October 2006

In Aix, France, we followed the footsteps of Paul Cézanne, a native of that town, whose art was not much appreciated by its citizens during his lifetime. The Musée Granet has only a few small works by this renowned artist, though the rest of the collection is worth a visit.

Several years ago we saw the places where he was born, studied, married and died and also visited his atelier. From everywhere, we could see Sainte-Victoire, the stark mountain that dominates the landscape and so much of Cézanne’s work.

Following a wonderful Norway coastal cruise in May ’06, my wife, Dorothy, and I flew to Brittany, France, to visit our daughter. While there, we had an opportunity to visit Port-Aven, an artists’ colony, one especially popular in the early 1900s. Paul Gauguin worked there before moving to Arles.

Ronciglione, about an hour’s drive north from Rome’s Fiumicino Airport, is near Lake Vico, a summer playground for Italians from Rome. It was early November when we visited, and the town was bustling during the day and quiet at night. Some of the restaurants were closed for the season.

In traveling, I have found it useful to use a string of safety pins and diaper pins in my travel purse to keep track of small items like keys and nail clippers and for many emergency uses.

Just prior to our leaving for a trip in France in late June ’06, ITN carried two items about the difficulty Americans were encountering in France and the U.K. when using credit cards (May ’06, pg. 20 & July ’06, pg. 15). The problem was attributed to new cards in use there that require entering a PIN number.

I wish to echo the concern expressed by Fred Kerr about speed traps in the South Island of New Zealand (July ’06, pg. 18).

My wife, Barbara, and I traveled from Sacramento, California, to Quito for two weeks in January ’06. Our trip in the Ecuadorean highlands started with a 4-hour flight to Houston followed by a 5-hour flight to Quito, landing at midnight. Flights in and out of Quito are scheduled early and late because of its elevation at 9,000 feet.

We stepped outside the terminal and hired a taxi to our hotel for $5. Ecuador conveniently uses the U.S. dollar.

My husband, Joe, and I visited Buenos Aires (B.A.), Argentina, in March-April ’06 (Sept. ’06, pg. 84). The restaurants were plentiful and excellent and our dollar went far in ensuring that we could eat well without spending a lot of money, so let’s talk food!

No other place in the world celebrates the Christmas holiday season quite like Germany. In a tradition dating back to the Middle Ages, Germany’s colorful Christmas markets turn its towns and cities into festive centers of holiday tradition.

During the annual 4-week Advent season leading up to Christmas, numerous towns and cities throughout Germany hold festive and colorful Christmas markets, often referred to as Christkindlesmarkt locally.

by Diana Hunt, Aiken, SC