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February 2017

 

Swarovski Kristallwelten Theme Park, Wattens, Austria

Apparently, our December mystery photo was so unmistakeable that every single answer we received was correct! The location of the green giant fountain is about 20 minutes northeast of Austria's Tyrolean capital, Innsbruck, in the town of Wattens.

Swarovski Kristallwelten (Crystal Worlds), a museum filled with unusual works of art that all center around the theme of crystal, was built in 1995 for the 100th anniversary of the crystal company Swarovski.

Cutta Cutta Caves, Australia

In Nitmiluk National Park in Australia’s Northern Territory, visitors can take a one-hour guided tour of the Cutta Cutta Caves with Nitmiluk Tours (phone +61 08 8971 0877, www.nitmiluktours.com.au). 

Carved naturally from limestone over millions of years, the cave system is nearly six square miles in size and is home to five species of bats. On a walkway with a railing, tours depart hourly, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., and cost AUD22 (near $16) per person; book in advance. Nitmiluk National Park is about 17 miles northeast of the city of Katherine via a private road.

Paris language-aid app

The Paris Chamber of Commerce has released the app “Yes I speak Touriste!” to help foreign visitors each find Parisian businesses where their native language is spoken. 

The free app includes an interactive map that shows locations of restaurants, shops, hotels, etc., where no translator will be needed. 

Available on iOS and Android, it offers entries in nine languages, including English, Chinese and Arabic. There is a website (www.yesispeaktouriste.com) with extra information, and a printed guide is available.

Bahamian plants

At the Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve on Eleuthera Island, Bahamas, visitors see hundreds of native Bahamian plants plus birds across more than 25 acres. Trails follow themes such as medicinal plants, poisonous plants, mangrove forest and wetlands. The park features a Welcome Center, an Educational Pavilion, a gift shop and the 75-foot Ethan’s Tower with 360-degree views. 

Located on Banks Road, two miles south of the town of Governor’s Harbour, the preserve (phone +1 242 332 3831, www.levypreserve.org) is open daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Entry, $10.

Naples tunnel tours

Visitors to Naples, Italy, can tour a series of forgotten 19th-century tunnels, now known as the Galleria Borbonica (two entrances: Vico del Grottone 4 or Via Morelli 40 [inside Morelli car parking], 80132 Napoli, Italy; phone +39 366 248 4151, www.
galleriaborbonica.com/en). 

Originally carved under the streets of Naples in the 1850s by Ferdinand II of Bourbon to act as a passageway from his palace to a military barracks in case of revolution, the tunnels, full of left-behind artifacts, were sealed in the 1950s. 

Kishle Tour

Near the Jaffa Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem, the public can take tours of the Kishle, a military and prison compound at the Tower of David Museum (Jerusalem, Israel; phone +972 2 6265333, www.tod.org.il/en).

Last used in 1947 to house Jewish prisoners during the Israeli War of Independence against the British, the Kishle was recently excavated, revealing retaining walls and a sewage system dating back to the time of Herod as well as graffiti from when it was a British military post.

Drive-thru Caribbean volcano

Visitors to Kyoto, Japan, can rent bicycles at five Machikado Minapoto (Community Cycle) locations. At the automated kiosk at each rental station, with instructions in English, renters insert a credit card or prepaid Pitapa IC card, input the stall number of the chosen bike and, using the number on the printed receipt, unlock the bike. 

Drive-thru Caribbean volcano

In the Caribbean island nation of Saint Lucia, visitors can drive right through the collapsed caldera of the Soufrière volcano and take a tour of Sulphur Springs geothermal park to see boiling springs and bubbling mud pots. 

The tour, lasting around 30 minutes, takes visitors safely across a wooden walkway just feet away from the boiling waters. Just outside the park are two bathing pools, one filled with hot black, mineral-rich water and the other, warm water.

France UNESCO sites eguides

Travelers with an Amazon Kindle or the Kindle app can download the ebook “The World Heritage Sites of France” by travel writer Jérôme Sabatier. 

In addition to historical and cultural info on the UNESCO sites of mainland France, the interactive travel guide includes maps, lists sites’ hours of operation and entry fees, suggests self-guided-tour itineraries and has links to updated info (connection to Wi-Fi or a phone network is required for Web interactivity). 

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