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June 2010 issue

Slovenian family tree

The discovery of a handwritten family tree led me to the “old country” of Yugoslavia, now Slovenia, from which my great grandfather, Martin Jakljevic, emigrated in the late 1880s. His village of Metlika, in the Bela Krajina region, is known for vineyards, wine making and sheep breeding and is a mere hour away from the capital, Ljubljana.

Armed with our roughly drawn family tree, I chose to explore this area with a travel companion in 2009 during Metlika’s annual wine festival, the Vinska Vigred, which is held the third weekend in May.

The Internet proved to be a valuable...

April 2004 issue

Multilanguage license

In reference to recent letters (Dec. ’03, pg. 78 & Feb. ’04, pg. 83), I thought the purpose of having an International Driving Permit was to present it in the case you had to deal with authorities in non-English-speaking countries. It serves as a multilanguage translation of your driver’s license, including what type of vehicles you are permitted to operate, i.e., car, motorcycle, etc.

RICHARD MILBERG Champaign, IL

May 2004 issue

The Discerning Traveler » Charming Madeira

by Philip Wagenaar, M.D., first of two parts

“Money,” the young crook hissed, aiming the rock at my face.

Scared out of my wits, I uttered, “I have no money.”

I yelled for help and looked around only to discover that six more villains had materialized and had completely surrounded our car. Nobody else was in sight at the deserted miradouro (viewpoint) at Câmara de Lobos.

My mind in complete turmoil, I could only think of my wallet, which was still in my back pocket, as I had felt no need to transfer it to my money belt while in “safe” Madeira. If the thieves...

February 2005 issue

Extended travels in Latin America

My wife, Elaine, and I traveled in Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands at the end of January and beginning of February ’04 for two weeks. We then spent several weeks in Peru and finally a month in Panama. Here are a few comments that might be of interest to readers.

ECUADOR & GALÁPAGOS — It seems most travelers head over to the Galápagos Islands by way of Quito, Ecuador. I would suggest that the city of Guayaquil is also a worthwhile stop. The plane to Guayaquil always stops in Quito, so there is an opportunity to see both cities.

Although Guayaquil, located on the coast,...

September 2010 issue

Friedrichshafen flat

My husband and our three adult children and I rented an apartment in Friedrichshafen, Germany, home of the Zeppelin Museum, in June ’10. Friedrichshafen is on the shore of Lake Constance, and we took the ferry there from Romanshorn, Switzerland.

We rented through the Internet at the owner’s website (www.ferienhausmiete.de/ferienhaus_suche.php?land=1). Mr. Deutschle met us at the apartment and showed us how everything worked.

The holiday flat was very clean. It had two bedrooms for two persons each, plus a child’s bed; a living room/dining room with another bed (and a door,...

March 2005 issue

Fourth trip to China

For our fourth trip to China, in October ’03, we selected areas of the country that had UNESCO World Heritage Sites that we had either read or heard about for many years. Our new destinations would be Shanghai, Tunxi, Huang Shan, Chengdu, Leishan, Zigong, Dazu, Chongqing and Suzhou. How to journey to these destinations over three weeks was left to the five travel companies I sent my proposed itinerary to with the hope they would develop a memorable trip for us.

We ended up using Mark Huang at Access China Tours, Inc. (522 Seventh St., Ste. 380, New Westminster, British Columbia, V3M...

April 2005 issue

Colorful memories of Vietnam

It was with a sense of great anticipation and adventure that we started our 3-week tour of Vietnam in December ’03. We experienced a country where the people are a delight, the scenery is exceptional and history and religion resulted in other wonderful sightseeing opportunities. Here are a few of the highlights of our trip.

After touring the city of Hanoi, we went into the nearby countryside where small sampans rowed by young women took us out into the Red River Delta to view rugged hillsides and limestone formations jutting out of the water — very dramatic scenery.

The next...

August 2010 issue

Airport-Rome transit tip

The train from Fiumicino Airport to Stazione Termini in central Rome cost €14 (near $20) per person in May ’10.

The airport train station is a little tricky to find but doable. At Termini, though, the train’s platform is far from the other trains and involves a longish walk during which it is easy to become lost. Next, you’ve got to pay for a cab to your hotel. For the two of us, it cost a total of €38 (two train tickets and a 10-euro cab ride, $55).

Alternatively, there is a flat 40-euro cab fare from the airport to central Rome (and vice versa). We paid €2 less but had the...