Europe

Editor’s note: In my “Boarding Pass” column in the September and October 2011 issues, I talked about the impact of having several cruise ships, some with thousands of passengers each, visiting the same port at the same time.

My wife, Mary, and I started to travel in Europe in 1985. We would rent a car and drive around for three weeks with no reservations. We soon found out that one of the best parts of traveling was interacting with people.

In 1994 we started doing house trades and became involved with people even more. As time went by, we developed a love for southern Germany and Austria and decided to try to learn to speak German.

My wife, Rosalie, and I were in Italy in June ’11 and visited the hilltop town of Pitigliano in southern Tuscany.

The book “Jewish London: A Comprehensive Guidebook for Visitors and Londoners” (2012, Interlink Books — 224 pp., $14) offers information on Jewish-heritage sites in London and includes route maps and directions for a series of walking tours.

After disembarking from a Mediterranean cruise on Oct. 2, 2011, I stayed at Hotel Nazionale Rome (Piazza Mont­ecitorio, 131 00186, Rome, Italy; phone +39 06 695001, fax 06 6786677). This was my third stay at the hotel, and I just love everything about it: its central location, the staff, the rooms, the service and the fabulous breakfast served. For four nights, two of us paid €270 (near $360) per night for a twin room.

One-hundred-and-thirty years and counting. . . . In 1883, 31-year-old architect and artist Antoni Gaudí took over a modest little project in Barcelona that had begun the year before, the subject of the photo in the March '12 issue: Sagrada Família Cathedral. (To be precise, the photo depicts the Passion Façade of the cathedral, taken from beneath the portico.)

We asked you to tell us about an annual event that you recently attended, outside of the US, involving flowers — a flower festival, a parade, an exhibition of flowers, a special bloom time, etc. Following are replies received.

Seeing the invitation for comments on flower fests, Keukenhof Gardens in Lisse, THE NETHERLANDS, immediately came to mind. Keukenhof is the world’s largest flower garden, showcasing seven million of the bulbs that make Holland famous.

A tiny, picturesque country encircled by Italy, San Marino is the oldest surviving constitutional republic in the world, dating back to AD 301. It’s noted for its postage stamps and tax-free shopping.

For my son, Mark, and myself, I arranged a two-day trip to San Marino for October ’11 through Hotels.com (800/246-8357). For two people, round-trip air from Rome to Rimini, Italy, and two nights in San Marino, including breakfast, cost $1,100.

My wife and I had visited most Eastern European countries in the past and were intrigued about the culture and history of Bulgaria and Romania, so we decided to go.