Travelers' Intercom
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.
Accessibility in Venice
I visit Venice often, and although I do not use a wheelchair, it is my observation that seeing Venice in a wheelchair can be done.
Venice to Munich by train
I was a nervous wreck about making it to each train. I left Venice on May 8, 2009, and I HAD to be in Munich by May 15.
Debarked early due to odor on board
My husband, Roger, and I boarded the MS Marshal Koshevoy in Nessebar, Bulgaria, for a Black Sea/Dnieper River cruise-tour to Kiev, Ukraine, Sept. 15-27, 2008, operated by Orthodox Cruise Company (Alabyana, 5, 125057, Moscow, Russia). We booked the tour through Russian Empire Cruises.
Paris Métro and plastic
We returned from France on May 27 to find the June ’09 issue and Abbie Salny’s letter titled “Heads up on Paris Métro” (page 14), which said there are no longer any ticket booths in the Métro stations, only machines that accept credit cards or cash.
Transiting London
Since ITN printed my offer of help to anyone planning a trip to my hometown (Dec. ’08, pg. 11), I’ve made contact with a number of interesting people and have even met some, so it has been an interesting and enjoyable experience which I hope will continue.
Namibia’s nomadic Himba
The 12-day Namibia safari “Hidden Tribes of Kaokoland” that we took Sept. 27-Oct. 7, 2008, was inexpensive and perfectly put together. We traveled with www.explore.co.uk, booked through Adventure Center (1311 63rd St., Ste. 200, Emeryville, CA 94608; 800/487-1600).
Duvet disarray
Regarding “Comforters Out of Place,” I say, “Hear! Hear!” I am tired of ripping the whole comforter off the bed, taking the “down” part of it out and having to remake the bed using just the comforter cover as a blanket. Neither my husband or I can sleep with the things — they’re just too hot.
Securing laptops
Because we carry computers, we are careful never to leave them out when and where hotel staff could see them.
Visiting aid organizations while touring
After I had traveled to over 60 countries, my wife, Anne, and I decided to see what our brother/sister St. Vincent de Paul workers were doing worldwide.
Felt aspects of cruise-tour not up to par
My husband, Tom, and I took the “Danube Discovery Cruise” with smarTours, Sept. 24-Oct. 7, 2008, as well as the pretrip “Dracula Castle Extension” on Sept. 23. The pretrip was a bus tour with a guide and was done very well. After boarding the ship Kleine Prinz, however, the whole trip fell apart, we felt.
Old Town, Vilnius
I found the article about the Baltic States interesting (June ’09). The picture on page 7 is described as “Gate of Vilnius’ Old Town.” It is the Basilian Gate, which is the entry to the decrepit (2005) Holy Trinity Basilian Monastery.
Managing Venezuela airports
For a 10-day trip to Venezuela in December ’08, two friends and I flew into Caracas, where we would return twice during our tour of the country. The Simón Bolívar International Airport is actually in Maiquetía (my-khet-EE-yah), on the Caribbean coast, not in Caracas proper. The domestic terminal is adjacent.
Hiking on Madeira
During a trip to Portugal, Nov. 5-14, 2008 (July ’09, pg. 15), my husband, Kip, and I visited Madeira for some hiking and sightseeing.
Cathedrale d’Images
Two sites in France paying homage to artist Pablo Picasso this year were mentioned in ITN (June ’09, pg. 70). I would like to add a third.
Double-check Delta, Northwest tix during merge
Because I planned to use a companion ticket for my wife, Betty, I had to book our Delta round-trip flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Chicago O’Hare, Oct. 14 and 21, 2009, by phone rather than online.
Peru through ECS Travel
To arrange our trip to Peru, April 28-May 13, 2009, my husband, Graham, and I followed a reader’s recommendation (March ’08, pg. 55) and decided to use the services of Eliu Campos and ECS Travel (Los Pinos St.
Counterduvet movement
I have thought for years we were the only people who hated duvets, then we read the letter from Robert Edwards titled “Comforters Out of Place” (June ’09, pg. 53).
Cruising ‘Italian style’ on Costa Europa
My husband, Larry, and I booked a Costa Europa cruise in the Indian Ocean that was scheduled to go to Mauritius, Madagascar, Comoros, Reunion, Seychelles and Kenya (for Mombasa), Jan. 17-31, 2009. We embarked and disembarked in Mauritius, and the price was $8,878 for the two of us in the Grand Suite.