Barcelona restaurant. Dubrovnik driver. Beer house in Tallinn. Restaurant in Split.

ON CROATIA & SPAIN…

• In Barcelona, SPAIN, my partner, Jerry, and I tried Restaurant Cátedra (Via Laietana 5, Supteniente Navarro #19, Barcelona; phone 932 954 620 or e-mail cafecatedra@gmail.com), located within three blocks of Old Town and featuring good regional food at a reasonable price.

For about $15 each, we had the 3-course menu: salad or soup, choice of one of four entrées (among them, steak and salmon) and dessert plus bread and wine or beer. This was on Aug. 13, 2012.

• We disembarked in Dubrovnik, CROATIA, on Aug. 23 and, unable to find the shuttle bus to the city, took the first taxi in line. It was our good luck that the driver was Maroje Kristovic (phone 385 92 245 3579 or e-mail marojekristovic@hotmail.com).

He offered to drive us around the city on a panoramic tour for an hour for €50 (near $65), which was less than a walking tour of Old Town would have cost. He spoke good English and was excellent. He had experienced the Serbian/Croatian conflict of 1992 and was very knowledgeable about Balkan history.

Afterward, he dropped us off at the entrance to Old Town and we did our own walking tour.

Emilee Cantieri, Hendersonville, NC

REPORT ON ESTONIA…

For a unique and tasty meal in a wonderful atmosphere in the historic city center of Tallinn, ESTONIA, try the 3-course beer-and-food tasting at the Beer House (Dunkri 5, Tallinn 10123; phone +372 581 90 670). With its dark-wood interior and cellar-like appearance, it looked antique-ish, but it is only 10 years old. They make 70 nonpasteurized (live) beers.

The first course of my heavy-but-tasty lunch was pickled herring served with potatoes and sour cream; the herring was magnificently delicious! Then came German bratwurst, sauerkraut, strudel and, served in an elegant glass and topped with cream, bread pudding.

I thought the beer servings would be “sample” size; they were full-size. I had a Helles Pilsen Light Beer, with 4.6% alcohol; a Caramel Malt at 4.7% with a lovely red color (now my favorite beer), and a dark, coffee malt beer, 4.8%, made using a 500-year-old recipe! I enjoyed even the dark beer, which is unusual, for me.

The meal, in July ’12, was part of a shore excursion called “Beer Tasting,” offered from Royal Caribbean’s Jewel of the Seas, so I can’t quote a price. (Entrées at the Beer House run €9-€26 [near $11.50-$33.50].)

The shore tour, in a van, cost about $99 and included a guide, a walking tour and the meal. I would recommend the Beer House to anyone.

Cynthia Rignanese, Winter Haven, FL

REPORT ON CROATIA…

On our visit to Split, CROATIA, in September ’12, my husband and I enjoyed a delicious al fresco lunch at Konoba Perun (Senjska, 9; phone 385 95 877 88 99). This place is located in the Sperun neighborhood at the west end of the Old Town. We were drawn to the restaurant by the aroma of the outdoor grill along its back wall.

We shared one mixed green salad between the two of us and were glad we did; it was large. I also had a grilled tuna steak for my entrée, and my husband had a mixed grill of sausages, a lamb chop and other meats. He had a glass of wine and I, sparkling water. The meal was not inexpensive at 325 kuna (about $60) for two, but the atmosphere was lovely and the food was delicious and fresh.

Connie Martin, Prescott, AZ