Traveller letters: I'm glad I still travelled to Nice

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This was published 7 years ago

Traveller letters: I'm glad I still travelled to Nice

A man walks past French flags flying at half-mast on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France, the day after a French-Tunisian attacker killed 84 people as he drove a lorry through Bastille Day crowds.

A man walks past French flags flying at half-mast on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France, the day after a French-Tunisian attacker killed 84 people as he drove a lorry through Bastille Day crowds.Credit: Getty Images

LETTER OF THE WEEK

I was due to travel from Marseille to Nice on the morning after Bastille Day. It seemed inappropriate to continue with this plan after the brutal attack on citizens and visitors.

However, I am glad that I went three days later, to walk along the reopened Promenade des Anglais and join with people in their grief. The floral and verbal tributes spread along two kilometres of the promenade were a shockingly beautiful reminder of this horrific event. It felt right to be there to reclaim some normality, although the bigger issues still remain to be tackled.

Many French people have pointed out to me the relationship between Australia and France forged at the Somme in World War I, and were aware of Australian representatives marching in Paris on the French national day.

Our Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) advises caution in France, but continuing with our travel plans is a way of showing solidarity with the French.

Elizabeth Hartnell-Young, North Melbourne, VIC

ST PETE'S SAKE

Julius Grafton (Traveller Letters, July 16-17) is spot on with his rant about Russian visa requirements. They are ridiculous. However, the St Petersburg he experienced is not what I found.

It was my first visit to Russia, I travelled alone and I don't speak the language. I probably asked at least 70 locals for directions during my two-week stay and almost without exception they were friendly and did their best to put me on the right track. I met only one grump.

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Helsinki may be "more orderly, quiet and stylish" but these attributes are not why most people go to St Petersburg. To damn the city as just "a hive of tourist traps and garish drapery" is to ignore the glories of its architecture, art and museums.

Janet Halliday, Lindfield, NSW

We spent three days in St Petersburg, during a Baltic cruise. The effort and cost of obtaining a multi-entry Russian visa was really worthwhile for independent sightseeing. The Russians were extremely friendly and helpful. A stallholder left his stall, directing us to a sightseeing bus stop, two young women rang the bus company and found out when the next bus was due, telling the driver to be sure to pick us up.

Having determined taxi prices beforehand we were not "ripped off". And we never experienced the "horrendous traffic jams", cited by one cruise company, between the port and city.

Dianne Anderson, Bundoora, VIC

POOR GUY

How strange that Kim McKay "fondly remembers visiting" Guy the Gorilla at London Zoo (Traveller, July 16-17) and for this nominates his stuffed body as a must-see "treasure".

Guy spent 24 years in solitary confinement, sitting on a concrete floor in an empty cage the size of a single-car garage. Such treatment does not deserve to be praised as something to treasure.

David Hancocks, Carlton, VIC

FEELING SPECIAL

In response to Beverley Wetherall's comments about "special meals" (SPML) served by airlines (Traveller Letters, July 16-17), from my experience working in the airline and airline catering industry for many years, most airlines will offer a more or less wide range of SPMLs to their customers.

While some meals are straightforward and easy to cater for by the various airlines and their nominated catering partners, many of these SPMLs are restrictive in what can or cannot be served.

"Normal" meals in all travelling classes are changed quite frequently but most SPMLs are not. Given that many airlines do not have their own catering kitchens (at least not away from their home base) they will engage the services of a specialist catering company. While most airlines will plan and specify their regular meals, many choose the components of SPMLs from a caterer's catalogue. The caterer may use the same SPML for more than one customer. It is in an airline's interest to engage as few catering companies as possible through their network, and any given caterer may offer the same SPML from all their kitchens.

So, if you fly with the same airline from point A, via B to C and back, you may well get served the same, or a very similar meal. Any SPML is usually a lot more expensive to provide and logistically challenging, just like at your local supermarket, where the gluten-free bread, for instance, costs more than the regular bread.

If your diet is very restricted, it would be a good idea to pack your own food. At least you can be sure that you get what you want.

Name and suburb withheld

REAL DOWNER

In my experience more passengers now behave courteously during luggage collection (Traveller Letters, July 16-17). On a recent Sunday's aircraft arrival at the unearthly hour of 5am after a 14-hour flight, I saw several passengers helping others to take suitcases off the carousel and many others stood back a bit to allow most a better view.

This courtesy was not extended to arriving passengers by whoever loads the carousel. It is hard enough to identify bags when several hundred passengers have just arrived on an A380, but to have the bags hurled upside down onto the carousel where identifying tags, ribbons and other markings are much less able to be seen on a moving target, does not make for a stress-free arrival at Sydney Airport.

Sue Donald, Pymble, NSW

GONE TROPPO

We've just returned from a wonderful two weeks in Darwin. The highlight was an all-day cultural tour in Kakadu. But I couldn't say the same about an expensive "all-day" tour to the Tiwi Islands. We spent five hours of the trip sitting on a boat going there and back. On land, a bus took us from sight to sight, but we had no time to look at them. At the last sight, we came out and the bus had gone without us.

I've received no reasonable answer or apology from the tour company.

David Ginsbourg, East Bentleigh, VIC

WE WELCOME YOUR TRAVEL-RELATED OPINIONS AND EXPERIENCES

The writer of the letter judged the best of the week will receive a Lonely Planet prize pack. See lonelyplanet.com.

Letters may be edited for space, legal or other reasons. Preference will be given to letters of 50-100 words or less.

Email us at travellerletters@fairfaxmedia.com.au and, importantly, include your name, address and phone number.

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