January 2010

This interactive crossword puzzle is no longer available online.

Britain’s National Trust has created a UK version of the board game Monopoly which can be purchased in the US through The Royal Oak Foundation (New York, NY; 800/913-6565).

Half of the price of $100, which includes shipping, is a tax-deductible donation to the foundation, which supports the National Trust in preserving Britain’s cultural and natural heritage.

The company smallcarBIGCITY (phone +44 [0] 7891 998 328 or +44 [0] 2075 850 399) offers six guided tours of London. Up to three people tour in a Mini Cooper driven by a chauffeur/guide dressed in retro 1960s garb, with ’60s music on the sound system.

Tours range from the 30-minute “Royal Tour” for £54 (near $90) per Mini, touring major London landmarks, to the 5-hour “Tale of Two Cities,” which combines an hour’s tour of London and an hour of Paris (with transit between on the Eurostar train), for £299 ($500) per Mini.

With the Jibbigo software application (or app), you can speak/record a sentence or two of either Spanish or English into your iPhone 3GS and it will respond with both an audible and written (on the screen) translation. It cannot be used to translate a conversation on the iPhone.

Jibbigo has a vocabulary of over 40,000 words that are particularly useful to travelers and medical doctors. The software runs on the phone, itself, so it does not need to be connected to the Internet. The app, dictionary included, costs $24.99 from Apple’s iPhone store or visit www.jibbigo.com.

The website www.ihatetaxis.com gives tips on how to pick the right taxi, avoid taxi scams and arrive at your hotel safely. The website covers more than 300 international airports, train stations and ports in 85 countries.

The annual Bach Festival in Leipzig, Germany, is being held this year June 11-20. It will focus on how Bach influenced his musical successors Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms.

 With famous artists and ensembles, there will be 113 events in 38 venues, including theaters, churches, museums and historic sites, plus dancing exhibitions and museum tours. 

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. 

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. 

The Grand Circle Corporation companies Overseas Adventure Travel and Grand Circle Travel are offering this Best Price Guarantee: if a solo traveler booked on a 2010 OAT or GCT trip finds a comparable trip at a lower price, the company will match the lower price and take an additional $500 off.

Rest Easy is an all-natural, cinnamon-scented nonpesticide that kills and repels bedbugs and other small insects, such as bed mites. It is available in two-ounce travel-size bottles (twin-pack, $13.95) at retail stores such as Bed, Bath & Beyond or online (www.pestproductsonline.com).