The number of visitors flying and cruising into Oman and its ports is steadily on the increase, whether it is for a city break, short breaks or business tourism or as an alternative to Dubai or Abu Dhabi as a Middle Eastern stop-over when on route to countries like Australia.

A visit to Geneva in spring is made even more special by the Tulip Festival held in the Parc de L’Independence in Morges. The display of tulips in the park involves around 100,000 flowers of some 300 varieties and makes a spring break in Switzerland or a tour stop over in Geneva a really special event for flower lovers.

If you’re visiting Florence in March –or are a Jazz aficionado and interested in a short break then the wonderful Giotto Jazz Festival could be the thing to put on your must see list. The 15th edition of the festival takes place in venues around Florence including the Biblioteca Comunale, open air Jazz and wine at the Piazza Giotto and the main stage at the Teatro Giotto.

Public transport is in Greece will be affected by a General Strike  as Greek workers protest about further austerity measures.  Affected by this strike will be Athens buses. Athena trams and Athens Metro (red/blue lines), Athens trams and trolleys, the metro link to Athena airport and Trains in Greece are all on a 48 hour strike. Ferries will not sail due to strike by sailors union but will last only 24 hours. Some public sector workers will continue to strike for the whole of next week. Travellers should check with their travel company if likely to be affected.

There were pre-emptive cancellations  by BAA at Heathrow airport where around a third of flights were cancelled for the 5th February due to snow and freezing fog, though in spite of the cancellations there have still been flight delays of around 5 hours or more. Other UK airports such as Manchester, Newcastle and Birmingham are reporting flight delays. Other European airports are also reporting flight delays – in Paris and Toulouse in France and Geneva in Switzerland.  Passengers should check with their airlines before setting out.

The Matisse Museum  is in Cateau-Cambresis around 200 km from Paris and features an exhibition bringing together his brush drawn work for the first time. This particular exhibition is set to finish on the 19th February . This unusual exhibition displays the works made with Albert Marquet in Paris in the year 1900 up until their final partnership in the Chapel de Vence. This delightful Museum is worth a visit anytime!