle ages and several lovely cathedrals.

The old Jewish neighborhood, called El Call is particularly interesting to explore. An old roman tower and the Jewish History Museum are of interest to many, as is the town’s art museum featuring over 1000 years of artworks.

A promenade similar to the one in Barcelona, “La Rambla” will bring to mind a simpler time. This lovely street with overhanging trees, shops, little cafes and great restaurants has changed a little since medieval times, but it’s charm hasn’t lessened.

Nearby, visitors can explore “Dali’s Triangle,” a region just north of Girona and continuing to several destinations important in the life of this controversial artist. In Figueres, visitors can tour the third most visited museum, the Dali designed Museum-Theater. Fancifully designed by the artist himself, this building features large white eggs on the roof, a bright red color and loaves of bread made of glazed ceramics on the outside walls. Inside, visitors can view several of Dali’s most famous works, including “Rainy Taxi.” Dali is buried on site.

In the fishing village of Port Lligat visitors can view Dali’s home. In this isolated hamlet, Dali built several homes together for himself and his wife, Gala. Some of the original d

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