Thank you for all your good wishes regarding my leg infection. I can't remember if I told you it's been diagnosed as streptoccocal cellulitis. I'm still on IV antibiotics until tomorrow and I see my doctor on Wednesday morning. However, the leg does look much better although I'm still having some pain in what feels like the "nerve endings". I'm sure that's part of the growth of new tissues though.

I did contact the insurance company which is called Berkeley Care. I purchased my European tour and attendant insurance from Trafalgar Tours in Canada through my agent at Sears only to find out that they sub-contract it out to Berkeley in the U.S. I was able to get the claim forms via the internet so now begins the long procedure of attempting to be reimbursed.

I hope to get back my full return airfare ($2100 Canadian one way) Venice-Detroit, plus the unused portion of my return airbus ticket Toronto-Chatham, plus all the taxi fares back and forth from hotels in Tuscany and Venice to hospitals for which I have receipts. The insurance brochure itself is very ambiguous as to what I can expect in the way of remuneration for the trip itself. In one part, it sounds like if the trip is interrupted for a medical reason, the whole trip is refunded but the person I spoke with at Berkeley told me it was only the unused portion I would get back.

That is also a debatable point! I returned home on Friday and the trip ended Sunday. However, from Tuesday until Friday, I was incapacitated and unable to participate in any of the tour activities.

I will keep you posted as I attempt to get this all sorted out. One never knows when something like this will strike and this is certainly a first for me.

My travelling companion was able to complete the trip and she got to see Venice and Rome. There were half a dozen other Canadians going back to Toronto on the same flight so they helped her with her luggage and got her to the ground transportation area. We did travel with a wonderful group representing Canada, United States, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia ranging in age from 6 - 66.

Pat in Ontario, Canada