In South Sudan in July, armed conflict between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and those loyal to Vice President Riek Machar left at least 272 people dead and threatened to plunge the country into civil war again.
Seven gunmen reportedly allied with Daesh killed 20 foreigners after taking more than 20 hostages at a café in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on July 1. During a shootout with police, six of the gunmen were killed as was one police officer, and 30 police officers were injured. Hostages killed included Italians, Japanese, an Indian and a Bangladeshi-American.
Daesh claimed responsibility for at least 80 people being killed and more than 200 being injured by a suicide bomber during a protest in Kabul, Afghanistan, on July 23.
In that attack, at least one bomb was detonated among a gathering of Hazara, a minority group in Afghanistan that follows Shia Islam. According to an Afghani spokesperson, the bomb of a second suicide bomber failed to detonate, while a third suicide bomber was killed by security forces before he could activate his bomb.
In Baghdad, Iraq, on July 5, a suicide bomber detonated a car bomb in a crowded marketplace in the central Karrada district, killing at least 281 people and injuring more than 200. It was the deadliest single bombing in Iraq since 2003. The attack took place on the night of Eid al-Fitr, the first day after the holy month of Ramadan (June 6-July 5 in 2016), celebrated by Muslims.
In Nice, France, on July 14, a man drove a large freight-delivery truck more than a mile on the Promenade des Anglais, zigzagging to target clusters of people gathered to celebrate Bastille Day. Eighty-four were killed, including three Americans, and 303 others were injured before the driver was shot and killed by police. The promenade had been closed to vehicular traffic for the holiday.
Members of the Turkish armed forces made a coup attempt against the democratically elected ruling government on July 15, briefly holding parts of Istanbul, including two bridges over the Bosphorus Strait and Atatürk International Airport, as well as some government buildings in the capital, Ankara. By the next morning, most of the soldiers involved had surrendered. During the coup, at least 246 people were killed and more than 1,400 were injured.
Jim Johnson’s article “Biking the Backroads — What a Wonderful Way to Travel!” (June ’16, pg. 22) is right on. His descriptions on the various types of tours are excellent.
My husband, Robert, and I have taken many biking trips in Europe. We’ve taken fully guided tours with Hindriks Bicycle Tours, supported tours with Vermont Bike Tours and what I’ll call semisupported tours with Bike Tours Direct. All have pros and cons, of course.
The Republic of Moldova is a place I long wanted to visit, as it’s near my usual destination of Romania. On a solo trip, May 3-15, 2016, I began in Bucharest, Romania, where I had the pleasure of staying at the Grand Boutique Hotel (Negustori 1B, Bucharest 2, Romania; phone +40 31 425 62 30, http://grandboutique
hotel.ro), located behind the National Theatre Bucharest on a lovely residential street.
While traveling from Boston to Warsaw, May 23-24, 2016, I had a 7-hour 15-minute stopover in Oslo/Gardermoen, Norway, during which I visited Frogner Park to see the Vigeland sculptures.
I read the subscribers’ letters on the subject “Travel Insurance Claim Denied” (July ’16. pg. 37 & Aug. ’16, pg. 36) and noted some situations in which travelers’ credit cards could have covered them when purchased insurance travel plans did not.
Traveling home from the British Virgin Islands to Burlington, Vermont, in February 2016, my husband and I encountered a flight cancellation due to weather, and it required an overnight stay in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. American Airlines was not responsible for any reimbursement, as the cancellation/delay was due to weather.