Country Code

THE BEST WAY TO CANCALE, FRANCE From LAX, Air Tahiti Nui and Air France offer nonstop service to Paris, and Delta, British and Lufthansa offer connecting service (change of plane). Restricted round-trip fares begain at $485, excluding taxes and fees. The Brittany coast is an easy 300-mile drive west of Paris. TELEPHONES To call the numbers below from the U.S., dial 011 (the international dialing code), 33 (country code for France), and the local number, minus the zero at the beginning.

THE BEST WAY TO BONN From LAX, Lufthansa, Air France and KLM offer connecting service (change of plane) to Cologne, Germany, 23 miles from Bonn. Restricted round-trip fares begin at $627, excluding fees and taxes. TELEPHONES To call the numbers below from the U.S., dial 011 (the international dialing code), 49 (country code for Germany), 228 (local code for Bonn) and the local number. WHERE TO STAY Hotel Baden, 1 Graurheindorfer Strasse, Bonn; 96-96-80, http://www.hotel-baden.de . The budget hotel is close to Bonn's center.

TELEPHONES To call the numbers below from the U.S., dial 011 (the international dialing code), 49 (country code for Germany), and the local number. WHERE TO STAY Hotel-Restaurant Graf Rolshausen, 33 Kirchstrasse, Monschau; 24-72-20-38, http://www.graf-rolshausen.de . Fourteen cozy rooms overlooking the town. Doubles from about $100, including breakfast. WHERE TO EAT Restaurant Schnabuleum, 118 Laufenstrasse, Monschau; 24-72-22-45, for gourmet meals with the tang of mustard made on-site; dinner $30-$40 a person.

THE BEST WAY TO ST. HELIER, JERSEY From France, Condor Ferries, http://www.condorferries.fr , carries passengers and cars from St-Malo and Manches Iles Express, http://www.manche-iles-express.com , operates passenger ferries from Granville. No daily service in the low season. Sea and air service also available from Britain. TELEPHONES To call the numbers below from the U.S., dial 011 (the international dialing code), 44 (the country code for Britain)

THE BEST WAY TO LONDON From LAX, British Airways, American, Virgin Atlantic, United and Air New Zealand offer nonstop service to London. Connecting service (change of planes) is offered on Continental, American, United and Delta. Restricted round-trip fares begin at $595. TELEPHONES To call the numbers below from the U.S., dial 011 (the international dialing code), 44 (the country code for England) and the local number. WHAT TO DO Winter Wonderland, in Hyde Park, has a plethora of rides, games and places to eat and shop, as well as an ice skating rink.

THE BEST WAY TO CHAMONIX From LAX, connecting service (change of plane) to Geneva is offered on Lufthansa, Air France, KLM, British, United, Continental and Swiss. Restricted round-trip fares begin at $580. TELEPHONES To call the numbers below from the U.S. dial 011 (the international dialing code), 33 (country code for France) and the nine-digit phone number. WHERE TO STAY Hôtel Richemond , 228 Rue Docteur Paccard, Chamonix; 450-53-08-85, www.richemond.

U.S. Internet users looking for a star-spangled Web presence can now sign up for domain names with a .us tag. Addresses in the United States' retooled Internet country code were opened up last week to U.S. citizens and businesses after years during which the domain was reserved primarily for local governments, schools and libraries. Unlike better-known domains such as .com and .org, which fall under the control of the Internet Corp.

They come from almost unpronounceable places that many Americans have never heard of--Moldova, Niue, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu. But that hasn't stopped the Internet domain names for these and other countries from becoming some of the trendiest addresses on the Internet. Due to the coincidental double meanings of some countries' two-letter Internet abbreviations, and the nearly depleted reservoir of premium .com, .net and .

On the Chinese side of the broad river here is a boomtown with bright lights, tall cranes and gleaming new buildings springing up amid open sewers and shacks. On the other bank is the North Korean city of Namyang, where factories are shut, water service is sporadic and on a recent night only three tiny lights could be seen twinkling. Chinese visitors are crossing the long bridge that links the hermetic hell of North Korea with this well-fed town.