People have lived in the Wadi Rum area of southwestern Jordan for thousands of years, but it wasn't until 1998 that the Jordanian government placed the area's fragile desert habitat under the protection of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority. Several natural arches can be found in Wadi Rum, one of which was pictured in our May mystery photo. Located about 200 yards from the famous Rock Bridge of Kharaz, the arch shown is about 85 feet long.
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In northern Norway, guests of WolfLodge who meet certain requirements can interact with wild (but human-acclimated) wolves in an enclosure in Polar Park (N-9360, Bardu, Norway; phone +47 77 18 66 30, http://polarpark.no/polar-park-english.html).
Located in the park, WolfLodge has one double and five 3-bed guest rooms; two bathrooms that are shared; a common area with a kitchen, living room and fireplace; large skylights for viewing the northern lights, and large windows for watching the wolves roaming the grounds.
London visitors can enjoy a 4-course meal while sailing up the River Thames on a 3-hour dinner cruise with City Cruises (phone +44 20 77 400 400, www.citycruises.com). The river sightseeing ship travels round trip from Westminster Pier, passing the Houses of Parliament and St. Paul’s Cathedral and under the Tower Bridge.
The dinner cruise costs £80 (near $116) per person or £85 for a window seat. A table for four costs £320. On the website, click on “Dining,” then “Dinner Cruise.”
Visitors to Abu Dhabi, UAE, can rent bicycles from FunRideSports (phone +971 2 445 5838, www.funridesports.com), which has four locations in the corniche area on the western coast of Abu Dhabi, each open 4 p.m.-12 a.m. daily: Hilton Station (Corniche Rd. West, al Khubairah); Family Park (Corniche Rd. West, al Khalidiyah); Chamber Station (Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce, Corniche Rd., al Markazaiyah West), and Meena Station (Meena St., Tourist Club area).
Visitors to Abu Dhabi, UAE, can download two free apps for iOS or Android. Abu Dhabi Events lists sports, music, food and cultural festivals in the city and environs. DARB provides bus and ferry schedules, airline arrival and departure times and customizable route maps with real-time traffic updates. Users can also hire a taxi and pay for public parking on DARB, which requires a 3G or Wi-Fi connection with the GPS enabled in order to function fully.
As ITN went to press, the State Department had travel warnings on 37 destinations: Afghanistan, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, El Salvador, Eritrea, Haiti, Honduras, Iran, Iraq, Israel/West Bank/Gaza, Kenya, North Korea, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Mexico, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Republic of South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, Venezuela and Yemen.
Workers often strike in France, and this occasionally affects travelers. The following occurred in 2016.
In March, two air traffic controller strikes caused the cancellation of more than 1,000 flights. (Since 2009, French air traffic controllers have convened 43 strike days.)
In late May, oil refinery workers held a strike that caused about 20% of the nation’s gas stations to run out of fuel.
Unusually heavy rains in Central Europe caused extensive flooding in Germany and France in late May and early June, leaving at least 18 people dead and tens of thousands without power or water.
In Paris, at press time, the Seine was over 19 feet above normal levels and had spilled over its banks at some locations. All river traffic had been halted and the Musée d’Orsay and Louvre had been closed so staff could move artworks to upper levels. Some rail and Métro stations in Paris were also closed.
With Volvo’s Overseas Delivery Program, buying a car in Sweden becomes a vacation.
After picking up your car at the Volvo Factory Delivery Center in Gothenburg, including a factory tour, lunch and an introduction to your car by the English-speaking staff, you are free to embark on one of the Volvo travel agency’s suggested self-drive tours of Sweden.
Itineraries include a 3-day food tour that visits the city of Smögen, a 3-day cultural-history tour that includes Marstrand and Gunnebo House, and a 6-day circular “Roadtrip” to northernmost Sweden and Stockholm.