Travelers' Intercom

October 2011 issue

Tip? Nein!

I just read the readers’ letters in the article “How Much to Tip Airport Wheelchair Attendants” (Aug. ’11, pg. 40). During our travels, my wife does much the same as those travelers, though the amount she tips is about $5.

However, when we were in the Frankfurt airport about a year ago, the electric-cart driver told us that if he or his colleagues were to accept a tip, they would be fired.

JAMES C. WAMBOLD State College, PA

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August 2009 issue

Old Town, Vilnius

I found the article about the Baltic States interesting (June ’09). The picture on page 7 is described as “Gate of Vilnius’ Old Town.” It is the Basilian Gate, which is the entry to the decrepit (2005) Holy Trinity Basilian Monastery.

In June ’05 we found the actual gate to the city, the Gate of Dawn (it faces east), not far away from the Basilian Gate. At the second level of the Gate of Dawn, on the interior, is a chapel with a “miraculous” icon of the Virgin. The Lithuanians will advise that this icon is the leading pilgrimage site in Eastern Europe.

I suspect that with...

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August 2009 issue

Counterduvet movement

I have thought for years we were the only people who hated duvets, then we read the letter from Robert Edwards titled “Comforters Out of Place” (June ’09, pg. 53).

The more we pay to stay someplace, the better the chance of getting a duvet on our bed. If they cannot exchange it for a blanket, we remove the inside and use the duvet cover as our bed covering. Most of the time it is enough for the warmth we need. However, sometimes I have to add a towel in the middle of the night.

With the duvet, no matter how lovely it is, I am much too warm to sleep. So, Mr. Edwards, add us to...

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January 2010 issue

Buying gas in Europe

My wife and I spent September ’09 driving in France and Italy.

The current economic climate did not seem to have decreased the number of tourists, although we did encounter fewer Americans than usual. Even so, we were always able to get a room — no reservations for us — though on a few occasions (in Stresa, Italy, and in Provence and the Lot Valley, France) the small country hotels we like filled up by early evening.

Possibly of interest to those of you who like to drive in Europe, the high cost of gas or diesel fuel has gone even higher. Our average cost for gas was $7.29...

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March 2009 issue

Couldn’t avoid AA’s booking fee

Around Oct. 31, 2008, I went online and tried to get an award ticket on LAN Airlines from Buenos Aires, Argentina, to São Paulo, Brazil, using American Airlines AAdvantage miles.

AA’s policy is that if you get an award ticket or purchase a ticket on the telephone, they charge a fee of $30, and if you get it at an AA office it’s $20. There is no extra charge if the ticket is purchased online.

I was unable to secure the ticket online, so I called the local AA office at Santa Fe 881 in Buenos Aires only to be told that it wasn’t possible to do that and I would have to go to the...

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September 2011 issue

Fascinating Saxony

My husband, Bernie, and I visited eastern Germany, Sept. 16-26, 2010, to attend his class get-together. After the reunion, we went to Dresden.

We had been to Dresden in 1991, two years after the Berlin Wall fell. At that time, the famous Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) as well as the Zwinger Palace were simply piles of rubble. Now they are completely restored, using some of the original pieces of stone. We could see the difference between the new and old stones.

The restoration team used old photos and a computer to meticulously re-create the church as it once was. The...

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December 2008 issue

In Portugal, ask a teen

Rick Steves, in his September ’08 article on Portugal, missed an important point when he commented on the country’s changes and the improvements in roads and road travel.

Since English is one of the options for fulfilling the public schools’ required foreign-language requirement from first grade onward, many young people speak it. As a result, driving in Portugal is a breeze. Need directions or information? Find a teenager!

BILL SUTER

South Pasadena, CA

November 2009 issue

Impressions of Romania

I led a group of 20 members of Friendship Force International (233 Peachtree St., Ste. 2250, Atlanta, GA 30303; 404/522-9490, www.thefriendshipforce.org) to Romania for a 17-day visit in May ’08; we were home-hosted for one week in Bras¸ov (citbrasov@brasovtourism.com). We also took a private bus tour of the countryside for a week and stayed in Bucharest for three nights. (As leader, I did not have to pay the program total of $1,885, but my wife, Rose, did.)

What we learned more than anything else is that Romania has much to offer the visitor. There are seven UNESCO World Heritage...

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