Traveler's Advisory
By
LEORA MOLDOFSKY
Europe
Maienfeld
Harry Potter
may have conquered the globe with his magical powers, but
this summer the bespectacled boy wizard is being out-hyped
by a much older orphan-Heidi. To mark the centenary of the
death of her creator, author Johanna Spyri, Heidi is being
celebrated in her Swiss homeland with exhibitions, plays,
a festival, walking tours through Heidiland-the Alpine area
where Spyri set her story-and daily goatherd trails from "Heidi's
village," otherwise known as Maienfeld. Also on offer are
Heidi-branded products, including water, tableware and Edelweiss-playing
dolls. See www.myheidi.ch.
Middle East
Jerusalem
Revered by Jews as the Temple Mount and by Muslims as Haram
al-Sharif, the 14-hectare complex at the heart of old Jerusalem
has been out of bounds to tourists since a dispute over control
triggered fighting and helped derail peace talks last October.
But visitors can still "tour" the area-as it looked before
its destruction by Roman troops some 2,000 years ago-thanks
to an interactive computer simulation at the Davidson Virtual
Reconstruction Center, which opened recently in the basement
of a 7th century caliph's palace near the Al Aqsa Mosque.
Also on view are historical artefacts from the area and images
of Jerusalem through the ages.
North America
Tampa
Every July, some 2 million wildebeest migrate
across the arid Serengeti plain to Kenya's vast Masai Mara
game reserve, where they graze and mate before returning to
Tanzania in October. The Serengeti Plains attraction an ocean
away at Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay, Florida, cannot recreate
that awe-inspiring event. But a new safari adventure at the
theme park combines up-close wild animal sightings with off-road
riding and whitewater rafting. Billed as a "slice of authentic
African culture," Rhino Rally takes 17 visitors at a time
on an 8-min. journey featuring "chance" encounters with rhinoceros,
elephants and crocodiles and a simulated flash flood that
plunges participants down a raging river.
Philadelphia
After 25 years of making magic together, Penn
and Teller have proclaimed that they are "moving into the
field of religion and will be performing real miracles." But
the Las Vegasbased magicians are still willing to reveal
some of their secrets with the "Amazing Living Head," one
of four illusions custom-made for "Magic: The Science of Illusion."
The Franklin Institute exhibition features demonstrations
and explanations of illusions like levitation, mind reading
and transformation. Also on display are mementoes of famous
magicians, including a milk can and handcuffs once used by
escape artist Harry Houdini. Through Aug. 26.
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June 12, 2001 | No. 24
COVER
STORY
A
Hero's Ascent
For mountaineer Erik Weihenmayer, just crossing the street can be a risky
venture. The first sightless person to reach Mount Everest's summit, he
gives millions-both blind and seeing-the courage to reach for new heights
TRAVELERS
ADVISORY...
PACIFIC
BEAT: Post-Olympics blues; fractured Fiji...
THE
ARTS
MUSIC: Rock rises from the dead, again...
CINEMA: Keeping faith with Ingmar Bergman
BOOKS: A fresh look at a founding father
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