Travel Briefs

To celebrate the centenary of Ian Fleming’s birth, Imperial War Museum London is holding the exhibition “For Your Eyes Only,” April 25, 2008-March 1, 2009.

Exploring the author’s life, including his wartime career and his work as a journalist and travel writer, it will examine how much of the James Bond novels were imaginary and to what extent they were based on real people and events.

Among items on display will be annotated Bond manuscripts; the Colt Python .357 Magnum...

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In Mulhouse, Alsace, France, the French National Car Museum (192 Avenue de Colmar, BP 1096, 68051 Mulhouse, France; www.collection-schlumpf.com) houses some of the most expensive cars in the world. They were collected by the Schlumpf brothers, who ran textile factories in the 1930s. When the factories went bankrupt in the 1970s, the government turned the collection of about 400 cars into a museum.

Open 10-5, except Jan. 8-Feb. 2 when it is open 1-5 weekdays and 10-5 weekends....

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Southern Sweden’s Skåne area offers more than 600 miles of trails organized into 80 different day hikes. Most trails pass through private land open to hikers, others pass through villages and nature reserves, and some follow Bronze Age petroglyphs.

Six trail maps are available at SEK150 (near $23) each, including shipping. Two maps describe biking trails. Contact the official Skåne tourism office (Stortorget 9, SE-211 22 Malmö, Sweden; phone +46 040 20 96 00, www.skane.com) or order...

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For children who can sit upright on their own and who weigh between 22 and 44 pounds, CARES is a safety harness that straps around an airplane seat and provides child-sized restraints that attach to the lap belt.

A portable alternative to bringing a car seat onto a plane, the restraint weighs less than a pound and fits in a 6-inch sack. CARES has been certified for use in the U.S. (by the FAA), the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. 

It costs $74.95 plus $5.95 shipping...

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The tourism offices of Portugal and Spain are collaborating on the website www.portugalspainboth.com, offering information on arts, wine, beaches and special events in both countries.

Every year on the second bank holiday Monday in May in Gloucestershire, England, dozens of competitors hurl themselves down the slope of Coopers Hill in pursuit of a round of Double Gloucester cheese.

Starting at noon on May 26, 2008, there will be four downhill races, with competitors from around the world and over 2,000 spectators. There is no admission cost, and parking costs £5 (near $10). Visit www.cheese-rolling.co.uk.

On the southwest coast of Wales, the annual Mud Festival takes place in 2008 on Sept. 6-7. Showcasing mud’s importance in estuaries, activities include welly wanging (the throwing of a Wellington boot as far into the estuary as one can), tug-of-war, mud hut construction and a “mud safari” walk in the estuary.

Admission to the WWT National Wetland Centre Wales (Llwynhendy, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, SA14 9SH; phone 01554 741087, fax 01554 744101 or visit www.wwt.org.uk/centre/120/...

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Any of 80 upscale bed-and-breakfasts around London can be booked through Uptown Reservations (8 Kelso Place, Kensington, London W8 5QD, U.K.; phone 0044 020 7937 2001, fax 7937 6660, www.uptownres.co.uk). All close to public transit and with bath or shower, double and twin rooms cost £95-£105 (near $195-$216) per night and singles, £72-£80 ($148-$164), including breakfast and tax.