Letters: Thanks for the Parisian memories

Fond memories of City of Light

Merci to Chris Erskine for his wonderful souvenir of Paris [“The First Time I Saw Paris,” Aug. 22]. He captured the essence of Paris, a city my husband and I have visited many times. The travel article happily coincided with Charles Fleming’s article “Travel in the Time of Euros” in the Opinion section. Both gentlemen made our Sunday more enjoyable.

Christine Ducey, Oceanside

WWII Museum is a must-see

David Freed’s article about the National World War II Museum was excellent [“Lest We Forget,” Aug. 15]. I was there when it was still called the D-Day Museum. We spent a great deal of time at the darkened stations Freed described, listening to the various tapes. We ran out of time but returned the next day to complete our visit. I can’t recall doing that at any other museum. I deem it a must-see place for any visitor to New Orleans.

Leonard Tulman, Rancho Palos Verdes

Reasonable and hassle-free airline

I read “Goodbye Buys” by Catharine Hamm [On the Spot, Aug. 15] with interest because I recently experienced the illness and subsequent death of my dad in Philadelphia. My answer to this problem? Southwest Airlines. If you need to get somewhere in a hurry and at a reasonable price (and it’s a city Southwest serves), that is the way to go.

Fares online were very reasonable, and, most important, changes were easy and free. In fact, I made my first return reservation two days in advance for $440, the lowest fare available at the time. The next day (the day before the flight), I saw the same flight for $259, and with no hassle was able to change it and receive a refund for the difference.

Dealing with Southwest Airlines for this last-minute travel at a very difficult time made it all a lot easier.

Ellen Klein, Los Angeles

The perils of traveling abroad

Wow, did Michael H. Miller’s letter sound familiar to us [Letters, Aug 15]. My husband and I have been theft victims several times while traveling in Europe, and I can probably recite all the recommended safety tips by heart. Even so, don’t let your guard down even once or you could regret it.

On a recent trip to Paris, we made the mistake of getting on an already crowded Métro train at the Louvre and were shoved from behind by passengers so the doors would close. My husband was holding onto a pole and helping our grandchildren stay upright as the train took off when a women in front of him told him that one of the three women behind him had taken his billfold out of his back pocket. Like Miller, my husband sprang into action and turned around, grabbed the young woman by the left arm and demanded she return his billfold. When he didn’t let go of her as the door opened at the next stop, she pulled the billfold from her waist and threw it on the floor, where he was able to retrieve it.

A few years ago as we drove near Barcelona, Spain, a carload of thieves motioned to us that there was something wrong with our back tire. After the second attempt to convince us, we pulled over and I got out of the front passenger seat to check on the tire and left the door open. While one man talked to my husband, another man reached in and grabbed my purse on the front-seat floor and my sister-in-law’s purse from the back seat. We were stunned by the audacity and speed they used to get away in their nice car. We spent the next day getting new passports and not visiting Barcelona. The police station had a pamphlet warning tourists of this scam.

Sondra Seeright, San Diego