Festive travel briefs

FESTIVE BRIEF 1: Planned trips to see Santa Claus reportedly ended in tears for more than 400 people after flights to Lapland were cancelled. The Daily Mail reports that London-based Canterbury Travel had to cancel two flights because of “technical problems”. The company reportedly expressed regret after parents and children showed up at Gatwick two days running, only to be told their flights were not running. The newspaper reports that refunds of £400 would be made immediately. FESTIVE BRIEF 2: Visitors to Rome have reportedly been taking in a heavenly atmosphere at the city’s latest cappuccino bar. In fact, the bar is not strictly in Rome, but on the roof of St Peter’s Basilica, in Vatican City. The Daily Mail reports that the café, which opened “without fanfare” a few weeks back, is already proving popular with tourists. While the facility does not have an official name, one Italian newspaper has reportedly called it the Holy Apostolic Cafeteria. FESTIVE BRIEF 3: Heavy snow has started falling in many parts of the Alps, to the obvious relief of the some resorts, which were looking at a largely snow-free Christmas period after several weeks of dry, sunny conditions. The Daily Telegraph quotes a spokesman for the Ski Club of Great Britain as saying: “I don’t think resorts were panicking, but they were concerned, so the snow came in the nick of time.”