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Archive for October, 2005
Rotterdam repositioning cruise
From the moment the MS Rotterdam left Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, we moved into another world, a world of opulence in which the rich and famous indulged. Betty and I were sailing on the flagship of Holland America Line with 1,250 other guests, all bound for an exciting 23-day adventure. The meals on our ship were always [...]Turkey in spring
Springtime turned out to be a great time of year for touring Turkey. As we drove through central Anatolia in April-May several years ago, the wheat fields, stretching to the horizon, were just greening up. Farther south, near the Mediterranean coast, fruit trees were blooming and brilliant red poppies were a splash of scarlet along [...]Budapest café
On a trip to Budapest in September ’04, I ate at the Fresco Fi Café Restaurant (1052 Bp. Vigado ter 3, Budapest, Hungary; tel. 266 2010 or visit www.fresco.hu). It’s located three blocks from the Budapest Marriott. Excellent food. Friendly service. Pleasant ambiance. Reasonable prices — salad and entrée, $25. It’s able to accommodate groups of [...]On the other hand. . .
I would like to offer one more suggestion to those of the great letter titled “Tips for Driving in Britain” (Aug. ’05, pg. 73). During the summer of 1996, my husband and I hired a car at Heathrow, and after an “adventure trip” out of the airport complex we headed north into Scotland, taking in [...]Right-side driving
In the letter “Tips for Driving in Britain” (Aug. ’05, pg. 73), the comment that more people drive on the left side of the road than on the right is incorrect. The latest figures I have seen (from 1996) estimate that about four billion people drive on the right versus two billion on the left. [...]Wizz Air fees an ‘eye-opener’
In his July ’05 column, Rick Steves mentioned Wizz Air as a low-cost carrier out of Budapest, so when I decided to tack on a second river cruise out of Antwerp to Basel following an already-booked October-November ’05 cruise that will end in Budapest, I checked out Wizz Air in early August. The fare I [...]Claustrophobia in salt mines
I couldn’t resist adding a P.S. to Norine Matteson’s note about the Wieliczka Salt Mines (July ’05, pg. 85). I was there (with a Rick Steves tour of Eastern Europe) on May 29, ’05, and our experience, while similar in many respects, was also shadowed by a serious problem in getting OUT of the mines [...]Get rail ticket punched
In Paula Prindle’s article about Italy (July ’05, pg. 20), she said the conductor was not worried about their unpunched train ticket on the way from Rome to Venice. I suggest that travelers not rely on that as the standard for Italy. As part of our November ’04 trip, my husband and I spent some time [...]Visegrád bridge
In the June issue, page 50, Kit Lane of Douglas, Michigan, asked if anyone had recently seen the old bridge in Visegrád, Bosnia. I’m happy to report that I saw that wonderful bridge on June 3, ’05, on an extensive tour of the Balkans. The bridge is in excellent condition, and if it did suffer [...]Hot pocket
I wish to add something to the readers’ excellent advice about protecting valuables (Jan. ’05, pgs. 78-79). Whenever I buy a pair of pants, I immediately sew in a 5″x5″ inside pocket, which I attach on the right side, next to the outside pocket. It can hold documents as well as a wallet containing cash. The pocket’s [...]
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