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Travel Briefs

Australian stargazing

At the Ayers Rock Resort (phone +61 2 8296 8010, www.ayersrockresort.com.au), in central Australia, Astronomy Weekend will be held Sept. 14-16, 2018. Many events are scheduled, including astrophotography and lectures on Aboriginal astronomy and astrophysics. 

Entry to Astronomy Weekend is free for guests of the resort. Six hotels are located at the resort, with nightly rates for a double ranging from AUS220 to AUS2,800 (near $177-$2,248). A campground is also available.

Regents Canal waterbus

In central London, you can ride on one of four converted traditional narrowboats on the Regents Canal between Camden and Little Venice, enjoying simple commentary. Depart from Brownings Pool at Little Venice, Paddington, or from Camden Lock Market, with its craft, clothing and food shops. Pass part of Regents Park plus 19th-century buildings and bridges.

Tickets are sold on board (card only; no cash) and subject to availability; it’s most busy 11 a.m.-1 p.m. One way (50 mins.), £9 (near $13) adult or £7.50 senior or child, or round trip (110 mins.), £14/£12. 

Barcelona tapas tour

A 3-hour walking tour of Barcelona begins with a tasting of three Spanish foods (such as cheeses or meats) before members are led through the city’s Gothic and La Rambla quarters to stop at two tapas restaurants for food and wine. La Boqueria food market is also visited.

One tour is held each day, Mon.-Sat., starting at 5 p.m. €70 (near $87.50) per person includes eight tapas plates and two drinks. Group limit, 15. With notice, dietary restrictions can be accommodated. 

Madeira car show

Hundreds of classic vehicles — cars, motorcycles and bicycles — on the Portuguese island of Madeira are gathered annually over two days each May at the Madeira Classic Car Revival. Awards are announced in a number of categories, such as best pre-1945 vehicle and best military vehicle. A classic sports car race follows.

The revival is held at the Praça do Povo on the waterfront in Funchal. Admission is free. For more info and, once announced, the dates in 2018, visit www.madeiraclassiccar.com.

Tokyo dinner cruise

Travelers to Japan’s capital can take a 2½-hour dinner cruise of Tokyo Bay and the Sumida River aboard a yakatabune, a leisure boat with traditional tatami-mat-covered floors. English is not spoken by staff on any of the cruises, which travel round trip from Shinagawa to the Tokyo Skytree, passing under the Rainbow Bridge.

Snorkel with salmon in BC

On the 3-hour “Raft & Snorkel with Salmon” day tour, guests will take a boat up the Campbell River on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and snorkel with any of the five species of salmon that spawn in the river. The season starts in late July with pink salmon, followed by chinook, coho and sockeye in August and, in September, the chum. Bears, beavers, seals and other wildlife may also be seen.

Subterranean Swiss falls

Draining glacial meltwater from the mountains Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau in Switzerland, Trümmelbach Falls are the largest subterranean waterfalls in Europe, with up to 5,000 gallons of water per second streaming down the mountain. Via a tunnel lift, walkways and platforms, visitors can walk the entire course of the cascades. Facilities and a gift shop are at the base of the falls. 

Delta bag-check fee

Beginning on April 10, 2018, Basic Economy passengers on Delta Air Lines flights to and from Europe and North Africa will each be charged a $60 fee for one checked bag and a $100 fee for each additional checked bag. Delta codeshare partners Air France, KLM and Alitalia will be charging the same fees.

Passengers in every class other than Basic Economy will not (yet) be charged these fees.

Prague clock away for repairs

Orloj, the 15th-century astronomical clock mounted on the southern wall of the Old Town Hall in Prague, Czech Republic, was removed from its setting on Jan. 8, 2018, for repairs and is scheduled to be returned in August 2018. The Town Hall reopened on Dec. 18 after being closed six months for restoration.

WWI armistice centennial

The 100th anniversary of the end of World War I will be marked on Nov. 11, 2018. Special events will be held throughout Europe, particularly at battle and memorial sites.

The American Battle Monuments Commission (Arlington, VA; 703/696-6900, www.abmc.org) will be hosting ceremonies at US cemeteries and monuments throughout Europe on the armistice date. Visit www.abmc.gov/news-events/events.