Fe, fi, fo, fum. . . .
December’s picture is a 40- foot metal sculpture of the giant troll Gudar.
Legend has it that Gudar used a big rock to carve out the Gudena River Valley in central Jutland, Denmark. He stands today near the Norgaards Hojskole (school) in the town of Bjerringbro.
5 days, 4 nights in Milan, ITALY, Nov. 5-9, 2014. Highlights: Gothic cathedral Duomo/Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” in Santa Maria delle Grazie Convent refectory/Castello Sforzesco/Ambrosiana Gallery/Church of San Satiro/Poldi Pezzoli Museum/Brera Picture Gallery/Villa Sommi Picenardi. Land/air (London to Milan), £1,575 (near $2,703); land only, £1,415 ($2,428). Single supp., £295 ($506).
Ciceroni Travel (2 The Square, Aynho, Banbury, Oxfordshire, OX17 3BL, U.K.; phone +44 [0] 1869 811167).
In Florence, Italy, cracks in the feet of Michelangelo’s statue of David threaten its survival. The 17-foot-tall figure on a 6-foot base, which had stood in Florence’s Piazzo della Signoria since 1504, was moved into a domed room at the Galleria dell’Accademia in 1873. (A replica still stands in the piazzo.)
Restoration work on Rome’s Trevi Fountain began June 5. Part of the city’s campaign to clean and repair some of its public antiquities, the work, funded by fashion company Fendi, is expected to last 18 months.
Visitors will be able to watch the restoration from behind a metal barrier or from a walkway constructed above the central part of the fountain. The water was drained for the restoration, but people still will be allowed to toss coins in the fountain for luck.
At the mouth of a new extension of the Forth and Clyde Canal in Falkirk, Scotland, two 98-foot-tall horse head sculptures, called The Kelpies, opened to the public in April at The Helix outdoor recreational area. Made of stainless steel and weighing 300 tons each, the sculptures were built by artist Andy Scott.
Guided tours of The Kelpies operate daily and cost £4.95 (near $8) adult or £3 child. Buy tickets at www.thehelix.co.uk (under “Plan your visit,” click on “Book Kelpie tickets”) or phone +44 1324 506 850.
Until Dec. 31, 2014, the exhibit “Masterpieces from the Collection” is being held in the National Gallery of Ireland (Merrion Square West, Dublin 2, Ireland; phone +353 1 661 5133). Irish paintings from the early Renaissance to the 20th century will be shown in 10 rooms of the Beit Wing; enter on Claire Street. A large selection of Jack Yeats paintings will be put on rotation.
Opened in April 2014, the ArcelorMittal Orbit, at 375 feet the tallest sculpture in the UK, is located in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (Stratford London; phone +44 0 333 800 8099), a 10-minute walk from London’s Stratford Tube station.
The tower’s unique design includes a complex structure resembling a roller-coaster track wrapping around it, and from either of two observation decks within it (£15, near $21), visitors can take in views of the adjacent Olympic stadium and the skyline of London.
In the Ardèche department of France, in the Rhône-Alpes region, a replica of Chauvet Cave, known for its many prehistoric paintings, will open in late 2014. Chauvet Cave, whose paintings predate those of the famous Lascaux Caves by about 19,000 years, contains more than 1,000 representations, including 424 depictions of 14 animal species.
The art I saw during my visit to Amsterdam, Sept. 5-16, 2013, ranged from paintings by Vermeer and Rembrandt to modern photographs and films. I started by buying a Museumkaart (not the I amsterdam City Card) at a museum for €54 (near $74). The card provides admission and other benefits throughout the Netherlands for a whole year.
by Ken Mallory — Newton Heights, MA
Lured by an invitation from my wife’s cousin and her daughter to visit them in Mallorca, Spain, in November 2013, my wife, Margaret, and I discovered the many benefits of off-season travel to a country that overflows with visitors during the high season in spring and summer.