Warsaw - Poland has opened its first official Nordic-walking park, Polish tourism representatives said. A project funded by the European Union, Goralski Park Nordic Walking is located in the Silesian Beskids mountain range in southern Poland. The park has three trails with a combined length of 36 kilometres. The longest, 15.2 kilometres, goes to the Czech village of Bukovec. There is an information centre and pole rental shop in the Polish village of Istebna, about a hour's drive south of Katowice.
Chinese art in Brussels
Brussels - The Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels is currently displaying rare Chinese artworks, some of which had never before left China. Titled "Son of the Sky," the exhibition is part of Europalia, a biennial arts festival from October to February that celebrates a guest country's cultural heritage at numerous locations in Brussels and other Belgian cities, as well as in neighbouring countries. The some 250 masterpieces date from the fourth millennium before Christ to China's last dynasty, the Qing (1644-1911). One of the most unusual objects is a jade burial suit, sewn with gold thread, from the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC - 9 AD). The exhibition closes on January 24 (www.europalia.eu).
Cycling on Lanzarote
Arrecife, Spain - Cyclists on Lanzarote, one of Spain's Canary Islands, now have an additional 100 kilometres of roads on which to explore the volcanic landscape, according to the tourist office in Arrecife, the island's capital. Cyclists can choose among leisurely tours and demanding ones over hilly terrain. The tours, either with a hired bicycle or one's own, can be booked in the Lanzarote resort of Costa Teguise.
Tracking autumn foliage in the US
Berlin - People planning an autumn trip to the United States can keep track of where the most brilliantly coloured foliage is by checking the website www.foliagenetwork.com. A list of accommodations is also available. Twice a week during the months of September, October and November, a group calling itself The Foliage Network collects data on the yellowing and reddening leaves from more than 560 foliage spotters in the US north-east, south-east and midwest. It then updates maps showing where foliage colour and leaf drop is most intense.
