Traveler's
Advisory
By LEORA MOLDOFSKY
Europe
London
When Michel-angelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610) arrived
in Rome in 1592 to join the studio of celebrated artist Cavaliere
d'Arpino, the young apprentice was relegated to painting fruit
and vegetables. But the vivid realism of Caravaggio's early
works laid the foundations for a new genre-still life-and
artistic style: Baroque. The Royal Academy's exhibition of
Baroque painting, titled "The Genius of Rome, 1592-1623" features
145 works produced by Caravaggio and already established European
artists like Peter Paul Rubens, Adam Elsheimer and Annibale
Carracci who flocked to the Eternal City at the turn of the
16th century in pursuit of the lucrative commissions offered
by Pope Clement VIII and his cardinals. Through April 16.
Asia
Kyoto
A century ago there were as many as 80,000 geisha in Japan.
But few teens today want to undergo the years of training
in dance, music and clever conversation required or follow
the rigid lifestyles of Japan's elite female entertainers.
While the real thing is a rarity, dressing up as a geisha
has become a popular tourist pastime in Kyoto. Prices range
from $60 to $300, depending on the type of costume, make-up
and services chosen (it costs more to go for a walk outdoors).
Most customers opt for the white-painted face, colorful kimono,
elaborate obi sash and 10-cm-high clogs worn by maiko (trainee
geishas). The Japanese National Tourist Organization has information
on geisha studios and services. See www.jnto.go.jp.
North America
Courses
With adventure travel embracing the elderly and families,
hardcore thrillseekers are after new ways to test their limits.
If paying for sleep and food deprivation, extreme discomfort
and "pain compliance" sounds appealing, Team Delta offers
a range of courses, including the Prisoner of War Interrogation
Resistance Program. For $975, participants spend three days
trying not to reveal the details of a secret "mission" to
a team of former military personnel. While interrogation can
be painful, the Philadelphia-based organization claims their
techniques are not harmful (but staff are trained in first
aid). Most programs are held at sites in Pennsylvania and
Georgia. For details and to book, see www.teamdelta.net.
Hotels
Literary-minded guests
who forget to pack reading matter can now borrow
best-selling books at over 230 Country Inn and Suites hotels across North America. The "Book it and Return" program is free, but borrowers are expected to return books when they visit
the same hotel or another property in the chain.
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February 12, 2001 | No.
6
COVER
STORIES
Special
Report : The Hand Of Death
SCENES FROM THE
AIDS FRONT
No other place on earth has been as devastated by the virus as southern
Africa. This is the story of what happens when a disease infects not just
individuals but entire societies-swallowing families, communities and
hopes, and raising the question of whether the rest of the world's reluctance
to do more against this modern curse amounts to an enormous crime against
humanity
SPORT
CRICKET:
The Toughest Test
Can international captains restore the game's reputation?
T
H E A R T S
CINEMA:
Anthony Hopkins returns as everyone's favorite psychopath in the sequel
to The Silence of the Lambs
ART:
Is Sol LeWitt's minimalism too little of a good thing?
TRAVELER'S
ADVISORY
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