The entire South Pacific island of Niue was named an International Dark Sky Sanctuary, an area protected because of its exceptional views of the night sky, by the International Dark-Sky Association (Tucson, AZ; 520/293-3198, www.darksky.org) on March 7.
The first whole country or territory to be given that designation, it is described by the IDA as a “dark sky nation.”
The 2020 Summer Olympics, scheduled to start in Tokyo, Japan, on Aug. 24, now will be held July 23-Aug. 8, 2021, due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. At press time, there were no changes to the events being held, and purchased tickets were still valid for the 2021 dates.
Marriott International announced on March 31 that the company had detected a breach in its customer information databases, affecting all hotel chains owned by the company. The breach exposed the names, contact details and loyalty account information of up to 5.2 million people. Account passwords and credit card numbers were not exposed.
Marriott notified all customers confirmed to have had information exposed by the breach. It also set up a website to assist customers who know or suspect that their information was stolen: www.mysupport.marriott.com.
At 1,200 kilometers (746 miles), the Baltic Coastal Hiking trail follows the Baltic coast from southernmost Latvia to Tallinn, Estonia. A detailed map, with suggested section itineraries and sights, can be found at coastalhiking.eu/en. At the recommended pace, the full route can be completed in 60 days.
In Nancy, France, after years of restoration to match its original state, the Villa Majorelle (36-38, rue du Sergent Blandan; phone +33 03 83 85 30 01, musee-ecole-de-nancy.nancy.fr [in French only]) opened to the public as a historic monument on Feb. 19. Built in 1901-02, the Art Nouveau home was designed by architect Henri Sauvage for furniture designer Louis Marjorelle.
Located in the House at the Black Madonna (Ovocný trh 19, Prague, Czechia), so-called because of the Baroque, gilded statue of the Madonna embedded in the corner of the building (constructed 1911-1912), the Cubism section of the Museum of Decorative Arts (phone +420 778 543 902, www.czkubismus.cz/en) contains examples of Cubist-design textiles, furniture, jewelry, printing and more over two floors. A third floor holds temporary exhibits.
With the categories Traditions, Outdoors, Cuisine, Cities, Nature, Art and Relaxation, the booklet “100 Experiences in Japan” describes things to see or do that were handpicked by the Japan National Tourism Organization.
The categories are divided into four pamphlets, each of which can be downloaded as a PDF at www.jnto.go.jp/brochures/eng/index.php?keyword=100+experiences.
San Rafael Waterfall, at nearly 490 feet the highest waterfall in Ecuador, disappeared in late February after the Coca River, which fed it, diverted into a sinkhole upstream believed to have been created by a series of landslides earlier in the month. Naturalists do not believe the waterfall will return naturally. It was a centerpiece of the Cayambe-Coca Ecological Reserve, a national park in the Amazon rainforest.
The Bondi to Manly Track, connecting two of Sydney, Australia’s, most famous beaches, opened Dec. 8, 2019. The nearly 50-mile trail follows the coastline from northern Sydney through the central city to southern Sydney, also crossing the Harbour Bridge. Highlights include historic buildings, gardens and Aboriginal sites as well as natural splendor.
For maps and suggested walks or multiday itineraries, visit www.bonditomanly.com.
In Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, you can leap into the world’s largest indoor skydiving chamber at CLYMB (Yas Island, Abu Dhabi; phone +971 600 511115, www.clymbabudhabi.com). With a height of 104 feet and a width of 32 feet, about double the size of a standard indoor skydiving chamber, the chamber keeps skydivers (as young as 3!) aloft with 16 high-power fans.