After widespread bleaching in some areas of Australia's Great Barrier Reef in 2016-2017 led to a mass die-off of corals (Dec. '16, pg. 63), a milder 2017-2018 summer, along with the success of new coral nurseries, resulted in a better-than-expected recovery. Surveys have shown that new and rejuvenated corals are showing vibrant colors in areas that had been widely bleached.
Located in Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, southwest of Lyon, France, is a memorial and museum to the citizens of the small town who risked their lives to save more than 3,000 Jews from the Holocaust during World War II.
With the app "Arataki – Cultural Walking Trails – New Zealand," your smartphone becomes a Maori storyteller.
The app contains guides to culturally significant Maori locations along walking trails. As you follow a trail, "beacons" connect to the app and, using text, images, audio and video, present tales and legends of locations you're passing.
Arataki is free on Android and iPhone and requires Bluetooth for full functionality. Currently, sites that work with the app are only in the Tauranga region on the North Island, but expansions are ongoing.
The 3-hour "Restoring Caravaggio — VIP Rome Tour" shows travelers works by Italian artist Caravaggio (1571-1610) in three churches in Rome, then takes them to an art-restoration lab to learn the science and techniques of restoration.
Run by Italian tour operator Roma Experience (phone, in the US, 719/266-2360), tours are held weekdays and cost €245 (near $288) per person. Visit www.romaexperience.com/restoring-caravaggio-vip-rome-tour.
The famous Tokyo tuna auction, held for decades at the inner Tsukiji Market, moved on Oct. 11 to the new, larger Toyosu Market (www.shijou.metro.tokyo.jp/toyosu [in Japanese only]), located on the man-made Toyosu Island in Tokyo Bay. The auction, a popular event for visitors to Tokyo, will not be open to the public initially. Visitor information will be announced at a later date.
Along with the auction, restaurants and shops in the inner Tsukiji Market have also moved to the new location. Shops and restaurants located along the outer Tsukiji Market remain.
Apartments in Barcelona, Spain, must be licensed for short-term rentals. Visitors now can check if an apartment is licensed or not by visiting the city-run website meet.barcelona.cat/habitatgesturistics/en and inputting the address.
The American Society of Travel Agents, or ASTA (Alexandria, VA; 800/275-2782, www.asta.org), changed its name to the American Society of Travel Advisors on Aug. 21. The name and logo changed, but all of the association's services remain the same.
People planning to visit South Korea in winter can leave their coats at home and rent heavy jackets from Seinustar (seinustar.com), picking them up at the Seinustar desk near exit 13 at Incheon Airport in Seoul.
Men's and women's jackets are available for KRW30,000 (near $27), total, for any number of days. A $50 damage deposit is required but is reimbursed if the jacket is returned in good condition. To see available styles and reserve a jacket, visit the website and click on "Rent" and then "Winter Clothes."
In South Kuta on the island of Bali, Indonesia, that nation's tallest statue was unveiled on Sept. 21, 2018. The massive bronze statue, called the "Garuda Wisnu Kencana," depicts the Hindu god Vishnu riding the mythical, bird-like Garuda.
Located at Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park (Jl. Raya Uluwatu, Ungasan, Kuta Selatan, Badung 80364, Bali-Indonesia; phone +62 361 700 808, gwkbali.com), the 246-foot-tall statue — 396 feet tall including the base — has a 210-foot wingspan.
Originally on display for one year in 2011-2012, a panorama depicting the ancient Greek city of Pergamon opened this fall in Berlin at the Pergamonmuseum. Das Panorama (Museumsinsel Berlin, Am Kupfergraben, 10117 Berlin, Germany; phone +49 30 266 424242, www.smb.museum/en/museums-institutions/pergamonmuseum-das-panorama/home.html).