On our way to Africa on Sept. 24, ’05, and with a long layover at New York’s JFK, I tried to find a mailbox in the airport to mail some bills that would come due while we were gone. Lo and behold, I found out that all of the mailboxes had been removed after 9/11.

When I asked the woman working at the Red Carpet room there about it, she said that they had all been removed because of anthrax! After doing a double take, I sweetly asked her if by any chance she would mind mailing my bills...

In Ho Chi Minh City in August ’05, we returned to a shop that sells embroidered pictures, XQ Silk Hand Embroidery (52B Pham Hong Thai St., Dist. 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; phone [84 8] 8246144 or visit www.xqhandembroidery.com).

We had been in Vietnam four years earlier and were so struck by these wonderful pictures that we bought one and carried it home. This time, we decided that they would make perfect gifts for our children and grandchildren, so we bought 11 of them. It was too...

Renting a car in Greece seems the best way to travel, as public transportation is limited. For our trip, our car rental was from Budget through Auto Europe (888-223-5555 or visit www.autoeurope.com). Driving was very easy and we never encountered traffic congestion except in leaving Athens and at the ferry crossings.

From the town of Rio, we took the ferry to Andiro across the Gulf of Corinth. After waiting in line for the ferry, we drove toward the boat and then all of the cars...