Features

January 2007 issue | Appears on page 0

A walk through history in Berlin

History never leaves you in Berlin. It is palpable in the city’s buildings, institutions, neighborhoods and memorials. Devastation and division, restoration and renewal, give the city a special look.

Mitte, the pre-World War II center of the city, is in the area which became East Berlin following the war. Unter den Linden, the Brandenburg Gate, the Staatsoper and Museum Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site containing five historic museum buildings, are located here.

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January 2007 issue | Appears on page 0

Wales — walking the Pembrokeshire Coast Path

by Robert Buckley, Marion, IA

The wild and rugged coastline of Wales is as spectacular as the fancy travel brochures promise — indeed, even more so. This is particularly true in Pembrokeshire, Wales’ most western county. And the best way to enjoy its awesome scenery is by hiking the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, a 186-mile-long footpath, the majority of which is at cliff-top level.

So in September ’05, I set off for my fourth long-distance walk in the British Isles.

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December 2006 issue | Appears on page 0

Malaysia — an independent journey

by Lillie Echevarria, Livermore, CA

Traveling to Malaysia with my friend Michelle in February ’05 was somewhat more challenging than traveling in neighboring Thailand, Cambodia or Vietnam due to the limited number of local tour companies available, especially in Borneo.

Arriving in Kuala Lumpur, our first stop as independent travelers was to book our free tour of the Petronas Towers. Tickets went fast — at 9 a.m. I was able to get reservations for 1:30 in the afternoon.

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December 2006 issue | Appears on page 0

Seiffen — Germany’s Christmas craft capital

by John Penisten, Hilo, HI

The small village of Seiffen, nestled in the Erzgebirge Mountains near the Czech Republic border, is the Christmas craft capital of Germany. The area, part of the former East Germany, has a history as a woodcrafts center dating back to the late 1800s.

With an abundant wood supply, Seiffen soon became noted for its toys and Christmas crafts. Seiffen woodcrafters became masters of their art, producing nutcrackers, smokers, candle arches (Schwibbögen)...

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December 2006 issue | Appears on page 0

Finding the right way ’round — a lesson in navigating British roundabouts

by Anton Prole, Wiltshire, England

I wrote briefly in ITN about navigating Britain’s roundabouts (Aug. ’05, pg. 74), mentioning that a well-known travel writer had wrongly advised, “. . . if you don’t know which route to take, you just go around again and again until your navigator has sorted which exit to take.” That advice, although given with good intent, is incorrect and ill conceived.

The same advice was repeated in a reader’s letter in the November ’05 issue (page 93). I...

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December 2006 issue | Appears on page 0

Taiwan, a melting pot of cultures, styles, and tastes

— by Beth Habian, Features Editor

I was sitting in the office of the Taiwan Visitors Association watching a video designed to entice travelers to visit this self-proclaimed “stopover destination.” Colorful, exciting images flashed on the screen — beautiful footage of the vibrant cultural festivals, the unique costumes of local tribes and the stunning natural beauty of this lush island. All I could think at the end of the presentation was, “Wow, I want to go THERE!”

The odd...

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December 2006 issue | Appears on page 0

Australia: Darwin-Adelaide on The Ghan, plus a visit to Kangaroo Island

—by Vernon Hoium, Minneapolis, MN

During a previous visit to Australia, I was advised that The Ghan, an Australian train which then ran from Adelaide to Alice Springs, would continue on to Darwin beginning in 2003. As it turned out, the line was not completed until February ’04. We returned in June ’06 to take The Ghan from Darwin to Adelaide.

The Ghan

To give some perspective, I should point out that Australia and the continental United States are virtually identical...

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November 2006 issue | Appears on page 0

A Cultural Tour of Turkey

—by Steve Emmett, Solano Beach, CA

It was already May of 2006 and time for another trip abroad, so after perusing issues of last year’s International Travel News and sending several e-mails to three different companies, my wife, Yuki, and I elected to use Cultural Folk Tours (San Diego, CA; 800/935-8875, www.boraozkok.com) for a trip to Turkey.

As you can imagine, it’s not possible to visit all of Turkey in 18 days or so, so we had to make some choices. Western Turkey,...

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