In Budapest, Hungary, the Terror Háza, or House of Terror Museum (Andrássy út 60, Budapest 1062, Hungary; phone + 36 [1] 374 2600 or visit www.terrorhaza.hu), deals with the years of fascist and communist oppression, from WWII to the fall of communism in 1989.

The building was previously known as “The House of Loyalty.” It is where the so-called “enemies of the state” were rounded up and systematically interrogated, tortured and executed. When the Red Army fought its way into Budapest...

We had the most incredible two days in Poland in 2005, thanks to the best guide ever, Ziggy Pelczyk (e-mail zpelczyk@wp.pl), and the ITN reader who wrote and told me about him, Elizabeth Moore.

We went there for two days over the 4-day Thanksgiving weekend. We left home on Wednesday and arrived in Warsaw midday on Thursday. It was a great time of year to travel, as the holiday season was just starting and most of the European cities were decorated and had Christmas markets in the town...

While traveling by car in western Sicily in September ’06, we were in need of a restaurant for supper. A local merchant directed us to Garten Pub (Via Erice 145, Valderice 91019,Trapani Province, Sicily, Italy; phone/fax +39 0923 892377) as a place to get good rustic Sicilian cuisine.

The welcoming owner, speaking passable English, informed us that he had no menu as such but that we should decide whether our small group wished “meat” or “fish” and that his son in the kitchen would...