Travel Briefs
Copenhagen concerts
Every Wednesday, May through August, Copenhagen Castle Concerts (www.castleconcerts.dk) puts on free performances of classical music in the churches of historic royal residences in and around Copenhagen, including Frederiksborg and Kronborg. The concerts start at 5 p.m. May and June, 5:30 p.m.
Escape to Shape
Escape to Shape (New York, NY; 601/818-8137, www.escapetoshape.com) is offering a week-long fitness vacation in Marrakech, Morocco, May 2-9 and May 9-16, 2009. The trip includes a 7-night stay in a luxurious private desert home and a variety of fitness classes and excursions.
Zürich shop map
The free map “Zürich Shopper’s Paradise” covers Zürich, Switzerland, and the nearby towns of Baden, Zug and Winterthur. Suggestions for relaxing breaks are included. Contact Zürich Tourism (phone +41 44 215 40 00, www.zuerich.com). Shipping is free.
Eurostar & city transit tix
Travelers who ride Eurostar (phone +44 0 1233 617 575, www.eurostar.com) now can purchase, on board the train, tickets for public transit within Paris, London or Brussels. Pounds or euros are accepted. For Paris, 10 Métro tickets cost £12.
Saga Rose’s farewell
The Saga Rose, built in 1965 (as the Sagafjord), will depart Southampton, England, for its 44th and final cruise, a 37-night voyage through the Mediterranean, on Oct. 30, 2009. The 587-passenger ship will visit Barcelona, Venice, Rome, Corfu, Dubrovnik, Rhodes, Alexandria and Casablanca.
John Calvin at 500
In Geneva, the International Museum of the Reformation (4, rue du Cloitre, CH-1204, Geneva, Switzerland; phone +41 22 310 24 31, fax 310 74 45, www.musee-reforme.ch) will hold an exhibition honoring the 500th anniversary of the birth of John Calvin.
Travel with Spirit
Looking at travel from a Christian perspective, the magazine Travel with Spirit (Box 1318, Sunset Beach, CA 90742; 888/518-7571, www.travelwithspirit.com) was launched in January. Published by Travel Network Group, LLC, it offers faith-based travel, mission and ministry articles.
Prepaid data SIMs
Telestial (800/707-0031, www.telestial.com) has a data service for phones on its prepaid SIMs, and while AT&T’s international data roaming rate is about 20¢ per megabyte, Telestial’s prepaid data rates run 5¢-3¢ per megabyte, depending on the country.
Smallest subway
The tiny alpine town of Serfaus, Austria, is home to the world’s smallest subway, the Dorfbahn. This 1,280-meter (about eight-tenths of a mile) underground funicular holds 270 people and is free to use.
Tokyo fish market
Tokyo’s huge Tsukiji fish market once again is open to tourists, as of Jan. 19, 2009; a ban had been enacted Dec. 15, 2008. Tourists are allowed to visit the entire market from 5 to 6:15 a.m. They will be given guidelines against touching the 600-pound fishes and disrupting auctions with flash photography.
Perfume Museum
After a 4-year renovation and expansion project costing $16 million, the Musée International de la Parfumerie, or International Perfume Museum (8 place du Cours, F-06130 Grasse, France; http://en.museesdegrasse.com), reopened in Grasse on Oct. 18, 2008.
Berlin in lights
Forty-nine structures throughout Berlin, including the Brandenburg Gate and the TV Tower, will be showcased using projections and multicolored lighting installations during the Festival of Lights, Oct. 13-25, 2009.
EarPlanes
Cirrus Healthcare’s EarPlanes relieve airplane passengers’ ear discomfort during takeoff and landing. The earplugs use a special ceramic filter to slowly acclimate the inner ear to pressure changes.
Public transport guides
Michael Brein’s “Travel by the Metro” series of 4"x9" foldable guides helps travelers sightsee in major cities using public transportation.
Nara’s free museums
In Nara, the first capital of Japan, as of Sept. 6, 2008, international visitors receive free tickets at four museums simply by showing their passports.
Car + driver in Vietnam
Rental cars under the “World-Class Drives” program of Budget Car Rental Vietnam (198 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia St., Ward 6, District 3, HCMC, Vietnam; phone [84-8] 3930 1118, www.budget.com.vn) each include an English-speaking chauffeur with strong English-language skills who drives you on a half- or full-
Frequent-flyer e-mails
YAPTA (www.yapta.com) is a flight-search engine that finds options for you based on your flight dates, times and preferences. It tracks airfares on flights you want and notifies you via e-mail if the prices change.
Jumbo jet hostel
By Arlanda Airport in Stockholm, Sweden, a Boeing 747 plane has been converted into a hostel, refitted with private rooms and dorm rooms. The Cockpit Suite sleeps two and has a toilet with shower. The other, smaller private rooms and dorm rooms share bathrooms in the hostel style.
Anniversary discounts
Couples celebrating wedding anniversaries in multiples of five from their fifth to their 50th receive corresponding discounts of 5% to 50% off the prices of cruises with French Country Waterways (Duxbury, MA; 800/222-1236, www.frenchcountrywaterways.com).
Football Museum, São Paulo
Tracing football’s (soccer’s) growth from a game for the elites to a passion for all the 190 million people of Brazil, the Museu do Futebol opened in September 2008 at the Pacaembu Stadium (Praça Charles Miller, Consolçao, São Paulo) in São Paulo, east of the central downtown area.