Travelers' Intercom

We took an eastern Mediterranean cruise aboard the Azur, Oct. 29-Nov. 8, ’03. It was booked through White Travel Service (127 Park Rd., West Hartford, CT 06119; phone 860/233-2648). The price of $3,006, for my wife and myself, included airfare from New York’s JFK to Venice, Italy, with port charges and taxes added.

Ports of call were Dubrovnik, Katakolon (for Olympia), Alexandria, Limmosol, Antalya, Rhodes and Piraeus (Athens). The shore excursions were optional, and we opted, for the most part, to take the less expensive half-day excursions, as about all that the full-day...

I would like to address those who avoid renting cars in countries where driving is on the left-hand side of the road. I feel it is not necessary to miss out on the pleasures of independent travel in these places.

My wife, Nancy, and I have rented cars in numerous countries where they drive on the left, and we consider the extra stress to be minimal. In many instances, it is easier to drive in those countries than in some others because signage is usually in English and the roads often are well marked.

Being from a rural area, I am used to manual transmissions, so we always...

Each Sunday afternoon at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, there is a free organ concert for about an hour. Starting between 4 and 5 p.m., depending on the time of year, each concert presents a guest organist from one of the cathedrals of Europe.

We always attend this concert whenever we visit Paris. They print a schedule for each month listing the organist and which pieces will be presented. We like to get there early to get seats because often there is standing room only.

The organ has 6,000 pipes and a sound you will never forget. TONI & BRUCE STAFFORD Manhattan...