Comparing Crystal, Viking and Silversea cruises
In the article “Luxury on the Sea: A Month-long Cruise from Dubai to Cape Town” (Jan. ’19, pg. 18), I wrote about a cruise on the Crystal Symphony with Crystal Cruises (888/722-0021, www.crystalcruises.com). On that trip, taken in November 2017, I paid $9,006 (plus $120 in port taxes) for 30 nights in a level-3 veranda cabin.
A museum and restaurant, La Cité de la Gastronomie (4 Grand Cloître du Grand Hôtel-Dieu; citegastronomielyon.fr/en), opened in a 15th-century hospital building in Lyon, France, in October 2019.
Two floors of the museum have exhibits focusing on the culinary history of Lyon as well as on international food traditions. On the third floor, the Gastro’Lab is a working space where chefs and researchers experiment with ingredients and cooking techniques. The fourth floor has an open kitchen where visitors can interact with international guest chefs and sample foods.
On the 4½-hour, guided “Culinary Bike Tour,” offered by Foods of Copenhagen (Skraa, Baggesensgade 4C, Copenhagen; phone +45 20 16 15 19, foodsofcopenhagen.com), bikers visit five restaurants in neighborhoods such as historic Christiana, semiautonomous Freetown and hip Refshaleøen.
Leisurely paced tours, round trip from St. Andrew’s Church, begin at 11:30 a.m. and cover 6 miles (with no hills) in the Danish city. DKK1,200 (near $178) includes bike and safety equipment. Book in advance. Maximum group size, eight.
UK-based travel company Thomas Cook went belly-up on Sept. 23, leaving more than 155,000 tourists stranded around the world. Using assistance from private airlines chartered by the UK government, the largest peacetime repatriation of British citizens was effected to return travelers booked with Thomas Cook to the UK. Citizens of other nations who were on vacations booked through Thomas Cook were not included in that repatriation.
