Events March 2007
The latest news, views and events from bmi destinations including Las Vegas, Copenhagen and Palma. Plus where to celebrate St Patrick’s Day in style
American dream
STEP BACK IN TIME AND BE DAZZLED BY TREASURES FROM THE NEW WORLD
NOTHING QUITE shook Europe like the discovery of the New World in the 15th century. John White, an English artist, went to the Americas to discover what was there and captured the imagination of Elizabethan England with his beautiful paintings of previously unknown flora, fauna and people. See his work for yourself at the exhibition A New World: England’s First View of America, at the British Museum, London, until 17 June (www..britishmuseum.ac.uk). The Royal Museums of Art and History (www..kmkg-mrah.be) in Brussels also have an extraordinary collection of works from the Americas’ pre-Columbian age in The Masters of Pre-Columbian Art. Prepare to be dazzled by the extraordinary array of precious finery that has been gathered from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego.
Words: Emma Juhasz Photography: Kibor Alfonse Yetich – Swiss-image.ch/Remy Steinegger, Swiss-image.ch/Andy Mettler, Belgian Tou rist Office; Brussels and Wallonia 2005
Run Switzerland
Get in training to see the sites of Zurich as there’s still time to sign up for the Zurich Marathon, 1 April (www.zurichmarathon.ch), whose course takes you around some of the finest spots in the city. You will be able to do some fast-paced window shopping on the exclusive Bahnoffstrasse and enjoy various views of the majestic Lake Zurich. For those who don’t like to struggle uphill there’s good news: the course has very few gradients and a total change in altitude of less than 30m, so there’s no excuse not to do a sprint finish. It couldn’t be easier to get there either as bmi now flies direct to Zurich from Edinburgh. Visit flybmi.com to book and for more information.
…St Patrick
THERE’S NOTHING LIKE a Guinness or two to celebrate St Patrick’s Day. The Guinness Storehouse in Dublin is the best place to sample the Irish staout. And while you’re there, join in the city’s celebrations, 15-19 March (www..stpatricksday.ie), in honour of their patron saint.
If you can’t be in Ireland but are pining for the Emerald Isle, join in elsewhere. Chicago gets into the spirit on 17 March with a huge parade, which is followed by the Chicago River being dyed green – a tradition that began in 1962 (www.chicagostpatsparade.com).
London’s Trafalgar Square fountains will also be going green during the St Patrick’s Festival, 10-18 March (www.london.gov.uk), which will include exhibitions, concerts and a large parade.
Also in the diary…
THE PREMIER CULTURAL event of the Caribbean, the Holders Season, takes place in Barbados, 13-31 March. It’s the perfect place to enjoy some music or theatre (www.barbados. org/holders). There’s no better place to mess about on a boat than in Venice, especially when the largest and most spectacular nautical show on the Adriatic comes to its shores, 17-25 March (www.festivaldelmare.com).
