Highland GamesAccording to the Scottish Tourist Board, attending one of the Highland Games is a “must” if you visit the country.
Competitive events in track and field, piping, Highland dancing, tug-of-war, the hammer throwing and tossing the caber are held in large cities and small communities, all of which give a sample of Scotland’s colorful history and culture.
For more information on the games and a list of dates, go to www.highlandgames-sga.com/home.
Jordan in the fallSpend your Thanksgiving holiday, Nov. 23-30, in the sun, drinking in the history of Jordan on a tour organized by the Ten & One Agency and guided by Graziella Sefcik.
Trip highlights include a visit to Amman (Citadel Hill, Roman amphitheater, folk museum, gold market); Jerash, a well-preserved Roman city; the 12th-century Castle of Ajloun built by the nephew of Saladin; Madaba, the city of mosaics; Mount Nebo, where Moses overlooked the Dead Sea; a stop at the Dead Sea; the crusader castle of Kerak; the ancient city of Petra; a jeep safari in the desert of Waoli Rum; and time in a Red Sea resort.
There is also free time for shopping for local items such as Madama rugs, Hebron glass, silver and gold jewelry, handicrafts, stick embroidery and Bedouin jewelry.
The cost is 1,626 euros per person, double occupancy, and includes round-trip flights and taxes from Frankfurt, airport transfers, accommodation in four- and five-star hotels, breakfasts, dinners, one Bedouin tent lunch, entrance fees, guide, motor coach transportation, jeep safari, visa fee, travel to Petra by horse, camel or carriage and local assistance.
For more details, contact Natasha Buchwald of Ten & One by phone at (+49) (0) 89-2554-2928 or by e-mail at n.buchwald@tenandone.com; or Sefcik at (+49) (0) 8231-2134 or by e-mail at graziella@tenandone.com.
Sleep at LegolandLegoland Germany in Günzberg, between Munich and Stuttgart, will open a vacation village in June next to the amusement park for families who want to spend the night.
The four-person family rooms in the Feriendorf will have a double bed for adults and bunk beds in the “nursery” with a knight, pirate, adventurer or race-driver theme. They will also include private bathroom facilities and a balcony. Rooms also are available for six persons.
The resort offers several packages covering overnight and admission to the amusement park and its 50 attractions. The classic package for two adults and two children, for example, begins at 74 euros for adults and 52 euros for children. It includes an overnight stay with breakfast, day ticket to Legoland and parking fee.
There also are 200 camping sites for vans and tents. The fees for a one-night stay are 42 euros for adults, 29 euros for children. The price includes the campsite and use of the washrooms, sculleries and sanitation station, and a day ticket to Legoland.
Details at www.legoland.de.
Malm∅ CardIf you’re in Denmark you may want to take up the tourist board’s suggestion and hop across the Oresund Bridge to Malm∅, Sweden. And while you’re there, the tourist office recommends you buy the Malm∅ Card, which offers free or discounted admission to museums, tours, amusement parks, restaurants, shops and entertainment, as well as free parking and rides on public transportation in the Swedish city.
Valid for one adult and two children under 16, the card costs 120 Swedish kroner (about $21) for one day, 160 Swedish kroner for two days and 160 Swedish kroner for three days. Details at www.malmo.se.
Best BetsGERMANY: Home to the largest cathedral in the country, Cologne is also known for its lively international arts and culture scene. So it is appropriate that an international art fair should be held at the city’s fairgrounds, starting Wednesday and running through April 20. The fair’s goal is to present galleries that promote the work of young artists, but this year they’ve included artists older than 40 in a new program called “Hidden Treasures.” Categories include contemporary paintings, works on paper, photography, video, sculpture, graphics and one-man shows. The fair is open noon to 8 p.m. Tickets cost 20 euros for the day, 14 euros from 5-8 p.m. See www.artcologne.com.
ITALY: “Thirty Years of Friendship” is the theme of this year’s “Su E Zo Per I Ponti” Sunday in Venice. The noncompetitive charity walk passes the city’s major sights and bridges on two routes: one is five miles and crosses 45 bridges; the other is 3½ miles and crosses 32 bridges. Ceremonial activities begin at 9:30 a.m. in the Piazza San Marco, with the official start at 10 a.m. on the piazza and the corner of Palazzo Ducale. Folk groups will parade in the piazza at 12:30 p.m., and the walk ends at 2:30 p.m. Registration is possible on the day of the event until tickets run out. It costs 4 euros for the walk, 6 euros for the walk and water bus return. Information at www.tgseurogroup.it/suezo/en/informazioni_en.htm.
