Every year on the second bank holiday Monday in May in Gloucestershire, England, dozens of competitors hurl themselves down the slope of Coopers Hill in pursuit of a round of Double Gloucester cheese.
Starting at noon on May 26, 2008, there will be four downhill races, with competitors from around the world and over 2,000 spectators. There is no admission cost, and parking costs £5 (near $10). Visit www.cheese-rolling.co.uk.
The tourism offices of Portugal and Spain are collaborating on the website www.portugalspainboth.com, offering information on arts, wine, beaches and special events in both countries.
For children who can sit upright on their own and who weigh between 22 and 44 pounds, CARES is a safety harness that straps around an airplane seat and provides child-sized restraints that attach to the lap belt.
A portable alternative to bringing a car seat onto a plane, the restraint weighs less than a pound and fits in a 6-inch sack. CARES has been certified for use in the U.S. (by the FAA), the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.
It costs $74.95 plus $5.95 shipping from Kids Fly Safe (800/299-6249, www.kidsflysafe.com).
Southern Sweden’s Skåne area offers more than 600 miles of trails organized into 80 different day hikes. Most trails pass through private land open to hikers, others pass through villages and nature reserves, and some follow Bronze Age petroglyphs.
Six trail maps are available at SEK150 (near $23) each, including shipping. Two maps describe biking trails. Contact the official Skåne tourism office (Stortorget 9, SE-211 22 Malmö, Sweden; phone +46 040 20 96 00, www.skane.com) or order through the Skaneleden trail organization at www.skaneleden.org.
In Mulhouse, Alsace, France, the French National Car Museum (192 Avenue de Colmar, BP 1096, 68051 Mulhouse, France; www.collection-schlumpf.com) houses some of the most expensive cars in the world. They were collected by the Schlumpf brothers, who ran textile factories in the 1930s. When the factories went bankrupt in the 1970s, the government turned the collection of about 400 cars into a museum.
Open 10-5, except Jan. 8-Feb. 2 when it is open 1-5 weekdays and 10-5 weekends. Admission, €10.5 (near $15).
To celebrate the centenary of Ian Fleming’s birth, Imperial War Museum London is holding the exhibition “For Your Eyes Only,” April 25, 2008-March 1, 2009.
Exploring the author’s life, including his wartime career and his work as a journalist and travel writer, it will examine how much of the James Bond novels were imaginary and to what extent they were based on real people and events.
Among items on display will be annotated Bond manuscripts; the Colt Python .357 Magnum revolver presented to Fleming by the Colt company in 1964; Goldfinger’s golf shoes, and more.
During the 2008 summer opening of Buckingham Palace in London, July 31-Sept. 29, visitors for the first time may see the spectacle of the Ballroom set up for a state banquet.
The horseshoe-shaped table will be dressed with silver gilt, jeweled cups, ivory tankards, chased dishes and sconces, with shields and basins arranged around the room.
£15.50 (near $30) adult, £14 senior/student. Call (020) 7766 7321, www.royalcollection.org.uk.
Eight-day/7-night “women only” cruises to the Galápagos Islands will sail April 13-20 and Aug. 24-31, 2008.
Rates of $2,676-$3,250 per person, double, include nonalcoholic beverages, shore excursions, airport/dock transfers in the islands, and use of wetsuits, snorkeling equipment and sea kayaks. Excluded are airfare, entrance fees, taxes and gratuities.
Ecoventura/Galapagos Network (58805 Blue Lagoon Dr., Ste. 160, Miami, FL 33126; 800/633-7972 or 305/262-6264, www.ecoventura.com).
Aqua Expeditions offers cruises near the headwaters of the Amazon aboard the 12-passenger M/V Aqua. Travelers may view pink Amazon dolphins, 3-toed sloths and giant river otters.
Cruises leave from Iquitos, Peru, year-round, with per-person, double-occupancy, prices as follows: three nights (Saturday-Tuesday), $1,950; four nights (Tuesday-Saturday), $2,600, and seven nights (Saturday-Saturday), $4,550. Single supplement is 1.5 times the rate.
General Tours’ 14-day “Land of the Penguins” cruise aboard the 84-passenger MV Ushuaia includes tours of Buenos Aires and Ushuaia and two shore landings per day in the South Shetland Islands and on the Antarctic Peninsula.
Including three hotel nights, prices run $5,469-$10,119 per person, double occupancy, with departures March 23, Nov. 5, Dec. 5 and Dec. 25, 2008. Contact General Tours (Keene, NH; 800/221-2216, www.generaltours.com).