Travel Briefs

January 2015 issue

Dachau gate stolen

Near Munich, Germany, the wrought-iron gate at the Dachau concentration camp was stolen on Nov. 3. The gate proclaimed the slogan “Arbeit Macht Frei” (“Work Makes You Free”), as did the gate to the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland, which was stolen in December 2009. Recovered later, the Auschwitz gate had been cut into three pieces, and a Swedish man with neo-Nazi ties was arrested for having ordered its theft.

Dachau, built in 1933, was the first Nazi concentration camp opened in Germany. Originally a work camp for political prisoners, it was expanded in 1938 to hold Jews and...

CONTINUE READING »
October 2008 issue

Friluftsliv in Norway

Innovation Norway, a Norwegian government office in the embassy in Washington, D.C., has come up with packages to help travelers experience friluftsliv, which translates as “open air life.”

Designed to help visitors connect with nature in Norway, the “Passport to Friluftsliv” itineraries offered by several tour operators can be customized for hiking, fishing, bird-watching, etc. For a list of participating tour companies, e-mail usa@innovationnorway.no or visit www.visitnorway.com/friluftsliv.

For example, on the “King Crab Safari” with Borton Overseas (800/843-0602),...

CONTINUE READING »
December 2008 issue

Chunnel under repair

The Channel Tunnel between Britain and France has been operating at reduced capacity since a fire aboard a train carrying trucks damaged the southbound section on Sept. 11 of this year. Access by passenger and cargo trains as well as automobiles has been restricted; ferries operating between Calais and Dover have been taking up the slack.

Chunnel repairs are expected to be completed in February 2009.

November 2008 issue

Flemish tapestries

The Abbey of St. Peter in Ghent is holding the exhibition “Flemish Tapestries from the Burgundian Dukes” until March 29, 2009. It centers on tapestries that depict the victory over Tunis during a campaign of Charles V and includes many on loan from Spain.

Closed Monday. €8 ($11.50) adult, €6.75 senior/student. Wheelchair accessible. Contact Kunsthal Sint-Pietersabdij (Sint-Pietersplein 9, 9000 Gent, Belgium; phone +32 09 243 97 30, fax 97 34, www.gent.be/spa).

November 2014 issue

Speaking statues in England

In London and Manchester, England, 35 statues have been outfitted with tags that allow smartphones to play audio clips — some humorous, some historical — of each statue “speaking” about itself.

At each statue, visitors will see a circular blue plaque with a QR code to scan or a URL to type in in order to hear the speech. Playing the roles are actors, such as Patrick Stewart, who voices “The Unknown Soldier” in London’s Paddington Station. A list of statue locations, with printable maps, is at www.talkingstatues.co.uk.

February 2015 issue

Bus TravelPass in NZ

Visitors to New Zealand can use TravelPass bus passes offered by InterCity (Sky City Travel Centre, 102 Hobson St., Auckland, New Zealand; phone +64 9 583 5780).

InterCity TravelPass trips follow preplanned itineraries. TravelPasses are good for up to 12 months after purchase, and, for as long as the pass is valid, a rider can pause his trip and stay in one of InterCity’s destinations, then board a later bus to finish his trip. Passes also cover ferrying between islands (when applicable). The buses have free Wi-Fi, too. 

Among 14 trips is the “Island Loop,” which costs NZD993...

CONTINUE READING »
January 2015 issue

Crazy cave walk in Wales

In northern Wales, near the town of Blaenau Ffestiniog, visitors can explore a man-made cavern strung with trampoline-like elastic nets.

At Bounce Below (phone +44 1248 601 444, www.bouncebelow.net), the visit begins with a 5-minute funicular journey 100 feet underground to the entrance of the cavern, which is twice the size of London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral. On foot, visitors then bounce around, navigating the cave’s trampoline-like elastic nets on a route linked by slides. Multicolored lights allow visitors to see down to the bottom of the 180-foot-deep space. A visit lasts one...

CONTINUE READING »
October 2008 issue

MP3 audio city tours

Tourcaster.com offers 250 downloadable audio tours of more than 30 cities on six continents. They can be added to MP3 players, including iPods, or burned onto a CD. Most tours cost $5-$23 each, and each comes with a numbered map and detailed directions.

Example — the “Piazza del Popolo to Fontana di Trevi” tour of Rome takes 2½ hours, with an audio length of one hour nine minutes, and costs $19.90.

For many destinations in Europe, South America and Asia, the site offers 20- to 30-minute “audio guides” which are not tours and which cost $5-$10.