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“Climb to the top of the Acropolis and admire Parthenon Thanks to the amazing disabled access lifts, you can stay in a wheelchair. ” This is Ann Jones’s response to my article last week Little miracles in travel. I wrote about my history in Lebanon, the magic of self-guided tower tours in Germany, and exploring the verdant labyrinth atop the Warsaw University Library. The last one is only open from April to October, but is well worth including in your city break plans for 2026.
Hats off to the Greek authorities for their efforts to make one of the wonders of the world accessible to visitors with limited mobility.
Also in Athens, Andrew Tovell reports another miracle for those of us who rely on public transport, conspicuous by its absence Taking place in the UK on December 25th and 26th. On Boxing Day, he said: “In Athens, everything was running yesterday: trams, buses and the metro. Today it’s the same again.”
Andy Dann considers the entire country a wonder: “Japan – wonderful people, wonderful culture, lots to see. What a country.”
“Well, attending the Golden Shearing and Wool Handling Championships was not on our agenda when we visited New Zealand“, responded a reader who gave his name as Villa Mimarmel. “But some friendly locals we met at a small local museum told us about it and it was a lovely few hours. “I didn’t know about this North Island tradition, which will go ahead as usual in the town of Masterton from 7am on March 4 to 10pm on March 7. If you can’t attend this year, you can watch it live for NZ$10 (£4.30).
Some readers classify events as miracles that we really should take for granted. “The airline didn’t lose my luggage,” reported Ralph Hardwick, though he added: “That’s probably because I didn’t give them the opportunity to lose it.”
“Random Thoughts” said: “We have spent Manchester Airport Quite efficient! ” (I happened to be reporting from the airport’s Terminal 2 on the Tuesday and Wednesday before Christmas, and all the passengers I spoke to seemed happy.)
Meanwhile, reader Phil reports on an outbreak of camaraderie on the London Underground: “Talk to someone on the tube.” This isn’t a recent occurrence, though. The Internet of Humanity happens in May.
“HardForWellies” describes a small miracle in Russia that I feel didn’t happen this year. He was “unfortunately confused and in the wrong place” in St. Petersburg, with “neither a telephone nor local money.” “A young policeman took pity on me and bought me a subway ticket,” he happily reported.
I know this feeling. My last year in Russia was 2018, when the World Cup was very successful. After reading the future finalists Croatia beat Nigeria in Kaliningradmy friend Ian and I needed to go to Poland – we were flying back from Gdansk that evening. Apparently I had told Ian I would arrange bus tickets but promptly forgot about it. As expected, they were all sold out.
My cunning alternative plan was to take a local train to Mamonovo, Russia’s westernmost train station. After stopping at a series of stations with numbers rather than names – such as km 1298 and kilometer 1333 – we were literally the only passengers left at the end of the line.
A soldier asks for the papers of a pair of dodgy-looking Westerners in an unexpected location. He then asked how we suggested walking the last 5 kilometers to the Polish border? After a collective shrug from us, he motioned for us to get into his personal car and drove us there. “You can’t walk there, so you have to hitchhike.” were his last words to us. Thumbs up – within minutes a minibus carrying Croatian supporters took us over with a few empty seats.
Back on Boxing Day 2025, I experienced perhaps the last little miracle of the year. After some misunderstanding about the bus timetable, as I strolled towards the bus station in the town of Windermere, the double-decker bus I needed drove past, Cumbria.
Waiting an hour before setting out next for Ambleside I once again resorted to hitchhike. The location on the edge of town is prime, with slow traffic, good sight lines and plenty of room to park safely. The first few dozen cars sped past, but then two stopped at the same time.
I chose Jaguar.
Simon Calder, also known as “The Freeman,” has been writing about travel for The Independent since 1994. In his weekly opinion column, he explores a key travel issue – and what it means for you.