Travelers' Intercom
Britain driving more difficult
What’s one thing we would do differently if we were to take our last trip over again? (See Oct. ’08, pg. 2.) After our experience in late April and early May ’08, we would not drive ourselves in England again.
Assumed cabin was booked
In January ’08 I reserved a cruise to Norway for May 31-June 11, 2008, with Taitbout Voyages. I sent them a check for €1,180 (about $1,636) for the basic price and added €346 ($480) for a single cabin.
Sapporo summer festivals
• Founded in 1990 by Leonard Bernstein, the Pacific Music Festival is a celebration of classical music held annually in Sapporo, Japan. For two of the last three years, I’ve attended the festival’s Picnic Concert, held the last Sunday of July in Sapporo Art Park.
Bucharest taxi snag
Prior to our trip to Romania in April ’07, we had read many bad things about the taxi drivers in Bucharest, so we had the hotel send a taxi to the airport for us since we would be arriving at 12:30 a.m. on British Air.
Luggage cart cost
In October ’08 we found airports in Italy now requiring a one- or 2-euro piece to secure a cart to transport your luggage. When you return the cart, you get your money back.
Impressions of Russia
From childhood, I was taught that Russia was my enemy and to fear it. My impression was that it was a mighty superpower of great warriors and conquerors.
Prinsendam and the Amazon
We are happy to pass along that we completed our 60th anniversary yearlong celebration in fine style as planned. Alma’s fall in Majorca in April, reported in my letter in the September ’08 issue (“Insurance Came Through — Fast,” pg. 18), gave us four months of concern as she fought back successfully to walk again.
Frequent-flyer woes
I would like to add my comments to the experience that Daniel M. Mitchell had attempting to use frequent-flyer miles with United Airlines (“Frequent-flyer Seats Sparse,” Dec. ’08, pg. 25).
Communicating in Peru
I disagree with the statement made by the author of the article “Peru — Exploring Machu Picchu and Beyond” in the January ’09 issue. He stated, on page 24, “… most Peruvians speak little English, even those in the tourist industry.”
Hop-on, hop-off sightseeing buses
My wife, Jane, and I traveled to Copenhagen for the first time in 2006. We went to the town square to find a sightseeing bus and boarded one which had “Hop On-Hop Off” prominently displayed on the side. We rode for two or three stops and then hopped off at a palace that had been made into a museum.
Ruth Yacht on Turquoise Coast
The 100-foot, 14-passenger Ruth Alessandro is a magnificent gulet, and my husband, Bob, and I, along with six other adventurous couples chartered her for a 2-week cruise, Sept. 8-22, 2008.
Magician in the kitchen
Helmsley, England, a gorgeous village in the Yorkshire Moors which we visited April 10-12, 2008, boasts an exceptional restaurant within the Black Swan Hotel (Market Place, Helmsley, YO62 5BJ, U.K.; phone 01144 1439 770466, www.blackswan-helmsley.co.uk).
Island volcano, NZ
White Island, in the Bay of Plenty 30 miles off the coast of Whakatane on New Zealand’s North Island, is an active volcanic site.
Experiences in Mongolia
My wife, Margi, and I met Zambativ Tuvshintulga on a 2006 Pacific Holidays tour of Mongolia, where he was one of our local guides (Aug. ’07, pg. 59). Tuvshin wanted us to see the west and north of Mongolia, too, so when we made plans to attend the Beijing Olympics (Dec. ’08, pg.
Turning the tables
As to which was the world’s first revolving restaurant (Dec. ’08, pg. 63), several readers noted that the Seattle Space Needle opened at the World’s Fair in 1962.
Weak link re code-share tickets
My wife, Carol, and I used the Internet to ticket a February ’08 trip from Orlando, Florida, to Christchurch, New Zealand. For booking the flights, we selected www.orbitz.com because it seemed to offer the best connections by combining several airlines. Our order was placed on Oct. 8, 2007, at a cost of $2,411 each.
St. Moritz restaurant
During a trip to southern Switzerland in May ’08, my wife, Paula, and I visited St. Moritz for two nights during the depths of its spring off-season.