Features
An independent journey along the back roads of Scotland
For years, Marvin dreamed of attending the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in Scotland. As we were to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary in August 2017, we saw a trip to Scotland and, in particular, the opportunity to attend a performance during the annual, 3-week Tattoo as a fine excuse for going there. Although we live in Florida, a summer family gathering would take us to Los Angeles, so it was easy for us to head directly to Scotland from there. From LA, we flew on Aer Lingus to Edinburgh via Dublin. It was quite a jolt to our bodies, heading from the summer heat of LA to chilly, windy and often rainy Scotland, but, equipped with warm coats and beanies, we soldiered on. Edinburgh The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo exceeded our expectations. For nearly two hours, we watched hundreds of bagpipers, drummers, international military bands and brightly dressed dancers and singers perform the most stirring show we have seen in our lives! It was a dazzling, breathtaking spectacle that thrilled us from beginning to end. This was a fabulous introduction to our Scotland visit. Not surprisingly, Edinburgh was packed with thousands of tourists, many of whom (like us) came for the Tattoo. But there was so much else going on, including the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, with dozens of offerings on the streets and in various venues.
Sri Lanka - a World Heritage haven
I have been fortunate to travel to many areas of the world that are renowned for their ancient cultures or scenic beauty and are designated as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization). Somehow, however, the offerings of the island nation of Sri Lanka, situated off the southern coast of India, managed to escape my attention until recently, when two of my travel forum correspondents infused me with their enthusiasm as they planned their own tours there. Sri Lanka is endowed with eight UNESCO sites — an amazing number for a country of this size — and I was privileged to visit five of them during my private tour in January 2018. Planning a visit Sri Lanka, until fairly recently, has not been an easy place for travelers to visit. Plagued by a brutal, 26-year-long civil war, Sri Lanka began to reappear on tour providers’ itineraries following the end of the conflict in 2009, when the country’s remarkable sites were once again available to travelers. I decided to book a private tour in order to allow the most flexibility and the inclusion of sites that were of special interest to me. Go Tours Lanka (www.gotourslanka.com), based in Kandy, Sri Lanka, created an amazing itinerary for me that was customized according to my specific desires. My 8-day program cost $700, not including hotels, meals or entrance fees. I opted to book my accommodations on my own in order to ensure the quality and location that I wanted at each stop. The tour cost did include transportation and full guide services in (excellent) English at all of the places on the agreed-upon itinerary. Ruwan Wijerathne, the founder of Go Tours Lanka, personally escorted me. His services as a guide were enhanced by his professionalism, extensive knowledge, friendly support and interesting conversation. We traveled in a comfortable, air-conditioned Toyota sedan on a program that included the Golden Temple of Dambulla, the ancient cities of Sigiriya and Polonnaruwa, the Sacred City of Kandy and the Old Town of Galle. All five of these places are UNESCO sites, and deservedly so.
Venturing around the arrondissements of Paris
On my seventh trip to Paris with friends in April 2018, I realized that I seldom ventured outside the central core of the city, always sticking close to the Seine. In fact, I can recall only one time, on my last trip to Paris, 10 years ago, when I made a worthwhile journey to Père-Lachaise Cemetery in the 20th Arrondissement, aided by the self-tour itinerary in Rick Steves’ Paris guidebook. City layout Paris is divided into 20 districts, or arrondissements, numbered in a clockwise spiral. Most visitors are familiar with the 1st through 7th arrondissements. The first four, on the Right Bank, encompass the Marais, Centre Pompidou and the Louvre, while the next three, on the Left Bank, include the Latin Quarter and the Eiffel Tower. To help wean myself from the central neighborhoods, I convinced my travel companions to take an apartment on Rue du Caire, on the outskirts of the 2nd Arrondissement, the wholesale clothing center of Paris. A 15-minute walk from the Seine, this area had few tourists wandering around, but within blocks was the very lively Rue Montorgueil and Faubourg St. Denis. (Streets beginning with Faubourg indicate that they were outside the 14th-century walls of Paris.) At the corner of Rue St. Denis and Boulevard St. Denis, one block from our apartment, sat a triumphal arch, marking the spot of the 14th-century entry through that part of the city wall. On the other side of the gate was the entrance to the 10th Arrondissement, whose personality changes by the hour. I excitedly returned from my first trip up the street to tell my roommates that Nigeria could be found just a block away, but by the time we made our way there a few hours later, it had turned into hipster Paris, and the French Africans had gone home or moved on to other streets. (A warning to the timid — the last few blocks of Rue St. Denis, before the Boulevard, feature older streetwalkers at almost all times of day.)
A challenging trek in the mountains of Bhutan rewards with rarely seen vistas
Bhutan has become a “go to” destination since the country opened to outside travelers in 1974. That first year, just 287 visitors were permitted entry, but tourism has exploded recently, from 23,480 visitors in 2009 to 254,704 foreign individuals visiting Bhutan in 2017. ‘So what’s the attraction?’ you might ask. Bhutan is an amazing destination with much to offer. This tiny kingdom (population 797,765) limits visas and makes sure we visitors are taxed for our impact on their environment. The country has made a concerted effort to not exploit their natural resources for short-term gain. The cultural attractions include their unique architecture, national dress, traditional sports and Buddhist beliefs, and, of course, there’s the country’s natural beauty. All this has been well documented in recent ITN articles (for example, April ’17, pg. 46, and Oct. ’17, pg. 18). But this country is not overrated. (Please, visit!) My wife, Lois, and I did enjoy Bhutan’s culture, but this article is about a walk in the well-protected outback, following an entirely new path to rarely seen vistas.
Wonderful wilderness and wildlife on a cruise to South Georgia and the Falkland Islands
If you enjoy travel to pristine wilderness areas and observing wildlife up close, an expedition trip to the Arctic or Antarctic should be on your travel list. When my wife, Betty, and I traveled to Antarctica in 2015, our trip didn’t include a visit to the Falklands (Islas Malvinas) or South Georgia. After travel discussions with others, we realized that we had missed out on exceptional bird, sea mammal and landscape viewing opportunities. As we had enjoyed our two previous polar experiences, our next decision was whether to consider another, more inclusive Antarctica trip or focus only on an expedition visit to the Falklands and South Georgia. Many polar expeditions spend only two to three days each in the Falklands and South Georgia, either on the way to or returning from Antarctica. Uncooperative weather and sea conditions can easily reduce the number of off-ship excursions when you have only a few days to visit each area. We decided that if we really wanted to increase our chances for as many viewing opportunities as possible, we needed to maximize the number ofdays in each destination. With this in mind, we found that Poseidon Expeditions (Providence, RI; 347/801-2610, www.poseidon expeditions.com) offered the itinerary that matched our interests and price range ($25,000 for two, excludingflights). In November 2017, we embarked on a 13-day expedition that started in Puerto Madryn, Argentina, and ended in Ushuaia. The expedition schedule included 2½ days in the Falkland Islands and 5½ days in South Georgia.
Exploring the Caribbean islands spared by the storms of ’17
Tourism to the Caribbean in the fall of 2017 took a big hit following the significant damage done by hurricanes Irma and Maria. Cruise ships responded to the situation there by canceling or modifying their itineraries, and passenger bookings dropped. By early November, the prospect of empty cabins precipitated some great last-minute bargains for frugal travelers like me. As the southern islands in the Caribbean chain had escaped most of the hurricanes’ impact, a 7-day cruise on the Celebrity Summit (beginning Jan. 6, 2018) to Barbados, Antigua, St. Kitts, Saint Lucia and St. Thomas sounded like a perfect fit for my husband, Lynn, and me. With Celebrity’s sale price, we secured a window-view cabin for a total of $1,160 for the two of us, including taxes and port charges. Except for St. Thomas, all of these were islands we had never seen.
A week of cooking and culture in Puebla, Mexico — an incredible experience at a rock-bottom price
Chef Ruth Ruiz announced, “This morning we’re going to the market to buy a pig’s head.”
Feeling truly welcomed on a visit to the Five ‘Stans
If I die with any money in the bank, there was one trip I forgot to take.
Delights triumph over disappointments on an Antarctic expedition cruise
One place I had never considered visiting was Antarctica. It always seemed too far away from my world, more of an idea than a location.
A self-drive journey along the picturesque back roads of France
From May 22 to June 8, 2017, I had the opportunity to check off the No. 1 destination on my bucket list with a fantastic driving trip around France. However, to pull off this trip, I had two requirements: someone who could drive a stick-shift car and a fellow traveler who was fluent in French.
Exploring the harshly beautiful landscapes of Greenland and Canada’s Labrador
My love affair with the Arctic and subarctic began years ago when I flew over the great Greenland Ice Sheet when returning from a trip to Europe.
Getting a different view of Haiti
Does the thought of Haiti conjure up images of poverty, famine and earthquakes? Well, think again, because that’s only a part of the picture.
Discovering two of Italy’s lesser-known gems
France is our favorite country, but in 2016, Italy called my husband, David, and me once again, loud and clear.
Crossing Russia in luxury on the Trans-Siberian Railway
The first time my wife, Arlene, and I saw Russia was on a 2-day stop in St. Petersburg on a Baltic cruise.
Picturesque Patagonia – a cruise along the southern coast of Chile
I had the good fortune in October-November 2017 to join an expedition to Patagonia conducted by Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic.
Norway from A to Z
In mid-2017, my wife, Linda, and I set out on a cruise around Norway and Scotland on an oceangoing ship called the Viking Sky.
Impressed by the amazing wildlife of Botswana
After several months of planning my trip to Botswana, exchanging emails with Roger Turski of Safari Lifestyles (Maun, Botswana; phone +267 7606 1186, www.safarilifestyles.com), with
Enjoying the wildlife, in and out of the water, on a private tour of Australia
In all my travels, I had never been to Australia, but it was all my husband, Steve, and I needed to gain ITN’s “7 Continents” award.