To celebrate Cunard Line’s ties to Liverpool, England, the line’s ships — Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth — will line up in the city’s River Mersey on May 25, 2015, for the “Three Queens in Liverpool” event. Liverpool was the home of Cunard from 1840 until 1967, and the Cunard Building still stands on the pier head.
Leipzig, Germany, celebrates its 1,000th birthday in 2015. For a downloadable list of events, visit www.leipzig.travel/en/download_centre_2139.html and click on “1000 Years of Leipzig.” Examples —
• “500 Years of Leipzig’s Printing & Publishing Heritage,” April-September 2015, at Leipzig Museum of Printing Art (Nonnenstrasse 38, 04229 Leipzig; phone +49 341 23 16 20, www.druckkunst-museum.de). €6 (near $8) adult, €3 student or €1.50 child. Closed Saturday.
In North Korea (the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, or DPRK), an increase in deliveries of fuel from China allowed the national carrier, Air Koryo, on July 14, to begin offering scheduled service on its domestic routes for the first time in years.
Until now, without regular air service to cities other than Pyongyang, large swathes of North Korea were difficult to access by American travelers.
The US Transportation Security Administration, in cooperation with air travel authorities in other countries, has implemented new security measures regarding electronics, citing intelligence that terrorist organizations have been attempting to create explosives that are harder to detect. There was no specific threat or incident to cause the increase in security.
A play about Anne Frank entitled “Anne” premiered in May 2014 at the Theater Amsterdam (Danzigerkade 5, Westpoort number 2036, 1013 AP Amsterdam, The Netherlands; phone +31 88 123 2411).
A 460-foot Ferris wheel began operating in Helsinki’s Katajanokka harbor on June 3. The Finnair SkyWheel (Katajanokanlaituri 2, 00160 Helsinki, Finland) offers panoramic views from climate-controlled gondolas. A ride costs €12 (near $16) for 15 minutes (€9 for Finnair members). A VIP cabin can be rented for 25 minutes for €195 ($266), including a bottle of champagne.
The SkyWheel runs year-round, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Sun.-Mon., 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Tues.-Thurs., 10-11 Fri.-Sat.
On Paris, two metal grills along the walkway of the Pont des Arts bridge collapsed under the weight of “love locks” on June 8, causing the bridge to be closed for a day while the grills were removed and replaced with nonpermanent wooden panels.
In a tradition that started only five years ago, lovers place a padlock on the bridge with their initials and throw the key into the Seine. An estimated 700,000 locks have been placed on the bridge. Officials have not determined whether the practice may continue or not.
The Villa San Michele School of Cookery is located in Villa San Michele (Via Doccia, 4-50014 Fiesole, Florence, Italy; phone +39 055 567 8200, fax 567 8250), an Orient-Express luxury boutique hotel in a former monastery overlooking Florence.
The school’s half-day cooking classes, “Morning with the Chef,” are offered to villa guests Mon., Thurs. & Sat., April through Oct. (except Aug.). The basic course costs $200 per person or, with six to ten people, $180 each.
The Museum of Anatolian Civilization (Gözcü Sokak 2, Ankara, Turkey; phone +312 324 31 60) reopened all of its sections on June 9 after completing restorations begun in 2011.
The museum, which won Best European Museum honors in 1997, contains artifacts from every period of human occupation in Anatolia, from Paleolithic to modern day. Open 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily April through Oct. and 8:30-5:30 daily Nov. through March. Entry, TRY15 (near $7).
In Riga, Latvia, more than 130 bicycles are available at a dozen self-service rental stations in and around the city center.
Through Sixt, you can register by calling +371 67 67 67 80 or by downloading the Google app or via the website www.sixtbicycle.lv (the app is in Latvian). After registering, choose a bike and call the number shown on the bicycle or use the app. You’ll be sent a code to unlock the bike’s combination lock. When done, let Sixt know which station the bike is at.