The Neue Galerie shows late Nineteenth and Twentieth century German and Austrian art and design, including first-rate examples of paintings by Kokoschka, Schiele, Klimt (Adele Bloch-Bauer), and many other artists and designers. The setting is a 1914 mansion, just off Fifth Avenue, which opened in 2001, established by the late Serge Sabarsky and Ronald S. Lauder.

Like the best museums, the work is displayed as it were in a private house, with furniture and fabrics appropriate to the pieces on show. The glassware and ceramics too, are of the highest quality. The Neue Galerie is a pleasure to visit and a tribute to its founders. There is a comprehensive bookshop offering scholarly works as well as souvenirs of one's visit.

Corner of Fifth Avenue and 87th Street. Subway to 86th Street and walk from there.

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The Whitney Museum was designed by Marcel Breuer and contains a large collection of American art from the nineteenth century to the present day. Sometimes however it shows special exhibitions and that can restrict the range of work on display. This is a pity since many visitors to New York will want to see a representative selection of work from the Whitney's entire collection to gain an insight into the nature and range of American art, rather than concentrating on the work of select figures.

However the Whitney is well worth visiting especially if, in future, it makes a more generous selection of its main collections available than was on show this season. There is also a good bookshop.

945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street. www.whitney.org Subway lines 5 or 6, at 77th St and walk towards Central Park.

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Great watercolour painting courses on the lovely island of Menorca.

www.briansmithwatercolourways.com

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The Musee des Beaux Arts is highly recommended as it offers a fine collection of both painting and sculpture, and furniture, set in a building of considerable beauty and architectural interest.

Highlights include an outstanding group of Italian, French and Flemish paintings from the later Middle Ages donated by a local benefactor, a group that has been strengthened by the addition of two panels by Mantegna. Other very good pieces come from succeeding centuries and include work by Rubens, Rembrandt, Boucher, Monet and Rodin. Altogether this is a first rate collection. The museum is set in a fine garden, and nearby is a huge 200-year-old Cedar of Lebanon.

Across from this tree and behind glass there is a stuffed elephant, once part of Barnum's Circus. This beast died while the circus visited Tours, just before World War I, and was promptly de-boned, stuffed and mounted. The result on show here is somewhat bizarre and looks like a very large, grey, hot-water bottle with four legs and a trunk. Worth a look, but the museum is the highlight.

Next to the cathedral in Tours city centre, 18 place Francois Sicard 37000 Tours. Note the museum is closed on Tuesdays. www.musee-beauxarts@ville-tours.fr

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This is a must-stop during your weekend in Bruges! Svein Koningen is an Australian abstract artist that moved to Bruges only two years ago.

You can see his studio and his large stock of beautiful abstract works. His style is very experimental so there is something for everyone, brilliant colours and deep textures.

He and his wife sell directly from their studio at half cost what his galleries charge. Stop by for a browse and share a glass of wine with Svein and Dianne, it's sure to be the higlight of your trip to Bruges.

Korte Vuldersstraat 17, 8000 Brugge, Belgium
www.koningen.net

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The house and garden of the painter, Claude Monet (1840-1926), are now so popular that it is difficult to explore them without being accompanied, four abreast, by hundreds of people all keen to see and photograph every last feature of his kitchen, dining room, iris bed, wisteria arch and lily pool. But persist! The effort is worth it, especially if you can avoid the peak holiday periods.

The place is very beautiful, highly evocative and thoroughly well maintained. Everywhere you look, the paintings Monet created between 1883 up to his death are marvellously brought to life.

The inevitable shop, which is housed in the painter's former studio, where the huge waterlily paintings were made, is worthwhile and comprehensive. There are extensive free car parks nearby.

Fondation Claude Monet, 84 rue Claude Monet - 27620 Giverny, Eure, France. Tel (0033)(0)2 32 51 28 21. Entry 5.50 euro per person. www.fondation-monet.com

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A couple called Ann and Ken will come and pick you up from your guesthouse in the morning and take you to their house where they will teach you various batik techniques. While Ann is overseeing your creations, Ken makes a wonderful Thai lunch. You don't need a big group to go, in fact it is much better with just a couple of close friends. It can be as simple as you like because you pick the designs yourself, either your own or a stencil so no matter how unartistic you think you are, you can make some amazing things. In the morning you do a practice on a square piece of cloth and in the afternoon you can choose a top or a cushion cover amongst other things to try out a more complicated design and techniques.
It is a bargain and a lovely way to spend a day. Ann and Ken are lovely people and speak good English.

www.chiangmaibatikschool.com
chiangmaibatikschool@yahoo.com
053-398636 or 09-2623726

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