Travelers' Intercom
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).
Preferred to be billed in baht
My wife and I took our seventh trip in eight years to Thailand, Dec. 5, 2009-Jan. 13, 2010, and we noticed something new regarding paying for hotel rooms with a credit card.
Swimming with whale sharks
My wife, Gail, and I are both snorkelers, big time, and had read about divers swimming with whale sharks. We had the opportunity for such an experience during an eight-day tour of the Philippines in March ’09.
Guide in Ghana
My husband, John, and I traveled in six West African countries for 40 days in January-February ’08, ending with a 10-day stay in Ghana.
Assessment of Black Sea cruise
ITN was mailed a copy of the following letter, sent by a subscriber to Value World Tours.
World cell phone
In response to Lawrence Schonbrun’s “Person to Person” question (Nov. ’09, pg. 77), using a cell phone worldwide is easy. You need just two things: a “world phone” and service.
Embrace left-side driving
I would like to address those who avoid renting cars in countries where driving is on the left-hand side of the road. I feel it is not necessary to miss out on the pleasures of independent travel in these places.
All Asia Travel
My husband, Carl, and I took a private tour of Vietnam, Jan. 5-29, 2009, with All Asia Travel (57-59 Do Quang Dau St., Pham Ngu Lao Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; phone 84 8 39203 493 or 446, fax 203 886).
Hotel in Palermo
In Palermo, Sicily, in May ’09, we stayed at the three-star Hotel Joli (Via Michele Amari, 11 90139 Palermo; phone +39 091 61 11765) for a little over $100 per night for the small room. The larger rooms are more expensive. WiFi was free.