Ramon International Airport (ETM) began operating in southern Israel, near the city of Eilat, on March 4. It is Israel’s second international airport, after Ben Gurion (TLV) in Tel Aviv. At press time, it was serviced internationally only by Ryanair flights from Europe.
Ramon is the first civilian airport built in Israel, as Ben Gurion was originally a British RAF base, though it has since been greatly expanded.
A new airport terminal known as Jewel (Terminal 4) began operation at Changi Airport, Singapore, on April 17. The terminal provides service for 26 airlines, has more than 280 shops and restaurants and is anchored by a 131-foot-tall atrium featuring thousands of tropical plants in a 5-story garden plus the world’s largest indoor waterfall, cascading from the center of the roof.
Designed to resemble a sprawling desert rose, the National Museum of Qatar (Museum Park Street; www.nmoq.org.qa) opened on March 28.
Along 1.5 kilometers of corridors, visitors explore the natural and anthropological history of the Qatar peninsula. Also on the grounds is the restored palace of Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim al-Thani, the son of the founder of modern Qatar.
Open 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Sat.-Wed., 10-9 Thurs. and 1:30-7 Fri. QAR50 (near $14).
A portion of Abu Dhabi’s presidential palace, the Qasr Al Watan (Al Ras Al Akdhar; phone +971 600 544 442, www.qasralwatan.ae), opened to visitors in March. The section reflects traditional Arabic architecture, with high domes covered in geometric designs plus floors covered with handmade carpets.
In the palace, visitors can see a collection of diplomatic gifts, the House of Knowledge (housing rare manuscripts and maps) and the Qasr Al Watan library, with over 50,000 books.
On Odaiba island in Tokyo Bay, Tokyo, the Mori Building Digital Art Museum (Odaiba Palette Town, 1-3-8 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo, Japan; phone +61 03 6406 3949, borderless.teamlab.art) opened in June 2018. Using more than 500 computers and 400 projectors, the museum’s 10,000-square-meter space is turned into one giant exhibit, where the projected art mingles and interacts along the floors, walls and ceilings and with guests.
Open 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Mon.-Thurs. & Sun. and 10-9 Fri.-Sat. (Closed second and fourth Tues.) ¥3,200 (near $28).
For complete guides about “nonmotorized travel” in Switzerland — hiking, biking, canoeing, skiing, snowshoe trekking and more — including maps plus info about sights to see and accommodations en route, visit www.schweizmobil.ch/en. A free app, SwitzerlandMobility, has the same info and can be downloaded on Android and Apple.
In Barcelona, Spain, the “Barcelona Genuine Shops” walking tour visits stores selling handmade goods and restaurants serving traditional foods. The 3-hour guided tour includes food samples, behind-the-scenes access to some shops and a shopping card offering discounts at 80 stores.
Buy a tour ticket for €25 (near $28) at any Barcelona Tourism office or visit bcnshop.barcelonaturisme.com and type “genuine shops” in the search bar.
In Norway’s Nærøyfjord, two new, environmentally friendly vessels, the hybrid Vision and the all-electric Future, are ferrying passengers year-round between the cities of Flåm and Gudvangen. With a top speed of 10 knots, the ships travel the route in about two hours, one way. Departures from Flåm occur every two hours, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. A round trip costs NOK698 (near $80).
Book at www.visitflam.com/activities/fjord-cruise-naeroyfjord.
The Sancheong Medicinal Herb Festival will be held Sept. 27-Oct. 9, 2019, in Donguibogam Village (555 Donguibogam-ro; phone +82 55 970 7216, dv-eng.sancheong.go.kr), an herbal-themed park by Jirisan Mountain in Sangcheon County, southern South Korea.
Highlights for festival visitors include an herb market, foraging for wild herbs, workshops on herbal medicine preparation and having a checkup with an herbalist.
In Bali, Indonesia, you can watch orangutans while having breakfast at the Bali Zoo (Singapadu, Sukawati, Gianyar, Bali 80582, Indonesia; phone, +62 361 294357, www.bali-zoo.com).
The zoo’s Gayo Restaurant has views of the orangutan enclosure, and breakfast includes freshly baked breads, buttermilk pancakes, fried rice and Balinese coffee or tea. Afterward, enjoy a special tour of the zoo, feeding elephants and entering a bird enclosure.