May 2005

I was deeply moved when I read the letter titled “Coping With the Red Tape of an Overseas Death.” It was incredible to read about the obstacles Mrs. Patterson had to overcome after her husband’s sudden demise. I offer my sincerest condolence.

I would like to add the following to Mrs. Patterson’s recommendations.

Be sure you know the appropriate country’s emergency phone numbers for medical emergencies and police. Having an operational telephone card is a sine qua non, although usually you can access emergency numbers from any phone without a telephone card.

I don’t know when I have been so moved by an article in ITN as I was by the one penned by Betty Patterson concerning the death of her husband (Feb. ’05, pg. 16). Not only did my feelings go out to this lady who had to confront all of the European bureaucracy, but I also became introspective wondering what would have happened had I died in Europe in 2004. In October, I was a single on an Elderhostel trip to Central Europe.

Betty Patterson’s letter titled “Coping With the Red Tape of an Overseas Death” (Feb. ’05, pg. 16) was very helpful as well as disturbing. The part about cancellation of the business AmEx card prompted me to call American Express for clarification about what does happen in the case where a couple has personal cards and (as is usually the case) one of them is the prime account holder and the other has his or her own card with an individual number.

Seeing the news item titled “Carmen in its Natural Settings” (Dec. ’03, pg. 21) prompted us to contact AESU, or American European Services Unlimited (3922 Hickory Ave., Baltimore, MD 21211; phone 800/638-7640 or visit www.aesu.com), to learn more about it.

My husband and I spent a week in the quaint little village of Katzenthal, Alsace, France, in a very charming, one-bedroom apartment filled with country antiques.

I was one of a group of five relatives who took a tour of Ireland and then drove around Italy in July ’04. Our flights were on Aer Lingus as well as British Air, but to get from Dublin to Venice we had to go through London, with the leg from London’s Heathrow airport to Venice on British Midland Airways.

When we arrived at Heathrow on July 21, an attendant with a wheelchair was waiting for my mother to race her through the line for boarding passes. This was the last we saw of her until the flight was boarding.

by Lillie Echevarria, Livermore, CA

Tell ITN about the funniest thing that ever happened to you while traveling in a foreign country. There are no restrictions on length. (ITN prints no info on destinations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean.) 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 JULIE LOCHRIDGE of Vero Beach, FL:

I loved A.J. Goodhead’s letter on Kenwood House and Golders Green, etc. (Feb. ’05, pg. 81); it could have been written by my husband and me. We go there on every trip to London — not just for the fantastic collection of art, though that is indeed phenomenal, but because the grounds lend themselves to many nice walks (even in the rain!).

The Brew House Café’ is great; we always plan our lunch around that. It is so nice when we can sit on the terrace. (We go April or October, as a rule.)

Early last spring I discovered the company French Country Waterways (Box 2195, Duxbury, MA 02331; phone 800/222-1236 or, in MA, 781/934-2454 or visit www.fcwl.com) while reading the New York Times travel section. Not only did their 6-day canal wine trips sound very appealing but the company was offering a special. It was a discount equal to the number of years of marriage for couples celebrating anniversaries divisible by five. Since my husband, John, and I like wine, were celebrating our 50th anniversary and wanted to explore the French countryside, we were sold.