Travelers' Intercom
Zakopane
My wife, Margi, and I in August ’07 drove 100 miles southwest from Kraków, Poland, to Zakopane, the famous ski resort. It was crowded because the world summer ski jump championships were being held. . . on special plastic surfaces so that the effect was the same as skiing on packed snow.
Vienna Boys Choir
You can hear the Vienna Boys’ Choir sing at Sunday Mass in the Imperial Chapel at the Hofburg (Hofburgkapelle) in Austria’s capital. You are actually attending Mass, but I would recommend that you buy tickets.
Nile Blue Tours
I have several orthopedic problems and use a rolling walker to assist with ambulation. I have difficulty walking long distances; my walker has a seat that I can use, if needed.
Day trip to Albania
My daughter and I own a yoga studio and led a yoga retreat to Corfu, Greece, in September ’08. In researching activities for our group, I discovered that Albania is just across the border and easily accessible. Since I find border crossings irresistible, I was determined to visit.
Get to know Malta’s history and people
My daughter Sheila and I visited Malta with Road Scholar (11 Ave. de Lafayette, Boston, MA 02111; 800/466-7762, www.roadscholar.org), Feb. 17-27, 2008. The program-only rate was $2,684 double.
Family trip Down Under
My husband, Fred, and I along with our daughter Rebecca Couillard, son-in-law Greg and 8-year-old granddaughter Sarah visited Australia, Oct. 18-Nov. 12, 2007. This was the fifth trip to Australia for Fred and me, the second for Rebecca and a first-time adventure for Greg and Sarah.
Bucharest subway
A reader remarked that in November ’07 the Bucharest subway was “filthy but worked” (Nov. ’08, pg. 14). Things have changed. Both lines I rode on in October ’08 were served by beautiful new articulated trains open from one end to the other, and the whole system was clean.
Why don’t we have that here — better elevator dispatch
I was visiting my aunt in the hospital in Tel Aviv, Israel, in September ’08 and encountered an interesting elevator setup.
Charge fee in Denmark
On a trip my wife and I made to Scandinavia in September ’08, we found that in Denmark, all charges made to a foreign credit card had an extra fee added to the total sale. This fee is to recoup the amount the vendor must pay the credit card company to process a foreign charge.
Extorted in Moldova
My wife, Nenko, and I took a 3-week trip to Romania, Moldova and Ukraine in September-October ’08. We hired excellent private guides in Romania and Moldova and enjoyed a 12-day cruise down the Dnieper River in Ukraine, which we booked through Value World Tours (800/795-1633, www.rivercruises.net).
Syria arrangements
I’ve taken six trips to Syria, most recently in March ’08 (Oct. ’08, pg. 17), and recommend the guide Nabil Mallah, who works with the travel agency Omayad Tours & Travel in Damascus (P.O.
Keep numbers at hand
Returning from a trip to England in May ’08, my husband and I were in Philadelphia trying to get home to Las Vegas; however, Delta had delayed all their flights due to inclement weather in Philadelphia. People were camped out in long lines everywhere, and no one knew what the weather would be like in the morning.
Trekking NZ’s Queen Charlotte Track
My wife, Eva, and I took the 4-day/3-night “Queen Charlotte Track” tour from Marlborough Sounds Adventure Company (London Quay, Picton, New Zealand; phone +64 3 573 6078, fax 573 8827, www.marlboroughsounds.co.nz), and we highly recommend this company.
Tips for Papua New Guinea
I had the pleasure of taking an outstanding 20-day tour of Papua New Guinea with ElderTreks (Toronto, Ontario, Canada; 800/741-7956, www.eldertreks.com), Sept. 3-23, 2008. The land price was $8,995.
In Portugal, ask a teen
Rick Steves, in his September ’08 article on Portugal, missed an important point when he commented on the country’s changes and the improvements in roads and road travel.
Frequent-flyer seats sparse
We redeemed 120,000 Chase Flexible Rewards points for 100,000 frequent-flyer miles on United Airlines recently. Since 100,000 miles per year was the limit for any one frequent-flyer number, we put 50,000 on my wife’s number and 50,000 on mine.