(First of three parts)

“You are too old,” the representative said bluntly. Moments earlier my wife, Flory, and I had arrived at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv. When I protested to the rep, he retorted, “Just take the shuttle to the Hertz lot, where an agent will have you drive around. If you do all right, we will give you the car.”

After easily maneuvering through the crowded parking area, I was told I had passed the test!

I was reminded of the above incident when ITN’s...

(First of two parts)

“How can I possibly get our passports back in time?” l said to my wife, Flory.

“What is the problem?” she asked.

“Our cruise ship stops in five ports, each requiring its own visa, which means that I will have to send our passports to five different consulates.”

“That is a predicament.”

I was reminded of the above conversation when a letter from Victoria Davis in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, arrived at the ITN offices asking for an...

It was raining when we left Amsterdam on our way to France in May 2003. I put the car on autopilot and drove south until the sun came out.

We found ourselves in Satillieu, a typical small town in the French Ardèche.

We checked in at the 2-star Chaleat Sapet (Place de la Faurie, 07290, Satillieu, France; phone 011 33 4 75 34 95 42, fax 011 33 4 75 69 91 13, e-mail contact@chaleatsapet.com or visit chaleatsapet.com), situated on the Place de la Faurie, an attractive, quiet square...