Travel Tidbits

Sitting high above the Danube in Austria is the 900-year-old, baroque Melk Abbey. As we walked into its library, we were struck by the fact that, at the whim of a bygone archbishop, all the books have the same binding. The building features 365 windows, a magnificent carved pulpit and exquisite ceiling frescoes. — CARROLL CHANDLER, Dallas, TX
  

When I visit England, which is about every two years, I immediately go to the post office for a phone card. I have had very good luck with them, getting lots of minutes for my money. — JEAN CATER, Dover, NJ
  

On our New Zealand trip, en route to the Bay of Islands we detoured to see the Kauri Museum at Matakohe and the huge kauri trees in the forest. Then we drove east to Paihia and the sea. This is a lovely area, close to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. The 1840 Treaty of Waitangi is crucial for understanding New Zealand’s history and even contemporary politics. Be sure to take the tour, which cost $25 (for current tours and prices, visit www.waitangi.net.nz). — JOHN & NANCY OSTHEIMER, Fort Collins, CO
  

On our trip to Armenia, we set off through the hills of the low Caucasus Range — an unbroken carpet of green strewn with white, yellow, purple and blue wildflowers with an occasional crescent of snow nestled like a stray sheep in the mountaintop depressions. In this biblical land, the first to accept Christianity as a state religion, it seemed natural to stop occasionally for a sheepherder and his flock. Around Lake Sevan, fishermen beckoned motorists to stop and sample their wares. We bought smoked trout for our parchment-thin lavash bread, tomatoes sweet as cherries and soft cheese. — DOROTHY AKSAMIT, Sausalito, CA