My husband and I will be visiting Stockholm, Sweden. Is the city accessible to the disabled?

Generally speaking, Stockholm is accessible, from museums and most attractions to many restaurants. But you'll want to avoid parts of Old Town, where streets are cobblestone and many restaurants, in old wine or potato cellars, require walking down stairs.

Tina Brannstrom, a spokeswoman for the Stockholm Visitors Board, wrote this in an e-mail: "We have broad sidewalks almost everywhere. The museums are mostly accessible with wheelchairs, like the most popular attractions: the Vasamuseum, Skansen, the Royal Palace (in Old Town), City Hall (with a need to call in advance), etc."

She said sidewalks have ramps, many taxis have large trunks for storing wheelchairs and most buses can be lowered for easy access. Also, most subway stations have elevators, and most attractions offer restrooms for the disabled.

Most promising, Brannstrom said, "Stockholm's vision is to become the most accessible capital in the world in 2010."

Find more information on the tourism board's Web site, stockholmtown.com.

My wife and I are planning a Baltic cruise in May. We want to see St. Petersburg, Russia, but I remember reading that some cruises have had to reroute because of ice. Does this happen often?

Although it's difficult to predict weather conditions in that part of the world, the chances of ice in early May are slim, and most of the major cruise lines sail the Baltics at that time.

The average daytime high in St. Petersburg in May is 60 degrees; the average low is 44 -- hardly the kind of weather to produce ice. And because cargo vessels cruise that region year-round, icebreaker ships usually have cleared paths into ports.

The most severe weather you'll probably see is a few chilly nights. So dress warmly.