-- Discover Paris Walks (discoverwalks.com) advertises their strolls as being free -- and they are -- but tips are expected. The couple who told me about them did one this summer and said they discovered things about Paris "you wouldn't normally see.'"
Perhaps that's because, according to the website, "walks are with native Parisians who grew up in Paris and know the city as only a native would -- the landmarks, the side streets, today's gossip and yesterday's storied history."
Readers also contributed two Paris accommodation tips: Hotel California St. Germain (californiaparishotel.com), on Rue des Ecoles, in the Latin Quarter, and a studio apartment in Montparnasse owned by two retired Canadian teachers (visit simplyspoken.com). Rue des Ecoles is convenient to some of the city's major attractions. My wife and I stayed there on our first visit to Paris. And we're familiar with that studio apartment, having rented it ourselves last year.
-- Those Newfoundland B&Bs are Marilyn's Hospitality Home (bbcanada.com/1466.html), in L'Anse Aux Meadows, near the ancient Viking site, and Everton House in St. John's (evertonhouse.com), described on its website as "a stately heritage home ... nine luxurious rooms, a spacious bar and lounge area, an elegant dining room, and a full-service kitchen."
-- A woman who cruised in the Mediterranean on MSC Magnifica complained about being charged for nonalcoholic beverages at lunch and supper. She estimates this cost her 10 euros (nearly $14) a day, including gratuities added automatically. One cruise website I checked warns that passengers may well have to pay for every beverage, including bottled water and ice tea, on some European cruises, while the same ships operating in the Caribbean will provide them free. Beverage policies vary widely but the norm on many large cruise ships is extra payment for bottled water, bottled soft drinks and fancy coffees, but free fountain beverages -- such as ice tea, fruit punch, ice water and coffee -- at the buffet.
-- Tantara, a Stratford restaurant on Downie St., across from the Avon Theatre (tantarafood.com). Not much of a beer and wine list, but reasonable prices -- $17 for a plate of excellent pasta, $26 for a three-course supper with pasta as the main. Phone 519-814-1111 for reservations.
-- Qantas gets raves from a woman who feels claustrophobic in planes. "They are soooooo good,'' she writes after flying Qantas to Australia and back. "Their main job is to keep their customers happy, comfortable, well fed, well watered etc. The crew members (going and coming) were so happy with their jobs that it showed and made our 14 hours and 40 minutes (locked in the big tin can) soooo much easier.''
-- Ontario Parks's fall colour report (parkreports.com/fall/) has a map showing where colours are reaching their peak.
-- Cosmos has waived the single supplement on the following departures of its nine-day Splendors of Italy tour: Nov. 7, 14, 21, 29 and Dec. 21. Space is strictly limited and the booking deadline is Oct. 12. Visit cosmosvacations.ca for tour details, see a travel agent for reservation.
-- Free ferry passage back to Vancouver's Lower Mainland is given to any visitor booking a one-night stay in the Greater Victoria area through Tourism Victoria's promotional website, tourismvictoria.com/fall. The offer is good until Nov. 30.
-- Visitors to Goldstream Provincial Park, just north of Victoria, can watch spawning salmon make their annual return to the Goldstream River. They appear in early October and can be seen for about nine weeks. In December, more than 250 bald eagles and other birds of prey arrive to feed on the salmon. The Freedom King Visitor Centre, at the mouth of the river, offers educational programs, wildlife viewing and children's activities.
Visit goldstreampark.com.
-- Air Canada will begin daily, nonstop service between Toronto and New Orleans Oct. 30.
CORRECTION
The e-mail address in the Sept. 26 column for Gerry Tribillon, who conducts wine tours in the Minervois region of southern France, should have read gtribillon@gmail.com.
Readers are invited to share their travel tips by e-mailing them to denglishtravel@gmail.com.
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