Australia
Gulkula
The local yolngu (Aborigines) believe that Gulkula, near Nhulunbuy in northeastern Arnhem Land, is the place where their ancestor Ganbulabula brought the yidaki (didgeridoo) into being. On August 21, the drone of that ancient instrument will announce the opening of the third annual Garma Festival. This year, the five-day indigenous cultural celebration will be open for the first time to a limited number of non-indigenous visitors. Offered exclusively through World Expeditions travel company, the trip costs $840, including festival activities, camping equipment (not sleeping bags), all meals, and transport from Nhulunbuy airport. To book, see .
Europe
Berchtesgaden
At the Berghof, his retreat at Berchtesgaden in the Bavarian Alps, Adolf Hitler wrote part of his manifesto Mein Kampf, planned the invasion of Poland, and took in the mountain air with his mistress, Eva Braun. Now a luxury resort is to be built near the site of the Berghof (destroyed by Allied bombing in 1945) and the "Eagle's Nest," where Hitler entertained vip guests. Bavarian authorities acknowledge the area's Nazi associations, but say "it's not a victim's place like Auschwitz." The $60 million resort, to be managed as an Inter-Continental hotel, is expected to open in 2005.
Tours
He was an accomplished painter, sculptor and writer, but Le Corbusier is chiefly remembered as one of the 20th century's most important architects. The master builder's creations are scattered across four continents, but an eight-day "pilgrimage" offered by Martin Randall Travel focuses on Le Corbusier's architectural achievements in Switzerland, where he was born Charles Jeanneret in 1887, and France, his home for 60 years until his death in 1965. Participants will visit some of Le Corbusier's white-walled villas in and around Paris, the superb chapel of Ronchamp and the "new town" at Firminy, built to his design between 1956-1970. The Sept. 3-10 tour costs $2,315, including a return flight from London, accommodation and some meals. See .
North America
Cleveland
When America's 20th president, James A. Garfield (1831-1881), was killed by an assassin's bullet only six months after taking office, the public mourning was said to be more intense than that which followed President Abraham Lincoln's murder. Garfield's 50-m-high funerary monument is still the Lake View Cemetery's most visited landmark. But directors of the Cleveland burial ground now hope to "invoke discussion" by placing art among the headstones. Featuring 30 outdoor sculptures, the "Celebration of Spirit" exhibition continues through June 30, 2002.