Dinosaur exhibitDo you delight in dinosaurs? If so, the “Messel on Tour” exhibition showing at Darmstadt’s Landesmuseum until Sept. 30 might be just for you.
The 129 original exhibits were assembled from a dig site at Messel, about five miles north of the city, where dinosaurs were believed to have lived 47 million years ago. The site is on the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage List.
Tickets to the museum cost 4 euros for adults, 2 euros for children.
The museum Web site is www.hlmd.de (in German).
Create your scentForget using a perfume formulated by a movie star. You can create your own personal fragrance at Galimard Perfumery’s Studio des Fragrances in Grasse, France.
A two-hour workshop begins with the company’s perfumer explaining the architecture of a good perfume, the classification of the scents, what they are made of, and describing how to create a harmonious formula. You then create your fragrance and take it home in a bottle with the fragrance’s, or your, name on it.
The company will save the formula in case you want to reorder it.
The cost is 39 euros, which includes the 3 1/3-ounce bottle of perfume. For details, go to www.galimard.com. Grasse’s Web site is www.grasse-ville.fr (in French).
Outdoor London showsEnjoy a theatrical production in the outdoors this summer at London’s Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park.
The season runs through Sept. 14. On the program are “Macbeth,” “A Midsummer’s Night Dream,” “Lady Be Good!,” “Fantastic Mr. Fox” and “The Boyfriend.”
Prices run from 10 to 33 pounds (about $20 to $65). Find details at www.openairtheatre.org.
Emigration centerIf you think trans-Atlantic flights to the States are tiring, stop by Bremerhaven’s Emigration Center to see how emigrants traveled to America in the 1800s.
According to the center’s Web site, Bremerhaven was the largest emigration port in Germany. Between 1830 and 1974, 7.2 million people left for America through the city. Interestingly, it notes that German emigration is again on the rise, with 150,000 of its citizens leaving in 2004.
A visit to the museum takes you through the experience of emigrating — departing at dawn, riding in the steamship or ocean liner and arriving at Ellis Island in the U.S. — with photographs and stories of emigrants and their descendants in America today.
The museum also has research facilities for those wanting to learn about their roots.
It’s open daily from 10 a.m. Tickets cost 9.50 euros for adults and 6 euros for children 4 to 14 years.
Find details on the Web at at www.dah-bremerhaven.de..
Best BetsBELGIUM: Visit the year 1549 in Brussels on July 3 and 5 during the city’s annual Ommegang. The medieval event pays tribute to the Emperor Charles V, his son Don Philip, infant of Spain and Duke of Brabant; and Charles’ sisters, Eleanor of Austria, who became queen of France; and Mary of Hungary. Originally religious in nature, the Ommegang (which means “procession”) today is a colorful folkloric re-creation beginning with a parade at 9 p.m. at the Sablon Church. It ends at the Grand’ Place, where the main entertainment begins. Viewing the procession is free. Seating at the Grand’ Place costs 30 to 65 euros. For details on this and the procession route, go to www.ommegang.be.
GERMANY: Trier’s annual outdoor crafts market takes place around the old Roman gate grounds of the Porta Nigra. About 70 artists will demonstrate and sell their wares of traditional and modern works, including gold and other jewelry, ceramics, blown glass and basket-weaving. The market is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Trier’s Web site is www.trier.de.
— Jayne Traendly
