Travelers' Intercom
Transit in Venice
Our daughter and 14-year-old grandson spent two weeks with us in Italy in July ’09.
Guide in Yemen
A friend and I traveled to Yemen, once known as the Land of the Queen of Sheba, Nov. 3-17, ’08. It is a country of vast physical diversity, with deserts, mountains, volcanic wastelands and beautiful beaches, and it maintains a strong sense of its rich past.
Duvets ‘cuddly’
Unlike the others who have written in against comforters (June ’09, pg. 53 & Aug. ’09, pg.
Requested refund from Aeroflot
My wife, Guyette, and I in late 2006 booked a fall 2007 trip on the Trans-Siberian Express, Moscow to Vladivistok, through MIR Corp. (www.mircorp.com).
Lessons in more than Spanish
With my primary purpose being to learn more Spanish, I visited Antigua, Guatemala, June 14-July 11, 2009. I have been visiting countries in Latin America for many years and have been a student at schools in those countries.
Packing tips
Some preplanning of what and how to pack may make travel more enjoyable. Here are some suggestions.
Montpellier a ‘favorite’
A month-long trip to France and Ireland, March 3-April 5, 2009, was the best trip of my life. The total cost was between $11,000 and $12,000, but I had a lot of individual tour guides and a driver for my entire stay in Ireland. I visited Cork, Cobh and Kinsale in Ireland but stayed overnight only in Cork.
Driving southeast Spain
Here are some notes on Spain from a trip my wife, Betty, and I took to the Costa Blanca area for a week and a half in April ’08 before continuing on to Greece. It was our first trip to either country.
Guide in Santiago
Arriving in Santiago, Chile, a day before embarking on a South American cruise on the Norwegian Sun in December ’08, my husband, Erwin, and I had only one day to see the city so we wanted to make the most of it.
Russia train + St. Petersburg guide
My two daughters and I took a train from Moscow, Russia, to Riga, Latvia, with Russian Railways in October ’08. We had a sleeper car and it was great. The cost of $170 per person included a room for four persons, and we received tea and biscuits for breakfast.
Changing planes in Sydney
In October ’08, I flew to Sydney on United and then immediately connected to a flight to Canberra on Qantas. My bag was checked “through” to Canberra, though I had to claim it, of course, and go through Customs at Sydney.
Suggests full-fare ‘refundable’ for first leg
My wife, our granddaughter and I took a trip to Germany, June 16-July 2, 2009. I had made all of our travel arrangements on the Internet, including the Deutsche Bahn (DB) train tickets to the various places we were going: Frankfurt, Munich, Ampfing, Würzburg and back to Frankfurt.
Ubud restaurant
In Ubud, Bali, Indonesia, Restaurant Bali Yoga — located on the left side of Jalan Kajeng a 3- to 5-minute walk up from Jalan Raya — seems like a curious name for this little jewel of a place. The husband and wife who own it told me they named it after their first child, a son, Yoga.
Outrageous CDW costs in Ireland
For the past 14 years, my wife, Roberta, and I have made at least one annual trip to Ireland. We always rent a car at the Shannon or Dublin airport and tour extensively.
Inca Express bus
When we think of buses in Central or South America, we often think of old buses where people ride on the top. Well, our bus from Cusco to Puno, the Gateway to Lake Titicaca, was the Inca Express (office in Puno and Lima and at Av.
Kandersteg apartment
My husband, Mike, and son, Scott, and I stayed in a 2-bedroom apartment in the house Roduner-Hus (Dorf, CH-3718 Kandersteg, SWITZERLAND; phone + 41 [0] 33 675 1053, www.adamsalpineeden.com/roduner), Sept. 18-26, 2008.
Avoiding short connections
My wife and I make our own travel arrangements and often are shocked by how often airlines are willing to schedule us into a layover of even less than an hour when changing from a domestic to an international flight.