THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 1, 1996 TAG: 9608300073
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STEPHEN HARRIMAN
LENGTH: 73 lines
WANT TO KNOW what Germany is all about but a little short of the price of a Lufthansa ticket? Can you get yourself to Washington, D.C., sometime between Oct. 1 and 11?
The German Embassy is holding ``German Weeks at Union Station,'' a celebration of German culture, industry and technology and the historic train terminal that now also serves as a sort of downtown mall and meeting place at the foot of Capitol Hill.
``This is the Germany I want to share with my American friends,'' said Ambassador Juergen Chrobog. ``Yes, German people are proud of beautiful medieval towns, hillside vineyards and inspiring music. Bet we are also proud that, with a country the size of Montana, we are second only to the United States in world trade.
`` `German Weeks at Union Station' is designed to be fun and full of unexpected facts about Germany. A variety of cultural activities will be side-by-side with displays on some of the ways Germany's international businesses and state-of-the-art technologies touch American life.
``This is Germany as the Germans know it.''
A number of the Union Station restaurants and shops will feature German food, beers, wines and products, which may be reason enough to take this in.
For more information on the public activities, call (202) 408-0808. Info also is available on the German Embassy Information Center web site at www.germany.info.org. NEGOTIATING D.C.
The wheels of progress may spin slowly in the nation's capital, but wheels of another sort are keeping two Washington companies busy this summer:
Bike the Sites Inc. offers daily tours ranging from one to four hours long and costing $25 to $45, bikes and helmets included. Info: (202) 966-8662.
DC Bike Tours offers a four-hour, 14-mile tour on weekends for $30, including bikes and helmets. Info (202) 466-4486.
No? Here's another idea. Washington has a new museum bus service linking close to two dozen on- and off-the-Mall attractions Thursday through Sunday. It's free to members of various museums or the Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington. Visitors can purchase a one-week membership in the alliance ($5 for individuals, $12 for families of two adults and up to three kids under age 16) that includes unlimited use of the buses, entrance fees to the galleries and museums visited and a 10 percent discount in participating shops and cafes. Recorded info: (202) 588-7470. MARK YOUR CALENDAR
The Waterford Fair is one of those events you really ought to see once in your life. It a homes tour and crafts exhibit - in its 53rd year, the oldest of Virginia's juried crafts fairs - that takes place in a 1733 village about an hour west of Washington in Loudoun County.
In addition to the heritage crafts displays, homes dating to the mid-1700s will be open for tour, and there will be traditional music and dance and Colonial and Civil War encampments.
The fair takes place throughout the village and surrounding fields and involves quite a bit of walking. If you go, leave all your pets at home.
Advance tickets by mail are available by mail from the Waterford Foundation, P.O. Box 142, Waterford, Va. 20197; enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope and a check, specifying date(s) attending. For tickets by phone, using MasterCard or Visa, call (540) 882-3085 or -3018.
Deadline for mail or credit card purchase is Sept. 25. LATER FLIGHT
Europe-bound travelers who dislike arriving just after dawn may be interested in a new Sabena flight that departs New York's Kennedy International Airport at 11:25 p.m. and arrives in Brussels at 12:40 p.m. the next day. The early afternoon arrival increases the chances that a hotel room will be ready, rather than still occupied by the previous night's guest. For travel through Sept. 15, Sabena is offering a $699 round-trip introductory fare (plus surcharges up to $45), including a one-week car rental, based on double occupancy. Information: 800-955-2000. by CNB