Travel Briefs

July 2009 issue

Eiffel Tower touchup

The job of repainting the Eiffel Tower — by hand using small brushes — began this spring. The 18-month task is done every seven years. It will cost €4 million (near $5.3 million).

The world’s most-visited tourist attraction, drawing six million people a year, the tower was built in 1889 for the World’s Fair. Now “Eiffel Tower Brown,” at various times in the past it has been red, orange or yellow.

May 2008 issue

Porcelain tour, Munich

The historical monument Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory (Nördlichaes Schloss­rondell 8, D-80638, Munich, Germany; phone +49 089 179 197 0, fax 179 50, www.nymphenburg.com) offers guided tours year-round every Wednesday at 10 a.m. (reservations recommended).

Visitors see the entire cycle of producing porcelain art, from refinery at the porcelain mill to the creation of pottery, free-hand painted cookware and delicate fine art pieces. The cost is €25 for the 1½-hour tour.

September 2009 issue

Australia’s truth in ads

The Australian government has outlawed “component pricing,” a practice in the travel industry whereby products are advertised as “free” without extra costs being disclosed. Now all ads for, say, a free flight or free tour must declare all taxes and hidden fees up front. The law applies to businesses based in and selling in Australia and covers hotels, rental car companies, airlines and others.

August 2010 issue

Altamira to reopen

Over the protests of Spain’s scientific community and preservationists around the world, the Spanish Culture Ministry announced that it plans to reopen the Caves of Altamira to tourism, possibly by the end of this year. The caves, discovered in 1868, contain prehistoric art estimated to be from 14,000 to 20,000 years old. 

As many as 3,000 people a day visited the caves during the 1970s. Although the number of daily visitors was sharply curtailed from 1982 to 2002, the paintings still suffered significant deterioration, including green mold, from exposure to body heat and moisture....

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October 2010 issue

Mauritshuis to renovate

Starting in mid 2012, the Mauritshuis Royal Picture Gallery in The Hague, Netherlands, will be closed for about a year as part of a four-year, €22-million renovation that will nearly double the exhibition space.

Much of the collection will remain on display in other locations in The Hague, but 40 works — including Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring” — will travel to Japan to be shown in museums in Tokyo and then Kobe.

January 2009 issue

Ritz-Carlton ‘Give Back’

Employees of Ritz-Carlton Hotels & Resorts around the world each were challenged to identify an organization in their community in need of support. Dates then were scheduled for hands-on assistance, and hotel guests can volunteer a half day to assist the community where they are vacationing. Each of the half-day programs includes instruction by professionals. All profits go to the partner organization.

Samples of Give Back Getaways include planting trees to prevent erosion in Tenerife, Spain, Feb. 7, 2009, for €80 (near $100) adult and €40 child (rates at Abama Golf & Spa...

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April 2008 issue

Hadrian in London

London’s British Museum (phone +44 [0] 20 7323 8000 or 8299, www.britishmuseum.org) is hosting the exhibition “Hadrian: Empire and Conflict,” July 24-Oct. 26, 2008, bringing together, for the first time, objects from 35 museums and recent excavations.

Open daily 10-5:30 (last entry 4:20) or on Thursdays and Fridays 10-8:30 (last entry 7:20). £12 (near $24) adult, £10 senior, or two adults with three children, £25. 

Publius Aelius Traianus Hadrian, who ruled A.D. 117-138, is probably best known in Britain for causing the construction of a fortified wall to protect Roman...

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February 2008 issue

China in-flight thefts

China has issued a warning that thieves have been stealing items from overhead compartments during flights throughout the country. The crooks count on travelers not paying attention when someone rises to rummage in the bags.

Police advise passengers to be alert while on board. One suggestion — keep valuables on your person if you plan to nap.