International Travel News

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June 2010 issue | Appears on page 29

The Paris lifestyle

My husband, Dick, and I stayed in an apartment in Paris on rue de Lévis in the 17th Arrondissement in June ’09 — a fantastic experience. No tourists there but us!

The street has one of the best markets in Paris and so many wonderful places to eat that we didn’t have to do anything more complicated than walk a block or two for a fantastic meal. If one wanted to, they could pick up exquisite food from the vendors for every meal: chickens, beef, pastas, fancy dishes, quiche — you name it...

June 2010 issue | Appears on page 46

Caru’ cu Bere in Bucharest

When in Bucharest, beer lovers should not, repeat not, miss Caru’ cu Bere (Stavropoleos St. #5, Bucharest, Romania; phone 021 313 75 60, www.carucubere.ro). It is a two-story rococo Bavarian brauhaus dishing up plentiful servings of Romanian food plus a good assortment of European beers, including their own. It is very popular with tourists and natives alike, but we had no trouble getting a table anytime we went. (Lunch from RON22.4 [near $7] and beer RON4.80-RON9).

GEORGE M. GREIDER...

June 2010 issue | Appears on page 46

Londolozi Pioneer Camp in South Africa’s Sabi Sands Game Reserve

On our final night at Londolozi Pioneer Camp in South Africa’s Sabi Sands Game Reserve during a private trip, the manager told my wife they had prepared a small surprise for her. In our room, we discovered a candle-surrounded tub filled with bubble bath, with a chilled bottle of champagne nearby. In the main dining area, a table for two had been readied before the fireplace, where the blaze felt very good on that cool, damp November evening.

GEORGE HOBGOOD

Austin, TX

June 2010 issue | Appears on page 47

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...

June 2010 issue | Appears on page 48

Notes from visit to China

I joined a group of 34 well-traveled people on May 14, 2009, for an 18-day trip to China with smarTours (New York, NY; 800/337-7773, www.smartours.com). It included a Yangtze river cruise and time in Hong Kong.

I highly recommend smarTours, which delivered a top-notch trip at a terrific value for the money. The cost was $3,099 per person, double occupancy, with air from JFK in New York. This included $185 for departure taxes/fees, in-country airfare and almost all meals. The single...

June 2010 issue | Appears on page 49

The Mt. Blanc trail

Walking in the shadow of Mt. Blanc is a powerful experience. Intense effort is rewarded by spectacular scenery. Words cannot do it justice. How do you describe heaven?

My cousin Marian and I experienced the two-week “Mont Blanc Hotel Trek” from Chamonix, France, into Switzerland and Italy and back into France, Aug. 22-Sept. 5, 2009. It was led by a most capable and impressive guide, Ian Lowden of Exodus, and booked through Adventure Center (Emeryville, CA; 800/487-1600, www....

June 2010 issue | Appears on page 50

All-business-class Open Skies

I previously reported about the all-business-class discount airline Maxjet, now defunct (Oct. ’06, pg. 32). When I was invited to take a flight by a similar operation, the British Airways venture Open Skies (866/581-3596, www.flyopenskies.com), I couldn’t refuse.

Open Skies started its combination first- and business-class service between New York and Paris in June ’08, later testing a route between New York and Amsterdam, which was shelved in July ’09. It launched a new route,...

June 2010 issue | Appears on page 50

Vilaró in Uruguay

In the article on Uruguay in the April ’10 issue, the author wrote, “… in planning my trip, I found useful Internet information in English to be elusive, and finding a US-based company with Uruguay-only offerings proved impossible.”

My wife and I took a spur-of-the-moment trip to Uruguay in March ’05, spending a couple of nights in Montevideo and a week in a timeshare in Punta del Este. Although speaking only broken Spanish, we had absolutely no trouble in finding our way and enjoying...