Rome: Making the most of Holy Week

If there's an ideal time to visit our nation's capital, the month of April would be it. D.C. has always welcomed families with budget-friendly attractions (walking through the National Zoo, touring the free Smithsonian museums), and now it welcomes the start of spring with its annual National Cherry Blossom Festival (March 27-April 11, 2010) and the 40th Earth Day. The Earth Day Network—headquartered in D.C. with more partners in 190 countries—has grown into its own this year by taking a hard-hitting stand for a 2010 climate bill in the hopes of creating more American jobs and capping carbon emissions. The capstone event will be held on Sunday, April 25th, when a major Climate Rally at the National Mall will feature international entertainers, speakers, exhibits, and eco-villages. In conjunction with the week-long celebration, the organization hopes to gather a billion pledges from participants willing to modify their bad habits for the better, from replacing energy sucking light bulbs with a more efficient model to joining in a community project throughout April. It's fitting then that the fragile pink blooms of the city's cherry trees—a good-will gift from Japan in 1912—are a prelude to the celebration of a network devoted to preserving nature. The following events don't cost a thing except for your support, and that just feels right. • March 27, 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Earth Hour Sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund, the majority of the world will be going dark for an hour starting at 8:30 p.m. their local time in a symbolic demonstration against climate change. Last year, landmarks joined in, like the Empire State Building, Las Vegas Strip, Golden Gate Bridge, Great Pyramids of Giza, Eiffel Tower, and Sydney's Opera House. Register as a member online to support your home state. • April 3, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Fireworks Light Up the Night The fifth annual Prelude to the Fireworks is a three-hour family festival of live musical performances, kids craft activities, and cuisine from local restaurants. Leading up to a fireworks show, the starry-skied display starts at 8:30 p.m. and can be viewed from the festival area (Southwest Waterfront, 877/442-5666, free) or aboard the Spirit of Washington dinner cruise (866/302-2469, from $91). • April 4, 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., Lantern Lighting Ceremony The highlight of this event is the lighting of a 359-year-old stone Japanese lantern, with a formal ceremony including traditional performers, Washington dignitaries, and Cherry Blossom Princesses. (Tidal Basin at Independence Ave. and 17th St. SW, free.) • April 10, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade This annual tradition features giant colorful balloons, marching bands, and other high-energy performers, and will also be simulcast live on ABC 7/WJLA-TV and NewsChannel 8. (Constitution Ave. between 9th and 15th St. NW, free; grandstand seating on Constitution Ave. between 15th and 16th streets NW, 800/551-7328, $17.) • April 10, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sakura Matsuri This Japanese street festival takes over right where the Cherry Blossom parade leaves off, with the largest one-day exhibition of Japanese culture in the U.S. Demonstrations of taiko drums, samurai swordsmen, karate, and the art of bonsai are only a few of the more than 30 hours of live performances on five stages. Make sure to arrive hungry to sample the Japanese fare and potent sake at the Matsuri Markets, and check out the traditional products for sale at the Ginza Marketplace. The younger members of the family will appreciate the 1,600-square-foot Children's Corner, where they can try their hand at origami, learn a few Japanese words, and listen to traditional storytelling (12th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. NW, free). Visit the Japan National Tourist Organization tent for the chance to win a trip for two to Japan (West side of 12th St. and Pennsylvania Ave.). • April 25, 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., Climate Rally Although there will be earth-friendly activities happening all weekend on the National Mall, this last event for Earth Day 2010 will be considered the big hoorah. A massive rally will gather to support a new climate bill demanding clean energy legislation this year, with celebrity speakers and performers participating. And if the very first Earth Day in 1970 is any indication—with 20 million global supporters—this anniversary rally may recreate history. (National Mall grounds, between Independence and Constitution Aves., from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial.) GET GOING! Strategies for avoiding the cherry blossom crowds Top 3 free things in D.C. year round Real Deals: D.C. From $149

Want to visit Paris without leaving your desk? The largest assembled panoramic image in the world was just published online, and Paris is its subject. The Paris 26 Gigapixles project presents an image of the city made up of 2,346 individual photos. These were shot in September 2009, then stitched together to create a composite image of 26 gigapixels (a gigapixel is one billion pixels). The website presentation of this project is truly something to behold, but beware: you can lose an entire afternoon zooming around the online image. The site highlights the "20 most beautiful monuments in Paris" and allows viewers to zoom in so close that they can make see the frightening grimace on an individual gargoyle at Notre Dame. Information bubbles for each of these monuments allow viewers to learn a bit of history, too.

The modern version of the French capital certainly has its charms, but there's something especially magical about the Paris that emerges from old black and white photography. This spring is a boon time for fans of vintage photographs of Paris, with a host of exhibitions, plus a couple of new websites for the desk-chair dreamers out there. Springtime exhibitions of Paris photography Paris Inondé (through March 28). The French capital was half-drowned by a major flood in 1910. Spectacular images from this hundred-year-old event show the Eiffel Tower up to her knees in water, with rowboats paddling down the major avenues. Open from 1 p.m.–7 p.m., Tuesday–Sunday, and until 9 p.m. on Thursday. $6. Galerie des Bibliothèques, 22 rue Malher in the 4th arrondissement, inondation1910.paris.fr Elliott Erwitt, "Personal Best" (through April 4). This Paris-born photographer documented some of the most significant events of the 20th century. A member of Magnum Photos and sharp observer of everyday life, Erwitt has been described as a "tireless wit, a subtle and poetic humorist whose work combines satire and melancholy." Open every day except Monday and Tuesday from 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Admission is normally $9, but you can go for free every Wednesday from 5 p.m.–8 p.m. Maison Européenne de la Photographie, 5/7 rue de Fourcy in the 4th arrondissement. mep-fr.org/us Izis: Paris des Rêves (through May 29). Izraëlis Bidermanas (Izis) was a core member of the humanist movement in photography, along with his more famous friends Robert Doisneau and Henri Cartier-Bresson. This major retrospective pays tribute to the overlooked photographer and his Paris work, which is described as "a paean to dreams and to the slow pace of life at the heart of a city which he endowed with legendary qualities." Open every day except Sunday from 10 a.m.–7 p.m. Admission is free. Hôtel de Ville (Salle St-Jean), 5 rue de Lobau in the 4th arrondissement. See the Izis website Great photography websites for arm (or desk) chair travelers Paris Inondé: Surf more than 1300 images from this Web gallery inondation1910.paris.fr. Paris en Images from the Ministry of Culture: This is a new and free online collection of more than 25,000 photos of Paris. You can search by keyword, year, and location at parisenimages.fr/en

The baguette—created here in Paris in 1830—is taken very seriously by locals. So much so that there's a contest organized by City Hall every year to name the best loaf. This competition—the Grand Prix de la Baguette de la Ville de Paris—was held today, and the big winner is Djibril Bodian from Le Grenier à Pain in Montmartre (38 rue des Abbesses, 18th arrondissement). Bodian is no stranger to Grand Prix competition. He came in 5th place in 2009 and 4th place in 2007 before taking the top prize. Bodian beat out more than 160 other bakers to win in 2010, garnering a cash prize of €4,000 and a contract to keep President Nicolas Sarkozy in baguettes throughout the coming year. Watch this blog for more on Bodian's winning baguette, plus a guide to our favorite prize-winning Paris bakeries. An in-depth report on the competition and its winners will be posted very soon. In the meantime, check out this account of the event from Phyllis Flick, an American food writer who participated as a judge in this year's Grand Prix baguette competition.