On the “Traditional Czech Food Tour” with Taste of Prague (Hastalska 15, Prague, Czechia; phone +420 603 252 810, www.tasteofprague.com), visitors can taste 10 to 12 traditional Czech recipes at four restaurants, with local beer and wine included. The 3½-hour tour involves walking about 1.2 miles through Prague led by a local foodie. CZK2,500 (near $112) per person. Maximum group size, 10.
With the Radical Storage app, free for Apple and Android, travelers in cities in more than 70 countries can find locations nearby that will store their bags for small fees. Each bag stored with Radical Storage is insured up to €500 (near $592).
Good Food Ireland (www.goodfoodireland.ie), a website designed to assist travelers in finding eateries and shops across Ireland, launched a new “Experiences” webpage on which travelers can browse and book food experiences in the country.
Experiences include cooking classes, tastings and tours, and activities such as brewing and foraging. Led by local farmers and producers, experiences highlight Irish ingredients. Visit www.goodfoodirelandexperiences.com.
Visitors to Japan can get a reloadable PASMO Passport smart card with which to easily pay for public transportation and some taxis and for purchases at some vending machines and stores (look for the “PASMO” logo at checkout).
On the Dutch Caribbean island of Saba, visitors can hike the Elfin Trail from the town of Zion’s Hill (Hell’s Gate) to the top of the island’s highest peak, Mount Scenery (2,910 feet), in about an hour. Following footpaths that farmers took to their plantations early in Saba’s history, the trail was constructed in 2018 and features relics such as stone steps and rain catchments.
A clean-energy power plant with a rooftop ski run, CopenHill (Vindmøllevej 6; www.copenhill.dk/en), opened in Copenhagen, Denmark, in October 2019.
Skiing is offered year-round, even in summer, using specially engineered plastic and waxed skis. Copenhill has two runs: a beginner course and an advanced. The full 1,300-foot, course-long slope starts about 300 feet high and takes two sharp turns on the way to the bottom of the building.
Open 2-8 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sat. and 11-6 Sun. DKK150 (near $24) per hour. Equipment rentals cost extra.
In Istanbul, Turkey, Hagia Sophia, a museum since 1934, was declared to be an active mosque on July 10. The first Friday prayers in 86 years were held in the building on July 24. Despite the conversion, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdog˘an has promised that the building will remain open to visitors of all faiths. During Islamic services, the Byzantine frescoes and icons will be covered, as human images are prohibited in Islam.
The US and China have traded consulate closures.
On July 23, the US Department of State ordered the closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston, Texas. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the order was made because of acts of espionage and to protect intellectual property from being stolen by Chinese agents, though no evidence of any theft was disclosed.
In western France, a fire burned parts of Nantes Cathedral, or the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul of Nantes, on July 18, destroying its organ and the large, 17th-century stained-glass window on its façade. Firefighters put out the fire before any structural damage was done.
A volunteer warden of the cathedral admitted to starting the fire after being questioned by police. No motive was reported as of press time.
Many countries are restricting visits by US residents. However, employed Americans who can work remotely may apply for “nonpermanent resident” status in some countries, providing opportunities for them to then travel to countries closed to US residents.
• The Caucasus country of GEORGIA introduced a new entry visa in July that would allow foreigners who are employed outside of Georgia and working remotely to reside in that country.