Travelers' Intercom

November 2013 issue

Touring rainy Bergen and Ålesund
By Paula Prindle
Geiranger village seen from Ørnesvingen (Eagle’s Bend) Lookout. The road to the lookout is full of hairpin curves like the one on the left. Photo: Prindle

There is an old Norwegian saying: all Bergen babies are born with umbrellas. My husband, David, and I certainly needed an umbrella during our day in port during a Norway cruise with Royal Caribbean International in September ’12, but we found that in the afternoon the rain was intermittent. Therefore, our recommendation is to schedule any excursions you can for the afternoon, when the fog often lifts. 

Our ship, Vision of the Seas, sailed into Geirangerfjord before daylight, affording no photo opportunities on the way into this “most beautiful” fjord. At...

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November 2013 issue

"One more way smoking is bad for you"
By James Stefan

Tell us about the funniest thing that happened to you while traveling in a foreign country. (ITN prints no info on destinations in the United States.) There are no restrictions on length. ITN staff will choose each month’s winner, who will receive a free one-year subscription to ITN. Include your full mailing address. Entries not chosen cannot be acknowledged. 

This month's winner is JAMES STEFAN of Sarasota, FL:

 

Several years ago, I was visiting Mostar in Bosnia & Herzogovina and attended an evening meeting of the local Rotary Club. After the meeting, the president and...

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August 2013 issue

Tips from a traveler
By Jerry Mendel

Always pack an umbrella. Often they’re difficult to find or can be quite expensive. While I was in Miami in April ’13, heavy rain was predicted. Umbrellas at Target cost $14 plus tax! They weren’t worth $2.

• Instead of visiting contemporary art museums and seeing the same famous names (and paying high admission fees), consider going to art galleries. Often, you will see amazing works by local artists. You’ll be able to talk to the people who work in the gallery, you won’t have to endure crowds and you’ll (probably) never have to pay an entry fee. 

Often, many galleries are...

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January 2013 issue

Touring Trieste
By Marilyn Hill
Castello di Miramare, near Trieste, Italy. Photo: Hill

Having paid $24 for a first-class one-way ticket, I was enjoying a relaxing train ride in Italy with no worries about when and where I was supposed to get off because my destination, Trieste, was the end of the line. The station was on one level, as in Venice, where I boarded, so there were no stairs to deal with, either.

With directions from a kind older lady, I turned right upon exiting the station. Do not turn left if you have luggage or you will have to go down a long flight of stairs that lead underground, then climb back up again.

My hotel, Albergo alla Posta (phone 011...

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July 2013 issue

A glitch or two in Europe
By Linda Lemieux

My husband, Pete, and I have traveled to Europe many times by the “seat of our pants” without any major problems. This was not the case on our May 8-June 6, 2012, trip. 

We started off from Paris in our leased new Peugeot from Auto France (Rutherford, NJ; 800/572-9655). The 30-day rental cost $1,457, with bumper-to-bumper insurance coverage (including liability). 

We then headed to Rouen, where we looked up Pete’s ancestors in the library before continuing on to Bayeux and other towns in western France. 

Near Bayonne, we checked into our hotel. In the morning, I took...

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May 2013 issue

Tango time in Buenos Aires
By Joyce A. Bruck
Tourists snapped pictures of tango dancers on Plaza Dorrego in the San Telmo area of Buenos Aires.
While passing through Buenos Aires, I went to an expensive tango show performed in the dance style they use for competition and professional entertainment. For a visit several years later, I decided that, instead of being a spectator, I wanted to go to a milongas del barrio (neighborhood tango club) to tango with the locals.
February 2013 issue

Brussels hotel
By Donald Kinser

My wife and I stayed in Brussels at the Floris Arlequin Grand’Place (Rue de la Fourche 17-19, B-1000, Brussels, Belgium; phone 00 32 [0] 2 514 16 15, fax 514 22 02), May 7-9, 2012, having booked online. The price was €397 (near $523) for three nights, which included breakfast.

Taking the advice of an ITN subscriber (Dec. ’11, pg, 52), we requested a room with a view; ours was of the Grand Place. Our room was about what you’d expect for that price on the Continent, and the staff was very pleasant and considerate.

The breakfast buffet was very good, with hot dishes in addition...

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January 2014 issue

Communication aids
By Skip Carpenter

When my wife, Bonnie, and I travel, I take along a Berlitz language phrase book and dictionary. There is one book for each language. It is small, about 4"x5"x½", and is divided into sections, such as Eating Out, Shopping, Making Friends. It has a limited dictionary. 

From it, I am able to learn a few of the language basics. The issue is that my pronunciation and accent sound like Greek to the locals. 

The nice part about this booklet is that it has phrases and nouns, say, for shopping (“Do you have…”) and then a list of items. When speaking to someone in another country, I...

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