Travel Briefs

In Lyon until April 12, 2018, the exhibit “Venenum, un monde empoisonné” (“Venenum, a Poisonous World”) explores the role of poison, and its ability to both harm and heal, throughout human history and cultures.

Including ethnographic artifacts and art as well as living examples of poisonous and venomous animals, it is being held at the Musée des Confluences (86 quai Perrache, 69002 Lyon, France; phone +33 04 28 38 12 12, www.museedesconfluences.fr), a museum of natural history and anthropology located at the confluence of the Rhône and Saône rivers.

Until May 28, 2018, Dutch Masters artworks from the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, will be displayed at the Hermitage Amsterdam (Amstel 51, Amsterdam, Netherlands; hermitage.nl/en). 

Painted during the 17th-century “Golden Age” of Dutch art, 63 works from 50 artists will be shown, including six Rembrandt portraits. Many have never been exhibited in the Netherlands. 

Connecting Hong Kong to the mainland-China cities of Zhuhai and nearby Macau, a bridge/tunnel project spanning the Pearl River Estuary is set to be completed by the end of 2017.

The 34-mile-long span directly connects Hong Kong with Zhuhai, which is only 5 miles north of Macau. The route will shorten the driving time between Hong Kong and Zhuhai from more than three hours to only half an hour.

Overshadowed by its more well-known neighbors, Zhuhai is a popular spot for Chinese tourists. It is known as a “garden city” and features historical and natural sites.

The Saudi Arabia-based airline Saudia instituted a new dress code in early August. Women must not expose their arms or legs or wear sheer or tight clothing, and men must wear long pants. Anyone attempting to fly on a Saudia flight wearing inappropriate clothing will be denied boarding until he or she covers up.

The mayor of Dubrovnik, Croatia, announced on Aug. 11 that, within two years, the city plans to reduce the number of people visiting its walled Old City to only 4,000 per day in order to protect the UNESCO World Heritage Site from damage. UNESCO had recommended a limit of 8,000.

On Aug. 31, the US Department of State ordered Russia to close its San Francisco consulate as well as two diplomatic annexes — in Washington, DC, and New York City — by Sept. 2. 

The State Department said the moves, which leave the US and Russia each with three consulates, were “in the spirit of parity,” citing Russia’s July 30 order for the US to reduce its Moscow-embassy staff by 755 employees to 455, matching the Russian diplomatic presence in the US, made after tough economic sanctions against Russia were passed by Congress earlier that month.