Travelers' Intercom

A friend and I took an English garden tour in May 2011. We did research in English magazines at our library and on websites and settled on one with Brightwater Holidays (Eden Park House, Cupar, Fife, Scotland, KY15 4HS, UK; phone +44 01334 657155, www.brightwaterholidays.com). 

The land cost of the 4-day, 3-night tour* was £345 (near $551), including dinners and full breakfasts. We spent a night in London on our own both before and after the tour.

We were picked up at a...

CONTINUE READING »

While in Cape Town, South Africa, Aug. 1-4, 2014, on a post-trip extension after our trip to Namibia with Overseas Adventure Travel (Cambridge, MA; 800/955-1925, www.oattravel.com), my husband, Alan, and I enjoyed dinner at two wonderful restaurants.

• This French bistro is a gem: Frères Bistro (42 Hans Strijdom Ave. Ln., Cape Town 8000, South Africa; phone +27 21 418 1609, jasonwhitehead.co.za/freres-bistro-1).

On the first night there, we were seated outside and could not see...

CONTINUE READING »

During my stay near Venice, Italy, May 10-15, 2014, the weather was perfect for being outside, so that’s where I chose to be. Just walking… for hours. However, on the second day I learned that for €25 (near $31) for 48 hours, I could take buses and the vaporetti (water taxis) anywhere I wanted to go. I hadn’t done this in years.

That morning, I rode the No. 1 vaporetto from Piazzale Roma to the end of the line (the two Lido stops) and back again — 20 stops in two hours. I saw unusual...

CONTINUE READING »

A subscriber suggested labeling memory cards so they can be returned to you if they’re lost (Nov. ’13, pg. 54). That’s a good idea, but I also download all my pictures onto my iPad each night when traveling.

I bought a connector for $29 that loads the pictures from the card onto my iPad. Pictures can also be downloaded to portable PCs and other devices. This way, the pictures are in two places.

It’s also a good idea to label your camera, iPad, phone, etc., with a name and...

CONTINUE READING »

There are beautiful moments during a trip that become tomorrow’s wonderful memories.

Before rejoining my tour group in Split, Croatia, in June 2014, I was having lunch while wearing my safari hat. I noticed that a man at the next table kept looking at me. Finally, he leaned toward me and asked, “Where are you from?”

I answered, “The United States.”

He smiled and said, “Welcome to Croatia.”

He asked about my hat and I said...

CONTINUE READING »

My husband and I spent eight days in a wonderful new gîte near Sainte-Mère-Église in Normandy, France, June 1-9, 2014, during the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of D-Day.

The location is great. Sainte-Mère-Église, the first town liberated on D-Day, is famous for the paratrooper who was caught by his parachute on the steeple of the church in the town square. 

There is more than enough in the town and the immediate vicinity to keep you busy for a week. Take our word...

CONTINUE READING »

Fred H. DeVinney asked for suggestions of books to read before visiting foreign places (July ’14, pg. 46).

I highly recommend “The Bridge at Andau” by James A. Michener (first edition, 1957, Random House; paperback, 1985, Fawcett). 

Mostly a history lesson, this is an excellent book about the short Hungarian revolution followed by the brutal Russian invasion of Hungary in November 1956, which destroyed Budapest and terrorized a defenseless population. It is the story of how...

CONTINUE READING »

During a visit to Iceland in August 2014, I took a tour out of Reykjavik called “Inside the Volcano.” This tour of a hollow, dormant volcano has been operating for only about three years. I had read about it in ITN (July ’14, pg. 76) and was intrigued.

There are two ways to reach the volcano: (1) from the city center, ride a tour bus to a trail, then walk for 45 minutes over an uneven lava field or (2) from the domestic airport, take a 7-minute helicopter ride to the volcano.

...

CONTINUE READING »