In western Ukraine, the island-town of Kamyanets-Podilsky is a genuine geographic wonder. The old town is on an island with a river that loops almost completely around it. Cliffs rise on both sides of the river, thus the town itself is a natural fortress. It is full of old, decaying structures and only now is getting the attention it deserves. Across the Turkish Bridge, which spans the river ravine, is the town’s 14th-century fortress. — BERNARD BERICH, Philadelphia, PA
Europe My husband and I, along with another couple, took the 16-day river cruise “Castles Along the Rhine and Danube” aboard the ms River Odyssey, Sept. 26-Oct. 11, 2007, with Vantage Deluxe World Travel (90 Canal St., Boston, MA 02114-2031; 800/322-6677)
Including airfare, fuel surcharge, fees and taxes but excluding insurance, the cost per person was $5,310 per person for an “A” category room; add-on airfare from Cincinnati was another $100.
On a May cruise in Europe aboard Viking River Cruises’ (877/668-4546) Viking Pride, the most exciting time of day or night was when the ship passed under a low bridge. Because the bridges were built centuries before river cruises were imagined, they are far too low for the low-to-the-water cruise ships to safely pass under without some preparation.
Jean Saulsbury of Mariposa, California, requested advice from anyone who ever had to abandon ship — what to grab, how to be ready, what transpired (March ’08, pg. 95). Here are three responses.
I was on the Vistafjord (Cunard Line) when she had a fire in the middle of the night on April 6, 1997. I have to say that the crew were fantastic and did a great job.
by Larry Hughes, Houston, TX
Historians will often point out that the reason we remember Columbus is that he was the last to discover the Americas. From A.D. 900 or so on, continental America was well known to the seafaring Vikings. There were settlements in Newfoundland and evidence of Viking life in Iceland and the Faroe Islands.
by Brita Bishop, Dallas, TX
A lifelong dream of mine was to see the town where my father was born: the Volga-German colony of Reinhard in Russia.
During a very pleasant cruise through Ukraine with smarTours, Sept. 25-Oct. 7, 2007, at Sevastopol I took an optional overland excursion to the famous Swallow’s Nest.