Your year of travel miracles

Simon Calder on highlights, including Kiwi sheep-shearing and the whole of Japan, that made readers' trips memorable

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“Getting to the top of the Acropolis and seeing the Parthenon in a wheelchair thanks to the amazing disabled access lift.” That is Ann Jones’s response to my article last week about the minor miracles of travel. I wrote about having history to myself in Lebanon, the magic of self-service tower tourism in Germany and exploring the verdant maze on top of the university library in Warsaw. The last of these is open only from April to October, but well worth incorporating into your city break plans for 2026.

Hats off to the Greek authorities for working to allow access to one of the world's wonders for travellers with limited mobility.

Also in Athens, Andrew Tovell reports another miracle for those of us reliant on public transport, which was conspicuous by its absence in the UK on 25 and 26 December. On Boxing Day, he said: “In Athens everything ran yesterday: trams, buses, and Metro. Same again today.”

Andy Dann regards an entire nation as miraculous: “Japan - fantastic people, fantastic culture, so much to see. What a country.”