THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 9, 1994 TAG: 9410070115
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: TRAVEL-WISE
SOURCE: STEPHEN HARRIMAN
LENGTH: Long : 157 lines
IT WAS our first real war, and we won it - right here in Virginia, finally - and more than two centuries later we are still going to celebrate it and celebrate it and celebrate all we want.
The Revolutionary War ended, for all practical purposes, when British and Hessian forces under the command of Gen. Charles Cornwallis surrendered to an American-French force under Gen. George Washington on Oct. 19, 1781, at Yorktown.
There will be two celebrations this year at Yorktown, a village perched on a low bluff overlooking the York River that is not much different today than it was then - except for paved roads.
The Yorktown Victory Center will celebrate the 213th anniversary of the end of the siege with military re-enactments and camp-life demonstrations from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Skirmishes will be staged at 4 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday, and individual re-enactment units will demonstrate military drills from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. The Yorktown Fife and Drums Corps will perform at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.
The Yorktown Victory Center is on Old Route 238 on the west side of the village and is administered by the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, a state agency. Admission is $3.75 for adults, $1.75 for children (6-12). Info: 887-1776.
At the Yorktown Visitor Center, headquarters of Colonial National Historical Park, there will be a celebration on Surrender Day, Oct. 19, featuring a parade of military and civilian units at 10:30 a.m., a speech by Coast Guard Rear Adm. Douglas H. Teeson at the Victory Monument, and a 12:15 p.m. demonstration of 18th century tactical skills by the U.S. Army 3rd Infantry (Old Guard) Commander-in-Chief's Guard and Fife and Drum Corps at the battlefield.
The Visitor Center is at the eastern terminus of the Colonial Parkway and Old Route 238 on the east side of Yorktown. The park is administered by the National Park Service. These events are free and open to the public. Info: 898-3400.
There are numerous other events scheduled for Oct. 19 throughout the village. BUDGET DEALS
Fly free with Budget Rent a Car. Earn a free, round-trip ticket on American Airlines by renting a Budget car five times between now and Dec. 15, all in the same name and using your American Express Card. Info: (800) 532-0203.
Ski free with New Hampshire's Free Learn to Ski program. First-timers (Alpine or cross-country) and snowboarders can get free novice lift tickets or trail passes, lessons and rentals from Dec. 14-20. Space is limited and reservations are required early. Children must be 6 or older. Info: (800) 88-SKI-NH.
Buy a ticket to any of Greyhound Lines' 1,500 destinations nationwide and get the return trip for no extra charge. The return reservation must be made when you buy the ticket, tickets must be purchased by Dec. 8, and travel must occur by Dec. 15. Once the ticket is bought, any change in date or time is subject to a $5 charge. The only catch seems to be that the number of seats available under this special is capacity controlled - which means a limited number of seats per bus at the cheap rate. Info: (800) 231-2222. BUDGET BREAKER
So the holiday season is coming, and you want to pick up a little something special for a friend. Try Italy or Hong Kong for gifts on two weeklong trips through Serious Shoppers.
Led by Kim Mason, a former fashion model, the Hong Kong trip leaves New York on Dec. 1 and returns Dec. 8. Shoppers will tour Baron Kay Tailors, see a fashion show of Diane Freis' latest designs, visit Stanley Market for souvenirs, the factory districts of Lai Chi Kok and Kwun Tong and the Ah-Chow Porcelain Factory. Cost: $2,295, including round-trip air from New York.
In Italy, from Nov. 6 to 13, the focus is on Milan and its suburbs, where travelers will run through the city's designers' clearance houses for bargains and take in Parabiago and Nerviano, home of shoes bearing the ``Made in Italy'' label for designers such as Fratelli Rossetti and others. Cost: $1,675, including round-trip air from New York. Info: (510) 215-1534. THE FAT LADY WILL SING
Imagine ``Aida,'' the grand opera by Guiseppe Verdi, performed in Egypt, outdoors, at a site that is as spectacular as the opera itself. It's coming soon.
To celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Cairo Opera House, ``Aida'' will be performed outdoors at the exquisite Temple of Queen Hatshepsut on the West Bank of the Nile at Luxor. Can't you hear the sonorous strains of the triumphant march resounding off that ancient-world backdrop?
The opera was originally commissioned in 1871 to commemorate the opening of the Suez Canal and Cairo's newly opened opera house. For this, Verdi wanted to fill his production with the spirit of ancient Egypt.
Nabila Tours & Cruises has a seven-day package from $1,445 (per person, double occupancy) from New York that includes air fares, accommodations, three nights on the Nabila Nile floating hotel and a ticket to the performance, as well as additional sightseeing. Several departure dates are planned to include the Nov. 26-Dec. 1 operatic experience. Info: (800) 443-NILE. SENIORS SPECIAL
The Peabody Orlando hotel is offering, from Jan. 1 through Dec.31, 1995, a luxury room for $89 a night (rack rate is $210-250) for seniors 50 and over with proof of age. The rate is based on availability and is not available to groups. You have to ask for it when you make reservations. The hotel has a Mobil Four-Star and AAA Four Diamond rating, and Conde Nast Traveler lists it among the nation's Top 50 mainland resorts. Info: A travel agent or (800) PEABODY. DUFFER'S DELIGHT
Sail aboard Club Med 1, a 617-foot high-tech tall ship, for a six-night golf cruise leaving Martinque on Jan. 1.
On Guadeloupe, golfers tackle the Golf de St. Francois; on St. Thomas, it's Mahogany Run; and, on St. Kitts, it's the Royal Kitts. Cruise cost per person is $1,890 for a middle-deck stateroom.
There's also a seven-night golf-only cruise leaving Martinique on March 25. That sailing takes in four days of golf in Trois Ilets, St. Croix' Buccaneer's Course, Puerto Rico's Cerro Mar Golf Course and The Royal, again, in St. Kitts. Cruise cost is $2,050 for a middle-deck stateroom. Call (800) CLUB-MED. GOING PLACES
Three places I'd like to visit. . . and why:
Hell, Mich. It's less than an hour west of Detroit. There, you can ride horses, fish, canoe a wilderness stretch of river or camp at a place called Hell Creek Ranch run by Tom Davis and his family in the Pinckney Recreation Area. But mostly I've just always wanted to be able to say - and really mean it - that I've been to Hell and back.
Luck, Texas. I read about this in some in-flight magazine. It's allegedly Willie Nelson's own personal ghost town. He says, ``When you're here, you're in luck; when you're not here, you're out of luck.'' Great line. Problem is, a guy I contacted at the Tourism Division of the Texas Department of Commerce couldn't find such a place anywhere in the state. Ain't that my luck?
Luxembourg. They're my kind of people. A poll of residents shows that their favorite activity is sleeping. In second place is resting. Zzzzzzzzzzz. FOREIGN CARRIERS
I like to fly the national carrier of a foreign destination when possible. It sometimes gives you the ``feel'' of a country before you arrive. It's not always a good idea, however.
The FAA has determined that nine out of 30 countries recently assessed on safety monitoring of their air carriers do not meet international standards: Belize, Dominican Republic, Gambia, Ghana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Uruguay and Zaire. Travelers can get a report of FAA assessment of a country's aviation standards, if available, by calling (800) 322-7873. VOWS AT SEA
Captains no longer marry couples at sea, but ceremonies are held in ships at port, and one line - Carnival - offers a wedding on the waters as long as the ship is within 3 miles of the U.S. mainland. Prices range from $225 for a simple ceremony to $2,700 for Princess Cruises' ``Ultimate Paradise Wedding,'' which includes a helicopter ride to a private Caribbean island for a picnic lunch. For a guide to cruise-ship weddings and honeymoons, call The Cruise Line Inc., (800) 777-0707. MEMO: Travel-wise is compiled from wire-service reports, news releases, trade
journals, books, magazines and the deepest recesses of the writer's
mind. Send comments and questions to Travel-wise, The
Virginian-Pilot/The Ledger-Star, P.O. Box 449, Norfolk, Va. 23501-0449.
by CNB