Middle East

During three months of heavy travel in late 2021, I experienced difficulties when it came to the COVID-19 testing, tracing and reporting requirements imposed by multiple countries. Here are some choice examples of what a nightmare it was to comply with a few countries’ COVID-entry requirements.

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As we’ve had to postpone our travels because of the pandemic, I believe a weekly dose of travel dreaming can be good medicine. Here’s one of my favorite European memories from Turkey — a reminder of the fun that awaits us at the other end of this crisis.

Waves of 110-degree heat rolled off the barren, dusty alley I’d taken as a shortcut. A teacher on sabbatical in Egypt in 1990, I was heading toward a mosque whose white minaret rose above all the other buildings. I was alone, and the alley was eerily empty — no cars, no people, not even a chicken.

Suddenly, three women totally covered in black appeared from a side street and turned toward me, framed by the white mosque behind them. Wow! My photographer’s heart thumped.

I enjoyed reading about Dawn Vincent’s trip to Tunisia and Algeria (Dec. ’20, pg. 6). I’ve traveled extensively in the past 23 years and have enjoyed every minute, but I especially loved Algeria and Tunisia… for their culture, Roman ruins and mosaics, food, climate and, most of all, people.

I’ve been to both countries four times, and I have to say they are my favorites in the world.

I had no problems getting there with Air France, in Premium Economy.

I was blissfully ignorant of what my travel future held for me when I boarded a plane in Memphis, Tennessee, on Feb. 15, 2020, headed (via Toronto and Frankfurt) to Tunis, Tunisia.

My plan was to spend six days in each of two North African countries, Tunisia and Algeria.