Several years ago, when we visited Dublin, one of the first sites we wanted to see was the Guinness brewery at St. James’ Gate. The original was built 350 years ago, and a lot of suds have gone over the gate since.

Guinness now conducts daily tours of the current brewery structures for a $19 fee, which includes a local guide, history audio-visuals and sampling of Guinness products. Sipping a fresh brew at the plant’s upper level Gravity Bar offers great views of surrounding Dublintown. We certainly enjoyed our tour, and recommend it for all tourists who venture to Dublin.

To request reservations for the tour, go to www.guinness-storehouse.com. When on your visit and notice some familiar faces on the tour with you, don’t be surprised. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip dropped in for a pint just a few months ago.

Agatha Christi and Hercule Poirot would be jealous of China’s contemporary and very luxurious version of the Orient Express. Starting in Beijing, the Tangula high-speed train travels more than 2,400 miles north and to increasingly higher terrain to Lhasa in Tibet.

The Tangula consists of 12 sleeping, two dining and tail-end observation cars. Accommodations are for a total of less than 100 passengers in roomy, double-bed suites. Of course, each suite comes with a personal butler, and as the train races upward in the Tibetan mountains, personal oxygen equipment is provided for those who may need it in the rarefied three-mile-high altitude.

Basic rates range upward for a one-way trip from Beijing to Lhasa from $3,300 per person for the four-night trip. There are many extra charges, including wines, interpreters, souvenirs and legal documents. Hercule could never afford it on his detective’s salary.
For more information, check with your favorite hometown or online travel agency, or go to www.mircorp.com/tour_tangula.asp

Personal experience: We were just coming through the door of the Los Angeles airport when two uniformed guys and their dogs went scurrying past us. They stopped just a few feet away where there were three suitcases standing alone on the floor.

After the dogs sniffed around, the guys picked up the suitcases and disappeared up the escalator. Less than a minute later, a woman rushed over and begain frantically looking around. She asked us what had happened to her luggage, and we told her what we had seen. In tears she said she had left her bags there just to ask a question at the counter.

The end of the story is that she had to go to the airport security office to reclaim her bags. Of course, that was after the guards had totally inspected everything inside, and possibly made her miss her flight.

We can’t fault the security guys from doing their jobs, but it should teach the woman and all others a lesson. No matter where you are in the airport area, don’t ever leave your baggage unattended.

USAToday and TripAdvisor named their choices for the top ten hotels and resorts for family travelers in the U.S. We note with agreement with voters that six of them are on or near Disney parks. Five for Walt Disney World and one at Disneyland.

Those listed include Disney's Wilderness Lodge, WorldQuest Orlando Resort, Lake Buena Vista Resort Village & Spa, Marriott's Harbour Lake and Floridays Resort, all in Orlando. The Homewood Suites by Hilton Anaheim-Main Gate Area in Garden Grove CA are near Disneyland.