W I N N E R : T R AV E L M AG A Z I N E O F T H E Y E A R

ISSUE 110

WHERE
TO GO
WHEN
A YEAR OF
TRAVEL
IDEAS FOR
FEBRUARY 2018 2018
FEBRUARY 2018

Plus
BEST OF THE
DOMINICAN
REPUBLIC

52 BEST
Weekends
52 BEST WEEKENDS AWAY OA STROLL THROUGH PARIS OCARNIVAL IN MALTA ODANISH FOOD DISCOVERIES OTHE PENGUINS OF ANTARCTICA

FIND MAGIC IN
MOROCCO
DRIVE AUSTRALIA'S
GREAT OCEAN
ROAD

AWAY WIN!
A TRIP TO
Seattle,
Hidden histories in Paris, seaside USA
food discoveries in Denmark,
carnival in Malta, the northern
lights in Norway, flamenco in
Seville, camping in Jordan,
street art in Berlin, and more!

UK £4.20
 editor’s note

Welcome to our annual 52 Best Weekends Away issue. It marks the start of
a new year by suggesting mostly easy and, I hope, universally imaginative
options to fill every single weekend – I’d love to think that one year someone
out there will try all 52! This time around we whisk you between quick OSubscribe! See p14
breaks on themes as diverse as urban life swaps (p54), learning with kids OFollow us on Twitter
@LPmagUK and
(p58), night adventures (p72) and Britain’s most intriguing self-catering Instagram
PHOTOGRAPHS: MATT MUNRO, ALICIA TAYLOR, ADRIENNE PITTS

stays (p94). Our big features pause for a deeper dive into experiences like @lonelyplanetmags
OJoin our Lonely
stepping in the historic footsteps of Paris’s bon vivants and intellectuals, aka Planet magazine
the flâneurs (p40), meeting the Carnival float builders of Malta (p60), and insiders panel at
immediateinsiders.com
tasting the bountiful produce of the North Zealand region of Denmark –
rasberry muffins and spruce-flavoured schnapps included (p78). My
contribution to this issue included reporting from a 500-year-old thatched Award-winning
cottage rescued by the Landmark Trust (p96). Tucked in a valley along the Lonely Planet
magazine
Devonshire stretch of the Jurassic Coast, it had a total absence of mobile Consumer Publication of the Year
phone signal and wi-fi, forcing this Instagram addict into a pure digital detox. Consumer Writer of the Year
Oliver Smith
I still snapped a few pics along the way – spot the cameo appearance from Photography Award
my daughter, if not from the ghostly monk also rumoured to stay there. Jonathan Gregson
Travel Media Awards 2017
Favourite UK Consumer
PETER GRUNERT, GROUP EDITOR Travel Magazine
Cheapflights Awards 2017
@peter_grunert petervg73
Young Travel Writer of the Year
Sophie McGrath
AITO Awards 2017

FROM LEFT Maltese carnival revellers;

Denmark’s bracing North Zealand beaches;
a rendezvous for 21st-century flâneurs:
Pavillon des Canaux in Paris.

February 2018 3
 FEBRUARY 201 8 Win!
A TRIP TO
SEATTLE

In this issue...
Turn to p129

POSTCARDS
Your travel photos and stories A postcard from
8 Ice-fishing in Lapland and more of your Cambodia p11
images from around the world

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GLOBETROTTER
The latest travel news and discoveries
16 The destinations and tours to add to
your travel plans for 2018, plus winter
picnic and much more

EASY TRIPS Retro style in

Short breaks you can take right now
29 Book a yoga break in Goa, India New Orleans
30 Is this Scandinavia’s coolest city? p32
31 Shaken not stirred: the best Martini
to be had in London
32 A new place to stay in New Orleans
33 It’s ski time in Switzerland!
34 Review of the Month: The Pointer,
Buckinghamshire – plus local tips
35 Join the Carnival in the Caribbean
37 A winter break in a quintessential
English village

PHOTOGRAPHERS’
STORY
100 Meet the penguins of Antarctica on
a trip to the bottom of the world

TOP PICKS
Themed guides to take with you
117 From fashion to food: our selection of the
very best shopping in Milan
119 Head to Fez in Morocco to find tile- Get to know
making workshops, cookery classes and this huddle
classic riads
121 Go totally tropical in the Dominican of penguins
Republic, an island ripe for mountain in Antarctica
walks and beach lazing p100
125 Take Australia’s Great Ocean Road – and
meet a kangaroo or two on the way
Fancy a new adventure? SUBSCRIBE P14
Look for these symbols to quickly identify listings Walk this way p25 Get five issues of Lonely
Sights Tours Drinking
Festivals
Planet magazine for only
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Activities Sleeping Shopping £5 in our January sale.
Courses Eating Information
& Transport Plus, as a subscriber, you’ll
All prices correct at time of going to press. Prices for hotel rooms receive 35% off the price
are for double, en suite rooms with breakfast in low season, unless
otherwise stated. Flight prices are for the cheapest return fares, of our guidebooks.
including one piece of hold baggage, unless otherwise stated.

4 February 2018
 52 BEST DESTINATION
INDEX
WEEKENDS Australia p125

AWAY
Austria p72
Belgium p55
Cambodia p11
Chile p10
38 INTRODUCTION Denmark p78
Dip into a year of short breaks Dominican
Republic p121
40 THE ART OF THE FLÂNEUR England
Three new walks to take in Paris Buckinghamshire p34
Channel Islands p74
52 UNDER CANVAS Cornwall p58, p96
Camping from Krygyzstan to Norway Cumbria p58
Devon p75, p96
54 URBAN LIFE SWAPS Essex p59
From beer in Antwerp to art in Berlin Gloucestershire p37
Herefordshire p95
58 LEARN WITH THE KIDS Isle of Wight p59
Skiing, climbing, cooking and more Lake District p95
London p10, p31, p54
60 THE CARNIVAL BUILDERS Staffordshire p59
Time to celebrate in Malta Finland
Helsinki p77
72 NIGHT ADVENTURES
Rovaniemi p8
From northern lights to 24-hour parties France
74 DIRTY WEEKENDS Champagne p74
Nice p90
Spicy breaks from Istanbul to Seville Paris p40, p55
76 ESCAPE TO THE FOREST Germany
Woodland adventures across Europe A little-known Berlin
Black Forest
p55
p76
78 DANISH FOOD TOUR carnival on the Frankfurt p92
Greece p56
Journey through North Zealand island of Malta Hungary p73
90 GASTRONOMIC TRIPS p60 Iceland
India
p72
p29
Head to the home of our favourite foods
Israel p90
94 SELF-CATERING IN BRITAIN Italy p29
The most interesting places to stay Bologna p91
Milan p55, p117
Jordan p73
Kyrgyzstan p52
Malta & Gozo p60
Morocco
Fez p119
Ouarzazate p52
Norway p53
PHOTOGRAPHS: NICOLE FRANZEN FOR DESIGN HOTELS™, ANNEMARIE STRAUMANN, TOMASZ GUDZOWATY,

Poland p76
Portugal p57
Scotland
Join the herd in Arbroath
Edinburgh
p92
p95
Switzerland p92 Highlands p52
Spain
Fuengirola p75
Rioja p90
Seville p75
JOE WINDSOR-WILLIAMS, YADID LEVEY, SEBASTIAN WASEK/4CORNERS

Sweden
Gothenburg p30
Southern Sweden p77
Switzerland
Arosa p33
Emmental p93
Trinidad & Tobago p36
Turkey p74
USA
Chicago p93
New Orleans p32
New York p57
Which Spanish Wales
city is gome to Brecon Beacons
Machynlleth
p73
p76
flamenco? p75 Pembrokeshire p58
Gower Peninsula p94

February 2018 5
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London SE1 8NW Here are the trips our staff are most looking forward to this year

SUB-EDITOR RORY: little-known Baltic island of Muhu just off

EDITORIAL ‘I am packing my suitcase the west coast of Estonia is truly beautiful,
Group editor Peter Grunert
and heading to Pakistan. with deserted sandy beaches, windmills
Deputy editor Amanda Canning
Production editor Alice Braham I’ll join in the wedding and lighthouses.’
Acting features editor Jess Cole celebrations of old friends PICTURE EDITOR CLAIRE:
Features editor Orla Thomas
in Karachi, but before that ‘High on my wish list for next
Sub-editor Rory Goulding
Senior features writer Oliver Smith I’ll spend a couple of days in Lahore. I’m year is a trip to Chicago,
Editorial assistant Catriona Grew told it has wonderful Mughal architecture aka the Windy City. I’ve
ART from the same period as the Taj Mahal, but always wanted to go and
Art director Hayley Ward
Designer Mike Cutting with a fraction of the visitor numbers.’ now that two of my friends
Picture editor Claire Richardson PRODUCTION EDITOR ALICE: recently moved out there, I have the
Thanks to Rachel Bailey, Liz Granirer, Corey Hutchison,
‘I’m planning to go to Estonia perfect excuse. I plan to wander around the
Wayne Murphy, Gemma Tadman, Carolin
CLIENT SOLUTIONS (EMEA) in July for two weeks with incredible houses designed by Frank Lloyd THIS
Sales director, client solutions Ali Teeman my family. I’ve long Wright, take a stroll beside Lake Michigan MONTH’S
Senior sales manager, client solutions Nick Connell
Sales managers, client solutions David Read,
wanted to visit Tallinn and and peer at reflections in Anish Kapoor’s COVER
Michelle Mattos I’ve also heard that the famous Bean in Millennium Park.’ Introducing our annual
Account manager, client services Lloyd Meeks weekend-breaks,
Sales and marketing coordinator Grace Robson
our covers celebrate
Classified advertising manager Pauline Kelly
Classified sales executive Dominique Toms WISH YOU In our our December 2017 two very different
Inserts sales executive James Law-Smith
For advertising enquiries 020 3771 5185
WERE HERE issue, we asked you to send destinations to add to
us a postcard, encouraging your plans in 2018. On
MANAGEMENT
CEO Daniel Houghton you to root out the oddest the newsstand cover,
Managing director, publishing Piers Pickard design you could find. This we revisit Paris, a city
Director of magazines Sue Coffin suave Hawaiian pineapple that never fails to offer
For international magazine licensing and syndication
enquiries sue.coffin@lonelyplanet.com and decidedly strange up new surprises. Our
Editor, lonelyplanet.com James Kay Hampton Court Palace subscriber cover,
Management accountant Jay Francis scene are our favourites. meanwhile, introduces
IMMEDIATE MEDIA COMPANY
Publishing director Alfie Lewis Senders Simon Newsome you to the magic of
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Repro technicians Darren McCubbin, Jonathan Shaw a bundle of LP books.
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Marketing manager Tom Townsend-Smith
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Subscriptions marketing manager Natalie London
Just back from... tanzania
NEWSSTAND COVER:TRAVELPIX/GETTY. SUBSCRIBER COVER: MATT MUNRO

Direct marketing executive Charlie Knockton

Insight executive Matt Rodriguez Deputy editor Amanda Canning visited the Serengeti, on the trail of migrating wildebeest
DAM manager Liz Cowlin and zebra. Did she manage to find them? Find out in a future issue! ( @amandacanning)

Lonely Planet magazine is produced for Lonely Planet Global

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An African elephant lines up for his portrait as photographer Jonathan Gregson leans in for a shot (left); taking
a hot-air balloon ride at dawn, with the immensity of the savannah revealed as the sun comes up (right).

February 2018 7
Postcards
WHERE YOU’VE BEEN AND WHAT YOU’VE SEEN
 POSTCARDS
Why not get involved? We’d love to include your best new travel photos. Send us your highest resolution
JPEG images (not exceeding 15MB) along with a pic of yourself to postcards@lonelyplanet.com

Finland is nicknamed the

‘land of a thousand lakes’
– in fact there are some
188,000 lakes in Finland

ROVANIEMI, FINLAND
Of ice
and men
Finnish Lapland embodies
the essence of a winter
wonderland. We decided
to cross the Arctic Circle
in peak winter, and
experience it in its
full glory. We visited
Rovaniemi (the fabled
home of Santa Claus),
snowshoed amidst
snow-crowned spruces,
and slept under the
northern lights in a glass
igloo. One afternoon, we
tried ice fishing on a frozen
lake near Rovaniemi, with
our friend Jüvö. After a
couple of hours catching
nothing more than a single
pike-perch, the sky cleared
and greeted us with this
mesmerising sunset. This
picture of Jüvö staring into
the sun, is our personal
favourite.

Husband-and-wife Debojyoti Lahiri

and Paulomi Majumder are two
scientists with huge wanderlust

February 2018 9
 LONDON, ENGLAND
Spin city
I took this photo while
walking along the South
Bank of the River Thames
one cold evening. I had
spent the day walking
around playing tourist
in my own city with a
family member of mine,
completely consumed
by the hustle and bustle
of London. That evening,
the London Eye looked
particularly striking, with
the sunset bursting through
the structure’s crevices.
The shot reminds me that
despite the fast pace of the
city, we must take time to
savour our surroundings.

Londoner Tim Sonmez is soon to

The 135m-high London Eye was the world’s tallest Ferris wheel until 2006 – a wheel in Las Vegas holds the current record embark on a year-long trip to Asia

ATACAMA, CHILE
Desert life
Exploring the Atacama
Highlands, I drove from
stunning mountain lake
to stunning mountain lake,
but the one I was most
excited to visit was Chaxa
Lagoon for all the pink
flamingos. Here you’ve
got a very good chance to
watch them feeding. Even
though I’ve seen flamingos
on my travels before, I’ve
never seen them in such a
beautiful place, and it was
amazing getting so close
to these graceful animals.
I could almost hear the
squelch of mud as they dug
for little shrimp to eat!

Macca Sherifi lives in London and

spent a month travelling in Chile Flamingos’ pink colour is not in their DNA: it comes from the beta-carotene in the algae and small brine shrimp they eat

10 February 2018
 POSTCARDS
Send your best new travel photos to postcards@lonelyplanet.com

KAMPOT, CAMBODIA
Crimson
and saffron
In many towns we noticed
Buddhist monks going
barefoot from house to
house, street to street,
collecting food for
themselves. The house
owners seemed to expect
them, as they had tins
of food ready to give out
when the monks called at
the door. I thought this was
a beautiful gesture. I took
this picture of two monks
during a tuk-tuk-tour near
Kampot, and I love their
quiet serenity as they
moved slowly down the
road. It didn’t rain that day
but I guess they protected
themselves against the
sun. It’s wonderful how
their umbrellas match
their robes.

Annemarie Straumann from Zurich

spent four weeks in Cambodia In Theravada Buddhism – the type most common in Southeast Asia – monks have to observe 227 rules in daily life

February 2018 11
I N S TA G R A M
Each month, we ask our Instagram followers to share their best shots on a travel theme;
we print our favourites here. Want to get involed? Follow us at @lonelyplanetmags

Urban adventures

‘Time ticks leisurely in Havana, and the cars live in ‘Kiyevskaya Station in Moscow, part of one of the ‘Long exposure shows rush-hour light trails on the
a decade of their own’ (@blucoconutphotography) world’s grandest tube networks’ (@hollymslade) Brooklyn Bridge in NYC’ (@dougconventephoto)

‘Sunset over Budapest’s Liberty Bridge, taken in ‘One resident of Lopburi, a Thai city that’s overrun ‘Fighting through eight million mopeds during rush
-1°C with shaking hands’ (@sarahhallidayjames) by boisterous macaque monkeys’ (@maxturner.co) hour in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’ (@cmoore0987)

‘Amazing view looking down the spiral staircase in ‘An urban paradise: under the palms at Valencia’s ‘Interior of the Arts West building in Australia’s
the Arc de Triomphe in Paris’ (@hapishirls) L’Umbracle in Spain’ (@orch_la) University of Melbourne’ (@syazashakh)

Next month: My neighbourhood

12 February 2018
 Immerse
Yourself in Asia
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Immerse Yourself tour, that’s exactly what you’ll do. Packed with engaging cultural experiences, active adventures and
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 Globet
GLOBETROTTER

Eye in the sky

AS A PHOTOGRAPHER, ARCHITECT AND
pilot, Jeffrey Milstein was uniquely qualified
to undertake his latest project: shooting the
urban landscapes of New York and Los
Angeles from above. Milstein caught the two
cities in all their surreal magic by hanging out
of a helicoper with his camera. One of our
favourite images is this one of Times Square
in Manhattan gently glowing at night. You
can see more of his work and find out about
his upcoming exhibitions and new book at
jeffreymilstein.com.

O For an aerial experience of your own,

FlyNYON offers doors-off helicopter rides
in a handful of US cities, New York and LA
among them (flynyon.com).

16 February 2018
rotter
GLOBETROTTER

A WORLD OF TRAVEL NEWS AND DISCOVERIES

PHOTOGRAPHS: JEFFREY MILSTEIN

February 2018 17
GLOBETROTTER

SOMETHING TO DECLARE:
When enjoying the wonders of the aurora, spare
a thought for the satellite operators

Canada, February 2017: I stood in the

snow on a frozen lake, watching as the
sky twisted in front of me. Green bands
of light stretched out in the darkness. Slowly the
colours writhed and broke and reappeared
elsewhere until, suddenly, a whole band rippled
and pulsed across the sky, fringed with delicate
yellow, pinks and purples. It was as dramatic
as a thunderstorm, yet calm. Gentle, yet
astonishing. Most of all, it was a gift.
This was my fifth aurora trip and the first time
I had seen fast movements and bright colours. The
calm, green auroral displays that many people see
are driven by a constant stream of particles from the
sun, called the solar wind. But when the sun throws
us extra hot, fast particles, this process goes into
overdrive – we get much more movement and colour.
It is glorious! Aurora-spotters long for it.
But for some, the wild movements of the heavens can
have serious repercussions. Satellites’ electronics are
affected or damaged by incoming fast particles, disrupting
industries that rely on them. Flights may need to be diverted to
avoid radio blackouts around the poles, or to protect aircrew from
enhanced radiation exposure. During a solar storm, aircrew may receive
their annual radiation limit over a single flight.
Stormy space weather affects us on the ground, too. A large solar storm in
1989 caused a 10-hour electrical blackout over Canada’s Québec Province, costing the
economy an estimated C$10 billion. Disturbance of the atmosphere causes problems with
radio transmission and GPS. In September 2017, a huge solar flare erupted just as Hurricane
Irma hit the Caribbean. The ensuing HF radio blackout hindered the emergency response.
Meanwhile, beautiful aurora displays were seen in mid-latitude regions such as England.
Place aesthetics aside, then, and the auroral process is nothing other than a giant
planetary disruption, more of a worry than a wonder for some people. Yet
seldom do such disruptions have such spellbinding side effects as that of
the aurora dancing across our Arctic skies.

DR MELANIE WINDRIDGE is a physicist and author

ILLUSTRATION: ALEXANDER WELLS – FOLIO ART. PHOTOGRAPHS: MARK READ, MATT MUNRO, MEHMET O/ALAMY
of Aurora: In Search of the Northern Lights. She is
currently training to climb Mount Everest in the
spring (melaniewindridge.co.uk).

18 February 2018
 Megan Eaves-Egenes Christina Webb
Destination editor Assistant editor
NATIONALITY: American NATIONALITY: British
DNA RESULTS: DNA RESULTS:

Irish, Scottish & Welsh South Asian

Irish, Scottish & Welsh
42.3% 32.3% North & West European
57.8% 33.6%
Iberian English
Scandinavian

16.8% 5.2% 3.4%

West Asia
4.4% 4.2% Eastern European

BIGGEST SURPRISE BIGGEST SURPRISE

Though it’s only a small amount, the West Asian percentage was both All of it! With the Portuguese colonisation of my mother’s hometown
new to me and exciting. I was also interested to discover that I have a of Goa, India, and further afield, I assumed her ancestry was a melting
little bit of Iberian DNA, too. pot of cultures, but it’s come out as strikingly full South Asian. Most
unexpected of all was my Eastern European lineage – of this I had no
HOW IT’LL SHAPE MY TRAVELS inclination whatsoever.
Turkey and Iran are two destinations I’ve had on my bucket list for some
time – cradles of civilisation and part of HOW IT’LL SHAPE MY TRAVELS
the old Silk Road. Knowing that I’m excited to see picturesque
maybe one of my great, Eastern European cities such

BACK TO
great, great ancestors as Tallinn in Estonia and
came from this part of St Petersburg in Russia.
the world only makes I’d also like to travel
me want to dive in
and explore more. OUR ROOTS
The latest travel trend? Getting a DNA test
through diverse India
and Sri Lanka, too.

and planning a trip based on the results.

Four Lonely Planet staffers took a test
with ancestry company MyHeritage
to find out how far our genes have
come – and to inspire future
travels (DNA kits £75;
Jessica Cole myheritage.com). Peter Grunert
Acting features editor Group editor
NATIONALITY: British NATIONALITY: British
English DNA RESULTS: DNA RESULTS:

67.5% 22.6% Scandinavian North & West European

72.7% 24% Irish, Scottish & Welsh

Iberian

9.1% 0.8%
Italian Iberian

2.2% 1.1%
West Asia
BIGGEST SURPRISE
That I have any South European ethnicity at all. From what I knew of BIGGEST SURPRISE
my ancestry (and given my blonde hair and inability to tan), I assumed Having always identified myself as at least 70% ethnically English,
I’d be entirely Northern European, so it was a lovely surprise to have I am apparently 0% English.
more diversity.
HOW IT’LL SHAPE MY TRAVELS
HOW IT’LL SHAPE MY TRAVELS I’m hoping to reunite 1.1% of me with
I’ve always fancied tackling the Camino its origins somewhere around the
de Santiago pilgrimage walking route in Caucasus. I’d like to think there’s a
northwestern Spain; now armed with my village full of wavy-haired, ruddy-
new-found Iberian heritage, I’m keener cheeked people in a remote corner of
than ever. Maybe the motherland has Georgia who will welcome me back as
been calling me home all this time... one of their own.

February 2018 19
 Where to L I N E U P A Y E A R O F S E A S O N A L LY

January February March April May June

SLOVENIA DOMINICAN REP VIETNAM NORWAY NAMIBIA YOSEMITE
The top month to This is the month of This season offers By now, the sun hardly May is the best The snow has melted
enjoy great-value wind, whales and photographers an sets in the far-north so month to tackle the so come now to
snowsports in this wonderful weather. azure sky rather than you can sail the fjords in Fish River Canyon summit Half Dome,
mountainous land. Surf at lively Cabarete haze, and walkers get otherworldly midnight Trek in Namibia, the national park’s
Adventure

There’s reliable while thousands of comfortably cool sunshine. Longer days which runs through most legendary peak.
snowfall between humpbacks gather and dry hiking also makes it easier to the world’s second
December and briefly to feed in conditions. As for the hop off for activities, deepest gorge. The
March, but January is Samaná Bay. beaches, you’re likely too: disembark to fish at river is full, but not so
the sweet spot to to opt for self- the Lofoten Islands or prone to flash
carve the slopes marooning on the hike at Geirangerfjord. flooding as at other
without the crowds. white sands times of year, and the
of Mui Ne or mild nights are ideal
Phu Quoc. for star-gazing.

TASMANIA SICILY LONDON LOIRE VALLEY

Come to this Get to grips with Caffeine fans, London The wine and food in
Australian state in Sicilian food during is where you need to be France’s Loire Valley is
January to enjoy its SINGAPORE the mild spring, when in April! A festival of wonderful year- AMSTERDAM
Food and Drink

incredible produce in The island state there are fewer coffee comes to town round, at Michelin- Cold beers on a sunny
the sunshine: artisan explodes with colour tourists and prices are this month. Head to starred restaurants canalside terrace: there
growers and and feasting for cheap. The cuisine the Old Truman and family-run really needs no other
producers pack Chinese New Year. The fuses Italian, Brewery to try bistros. In May, reason to come to
market stalls and festival bazaar on French, Spanish, coffee from over however, the markets Amsterdam in June,
restaurants brim Pagoda Street cooks up Arabic and Greek 250 stalls. start to spill with the but the annual Sloten
with local delicacies. party food you’ll influences year’s first bounty, Bier Festival provides
remember all year, – and the from strawberries to one, with a raft of craft
including satay, roast gelato alone is asparagus. beer available from
duck and sizzling fried sufficient across the
seafood. reason to visit. Netherlands.

PORTUGAL EASTER ISLAND VANUATU UZBEKISTAN

Winter is rarely long or Crowds thin and This volcano-pocked This Silk Road
harsh in southern prices simmer down in .
nation is home to 100 showstopper is
Portugal, and February is March, the end of the languages and as awash with tulips
ETHIOPIA prime time to explore the southern-hemisphere many unique tribal and apricot trees in
Celebrate interior as it summer. At this communities. In April, May, and Bukhara’s IRAN
Culture

Christmas, held on explodes with time of year, then, Pentecost Island hosts Silk and Spices The extraordinary
7 January here, and almond you can ponder a hair-raising fertility Festival celebrates blue-tiled architecture
Timkat (19–20 blossom. The in peace, and in rite: bungee jumpers carpet weavers, of Esfahan, the bazaars
January) in ancient medieval town ideal weather, hurl themselves from carpenters, of Tehran and Shiraz:
sites. The frescoed, of Évora is a the mysteries of scaffolds with only a musicians and artists all quieter in June, and
subterranean particular Rapa Nui’s vine to break their fall. still practising ripe for exploration at
churches of Lalibela highlight. prehistoric traditional skills. a manageable
come alive during the culture. temperature.
festivals.

20 February 2018
 go in 2018
GLOBETROTTER

APPROPRIATE TRAVEL PLANS

July August September October November December

JAPAN ZAMBIA KENYA OMAN VICTORIA HAMPI
Nothing looms larger Run the whitewaters Safari-goers flock to This gulf state is a land Start the Australian Mild December is ideal
in the Japanese of the Zambezi in this, popular parks such as of raw canyons and summer in the for a trek through
pysche than Mount the drier season – the Masai Mara in rippled desert, and marvellous the strange, lunar
Fuji. Official climbing which counter- September to watch best enjoyed during mountains of the landscape of Hampi in

Adventure
season starts in early intuitively provides the Great Migration, autumn’s mellow Grampians National India, strewn with
July so strap on your the most thrilling but you’ll have the weather. Go for camel Park. The precarious towers of
hiking boots and trek rafting. Oblivion, wildlife of less-visited treks and sandboarding escarpments and colossal boulders
up for sunrise on the Washing Machine, areas such as the at Sharqiya Sands, or forests are full of and hiding a lost
summit. Knashing Jaws of Samburu National watch as 20,000 green wild flowers and Hindu city.
Death – just some of Reserve all to turtles come ashore to there are plentiful
the rapids that yourself. nest at Ras al Jinz. opportunities for
adrenaline-seekers horse-riding and
can try. hiking.

SWEDEN SPAIN BARBADOS

It’s crayfish season! The region Come in November
WEST IRELAND Many restaurants will of La Rioja crams for sizzling fried
July is typically the serve them and every GERMANY 1,200 wineries into its flying fish and local

Food and drink

warmest month here household will hold Cruise or hike one of small proportions. rum, in a perfect
and has the most a crayfish party, Germany’s most Come in October and month where storms SCOTLAND
daylight hours, complete with lashings beautiful rivers in the it’ll be in the full flurry are less likely but the Celebrate year’s end
meaning you can of the spirit aquavit. Moselle Valley. The of the grape harvest, peak season hasn’t with a dram or two of
pub-crawl in the light grape harvest makes and the vines turning yet begun. Scotch. Dufftown, ‘the
till 11pm. Be sure to September the ideal golden – the perfect malt whisky capital of
CHRIS HEPBURN/GETTY, CHEPE NICOLI/SHUTTERSTOCK, ROBERT FRANCIS/ROBERT HARDING/GETTY

stop in Cork for good month to embark on time for a wine-tasting. the world’, hosts an
PHOTOGRAPHS: PHILIP LEE HARVEY,DANITA DELIMONT/ALAMY, MATT MUNRO, ERIC LAFFORGUE,
IMAGE BROKER/ALAMY, MARK READ, SEAN PAVONE/SHUTTERSTOCK, JOHNER IMAGES/GETTY,

eating, and sink a this journey - there’ll annual Hogmanay

few stouts in the be wall-to-wall ceilidh ending with
bars of Galway. tasting opportunities. whisky in its square.

BOSNIA TIBET PELOPONNESE HAVANA

Explore two Visit holy Buddhist Clement weather and Wander rumbling,
history-packed cities sites after the smaller crowds make pastel-hued colonial
at their sun-soaked ECUADOR summer rains have October a great time masterpieces in the
best. Start in Mostar Explore Inca remains at eased and before to visit the peninsula’s MEXICO CITY cool month of
by watching the Ikari, ghostly Ingapirca, or snow arrives in Roman ruins, classical This month kicks off December, and walk
Culture

a high-dive learn some colonial October. The kora temples, Byzantine with Día de los in Hemingway’s
competition from its history at Cuenca, in (pilgrimage circuit) ports and pretty Muertos – a fanfare of footsteps into old-time
storied bridge, then Ecuador’s dry season. of sacred Mount Venetian towns. Don’t marigolds, candles, bars serving Cuba libre
continue to Sarajevo, Kailash is best miss Olympia, home sugar skulls and cocktails.
to explore cobbled attempted now. to the original tequila in honour of
streets and see Olympic games. the dead.
first-hand the
impact of the
Want more travel inspiration? Get hold of Lonely
recent Balkan War.
Planet’s Where to Go When (£19.99; lonelyplanet.com).

February 2018 21
 GLOBETROTTER

GET OUT AND ABOUT

Here at Lonely Planet we’re big believers that there’s no
such thing as bad weather – only unsuitable clothing. The
Welsh county of Carmarthenshire seems to agree.
Inspired by the Scandinavian culture of outdoor eating
whatever the weather, its tourist board has launched a
new winter picnic guide (discovercarmarthenshire.com).
It gives tips on how to embrace the colder season and
features the best spots in the region to enjoy a wintry
al-fresco lunch, such as the Towy Valley, pictured here.
Get hold of the gear below to help you on your way.

TWEED HIP MITTENS WATERPROOF WOOLLY THERMOS

FLASK £28; etsy.com PICNIC SOCKS FOOD FLASK
£32; walkerslater.com (Northern Loop BLANKET £17; £16;
Knitwear) £99; thefuturekept.com universalworks.co.uk johnlewis.com

SAFE TRAVELS
It’s rarely been possible to retain and display
PHOTOGRAPHS: JOE DANIEL PRICE/GETTY

important medical information in a stylish way

on your travels, but the new wristband from
Vagaband is having a good go. Made from a
waterproof, fire-resistant and fade-proof material
in a variety of designs, the wristband holds out to
reveal sections for existing conditions, allergies,
injuries, blood type and so on – so no matter
where your travels take you, your vital info will
come too (£12; vagaband.com).

February 2018 23
 <RXFDQJRZLWKFRQ�GHQFHWRVXQQ\VKRUHVWKLVZLQWHU

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QRZDYDLODEOHZLWKRXWDSUHVFULSWLRQ
If you’re about to embark on a sunny break in a region
with a risk of malaria, don’t take chances.
It’s important to ensure you get some level of protection.
Getting protection has never been easier.
While you may have needed a prescription in the past, now you
FDQVLPSO\JRRQOLQHRUDVN\RXUSKDUPDFLVWDERXW0DOR�3URWHFW 
:KDWȇVPRUHZLWK0DOR�3URWHFW\RXFDQVWDUW\RXUFRXUVHȂGD\V
before you travel.
7DNHR�ZLWK0DOR�3URWHFW
Always read the label
Simply go online or visit your pharmacist and ask
+HOSWDNHPDODULDR�WKHLWLQHUDU\
DERXW0DOR�3URWHFWWRGD\
A full travel health consultation with your pharmacist is required.

*For maximum protection against malaria, take steps to avoid being

bitten by mosquitoes as well as taking your antimalarial medicine.
ZZZPDOR�SURWHFWFRXN 0DOR�3URWHFWLVIRUDGXOWVDJHG\HDUVDQGRYHURQO\
 GLOBETROTTER
1

Far out
2
4
Is pushing your travel boundaries at the top of your new
year’s resolutions? Then book on to one of these
exploration tours – all brand new for 2018.

1
Dive into the Belarusian wilderness in search of wolves,
bison and other wildlife in the company of an expert
guide. This short trip also includes a tour of history-
saturated capital Minsk.
O Five days, from £935; explore.co.uk

2
Travel from Pakistani capital I slamabad to the
western edge of the Himalayas with food writer
Sumayya Usmani, discovering the country’s rich
gastronomic heritage via food markets and cooking demos.
O 14 days, from £3,275; wildfrontierstravel.com
3
3
A luxury cruise takes you to the ‘Canadian Galápagos’,
the Haida Gwaii archipelago, where you’ll encounter
5
PHOTOGRAPHS: RONALD W JANSEN/GETTY, TOM MACKIE, R ELLIOTT

whales, bears and puffins – and some of the world’s

best remaining original totem poles.
O Nine days, from £4,390; worldexpeditions.com

4
Go solo in the terracotta desert landscape of Jordan
on an adventure tour for like-minded single travellers;
this one includes canyoning through hidden gorges at
Wadi Mujib and glamping in the desert.
O Eight days from £1,699; flashpack.com

5
If the Inca Trail isn’t high-octane enough for you, this
active Peruvian trip might be up your street. Expect to
haul yourself up cliff faces by via ferrata; cycle across
llama-specked hillsides, and camp under the Andean stars.
O 10 days, from £1,860; intrepidtravel.com

February 2018 25
ARIZONA
DREAMING
Some of its neighbours may shout a little louder, but get
under the skin of Arizona and you’ll find a state that’s making
all the right noises

E
mbroidered with some of America’s National Park – is one point to plot out on
most dramatic roadside scenery, as well any road-trip route through the state. Watch
as a sizeable portion of Route 66 itself, the early evening sunshine bounce off the
Arizona makes for an unforgettable fly-drive rock, revealing the sheer depth into the valley
destination. The Grand Canyon State more below. For drama, take in the view from the
than holds its own against neighbouring southern rim and for tranquillity, choose
California and Nevada, both of which have the northern one. You can also journey down
long been romanticised for their road-trip into the depths to appreciate the scale from
potential. Being America’s sixth-largest below, by ascending at a gentle pace. And,
state by area means size is on Arizona’s side, if you want to discover the science behind
giving it a wide range of stop-off destinations. one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the
Ancient Hopi villages showcase rich Native World, the Yavapai Geology Museum on the
American history, and laid-back, modern cities southern rim will open eyes and minds alike.
emerge from the dust of volcanic national With a British Airways fly-drive holiday,
parks and petrified forests. Quite often, the and an additional route between London
travelling is just as good as the arriving. Heathrow and Phoenix, Arizona, three days
But arrive you must and Arizona’s best- a week, it’s never been easier to hit the open
known sight – the unmissable Grand Canyon road and unearth all that Arizona has to offer.
 A D V E R T I S E M E N T F E AT U R E

PHOENIX
Desert metropolis Phoenix is Arizona’s
powerhouse of style and sophistication.
Within easy reach is the Desert Botanical
Garden and its eclectic array of cacti, as well
as bluebells and Mexican gold poppies. The
spring months are the best time to visit the
garden and that goes for the rest of the city,
too. The Musical Instrument Museum is a
perfect soundtrack to your visit, while the
Heard Museum is an astonishing account
of Arizona’s Native American past. Satiate
your appetite with world-beating Mexican

MESA
Just a short drive east of Phoenix is Mesa,
and Southwestern cuisine, which is a
fusion of many of the state’s local dishes,
then seek out one of the many fashionable
a haven for outdoorsy locals, surrounded breweries serving refreshing craft beers.
as it is by rugged mountains and canyons,
including the legendary Apache Trail. Mesa
also shares a border with Tonto National
Forest, one of the most visited in the United
States – its four lakes and two rivers offer
a picturesque setting for activities such as
cruises and paddle boarding. You can sample
some of the state’s finest gourmet offerings on
the award-winning Mesa Fresh Foodie Trail®,
featuring culinary outposts such as farms,
citrus groves, olive trees and peach orchards.

SEDONA
Venturing northwards on Interstate 17
SCOTTSDALE
Not far north of Mesa is Scottsdale. There
eventually takes you to Sedona and a more you can play on premier golf courses, and
spiritual experience. Sedona altitude is an pamper yourself with spa treatments inspired
antidote to the summer heat of Phoenix and by Native American healing traditions and
many artists flock here each year to visit places Sonoran Desert botanicals. Stay in one of
such as the Buddhist shrine of Amitabha Scottsdale’s unique hotels that range from
Stupa & Peace Park, or the thousand-year- full-service luxury resorts and boutique desert
old cliff dwellings of Palatki Heritage Site. hideaways to hip, urban venues and budget-
Try Sedona’s Secret 7 – the best locations for maximizing economy properties. While you’re
activities ranging from picnicking, hiking and there, visit the Old Town District – a Wild
biking in Red Rock Country to yoga and the West-themed area complete with saloons,
arts. An afternoon’s kayaking or bouldering quaint churches and other themed buildings,
– free climbing on large boulders – can be as well as galleries selling genuine Native
rounded off perfectly in the city’s surfeit American art. For a more modern flavour, try
of world-class wellness spas. the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art.

TUCSON
End on a high by heading southwards
to rambunctious Tucson – the heart of
the Southwest, where Native American,
Spanish, Mexican and Anglo traditions blend
seamlessly. A stroll down 4th Avenue will
deliver you to hip art stalls, vintage clothes
markets and authentic food outlets; no
chain in sight. Try to squeeze in the eight-
mile trip out of the city to see the Mission
San Xavier del Bac – an extraordinarily
ornate Spanish Catholic church, nicknamed
the ‘White Dove of the Desert’. Then relax
in one of the city’s many fine hotels, set
against a stark, mountainous backdrop.

#PPL
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Malawi Travel Marketing Consortium

Seminars & Workshops

Supported by Explorer Partner Sponsor Sponsor Destination Partner

*10% off valid on standard day and weekend tickets. Ticket offer must end at midnight on the 19th January 2018.
 Easy Trips
THIS MONTH... hit the slopes in Switzerland, join the carnival
in the Caribbean, eat, drink and be merry in Gothenburg
and tune out in India

GOA, INDIA

Sun salute
The beaches at Mandrem, in the Indian state
of Goa, are at their prime after New Year, with
calm seas and sunny days before the monsoon
arrives in May. Two small rivers backed by
coconut palms run parallel to the Arabian
OUR OFFERS
Look out for special Easy
Sea, with the sand forming slender strips in
Trips offers. We do not
between, reached by rickety bamboo bridges. arrange these offers in
Just a few steps inland, Ashiyana is a yoga exchange for positive
and Ayurvedic spa retreat that also welcomes coverage
those new to the art. Classes are mainly based
on the hatha style yoga, with special attention to
breathwork. You don’t have to stay here to join
in, but the choice is inviting, from beach huts
made from natural materials to stucco-walled
villa rooms inspired by Rajasthani design.

MAKE IT HAPPEN
PHOTOGRAPH: ANNA BERKUT/ALAMY

Residential retreats start at around £600pp for a

week (ashiyana-yoga-goa.com). Drop-in yoga classes
for non-guests cost £7.
Thomas Cook Airlines and TUI Airways fly direct
to Goa from the UK in 9½ hours (from £410;
thomascookairlines.com). Other flights go via
Mumbai, Delhi, Abu Dhabi or Muscat.

February 2018 29
 GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN

Get to know SLEEP It may seem

positively
counterintuitive to stay in

Gothenburg a French-style hotel in a

Swedish city, but the Hotel
Pigalle likes to confound
Sweden’s second city is fast expectations. Its rooms are
a frenzy of wild boudoir-like
overtaking Stockholm in the design, with bespoke
Nordic cool stakes. Less visually wallpaper, velvet throws,
thick silk curtains, antique
attractive at first sight than the furniture and beds piled high
capital, Gothenburg nonetheless with more pillows than you
know what to do with. Don’t
rewards those who like to amble miss the buffet breakfast,
without purpose, hiding a year’s taken by the fire under the
eaves, or a cocktail in the
worth of inventive restaurants, lobby Bar Amuse (from £80;
candlelit cafés, cool bars and hotelpigalle.se).

independent shops down its

canal-side boulevards and
cobbled lanes. Head off on a
winter break and you’ll likely
have those appealingly snow-
cloaked streets to yourself.
Here’s how to get started.

MAKE IT HAPPEN

BA, Norwegian and Ryanair fly to Gothenburg from

the UK (from £100; norwegian.com).
Pick up a Göteborg card online or from the tourist
office or airport for transport, restaurant and admission
discounts (48 hours from £30; goteborg.com).
EAT Get to grips
with the

VISIT Liseberg
is to
delights of a Nordic
diet at family-run
neighbourhood
restaurant Bord 27. The
Gothenburg what Tivoli is
inventive menu changes
to Copenhagen: good old
seasonally and might
fairground fun right in the
include such dishes as
city. Rides vary from the
roasted cauliflower
mild and nostalgic (ghost
with salted beetroot or
houses, Ferris wheels and
reindeer fillet ( mains
so on) to ones more likely
from £18; bord27.se).
to reintroduce you to
your lunch – including the
Valkyria, Europe’s longest-
drop roller-coaster, due
to open this year (£9;
liseberg.com).

30 February 2018
 EASY TRIPS

LONDON, ENGLAND

Measures
of success
The winning recipe for last year’s World’s
Best Martini competition involved 10
SHOP Pick up
fashion
parts Daffy’s Gin to one measure of Noilly
Prat, together with orange peel, a mint
and homeware at concept
store Vallgatan 12, housed leaf, cassia bark, ground almonds and
in a former bank vault.
Swedish designers feature a drop of coriander tincture. This
prominently alongside January, the winner for 2018 will be
more well-known global
brands (vallgatan12.se). announced. Five gins are in the running
and at the Contenders Challenge Event,
guests can test out the gin-makers’ entries
before the judges make their decision.
DRINK Tredje
Långgatan
and the roads leading off
it, in the old harbour area,
are an excellent option for
a bar crawl. The courtyard
at No 9 hides a wine bar,
a tequila and taco joint
and the atmospheric Kafé
Magasinet, and there’s
craft beer at the Brewers
Beer Bar across the road at
No 8 (tredjelanggatan.se).
FREE ROOM
UPGRADE
Quote ‘Lonely Planet’ when
checking in to the Town Hall
Hotel to receive a free room
upgrade, subject to
availability.
PHOTOGRAPHS: HELENE SMEDBERG BERNSTONE, AMANDING CANNING, JOHN

DO
CAREY/GETTY, LISEBERG, DINO SOLDIN

The seatbelt was invented by

Swedish car company Volvo. Learn MAKE IT HAPPEN
these and other top facts, and take a gander at
90 years of automobile innovation – from rally The Contenders Challenge Event for the World’s Best Martini
cars to delightful wooden caravans – at the takes place on 18 January at Oslo restaurant in Hackney, east
genuinely engaging Volvo Museum
London. Tickets start at £16.50 (worldsbestmartini.co.uk).
(£9; volvomuseum.com).
The Town Hall Hotel occupies splendid former civic offices for
Bethnal Green – a 1910 building with later Art Deco touches, and
cutting-edge furnishings and art (from £133; townhallhotel.com).

February 2018 31
 The Drifter’s reception
10% OFF STAY doubles as a coffee bar.
RIGHT The communal area
Quote ‘Lonely Planet’ when
booking a room at the
Drifter for a stay before
30 April 2018 and receive Rooms centre around the
10% off the price. hotel pool, complete with
disco ball. LEFT The Drifter
lit up at night

NEW ORLEANS, USA

Catch the drift

Wrought-iron balconies in the French Quarter, colonnaded mansions in the
Garden District and humbler shotgun houses in the backstreets have come to
define the look of New Orleans. The Drifter, however, has taken its inspiration
from a different vintage. This recently opened hotel on Tulane Avenue, two miles
northwest of the centre, is a lovingly revived piece of 1950s motel design that
takes its cue from the Beat Generation. Motley food trucks and other pop-ups are
invited onto the grounds, and the courtyard pool is a blessing in this sultry city.

MAKE IT HAPPEN

Room prices at the Drifter start at around £100 (thedrifterhotel.com).

BA’s recently launched direct flights to New Orleans link Heathrow with Louis Armstrong International in 10 hours
(from £720; ba.com). American and Finnair also fly direct, while Delta and United have a wide range of non-direct flights from the UK.

32 February 2018
 EASY TRIPS

AROSA, SWITZERLAND

Mountain magic
The villages of the Alps feel like little worlds of their own
at the best of times, surrounded as they are by peaks, dark
forests and – in winter – banks of snow. Arosa more than MAKE IT HAPPEN
proves the point: the only road into the village turns back
on itself as it climbs higher into the valley, so that the Valsana Hotel is open for the ski
drive up from the big town of Chur, which is only eight season until 8 April (from £290;
miles away as the crow flies, takes 45 minutes. Luckily, valsana.ch) – and again from mid-June
there’s enough on arrival to justify this scenic isolation, to mid-September for summer hikers.
with 140 miles of downhill ski slopes at all difficulty Arosa is 2½ hours’ drive from Zürich
levels, plus plenty of cross-country routes and winter Airport or three hours by train with
walking trails. One new addition is Valsana – a hotel two changes (sbb.ch). BA, easyJet and
whose contemporary design echoes the branches of the Swiss fly to Zürich from UK airports
forests that screen off the outside world. (from £90; easyJet.com).
PHOTOGRAPHS: NICOLE FRANZEN FOR DESIGN HOTELS™, CHRISTIAN KOBER/AWL IMAGES

February 2018 33
 REVIEW OF THE MONTH
BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, ENGLAND

The Pointer
The Pointer pub has
its own farm and
butcher shop

Why now? What am I eating?

The Pointer is very much the pub of the Local sourcing may be the mantra of every
moment, having recently been named restaurateur across the land, but this is no
Michelin Pub of the Year 2018. And, moreover, hollow claim at the Pointer, which owns a
its log fires and cosy vaulted interiors make nearby farm specialising in rare-breed livestock,
for a perfect retreat on frosty winter nights. some of which finds its way to the pub’s own
butcher shop (and thereafter to the pub
What should I expect? menu). The pub dining room is a garrulous and
This handsome pub occupies a red brick unfussy affair occupying a barn at the back of
building in the pretty hilltop village of Brill, the building. The philosophy is comfort food
Buckinghamshire. An unconfirmed, but often with ambition. Our highlight was the pre-
and fondly repeated local legend, goes that it dinner homemade beef-dripping butter served
was in this pub that the Great Train Robbery with freshly baked sourdough bread (that
was planned and where the money was arrived in a paper bag). Meaty, muscular
divided up afterwards. Unclaimed swag flavours dominate the mains too, in dishes like
bags are disappointingly absent amid the lamb neck and shoulder with squash, kale and
understated interiors, which feature beamed locally foraged ceps, or else a crowd-pleasing
ceilings, stone floors, and soft furnishings in Longhorn beef rib-eye steak with roast Guest rooms
autumnal hues. And, as you’d expect from the tomatoes and dripping-cooked chips. were decorated
name, there are doggy design motifs galore. by co-owner
What’s in the Fiona Howden.
ABOVE Co-owner
What’s my room like? neighbourhood? David Howden
Four guest rooms are a recent addition to the Brill’s principle landmark is its 17th-century
Pointer, arranged around an 18th-century windmill that counts among the best
cottage a short hop over the road from the preserved in England. It’s only open to
main pub. These are also sparsely furnished, visitors on Sunday afternoons throughout the
with an off-white colour scheme, wooden summer months. Alternatively, it’s a 12-mile
writing desks, vast beds and bathrooms with drive to the dreaming spires of Oxford.
slipper baths and rain showers. We really liked
that Ordnance Survey maps and wellies were What’s the damage?
available for guests to borrow in the porch, a All rooms cost £130 per night. In the
nice touch when you’re setting off on a blustery restaurant, starters begin at £8 and mains
walk through the Buckinghamshire hills. from around £20 (thepointerbrill.co.uk).

34 February 2018
 EASY TRIPS

ASK A LOCAL

RICHARD SMITH
Manager, The Pointer
CARNIVAL TIME
Few sounds conjure up the spirit of Carnival like the
notes beaten out on a steel pan. In the run-up to
The best February, you’ll hear the panyards of Trinidad &
place for… Tobago – and above all in its capital, Port of Spain –
resound to bands practising for the Caribbean’s
biggest carnival. Stay on for the main event to hear
...A GOOD VIEW calypso and soca, the signature music of ‘Trinbago’,
‘Measuring 260m high,
Coombe Hill is the Everest and see festival costumes ranging from the
of the Chiltern Hills. At
the top there's a Boer
traditional masquerade characters to modern get-
War memorial and you're ups of sequinned bikinis and feather headdresses.
rewarded with beautiful
views over the Vale of MAKE IT HAPPEN
Aylesbury. The Cotswold
escarpment is just about Most Carnival events take place 4-13 February – check the list at ncctt.org.
visible on a clear day too. Accommodation books up quickly during carnival; one option away from the big city,
It's a great spot to relax.’ in beachside Grande Riviere on the north coast, is Mt Plaisir Estate. Its guest rooms
nationaltrust.org.uk feature local art and handcrafted furnishings (from £120; mtplaisir.com).
BA flies from Gatwick to Port of Spain in Trinidad with a one-hour stop in St Lucia
en route (from £615; ba.com). BA, Thomas Cook Airlines and Virgin Atlantic also fly
to neighbouring Tobago, with inter-island ferries, and flights by Caribbean Airlines.
For more Carnival fever, see our feature on Malta’s annual celebration, on p60.

...A PINT AND A MEAL

‘After the Pointer, the Nut Tree Inn in Murcott is surely the
best-looking pub in the region, with a thatched roof and green
PHOTOGRAPHS: SEAN DRAKES/GETTY, SCFOTOS – STUART CRUMP VISUALS/ALAMY,

lawns. As well as being a perfect place for a pint with friends

on a summer evening, it also serves some seriously good
modern British food.’ nuttreeinn.co.uk

...A COUNTRY PILE

TONY HYDE/ALAMY, JAMIE LAU, SIMON NARRACOTT

‘Waddesdon Manor
resembles a French
château in the middle
of the Buckinghamshire
countryside. Built in the
late 19th century by the
Rothschild dynasty, it
also has an aviary, where
you can see rare and
endangered birds
twittering away.’
waddesdon.org.uk

February 2018 35
 EASY TRIPS

FREE CREAM TEA

Quote ‘Lonely Planet’ when
booking to receive a free
cream tea at the Temple
Guiting Shop & Tea Room
(for stays from 1 Feb to
1 Dec 2018).

GLOUCESTERSHIRE, ENGLAND MAKE IT HAPPEN

Manor from heaven

CLOCKWISE FROM A stay for six at the Granary costs from
TOP LEFT Temple £550 per night (cockahoopcollection.
Guiting Manor hails co.uk). Also available are the Manor and the
from Tudor times;
The Cotswolds is the dewy-eyed vision of winter as presented in every Barn (each sleeping 10) and the Cow Byre
a cream tea is just
rom-com set in rural Britain – all honey-stone villages, frost-dusted valleys a short walk from and Peacock Shed (each sleeping two).
and jolly, fire-lit pubs. That dream is brought bursting to life at the Temple the manor; the Cobble together 30 people and you can
Guiting estate, a collection of self-catering buildings spilling out from a Granary sleeps up hire the entire estate (from £4,860). The
15th-century manor house and into 15 acres of prime Gloucestershire to six people, and Shop & Tea Room is a few minutes’ walk
countryside. New to the fold is the Granary, a recently refurbished three- has a stylish open- away and serves cream teas (£6.95),
plan living area
bedroom stone property with views of the estate’s tennis court. The bones sandwiches and lunch boards. It also has
of the building may be pure Cotswolds, but the décor is not, taking cues a wide selection of high-quality local
from industrial design, traditional African art and Modernism to form a produce, from sausages to gin.
pleasingly comfortable den perfect for a cold-weather hunker. Beyond the If not self-catering, drive to The Fox for
estate, an easy circular walk takes you over fields, through woodland and dinner. It also does a stonking Sunday roast
back to the doorstep in an hour or two. Before you abandon the outdoors (from £17.50; thefoxatoddington.com).
altogether and slump in front of the wood-burning stove, pop into the Temple Guiting village is 18 miles from
estate’s tea room, just a short stroll away, for a cream tea. Cheltenham, about a 35-minute drive.

February 2018 37
XXXXXXXXX

38 February 2018
 52
BEST
WEEKENDS
AWAY

52 BEST NIGHT ADVENTURES

WEEKENDS
21 Watch the aurora from a bar in Iceland p72
22 Try night skiing in Semmering, Austria p72
23 Camp under the stars in Wadi Rum, Jordan p73
24 Go star-gazing in the Brecon Beacons, Wales p73

AWAY
25 Get ruined in Budapest after dark p73

DIRTY WEEKENDS
26 Sail to the Channel Islands p74
27 Drink champagne in Champagne, France p74
A year’s worth of inspiration for quick 28 Spice things up in Istanbul p74
29 Muck in on the farm, Devon p75
breaks around Europe (and a bit further) 30 Learn flamenco in Seville p75
31 Go dirt-biking in Spain p75
1 THE ART OF THE FLÂNEUR: PARIS p40
There’s no better way to discover new corners of Paris ESCAPE TO THE FOREST
than on a (vaguely) aimless wander through its streets 32 Hike through Germany’s black forest p76
33 Hunker down in a treehouse in Wales p76
UNDER CANVAS 34 Kayak through the forests of Eastern Poland p77
2 Everybody yurts in Kyrgyzstan p52 35 Get serious about climbing a tree in Sweden p77
3 Pitch up in a Berber tent in Morocco p52 36 Camp deep in the Dorset woods p77
4 Canoe and camp in the Scottish Highlands p52 37 Sleep in the canopy in Finland p77
5 Stay in a Sami Lavvu in Norway p53
38 FOOD TOUR: DENMARK p78
URBAN LIFE SWAPS The craze for Nordic food shows no let-up: go straight
6 Embark on a book weekend in London p54 to the source with a road trip through North Zealand
7 Never mind the bollekes in Antwerp p55
8 Scrawl on a wall in Berlin p55 GASTRONOMIC TRIPS TO THE HOME OF...
9 Learn to dress like a bonafide Parisian p55 39 Rioja p90
11 Up your photography game in Athens p56 40 Salade niçoise p90
12 Hit the tiles in Lisbon p57 41 Jaffa oranges p90
13 Shop like a local in New York City p57 42 Spaghetti bolognese p91
43 Frankfurters p92
LEARN WITH THE KIDS 44 Arbroath smokies p92
14 Catch a break in Cornwall p58 45 Emmental cheese p93
PHOTOGRAPH: JOE WINDSOR-WILLIAMS

15 Turn adventurer in Wales p58 46 Chicago deep-dish pizza p93

16 Cook up a storm in Cumbria p58
17 Dive under in Essex p59 BRITAIN’S MOST INTERESTING SELF-CATERING
18 Take to the slopes in Staffordshire p59 47 In a beach shack in Wales p94
19 Learn to climb trees on the Isle of Wight p59 48 A Medieval house in Herefordshire p95
49 A castle in Scotland p95
20 THE CARNIVAL BUILDERS: MALTA p60 50 A cow barn in the Lake District p95
Forget Rio or New Orleans! You can enjoy Carnival much 51 A haunted cottage in East Devon p96
closer to home – on the islands of Malta and Gozo 52 A shipping container in Cornwall p96

February 2018 39
 the art of the
F L Â N E U R
Follow author Marcel Theroux on the trail of the flâneurs
– the intellectuals, bon vivants and artist-poets who sought
inspiration from the streets of 19th-century Paris
WORDS MARCEL THEROUX @Therouvian PHOTOGRAPHS ADRIENNE PITTS @hellopoe

40 February 2018
Kosher Jewish breads
52
BEST
and pastries on display WEEKENDS
at the Boulangerie AWAY
Murciano, which has
been a bakery in
Paris’ Marais district
for over 100 years.
LEFT A flâneur strolls
along one of Paris’
cobbled streets
S T R O L L I N G I N PA R I S

a flâneur,’ Baptiste tells me. ‘Canal de

l’Ourcq to Canal Saint-Martin is a good
route. I like to flân on Sundays with my
girlfriend, down to the 9th arrondissement
from Montmartre.’
Just a few yards from the brewery stands
the house where the superintendent of
the waterways used to live. Le Pavillon des
Canaux is now a café and workspace that
buzzes with youthful energy. The
superintendent’s bathtub still stands in
his old bathroom on the second floor.
Sitting in it, among cushions rather than
bathwater and fully dressed, are Mariana
Baldi and Raphael Laurent, both 23 years
old. They’re brainstorming ideas for an
experimental film. Mariana’s eyes brighten
at the mention of flânerie. ‘I love it. It’s the
time when you can really think about a lot

PHILHARMONIE DE PARIS
of things and have an idea.’
Unfortunately, in unrelenting rain, it’s

TO PLACE DE LA RÉPUBLIQUE
hard not to think about what a great walk
this would be in sunshine. The canal leads
towards the heart of the city, past the quaint

B
CANALSIDE WANDER: 4.3 MILES iron bridge from which Audrey Tautou
skims stones in the 2001 movie Amélie.
APTISTE THIÉRY PAUSES the line of the old city walls. If you think But with clothes this wet, a launderette
among the steel tanks of the of Paris as a clock face, my walk started is the only logical destination. On Rue
Paname microbrewery to at 2pm, beside the extraordinary new René Boulanger, I find one that Baptiste
wrestle with a ticklish piece of Philharmonie de Paris building that has recommended, Lavomatic. A customer
French translation. The resembles a huge gladiator’s helmet or the unloads his washing from a working
26-year-old Breton is brewing parliament of a sinister alien civilisation. tumble dryer, but the one beside it is
a new batch of an India pale The new building is the latest symbol actually a prop: it opens to reveal a hidden
ale and hops perfume the air. Baptiste is of the regeneration of this area, the 19th stairway. Upstairs is a tiny speakeasy,
also a graduate in English literature from arrondissement, which was once full of where drinkers perch on big boxes of soap

MAP ILLUSTRATIONS: JOE DAVIS (JOEDAVISART.COM). PHOTOGRAPH OF COINS: FLORENT LAMONTAGNE/AGE FOTOSTOCK
the prestigious Paris Diderot University, stockyards and meat markets, and whose powder and a gifted bartender mixes
so who better to translate the tricky French canals supplied the city with water. The enormous cocktails, two at time, to raise
term flâneur? He savours the word as Grand Halle de la Villette, the former the spirits of a failed flâneur.
though he is tasting one of his beers. slaughterhouse, has been repurposed as
‘Flâneur, flâner, flânerie,’ he says, giving me an arts centre. The area’s leafy green
the noun, the verb and the abstract noun.
‘Flâner is literally to stroll, but the point is
not about where you’re going, the point is
spaces and outdoor fountains extend an
invitation to stressed urbanites, picnicking
families – and flâneurs. Except today. I’m
90,000
cubic metres of water
to do it. You’re not picking a destination.’ still coming to terms with the meaning of are drained from Canal
In Paris, where intellectuals popularised flânerie, but I believe I’ve already St-Martin when it is
impenetrable concepts like existentialism confronted its kryptonite: torrential rain. emptied and cleaned
and deconstruction, calling a flâneur There’s nothing that ruins a leisurely, every 10-15 years.
‘someone who strolls’ seems laughably mindful stroll more than wet clothes and Unexpected treasures
simplistic. It’s like describing a venerable the prospect of hypothermia. discovered hidden in its
burgundy as ‘a drink made from fermented As the rain intensifies, it seems like an depths have, over the
grape juice’. A whole philosophical excellent moment to duck into Paname, years, included two WWI
system has been erected around the which occupies a converted warehouse shells, a doll’s pushchair,
symbol of the flâneur: the urban wanderer on the banks of the Canal de l’Ourcq. gold coins and a pistol.
who observes, loafs and meditates on the Baptiste pours me a glass of his Casque
life of the city. But Baptiste’s explanation d’Or. It is flavoured with ginger and orange
feels like a good place to start. peel, and gives a welcome suggestion of
My own quest to understand the flâneur summer. Outside, the olive green water
began a few hours earlier, just inside the of the canal is pocked with raindrops.
Périphérique, the ring road that follows ‘The canal is a good starting point for

OGrand Halle de la Villette (lavillette.com) OPaname (panamebrewingcompany.com)

OPavillon des Canaux (pavillondescanaux.com) OLavomatic (lavomatic.paris)

42 February 2018
 The bar at Paname craft
brewery. ABOVE A freshly
poured India pale ale.
BELOW Mariana Baldi and
Raphael Laurent work on
ideas at café Le Pavillon des
Canaux. LEFT Master brewer
Baptiste Thiéry at Paname

The unassuming launderette

Lavomatic conceals an
upstairs cocktail bar.
RIGHT A mural depicts a robot
washing machine
 The glass-roofed Passage
des Panoramas is the
oldest covered passage in
Paris, running between
Boulevard Montmartre
and Rue Saint-Marc in the
2ème arrondissment

44 February 2018
 S T R O L L I N G I N PA R I S

A quote from The Bard on the sign

for Shakespeare and Company
bookstore. BELOW Paris’ Left Bank is
good strolling ground. BOTTOM A
pastrami and gherkin sandwich at
Sacha Finkelsztajn

RUE DE LYON TO
PASSAGE JOUFFROY

T
CLASSIC AMBLE: 2.3 MILES
O PREPARE FOR THIS Mother and daughter Odile and Emma
walk, I made a side-trip to Schwak are eating pastrami sandwiches at
Shakespeare and Company, another redoubt of Jewish identity: the
Paris’ famous English- Sacha Finkelsztajn bakery. Emma, who’s
language bookstore. Adam studying Japanese at university, offers her
Biles, a transplanted own translation of flâneur. It means to
Bristolian who works there linger, she tells me. She and her mother,
and is himself a novelist, sold me an both fans of flânerie, argue in a friendly
armful of books on the flâneur: Eric way about the best place to do it: Odile says
Hazan’s The Invention of Paris: A History Montmartre, Emma the Quartier Latin.
in Footsteps; Luc Sante’s The Other Paris; There is one inescapable destination
Edmund White’s The Flâneur: A Stroll for the connoisseur of flânerie. Half an
Through the Paradoxes of Paris; and hour’s stroll away is the Passage des
Flâneuse: Women Walk the City, by Lauren Panoramas, a covered shopping arcade
Elkin, which considers the phenomenon that claims to be one of the oldest shopping
from a female perspective. malls in the world and which played a key
What I gather from these is that flânerie role in the cult of the flâneur.
is the opposite of the urgent, box-ticking The German Marxist philosopher Walter
tourist itinerary. It’s a slow and reflective Benjamin made a vast study of Paris’
meander through the streets, a cousin of 19th-century shopping arcades, believing
browsing in a bookshop. them to contain the secret to understanding
After a coffee on the Rue de Lyon, I follow modern capitalism. ‘The arcade is a city,’
Rue Saint-Antoine as it curves through the he wrote, ‘a world in miniature.’ Benjamin
Marais, the historic Jewish quarter of Paris. claimed that the natives of this miniature
Just off Rue Saint-Antoine is Rue des world were the flâneurs. He saw them as
Rosiers and Rue Ferdinand Duval, which itinerant philosopher-detectives,
was known until the 20th century as Rue des wandering and gaining insights into the
Juifs: Jews Street. Gentrification has brought true nature of modern life.
new prosperity and luxury boutiques, but With its mismatched floor tiles and layers
there is still a strong sense of Jewish heritage: of dust on its once-innovative gas lamps,
synagogues, kosher restaurants, signs in the Passage des Panoramas is no longer
Hebrew and bookshops selling literature in the cutting edge of consumption, but it is
the Hebrew language. A man in a yarmulke strangely atmospheric, full of a steam-punk
is serving at the Boulangerie Murciano, from feeling that combines antiqueness and
where the tantalising scent of fresh bagels modernity. Pigeons flutter in the glass
drifts into the narrow streets of the Marais. vaulting and its side passages are a bit

February 2018 45
 A selection of canes at
Galerie Fayet. LEFT Store
manager Ako Sato.
BELOW A house on Rue
Crémieux, near to
Rue de Lyon

900
green boxes stretch along
two miles of the Seine’s
banks, containing over
300,000 second-hand,
often out-of-print books,
magazines, postcards and
old advertising posters.
Now listed by Unesco,
Paris’ iconic bouquinistes
– used-book sellers – are
part of a tradition
stretching back to the 16th
century, when itinerant
peddlers sold their wares
on Parisian bridges.

melancholy, but the main thoroughfare

still bustles, 200 years after it
revolutionised retail. The Passage hosts an
odd assortment of shops — philatelists,
costume jewellers, specialists in vintage
postcards. A handful of new restaurants
and Noglu, a gluten-free patisserie, suggest
it’s reinventing itself once more.
Just across the Boulevard Montmartre
lies another covered arcade, the Passage
Jouffroy. In a smart boutique on its right-
hand side is Galerie Fayet, which belongs
to Paris’ last maker of walking sticks.
‘We are the symbol of the flâneur!’
declares the store manager, Ako Sato. She’s
a Parisienne who owes her name to her
Japanese father. I spend an extraordinarily
informative 45 minutes with her,
discussing the fascinating intersection of
French history, flânerie and walking sticks.
She explains that the cane was always a
fashion accessory: it was for posing,
strutting, gesturing, striking attitudes and
gesticulating, but never for supporting the
owner’s weight, like a crutch. It was a
PHOTOGRAPH OF BOOK: SHAWSHOTS/ALAMY

symbol that the owner had the most

desirable possession of all: leisure.
‘I love to flân,’ Ako says with a sigh, ‘but
I don’t have time. You take time to see, to
breathe, to discover. You look at things you
don’t see when you’re hurrying to go
somewhere – and Paris has so many things!’

OShakespeare and Company (shakespeareandcompany.com) OBoulangerie Murciano (boulangerie-murciano.com)

OSacha Finkelsztajn (laboutiquejaune.fr) OGalerie Fayet (galerie-fayet.com)

46 February 2018
S T R O L L I N G I N PA R I S

The pedestrian Pont des

Arts crosses the River
Seine, linking the Palais du
Louvre (shown) and the
Institut de France
 MONTPARNASSE CEMETERY
TO LA BUTTE AUX CAILLES
SECRET STROLL: 1.3 MILES

I
Montparnasse Cemetery is
the resting place of many

200
N THE SOFT LIGHT OF DAWN, of France’s intellectual and
the quiet alleys of Montparnasse artistic elite. ABOVE Charles
Cemetery in the 14th arrondissement, Baudelaire’s gravestone,
complete with lipstick kiss
on the Left Bank of the Seine, are a
world away from the purposeful stride wildflower species are
of early morning commuters. I’ve come flourishing against the
to pay my respects to the patron saint odds on the Petite
of flâneurs, Charles Baudelaire. He was a Ceinture, a former
wandering 19th-century poet who was the railway line, disused
first to hold up the flâneur as an ideal. since 1934, which once
Before Baudelaire, I’ve learned, the word encircled Paris inside
had negative associations: it meant someone the Boulevards des
lazy, a loafer or idler. For Baudelaire, the Maréchaux. Today,
flâneur was a person apart, someone with urban walkers can
special understanding of the ways of the explore three open
city. ‘The crowd is his element, as the air is sections of the trail,
that of birds and water of fishes. His passion with its creeping
and profession are to become one flesh with greenery and pops
the crowd. For the perfect flâneur, for the of colourful
passionate spectator, it is an immense joy to graffiti on
set up house in the middle of the multitude, nearby brickwork.
amid the ebb and flow of movement, in the
midst of the fugitive and the infinite.’
Someone has planted a crimson lipstick
kiss on his tombstone; on the grave lies a
copy of Baudelaire’s last collection of poems,
Le Spleen de Paris, in Korean.
Baudelaire was also a radical who was
deeply concerned with the plight of the poor.
A few streets away, on the site of a former
hospital, Saint-Vincent de Paul, there’s a
social experiment taking place the old flâneur
would have liked. Since 2011, when the
hospital closed down, its buildings have been
renamed Les Grands Voisins and now house
artists’ studios, workshops, a homeless
shelter, a bar, gardensand a restaurant.

48 February 2018
 S T R O L L I N G I N PA R I S

Artist Guy Grember is working away in his

studio, where he runs courses and also offers
training to the site’s 400 residents. He thinks
that flânerie is rooted in the love of the
French for their urban landscapes. ‘Most
French people, Parisians especially, they
really like to know their city, they like
exchanging landmarks with one another.
“You know that little street?”’
From Les Grands Voisins, it’s a half-hour
stroll to the 13th arrondissement in Place
d’Italie, where I’ve arranged to meet
someone who can show me the hidden
A cobbled street corner in the Butte corners of this neighbourhood.
aux Cailles neighbourhood. Laurent Fouquet, a former graffiti artist, is
BELOW FROM LEFT Charles Baudelaire’s
gravestone; Guy Grember in his studio.
waiting on the steps of the mayoralty.
OPPOSITE Montparnasse Cemetery is He is the founder of Fresh Street Art Tour and
the resting place of many of France’s has the sharp eyes and enthusiasm of a
intellectual and artistic elite bird-watcher. He sees his tours as a subtle
way of converting multitasking pedestrians
into flâneurs. ‘We see people on the phone,
not looking up,’ he says, sighing.
The 13th arrondissement has a reputation
for impersonality and brutalist skyscrapers,
But as Laurent leads his tour he points out
the ways that street artists have beautified the
neighbourhood. Some artworks are so small
that only a flâneur would notice them. There
are tiny knitted receptacles for flowers on
lamp-posts, photographs of residents bonded
onto wall tiles, a cast of one artist’s breast.
There are also ambitious works: a mural
makes witty reference to gay marriage by
PHOTOGRAPH OF FLOWER: FOTOSEARCH LBRF/AGE FOTOSTOCK

showing Tintin and Captain Haddock

dressed as groom and groom.
By the time we reach La Butte au Cailles, a
hilltop neighbourhood, dusk is settling over
the City of Light. I feel more attuned to the
surroundings, more relaxed and sympathetic
to Laurent’s simple take on the flâneur’s
manifesto. ‘Be curious,’ he says, as he leaves,
‘open your eyes, see what’s around you.’

MARCEL THEROUX is an author. He spent years

researching Paris as the setting for his new
OLes Grands Voisins (lesgrandsvoisins.org) OFresh Street Art Tour (freshstreetarttourparis.com) novel, The Secret Books, out in June 2018.

February 2018 49
 MAKE IT HAPPEN

PA R I S
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE FURTHER
AND AROUND INFORMATION
The easiest way to For more inspiration
get to Paris from on planning your
London is by Eurostar trip to Paris, see
(from £70 return; uk.france.fr. Our
eurostar.com). Paris guide (£13.99)
Alternatively, you has comprehensive
can fly there from coverage of the city;
cities across the UK Pocket Paris (£7.99)
with airlines covers the essentials.
including BA, Air Alternatively, you
France, easyJet and can download the
FlyBe. Once there, Guides app (free
the easiest and from app stores).
cheapest way to get
around is with a Paris
Visite card, which
allows travel on all
public transport
networks (£17 for
two days; ratp.fr).

MAP KEY Rue de Lyon to Passage Montparnasse Cemetery

BEHIND THE SCENES
Philharmonie de Paris to Jouffroy to La Butte aux Cailles
Place de la République

WHERE TO STAY

Shakespeare and Company on Paris’ Left HOTEL EIFFEL BLOMET HOTEL HENRIETTE HOTEL MONTMARTRE
Bank is one of the world’s great bookshops. is, as the name suggests, is tucked on a cobblestoned MON AMOUR bills itself as
I went there to pay homage and also to located a mere fling from the street close to the Mouffetard ‘an ode to famous lovers’, and
sign copies of my new novel, The Secret Eiffel Tower. Built in the 1930s, district. E ach of its 32 vintage its romance theme permeates
Books, which happens to be set largely in the hotel has recently been inspired rooms has a one-of-a- the entire hotel – from the
Paris. It is based on the true story of a renovated to celebrate its Art kind twist, with furniture and artwork depicting famous
mysterious gospel, published here in 1894, Deco heritage, and its rooms knick-knacks sourced from French couples to the heart-
PHOTOGRAPHS: ADRIENNE PITTS

that seemed to prove that Jesus was a exude a smart, boutiquey Paris’ flea markets. Its shaped breakfast waffles.
Buddhist. In the end, the story became elegance. But the hotel’s glassed-in atrium, and Staff are thoughtful and the
entangled in the political intrigues going undeniable pièce de résistance adjoining plant-filled stone location, right around the
on in Paris at the turn of the century. With is the mosaic-tiled spa and courtyard, are particularly corner from Sacre Coeur
this in mind, I found it a special thrill to swimming pool downstairs: all lovely (rooms from £90 Basilica, is excellent (rooms
walk the streets of the city. Marcel Theroux glamour (rooms from £130; including breakfast, from £90; hotelmontmartre
hoteleiffelblomet.com). hotelhenriette.com). monamour.com).

50 February 2018
 S T R O L L I N G I N PA R I S

PRÊT À FLÂNER
Fuel up before you begin to wander. Here’s our pick of Paris’ restaurants:
LE PANTRUCHE LE 6 PAUL BERT RESTAURANT RESTAURANT AT HUGO DESNOYER
Named after a nearby This retro bistro serves GUY SAVOY Rising star chef Atsushi The restaurant belonging
19th-century theatre in staggering modern dishes If you’re in the mood for Tanaka showcases to Paris’ most famous
Pigalle, Le Pantruche that change daily and three-Michelin-starred abstract-art-like butcher serves a table
serves modern, seasonal might include exciting dining, Guy Savoy’s masterpieces made from d’hôte (set menu) feast of
French cuisine at fantastic pairings such as pork flagship, housed in the unusual ingredients such homemade terrines and
value. The Grand Marnier and clementine or city’s neoclassical mint, as charred bamboo and cold cuts followed by the
soufflé is not to be missed kale and raspberry should be top of your list juniper berry powder finest meat in the city
(lepantruche.com). (le6paulbert.com). (guysavoy.com). (atsushitanaka.com). (hugodesnoyer.com).

February 2018 51
 Under canvas
Connecting with nature is always easier when you’re sleeping out, looking
for falling stars, listening to the wildlife and cooking over an open fire

2
EVERYBODY YURTS IN KYRGYZSTAN
Like sometime yurt-dweller Genghis Khan, yurts have conquered all
corners of the world – from music festivals to yoga retreats, glamping
resorts to back gardens. Their spiritual heartland, however, is still the
Want to wild-camp in
grassy steppe of Central Asia, with few pitches more sublime than beside the the UK? You'll need to head
shores of Song Köl, Kyrgyzstan, a high-altitude lake, its surface mirroring the to Scotland or Dartmoor
snowcapped Tian Shan mountains. Tour operator Silk Road Explore offers two-day National Park in Devon. It's
yurt trips to the lake from the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek – driving up the switchbacks
of mountain roads to an altitude of 3,000m, stopping so everyone can stretch their
illegal across the rest of
legs at highland villages, where locals weave traditional felt-silk blankets. After
the country.
spending the night in a yurt, campers can spend a morning wandering the lake’s
edelweiss-strewn alpine shores before returning to Bishkek in the afternoon
(one-night packages from £200; silkroadexplore.com).
O ARRIVE Aeroflot is among the airlines offering connecting flights to Bishkek from London
Heathrow, changing at Moscow Sheremetyevo (from £360; aeroflot.com).

4
CANOE AND CAMP IN
THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS
Wild camping is an abiding part of
Scottish Highland culture: a place where
anyone with a hankering for adventures and their
own tent is allowed to pitch up deep in the
wilderness and spend a night under the stars.
Though hikers take full advantage of this, it’s less
common to pack your tent in the hull of a canoe
and let the current of a Highland river take you to

3
your next pitch. Wilderness Scotland offers short
PITCH UP IN A BERBER TENT IN MOROCCO canoeing excursions down the Spey, the
Not so long ago, camel trains would brave the long, perilous journey from meandering river that winds from the foot of the
PHOTOGRAPHS: MATT STEEL, RUPERT SHANKS, NILS LOGIE

Morocco to Timbuktu – slogging across rolling dunes and gravel deserts, Cairngorms to the Moray Firth, passing pine
pitching tents under starry Saharan skies. If you’d like a flavour of these epic forests, puffing whisky distilleries and storied
journeys over a long weekend (minus the distance, chronic water shortages, gun- stone bridges. The waterway itself offers various
slinging bandits and the risk of getting fatally lost), book a stay at Berber Camp on experiences, from floating along in a gentle flow to
the edge of Erg Chigaga with Wild Morocco. Morocco’s largest sand sea, Erg Chigaga navigating rapids. After long days spent paddling,
was a stop-off point for caravans of old and is still a perfect spot for a pocket desert crew members camp wild in riverside forests,
adventure, with guests taking camel-back tours through ranges of wind-blown sand. listening to the rush of the current and looking for
Evenings see camel riders dismount at a camp adorned by wrought-iron lamps and red squirrels in the trees above (four-day trips
Moorish rugs, listening to beating drums around the fireside after dark (two-night from £675; wildernessscotland.com).
packages from £306; wildmorocco.com). O ARRIVE Tours begin at Aviemore, which can be reached by
O ARRIVE The closest airport is Ouarzazate – Royal Air Maroc offers flights from London Gatwick rail from Edinburgh and Glasgow, and by sleeper train from
and Manchester, changing at Casablanca (from £243; royalairmaroc.com). London Euston (from £100; sleeper.scot).

52 February 2018
 52
BEST
WEEKENDS
AWAY

5
STAY IN A SAMI LAVVU IN NORWAY
Planning a winter camping trip at a latitude of 69° north might seem like a
highway to hypothermia and frostbite. Fortunately, it’s a wonderfully cosy
affair if the tent you’re taking happens to be a Sami lavvu – the structures
used by indigenous people of the Arctic, who traditionally overnighted in their snug
confines while their reindeer herds roamed the frozen landscapes outside. Typically
constructed from reindeer hide and robust tree trunks, lavvus are sturdy enough to
resist the raging winds of northern Scandinavia – good news if you happen to be
spending a weekend in a modern-day version, pitched in the wilds of Norway’s
Dankarvågvatn Nature Reserve. Staying guests might while away short winter days
ice fishing on nearby lakes, before falling asleep to the sound of a crackling bonfire as
the northern lights dance in the cold skies outside (ice fishing from £144; Sami lavvu
tent stay from £234; samiadventure.com).
O ARRIVE Dankarvågvatn Nature Reserve is 30 minutes' drive north from the city of Tromsø.
Norwegian Air offers direct flights to Tromsø from London Gatwick (from £135; norwegian.com).

February 2018 53
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Urban
life swaps
From drinking like a Belgian
to upgrading your wardrobe
to Parisian standards, make
the most out of your weekend
by following the example
of the locals in the know

6
EMBARK ON A BOOK WEEKEND
IN LONDON
While Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Sartre and
Stein had the literary cafés of Paris, the
headquarters of London writers has always
been the pub. Pepys and Chaucer plucked their
characters from the pubs of London. John Dryden
was beaten up in the pub. Dylan Thomas famously
drained the kegs of the capital. To find out more
about the long and fruitful association between
the pen and pint, join a literary pub crawl in
Fitzrovia and Soho, led either by the habitual
pub-goer ‘Charles Dickens’ or else the less
commonly found in the pub ‘Virginia Woolf’.
Continue a literary weekend and assuage a
hangover by heading eastward to Hackney Wick
and enrolling on a course at the London Centre
for Book Arts. Here, courses centre on the pursuit
of making books beautiful beyond the words on
the page: with activities like linocut printing,
binding and paper marbling (pub crawl £24;
londonliterarypubcrawl.com; Book Arts courses
from £40; eventbrite.co.uk).
OARRIVE Fitzrovia’s nearest tube stations are Warren
Street, Goodge Street and Great Portland Street, while
Hackney Wick is served by Overground services (tfl.gov.uk).
OSTAY The Wall of Books apartment is in a Georgian
PHOTOGRAPHS:

townhouse in Notting Hill and features a vast bookcase

whose remote uppermost reaches are accessed by a ladder
(from £189 per night, sleeps two; plumguide.com).

54 February 2018
 52
7
NEVER MIND THE BOLLEKES BEST
IN ANTWERP WEEKENDS
Antwerp’s old town is a glorious jumble AWAY
of gabled houses, cobbled streets, gilded
statues and Gothic spires whose good looks could
scarcely be improved upon. Well, almost. Because
somehow they appear even better when viewed
under the spell of locally brewed beer. Combine
sightseeing and beer tasting with an Antwerp
BeerWalk, then complete the weekend with a visit
to the De Koninck Brewery for a tour. Participants
learn how to grab their drink by the bollekes – the
‘bolleke’ being the distinctive bowl the beer is
served in (beer walk £35, including five beers;
beerwalk.be; brewery tour £11; dekoninck.be).
OARRIVE Eurostar from London St Pancras to Antwerp,
with a change at Brussels-South railway station (from £77;
eurostar.com). VLM Airlines flies from London City to
Antwerp Airport (from £176; flyvlm.com).
O STAY Host Yara offers a comfortable flat with cathedral
views (from £68 per night, sleeps four; airbnb.co.uk).

8
SCRAWL ON A WALL IN BERLIN
When Stalin ordered the building of the Berlin Wall, little did he know he was
commissioning a street-art canvas. Nearly three decades after much of his wall
was reduced to rubble, join a free tour with Alternative Berlin to see how the
street-art epidemic has extended from Cold War fortifications to almost every surface
of the city. Tours pop into artists’ squats, potter along streets lined with political
murals and drop by a skate park in a bombed-out station. Feel inspired? Join a graffiti
workshop with Airbnb host Sylvain. Bonus: the activity is entirely legal (tour free,
with tips encouraged; alternativeberlin.com; graffiti masterclass £54; airbnb.co.uk).
O STAY Airbnb hosts Eric and Gini let out a loft space close to Berlin’s great temple of street art, the
East Side Gallery (from £38 per night, sleeps four; airbnb.co.uk).
O ARRIVE BA, easyJet and Eurowings all fly from UK airports to Berlin (from £85; Eurowings.com).

10
EAT AND DRINK
LIKE A LOCAL
IN MILAN
What with it being a
global centre of finance, fashion
and design, Milan can be very
expensive. The merciful upside
is the institution of aperitivo
– the Italian custom where bars

9
and cafés serve free snacks,
LEARN TO DRESS LIKE like charcuterie, cheeses and
A BONAFIDE PARISIAN bruschettas – to pre-dinner
PHOTOGRAPHS: RICH VINTAGE/GETTY, JONATHAN STOKES, JAMES REEVE, MATT MUNRO

Le Marais was the fashionable area for drinkers. Get to grips with it on
Parisians before the French Revolution an aperitivo tour run by With
and now it’s acutely chic once again. To Locals. If aperitivo inspires you
navigate your way through it, join a shopping to take a more substantial bite
tour with Viator to visit exclusive boutiques, out of Milanese gastronomy, the
watch haberdashers and shoemakers at work, same company offers a food tour
and sniff scents in a parfumerie. Having attired centred on the bohemian Brera
yourself sufficiently to pass as a Parisian, head distict, trying pizza and gelato,
to the Musée Picasso, which displays the as well as Lombardy cured
artist’s work in a 17th-century mansion from hams and sparkling wines
the neighbourhood’s original glory days (aperitivo tour £31; food tour
(fashion and fragrance tours from £71; viator. £38; withlocals.com).
com; museum £11; museepicassoparis.fr). O ARRIVE BA, easyJet, Flybe and
OARRIVE Eurostar from London St Pancras to Paris Ryanair all connect UK airports to
Gare du Nord (from £98; eurostar.com). Milan (from £95; ryanair.com).
OSTAY HomeAway has a classic Parisian apartment in O STAY Hallis has an apartment with
the 8th arrondissement (from £142 per night, sleeps high ceilings and balconies in Milan’s
five; three-night minimum stay; homeaway.co.uk). Washington district (from £150 per
night, sleeps two; halldis.com).

February 2018 55
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11
UP YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY GAME IN ATHENS
Few cities pose for the camera like Athens – its steep topography, marble
monuments and invariably bright sunshine conspiring to make it a perfect
testing ground for a photography class. Take a day course in the company of
Athens Photo Tour, wandering among the greatest monuments of Western civilisation as
you assimilate the classical wisdom of shutter speed and aperture settings. The busy
programme sees participants photographing limbless statues by the Parthenon, stalking
the pastel-coloured alleyways of the Plaka neighbourhood and capturing rich evening
light as it illuminates the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion, set on craggy sea cliffs an
hour’s drive from Athens. To get a deeper understanding of modern art and photography
in a city better known for its ancient glories, the next day head to the National Museum
of Contemporary Art, housed in a former brewery in the shadow of the Acropolis
(courses from £131; athensphototour.com; museum admission £4; emst.gr).
O ARRIVE Aegean Airlines, easyJet, Ryanair and BA fly to Athens from UK airports (from £166; ba.com).
O STAY Airbnb host Denise offers a whitewashed apartment with a small swimming pool, set on a rooftop
with views of the Acropolis (from £63, sleeps two; airbnb.co.uk).
 Ifever you find
yourself in need of local
52
BEST
expert insight in a big city, download WEEKENDS
AWAY
the Lonely Planet Guides app.
It has recommendations for hotels,
restaurants and major sights in over
175 cities around the world
(free; lonelyplanet.com).

12 13
HIT THE TILES IN LISBON SHOP LIKE A LOCAL IN
Azulejos are Portugal’s greatest visual NEW YORK CITY
art – glazed blue and white ceramic New York is a gold mine of vintage
tiles that serve as the backdrop to shopping. Its flea markets represent
everyday life in Lisbon. In restaurants, they show hand-me-downs from style icons, with stalls
the food on offer; in churches, they depict saints feasibly concealing bounty from Sarah Jessica
and angels; in stations, they tell the stories of the Parker’s stilettos to Donald Trump’s jimjams. If
destinations where you might perhaps disembark. you’re in need of a hand to steer you through the
If you’re keen to learn more about what you’re labyrinthine vintage clothing rails of Manhattan,
looking at, join Tours By Locals’ Tiles, Tiles join fashion writer and Airbnb shopping guide
PHOTOGRAPHS: ADRIENNE PITTS, MATT MUNRO, JEFFGREENBERG/AGEFOTOSTOCK

Everywhere tour, in which you’ll be walked Suzanne on a tour of off-the-beaten-track vintage

around the historic centre with a knowledgeable shops, striking out from the bohemian red-brick
guide. Then, because the best way to learn buildings of Greenwich Village. There’s an
about something is to do it yourself, you’ll have equally good chance of finding period pieces
an opportunity to paint a tile. You’ll need to over the East River in Brooklyn, hipster
twiddle your thumbs for some hours while your headquarters of the planet. Brooklyn Flea is the
azulejo gets fired in the kiln: a perfect window of largest flea market in the five boroughs – winter
opportunity to see how the professionals do it by weekends see the event hosted in an industrial
visiting the Museu Nacional do Azulejo, set building, while in the summer stalls set up in the
around a magnificent former convent close to the waterfront Dumbo district, peddling antiques,
banks of the Tagus (courses £173 for two people; curios and vintage garments (tours £38pp;
toursbylocals.com; museum admission £4.50; airbnb.co.uk; brooklynflea.com).
museudoazulejo.gov.pt). O ARRIVE American Airlines, United, BA, Delta, Virgin and
O ARRIVE BA, TAP, easyJet and Ryanair all connect UK Norwegian all fly direct from UK airports to New York (from
airports to Lisbon (from £58; ryanair.com). £260; norwegian.com).
O STAY Airbnb host Ana has a cosy, whitewashed apartment O STAY One Fine Stay has a compact, rustically furnished
set within the battlements of the São Jorge Castle (from £54 apartment in Manhattan’s well-heeled Upper East side
per night, sleeps six; airbnb.co.uk). (sleeps two; from £220 per night; onefinestay.com).

February 2018 57
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Learn with the kids

Put away the smart phones and tablets! Spend quality time with
your kids while pushing their boundaries on a weekend adventure

14
CATCH A BREAK IN CORNWALL
As I was going to St Ives, I met a man with seven wives, each wife had
seven sacks, each sack had seven cats and each cat had… You don’t have
to know the answer to this riddle to enjoy a weekend with your family in
this little fishing port on Cornwall’s north coast. St Ives Surf School offers three-day
surf camps for absolute beginners to advanced surfers from its headquarters on
Porthmeor Beach (three-day course and self-catering package from £150 per person;
stivessurfschool.co.uk). Surf students learn about beach safety, paddling techniques,
how to catch waves and the fundamentals of getting on the board in the water. Parents
can enjoy the Tate St Ives, just a stone’s throw from Porthmeor Beach, or the Barbara
Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden nearby. St Ives has plenty of options for
eating out and there are nearly as many pubs as residents.
OARRIVE St Ives is a two-hour drive west from Exeter on the A30. There is a train station in St Ives, with
regular trains from London, Bristol and other UK cities (from £75 from Bristol; trainline.com).
OSTAY Tregenna Castle is a family-friendly hotel overlooking St Ives with standard double rooms,
two-bedroom apartments and separate self-catering cottages (rooms from £85; tregenna-castle.co.uk).

15 16
TURN COOK UP A STORM
ADVENTURER IN CUMBRIA
IN WALES Nothing brings the family together
The Pembrokeshire like a shared meal and when it’s
Coast National Park is a wild and one you’ve made with your children in a
rugged place of limestone cliffs, real-life castle, the experience is all the richer.
volcanic headlands and golden Augill Castle is a 19th-century folly of turrets,
sand beaches. Make the most sweeping staircases and lattice windows in
of the incredible scenery on an Cumbria. Owner Wendy runs family cookery PHOTOGRAPHS: MATT HEAL/EYEEM/GETTY, ERIK ISAKSON/GETTY, GOODLEAF.CO.UK
action-packed family weekend. courses with an emphasis on real food and
Preseli Venture runs exhilarating exciting flavours (bespoke day for four £450;
mini-adventures in this corner of stayinacastle.com/cooks). Families learn
Wales, encouraging guests to pick preparation techniques and essential cooking
and mix from a range of activities skills while rustling up a three-course meal.
that includes coasteering, surfing, After lunch everyone decamps to the garden
sea kayaking, hiking and horse or collects eggs from the free-range hens. Free-
riding (two-day and two-night package from £275 per adult and £219 per child range children are also encouraged here and
including all food; preseliventure.co.uk). Accommodation is provided in an there are 20 acres to explore, including a fort in
11-bedroom ecolodge shared with other families. Junior adventurers can enjoy the forest and a treehouse. Let things spill over
basketball and volleyball with newly made friends and toasting marshmallows over into Sunday with a stay in one of the castle’s
the courtyard fire pit, while adults can relax in the evenings with a game of pool at suites (rooms from £180; stayinacastle.com).
the lodge or a drink on the terrace overlooking the sea, as the in-house chef prepares OARRIVE Augill Castle is between the A1 (M) and M6,
a three-course feast for all. 45 minutes from Kendal and 90 minutes from Leeds.
OARRIVE Preseli Venture is in Mathry, just off the A40 and a half-hour drive north of Haverfordwest Kirkby Stephen train station is a 10-minute drive away
in Pembrokeshire. The closest station to Preseli Ventures is Fishguard (£48 return from Bristol; (from £46 from Manchester; thetrainline.com).
trainline.com). Preseli Venture offers free minibus transfers on certain trains or can book taxis.

58 February 2018
 Spark your kids'
52
BEST
WEEKENDS
imagination with a night AWAY
spent in a museum. Try
London's Natural History Museum
(nhm.ac.uk) or Halifax's National
Children's Museum
(eureka.org.uk).

17
DIVE UNDER
IN ESSEX
Give kids an
introduction
to a magical underwater
universe with a PADI-
certified Junior Open Water
course run by scuba-diving
specialist 2Dive4. Kids aged
10 and up learn to dive to a

18
depth of 12 metres, gaining
theory as well as practical TAKE TO THE SLOPES IN STAFFORDSHIRE
skills. The course begins in Satisfy your child’s thirst for learning and harness their boundless energy in one fell swoop
a pool onsite before students with a day at SnowDome in Staffordshire. The Junior Learn To Ski in a Day course sees
take their new-found skills children aged between 10 and 15 go from complete beginners to confident mini-pros,
to a freshwater lake. It’s open swooshing down the 170-metre real snow slope with panache and style (£99 per child including ski hire
to adults too, so you could and poles; snowdome.co.uk). The course teaches kids how to use lifts, perform controlled turns and stop
make it a family affair (£549 safely, and ends with a fun 30-minute tobogganing session and a hot lunch to warm them up. Spectators
per person; 2dive4.co.uk). meanwhile can enjoy slopeside views from the mountain-themed Aspen’s Bar and Restaurant or from
OARRIVE 2Dive4 is in Stansted the balcony. Once your little ones have found their snow legs, explore new territory at the Kidsgrove Ski
Mountfitchet, one hour 40 Centre, in Stoke-on-Trent, an hour’s drive north of Tamworth. This artificial ski slope has a button lift to
minutes’ drive from London and take skiers to the top, and offers courses and one-off lessons for children from five years and adults. If you
an hour by train (£14 return from all get really keen, you can become members and come back on a regular basis (one-off lesson for adults
London; greateranglia.co.uk). £20, and £15 for under-18s, including equipment hire; ski-kidsgrove.co.uk).
OSTAY Hotel du Vin & Bistro is in OARRIVE SnowDome is in Tamworth, Staffordshire, a five-minute drive from Junction 10 of the M42 or M6. Tamworth train
Cambridge, 25 minutes away station is under a mile away. Stoke-on-Trent is a 10-minute drive off the M6, an hour’s drive north of Tamworth.
(from £145; hotelduvin.com). OSTAY The Castle Hotel is set in a large Georgian townhouse in the shadows of the 11th-century Tamworth Castle
(rooms from £84, family room from £109; castlehoteltamworth.co.uk).

19
LEARN TO CLIMB TREES
ON THE ISLE OF WIGHT
Tree climbing is the essence of
childhood, yet it can also be the bane
of parenthood: watching and waiting nervously as
your tots teeter in the branches. Join the fun with
a family tree-climbing experience on the Isle of
Wight. Goodleaf offers climbing sessions in a
handsome 70-foot oak tree in Appley Park.
Instructors provide helmets and harnesses, and
help you practise your technique before you begin
your big ascent. Back on the ground, tea and
flapjacks are served to hungry climbers. To take
the adventure further, why not spend the night in
the canopy? Goodleaf will help you set up camp in
the branches, each of you in a Tree Boat hammock.
You’ll even wake to breakfast delivered to your
swinging beds (climbing course £29.50; tree-top
camp from £550 for a family of three, including a
two-hour climb and three-course dinner at the
pub; goodleaf.co.uk/tree-top-camp).
OARRIVE Appley Park is a 25-minute walk from Ryde.
Ferries from Portsmouth to Ryde run every hour (ferry
PHOTOGRAPHS:

from £25.60 for adults, £12.80 for children; wightlink.co.uk).

OSTAY The family-run Seaview Hotel overlooks the Solent
(from £250 for a two-bedroom suite; seaviewhotel.co.uk).

February 2018 59
THE CARNIVAL
BUILDERS
On the islands of Malta and Gozo,
months of preparation climax in one
weekend of creativity and chaos
WORDS KEVIN EG PERRY @kevinegperry
PHOTOGRAPHS MATT MUNRO @mattmunrophotos
 52
BEST
WEEKENDS
AWAY

A neon-bright float inspired

by the movie Sister Act
passes by St Publius Parish
Church in Floriana

February 2018 61
E A S T E R F E S T I V A L I N M A LT A

A float in Valletta representing

California’s Summer of Love.
LEFT Roderick Zerafa paints the
eyes on his caricature of Maltese
politician Norman Lowell

I
N A DISUSED FACTORY IN MARSA, Much like the concurrent celebrations in
a 15-minute drive outside the Maltese Rio de Janeiro and New Orleans, Carnival in
capital, Valletta, a man in a grubby Malta is a boisterous party that’s taken very A TASTE OF CARNIVAL
tracksuit takes a circular saw to the seriously by the locals. The run-up to Lent Prinjolata is the traditional eye-catchingly
sharp edge of a steel structure. Sparks has great significance for the largely decorated Maltese Carnival cake. Darren
fly around him, but the man, his eyes Catholic population, who have no fewer Mifsud of Diar il-Bniet restaurant in
shielded only by plastic sunglasses, than 359 churches to choose from, despite Dingli (diarilbniet.com) explains how to
works with a determination born of the fact that the Republic of Malta’s three create the dessert at home:
obsession. The air is thick with the smell inhabited islands – Malta, Gozo and tiny
of hot metal, spray paint and cigarette Comino – have a combined area smaller 1 Crush 900g of vanilla biscuits in a bowl
smoke. To mark the last days before Lent, than the Isle of Wight. Sitting atop sandy- and add 200g of cherries, 100g of pine nuts,
some people make pancakes. Roderick coloured cliffs, the islands’ fields and 200g of almonds, 200g of hazelnuts, 100g
Zerafa builds Carnival floats. vineyards are punctuated by historic towns of candied fruit and two tots of vermouth.
His creation towers over him. At 20-feet where it often looks as if little new has been 2 Mix it all together and mould into a
tall and 12-feet wide, it’s bigger than the built since the 1600s. Malta’s location in dome, then refrigerate for three hours.
trucks on the industrial estate outside. The the heart of the Mediterranean, just south 3 Beat together four egg whites, 100g of
steel base supports a plywood skeleton, of Sicily, has historically given it such sugar and 100ml of water to make a
then the whole thing is covered with strategic importance that before claiming its meringue paste, then spread over the dome.
papier-mâché and painted neon bright. independence in 1964, it had been ruled at 4 Drizzle with melted chocolate, and
It has an engine for a heart, powering various times by every empire that hoped decorate with yet more cherries and nuts.
mechanisms that make each of the float’s to control the surrounding seas. The
gargantuan figures dance in robotic motion. Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks,
The result looks like something from the Romans, Byzantines, Moors, Normans,
fevered imagination of Terry Gilliam. It has Sicilians, Spanish, French and British each
PHOTOGRAPH OF PAPER: SHUTTERSTOCK

taken 23-year-old Roderick nine months to left a trace of their culture behind, from the
build, helped by a team that started with Baroque Roman Catholic cathedrals to the
half a dozen volunteers before swelling to bright red phone boxes and pillar boxes
five times that many in the weeks before which dot the streets as if they’ve been
Carnival. Tomorrow it will make its first Photoshopped in from postcards of
appearance in front of both the public and London, clues to the 164 years for which
the judges, who’ll decide which team of Malta was ruled from Britain.
float builders will take home this year’s If Roderick is nervous, he doesn’t show
coveted Carnival crown. it. He’s not a professional artist. In fact,

62 February 2018
 The view down Triq San
Gwann in Valletta looking
towards Fort St Angelo in
Vittoriosa across the harbour

February 2018 63
 by day he’s an air-conditioner repairman, This year, Roderick and Raymond have great personal expense. Not only have he
but he comes from a long line of Carnival chosen as their theme the Maltese folk and his team of helpers spent countless
builders. This year, he’s working alongside tales of Gahan, a sort of hapless but hours working without pay, they’ve also
his father, Raymond, and it’s a significant loveable village idiot character. The float thrown a series of barbecues and other
anniversary, as 2017 marks 10 years since depicts him in the midst of various fundraisers in order to pay for the
the death of his grandfather. ‘I never had misunderstandings. He carries a door, materials. In all, the float has set them back
any academic instruction – these skills because he was told to ‘pull it behind him’, many times what they can possibly hope
were passed from father to son,’ Roderick and he’s boiling baby chickens because his to win in the competition. ‘It’s cost us
says. ‘My grandfather used to make mother told him to keep them warm. €20,000, the first prize is only €3,000,’ says
horse-drawn carnival carts, then my father Roderick has embellished the classic tale Roderick. ‘My father always says, “That
developed from carts to floats.’ with contemporary allusions – the role of son of mine is going to ruin me!”’
Every year a whole new float with an Gahan’s furious schoolteacher is modelled What motivates the Carnival builders of
original theme must be built from scratch. to look exactly like Norman Lowell, a Malta is a combination of family, tradition
Outside the factory, the remnants of last far-right Maltese politician. ‘I wanted to and a fierce competitive streak. Roderick’s
year’s constructions are disintegrating. include a bit of politics,’ says Roderick float is just one of 21 being built this year.
Nightmarish heads and gnarled hands rise mischievously. ‘The Maltese like politics His chief rival for the top prize is Charles
like ghosts out of bodies that have been and festivals. We’re either celebrating or Briffa, who at that moment is across town
turned to pulp by the elements, a reminder we’re sad, one or the other.’ hard at work putting the finishing touches
of Carnival art’s intentional transience. Roderick’s ambitious vision has come at to his own float, based on the Italian

Much of the ancient fortified

city of Senglea was built by
the Knights of St John in the
16th century

64 February 2018
 E A S T E R F E S T I VA L I N M A LTA

Pjazza Jean De Valette,

featuring a statue of the Grand
Master of the Order of Malta,
from which it takes its name

A doorknocker in Mdina. LEFT The Bridge Bar

in Valletta. RIGHT An incongruous phone box

February 2018 65
XXXXXXXXX

VIOLENT ART
Caravaggio was the most famous painter in
Rome at the start of the 17th century, but
when he wasn’t at his easel, he could often
be found embroiled in drunken bar fights.
During one such brawl, on 29 May 1606, he
killed a man named Ranuccio Tomassoni circus performer Moira Orfei. Charles has their costumes or help with the float. In a
and was forced to flee Italy. He made his 27 years of float-building experience, week’s time they’ll get their lives back, but
way to Malta, perhaps hoping that the working in his spare time around his job as Stephania isn’t sure how to feel about that.
Knights of Malta could obtain a pardon for a sales rep. ‘We used to say this was our ‘At the end of the rehearsals, everyone is
him. When they learned of his identity they hobby,’ he says, ‘but right now it’s more like saying, “What are we going to do now?”
instead inducted him into their order and a full-time job.’ We’ll miss the sense of community.’
commissioned him to paint an altarpiece. First prize isn’t awarded for the float Roderick, Charles and Stephania are all
The work Caravaggio produced, The alone. The judges also consider the participating in a festival that dates back
Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, is accompanying dance teams and their thousands of years. Humans have been
considered to be his masterpiece and elaborate handmade costumes. At the celebrating the triumph of spring over
remains in Valletta’s St John’s Co-Cathedral. Mystic Dancers school in Kalkara, across winter since at least as far back as 10,000 BC.
the harbour from Valletta, Stephania Gellel The Maltese islands are dotted with the
has just taken her team through their paces remains of megalithic temples, predating
for the last time. They’ll be joining another Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids,
float themed around The NeverEnding where fertility rites would have taken place.
Story. Rehearsals started twice a week back Carnival in Malta, in its relatively modern
in September, but since the beginning of form, can be traced back to 1470, and the
January, they’ve been rehearsing every festival took on particular prominence in
evening from Monday to Thursday, from 1535, during the reign of the Knights of St
8.30pm to 10pm. On top of that, on Friday, John. The Knights were an order of Catholic
Saturday and Sunday, they work on warrior monks who’d been forced to give up
 E A S T E R F E S T I VA L I N M A LTA

Floats and throngs of people

pass through Valletta’s narrow
streets. RIGHT Dancers take
a break for lunch in-between
performances on their float

their previous home of Rhodes when it was

Participants in the carnival
invaded by the Ottoman Empire. In 1530,
struggle to walk in their
Charles I of Spain gave them the islands of elaborate headdresses.
Malta as their new home and five years later, LEFT A troupe of sinister
Grand Master Piero de Ponte boosted the dancing candelabras
Malta Carnival with a series of lavish
masked balls for the island’s nobility. Not
wanting to be left out, local villagers made
their own costumes out of sacks and sheets,
and played uproarious music in the streets.
Many dressed in drag and they delighted in
satirising the ruling elite.
In some ways, little has changed. While
PHOTOGRAPH: TONY FRENCH/ALAMY

the Valletta Carnival has Malta’s grandest

procession, with the largest and most
complex floats, the anarchic atmosphere
of those early Carnivals is preserved on
neighbouring Gozo. Located three miles
northwest of the main island of Malta, for
most of the year Gozo is a quaint and
bucolic outcrop which looks as if a

February 2018 67
E A S T E R F E S T I V A L I N M A LT A

Ramla Bay is the largest sandy

LAST ORDERS beach on the island of Gozo
One of the bars on Valletta’s Carnival route
is The Pub, the site of Oliver Reed’s final
drinking session. The old naval boozer had
become his ‘local’ in Malta while he was
filming Gladiator on the island. In just four
hours on the afternoon of 2 May 1999,
Reed sank eight lagers, a dozen double rums
and half a bottle of Famous Grouse while
arm-wrestling five British navy sailors. He
was stopped only by the heart attack that
killed him. The bar is now a shrine to Reed,
with pictures of the actor on the walls and
memories of him graffitied in the toilet.
‘I think it’s really nice that 18 years after his
death, people still
want to visit and
commemorate
him,’ says the
landlord Nathan
Brimmer. ‘He
never paid his
last tab – people
will do anything
to get out of
paying a bill!’

68 February 2018
 E A S T E R F E S T I VA L I N M A LTA

Pedestrians follow the last of the

Carnival floats in Valletta, Malta.
LEFT Revellers in chicken and egg
costumes enjoy the Nadur Carnival

patch of Tuscany has somehow sheared off and Batman and a Smurf polka dance with his cane. On the stage, 35 dancers in
from mainland Europe. Its craggy coastline Frankenstein’s monster. traditional Maltese outfits twirl in perfect
encircles a series of vineyards and sleepy A Day-Glo troll shouts over the din. His synchronisation. ‘Everything went well,’ he
villages, yet during Carnival, the small, name is Jonathan and he’s taken the ferry says with relief, but he’s not sure if his team
conservative town of Nadur has gained an over from Malta. ‘I’ve been coming here for have done enough to win. ‘There’s always
unlikely reputation as the zenith of six years, since I was 18,’ he says. ‘I wouldn’t something new, that’s what makes it a
Carnival weirdness. Teenagers and young go back to Carnival in Valletta now – it’s challenge. It brings out the best in everyone.’
people travel from across the Maltese more for children. Me and my friends are in The results are announced on the morning
Islands to join the party, dressing in Gozo for three nights, we’ve even booked of Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent.
homemade costumes and stumbling blind Monday off work.’ After a year of preparation and building,
drunk down the cobbled streets. The Back in Valletta on Sunday, crowds pack Roderick learns his team has won. ‘It’s a
atmosphere is somewhere between the streets as the sun beats down out of an special moment for my family,’ he says.
Glastonbury at four in the morning and a afternoon sky the colour of old jeans. The ‘I want to dedicate this to my grandfather.’
Halloween rave. While the floats in Nadur city was built by the Knights of St John as As for the €3,000 cheque, he says his first
can’t compete with Roderick’s artistic a heavily fortified port, and its high walls priority is to throw a party for everyone
expertise, they make up for it with savage and uniform grid design reflect its military who was involved. ‘It’s my way of saying
satirical wit. This year’s procession is led origin. The straight, narrow streets fall thank you,’ he says. ‘The families of our
by terrifying men in bald-headed goon and rise, and many have broad staircases helpers have had to make sacrifices as well.
masks, sloppily attempting to build ‘The designed to be climbed by knights laden I want to show them my appreciation.’
Great Wall of Mexico’ and spraying wet down by heavy armour. Over the years, the His thoughts, however, are already
sand from a cement mixer at anyone they 16th-century limestone architecture has turning to next year. ‘We’ll start again from
pass. Following them, Donald Trump and been augmented with Baroque flourishes scratch,’ he says. ‘The boost we had this
Hillary Clinton leer out from a float and colourful window boxes. The city’s year just makes us want to get even better.’
promising a re-run of the 2016 US election. main landmark is St John’s Co-Cathedral, As soon as Easter is over, Malta’s Carnival
Behind them comes a traffic jam of party whose imposingly blank exterior disguises builders will go back to the drawing board.
buses. You wait all year for one and then the lavish decoration within. They’re living evidence that Carnival is
six come along at once, each pounding out After passing the Cathedral and squeezing about more than just a wild party. It’s a
their own soundtrack. To stand in the down Archbishop Street, each float in turn celebration of the ancient magic that occurs
centre of Nadur Carnival on the Saturday emerges into St George’s Square, where when people come together to build
night is to withstand an onslaught of music a stage has been set up. When Roderick’s something bigger than themselves.
from every direction: the dance tunes from float arrives, he watches as his creation’s
the buses almost drown out the rock band mechanical heart brings his characters to
covering Led Zeppelin and Kiss, while in life. The gigantic Gahan spreads his arms KEVIN EG PERRY is a freelance writer.
Pupu’s Bar, grandfathers with tambourines wide in shock, while his mother lifts her He thinks that both Caravaggio and Oliver
and harmonicas play traditional folk beats, petticoats and his schoolteacher brandishes Reed would have liked the Nadur Carnival.

February 2018 69
 MAKE IT HAPPEN

ESSENTIALS
MALTA AND GOZO
GETTING THERE
Airlines including easyJet, Ryanair
and Air Malta fly from London to
Malta (from £82; easyjet.com).

GETTING AROUND
There are a number of car-rental
companies operating from Malta
International Airport (from
£50 for a week; budget.co.uk).
The ferry from Ċirkewwa in the
north of Malta to Mgarr in Gozo
runs every 45 minutes and
costs £4 for foot passengers
and £14 with a car.

WHEN TO GO
In 2018, Carnival will be held
over a long weekend from 9–13
WHERE TO STAY IN VALLETTA
February. In 2019, it will take
place 1–5 March. It is advisable

PHOTOGRAPHS: MATT MUNRO, TIFFANY LACEY/ALAMY, JULIAN EALES/ALAMY

to book your flights and
accommodation at least a
month in advance if you’re
planning to visit during Carnival.

FURTHER READING
The Lonely Planet Malta & Gozo
guide (£11.99) has information
on accommodation and travel ON A BUDGET A STEP UP ROOM FOR A KNIGHT
on both islands. You can also The exposed stone walls haven’t Located halfway down the St Ursula Casa Ellul is a family-owned palazzo
download individual chapters changed much since the 16th Steps, SU29 is a boutique hotel with just eight lavishly furnished
on Valletta and Gozo century and, as well as having history where each suite has its own suites built around a secluded
& Comino (£2.99 on its side, VB Apartments also offers idiosyncratic twist, ranging from courtyard. Some suites include
each; lonelyplanet. a central location and balconies vintage punchbags to one room rooftop terraces, outdoor hot tubs
com). For further overlooking Old Bakery Street (from that’s entirely carpeted in synthetic and even a piano (from £235;
information, see £60 per night; 00 356 7766 7777). grass (from £120; su29hotel.com). casaellul.com).
visitmalta.com.
XXXXXXXXXXXX

Looking towards the dome

of the Basilica of our Lady
of Mount Carmel and the
spire of St Paul’s Pro-
Cathedral in Valletta

70 February 2018
 E A S T E R F E S T I V A L I N M A LT A

BEHIND THE SCENES BEFORE

The day after our wild night
at the Nadur Carnival,
photographer Matt and

VALLETTA CARNIVAL:
I went to see the Azure
SUNDAY
2:30pm Window, one of Gozo’s
most well-known landmarks.
DAY BY DAY Carnival Grand
Show in St
The limestone arch rose 92ft out
of the sea and had appeared as a backdrop in
George’s Square
THURSDAY (seated tickets
the TV series Game of Thrones. It had stood for
5:30pm Opening ceremony at Pjazza £10).
at least the last couple of thousand years and
Teatru Rjal (admission free). looked as if it would remain for thousands more.
In fact, a week later it was gone. The structure
FRIDAY MONDAY collapsed during a storm on 8 March 2017 and
5:30pm Dance competition in St 10am Dance School’s Carnival Parade was swallowed up by the waves. Kevin EG Perry
£4). through Valletta.
George’s Square (seated tickets
4pm Dance competition followed are,
by
AFTER
Grand Defilé in St Geo rge’s Squ
SATURDAY Valletta (seated tickets £6).
9:30am Children’s Carnival in St £4).
George’s Square (seated tickets
3pm Dance peti tion and Gra nd TUESDAY
6pm Grand finale along St Anne’s Street,
com
perform anc e in St Geo rge’s Square
Defilé
Floriana (admission free).
(seated tickets £9).
to the time for accurate listings.
; check visitmalta.com closer
These are unconfirmed timings
XXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXX

Night
adventures
Everything gets a little more
interesting after dark, when
natural wonders shine and
bright lights beckon

21
WATCH THE AURORA
FROM A BAR IN ICELAND

PHOTOGRAPHS: ELENA LISEYKINA/GETTY, PHILIPP WIEDHOFER, ION HOTELS RAGNOR TH. SIGURDSSON/ARCTIC IMAGES, RICHARD TAYLOR/4 CORNERS
If you like the idea of spending winter
nights looking up at the northern
lights – but you’re not so keen on enduring the
sub-zero temperatures – then book in to Iceland’s
stunning Ion Adventure Hotel (below), sitting
among mountainous lava fields 40 minutes’ drive
from Reykjavík. The hotel’s striking Northern
Lights bar has floor-to-ceiling windows from
which you might spot the aurora from the comfort
of an armchair or sofa. If you can summon up the
courage to step outside into the icy cold, take a
guided (daytime) hiking trip to the geothermal hot
springs or, alternatively, strike out on a kayaking
trip navigating Iceland’s wild Hvítá river, which
carries the run-off from the giant Langjökull
glacier on its journey to the Atlantic Ocean
(from £290; ionadventure.ioniceland.is).
OARRIVE BA, easyJet, Flybe, Icelandair and WOW Air offer

22
flights to Reykjavík’s Keflavik airport from UK cities including
Edinburgh, London and Manchester (from £70; easyjet.com). TRY NIGHT SKIING IN SEMMERING, AUSTRIA
The thought of ski resorts after dark conjures images of cascading
fondue sets and après-ski antics. Not so, however, at Semmering,
Austria, where the antidote to a long day’s skiing on the slopes is, erm,
yet more skiing. Europe’s largest night-skiing area encompasses some eight miles of
floodlit slopes suiting all-comers, from championship skiiers to novices. Visitors can
whoosh along the piste until 10pm, as the foothills of the Eastern Alps become
silhouetted against the night sky. Night sledging and tobogganing are also available
long after the rest of the Alps’ winter sports set have returned to their chalets.
OARRIVE Semmering is just over one hour’s drive from Vienna. Vienna is served by direct flights
from Bristol, Edinburgh, London and Manchester with easyJet, and London and Manchester with
Austrian Airlines (from £230; austrian.com).
OSTAY Hotel Panhans is a 19th-century hotel in Semmering, where classically furnished rooms
have little balconies looking out over the slopes (from £100; panhans.at).

72 February 2018
 First hosted in 52
23
BEST
CAMP UNDER THE STARS St Petersburg, the all-night WEEKENDS
IN WADI RUM, JORDAN White Nights Arts Festival AWAY
By daylight, Wadi Rum counts as one of the most takes place during the summer
extraordinary landscapes in the Middle East, with solstice. Versions have
jagged red cliffs and swooping rock arches rising over dunes of
powder-fine sand. Seen at night, it’s just as spectacular – the cliffs
spread to Leeds, Liverpool,
casting mighty moon shadows, and constellations twinkling in clear Paris, Tel Aviv and
and invariably cloudless skies. It’s just about possible to get there Valletta.
over a long weekend from the UK, joining a two day-desert tour in
the company of Wadi Rum Zain Tours. Daylight hours might be

24
spent hiking the narrow wadis and scrambling to hidden springs, GO STAR-GAZING IN THE
before making camp in the mouth of a cave around sundown, BRECON BEACONS, WALES
savouring Bedouin earth oven-cooked dishes under the stars Not only is the Brecon Beacons a choice
(from £75 per person; wadirumzaintours.com). spot to gaze out at verdant hills and sheep
OARRIVE Amman Queen Alia International Airport is served by
– it’s also a prime place to gaze at faraway galaxies. This
direct flights from London Heathrow with Royal Jordanian and
designated Dark Sky Reserve claims some of the clearest
British Airways, and is set a four-hour drive north of Wadi Rum skies in the southern UK, with few places better to idle
(from £600; ba.com). away a weekend squinting at neighbouring planets than
the Stargazers Retreat. Housed in a former stables, this
woodland cabin comes with a set of fixed and movable
telescopes – handy if you wake in the small hours with
a sudden urge to check up on Andromeda Galaxy. Short
stargazing courses are also available at the cabin through
the summer (cabin from £66, courses from £15;
stargazersretreat.co.uk).
OARRIVE The Brecon Beacons is best accessed and explored by
private transport. It’s roughly four hours’ drive from London, one
hour from Cardiff and one hour from Swansea.

25
GET RUINED
IN BUDAPEST
AFTER DARK
Budapest is a
city of grand architecture – from
ornate Austro-Hungarian
boulevards to the neo-Baroque
baths that send plumes of steam
spiralling high into the city
skies. In spite of this (or maybe
because of it) the rallying point
for weekend drinkers is
romkocsma – also known as
ruin bars. A fixture of Budapest,
these drinking holes are set in
the sort of dilapidated buildings
that would give a health and
safety officer a migraine. Start
your evening at the more sedate
Mazel Tov or Anker’t, before
moving on to something livelier.
Kuplung occupies a former
garage in the city centre, with
huge murals of whales and lurid
jellyfish lights. Similarly
animal-heavy is Instant,
Budapest’s largest ruin bar,
whose dancefloor is presided
over by a pig-shaped glitter ball.
OARRIVE BA, easyJet and Ryanair
offer flights from UK cities to Budapest
(from £102; easyjet.com).
OSTAY Lanchid 19 is a design hotel
overlooking the Chain Bridge (from
£70; lanchid19hotel.com).

February 2018 73
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Dirty weekends 26
SAIL TO THE
CHANNEL ISLANDS
Why be ships in the night when you
can get on board the same boat and
Nothing rekindles the flame quite like a sail away across the channel? Universal Yachting
runs sailing course weekends for couples and small
weekend away together, so head off on one groups wanting a private adventure (four-day sail
from £399 per person; universalyachting.com).
of these mini adventures that’ll have you The three-cabin skippered yacht leaves from
Southampton and takes guests across the Channel
mastering flamenco in the city of its birth to Cherbourg, arriving in time for a candlelit dinner
on terra firma. Day two sees the boat party head
or getting mucky down on the farm through the Alderney Race to the island of
Guernsey, where there is time to unwind before the
return voyage. The emphasis is on having a fun and
relaxing weekend, and participants can be as active
or as passive onboard as they desire – learning the
ropes from the friendly skipper or sitting back on
deck and enjoying the shifting view, G&T in hand.
OARRIVE The boat departs from Hamble-le-Rice in
Southampton, Hampshire. Hamble-le-Rice is an hour from
the M3 from London, and just off the M27 from Portsmouth.

28
SPICE THINGS UP IN ISTANBUL

27
DRINK CHAMPAGNE IN With a foot in both Europe and Asia, and rich traditions drawn from
CHAMPAGNE, FRANCE either side of the River Bosphorus, Istanbul is an alluring city for a
Champagne is to romance as romantic getaway. Spice up your love life with a break at W Istanbul,
yin is to yang. The two have a hotel and spa in the heart of the historic city (from £75 per night; wistanbul.com.tr).
been firmly linked since the 18th century Rooms feature dark-wood walls, silk bedspreads and marble bathrooms with rainforest
when Madame de Pompadour, mistress to showers. Dial the romance up a notch by requesting a ‘Marvellous’ room, complete
Louis XV, is said to have had champagne with a white-curtained cabana, in which you can sip on cocktails under the stars. As
coupes modelled after the shape of her hard as it may be to leave the hotel, you should put W’s Whatever Whenever service to
breasts, and presented them as a gift to her good use and ask cthe oncierge to book a sunset cruise along the Bosphorus, drifting
royal lover. There are other ways for modern gently between the European and Asian halves of the city. And to bring some of the
romantics to demonstrate devotion to a spice of the weekend home with you (quite literally), head to the Spice Bazaar, where
partner, such as a weekend away in the heart vividly coloured powders of cumin, turmeric and exotic saffron are piled high.
of the historic wine-producing region. OARRIVE Atlas Global, BA, Pegasus Airlines and Turkish Airlines fly from the UK to Istanbul (from £90;
Nineteenth-century Château de Fère makes a flypgs.com). The Airport Shuttle Service runs buses to the city centre. There is also a fast Metro system PHOTOGRAPHS: MICHAEL HEFFERNAN, GUIDO COZZI/4 CORNERS, YADID LEVY
handsome base after a day or two wandering from the airport to Sultanahmet in the city centre.
Champagne’s vineyards and sauntering
between tastings at the best wineries. The
château also has a Michelin-star restaurant,
a spa and heated pool, and offers guests
guided tours of its own wine cellars. In the
summer months, you can end the day with
a hot-air balloon ride, gently floating over
the ruins of a 13th-century castle in the
château’s grounds and the vineyards below
(two-night weekend stay £510 for two;
french-weekendbreaks.co.uk).
OARRIVE The nearest airport to Château de Fère is
Paris Charles de Gaulle, one hour away by car (flights
from £90; ba.com). Car hire is available at the airport;
see the hotel website for detailed driving instructions.

74 February 2018
 52
30
LEARN FLAMENCO BEST
IN SEVILLE, SPAIN WEEKENDS
Seville is a city of passion and AWAY
seduction, an intoxicating place of
sun-drenched plazas and winding lanes, where lovers
walk hand in hand, and the lilt of guitar music and the
scent of orange blossom are carried on the breeze. It is
also the birthplace of flamenco. This fiery art form can
be seen all over the city, during nightly performances Queues, rip-off
at established tablãos, in bars and in spontaneous prices, nowhere to sit:
demonstrations on street corners. But you don’t have airports can kill a
to be a mere spectator; turn protagonist on a weekend- romantic trip before it's
long course with Taller Flamenco (£130 per person;
tallerflamenco.com). Over a Friday and Saturday, you
begun... unless you book
will be taught how to finesse your compas y palmas
into an airport lounge
(rhythm and clapping), stomp your feet to music and (passes from £20;
o lounges.com).

29
express emotion through twists, turns and gestures.
MUCK IN ON The course finishes with a visit to a live performance
THE FARM, DEVON at one of the city’s famous flamenco halls. Olé!
For a weekend that invigorates the OARRIVE BA, easyJet and Ryanair offer flights to Seville from
soul and leaves you happier than UK cities (from £80; ba.com).
a pig in mud, book in at The Old Piggery in Devon. STAY The infinitely romantic Hotel Casa 1800 is a 19th-century
This self-contained hideaway is set within the mansion with views over the Cathedral and Giralda from its
grounds of Windout Barn, a working farm that rooftop sun deck (from £90; hotelcasa1800sevilla.com).
dates back to the 11th century. It’s all about good
old-fashioned nostalgia here: the Old Piggery
comes complete with a kingsize bed suspended
from the ceiling, and reached via a rickety
wooden ladder. But the real showstopper is
outside. Two huge claw-foot bathtubs sit side by
side on a private deck overlooking the apple
orchard and Devon countryside beyond. After
a barbecue supper, grab a bottle of champagne
and get steamy in your twin baths on the deck
as the stars come out one by one (from £85 per
night; windoutbarn.co.uk).
OARRIVE Windout Barn lies just off the A30, a 20-minute
drive from Exeter. Exeter St Davids train station is a
25-minute taxi ride away (around £20; exetercars.com).

31
GO DIRT-BIKING IN SPAIN
If your idea of a dirty weekend is
less champagne and roses and
more engine noise and mud, take
things to a new level with a dirt-biking break in
southern Spain. Explore the countryside on
two wheels with the warmth of the sun on your
back with Let’s Ride Spain. Before hitting the
trails, you’ll be kitted out and get to know your
motorbike better, as well as receive practical
advice on body positioning, braking and hill
climbs. Guides tailor the route to each rider’s
ability and confidence, so whether you’re a
first-timer or a dab hand, you’ll set off at a pace
and rhythm to suit you. After a day off-roading,
cold beers await back at base, and the chance
to share all the thrills and spills of the ride
(£525pp, you will need a category A or A2
licence before booking; letsridespain.com).
OARRIVE BA, easyJet, Flybe and Ryanair fly to Málaga
from many UK cities (from £80; easyjet.co.uk).
OSTAY Accommodation at the four-star Hotel Las
Pirámides in Fuengirola is included in the price of the
tour. The hotel is close to the Playa de las Américas.

February 2018 75
XXXXXXXXX

Escape
to the
forest
From scaling the
lofty pines of

33
HUNKER DOWN IN
Sweden to kayaking A TREEHOUSE IN WALES
Gaudí didn’t design treehouses, but
through shadowy if he had, chances are they’d look

Polish forests, we like those at the Living Room Treehouses, set in

dappled woods near Wales’ New Age capital,
log the woodland Machynlleth. Reached by spiral staircases and
connected by rickety rope bridges, the contoured
weekends that go structures blend harmoniously with the pine,
larch and oak forests surrounding them. Inside,
against the grain guests might choose to spend a weekend huddled
around wood-burning stoves, snuggled up in
floral-patterned blankets, reading by candlelight
after dark or else pottering off in search of the
on-site hot tub. If the Welsh weather allows, head
for Cadair Idris, a nearby mountain whose lower
slopes are swathed in ancient forests and whose
blustery summit has stirring views over Cambrian
hills (£379 for two nights; living-room.co).
OARRIVE Direct trains run to Machynlleth from
Aberystwyth and Birmingham New Street (from £27.60;
ojp.nationalrail.co.uk).

34
KAYAK THROUGH
THE FORESTS OF
EASTERN POLAND
The borderlands of Poland
and Lithuania are some of the most
untouched corners of the continent – with

32
primeval forests and impenetrable
HIKE THROUGH marshlands that are home to bison, elk,
GERMANY’S BLACK FOREST wolves and lynx. A fine way to navigate this
The Black Forest is the Germany wilderness, and approach said wildlife
PHOTOGRAPHS: MATT MUNRO, COOL CAMPING/COOLCAMPING.COM, TOM KAHLER
of Brothers Grimm fairytales: unaware, is aboard a canoe. Wild Poland
farmhouses, wildflower pastures, onion-domed The Woodland offers kayaking trips through the waterways
churches and dense woods where you can Trust has an of Wigry National Park, gliding silently
imagine lost children happening upon online directory beneath birch forests, making camp and
cannibalistic witches. Its low hills make for easy, of your closest cooking dinner over an open fire after a full
witch-free walking, with well-signed trails so no
one gets lost. Black Forest Tours offers two-day,
woods – all are day’s paddling. Keep a keen eye out for
beavers and otters who might be making
self-guided walking itineraries in the region,
free to visit their own journeys along the Polish
on part of a pilgrimage trail towards distant (woodlandtrust. waterways. If you’re especially keen to see
Santiago de Compostela. You’re not likely to make org.uk). how the otter half live, the itinerary includes
it to Galicia after just two days walking; however, the option of wild swimming, after some
you can console yourself with the vineyards along sweltering in a riverside sauna (four days
the French border, cuckoo-clock workshops and from £515; wildpoland.com).
huge forests (two days, three nights from £530pp, OARRIVE Tours start in the Polish capital Warsaw.
including accommodation; the-black-forest.com). British Airways, LOT, Ryanair and Wizz Air fly to
OARRIVE Ryanair flies from London Stansted and Warsaw Chopin from London Heathrow, while
Edinburgh to Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden airport, about an Ryanair flies to Warsaw Modlin from Stansted,
hour’s drive away (from £64; ryanair.com).

76 February 2018
 52
35
BEST
GET WEEKENDS
SERIOUS AWAY
ABOUT
TREE
CLIMBING IN SWEDEN
If your tree-climbing skills
peaked in childhood,
it’s high time to spend a
weekend on a tree-climbing
course in southern Sweden.
Here, serious lessons
involve ropes and hard hats,
and great rewards, with a
squirrel’s-eye view at the
top. There’s an optional
extra of spending the night
in a sling high in the canopy,
where you’re harnessed

36
in and a guide is on hand
for night-time descents to CAMP DEEP IN THE DORSET WOODS
the loo (4 days from £617, Glamping set-ups don’t come more elaborate than Crafty Camping, hidden in the woods
including accommodation; of West Dorset. Yurts? Check. Teepees? Check. Shepherd’s hut? Check. Bell tents? Yep.
naturetravels.co.uk). All feature wooden writing tables, rough-hewn timber beds, hammocks for summer days
OARRIVE Copenhagen is the and wood-burning stoves to allay West Country drafts. The star of the show, however, is the Woodsman’s
closest airport. SAS flies from Treehouse, the Hearst Castle of wooden stays, arranged around an oak tree with hot tub and sauna.
Heathrow and Manchester, Should you get a hankering to whittle your own masterpiece into being, try an on-site woodwork or
easyJet from Bristol and Gatwick spoon-carving lesson (bell tents from £176; treehouse from £780 for two nights; mallinson.co.uk).
(from £73; easyjet.com) OARRIVE Axminster station is five miles away. Direct trains run from Exeter, Andover and London Waterloo (from £75;
southwesternrailway.com).

37
SLEEP IN
THE CANOPY
IN FINLAND
A peculiar
crossbreed of a hammock,
a tent, a treehouse and a
trampoline, the Tentsile is a
novel camping device for those
camping out in the woods,
suspended by a triangular
rope system that raises it as
high above the forest floor as
you dare. If you need to be
convinced to shell out £345
for your own (or perhaps can’t
find three suitable candidate
trees in the UK), why not spend
a weekend at the Honkalintu
Experience EcoCamp in
Nuuksio National Park, not far
from Helsinki? Here, a number
of Tentsiles pitched on a hillside
overlooking a woodland lake
are available to staying guests.
Days might be whiled away
wandering forest trails, heading
out on canoe expeditions,
swimming or simply lying back
on your Tentsile and gazing up
through the clear roof at the
swaying pines above (from £132
for two; honkalintu.fi).
OARRIVE BA and Finnair fly direct
PHOTOGRAPHS:

from Heathrow and Manchester

to Helsinki; Norwegian flies from
Gatwick (from £95; ba.com).

February 2018 77
 Small-scale
Denmark knows
how to get the
best from its land
and sea. Head to
North Zealand for
prize produce and
simple cooking
WORDS LISA ABEND @LisaAbend
PHOTOGRAPHS ALICIA TAYLOR @aliciataylorphotography

78 February 2018
Mackerel, cabbage and
powdered kale at Sletten.
RIGHT Artisan sausage-
maker Flemming Bisp Høeg
at Kødsnedkeren

A floral hamper at Rokkedysse farm.

LEFT Beaches, like this one at the
resort town of Tisvilde, run for an
almost unbroken 35 miles from
Hundested to Helsingør

February 2018 79
CLOCKWISE Kronborg Castle in
Helsingør (known as Elsinore
in older English); a variety
of dishes at Sletten; its
co-owner Jakob Thorning
Christiansen; houses on
Sortebrødrestræde
in Helsingør
 TA S T E S O F D E N M A R K

Helsingør’s Lagoni Kaffebar.

LEFT The 85-year-old Lynhjems
Etft Ole Jensen cheese shop.
RIGHT Flea market goods
in Helsingør

G ORDON HENRIKSEN DOESN’T WANT ME TO

get my hopes up. We were supposed to spend a morning
fishing in the narrow strait that separates Denmark from
Sweden but the weather, always mercurial in this part of
the world, had dashed our plans. Though we managed to
reschedule days later, it was only for an hour, and that
– according to Gordon – hardly leaves time to catch much
of anything, especially for a novice like me. ‘It’s not like
you can just drop a line and pull it back out with
mackerel on the end,’ he warns. ‘The Øresund has some
world-class fishing, but it still takes time.’
You could say the same thing about North Zealand as
a whole. The top half of Denmark’s largest island features
the kind of loamy soil and cobalt waters that invariably
yield good produce. And because it sits just north of
Copenhagen – a city that, as any foodie worth her Maldon
salt will tell you, is one of the most exciting places in the
The next morning, I’m determined to prove some
exists. Lined with houses in Easter egg colours, Helsingør
is a strikingly pretty town that – thanks to its proximity
to Sweden – was once a wealthy customs station. It’s best
known for Kronborg, a spire-topped birthday cake of a
fortress that was reportedly the inspiration for Hamlet’s
castle. But it’s also home to small shops that revel in good
craftsmanship, including an artisanal coffee roastery
located inside the castle walls, an 85-year-old cheese
shop where the staff will happily explain the finer points
of selecting a local Vesterhavsost, and Tibberup Høkeren,
whose owner scours Europe to find handcrafted feather
dusters, intensely soft linen shirts, and the occasional
ball of string (admittedly, it is very fine string).
So I ask Ulla Kyhn, the owner of Kyhns Guesthouse,
where I’m staying, for restaurant recommendations. She
pauses. Along with the six beautifully restored rooms of
world to eat – I imagined it would be full of sophisticated her guesthouse, it houses a café where everything, from
inns and delicious little country bistros taking full the cloth napkins to the tasty fish cakes is organic, so I
advantage of the bounty. But that expectation, I was soon know she’s a stickler for detail. But when she learns I’ve
to learn, would take a bit of time to deliver on too. already been to Sletten, she is stumped for other fine-
On my first night in the region, however, it seemed like dining options. ‘We’re not Copenhagen,’ she sighs.
my hopes would be fulfilled. Sletten overlooks the spiny Aarstiderne isn’t Copenhagen either, although it
masts of Humlebæk’s harbour, and between the sorbet- certainly feeds a lot of Copenhageners. An organic farm
coloured sunset going on outside its picture windows, six miles south of Helsingør, it sends subscribers crates
and the cosy, light-filled interior, the restaurant imparts a with fresh ingredients and recipes to create organic meals
sense of well-being before it serves a single dish. The food at home and welcomes visitors who want to tour its
only heightens that sensation. A grasshopper-green disk fields, attend a pickling workshop, or simply pick up a
of cabbage dusted with powdered kale tops meaty bits of kilo of greens. From the outside, the place looks like a
briny, freshly-caught mackerel; the sugary meringue on traditional farm: broad brick buildings, verdant rows of
a geometrically-piped baked Alaska hides an interior vegetables. But on closer inspection, the place teems with
of tart puréed sea buckthorn berries. innovation. Inside a test kitchen, skilled chefs devise new
Co-owner Jakob Thorning Christiansen, who after a recipes. Kølster, an organic brewery, turns out hoppy
stint in Copenhagen was drawn home to Humlebæk by beers and fragrant ciders. One field is set aside for
the quiet and nature, is humble about Sletten’s ambitions. schoolchildren to farm; another is where chef Kristian
‘We use high-quality produce,’ he says, ‘and we cook Baumann grows the vegetables and herbs for his cutting-
it in honest ways.’ His formula seemed simple enough edge Copenhagen restaurant 108.
that I was intrigued by his answer when I asked for other Søren Ejlersen, who helped found Aarstiderne, is
restaurants in the area that held the same philosophy. especially excited about a plot at the bottom of a hill
‘You know, I wish we had more competition.’ where they test new crops. Tromping past a rainbow-

February 2018 81
 Miniature cucumbers grown
at Aarstiderne organic farm.
BELOW Fields of flowers are
a new addition to the farm

coloured field of dahlias, his boots sucking at the mud,

he returns with a fistful of what look to be gobstopper-
sized watermelons. ‘They’re cucumbers!’ he says in a
tone of happy wonderment. ‘They’re delicious. And
they’re raised without chemicals and with attention to
carbon emissions. We’re not going to feed the world with
them, but we might inspire the world.’
In fact, North Zealand is full of inspiring farmers. At his
biodynamic farm in Dronningmølle, Niels Stokholm raises
indigenous livestock breeds with a holistic attention to the
welfare of both the animals and the earth that feeds them.
Over 80, he still rises before dawn to milk his band of
Danish red cows, talking to them gently as he does. ‘They
recognise my voice,’ he says. ‘It relaxes them.’ That may
help explain why the milk from his farm is so good – good
enough, in fact, for Copenhagen’s star restaurant Noma.
But Niels believes the quality starts much earlier. He hikes
out to a grazing meadow, where he kneels down stiffly,
brings his face to the ground, and begins ticking off the

S
plants he finds. ‘Red clover, ground elder, wild thyme.
That’s biodiversity. That’s how you know the soil is
healthy. And that’s where the taste comes from.’

TOKHOLM SOUNDED LIKE HE WAS TALKING

terroir, the notion that the environment of a place –
the soil, topography and climate – literally determines
the taste of wine made there. Another North Zealander,
Peter Beier, assures me the same idea can be applied to
other products. The primary material for Denmark’s
leading chocolatier is hardly local. In fact, one of his
latest innovations is a series of boxes filled with single-
source chocolates, from smooth Venezuelan to smoky
Papua New Guinean. But above the production centre
and tasting rooms in Gurre, he keeps a room at sauna-like
temperatures where he grows a few cacao plants so that
even visitors in the far north can learn, through the tour
and tastings, where chocolate comes from. And outside
the building, on the fairytale estate where he and his
family also live, he grows the apples, hazelnuts and
strawberries that feature in his deliciously intense
chocolates. ‘I like the idea of ground to table,’ he says.
‘And I like the idea that you can taste a bit of this
ground in our chocolates.’
You can travel well through North Zealand this way,
tasting the terroir as you move from farm to farm, artisan
to artisan. On the way you’ll find squat brick abbeys and
soaring palaces, bobbing wooden boats on windblown
lakes and always, always, that rolling farmland, busy
bringing something delicious to eat. Not far from Tisvilde,
a holiday town beloved for the wild roses that carpet its
craggy shores and the wooden bathhouses that dot its
beaches, Lisbeth and Torben Bo Toft Christensen grow
candy-sweet berries on their farm, Rokkedysse. They got
their first strawberry plants – all 20,000 of them – as a
wedding gift years ago, and have spent the intervening
time experimenting with different varieties, tinkering
with their largely organic growing methods, and opening
a café to showcase everything from their nearly floral
strawberry ice cream to crumbly raspberry muffins that
pop with juicy fruit. ‘We even do berry tastings,’ Torben
says, ‘so that people can learn to appreciate the size,
colour and aroma of our different varieties.’

82 February 2018
TA S T E S O F D E N M A R K

Niels Stokholm and his

wife Rita Hansen run the
Thorshøjgaard biodynamic
farm, which has a herd of
rare Danish red cattle

February 2018 83
 ABOVE FROM LEFT Many thatch-roofed houses stand along Gammel Strandvej (‘Old Beach Road’) in Humlebæk, also home to Sletten restaurant;
one of Niels Stokholm’s Danish red cows at Thorshøjgaard; the Smagsmarken (‘tasting fields’) at Aarstiderne farm are a hotbed of culinary experimentation

‘You can travel well through

tasting the terroir as you
BELOW FROM LEFT Dinner at sunset on the terrace of Helenekilde Badehotel – the establishment has been running since 1904 in the beach resort of Tisvilde;
ducks on the lawns of Peter Beier’s chocolate-making estate outside Helsingør; chocolate pyramids are one of Peter Beier’s signature varieties

84 February 2018
 TA S T E S O F D E N M A R K

ABOVE FROM LEFT Sausages hanging to dry at Kødsnedkeren, a country butcher near Tisvilde; strawberries grown on the Gundekildegaard farm
– one of the two locations of the Rokkedysse berry-growing business; homemade strawberry ice cream is a summer highlight at the farm

North Zealand this way,

move from farm to farm’
BELOW FROM LEFT Ole Sørensen pilots a boat across the six square miles of Esrum Lake; bread rolls beside the harbour of Gilleleje; the church in Gilleleje was built
around 1530, and helped to hide Danish Jews from occupying Nazi forces during the Second World War, although 80 out of more than 7,000 were caught here

February 2018 85
XXXXXXXXX

J
Tisvildeleje is the beachside portion of Tisvilde town, and its many beach huts bring different hues to this stretch of the North Zealand coast

UST DOWN THE ROAD FROM ROKKEDYSSE, ‘The family’s always been connected to the sea and to this
Flemming Bisp Høeg makes the sausages he sells at lake,’ he says. ‘And when they’re not here, they let other
Kødsnedkeren by hand, using pork and beef from local people go out in their sailboat.’ As if on cue, a group of
farms, and seasoning them with warm spices like nutmeg people in their fifties and sixties appear: a folkdancing
and coriander that Danes love. And in a workspace club. For their annual gathering, Sørensen will ferry them,
surrounded by rippling barley fields, former chef Dan on the queen’s boat, to an island in the lake. As they board,
Schumacher makes a range of distinctively modern each one hands over a carefully packed picnic basket.
schnapps from carefully grown or foraged ingredients, And that, I realise, is the secret. North Zealand may not
with flavours that range from an intense spruce to a yet have a restaurant culture that draws in gourmands.
strangely haunting white asparagus. ‘It smells better than But as the rich chocolate and watermelon cucumbers and
it tastes,’ he admits of that one. ‘But the dill schnapps? I creamy milk and juicy strawberries and spicy sausage
grow the dill myself because all the flavour is in the and even that weird asparagus schnapps had proven, in
seeds, and I want to get those right.’ He pours a glass and this part of Denmark, it’s just a matter of doing it yourself.
sips at it. ‘That tastes like Danish summer in a glass.’ When the winds finally calm, Gordon and I at last make
There are other tastes of Danish summer to be had in it on to his boat. He’s convinced me we won’t have time
North Zealand’s simple cafés. Gilleleje, a seaside town to catch anything, but I’m still happy to be on the water,
comprised of thatch-roofed homes and one stern-looking if only because I get to see the glorious Kronborg castle
church, earned its place in history for organising a from its seaward side. As much for kicks as anything,
spontaneous flotilla of small boats that ferried most of he teaches me how to cast and is just telling me about
Denmark’s Jews across the sound into safety in Sweden the tug that signals herring on the line when I feel it, and
during the Nazi occupation. Today the town is also reel in two small fish. I drop the line again, and within
known for its rye bread: Café Vaabengaard bakes its own, minutes get a bigger pull: a mackerel, its iridescent stripes
dense and nutty, from local flour, and gets its herring from shimmering in the Nordic sunshine. Two minutes later,
the smoker next door. And Proviant, in the port town of there’s another, and then two on the line after that.
Hundested, serves open-faced sandwiches piled high I am, Gordon tries to convince me, a born fisherwoman.
with tiny, impossibly sweet shrimp fished from the I’m pretty sure that’s not the case. More than any long-
neighbouring fjord. dormant skill, I can thank for my haul North Zealand’s
I finish my food journey through this bountiful region bounty – a bounty that will no doubt foster seriously good
in the town of Fredensborg. Home to one of the royal restaurants one day. In the meantime, Gordon sets up a
family’s more striking palaces, Fredensborg dominates small stove near the pier and lightly smokes the mackerel
a hill beside Esrum Lake, where the queen, princes and I caught. Do I need to say it? It’s the best I’ve ever tasted.
their spouses still sail a few times a year. Since 1964, Ole
Sørensen has taken care of the family’s boats, including
a pair of sleek cherrywood kayaks that, he says with a LISA ABEND is based in Copenhagen, and writes often for The
mildly scandalised wink, Prince Frederik and Princess New York Times and TIME. She is the author of The Sorcerer’s
Mary received as a wedding gift and are yet to use. Apprentices: A Season in the Kitchen of Ferran Adrià’s elBulli.

86 February 2018
 TA S T E S O F D E N M A R K

Inside the boathouse of

Bådfarten Esrum Sø by
the lake in Fredensborg.
LEFT Harbourside beers
in the fishing port of
Hundested

Salad and pesto at Café

Vaabengaard in Gilleleje.
RIGHT Fisherman Gordon
Henriksen smokes freshly
caught mackerel on the
Helsingør quayside

February 2018 87
 MAKE IT HAPPEN

North Zealand
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE
BA, easyJet, Norwegian, Ryanair and SAS fly to Copenhagen
from UK airports (from £75; easyjet.com). Flight time from
London is around two hours, and it’s an hour’s drive in good
traffic from Copenhagen’s airport to Helsingør – the largest
town in North Zealand (you’ll also see the island spelled
Sealand in English, and it’s Sjælland in Danish).

GETTING AROUND
The usual car-hire firms operate out of the airport.
Rental fees start at around £35 per day (europcar.com).

FURTHER INFO
Take a look at our Denmark guidebook (£15.99), or
download the Zealand chapter online (£2.99; shop.
lonelyplanet.com). If you’re adding on a
day or two in Copenhagen, download
Copenhagen for free on our Guides app.
For the tourist board, go to the inspiring
and comprehensive visitdenmark.com.

Eat your way round North Zealand

A 40-minute drive north from Just 10 minutes further on from Ulla and Ove Kyhn took a An all-around fishing expert
Copenhagen, Sletten is Sletten – and also nearby one of crumbling, 16th-century (he edits fishing magazines and
probably North Zealand’s best Europe’s great modern art merchant’s house on Helsingør’s appears regularly on fishing TV
restaurant, and is owned by the collections, the Louisiana main shopping street and programmes), Gordon Henriksen
same people as the capital’s well- Museum – Aarstiderne is carefully restored it. Kyhns also works as a fishing guide, taking
regarded Formel B and Palægade. devoted to its own kind of art: Guesthouse is now elegantly experts and novices alike out into
That connection helps explain the art of the well-grown outfitted in subdued colorus, the Øresund to fish. He and other
the vein of sophisticated cooking vegetable. This organic farm has organic textiles and clean-lined guides are listed at fishingzealand.
that runs through this cosy, a farm shop, offers tours of its Danish antiques (from £120; dk; guiding fees start at around
harbourside place frequented fields, and holds classes in kyhnsgaestehus.dk). The café £100 for a group. Back on dry land,
by Humlebæk’s locals. Sletten’s fermentation and other culinary downstairs serves a bountiful beachside Brasserie 1861 serves
talented chef has a deft touch with techniques (aarstiderne.com). homemade breakfast. Also in dishes such as fried scallop with
the region’s flavourful produce Helsingør and its Kronborg town, Lagoni Kaffebar is a good Jerusalem artichoke and halibut
(mains from £16, five-course castle are 20 minutes’ drive north stop for an afternoon coffee with beetroot and tarragon (mains
tasting menu £90; sletten.dk). from here along the coastal road. and cake (lagonikaffebar.dk). from £22; brasserie1861.dk).

88 February 2018
 TA S T E S O F D E N M A R K

A country lane outside

Thorshøjgaard farm near BEHIND THE SCENES
Dronningmølle
Gilleleje has got to be one
of the most adorable
towns in Denmark,
with its small fishing
harbour and streets
lined with thatched-roof
houses. In its church,
handpainted model ships hang from
the ceiling. Hydrangea and wild roses
bloom in neat gardens. It’s one of
those places that seems impossibly
sweet and wholesome. So it was with
some surprise that the photographer
Alicia Taylor and I came upon a
building with a banner across its front.
Printed on it were the words ‘Gilleleje’s
New Swingers’ Club opens here,’ and
a pair of, um, anatomically correct
drawings. ‘I guess what they say about
sexually liberated
Scandinavians is
true,’ I said after
we’d stopped
giggling. ‘Even
in Gilleleje.’
Lisa Abend

On a beautiful estate in Gurre, As you follow the coast road to Outside Tisvilde, Rokkedysse’s The port of Hundested is the
20 minutes west from Helsingør, Tisvilde, stop at Gilleleje , with Gundekildegaard farm lets you westernmost point on this trip.
chocolatier Peter Beier offers its friendly harbour. Built in the pick intensely sweet strawberries Proviant is a fetching little café
tastings, tours of the chocolate- old customs-house stables, Café and raspberries in the summer and an excellent place to try local
making facilities and a shop to Vaabengaard serves crisp salads months, and also makes ice cream fjord shrimp, served in an open
stock up on single-source that overflow their bowls and and cake (rokkedysse.dk). Nearby, sandwich (lunch around £12;
pastilles or the chocolate-cased plush sandwiches (dishes Kødsnedkeren sells quality provianthundested.dk). It’s a drive
marshmallows known as around £12; cafevaabengaard.dk). sausages and other meat of 1¼ hours back to Copenhagen,
flødeboller (pbchokolade.dk). It’s A further half-hour drive west in (koedsnedkeren.dk). On your way but consider a detour via the royal
another 25 minutes from here to the beach resort of Tisvilde , west, stop by the accomplished retreat of Fredensborg . Here you
Niels Stokholm’s farm at Helenekilde Badehotel is a Tinggården restaurant in the town can take trips on Esrum Lake (£60
Thorshøjgaard – call ahead if historic hotel in town with a lovely of Frederiksværk (three dishes per boat; baadfarten.com) and
you’d like to visit his Danish red seaside terrace, though guest £60; tinggarden.dk), and have a final taste of North Zealand
cow herd (landbruget-thorshoej rooms are more spartan (from Torup , with its eco-village at Skipperhuset (three courses
gaard.dk; +45 4971 9642). £145; helenekilde.com). community (dyssekilde.dk). £33; skipperhuset.dk).

February 2018 89
 Gastronomic trips to
the home of…
Salade Niçoise, spaghetti bolognese, deep-dish pizza and Emmental cheese.
Stop salivating and start planning your foodie get-away

39
RIOJA
The smallest mainland territory
within Spain, La Rioja is almost
wholly eclipsed in the wider
world’s eyes by its wine (whose official region
actually spills a bit into neighbouring Navarre and
the Basque Country). Star architects have pulled
out the stops amid the vines: witness Frank
Gehry’s hotel at the Marqués de Riscal winery and
Santiago Calatrava’s Bodegas Ysios. For a step
beyond the tasting room, sign up for one of Rioja
Trek’s wine tours, where you can try some typical
winemaking tasks and bottle your own wine (from
£25; riojatrek.com). The regional capital, Logroño,
is best explored on a bar crawl in search of pintxos
(Basque-style tapas) – Torrecilla, on buzzing Calle
del Laurel, is a stand-out.
OARRIVE Bilbao and Zaragoza are both around 90 minutes’
drive from La Rioja region, and served by BA, easyJet, Ryanair
and Vueling from the UK (from £89; ryanair.com).
OSTAY The whimsical modern design of Hotel Viura
contrasts with its hillside village setting (from £116;
hotelviura.com).

41
JAFFA

40
SALADE NIÇOISE ORANGES
Like many dishes that started While the British
humble and then gained a Jaffa Cake goes
certain cachet, Nice’s signature back 90 years, the original Jaffa
salad is confused about its true identity. The has been inhabited for more
only universally agreed ingredients seem to than 9,000. Though now
be tomatoes and olive oil; the list continues in subsumed within the Israeli
increasingly optional order until you get to the metropolis of Tel Aviv, Jaffa
highly controversial potatoes and green beans. (or Yafo in Hebrew) has kept
You’ll see varied renditions around the old a distinct feel. Its port’s
town and beachside promenades of France’s 19th-century fortune was made
southeastern suntrap, but one stickler for shipping out Jaffa oranges and,
tradition is L’Escalinada (salade niçoise £11; though fewer of the fruit are
escalinada.fr). The Niçois themselves would grown here now, if you scout
tell you there’s more to local cuisine, from around at the Port Market
petits farcis (little stuffed vegetables) to socca, (shukhanamal.co.il), you may
a moreish chickpea-flour pancake. Head to the find the authentic Shamouti
Cours Saleya for stalls that alternate between variety. Citruses aside, Tel Aviv
flowers and an almost as colourful assortment has a passion for Mediterranean
of fruit and veg, then into the shaded streets of flavours, from hummus at Ali
Vieux Nice, where you’ll find Fenocchio, with Caravan (1 Ha-Dolphin Street)
the most varied assortment of ice-cream to delicious gelato at Arte
flavours you’re ever likely to see (fenocchio.fr). (arteglideria.com).
OARRIVE BA, easyJet, Jet2 and Ryanair fly to Nice from OARRIVE Arkia, BA, easyJet, ElAl and
the UK (from £70; ryanair.com). Wizz Air fly to Tel Aviv from the UK
OSTAY The sleekly styled Hôtel Le Genève is in the (from £200; easyjet.com).
PHOTOGRAPHS:

centre of the lively Petit Marais quarter (from £57; OSTAY The boutique Alma Hotel
hotel-le-geneve-nice.com). occupies a lovely 1920s building (from
£195; almahotel.co.il).

90 February 2018
 52
42
SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE BEST
Bologna has three nicknames in Italy: la dotta, la rossa and la grassa WEEKENDS
(the learned, the red and the fat). While the first two link to the city’s AWAY
status as the home of Europe’s oldest university (founded 1088), and
its mix of red-tiled historic roofscapes and left-wing politics, the last ties in to its
dining habits. Pork and pasta are the mainstays, but one thing you won’t see on good
menus here is spaghetti bolognese. A flatter noodle shape makes a better vehicle for
the rich tomato and ground meat sauce, and the dish to go for is tagliatelle al ragù
alla bolognese – because Bologna’s isn’t the only ragù in Italy. In the twin shadows
of the landmark leaning Due Torri (two towers), newly opened pasta specialist
Bottega Portici serves a traditional ragù in hyper-modern surrounds (mains from £6;
bottegaportici.it). And if you’re still feeling too lean, Curious Appetite’s three-hour
tasting tours reveal more local food and wine secrets, including how to fold the perfect
tortellini (£85; curiousappetitetravel.com).
OARRIVE BA, easyJet and Ryanair fly to Bologna from the UK (from £80; ryanair.com).
OSTAY Hotel Metropolitan is a rare design hotel in town (from £108; hotelmetropolitan.com).
PHOTOGRAPHS: NASSIMA ROTHACKER, IAISI/GETTY, SUSAN WRIGHT

February 2018 91
 43
FRANKFURTERS
Frankfurt’s image as Germany’s business capital
overshadows much else, including its clutch of
impressive museums, such as the Old-Master-
rich Städel Museum (admission from £12; staedelmuseum.de).
On the plus side for leisure visitors, hotel prices are often
cheaper on weekends and you never have to go far to chomp on
the city’s namesake sausages. Two of the city’s historic eateries
are Café Hauptwache (mains from £9; cafe-hauptwache.de) and
Dauth-Schneider (mains from £7; dauth-schneider.de). You can
find the Frankfurter Würstchen at both, plus sauerkraut – lately
touted as a superfood – and more publicity-shy specialities such
as herb-rich grüne sosse (green sauce) and Apfelwein (apple
wine) – or Ebbelwei, in the local dialect. In the spirit of the latter,
the Ebbelwei-Express tram circles the city with music, pretzels
and this Frankfurt tipple (£7; ebbelwei-express.de).
OARRIVE BA, Lufthansa, Air France and Ryanair fly to Frankfurt International
from UK airports (from £74; ryanair.com). Note that Frankfurt-Hahn is a
different airport 65 miles away.
OSTAY Find 12 individually designed rooms at the beautiful 1905-built
Art-Hotel Robert Mayer (from £85; arthotel-frankfurt.de).

44
ARBROATH SMOKIES
The coast north from Dundee is where the
‘prosciutto of Scotland’ is produced in small
batches: haddock, tied up with jute string and
PHOTOGRAPHS: JEFF J MITCHELL/GETTY, SEBASTIAN WASEK/4 CORNERS

smoked over a whisky barrel. Arbroath town gave the smokie its
name and is centred around the red sandstone ruins of an abbey
famous in Scotland’s medieval fight for independence. From its port,
visitors can get a taste of life on the North Sea by joining sea-angling
trips of three or more hours (from £15; arbroathangling.co.uk or
sea-angling.net). The origin of the smokie, however, lies not in
Arbroath, but the tiny village of Auchmithie, which you can reach
via a clifftop walk past caves and rock arches. At the whitewashed
cottage But n Ben restaurant, choose from smokies in soup, pancakes
or simply buttered, as well as the local inland speciality, Aberdeen
Angus steak (mains from £12.50; thebutnben.com).
OARRIVE Arbroath is 90 minutes by train from Edinburgh (from £32;
scotrail.co.uk), or under an hour from Aberdeen (from £23.40).
OSTAY Harbour Nights Guest House has four stylish bedrooms, two of which
overlook Arbroath’s fishing port (from £65; harbournights.co.uk).

92 February 2018
 52
BEST
WEEKENDS
AWAY

Intrepid Travel's
40 food-focused tours
include bite-sized two-day
breaks and emerging regions
such as the Caucasus
(intrepidtravel.com/uk/
theme/food).

46
CHICAGO
DEEP-DISH
PIZZA
At no time
has pizza evolved more than
on its 5,000-mile journey
from the volcanic coast of
Naples to the windy shores
of Lake Michigan. Chicago’s
preferred style is a high-
sided crust that holds in a
veritable sea of toppings,
with the tomato above the

45
cheese. It’s as proudly
EMMENTAL CHEESE against the worldwide grain
In a country as famously as the city’s approach to hot
perfectionist as Switzerland, dogs (don’t even think about
Emmental cheese is celebrated asking for ketchup) and
for being riddled with holes. The ‘eyes’ in this nobody is quite sure where
sweetly nutty speciality were once seen as flaws, it all started. Una Pizzeria
but have now become a national icon – the Swiss has the strongest claim,
ski team even wore cheese-patterned racing suits dating from 1943, but Lou
in the ’90s. The Emmental region lies in the Malnati’s disputes this. Both
cow-cropped emerald foothills of the Alps, east are fine choices, but
of the World Heritage-listed capital Bern. The Giordano’s takes things
Emmentaler Show Dairy has daily demonstrations further with a stuffed
of how the cheese is made in a farm building version of the deep dish that
dating to 1741 (emmentaler-schaukaeserei.ch). To takes 45 minutes to bake
see more of Emmental’s attractive, but overlooked (from £12; giordanos.com).
valleys, follow the dedicated e-Bike route (with If it’s too hard to weigh up
accompanying app) that loops from the 12th- the alternatives, Chicago
century castle town of Burgdorf, with a choice of Pizza Tours helps streamline
a 22-mile and a 48-mile course (kaeseroute.ch). your choice, if not your
OARRIVE SkyWork Airlines flies from London City to Bern, waist, with a cross-section
a half-hour drive from the heart of the Emmental region of city pizzerias (£50;
(from £193; flyskywork.com). Basel and Zürich airports are chicagopizzatours.com).
further, but with more choice of flights. By now, you might as well
OSTAY The Möschberg Bio Garni is an ecofriendly hotel double down and join a
and retreat in rural surrounds (from £48; moeschberg.ch). Chicago Beer Experience
tour as well (£50; chicago
beerexperience.com).
OARRIVE American, BA,
Norwegian, United and Wow fly
direct from London to Chicago
(from £295; wowair.com).
lSTAY The Acme Hotel mixes
industrial and retro features to
achieve an indie-cool style in the
centre of the city (from £72;
acmehotelcompany.com).

February 2018 93
XXXXXXXXX

Britain’s most interesting

self-catering
Why check in to a hotel when you can have
a castle, a converted shipping container or
even a haunted house all to yourself?

47
A BEACH SHACK
IN WALES
This charming shack is filled
with earthy ceramics and
patchwork quilts, handmade by popular local
artist and owner Pip. She offers classes in
beachcombing or driftwood sculpting. Outside
can be found The Gower Way, which runs
through an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The Worm is a thrilling peninsula walk that’s
only accessible at low tide, and the nearby
Rhossili Bay has twice been voted Britain’s Best
Beach (sleeps six, minimum three-night stay;
from £300; qualityunearthed.co.uk).
OARRIVE Pip offers pick-up from Swansea train station.
Bristol Temple Meads to Swansea takes one hour 45 minutes
(from £38; gwr.com).

Why not take your weekend

away up a gear, and drive there in
a classic car?Great Escape Cars
offers coupes, convertibles and
saloons available for collection in the
PHOTOGRAPHS:

Cotswolds (from £99 a day;

greatescapecars.co.uk).

94 February 2018
 52
BEST
WEEKENDS
AWAY

48
A MEDIEVAL HOUSE IN HEREFORDSHIRE
Bag yourself a piece of history with a stay at
Hollyhocks, a traditional black-and-white house in
the ridiculously pretty village of Eardisland (from
£895 for six people for three nights; uniquehomestays.com). The
wonky Tudor exterior (left) gives way to an imaginative
refurbishment of the property, believed to have stood since the
War of the Roses. The room most likely to leave guests both agog
and reluctant to leave is the beamed great hall, which now houses
a sitting and dining area and kitchen, and the biggest fireplace
you’re ever likely to see in a domestic setting. Artfully reclaimed
furniture sits on a parquet floor installed in the 1920s by one-time
owners the Twinings (they of tea fame). The scale is more typical
of a country house in the three bedrooms, though they too retain
the refined rural style of the hall – all creaking floorboards and
liberally scattered antiques. If your appetite is whetted to discover
more of the county’s black-and-white buildings, follow the trail
(blackandwhitetrail.org), before returning to your own slice of
architectural heritage for the night.
OARRIVE Hereford is the nearest train station, one hour 30 minutes from
Birmingham New Street (from £22, westmidlandsrailway.co.uk), and is 15 miles
away. The M5 is within an hour’s drive.

50
A COW

49
A CASTLE BARN IN
IN THE LAKE
SCOTLAND DISTRICT
Spiral Those craving peace and quiet
staircases, balconies on the will find it at Bird How. Hidden
battlements... this 16th- away in Eskdale Valley, often
PHOTOGRAPHS: IMAGES UNIQUE HOMESTAYS, POLLY LOVEGROVE, ANDREW GREGORY/ALAMY

century castle is about as known as the heart of the Lake

impressive as boltholes District, this former cow barn
come. Fenton Tower sleeps is remote and secluded enough
13 in a noble stay, all mighty to satisfy even the most solitary
stone fireplaces, four-poster of souls, and the cottage sprouts
beds and flagstone floors. It’s out of the rugged fellside with
an idyllic base for country endearing symmetry. There’s no
pursuits, with horse riding, phone or TV signal here, so
archery and the banks of the you’ll be undisturbed. Local
Tweed and the Tyne all just hiking includes Hardknott
moments away. A breakfast Pass and Scafell Pike, which
banquet is served daily and is under an hour’s drive away.
evening catering is available If you get tired of walking, head
on request (from £1,750; over to Derwentwater, hire a
ruralretreats.co.uk). canoe and spend the day
OARRIVE Fenton Tower is 18 sculling through silver waters
miles from Edinburgh. Edinburgh (sleeps four, minimum two-
Waverley station is three hours night stay; £204; nationaltrust.
from Manchester Piccadilly org.uk/holidays).
(from £116; tpexpress.co.uk). OARRIVE Bird How is only accessible
by car. The M6 is the quickest route.

February 2018 95
 52
51
A HAUNTED COTTAGE
BEST IN EAST DEVON
WEEKENDS This ancient cottage is typical of the
AWAY national treasures – among them
manor houses, mills, follies, forts and towers –
rescued since 1965 by the Landmark Trust, the
charity that then funds its properties’ upkeep by
letting them out to holidaymakers. Margells is far
from the tidied-up hovel it might at first seem. Its
thick stone walls and reed-thatched roof shroud
richly carved oak beams and a 16th-century mural
showing florid plant life that was revealed when
wallpaper was stripped from the main bedroom
during the cottage’s restoration in the 1970s.
Those clues point to this having once been a wing
of a far grander house, lost at some point in its
500-year history. You’ll find it the perfect spot for
a digital detox: there’s no TV, wi-fi or even phone
reception. The pace is wilfully slow, but don’t
panic. Try locally brewed cider in the Fountain
Head pub, just around the corner (beware the Wild
Weasel!). Gather kindling from the surrounding
woods, set off over a headland to explore looming
cliffs and pebbly Branscombe Beach, or drive
further along the Jurassic Coast to Lyme Regis in
Dorset, returning with bucketfuls of fossils and
freshly landed crabs or mackerel to cook in the
well-equipped kitchen. This is a place for tall
tales shared by the inglenook fireplace on blustery
nights. Guestbooks stretching back over four
decades are a fine source of inspiration: learn of a
ghostly monk who likes to creak down the spiral
staircase at midnight – just one of many eager
return visitors (from £405 for four nights, sleeps
five; landmarktrust.org.uk).
OARRIVE Margells is in the village of Branscombe, most
easily reached by car via the M5. The nearest rail station is in
Axminster, 40 minutes from Exeter and two hours 45
minutes from London Waterloo – take the 885 bus from
Axminster to Seaton, then the 899 bus to Branscombe.

52
A SHIPPING CONTAINER
IN CORNWALL
Marooned on an indigo lake that’s
wholly deserted except for one or
two Cornish ponies – this set up will suit you very
well if the wild is calling your name, but you’ve
only got the weekend to spare. An inventive
conversion has transformed this container into a
delightfully compact cabin for two, with
panoramic floor-to-ceiling glass windows that
open straight out onto the shore. Wake up early to
watch dawn mist steaming off the lake’s surface,
then set off to explore the carpet of moorland that
unfolds behind the lake and chart a course
towards a local pub. Alternatively, the coast is also
PHOTOGRAPHS: PAUL GRUNDY, PETER GRUNERT

within comfortable day-tripping distance. This

area’s confirmed Dark Sky status makes stargazing
a must in the evenings which, incidentally, you
can enjoy in the knowledge that your converted
container is fully solar powered, insulated and
self-sufficient (from £110; canopyandstars.co.uk).
OARRIVE Bodmin Parkway is the nearest station, three
hours 45 minutes from London Paddington (from £112;
gwr.com) and is a 15-minute drive away. The owners will
arrange collection for £40.

96 February 2018
AUSTRALIA · NEW ZEALAND · USA · CANADA · SOUTH AFRICA
LATIN AMERICA · EUROPE · SCANDINAVIA

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 Be one of the first to take
flight to the island of St Helena
and discover an isolated British
outpost waiting to be explored

S
t Helena is marooned in the South Atlantic. away from Johannesburg or Cape Town –
Until October 2017, the only scheduled but don’t expect this new gateway to change
passenger service there was a five-day much about the island itself. St Helena has
boat trip of almost 2,000 miles. Little wonder an easy-going, timeless quality; if you’re
that the ruling British once decided it would looking for a destination with sufficient 4G
serve as the ideal place to exile Napoleon for coverage for uninterrupted instagramming
the rest of his days. He arrived on the island of your travels, this isn’t the one for you. If,
in 1815 and spent the final six years of his however, you’re yearning to be charmed by
life stranded here on its volcanic terrain. welcoming residents, characterful towns,
Thanks to its newly accessible airport, the enchanting landscapes, and vibrant cuisine,
modern St Helena is now only a six-hour flight take a look at what St Helena has to offer.
 A D V E R T I S E M E N T F E AT U R E

CLOCKWISE FROM OPPOSITE

The view from Diana’s Peak;
180-year-old tortoise Jonathan
on the grounds of Plantation
House; snorkelling with whale
sharks off the St Helena coast

COLONIAL CLUES is, as the name suggests, a waterfall plunging

Established by English colonialists in through the middle of two high hilltops, which
1659 and named after James II (still the
Duke of Wellington at that point) the
island’s capital of Jamestown is peppered
with elegant Georgian buildings. The
meet to form a heart shape. Elsewhere, the
Diana’s Peak trail leads to the highest point
on the island, and it provides extraordinary
views of craggy green mountainsides
WORD OF
architecture here will feel familiar to British
visitors; the backdrop of the surrounding
landscapes less so. St James’s Church, for
instance, exudes British eccentricity.
in the surrounding national park.
Another unmissable natural sight on the
so-called ‘Galápagos of the South Atlantic’
is Jonathan, by some way the island’s oldest
MOUTH
St Helenian cooking
There are also nods to Napoleon’s time here, resident. At 180 years old, the Seychelles unquestionably benefits
none more strident than the effigy of him in tortoise symbolises the island’s pace of life, as from a multitude of historical
full regalia on the first-floor balcony of the he contentedly ambles about the grounds of the influences, including Chinese
Consulate Hotel. St Helena Museum displays pretty Georgian mansion Plantation House. Portuguese, British and
an intriguing range of artefacts from the Indeed, more than 400 of these are endemic Malay. Expect an array
1600s, including the wooden crates that carried land species, as well as the last surviving land of spicy curries, as well
Napoleon’s belongings on the way to exile. bird species of an original six – the wirebird. as cooked seafood, from
grilled tuna (above) to local
ON THE TRAIL MARINE CURIOSITIES speciality St Helena fishcakes.
The first hints at St Helena’s rugged topography The opportunities to spot wildlife don’t end on
can also be found in Jamestown. Climbing land. You can scuba dive amongst St Helena’s
the nearby 699-step Jacob’s Ladder will give coral reefs and, if you’re lucky, spot up to 10
you a striking bird’s eye view of the capital, species of marine life found only off the shores
and eventually leads to the suburb of Half of St Helena, such as the silver eel and the
Tree Hollow. From there, the views of the curiously named bastard fivefinger. Boat trips
ocean and inland to the rippling green hills,
make the climb more than worth the effort.
also allow you to take in the island’s imposing
natural defences of dark, jagged cliff faces, as
Plan a truly unique
The more you explore the island, the more well as pan-tropical spotted and bottlenose experience at
its natural beauty unfurls itself. St Helena is a dolphins. From January to March, you can
nirvana of hiking trails, home to 21 ‘Post Box’ also get up close and personal with one of St sthelenatourism.com
walks, of varying lengths and difficulties, each Helena’s biggest draws – the dreamily placid
with a post box and a different stamp to tick off whale shark. Snorkelling tours are available to
at the end. Heart Shaped Waterfall is the closest book, giving you the unforgettable experience
walk to Jamestown, and its crowning glory of swimming with the biggest fish in the sea.
 The Photographer’s Story ‘These emperor penguins are from
TO M A S Z G U DZ O WAT Y a colony on the Luitpold Coast
of Coats Land, West Antarctica.
Penguins have no natural enemies
on ice, so they haven’t developed
the reflex to escape. This means
they were curious and even sociable
towards us. Just setting up the
camera – a 4” x 5” Linhof Master
Technika, which is larger than the
typical cameras used in the field by
most wildlife photographers – was
enough to entice them into coming
closer and surrounding us.’

On
thin
ice I started my career shooting the great migration in the Serengeti
in the late 1990s, but then switched subject matter to sports for a
while, among other things. These photographs of emperor and king
penguins are my return to wildlife photography: in this project, I
wanted to confront the demanding domain of the Antarctic and try
my tool of preference – the large-format 4” x 5” Linhof Master
Technika camera – in such a difficult environment. The first and
third photographs in the sequence you’ll see here were taken on
Coats Land, in Antarctica, and the second is from South Georgia.
I needed no special strategy to get close to the penguins, except
the patience to wait until they became interested enough in my
assistant and I to approach. Before the trip, I asked our guide,
David Rootes, if I could fly over the penguin colony for aerial
shots. He firmly refused. He is a seasoned polar explorer, but has
also chosen to become a sort of custodian of Antarctic nature. The
impression Antarctica made on me means that I support this view:
I found it was magnificent, pristine, blue and white, but also very
fragile. These photographs capture a perennial natural
phenomenon – the penguin colonies – but also a potential turning
point in the history of the species. Melting ice means their nesting
grounds are under threat. I hope these images convince readers
that the penguins’ unique habitat deserves to be preserved.

TOMASZ GUDZOWATY is a documentary, portrait and wildlife photographer

from Poland. See more of his work at @tomaszgudzowaty and gudzowaty.com.

100 February 2018

February 2018 101
102 February 2018
T H E P H OTO G R A P H E R ’ S S TO RY

‘I photographed this
colony of king penguins
in South Georgia. The
island is a strict Wildlife
Reserve where you can’t
camp, use fire or even
torches. The natural
elevation of the area was
what enabled me to get
this shot. The penguins
are noisy and smelly
en masse, so that
experiencing a crowd of
them is like being in a
chicken pen.’

February 2018 103

T H E P H OTO G R A P H E R ’ S S TO RY

‘Penguins start breeding just before

the dark Antarctic winter. The young
become independent in January,
during the height of the summer
food supply. In recent decades, rising
temperatures have started to make
the penguins’ home less and less
habitable. Melting ice is destroying
nesting sites and warmer seas could
affect the quantity of fish available
for them to eat.’

104 February 2018

Q&A
Fancy a trip to the Antarctic? We asked Tomasz
what life is like at the bottom of the world

BIGGEST SURPRISE OF YOUR TRIP?

The scale of the difficulties that people
face here. Before I left, I had some idea
that the trip wouldn’t be a walk in the
park, but it never crossed my mind that
I would be drinking cocoa with an
expiry date from the 1980s! This is
because the Antarctic is a place where the
infrastructure that fuels our everyday life in
the rest of the world – supplying food, energy
and so on – is simply nonexistent.

WHAT DIFFICULTIES DID YOU FACE?

Cold. Not surprisingly. The temperature was above zero
only in the tent and usually only at the height of our noses
and above. Our bodies are not best suited to enduring
those conditions. Even more difficult was working with a
camera that uses peel-apart Polaroid film,
because of the chemistry involved.

MOST INTERESTING THING

YOU LEARNED?
Wildlife photography raises self-
awareness. You learn about animals
and about yourself – also an animal
among animals.

MAKE IT HAPPEN
No mobile phone signal, no public hospitals, no government
and no time zone – and all at -15°C with desert-low humidity
levels. Antarctica is undoubtedly a tough travel destination,
but also entirely doable if you’re blessed with both money
and time. You’re looking at a big outlay here: tours start from
around £4,500 and you’ll need to factor in flights on top
of that. The most popular way to visit is by boat, between
November and March. Tours usually start in Punta Areanas
in Chile or Ushuaia in Argentina and the crossing from either
takes two days. Try and book six months ahead for the best
deals. The International Association of Atlantic Tour Operators
(iaato.org) has a run down of all the cruise operators serving
Antarctica. Aurora Expeditions (£7,200 for an 11-day cruise) or
Bark Europa (£7,500 for a 22-day cruise) are particularly well
regarded. Before you pick your operator, be sure to check their
environment record, how many days you’ll actually spend in
Antarctica, how many land trips you’ll make once there and
whether there are expert talks on board during the crossing.
It’s important to remember that your whole trip is weather
dependent – an Antarctic cruise is very much at the mercy
of the ice conditions and great visibility is by no means
guaranteed. Visitors should be ready to take a gamble with
the weather, as the first Antarctic explorers did before them!
Lonely Planet’s Antarctica guidebook has many essential tips
(£18.99; shop.lonelyplanet.com).

February 2018 105

 JANUARY
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*This offer closes on 12th February 2018 and is valid for UK delivery addresses and by direct debit only. The discounts shown are savings calculated as a percentage of the full shop price, excluding Radio Times and Match of the Day which are
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 COMING NEXT MONTH

ROME
Don’t like crowds? Then discover
the neighbourhoods only the
locals know about

AUSTRALIA
Take a fun-packed, food-fuelled
road trip down the coast
from Sydney

NEVADA
Meet the cowboys and
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US state

And much, much more!

PHOTOGRAPH: JUSTIN FOULKES

ON SALE 1 FEBRUARY 2018

February 2018 107

 CLASSIFIED DIRECTORY
WORLDWIDE TRAVEL

4 6
9
3
1
7

8
2

SEE IT, DREAM IT, DO IT

The hardest thing about travelling is deciding where to go in the first place.
Be inspired by these adventures close to home and further afield…

1 EXPLORE JAPAN 2 VIETNAM REVEALED 3 CANADIAN ROCKIES

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an unforgettable experience here with a combined limestone karsts in the Unesco World Heritage aquamarine lakes, spot wildlife in wilderness parks
visit to the fast-paced capital of Tokyo and the site of Ha Long Bay. and enjoy the spectacularly scenic Icefields
tranquil city of Kyoto, enjoying outstanding Central Vietnam Discover imperial Hue, drive Parkway. Add on as much adventure as you want,
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CLASSIFIED DIRECTORY
WORLDWIDE TRAVEL

4 EXPLORE BEAUTIFUL 5 BORNEO 6 THE BEST OF THE ALPS

CARDIGAN BAY Borneo is a land of mind-blowing landscapes, Our classic walking holiday The Best of the Tour
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Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion coastline, fascinating local culture. This two-week stages of this famous long-distance route,
and a stone’s throw from Bluestone Country, adventure takes you to historic Kuching city and circumnavigating the massif of Mont Blanc.
Troedyrhiw is ideally situated for exploring this on to the national parks of Bako, Mulu and Mount This corner of the Alps proves to be an irresistible
corner of Wales. Kinabalu. You’ll go river-crocodile spotting in attraction to the world’s adventurers, climbers
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as well as visit the unique Sabah Tea Plantation. spectacular mountain scenery and trekking
renovated farm buildings are tucked into a
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7 EXPLORE MALLORCA 8 EXPLORE TRADITIONAL 9 PERFECT HOLIDAYS

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a Top Picks guide right now or collect them for your future trips.

Shopping Culture
in Milan in Fez
PHOTOGRAPHS: MARCO BOTTIGELLI/AWL, JULIAN LOVE, MATT MUNRO, KAMALA SAKORNMANEESUP/SHUTTERSTOCK

Best of the Australia’s

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February 2018 115

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 Shopping
in Milan PDGHLQ,WDO\ IRRWZHDU VSDQV
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(pellini.it; Via Manzoni 20) Eataly £
)RU RQHRՖ FRVWXPH MHZHOOHU\ (eataly.net; Piazza XXV Aprile 10)
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LQFRUSRUDWLQJ ÁRZHUV VDQG DQG lo a Milano. There are also 19
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Risi ££
(risimilano.com; Via San Giovanni Peck ££
sul Muro 21) (peck.it; Via Spadari 9)
+HDGWR5LVLIRUDGRVHRIHՖRUW- 0LODQ·VKLVWRULFGHOLLVDEDVWLRQRI
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OLQHQVKLUWVDQGWURXVHUVKRQH\- IRRGVWKDWFUDPHYHU\FRXQWHUDQ
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The Galleria Vittorio DSSURSULDWH ZHLJKWV DQG ZHIWV

TOP PICKS
Emanuele II is an 1870s DQG DQ DEVHQFH RI ORJRV PHDQ Zaini ££
shopping landmark \RX·OOEOHQGLQZLWKWKHORFDOV (zainimilano.com; Via de
Cristoforis 5)
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RIWKHZRUOG·VÀUVWELJVKRSSLQJDUFDGHVDQG (danesemilano.com; Piazza San VZHHWÀOOHGVWRUHVWDQGVRQLWVROG
Nazaro in Brolo 15) VLWH8QFWXRXVKRWFKRFRODWHODFHG
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JOREDOEUDQGVRIFRXUVHEXWWKHVKRSVEHORZ NQRZQDV3LHGPRQW·V$OHVVLEXW EXWWKHELJVHOOHUKHUHLV¶(PLOLD·
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FASHION FDSLWDO GRZQ ² FRPH IRU ,WDOLDQ FDXJKW\RXUH\HDWWKH7ULHQQDOH
Brioni £££ GLՖXVLRQ OLQHV )UHQFK ORYHOLHV 'HVLJQ0XVHXPWKHQWKLVLVWKH
(brioni.com; Via Gesù 2–4) The Mercatone dell’
COMPILED BY RORY GOULDING, WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM PAULA HARDY AND BELINDA DIXON.

DQG/$XSVWDUWVSOXVD¶0DGHLQ SODFHWRPDNHRQH\RXURZQ
Since 1945, Brioni has been ,WDO\· GHVLJQ VXSHUPDUNHW DQG D Antiquariato is the city’s
Il Cirmolo
PHOTOGRAPHS: MARCO BOTTIGELLI/AWL IMAGES, EDDIE LINSSEN/ALAMY, DENEW/ALAMY

synonymous with luxury mens- IRRGVHFWLRQZLWK'XRPRYLHZV ££ most scenic market, and sets
ZHDU,QLWVÁDJVKLSVWRUHGHFNHG (ilcirmoloantiquariato.it; Via Fiori up on the last Sunday of the
out in Eramosa marble, bronze Larusmiani £££ Chiari 3) month along a mile-long
DQG SODWH JODVV VL[ H[SHULHQFHG (larusmiani.it; Via Monte 6RXUFLQJDQWLTXHVDQGIXQN\YLQ- stretch of the Naviglio Grande
WDLORUVRՖHUEHVSRNHVHUYLFHV Napoleone 7) WDJH DUWHIDFWV VLQFH WKH V canal. With more than 400
*XJOLHOPR0LDQLWKHPDQEHKLQG ,O&LUPRORLVDOLWWOHWUHDVXUHWURYH well-vetted antique and
Cavalli e Nastri ££ WKH FKLF ORFDO PHQVZHDU EUDQG RI MR\ <RX FDQ VSHQG D ZKROH secondhand traders,
(cavallienastri.com; Via Brera 2) /DUXVPLDQLKDVKHOSHGWRUHYLYH PRUQLQJSLFNLQJWKURXJKSHULRG it provides hours of
7KLV JRUJHRXVO\ FRORXUIXO VKRS WKH KHULWDJH JURRPLQJ H[SHUWV VLJQVDQDWRPLFDOPRGHOVODPSV treasure-hunting pleasure
VWRFNV ORYLQJO\ FXUDWHG YLQWDJH * /RUHQ]L +HDG GRZQVWDLUV DW IULH]HV DQG HYHQ D FDU IHQGHU RU (navigliogrande.mi.it).
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,WDOLDQIDVKLRQKRXVHV,WVPHQV- DUDQJHRIEHVSRNHFXWOHU\
wear store is at Via Mora 3. Spazio Rossana Orlandi £££
Mauro Leone ££ (rossanaorlandi.com; Via Matteo
La Rinascente ££ (mauroleone.com; Corso di Porta Bandello 14)
(rinascente.it; Piazza del Duomo) Ticinese 103) :LWKLQDIRUPHUWLHIDFWRU\LQWKH
,WDO\·V PRVW SUHVWLJLRXV GHSDUW- $ÀUPIDYRXULWHZLWKIDVKLRQLVWDV 0DJHQWDGLVWULFWWKLVLFRQLFLQWH-
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February 2018 117

 SHOPPING IN MILAN

SWITZERLAND AUSTRIA
SLOVENIA
MILAN #

CROATIA
FRANCE
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ITALY d r i a
Corsica
(France)
ti cS
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MAP KEY
a

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SHOPPING
(Italy) Tyrrhenian
Sea Brioni
MEDITERR
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Sicily Cavalli e Nastri
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TUNISIA N SEA Danese
Eataly
Il Cirmolo
La Rinascente
Larusmiani
Mauro Leone
Mercatone dell’Antiquariato
Peck
Pellini
Risi
Spazio Rossana Orlandi
Zaini
SLEEPING
3Rooms
Casa Base
Maison Borella
Ostello Bello
Palazzo Parigi
Room Mate Giulia
TOP PICKS

Sleeping
3Rooms £££ Maison Borella ££ Palazzo Parigi £££
Best for art-lovers Best for charm Best for luxury
(3rooms-10corsocomo.com) (hotelmaisonborella.com) (palazzoparigi.com)
Concept shop Corso Como has a :LWK JHUDQLXPFODG EDOFRQLHV On the site of the historic Palazzo
WKUHHEHGURRPKRWHOZLWK(DPHV RYHUORRNLQJ WKH 1DYLJOLR *UDQGH Kramer, this is now one of Milan’s
EHGVSUHDGV$UQH-DFREVHQFKDLUV FDQDO DQG VWULNLQJ SHULRG GpFRU most opulent hotels, done up in a
DQG(HUR6DDULQHQWDEOHV WKLVKRWHORՖHUVDWRXFKRIFODVV swoon-worthy Romantic style.

Casa Base £ Ostello Bello £ Room Mate Giulia ££

Best for co-living Best for budget sleeps Best for a central location FURTHER READING
(base.milano.it) (ostellobello.com) (room-matehotels.com) Italy (£17.99), The Italian Lakes
This 10-room artists’ residence, $ EUHDWK RI IUHVK DLU LQ 0LODQ·V 2SHQHG LQ  WKLV DՖRUGDEOH (£13.99) and Pocket Milan & the
JXHVWKRXVH DQG ELVWUREDU ZDV VWL�\ VXLWHG FHQWUH WKLV LV WKH design hotel echoes 1950s Milan Lakes (£7.99) are Lonely Planet
VW\OHGE\6WHOOD2UVLQLZKR·VJLYHQ EHVW KRVWHO LQ WRZQ (QWUDQFH LV VW\OHDQGEDFNVRQWRWKHKLVWRULF titles covering Milan. It’s also on
LWDVXSHUFRROVYLEH WKURXJKLWVOLYHO\EDUFDIH Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. our Guides app (free download).

118 February 2018

 Culture
in Fez Mellah
In the 14th century Fès el-Jdid
(‘New Fez’) became a mellah – a
in rough pottery bowls, served
with a hunk of bread, a dash of
olive oil and a sprinkling of chilli.
Jewish quarter, with a population
of around 250,000. Now only 70 to Restaurant Dar Roumana
80 Jews remain in Fez – all in the MEDITERRANEAN £££
Nejjarine Fountain
is one of 60 or more
ville nouvelle (new town). Their (darroumana.com; 30 Derb
in Fez medina old houses have open balconies el-Amer, Zqaq Roumane)
looking onto the streets, in a Dining at Dar Roumana is a
marked contrast to Muslim styles. ZKLWHOLQHQ DՖDLU DQG LWV FRXUW-
yard is an atmospheric dining
Nejjarine Museum of spot. The French chef’s menu
Wooden Arts & Crafts £ makes the best of local Moroccan
(00 212 535 74 05 80; Pl an- produce while celebrating Medi-
Nejjarine) WHUUDQHDQ ÁDYRXUV $OFRKRO LV
This museum is in a wonderfully served. Reserve well in advance;
restored fondouq – a caravan- when booking, you can ask for a
serai for travelling merchants guide to and from the restaurant.
who stored and sold their goods
below and took lodgings on the Ruined Garden MOROCCAN ££
ÁRRUVDERYH&HQWUHGRQDFRXUW- (ruinedgarden.com; 13 Derb Idrissi)
yard, the rooms are given over to An innovative approach to local
displays of traditional artefacts of street food is on the menu, served
craftsmen’s tools, chunky prayer in this delightful garden or cosily
beads and Berber locks, chests DURXQG WKH ÀUH LQ ZLQWHU &KHI
and musical instruments. The gardener Robert Johnstone
rooftop café has great views over grows herbs and vegetables and
the medina. No photography. smokes his own salmon. If you
book ahead, they’ll arrange a

TOP PICKS
ACTIVITIES Sephardic feast or a traditional
Clock Kitchen £££ mechoui (slow-roasted lamb).
(cafeclock.com; Derb el-Magana, Guests can be escorted to and
Talaa Kebira) from the house on request. If you
If Rabat is Morocco’s political centre and Held in the trendy Café Clock, like what you eat, you can partici-
Casablanca is where the money is, Fez is these classes help you to perfect pate in a cooking class here.
your tajine and couscous-making
about traditional culture. Explore the skills. After planning your menu,
world’s largest car-free urban area with you shop for ingredients in the Local knowledge
souq, spend the morning honing
these tips to see through the kaleidoscope. \RXUWHFKQLTXHDQGÀQLVKXSHQ-
joying the feast you’ve prepared. A series of well-signed self-
Other options include a two-hour guided walks run through
SIGHTS 7RPEV LW RՖHUV RQH RI )H]· EHVW bread-baking class and patisserie the old city; each highlights
Art Naji lookouts, but in 2016 it also workshops, while non-culinary a different aspect of Fez:
(artnaji.com; 20 Ain Nokbi) opened as a national armoury courses take in calligraphy, tradi-
Ceramics are everywhere in Fez – museum. Highlights include tional storytelling and more. Blue Knowledge and learning
from distinctive blue pottery to elaborately decorated sabres and Brown Monuments and souqs
mosaics decorating fountains fascinating old photos. Signage is Palais Amani £££ Green Palaces and Andalucian
and riads. Art Naji is the place to in French and Arabic. (palaisamani.com; 12 Derb el gardens
COMPILED BY RORY GOULDING, WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM LORNA PARKES.

see the real deal being made. Miter, Oued Zhoune) Orange Walls and ramparts
Free guides at this professional Medersa Bou Inania £ This beautiful palace riad has Purple Fès el-Jdid
centre will take you through the (Talaa Kebira) a sumptuous traditional spa, Red Artisanal crafts
production process, including A short walk down Talaa Kebira massages on its terrace and a
PHOTOGRAPHS: JULIAN LOVE, JAN WLODARCZYK/4CORNERS

pot-throwing, hand painting and from Bab Bou Jeloud, Medersa ‘happy hour’ hammam and mas- The overhead signs show the
laying out of zellij (tilework) – it’s %RX ,QDQLD LV WKH ÀQHVW RI )H]· sage deal from 10am til 2pm. direction of the next major
a joy to behold. The potteries are theological colleges. It was built landmark, and there are
about 500m east of Bab el-Ftouh, by the Merenid sultan Bou Inan EATING excellent English
an easy trip in a petit taxi. between 1351 and 1357, and has B’sara Stalls MOROCCAN £ information
been impressively restored with (Talaa Kebira) boards. For an
Borj Nord elaborate zellij and carved plas- Don’t miss the Fassi speciality of overview of the
Like its counterpart Borj Sud ter, beautiful cedar mashrabiyyas b’sara (fava bean soup with gar- trails, visit the
(‘South Castle’), Borj Nord was (lattice screens) and massive lic). Served from hole-in-the-wall main info board
built by Sultan Ahmed al-Man- brass doors. Whereas most med- places throughout the medina for just off Talaa
sour in the late 16th century to ersas just have a simple prayer breakfast and lunch, our favour- Kebira, by Ain-
monitor the populace of Fez. Sit- hall, the Bou Inania is unusual in ites are at the top of Talaa Kebira Azleten parking.
ting on a level with the Merenid that it hosts a complete mosque. and in Achebine. The soup comes

February 2018 119

 CULTURE IN FEZ
TOP PICKS

MAP KEY ACTIVITIES SLEEPING

SIGHTS Clock Kitchen Dar Seffarine
Art Naji Palais Amani Funky Fes
Borj Nord EATING Hotel Sahrai
Medersa Bou Inania B'sara Stalls Riad Lune et Soleil
Mellah Restaurant Dar Roumana Ryad Mabrouka
Nejjarine Museum of Ruined Garden
Wooden Arts & Crafts

Sleeping
Dar Seffarine ££ Hotel Sahrai £££ Ryad Mabrouka £££
Best for historic detail Best for spacious surrounds Best for palatial style
(darseffarine.com) (hotelsahrai.com) (ryadmabrouka.com)
A lovely roof terrace towers over High on the southern hills (with a This large, meticulously restored
much of the medina at this classy guest shuttle to the medina), the Arab-Andalucian townhouse has
place. Furnishings are understat- Sahrai combines Fassi charm and a view-tastic verandah and court-
ed, though the décor is splendid. luxuries including a Givenchy spa. yard opening into a mid-size pool.

Funky Fes £ Riad Lune et Soleil ££ Ziyarates Fes £

Best for budget sleeps Best for charm Best for local life FURTHER READING
(funkyfes.com) (luneetsoleil.com) (ziyaratesfes.com) Our Morocco guide (£17.99)
Fez’ original, Spanish-owned hos- Each room at this French-owned Around 25 Fassi families rent includes a chapter on Fez,
tel is still the best. It’s a youthful ULDG LV D FRUQXFRSLD ÀOOHG ZLWK medina rooms to welcome foreign Meknes and the Middle Atlas,
DQGVRFLDOSODFHDQGRՖHUVORFDO old postcards and embroidery to guests in this innovative cultural which you can also download
tours, cooking classes and more. carvings and metalwork. exchange and homestay scheme. from lonelyplanet.com (£2.99).

120 February 2018

 Best of the
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$VXUIVFKRROKHUHRՖHUVOHVVRQV IRUSHRSOH$VDERQXV:KDOH
6DPDQiDOORZV\RXWRUHXVH\RXU
Playa Rincón WLFNHWIRUDVHFRQGWULSLI\RXGRQ·W
(Las Galeras) VHH DQ\ ZKDOHV ,Q ORZ VHDVRQ
3LWFKSHUIHFW3OD\D5LQFyQZLWK WKLVLVRQHRIWKHIHZRXWÀWVWDN-
VRIWQHDUO\ZKLWHVDQGDQGPXOWL- LQJND\DNVLQWR3DUTXH1DFLRQDO
KXHG ZDWHU JRRG IRU VZLPPLQJ /RV +DLWLVHV ² D GHÀQLWH KLJK-
VWUHWFKHV WZR PLOHV 7KHUH·V D OLJKW5HVHUYHLQDGYDQFH
VPDOO VWUHDP DW WKH IDU ZHVWHUQ
HQG ZKLFK LV JUHDW IRU D TXLFN Worth a trip
IUHVKZDWHUGLSDQGDEDFNGURSRI
WKLFNSDOPIRUHVW6HYHUDOUHVWDX-
UDQWV VHUYH VHDIRRG GLVKHV DQG Sosúa is generally considered
UHQWEHDFKFKDLUVPDNLQJWKLVD the diving capital of the north
JUHDWSODFHWRVSHQGWKHGD\0RVW coast. In addition to the 18 dive
Taking a dip in the SHRSOH DUULYH E\ ERDW IURP /DV sites within boating range, dive

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Twenty-Seven Waterfalls *DOHUDV WRZQ 7KH ODVW PLOH RI shops also organise excursions
of Damajagua URDGWRWKHEHDFKLVXQSDYHGEXW as far afield as Río San Juan
LVSDVVDEOHLQDQ\YHKLFOHH[FHSW (through mangroves and the
DIWHU KHDY\ UDLQ 2QH GRZQVLGH freshwater Dudu Cave), Cayo
There’s much more to this Caribbean island DORWRIÁRWVDPOLHVXQFROOHFWHG Arena and even Haiti. Here are
country than all-inclusive resorts: discover four of Sosúa’s best dive spots:
ACTIVITIES
some stand-out sights and experiences here, Ecotour Barahona £££ Three Rocks Good for
SOXVDQLQGHSWKWRXURIWKHFDSLWDO·VÀYH (ecotourbarahona.com; Paraíso) beginners; three giant coral
7KLVSURIHVVLRQDORXWÀWKDVEHHQ heads; 17m depth.
century-old colonial heart. SLRQHHULQJ WRXULVP LQ WKH '5·V Airport Wall Sharp drop-off
VRXWKZHVW VLQFH  ,W RՖHUV with small cave; 21m.
JRRGGD\WULSVWRWKHLG\OOLFEHDFK Coral Garden Fan coral and
SIGHTS Parque Nacional DW%DKtDGH/DVÉJXLODVDQGWKH tube sponges; up to 24m.
Catedral Primada de Cotubanamá £ ÁDPLQJRÀOOHG /DJXQD 2YLHGR Pyramids Gullies, cliffs and
COMPILED BY RORY GOULDING, WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM MICHAEL GROSBERG AND KEVIN RAUB.

América £ 7KH UHQDPHG 3DUTXH 1DFLRQDO DPRQJ RWKHUV ,W DOVR UXQV GD\ swim-throughs; 18m.
(Parque Colón, Santo Domingo) GHO (VWH LQFOXGHV HPHUJHG UHHI KLNHVLQWKHKLOOVDURXQG3DUDtVR
7KH ÀUVW VWRQH RI WKLV FDWKHGUDO WHUUDFHV  RU VR FDYHUQV DQG SOXVELUGZDWFKLQJWRXUV Northern Coast Diving
WKH ROGHVW VWLOO VWDQGLQJ LQ WKH ,VODV 6DRQD &DWDOLQD DQG &DWD- (northerncoastdiving.com)
$PHULFDVZDVVHWLQE\'LHJR OLQLWD 0RVW YLVLWRUV ZLOO VHH WKH Kite School Buen Hombre ££ is one of the best local dive
&ROXPEXV VRQ RI WKH H[SORUHU SRZGHU\ EHDFKHV DW 6DRQD RQ D (kitebuenhombre.net) shops, and the most willing to
1XPHURXV DUFKLWHFWV ZRUNHG RQ JURXSWRXU²GLYHVKRSVLQ%D\D- $QHZNLWHVXUÀQJVFKRROEDVHGLQ create customised excursions
WKH FRPSOH[ WKXV WKH YDXOW LV KLEHWHQGWRRՖHUPRUHUHZDUGLQJ D VHFOXGHG ÀVKLQJ YLOODJH LQ WKH to little-visited dive sites.
*RWKLF WKH DUFKHV 5RPDQHVTXH WULSVWKDWVWRSIRUOXQFKDW6DRQD DULG QRUWKZHVW %XHQ +RPEUH
PHOTOGRAPHS: MATT MUNRO, REINHARD DIRSCHERL/GETTY

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IRUKLNLQJVQRUNHOOLQJRUERWK ORZV2WKHUWKDQSHUIHFWLQJWKHLU
Montaña Redonda £ NLWHVXUÀQJ VNLOOV YLVLWRUV ERQG
(montanaredonda.com) Parque Nacional ZLWK OLNHPLQGHG WUDYHOOHUV DQG
'RPLQLFDQRVÁRFNWRWKLVPRXQ- Los Haitises £ JR RQ H[FXUVLRQV WR PDQJURYH
WDLQWRS YLHZSRLQW RQ ZHHNHQGV :HVWRIWKHVPDOOED\VLGHWRZQRI LVODQGVDQGVDQGEDUV2QWKHIXOO
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VHWV RU ¶Á\LQJ· RQ EURRPVWLFNV VTXDUHPLOHUHVHUYHFRQWDLQVOXVK
7KH GHJUHH PRXQWDLQ DQG JUHHQKLOOVMXWWLQJIURPWKHZDWHU Twenty-Seven Waterfalls ££
VHDYLHZVDUHMDZGURSSLQJ7KH DQGFRDVWDOZHWODQGVWKDWVKHOWHU (27charcos.com; Damajagua)
HQWUDQFHLVIRXUPLOHVZHVWRIWKH PRUHWKDQSODQWVSHFLHVLQ- 7UDYHOOHUV URXWLQHO\ GHVFULEH WKH
3OD\D/LPyQWXUQRՖRQWKHKLJK- FOXGLQJ IRXU W\SHV RI PDQJURYH ZDWHUIDOOV DW 'DPDMDJXD DV ¶WKH
ZD\WR6DEDQDGHOD0DU 7KHURDGIURPWRZQLVURXJKEXW FRROHVWWKLQJ,GLGLQWKH'5·:H

February 2018 121

 Walking tour

EATING setting on Playa Juanillo, Little

Adrian Tropical DOMINICAN £ John is the best spot to kick back
(adriantropical.com; Av George with creative cocktails and a well-
Washington, Santo Domingo) rounded, seafood-heavy menu on
At this family-friendly place in a one of Punta Cana’s prettiest
spectacular seaside location, beaches. There’s ceviche, oysters,
waiters dole out national staples burgers, sandwiches and more
like yucca or mofongo (mashed FUHDWLYH PDLQV VXFK DV FRQÀW
plantain with pork). An inexpen- goat risotto with avocado butter. Parque Colón
VLYH EXՖHW DQG IUXLW GULQNV DOVR Beside the Catedral Primada de América,
hit the spot. There are three other Taberna El Conde TAVERNA ££ this historic park contains several trees
outposts in Santo Domingo. (tabelconde.com; cnr Dr Alejo and a large statue of Admiral
Martinez & Dr Rosen, Sosúa) Columbus himself.
Aroma de la Montana This casual but enchanting estab-
INTERNATIONAL £££ lishment is constantly raising the
(aromadelamontana.com) culinary bar in Sosúa with its
Near-aerial views of Jarabacoa’s craft cocktails and innovative
countryside are available from gastromony. The honeysuckle-
this sophisticated mountaintop smoke cocktail is made with rum,
restaurant. Lunchtime has a lime and orange, and dishes are
family atmosphere, but there’s a things like tandoori mahi mahi
distinctly romantic candlelit vibe with mango chutney. Also, every-
on weekend nights. The menu thing is totally under-priced
includes rib-eye steak, salmon, (don’t tell the owner/chef).
and a parrilla grill for two.
Wilson’s at La Boca
Castle Club BARBECUE £
INTERNATIONAL £££ (00 1 809 667 1968; Cabarete)
TOP PICKS

(castleclubonline.com; Los Brazos) This is a little BBQ shack on the

Set in the mountains a half-hour Yasica River in Islabon, around
drive from Cabarete is this eccen- ÀYH PLOHV VRXWKHDVW RI &DEDUHWH
tric ‘castle’, under continuous
construction (and unlikely ever to
on the way to Sabaneta de Yasica.
Wilson, who speaks perfect Eng-
Santo Domingo’s
EH IXOO\ ÀQLVKHG 7KH RZQHUV
grow much of their own food on
OLVK VHUYHV XS ZRRGÀUHG ÀVK
chicken and lobster.
Zona Colonial
the property, and serve this pro- O Start Catedral Primada
about upcoming dance and stage
duce in their restaurant, one of ENTERTAINMENT de América
performances. Continue south to
the very best in the DR. Expect Colonial Gate 4D Cinema ££ O End Plaza España
the Centro Cultural Español
dishes like crispy grouper with (thecolonialgate.com; Padre O Length 1.7 miles; four hours
(ccesd.org) with a full calendar of
lobster sauce, herbed rice pilaf Billini 52, Santo Domingo)
events. Head west on Arzobispo
and chocolate mousse for dessert. In a corner of the capital’s Zona Take an in-depth tour of the
Portes then turn right onto Calle
Their schedule can be erratic – Colonial, this ‘4D’ cinema brings oldest continously inhabited
Duarte, which opens onto a plaza
European settlement in the

PHOTOGRAPHS: MATT MUNRO, PAUL THOMPSON/ALAMY, GIOVANNI GUARINO PHOTO/ALAMY

book at least two days in advance. in the elements – fog, wind, heat,
with two churches: the splendid
and more. Admission includes Americas, founded in 1498.
Convento de la Orden de los
El Monte Azul SEAFOOD ££ WKUHH VKRUW ÀOPV ZLWK KHDGVHW
Start at Catedral Primada de Predicadores and the Baroque
(restaurantsamana-monteazul. translation. Most impressive is
América, the New World’s oldest Capilla de la Tercera Orden
com; Las Galeras) The Battle of Santo Domingo.
working church. Turn south on Dominica. Head west along Padre
Clinging dramtically to the edge 'XULQJWKHÀOPZKLFKHQYLVLRQV
Isabel la Católica: at number 54 Billini to Iglesia de la Regina
RI WKH '5 WKLV UHVWDXUDQW RՖHUV the 1586 invasion of Sir Francis
you’ll see the Larimar Museum Angelorum with its ornate façade.
two great-value menus (French- Drake, old Santo Domingo is
(larimarmuseum.com), dedicated Continue for four blocks before
leaning seafood and Thai), the brought to life as viewers feel they
to larimar: a light-blue mineral taking Palo Hincado north to the
highlight of which is an excellent DUHÁ\LQJRYHUWKHFLW\ZDOOVJHW-
found only in the Dominican Puerta del Conde, a symbol of
OLRQÀVK LQ D FUHDP\ ZKLWHZLQH ting slashed by pirate swords and
Republic. Further on at the Dominican patriotism. Inside this
lemon and green-onion sauce. dodging cannon balls.
crossroads is the simple Iglesia gate is Parque Independencia and
The rub is arriving: standard cars
de Santa Clara, home to the first a mausoleum to three national
will struggle up the last bit of Estadio Quisqueya £
heroes at the Altar de la Patria
URDG*HWDOLIWIURPWKHVWDՖRUD (facebook.com/estadio nunnery in the New World.
Turn west on Padre Billini and (pictured). Then take Calle El
taxi. Reservations are required quisqueya; 3456 Tiradentes Ave,
walk one block to the Museo Conde, the Zona Colonial’s busy
and you can sleep here too. Santo Domingo)
de la Familia Dominicana, with commercial walkway, back east to
Experience Dominican baseball
its famous Gothic window. Turn leafy Parque Colón (pictured).
Little John SEAFOOD ££ SDVVLRQVDWWKHKRPHÀHOGRIWZR
From here take Alfau, a small
(facebook.com/littlejohnbeach; of the DR’s six professional teams, south onto Arzobispo Meriño and
at number 110 you’ll pass Casa pedestrian street, to the entrance
Playa Juanillo) Licey and Escogido. You can get
de Teatro (casadeteatro.org); ask of Fortaleza Ozama (pictured),
With its photogenic, coloured-up tickets to most games by arriving
VW van and pleasant open-air VKRUWO\EHIRUHWKHÀUVWLQQLQJ

122 February 2018

 the New World’s oldest military
structure. Take Las Damas north,
checking out the lovely façades of
Music & Dance
Life in the Dominican Republic seems to move to a constant,
the Hostal Nicolás de Ovando
infectious rhythm, and music has always been an important
(pictured), now a posh hotel, and
part of the country’s heritage.
the Casa de Francia at number
42. Further up Las Damas, you’ll
pass the Panteón Nacional, MERENGUE
first built in 1747 as a Jesuit church, Merengue is the DR’s
and the Capilla de Nuestra national dance music.
Señora de los Remedios. From the minute you
Next you’ll come upon the arrive until the minute
interesting Museo de las Casas you leave, merengue will
Reales – formerly the office of the come at you full volume.
Spanish colonial governor – before Rhythmically driven and
reaching Museo Alcázar de heavy on the downbeat,
Colón in the Plaza España, merengue follows a
a large square overlooking the common 2-4 or 4-4 beat
Río Ozama. The museum was the pattern and Dominicans
early-16th-century residence of dance to it with flair.
Columbus’ son, Diego, and his But what sets merengue
wife, Doña María de Toledo. apart is the presence of
traditional signature
Fortaleza Ozama instruments and how
Over five centuries, this fort has they work within the
served as a military garrison and two- or four-beat
prison, flying the flags of Spain, structure. Merengue is
England, France, Haiti, Gran typically played with a
Colombia, the US and the DR. two-headed drum called
a tambora, a guitar,

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an accordion-like
instrument known as a
melodeon, and a güira
– a metal instrument
that looks a little like
a cheese grater and is
scraped using a metal
or plastic rod.

BACHATA
Hostal Nicolás de Ovando Whereas merengue
A handsome building with a might be viewed as an urban sound, bachata is definitely
Gothic façade built in 1509, the nation’s ‘country’ music, of love and broken hearts in the
this was the residence of hinterlands. Born in the poorest neighborhoods, bachata
Governor Nicolás de Ovando, emerged in the mid-20th century as a slow, romantic style
who ordered Santo Domingo Altar de la Patria played on the Spanish guitar. The term initially referred to
rebuilt west of the Río Ozama. A marble mausoleum informal, sometimes rowdy backyard parties in rural areas,
holds the remains of finally emerging in Santo Domingo shanties.
three national heroes:
Juan Pablo Duarte, SALSA
Francisco del Rosario Originating in Cuban dance, salsa is heard across the Caribbean,
Sanchez and Ramón and is very popular in the DR. In the mid-1960s, Dominican
Matías Mella flutist, composer and producer Johnny Pacheco founded the
(pictured). Fania label, which was exclusively dedicated to recording
‘tropical Latin’ music.

REGGAETON & RAP

Reggaeton, a mix of American-style hip-hop and Latin rhythms,
has exploded onto the Dominican scene. Reggaeton has
a distinctly urban flavour, and its fast-paced danceable beats,
street-life narratives and catchy choruses make it the party
music of choice for many young Dominicans. Rap Dominicano,
a relatively new musical sub-genre, is pounded out of the
Dominican barrios, and has taken its place alongside reggaeton
as one of the most popular forms of music among Dominican
youth. Local rap artists have managed to weave the sounds of
bachata and merengue into their tracks.

February 2018 123

 BEST OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
TOP PICKS

MAP KEY Playa Grande Aroma de la Montana SLEEPING

SIGHTS Playa Rincón Castle Club Eco del Mar
Catedral Primada ACTIVITIES El Monte Azul Hotel Atlantis
de América Ecotour Barahona Little John Island Life Backpacker’s
Montaña Redonda Kite School Buen Hombre Taberna El Conde Hostel
Parque Nacional Twenty-Seven Waterfalls Wilson’s at La Boca Natura Cabañas
Cotubanamá Whale Samaná ENTERTAINMENT Rancho Baiguate
Parque Nacional EATING Colonial Gate 4D Cinema Zoetry Agua
Los Haitises Adrian Tropical Estadio Quisqueya

Sleeping
Eco del Mar £ Island Life Backpacker’s Rancho Baiguate ££
Best for glamping Hostel £ Best for inland adventure
(ecodelmar.com.do) Best for budget sleeps (ranchobaiguate.com)
Camping tents on Playa Las (islandlifebackpackershostel.com) A wonderful base for exploring
Cuevas come in two sizes, with A derelict 1600s colonial abode is the mountains, this enormous
hotel-grade mattresses. There’s a now Santo Domingo’s best hostel, complex has large rooms with
stylish beach bar, and massages. with a chilled bar and small pool. wicker chairs on their patios.

Hotel Atlantis ££ Natura Cabañas £££ Zoetry Agua £££

Best for escapism Best for barefoot luxury Best for exotic appeal FURTHER READING
(atlantis-hotel.com.do) (naturacabana.com) (zoetryresorts.com) Our latest Dominican Republic
This rambling French-run hotel Rustic-chic thatched bungalows Wooden accents and Balinese guide (£13.99) was published
is straight out of a fairytale. Each built from natural materials take touches abound at this property. in October 2017. Download
RIWKHURRPVLVGLՖHUHQWDQG a spot beside a secluded beach Several rooms have direct access individual chapters from
VRPHKDYHÀQHRFHDQYLHZV between Cabarete and Sosúa. to the resort’s serpentine pool. lonelyplanet.com (£2.99 each).

124 February 2018

 Australia’s
Great Ocean Cape Otway Lightstation ££
(lightstation.com; Cape Otway)
doo performances (or play it your-
self); a boomerang-throwing

Road Cape Otway Lightstation is the

oldest surviving lighthouse on
PDLQODQG$XVWUDOLDEXLOWLQ
gallery; and a native garden (by
donation) which features emus,
ZDOODELHVDQGNRDODV&DOODKHDG
There are fascinating displays on IRU GDLO\ WRXUV 7KHUH·V DOVR D
the 155-mile undersea telegraph hands-on display of traditional
cable link with Tasmania, laid in artefacts, and a gift shop that
 ,W·V D VSUDZOLQJ FRPSOH[ VHOOVLQGLJHQRXVERRNVDQGPXVLF
with lots to see, from Aboriginal
FXOWXUDO VLWHV WR ::,, EXQNHUV Split Point Lighthouse ££
There’s a café, and you can stay at (splitpointlighthouse.com.au;
WKHOLJKWKRXVHNHHSHU·VFRWWDJHV Federal St, Aireys Inlet)
Scale the 136 steps to the top of
Loch Ard Gorge WKH EHDXWLIXO ¶: KLWH 4XHHQ· IRU
The Shipwreck Coast’s most VHQVDWLRQDO YLHZV %XLOW LQ 
famous tale unfolded here, when the lighthouse is still operational
two young survivors of the WKRXJK QRZ IXOO\ DXWRPDWHG
wrecked iron clipper Loch Ard The lighthouse was used as a set-
PDGH LW WR VKRUH 6HYHUDO ZDONV ting for the popular TV show
lead down to a rugged beach and Round the Twist
WKHFDYHZKHUHWKH\WRRNVKHOWHU
Tower Hill Natural
London Bridge History Centre ££
Just outside Port Campbell, en (worngundidj.org.au)
route to Peterborough, London 7KH :RUQ *XQGLGM $ERULJLQDO
%ULGJHKDVLQGHHGIDOOHQGRZQ,W &RRSHUDWLYH RSHUDWHV WKLV 8)2
was once a double-arched rock OLNH EXLOGLQJ DW 7RZHU +LOO ² D
Erosion has shaped and platform linked to the mainland, vast caldera born in a volcanic

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unshaped the famous but in 1990 the bridge collapsed HUXSWLRQ\HDUVDJR%XVK-
Twelve Apostles OHDYLQJ WZR WHUULÀHG WRXULVWV RQ walks led by Indigenous guides
the world’s newest island – they depart daily and include boomer-
ZHUHUHVFXHGE\KHOLFRSWHU,W·VD ang throwing and bush-tucker
The coast of Victoria that runs west from VSHFWDFXODUVLJKWQHYHUWKHOHVV$W GHPRQVWUDWLRQV 6SRWOLJKWLQJ
Melbourne is a landscape of wave-scoured dusk keep an eye out for pen- night walks are available too,
JXLQVRIWHQVSRWWHGRQWKHEHDFK ZLWK KRXUV· DGYDQFH QRWLFH
FOLՖVZDWFKHGE\SURXGOLJKWKRXVHVEXWDOVR The centre also sells handicrafts,
EHDFKWRZQVZLWKJUHDWHDWHULHV²DV\RX·OO Narana Aboriginal artwork and accessories de-
Cultural Centre VLJQHGE\WKHORFDO:RUQ*XQGLGM
GLVFRYHUDORQJLWVIDPRXVGULYLQJURXWH (narana.com.au; 410 Torquay Rd, FRPPXQLW\7KHSDUNLVRQHRIWKH
Grovedale) few places where you’ll spot wild
7KH :DWKDXUXQJ SHRSOH ² WKH emus, kangaroos and koalas
SIGHTS of rock stacks and sweeping original inhabitants of Geelong – KDQJLQJ RXW WRJHWKHU ,W·V DOVR
Australian National views comparable to the Twelve called the area Jillong, and this KRPHWRRYHUELUGVSHFLHV
Surfing Museum
COMPILED BY RORY GOULDING, WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM TRENT HOLDEN AND KATE MORGAN.

£ $SRVWOHV %RWK KDYH IDQWDVWLF SUHFLQFW LQ LWV RXWVNLUWV RՖHUV D

(surfworld.com.au; 77 Beach Rd, coastal walks, and there’s a great fascinating insight into their cul- Twelve Apostles
Surf City Plaza, Torquay) EHDFKDW&URIWV%D\ WXUH 7KHUH·V D JDOOHU\ IHDWXULQJ The most enduring image along
PHOTOGRAPHS: KAMALA SAKORNMANEESUP/SHUTTERSTOCK, AGEFOTOSTOCK/ALAMY

In this well-curated museum that Victoria’s largest collection of in- the Great Ocean Road, the Twelve
pays homage to Australian surf- Bells Beach digenous art; a fusion café that $SRVWOHVSURYLGHDÀWWLQJFOLPD[
ing, you’ll see Simon Anderson’s The powerful point break at Bells RՖHUVFRQWHPSRUDU\GLVKHVXVLQJ WR WKH MRXUQH\ -XWWLQJ RXW IURP
groundbreaking 1981 thruster, Beach is part of international indigenous ingredients; didgeri- the ocean in spectacular fashion,
Mark Richard’s awesome air- VXUÀQJ IRONORUH :KHQ WKH ORQJ
brushed board art collection and right hander is working, it’s one
$XVWUDOLD·V6XUÀQJ+DOORI)DPH of the longest rides in the coun- 2ՖWKHEHDWHQ
It’s full of great memorabilia (in- try, but it’s a wave for experienced track
cluding Duke Kahanamoku’s VXUIHUVRQO\
wooden longboard), videos and With some 1,000 Australian fur seals
displays on surf culture through Cape Nelson Lighthouse ££ residing in the Cape Bridgewater area,
WKHVWRWKH¶V (capenelsonlighthouse.com.au) you can either visit their colony on a boat
+HDG XS WR WKH WRS RI WKLV VWLOO cruise or strap on a mask and swim with
Bay of Islands operational lighthouse (c 1884) them from the safety of a cage – both
Coastal Park for fantastic views overlooking excursions are run by Seals by Sea Tours
Past Peterborough (seven miles WKHHGJHRIWKHZRUOG<RX·OODOVR (sealsbyseatours.com.au). If you’re lucky
west of Port Campbell), the lesser- get shown around the premises you’ll encounter other marine wildlife
visited Bay of Martyrs and Bay of while hearing tales of shipwrecks such as dolphins or whales.
Islands both have lookout points DQGWKHKLVWRU\RIWKHDUHD

February 2018 125

 Worth a trip

these rocky stacks stand as if Coffin Sally PIZZA ££

they’ve been abandoned to the (coffinsally.com.au; 33 Sackville
ocean by the retreating headland. St, Port Fairy)
Today only seven ‘apostles’ can be
seen from a network of viewing
This historic building was once
XVHGDVDFR�QPDNHUVWRGD\LW·V
Bellarine
platforms connected by timber well regarded for traditional Taste Trail
ERDUGZDONVDURXQGWKHFOLՖWRSV WKLQFUXVW SL]]DV FRRNHG LQ DQ
There’s pedestrian access from open kitchen and wolfed down on
the car park at the visitor centre – streetside stools or in the dimly
more a kiosk and toilets really – lit dining nooks out back next to
via a tunnel beneath the road. DQRSHQÀUH,WVEDULVDOVRDJRRG
spot for a drink.
EATING
á la grecque GREEK £££ Deegan Seafoods
(alagrecque.com.au; 60 Great FISH & CHIPS £
Ocean Rd, Aireys Inlet) (00 61 3 5523 4749; 106 Percy St,
Be whisked away to the Mediter- Portland)
ranean at this outstanding mod- 7KLVÀVKDQGFKLSVKRSIDPRXVO\
ern Greek taverna. Mezze such as VHUYHV XS WKH IUHVKHVW ÀVK LQ
seared scallops or braised cuttle- Victoria. Whether you go for the
ÀVKZLWKDSSOHFHOHU\DQGDOLPH ÁDNHRUWKHFDODPDULULQJV\RX·UH
GUHVVLQJ DQG PDLQV VXFK DV in for a serious treat.
JULOOHG SRUN VKRXOGHU DUH VHQVD-
tional. So is the wine list. Forage on the Foreshore
CAFÉ ££
At the Heads (00 61 3 5598 6202; 32 Cairns St,
MODERN AUSTRALIAN ££ Port Campbell)
(attheheads.com.au; Ewing Blyth ,Q DQ ROG VHDIURQW SRVW R�FH LV
TOP PICKS

Rd, aka Jetty Rd, Barwon Heads) WKLVFDIpZLWKDUWRQWKHZDOOVDQ The Bellarine/Geelong area has Bellarine Smoked Fish Company
2YHUORRNLQJWKHFRQÁXHQFHRIWKH RSHQÀUHSODFHDQGDUHFRUGSOD\HU over 50 wineries, and is a region (bellasmokedfish.com.au)
ULYHU DQG RFHDQ WKLV JODVVHGLQ spinning vinyl. There’s an all-day well known for its cool-climate Adding variety to the day is this
weatherboard café-bar is right on EUHDNIDVWPHQXEXUJHUVDQGFXU- pinot noir, chardonnay and shiraz. no-frills smoked-fish specialist,
the waterfront. Breakfast does ULHV IRU OXQFK DQG FUD\ÀVK DQG It’s also an areafamous for its where you can pick up a smoked
the full circle from superfood abalone dishes. It does local wines fantastic local produce, from salmon or dip for home.
VPRRWKLHERZOVWRGLUW\EXUJHUV DQGWRSQRWFKVLQJOHRULJLQFRՖHH goats-milk cheese and olives to
while mains are a mix of sharing roasted by Cartel in Geelong. mussels and blueberries. Combine Drysdale Cheeses
plates and bar food. Expect the a winery hop with the Bellarine (drysdalecheeses.com)
likes of Southern fried softshell James Street Bakery CAFÉ £ Taste Trail (thebellarinetastetrail. Taste award-winning goats-milk
FUDE EXUJHUV VHDIRRG OLQJXLQH (jamesstreetbakery.com.au; com.au), and you’ve got yourself cheese and yoghurts on the first
DQGZDJ\XVWHDNV,W·VWKHGHÀQL- 10 James St, Geelong) a fantastic day out. Sunday of each month.
tive place for a sundowner with Featuring an elegant interior of If you don’t have your own
its all-Bellarine wine list and UHWUR ZRRG SDQHOV DQG OLJKW ÀW- wheels, consider a winery tour Flying Brick Cider Co.
local beer selection. WLQJVWKLVSRSXODUFDIpEDNHVLWV with For the Love of Grape (flyingbrickciderco.com.au)
own sourdough and delicious (fortheloveofgrape.com.au), A popular stop along the highway
Brae MODERN AUSTRALIAN £££ cakes. They do great breakfasts or visit during Toast to the Coast is this cider house that produces
(braerestaurant.com; 4285 Cape WRRVXFKDVFKLOOLVFUDPEOHGHJJV festival, which runs in November a range of quality apple and pear
Otway Rd, Birregurra) with Manchego cheese on sour- (toasttothecoast.com.au). Most alcoholic ciders, enjoyed on its
Regarded as one of Australia’s GRXJK DQG OXQFKHV VXFK DV $Q- listings here are open daily during grassy outdoor area. Food is also
EHVW UHVWDXUDQWV %UDH PRVWO\ gus steak sandwiches with summer and on weekends; other a lure with gourmet sharing plates.
uses whatever is growing in its 30 chipotle mayo. times call ahead. For a full list
acres of organic gardens to create of local wineries, check out Jack Rabbit
some delightful concoctions. Set Lorne Beach Pavilion winegeelong.com.au. (jackrabbitvineyard.com.au)
within an attractive farmhouse MODERN AUSTRALIAN ££ Come to this boutique winery for
FRWWDJH %UDH VHUYHV DQ HLJKW (lornebeachpavilion.com.au; Banks Road (banksroad.com.au) stunning bay views enjoyed from
course tasting menu that changes 81 Mountjoy Pde, Lorne) Come for a glass of wine while its deck with a glass of its pinot
GDLO\ ZLWK ÁDYRXUV UHÁHFWLQJ With its unbeatable foreshore looking out to open-air sculptures and a bowl of mussels. There’s
ZKDWJURZVLQWKHDUHDLQFOXGLQJ ORFDWLRQ OLIH KHUH LV OLWHUDOO\ D in a pastoral setting shared with also a well-regarded fine-dining
many indigenous ingredients. EHDFK HVSHFLDOO\ ZLWK D FROG an outstanding French restaurant. restaurant that does creative
Food is matched with regional drink in hand. Café-style break- dishes with local ingredients.
ZLQHV DV ZHOO DV RՖHULQJV E\ IDVWV DQG OXQFKHV KLW WKH VSRW Basils Farm (basilsfarm.com.au)
local breweries and distilleries. while a more upmarket menu of Enjoy a bottle of prosecco and a Leura Park Estate
It’s a regular on the list of the seafood and rib-eye steaks is on produce platter while enjoying (leuraparkestate.com.au)
World’s Best 100 restaurants. IRU GLQQHU &RPH DW KDSS\ KRXU fabulous views of Swan Bay at this Tour the 60 hectares of vineyards
5HVHUYDWLRQV DUH HVVHQWLDO DQG or otherwise swing by at sunset picturesque boutique winery. before sampling ‘maritime climate’
need to be made well in advance. for a bottle of prosecco.

126 February 2018

Seafood by the bay
at Terindah Estate.
RIGHT Relishes PIKNIK (piknik.com.au)
and sauces at
Basils Farm Fantastic breakfasts and
lunches using local
ingredients, plus great
coffee and homemade
ice cream.

Scotchmans Hill
(scotchmans.com.au)
One of the Bellarine’s
first wineries remains
one of its very best,
producing a quality range
of sauvignon blanc, pinot
noir, chardonnay and cool-
climate shiraz.

Terindah Estate
wines, produce platters and pizzas. (terindahestate.com)
Live music on Sundays. Another winery with incredible
views, quality pinots and fine
The Victorian sporting
Little Mussel Cafe
(advancemussel.com.au)
dining in its glasshouse shed.
calendar
The place to sample local mussels Tuckerberry Hill (facebook.com/ Join in with the state’s moments of highest drama
and oysters, served as chowder, tuckerberryhill) Pick your own
in bowls of tomato and chilli, berries or sample its blueberry AFL at the MCG During the Australian footy season (March to
or on tasting plates. They also muffins, milkshakes or soft-serve September), the vast majority of Victorians become obsessed.
stock Bellarine Brewing ice cream in the café. The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), affectionately referred to
Company’s mussel stout. as the ‘G’, has been the home of Australian football since 1859 and
its atmosphere is unforgettable. The AFL Grand Final takes place

TOP PICKS
The Whiskery (facebook.com/
at the MCG each year at the end of the season.
Manzanillo Olive Grove thewhiskery) Aiming for an
(manzanillogrove.com.au) early-2018 opening, this whisky
Australian Grand Prix Melbourne’s Formula 1 race is held at
Dunk bread into samples of and gin distillery is being set up by
Albert Park’s fast and smooth 3.2-mile street circuit, which winds
cold-pressed extra virgin and a local family who know their stuff.
around the normally tranquil park’s lake. The buzz, both on the
chilli-infused olive oils. It’s all produced on-site with a
streets and in your ears, takes over the city for four days in March,
tasting room to sample the goods,
attracting 110,000 spectators for race day.
McGlashan’s Wallington Estate to go with pizzas and platters.
(mcglashans.com.au)
Australian Open The last two weeks of January is tennis time,
Unpretentious winery with
when the world’s best come to compete at Melbourne Park in
tastings in a large barn
the year’s first of the big four Grand Slam tournaments.
decorated with motor
memorabilia. It also brews its
Bells Beach Surf Classic Since 1973, Bells has hosted the Rip Curl
own ales and does wood-fired
Pro every Easter long weekend. The world championship ASP tour
pizzas and delicious seafood
event draws thousands to watch the world’s best surfers carve up
platters featuring abalone.
the big autumn swells. The Rip Curl Pro occasionally decamps to
Johanna Beach, two hours west, when fickle Bells isn’t working.
Oakdene (oakdene.com.au)
Set in a quirky upside-down barn
Boxing Day Cricket Test, MCG Cricket is Victoria’s summer love
and surrounded by eclectic arty
and it’s the game that truly unites the state with the rest of
objects, this is a vineyard with
Australia. It has a stronghold in Victoria, given the hallowed
a difference. They also do fine
ground of the MCG. Spending a day at the Boxing Day Test
and casual dining.
at ‘the G’, which attracts crowds of 80,000-plus, is a rite
of devotion for cricket fans – for many sport-mad
Melburnians, it’s a bigger deal than Christmas itself.

Melbourne Cup This two-mile horse race has been

run at Flemington Racecourse on the first Tuesday
of November since 1861. The Cup brings the
PHOTOGRAPHS: FERNE MILLEN

ALAMY, IMAGE SOURCE/GETTY

PHOTOGRAPHY, IAN PILBEAM/

whole of Australia to a standstill, and most

Victorians have the day off as a public holiday.

Stawell Gift The central-west town of

Goats cheese
at Drysdale Stawell has held a race meet on Easter
Cheeses Monday since 1878. The main event is
the prestigious 120m dash.

February 2018 127

 AUSTRALIA’S GREAT OCEAN ROAD
TOP PICKS

MAP KEY London Bridge EATING SLEEPING

SIGHTS Narana Aboriginal á la grecque Bimbi Park
Australian National Cultural Centre At the Heads Cape Bridgewater
Surfing Museum Split Point Lighthouse Brae Seaview Lodge
Bay of Islands Coastal Park Tower Hill Natural Coffin Sally Devlin Apartments
Bells Beach History Centre Deegan Seafoods Drift House
Cape Nelson Lighthouse Twelve Apostles Forage on the Foreshore Qdos
Cape Otway Lightstation ACTIVITIES James Street Bakery Surfside Backpacker
Loch Ard Gorge Seals by Sea Tours Lorne Beach Pavilion

Sleeping
Bimbi Park £ Devlin Apartments ££ Qdos £££
Best for a bush experience Best for an urban stop Best for Zen
(bimbipark.com.au) (devlinapartments.com.au) (qdosarts.com)
Old-school caravans and cabins *HHORQJ·V PRVW VW\OLVK RՖHULQJV The perfect choice for a romantic
PDNHFKDUDFWHUÀOOHG%LPEL3DUN are these apartments in a 1926 getaway, Qdos’ luxury tree houses
a fantastic family option. Sur- heritage building, with design DUH WÀ WHG ZLWK -DSDQHVH WDWDPL
rounding wildlife includes koalas. styles including New York loft. mats and rice-paper screens.

Cape Bridgewater Drift House £££ Surfside Backpacker £

Sea View Lodge ££ Best for creative design Best for budget sleeps
Best for an end-of-the-road stay (drifthouse.com.au) (surfsidebackpacker.com) FURTHER READING
(capebridgewaterseaviewlodge. %HKLQG WKH JUDQG  IURQWDJH 7KLV IDQWDVWLF VSUDZOLQJ V Our Melbourne & Victoria guide
com.au) Drift House’s rooms follow ultra- EHDFKKRXVHKDVWUXH$SROOR%D\ (£14.99) covers the Great
Cosy rooms in beach-house style slick open-plan modern designs, character. Its homely lounge is Ocean Road (download chapter
look out over a wild sweep of bay. GHFNHGRXWZLWKERXWLTXHÀWWLQJV full of couches and board games. for £2.99; lonelyplanet.com).

128 February 2018

 COMPETITION

WIN a trip for two to Seattle

Seattle with the Space
Needle taking centre stage.
INSET Orcas swimming
off Orcas Island in the
San Juan Islands Worth
£4,000

Lonely Planet magazine has teamed up

with the Port of Seattle and Norwegian
(norwegian.com) to offer one reader and their
THE PRIZE
guest a six-night trip to Seattle and the San X Two return Premium flights with Norwegian from London
Juan Islands (seattle-washingtonstate.co.uk). Gatwick to Seattle
Once you arrive in Seattle, you’ll be whisked
to your choice of Kimpton’s four boutique X Four nights’ accommodation at one of the four-star
hotels, all of which make the perfect base for Kimptons in Seattle and two nights at Rosario Resort on
sightseeing and fun in the city. Seattle Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands
CityPASSes will provide you with free access
to up to five attractions, including the iconic X Seattle CityPASS admission for up to five attractions
Space Needle observation tower and MoPOP, X Savor Seattle food tour of Pike Place market and Woodinville
a museum celebrating music and pop culture. wine tour
You will also join a Savor Seattle food tour of
Pike Place market and Woodinville wine- X Whale-watching tour
tasting tour to sample the excellent wines and
foods of Seattle and Washington state.
X Return flights to San Juan Islands with Kenmore Air
For your last two nights, a seaplane will take
you to the Rosario Resort on Orcas Island in
HOW TO ENTER
To be in with a chance of winning this fantastic prize, fill in your details online at the address
the San Juan Islands, where you can enjoy below. Competition closes at 11.59pm on Sunday 11 February 2018.
driftwood-strewn long beaches and hiking
trails. A whale-watching tour will introduce lonelyplanet.com/magazine/competitions
you to resident orcas and abundant wildlife.
CONDITIONS OF ENTRY
1. The promoter of this competition is Immediate Media Company London Limited. 2. The prize includes two return Premium flights from London
Gatwick to Seattle with Norwegian, four nights’ four-star accommodation in Seattle with Kimpton Hotels, two nights at historic Rosario Resort on
Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands, two Seattle CityPASS admission for up to five attractions, Savor Seattle food tour of Pike Place Market, Woodinville wine
tasting tour, Seattle Underground Tour, Wings Over Washington experience, scenic return flights to San Juan Islands with Kenmore Air and a whale-watching
tour. 3. Travel must be taken by 30 September 2018. Travel not permitted in July and August 2018. Flights are subject to availability, hotel choice is subject to
winners selected dates and availability. All accommodation is on a room only basis. Must be booked by 31 March 2018. 4. The prize does not include travel
insurance, visas (if applicable), additional meals and refreshments, UK transfers, tips and gratuities, optional activities or spending money. 5. The winner must
be at least 25 years old at the time of travel and hold a full UK driving licence, and valid 10-year UK passport with six months or more remaining after return to
the UK. 6. For full terms and conditions, visit lonelyplanet.com/magazine/competitions.

February 2018 129

 Travel Quiz

What on Earth?

2
Which Mediterranean

3
island nation is the

1
smallest EU member?

Where in the world

Which islands might you find
are home to the yourself drinking
only penguins the alcoholic
to be found in liquor Gammel
the northern Dansk at
hemisphere? breakfast?

4 6
Which coastal city would

5
you be flying into if this

COMPILED BY ALICE BRAHAM. PHOTOGRAPHS: STEPHEN FRINK/GETTY, FOTOGRAFIE.OPZOLDER.COM/GETTY, I FOOD AND DRINK/ALAMY,
were the view from the
plane window?
Which
nation,

PAULINA SLEZAK/GETTY, NATANAEL GINTING/GETTY, EDUARD SOLE/AGE FOTOSTOCK/ALAMY, GUILLEM LOPEZ/GETTY,

this year
celebrating its
independence
bicentennial, Name the southern African
has a national country that this flag
dance called belongs to (it rhymes with
La Cueca? a West African country).

7 8
Which city

MATTIA DANTONIO/ALAMY, AZAM JEAN-PAUL/HEMIS.FR/GETTY

plays host
to a festival

9
in February
that is world
famous for its Rearrange
elaborate ‘lemur bid
masks? on a picnic’
for the The Millau
name of a Viaduct, designed
Caribbean by Sir Norman
country. Foster, is found in
which country?

1) THE GALÁPAGOS. 2) MALTA. 3) DENMARK. 4) CHILE. 5) ZAMBIA. 6) BARCELONA. 7) VENICE. 8) DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. 9) FRANCE
YOU WANT ANSWERS?

130 February 2018

The only travel
companion you
really need
7KHGHÀQLWLYHJXLGHIRUWUDYHOOLQJDORQHSDFNHG
ZLWKLQVSLUDWLRQDGYLFHDQGH[SHUWJXLGDQFH
 FLEMISH
MASTERS
2018-2020

Cultural city festival

“Antwerp Baroque 2018 will feature Flemish Masters rubbing

shoulders with modern talent in a calendar that spans parades,
concerts, street art, multimedia shows and workshops.
Not that Antwerp’s residents need an excuse to unleash their
creativity: the city is flush with pop-up bars, farm-to-fork joints
and architectural showstoppers.”

— Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2018

Book your tickets now > www.antwerpbaroque2018.be