While many travel apps specialize in things like tracking a flight (FlightStats) or guiding travelers through airports (GateGuru), the airline apps aim to do it all: from checking in to flight status updates and baggage tracking. American and Delta offer apps for the broadest range of devices: the iPhone, BlackBerry, Android and Windows phones. Southwest has apps for all of them except Windows, and United and Continental offer apps for iPhones and Androids. JetBlue released its first iPhone app on Feb. 6. Separate apps are in the works for the iPad and other tablets. Depending on the function, some apps are better than others, but all are free, and most travelers will find them to be useful tools, particularly on the day of travel. Here are a few of the ways you can use airline apps.

CHECKING IN Although you could use your phone’s Web browser to check in, all the new airline apps are designed to make the process quicker. Once you log in with your frequent flier number or flight confirmation, the app locates your itinerary and you can check in with a few taps.

That’s especially useful if you’re flying Southwest, which assigns boarding priority based in part on how early passengers check in (starting 24 hours before flight time).

“Once you check in, you’re assured a spot in line, so that feature on our app is very important,” said Whitney Eichinger, a Southwest spokeswoman.

Most airline apps (except Southwest’s) let you view and change your seat assignment if a better seat opens. Delta, United and American also let you monitor your standby status (Delta and United track upgrades, too) and save a digital boarding pass on your phone. That last option has met with mixed reviews among travelers — myself included — since airport scanners sometimes have trouble reading the bar code on mobile boarding passes.

But even if you print a boarding pass later, an app lets you check in 24 hours before your flight, no matter where you are. Before a recent Delta flight, the airline’s app even popped up an alert on my iPhone reminding me it was time to check in.

TRACKING A FLIGHT One of the most useful features the airlines apps offer is a way to track flights, although some carriers are still working on proactively sending alerts to the phone’s home screen rather than making customers navigate through the app to find out whether a flight is on time. Still, using an app is more convenient than calling the airline’s automated system to check a flight’s status; in some cases, the app gives you more information.

On the way to the airport before my Delta flight, I used the flight status feature on Delta’s app and could see that even though my flight was listed as “on time,” the incoming plane was running late. I figured that meant my flight would take off late (which it did), and decided there was time to run an errand on the way to the airport.

Airline apps are especially handy when you have a connection: once your first flight lands, you can look up the gate number and status of your next flight while you’re taxiing to the terminal, rather than waiting until you get off the plane and find an electronic billboard.

Although most airlines let customers sign up for e-mail or text alerts about flight delays, these notifications can be hit or miss (depending on how often the carrier decides to send them). JetBlue’s new app sends flight alerts to the iPhone’s home screen, saving passengers the extra step of looking for an update; other airlines say they’re working on similar “push” notifications.

MONITORING YOUR LUGGAGE Delta is ahead of the pack in offering a novel feature on its app: the ability to track your checked bag, much as you can a FedEx package. Once you check your bag and get a receipt at the airport, you can select the “Track My Bags” feature on Delta’s app, which will guide you through using your phone’s camera to scan the bar code on your baggage receipt (or you can enter the bag tag number instead). From there, the app lets you see where your bag is within Delta’s system.

“It will show that the bag has been received for check-in, inducted into the baggage system, scanned planeside or is at baggage carousel No. 4,” said Paul Skrbec, a Delta spokesman.

You can also use Delta’s app to pay for your bag if you check in with your phone, then drop off your luggage and get a receipt once you get to the airport.

NAVIGATING THE AIRPORT Another useful feature airline apps offer is airport maps, and for now United is the leader. Its app includes detailed maps for more than 100 airports, and that alone makes it worth downloading, even if you’re not flying United.

Once you select an airport, you can zoom in on the map to see not only where various gates are, but also where you can find baggage claim locations, airline clubs, rental car counters, a Starbucks, a bookstore and other retailers and restaurants.

American offers maps for just six airports, and they only display gate numbers, not the amenities available, although Matt Miller, an American spokesman, said that an app update, which is due in the coming months, would include detailed maps for more than 80 airports. Delta’s 26 maps are relatively basic — they don’t show retailers or specific gate numbers — but Mr. Skrbec said improvements are in the works.

Henry Harteveldt, a travel analyst and co-founder of the Atmosphere Research Group, expects that airlines and airports will ultimately use these mapping tools and the devices’ geo-targeting capabilities to send special offers to travelers — like a coupon for a discount at a nearby store.

Likewise, he sees an opportunity for airlines to use their apps to manage the rebooking process when passengers miss a connection, perhaps by displaying a special phone number customers can call to get expedited help. For now, he said, booking and rebooking are tasks most passengers prefer to do on a larger screen or over the phone, although some airlines do offer booking via their apps.

“We’re still in Phase One of all this,” Mr. Harteveldt said. “When it comes to mobile applications, the travel industry collectively is still in the crawl stage.”

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Zetema Progetto Cultura

Rome

The Vatican Secret Archives were established four centuries ago to house the Holy See’s official documents. Spanning 12 centuries and occupying a cumulative 50 miles of shelf space, the Archives’ contents range from the quotidian to the controversial.

Through September, the Capitoline Museums (Piazza del Campidoglio; 39-060608) will host “Lux in Arcana: The Vatican Secret Archive Reveals Itself.” The exhibition will feature 100 documents of historical and cultural interest, which will be shown outside the Vatican for the first time.

The selection of letters, manuscripts and codices document the political and spiritual power wielded by the church throughout the Middle Ages until the late 19th century. Though mentions of contemporary scandals are conspicuously absent, there are centuries’  worth of papal ruthlessness to behold.

Visitors to the exhibition will find the record of Galileo’s conviction, the case against the Knights Templar and the order for Martin Luther’s excommunication. Tamer pieces include letters from world leaders, including  Abraham Lincoln, and publications of church dogma.

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Seth KugelRevelers celebrating Carnival in São Luiz do Paraitinga, Brazil.

A young woman in a full-body cow suit danced frenetically across a rooftop to the upbeat march music of Carnival, stirring up thousands of revelers who passed by below, part of a cow-themed procession.

“Why is she so fired up?” asked Adam, who along with another friend, Jon, had flown in from the States to spend Carnival with me in the Brazilian colonial town of São Luiz do Paraitinga. “What is wrong with these people?”

He meant it as a compliment, and I agreed: Brazilians are among the world’s top experts at how to enjoy life. Never is that more in evidence than during the four days leading into Mardi Gras, which the entire country dedicates to Carnival. Carnival in Brazil is one of the globe’s top annual tourist attractions. But its image – primarily bare-breasted women in fancy samba floats — is a bit off, though there’s plenty of that in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. The real appeal is endless dancing, singing, celebrating, dressing up, drinking, flirting and kissing. And you can find all that not just in the big cities, but in smaller towns around the country.

At the Carnival celebrations in Rio, Salvador and Olinda – the country’s three best known — an influx of foreigners drives prices way up. But towns like São Luiz, wedged into the tropical green hills between São Paulo and Rio, attract mainly Brazilian tourists and provide a generally much cheaper and more intimate experience. (See “If You Go,” below, for more info.)

São Luiz stands out for a few reasons. First, the town’s “10 Carnaval Commandments” (listed in the official local Carnival flier) include a prohibition on modern Brazilian musical genres like samba (which dominates Rio) and axé (the primary rhythm of Salvador). Instead, the music you’ll hear from the blocos — festive processions that include a band on a raised flatbed truck and thousands of revelers who follow it around town – are marchinhas, traditional Carnival marches with playful lyrics written specifically for each local bloco. (The bloco the human cow was dancing to along with was called “Espanta Vaca,” loosely “Scare the Cow.”)

Second, the town is so small, with a population of about 10,000, that the whole thing takes place within the few blocks straddling the Paraitinga River, which runs through town. And there are only two forms of transportation in town: walking and dancing.

A car, though, does come in handy, since less than an hour’s drive away over the mountains is a tropical coast studded with crescent beaches. Most of the revelers in São Luiz are young and seem to have no problem partying for four days straight. For the rest of the crowd, though, the town of Ubatuba, 35 miles southeast from São Luiz, with some of the best beaches in southeast Brazil, makes for an ideal break from the action.

And finally, São Luiz is having something of a dramatic comeback. Just over two years ago, the normally innocent-looking Paraitinga River flooded the town, causing the main church and several other historic buildings to collapse and destroying or damaging many family homes. No one drowned — quick-thinking white-water rafting guides spent 24 straight hours plucking residents off roofs — but the town was in ruins. Carnival that year was quickly cancelled. Last year, it was held outside the historic center. But this year it was back in full form.

Having covered the 2010 flood, I was happy to see that things had improved. Though some buildings were still boarded up, and most notably, the church was missing, the heart of the colonial center, where multicolored streamers hung from brightly painted wooden poles, looked great.

It was also packed. According to a spokeswoman for the town, 120,000 people attended, filling the streets day and night, following the blocos, and hitting bars selling Brahma beer (3 reais, or about $1.75) and cachaça- or vodka-laced shakes made from ice, condensed milk and fresh fruit (from 10 reais). At stands and carts, they fueled up on everything from popcorn and caramel-filled churros to hamburgers, grilled meat and sandwiches. (We became addicted to the pernil, or pork shoulder, served on a bun, for about 8 reais.) The town’s handful of restaurants were also operating at full steam, serving regionally specialties like leitão à pururuca, crispy roast suckling pig.

Not everyone wears costumes. Those who do clearly have more fun, especially those who dress appropriate for each bloco (like the madly dancing cow). This year the town posted a Web page describing how to dress for each one. I translated it and delegated costume procurement to Jon.

Seth KugelThe author heads out to join the Bloco Bebêbum, or Baby Boom Block.

He went above and beyond the call, filling half his suitcase with costumes. And that is how, on a Sunday afternoon, we found ourselves in our rooms at Pousada Vila Verde nearly naked, fastening adult-size diapers over our briefs and adding blue bibs, bonnets and adult-size pacifiers – all in preparation for the Bloco Bebêbum, or Baby Boom Block.

Soon, we were hitting the streets as hairy-chested, fully ambulatory infants.

“If we could just avoid severe sunburn,” Jon said, “this will be a huge success.”

He had greatly underestimated the effect our group would have on the crowd. Revelers came up and had their pictures taken with us. Toddlers stared wide-eyed. One older man lectured us on how inappropriately we were behaving — and did so in such deadpan fashion that I thought he was serious, until he ended with: “Now get along, or I’ll call your mommies and you’ll be in big trouble!”

Jon, who had been visibly nervous about dressing as an adult baby in front of thousands of strangers, instantly transformed into a natural performer, approaching women (and men dressed as women) and crying “Mamãe!” – Portuguese for “Mommy!”

When the Bebêbum procession started at the main square, we marched with it, singing along with band to the simple yet catchy lyrics: “Mommy, I want to drink. Give me, give me, give me, give me my bottle, my bottle.” (It sounds catchier in Portuguese.)

Seth KugelPraia do Félix, one of dozens of beaches in nearby Ubatuba.

By Monday we were ready for a break, and we drove to Ubatuba, a steep ,hilly climb rendered gorgeous this time of year by the blooming quaresmeira trees, which turn entire hillsides purple. On Praia do Félix, one of dozens of Ubatuba beaches, Adam broke out the American football he always travels with, and he and I were soon teaching two Brazilians named Fábio and Wesley how to throw a spiral. A legit two-on-two game followed, although Wesley lacked some basic quarterback skills. Dinner, at Peixe Com Banana restaurant, was moqueca, a colorful fish stew laced with dende oil. One order (58 reais, or about $34), accompanied by an appetizer of tender octopus, was enough for the three of us.

American visitors should be warned that attending a small-town, nearly Brazilian-only Carnival does involve a bit of culture shock. The aggressive flirting of some Brazilian men, who go in quickly for a kiss (sometimes before they even say “hi”), can be mind-boggling to American men and uncomfortable or downright creepy for American women. On the plus side, Jon and Adam were impressed by the near total lack of fighting, considering the rowdy atmosphere and all-day drinking. “If you took the equivalent number of American men doing the same thing, you’d need 20 times more police,” Jon said.

But the biggest culture shock of all is the inherent ability of Brazilians to be upbeat and have a good time. That led Adam and Jon to discuss the perils of stepping onto a plane in the gloomy Northeastern winter and get off 10 hours later in upbeat, midsummer Carnival.

“You can get the happiness bends if you come into Brazil too quickly,” Adam said.

“You almost need a decompression chamber at customs,” Jon added.

Actually, I thought they adjusted just fine.

IF YOU GO

As in Rio or Salvador, hotel prices in São Luiz rise during Carnival and generally require a five-day minimum stay. But the overall cost will still be much less.

We stayed at the colonial-style Pousada Vila Verde, a gated, green oasis just three or four blocks from the main square, paying 2,700 reais for a five-night package in a triple room, including traditional Brazilian breakfasts of fruits, juices, cheese, cold cuts and cakes. That came out to $527 a person — twice what it would have been for a stay there the rest of the year, but very much worth it. Pousadas are listed on this Portuguese-only site. Note that some are located outside the city.

There are two cheaper options. Big groups can rent a house from a local family starting at about 4,000 reais (information is posted at paraitinga.com.br in the months leading up to Carnival). You can also camp, an idea that was appealing to me but vetoed by my travel companions. The Camping Verde Perto campsite – a patch of grass in town with shower and bathroom facilities — would have charged us 600 reais for three people (or $117 each) to share a tent (and we’d have had to bring our own).

I rented the cheapest car I could scrounge from Avis, which has an office near my apartment in central São Paulo. The cheapest price offered for a week with a subcompact car on avis.com was 600 reais (about $352). But on a hunch, I added a .br to the URL, talking me to Avis’s Brazilian site, where I reserved the same car for 383 reais (about $224). That’s a steep price differential for the privilege of filling out a form in English over Portuguese. Don’t pay it; use this online dictionary for any fields you don’t understand.

A final money-saving note on rental cars in Brazil: Most have “flex-fuel” engines, meaning you can fill them with either gasoline or ethanol, which is called álcool in Portuguese and is available at virtually all gas stations in Brazil. Note that a liter of ethanol is cheaper than a liter of gas, but gets only about 70 percent the mileage — so get ethanol only if the price is less than 70 percent that of gas — until you’re filling up the car just before you return it. Then, it’s ethanol no matter what.

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National Gallery Prague“Scholar seated at a desk” by Rembrandt.

Prague

The Netherlands in the 17th century was a period of unprecedented economic, scientific and cultural activity. Roughly 650 to 700 artists produced about 70,000 paintings annually in this so-called Golden Age of Dutch painting, according to Anja K. Sevcik, a curator at the National Gallery in Prague. The museum has a number of Dutch paintings from this time in its collection, and is displaying them along with 12 related pieces from other institutions as part of “Rembrandt Co.,” through May 27.

“The exhibition provides a unique chance to get an overview of the rich art production of the Dutch Golden Age echoed in the rich, but so far rather unknown Prague collection,” Ms. Sevcik said of the show, which includes more than 120 paintings. “To highlight the significance of this event, we are inviting guest exhibits from other institutions and collections, with special relationships to paintings from our collection which is a unique chance for comparison and appreciation.”

The exhibition has been organized to bring together various pieces, sitters and compositions that were separated over the centuries. For example, Ms. Sevcik highlights Prague’s Rembrandt “Scholar in his Study” and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam’s Rembrandt “Bust of a Man in an Oriental Costume,” which feature the same sitter in different roles and varied expressions. Govert Flinck’s reunited counter-pieces of “Rembrandt as a Shepherd” (from the Rijksmuseum) and Rembrandt´s wife “Saskia as a Shepherdess“ (from the Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum Braunschweig) is another special pairing.

“Rembrandt Co.” is being held on the second floor of the Baroque Sternberg Palace, next to Prague Castle.

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Berenice Abbott/Commerce Graphics Ltd, Inc.Station-service Sunoco, Trenton, New Jersey, 1954, by Berenice Abbott.

Paris

From Midtown Manhattan to rural Maine, the documentary photographer Berenice Abbott cast an incisive eye on the America of the early 20th century. Through April 29, the Jeu de Paume in Paris (1 place de la Concorde, 33-1-47-03-12-50, jeudepaume.org) displays Ms. Abbott’s work. “Photographs” is divided into three distinct periods — the curator, Gaëlle Morel, described them as “different careers” — that attest to the breadth of Ms. Abbott’s opus and the adaptability of her aesthetic.

Initially a sculptor, Ms. Abbott transitioned to photography under the tutelage of Man Ray in Paris in the 1920s. She shot eminent artists and intellectuals, and eventually opened her own photography studio.

From intimiste Paris portraits, Ms. Abbott’s muse shifted back to her homeland in the 1930s, more specifically to New York City. She took snapshots of merchants in Chinatown as readily as she captured the outsized skeleton of Rockefeller Center (then under construction) or the imposing majesty of the Flatiron. Her images function as both a documentary archive and a visual coup, depicting urban flux through architectural details, vertiginous perspectives and diverse inhabitants.

The exhibition concludes with Ms. Abbott’s commission for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology during the 1950s. Through her photographs, she transformed abstract mechanical and optical principles into perceptible and concrete phenomena: revolutionizing science and photography both. The artistry — i.e., the elegant arcs of movement of a bouncing golf ball — enhances the scientific principles.

The film projection of “Berenice Abbott: A View of the 20th Century” further delves into the photographer’s  influence as an inventor (who patented several scientific devices) and a champion of focused, strong-willed, independent women.

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Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

As if booking a gig wasn’t hard enough, tightened baggage regulations and inconsistent policies among airlines have made it difficult for musicians to figure out how to get their instruments to the next show.

But a new bill passed by Congress this month sets a uniform national policy on the matter. The Federal Aviation Administration will permit any instrument that can be safely stored in the overhead compartment or underneath a seat to be treated as carry-on luggage. It also sets size and weight requirements (150 linear inches and 165 pounds) for instruments checked as baggage, and it allows musicians to purchase an extra seat on a plane for instruments that are either too large for the overhead compartment or too fragile to be stored in the cargo hold.

Ending the confusion over how to travel with instruments has been a legislative priority of the American Federation of Musicians for almost a decade, Ray Hair, the federation’s president, said in a statement. “Musicians can now fly in friendlier skies.”

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