Travelers' Intercom
Turkey on the cheap — in Fethiye
I traveled solo and on the cheap in Turkey for nearly all of May ’09. I described my visits to Bodrum (Oct. ’09, pg. 14), Selçuk (Jan. ’10, pg.
Cut a rug in Romania
My husband and I took a tour in June ’09 that focused on dance, with choreographer Theodor Vasilescu (in the US and Canada, contact Ping Chun, 49 Junard Dr., Morristown, NJ 07960; phone 973/539-7020 or e-mail ping.chun@att.net).
‘Budget buy’ barge, France
I read with great interest Lew Toulmin’s article “Cruising the Burgundy Canal” (January & February 2010 “The Cruising World” columns) because a friend and I cruised the Marne-Rhine Canal from Reims to Vitry-le-Fran
Private shore tours
On a 32-day cruise aboard the “Tahitian Princess” (now called Ocean Princess), Oct. 18-Nov. 19, 2009, my husband, Bob, and I did the following on our shore trips.
Inside Japan Tours
My husband, Jack, and I took a terrific, 14-night, small-group tour of Japan with Inside Japan Tours (Lewins House, Lewins Mead, Bristol, BS1 2NN, UK; phone ++44 117 314 4620), Oct. 2-16, 2009. The tour was reasonably priced at $3,820 each, not including air.
Tasty thali
In the first of the letters compiled for “What to Eat Where” (Jan. ’10, pg. 42), there was an error in the conversion of the price of a thali; 150 to 250 rupees does not equal $1 but is more like $3.25-$5.50.
Subways in China
Instead of taking optional tours on our China trip with Grand Circle Travel, Nov. 12-Dec. 2, 2009, my wife, Anne, and I used our free time to explore the cities via their subways.
Christmas markets, Germany
My sister Betty, our nephew Joe and I spent a wonderful week exploring Christmas markets in Germany, Dec. 1-9, 2008, visiting Munich, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Nuremburg and Berlin.
China with Viking River Cruises
My wife and I took our first river cruise, the 17-day “China’s Cultural Delights,” Oct. 9-25, 2009 (excluding Japan stopover), with Viking River Cruises (Woodland Hills, CA; 800/304-9616).
Convenient in Munich
My husband, Bob, and I spent five nights at hotelmüller München (Fliegenstrasse 4, D-80337, Munich, Germany; phone 0049 89 2323860) in May ’09. What a find!
Cruising through Norway’s picturesque fjords and Russia’s White Sea
by Lynn Remly, Hudson, OH
Teas in London
For my friend Billie Rivers and me, one of the delights of spending time in London is enjoying afternoon tea — the ambience, the slowing down, the cosseting and savoring both food and conversation. On our September ’09 trip we tried several locations.
Bicycling Switzerland and No. Italy
A number of my friends and I, who are in good but not spectacular physical shape, decided to craft our own bicycling itinerary through Switzerland and northern Italy. The result was a wonderful 2½ weeks of biking among the spectacular Alps, June 17-July 3, 2008.
Apartments in Italy
My wife, Sandra, and I spent two weeks in Italy with our daughter and 14-year-old grandson in July ’09.
Rueil-Malmaison interlude
During a week-long visit to France in early July ’09, I took a day trip to the Paris suburb of Rueil-Malmaison to visit my friend Briony.
Turkey on the cheap — in Marmaris
I spent 26 days in Turkey in May ’09 traveling solo and on the cheap. Excluding airfare, my total expenses were $951. I wrote about my visits to Bodrum (Oct. ’09, pg. 14) and Selçuk (Jan. ’10, pg.
Gas pump gloves
On our fall 2009 Europe visit, we found that many gas stations had boxes with plastic gloves for use when pumping gas. Good idea!
Wildlife & Nature Travel Club
My wife, Joy, and I had a great experience in Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia with Wildlife & Nature Travel Club (East Lansing, MI; 517/303-5394).
Austria hotels
During my visit to Austria, I stayed at Hotel Congress Wien (Wiedner Gürtel 34, A-1040 Vienna, Austria; phone +43 1 505 55 06) — a real find for location and price. I booked it through www.booking.com and the cost for my stay, May 19-29, 2009, was €472 (near $710).