Traveling in Ethiopia
On my trip to Ethiopia in September-October ’09, I found that having a local travel agent is a godsend.
Hotels and Lodging
Won’t leave home without GPS
Traveling in France, Spain and Portugal for over a month in September-October ’09, we found that using a GPS is a time/lifesaver. What an invention! No more having the wife trying to read a map or screaming at each other over missed turns.
“In one mile, enter roundabout”… “In 500 feet, enter roundabout and take third exit”… “Enter roundabout and take third exit, then turn right”… “Turn right and drive for five miles.” I’m sure you get the picture. We say, ‘Don’t leave home without it,’ and we never will again.
ITN: a lot more substantive info than slick magazines
From the mailbag: “In just one issue of ITN I got a lot more substantive info and a broader range of possibilities than I did from a bunch of slick magazines, nice as they are.” Observant people there are in Austin, Texas.
I’ve talked to lots and lots of people who have been to Copenhagen, Denmark. Sadly, not a single one of them had ever been to a museum that has been on my agenda twice. And that is the Resistance Museum. (It’ s in the city center.)
Making the most of four short days in Glasgow
by Joseph Phelan, Lincoln, California
My wife, Rose, and I spent four wonderful but hurried days in Glasgow, Scotland, in May ’09. We were there largely on last-minute impulse, as we already had plans to be in Newcastle, England, which is so close to Scotland.
Highlights of Nicaragua
Just our luck! My husband, Frank, and I picked the rainiest week of the year when we visited Nicaragua in October ’08. Fortunately, almost every day had some sun, except the Sunday we watched an NFL game in our room during a sideways rainstorm.
We spent three nights in Granada, three in San Juan del Sur and one near Managua airport before an early-morning departure. Except at the hotel in San Juan del Sur, we spoke Spanish throughout our trip.
In London and Kent
My husband, Tom, and I were in London the second week of September ’08 and stayed in the southern suburb of Penge in an old home turned B&B: Melrose House (89 Lennard Rd., London, SE20 7LY, U.K.; phone 0208 776 8884, e-mail melrosehouse@supanet.com or visit www.
melrosehouse.com).
Royal rumble through Rajasthan
While in India for five weeks in February-March ’09, my companion, Frank, and I decided to experience the northwestern state of Rajasthan, land of maharajas, palaces and ancient forts.
Sri Lanka — Surprising and a bit surreal
by Teresa O'Kane, San Jose, CA
Vicenza, Marostica & Bassano del Grappa
In northern Italy, the communes of Vicenza, Marostica and Bassano del Grappa are commonly touted as “very wealthy.” Well, I wouldn’t know about that part, but in early May ’09, after a week’s stay in Venice, I was certainly happy to have discovered all three.
Geneva Transport Card
I had an interesting experience when I did a day layover in Geneva, Switzerland, Oct. 10-11, 2009. I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express at the Geneva Airport. When I asked the front desk for travel information into the center of town, they handed me a Geneva Transport Card.
This FREE card* allows you to ride the train from the airport to town; the Geneva trams and buses, and the small shuttle boats on the lake (zones 11-17). The card is good for the number of days the traveler will be in Geneva.
DAVID COLLINS, Newbury Park, CA