In May 2000 we visited Solo on the island of Java in Indonesia. We particularly enjoyed Solo because it is a classic, traditional Javanese city, especially in regard to the music scene. Our favorite venue was the Sriwedari Theatre, a huge hall with live performances of gamelan and colorful comedy and drama every night between 8 and 10 p.m. Because the entry fee was only about 20¢, mostly natives were in attendance.
by Lesley Friedsam, Tampa, FL
In contrast to the opinion expressed in the reader’s letter “Tivoli, a Tarnished Treat” (Sept. ’03, pg. 18), the Tivoli that I visited in Copenhagen in September ’03 was a highlight of my trip. So enchanting was the theme park that I just had to go two nights in a row because I didn’t get enough the first night.
There is a cosmopolitan theme that runs the gauntlet in this beautiful amusement park. It isn’t Disneyland, Six Flags Over Texas or Coney Island. The park has its own flavor that is as delicate as Danish china and as flavorful as pickled herring in onions and wine sauce.
I had the pleasure of attending a one-week Tuscan cooking course, Sept. 29-Oct. 5, ’02, given by the Aolmaia Country School, based in beautiful San Miniato, Italy. It offers courses in cooking and other Tuscan/Ligurian arts and subjects such as stained glass, mosaics, wine, the Italian language and Etruscan history, to name a few, at reasonable prices!
Based on one’s choice of course, prices range from €390 (near $447) a week, without lodging or meals, to €2,688 ($3,082) for six nights’ lodging at a 3-star hotel with cooking lessons and all meals included.
by Dan Gifford, Arlington, VA (Part 6 in a series of 6)