something to declare

Trouble spots

Five-point plan from our woman in the Foreign Office on staying safe in Florida

1. Do not wear ostentatious jewellery, and avoid walking in obviously run-down areas.

2. If arriving at night, take a taxi to your hotel and collect your hire car the next day.

3. Drive on main highways and use well-lit car parks.

4. Do not stop if your car is bumped from behind. Instead, indicate to the other driver to follow you to the nearest public area and call for police assistance.

5. Do not sleep in your car on the roadside or in rest areas.

Travel advice for many other destinations is available from the Foreign Office on 0171-238 4503, http://www.fco.gov.uk/ on the Internet, and on BBC-2 Ceefax page 564 onwards.

True or False

"The summer of '75 was even better than the one in '59"

True. Sir Clough William-Ellis, the architect behind Portmeirion, was clearly a man with a sunny disposition. On a column bearing a statue of Atlas, he applied a plaque inscribed in fine italic "To The Summer of 1959 in Honour of its Splendour". Beneath that, 1971 is "Highly Commended". Then, "1975 Excelled Even 1959".

The best was yet to come. The adjacent face of the column bears the simple message "1976 - Nonesuch".

Bargain of the week

The usual business class fare from London to Halifax, Nova Scotia is pounds 2,100 return. But Icelandair (0171-388 5599) is promoting its new service to the Canadian gateway with a pounds 799 fare until 2 September. You have to stay overnight in Reykjavik on the way out, but the airline throws in a free stay at a hotel in the Icelandic capital.