caledonian travel refund

Consumeradvice

Hotel and travel company Specialist Leisure Group has entered administration, leading to the cancellation of 64,000 bookings across the UK.

The firm included Caledonian Travel, as well as coach holiday brands Shearings and National Holidays, hotel businesses such as Bay Hotels, Coast and Country Hotels and Country Living Hotels. All Wallace Arnold Travel shops are also now permanently closed.

All customers with cancelled package holiday bookings, which include organised travel are expected to have financial protections. Those who had holiday credit notes issued for package holidays that have been cancelled due to COVID-19 since March of this year, may have the same financial protections as they had under their original booking.

How can consumers seek refunds for bookings that have been affected?

The process of seeking refunds varies depending on the company that travel / packages were booked through, what the package consists of and how this was paid.

The Confederation of Passenger Transport UK through the Bonded Coach Holidays scheme (or BCH) have protections in place to protect customer prepayments.

They can help to claim back anything that is owed, including those protected by Refund Credit Notes that have been issued, including for consumers who previously had travel cancelled in March of this year due to COVID-19.

Bookings that include a flight

Consumers who have had bookings that included a flight will be contacted by the Civil Aviation Authority to make a claim for their refunds. They will get information from customers affected / protected directly or through their booking agent.

More information on this can be found on the CAA website at  https://www.caa.co.uk/ATOL-Failures/Shearings-Holidays-Ltd/

Bookings made through travel agents or other travel companies

Those who booked through travel agents should contact their travel agent or travel provider in the first instance for advice and guidance on the process for seeking refunds.

Bookings for accommodation only, day trips and excursions

In situations where a booking has been made with Shearings for accommodation only or for day trips or excursions, these are not protected by the Bonded Coach Holiday scheme and a claim should be made directly to the credit card issuer or bank for debit cards on which the travel was purchased.

The card company or bank may request a referral letter to process the claim. These letters are available through the Bonded Coach Holidays scheme website at  http://www.bch-uk.org/  (Letters can be located at the bottom of the page).

Section 75 Claims / Chargeback

These options may be applicable in numerous situations. Where payments have been made on a credit card for more than £100, the credit card provider becomes jointly responsible and should issue a refund. For payments made on a credit card under £100, or made on a debit card, consumers may be able to claim through their bank chargeback scheme and should contact them to see if this is possible.

Payments made by bank transfer, cash, or cheque

Those who have made payments by bank transfer, cash or cheque have protections in this instance and can apply for refunds to CSA Ltd who have been appointed by the Bonded Coach Holiday Scheme to manage and process refund claims. They have advised that they aim to complete all claim payments within 4-6 weeks. The quickest way to do this is online through the administrator’s website –  https://www.submitaclaim.co.uk/?ID=3556-AD4E691B82C45BFD50F0F9EFE52C3B77  (Available from Tuesday 26 th  March 2020.

Travel Insurance premiums and gift vouchers cannot be recovered by a claim.

For more information, which is updated regularly on rights in relation to COVID-19 and the coronavirus, you can visit our dedicated website at:  www.coronavirusadvice.sco

consumeradvice.scot and advice.scot are able to offer free and practical advice on a number of issues. Y ou can contact  consumeradvice.scot  on 0808 164 6000. advice.scot can be contacted on 0808 800 9060. Please note that due to a higher demand for our service, it may take longer for us to answer your enquiry.

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Reviews 4.6.

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Great value holiday and well organised

Terrific value for money, superb organisation re trips etc. Knowledgable driver. Hotel provided excellent food with good choices. I was personally completely satisfied with the hotel policies re room service, as for me I preferred this, as having daily bedding and towel changes is not necessary. In short the holiday was perfect thank you

Date of experience : 26 May 2024

A beautiful three day trip

Had a beautiful three day trip to Stratford-upon-Avon and the cotswolds Hotel the Royal Court Hotel excellent staff excellent room excellent meals we couldn't fault this hotel in beautiful grounds. Had a trip to Leamington Spa and around the cotswolds the village of Broadway is a must visit very picturesque. And also to Stratford-upon-Avon before we headed home. Loved every bit of this holiday with Stewart our driver going above and beyond to make us feel relaxed around the country side couldn't avoid a few Jams on the way down but a safe ride back home. Most enjoyable throughout would definitely do this trip again.

Date of experience : 31 May 2024

Overnight to legoland with my…

Overnight to legoland with my grandaughter. Booking was so easy and confirmation emails and all other documents sent straight away. Our driver mick was fantastic from start to finish. Couldn't do enough to make the journey as comfortable as possible in the really hot weather. Would definitely use caledonian again.

Date of experience : 01 June 2024

Returned from 4thfantastic stay at…

Returned from 4thfantastic stay at Royal Bath Hotel,Bournemouth,with driver Keith,who had all my sympathies,because of delays,for various reasons,which I am sure you Caledonian are aware of!!Reception staff are SO efficient,helping with small problems regarding room,which was a total delight to return to!Fabulous food,especially the ,mushy peas with the excellently cooked fish.Best mushrooms ever,at Breakfast,loads of choice,overall. Thankyou,Caledonian,and all staff at hotel I look forward to my 2 future visits,already booked.

Just returned fro

Just returned fro. 5 days in Dunoon. The Esplanade hotel was very good, a little TLC in bedroom and shower could improve immensely. Suzy and the staff were 1st class. Food superb special mention for Julia whose sunny smile was great to see every morning, she went above and beyond, nothing any trouble. Downside driver was erratic at times and didn't feel comfortable with his driving as many others on the coach felt the same.

Date of experience : 27 May 2024

It was an interesting trip and a good…

It was an interesting trip and a good atmosphere within the coach. The driver was very kind and helpful. Everything was good and the central localae of Coventry excellent. The hotel manager was a bit grumpy and stared at me a few times though. Apart from that the staff were good although there were beggars outside the hotel late at night - a mite diconcerting.

Mystery weekend ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

6 of us came for my friend’s 60th birthday. We were not sure what to expect as hadn’t been on one before so had no idea of what/where to expect. We ended up in Liverpool which we were over the moon with as we weren’t sure where we would go. Stayed outside of Preston in a holiday Inn on the evening - the hotel was lovely, clean, great food, comfy beds. We had all presumed wrongly that we were going to Blackpool for the second day so was a wonderful surprise to go to bowness-on-Windermere especially with beautiful weather. I have to say that our driver, Andy, was fabulous, what a good bloke. Courteous and good humoured went above and beyond for us all to make this a fab weekend. The coach was lovely and comfortable too. Fortunate to have a great group of other passengers on board too. Great value for money

Easy to book over the phone

Booking was done over the phone without any issues. Confirmation via email was received straightaway. It shows leaving/pick up time but it would help if an approx return time could b included. I am aware the driver informs everyone on day of return but an approx time would help for arranging lift in advance .

Date of experience : 14 May 2024

The Girls on the telephone when booking…

The Girls on the telephone when booking was very good and patient with me as I hadn’t booked before and was making one booking with two pick up points . I have not been on a bus tour before , so it will be interesting to see if everything ie accommodation and excursions are good . Will update after our mini break tour

Dunoon & Isle of Bute

Just spent 5 days at Esplanade Hotel, Dunoon. What a little gem. Hotel was lovely, room spotless & food excellent. Location was great 10 minute walk to ferry & town centre. View from front of hotel was stunning. Unfortunately, town centre was a bit run down, similarly Rothesay (Isle of Bute) also run down with very little to do.

Doug's opinion

Lovely coach trip up to Scotland with an excellent driver. Trips well organised and our guide absolutely fantastic. Lovely hotel and staff only problem was entertainment and food. Very disappointed with the food as I had to return it and get a replacement Entertainment diabolical except for the last night which was exceptional

An enjoyable Scottish Highland Break.

A lovely holiday.I chose this tour as I wanted to visit Aviemore and for the included excursions.These included a cruise on Loch Ness and a railway journey on the Speyside steam train . The driver Jim was extremely helpful and courteous. The Coylumbridge hotel was very good. The bedroom was large and well equipped. The food was of a good standard and included plenty of choice for both breakfast and evening meal. I made use of the leisure facilities as the holiday had a really nice swimming pool. All the staff were helpful and friendly. I would definitely recommend this holiday.

Really enjoyed our mystery tour…

Really enjoyed our mystery tour everybody was friendly the hotel waa clean the places were very enjoyable

In principle the company is good but on…

In principle the company is good but on my most recent holiday to Edinbrough this year we all experienced a very poor and unhelpful attitude from the bus driver and so most if not all were upset and disappointed.He was obviously not trained properly gave us little information and was quickly irritated by people and the elderly.I thought it wise to mention so people can have a happier journey.Many thanks

Date of experience : 01 April 2024

This was my first time travelling

This was my first time travelling. I took my son on the Harry Potter experience and we bothed loved it. The coach was reasonably comfortable, the driver was polite and friendly and occasionally funny. The hotel was very nice with good food. I would have liked a couple more hours on the tour as we didn't see it all properly, but I understand the needs of the coach travel. The tour was brilliant to see, even if your not a fan. We're going back as soon as we can. Would travel again.

Date of experience : 25 May 2024

My sister And myself went on Tuesday on…

My sister And myself went on Tuesday on your Harrogate and cream tea on a steam train which was most enjoyable. However this would not have been a success without our fabulous driver Kath who handled a very difficult situation extremely well (she was given the incorrect post code to the station we were to board the train ) However she managed to get us there and they had waited for us. The road Kath had to drive down were very very narrow and she was amazing. I would recommend this tour as the afternoon tea was most enjoyable and I would most definitely go on a Caledonian tour with Kath as the driver

Date of experience : 28 May 2024

Brighouse 1940s

The day trip to Brighouse 1940s weekend was too long having six hours there, I found. The coach driver was very polite even though he was not a Caledonian driver

Went to East Yorkshire wildlife park…

Went to East Yorkshire wildlife park yesterday with my grandson who has some disabilities. Due to this we had to get back on the bus early the driver was very understanding and made my grandson feel at ease. Would like to thank you 😊 for that much appreciated. Think your name was Darren thank you again

Legoland, London

Me & my mam travelled to London to go to Legoland with coach driver Andy, the ride there and back was brilliant, we got there in good time, had a reasonable time in Legoland it self, Andy was brilliant he kept us informed of timings and even made sure all the children were ok and kept telling them jokes to make them laugh. He was lovely with everybody. Would definitely be travelling again with Caledonian. Really enjoyed the experience.

Disappointed

Disappointed, booked two day London break, however very little time to do any shopping after dropping all others off that was booked on the theatre breaks. Also to note no reference/instructions was made towards us - everything was made towards thise on theatre break. Hotel very disorganised, which resulted in us not even tk get any propar breakfast, and even less time to relax. The family have been going on these trips many times over the years, and this time proved to be very disappointing.

Date of experience : 18 May 2024

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Refund Request

How to request a refund if you made an online reservation / have print at home tickets

If you wish to cancel your ticket, this can be done via our Customer Engagement Centre  - this needs to be more than 24 hours prior to the date and time of travel. A £10 administration fee will apply. We've shared details on the table below.

Customers can also amend bookings free of charge up to check-in closing , and this can be done online .

Bookings will be subject to a £10 refund administration fee - unless this is under circumstances where a cancellation fee is waived e.g. disruption to service. Should there be cancellations to our services due to weather or technical issues then a full refund will be provided. If there are disruptions on our network and should you cancel your booking before we cancel our sailing, then a full refund less the £10 administration charge will apply.

Ticket validity  - Turn Up and Go routes incl. 10 journey tickets -  When making your purchase for Turn Up and Go routes - specifically single, return and journeys on 10 journey tickets, please keep in mind that these tickets are valid for the season in which you've purchased them. They cannot be amended and cannot be used outside the timetable period you have bought them in. They are also non-refundable.  For 10 journey tickets specifically, select the product for the relevant season - S (Summer) and W (Winter). 

Terms and Conditions  (excluding commercial block reservations) 

Exemptions apply - see our  Conditions of Carriage  for more details.

How to request a refund if you have tickets purchased from a Port 

If you already have your tickets, please you post your tickets to:

Customer Services  CalMac Ferries Ltd  Ferry Terminal  Gourock  PA19 1QP 

Please include a covering letter, with your name and telephone contact number.  We will then contact you to arrange your refund. Please note, it will take up to 21 days to process your refund, from the date we receive your request.

How to request a refund for tickets purchased from a third party

If you have purchased your tickets from a third party - for example, from a travel agent, then please do contact them directly.

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Why You Should Ditch the Short-Haul Flight for an Overnight Train

By Ross Kenneth Urken

As I boarded the Caledonian Sleeper with my family at Edinburgh Waverly on a cool Scottish summer night, it was difficult not to get caught up in the romantic quality of this eight-hour journey to London . The train's midnight teal exterior reflected the hue of the sky, and coupled with the vintage-y copperplate gothic font emblazoned on it, the scene felt spliced from the celluloid of a Wes Anderson film. That a kindly bellhop from The Balmoral , our hotel adjacent to the station, loaded our valises off a trolley cart did little to rein in these trappings.

And yet, by all measures, sticking my wife, Tiffan, and three-year-old daughter, Odella, on the top bunk while I climbed into a claustrophobic twin bed beneath is an insane proposition. Some might deem it a divorce wish. And though I’m typically the first to celebrate the soporific effect of a train’s gentle rocking, the suck-it-in narrowness of our compartment was giving more coffin than cradle. In fact, the train is fairly modest and it’s a far cry from Belmond's Royal Scotsman . (Next time. Next life!)

Still, while easyJet can get you from Edinburgh to London in an hour flat for $25 a pop, I would wholeheartedly advocate for this adventurous snail-paced travel option—never mind my bruised forehead and ego, lasting crick in my neck be damned.

The Caledonian Sleeper train offers two routes with stops in London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Aberdeen, and Fort William.

Train travel, you see, allows for more organic and immediate integration into a city—without commuting in from the exurban airport. By going overnight, you don’t lose a day Ubering out to the airfield and then shuttling back into your destination’s city center—it’s an efficient method of getting someplace while you’d otherwise be sleeping instead of burning an afternoon on short-haul travel. You also spare yourself the indignities of airport security lines , and in minimizing your pre-departure arrival, you maximize your time in the city: before hopping on our charming, if flawed, little choo-choo, we enjoyed a full day at the National Museum of Scotland, a memorable brunch at Gleneagles Townhouse , a stroll through Princes Street Gardens, an evening visit to Camera Obscura and World of Illusions, and a civilized local dinner (not at airport prices). Despite the fact that my wife bumped her head on the ceiling when sitting up and the mediocre Lorne sausages and weak tea-bagged coffee come morning, the togetherness our little family experience proved more memorable than the logical budget option.

Truth be told, I’ve always been a train enthusiast. An erstwhile fear of flying in my teens necessitated some wildly impractical itineraries for study-abroad experiences that took me from London to St. Petersburg and New York to Guadalajara (the final stretch I completed by bus). I grew to enjoy writing reflective, if treacly, entries in a Moleskin or just zoning out while gazing at the passing countryside, imagining the lives lived in this or that orange-roofed house.

It’s immersive—going through, not over.

As a younger man, I welcomed serendipitous encounters with fast friends: a gregarious group of Swiss guys on a gap year crammed in a sitting compartment with a two-meter-tall gentleman opposite me named Wolfgang (whose knee prints are still impressed upon mine two decades later). Another memorable railroad companion: a gorgeous woman in Helsinki with jet-black hair and a bear-like dog who invited me upon departure to stay with her instead of a hostel before catching the last leg of my trip to Russia (I naively declined). Now in my late 30s, I enjoy the quietude of train travel and the way time seems to stand still even in motion. It’s a bit of a freeze frame. A way of cheating the incessant ticking of time, especially when traveling overnight to avoid squandering a day of precious PTO in transit. Waking up in a new city relatively rested (massive cowlick inevitable) without much effort or doing in the journey allows for a seamless continuation of the adventure.

But in these formative voyages, like the time I mistakenly added spirulina to a smoothie a decade ago, I was accidentally ahead of the trend.

Train travel has surged in popularity, with no signs of slowing down. The global number of train travelers has risen from 850 million people in 2019 to more than 967 million in 2023, almost a 14% uptick, per Statista. That total is expected to reach 1.1 billion come 2028. In the EU in particular, passenger rail travel rose 50% from 2021 to 2022, per Eurostat . Efficiency is not the end-all, be-all. Amid eco-conscious travelers’ flight-shaming, eschewing air travel and its enormous carbon footprint for train travel has grown all the more in popularity.

The train's overnight accommodations range from reclining seats in coach to personal rooms with bunk beds, or a standard double.

By Olivia Morelli

By Alex Van Buren

By Melissa Liebling-Goldberg

By Paris Wilson

Some railcar warriors just appreciate the simple charms of this mode of travel. For instance, Sandra Mayernik and her husband are retiree nomads who, since selling everything they owned last spring, have become acolytes of train travel, recently journeying from Lisbon to Faro on Comboios de Portugal, from Seville to Barcelona on TGV Renfe, and from Barcelona to Paris on TGV SNCF.

“For us, it’s not just getting from point A to B,” Mayernik tells Condé Nast Traveler . “It's about the experience. Traveling by train allows us to see the countryside, rather than just flying overhead. Our flexible schedule and budget allow us to prioritize the journey itself, not just the destination.”

When it comes to air travel, she doesn’t enjoy waiting in airport security lines or jockeying for space to place her carry-ons . It’s a paradigm shift.

“Once aboard the train, it’s a chance to truly unwind,” she says, touting the extra leg-room compared to most airplanes and the porousness of the train, allowing passengers to move between cars without the confines of an aluminum tube flying through the air. “As the landscape unfolds, we have the opportunity to relax, watch the scenery, and enjoy a leisurely lunch together."

Two summers ago Alicia Cintron, an American consultant based in Mexico City , opted to take a train solo from Barcelona Sants to Dijon Ville, France via SNCF instead of flying, despite the $175 price tag and eleven-hour journey (including a two-hour stop-over in Lyon).

“Train travel is more relaxed, more free, more humane,” she says. She didn’t have to worry about bringing her liquids on board and showed up just half-an-hour before departure. There was another clear advantage : “I wanted to see the French countryside.”

That provided Cintron with the perfect blood-pressure lowering backdrop to decompress after five busy weeks in Paris, a hectic day in Barcelona, and a week-long Mediterranean cruise with her family.

“I wanted to slow things down, even if just for a few hours,” she says. “And I wanted to be alone in my thoughts and back on my laptop. I tried catching up on the work I ignored while on holiday but that was a pipe dream. I spent most of the ride staring out the window, watching the world go by, and reflecting on life, work, family, everything. The picturesque countryside was relaxing and helped me reset and refocus. I remember the sky being so big and blue; the earth was green and mostly flat in this part of France.”

Norm Bour and his wife have embraced train travel since they became full-time nomads in their mid-60s in 2019—whether on an overnight train from Luxor to Cairo or Rome to Ancona. “From zipping along between Barcelona and Madrid at 300 kph, to slower trains that took us from Budapest, Hungary to Brasov, Romania—which took 15 hours over just 400 or so miles—the Iron Horse has become a device that I employ whenever possible,” Bour says.

“The relaxing views that pass before me cause me to imagine,” he says. “I sometimes ask myself, ‘How many people have seen this exact same view over the decades? Why did they take this particular journey? Were they alone? On vacation? Or maybe secret agents rendezvousing with their associates at the end of the line!’”

For my own part, once our fair Caledonian Sleeper pulled into London Euston at 7 a.m., we were a seven-minute cab-ride from our hotel, One Aldwych , in the beating heart of Covent Garden. Had we had fewer bags, we could have easily walked. But the efficiency was pronounced. There was no waiting at the luggage carousel. No expensive taxi on traffic-snarled highways or time-consuming Tube trip on the Piccadilly Line from Heathrow. There’s something so comforting about bookending the train journey with hotels that are essentially a stone’s throw from each station, the train threading a through-line between them. Having left Edinburgh at 11 p.m., we hadn’t lost any non-sleep time in our location change upon arriving here at the top of the morning in London. After resting and freshening up, we were immediately ready to start our day with a walk to the Tate Modern to maximize our time in London .

Logistical wins aside, my daughter’s giddy joy around the adventure—reading bedtime stories by flashlight in the top bunk—made the cramped discomfort of this trip all worth it. In other words: want to travel right? Make the wrong decision. It’s a true instance where the journey is as important as the destination.

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The Unique Burial of a Child of Early Scythian Time at the Cemetery of Saryg-Bulun (Tuva)

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Pages:  379-406

In 1988, the Tuvan Archaeological Expedition (led by M. E. Kilunovskaya and V. A. Semenov) discovered a unique burial of the early Iron Age at Saryg-Bulun in Central Tuva. There are two burial mounds of the Aldy-Bel culture dated by 7th century BC. Within the barrows, which adjoined one another, forming a figure-of-eight, there were discovered 7 burials, from which a representative collection of artifacts was recovered. Burial 5 was the most unique, it was found in a coffin made of a larch trunk, with a tightly closed lid. Due to the preservative properties of larch and lack of air access, the coffin contained a well-preserved mummy of a child with an accompanying set of grave goods. The interred individual retained the skin on his face and had a leather headdress painted with red pigment and a coat, sewn from jerboa fur. The coat was belted with a leather belt with bronze ornaments and buckles. Besides that, a leather quiver with arrows with the shafts decorated with painted ornaments, fully preserved battle pick and a bow were buried in the coffin. Unexpectedly, the full-genomic analysis, showed that the individual was female. This fact opens a new aspect in the study of the social history of the Scythian society and perhaps brings us back to the myth of the Amazons, discussed by Herodotus. Of course, this discovery is unique in its preservation for the Scythian culture of Tuva and requires careful study and conservation.

Keywords: Tuva, Early Iron Age, early Scythian period, Aldy-Bel culture, barrow, burial in the coffin, mummy, full genome sequencing, aDNA

Information about authors: Marina Kilunovskaya (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Dvortsovaya Emb., 18, Saint Petersburg, 191186, Russian Federation E-mail: [email protected] Vladimir Semenov (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Dvortsovaya Emb., 18, Saint Petersburg, 191186, Russian Federation E-mail: [email protected] Varvara Busova  (Moscow, Russian Federation).  (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences.  Dvortsovaya Emb., 18, Saint Petersburg, 191186, Russian Federation E-mail:  [email protected] Kharis Mustafin  (Moscow, Russian Federation). Candidate of Technical Sciences. Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.  Institutsky Lane, 9, Dolgoprudny, 141701, Moscow Oblast, Russian Federation E-mail:  [email protected] Irina Alborova  (Moscow, Russian Federation). Candidate of Biological Sciences. Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.  Institutsky Lane, 9, Dolgoprudny, 141701, Moscow Oblast, Russian Federation E-mail:  [email protected] Alina Matzvai  (Moscow, Russian Federation). Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.  Institutsky Lane, 9, Dolgoprudny, 141701, Moscow Oblast, Russian Federation E-mail:  [email protected]

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Savvino-storozhevsky monastery and museum.

Zvenigorod's most famous sight is the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery, which was founded in 1398 by the monk Savva from the Troitse-Sergieva Lavra, at the invitation and with the support of Prince Yury Dmitrievich of Zvenigorod. Savva was later canonised as St Sabbas (Savva) of Storozhev. The monastery late flourished under the reign of Tsar Alexis, who chose the monastery as his family church and often went on pilgrimage there and made lots of donations to it. Most of the monastery’s buildings date from this time. The monastery is heavily fortified with thick walls and six towers, the most impressive of which is the Krasny Tower which also serves as the eastern entrance. The monastery was closed in 1918 and only reopened in 1995. In 1998 Patriarch Alexius II took part in a service to return the relics of St Sabbas to the monastery. Today the monastery has the status of a stauropegic monastery, which is second in status to a lavra. In addition to being a working monastery, it also holds the Zvenigorod Historical, Architectural and Art Museum.

Belfry and Neighbouring Churches

Located near the main entrance is the monastery's belfry which is perhaps the calling card of the monastery due to its uniqueness. It was built in the 1650s and the St Sergius of Radonezh’s Church was opened on the middle tier in the mid-17th century, although it was originally dedicated to the Trinity. The belfry's 35-tonne Great Bladgovestny Bell fell in 1941 and was only restored and returned in 2003. Attached to the belfry is a large refectory and the Transfiguration Church, both of which were built on the orders of Tsar Alexis in the 1650s.  

To the left of the belfry is another, smaller, refectory which is attached to the Trinity Gate-Church, which was also constructed in the 1650s on the orders of Tsar Alexis who made it his own family church. The church is elaborately decorated with colourful trims and underneath the archway is a beautiful 19th century fresco.

Nativity of Virgin Mary Cathedral

The Nativity of Virgin Mary Cathedral is the oldest building in the monastery and among the oldest buildings in the Moscow Region. It was built between 1404 and 1405 during the lifetime of St Sabbas and using the funds of Prince Yury of Zvenigorod. The white-stone cathedral is a standard four-pillar design with a single golden dome. After the death of St Sabbas he was interred in the cathedral and a new altar dedicated to him was added.

Under the reign of Tsar Alexis the cathedral was decorated with frescoes by Stepan Ryazanets, some of which remain today. Tsar Alexis also presented the cathedral with a five-tier iconostasis, the top row of icons have been preserved.

Tsaritsa's Chambers

The Nativity of Virgin Mary Cathedral is located between the Tsaritsa's Chambers of the left and the Palace of Tsar Alexis on the right. The Tsaritsa's Chambers were built in the mid-17th century for the wife of Tsar Alexey - Tsaritsa Maria Ilinichna Miloskavskaya. The design of the building is influenced by the ancient Russian architectural style. Is prettier than the Tsar's chambers opposite, being red in colour with elaborately decorated window frames and entrance.

At present the Tsaritsa's Chambers houses the Zvenigorod Historical, Architectural and Art Museum. Among its displays is an accurate recreation of the interior of a noble lady's chambers including furniture, decorations and a decorated tiled oven, and an exhibition on the history of Zvenigorod and the monastery.

Palace of Tsar Alexis

The Palace of Tsar Alexis was built in the 1650s and is now one of the best surviving examples of non-religious architecture of that era. It was built especially for Tsar Alexis who often visited the monastery on religious pilgrimages. Its most striking feature is its pretty row of nine chimney spouts which resemble towers.

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I canceled my airline tickets months ago, so where’s my money?

After john bernath canceled his flight from amman, jordan, to tel aviv, israel, a booking.com representative promised him a full refund. so, why hasn’t he received anything.

Q. Last year, I bought two round-trip flights from Amman to Tel Aviv through Booking.com . The tickets on Royal Jordanian Airlines were refundable. In November, I called to cancel my tickets and spoke with a Booking.com representative, who said I would get my money back — minus a cancellation fee of about $16 — in about two weeks.

Two weeks later, there was no sign of the money. I called Royal Jordanian Airlines, and they referred me back to Booking.com . I called back and reached out to someone on the “advanced” support team. A representative promised to call me back within 72 hours, but I never heard from anyone.

I called a month later and spoke with another representative who gave me a different reference number to contact their customer service by phone. But it failed to get me access to Booking.com . Without the correct number, you can’t even gain access to an agent or an operator.

The Booking.com website showed my tickets as “canceled” with a refund due of $16. But I paid $589 for them. After 11 weeks of contacting both Royal Jordanian Airlines and Booking.com , I’m still no closer to receiving a refund. Can you help me get my money back?

JOHN BERNATH, Lake Worth, Fla.

A. You should have had your refund months ago. So, what’s going on?

My first clue was the refund status from Booking.com . It suggested that you were only due a $16 refund — what appears to be a cancellation fee — on your ticket. I thought you had misread the terms of your ticket and that it was nonrefundable.

But then you showed me the ticket, and indeed, it was refundable.

I’ve seen this before. I call it “the crisis refund problem.” When there’s a big incident that triggers a wave of cancellations — 9/11, a pandemic, or an armed conflict — an airline will get overwhelmed with cancellation and refund requests. These delays can be extended for months or even years. Your delays appear to have been caused by the conflict in the Middle East.

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Is there a way to expedite a refund? Yes. You can reach out to the executive contacts at Royal Jordanian Airlines or Booking.com . (I publish both on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org .) The Jordanian Civil Aviation Authority has consumer protection provisions that are similar to Europe’s, but I could find no requirement stating that the airline needs to issue a refund within a certain amount of time. In other words, it’s up to you to keep the pressure on the airline and its travel agent, Booking.com .

Even with a deluge of cancellations, Royal Jordanian should have been able to process your refund within 11 weeks. And even if it didn’t, you were doing business with Booking.com , so it should have stepped up and returned your money.

My advocacy team contacted Booking.com on your behalf. A representative got back to me and said that it had processed a refund. “The funds should appear in the customer’s account within three to five business days,” she added. And sure enough, they did.

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy ( elliottadvocacy.org ), a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at [email protected] or get help by contacting him at elliottadvocacy.org/help/ .