International Travel News

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April 2007 issue | Appears on page 0

Inspired to learn Italian

I took an “Italian for Travelers” course from our local county adult education department starting in January ’05, then immediately took the same course from the same good instructor again.

Simultaneously, I began working on the Pimsleur language program from Audiofy Corporation (3502 Scotts Lane, Building 12, Philadelphia, PA 19129; 866/472-8346, www.pimsleur.com), doing a lesson every now and then in my car, listening to the Italian CDs.

To choose a CD language course, I...

April 2007 issue | Appears on page 0

Learn language from a native

I travel often to Thailand and have always wanted to be able to speak with Thai people in their own language. I have also wanted to be able to travel to areas of the country where there are few tourists and where there may be few people who speak English.

I’ve tried the usual phrase books and tapes and CDs. They were good for learning words and phrases, but they did not teach grammar and they could not answer questions about the language. I checked my local community college course...

April 2007 issue | Appears on page 0

Pizza in Paris

I ate a lovely pizza and drank some great French rosé at Pizza Florenza (7 rue Tardieu, 75018 Paris; phone/fax 01 42 54 00 49) — in Paris, no less. This Italian restaurant has charming café tables outside and a charming manager named Tony.

It’s located off of rue des Martyrs, near the steps up to Sacré Couer basilica. Depart the Métro at the Anvers stop, then walk along boulevard de Rochechouart to rue des Martyrs (toward the basilica’s funicular). Rue Tardieu is on the right.

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April 2007 issue | Appears on page 0

Tipping on cruise-tours

We went on a 16-day cruise-tour from Beijing to Shanghai, “China’s Cultural Delights,” with Viking River Cruises (Woodland Hills, CA; 877/668-4546, www.vikingrivercruises.com), Aug. 5-21, ’06. Airfare was included, and the price was $5,500.

We were very satisfied with the cruise except for the matter of tips, but since it was our first cruise we didn’t really know what to expect. I believe the cruise brochure “suggested” $6 to $8 per helper per day, which seemed rather steep to us....

April 2007 issue | Appears on page 0

Why don't we have that here?

Bill Altaffer of Mammoth Lakes, California, said he once saw a paramedic ambulance motorcycle in London. The medic could arrive at the scene of an emergency quickly even in heavy traffic. He then suggested that ITN readers write in about great ideas that they’ve seen overseas. Responses are shown below.

If you have something to add, write to Why Don’t We Have That Here?, c/o ITN, 2116 28th St., Sacramento, CA 95818, or e-mail editor@intltravelnews.com (include the address at which you...

April 2007 issue | Appears on page 0

Bike tour of Spain with BikeToursDirect

Some friends suggested the Spanish Balearic island of Mallorca (Majorca) for a bicycle tour, and in a Web search BikeToursDirect (1638 Berkley Circle, Chattanooga, TN 37405; 877/462-2423, www.biketoursdirect.com) had what looked like the perfect option: a 7-night, self-guided tour, about 30 miles per day on a bicycle, for $718 per person (land only).

We booked the trip for April 20-30, ’06, including an extension of one day before and two days after the tour for an additional $425 for...

April 2007 issue | Appears on page 0

An altercation escalated

The following letter from an ITN subscriber describes her altercation with an employee at Schiphol Airport and the subsequent occurrences which prompted her to file complaints. ITN is presenting it and the resulting official findings to show the professional manner in which a “he said, she said” situation such as this was dealt with and resolved.

I was at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on Nov. 20, 2005, heading home from a riverboat cruise with Grand Circle Travel. My...

April 2007 issue | Appears on page 0

Complaining brought police

In an exception to ITN’s policy of not covering travel in North America (or the Caribbean), we are printing the following letter from an ITN subscriber as a complement to the previous letter from Ruth Weiss.

For eight months my husband, Martin, and I had looked forward to sharing a Christmas with family members in Ixtapa, Mexico. Our plans included flying early on the morning of Dec. 17 out of Louisville, Kentucky, through Dallas to Houston, where we were to pick up our Aeromexico...