Talk About Travel

Learning skills on vacation, Italy, France, Greece, Cancun and more

Got a travel-related question, comment, suspicion, warning, gripe, sad tale or happy ending? The Post Travel Section Flight Crew is at your service.

On the itinerary this week: finding out why Denmark is such a happy place, doing yoga at a Montana retreat and visiting a museum of world culture in Paris.

All other travel topics are open as well. If you have insights, ideas or information to add to the discussion, just press the call button above your seat and we'll get to you as soon as we can. Different members of the Crew will rotate through the captain's chair every week, but the one constant is you, our valued passengers.

We know you have a choice in online travel forums, and speaking for the entire Flight Crew, we want to thank you for flying with us.

A transcript follows.

You may also browse an archive of previous live travel discussions. For daily dispatches, check out Travel Log, the Travel section's new blog.

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Scott Vogel: Afternoon, everyone, on this incredibly beautiful day in Washington. Maybe we'll take that staycation after all... although not before our standing appointment with you, our weekly rambling mess o' conversation known as Travel Talk. Leading the discussion this week will be myself, Nancy McKeon, Carol Sottili and Christina Talcott, all of whom will try to get to as many questions as humanly possible in the hour ahead.

Okay, so I just got back from a trip to New Orleans in which I attempted to learn Cajun cooking (more on that misadventure in the weeks ahead). We know from studies that "educational tourism" is getting more popular all the time. For today's contest, I want to know about a time you attempted to learn something valuable -- while on vacation. Most interesting submission wins a guidebook for the next vacation you're planning, wherever that might be...

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Arlington, VA 22202: Dear Flight Crew,

I'm thinking about taking my girlfriend (she's 30, I'm 29) to Italy for around eight days in October and although I just started my research, I'm a bit overwhelmed. Two questions for you:

1. How many cities could we realistically see in a week or so? 2. Can you or the chatters recommend a travel agency that could assist with flights, hotels, and in-country transportation? We don't want a guided tour, but I think utilizing a travel agency might be helpful.

Thanks!

Christina Talcott: Wow, lucky girlfriend! I'll let Nancy weigh in on an itinerary, but if you've never been there before, I'd definitely recommend at least a few days in Florence and Rome. You might also want to consider Bologna (great food!) or Venice (astounding!). You can get around easily by train. As for finding a travel agent, I've heard Tripology.com, Zicasso.com and Compete4YourSeat.com match travelers with prospective travel agents. Any chatters have suggestions for good local travel agents for Italy-bound travelers?

Nancy McKeon: If you're willing to do a little flying between cities, you could do the trifecta of Venice, Florence and Rome. (It's almost hassle-free to do Florence and Rome by train, but the train trip to Venice is just too long to fit into a week.) Seeing those three places, you get an idea of the totally different cultures that exist inside the "geographical expression" that is Italy: Rome for the, um, Roman period (plus the lush "la dolce vita" period!), Florence for the intense Renaissance period and Venice for the piece of Italy that will always have one foot in the Byzantine empire. With more time, I would append Naples to the list, but then you'd be tempted to take the train to Pompeii and to Sorrento and then Capri...and then you'd never want to come home again. If you could rent a car in Florence and strike out, even for one long day, into the countryside and see San Gimignano (with all the mediaeval watch towers) or Siena or Lucca or... You get the idea. Have a wonderful time.

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Washington, DC: Reading this article really made me miss the summers of my youth. My father is Danish but I grew up around DC. I spent most of my summers growing up in Denmark with my Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents, Cousins, etc, and they were some of the best summers ever. Danish happiness really is about the simple things. The fact that everyone has their essentials taken care of - healthcare, education, retirement... this leaves more time to be with friends and family, to sit drinking afternoon coffee while talking about nothing and everything and just enjoying the company of those you are with. Not wondering what big thing you are missing, or worrying about paying the bills, or getting that next promotion. It is such a more satisfying way to live life.

Now, I admit, I am essentially American, so chose to settle in DC as an adult because this is where my parents and friends (and a good job) are, but I really miss the Danish vibe of being when I'm not there. Maybe one day I will finally settle there...

Thanks for the great article!

Scott Vogel: It's funny, I found myself missing my own youthful summers, even though they weren't spent anywhere near Denmark! There's a terrifically unscheduled (for lack of a better word) quality to life there, and a healthy sense of purposelessness that adults -- not just children -- get to enjoy. (I don't mean to proselytize for the place, by the way. The lack of ethnic diversity, for one, isn't something I'd ever want to duplicate here.)

And regarding your comment on the essentials being taken care of, more than one person said to me, "we have everything we need," which is something I wish I heard more often in this country. But then again, maybe I'm traveling in the wrong circles.

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DC: An easy one for you: do I need to get a visa before I go to South Africa, or can I get it at the airport when I arrive? Thanks!

Christina Talcott: You don't need a visa to visit South Africa as long as you have a U.S. passport and are staying for fewer than 90 days.

One very important note about going to SA: You need to have at least TWO blank pages in your passport when you get there. I've heard of people getting turned away for not having two blank pages. After a 16-hour flight there, you don't want to have to turn right around get back on a plane for that 20-hour return trip.

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Travel microfiber towel - NJ: I recall in the past, discussion about a travel microfiber towel that dried quickly, and was very versatile; could be used as a beach towel, sarong or blanket. I will be traveling to a hot climate and my luggage weight and volume is a huge issue. I started searching the Internet and became overwhelmed with the options (I suspect some are not so good...) Can anyone recommend an extremely light weight, thin (non-bulky) microfiber towel/sarong/blanket? Thank you for your responses!

washingtonpost.com: Road Test: Travel Towels (Post Travel Section, Aug. 12, 2007)

Christina Talcott: I really like Aquis towels for travel. Buy the largest size you can, and you can use it on the beach and as a blanket. (You can buy them at LL Bean, amazon.com, Bed Bath and Beyond, most sporting-goods stores.) That said, I've taken to traveling with an embroidered cotton sarong. It's really lightweight and a little bigger than a beach towel, and it dries quickly and works as a blanket in a pinch. It also rolls up small for packing. For more ideas, check out the Road Test story we ran last year, and I'm sure other chatters have suggestions, too.

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washingtonpost.com: Italy Travel Stories (Post Travel Section archives)

Christina Talcott: Here's inspiration for the Italy-goers....

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Washington, DC: Re: Why Danes are happy: There may be another reason why Danes are the happiest folks on the planet, and it dates from an incident following the German invasion in 1940. This story's source is from Leon Uris' novel Exodus, and may be true. After the German's invasion and subsequent occupation of Denmark in 1940, they issued an edict requiring all Jews to wear the yellow Star of David. The Danish King's response was that one Dane is like every other Dane, and he not will wear one but expects every subject to wear the Star of David. Then the King appeared in public, astride his horse, wearing his Star of David, and everybody else wore his or her Star of David, in support of their fellow Jewish citizens. The Nazis were so surprised by the result of their edict that they cancelled their edict, and set about for another way to capture and exile the Danish Jews, a failure best told in another forum, such as DC's Holocaust Museum. Think about this concept: If every Dane is the same as every other Dane, the result is equal treatment for all Danes, regardless of wealth or the lack thereof. That equality, plus the beer, the knakker sausage, and Tivoli surely adds up to one happy people!

washingtonpost.com: The Rescue of the Jews of Denmark (U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum)

Scott Vogel: That's a great story. It jibes well with what I learned about Copenhageners, which is admittedly little at this point. There is a ferocious embrace of equality, or at least the appearance of it. As someone told me, overt displays of wealth, in the form of cars, houses, etc., are most definitely frowned upon. And the whole we're-in-this-boat-together theme is echoed in many other aspects of the culture. I was quite touched by it, I have to say. And one thing's for certain: the massive coordination effort that was required to ferry thousands of Danish Jews to safety in Sweden during World War II was possible only because of the teamwork of thousands of Danish citizens, Jews and non-Jews alike. Thanks for writing in and please see the link to the Holocaust Museum's info on Jewish Danes during World War II.

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Alexandria, Va.: Hi. Posting early because I'll be in meetings all afternoon. Do you have any suggestions for a short vacation over the Thanksgiving holiday for a single woman in her mid-30s, possibly accompanied by her late 50s mother? Mom doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving, so a place where we would have something else to do on that day (e.g., not a place that shuts down on that Thursday) would be preferable. Other than that, we're pretty much game for anything/anywhere, as long as it's easily reachable from the East Coast (less than 6-7 hrs. by overnight flight or less preferred) and not too expensive. THANKS!

The Flight Crew: Sounds like Canada or Mexico would fill the bill, no? Montreal for a touch of French? Toronto for a lot of good Italian food (and everything else)? And Mexico is, well, Mexico! Air Canada has fares in the $520 range for that time period to Mexico City (fares rise to $800 on the low end if you pick a destination like Oaxaca).

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NW D.C.: Heading to Cancun for Christmas and have been watching flights for the last week or so. I found a flight for under $600 from Reagan on Delta that looks good... but I have one concern. The outbound flight leaves DCA early on Christmas morning and connects through Cincinnati, but we only have a 53 minute layover. It appears Delta has only one non-stop from Cincinnati per day, so things could be bad if we missed that connection. Is this way too risky?

Christina Talcott: Although it's totally possible that everything will go well and you'll make that connection, I'd worry about having only 53 minutes between flights. After all, you may have to contend with snow and/or holiday crowds. I'd recommend trying to find another way to get there.

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Germantown, Md.: To heck with the euro-dollar exchange rate - my wife and I are going to France!! Specifically, we want to visit the southern part of the country. Not the beach, necessarily, except for a day or two. We are wondering what is the best time of year to visit, considering especially cost and also weather.

Nancy McKeon: Oh, lucky you! Why not go in fall when the airfares drop a little (or should, but who knows this year) and the weather in the south is still glorious? Depending how deep into fall you go, you may sacrifice beach weather, but there's so much more than beach there! You don't say where in the south--it's a big place, from the villages in the gnarly hills that rise above the coastal towns of the Cote d'Azur all the way west across the Grand Canyon (no joke) of France to the Southwest, much less traveled, at least by Americans. Coming soon we'll have a story that goes down to the sea in the west, to Les Camargues, where the famous wild horses roam. There are also fortified hill towns there, like Cordes and Carcassonne. Summer is very hot all through the south, much like here, but fall and spring bring the area to life. Even in fall, when Paris and central France seem to come under a constant drizzle, the south still shines.

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Chevy Chase, Md.: Crew

I live in Friendship Heights -- so I assume the Vamoose bus is best for me to get to NYC? Or is Vamoose so bad that others are worth the longer subway commute?

thanks

washingtonpost.com: I have used Vamoose several times and have been happy with it! - Elizabeth

Christina Talcott: I second that. Vamoose has been reliably good, in my experience.

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DC: Hello! I have a question you must get all the time - money exchange. Please help - I am leaving for Europe on Wednesday and will be traveling in Euro and non Euro currency countries. What is the best way to pay for things while there? Credit card? ATM? Amex travelers checks? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Nancy McKeon: I'm sure others have more learned advice, but unless it's a large purchase and I have to use a credit card, I prefer to pay cash. Operating in a different currency always costs you exchange fees, but at least changing money on the spot you know what the rate is. With credit cards, you have little control over when the charge and exchange are made, although it does seem to be instant these days, with charges on the bill that awaits you when you get home! (At least we now can see how much of a percentage the card companies tack on.) As for ATM cards, I acknowledge they're a boon, but I just came back from a cruise with friends and family where at every stop people were dashing around looking for an ATM machine. I had to watch my bag, of course, but I just carried cash and felt a lot more relaxed about the whole thing.

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Fairfax, Va.: Hi, I'm taking a trip to the Greek Islands and Athens soon, and can't seem to find anything the Travel section has written about them. Can you help me out with a link?

washingtonpost.com: Greece Travel Stories (Post Travel Section archives)

The Flight Crew: I recently spent a few days in Athens, which had never been one of my favorite cities. I came around when I started hitting the downtown museums, especially the exquisite Early Christian and Byzantine Museum, newly redone--fabulous frescoes and icons and other bits and pieces, beautifully mounted. Also, the Cycladic Art museum. And of course the archaeological museum. Perhaps it's odd to suggest museums when there's so much history just lying around, but it helps (at least me) to make sense of it. Also, there's a couple of rooftop, open-air movie theaters in the Plaka neighborhood. When I was there, it was "Sex and the City" if you looked in one direction and the Parthenon if you turned your head!

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Arlington, Va.: Re: Last week's post about teens in Cancun, although I've never been to Cancun, I believe that teens should be chaperoned, especially if they're under the age 18, and more so if they go to restaurants, discos and nightclubs for shows.

I say this because I do NOT want to see another Natalee Holloway incident happening on foreign soil, and Cancun, Mexico counts as foreign soil. Everybody, including teens, pre-teens, children, and adults should be aware of what's happening around them, keep their valuables safe, and be as protective as possible when you go out for your day or evening activities.

Carol Sottili: What happened to Natalee Holloway was tragic. But you need to consider how many people go to foreign countries every year compared to how many get killed or disappear. Your chances of getting killed in an accident on the Beltway are better, and yet we all get in cars every day. And we let our teens drive cars. I don't believe you should set teens free in a foreign country, but allowing them to explore a little on their own isn't a bad idea. My daughter and her friends backpacked across Europe on their own after graduating high school. I felt as if they were safer doing that than going to senior week in Myrtle Beach. It's an individual call.

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Cleveland Park, DC: Hello Flight Crew! What's your take on Buenos Aires? My wife and I are planning our big annual trip for the beginning of the new year. We want to do Greece but airfares are too outrageous at the moment. A friend has suggested Argentina. What are your thoughts?

Christina Talcott: Buenos Aires sounds like a terrific place to start the new year! Sources tell me the city goes a little bonkers on New Years, with wild parties and such on the actual holiday, but other than that, I've only heard rave reviews of BA. Sadly, I haven't been there... yet. So if any chatters have advice, chime in!

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washingtonpost.com: Argentina Travel Stories (Post Travel Section archives)

Christina Talcott: Here's a link...

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"I want to know about a time you attempted to learn something valuable -- while on vacation.": I just came back from a vacation on which I attempted to learn how to keep the ball in the fairway rather than hitting it into the woods. Unfortunately I can report only partial success.

Scott Vogel: Hmm -- sounds like my Cajun bread pudding!

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Pittsburgh: For the couple who wrote in a few weeks ago about possibly visiting the Azores this fall, here's more information about the annual jazz festival in Angra do Heroismo, Terceira.

Thu., Oct. 2: Tom Harrell Quintet Orquestra Angrajazz

Fri., Oct. 3: Mario Barreiros Sextet Benny Wallace Nonet

Sat., Oct. 4: Bobo Stensson Trio William Parker Sextet

Sun., Oct. 5: Herbie Hancock Quartet

Info from: (English) http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/news.php?id=21653 (also listings of other jazz festivals coming up soon on mainland Portugal) & (Portuguese) http://www.jacc.pt/noticias.php?id=467

Christina Talcott: Thanks, Pittsburgh!

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NoVA: I'm looking to go to New Orleans in mid-October for a second honeymoon. I have been twice, but not since Katrina hit. Do you have any (recent) recs for places to stay? Under $200 a night, close enough to walk to the fun stuff but not so close we can't sleep.

Scott Vogel: Prices will certainly be more expensive for rooms than in August, but having said that, you can DEFINITELY stay under 200. I really enjoyed my stay at the Hilton St. Charles Avenue, which is 3 blocks from the French Quarter, i.e., both close enough and far enough away. I believe it was formerly the Hotel Monaco and has been spiffed up nicely. Best of all, I got a rate of $66 a night on Hotwire. By all means check the aggregators when planning a trip to New Orleans.

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Washington, DC: Alaska cruise help please! My In-laws have announced that they are taking all their children on an Alaska cruise for their 50th anniversary next summer (participation required). I believe they have selected the Holland America Westerdam. They will pay for an inside cabin, we are paying to upgrade. My question is with a five and two-year-old can we fit into a veranda cabin or will we need a suite? Do cruises provide cribs? It never occurred to me to go on a cruise with kids this young (the other grandkids are in their teens), I need a cruising 101!

Carol Sottili: I think you'll need a suite to be comfortable. The Westerdam doesn't have many different cabin plans, but I think the only one that sleeps four is the deluxe suite. Not sure whether Holland America provides cribs: Call and ask. You might rethink Holland America to Alaska if everyone has small children. It draws an older crowd on that particular itinerary. Look into Celebrity or Princess.

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educational travel: Well...the last educational event during my travels was a cooking demonstrations at the world renowned Cordon Bleu Cooking School in Paris, France. I participated in the class called "Chef's Secrets" (2.5 hours long in the evening) with my boyfriend (as a birthday gift to him). We were taught by a master French chef with an English translator on the side. The chef prepared two dishes, red mullet remoulade and quail in veal stock with pan friend potatoes. It was such a great experience to see the cooking methods, smell the delicious odors, and taste the meals (with a glass of wine) once they were complete. It was an excellent experience that I would suggest to anyone that enjoys cooking.

Scott Vogel: Wow, sounds fantastic. Great companion to a Paris journey, I would think.

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Capitol Hill: My husband and I are looking to head to Paris in October but the airfare seems to linger around $800 which seems a little steep. Do you think the prices will go down or should we book soon?

Carol Sottili: If that's a nonstop flight and includes all your taxes/fuel surcharges, it's not a bad price, especially in early October.

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Washington, DC: I booked a connecting flight to an international flight that cost more than the overseas leg and then the international carrier changed the schedule so that the flight is scheduled to leave 2 hours earlier without their telling me, so now, they'll cancel the international leg, but when I cancelled the domestic connection, there's a $150 rebooking fee. What gives?

Carol Sottili: Did you book the legs together? Or did you do each one independently? You're out of luck if you, for example, called American and booked your domestic flights and then called British Airways and booked your overseas flights. But if you booked it all at once, either through one call to an airline working in codeshare with another airline, or through a third-party booking site, you should be covered.

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Learning on vacation: I've done four volunteer vacation builds with Habitat for Humanity. That's four attempts to learn construction skills while on the job. It turns out I am not a very good mason, and also that I am not so skilled at throwing roof tiles high enough to allow the people working on the roof to catch them...

Scott Vogel: I've always wanted to have a vacation like that (something very possible in New Orleans these days) but am similarly tool-challenged.

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San Francisco, CA : My husband and I will be visiting DC in early October and looking to book our hotel stay from a Sunday - Friday. I'm amazed by the high hotel prices and want somewhere central and metro-accessible (I used to live in Dupont so partial to that area). I have found a couple online deals directly with the hotel's website that offer a "buy now save later" deal that is non-refundable. I've never seen this before - do you recommend booking these kind of deals? Thanks in advance!

Carol Sottili: If you're referring to advance rates, where you have to pay upfront and it's nonrefundable, those have been around for some time. It's an attempt by hotels to mimic airline pricing rules. You pay in advance to get the cheapest rates, but they are nonrefundable. Personally, I usually avoid them because I find that AAA or AARP rates are often just as cheap, and they don't have those restrictions.

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Silver Spring, Maryland: Hello Flight Crew. I hope you can answer this early submission. My seven year-old son and one of his buddies want to see a NASCAR race in person. Would you recommend Richmond or Dover? Are there any charter bus services to either track?

Nancy McKeon: Hello, Silver Spring. I don't have a terribly satisfactory answer to your query, but I sure know a lot more about NASCAR than I did a couple of hours ago! The short answer: I can't find any truly convenient charter bus trips to either raceway for the upcoming fall races. But the choice of Dover International Speedway or Richmond International Speedway is suggested by the dates. The fall race weekend in Richmond is Sept. 5-6, while the big weekend in Dover is Sept. 19-21. On Sunday, Sept. 21, Hunt Valley Motor Coach is running a trip to the Dover venue for the big Sprint Cup race, but the bus picks up only in Timonium and Carney, in the Baltimore area. For that day trip, tickets are $125 per person, including admission to the speedway. (You can call Hunt Valley at 410-584-7377.)

That said, if you wait until next season (when perhaps your son is old enough TO appreciate a $125 race!), Eyre bus lines will be offering packages, also including admission, to Dover for '09, and probably to Richmond as well. Those packages will run $100 to $300, depending on whether it's a whole weekend of racing you're buying. The Eyre buses leave from Ellicott City. Maybe one of our more NASCAR-oriented chatters will know more about such possibilities. To quote economist/actor Ben Stein in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," Anyone, anyone?

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NoVA (again): Oops, sorry. I should have mentioned that we're looking for something really "New Orleans-y", i.e. not a major chain.

Scott Vogel: I haven't stayed at the French Market Inn on Decatur, but found great prices there as well. It's a lovely old place that seems dripping with charm. Two other places I looked into with good deals were the St. James Hotel and the St. Ann Marie Antoinette Hotel.

But I'm no expert here. Other chatters' suggestions encouraged!

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Alexandria, VA: Dunno about valuable, but on my last trip to Venice I bought a book of Canaletto's views and compared them to the modern views as I motored down the Grand Canal.

For my prize, I'd like a guidebook to the remotest place to travel to from DC, wherever that may be.

Scott Vogel: Even on days like today??

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Re: Educational Trip: Hmm, every trip is an educational one for me, but here is one I specifically chose to "learn" In Phuket, I was staying at the JW Marriott and they were offering a cooking class with a trip to the local market. I signed up mostly for the joy of shopping in the market. So we got to go to the market with the chef of the hotel, and he was very surprised to see I knew the names of almost all the fruits and the vegetables (thanks to the Thai restaurants and markets here). We bought everything fresh, and cooked in the commercial kitchen. I don't remember the recipe too much, but the joy of going to a very local village market (no tourists and no English) and cooking in an industrial kitchen were the best part. Then of course sitting on the balcony of the restaurant looking at the sea and having our dishes "served" to us. I remember it very fondly til this day.

Scott Vogel: Here's another cool experience, thanks.

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Rockville, MD: HELP! I'm scheduled to fly Southwest next week. They've routed me through ABQ--arriving at 6:05 pm and my next plane departs 6:30 pm. This seems like cutting it too close to me! I can't believe there'll be time to deplane and board. When I asked the agent, he only said it was the last flight from ABQ to PDX that day, so if there was a delay they would try to route me through another city. TRY?! What happens if they can't? I am scheduled to depart BWI at 4 pm....it's August...that's about when the thunderstorms come in. If my flight is delayed due to weather, the airline has no responsibility (as in pay for hotel if they can't get me out that night), right?

Christina Talcott: Breathe, Rockville! Do a little research and arm yourself for the worst-case scenarios, and you'll be ready if something goes wrong. First thing's first: look into the next day's flights to PDX from ABQ and print out a schedule of all airlines' flights. That way, you can have suggestions for the airline rep if he or she needs to put you on another flight. Also, go online and check out hotels near the Albuquerque airport just in case; that way, you won't get stuck at an expensive or out-of-the-way place if you have to spend the night. Pack all that info, plus a change of clothes, toothbrush and, most importantly, your cellphone charger, in your carry on bag. Finally, take comfort in the fact that everything just might go according to plan, but if it doesn't, you'll be prepared.

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Eye Street: Hi Crew - Submitting early...hope you or your vast audience can help. At the end of the month, we are driving from the Adirondacks to Cape May. When we depart Cape May to drive back to No. Virginia, are we better off taking the ferry to Lewes, DE or driving all the way back? The ferry is about $50 and 80 minutes. But what about the drive? thanks

Carol Sottili: The ferry won't save you any time, but it is very pleasant. With no traffic (very rare), it takes four hours to drive to NoVa from Cape May and three hours from Lewes.

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Pittsburgh: Visiting any country where the main language is not English can be a good way for any American to learn at least a little of a foreign language. It helps if you do a little studying up beforehand (basic grammar book, phrase book, tapes).

Scott Vogel: Please watch for our August 24 issue -- we'll be covering that very subject..

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Falls Church, VA: My husband and I are planning a ski trip out West for the first time (we usually stick to East Coast slopes) and are wondering where's the best place to start our research. Any good websites? Any mountain recommendations? We're open to any and all suggestions in Lake Tahoe, Colorado, Utah, etc.

I realize this is a broad question, but we'd really appreciate any insights you have!

Thanks so much!

Carol Sottili: I've skied all over the West and my favorite place is Park City, Utah. There are three big resorts right there: Park City Resort, Deer Valley and The Canyons. And if you want to drive a little, there are many more, including Alta and Snowbird. It's a fast, not usually too expensive nonstop flight to Salt Lake City, which is just a short drive from Park City: We leave in the a.m. and are skiing by afternoon. The snow is usually very light powder: not thick, sticky stuff. We save money by getting our accommodations directly from owners via www.vrbo.com or www.cyberrentals.com.

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Columbia Heights: While visiting my boyfriend's family in Tulsa, I saw an item in the paper about a master class in vocal performance offered by a composer I really like. It took spending part of the day at the library and connecting to our home computer to get the songs I needed. The class was much less expensive and smaller than it would have been in DC or NYC, and I got some great instruction.

The class was so good that my boyfriend (who observed the first night) ended up going back the next night and taking the class himself.

Scott Vogel: I've sat in on those classes before -- they can be really terrific experiences (even for spectators). Thanks.

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Arlington: Hi, thinking of going to Burlington Vermont around the beginning of October to see the autumn leaves. However, unfortunately I am afraid my travel companion may not like it. I know he doesn't care for St. Michael's MD. So is Burlington still a good choice? If not, any recommendations? Thanks.

Christina Talcott: Hard to say. Why doesn't he like St. Michaels? I honestly don't see a lot of similarities between the two places. Burlington is a fun little town with lots of good restaurants, nice walking and biking trails along lovely Lake Champlain and a short drive in any direction to the glorious Vermont countryside. Bear in mind that the town's very liberal, eco-friendly and casual. If your traveling companion hates Birkenstocks, mountains and recycling, he probably won't like Burlington.

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Travel towel: I also like the Aquis towels -- I have one I use at the gym, and I can dry myself off and then wrap it around my hair, and it works very well. And it rolls up into a small size in the gym bag. Mine's not very big, but even if it were bigger, I don't think it would make a very good sarong.

Christina Talcott: Yeah, Aquis towels look a lot like towels, but what great towels!

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Help or Advice, Please!: Dear Flight Crew and chatters,

My dad and I booked a flight to Florida on Thursday on AirTran to say goodbye to my grandfather, who is dying of cancer. On Friday, the doctors said that he had about one month to live.

Well, we got word today that he's sinking really fast, and it seems that we must leave sooner if we want to make it in time.

My dad called AirTran hoping that, given the circumstances, they'd help us re-book and waive the $75 re-booking fee. He didn't ask for any discounts on the airfare, even though many other carriers offer them in these situations. He just wanted help and a bit of a break.

AirTran was not helpful and didn't agree to waive the fees on the tickets.

Do you have any advice as he calls the customer service department? Any magic words?

Carol Sottili: Sorry, but it doesn't work that way. Too many people lie about dying relatives. If it makes you feel better, $75 is a lot cheaper than what most of the legacy airlines charge.

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Alaska cruise: Don't forget Royal Caribbean - they have programs for the five year old and a variety of cabins. Um, sorry but it does seem like your kids will be a bit young to really enjoy.

Carol Sottili: I didn't recommend Royal Caribbean because the occasion is a 50th anniversary, so I was trying to come up with a line that might appeal to everyone. I'd go with Princess.

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Vero Beach, Fla.: Once, when my job as a biologist had me dealing with a Florida pumpkin and a Miami palm, I made a vacation of attending a summertime palm conference at Cornell (with cheap but very nice dorm accommodations), then drove through the Finger Lakes region to visit a Cornell squash breeder at Geneva. For some reason, I'd never visited that gorgeous part of the country.

Scott Vogel:"a summertime palm conference" -- what a beautiful idea for a trip.

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Olney, MD: Some info on seeing Rome, Florence, and Venice: A train between Rome and Florence is only about 90 minutes. A train between Rome and Venice is about 2.5 hours. A train between Venice and Florence is 3 hours. And I and everyone I know say Venice can easily be a single day trip. So if you can spend an actual 7 days in Italy, or maybe 8 and return on the 9th, 3-4 days in Rome, 1 day going to Venice in the morning, then over to Florence on the last train out, which is at 7 PM or on Saturday at 8 PM and 3 days in Florence. The train in Venice pulls right up to the bridge to all the famous places, and water taxis can take you around for about 5 euros for the day. Air France and others could easily give you flights that arrive in Rome and return from Florence or Pisa (a 50-mile hour train ride from Florence).

http://www.ferroviedellostato.it/has all the info.

Christina Talcott: Thanks for the suggestions! All that sightseeing can be tiring, so I'm a big fan of train trips for the napping potential.

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Re: Valuable Experience: I was raised in a country where alcoholic beverages were controlled and produced by the state, so we had only one type of beer (lager) and it was very bitter, so I thought I "hated" beer. Then I was invited to Belgium, and when my hosts suggested we have beer I told them "I didn't like beer" (OK, I was 21 and "knew everything") Of course during the trip I learned that beer came in many varieties and eventually had at least a new beer each day, and decided that I loved beer! After I came to the US, I have enjoyed being able to taste a number of beers and especially microbreweries, and last year did a 3000 mile trip in the West, of course tasting as many local brews as possible. The moral of the story: travel changes what we think we know, only if we have an open mind.

Scott Vogel: Couldn't put that any better myself. Thanks.

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Baltimore: Have to jump in here. Am I the only one who hated the Denmark story? I didn't get it. How was that suitable for the travel section? Usually adore what you guys do, but this one creeped me out.

Nancy McKeon: Every once in a while I think it's useful to get beyond the usual first-I-went-here-and-then-I-ate-that type of travel story. After all, travel isn't only about seeing buildings and nature preserves but about interacting with people different from ourselves. I'm sorry you didn't like what was a wonderful read, triggered by a news story in June, but I hope there were plenty of other nuts-and-bolts stories in the issue to satisfy your travel jones.

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Learning on Vacation: As a field hockey player in college I took a trip with some teammates and players from other schools to the U.K. and Ireland. We worked with coaches in Scotland, England, and Ireland and scrimmaged teams from those countries as well. It was a fun and quite humbling experience! Our team of 19-21 year olds struggled against a Scottish team of 15 year-olds. The foreign coaches taught us using their techniques and I was learning new ways to do even the most basic skills. As a coach, I still use some of their techniques in coaching my players now. Beyond the field hockey lessons, my teammates and I of course had a great time exploring the U.K. and Ireland.

Scott Vogel: Finally, something physical to work off all those cooking stories!

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RE: Vamoose Bus: I travel up to NYC fairly often and always take the Vamoose bus. They are reliable and the buses are very clean. I had to take the Mega Bus this past weekend and don't plan on taking it again. They played an awful (read: violent) movie SO loudly that it was impossible to concentrate on anything else (reading, personal headphones, etc). Vamoose is the way to go!

Christina Talcott: Another Vamoose vote. Sorry about the Megabus experience. Did you ask the driver to turn off or turn down the volume on the movie? Usually asking nicely does the trick, and your fellow riders will probably agree and appreciate you speaking up. That said, don't wait till the movie's almost over! People get mad.

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Learning on vacation: I learned to knit on vacation. Or rather, learned the basics to start knitting. We went on a cruise with the ENTIRE family (thank you, generous grandparents) and decided that learning to knit would be one way to pass any sort of extra time at sea. Grandmother and aunt already knew how to knit. The other 2 knitters were beginners. At one point there were 3 generations on deck with needles, yarn and how-to or pattern books. Good times!

Scott Vogel: I've heard about these knitting-themed cruises before. Interesting. Which reminds me, for those in search of theme cruises in general, I recently came across a new, interesting site: www.themecruisefinder.com.

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Olney, MD: The person going to Portland, OR, via Albuquerque probably has little to worry about, if only because Southwest pays attention to its customers. Usually the gates are very close, ABQ is not such a big airport, and they see who is transferring and if one flight is late getting into ABQ probably all of them are, and they try to get ALL the takeoffs during a hub-transfer our to be timed for connections. They know how many are going from one flight to another, and will wait awhile. I have never missed a SW connection ever. However, I have also had to drive to Philadelphia because USAirways couldn't get me to my connection (to Montreal!) the same day. And they "agreed to waive" a $100 change fee for me driving to catch my plane (as if I shouldn't have charged them $100 to drive there myself on a Friday afternoon).

Christina Talcott: Hear that, Rockville? Olney thinks you'll be fine getting to Portland, thanks to Southwest's customer service. Me, I'd still recommend doing a little research before you go just in case.

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Like the ad: Have you seen United Airlines' spectacular new animated commercials during the Olympic broadcasts, both set to Rhapsody in Blue? Judging by complaints from chatters I don't know whether their service is as good as their ads, but still, I think it's important to give credit where credit's due!

washingtonpost.com: It's Time to Fly commercials (united.com)

Scott Vogel: I have seen them and agree that they're phenomenal. But I couldn't help wondering, given airline financial woes, how they could 1) afford to produce the ads and 2) buy Olympics ad time. Perhaps there is some trade deal, though.

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FreezingOffice: Hi flight crew! I am taking next Thursday and Friday off from work and am thinking of going out to Ocean City with a friend. Do you have any recommendations for hotels that are cheap but safe and clean? We can drive to the beach as long as there's parking, so no need for anything beachfront. Thanks!

Carol Sottili: First, make sure the bridge reopens (should be by then). The Holiday Inn Express or the Rodeway Inn are two decent places. For other hotels, go to www.ococean.com. Or try one of the rental agencies - www.cbvacations.com or www.shorepro.com - for last-minute condos.

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Venice: Venice is not a one-day city, if for no other reason than nighttime in St. Mark's square. During the day it's SO crowded, in fact most of the main areas are, but at night the whole city is just magical, so I'd never go in and out the same day.

Christina Talcott: Another opinion on Venice. Thanks!

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Chicago, IL: The Hotel St. Pierre in New Orleans (French Quarter) is very nice - historic but updated, if you know what I mean. I really recommend it. Reasonably priced too.

Scott Vogel: That place interests me too -- glad to know you liked it.

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NASCAR fan...: Did someone call for a fan? I've been going to Dover for the past 5 years. It's a wonderful track, and it's doable as a day trip from the DC area. I usually get home around 10, which includes a stop for dinner. My dad and I typically drive ourselves, although I do believe there are buses. If you get a bus, check on prices...parking across the street from the track is $30. So if you pay much more than that, it's not worth it, in my opinion.

Richmond is a night race, so you'll get home MUCH later if you drive yourself or you'll need to get a hotel. Not sure if there are shuttles, but there might be.

Whichever one you pick, enjoy it! It's a one of a kind experience, and some of the BEST fans around. (And I've been to both Ravens and Redskins games. NASCAR fans are a lot more polite.)

Nancy McKeon: Now this is the kind of expertise we needed--thank you, NASCAR fan!

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Washington, DC: My educational experience: I took a cooking class in Thailand (Chiang Mai area). It was great. I have not cooked any Thai since then and knew I wouldn't -- I don't like to cook. But the instructor took us to a Thai market where we learned about lots of new produce and seeing (and participating in) the process of cooking dishes that I had enjoyed during my stay was great. I'd highly recommend such a class for anyone visiting Thailand.

Scott Vogel: Looks like cooking classes are the thing to do in Thailand...

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more education: I was recently in Denmark (need to read your recent article still) and had a great experience going around small towns outside of CPH to learn about Vikings and their culture. There was a great "iron age" research center in the town of Lejre about 40 minutes west of CPH where they recreated findings on the Viking culture. I also went to the town of Rockskilde where they dug up several Viking boats that were found a couple decades ago. It was fascinating!

Scott Vogel: Interesting stuff. I hope I get the chance to go back and travel farther afield.

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NASCAR: Another suggestion for the reader seeking to go to a NASCAR race is to look into the fall race in Martinsville, Virginia. It's a longer trip from Silver Spring than either Dover or Richmond, but it might be appealing with a seven-year-old because it's the shortest track on the NASCAR schedule, just .533 of a mile around, so you can see everything going on without any difficulty. That might be a nice thing for a very young kid. The cars obviously don't go as fast as they do at Dover due to the small space and the low banking, but think of it this way: It's two 800-foot straightaways with turnarounds and they still go up to 90 to 100 mph on the straightaways. You and I can't do that in our normal cars!

A few tips:

--Bring EAR PROTECTION, especially at Richmond or Martinsville. 43 stock cars are LOUD. Or you can buy ear protection outside the track in the form of a headset radio (lets you listen to the MRN feed, or you can tune in something else if racin' isn't your thing).

--Unlike other pro sports, most of the tracks will allow you to bring in a cooler, although it must fit under your seat. Check the track's web site and plan to bring the largest cooler they allow. It's cheaper than buying stuff there.

--Traffic will be a nightmare at any track. Go early and stay late. The kids will appreciate going early and getting to visit all the team merchandise trucks that set up outside the track.

--At most sporting events people like to sit up close. That is NOT what you want to do when you watch racin'. Get seats as high up in the stands as you can. You can see the whole track better, but more importantly, remember that you're watching cars. They kick up debris and the tires gradually wear out, so the people down front get dirty as a result. (Plus if Jeff Gordon wins, the poor-sport fans sometimes start throwing beer cans and they may land on you.) Don't sit down there.

--Be prepared for the possibility of a rainout. NASCAR does not race in the rain and you do not get a refund if the race is postponed--they race the next day and your ticket is still valid. I think this policy stinks, but on the other hand, they tell you this when you buy the ticket, so I guess you can't really complain. It's something to consider with a 7-year-old kid because a kid of that age should not be skipping school to go watch racin'.

Nancy McKeon: These are great tips! I noticed on one of the Web sites that there are very specific dimensions for the size of cooler that's allowed, so I guess as lot of NASCAR fans like to carry their own (the size was in the FAQs on the site). Thanks, NASCAR, we get by with the help of our friends.

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Arlington, VA: I'd like to think I learn something on most of my vacation trips even if I am just touring the famous sites, museums, etc. Or learning how to use the public transportation system which can sometimes be a challenge. I haven't ever taken a formal class on a trip, but try to treat the whole thing as a learning experience of one sort or another.

Scott Vogel: Good point. You can hardly HELP but learn something if you've got the proper vacation attitude.

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DC: I've asked this question before -- maybe third time's the charm? I'm going to Mexico for eight days in December. Four days in Mexico City, and four days at a beach somewhere. Which beach would you recommend? It can be a little touristy, but I'm not looking for Cancun. Interesting sites (cultural or natural wonder variety) nearby are a plus, so are really beautiful beaches. My travel partner speaks Spanish so out-of-the-way is also okay, but it should be relatively easy to get to by plane from Mexico City. Thanks!

Christina Talcott: I'm afraid I'm stumped. Any chatters have suggestions?

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DC: Can you recommend any places to stay in far Northern California -- in Sept, we are driving from Oakland up I-5 to Redding, where we hope to do some hiking in the Shasta Recreation Area, and then over to the north coast (near Arcata), and hopefully from there go to see the Redwoods. There aren't a lot of guidebooks devoted to this fairly remote part of CA, so I'm hoping you or others can recommend places to stay/eat/see. Thanks!

Christina Talcott: Cindy Loose skied Mt. Shasta last year (link coming up) and has a number of recommendations for lodging near there. Any chatters have suggestions?

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Learning Stuff: We got our open water SCUBA certification! Did the pool work here, then ditched the freezing dive in the rock quarry for open water dives off the island of Dominica. The island doesn't have many tourists, and we were the only people in the class. The dives were amazing.

But we also learned something even more fun on that island - how to make the bay-leaf or cinnamon-infused rum the locals were drinking out of plastic jugs at the rum shacks, lessons learned from a hitchhiker-turned-drinking-buddy we picked up at the side of the road. We still have a bottle of the stuff - it's not for the faint of heart.

Scott Vogel: Diving and drinking -- though not at the same time, note.

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washingtonpost.com: Ski This Mountain and You'll Be a Believer (Post Travel Section, Dec. 2, 2007)

Christina Talcott: Northern California ideas...

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Buenos Aires: Didn't the Fix (Cillizza) just get back from there? Maybe he has some tips for the earlier poster.

washingtonpost.com: The Fix Does Argentina (washingtonpost.com, Aug. 4)

Scott Vogel: Good point -- here's a link.

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Alaska Cruiser again...: With a veranda cabin is there even physical space for a pack- n-play for the baby to sleep in? Some have a fold-out single sleeper sofa for the older boy. Don't need 4 beds, as the youngest isn't there yet. Can't switch cruise lines, no say in the whole vacation. This "free" cruise is ending up costing us $4K to upgrade to a room that will fit us. Ugh.

Carol Sottili: You need to call the cruise line directly to find out that level of detail. And on another note, vacationing with families is stressful, especially when you fee; forced to do something you don't want to do and it winds up costing money. I speak from a lifetime of experience. My new mantra is to either just say no, or to go and have a good time. Holland America is a top-shelf line, and Alaska is beautiful.

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Pasadena, CA: Tempted to learn something... Last year on an Alaskan cruise the ship had a naturalist on board. It was great to listen to his talks and then go out and see the wildlife and glaciers. It even helped with pictures. He talked about the whales bubble feeding and I knew to look for it so got a great shot. Really added to the experience.

Scott Vogel: I'll bet. The pictures must be phenomenal too.

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Olney, MD: About Venice: Did I say "Water Taxi"? I meant "vaporetto" which is more like a Water "Bus" or small ferry boat. There are scheduled numbered routes, they run every 5-10 minutes, they alternate stops on both sides of the Grand Canal, and you get an all-day pass for very little. But it's not a taxi. Those would be very expensive. Sorry for the confusion.

Christina Talcott: All cleared up!

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Arlington, VA: I started looking at flights back home to Minneapolis for X-mas.....and they're in the $600 range! holy cow! In the past I could get tickets for around $350 during the holidays....I know it's going to be a little higher this year, but wasn't expecting that much! Do you think they'll go down a bit or do I need to start looking at Greyhound?

Carol Sottili: Airfares will be much higher this holiday season. Fuel is more expensive and competition has thinned out. But $600 does sound steep to MSP. If you can stay flexible with dates, you should do better. Check fares every day, and when the sale hits, buy right away. You can sign up for notifications on sites such as www.orbitz.com and www.farecast.com. But I'd still check manually.

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New Orleans-y Hotels: If you've never been to New Orleans before, you won't really know what a New Orleans-y hotel is...and if you really get out and experience the city, you won't spend enough time in your hotel to enjoy the kitsch (which, really, is what a lot of the New Orleans-y hotels are peddling). As someone who has been there many, many times and stayed in many different places both in the French Quarter and in other areas -- stay away from hotels in the Quarter and stick with the Central Business District. It's easier to get cabs to other parts of town there, the streetcars run right down Canal St., and it's safer at night, especially for folks who don't know the city. You can walk to any part of the FQ from the CBD but there's no real reason to stay there if you want to see other parts of the city as well.

Scott Vogel: Here's more good stuff on New Orleans. Thanks.

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Baltimore: What I learned on vacation:

Traveled this spring to Alaska on a Princess cruise, very nice by the way, but what I learned, or rather "got" was glaciers. I had seen one last year in Switzerland, everyone was ooohing and aaahing, but I just thought "It's a big block of dirty ice." After visiting Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, I get what is so fabulous about glaciers--they are ages old, beautiful, organic, wonderful. And I love that was able to learn that without having to ride/land in a helicopter on it (and damage the glacier even more).

Thanks for being a great travel crew!

Scott Vogel: Thank YOU for sharing your experience...

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Glen Burnie, MD: In New Orleans, the Monteleone is a great hotel, not a chain, but a large old-fashioned hotel on a French Quarter street. The movie "Double Jeopardy" was filmed there in part.

Scott Vogel: It certainly looked fabulous from the outside, and definitely heard good stuff from fellow travelers who were staying there.

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Capitol Hill, D.C. -- Pittsburgh and W. VA: Hi Crew, thanks for the chats! Planning a weekend getaway to Pittsburgh in Setpember. Plan is to drive up Friday morning, and hit Falling Water on the way. Weekend in Pittsburgh (Andy Warhol, Pirates, etc.), then, on Sunday morning head home hitting the Berkeley Springs, WV state park spa. The Trip Advisor comments were positive, but just 4 comments. Any insight? I'd be doing the deal at the State Park. Also, can I fit in the Flight 93 site on the drive back to DC? THANKS!!!

washingtonpost.com: Personally, I adore the Berkeley Springs state park spa. It has a very bare-bones, cinderblock, Soviet style but I find its no-nonsense atmosphere quite charming. And it's cheap!!! And the town is super cute and has some good restaurants and antique shops. - Elizabeth

Christina Talcott: There you go: One vote for Berkeley Springs State Park. The United 93 memorial site's right off Route 70/76, so you should be able to swing by on your way from Pittsburgh to Berkeley Springs. See www.nps.gov/flni.

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Baltimore MD:#1: For the poster looking for a hotel in the Dupont area, I stayed at The Churchill on Conn. Avenue for one night in July and found it a terrific value. Booked through Hotels dot com and got a room for $98 per night, plus tax. It's an historic property, so there are only two small and very slow elevators, but other than that, it was a great deal.

#2: I am going to the Bozeman, Montana region in mid September. Anyone have recommendations for things to do. (Already have lodgings.)

Christina Talcott: Thanks for the suggestion, and check out Cindy Loose's story on visiting Montana, including Bozeman.

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washingtonpost.com: A Sweet Spot in Montana (Post Travel Section, July 20)

Christina Talcott: For Bozeman-bound...

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Mexico Beach?: Why not Playa Del Carmen?

It's still a beautiful beach, more low key than its northern neighbor and a short ferry ride over to Cozumel.

Christina Talcott: Great, thanks!

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Philadelphia: Have to say, I, for one, loved the Denmark story! I spent a summer there on an exchange program when I was in high school about 15 years ago. I wasn't big on clubbing and that sort of life (I'm still not), and ended up staying with a host sister who was very similar to me in that sense. So, I decided I was just going to enjoy the summer with the family, doing whatever they would normally do, and had a wonderful time. Lots of long evenings in the backyard beer bowling, lounging around talking - most people could speak English, and those who couldn't were young enough that they just liked to play tag or hide 'n' seek - swimming, sailing, reading, etc. I even learned how to play a saw. At the airport to go home, we met up with the rest of the kids in the program - it was one of those that separated everyone into host families - and found out that only two other people had done something similar. The rest had, you guessed it, spent their taking advantage of being able to drink legally. So three of us out of 17 had gotten out and really seen the country - we'd both done bicycle trips, gotten to Tivoli, Hans Christian Andersen's house in Odense, spent weeks at beaches and swum in the Baltic, gone to Roskilde, etc. One had even learned the language. The other and I had learned a few words, but not enough to fool anyone into thinking we were competent - except the rest of the group.

Scott Vogel: Sounds lovely indeed. And what a great memory too.

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Re: Mexico: You asked for "Interesting sites (cultural or natural wonder variety) nearby are a plus, so are really beautiful beaches" so I would fly to Cancun but travel about 30-40 minutes south to Playa Del Carmen area. The beaches are great, there is much more culture, history (Tulum is an example), you can swim in sinkholes (cenotes) and/or zipline over them... There is a lot to do in Riviera Maya and Cancun is not the only option, but with frequent flights and an efficient airport it is a good place to fly into.

Christina Talcott: Mexico suggestions!

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BA, Argentina: My husband and I spent our honeymoon in Argentina, mostly in BA and had the best time! It was beautiful, the food was fantastic, the shopping is great, seriously, I'm telling everyone to go. Best of all, with the exchange rate, you don't feel like buying a cup of coffee will break you. Go!

Christina Talcott: Another vote for BA!

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Washington, D.C.: I can't offer a specific hotel name (we camped), but something near Crescent City will put the Northern California travelers right in the heart of redwood territory.

Christina Talcott: Great, thanks!

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Native Northern Californian: For the person heading to the Eureka, CA., area, I'd like to recommend a home-style meal at the Samoa Cookhouse. Also, the town of Fortuna (a bit south of Eureka) is charming, with restored Victorian homes. Check the Internet for websites on these places.

Christina Talcott: Terrific!

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Waynesboro, VA: For the couple vacationing in DC...If you are willing to go the non-refundable route, try Priceline. My husband and I have had great success with the "name your own price" hotels. You get to pick a star quality and location (DC is broken down into all the different areas including Dupont Circle). The last time we stayed, we saved $150 a night off the hotel website's best rate for a 4 star hotel.

Christina Talcott: Good advice. Thanks for writing!

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Skiing suggestion: How about checking out Banff or Lake Louise in Canada? Great rates, good food and a foreign (sort of) country! Chateau Lake Louise or Banff Springs hotel are great but I particularly love the Post hotel in Lake Louise. It's small, fabulous food, spa...ah

Scott Vogel: Thanks for the suggestion.

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Potomac, MD: We're going to Cartagena, Columbia in February for a family wedding. Can you give guidance on flying there, where to stay, what to do, and if we should have any security concerns down there. Thanks.

washingtonpost.com: In the New Cartagena, Night Life Trumps Strife (Post Travel Section, Dec. 9, 2007)

Christina Talcott: Here's the story we ran in December...

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Germantown, MD: Thanks for taking my question about France. We were thinking about next year - perhaps end of February or early March. Is it too cold then? How about the prices? Is there an off season?

Nancy McKeon: Carol is the expert on the seasons of air travel, but early March would surely be shoulder season still. February would certainly be cheaper (unless things keep trending upward. But I just booked (but backed out) a ticket from here to Amsterdam in mid-April '09 and was quoted $2500 for coach! I'm not put off by traveling in cooler, even colder weather, so I would happily go then, but I'm no weather expert either.

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Scott Vogel: Okey-doke -- that's it for this week. Thanks so much for all your questions, opinions and insight. And if you're the guy who has spent four vacations "learning" masonry with Habitat for Humanity, e-mail me at vogelsi@washpost.com to claim your prize. Just let me know where you're going and I'll find ya a book. See ya next week!

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