Love the gateaux remark....now you'll have me thinking of others! I do think if one has knowlege of grammar in Spanish, Italian or French, it tranfers very easily from any one of those languages to the other. At least enough for speaking that language while traveling. There are areas where there are differences, but I don't think those would affect the average traveler or his ability to speak the language effectively. Jmd001, have a great trip!!