EVENTS : 

GERMANY:
Long Night of Museums --- February 01 and August 30 The "Long Night of Museums" has become a favorite among Berliners and tourists alike taking place each spring and summer. On February 1, 2003, the "Long Night of Museums" will be staged for the 13th time. Around 100 museums, large and small, featuring established and new collections open their doors from 6 pm Saturday evening until 2 am Sunday morning. (www.lange-nacht-der-museen.de).

CANADA:                                             
The Fifth Annual Sun Peaks Ice  wine Festival 

The Fifth Annual Sun Peaks Ice  wine Festival is offering not only a terrific  chance to get up close and personal with some stellar BC wines, it has the added attraction of great skiing during the days.  You can choose  to give the entire weekend over to wine and food, or opt for a balance between outdoor activities, rewarded with wine tasting - and education of course - in the evenings.

What makes me interested in this event?  Well, among other things, Jurgen Gothe is quoted on their web site as calling it  "about the best wine festival there is on five continents."  Need we say more?

The event runs from January 23 to 26, 2003.  Check out their web site, and don't forget the prices quoted are Canadian dollars, so cut that back by just over a third to convert to US dollars.  Heck, it's almost free!
www.thewinefestivals.com/festivals/
winterfest_events.htm

USA: 
Santa Fe's winter festival of art and fine food, the Sixth Annual ARTfeast, will be held on February 14 - 22, 2003. We are told that the event not to be missed is the Edible Art Tour on Friday, February 21. Twenty-five internationally renowned galleries and twenty-five fine local restaurants team up to offer banquets of edibles and art. The tour includes specially-themed exhibitions paired with sumptuous food mirroring the art on display. Participants will enjoy dishes from some of Santa Fe's finest restaurants while feasting their eyes on the work of major painters,
sculptors, photographers, ceramists, jewelry designers, and fiber and glass artists. Contact the Santa Fe Gallery Association, 505-982-1648.

NEW YORK:
WATER TAXI CRUISES INTO SERVICE

New York Water Taxi, the city’s newest form of waterborne transportation, is now in operation.  The service, stops at Fulton Ferry Landing in Brooklyn, Wall Street/South Street Seaport (Pier 11), Battery Park (Pier A), World Financial Center (North Cove), Chelsea Piers (Pier 62), and West 44th Street (Pier 84).
The three bright yellow aluminum catamarans sporting black and white checks that make up the New York Water Taxi fleet are handicap accessible and accommodate 75 passengers on two decks. Each boat is outfitted with 54 plush seats in the climate-controlled indoor deck, has giant picture windows and travels up to 24-knots (28 mph).
ROUTES AND FARES
Commuter Service: Monday through Friday from 6:30 am – 9:00 am, and again from 4:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. serving Downtown Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan with stops at Fulton Ferry Landing, Wall Street, Battery Park and the World Financial. Tickets are $3.00 each way, and a book of 10-trips is available for $20.00.

UK: 'Seven Wonders of Britain'
Stonehenge, the Eden Project and the London Eye are three of the "Seven Wonders of Britain", according to a survey of the British public sponsored by Yellow Pages. The survey, based on interviews with 2,500 people spread across 12 regions in England, Scotland and Wales, found that the Houses of Parliament with Big Ben was the number one choice as an icon or "Wonder" of Britain. For more information, go to www.Yellgroup.com

A-Z of Tourism.com have recently added a new section on travelling with pets. This section is full of interesting facts and information that can help you make sure your holiday runs more smoothly with tips on how to deal with any tricky situations such as climate change, disorientation and pet friendly accommodation.

A-Z of Tourism www.a-zoftourism.com

the popular tourist information site, has introduced a new section on 'Local Laws And Customs' to help travellers understand and comply
with local regulations when on vacation with friends, family or alone.
Potentially when travelling abroad you can find yourself in a situation that
is out of your control and A-Z of tourism comes to the rescue again with easy to follow, straight forward advice and relevant contacts to stay in tune with local life when abroad.

Visitors are able to look at alcohol conversion laws, drugs laws, driving
and pedestrian rights and other useful information on local life at your
chosen destination. A-ZofTourism.com will advise on how to deal with the situations as they arise, but also how to be prepared so as to avoid them.

It is important that travellers aim to adapt their behaviour to that
considered appropriate by the locals of any country visited.  Here are some
other examples of useful information which can be obtained under the new
section:

1. Many people might not also realise that other countries in the Middle
East, such as Oman, Saudi Arabia and Iran, consider heterosexual sex illegal when outside of wedlock and even if you are an unmarried couple simply visiting the Middle East you can have decency laws applied to you as well.
Committing indecent acts in these countries could get you up to 10 years in prison!

2. Others might not realise that in most of the Middle Eastern countries if you are suspected of being drunk or seen drinking in public, causing a
disturbance or weaving while walking, your blood will be tested for alcohol
and drugs content. Drugs can stay in your blood for up to 6 months, which
means that you will be charged and imprisoned for up to 3 years even though you might have consumed the drugs in your own country.

3. Not many people realise that the age of sexual consent can differ from
country to country. For example in Brazil and China the age for heterosexual relations is 14, but in the USA the age varies from state to state.  For example, in Washington D.C it's 16, in Colorado it's17 and in California it's 18.

4. Another factor of interest is the fact that homosexuality is illegal in China, Middle East and in some states of America (Texas, Mississippi and
South Carolina) but in the USA the lesbian laws differ from that of
homosexual laws.

5. The site also lets you know the minimum age for purchasing and consuming alcohol in various countries. For instance, in Italy the minimum age is 16 for drinking alcohol and children generally grow up being allowed small amounts of wine with family meals. However in Delhi, India the minimum age to buy and drink alcohol is 25, so for young travellers out there wishing to
consume alcohol whilst backpacking through Asia, it might be worth checking A-Z's section on Alcohol before booking those tickets!  Something else to bear in mind is that in America and Australia, the drinking and driving levels also change from state to state.

6. In other countries, there are strict laws governing who can buy alcohol,
which are applicable to people of all ages.  For example, in Dubai the
consumption of alcohol is only permissible if you buy it in licensed
premises, such as a bar or pub.  Nobody is allowed to buy alcohol from a shop, or keep it in their home, unless they are in possession of an official Ministry of Interior liquor permit (only available to non - Muslims).

7. Another useful tip included in the section are contact details for
Criminal Lawyers and Embassies should you fall onto the wrong side of the law unwittingly.

8. Similarly for those who are interested in buying property overseas there are contact details for Real Estate Lawyers and the laws behind purchasing a property.

A-ZofTourism.com offers a wide range of other useful travel services. A visitor is able to find out detailed information about cities across the
world, including precise details such as the wind direction or current
political climate. Additionally, visitors are able to look at web-cams that
have been set up around the city to gain an instant view of their city of
interest. A-ZofTourism.com also aims to help travellers with practical
details such as where to rent a car, or where to look for the cheapest
travel offers.

DEALS:

US Airways standby tickets for US passengers. Customers on non-refundable fares will be able to pay $100 to stand by for same day flights beginning. To do so they will need to use new standby coupons.
With the implementation of the fee, US Airways becomes the first to charge for standby.  US Airways said this would help customers avoid additional airport queues and offer more flexibility.
The coupons can be purchased in advance at any US Airways airport ticket counter. By the end of the year customers will be able to purchase them from US Airways reservations and via the airline’s website.

Eurotunnel Motoring Holidays (0870 333 2001) are featuring affordable
self-drive skiing holidays to the upmarket resort of Chamonix, seven nights at the three-star Hotel des Aiglons cost £265
per person inclusive of return Eurotunnel crossing for car and passengers  (after 2pm) and accommodation with breakfast. A pre-bookable six-day Mont
Blanc lift pass costs £127 per adult and ski hire is available from £42 per
person.

The latest edition of the Traintaxi Guide can now be downloaded and printed free of charge from the website at  
www.traintaxi.co.uk