Despite the best efforts of architect Norman Foster and his ilk, airports really aren't much to look at - inside or out. They're generally filled with people displaying what travel writer Peter Fleming described as far back as the 1930s as "those traces of nervous exhaustion which are the hall-mark of the holidaymaker on his way home", or an impatience to get on their plane without delay. They are not, generally speaking, places for quiet contemplation and they easily slip from holiday memories. So a book of photographs filled with hundreds of seemingly random shots taken at airports around the world would seem an unlikely candidate for most coffee tables. Leafing through
800 Views of Airports, a celebrated collection of pictures by Swiss artists Peter Fischli and David Weiss taken over 25 years and published in a single collection for the first time, however, is surpri-singly engaging - some might even say entrancing. There's no accompanying text, even to identify the airports, which only adds to the mysterious appeal of this inexplicably addictive volume. The book is available at
amazon.com for about US$40, not including shipping.
Dragonair (
www.dragonair.com) began flights to Yangon, Myanmar, earlier this month and Cathay Pacific Holidays is already offering packages to the city, with prices starting from HK$3,890 for round-trip, economy-class Dragonair flights and two nights' accommodation at the Summit Parkview Hotel, which has received good online reviews. The city's two top hotels - The Strand and The Governor's Residence - are available from HK$5,570 and HK$6,230, respectively. Prices don't include fuel surcharges and tax but do cover breakfasts, airport transfers in Yangon and travel insur-ance. Reservations can be made and details found at
www.cxholidays.com.
The cultural accent of Provence, France, will be even more acute this year with the city of Marseille taking on the mantle of European Capital of Culture 2013. In recognition of the accolade, events and exhibitions will take place year-round in the city and throughout the region, in places such as Arles, Aix-en-Provence and Aubagne. Air France is offering fairly cheap flights to Marseille, via Paris, starting from HK$4,400 - which with fuel surcharges and tax comes to about HK$7,800. An 11.35pm departure from Hong Kong will have you in Marseille soon after 10am, so you can have your head in a bowl of bouillabaisse at the Vieux Port by lunchtime. Alternatively, you can make a stopover in Paris for an extra HK$750. The same fare applies to flights to other French cities and European destinations, with departures up to June 24 - just about the time the famous Provencal lavender comes into bloom. The official European Capital of Culture 2013 website is at
www.mp2013.fr, although more well-presented information can be found at
www.marseille-provence.info. Book your flights at
www.airfrance.com.hk.
