Travel tips

Dec 20, 2011, 3:06 GMT

A light festival to counter winter's gloom in the Netherlands

Groningen, the Netherlands (dpa) - A riot of colours to counter the winter gloom: the botanical gardens Hortus Hare in the northern Netherlands will be aglow this winter with its show, the Confucius China Light Festival. Running through January 29, the exhibition features some 30 glittering works by Chinese artists, including sculptures up to 10 metres high, fairy-tale figures or flower arrangements. The evening-time show is open daily from 7 pm to 10 pm. (www.confuciusgroningen.nl/nl/p/)

Qatar Airways to serve new routes to Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia

Doha (dpa) - Qatar Airways will be adding three new routes in early 2012. Starting January 11, daily flights from the capital Doha to the Iranian city Isfahan will be launched. On February 1, the airline will offer flights to Baku, Azerbaijan and to Tbilisi, Georgia, those flights also originating in Doha. Qatar Airways also said it plans to add seven further destinations during the course of 2012. These include Helsinki and Zagreb in Europe, Perth (Australia), Gassim (Saudi Arabia) and three eastern Africa cities - Zanzibar, Kigali and Mombasa.

Desert state of Arizona ready to celebrate centennial

Phoenix, Arizona (dpa) - The south-western US state of Arizona will be marking its 100th birthday on February 14, 2012, with a series of festivities, according to the Arizona state tourism office. Among other events, the 'Copper Chopper' motorcycle, the official mascot of the Arizona Centennial built by renowned bike-maker Paul Yaffe, will be touring the state, and at the end of the tour it will be raffled off. Also scheduled is the 'Arizona Best Fest' taking place January 20-22 in Tucson and February 10-12 in Phoenix. (www.arizonaguide.com, http://www.az100years.org)

Dublin to host 7th traditional music festival

Dublin (dpa) - Ireland's capital Dublin will be hosting its seventh TradFest music festival from January 25 to 28. Organizers of the traditional music fest say one highlight will be a performance by the world-renowned folk group The Dubliners, who will be marking their 50th anniversary together. Other top names will include Moya Brennan, folk musician Ralph McTell and star violinist Frankie Gavin. Visitors will be able to choose from among more than 200 events - all free of charge - in Dublin's nightlife area Temple Bar. (www.templebartrad.com)

Berlin exhibition for international year of the forest

Berlin (dpa) - The German History Museum in Berlin is now staging a special exhibition with several hundred objects on display in winding up the events marking the International Year of the Forests. The show titled 'Under Trees: The Germans and the Forest,' runs through March 4, underscoring the importance of forests to society and culture in Germany. Open daily from 10 am to 6 pm, except December 24/25. Tickets cost 6 euros. (www.dhm.de)

Exploring the architecture of Cologne

Cologne, Germany (dpa) - Cologne as a city has a great deal of architecture to offer. As a result, parallel to the upcoming international furniture fair IMM running January 16-22, special 'Architectours' will be offered to visitors, the Cologne fair company said. Eight different tours, each taking about two hours, will take visitors to architectural highlights in the city and surrounding areas, demonstrating the 'top architectural achievements of various epochs.' Among the highlights will be the new central mosque and the Bruder-Klaus-Kapelle (Brother Claus Chapel) of architect Peter Zumthor. (www.koelnmesse.de)