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The Bus Stops Here

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IN REGARD to your story on the European bus trip ["Charge of the Bus Brigade," July 16], thanks for the memory! In 1992, my husband and I stopped in Innsbruck while traveling through Central Europe. Trying to get to our hotel, we encountered a tour bus from Italy, stuck between two buildings. This forced us to find an alternate route through Innsbruck's narrow alleys, consequently getting our car stuck between a wall and a street sign. Same tour bus as in the article? Anyhow, nice to know it wasn't a figment of our imagination.

Natalie Seitz, Mechanicsburg, Pa.

HAVING JUST returned from a group tour to the Baltics and Berlin, I'd like to share some insights from the back of the bus:

· Being led around can be very passive, so it still helps to have a good guidebook. For example, while left on our own to explore the Pergamom Museum, I used my "Eyewitness Travel for Berlin" to help me select the major exhibitions to view.

· Make your suggestions to the guide privately and quietly, but do make them. I was surprised that there was no plan to have the group's members introduce themselves. The next morning I suggested we all gather in the lobby to tell where we were from.

· When we arrived in various cities, I asked the guide to find out what was being performed. Only through such questions did we learn of, and eventually attend, an extraordinary ballet at Tallin's opera house.

· Don't accept everything as a given. Try to work with the guide -- again, quietly -- to find alternative solutions to scheduling conflicts. That ballet in Tallin seemed impossible since it conflicted with the group's dinner. I asked our guide whether it was possible to contact the restaurant and request an earlier seating for those needing to leave for the performance.

Offering constructive suggestions certainly enhanced the quality of the trip for me. Privately and tactfully delivered, they worked. And they taught me a valuable lesson: Group tours can still be active, engaging and more than what is simply on the itinerary.

Sandra Weiswasser, Washington

Estancias in Argentina

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I THOROUGHLY enjoyed your story on estancias ["In Argentina, Home on the Ranch," July 16], as I have twice visited an estancia outside Buenos Aires. I found it to be a great cultural experience as well as a welcome break from the hectic pace of city sightseeing.

The Estancia Los Dos Hermanos ( http://www.estancialosdoshermanos.com/ ), about 56 miles outside the city, is a much less touristy experience in the pampas than others I've seen mentioned. The day is focused on horseback riding and marvelous food. Lodging is also available, and a pool offers a relaxing respite to those not into horseback riding.