November 2011

Enjoy 360-degree panoramic views of Victoria Harbour from Hong Kong’s highest indoor observation deck, Sky100 (phone +852 2613 3888).

The Great Recession has not caused a stoppage in cruise-ship construction, although building has slowed somewhat, and no new giant megaships are on the horizon.

When my husband, John, and I were in Roscommon, Ireland, in June 2011, we contacted Sarah Browne (Antogher Rd., Roscommon, Co. Roscommon; phone 0879439446) to set up a cooking experience featuring Irish food.

Tell ITN about the funniest thing that ever happened to you while traveling in a foreign country. (ITN prints no info on destinations in the United States.) There are no restrictions on length. The ITN staff will choose each month’s winner, who will receive a free one-year subscription to ITN. Entries not chosen cannot be acknowledged.

This month’s winner is GLENN SCHMIDT of Sun Prairie, WI:

It’s a beautiful afternoon in Sorrento, Italy, in November ’09 as we board the last ferry of the day to Naples.

Starting in Geneva, our small group of six took a train to Visp, then rode the Glacier Express for an hour through breathtaking Alpine valleys to Zermatt to see the Matterhorn. The mountain was awesome, but our most lingering memory is most likely to be Hotel Aristella (Steinmattweg 7, 3920 Zermatt, Switzerland; phone +41 0 27 967 20 41).

Less than an hour’s drive west of the Auckland airport on New Zealand’s North Island is Bush Sand & Sea B&B (26 Te Aute Ridge, Bethells Beach, Waitakere City, Auckland, N.Z.; phone 0064 9 810 9584). Nestled in thick rainforest near Bethells Beach (Te Henga), this charming cottage sleeps two to four.

Sure, we know that US passports are good for 10 full years. Well, almost! In some cases, it’s 9½ years.

In Montevideo, Uruguay, the Museo del Automóvil (Colonia 1251; phone 902 47 92), at the corner of Colonia and Yi streets, is a hidden gem in more ways than one.

Wild Earth Travel (P.O. Box 7218, Christchurch, 8240, New Zealand; phone +64 0 3 365 1355) offers cruises through the Northwest Passage, which has recently been made more navigable by climate change. The sailing includes views of Greenland’s fjords, the Arctic Circle and the site of the lost Franklin Exhibition. The cruise, Aug. 19-Sept. 2, 2012, costs $6,995-$16,195 per person, double.

by Harriet Hughes; Alexandria, VA