Travelers' Intercom
Germany’s night watchmen
Many German towns have night watchmen. In Dinkelsbühl in June ’05, we joined a group following the costumed Jakob Hamerslag as he made his evening rounds from one restaurant to the next. At each one he tooted his horn, sang his song and was offered a glass of white or red Franconian wine by a smiling waitress.
Tips on traveling for months at a time
In the January ’06 issue, page 50, Cecilia Morrissey shared extensive advice on arranging flights around the world. Here she offers advice on other things to consider when planning months-long travels.
On pins and needles
In traveling, I have found it useful to use a string of safety pins and diaper pins in my travel purse to keep track of small items like keys and nail clippers and for many emergency uses.
On-and-off buses
We’ve found the “hop on/hop off” buses in the larger cities not only one of the best buys but an economical way to see the city.
Re shore tours, stockholder perk
I took a cruise on the Maasdam across the North Atlantic from Rotterdam to Boston, Aug. 2-20, ’06. I’m generally not a great fan of cruising on large ships, but this cruise made stops in the Faroe Islands, which I hadn’t seen before, and at places in Iceland and Greenland that I hadn’t been to on previous visits.
Iguazu Falls day trip from B.A.
Iguazu Falls, located on the Argentine–Brazilian border 650 miles north of Buenos Aires, are the widest waterfalls in the world and are widely recognized as one of the 10 most spectacular.
Benjamin Franklin House
The Benjamin Franklin House opened in London recently. Franklin lived there from 1757 to 1775.
E-mail access of private info
This is in response to the question about carrying copies of important documents and other key information on a flash memory drive (July ’06, pg. 88).
Took grandkids to Ecuador and Peru
With our two grandsons, Louis and Victor, ages 14 and 12, my wife, Monica, and I took a trip to Ecuador, including the Galápagos Islands, and Peru, particularly the ancient Incan city of Machu Picchu, in March ’05.
Dining in Bergen
On a 5-day cruise down the coast of Norway in May ’06 (part of a 17-day Grand Circle Travel trip that included Finland), we ate on our own two nights in Bergen at relatively affordable prices.
‘Amazing’ buffet in Beijing
While traveling in Beijing, China, in November ’05, my husband and I stayed at the Great Wall Sheraton. We happened upon a buffet that was the most amazing and delectable display of seafood we have ever encountered. It is put on every Tuesday and Friday night from 6 to 10:30 in the hotel’s Silk Road Trattoria.
Most beautiful or unusual place of worship
We asked readers the following at the suggestion of Greg Stathakis of Santa Barbara, California.
Old greenbacks rejected
There are two things I learned from a July-August ’05 trip to Africa. 1) You MUST have the new U.S. dollars in Africa, especially to pay for your visa at the Kenyan border.
Star Clipper ships
I read the June ’06 “Cruising World” column and totally agree with everything Lew Toulmin wrote about the Star Clipper ship. My husband, Tom, and I took the Royal Clipper on its relocation cruise from Barbados to Civitavecchia, Italy, April 16-May 7, ’06. It was a wonderful sailing experience.
Budget travel in Japan
My wife and I toured the island of Hokkaido on a 7-day Japan Rail Pass in November ’04.
HAL British Isles cruise
Beautiful treeless islands, cool clean air and sunny days marked our 2-week “Windmills and Waterford” cruise, around the British Isles, Aug. 23-Sept. 6, ’05, on Holland America Line’s ms Prinsendam.
Pubs and more in Dublin
I thought I’d pass along some tips and information about Dublin. I’m a frequent traveler to both London (Aug.’06, pg. 19) and Dublin, most recently visiting in December ’05-January ’06.
Traveler’s perk
On Dec. 7, 1997, the L.A. Times “Travel” section published a letter of mine entitled “The Price Was Right,” regarding a medical emergency that I experienced in Bilbao, Spain, after eating a bad trout in a restaurant and getting severe food poisoning.
Computers abroad
Dean Ab-Hugh asked about carrying personal data in a flash/jump/thumb (take your pick; I use thumb) drive for reading in a foreign computer (July ’06, pg. 88). Good idea, but don’t rely on it.
Vladivostok
I was in Vladivostok, April 1-3, ’06. I booked my trip with Lucky Tours Co., Ltd. (1, Moskovskaya St., Vladivostok 690106, Russia; phone/fax +7 [4232] 44-99-44 or visit www.luckytour.com).