Elderhostel Travel/Study Sessions May Be Answer To Overseas Course

Q. My husband and I are former educators, now retired. We have been to England twice, renting a car and doing literary trips. We are now interested in taking a course at Cambridge or the University of London. Do you have any suggestions as to how we might go about this?

A. New York University School of Continuing Education handles a Cambridge University International Summer School program, but this two-week experience might not be what you’re looking for. Participants buy a package that includes round-trip airfare, tuition, excursions, dorm room, breakfasts, dinners and some lunches for about $3,250. Write to NYU International Programs, 331 Shimkin Hall, 50 E. Fourth St., New York, NY 10012.

To contact the university’s international programs directly, write to Cambridge University, Board of Continuing Education, Madingley Hall, Cambridge CB3 8AQ, United Kingdom, and specify your preference among the International Summer School, Literature Summer School or Art History Summer School. The two-week August term costs about $1,275, including tuition, room, two meals a day and light cleaning. The price does not include airfare.

Other programs you might check out are Elderhostel overseas travel/ study sessions which usually run three weeks and involve spending one week at each of three sites, usually colleges or universities. The one-week sessions at each campus site vary from Chaucer and Dickens to folklore, the Norman conquest, art appreciation and other subjects, non-credit enrichment classes usually taught by a college prof. Request an international catalog from Elderhostel, 75 Federal St., Boston, MA 02110.

Q. I’ve heard it’s now possible to get around Paris by a sort of boat shuttle. Is this true?

A. Yes, it is. The so-called Batobus (as in Bateau Bus, or boat bus) is a relatively new way to get around central Paris. The service, advertised by large red and blue signs along the banks of the Seine River, became well-known in 1995 during the huge strike that froze local transportation, including subway service, stranding Parisians and tourists alike.

Batobus, a private company, stepped in, and, despite the necessary walk to various departure points along the Seine, proved to be both a convenient and enjoyable transportation alternative. The company now offers regular service from May 1 to Sept. 30.

While not nearly as cheap as the Metro - one stop on the Batobus costs about $3.70 plus $1.85 for each additional stop, compared to $1.50 for the Metro - the boat shuttle is considerably more scenic. There are three enclosed vessels - the Jean Gabin, the Edith Piaf and the Yves Montand - that stop every 25 minutes at six centrally situated docks on the Seine River.

Stops, which are identified by nearby tourist sites, include the Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Hotel de Ville, the Louvre museum, the Eiffel Tower and the Musee d’Orsay. Travel time from the Eiffel Tower to the Notre-Dame Cathedral, for example, is about 35 minutes.

The boats operate daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. through July and in September, and from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. in August. Tickets, which may be purchased at kiosks on the docks, cost $3.70 for one stop; $1.85 for each additional stop; $11 for a one-day pass; $16.50 for two days; and $46 for a seasonal pass through Sept. 30. Children are half price.

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