Purchase it before the end of November 2008, and the 15-day Eurail Global Pass (good in 21 countries) will extend to 21 days and the 21-day pass will be good for a month, while the Eurail Select Pass (three countries) will be valid for six or eight days’ train travel within two months (two extra travel days). Travel can start March 1 and must be completed by May 31, 2009.
At press time, Alitalia continued to teeter on the edge of total collapse. The national airline of Italy is in bankruptcy and has been unable to find buyers to keep the airline flying much longer.
In the seaside town of Hua Hin, Thailand, the annual King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament will be held in 2009 on March 23-30 on the grounds of the Anantara Golden Triangle Resort (phone +66 53 784 084 or e-mail goldentriangle@anantara.com). The event raises money for the National Elephant Institute.
A replica of the cave of Ekain, notable for its many prehistoric paintings, has been opened north of Bilbao, Spain. 500 meters from the real cave, the replica showcases Ekain’s art in the same order and placement as in the original.
Closed Monday, the cave is open 10-6 Tuesday-Friday and 10-7 weekends, holidays and summer. The price of €5 ($7) adult or €4 senior/student for a 30-minute guided tour includes entry to the exhibition all day.
The Abbey of St. Peter in Ghent is holding the exhibition “Flemish Tapestries from the Burgundian Dukes” until March 29, 2009. It centers on tapestries that depict the victory over Tunis during a campaign of Charles V and includes many on loan from Spain.
Closed Monday. €8 ($11.50) adult, €6.75 senior/student. Wheelchair accessible. Contact Kunsthal Sint-Pietersabdij (Sint-Pietersplein 9, 9000 Gent, Belgium; phone +32 09 243 97 30, fax 97 34, www.gent.be/spa).
At the Lebombo and Sweni lodges in South Africa’s Kruger National Park, you can explore the park via mountain bike. A guide will lead bikers into the wilderness.
All activities are included in the rate of R8,850 (near $1,152) per night, double, at either lodge (the 2009 rate will be R9,950, or $1,295), as are all meals, all drinks except champagne, two Land Rover safaris per day, walking safaris and transfers to/from the airstrip.
• Every year on Nov. 5, flaming tar barrels are carried through the streets of Ottery St. Mary in Devon, England, to the delight of townsfolk and visitors.
Men each carry a flaming barrel on their shoulders until the weight or heat becomes too much, then someone else takes over until the barrel starts to break up, then it’s allowed to burn out.
Starting with junior barrels in late afternoon, the sizes of the barrels grow until the final enormous one is carried in at midnight. A gigantic bonfire is crowned with an effigy of Guy Fawkes.
One of the largest Norman castles still surviving now serves as a dormitory for students attending University College (Durham Castle, Palace Green, Durham, DH1 3RW, U.K.; phone 0191 334 3800, fax 0191 334 3801, www.dur.ac.uk/university.college).
Guided tours of the castle are offered each afternoon from Easter to Sept. 30 and on Monday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday for all other dates. Tours may be canceled for school events; check with the castle porter (phone 0191 334 3800) before arriving. £5 ($9) adult or £3.50 ($6.50) senior.
Severn Valley Railway, based in Bewdley, Worcestershire, offers rides on the company’s restored steam train. The 16-mile route follows the Severn River and crosses the 200-foot-high Victoria Bridge.
Train rides are available on weekends October to April and every day May to September. Holiday-themed rides are available in December.
For timetables, contact the Severn Valley Railway (The Railway Station, Bewdley, Worcestershire, DY12 1BG, U.K.; phone 01299 403816, fax 01299 400839, www.svr.co.uk).
Tourcaster.com offers 250 downloadable audio tours of more than 30 cities on six continents. They can be added to MP3 players, including iPods, or burned onto a CD. Most tours cost $5-$23 each, and each comes with a numbered map and detailed directions.
Example — the “Piazza del Popolo to Fontana di Trevi” tour of Rome takes 2½ hours, with an audio length of one hour nine minutes, and costs $19.90.
For many destinations in Europe, South America and Asia, the site offers 20- to 30-minute “audio guides” which are not tours and which cost $5-$10.