History

The 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Normandy, France, is the focus of a cruise, May 30-June 8, 2014, being hosted by the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. The Silver Cloud of Silversea Cruises (877/813-3329, ext. 257, www.dday70.org) will feature historians, such as Tom Brokaw, giving talks plus officials from WWII museums of the UK and France. 

Sailing from Lisbon, the ship will call at England’s Portsmouth, the Isle of Guernsey and the French town of Saint-Nazaire and spend five days in Caen, Normandy. Cabins run $16,998-$55,998.

In Warsaw, Poland, the Museum of the History of Polish Jews (6 Anielewicza St.; phone +48 22 471 0300, www.jewishmuseum.org.pl) opened in April.

The core exhibition is still being installed and is due to open in 2014. In the meantime, the new, 43,000-square-foot building is hosting temporary exhibitions, film screenings and performances. At press time, all exhibitions had free admission. Open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Closed Tuesdays.

(3 of 3 on Colombia)

There is a frenetic energy that permeates Cartagena, captivating both locals and the throngs of visitors to Colombia’s popular Caribbean port city. Cartagena was the focus of the final portion of the spring 2013 tour “Colombia’s Colonial Jewels & The Coffee Triangle,” on which I was hosted by Overseas Adventure Travel. 

The city of 1.5 million is, today, a magnet for visitors, and the economic impact of tourism clearly drives the local economy.

9 days / 8 nights. Highlights: In London, ENGLAND, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Parliament / gardens at Hampton Court Palace / Stonehenge / Roman excavations at Bath / Stratford-upon-Avon / Llangollen, WALES / Lake District / in SCOTLAND, Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace / back in England, medieval York / Cambridge. Land, from $1,329. Single supp., from $362. Sceptre Tours (Rockville Centre, NY; 800 / 221-0924).

June's photo depicted a "handrail" on a stairway at the Rector's Palace in Dubrovnik, Croatia. The palace, which today houses a museum, has had a tumultuous history. The first building on the site was gutted by a fire in 1435, and a new Gothic-style building was constructed. Gunpowder stored in the palace armory exploded in 1463, causing major damage and leading to reconstruction, and strong earthquakes ravaged the building in 1520 and 1667. Much of the reconstruction (which remains intact to this day) was in the Baroque style.

Sudeley Castle (Winchcombe, Glouces­tershire, England, GL54 5JD; phone 01242 602308) offers special tours.

The 75-minute guided “Garden Tour” is offered at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. the first three Fridays and Saturdays monthly April through October. £18 (near $27) includes general admission.

The 75-minute “Gardening for Wildlife” tour, offered at 3 p.m. on six dates each in May and September, focuses on the hundreds of wildlife species on the castle grounds and how the garden supports them. £18 includes general admission.

by Margo Wilson Scottsdale, AZ

It’s hard to imagine a place with more tropical and exotic charms to offer than Sri Lanka, which my husband, Thom, and I visited in February ’12.

My husband, David, and I wanted to see more of Latvia than just its capital. About six months before our June 27-July 1, 2012, visit, we contacted the guide Ieva Sala (email ieva-sala@inbox.lv) through Tours-by-Locals (Vancouver, BC, Canada; 866/844-6783).

The surprising discovery of the remains of infamous King Richard III (1452-1485) in Leicester, England, in early 2013 has resulted in a popular exhibition of the artifacts found during the dig plus information about his reign. Admission is free to the Guildhall (in the town center, by the Cathedral). Open 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily.

The temporary Guildhall exhibition may find a permanent home elsewhere in Leicester in 2014. For info, visit www.sociallyleicestershire.co.uk.

Fred Steinberg; Greenwich, CT