Four of us, who were spending the week of Thanksgiving 2003 in Budapest and Prague, were annoyed that we couldn’t escape popular American music playing everywhere. Also, while we weren’t surprised to find McDonald’s, Burger King and KFC, in Prague we were caught off guard to see pizzerias on every block.
Although it dates from Roman times, Budapest is basically a 19th-century city. Most of the public buildings, apartments and monuments date from this period.
by Cynthia Thompson; Lebanon, NH
If you enjoy cruising on a relatively small ship, with the chance to go ashore almost every day to tour interesting sites that, frequently though not always, are archaeological in nature, then a trip on the Aegean Odyssey is the vacation for you.
Built in the 1820s, the Royal Mews at London’s Buckingham Palace is not only one of the finest working stables in the world, it is the department responsible for all road travel by Queen Elizabeth II and members of the Royal Family, whether by historic carriage or modern car. Throughout the day, guided tours are conducted by wardens in scarlet and navy livery.
Celebrating the 500th anniversary of King Henry VIII’s accession to the throne, Hampton Court Palace, London, opened on June 28 a permanent exhibition telling the story of his early reign. There are historic paintings from the Royal Collection plus audiovisual and hands-on displays.
For four years, from 1941 to 1944, the Litsa River frontier in the Russian Arctic was the focus of an attempt by German forces to take Murmansk, site of a harbor crucial to the Soviets. Tens of thousands of men on both sides died during the battle. Although Murmansk, itself, was bombed into ruins, no Axis forces ever succeeded in setting foot in the city.
Daily life and events of the 15th century will be reenacted by some 60 Middle Ages enthusiasts, Aug. 7-15, 2011, at Château de Crèvecoeur (phone +33 [0] 231 630 245), located in Crèvecoeur-en-Auge in France’s Normandy region. Period-inspired food will be available. In 2010, entry cost €8 (near $11) adult, €4 child (7-14) and under seven free.
Through June 2011, the Barbados Museum & Historical Society (Garrison, Bridgetown, Barbados; phone, in the US, 246/427-0201 or e-mail info@barbmuse.org.bb) is running its heritage tour, “Freedom Footprints,” on the first Saturday and third Thursday of each month.
Focusing on the country’s slave history, the four-hour tour begins with related galleries at the museum and, with a guide, continues by coach to the five sites that form Barbados’ contribution to the UNESCO/WTO Cultural Slave Route Project.
Seven-day/six-night private tour; departures through October 2012. Highlights: Edinburgh / Scone Palace / lunch cruise on Loch Ness past Eilean Donan Castle, Urquhart Castle / Dunvegan Castle on Isle of Skye / whisky tasting at Talisker Distillery / on Isle of Mull, Tobermory fishing village / Iona, whence Christianity spread in Scotland / Gleneagles golf resort/Stirling Castle / Bannockburn, where Robert the Bruce defeated the English. Land, from $7,536. No single supp. Cox & Kings (Los Angeles, CA; 800/999-1758).
by Yvonne Horn, Contributing Editor
In Beijing, China, Wan Feng Xiaochi (Snack Shop) (No. 306 Wan Feng Rd., Fengtai District; phone 6488 6868), is the only place where the cuisine of all 56 of China’s ethnic groups is represented. The three-story, more than 172,000-square-foot food palace seats 2,000, and its stalls have 3,000 selections, including samosas from Xinjiang, Tibetan wine and mutton from Mongolia.
In addition, folk art and jewelry are for sale and craftspeople demo cooking techniques.