June 2011

• In Côte d’Ivoire, forces loyal to the newly elected president, Alassane Ouattara, successfully gained control of the country and, on April 11, arrested the previous president, Laurent Gbagbo. Although the situation has calmed since Mr. Gbagbo’s arrest, law and order has yet to return to all of Abidjan’s neighborhoods. Food shortages and the banking crisis are potential problems

• As Sudan prepares to split into two countries in July, fighting continues over the soon-to-be north/south border region in the Nuba Mountains.

Stephen O. Addison, Jr., wrote about the Radisson Montevideo Victoria Plaza in Montevideo, Uruguay (Feb. ’11, pg. 74). My wife, Dorothy, and I, on a tour with Vantage Deluxe World Travel, had occasion to stay at this hotel March 5-6, 2011, and we can confirm all that he said.

We were a group of 14, but there was only one clerk checking in and the process took 45 minutes! During this time, all our bags sat in the lobby and were not delivered for over 90 minutes. Only one elevator was working.

My wife, Kathryn, and I stayed in two wonderful hotels in Mérida, Mexico, in June ’10.

My companion, Judith Martin, and I aren’t drawn to charmless chain hotels, but for a stay in Amsterdam we were intrigued by the name misc eatdrinksleep (Kloveniersburgwal 20, 012 cv, Amsterdam, Netherlands; phone +31 0 20 330 62 41). We stayed in this delightfully offbeat small hotel, on a canal near the red-light district, in September ’10 and were not disappointed.

First-time visitors to Hong Kong usually stay on Hong Kong Island or just across the harbor in Tsim Sha Tsui, on the tip of the Kowloon Peninsula, and that’s as it should be. But for repeat visitors on a budget or those planning a long stay, Sha Tin, just 20 minutes by train from Kowloon, might be a location to consider. My wife, Maria, and I stayed there in January 2011 to be near friends who live in Tai Po, the next suburb over.

My husband, Lou, and I spent a sunny week in England’s Lake District in June ’10, taking advice we’d read in a Rick Steves column to make Keswick a home base.

I have lived and worked in Germany for the last 28 years and have become a seasoned European traveler.

by Marvin Herman, Delavan, WI

During Berlin’s seventh annual Festival of Lights, Oct. 12-23, 2011, landmarks and monuments will be illuminated and international artists and lighting designers will present light installations, art and designs. Cultural events are scheduled.

This year marks the 125th anniversary of the Kurfürstendamm and, during the festival, buildings on the famous boulevard will be artistically illuminated.