Compass

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/04/2002 (8787 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Historical sites and museums in Athens are increasing admission fees — in some cases, doubling them.

Entrance to the Acropolis, whose centrepiece is the 2,500-year-old Parthenon, is rising to 12 euros (about $17 Cdn) from 5.87 euros ($8.50), the daily Ta Nea reports. It’s part of a general price hike for ancient sites before the peak tourist season.

The 12-euro ticket will give visitors entry to other archeological sites linked by pedestrian walkways. They include the Temple of Zeus, the Kerameikos cemetery and ancient agora (marketplace) areas. Separate admission to those sites will be between 2 and 4 euros ($3 to $6).

The National Archaeological Museum will charge 9 euros ($13), up from 5.87 euros, even though half of the exhibits have not been on display since an earthquake caused damage in 1999. Entrance to the Byzantine and Christian Museum will jump 172 per cent to 4 euros ($6).

Film on Iceland closes curtain

The last presentation of the season in the World Adventure Film series will feature Iceland.

Europe’s Wild Gem — Iceland, by Canadian producer John Wilson, will be shown on Monday at 2 and 7:30 p.m. at the Centennial Concert Hall. Tickets, at $14.25 and $12 for adults, $8.30 for students, are available at Ticketmaster, 780-3333. Service charges apply.

Pam Shaw, a spokeswoman for CAA Manitoba, which, along with CAA clubs in Saskatchewan and Alberta, has owned World Adventure Films for the past two years, said the organization decided not to present the film series next year, citing poor attendance figures, particularly in Saskatchewan and Alberta.

The travelogue series, originally called World Adventure Tours, has a 50-year history in Winnipeg.

Cottage, camping show opens Thursday

The Cottage, Camping and Vacation Show will be held next week at the Winnipeg Convention Centre.

The show will feature those 2 Grumpy Guys in the (Cottage) Kitchen and golf presentations by PGA Manitoba.

A poolside fashion show, first aid for pets and appearances by Winnipeg Free Press Complete Angler Don Lamont higlight the show.

Shows times are 3 to 10 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. next Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on April 14. The Mid-Canada Bicycle and Sports Show will be held in conjunction with the cottage show. Tickets, good for both shows, are $5, $4 for students and seniors and $3 for children; under 5 free.

Luxury trains link Canada, New England

A new luxury railway company using vintage cars will begin tours of Eastern Canada and New England on June 7.

The Acadian Railway Co., based in Houston, is the brainchild of Texan J.R. Parten, whose Train Collection Inc. has marketed fall and winter train tours of Mexico’s Copper Canyon since 1993.

Cars from the Mexican operation are being renovated and transferred north for the summer-to-fall Canadian and New England tours.

One train, the Acadian, will have 11 rebuilt stainless-steel cars from the 1940s and ’50s, including a domed dining car. A second train, the Lake Champlain, will consist of up to three vintage cars attached to Amtrak’s Adirondack train.

A range of train tours, from two to eight nights, will depart Montreal, Halifax, Boston; New York and Portland, Maine. The trains travel on routes operated by Via Rail, Amtrak and Conway Scenic Railway in New Hampshire. There also will be trips lasting as long as 11 nights that combine rail travel with coastal cruises by the Carnival, Regal, Holland America and Scotia Prince lines.

Prices begin at about $1,300 Cdn per person, double occupancy, for two-night trips. Call 1-800-659-7602.

See www.acadianrailway.com.

High-tech weaving at Textile Museum

An exhibit of computer-assisted textile weaving, featuring works by artists from Canada, Australia, the United States and Japan, has opened at the Textile Museum of Canada in Toronto.

The 11 artists represented in E-textiles use high-tech jacquard looms to integrate the ancient art of weaving with modern technology.

The first jacquard looms, invented around 1800 by the Frenchman Joseph Marie Jacquard, used punched cards and were themselves an early form of digital technology. The combination of jacquard looms and modern computers gives textile artists “total freedom and encourages experimentation,” says an exhibit catalogue.

The touring exhibit, organized by the Montreal Centre for Contemporary Textiles, is at the museum until June 30, and then heads to Vancouver (Canadian Craft and Design Museum, Aug. 1-Sept. 22).

See www.textilemuseum.ca

May bargains at Yellowstone

YOU can stay at Yellowstone National Park for a fraction of summer prices if you visit during certain dates in May. The Early Bird Specials apply during the first week or two that the park’s lodges are open for the season; dates vary depending on the lodge. At the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, for instance, suites go for $159 US (compared with $261 US in summer) and budget cabins go for $39 US (as opposed to $54 US in summer) from May 3 to 16. 1-307-344-7311.

See www.travelyellowstone.com.

Bermuda celebrates African roots

Bermuda is launching an African Diaspora Trail, and is inviting other countries to join it to link sites commemorating the history of people of African descent.

Hoping to draw tourists who want to combine a bit of cultural history with their days on Bermuda’s well-known pink-sand beaches, the ministry of tourism already has designated 13 sites of historic interest.

Bermuda is thought to be the first place where African slaves were brought in the Western Hemisphere. Spanish explorer Juan de Bermudez had more than a dozen slaves on his ship when he discovered Bermuda in the early 1500s. To promote the worldwide linkage of this diaspora, Bermuda will be holding the African Diaspora Heritage Trail Conference May 25-28.

Peter Rabbit marks century in print

Peter Rabbit, once a real English pet and now a worldwide licensing megabusiness, celebrates the 100th anniversary this October.

Three sites in England’s Lake District can be visited to learn about the writer of the famous leporine stories, Beatrix Potter (1866- 1943).

Her home, Hill Top, near Hawkshead, is open daily through October. Admission is about $10 Cdn for adults, $2 for children and $20 for a family.

In Hawkshead is the Beatrix Potter Gallery, which has displays of Potter’s drawings and is open daily through Oct. 31. Tickets are $6 Cdn for adults, $3 for kids and $16 for a family.

Lastly, there is The World of Beatrix Potter at Bowness-on-Windermere. It has an indoor re-creation of the local countryside and figures of Peter Rabbit swiping radishes from Mr. McGregor’s garden. It’s open daily year-round. Prices are $7 Cdn for adults and $4 for children. Timed entries are likely at all three places.

— Compass is compiled by Paul Pihichyn from press releases, wire service reports and persona