Riding in TurkeyNext time you plan a trip to Turkey, think about seeing it from the back of a horse. Hidden Trails offers three vacations in countryside that it describes as partly mountainous, partly coastal and partly on the Mediterranean Sea.
For example, the six-day Cappadocia Cross Country trails wind across the varied landscape. Participants ride five to six hours a day on a 75-mile circuit that takes in the area’s unusual rock formations, fairy chimneys, canyons, high plateaus, steppes, vineyards, cave villages and frescoed churches.
The eight-day trip costs 875 euros per person and includes accommodations in guesthouses, all meals and riding (you are asked to help care for the horse each day). The trip is available through mid-October on various dates.
If you prefer, you can choose a ranch near the Turkish Riviera that combines rides to cultural sites and to Mediterranean beaches for swimming and relaxing. The trip costs between 595 euros and 625 euros per person, depending on the season, and includes accommodations, breakfast and dinner, 15 riding hours over six days and free day shuttle service to the beach. It’s available until the end of the year.
A third eight-day trip is in the Taurus Mountains and around the base of Tahtali Mountain. On four- to eight-hour rides, the trip takes riders through the region’s mountain walls and plateaus, pine forests, ravines, rivers and villages. The cost is 830 to 875 euros per person, double occupancy, and includes accommodations, breakfast and dinner and six riding days. It’s available until the beginning of November.
For details on these and other horseback riding trips throughout Europe, see www.hiddentrails.com.
London exhibitionsLondon’s museums have scheduled a variety of exhibitions for 2010. Among the highlights are:
• "Painting History: Delaroche and Lady Jane," through May 23 at the National Gallery (www.nationalgallery.co.uk). Among the works at this retrospective is a famous painting of teenage Lady Jane Grey, who was queen of England for just nine days before she was beheaded in 1554.
• "Fra Angelico to Leonardo: Italian Renaissance drawings," through July 25 at The British Museum (www.britishmuseum.org). The works in this exhibit span 1400 to 1510 and include several by da Vinci, Michelangelo and Botticelli. A special package for a traditional afternoon English tea plus a ticket to the exhibition is available for 30 pounds (about $45) per person.
• "Grace Kelly: Style Icon," until Sept. 26 at the Victoria and Albert Museum (www.vam.ac.uk). The fashion exhibition features more than 50 items of clothes and accessories from the actress’ Hollywood days, her wedding dress when she married Prince Rainier of Monaco and 35 of her haute couture gowns from the 1960s and ’70s designed by artists such as Christian Dior and Yves St. Laurent. Film clips, posters and photos also are on display.
• "Exposed: Voyeurism, Surveillance and the Camera," May 28 to Oct. 3 at the Tate Modern (www.tate.org.uk/modern/). The show features photos of famous people taken by small or concealed cameras. or who were caught on closed-circuit television at secret or intimate meetings and at other private places.
• "Gauguin: Maker of Myth," Sept. 30 to Jan. 16, 2011, also at the Tate Modern. The retrospective will show more than 100 works from public and private collections worldwide.
• "Ancient Book of the Dead," Nov. 4 to March 6, 2011, at the British Museum (www.britishmuseum.org). The exhibit features papyrus examples (the oldest 3,500 years old) from the Book of the Dead, a collection of spells to help guide the dead through the dangers of the underworld on their journey to eternal life. Also in the show are funerary figurines, amulets, jewelry, statues and coffins.
Best BetsENGLAND: Friday is St. George’s Day, which celebrates the country’s patron saint — whose emblem, a red cross on a white background, are also the flag of England and part of the British flag. Originally a third-century Roman soldier who converted to Christianity and was later martyred, he is popularly known as the dragon slayer who rescued a princess and saved a town from the tyranny of the beast. London celebrates the saint Saturday with free festivities on Trafalgar Square from 12:30 to 6 p.m. On the program is a concert featuring young musicians, winners of a street-performers competition, an East End five-piece group, and artists from the Royal Academy of Music and Player’s Theatre.
ITALY: The Fortezza da Basso, a former citadel in Florence, showcases the talents of international crafts workers Saturday through May 2 at ART 2010, an international handicrafts trade fair. More than 700 stalls will be offering goods cataloged under clothing and accessories, silver and goldsmithing, costume jewelry, beauty and health products and gastronomy products. The show is open 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. through May 1 and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. May 2. Admission is 5 euros. For more details, go to www.mostraartigianato.it/eng_home.html.
NETHERLANDS: Flowers hit the road Saturday for the annual 25-mile flower parade from Nordwijk to Haarlem. The theme this year is "Famous Books," and festivities have already started. On Friday a "Bulbs and Flowers" market, featuring demonstrations of traditional crafts and bulb sales, will be held around the Little White Church of Noordwijkerhout from 2 to 8 p.m. Starting at 11 a.m., a Bloemenbus — flower bus — will give tours along the bulb fields. At 9 p.m., the parade’s 20 illuminated floats will make a preliminary run through the town. The next day at 9:30 a.m. they set off from nearby Noordwijk for their journey to Haarlem, accompanied by luxury cars and marching bands, arriving at their destination about 12 hours later. There they remain in the city center through 7 p.m. Sunday so that visitors can admire the artwork. Find more details at www.vvvnoordwijkerhout.nl
— Jayne Traendly
