Travelers' Intercom
Demel desserts
The finest pastry shop in Europe, maybe in the world, is in Vienna, Austria: Demel (Kohlmarkt 14, Vienna, A-1010 Austria; phone +43 1 535 17 17 39).
Funniest Thing for September
Tell ITN about the funniest thing that ever happened to you while traveling in a foreign country. There are no restrictions on length.
Buenos Aires
My husband, Joe, and I were incredibly happy that we chose Buenos Aires (B.A.), Argentina, as our vacation destination this year. Aside from the U.S. dollar’s being strong there, one of the main reasons we decided to go was because we read W.E.B.
Heathrow-London transport
I saw the reader’s letter “Tips for a London Visit” (Aug. ’06, pg. 19), which mentioned traveling from Heathrow Airport to London on the underground.
Securing data on flash drive
In response to Dean Ab-Hugh’s query in his letter titled “Paperwork on Flash Drive. Good Idea?” (July ’06, pg. 88), yes, my wife and I have traveled with flash drives containing scans of our passports and files containing our itineraries, important phone numbers, etc.
Antarctica aboard Mikheev
At 9 a.m. on March 3, ’06, the Grigoriy Mikheev sounded her horn and we celebrated crossing the Antarctic Circle with Dutch liqueur. When choosing an Antarctic trip, this had been one of my goals.
Feedback on Helsinki
My wife, Rose, and I stayed three nights in Helsinki in June ’06 and discovered two excellent places to eat. Both were quite near the central train station and square.
Visiting Guayaquil
I would like to respond, if I may, to the letter from the reader who was told by a cruise line that Guayaquil was not the chosen port of entry in Ecuador because “Quito is a much safer city” (July ’06, pg. 38).
Belleek Pottery
Belleek, Northern Ireland, is a pretty, welcoming town near the Irish border. It has a wide main street, and in the September we visited its lampposts were hung with flowering baskets.
May I spend money, please?
Prior to traveling in Mongolia and China in April ’05, I called Orchard Bank to tell them that I would be using their MasterCard while overseas. Even with that, it didn’t work in the ATM in Beijing nor anywhere else, for that matter!
Hong Kong arrival tips
The fastest and easiest way to get to Hong Kong and Kowloon from the Hong Kong International Airport is the Airport Express train. There are several options in buying the tickets. After two trips to Hong Kong, Nov. 25-29 (staying at the Shangri-La Kowloon) and Dec.
Jewelry shops
I sell designer jewelry at an upscale specialty store in Las Vegas, Nevada, and consider myself a worldwide consummate shopper. Here are my favorite places to do jewelry shopping.
Swiss cities
My wife, JoAnn, and I wanted to go to Switzerland to celebrate our 10th anniversary, so I said, “Okay, probably in the spring.” While surfing the net for fares, however, I found a round-trip nonstop Miami-Zürich flight on Swiss International on March 15, ’06, for $485 round trip.
Paid for business class to/from cruise
My wife and I took Oceania Cruise Lines’ 16-day “Rio de Janeiro to Manaus” trip, Feb. 14-March 1, ’05.
Cruiser with impaired mobility
As a person who loves to travel but has had severe disability issues from time to time, I am eager to learn of others’ experiences of traveling with physical limitations, so I thought I would share my own.
Guide in London
Having returned from London with my friend Robin’s elderly parents (80 and 88), I wanted to recommend a driver/guide who perfectly met our needs: showing these first-time visitors as much of London as possible from the comfort of a vehicle.
Dazzling Antarctica
At midnight on New Year’s Eve, the orchestra was playing “Auld Lang Syne” as we sailed the South Atlantic on our way to the White Continent aboard M.V. Discovery.
Trip Mate insurance
My wife, Shirley, and I would like to report a happy experience with the insurance company Trip Mate (Kansas City, MO; 800/888-7292 or www.tripmate.com).
Turkey with FLO USA
The ad in ITN for FLO USA, Inc. (4044 W. Lake Mary Blvd., Unit 104-339, Lake Mary, FL 32746; 888/435-6872), caught our eye. My husband and I had been in Turkey in 1994 as part of an independent ’round-the-world trip and had often talked of returning.
Photo tip
When taking a picture and confronted with snow and ice, there is an easy way to have a camera’s white balance capture the brilliant white and not make the photo gray.