Eight countries that applied to join the Eurozone and use the euro as their currency will have to wait. The European Central Bank reported in May that Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Sweden have not yet met the criteria required to change their currencies. Each country will officially continue to use its national currency.
Since 2005 in Madrid, the Museo del Traje, or Costume Museum (Avenida Juan de Herrera, 2, Madrid, 28040, Spain; phone +34 91 550 47 00), has displayed items from its collection of over 160,000 costumes, drawings and accessories.
From medieval garb to contemporary fashions, the museum has sections devoted to historic attire, religious clothing, jewelry and Spanish fashion houses. Open 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Tues.-Sat. and 10-3 Sun. €3 ($4).
The 24th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest will take place in the sea in front of the convention center Macau Tower, Sept. 8, 15, 22 & 29 and Oct. 1, 2012. Each night, two teams from various countries will present a fireworks show for spectators. For info, contact the Macau Government Tourist Office (501 Fifth Ave., Ste. 303, New York, NY 10017; 646/366-8162).
Over 5,000 years ago, a man climbed up to the Schnalstal glacier in what is now Italy’s Dolomites and died. He was found by two hikers in 1991, with his clothes and equipment, mummified and frozen. Since March 1998, the “Iceman” has been on exhibit at the Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano.
At Kibaale National Park in western Uganda, near the municipality of Fort Portal, visitors can join a guided trip to observe chimpanzees in the wild. For groups of, currently, not more than four members per day, the primates’ denesting in the morning and the nesting in the late afternoon can be observed at close quarters.
The special guided trip commences at 5:00 in the morning and ends as late as 9 at night, offering complete insight into the primates’ behavior from daybreak until nightfall.
Luggagefree, Inc., ships luggage anywhere in the U.S. as well as to Canada and Europe. The company picks up luggage at a designated time from the traveler’s home or office, wraps it in heavy plastic, ships it to the destination, tracks it along the way and notifies the owner via e-mail, fax or phone when the bags have been delivered. At the end of the stay, it ships the luggage back.
The company ships standard luggage as well as skis, bikes, cribs and other bulky items.
AirportParkingReservations.com offers travelers departing from 65 airports throughout the U.S. and Canada the ability to make advance, guaranteed reservations for long-term parking.
Taking Web surfing to new heights, Lufthansa soon will offer its passengers aboard jumbo jets the opportunity to browse the Internet and access their e-mail with FlyNet. Anything that can be accomplished over the Internet on the ground with a wireless laptop, passengers will be able to do at 30,000 feet.
FlyNet, the first commercially available wireless Internet and Intranet service, will be available in all cabin classes. Passengers will pay a flat fee of $30 for unlimited access during a flight. There will be a pay-per-minute option where the first 30 minutes will cost $10.
The complete oeuvre of Carel Fabritius (1622-1654), a pupil of Rembrandt, is on display in the Mauritshuis, The Hague, Netherlands, Sept. 23, 2004-Jan. 9, 2005.
The visa fee for American citizens wishing to travel to Turkey was reduced on April 1, 2004, to $20, down 80% from its previous cost of $100.