December 2008

Halle, Germany, birthplace of composer George Friedrich Handel, holds an annual festival honoring his works. In 2009, the 250th anniversary of his death, it takes place June 4-14. Among numerous musical events is a performance of his “Messiah” oratorio on June 5, with tickets €15-€65 (near $21-$90). 

Contact Directorship of the Handel Festival (Stiftung Händel-Haus, Große Nikolaistrasse 5, 06108 Halle, Germany; phone +49 [0] 345 500 90 222, fax 500 90 416, www.haendelfestspiele.halle.de/en).

Sir Anthony van Dyck was the principal painter at the court of King Charles I. The exhibition “Van Dyck and Britain,” running in London at the Tate Britain (Millbank, London; phone +44 20 7887 8888, www.tate.org.uk), Feb. 18-May 17, 2009, brings together many of his finest paintings. Admissions 10-5. €12.50 (€11.50 for 60+).

In India, a law went into effect Oct. 2, 2008, that prohibits smoking in public spaces such as restaurants, coffee shops, bars, shopping malls, cinema halls, amusement centers, hospitals and public offices, 

Restaurants seating 30 or more may reserve “smoking corners,” but the question remains whether hookah bars/restaurants will be regulated. Mumbai and Ahmedabad consider hookahs to be within the smoking ban, but Delhi has not decided.

The Channel Tunnel between Britain and France has been operating at reduced capacity since a fire aboard a train carrying trucks damaged the southbound section on Sept. 11 of this year. Access by passenger and cargo trains as well as automobiles has been restricted; ferries operating between Calais and Dover have been taking up the slack.

Chunnel repairs are expected to be completed in February 2009.

Saudi Arabia now requires visitors to declare jewelry, cash and any monetary instrument worth more than 60,000 riyals ($16,000). The move is to combat money laundering and the funding of terrorists.

You can get a free copy of Susan Foster’s book “Smart Packing for Today’s Traveler” when calling for a free catalog from Grand European Tours (Lake Oswego, OR; 888/522-3950, www.getours.com). The 248-page book details packing strategies for cruises, adventure trips and family travel.

The 176th Oktoberfest takes place in Munich, Sept. 19-Oct. 4, 2009. Fourteen large tents from beer distributors across Germany will crowd the Theresienwiesen festival grounds.

Table reservations are arranged through each tent (on the website www.oktoberfest.de, see “Tents”) but may not be necessary for those arriving in the morning on weekends or before 2 p.m. on weekdays. No seat, no beer! At the previous festival, a liter of beer cost about €8 (near $11).

In 2009, among numerous festivals and exhibits commemorating the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the exhibit “Leipzig on the Path to Peaceful Revolution” will be held at the Stasi Museum in Berlin, Jan. 15-Dec. 31. An open-air exhibition will be held May 7-Nov. 9 on Alexanderplatz in Berlin. On Nov. 9, the date the Wall fell, there will be concerts and a street fair near the Brandenburg Gate.

The East Side Gallery, a one-kilometer stretch of the Wall painted by artists from around the world, is on Mühlenstraße on the banks of the Spree.

Leipzig is celebrating the 200th birthday of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy with a program, Aug. 21-Sept. 18, 2009, at the concert hall where the composer staged his works, Gewandhaus zu Leipziger (Augustusplatz 8, 04109 Leipzig, Germany; phone +49 341 12 70-0, www.gewandhaus.de). For schedule, prices and tickets, call the ticket hotline (+49 341 12 70 280) or fax (341 12 70-200).

The average taxi ride within Lisbon, Portugal, costs €8-€15 (near $14-$26.50) and from airport to city, €12-€18. Fares are capped with a Taxi Voucher Lisboa, sold at the Lisbon Tourism booth in the airport arrivals hall, at the Lisboa Welcome Center and at Palácio Foz.

Depending on day or night service, vouchers cost €12.07 (near $16.75) day/€14.49 night in Zone 1; €15.37 day/€18.44 night, Zone 2, or €20.96 day/€25.19 night, Zone 3, with fares to Estoril, Cascais or Sintra €38.42 day/€46.09 night.