BRILLIANT BUS TRIP
It was a 4pm departure for the 15-hour overnight bus journey from Prague to Paris. Initially apprehensive about the length of the trip, I was very pleasantly surprised by the end. It was more comfortable than most long-haul economy flights, with ample opportunities to get out and stretch my legs at the autobahn services. As a solo traveller, I felt safe and very confident in our two Czech Eurolines drivers. And the time flew by. Using onboard Wi-Fi, I could send messages to friends as I travelled, and follow the route across Germany live on Google maps. I popped on my noise-cancelling headphones and drifted off to sleep. On the dot of 7am we pulled into the Gallieni bus station, as scheduled. A quick metro trip into the heart of Paris, and a whole day to enjoy it.
Elizabeth Hartnell-Young, North Melbourne, Vic
LETTER OF THE WEEK
Your article (Traveller, February 20-21) covered a few of Manhattan's older restaurants. Our favourites are The Landmark Tavern, established in 1868 on what was then the shore of the Hudson River (corner of 11th Avenue and W46th), the nearby Barbetta, which is the oldest Italian restaurant in New York still run by the family who founded it (the Maioglios, in 1906; Restaurant Row on W46th). We never miss lunch there every time we visit NYC. For quirky and old, another favourite is Bahrs Landing at Highlands, New Jersey; it was established in 1917 in a beached houseboat (the Seastreak Ferry from Wall Street or E35th to Highlands is a great scenic trip).
Greg Taylor, Mount Eliza, Vic
EASYGOING EGYPT
We have just returned from a great holiday in Egypt, fulfilling a long-held wish. There is no concern with security and everyone is made very welcome. However, the country desperately needs tourists and now is a good time to go (although avoid the local school holidays). Our Nile cruise boat, the Sun Boat IV, that will carry 80, had 17 passengers, and the Hilton at Luxor was only 5 per cent full. Food and service was excellent. Everywhere we went, the locals asked us to spread the word that now is a good time to come if you want photos of temples and pyramids with no one around. Just avoid the Sinai Peninsula.
Patrick Sutcliffe, Wahroonga, NSW
NO COMPO
Re the letter from Fiona Foster regarding the inadequacy of the $US130 plus an allowance for food and transfers offered by Hawaiian Airlines (Traveller letters, February 20-21). Singapore Airlines has changed the timing of my July flight from London to Sydney so that I am forced to spend an additional two days in London and it has offered no compensation. I am travelling premium economy and despite suitable premium economy seats being available on other flights it has refused to make these available to me unless I pay more money.
Eileen Simpson, South Maroota, NSW
HEAD
Brian Johnston dismisses Monet's garden too casually (Traveller, February 13-14). He's right that it's not one of the great gardens but it has a lot of charm and interest. Beds of riotous flowers adding colour much of the time, the amazing, espaliered fruit trees framing their squares of lawn, with the whole a frame for the house, make it fascinating. The stroll through the tunnel under the stream and the tranquillity of the lily ponds area are a bonus. We should remember that Monet, the artist, created this garden, just as he created so many wonderful paintings. It's a work of art and to be enjoyed as such.
Brian Macdonald, Watsonia Vic
TOLL TROLLS
Duncan Campbell (Traveller letters, February 13-14), I'll take your £47 out of pocket costs and raise it but a few hundred more euros. We hired a car with Europcar in Munich to travel to and from Chur, in Switzerland. The staff were unhelpful and would not tell us what tolls we would need to pay (we did ask). At the first fuel stop we asked an assistant about the tolls and were told that the only toll we needed to pay was an annual toll for Switzerland because that was our destination. The motorway crossed through a corner of Austria and there was no indication that we needed to pay a toll for the short time that we were on that part of the toll road. A month later when we were in Paris we discovered that Europcar had charged us €40 for administration costs for each of the two traffic infringements that they had received. We went to a Europcar office but no one could or would tell us what the infringements were about. Just before Xmas, we received a bill from the Austrian government for €300. We have since been told by a German friend that Austria is making a killing from this one section of motorway where motorists are unaware of the need to pay an Austrian toll. Like Duncan Campbell, we tried to do the right thing in the first place to no avail.
Susan McMahon, Lismore Heights, NSW
WE WELCOME YOUR TRAVEL-RELATED OPINIONS AND EXPERIENCES
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