Travelers' Intercom
‘REAL Guernsey Tour’ + cruise
Our first stop during a May 2018 cruise around the British Isles was St. Peter Port on Guernsey. Online, we had booked a tour there with Tour Guernsey (Barnabe Ltd., Market St., St.
Morocco for first-time visitors
You're finally going to Morocco. That's great! So what do you need to know that might not be prominent in your guidebook?
Swiss Rhine & Moselle with Vantage
When I signed up for "Switzerland, the Heart of the Rhine & Moselle" with Vantage Deluxe World Travel (Boston, MA; 888/514-1845, www.vantagetravel.com), the cost of the trip, including air (Miami-Basel, Amsterdam-Miami), insurance and an optional Luxembourg excursion, wa
Trip to the Netherlands
Trip to the Netherlands My husband, Bernie, and I decided that, after we took a 24-day cruise aboard the Seven Seas Voyager and stayed a few days in the United Arab Emirates, we would go west to make it an "around-the-world" trip.
Boutique hotel in Berlin
I created a Berlin opera festival for myself. I was in Berlin, Germany, for six nights in May 2018 and attended four operas.
‘Grand Balkan Tour’ with Atlas Tours
My husband and I took the “Grand Balkan Tour,” operated by Atlas Tours (Lokrumska ul. 1, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia; www.atlas-croatia.com), Sept. 12-24, 2017. We usually travel independently, but several people had suggested that seeing the Balkan countries with a group would be a better and safer option. I booked the tour through Kutrubes Travel (Boston, MA; 800/878-8566, www.kutrubestravel.com), an ITN advertiser. The cost per person was $2,600, which included most meals and entry fees to museums and parks. We visited seven countries: Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Slovenia. Prior to the tour, Atlas sent tour members the wrong itinerary, one which omitted Slovenia. Kathy Kutrubes of Kutrubes Travel managed to get the correct itinerary for us. When we arrived at the hotel on our first night, we were not greeted by Atlas Tours, nor did they provide name badges or any information whatsoever. If it hadn’t been for a couple of group members who came to our rescue, we might not have connected with the tour.
Visit to Ostia Antica
Despite two visits to Rome, my wife, Paula Owens, and I had never managed to visit nearby Ostia Antica, ancient Rome’s seaport. Located at the mouth of the Tiber River, Ostia Antica is less than an hour (by rail) from the heart of Rome. A Mediterranean cruise in January 2018 provided a good opportunity for us to finally visit this ancient coastal city from the ship’s port in Civitavecchia. Travel time was slightly less than an hour (by bus), 15 to 30 minutes less than taking a bus into Rome. The most convenient departure point for a visit to Ostia Antica might be Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport, which is practically adjacent to the historic site. The stumbling block with that is finding somewhere to store your luggage during your visit. Ostia Antica was founded in the 7th century BC. Eventually, the city’s population peaked at possibly around 100,000. However, Ostia Antica was slowly supplanted as Rome’s primary port by the newer city of Portus. After centuries of decline, the city was abandoned by the 9th century. You enter the 120-acre site on a lane of stones and grass alongside a necropolis. Proceeding deeper into the city, you’ll find a large theater, public baths and latrines, private homes, a warehouse, shops and even cafés in various states of decay.
Cartagena heat
While on a 14-day Panama Canal voyage aboard Holland America Line’s Oosterdam, Oct. 21-Nov. 4, 2017, my husband, Richard, and I participated in an onshore excursion in Colombia titled “Cartagena by Land & Sea.”
Trans-Siberian Rail on a budget
The feature article “Crossing Russia in Luxury on the Trans-Siberian Railway” (May ’18, pg. 40) surely had readers dreaming about such a great trip.
Volkssport Olympiad in Germany
Every two years, thousands of walkers converge somewhere in the world for the Volkssport Olympiad (www.ivv-olympiad-2017.com), organized by the Internationaler Volkssportverband (IVV), or International Federation of Popular Sports (www.ivv-web.org). My wife, Karen Heady, and I had the opportunity to participate in the 15th such event, June 6-10, 2017, in Koblenz, Germany.
Helpful people of Madeira
I took a one-week hiking trip to Madeira Island, Portugal, in late May 2018 with Exodus International (Toronto, ON; 844/227-9087, www.exodustravels.com). Including a single supplement, the land cost was about $1,100, breakfasts included. This was my fourth trip with Exodus. I enjoy hiking with the mostly British clientele as well as the very reasonable prices. On our final day, we had the day free to roam Madeira’s major town of Funchal. Many visitors take the cable car from lower Funchal up to the suburb of Monte. After enjoying the sites of Monte, the most fun way to head back down into Funchal is by riding a toboggan, maneuvered by two drivers, down the steep, slick streets.
Sydney Harbour Bridge pylon lookout
The majestic Sydney Harbour Bridge is probably the most photographed site in Sydney, rivaled only by the Sydney Opera House. Few visitors realize the bridge can be crossed on foot in about 20 minutes and that the southeastern pylon is open to the public, rewarding a fairly short climb up a flight of stairs with wonderful, 360-degree views from a viewing platform. I’ve taken many visitors up there, and nobody has yet been less than enthralled. Once inside the pylon, whether on the way up or down, one can study the fascinating displays showing how and when the bridge was constructed, what life was like for those who built it and what impact the bridge had on life in Sydney. Here’s how to get there.
Visiting Jordan with Tauck
Petra, Jordan, had always been on my bucket list. In September 2017, I spent eight nights in Israel (which I had visited in 1979) followed by five in Jordan on a tour with Tauck (Wilton, CT; 800/788-7885, www.tauck.com). It’s the Jordan portion that I’m writing about here.
AirBolt luggage lock
As the years pass, I find my eyesight is not as it used to be. Do you, like me, have trouble using luggage locks that feature small numbered wheels, usually four of them? I sure do, especially in dim light.
Bellejour in April
My husband, George, and I took Value World Tours’ Holland and Belgium “Tulip Cruise,” April 21-28, 2017, on the river ship Bellejour.
Quinta do Vallado + Paleolithic art
My husband and I stayed at a quinta (villa) in Portugal that I think ITN readers would be interested in knowing about.
Balance reimbursed by credit card
Three months before a solo trip to Saudi Arabia that I was taking with Spiekermann Travel Service (Eastpoint, MI; 800/645-3233, www.mideasttrvl.com) in January-February 2018, my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer.
A visit to Haiti
My family and I had been to a dozen Caribbean nations. We were thinking about Haiti but were unable to decide how best to have a positive impact on its people.
Missed out on Tunis and Algiers
In my experience, most cruise passengers fall into two categories: those who cruise primarily to enjoy the ship and shipboard activities and those whose focus is on the cruise’s destinations. My wife and I fall into the latter category.