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‘Year of Joan of Arc’

Six hundred years ago in 1412, a peasant girl named Joan was born in Domrémy in the French province of Lorraine. Guided by visions in which God’s voice told her to help France fight against the English, she led the French military to win several important battles in the Hundred Years’ War. One of the victories took place in the besieged city of Orléans, a decisive battle that cleared the way for the eventual coronation of Charles VII in Reims.

The city of Orléans has declared 2012 “The Year of Joan of Arc” and is celebrating the national heroine with tributes, reenactments, expositions and modern shows.

Most of the highlights are scheduled in May to celebrate the 583rd anniversary of the liberation of the city. They include a medieval festival and Joan of Arc parade (May 1), virtual exposition of 600 of her images illuminated on the Hotel de Ville (May 4-5, 7-8), medieval markets in Campo Santo (May 5-8), a light and sound show (May 12) and tribute ceremonies with a large military parade (May 13).

From April 5 to June 3, the exhibition “Affiches en fête” (Festival Posters) will be showing in the Orléans Museum of Fine Arts.

For more, go to http://tinyurl.com/7uqe37b.

Outdoors in Slovenia

Lifetrek, an agency run by young people, organizes hiking, kayaking, canyoning, climbing, biking and mountaineering in Slovenia’s unspoiled outdoors. It offers adventure trips in several languages, including English.

The trips run from one day to more than a week. For example, there is a one-day biking tour from Bled through the Radovna River Valley and three valleys in the Triglav National Park (near where the borders of Austria, Italy and Slovenia meet) that costs 39 euros.

Eight-day hiking trips around the Julian Alps cost 758 euros per person and include five days of trekking from Tamar Valley via Mount Triglav to Krma Valley near Bled, with sightseeing in Bled, transfers, lodging and equipment.

Other one-day trips include rafting on the Soca River (28 euros to 37 euros), hiking in the Triglav National Park (78 euros), climbing in the Julian Alps (78 euros), kayaking (44 euros) and canyoning (50 euros to 75 euros).

Find more details on the web at lifetrek-slovenia.com.

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