Eurail now offers these.
• For a total of 28 countries, the Eurail Global Pass now includes Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Poland and Serbia.
• The new “5 in 10 days” pass allows travelers five days’ travel on Eurail in any 10-day period within the 28 countries Eurail services.
• The new Attica Pass allows six ferry crossings within one month (two trips between Italy and Greece and four ferry trips within the Greek isles) plus a rail/bus transfer from Patras to Piraeus.
The Baraccia fountain, at the foot of the Spanish Steps in Rome, was damaged on Feb. 19 by Dutch soccer fans rioting before a Europa League match.
The fountain — which was built in 1627, depicts a sinking boat and had recently been restored — had pieces chipped off, some as large as 8x3cm, and garbage was thrown into the pool.
Police arrested 23 people. The Embassy of the Netherlands blamed the incident on a subset of particularly disorderly fans.
Cancún, along with the entire Mexican state of Quintana Roo, switched from Central Standard Time (CST) to Eastern Standard Time (EST) on Feb. 1, 2015. It is the only Mexican state currently on EST.
The change will provide an extra hour of daylight in the evening and may reduce electricity usage in places like hotels and restaurants.
On Jan. 1, 2015, Lithuania became the latest European Union country to adopt the euro. Lithuania’s previous currency, the lita, was exchanging for 3.45 to the euro. The final day to exchange the old currency was Jan. 15.
The Yamagata Shinkansen bullet train, which runs between Tokyo and Shinjo¯ in Japan, introduced a footbath car in July 2014. It features two ahsiyu, or warm-water footbaths, on either side of the train so riders can soak their feet while watching the scenery.
Another car on the train offers traditional tatami mats to sit on beside low, cherrywood tables, with a bar serving locally brewed sake.
The traditional summer procession in Belgium known as the Ommegang (Old Flemish for “walking around”) will be held on June 30 and July 2, 2015.
The procession, which was first held in 1549, will begin at Parc de Bruxelles (Brussels Park), where an entire medieval village will be created, and end with a show at the Grand Place. More than 1,400 performers dressed in medieval costume will participate.
In the book “Around the World in 50 Years: My Adventures to Every Country on Earth” by Albert Podell (2015, Thomas Dunne Books — 384 pp., $26.99), the author describes some of the most compelling and dangerous situations he’s encountered. In a unique, wry style, using colorful asides, he candidly reports the adventures and obstacles he faced as a traveler. The book is available in bookstores and online at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.
Ireland is celebrating poet William Butler Yeats in 2015, the 150th anniversary of his birth.
The celebrations center on the town of Sligo, where Yeats spent his formative years. In Hargadon, one of Sligo’s oldest pubs, a poem of Yeats will be read at 1 p.m. every day, as well as at 6 p.m. on Sunday, in 2015. Sligo will also commemorate Yeats’ birthday, June 13, with a 4-day festival, June 11-14, which will include poetry, drama, music and crafts.
To be used only for nonemergency help and information, a helpline for visitors to India was launched by the India Tourism Ministry on Dec. 25, 2014. Operators will offer information on sites of interest and can help with complaints and concerns.
Currently available only in Hindi and English but with eight more languages to be added, the number 1800 111 363 can be called toll-free 24 hours a day from any phone in India.
In Germany, the world’s longest beer garden and bar will stretch more than a mile on Berlin’s Karl-Marx-Allee, Aug. 7-9, 2015. The Berlin International Beer Festival will have 340 breweries from 87 countries serving 2,400 types of beer, plus 20 stages with live music. Free entry. Visit www.bierfestival-berlin.de (in German).