Exploring Brazil’s coastal towns by bus
by Jane B. Hanrahan, Woodbridge, VA
Music and Theater
Accommodations Worldwide
Europe
A hands-on study program grants special access to the art treasures of Russia’s Hermitage Museum
—Kathryn Whitmer, Bellingham, WA
Pipes in Paris
Each Sunday afternoon at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, there is a free organ concert for about an hour. Starting between 4 and 5 p.m., depending on the time of year, each concert presents a guest organist from one of the cathedrals of Europe.
We always attend this concert whenever we visit Paris. They print a schedule for each month listing the organist and which pieces will be presented. We like to get there early to get seats because often there is standing room only.
A great restaurant for a 'splurge'
To celebrate an anniversary or a spouse’s birthday while traveling overseas, have you ever decided to hang the expense and really “splurge” on a meal? We asked those of you who did so — and found that it was worth every euro, pound or whatever — to write in about the experience.
In addition to the name of the restaurant and its address or location, we asked you to tell us when you went, the approximate price of the meal and what made it so great. We also wanted to know if there were any special dishes you’d recommend, particular tables to sit at, etc.
Laterna Magica in Prague
While in Prague, treat yourself to a performance at any one of several Laterna Magica or Black Light productions. Little or none of the productions involve dialogue, so knowledge of Czech is not needed. They are a combination of music, dancing, mime, drama and film.
In June ’03 we attended Jiri Grossman’s “Wow!”, which was conveniently located off Wenceslas Square near the Jalta Hotel. It was a lot of fun — colorful, surprising and interesting with fish, mermaids, spiders, butterflies, balloons, music and dance.
Gamelan on Java
In May 2000 we visited Solo on the island of Java in Indonesia. We particularly enjoyed Solo because it is a classic, traditional Javanese city, especially in regard to the music scene. Our favorite venue was the Sriwedari Theatre, a huge hall with live performances of gamelan and colorful comedy and drama every night between 8 and 10 p.m. Because the entry fee was only about 20¢, mostly natives were in attendance.