Traveler's Advisory
By
LEORA MOLDOFSKY
Islands
Lanzarote
Gymnasiums
are springing up in resorts across the globe to cater for
fitness-conscious travelers. But those who want more than
a treadmill and a handful of weights might prefer a destination
that bills itself as "the best sports resort in the world."
Located on Lanzarote, one of the Canary Islands, Club La Santa
has an athletics stadium, boxing ring, windsurfing lagoon
and Olympic swimming pool. The resort caters to elite athletes
as well as to amateurs, who can learn to breathe properly
while swimming freestyle, improve their running style or hone
their forehand. Also on offer are training camps for triathletes
and special weeks for activities including aerobics, Spanish
dancing and yoga. See www.clublasanta.com.
Europe
Cordoba
Under the tolerant rule of the Arabic Umayyad dynasty, which
had fled Syria for Spain in 750, Cordoba flourished as an
intellectual and artistic center. Masons and artisans from
around the Muslim world flocked to the Andalusian city to
create intricately decorated mosques and palaces, including
the magnificent 10th century Madinat-al-Zahra. Named after
his favorite wife, Caliph Emir Abdal-Rahman III's personal
residence and administrative headquarters is the setting for
"The Splendor of the Cordovan Umayyads," which brings together
300 artefacts, ranging from books to sculptures and architectural
ornaments, gathered from museums around the world. Through
Sept. 30.
Florence
Beauty-seeking tourists who want to see the
cypress-dotted golden hills of Tuscany from a closer range
than the windows of a tour bus can join the daily tours offered
by Florence by Bike. Participants can choose from several
routes, ranging from 32 km to 70 km, with stop-offs for wine
tastings and lunch. The company also organizes 6-km tours
of historic Florence and has a large range of bikes and scooters
for hire, which can be delivered to hotels and campsites.
Tours cost from $20. See www.florencebybike.it.
Globe
Airlines
The Caspian Sea's sturgeons survived the Soviet era of dam
building that cut off their breeding grounds and the toxic
wastes that heavy industry shoveled down the Volga river.
But poachers and unscrupulous caviar producers, who are killing
the fish instead of returning them to the water after the
roe is extracted, have driven the sturgeons (which evolved
in the age of the dinosaurs) to the brink of extinction. Fearing
that it may be contributing to the problem, Gulf Air has ended
its 25-year-old tradition of serving Beluga caviar to its
first-class and business-class passengers; instead, its menus
will now offer delicacies that are "environmentally sustainable."
|
|
