Travel Briefs

March 2010 issue

Staffordshire Hoard

Discovered in a field in southern Staffordshire, England, in July 2009, the Staffordshire Hoard is the largest collection of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found. It comprises more than 1,500 individual items, most gold and some decorated with precious stones. Items include sword fittings, a helmet fragment and three Christian crosses.

Eighteen objects are now on display at the British Museum (free) in London. Visit www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk or www.britishmuseum.org.

January 2010 issue

CDG tax-refund kiosks

France’s Customs department has placed self-service VAT tax refund kiosks in all terminals at Charles de Gaulle Int’l Airport. The service, PABLO, processes the tax refund forms travelers collect from salespersons. 

Travelers carrying-on their purchases can bypass the line at the counter by using a three-step process. First, scan the bar codes on your VAT refund forms at the blue, Number 1 kiosk in front of the tax refund/Customs desk. Next, go through security to the boarding area, seek out the red, Number 2 kiosk and confirm and validate the forms (proving that you are leaving the...

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January 2010 issue

Cinderella’s store

In Paris, the luxury department store Galeries Lafayette (40 boulevard Haussmann; phone 014 282 3456, www.galerieslafayette.com [French only]) opened an enormous shoe department in July 2009.

The basement-level, 34,500-square-foot shop includes hundreds of brands, from simple flip-flops to designer boots, with prices running €10-€1,000. One section offers items to take care of shoes and your feet. 

May 2010 issue

Impressionism

The exhibition “A City for Impressionism: Monet, Pissarro, Gauguin in Rouen” at the Rouen Fine Arts Museum (Esplanade Marcel Duchamp, 76000 Rouen, France; phone 02 35 71 28 40), June 4-Sept. 26, 2010, will feature 100 paintings, some never exhibited before. €3 ($4) adult. 

It is part of the Normandy Impressionist Festival, throughout the region through Oct. 10, featuring art exhibits, theater, dance, concerts, films and outdoor food booths. Visit www.normandie-impressionniste.fr.

May 2010 issue

Monster-movie Japan

“The Monster Movie Fan’s Guide to Japan” tells fans of Japanese sci-fi and fantasy movies how to visit the filming location of each, where to stay and what other attractions are nearby. It also has sections on customs, currency exchange, weather and more.

The guide retails for $15 plus $2.74 shipping and is available at www.comiXpress.com. (Shortcut to the guide.)

June 2010 issue

Tokyo International Airport

Tokyo International Airport, also known as Haneda Airport and located 30 minutes from central Tokyo by car or train, is opening some of its gates for international flights to/from the US starting in October 2010. (Narita International Airport is about an 80-minute drive from Tokyo.)

The airport will offer eight flights to and from the US per day. Carriers have yet to be announced, but five major US airlines have applied for slots.

April 2010 issue

Burj Dubai’s deck closed

A month after opening to the public, the world’s tallest building suffered an elevator breakdown on Feb. 6 that trapped 15 guests just short of the 124th floor for 45 minutes. The observation deck of the Burj Dubai, in Dubai city, was closed pending a full investigation of the elevator system.

February 2010 issue

Bangkok layover trips

Travelers with layovers of six to 12 hours at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport can take any of 15 tours of four to seven hours from/to the airport. Example — the four-hour “City & Temple Tour,” at 1,100 baht (near $33) per person for two people, visiting the Golden Buddha, pagodas of Wat Pho and the marble temple of Benchamabophit.

Book a tour by calling 0 2134 4262, visiting the Transfer Passenger Tour Counter in the departure area on the second-floor Concourse F or in the Transit Passenger Lounge in Concourse C or by visiting www.tourismthailand.org/package-promotion/content-148...

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