Dear Peter,
After schlepping all over Italy and braving crummy roads and worse drivers, I am finally at home in Provence.

I only get to spend two weeks at my house this year, as I have rented it out for portions of the summer. (Still some weeks left in mid-July!)

Am busily dividing time between the markets and drives I love so well and working on the house.

Dear Peter,
It’s a miracle that I can even write this postcard since we have been driving all over Italy … and let me tell you, I’m not sure which is worse—the Alps or the drivers.

I certainly understand why Hannibal insisted on taking the elephants!

Once you arrive in a city, then you get lost finding your hotel and then the final insult—you get the bill for the parking.

Still reeling from the Vivid Sydney festival, Amanda Pressner ventured off the beaten path to explore the goings-on beyond the city center.

There are certain cities that can be reasonably explored in a day or two, maybe a long weekend, but Sydney isn’t among them.

Sure, visitors could probably tick its iconic highlights (the Opera House, Harbour Bridge, Bondi Beach, Circular Quay) off their checklist in a matter of hours, but they’d almost certainly overlook the destinations that make Australia’s most populous city so funky and diverse.

Peter broadcast his radio show from the El Dorado Royale resort in the Riviera Maya, Mexico.

Because of the swine flu “infodemic”, Mexico has struggled to attract visitors. Translation: there’s never been a cheaper time to go.

So we checked in with some of the locals to find out what the locals like to see and do in town, on the beaches and in the water.

Dear Peter,
Do you remember when we were kids and some people we knew (never us, of course!) would make prank phone calls and say “Do you have Prince Albert in a can? Well let him out!”

So now that I am nestled into the heart of Monte Carlo I can tell you that if Prince Albert is in a can, it’s Cannes, just down the road.

My guess is Prince Albert is revving up for the running of the Grand Prix in a few days.

Antiquing can be a great travel activity, especially if you uncover a unique, authentic find for a dirt cheap price. But how do you avoid getting ripped off?