Travelers' Intercom
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
US line’s overseas bank fee
Reading Patricia Russell’s letter about a foreign-transaction fee (May ’10, pg. 14; also see July ’10, pg. 11) triggered my writing about my experience.
Holland by barge and bike
Combine picturesque Dutch cities, luxuriant waterlands, acres of bulb farms and the famed Keukenhof garden in full splendor with a witty guide, skilled barge pilot, master chef and 16 compatible travelers and you have yourself a fine vacation.
Perils of booking day tours in advance
Although I ordinarily travel independently and avoid tours, for a visit to Iguazú Falls with a friend in March ’10 I requested quotes from the travel agencies listed in the Lonely Planet guide.
B&B in Warsaw
At Boutique Bed & Breakfast (Ulica Smolna 14 m. 7, 00-375 Warsaw, POLAND; phone +48 22 829 48 00, fax +48 507 022 339, www.bbwarsaw.com), the owner was a quite pleasant and knowledgeable conversationalist and ate with my husband, Eugene, and me on several occasions, along with the other guests.
Charging toward business class
In planning for a trip to China and Nepal in October ’11 to celebrate my 50th birthday, I went online to www.airlinequality.com/main/forum.htm to determine which airline to use.
Japan with Journeys East
My husband, Albert, and I highly recommend touring Japan with Journeys East (Middletown, CA; 800/527-2612, www.journeyseast.com). We’ve taken their in-depth “Farmhouse to Teahouse” tour twice, in October ’04 and ’09, and the second time around it was, if possible, even better.
Opals in Australia
In the letter from Nanci Scheithauer titled “Opals vs. Triplets” (Aug. ’10, pg. 25), regarding her dissatisfaction with a purchase of opals in Australia, it appears there was a problem of language.
Hotel Fita in Amsterdam
In Amsterdam, Hotel Fita (Jan Luykenstraat 37 1071 CL Amsterdam, Holland; phone [020] 679 09 76, www.hotelfita.com) may be the best value in Europe!
Arrangements were fluid
A group of us decided to take the cruise “Brazil and Argentine Discovery,” offered by Holland America Line (HAL), March 11-25, 2010. Starting and ending in Rio de Janeiro, the Veendam would go as far south as Buenos Aires, with stops at several ports in Brazil and Uruguay.
Affordable, exotic Tunisia
My wife, Jeanne, and I took a 10-day tour of Tunisia with TunisUSA (Wayne, PA; 888/474-5502, www.tunisusa.com), Dec. 20-30, 2009. It cost $3,770 each (excluding air).
Tracing the foreign transaction fee
I read with some interest Patricia Russell’s letters concerning credit card foreign transaction fees (May ’10, pg. 14 & July ’10, pg. 11).
Jordan beauty
The week-long independent tour of Jordan that my son, Eirik, and I took, July 1-7, 2010, was very enjoyable due to the kind cooperation of Ali Al-Hasanat, who runs Jordan Beauty Tours (Box 8, Petra 71810, Jordan; phone/fax +962 3 215 4 999, www.jordanbeauty.com).
Conditions on local trains in Siberia
From the editor — ITN subscribers Darrell Booth and his wife, Debra, of Houston, Texas, got a little more adventure than they bargained for.
Cairo stay
My wife, Paula, and I stayed at the Mövenpick Resort Cairo - Pyramids (Alexandria Road, Pyramids, P.O. Box 1, Giza, Egypt; phone +202 3377 2555, fax 3377 5006, www.moevenpick-hotels.com) for five days in April ’10 (Aug. ’10, pg. 12).
Super seniors and Elderhostel
I am writing on behalf of Elderhostel/Road Scholar (Boston, MA; 800/454-5768, www.roadscholar.org) in response to comments made regarding “super-senior” travel. Ms. Barbara Johnson (Jan. ’10, pg. 56) and Sue Hub (July ’10, pg.