Copenhagen, Denmark - The spotlight is on Copenhagen's cutting edge fashion style at the Copenhagen International Fashion Fair (February 5-8). One of Europe's top fashion trade events, CIFF brings nearly 30,000 buyers to the Bella Center convention site. For fashionistas who are not in "the trade" there is Copenhagen Fashion Weekend (February 4-8) a citywide glamour-fest that gives shoppers a preview of next season's styles during fashion shows and events in boutiques, department stores, restaurants and nightclubs. More information on Denmark . . .

London, England - This conference will discuss the various modes of representation of monarchy in Tudor and Stuart England: more specifically, it focuses on how Elizabethan and Jacobean dramatists staged England’s historical past and its political present by examining, through representations of past English monarchs, the role of Majesty and the relationship between subjects and power. The conference will highlight the celebration and praise lavished upon early modern monarchs in masques, triumphal processions, allegorical representations, and other theatrical forms such as public speeches. The Conference is organised by Globe Education and the Università di Padova, with the support of the Fondazione Cariparo Dates: February Friday 6th to Sunday 8 th, 2009 at Shakespeare’s Globe Keynote speakers: Stephen Orgel, Clare McManus and Richard Wilson. For booking information please contact: Deborah Callan, deborah.c@shakespearesglobe.com Use this link for more info

Brussels, Belgium - Saturday 7 March 2009, between 7pm and 1am, 14 museums (Porte de Hal, the Cinquantenaire museums, the Museum of the City of Brussels and so on) put on their party hats and welcome you to the second Night of the Brussels Museums. Talented young artists are preparing a unique program: expos, performances, concerts, guided tours by students, DJ-sets… Get yourself ready for a dazzling evening, cause a festive whirlwind will roar through the museums!

Washington, DC—Visitors will travel back in time to Dutch cities of the 17th century during Pride of Place: Dutch Cityscapes of the Golden Age, on view February 1 through May 3, 2009, in the West Building, National Gallery of Art, Washington. The exhibition of 48 paintings and 22 maps, atlases, and illustrated books will offer a breathtaking survey of the Dutch cityscape, from wide-angle panoramas depicting the urban skyline with its fortifications, windmills, and church steeples, to renderings of daily life along the canals, in city streets, and in town squares.

The booming economy of the Dutch Republic fostered a new genre of painting in the 17th century—the cityscape. Images of towns and cities expressed the enormous civic pride of the era. Some 40 Dutch master artists are represented in the exhibition, including Gerrit Berckheyde, Aelbert Cuyp, Carel Fabritius, Jan van Goyen, Jan van der Heyden, Pieter de Hooch, Jacob van Ruisdael, Pieter Saenredam, and Jan Steen. A standout is Van Goyen's 15-foot-long View of The Hague from the Southeast (c. 1650–1651), which he painted for the town hall. Other cities depicted in the exhibition include Amsterdam, Haarlem, Delft, Dordrecht, Hoorn, and Nijmegen. At the National Gallery of Art, 4th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20565

Use this link for more information on the National Gallery of Art . . .

Berlin, Germany - The "Long Night of Museums" has become a favorite among Berliners and tourists alike. Around 100 museums, large and small, featuring established and new collections, open their doors from 6 pm Saturday evening until 2 am Sunday morning. Unique music, theater, and culinary events will enhance the permanent and temporary exhibitions and promise to make the nighttime museum visit a unique experience. With one ticket, patrons get unlimited use of a special shuttle bus service and admission to all participating venues and events. Tickets are Euro 15. Children under 12 are free. Runs from January 31st to August 29th, 2009 Use these link for more information www.lange-nacht-der-museen.de, www.kulturprojekte-berlin.de

London, England - Boundary, a new project in Shoreditch, East London, will open on 6 January 2009. Located in a converted Victorian warehouse, Boundary will offer three restaurants and bars, 17 guest bedrooms, a bakery and food store. Boundary is a joint venture between Terence and Vicki Conran in partnership with Peter Prescott. The design has been led by Terence Conran together with Conran & Partners, Terence’s architecture and interior design practice

Give yourself a New Year'd Day treat. Check your PBS TV listings for the time when the New Year's Day Concert from Vienna will be broadcast in your area. This is sure to become a family for years. Enjoy - Happy New Year

Chevy Chase, MD - The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. is launching a new exclusive brand extension for the most discerning global travelers; Ritz-Carlton Reserve. Phulay Bay in Krabi, Thailand will be the first property to open in 2009. As of today, guests can visit a dedicated website at www.ritzcarltonreserve.com. These unique resorts have been designed for those who seek to escape the stresses of everyday life by retreating to experience new cultures and adventures.

Each exquisite destination will feature signature, one-of-a-kind low density resorts situated in choice settings, each with a distinctive personality and sense of place. Future development will be limited to select corners of the globe with upcoming locations to include Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Turks & Caicos and The United Arab Emirates.

"The entire Ritz-Carlton Reserve portfolio of idyllic retreats will offer guests a contemporary interpretation of the local lifestyle and culture. The concept is simple and yet exudes style and luxurious levels of comfort. The resorts provide a complete escape to the unexpected; a private, exclusive leisure experience that blends unique elements of the local culture, history, and heritage with intuitive individual service, exquisite indigenous design, casual ambiance, and respect for the surrounding environment," said Simon Cooper, president and chief operating officer, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. "We do not work to one design mold, but rather allow the creative process to be destination and customer focused. Each Ritz-Carlton Reserve property around the globe will personify a unique design befitting of its locale."

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The National Trust for Scotland published its latest holiday brochure just in time for the start of 2009. Plan your rural retreat to a remote cottage, grand castle apartment or mountain base camp, enjoy Scotland’s stunning scenery and help support Scotland’s leading conservation charity at the same time. Highlights from the 2009 brochure include:

Hector's House: A delightful 18th-century cottage, named after the last Principal Lightkeeper of the Mull of Kintyre lighthouse. Situated at the southernmost tip of the Kintyre peninsula and overlooking spectacular rocky shores and heather-clad hills, the cottage has been completely refurbished to provide very comfortable accommodation.

Pear Cottage: A perfect holiday retreat for green-fingered enthusiasts, the Trust's newest cottage is situated in the heart of Melrose and overlooks Priorwood Garden, one of the most glorious gardens in the Borders. The cosy apartment is upstairs in a traditional Borders sandstone building and has been newly decorated in a country cottage style.

Mar Lodge: The Mar Lodge Estate is part of the core area of the Cairngorms National Park and contains four of the five highest mountains in Britain. Mar Lodge was designed in the Victorian country lodge style and has been refurbished to a high standard, offering guests the opportunity to relax in these elegant and comfortable surroundings. Follow this link for ffurther information . . .

London, England - When Samuel Beckett’s Waiting For Godot exploded on to the London stage 50 years ago, it shocked as many people as it delighted. There had never been a play like it. Two tramps clowning around, joking and arguing, repeating themselves, as they wait through one day and then another, waiting for the mysterious Godot. The combination of music hall, poetry and tension redefined what is possible in theatre, so that these days Waiting for Godot is accepted as one of the most significant plays of the 20th century.

Beckett’s characters have lost none of their power to fascinate and amuse and this production, directed by the acclaimed theatre and film director, Sean Mathias, has attracted the sort of great actors that the play deserves.

Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart are both renowned Shakespearean actors at Stratford-upon-Avon, in the West End and on Broadway. They first worked together in Tom Stoppard’s Every Good Boy Deserves Favour for the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1977 and more recently in the X-Men film trilogy, as Magneto and Professor X. Each of them has established their own iconic screen persona, as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and as Star Trek’s Jean-Luc Picard.
Their new partnership with Beckett will be the theatre event of the year. Runs from April 30, 2009