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February 2010 issue | Appears on page 59

Seven Bridges in Amsterdam

Strolling through the flower-lined canal streets in Amsterdam is a great delight in summer, particularly if you’re staying in a hotel that makes casual sunrise and sunset walks convenient.

My husband, John, and I visited Amsterdam for eight days in July ’09 and stayed at the Seven Bridges Hotel (Reguliersgracht 31, 1017 LK Amsterdam, Netherlands; phone 011 31 20 623 1329, fax 20 624 7652, www.seven

bridgeshotel.nl), located on a quiet street around the corner from the...

February 2010 issue | Appears on page 60

Relaxing in Venice

Here are a few nice places in Venice.

• In September ’09 I stayed at Pensione Accademia (Dorsoduro 1058, 30123 Venezia, Italia; phone +39 041 52 10 188, fax 52 39 152, www.pensioneaccademia.it). It is on a small canal near the gallery and the vaporetto stop of that name.

It has two gardens. Breakfast was served in the one facing the canal. Though paved, it is well planted and very attractive.

What surprised me was the rear garden, a small gem, with grass, trees, flower...

February 2010 issue | Appears on page 60

Funniest Thing for Feb '10

Tell ITN about the funniest thing that ever happened to you while traveling in a foreign country. (ITN prints no info on destinations in the United States.) There are no restrictions on length. The ITN staff will choose each month’s winner, who will receive a free one-year subscription to ITN. Entries not chosen cannot be acknowledged.

This month’s winner is MERYL EVERETT of Scotts Valley, CA:

Several years ago I was vacationing in Fiji with my husband, our three young sons and...

January 2010 issue | Appears on page 12

Ticket time bombs from Italy

My husband, Dick, and I received five traffic citations in the mail in October ’09, each involving a €116 (near $175) fine, for traffic violations on a trip to Florence, Italy, that took place two years before!

Apparently, under Italian law, the police have 360 days to send the notices, UNLESS the car involved is a rental car, in which case the allotted year doesn’t begin until the rental company informs the police of the renter’s name and address.

The...

January 2010 issue | Appears on page 12

Beware of limited-traffic zones

In September ’08 my wife and I and our friends Ralph and Lynn went to Italy, where we drove all over the Tuscany area in a rental car from Auto Europe. About nine months after our return, in a letter dated June 23, 2009, I was notified of two traffic citations by the Florence police, one for a traffic violation on Sept. 17, 2008, and one for Sept. 22. Each fine was for €103 (near $155). On July 31 I received an almost identical one from the Sienna police for a violation on Sept. 19.

...

January 2010 issue | Appears on page 16

Buying gas in Europe

My wife and I spent September ’09 driving in France and Italy.

The current economic climate did not seem to have decreased the number of tourists, although we did encounter fewer Americans than usual. Even so, we were always able to get a room — no reservations for us — though on a few occasions (in Stresa, Italy, and in Provence and the Lot Valley, France) the small country hotels we like filled up by early evening.

Possibly of interest to those of you who like to drive in...

January 2010 issue | Appears on page 16

Online London dining guide

While in London in September ’09, we used the website www.restaurant-guide.com regularly to check out restaurants and to find special offers. We have been pleased with the recommendations and the “two entrée for one” offers.

If you use their service, be sure to print out the reservation/offer. One restaurant we used asked which offer we had booked, and one didn’t credit us the free entrée until we showed the reservation.

By the way, we highly recommend Whitechapel Gallery...

January 2010 issue | Appears on page 26

Keep paperwork plus notes

In March ’09 I received a promotional e-mail from American Express stating that if I opened a credit card account (and met other requirements), I could get 25,000 air miles with Delta Air Lines plus two passes to Delta’s airport lounges. Having a number of air miles with Northwest Airlines and knowing that Northwest was merging into Delta, I called and applied for the American Express Card.

In about mid-April American Express sent another promotional e-mail, but this one offered 40,...