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Visit Lisbon's imposing Belem Tower between games of the UEFA European Championships, which begin in Portugal June 12.
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Away we go
From England to whales: events worth the trip in 2004
By
John Lee
For The Prague Post
(January 15, 2003)
New Year's resolutions usually involve soon-to-be-broken commitments to strict fitness regimens, miraculous career changes or relationships with unmet perfect partners. Comparatively, "more travel" seems relatively attainable.
Still, it takes time to select and plan trips that deviate from the usual uninspired holiday jaunts. Outside-the-box adventures -- the kind most of us talk about animatedly while hanging around bookstore travel sections -- don't just happen; they have to be created.
Dream trips, of course, start with an idea. For those aiming to stick to at least one New Year's resolution, here is a selection of some of the world's best events worth traveling to in 2004. Whether it's a choice exhibition deserving of a quick transborder hop or an international fiesta requiring a lottery win, let the planning begin.
Raphael in London
The first major British exhibition of paintings and drawings by Renaissance master Raphael promises to be one of London's most talked-about art shows of 2004.
Adding to the preshow buzz is the National Gallery's attempt to raise enough money to buy the artist's Madonna of the Pinks, now on loan to the museum from a private UK owner. If the fund-raising is unsuccessful, the Getty Museum in the United States is likely to buy the painting. But if the luminescent masterpiece remains in Britain, it will be the star attraction of the blockbuster fall show.
Definitely appearing will be the Self-Portrait from the Uffizi Gallery and the St. George and St. Michael from the Louvre, plus dozens of additional exquisite loaned works from around the world. But the minds of many visitors will remain on the controversial Madonna -- whether or not she turns up.
Athens Olympic Games
The Olympic flame returns to its spiritual home next August when 10,500 athletes from 200 countries unite for the 2004 Athens Games. While there are 28 sports in the competition this time around, spectators can also gaze on a setting that's a little more meaningful than the usual hastily created concrete super-structures.
Marathon runners will follow the route first taken in 490 B.C., cyclists will zip by in the shadow of the Acropolis and archers will shoot their arrows in the Panathinaiko Stadium -- perhaps recalling ancient battles, or at least a Hercules movie or two.
Organizers are also promising a Greek feast of culture. Musicians and artists will perform daily at concert halls and timeworn outdoor theaters across the country. And if that's not enough to keep visitors occupied, the wacky mascots Athena and Phevos will be on hand to keep the Olympic home fires burning.
D-Day 60th Anniversary
An invasion force of veterans and history buffs will descend on France's Normandy region next summer to remember one of the turning points of World War II.
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KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
• Athens Olympic Games, various venues, Athens, Greece; Aug. 13-29.
www.athens2004.com
• "Raphael," National Gallery, London, Oct. 20-Jan. 16, 2005.
www.nationalgallery.org.uk
• D-Day: 60th Anniversary, various venues, Normandy, France; hundreds of events starting in June.
www.normandiememoire.com
• Concorde, Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum, New York, pavilion opens in spring, dates to be announced.
www.intrepidmuseum.org/
• Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, various venues, Melbourne, Australia; March 19-April 4.
www.melbfoodwinefest.com.au
• Hermanus Whale Festival, various venues, Hermanus, South Africa; September-October, dates to be announced.
www.whalefestival.co.za
• UEFA Euro 2004, various venues, Portugal, June 12-July 4.
www.euro2004.com
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The tone for the 60th anniversary of the Allied D-Day landings that ultimately liberated France and reversed the course of the war will be a mix of the somber and the celebratory.
Local towns and villages will remember 1944 with their own events stretched over 80 days -- the time it took to liberate the entire region. Parades, street parties, art events and pyrotechnic displays are planned. There will also be dozens of memorial ceremonies dedicated to the international force of fighters who died in the campaign code-named Operation Overlord.
Concorde
New York's Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum is built on and in a 900-foot (274-meter) aircraft carrier. That's not an obvious Concorde landing strip, but it may turn out to be the perfect resting place for one of Britain's retired supersonic jetliners.
The Concorde is currently available for viewing from afar on a 210-foot barge; fans should wait until spring for the opening of a dedicated pavilion with in-depth exhibits on the principles of supersonic flight and the history of the legendary cone-nosed plane. Cabin and cockpit tours are also scheduled for early next year.
While there'll be no more flights for this particular aircraft, visitors can say they touched the fastest Concorde in the British Airways fleet -- this one set the New York-to-London record of just under three hours in 1996.
Melbourne Food and Wine Festival
From an Australian city with a newly minted reputation for culinary excellence in a region of internationally renowned wine production comes a destination event that challenges many of the world's more-snobbish foodie festivals.
Visitors to Melbourne's giant three-week food party in 2004 can choose from a menu of more than 100 events, including a wine showcase of 200 Victoria-region varieties. Guests can even blend their own pinot noir.
For gourmands, the city's leading restaurants are promising a la carte meals at truck-stop prices, and there's also a coffee event that could prove beneficial for those looking to recover from a night of overindulgence.
Hermanus Whale Festival
The southernmost tip of Africa is the spot for an unlikely combination of natural phenomenon and cultural festival that aims to entice hordes of visitors to South Africa's Walker Bay next September.
But it's not just the tourists who are expected to arrive in significant numbers. The small seafront town of Hermanus is also the destination of choice for hundreds of southern right whales, creating what may be the world's best shore-based whale-watching opportunity.
In addition to guided whale-watching walks, a 10-day roster of additional events will keep visitors fully occupied. Highlights for 2004 include theater and music performances, an arts ramble to local studios and galleries, a surfing competition and a picturesque half-marathon race.
Euro 2004
When there's no World Cup to keep them occupied, soccer nuts turn to the globe's second-biggest tournament, the UEFA European Championships. Local fans have more reason than ever to make the trip this year. Fifty national teams contested the early stages of Euro 2004, but only 15 will join the host, Portugal, for next summer's finals, with the red-hot Czech squad one of four top seeds.
Portugal has built or refurbished eight stadiums at prime regional locations, including Braga, Porto and Lisbon, for the three-week soccer fiesta that starts June 12. Losing supporters should consider salving their pain with recuperative trips to the white-sanded Algarve or the country's plethora of historic castles.
Reader's Comments:
[10/12/2004] : Sir, what a tangled web we all weave. Those of us that oppose the E.U are gearing up for a show down with the politicians. As the people of your great country will knwow the vast majority of UK citizens are against this so called new constitution and if the exit polls are to be believed if there was a vote tommorow Great Britain would almost certainly veto it! This of course would mean the whole idea is srcapped and no doubt we would be labelled yet again as the thorn in the europeans side. I notice from your Prague Post vote that the Czech people would vote for such an ammendment - all be it narrowly - so it would seem that there is strong sceptisism with your people as well as my own. Earlier this year a met a good man, his name is Martin (Fishar) and he is from Prague. He has become one of my greatest true friends and we have had many a disscussion late into the night over this whole subject. Indeed, both he and his then girlfriend were at my house on the stroke of midnight when the Czech Republic officially became a member of the E.U. They raised a glass in celebration - and why not? I understand that our two countries are very differnt. But, we also have great things in common, the main one being PRIDE. Just because i am anti the E.U does not mean i am anti Europe. Indeed as far as i am concerned it is the finest continent on earth, and that is precisely why i am so against the forced changes imposed on us all on an almost regular basis. One passport, one currency and even maybe soon one army. This is not what we joined for back in 1974. It was supposed to be a free trade market where everything and anything would be cheaper and easily available. Instead, thanks to both France and Germany it is swiftly becoming a superstate, designed in my mind to challenge the might and authority of America. This must end, and quickly. We have all become pawns at the mercy of Brussels. In your own E.U Referendum within the pages of PraguePost 8.3% of those who have so far voted have declared they would abstain. I would say to those that when you have to decide for real PLEASE search your hearts and consciences - your futures, not just you but your childrens children will one day look back in history and decide wheather we made the right decissions. I only hope that we can look them in the eye and honestly say yes, we did. Matthew Puddy, 31.
Mr Matthew Puddy
Lyme Regis, Dorset. United Kingdom | [09/12/2004] : Oh for the days of Bill Clinton. He had "style". He could smoozz the Euros, tell them everything they want to hear----and then-----do nothing. From Kyoto to South American drug problems. Why on the very last day of his presidency, he pardoned a known drug lord. Now I call that "style". In Bush, similiar to Reagan, he tells you what he intends to do and does it. That is so foreign to the European mind and Euro's present leaders. The truth is if the Russians wanted to walk over Europe the combined armies of Europe could not stop them without using nucular weapons or draft guest workers. In the light of the UN corruption scandal, who knows who are the bad guys or who are the good guys. No one needs to go see American movies. Truth is, I think almost all are too juvenile for my taste. Yet the french and Germans and others seem to like them. I'm not sure what that means. There is not enough room for me to go into the wider view of the world situation and how this plays out to the present situation. Perhaps seeing Moore's F 911 one more time will help the European intelligencia see the situation clearer.
Dusan Lipensky
Wheaton, United States | [02/12/2004] : Regarding the article "West Meets Middle East", I just found it quiet interesting on how muslims have been generalised into one category which is "terrorists". I understand why the writer is concerned about the differences in culture between the two, but aren't also budhism, shintoism, and hinduism? I think in this day and age, newspapers and writers have a great pleasure in villifying someone for their success in.
An interesting point I found out is how selfish the writer was when he said: "Intellectuals uttering attacks on Islam may seem distasteful to many but they help spur debate that can ultimately be healthy". While he stated earlier:"France has taken some steps, seeking to train responsible imams who will teach a version of Islam that is respectful of the republic." Now I agree that some Imams need to be removed if they do spur revolution, but in western society today any imam(or any middle eastern) can be easily jailed/deported if he/she says anything against the residing country. That is for the simple reason that islam is viewed as a danger by westerners. In my opinion, the only way to fix the problem between the 2 cultures is to for us to accept that we are all humans regardless of our religions.
Brian O'Reilly
Boston, NY |
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