July 2012

In Saudi Arabia, the last major terrorist attack directed against foreign nationals took place in 2007. Measures by the Saudi government have greatly improved the security environment throughout the Kingdom, particularly in the Eastern Province and Riyadh, but there remains an ongoing threat due to the continued presence of terrorist groups, some affiliated with al-Qaeda, who may target housing compounds, hotels, shopping areas and other facilities where Westerners congregate.

In Algeria, according to the US Department of State, terrorist attacks (including bombings), false roadblocks, kidnappings and ambushes occur regularly, particularly in rural areas such as the Kabylie region.

The group that claimed credit for the Dec. 11, 2007, suicide car-bomb attacks in Algiers has pledged more attacks against foreign targets, specifically US targets. It is believed to also operate in the south.

The US Department of State urges extreme caution for those who choose to travel in Mauritania.

Following antimining demonstrations on May 28, 2012, when two persons were killed and about 70 injured, the Peruvian government declared a 30-day state of emergency in the province of Espinar, including the city of Cusco. It increases powers of military police and limits the number of people who can assemble to protest.

From 2010 to present, at least 180 deaths have occurred in protests against mining, its environmental damage and the lack of economic benefits to nearby communities.

A 6.0-magnitude earthquake rocked Italy’s northern region of Emilia-Romagna on May 20, followed by a 5.8 on May 29. At least 24 people were killed and more than 14,000 became homeless as the quakes damaged many buildings and destroyed some churches and historic buildings.

Mirandola, Medolla and Cavezzo were closest to the epicenter, 22 miles north of Bologna.

I spent a month in Brazil, Aug. 6-Sept. 5, 2011, to study Portuguese (June ’12, pg. 16).

In southeastern Hungary, I took a one-day tour of Szeged and the Ópusztaszer National Historical Memorial Park and open-air museum on Sunday, April 22, 2012, led by Peter Antal (phone +36 70 56 888 76, e-mail peti@tourguideing.hu or visit www.tourguideing.hu).

Peter is local to Hódmezö­vá­sár­hely and leads tours in the area. He has a very good command of English, and I found his price to be reasonable.

The cost of HUF5,000 (about $21) covered the van for 10 and the guide. Entry to sites cost extra ($6 to the historical park). Lunch was self-pay. I recommend Peter.

I visited the US Consulate in Buenos Aires in May ’12 to get additional pages for my US passport, but I was told that no more pages could be added, as this would be the third time and pages can be added only twice.

My passport doesn’t expire until mid February 2015. My options were to get a shiny new passport for a mere $110 or an emergency passport, good for 12 months, for $100. Additional pages would have cost only $82.

I asked, “Why should I have to toss a passport 33 months before it expires? It contains visas that expire when the passport expires.”

My husband, Gary, and I took a 16-day trip to Spain, Portugal and the Canary Islands, Feb. 6-21, 2012, which included three nights in Barcelona prior to a cruise and three nights afterward. On the first day of our visit, we learned that an employee at our hotel on Barcelona’s Plaza Espanya, the B-Hotel (Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes; phone 93 552 95 00), had been accosted on the bus on her way to work.