Travel Briefs
Copenhagen CPH Card
In Copenhagen, holders of the CPH Card get free admission to 60 museums and attractions; free transport by train, bus and metro (including airport routes), and discounts at participating restaurants, car rental agencies and attractions.
Fly DC-3 in Berlin
Air Service Berlin (Berlin-Schönefeld Airport, Building G 005, D-12521 Berlin, Germany; phone +49 030 60 91 37 30, fax 60 91 37 31, www.air-service-berlin.de) offers a 35-minute flight on a restored DC-3, the plane the Allies used to supply West Berlin with food, coal and medicine during the
Augustus’ palace
After decades of restoration, the garden and some of the public spaces of Emperor Augustus’ palace on Palatine Hill in Rome, Italy, have reopened to the public. The 2,000-year-old palace is next to the House of Livia, built for Augustus’ wife.
Crystal smoking policy
On ships of Crystal Cruises (888/799-4625, www.crystalcruises.com), the lounges, bars and entertainment areas have been primarily nonsmoking for years.
Ireland’s heritage
Available at Tourism Ireland offices, the brochure “Ireland’s Cultural Explorer” features information on the country’s 130 castles, museums, monuments, parks, distilleries and gardens.
B&Bs in India
Paying Guest Houses (F-25 A, Hauz Khas Enclave, New Delhi, India; phone +91 9891980627) provides an online listing of B&Bs/homestays in India.
Thai junk cruise
The Rayavadee Resort (One Premier Corporate Park, Soi Premier, Srinakarin Road, Nongbon, Prawet, Bangkok 10250, Thailand; phone 66 2301 1850 or fax 66 2399 1060), on the coast of Thailand’s Krabi Marine National Park, offers excursions to the park’s tropical islands on the 54-foot
Barcelona museums
The Arqueoticket provides admission to five museums in Barcelona, Spain, with archaeological collections. Ticket holders can visit the Archaeology Museum of Catalonia, the City History Museum, the Barbier-Mueller Museum of Pre-Columbian Art, the Egyptian Museum and the Maritime Museum.
Open Skies Agreement
The Open Skies Agreement went into effect in March 2008, easing restrictions on which airlines could fly into which airports and opening competition for flights between the U.S. and the European Union.
Porcelain tour, Munich
The historical monument Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory (Nördlichaes Schlossrondell 8, D-80638, Munich, Germany; phone +49 089 179 197 0, fax 179 50, www.nymphenburg.com) offers guided tours year-round every Wednesday at 10 a.m. (reservations recommended).
Essential London kit
VisitBritain is offering an Essential London Kit, which contains a 3-day London Travel Card (Peak, Zones 1-2), one London Eye ticket, one Tower of London ticket and an Original London Sightseeing Bus tour ticket, which includes a river cruise on the Thames.
Chopper over Italy
On 16 of its Mediterranean itineraries, Crystal Cruises is offering optional helicopter excursions.
Crane’s-eye view in Panama
Panama City’s Metropolitan Park, the only protected rainforest in a city, is home to sloths, monkeys, 42 other mammal species, iguanas and more than 250 kinds of birds.
Jean Michel Folon
Celebrating the art of Jean Michel Folon, exhibits are planned throughout Belgium, until Sept.
Cottage in the Azores
In the village of Cuada on Flores Island, part of the Western Group of the Azorean Islands, many villagers emigrated in the 1960s. Carlos and Teotonia Silva purchased and restored 14 of their abandoned stone cottages and now offer them for rent.
Mosaic workshops, Venice
In Venice, the Orsoni Glass Foundry (Cannaregio, 1045 - 30121 Venezia, Italy; phone 041 2440002 3, www.orsoni.com) is offering 3-, 5- and 10-day mosaic workshops. The foundry, which has operated since 1880, provides instruction on cutting the glass, judging colors and making an art piece.
Where (and when) the wild things are
The guidebook “Africa’s Top Wildlife Countries,” seventh edition,” by Mark Nolting (2008, Global Travel Publishers.
Text messaging in flight
• Emirates airline on its Airbus A340-500s now provides SMS (short message service) and e-mail service to passengers’ mobile devices, using a satellite linkup.
Mobile translator
With the service chinaONEcall, travelers in China trying to understand someone who speaks only Chinese (a taxi driver, for instance) now can call a translator to interpret over the phone. The company is based in the U.K., and service is available 24/7 through mobile phones.
Thai smoking ban
Thailand’s ban on smoking in public spaces was amended in February 2008 to include bars, restaurants, discos and marketplaces. The old policy covered only public buildings and closed-in, air-conditioned areas. Individuals can be fined up to 2,000 baht (near $63) for not complying.