Europe

by Marsha Caplan; Boulder, CO

My husband, Michael, and I left Denver on a nonstop Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt on Aug. 29, 2011, continuing on to Madrid for five wonderful weeks in northern Spain.

REPORT ON NETHERLANDS…

In France, a new law which will begin to be enforced on Nov. 1, 2012, will require all cars, including rentals, to carry a breath-alcohol-testing instrument. If a driver does not have the device, he will be fined €17 (near $22).

Single-use devices each cost less than $2.50. Hertz will provide the devices for free, but Avis and Budget have not yet announced.

(Second of three parts. Go to part 1)

17 days/16 nights, Sept. 19-Oct. 5, 2012. Highlights: Ankara / underground churches in Cappadocia / Taurus, birthplace of St. Paul / Roman city of Perge / mineral springs in Pamukkale / Greek and Roman ruins and St. Mary’s house in Ephesus / Pergamon / Troy / Istanbul. Land, $3,800. Single supp., $850. TEO World Culture Tours (New York, NY; 888/444-1110).

14 days/13 nights. Highlights: Pantheon, Piazza Navona in Rome / Naples / Pompeii / tarantella show in Sorrento / Capri / frescoes by Giotto, Cimabue in Assisi/in Florence, “David,” Ponte Vecchio / mosaics in Ravenna / Venice / day trip into Lugano, SWITZERLAND / Pisa. Land, with 10 or fewer, $5,975 or, with 20 or more, $4,180. Single supp., $ 600. Aegean Tours, Inc. (Laurel, MD; 301/937-8673).

17 days/15 nights. Departures June 7, July 12, Aug. 16 & Sept. 13, 2012. Highlights: In Oslo, NORWAY, crown jewels at Rosenborg Castle / Hardanger Fjord / Vøringfoss (waterfall) / ride Flam Railway / in Bergen, Edvard Grieg’s home, fish market, 14th-century Hanseatic merchants’ quarter / Lillehammer / Tällberg, SWEDEN / Vasa Museum, Gamla Stan in Stockholm. From New York, from $6,295. Single supp., from $1,495. Other departure cities available. Smithsonian Journeys (Washington, DC; 855/330-1542).

Seven-day/six-night private tour; departures through October 2012. Highlights: Edinburgh / Scone Palace / lunch cruise on Loch Ness past Eilean Donan Castle, Urquhart Castle / Dunvegan Castle on Isle of Skye / whisky tasting at Talisker Distillery / on Isle of Mull, Tobermory fishing village / Iona, whence Christianity spread in Scotland / Gleneagles golf resort/Stirling Castle / Bannockburn, where Robert the Bruce defeated the English. Land, from $7,536. No single supp. Cox & Kings (Los Angeles, CA; 800/999-1758).

Some of my favorite artworks are the sculptures by Gustav Vigeland in Frogner Park in Oslo, Norway (Kirkevelen, Middelthuns Gate, 0268 Oslo — admission free).

by Karl & Ann Springer; San Antonio, TX

My wife, Ann, and I spent 25 days in the south of France — including two weeks in Provence and four days in Nice and ending with a 7-day riverboat cruise on the Rhône and Saône rivers — in June-July 2011.