While traveling in Beijing, China, in November ’05, my husband and I stayed at the Great Wall Sheraton. We happened upon a buffet that was the most amazing and delectable display of seafood we have ever encountered.
At 9 a.m. on March 3, ’06, the Grigoriy Mikheev sounded her horn and we celebrated crossing the Antarctic Circle with Dutch liqueur. When choosing an Antarctic trip, this had been one of my goals.
I was in Vladivostok, April 1-3, ’06. I booked my trip with Lucky Tours Co., Ltd. (1, Moskovskaya St., Vladivostok 690106, Russia; phone/fax +7 [4232] 44-99-44 or visit www.luckytour.com).
Belleek, Northern Ireland, is a pretty, welcoming town near the Irish border. It has a wide main street, and in the September we visited its lampposts were hung with flowering baskets.
Pleasant Surprises are just that: cities one expects to be dismal, dirty or perhaps dangerous but which leave a different impression. Following are several on my list.
My husband, Joe, and I were incredibly happy that we chose Buenos Aires (B.A.), Argentina, as our vacation destination this year. Aside from the U.S. dollar’s being strong there, one of the main reasons we decided to go was because we read W.E.B.
My wife, Rose, and I stayed three nights in Helsinki in June ’06 and discovered two excellent places to eat. Both were quite near the central train station and square.
On a 5-day cruise down the coast of Norway in May ’06 (part of a 17-day Grand Circle Travel trip that included Finland), we ate on our own two nights in Bergen at relatively affordable prices.
Prior to traveling in Mongolia and China in April ’05, I called Orchard Bank to tell them that I would be using their MasterCard while overseas. Even with that, it didn’t work in the ATM in Beijing nor anywhere else, for that matter!
