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Archive for January, 2005
Focus on Archaeology » In search of Chinggis Khan
(First of two parts) By all accounts, Genghis Khan was not a nice guy. Nice guys finish last, and Genghis Khan was determined not to be at the back of the pack. In the late 1100s and early 1200s, this Mongol warrior carved out a vast empire that stretched from Beijing to the Caucasus Mountains in [...]Mideast & Mediterranean » Albarracín to Cuenca
With a camera over my shoulder (Part 4 of 6 on Spain) As reviewed previously, in April ’04 I traveled with six photographers on a 16-day tour with Close-Up Expeditions (800/457-9553 or www.cuephoto.com). Entitled “Spanish Explorer,” it began in Marseille, France, and ended in Granada, Spain. In Spain, after visiting Albarracín, we proceeded to Cuenca, whose Old City [...]Travel & Health » Mosquitoes, too, like Latin America
In February a few years ago, a group of middle-aged novice travelers ventured to Costa Rica to tour Braulio Carrillo National Park, which rises and falls between cool, high mountains and low, torrid jungles, all of it washed by swift, curving rivers and waterfalls. Unbeknown to them, this lovely, pristine region was a mosquito-infested area fraught [...]The Cruising World » A credit hold is not a credit charge
Recently, a sharp-eyed ITN reader booked a Holland America Line cruise to Alaska for 18 days, paying for herself and her roommate. Three weeks before the cruise, she received from the cruise line a puzzling document requiring her to sign and send back a preauthorization to hold $60 worth of credit per person per day [...]All Aboard » Taiwan’s Neiwan Railroad
Costumed greeters wearing comic heads dance before the crowds passing out of Neiwan’s modern train station in the high hills of Taiwan. Children squeal happily at the sight. The street is lined with endless stalls offering delicious treats, which together form a special kind of market. One sight nearby is the Taoist Jai Kung Temple [...]Pipes in Paris
Each Sunday afternoon at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, there is a free organ concert for about an hour. Starting between 4 and 5 p.m., depending on the time of year, each concert presents a guest organist from one of the cathedrals of Europe. We always attend this concert whenever we visit Paris. They print [...]Flower shows in Britain
I attended the Chelsea Flower Show in London on May 25, ’04, and found it a big disappointment. This was my second visit and the crowds were such that we could barely view the gardens and exhibits. The Royal Horticultural Society bragged that 160,000 persons attended during the week. That amounts to 32,000 daily! We [...]Guide around London
Before our visit in October ’02 I had never been to London, and we three girls were a little nervous about a private tour guide; I was traveling with my daughter and my sister. So I got on the Internet to find a tour guide and came up with a couple, Harry and Pat Norman [...]Madeira driver-guides
I would like to add some information to the excellent articles on “Charming Madeira” by Philip Wagenaar in the May and June ’04 issues. I made a trip there a few years ago. I agree that Madeira is a beautiful and wonderful place to visit. I hope that no one will miss seeing this island because [...]Taking care while traveling
I use the following technique to prevent being separated from my essentials at airport security (Nov. ’04, pg.18). Before I leave for the airport, I transfer all items that I normally carry in my pockets, with the exception of my wallet, to a single plastic bag, which goes inside my backpack. Since there are no valuable [...]
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