Before it was destroyed by Allied bombing in 1944, the Altstadt (Old Town) in the city of Frankfurt-am-Main was home to the largest collection of wood-frame buildings in Germany. A new, reconstructed "Old Town" has been built, with a "grand opening" scheduled for Sept. 28-30, 2018.
The site contains 15 buildings constructed according to the original plans plus another 20 buildings (shops, restaurants, etc.) in the appropriate style.
Displaying more than 5,000 artifacts from throughout the long history of Nîmes, France, mostly from the Roman period beginning in 28 BC, the Museé de la Romanité (Boulevard de Arénes; phone +33 4 48 21 02 20, museedelaromanite.fr/en/home) opened on June 2 across the street from Arènes de Nîmes, the ancient Roman coliseum.
Among the displays is a large mosaic, unearthed during the museum's construction, depicting the Theban king Pentheus being murdered by his mother.
Open daily at 10 a.m.; closing varies from 6 to 8 p.m., seasonally. €8 (near $9).
Two well-known cruise ships will be leaving their fleets in 2019.
• Built in 1988 and holding 835 passengers, Holland America Line's Prinsendam will join the fleet of German cruise company Phoenix Reisen in July 2019.
• Built in 1995 and holding 1,822 passengers, P&O Cruises' Oriana will exit in August 2019 (future plans not announced by press time).
Travel guide publisher Lonely Planet (www.lonelyplanet.com) released, in May, its first-ever guidebooks about cruise ports. Titles available at press time were "Cruise Ports Caribbean" as well as "Scandinavia & Northern Europe" and "Alaska." Each contains information on sights in and around the port cities, advice on booking excursions and cultural information.
The guides cost $19.99 each and can be purchased at bookstores or at shop.lonelyplanet.com/pages/guide-books.
British actor, writer and adventurer Michael Palin donated his personal archives to the British Library (96 Euston Rd., London, England; phone +44 1937 546 546, www.bl.uk) in 2017, and on Aug. 7 of this year they went on display in the Sir John Ritblat: Treasures Gallery. The archives include diaries, photos and scripts plus more than 50 notebooks of Monty Python material, including unfilmed skits.
With comprehensive information on more than 1,000 sites with ancient stone monuments, “The Old Stones: A Field Guide to the Megalithic Sites of Britain and Ireland,” by Andy Burnham (400 pgs., $45), available in bookstores Sept. 25, 2018, contains historical facts, visitor info, maps and photos.
During the “Badu Gili” light show, First Nations (Aboriginal) art is projected onto the eastern, Bennelong sail of the Sydney Opera House each night, year-round, at sunset and again at 7 p.m winter-spring or 9 p.m. summer-fall. (In the Southern Hemisphere, winter is June-September.)
The show, which lasts about seven minutes, was introduced in July 2017, and the programmed art was completely revised for the first time on July 24, 2018.
Pluggerz Uni-Fit Travel earplugs have pressure-regulating filters that help relieve ears during flights while reducing noise. The silicon plugs fit almost any ear and are intended for repeat use. Child's size available.
Online at www.earplugstore.com and jet.com, each pair retails at $14.95. For info, visit pluggerz.com/en/consumers/travel.
Guests of lodges and camps in Ruaha National Park, Tanzania, are eligible to take hot-air balloon rides, introduced in June by Serengeti Balloon Safaris (Arusha, Tanzania; phone +255 27 254 8967, www.balloonsafaris.com).
Balloon safaris lasting roughly two hours are offered each day, June 20 to Oct. 31, with a 6:15 a.m. launch. The price of $575 per person includes transfers from/to your lodge or camp (pickup at 5), a bush breakfast and VAT. Anyone weighing 265 pounds or more will be charged for two places. Maximum, 12 people.
Describing 50 UNESCO World Heritage Sites that he has visited, David J. Patten’s “Planet Earth’s Legacy” (307 pgs., $59.95 on Amazon.com) contains historical details, current information and future outlooks on the sites. Travelers looking for new destinations may find inspiration in the author’s collection.