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.
An exact replica of Tutankhamun’s tomb was scheduled to open in Luxor, Egypt, on April 30. The facsimile was a gift to Egypt from the Factum Foundation of Madrid, Spain, the Society of Friends of the Royal Tombs of Egypt in Zürich, Switzerland, and the University of Basel.
A panoramic, site-specific painting depicting the siege of Istanbul by Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II can be found in the museum Panorama 1453 (Topkapı Cultural Park, Istanbul, Turkey; phone 0212 415 14 53, www.panoramikmuze.com [in Turkish only]).
Including images of 10,000 individuals, the painting covers the entire interior of a dome 131 feet in diameter and depicts the siege as it might have appeared on May 29, 1453, from the museum’s location. Open 9 a.m.-6 p.m. daily. Museum entry costs TRY10 (near $4.50).
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.
While Germany sits in the driver’s seat of Europe’s economy, it doesn’t take a cultural backseat either. Here are a few of the latest developments.
• Berlin is trying to finish construction of its new, 5-billion-euro (nearly 7-billion-dollar) airport, Willy Brandt Berlin-Brandenburg International, but the project has been perennially delayed by a faulty fire-safety system, glitches in the baggage-sorting equipment and other technical problems. A partial opening in 2014 is possible but not likely.
I visited many of Amsterdam’s more than 50 museums during my Sept. 5-16, 2013, visit. A list of museums can be found on the “I amsterdam City Card” map, which you can buy for €2.50 (near $3.50) at the information booth in front of Centraal Station. The map is good and includes ferry routes.
Most of the museums I visited were in or near the Jordaan district. The eight museums described below were former residences.
Turkmenistan was one of the “five ’Stans” that I visited on a group tour of Central Asia, Oct. 4-27, 2013. If you are planning to travel there, you may wish to take note of my experiences.
Paris is still our favorite city, and my wife, Josie, and I still manage to find new things to see. One that surprised us in September ‘13 was how many people were riding those little, 2-wheeled, foot-powered scooters called Razors. Adults, too!
The scooters are small and lightweight enough to carry on and off the Métro, and they’re easy to stow away in small apartments.
This trip, we did a few things that we hadn’t taken the time to do before.
Commemorating the centenary of the start of World War I, England’s Imperial War Museums organization, which operates museums in London, Manchester and Duxford, is presenting a program of cultural events in 2014.
Example — on Aug. 4 at Westminster Abbey, a candelight vigil from sundown until 11 p.m. will commemorate England’s entering the war. For a list of WWI events in England, visit www.1914.org.
(2 of 2 on Paris)