Gardens

 On my tour of the Dalmatian Coast in July ’03, I took a day trip to Pula, Croatia. I think the best bet once there is to take a taxi to the coliseum. It’s too easy to get lost, otherwise. I arrived in the early morning and caught the last of the good light to photograph and also beat the tourist buses’ arrival. This is a good place to just sit and soak up the atmosphere for about an hour. A 15-minute walk up the hill takes you to the castle — only mildly interesting. If you’re in a time crunch, give it a miss. — SAMANTHA SARTAIN, Colorado Springs, CO

My husband, Al, and I traveled through Holland and Belgium, April 18-May 6, ’05, at the peak of the spring flower season.

by June L. Griffin, Lewiston, ME

My husband, Jim, and I thought we were smart, well-prepared travelers with our duplicate passport photos and our extra antibiotics. After all, we had traveled extensively and Jim even wrote travel articles for various newspaper travel sections and ultimately even the photography column for ITN. I guess we were in total denial about the possibility of actual death on a trip.

I attended the Chelsea Flower Show in London on May 25, ’04, and found it a big disappointment. This was my second visit and the crowds were such that we could barely view the gardens and exhibits. The Royal Horticultural Society bragged that 160,000 persons attended during the week. That amounts to 32,000 daily! We got a better view on the evening television coverage.

I went to Yerevan and Gyumri, Armenia, for three weeks in April-May ’04. In each city I stayed in a guest house. The one in Yerevan was owned by Kaikush Kambartsumyan (or it may be Haikush Hambartsumyar; the writing is hard to read) and cost $40, breakfast included. The guest house in Gyumri was owned by Tenoyan Achot and cost $25, breakfast included. The latter was one of the nicest guest houses I’ve ever stayed at; they made me feel like I was at home.

by Philip Wagenaar, third of three parts

Have you ever been in a big, busy city overseas, dodging traffic, recoiling from the noise and gasping for air, when suddenly you came upon an oasis of calm and beauty in the form of a garden or park — a refuge of (relative) quiet and nature where people could escape the commotion of downtown? ITN asked its readers to write in about just these sorts of “urban oases” (outside of North America). For each, we asked that readers give an idea of its location in the city, tell how they found it and when they were there and add any other details they wished.

by Yvonne Michie Horn, Santa Rosa, CA

“Did you put a little something in the box?” Lord Bigby asked.