History

We asked you to write about a restaurant, shop or other business housed in a historic, unique, spectacular or interesting building (outside of the US) that can be entered without paying an admission fee. We weren’t looking for a place like the Hard Rock Café that just has pictures and antiques everywhere; if it is a café, however, the architecture should be as much the experience as the meal. Or it can be a working library in a castle. Or a butcher shop in a cathedral.

We asked you to write about a restaurant, shop or other business housed in a historic, unique, spectacular or interesting building (outside of the US) that can be entered without paying an admission fee. We weren’t looking for a place like the Hard Rock Café that just has pictures and antiques everywhere but, if it is a café, a place where the architecture is as much the experience as the meal. Or it can be a working library in a castle. Or a butcher shop in an old cathedral.

In Travemunde, north of Lübeck, Germany, 70 sand sculptors will use over 70,000 tons of sand to create sand castle masterpieces at a beach festival, July 9-Aug. 22, 2004. In fact, 2-hour workshops in sand sculpting will be held twice a day, Monday through Friday.

Sand World itself is open until Sept. 5. Entry costs €6 adults and €3 children five to 11.

(Part 3 of 3) — We spent six weeks in England, July-August ’03, mostly exploring the Cotswolds area (May ’04, pg. 82 & June’04, pg. 84). We were based in Cirencester.

Try not to miss two castles in the area. Berkeley Castle (£5 seniors) is a comfortable one-hour ride west from Cirencester, and while you are there you can visit the Edward Jenner museum. Edward II was murdered there in 1327 and you can see the hole and nearby dungeon where he was kept.

On a quick trip to Portugal and Spain in November ’03, we discovered two beautiful palace hotels.

We took Trafalgar’s tour No. 159 to Finland, Russia, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, Sept. 9-24, ’03. The tour cost us $2,560 each, including air from Philadelphia. This was our fourth Trafalgar tour and possibly the last, due mainly to the prices of and number of optional tours this tour had.

Trafalgar’s tour brochure outlined what we were to see on an each-day basis. Each description seemed to be worded so that it was impossible to determine if places mentioned were included in the tour or were optional tours we had to pay extra for.

10 days / 8 nights. Highlights: In London, ENGLAND, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, theater performance / Cambridge / medieval York / Edinburgh, SCOTLAND / Gretna Green / back in England, Lake District / Stratford-upon-Avon / Stonehenge / Cotswolds / in WALES, Ruthin Castle. Land, from $2,349. Single supp., $450. Collette Vacations (Pawtucket, RI; 800/340-5158).

I enjoyed the article “Impressed with Ireland on a Chauffeured Tour” by Barbara McMahon (Dec. ’11, pg. 6). I’ve traveled to Ireland twice, and I always encourage friends to take a guided trip.

On escorted motorcoach tours in many countries, the drivers do, unfortunately, stop at gift shops, where passengers jump out and stock up on expensive items for which the drivers get kickbacks from the shops. But that’s an acceptable tradeoff for letting them maneuver the narrow streets.

To commemorate the 60th anniversary of D-Day, The Orangery restaurant at Kensington Palace and the New Armouries restaurant at HM Tower of London will feature, for one year only beginning June 2004, special World War II menus. The wartime menus, using limited amounts of ingredients as in times of rationing, will be available alongside the more modern menus.

The Landmark Trust is a preservation charity which restores architecturally interesting and historic buildings in Britain and offers them as self-catering holiday homes. Prices vary according to the size of the property and the season, averaging about £25 (near $42) per person per night.

The 20th edition of the “Landmark Trust Handbook” lists 178 properties and costs £9.50 (refundable against a booking) including postage and packing. Call 01628 825925 or visit www.landmarktrust.co.uk.