Travel Tidbits

 On my tour of the Dalmatian Coast in July ’03, I took a day trip to Pula, Croatia. I think the best bet once there is to take a taxi to the coliseum. It’s too easy to get lost, otherwise. I arrived in the early morning and caught the last of the good light to photograph and also beat the tourist buses’ arrival. This is a good place to just sit and soak up the atmosphere for about an hour. A 15-minute walk up the hill takes you to the castle — only mildly interesting. If you’re in a time crunch, give it a miss. — SAMANTHA SARTAIN, Colorado Springs, CO

On a tour of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula with Betchart Expeditions (Cupertino, CA; 800/252-4910) in July ’03, we were walking through the town of Esso and stopped to admire a flower garden. The owner, Olga, invited us inside her home. The living space, one side of a double house, had four rooms, bath and entry. Olga invited us to return the next morning with the whole tour group. She surprised everyone with a refreshment table featuring a delicious herbal tea brewed from various leaves and berries she had gathered locally and dried. Olga was justifiably proud of her large vegetable garden and greenhouse, which provided a wide variety of much-needed fresh foods. — ALICE RAWLES, Richmond, VA

On a tour to New Zealand one January, we spent a pleasant two days in Queenstown (South Island). This beautiful, leisurely paced city is English in its style. We strolled in flower gardens along the meandering Avon, watched some of the much-appreciated buskers (street performers) at the local crafts fare and sampled the local brew. — NORM LOEFFLER, Wichita Falls, TX

On an Overseas Adventure Travel tour to Australia, we had difficulty keeping track of the time back home, since we traveled through so many time zones (some with daylight saving time, some not, etc.). A tourmate (Karen A.) shared a wonderful travel tip: take an inexpensive watch from home and keep it set at your home time. You will always know the time at home and not awaken your daughter on Sunday morning at 6 a.m. thinking it was 9 a.m. — IRIS B. BING, Lawrenceville, NJ

On my trip to Ireland in May ’04, I drove over Connor Pass on a spectacular, narrow (barely room for one small car) and winding road with great views of the bay, farmland and ocean. It took me to Dingle, a colorful seaside tourist town with many shops selling Irish woolen and leather goods, etc. I should have planned for two days there. There was so much to see and do. — LYLA FULLER, Salt Lake City, UT