Travelers' Intercom
Day trip to Mont-St-Michel
For a week’s stay in Paris, Feb. 27-March 6, 2010, I found the Paris Métro system just excellent.
Travelers Aid + travel tip
I’m a volunteer for Travelers Aid (202/546-1127, www.travelersaid.org). This charitable organization, founded in 1914, has information desks and helps travelers at 36 sites in the US, mainly in airports but also at bus and train stations.
Argentine adventures
We traveled in Argentina, March 24-April 7, 2010, spending a few days each in Mendoza, Puerto Iguazú and Buenos Aires.
Madrid, Prague & Budapest hostels
Lois Sundeen asked readers to write in on hostels (June ’10, pg. 14).
Quick visit to Uluru
I read the item about Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in the September ’10 “Boarding Pass” column.
Auto-pay handles bill
Often away from the US for many weeks, I have found a method to pay my Chase Continental Visa card bill.
Witnessing illegal behavior on tour
A group tour of Western Europe I took in fall 2010 included a visit to Amsterdam. While there, several tour members tried marijuana, bought from one of the coffee shops.
Britain by foot
My husband, Robert, and I have enjoyed a lifelong love of walking the countryside of England, where if a path between villages was ever a public path, it must be kept so even if the land it is on is sold.
Frequent flyer miles from original airline
For an itinerary in January ’08 from San Jose, California, to Dakar, Senegal, with connections in Chicago and Brussels, my wife and I were ticketed with American Airlines (AA). The initial flight, San Jose-Chicago, was canceled due to a mechanical problem.
Guide in Jerusalem
I was in Israel for a conference and had three days afterward (Sept. 11-14, 2009) to revisit Jerusalem.
Standout suitcase
My suitcases are black, just like everyone else’s, but in 29 years of globetrotting I have never lost a piece of luggage.
Pricey Polynesia
I took a trip aboard the Aranui 3, Sept. 24-Oct. 9, 2009. This is a passenger/cargo ship that stops among some of the Marquesas and Tuamotu islands dropping off supplies and tourists.
Gone fishin’
Before traveling anywhere, the closing times of shops and banks there and the days on which they will be open or closed should be learned.
Trikes in Scotland
During a cruise stop on Aug. 20, 2009, my husband, Bob, and I toured Edinburgh as passengers on a three-wheeled motorcycle with Trike Tours Scotland (phone 0800 056 7779 or mobile 07786 267826, www.triketours.com).
Baliem Valley changes
Sadly, the primitive bridge in Irian Jaya’s (West Papua’s) Baliem Valley, described by two readers in the October issue (page 42), no longer exists.
Take notes of promises made
Eight of us flew Delta/Air France from San Jose, California, to Cairo, Egypt, via Paris, France, on Feb. 27, 2010. When we arrived at Paris’ CDG Airport for our connecting flight to Cairo (on Air France 508 or Delta 8622) at 1:35 p.m., we found out that it was delayed due to weather.
Recommended in Rome
In Rome, I recommend a stay at Casa di Santa Brigida (Piazza Farnese 96, 00186 Roma, Italy; phone +39 06 6889 2596 or 2497, fax 6889 1573 or e-mail piazzafarnese@brigidine.org). It overlooks the elegant, quiet Piazza Farnese, with the Campo dei Fiori market a block away.
View from Hotel Porto Roca
Those who have seen the Cinque Terre in Italy have delighted in the settings of the five little tow