My daughter and I own a yoga studio and led a yoga retreat to Corfu, Greece, in September ’08. In researching activities for our group, I discovered that Albania is just across the border and easily accessible. Since I find border crossings irresistible, I was determined to visit. I found an excellent Albanian tour company that I thought other ITN readers might like to know about.
(4 of 4 on India plus Nepal)
In August ’07 my husband, Robert, and I booked a 14-day South America cruise on the Norwegian Dream; we would leave Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Feb. 3, 2008. At the same time, we booked a shore excursion, “Antarctic Flightseeing,” online for $2,199 per person. We received written confirmation from Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) that same month.
In November ’07 we made our final payment on the cruise, and in December we received our itinerary and confirmation of the shore excursion.
During a month-long Africa trip, I wanted to get up close to lions. It wasn’t until I got to Zambia and the Waterfront Hotel & Campground aka The Zambezi Waterfront, Victoria Falls aka The Waterfront (P.O. Box 60407, Livingstone, Zambia; phone +260 213 320606 or 07 or 08, fax 213 320609, e-mail [for accommodation] waterfront@safpar.com or [for activities] zaminfo@safpar.com or visit http://safpar.com/waterfront) that I was able to book, in their activity center, an adventure called “Lion Encounter.”
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.
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.
My wife, Margaret, and I, during a September ’05 trip to Greece, took a day tour of Athens with Dimitri from Spiros Taxi (Athens, Greece; phone 011 30 6944 285 686 or visit www.athenstaxi.net). Spiros himself was on vacation, but Dimitri turned out to be an able substitute who knew the area and its history and spoke excellent English.
Flamengo Travel & Tours has a branch in Cairo International Airport run by a pleasant man, Mr. Said Atia (phone 012 212 6291 or 224 3587, fax 586 1621… or at 1 a El Sherifein St., Cairo; phone/fax 023931044).
Our latest venture with Grand Circle Travel, a 2-week Extended Vacation in Italy in September ’06, provided the high-quality foreign experience we have come to expect from that company. It was an interesting but leisurely itinerary through beautiful Tuscany and Umbria, with a superb guide, excellent (if not great) accommodations and meals, and arrangements along the way that went like clockwork.
During a 4-day stay in Amsterdam in July ’05, we took a day tour to Marken and Volendam, picturesque fishing villages less than an hour from town.