08
Summertime, and the livin’ is. . . royal! Or so it must have been for King Carol I of Romania and his Queen, Elizabeth, at the site depicted in June’s photo.
It’s Peles Castle in Sinaia, completed in 1883 as the royal family’s summer residence (and King Carol’s permanent home — he’s buried there).
On LATIN AMERICA, May-June ’05. . .
Previously I have written on the subject of one of the rarest categories of all touring offerings in the U.S. outbound travel marketplace: the long-haul, single-destination group tour (LHSDGT), in this article to be referred to as LT. The LT was defined at that time as a group tour of three weeks or longer that focused on a single overseas destination.
Over the many months since the original article appeared (Sept. ’04, pg. 106), I have received a surprising amount of reader comment on the subject, most lamenting that there are not more such offerings available.
A trip to Uruguay in April ’04 was my first to that country. I went to see Montevideo, its capital city. I also wanted to visit the small town of Colonia (its full name is Colonia del Sacramento) in the southwestern corner of the country, about a 2-hour drive from Montevideo. Having seen photos of its quaint, cobblestone streets and having heard that it had begun its existence as a Portuguese settlement, I was intrigued.
(Second of three parts)
Last month I talked about the upper age limit invoked by car rental suppliers. This month I would like to discuss other automobile rental and lease-related factors.
QUESTION: I am a bit of a loner and have no family nearby. While I am not able to travel a lot, I do enjoy my trips, which are usually solo. The December ’04 tsunami disaster made me think, however. If something happened to me, I wonder how long it would take for my family to find out?
I would like to plan a trip to Peru, which seems safe, but can you suggest something I can do to ensure I would be missed soon, without having to start checking in with my family (as I am much too old for that) or without seeming like I am being paranoid? — Tom K., Syracuse, NY
by Alan M. Spira, M.D.
by Chris Springer, Contributing Editor
“Himalaya” by Michael Palin (2004, Thomas Dunne Books. ISBN 0312341628 — 288 pp., $29.95 hardcover).
(Second of two parts)
Last month I described the romance of tall ship sailing. This month I will give some specific suggestions for fascinating tall ships around the world.
In 2006 Berlin will celebrate the opening of new train stations at Hauptbahnhof/Lehrter Bahnhof, Potsdamer Platz, Papestrasse and Gesundbrunnen on May 28 before the craziness and traffic crunch of the World Cup soccer games.
This year Berlin and Potsdam celebrate Einstein Year on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the physicist’s death and the 100th anniversary of his formulation of the Theory of Relativity. In 1905, Albert Einstein published five essays that revolutionized the classic ideas of space, time, mass and energy, changing our perception of the world.