-- P. Barnes, Toronto
A: Here are a few ideas:
-- Many people don't know it but Michigan has a thriving wine industry with 71 wineries generating about $790 million US in revenue and employing 5,000 people. For ideas on touring wine country, see michiganwines.com.
-- This year marks the 35th-anniversary of the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald (immortalized in Gordon Lightfoot's legendary ballad). Twenty-nine crew men died when the lake freighter sunk in Lake Superior on Nov. 10, 1975. A memorial service and other events will be held in Rouge River to commemorate the tragedy. See ssedmundfitzgerald.com.
-- For more travel information, contact the Michigan CVB online at michigan.org or call toll-free 1-888-784-7328 and ask to speak to a travel counsellor.
Q: Spending the Christmas holidays in Germany has been on my to-do list for some time. Where can I get information on neat places to celebrate the festive season there?
-- S. Turner, Toronto
A: Many Canadian tour operators -- including Avalon Waterways, Scenic Tours, Viking River Cruises, Jerry van Dyke Travel, Trafalgar Tours and Exclusive Tours -- offer Christmas cruises along the Rhine, Moselle or Danube rivers. En route to the country's beautiful Christmas markets, passengers are treated to lovely landscapes and vistas of charming towns.
The German National Tourism Office says Danube cruises, for example, stop in Nuremberg, where the medieval town square is the perfect setting for the city's annual Christmas market. On the Rhine, Cologne -- with its seven Christmas markets -- is a highlight. The market next to the Cathedral is the most popular.
Berlin has more than 60 Christmas markets including one in front of Charlottenburg Castle, which will feature the Biedermeier period. Historic carriage rides, theme exhibits in the palace, and specialized lighting will focus on the fascinating era between 1815 and 1848.
Other ideas for the holidays include staying overnight at the enchanting 'Anno 1640' hotel in Bernkastel-Kues (maerchenhotel.com). The historic hotel provides rooms fit for kings and queens with fairy-tale motifs such as Sleeping Beauty and the Frog Prince.
The small village of Seiffen, in the Ore Mountains of southern Saxony, is known for its skilled wood carvers. More than 100 small workshops produce wood-carved Christmas ornaments from angels to nutcrackers.
In Rothenburg-ob-der-Tauber, the Kaethe Wohlfahrt Christmas store is famous for its Christmas decorations, which can be purchased year-round. During the holiday season, Kaethe Wohlfahrt holds special Christmas-themed exhibits.
For more ideas on holiday visits to Germany, visit the German National Tourism websites at germany.travel and cometogermany.com.
Q: What currency can I use on a trip to Taiwan?
-- C. Costa, Mississauga
A: Taiwan's currency -- called the New Taiwan Dollar -- is also known as the Taiwanese dollar or TWD. At press time, $100 buys about $3,033 TWD. The symbol for TWD can be written NT$, NTD and NT.
ilona@mycompass.ca
Newfoundland is outta this world
