Travel Briefs
Gurning contest
Each year on the Saturday closest to Sept. 18 (in 2009, that’s Sept. 19), the town of Egremont, England, celebrates the crab apple with a day of unique events.
Bauhaus’ 90th anniversary
Germany is celebrating the birth of the influential 20th-century school of design, the Bauhaus, throughout 2009. Many cities are holding exhibitions, concerts, theater performances and art installations (for instance, sculptures and paintings by Kandinsky, Klee and Itten at the New Museum in Weimar, March 28-May 7).
Canaletto in Treviso
In Treviso, Italy, the gallery Casa dei Carraresi (Via Palestro 33, 31100 Treviso, Italy; phone 0422 410886, fax 0422 303890 or visit, in Italian only, www.artematica.tv) is holding a retrospective on the work of the 18th-century, Venetian, large-scale-landscape painter Giovanni Antonio Canal, best known as Ca
Schiphol deluxe ‘pods’
Located at Schiphol Airport near Amsterdam, the “luxury pod hotel” citizenM (Janplezierweg 2, 1118 BB Schiphol Airport, Netherlands) has no porters or room service.
Historic Dockyard
A one-hour drive from London, the Historic Dockyard Chatham (Chatham, Kent, ME4 4TZ, England; phone info line +44 [0] 1634 823807 or Trust office 823800, fax 823801, www.chdt.org.uk) is an 80-acre complex with historic warships, historic buildings and museum galleries.
Pageant in Brussels
Brussels hosts the 3-day Ommegang Pageant annually in the first week of July. Reenacting the spectacular entry of Charles V into Brussels in 1549, 1,400-plus Belgians take part. Dressed as nobles, guildsmen and jesters, they move on horseback or on foot in a procession from the Sablon to the Grand Place.
Lake District steam Railroad
The 7-mile Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway (Ravenglass, Cumbria, CA18 1SW, U.K.; phone 01229 717171, fax 717011, www.ravenglass-railway.co.uk) shows the sights of England’s Western Lake District from Ravenglass to Dalegarth year-round.
Simpson Desert closure
Australia’s Simpson Desert parks in Queensland and South Australia will be closed until March 15, 2009, due to projected temperatures in excess of 122°F. Such temperatures can cause fuel vaporization, tire blowouts and battery failure. There have been deaths in the region.
Darwin’s 200th, UK
2009 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of “On the Origin of Species.” For event info, visit www.darwin200.org. Here are some events.
iPhone Frommer’s guides
Frommer’s travel guides for Paris and London are available for download on the iPhone and iPod Touch. Each point of interest can be plotted on the map relative to others, with reviews and contact information. Items like restaurants can be sorted by price, cuisine, rating or neighborhood.
Carry-ons sized down
Head back to the luggage store. Continental Airlines on Nov. 1 changed the size restriction for passenger carry-on bags from 51 linear inches down to 45 (22"x14"x9") on flights from virtually all locations. New “sizing” bins have been installed at domestic check-in counters.
Smoking ban, India
In India, a law went into effect Oct. 2, 2008, that prohibits smoking in public spaces such as restaurants, coffee shops, bars, shopping malls, cinema halls, amusement centers, hospitals and public offices,
Christmas & New Year’s in Japan
In Japan, Christmastime has some Western-style decorations, with many cities displaying elaborate light shows and tree decorations, but many Japanese celebrate Christmas on the 24th rather than the 25th.
Fall of the Wall, Berlin
In 2009, among numerous festivals and exhibits commemorating the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the exhibit “Leipzig on the Path to Peaceful Revolution” will be held at the Stasi Museum in Berlin, Jan. 15-Dec. 31. An open-air exhibition will be held May 7-Nov.
Passion Play, Oberammergau
In Oberammergau, Germany, the Passion Play has been reenacted every 10 years since 1633. The 41st play will be held May 15-Oct. 3, 2010, and involve over 2,000 actors, singers and musicians.
Bike The Broads
Britain’s largest nationally protected wetland, The Broads, offers bicycling, boating and fishing on its shallow lakes and waterways.
Argentina tourist fee
On Jan. 1, 2009, Argentina will begin collecting a reciprocity tourist fee from visitors of all (22) countries that charge Argentineans for visas. For Americans, the fee will be about $134. It will cover the visitor’s reentry for a 10-year period.
Saudi Arabia entry
Saudi Arabia now requires visitors to declare jewelry, cash and any monetary instrument worth more than 60,000 riyals ($16,000). The move is to combat money laundering and the funding of terrorists.
Porto Card
In Porto, Portugal, the Porto Card offers free entrance or discounts at museums, monuments, shows, cultural institutions, restaurants and traditional shops and on tours and Douro River cruises.
Lisbon taxi vouchers
The average taxi ride within Lisbon, Portugal, costs €8-€15 (near $14-$26.50) and from airport to city, €12-€18. Fares are capped with a Taxi Voucher Lisboa, sold at the Lisbon Tourism booth in the airport arrivals hall, at the Lisboa Welcome Center and at Palácio Foz.