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Hadrian’s Wall Exhibition

From April 8 to Sept. 10, 2017, along the entire 150-mile-long Hadrian’s Wall in northern England, the “Hadrian’s Calvary” exhibition gives visitors a glimpse of the lives of Roman soldiers stationed in England. During the event, visitors will be able to see authentic Roman artifacts such as weapons and ornately decorated armor on loan from British museums. The highlight of the exhibition occurs July 1-2 in Bitts Park, Carlisle, when 30 Roman cavalry reenactors will perform traditional Roman training exercises and maneuvers as described by Hadrian, himself.

Sir John Soane, London

With more than 350 Roman funerary urns and architectural items on display, the catacombs at Sir John Soane’s Museum (13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London, England, WC2A 3BP, UK; phone + 44 [0] 20 7405 2107, www.soane.org) finally opened to the public, 180 years after the death of Sir John Soane. 

Swiss National Museum

In Zürich, artifacts dating from the Stone Age to AD 800 are on permanent display in the human-history exhibition “Archaeology in Switzerland,” located in a new wing opened on Aug. 1 at the cultural-history Swiss National Museum (Museumstrasse 2, Zürich; phone +41 44 216 65 11, www.nationalmuseum.ch).

The wing added two exhibition halls, an auditorium, a library and a restaurant. The museum is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues., Wed. & Fri.-Sun. and 10-7 Thurs. Closed Mon. Adult, CHF10 (near $10); child up to 16, free.

Stay in a Russian gulag

In the Siberian town of Tobolsk, the Prison Castle museum (5 Red Square, Tobolsk 5626152, Tyumen Region, Russia; phone +7 8 3456 22 37 13, tiamz.ru/en/museums/21) is now also a hotel. 

At the cost of RUB600 (near $9) per person per night for up to 16 people, each guest can sleep on a metal bunk in a 2-person “sweat-box” room, a cramped room used to punish prisoners. A toilet and shower are on site. Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Czar Nicholas II are among prisoners who spent time in the penitentiary. 

Victorian pumping station

In southeastern London, after more than 20 years of restoration work, a beautiful example of industrial architecture opened to visitors as a museum in April 2016. Originally built in 1865, the Crossness Pumping Station (The Old Works, Thames Water S.T.W., Bazalgette Way, Abbey Wood, London, SE2 9AQ, U.K.; phone +44 208 311 3711, www.crossness.org.uk) pumped sewage out of the city and into the Thames estuary until 1956.

Obama’s ancestral Irish home

The town of Moneygall in County Offaly, Ireland, has commemorated its distinction of being the home of President Barack Obama’s maternal great-great-great-grandfather, Falmouth Kearny, with the Barack Obama Plaza (Junction 23 M7, Moneygall, Co. Offaly, E53 F342, Ireland; phone +353 505 45810, barackobamaplaza.ie). 

FIFA museum, Zürich

Opened in Zürich on Feb. 28, the FIFA World Football Museum (Seestrasse 27, 8002 Zürich, Switzerland; phone +41 43 388 25 00, www.fifamuseum.com) explores the history of soccer and how the sport and FIFA, its international governing body, have changed. 

In Britain, the kids are all right

In Britain, the kids are all right

Imagine being a kid forced to spend a big part of your summer vacation with robo-tourist Rick Steves (alias Dad). My kids, Jackie and Andy, did that a lot when they were young. I always considered it a great education for them, but they also had a lot of fun. 

One of their favorite destinations, Great Britain, enthralled them with colorful pageantry and evocative historical sights. Here’s what impressed them the most.

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Vienna Pass

Visitors to Vienna, Austria, can purchase a one-day, 2-day, 3-day or 6-day Vienna Pass providing fast-tracked access to more than 60 museums and attractions plus passage on a hop-on, hop-off tour bus. A travelcard add-on includes unlimited rides on bus, tram and subway lines. 

Among sites accepting the pass are the museum Albertina, the Schön­brunn Palace & Zoo and the homes of composers Haydn, Schubert, Strauss and Beethoven.

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