Columns

(First of three parts)

“You are too old,” the representative said bluntly. Moments earlier my wife, Flory, and I had arrived at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv. When I protested to the rep, he retorted, “Just take the shuttle to the Hertz lot, where an agent will have you drive around. If you do all right, we will give you the car.”

After easily maneuvering through the crowded parking area, I was told I had passed the test!

I was reminded of the above incident when ITN’s editor asked me to respond to a letter from Mr. C. Schroeder of El Cajon, California, regarding “...

It was raining when we left Amsterdam on our way to France in May 2003. I put the car on autopilot and drove south until the sun came out.

We found ourselves in Satillieu, a typical small town in the French Ardèche.

We checked in at the 2-star Chaleat Sapet (Place de la Faurie, 07290, Satillieu, France; phone 011 33 4 75 34 95 42, fax 011 33 4 75 69 91 13, e-mail contact@chaleatsapet.com or visit chaleatsapet.com), situated on the Place de la Faurie, an attractive, quiet square full of tall trees. The hotel is a member of the Logis de France group.

An attractive place...

by Philip Wagenaar, M.D. (Part 2 of a series)

After relating last month the beginning of the 72-day, ’round-the-world trip that my wife, Flory, and I took, Aug. 31-Nov. 11, 2009, in this issue I describe some highlights of the Australia portion.

Note that an electronic visa (ETA), costing AUD20 (near US$18), is required for US and Canadian citizens for a stay of up to 90 days in Australia. This is available online at www.eta.immi.gov.au or through a travel agent.

On Sept. 7 we flew from Tokyo, Japan, to Sydney, Australia. Our final destination was Melbourne, which was...