International Travel News articles from June 1999

International Travel News archives from June 1999

That special Caribbean magic.(Caribbean Area)
June 1, 1999... The Black Watch. It sounds ominous, but actually it is the name of a proud, Scottish regiment. . . and a proud ship. Owned by Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines of Norway, the ship nonetheless is steeped in British tradition - and we two Yanks (the...

Lakelands and medieval castle beckon for Finland's premier opera fest.
June 1, 1999... We had been on the old Finnish lake steamer more than 11 hours, meandering through a gorgeous blue-green mosaic of water and forest. Overhead, scattered clouds were turning pastel in the soft light of the long summer evening. Savonlinna's...

Logistics - and rewards - of 'round-the-world flight.
June 1, 1999... A dream finally became reality with a 5-week 'round-the-world trip, March 28 to May 2, 1998. Although it had been in the back of my mind for about 25 years, family and employment responsibilities kept it there until the spring of '96. At that...

A flavor of the country with a cottage rental in Normandy.
June 1, 1999... If you are in England and want to make a quick visit to France, the fastest route is by train through the high-speed-rail Channel Tunnel. Twenty minutes is all it takes to cross the Channel. On the other hand, if you want to make a more...

Italy.(group tour)
June 1, 1999... My daughter, Laura, and I took the 14-day "Italy North Continental" tour offered by Perillo Tours (Perillo Plaza, Woodcliff Lake, NJ 07675; phone 800/431-1515 or 201/307-1234, or fax 201/307-1808, or visit www.perillotours.com), Aug. 10-23,...

Germany.(package tour)
June 1, 1999... In autumn '98 we took a week-long biking trip along the Danube River organized by Rad & Reisen (Schulgasse 36, A-1180 Wien; phone 011 43 1 405 38 73 0, or fax 011 43 1 405 38 73 17, or visit www.eurocycle.at), an Austrian company with which we...

Nicaragua.(package tour)
June 1, 1999... NICARAGUA On May 6, '98, we departed Miami for a one-week tour of Nicaragua with Saga Holidays (Boston, MA). This all-inclusive tour was $1,199 per person. Our flight to Managua on American Airlines was excellent and, as is standard for...

Namibia: land of beauty - and contrasts.
June 1, 1999... I had been puzzled by Namibia ever since it was born in 1990 - the world's newest country atop one of the world's oldest deserts, the Namib of Southwest Africa. The draw The dry climate there protects petrified trees, fossils, dinosaur...

'Splendour of the seas' transatlantic.
June 1, 1999... "Your flight to JFK Airport has been canceled!" What a way to start a vacation! We had to get from Philadelphia to New York to make our flight to Barcelona via Madrid. A 3-hour jitney ride got us there in time; at least we didn't have to...

Critique of 'Island breeze.'.(cruise)
June 1, 1999... In July '98 we booked a 7-night west Caribbean cruise on Premier Cruise Lines' S.S. SeaBreeze, which was to leave Port Everglades in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, on Sunday, Jan. 17, '99, and return Jan. 24. On Nov. 12, two weeks after making our...

M/S 'Explorer to Tristan da Cunha.(ocean cruise)
June 1, 1999... Those fortunate few who manage to arrive at Tristan da Cunha on a day when the seas permit a landing are treated to a rare glimpse of this remote little island in the South Atlantic. In 1961 a violent volcano erupted, forcing the evacuation...

Dnieper River cruise in Ukraine.
June 1, 1999... In the November '97 issue, on page 94, there was a very positive review about a 2-week Dnieper River cruise in Ukraine in the summer of '96. The cruise was offered by Value World Tours (17220 Newhope St., Ste. 202, Fountain Valley, CA 92708;...

Getting around Lisbon.
June 1, 1999... When in Lisbon, a city made for walking, their new Metro network is a mixed blessing. You get around faster and easier and you admire the stations, but you don't stumble upon the magnificent surprises of the capital of Portugal. ...

Traveling the Peloponnesos.(Greece)
June 1, 1999... (First of two parts) "Mission Impossible," I muttered to myself when I saw the tunnel looming in the distance. I continued driving, albeit more slowly. I stopped at the end of the causeway, exited the car and entered the pitch-dark narrow...

Beyond Versailles: grand chateaux near Paris.
June 1, 1999... Versailles isn't the only chateau near Paris. Paris's booming upper class made this region the heartland of European chateau building in the 16th and 17th centuries. Most of these sumptuous chateaux were lavish hunting lodges - getaways from...

Eleusis: gateway to the underworld.(Greece)
June 1, 1999... I had never visited Eleusis before. Nor had I intended to on this trip to Greece, my most recent, in January 1999. Of course, I had read about the site and knew that the Eleusinian Mysteries had originated here. But Eleusis is located 14...