Traveller letters: Better off with a selfie - beware camera scam in Paris and Rome

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Traveller letters: Better off with a selfie - beware camera scam in Paris and Rome

Woman tourist posing at Eiffel Tower.

Woman tourist posing at Eiffel Tower.Credit: SHUTTERSTOCK

SNAP UNHAPPY

I warn fellow travellers not to blindly follow Claire Rodier's advice to forsake selfies and ask complete strangers to take a "photo of you".

I have heard accounts of travellers whose cameras/phones were promptly stolen in high tourist areas such as Vatican City and Paris especially around the Louvre.

Her comment that "80-year-old Japanese women aren't good photographers" should be qualified as they are less likely to steal your hardware than 20-year-olds.

Alan Edwards, Roseville, NSW

WRENCHING EXPERIENCE

Claire Rodier (Traveller letters, August 18) mentioning that 80-year-old Japanese women aren't good photographers reminds me of a recent trip to Japan where I was confronted by an 80-year-old Japanese woman gesticulating and waving a camera at me.

Assuming, of course, that she wanted me to take a photograph of herself and her husband, I tried, in vain, to wrest the camera from her.

It then tweaked that she wanted to take a photograph of my wife and me with her husband. This was dutifully done with smiles all round and plenty of bowing.

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Michael Afaras, Henley, NSW

LETTER OF THE WEEK: SUMMIT SPECIAL

Ute Junker's cover story, "Island of Ruin and Renaissance" (Traveller, August 18) brought back some wonderful memories but one of Sicily's highlights was missing.

Some years ago we spent five months living in a sea side village in Calabria overlooking the Ionian sea.

Each day, as we ventured onto our apartment balcony we would search for Mt Etna across the water. Sometimes it was shrouded in fog, on other days, in brilliant sunshine, tempting us to get closer to its majesty.

We accepted the invitation, of course, and one day caught a ferry from Reggio, drove to Taormina and began the climb. It was early March and the mountain still had on its winter coat.

Thick lava areas of snow covered the side of the road until we managed to reach 1976 metres to the tourist haven at the top and the brilliant views. It was amazing.

Two months later we travelled along the same route and wondered whether we were in the same area. With an authorised guide this time we ascended to 3000 metres, to a crater which had erupted some time ago.

Swirling mists surrounded us with soft black lava under foot. Sulphur from the crater affected our eyes, our breathing was laboured and the winds were vicious.

It was tough and the antithesis of the beauty we had seen two months before. Nevertheless, we felt that this still active volcano lording it over all of Sicily and its amazing history is in complete control of the area it commands.

Grada Loria, Glenorie, NSW

ALL CHANGE, PLEASE

I too have seen the changing of the guard in countries like England and a riveting ritual in Latvia (Traveller letters, August 18). Yes, I agree that pride is displayed in these events.

It may not be a changing of the guard per say but each day in the National War Memorial in Canberra a distinctly Aussie service is carried out.

The Last Post ceremony commences at 4.55pm. It honours a veteran who served in one of the services and is open to the public.

It is streamed live all over the world for people overseas to view. This is a moving spectacle and well worth the effort to attend and it is here in Australia.

Elizabeth McDermott, Turramurra, NSW

In what is probably a little known fact, T. Podmore, Australia introduced a changing of the guard about 10 years ago: Rudd, Gillard, Rudd, Abbott, Turnbull... However, the pride and style displayed is highly questionable.

Damien Gunn, Essendon, VIC

KEEP SAKE

Michael Daly (Traveller letters, August 18) should retain all boarding passes to prove to airlines that travel took place to claim frequent flyer points.

Qantas allows a claim through their website but frequently they say "no matching data found" with code-share flights.

However when boarding passes are emailed the points are credited immediately. I also photocopy them to prevent image loss and paste them into my travel diary where they serve as a trip souvenir and can be found easily.

Lindsay Somerville, Linfield, NSW

A PONT WELL MADE

A little respect, please.

I can't allow the magnificent UNESCO heritage Pont du Gard Aqueduct to be described as "a bridge over the Gardon river" (Traveller, August 18).

The Pont was part of a Roman irrigation system from the reigns of Emperors Claudius and Nero. It is so expertly built that the fall is only 12 metres for a total length of 50 kilometres.

It's long been a drawcard, I saw graffiti on it from 1770.

A public bus runs from Nimes for those wanting to visit the "bridge".

Ian Robertson, Moss Vale, NSW

BAD CHECK

We contacted Emirates directly when a delayed Aegean Airlines connecting flight began to significantly cut into the "be at the airport within two hours" advice.

Disappointingly, Aegean had declined to check our baggage further than Athens, although nominated as a "partner airline'". Emirates directed us to proceed straight to international check-in on Athens arrival, and avoid being a "no show" at all costs.

They also undertook to find and subsequently forward the baggage. In future we'll take pictures of baggage to assist in identification, and consider overnighting near the airport.

A big thanks to Emirates for directions, a fast-tracked escort and baggage assistance.

Michael Daly, Hampton, VIC

GOD BLESS AMERICA

Our experiences of Americans were similar to Michael Cullis (Traveller letters, August 18) in respect to the hospitality we received when visiting the US.

Notwithstanding some degree of ignorance about Australia, people were open, engaging, and keen to talk once they realised where we came from.

Two young ladies that were waitressing at a surf-club café on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan (yes, they have sand and surf) had heard about Vegemite and wanted to try it. We had a jar and they got their wish.

Two lovely people we met in San Diego at the bar in the motel said to us, "we come from Palm Springs, come over and stay with us when you hit the road again."

We did.

Peter Reynolds, Gilmore, ACT

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