Travel Briefs
Leipzig Bachfest
In 2020, the annual Bachfest in Leipzig, Germany, will be held June 11-21.
Tour with a Canada park ranger
Visitors to Red Bay National Historic Site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Canada’s Labrador province, can book hour-long tours with a park ranger to the 16th-century Basque whaling outpost there.
Viking Cruises name change
Viking Cruises (Los Angeles, CA; 855/338-4546, www.vikingcruises.com) has changed its name to simply “Viking,” introducing the corresponding website www.viking.com.
New Zealand kayaking
Off the coast of New Zealand’s South Island, visitors can paddle up close to fur seals on a “Guided Seal Kayaking Half Day Experience” with Kaikoura Kayaks (19 Killarney St., Kaikoura; phone +64 21 462 889, kaikourakayaks.nz).
Souvenir stands banned in Rome
The city of Rome banned souvenir booths and food carts at historic sites, including the Colosseum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps. The ban went into effect on Jan. 1. Some vendors were given the option of permanent locations away from the monuments where they had been set up.
Historic Florence doors on display
The three monumental doors of the Florence Baptistery were reunited in December 2019 after being apart for almost 30 years for restoration. The three gilded-bronze doors were crafted by different artisans between 1330 and 1452. Each is more than 16 feet tall and almost 10 feet wide and weighs over eight tons.
Scan your passport on AA app
American Airlines’ smartphone app now can scan the passports of international travelers when it is used for check-in, meaning travelers no longer have to show their passports to the airline’s customer service agent at the airport.
Guided Czechia hikes
Starting in Prague, guided hikes in Czechia can be booked with Czech Trek (phone +420 720 31 39 30, www.czechtrek.eu).
New ‘smart’ train in China
The “Jing-Zhang” high-speed rail system, with trains reaching speeds of up to 217 mph, began operation in northeastern China on Dec. 30.
Switzerland hiking maps
Swiss map publisher swisstopo (phone +45 58 469 01 11, www.swisstopo.admin.ch) released new, updated hiking maps in August.
Greek rack railway
The Odontotos rack railway, connecting the seaside town of Diakopto to the mountain village of Kalavryta in Greece’s northern Peloponnese, is a rare example of a rack-and-pinion railway, whose engines complete steep climbs by using a gear and a track with teeth.
Renew passport with app
The makers of the Mobile Passport app (July ’19, pg. 13) have partnered with RushMyPassport (Sept. ’19 pgs. 2, 44) so that travelers now can use the app to renew their passports in as little as 24 hours.
Photograph bears in Slovenia
On the 4-day guided experience “Mother & Newborn Cubs,” guests (6 maximum) will have the chance to photograph bear families in Slovenia’s Loka Valley while safe in a bear blind. Slovenia is home to about 560 Eurasian brown bears, which can reach more than 1,000 pounds and over 8 feet in length.
Saudi Arabia allows mixed dining
The crown prince of Saudi Arabia announced on Dec. 10 that men and women now can eat together in restaurants. Before the decree, every restaurant, even fast-food restaurants, had different entrances for men and women, and, by law, the two genders were separated by, at the least, a screen.
Lake Lucerne paddleboats
On Lake Lucerne, Switzerland, visitors can take a round-trip journey from Lucerne (Luzern) to Flüelen aboard one of four steam-powered paddleboats, each with a restaurant.
Trade gift cards for miles
With United Airlines’ Gift Card Exchange, you can trade the value of unused gift cards for United MileagePlus miles. Only gift cards from approved retailers, including Target, Walmart and rival airlines American and Southwest, can be exchanged (a complete list is available online).
‘You decide’ Stockholm tours
Paying the guide only what they feel the tour is worth, visitors to Stockholm can join “free” guided, English-speaking tours with Free Walking Tour Stockholm (Mälartorget 8, 111 27 Stockholm, Sweden; phone +46 073 731 78 80, www.stockholmfreetour.com).
Martinique eruption museum
The Frank A. Perret Museum in Saint-Pierre, Martinique, commemorates the volcanic eruption of May 8, 1902, that buried much of the city and killed more than 30,000 people, leaving only three residents alive.
Angkor Wat elephant rides banned
Beginning in early 2020, visitors to the ancient temple complex of Angkor Wat, Cambodia, will no longer be able to ride elephants on the grounds of the site. Two of the park’s 14 elephants have been released in a nearby forest, with the rest to follow shortly.
Walking tour app VoiceMap
Travelers with smartphones can take walking tours of more than 150 cities and locales using the app VoiceMap (free on Apple and Android).