Travelers' Intercom
Traversing locks
Walt Huse’s story “Cruising Portugal’s Douro River” (Aug. ’10, pg. 6) brought to mind an observation I wish to share.
Hands tied as credit limit exceeded
My wife and I took a world cruise with Cunard Line, the first leg of which was from New York City to Southampton, England, on the Queen Victoria, Jan. 12-April 22, 2010. At the end, we sailed from Southampton to New York aboard the Queen Mary 2, April 22-29.
Guides in Ukraine, Bulgaria
How lucky to have read in ITN about two knowledgeable and wonderful guides: Sergey Tsarapora in Yalta, Ukraine (cell phone +3 8 [067] 262-5160, e-mail sergo22yalta@gmail.com or visit http://sergoyalta.at.ua), and Patrick Peneff in Varna, Bulgaria (e-mail bulgariaprivateguide@gmail.com
Biking the Baltics
My husband, Fred, and I took a guided, two-week bicycle tour covering parts of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, July 21-Aug. 4, 2009.
Panama City guide
Through the recommendation of our hotel, the Four Points by Sheraton, we were fortunate to have the guide services of Emilio R. D’Angelo (phone +1 507 659 829 41 or e-mail emilio.tours@hotmail.com) on one day of our Jan. 13-19, 2010, trip to Panama.
Traveling light
I can’t believe that on my first trip to Rome, about 20 years ago, I carried shoe polish and a travel iron! Since then, I’ve condensed what I take, traveling with a carry-on only and doing laundry as I go along.
Elderhostel choices
Because of a trademark dispute, Elderhostel has dropped the name Exploritas, to which it changed this year (July ’10, pg. 41), and now will run its programs under the name Road Scholar (Boston, MA; 800/454-5768, www.roadscholar.org), a name it has long held.
Norway highlight
Fred Steinberg’s article “Plying the Waters along Norway’s Western Coast” (June ’10, pg. 18) was of particular interest to me since I had just returned from a cruise with Hurtigruten, one aboard the Nordkapp.
Myanmar with driver and guide
Three friends and I spent two weeks in fascinating and beautiful Myanmar, Jan. 24-Feb. 8, 2010. We chose to hire a private guide with a car and driver, which afforded us the opportunity to stop in villages that don’t often see tourists and to purchase from local artisans.
Travel in Norway
My wife and I spent three weeks in the Oslo area with our daughter’s family in May ’10. We stayed at their home in Skui, but our experiences and observations may be of interest to others traveling to Norway.
Friedrichshafen flat
My husband and our three adult children and I rented an apartment in Friedrichshafen, Germany, home of the Zeppelin Museum, in June ’10. Friedrichshafen is on the shore of Lake Constance, and we took the ferry there from Romanshorn, Switzerland.
A rewarding chance encounter
The man stood by the doorway of his house, a large working windmill whose arms rotated sluggishly in the light breeze. A gnome of a man, he waved, beckoning to us as we drove past on a quiet back road near Peniche, Portugal, located on the coast not far from Lisbon.
Drawing from India
My son and I went on the 19-day “Heart of India” tour with Overseas Adventure Travel (Cambridge, MA; 800/493-6824, www.oattravel.com), Oct. 27-Nov. 14, 2009. For me, India was not primarily about the castles, ruins, museums, shrines, etc.; it was the atmosphere.
Senior-paced travel
Now 63 and 70, as my husband and I age we are leaning more and more toward traveling independently. We find that we need the luxury of going at our own pace and according to our own interests. Not having to deal with the temptations of big breakfasts and dinners on tours is also a plus.
When you have more time in Paris
I always use Rick Steves’ wonderful guidebooks for the basic, nitty-gritty information about traveling in Europe. However, he assumes that you will have only a week in Paris and tailors his recommendations accordingly. For those of you privileged to spend more time there, I have some ideas of things to see and do.
Hurtigruten recap
I read with interest Fred Steinberg’s article about cruises along Norway’s coast with Hurtigruten (June ’10, pg. 18) and would like to add a few comments. My wife and I traveled on the line’s ship Midnatsol from Kirkenes to Bergen in June 1994 and thoroughly enjoyed the trip.
Guide in Paris
Prior to taking a river cruise in France in April ’10 (July ’10, pg. 14), my husband and I spent some time in Paris to see more of that city.
Wrinkle-free
When packing, roll clothes, when appropriate, especially to fit them between ribs of the suitcase handle. Put rarely used items on the bottom and those often used on top. Use flat folds for other items.
Munich hotel
My first thought when I arrived in the busy, two-story, glass-topped Munich train station was ‘Wow!’ It has so many interesting places to eat and drink or to buy food to take away plus flowers, postcards and the usual souvenirs.