Food & Wine

A UNESCO World Heritage Site in the center of Riga, Latvia, the enormous, public Riga Central Market (7 Negyu St., Riga, LV-1050, Latvia; phone +371 67 22 99 85, www.rct.lv/en) comprises five hangar-sized buildings (each 787 feet long and 148 feet wide, with ceilings 123 feet high) with a total of 3,000-plus booths.

Here’s a tip. Don’t stress over tipping.

Before boarding a ship for a Baltic cruise, my friend and I, along with my daughter and her husband, spent four days and three nights (Sept. 1-4, 2014) in Copenhagen, a city with a reputation for being one of Europe’s priciest. With careful planning, however, we were able to enjoy our time in this clean and modern yet historic city without breaking the bank.

 12 days, 11 nights on GREECE’s largest island, April 24-May 6, 2015. Highlights: In Heraklion, Minoan Palace of Knossos/in Phaistos, view Mt. Ida/Roman ruins of Gortyn/on Akrotiri Peninsula, monastery of Gouvemeto/in Venetian city of Rethymno, stay in 16th-century palazzo/wine tastings. Land, £3,295 (near $5,302) ppdo. Single supp., £475 ($764). Peter Sommer Travels (Chippenham House, 102 Monnow St., Monmouth, NP25 3EQ, U.K.; phone +44 [0] 1600 888 220 or, in US/Canada, 855/443-3027, www.petersommer.com).

Uisge Beatha, Gaelic for “water of life,” is known around the world as Scotch whisky. When my wife, Margaret, and I traveled in Scotland in June 2014 (Nov. ’14, pg. 20), we knew we had to learn more about the national beverage.

There are more than 100 distilleries in Scotland, and more than 30 of those offer tours. We toured four distilleries and learned a great deal about making and tasting whisky.

I love fairs. Whether it’s a street fair in Paris, the Hong Kong Book Fair, the Seville Feria, the Bergen Food Festival in Norway or the Frampton Country Fair in Gloucester, I enjoy them all. But, by far, the best are the world’s fairs and expositions (expos) that are sanctioned by the Bureau of International Exhibitions and which take place every two to five years.

While in Cape Town, South Africa, Aug. 1-4, 2014, on a post-trip extension after our trip to Namibia with Overseas Adventure Travel (Cambridge, MA; 800/955-1925, www.oattravel.com), my husband, Alan, and I enjoyed dinner at two wonderful restaurants.

• This French bistro is a gem: Frères Bistro (42 Hans Strijdom Ave. Ln., Cape Town 8000, South Africa; phone +27 21 418 1609, jasonwhitehead.co.za/freres-bistro-1).

Because of our interest in travel, nature and other cultures, my wife, Annie, and I visited Madagascar, traveling May 22-June 6, 2013, on a tour with Far Fung Places (San Francisco, CA; 415/386-8306, www.farfungplaces.com).