Hotels and Lodging

I took my daughter and son-in-law on their first trip to Italy, Sept. 10-22, 2015. I worked with an agent to design a private tour, including Rome, the Sorrento area, a train to Florence and some time in the Tuscan countryside. We were joined by a friend in Florence, adding details that needed to be worked out.

My wife, Janet, and I and our 16-year-old granddaughter Ginny booked a conservation trip to Kenya for August 2016, but in order to broaden Ginny’s knowledge on various levels, we also wanted to give her a one-week safari experience prior to the trip.

While planning a trip to St. Petersburg, Russia, I read Nylah Chilton’s letter about visiting that city for two days with Viking Ocean Cruises and not needing a Russian visa so long as she was on the cruise-tour operator’s organized shore excursions (July ’16, pg. 46). However, my wife and I decided to use a different approach, traveling to St. Petersburg independently by ferry from Helsinki, Finland, and taking advantage of Russia’s 72-hour visa-free rule.

I don’t know what it is about Japan that keeps drawing us there, but, once there, my husband, Clyde, and I are also drawn to Mount Fuji. We often see Fujisan on the high-speed Shinkan­sen going to Kyoto. It’s visible about 40 minutes after departing Tokyo, if you sit on the right side of the train. However, we prefer the closer view from Kawaguchi-ko (Lake Kawaguchi).

Starting Jan. 1, 2017, all hotel guests in Lucerne, Switzerland, will each receive a Hotel-Ticket allowing them free unlimited second-class transport on buses and trains within “tariff zone 10,” which covers the entire city. Hotel-Tickets can be picked up at hotels after checking in.