Nefertari’s Tomb Can Be Viewed For A Price

Acknowledged as the most beautiful of all the tombs of ancient Egypt, the final resting place of Queen Nefertari near Luxor will open to the public this fall for the first time since its discovery in 1904.

Nefertari was the favored wife of Ramses II, who ruled from about 1290 to 1224 B.C. The prolific pharoah built monuments to himself all over Egypt, had more than 50 wives and concubines and fathered more than 100 children.

Nefertari’s tomb in the Valley of the Queens was discovered in 1904 by an Italian archaeologist. Although ancient grave robbers had looted it, Egyptologists were awed by the brilliant wall paintings depicting scenes of the queen’s life and the Egyptian deities. But even then, the painted plaster was crumbling, and for years experts tried to figure out why and what to do about it. The Egyptian government shut the tomb in the 1940s.

In 1987, the California-based Getty Conservation Institute took a team of scientists into the tomb to try again to stop the erosion and conserve the artwork. The prevailing theory was that the damage was caused by the humidity from the breath of visitors in the tomb, but the team discovered that much of the damage was caused by salt crystals that had leached through the rock walls over the ages.

Tourists will get a chance to see the tomb beginning in November, but to help keep the humidity out, they will be asked to wear masks over their mouths and noses. Tourists will also be asked to pay through the nose. Admission for foreigners is set at $30; for Egyptians $1.50.

Eastern kayaking: A Southeast coastal sea kayaking trip, where participants stay in an original plantation home on Edisto Island, S.C., leaves Sept. 18, Oct. 2 and Oct. 23. The restored 140-year-old four-story mansion sheltered federal troops during the Civil War.

Each day, participants will paddle the creeks, salty inlets, wide bays and moss-green marshes that separate the islands from one another and from mainland South Carolina. Exploring the listless bayous brings guests close to the bird life and sea life that abound near the beaches and inlets. Herons, ibises, pelicans, snowy egrets and dolphin are usually seen.

Cost: $775 per person, double occupancy, accommodations, meals and use of a kayak. Not included: air fare to South Carolina. Contact: Lookfar Adventures, (800) 882-4424.

Cheaper flights: New open skies agreements between the United States and eight European countries are “very likely” to result in lower transatlantic fares, according to the Department of Transportation.

The agreements eliminate any government restrictions on flight capacity, frequency and discounts, and also allow for more competition in each market, said DOT spokesman Bill Mosley.

Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Luxembourg, Iceland, Norway, Denmark and Sweden have signed the pact. Belgium has initialed it and is expected to sign soon.

Almost free parking: The town of Skaneatles in the Finger Lake region of New York, which has declared itself a “Stress-Free Zone” as a tourist promotion, plans to ease parking-ticket angst by contributing a free nickel to expired meters for 15 minutes of free time.