"My husband and I like going places we’ve never been before, seeing things we’ve never seen before and eating and drinking things we’ve never tried before.
"Aboard the Saga Sapphire on a cruise with Saga Cruises in 2013, we tried Eton mess. This British dessert is traditionally served at Eton College’s annual July 4 prize-giving celebration. It consists of strawberries, sugar, heavy cream and baked meringue. It is delicious!"
(letter sent by Marcia Ritter)
"In 1955, when I was 23, some friends and I biked through parts of Europe. Two of us spent a week in England, with time in London, then rode south to Stratford-upon-Avon.
"We lucked out and were fortunate to see 'Twelfth Night' ... with Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh!"
(excerpt from Myrtle Kastner's letter)
The crowning touch to our experience came when our driver grabbed some scissors to snip our noodles, because he knew we would be uncomfortable slurping as he did.
The soup was so delicious and wonderfully filling that we asked to go back the next day. And the next.
(excerpt from Nancy McAfee's letter about a visit to Vietnam)
"I have enjoyed so many wonderful foods while traveling, like ice cream in Venice and falafel on the streets of Tel Aviv, but my favorite "food" ... was a cup of hot tea in Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka, at the Heritance Tea Factory hotel, on March 2, 2014. ... While my husband and I did not pick our own tea leaves, this was still the most perfect cup of tea that I ever drank."
(excerpt of letter from Nili Olay)
ITN Contributing Editor Randy Keck asked to hear from readers on the topic of travel etiquette. Following is an excerpt of a reply from Sylvia DeForest, of Seattle, WA (on cultural faux pas she and her husband committed in Tuva, Siberia, in 2008):
"Walking into and out of many yurts, we had to learn to never step on the threshold and never to turn our backs toward the family's shrine inside. We learned quickly, after gentle reminders. ..."
"After visiting Tibet in 1985, I always wanted to return to the Himalayas. July 1998 became my time to return, venturing to Ladakh, high up in the Himalayan area of India, on a group tour. ...
"When I mentioned to our guide that I had hardly seen any Ladakhi people (because they were following the Dalai Lama), he offered me the greatest gift possible: a private car and driver to take me to the Dalai Lama’s birthday party ... . Off I went."
(excerpt of letter from Marilyn Marx Adelman)
"In May 2015 at our timeshare ... just south of Salzburg, we were awakened by loud explosive sounds. Upon opening the window, we were startled to see beautiful fireworks spreading brilliant colors in the distant mountains. We were mesmerized for over 30 minutes as the sound-and-light display filled the seemingly deserted mountains.
"We were told later by the hotel staff that this was a customary way to celebrate a wedding in the area. ..."
(excerpt of letter from Phyllis Harlan)
[during an alpenhorn festival in Switzerland]: "One group was on a terrace high above St. Moritz. People loved the music. So did the cows, which left the pasture, congregated around the players and joined in! The musicians were out-moooooed and had to give up." (excerpt from Jon C. Lafleur's letter)
"Traveling alone through Greece in 1964, I met an American woman in Delphi traveling with two other people. They were going to visit her cousin .... She invited me to go with them to his home, which he had built for his family in a village up in the mountains beyond Delphi. ..."
(excerpt from Jean Mackey's letter)
"... on May 10 [2021], I sent an email to Samo Toplak, CEO of Value World Cruises, requesting a refund and explaining why.
He agreed to reimburse our entire payment, and on May 14 it was deposited directly into my checking account. ..."
(excerpt from Dorothy Botnick's letter)