Museum

My visit to the Republic of Georgia, May 13-June 19, ’05, was the perfect trip. The temperature was around 50º-68ºF. I would suggest taking a light, waterproof jacket and an umbrella, as rain can occur (although on this trip it was not heavy enough to interfere with sightseeing).

The capital, Tbilisi, had major traffic and parking concerns, so I would recommend the reasonably priced taxis. Most places could be reached by taxi for $3-$5. (The exchange rate was $1 = 1.81 Georgia lari.)

I trust Rick Steves, so when he suggested in his “Switzerland 2005” guide that travelers should pick up a ZürichCARD, I listened. In November ’05 I purchased a 72-hour card, and I am very glad I did.

On our visit to England, April 30-May 9, ’05, it was full spring with lovely weather. The exchange rate was the only chilling factor of the trip!

A very surprising highlight for us on our trip to New Zealand was Kelly Tarlton’s Antarctic Encounter & Underwater World in Auckland. It features an excellent aquarium walk-through, a polar theme ride and a museum, all situated underground beneath a highway! — NORM LOEFFLER, Wichita Falls, TX

The place that most interested me during our Japan trip was Chiran. Chiran was the site where young men flew on kamikaze flights, and today it is the site of the Chiran Peace Museum.

I first visited Egypt 22 years ago. On my fourth trip to the country, in November 2004, I traveled with my 25-year-old daughter, Katie. I wanted to see her eyes light up at the sights that make Egypt one of this world’s greatest tourist destinations. I wanted her to say, 40 years from now, “Way back in ’04, I saw the pyramids for the first time with my MOM.”

Katie could only take one week off from her job. Friends and relatives questioned, “Only one week? What can you do in just one week?”

Well, as it turned out, quite a lot.

Several years ago on a trip to Greece, we visited Mycenae and became interested in the German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann and the Trojan Wars.

My wife, Judy, and I took a “tulip cruise” in the Netherlands in April ’05 aboard the Viking Pride of Viking River Cruises (Woodland Hills, CA; 877/668-4546). We booked it through Covina Hills Travel (Covina, CA; 800/688-8728 or e-mail info@covinahills.com).

We would like to add some ideas to the readers’ “less-well-known museum” suggestions printed back in the June ’04 issue.

Three friends and I booked a trip to Berlin for March 6-11, ’05, with Expedia (www. expedia.com). For $905 each, double occupancy, it included airfare, hotel and ground transportation.

We flew from the Washington Dulles airport to Frankfurt on United and connected with a Lufthansa flight to Berlin. We walked off the plane in Berlin to find our luggage on a carousel directly outside the gate, then walked through security to find our liveried driver outside the door and our new VW luxury van parked at the curb. We felt like VIPs.