Travelers' Intercom | International Travel News

September 2006 issue

Benjamin Franklin House

The Benjamin Franklin House opened in London recently. Franklin lived there from 1757 to 1775.

The house has been painstakingly restored and is devoid of furniture. In the basement, which was once the garden, you are treated to a well-researched and -crafted sound-and-video presentation. The Emmy Award winner Peter Coyote is the voice of Franklin, and Imelda Staunton, the 2004 Oscar nominee for “Vera Drake,” is the voice of Franklin’s landlady.

Next you start a novel experience as you tour the house with an actress dressed in period clothes portraying the landlady’s daughter...

January 2006 issue

Tips for East Europe travel

Here are a few tips from our travels in late April-May ’05. We spent seven days in Budapest, three in Kraków, seven in Praha and five in Berlin.

Use ATMs to get local currency. Don’t get too much, because in getting rid of excess money you are hit hard. Hungary’s forints were hard to get rid of in the Czech Republic and Poland!

We found cab drivers in these countries (with the exception of Germany) to be notorious rogues. Once you know what the approximate fares are, negotiate for that fare or move on to the next cab. You will be surprised how quickly the price is lowered by...

October 2005 issue

Virgin Air’s ‘suites’

On a flight from Newark, New Jersey, to England on Virgin Airlines in late April ’05, we had an opportunity to try out the new upper-class suites.

Each suite is a small cubicle with high sides and a very comfortable seat that converts to a bed at the touch of a button. Your back is to the window, your feet to the center. There are duvets and pillows behind each seat.

Seats that are upright but reclined can stay reclined during takeoff and landing — very comfortable.

If you are traveling on flights of 19 to 22 hours, these are lifesavers. If you are working and want no...

June 2006 issue

Romans the victors

In the letter “Ancient Carthage Secret” (April ’06, pg. 39), the assertion that Carthage won the first two Punic Wars is wrong. Rome won all three Punic Wars. Only the second one was a close call, with the Romans suffering years of defeats before winning the battle of Xama over Hannibal and restricting the Carthaginian empire to the city of Carthage.

The writer is correct that the Romans destroyed Carthage after the third Punic War, only to rebuild it some years later as a colony.

HARVEY LAMPERT North Bethesda, MD

August 2005 issue

Recommended in Turkey

During my visit to Turkey, Feb. 20-27, ’04, a friend and I had the good fortune to have as our tour guide Ms. Gülden Güllü (1786 s. 8/1 Sagsoz Apt., 35540 Karsiyaka, Izmir, Turkey; cell 90 532 441 9685 or e-mail gulden90@yahoo.com).

Licensed by the Turkish Ministry of Culture & Tourism, she was the best guide ever (and I am 70 and have been “around” a lot). She was full of facts, history, humor and energy and was most kind.

I can recommend two hotels from this trip: in Istanbul The Ambassador (in the U.S., phone 800/188-6758 or e-mail reservations@hotelambassador.com) and...

November 2006 issue

Dining in Budapest

From a trip my wife, Barbara, and I took to Hungary in May ’06, I strongly recommend these three restaurants in Budapest.

Sorforras (Vaci utsa 15, Budapest) — a clean restaurant with very good food, reasonably priced. Food, drinks and wine for two cost $38. Original artwork on the walls. The beautifully restored Corinthia Grand Hotel Royal (Erzebet krt. 43-49, Budapest) has one of the best restaurants in the city, Brasserie Royale. The food was excellent, well prepared and well presented. Food and cocktails for two, $75. The New York Palace (Erzebet krt. 9-11, Budapest) is located in... CONTINUE READING »

January 2006 issue

Driver in Hungary

Based on a reader’s recommendation (March ’05, pg. 87), we hired Gabor Stern to drive us on a Danube Bend trip in Hungary in May ’05. We took the trip at a leisurely pace — nine hours — and spent slightly less than if we had taken a group tour: at $18 per hour, $162 total.

It was wonderful to take our time and not be looking at our watches. For instance, when we visited the Esztergom Basilica, a special Mass was in progress for the 30th anniversary of the death of Cardinal Mindszenty. The bishop was there for the Mass and the basilica was packed, so we took the opportunity to climb...

July 2006 issue

American military cemeteries in Europe

The April ’06 issue carried a very well done, highly informative report (pages 65-68) by a La Jolla reader who enjoyed a 5-day “Flanders Fields” tour by a British company. American visitors to this area should include a visit to Flanders Field Cemetery, one of the many cemeteries in Europe that are maintained by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC).

I participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Flanders Field Cemetery last summer, and this summer I will participate in a wreath-laying ceremony on July 4th at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery near Rome. American...