FRANCE has brought us so much culture and art and, at the same time, has championed the modern concept of a vacation. To get the most out of your next visit, be mindful of these changes and developments for 2016.
At the Southern Hemisphere’s largest collection of armored vehicles and artillery, in Cairns, North Queensland, visitors may ride in an armored vehicle (depending on availability and weather conditions). Visitors ages 12 and up may also shoot bolt-action rifles under officers’ supervision.
On the island of Réunion, in the Indian Ocean, the Musée des musiques et instruments de l’océan indien (4 rue de la Cayenne, 97433 Hell-Bourg, Réunion; phone +262 46 72 23, www.maison
morange.fr [in French only]) opened Nov. 5, 2015.
Highlighting the island’s musical traditions, a collection of more than 1,500 ancient and modern instruments include examples of music styles from Africa, Asia and Europe. Information is displayed only in French. The museum is open 10 a.m.-6 p.m Tues.-Sun. Closed Monday. Entry, €7 (near $8).
The “Japan Archaeological Gallery” at the Tokyo National Museum (13-9 Uenokoen, Taito, Tokyo 110-8712, Japan; phone +81 3 3822 1111, www.tnm.jp/?lang=en) reopened Oct. 14 after nearly a year of renovations.
The gallery has artifacts dating from 14,000 BC (such as stone tools) to the Edo era (1603-1868), including armor and items made of stone, wood, ceramic and metal. It also holds temporary exhibits. The Tokyo National Museum houses four more galleries and special exhibits.
Located on the National University of Singapore campus, the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (2 Conservatory Dr., Singapore 117377; phone +65 6601 3333, http://lkcnhm.nus.edu.sg) opened in April 2015.
In a building that looks like a corner of it has been sliced off, the museum displays more than 2,000 of its one million animal and plant specimens, including insects, spiders, reptiles, mammals, etc., anchored by three nearly complete, long-necked diplodocus skeletons from Wyoming.
Marking the 500th anniversary of the death of painter Hieronymus Bosch, the exhibit “Jheronimus Bosch — Visions of Genius,” Feb. 13-May 8, 2016, will feature nearly 70 of his works, the most ever shown in one place, including nine never seen in public before. The Noordbrabants Museum (Verwesstraat 41, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands; phone +31 73 6877 877, www.hnbm.nl) is open 9 a.m.-7 p.m. daily. Book tickets online. €22 (near $24).
From mounted insects to a 4-story high Mamenchisaurus skeleton, 11,000 plant and animal specimens — along with artifacts from human history in eastern China — are on display in the Shanghai Natural History Museum (phone +86 21 86822000, www.snhm.org.cn [in Chinese only]), which opened in its new location, the north section of the Jing’an Sculpture Park (128 Shimen Er Lu, Jing’an, Shanghai, China), in June 2015.
Liz and Jack Kaufman of Lake Quivira, Kansas, wrote, “We have visited cemeteries all around the world. The best ones combine history with beautiful gardens and superb architecture… . We would like to read travelers’ recommendations for cemeteries to visit.”
In London, the exhibit “Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse,” exploring how the evolution of the city’s gardens influenced Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and Avant-Garde artists at the turn of the 19th century, runs Jan. 30-April 20, 2016, at the Royal Academy of Arts (Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, England; phone +44 20 7300 8027, www.royalacademy.org.uk).
A ticket costs £16 or, with donation, £17.60 (near $26) and can be bought online.
Paris’ Musée Rodin (77 rue de Varenne, Paris, France; phone +33 01 44 18 61 10, www.musee-rodin.fr/en) completely reopened on Nov. 12 after a 3-year, €16-million restoration (some portions had remained open). Also, many of Rodin’s paintings and sculptures were restored. Open 10 a.m.-5:45 p.m. Thurs.-Sun. & Tues. and 8:45 p.m. Wed. Entry, €10; sculpture garden only, €4.