Hidden World War II tunnels to open to public
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In this week’s roundup of travel news: Denver’s weed church, zodiac predictions for the Year of the Snake, plus what promises to be London’s most ambitious – and deepest – new visitor attraction.
Going underground
Some 30 meters (98 feet) below central London lies a mile-long network of tunnels that is set to be the UK capital’s glitziest new tourist attraction, according to the company that’s secured planning approval for the $149 million transformation.
The Kingsway Exchange Tunnels were built in the 1940s to shelter Londoners from the Blitz bombing campaign during World War II. That was the last time they were open to the general public. Their next wartime role was as the home of Britain’s top-secret Special Operations Executive, an offshoot of MI6 and the real-life inspiration for James Bond’s Q Branch.
The new attraction will be a memorial to the Blitz, which Angus Murray, chief executive of the London Tunnels, told Reuters will be part museum, part exhibition and part entertainment space.
The plan is to open to the public by late 2027 or early 2028. Read more here in our earlier story announcing the project.
If you can’t wait until then to get down in the city’s bowels, London Transport Museum runs exclusive guided tours of its abandoned tube stations, including Down Street, a secret underground bunker that helped win World War II.
Year of the Snake
The first new moon of the lunar calendar fell on January 29, ushering in the Year of the Snake and the 15-day Spring Festival, a big annual highlight in China and for Chinese communities around the world.
Here’s our guide to what it all means and, whether you’re a horse, goat, monkey, rooster or any other sign in the Chinese zodiac, here’s what the stars say are your predictions for the year ahead.
Food is, of course, a key part of the celebrations. One of the most fun elements is the “prosperity toss,” kind of like a food fight with chopsticks but seasoned with auspicious blessings for the year ahead.
For the culinarily adventurous, 2025 is a good time to visit Hong Kong and see how restaurants serve snake. Delights include snake balls and snake soup – and be sure to leave room for the penis wine. Watch here.
