Baltic Outlook April 2013

APRIL 2013

inflight magazine

England’s answer

to champagne Romantically underrated

Vienna Rijeka,

jewel of the Adriatic

Rebellious

Prague YOUR FREE COPY + FREE

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Scavolini

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CONTENTS / APRIL

/ page 50 40

Your next destination

Rebellious Prague 50

In conversation Can British

couple Mark and Sarah Driver really convince the world to love England’s answer to champagne?

68

Vienna, one of Europe’s

most romantically underrated capitals

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CONTENTS / APRIL

60

30

14

Robert’s thought Short and sweet

16

City icons The legendary Fiera Milano

18

Agenda April 2013

26

Review Art and crime

28

Little black book Istanbul

30

Design A chair for a president

32

People Aigars Nords: Running season in high gear

34

Thing of the month King of the superfoods

36

Tech Musical balls

38

Food Pegasus’ favourite wonderberry

60

Travel Princess of the Adriatic and Viennese waltz

84

Gadgets Back to basic

88

Cars Driven: the new Toyota RAV4

96

Food & drink A historic icon and a newcomer to Riga’s restaurant scene

101

airBaltic news

Back office support Web and graphic design Architectural services

34 Editorial Staff Chief Editor: llze Pole / e: ilze@frankshouse.lv Editor: Ieva Nora Fīrere / e: ieva@frankshouse.lv Copy editor: Kārlis Roberts Freibergs Design: Marika Štrāle Layout: Inta Kraukle Cover: Corbis / Scanpix

Baltic Outlook is published by SIA Frank’s House Stabu 17, Riga, LV 1011, Latvia / ph: +37167293970 / w: frankshouse.lv / e: franks@frankshouse.lv Director: Eva Dandzberga / e: eva@frankshouse.lv Advertising managers: Indra Indraše / e: indra@frankshouse.lv / m: +37129496966 Ieva Birzniece / e: ieva.birzniece@frankshouse.lv / m: +37126416866 Inta Veinšteina / e: inta.veinsteina@frankshouse.lv / m: +37129263692

Check out Baltic Outlook’s profile on Facebook The opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the authors and/or persons interviewed and do not necessarily reflect the views of airBaltic AS and the editors at Frank’s House SIA. Advertisers or their representatives assume full responsibility for the content of their advertisements, and for ensuring that this content corresponds with the laws and other normative acts of the Republic of Latvia.

All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publisher.

Printed at Poligrāfijas grupa Mūkusala, Latvia, phone (+371) 67063187

Welcome aboard

Martin Alexander Gauss Chief Executive Officer

Dear Customer, This year, Easter celebrations start in March and extend into April.

Many of our customers in Europe, the Middle East, Russia and the CIS have already taken advantage of the long holiday and travelled to enjoy the sunshine and the first warm days of spring. We hope that those with a taste for travel will discover more of the world with us during the summer.

For the coming season, airBaltic has made improvements to more than 20 routes. Popular summer destinations on the Mediterranean, Caspian and Black Sea coasts return to our route network to better serve your holiday plans.

We are also introducing additional flights on eleven routes linking Riga with such destinations as Paris, Barcelona, Nice, Stockholm, Rome, London and Bari. This will make your travel more convenient, reduce waiting at your connecting airport and give you more time to enjoy your holiday.

To encourage your explorations and offer new holiday experiences, we have been slightly more daring than last summer by opening six new routes to provide you with additional warm-weather getaways.

For the first time, destinations such as Olbia, Heviz-Balaton, Larnaca, Malta and Rijeka will see a scheduled air connection with Riga. You can still manage to catch one of these flights and be among the first passengers in history to travel on one of these new routes.

We are delighted to see that you value our improved product – so far, our customers have purchased twice as many tickets for the summer months compared to a year ago. This will certainly encourage us to make further improvements beyond the summer season.

And… did you know that the outside air temperature at cruise level can go down to - 60°C and lower, while it is around + 600°C inside the aircraft engines?

Yours, Martin Alexander Gauss

BALTIC OUTLOOK / APRIL 2013 / 13

DETAILS / ROBERT’S THOUGHT

TEXT BY ROBERT COTTRELL, OWNER OF ROBERT’S BOOKS | PHOTO BY REINIS HOFMANIS, F64

APRIL

Short and sweet One sign of having spent too much

time as a journalist is that you develop a desire to edit everything. I can’t think of the last time that I went to a play or a film or an opera and came away wishing it had gone on longer. I even feel that way about paintings: big paintings are good for covering walls, but masterpieces are always small.

I am sure a lot of authors would like to produce shorter works if they thought they could get away with it. That certainly applies to books. As any literary author would admit, you can achieve perfection in a short story as you never could in a novel.

But publishers want novels, and preferably big ones, because a big novel offers the consumer more obvious value for money.

Similarly, the reason for two-hour films and three-hour operas is that you need to give the audience a pretty sizeable reason to get out of the house, find a babysitter for the evening, and pay a small fortune for a ticket.

Television drama, by contrast, requires none of those sacrifices. And television produces excellent dramas that cover enormous narrative ground, leaving the viewer wholly satisfied within the scope of an hour. Think of The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, or Homeland. I derive from this a principle of modern life: an hour is about right for any entertainment, including sports and dinner parties.

Similarly, the reason for two-hour films and three-hour operas is that you need to give the audience a pretty sizeable reason to get out of the house, find a babysitter for the evening, and pay a small fortune for a ticket I keep a special place in my heart for the one caste of writers for whom brevity is both a virtue and a way of life: poets. Since nobody buys poetry anyways – when did you last buy a slim volume written by a living poet? –

poets can forget about the commercial imperatives and concentrate on their craft.

Which has consisted, at least for the past century or so, of squeezing the maximum of meaning into the minimum of syllables.

When you think of a modern poem, you think a single page, with perhaps 20 or 30 lines. But even that counts as verbosity when measured against haiku: the Japanese form that requires the poet to tell his story in 17 syllables, divided into three phrases of five, seven and five syllables respectively.

Here is an example written in English by the Irish poet Seamus Heaney: Dangerous pavements.

But this year I face the ice With my father’s stick.

Where is the father? Why has the stick changed hands? The whole story lies in what is left unsaid – as with the famous six-word short story often attributed to Ernest Hemingway: “For sale. Baby’s shoes.

Never worn.”

There are limits, of course, even to brevity.

And I have found them. Allow me to leave you with what the American poet Brad Leithauser, writing recently in the New Yorker, called the “shortest successful poem in any language”. It is called Fleas, by Strickland Gillilan, and consists of merely three words, one of them truncated: Adam Had’em. BO

DETAILS / CITY ICONS

TEXT BY OSKARS KLAUZE | PUBLICITY PHOTO

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Back to Milan: The legendary Fiera Milano

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Within

the context Initially located near of industrial forums, the Simplon Park in the city world’s attention is once centre, the fair then moved again focusing on Milan. to the ancient Piazza delle This is due not only to the Armi in what were then annual Milan Furniture the outskirts of the city. In Fair, the leading venue of 2005, the Fiera Milano was the industry that is taking transferred to the new area place from April 9-14 this of Rho-Pero in a sparkling year. It is also due in part new building complex to the upcoming EXPO that is one of the largest exhibition, which will take in Europe. place in 2015, and in which A bird’s eye view reveals every self-respecting a central axis that cuts country participates through the complex with majestic displays of and connects all of the self-promotion. buildings. The axis is Milan can thank the covered by a unique, legendary Fiera Milano transparent Veil with for propelling it to this “waves”, “dunes” and “hills” enviable status. First held that remind one of natural in 1906 under geographic a different formations.

Despite name, the fair Designed by its large celebrated the Lithuaniansize, the inauguration of Italian architect structure Massimiliano the Paris-Milan is not railway line and Fuksas, the overbearing complex the opening of the Simplon houses various Tunnel in the Alps – which conference halls, exhibition at 19.7 km in length, spaces and restaurants. remained the longest Fuksas’ slogan from tunnel in the world until 1998 to 2000 was 1982. Eventually, the Fiera “less aesthetics, more Milano became an annual ethics” during the event that permitted Milan time that he headed to showcase its industrial the 7th International Architecture Exhibition in accomplishments and Venice. This principle has establish its place as a also been applied to the European manufacturing Fiera Milano to ensure that centre to be reckoned the gigantic structure does with – hot on the heels of such established economic not give rise to inferiority complexes among its powerhouses as Paris visitors, but addresses and London. each person individually.

During the century In other words, despite its that has followed the large size, the structure first fair, the Fiera Milano is not overbearing. In has served as a platform planning the impressive for premiering countless “landscape” of the industrial advancements, complex, the architect as well as a propitious readily admits to being location for signing inspired by the imposing business agreements. Just wall of Alpine summits as industrial technologies that rise up within viewing have changed, so has the distance of the city. BO Fiera’s exhibition complex.

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RADISSON BLU HOTEL, FRANKFURT

EXPERIENCE SUCCESS

DETAILS / LOCAL AGENDA

PUBLICITY PHOTOS

APRIL / 2013 Naturally 7 Congress Centre (Kongresu nams) Riga / April 27 Being held for the 13th time, Riga Rhythms (Rīgas Ritmi) has turned into annual festival with a solid reputation. A highlight of the festival’s spring concert series is Naturally 7.

“They made beatboxing look like child’s play,” CBS News said about the members of New York’s all-male a cappella group, which infuses hip-hop, beatboxing, jazz, gospel, Motown and R&B in an astounding style called Vocal Play. Lending their phenomenal musical talents to some of pop’s greatest hits and originals, the members of Naturally 7 pump out not just the melodies and harmonies, but also the drums, guitars, horns and beats – with nothing but the human voice.

Tickets at www.bilesuserviss.lv More at www.rigasritmi.lv | Elizabetes iela 61

Naturally 7

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Ellie Goulding Palladium Riga / April 17 With her debut album Lights selling more than five million copies worldwide, the British electro-pop singer and multi-award-winning artist Ellie Goulding will perform at the Palladium Riga on April 17th in support of her second studio album Halcyon.

Ellie Goulding’s music is an ingenious combination of pop, electronic, folk and classical music, as well as metal, hip-hop and R&B. Goulding’s awards include the BRIT Awards Critic’s Choice and the BBC Sound of 2010, among others. The talented singer gained widespread publicity following several prominent appearances, including her cover of Elton John’s Your Song at the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, as well as an appearance at the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in Washington DC. Tickets at www.bilesuserviss.lv Marijas iela 21 (entrance from Pērses iela)

Ellie Goulding

DETAILS / LOCAL AGENDA Photo exhibition Biežņa by Alnis Stakle Arsenāls Exhibition Hall Riga / Until April 28

Alnis Stakle (1975) is one of the few Latvian photographers of his generation to have gained international acclaim. He received Latvia’s Annual Photography Award in 2006 and placed first in the Sony World Photography Awards in the category of architectural photography (2011). Stakle’s works have been published in many photography magazines, including Shots (Great Britain/ USA) Eyemazing (Netherlands) and Photography Now (Germany). The artist has led photography and visual culture master workshops in

England, Russia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Latvia.

The works in the Biežņa photo exhibition were created over a period of several years, with the author engaging in a visually poetic voyage between Africa, the basement of his home and various art museums in Europe. In this project, the author has approached and studied reality by seeking the true and the meaningful in otherwise mundane and seemingly insignificant details.

In a Balkan Mood Great Guild Hall (Lielā Ģilde) Riga / April 26

Fiery temperament and spiritual enlightenment form the ingredients of a Balkan-flavoured concert with music by Dimitar Nenov (Toccata), Béla Bartók (Piano Concerto No. 3 in E major) and Henryk Górecki (Symphony No. 3), as interpreted by the young star of orchestra conducting, Yordan Kamdzhalov. This will also be the first time that young pianist Reinis Zariņš (1985), a winner of Latvia’s top music award, shares the stage with the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra.

Yordan Kamdzhalov

More information at www.lnmm.lv Torņa iela 1

Tickets at www.bilesuparadize.lv Amatu iela 6

DETAILS / EUROPEAN EVENTS

In association with www.anothertravelguide.com

London

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© Felix Clay 2013. Courtesy of Barbican Art Gallery

The Bride and the Bachelors: Duchamp with Cage, Cunningham, Rauschenberg and Johns Barbican Centre / Until June 9

Berlin Martin Kippenberger: Sehr Gut / Very Good Hamburger Bahnhof / Until August 18

* Price available for bookings at least five months in advance

German artist Martin Kippenberger’s (1953-1997) Paris Bar was one of the first paintings to grace the walls of the legendary Berlin establishment that bears the same name. The restaurant was his favourite Berlin haunt and Kippenberger sometimes paid for his tabs with his paintings, rather than with money. In 2009, the owner sold Kippenberger’s

A diverse set of events combining dance, art, theatre and cinema reveals the relationship between legendary French artist Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968) and four great modern masters: American choreographer and dancer Merce Cunningham, composer and musician John Cage, and visual artists Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg. As one the most notable art events in London this spring, the exhibition highlights Duchamp’s catalyzing influence over the development of Western art. Duchamp is perhaps best known for his legendary Fountain, a urinal that he presented as art in 1917 and that shocked the art community of that time. In 2004, 500 prominent artists and critics deemed Fountain as “the most influential art work of the 20th century”.

The Barbican Centre is displaying 90 art works in a mise en scène that has been put together by Paris-based artist Philippe Parreno, who has turned this showing into a veritable multimedia experience. On Thursday evenings and weekends, the Barbican is also offering performances of works by Cage and Cunningham.

Silk Street www.barbican.org.uk

< The Bride and the Bachelors Duchamp with Cage, Cunningham, Rauschenberg and Johns Installation shot

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Paris Bar painting for 2.5 million EUR at Christie’s and thus avoided the threat of bankruptcy. Now this famous painting is once again on public display at a comprehensive exhibition devoted to Kippenberger in the Hamburger Bahnhof.

Kippenberger would have celebrated his 60th birthday this year.

However, his excessive drinking promoted the onset of liver cancer, to which he succumbed in 1997 at the age of 44.

Invalidenstraße 50 www.hamburgerbahnhof.de

Martin Kippenberger, Paris Bar (1993, oil on cotton)

Vienna

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Clouds. Fleeting Worlds Leopold Museum / Until July 1

Claude Monet (1840-1926) Autumn Mood in Argenteuil, 1873 Oil on canvas, 55 x 74,5 cm The Samuel Courtauld Trust, The Courtauld Gallery, London

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Vienna’s Leopold Museum is heralding the spring season with one of the most poetic exhibitions in its history. It is devoted to clouds – from fascinating colour effects and romantic sky idylls to darkly ominous dramaturgy; from light impressionist imagery to harsh industrial-era scenes.

The exhibition includes works by famous painters from the 19th century to the present, including William Turner, Claude Monet, Max Beckmann, Gerhard Richter, John Constable, Anselm Kiefer and Olafur Eliasson.

Museumsquartier | Museumsplatz 1 www.leopoldmuseum.org

DETAILS / EUROPEAN EVENTS

Düsseldorf

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Wolfgang Tillmans Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen / Until July 7 German photo artist Wolfgang Tillmans (1968) is one of the leading photographers of his generation. During the 1990s, his portraits graced the pages of various fashion magazines, including I-D and Vogue. In 2000, he became the first photographer and the first non-English artist to receive the prestigious Turner Prize. The current exhibition in Düsseldorf has been organized together with Stockholm’s Moderna Museet and is the largest showing to date of Tillmans’s works.

The photographer is known for setting up his exhibitions himself, giving the displays a three-dimensional feel by mounting photographs of different sizes at different heights. For example, some works might be at eye level, while others might be placed high up by the ceiling. Tillmans doesn’t group his works by theme, which makes it seem as if they have been haphazardly put together. However, as Tillmans explains, “this isn’t randomness, but an acceptance of the fact that diversity reigns everywhere”.

* Price available for bookings at least five months in advance

Paris

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Ron Mueck Fondation Cartier / April 16 – September 29 Australian-born London hyperrealist sculptor Ron Mueck (1958) is widely viewed as one of the most influential Realist artists of our time. The son of toymakers, Mueck first made a name for himself in 1997, as one of the Young British artists at the controversial Sensation exhibition, which was organized by the Saatchi Gallery. His featured work was named Dead Dad – an impressive, anatomically and dermatologically precise silicone and fibreglass sculpture of a dead man.

This is the second time that the Fondation Cartier is presenting works by Mueck. Along with objects made especially for the exhibition, five of the artist’s better-known oeuvres will also be on display.

261 Boulevard Raspail www.fondation.cartier.com

Wolfgang Tillmans, U.S. Mex border, 2005, Courtesy Galerie Buchholz, Cologne / Berlin

Photo © Wolfgang Tillmans © Art Collection NRW

Ständehausstraße 1 www.kunstsammlung.de

DETAILS / REVIEW

TEXT BY ROGER NORUM and Kate Krumina | PUBLICITY PHOTOS

Art and crime This month, some great reads to sate your high- and mid-brow tastes

Available in museums and bookstores around Riga, priced from 20-25 LVL

Contemporary Art in Latvia, 2007–2012: The Purvītis Award

arterritory.com, 2013

While the Latvian National Museum of Art undergoes a reconstruction until mid-2015, there is probably no better source for acquiring

a comprehensive overview of current developments in Latvian contemporary art than this recently released almanac. Since the renewal of Latvia’s independence in 1991, this book, compiled by the culture and art website arterritory.com, is the first extensive publication devoted entirely to Latvian contemporary art. With over 335 pages, the book gives an overview of 89 artists and art groups that have been selected by the Purvītis Award panel of experts over the past six years. First granted in 2009, this 20,000-LVL (28,500EUR) prize is the most important arts award in Latvia. The book provides a great read (in Latvian, English and Russian) to warm up for 2014, when Riga becomes a European Capital of Culture.

The Golden Calf

by Helene Tursten

Soho Press, www.sohopress.com 21.99 EUR

The latest work in the crime series featuring Swedish Detective Inspector Irene Huss.

This new translation follows mother and jujitsu expert Huss in her investigation of the death of wealthy restaurateur Kjell Ceder. The story escalates

exponentially in complexity once two other linked victims are found murdered execution-style.

Tursten’s fable offers compelling characterisation, umpteen plot twists and a strong moral compass.

Norwegian by night

by Derek B. Miller

Faber & Faber, www.faber.co.uk 15.99 EUR

A memorable restaurant that you will want to return to again and again

Mediterranean countries will satisfy even the most demanding gourmets and bon vivants with the most delicate nuances of taste.

Andreja Pumpura iela 3, Riga Table reservations by phone: 67799222, www.restorans-biscuit.lv

Penned by an American political scientist based in Oslo, this brilliant first novel offers dazzling prose, astute cultural and historical insight and more suspense than you’ll know what to do with. This is the story of a recentlywidowed 82-year-old philosopher (and ex-Marine) named

Sheldon Horowitz, who disappears with a stranger’s child in order to protect him from a Balkan gang. Gradually, the protagonist learns to accept the death of his son in Vietnam – and his own mortality. Deadpan humour and visceral tension accompany the adventures of this lovable, tragic hero.

Text by Adam Jacot de Boinod, author of The Meaning of Tingo and Other Extraordinary Words from Around the World, published by Penguin Books | Illustration by Inga Briede

Kapita mwene (Mambwe, Zambia) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the time of the stroll taken by the chief (between 9 and 10 PM, when everyone had retired; this was when the chief went about quietly, eavesdropping to find out what people were saying about him) The Meaning of Tingo is a compilation of extraordinary words and expressions from around the world that have no equivalent in English. Adam Jacot de Boinodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s passion is scouring the planet for language oddities and every month, Baltic Outlook features one of the many amusing terms that he has come across in his travels.

DETAILS / CITY MUST-SEES

Little Black Book

Fly to Istanbul Once home to three omnipotent empires, this with airBaltic from €89 cultural cosmopolis spans two continents and millennia of history with a single bridge. You’ll find crackerjack museums, thrumming nightclubs and thousands of eating spots in Istanbul, from traditional meyhane and kebabçi to more modern lokanta and restoran

ONE WAY

Bosphorus stroll

Tuğra

Take a sunset stroll along the Bosphorus on a warm spring evening, when seagulls squawk above you and the city comes to life below. The best spot is where the small boats are moored near the Galata Bridge.

If you’re feeling peckish, then try the locals’ favourite, balik ekmek, or fresh mackerel filets slapped between two pieces of bread. A spectacular place for a first date or marriage proposal.

Sultan Mehmet II’s favourite meals in the 15th century included pistachio piruhi served with spicy butter sauce and thyme, and kulbastı, a charcoalgrilled lamb loin sided with smoked walnut and eggplant purée and pomegranate syrup. Both dishes can be ordered at this award-winning restaurant, where plates from the imperial court are served on a terrace with entrancing Bosphorus views. Çırağan Caddesi 32 (Beşiktaş) www.ciraganpalace.com

Borusan Contemporary Set in the shadow of an evocative suspension bridge linking Europe with Asia, this century-old mansion now holds a fiercely experimental collection of very modern art. The holdings include a great selection of new media and experimental pieces, and there are numerous temporary exhibitions. Until April 14, the museum puts on Anima, Korean artist Chao U-Ram’s solo show of so-called ‘kinetic sculptures’.

Baltalimanı Hisar Caddesi, Perili Köşk 5 (Sariyer) www.borusancontemporary.com

360 Istanbul Egyptian spice bazaar Dating from 1664, Eminönü’s beloved Mısır Çarşısı market is great for an afternoon of honing of your haggling skills over sheer culinary exoticism.

Great finds here include honeycomb and mature eski kaşar cheese at Erzincanlilar (no. 14); pistachios, figs and honey-dipped mulberries at Papağan (no. 65); affordable Azerbaijani caviar at Doğu Pazari; and the country’s best coffee at Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi, just outside the entrance.

Yeni Camii Meydanı (Eminönü)

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TEXT BY ROGER NORUM | PUBLICITY PHOTOS

This hip steel, glass, brick and velvet club-cum-restaurant offers panoramic city views of the belfry of St. Antoine and the Golden Horn beyond, along with a slamming after-hours dance floor and inventive, irreverently named dishes such as Drunken Octopus. Try the tangy cocktail signature, the 360. Also visit the owners’ other clubs in Kadıköy and on Suada Island right in the Bosphorus.

Istiklal Caddesi 311, Mısır Apartman floor 8 (Beyoğlu) www.360istanbul.com

DETAILS / DESIGN

A chair for a president

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Publicity photo

Hans J. Wegner is one of the

most famous Danish designers, who’s designed chairs have become design icons and epitomes of what a chair is. His love towards wood as a material can be seen in the flowing shapes and natural touch of his designs.

Thus probably one of the most famous chairs in the history of design was created by none other than Wegner in 1949 in collaboration with the furniture maker Johannes Hansen.

When the chair’s upholstered version was introduced, a lucky coincidence happened – an American magazine Interiors noticed it and chose it to be featured in one of its issues. Not only did they refer to it as the most beautiful chair in the world, they also kicked off the international breakthrough of Danish design.

The year 1960 saw a historical moment take place, when the first televised presidential election debate was aired in the USA. When the two candidates – Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy – met, they sat in The Round Chairs. Most of the American population saw the elegance and simplicity of Danish design and the demand for chairs

by Wegner skyrocketed. After a while the Americans discarded the name The Round Chair and started calling it simply The Chair.

What makes this chair special is exactly the cleanness of its shapes. When explaining what the essence of Modern Danish Design is, Wegner always stressed the importance of simplification, purification and respect towards the bare essentials of a chair. By preserving the organic shapes and using the warmth of high quality wood, he created an incredibly comfortable chair (which, after all, is the most important feature necessary for furniture) that is also amazingly elegant.

Nowadays the original designs of Wegner are still being produced by the Danish family business PP Møbler who still use the old traditions of furniture making. By using soaptreated wood, they ensure that the wood feels soft, natural and retains its natural, beautiful colours. Keeping the spirit of Wegner alive, they cherish the simple elegance and natural feeling of the designer’s work. By the way, he used to say, that the good chair is a task one is never completely done with. BO

DETAILS / PEOPLE

TEXT BY IEVA NORA FIRERE | PUBLICITY PHOTO

Running season in high gear With marathon tourism on the rise, people are not zipping in and out of their marathon destination as quickly as possible, but rather booking annual vacations around the race dates. Baltic Outlook caught Nordea Riga Marathon frontman Aigars Nords off the trail, to set you in the mood for the marathon season that has just begun

Marathon “collectors” are a diverse bunch of people.

slot in an exotic option among the major marathon cities. Aigars Some aim for the highest number of completed 42K races. Some names an example near Bordeaux, the Marathon du Médoc, where need perpetually improved results. Others strive for extremes, the 42 kilometres that wind past various wineries offer about 30 like the world’s northernmost marathon at the North Pole. While different wine-tastings. Lately, Riga has become an increasingly Aigars belongs to none of these categories, he is a collector of enticing option for Europeans who are seeking a foreign marathon sorts. Whenever he takes part in a marathon, he takes note of the to attend. This year, two months prior to the annual race, about 25% organizers’ ideas and solutions, of all the minutiae that make the of the participants are set to be foreigners, which is the highest participants feel good. The Nordea Riga Marathon director spied a indicator in Eastern Europe. The Finns are the leading marathon few things at the recent prestigious Tokyo marathon and tourism runners in Riga, followed by the Lithuanians, You can will put them into practice in the Latvian capital in 2014, Estonians, Germans, British and Italians. It’s already known wake up in a that a number of Japanese groups will also be running. if not already in this year’s race.

Aigars got this idea after first completing the New hotel in the “One of Riga’s trump cards is its compact nature. You York Marathon. Upon returning to Latvia, he teamed can wake up in a hotel in the Old Town, stretch out your Old Town, up with some like-minded people and together stretch out muscles and wander over to the start line. Secondly, they decided to make the Riga Marathon – already your muscles we try to offer a very personalized approach. Water organized for 17 years - even more international. For is available every 2.5 kilometres, which is much more and wander frequently than set in the guidelines; we distribute about behind-the-scenes race organizers, running is just over to the 35,000 sandwiches at the finish line, as well as roses about compulsory. Every so often, one of Aigars’ team start line members runs in yet another marathon and gets some for ladies who finish the marathon and half-marathon. ideas to exchange with others.

Furthermore, we distribute messages of encouragement “The organization of European marathons really varies – from the on big screens that supporters can send to their favourite runners always accurate one in Berlin, where the finest nuances of logistics through www.uzmundrini.lv and host a pasta party during the have been worked out, to the completely laid-back one in Rome, marathon expo. These are minor details that many don’t expect, but where, despite the dolce vita attitude, everything still goes ahead.” are happy to receive,” says Aigars.

To experience outstanding organization, huge numbers of Another advantage for Riga is the timing of the race. Spring is already racers and strong emotions first-hand, Aigars recommends running blooming, the international marathon calendar is not yet packed with in all of the World Marathon Majors or Big Six: Boston, London, other enticing events, and the race date in late spring motivates you not Berlin, Chicago, New York, and, most recently, Tokyo. An amateur to postpone the start of your 2013 running season. BO This year, the Nordea Riga Marathon will take place on May 19 usually runs no more than one marathon per year, so this list could www.nordearigasmaratons.lv keep one going for some time. Every so often, one may want to

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T/c „Spice Home” Jaunmoku 13, Rīga Tālr.: 66100047, 27477774 spice@gaismasmagija.lv www.gaismasmagija.lv

Brīvības 99, Rīga Tālr.: 66047077, 27709909 brivibas@gaismasmagija.lv www.gaismasmagija.lv

DETAILS / THING OF THE MONTH

TEXT BY AGRA LIEGE | PHOTO BY REINIS HOFMANIS, F64

King of the superfoods “Superfoods” are all the rage among healthy process, wheatgrass gets packed with lifestyle enthusiasts these days, and no high levels of nutrients. It contains all of wonder. These naturally grown products the essential amino acids and most of the help you to significantly reduce the effects vitamins and minerals needed for health, of aging and cut the risk along with live enzymes of serious illnesses. Still, that help the digestion The nutritional the best-informed will tell process. Up to 70% of its content of you that even among raw, content is chlorophyll, one ounce of holistic foods which burst which helps to build and wheatgrass is with vitamins and nutrients, repair red blood cells. equivalent to some are more remarkable Wheatgrass is typically than others. consumed as a juice that of Wheatgrass is a baby approximately two and is the most popular wheat plant harvested pounds of green “super drink”. Introducing right when it reaches its little wheatgrass “shots” vegetables nutritional peak – just before into your daily diet the wheat grains form. The would bring countless tiny green stalks possess such astonishing benefits to your health. Wheatgrass juice health-boosting qualities that they could is a concentrated food, as the nutritional easily be placed at the very top of the content of one ounce of it is equivalent to superfoods list. Through the sprouting that of approximately two pounds of green

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vegetables. Wheatgrass provides a perfect alternative to animal products as it is full of plant protein, which the body absorbs with greater ease than animal protein.

It also contains significant amounts of iron and calcium.

You can grow wheatgrass for juicing at home if you have the time and the patience.

This can certainly be fun! However, if you are looking for a less time-consuming way to boost your health, then you can buy wheatgrass in the form of tablets or powder. These can be mixed into a fruit smoothie or other tasty drink. You can also make your way to the closest place that offers wheatgrass and get a morning wake-up “shot”. One such place in Riga is the Raw Garden (Skolas iela 12), which offers both single and double shots of wheatgrass.

Just order a “kviešu zelmeņa šotiņš” (little shot of wheatgrass)! BO

THE BIGGEST DEPARTMENT STORE IN RIGA ELKOR PLAZA department store offers wide selection of high quality goods from the leading world brands and high grade service. Visitors will enjoy pleasureful shopping on two floors of the store with an area more than 25 000 m2.

Department store is located just 10 minutes from downtown and has convenient parking.

FASHION

Women’s, men’s and children’s clothing, shoes and accessories from more than 70 world famous brands, as well as a wide assortment of cosmetics and perfumes are presented in the fashion department.

SPORTS

Best lines of sports clothing and footwear, and wide range of equipment for active recreation are offered in sports department.

ELECTRONICS

Latest gadgets, electronics and home appliances, a wide range of computers, cameras and video goods are presented on second floor of ELKOR PLAZA.

TOYS

A magnificent range of dolls, constructors, radio controlled toys, tabletop games and a lot more is offered to the younger visitors of the store.

HOME GOODS

Elegant home textiles, kitchenware, decors and best gifts for you and your home are presented in a very wide range.

FOOD & WINE

Among other, a wide assortment of fine wines and food is offered to store visitors.

LVL

Riga, 201 Brivibas street • www.elkor.lv Mon. - Sun.: 10.00 - 22.00; e - mail: shop@elkor.lv; Phone: +371 67070530.

DETAILS / TECH

Text by Girts Rozners | Publicity photo

Musical balls Sony SRS-BTV5 wireless speaker

If you

are looking for a convenient way to pair your laptop, smartphone or tablet computer with a wireless acoustic system, then Sony’s SRS-BTV5 speaker is among the latest and smartest on offer. It can be placed anywhere in a room and will connect through Bluetooth or NFC to your portable device, providing high-quality sound for the music that you want to play.

The small acoustic lens at the top of the ball covers a 1.2-Watt speaker that spreads the sound evenly in all directions. That means that if you place the device in the centre of a table, then all of those sitting around it will hear music of uniform volume and quality. The speaker’s NFC function makes it particularly suitable for Sony Xperia or Nokia Lumia smartphones. All you have to do is touch the speaker with your phone and the music starts playing. If somebody else does the same with his or her phone, then the music changes accordingly.

Despite the speaker’s small size, the bass sounds are strong and the high-quality sound is powerful

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enough to fill a fairly large room. The volume is controlled with two buttons, while the third button can be used to answer telephone calls.

Thus, if someone calls you while you are listening to a tune, the music stops playing when you press the third button and you will hear the caller’s voice.

The speaker’s built-in microphone will permit you or anybody else in the room to answer the call and have a conversation with the caller.

The Sony SRS-BTV5 is available in white, black, pink and blue, and can be powered through a battery, USB or internet connection. One battery charge provides up to five hours of playing time.

The speaker comes with an elegant protective case for convenient transport.

The SRS-BTV5 differs from its predecessor (the SRS-BTV25) with the addition of NFC (Near Field Communication) and a built-in battery. It was displayed at the CES 2013 technology show in Las Vegas and should sell in Europe for approximately 70 EUR. BO www.sony.com

THE FULL SERVICE PROPERTY HOUSE www.newsecbaltics.com

DETAILS / FOOD

Text by Krista Baumane, food blogger, www.krista.lv

If you have dined out in

Pegasus’ favourite wonderberry 38 / AIRBALTIC.COM

to harvest. The berries are Riga, then you may well have usually picked in September encountered a vividly orange, to capture them at their best. fresh-tasting substance, They grow closely attached to possibly in the form of a frothy the thorny shrub and are very foam over your fish, or perhaps acid, so hand-picking is not a a shiny sauce for dipping bread, convenient option. They are or most likely as part of your often harvested by cutting away dessert, which could have been entire branches, freezing them anything from ice-cream to and shaking off the berries so candy. We’re talking about the as to avoid squashing them. sea buckthorn – also known Once the berries have been as the sandthorn – the super separated, they are cold-pressed wonderberry that is as fiercely to obtain valuable juice and healthy as it is sour. oil. In Latvia, some 300 tons of Nestled in thorny sea buckthorn fruit bushes with slender, Nowadays are harvested each silvery leaves, these year, of which 25% is the fruit berries contain more exported, mostly to is used to than 190 biologically Sweden. The rest is cure ulcers processed and used active compounds, and burns, to produce foodstuffs over 60 antioxidants, included in and cosmetics. perfectly balanced omega fatty acids and the diet of A daily shot of pure more vitamin C than astronouts sea buckthorn juice any other vegetable will cure you of and of fruit. featured on a common cold and The Latin name keep your energy the menu of levels up during the for the sea buckthorn NOMA, the is hippophae, which long, dark winter means “shiny horse” – world’s top months – I am told restauranT by a friend who has deriving from ancient Mongolian farmed them for stories which describe how 10 years. The lovely-looking either wounded or ill horses berries can hardly be eaten miraculously regained health fresh because of their extreme, and obtained shiny fur after sour taste. They are more living off the berries and leaves commonly consumed in juices – of sea buckthorn shrubs. either diluted and sweetened Apparently, the sea buckthorn or combined with other, more was also the favourite food of naturally sweet juices – or in Pegasus, the winged horse from various forms of preserves Greek legends. Small wonder, and candy. then, that nowadays the fruit Over the last few years, this is used to cure ulcers and locally produced “superfood” burns, included in the diet of has become increasingly astronauts and featured on the popular on the Riga fine dining menu of Copenhagen’s NOMA, scene and at farmers’ markets. the world’s top restaurant.

Look out for it on the menu and It has been grown check the artisan-produced commercially in Latvia since the jams, marmalades and jellied 1980s, and even more widely candy in the shops. These since 2000, when government provide a perfect opportunity to subsidies became available. experience and take away some Sea buckthorns are resourceof the super goodness that the intensive to grow and tricky sea buckthorn has to offer. BO

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Text by Una Meistere, www.anothertravelguide.com | Photos by Ainars Erglis

Rebellious Prague

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YOUR NEXT DESTINATION

“Prague

Bad luck, somebody has already taken the Anothertravelguide brochure about Prague, but don’t worry, all the information is also available at ANOTHERTRAVELGUIDE.COM in cooperation with airBaltic.

is a bizarre city, in the good sense of the word,” said my acquaintance, who studied photography at FAMU, Prague’s school of filmmaking. As I stood in the small square across from the Kafka Museum and watched a group of tourists feverishly taking pictures of two bronze mechanical men urinating with robotic relish on a map of the Czech Republic, I had to agree with her. The Piss (2004) by Czech artist David Černý – described by The Guardian as a cross between Antony Gromley and Damien Hirst – is an ironic combination of Brussels’ peeing boy and the still common occurrence in Eastern European cities of overly intoxicated characters relieving themselves wherever the need arises. That includes participants of British stag parties, who have taken a particular fancy to wetting national monuments. Take a closer look, however, and you’ll notice that the streams created by the two bronze men actually trace out barely legible letters on the surface of the pool. Onlookers may program the metal men’s “tools” to write specific messages by sending them an SMS through their mobile phones.

David Černý (1967) is a part of Prague’s mythology and has become one of the city’s defining features. Tour guides take visitors to see his sculptures practically every day. The media have used almost every available epithet to label him and his work, from provocateur to enfant terrible.

“I don’t use this bullsh** about myself,” he says when we meet at the nearby Kavárna Mlýnská café that he calls his “living room”.

The inconspicuous café is located in an old mill by Kampa Park and despite its central location, has nevertheless managed to retain its underground status.

With his unruly mop of hair, disarmingly penetrating smile, and mix of frivolity and undisguised irony, Černý resembles the stereotype of Mick Jagger. The two also share a weakness for beautiful women. Černý speaks directly, pays little attention to political correctness and never falls out of his bad boy character.

BALTIC OUTLOOK / APRIL 2013 / 41

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David Černý’s sculpture The Piss in front of the Kafka Museum

“You can say what you want in terms of political or artistic freedom. The only thing you cannot do is something illegal, like be an unabashed Nazi supporter who flaunts Nazi symbols and preaches Nazism. Otherwise, I can do what I want as an artist.” Černý is famous for his sarcastic comments about the political elite and his acerbic works of art. His art may not actually change anything, but it constantly pokes and prods and disturbs the socio-political waters, preventing us from losing ourselves to conformism.

One of Černý’s most controversial sculptures is located in the courtyard of the Futura gallery. Futura (2003) is a huge, white human figure bent over at the waist to reveal its buttocks. Climb

up the ladder and look inside the opening between the sculpture’s legs to see a video of former Czech president Václav Klaus and Milan Knížák (dissident, artist, theoretician and former director of the National Gallery in Prague) feeding each other porridge in the form of “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours”, all to the tune of Queen’s “We Are the Champions”. Černý has a special relationship with Knížák. In 2000, the two had a dispute during preparations for the Chalupecký Award exhibition and Černý had to be escorted out of the gallery by armed guards. However, the incident culminated in Černý winning the award, to everybody’s surprise. The award ceremony took place in the National Gallery, but because Černý refused to set foot inside the building, he organised a picnic outside by the entrance.

Then-president Václav Havel was to present the award. But Havel, having a sense of humour and seeing that the proverbial mountain was not going to come to Muhammad, went outside to meet Černý instead.

Of Černý’s art work, Entropa (2008) has undoubtedly resonated most widely. In fact, it has generated so much discussion that the artist no longer willingly speaks about it. As the Czech Republic

6 Rothko originals now in Daugavpils The Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre, a recently inaugurated art institution, has the potential to become one of the most attractive culture establishments in Eastern Europe.

In the Centre’s art space, visitors can trace the career of the world-famous artist and explore the original paintings of Mark Rothko (1903-1970), who was born in Daugavpils and became a central figure in American 20th-century art. The Centre is located in the artillery arsenal building of the Daugavpils Fortress, offering a unique environment for diverse creative expression.

Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre Mihaila iela 3, Daugavpils LV-5401, Latvia www.rothkocentre.com

Mark Rothko, Untitled No 7 (ORANGE AND CHOCOLATE), 176.9 x 110.5 cm, 1957, collection of the Kate Rothko Prizel

Černy’s art may not actually change anything, but it constantly pokes and prods and disturbs the socio-political waters

David Černý

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Sculpture Hanging Out

was preparing to take over the European presidency in January of 2009, Černý was invited to create a piece of art that would be displayed in the Council of Europe building during the course of the country’s presidency. Černý’s idea was to create a gigantic collage of nations, with each separate component made by a different artist. With the help of two like-minded artists, he kept the actual process secret until the very last minute, thereby pulling off an ironic and well-directed hoax. The 26 cooperating “artists” were actually imaginary, down to their mock CVs and even websites. The truth was revealed only at the opening ceremony of the exhibition in Brussels. The diplomatic corps grew pale, while Černý and his fellow artists were greeted with laughter at the official press conference. Entropa was actually a grotesque caricature about clichés and stereotypes. In it, Italy was portrayed as a football pitch with masturbating football players, Belgium as a half-eaten box of chocolates, the Czech Republic as an LED screen blinking with the most controversial quotes by its then-president, and Bulgaria as a collection of Turkish squat toilets. This last depiction created a diplomatic furore and, as a result, Bulgaria’s location on the installation was covered with a black cloth.

Meetfactory alternative culture centre in a former glass factory

Later, in his formal apology, Černý wrote: “We knew the truth would come out. But before that happened, we wanted to know whether Europe was capable of laughing at itself.” Entropa was eventually moved to its now permanent home at the DOX Contemporary Art Centre in Prague, a private organisation that at the time existed without the help of government or municipal funding. The installation is currently on exhibit in the Czech city of Plzeň, while another of Černý’s works, the gigantic red skull titled Fast-Tuned Death (2011), is suspended above the DOX roof. Černý first gained international attention back in 1991, when he and a group of friends covered a Soviet army tank in pink paint. The tank had been placed atop a pedestal in Smichov district in 1945 to commemorate the arrival of the Soviet army in Prague. With forged letters of approval from the City Council and the Film Academy just in case the police showed up, Černý and his friends painted the tank at five o’clock in the morning. Černý even signed his name on the pink tank, as an artist does to any proper piece of artwork.

The action resulted in a successful uproar, with people out on the streets gathering signatures in support of the artist and even the selling of quickly printed T-shirts.

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View of the Old Town

A tour of Černý’s sculptures Despite his extravagant image, Černý describes himself as a simple sculptor and would much rather talk about his passion for flying than about theories of art. He is already certified to fly his Cessna 172 and hopes to some day get a professional pilot’s licence. “It is a freedom you cannot get anywhere else,” he says of flying. Černý graduated from Prague’s Academy of Arts, Architecture, and Design and also spent a year at an artists’ residence in New York supported by the Soros Foundation. His first mutant baby (a sculpture titled Baby) was included in the Beyond Belief exhibition devoted to Eastern European art at the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art in 1994. Černý now has many babies, including the three basking in Kampa Park across from the white façade of the Museum Kampa. Ten others crawl up the Žižkov Television Tower on the other side of town.

In the old part of the city, Černý’s figure of Sigmund Freud (Hanging Out, 1996) dangles by one hand from a rod at the top of the Institute of Art History, his other hand casually in his pocket. This piece of art, a replica of which has been exhibited in many other art centres around the world, is often interpreted as Černý’s vision of the role of the intellectual in the new millennium. However, it is also possible that Freud is just observing the helplessness of the world from his vantage point above.

Ironically, because so many people walk around staring at the cobblestones on the street instead of the sky above, many

do not even notice the figure hanging above their heads. When the sculpture was exhibited at the Seoul Museum of Art in 2009, a visitor mistook it for a suicide attempt and urged museum employees to intervene.

Any tour of Černý’s sculptures in Prague requires a visit to the Lucerna Passage, where the Czech national hero Saint Wenceslas of Bohemia sits on a dead, upside-down horse. The original monument to Saint Wenceslas stands in nearby Saint Wenceslas Square. As with all of Černý’s work, this sculpture can also be interpreted in several ways, including as a parody of former Czech president Václav Klaus. The arcades of Lucerna Passage were designed by the grandfather of Václav Havel, a fact that lends a bit of the city’s past glamour to the now rundown structure, which is full of rather questionable shops. Černý created a sculpture titled London Booster for last year’s Olympic Games in London – a classic 1957 Routemaster double decker bus remade into an athlete who huffs and groans as he does pushups on gigantic red metal arms. In one interview, the artist recalled that although push-ups are a universal exercise for athletes, they are also used as punishment for prisoners and soldiers.

One of Černý’s One of Černý’s most ambitious current projects is Meetfactory, that has in large part influenced the whole cultural landscape of Prague. The Meetfactory alternative cultural centre includes an exhibition hall, artists’ studios and residences, and spaces for musical,

Prague is famous for its cobbled streets

stage, and film projects. Located out in Prague’s industrial Smichov district, right next to the train tracks and a highway, the Meetfactory building can be recognised by the red automobiles (Černý’s own installation) stuck to its green and white façade. He says he got the idea soon after returning home from New York. “If such places exist in New York and Berlin, then why not in Prague?”

The name of the centre is a play on the works “meet” and “meat”, because the idea for the cultural centre was born in a building used by the Prague Ham Factory.

Although this first attempt at starting a cultural centre did not succeed, Černý pressed on.

“In 2005 the city council had about ten buildings in terrible condition, completely vandalised. Not knowing what to do with the buildings, the council began offering them to non-profit organisations, and I applied for one of them – the one building that no one else wanted. People called me crazy. But I said I’d do it. We have a ten-year rental agreement and we do not make any money from this project. All of the profits from our events are invested back into Meetfactory. One third of Meetfactory’s income is from grants (including a small grant from the Ministry of Culture) and two thirds is from ourselves, from our supporters and our own financial efforts.”

When I was in Prague, Meetfactory was hosting Pussy Riot and the Russian Tradition of Art Rebellion, an exhibition dedicated to Russian political art from the past 30 years and including such well-known names as

Oleg Kulik, the Gnezdo Group, Blue Noses, and others.

Even though Černý’s art has received mixed reviews – his artwork has the air of a happening mixed with the desire to shock the establishment – his flamboyant “scars” on the city have become an integral part of Prague. Few living artists can claim that their works have truly become a part of their city’s tourist industry. “But I didn’t organise it that way,” he says in his characteristically nonchalant manner. Černý adds that all of his public installations are located on private property.

Kafka and Lennon “Prague never lets you go...this dear little mother has sharp claws,” said Franz Kafka (1883-1924), the famous author and existential resident of Prague. The city still has some of that feel today. While filming Amadeus: Director’s Cut in 2002, director Miloš Forman said: “This movie could have been shot in only three cities – Vienna, Budapest or Prague – because only these three cities have the 18th-century architecture. Prague was absolutely ideal because, thanks to Communist inefficiency, the 18th century remained untouched.”

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart also enjoyed a special relationship with Prague, which was a fierce rival to Vienna as a cultural centre in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

However, unlike Vienna, which was quite cool towards Mozart and his music, Prague received the composer and his Marriage of Figaro with enthusiasm. Having arrived

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Old Town Square

The café scene has changed dramatically since Kafka’s day, but some of his favourite addresses still exist in Prague in January of 1787, Mozart premiered his Symphony in D Major here, and the work subsequently became known also as his Prague Symphony. By the time Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni premiered in Prague, his exclamation that “the people of Prague understand me” had already become a part of the city’s lore. The people of Prague invited him to stay, but Mozart nevertheless returned to Vienna. When, following his death, the genius’ body was thrown into a mass grave, Prague grieved.

In one sense, this rivalry between Prague and Vienna still exists today. “We in Prague feel that Mozart is ours, so filming in Prague was a zinger to Vienna,” once said Forman, himself a native of Prague. I suggest watching Amadeus before visiting Prague.

In it, the historical Malá Strana district and Prague Castle appear as postcards from the past, untouched by time.

On the one hand, Prague is a museum.

On the other hand, Prague is a complete mystery. Its city planners created a fine series of mise-en-scenes, with parks, gardens and street plantings providing beautiful urban settings. As soon as one tree is done flowering, it seems the next is ready to begin. Prague’s cobblestones are

no less wonderful; one must walk quite some distance from the historical centre of the city before cobbled streets give way to industrial asphalt. Prague is, however, not easy on bicycle riders.

The Prague Castle is the largest medieval castle in Europe. Its 16th-century Baroque façades were built during the time of Empress Maria Theresa, who was the mother of Marie Antoinette. The castle served as the seat of Bohemian kings and princes, but since 1918 it has been used as the residence of the president of the country. Charles Bridge (Karlův most), the early 14th-century bridge across the Vltava River known for its Baroque statues, is just as legendary as the castle. Having been the only bridge across the river until 1841, it was also a very important trade artery between Eastern and Western Europe.

Nor has Prague’s old Jewish Quarter and the unique cemetery at its heart lost its mystery. Old Jewish laws forbid the destruction of headstones, which is why now approximately 12,000 headstones can be found in the small cemetery. The laws also forbid expanding the cemetery area, so graves were placed one on top of the other in as many as twelve layers.

Café at the DOX Contemporary Art Centre

Sometimes it seems Kafka still lurks in the shadows of the Jewish Quarter. The house where he was born stands close to the cemetery and almost next to the Church of St. Nicholas. Actually, the house has been reconstructed several times and the only original element remaining is its door. “My whole life is confined within this small circle,” the writer said about the surrounding neighbourhood. His school and university were also located nearby.

Coffee always played a role in Kafka’s work, and although we do not know whether he himself was a passionate coffee drinker, he most definitely felt at home in Prague’s coffee culture, which in its heyday was even compared to that of Vienna.

The café scene has changed dramatically since Kafka’s day, but some of his favourite addresses still exist. For example, the legendary Café Louvre, with its Art Nouveau interior and majestic staircase. Seen as too free-spirited a place by the communist regime, the Café Louvre was closed during the Soviet era and only reopened its doors after the Velvet Revolution. A complete renovation, however, did away with most of the evidence of its long history.

The Café Savoy, on the other hand (and on the other side of the river near Kampa Park), retains a much more authentic feel.

Kafka is said to have enjoyed the Jewish theatre productions shown at the Savoy.

The café opened in 1893 and has had quite a stormy history, but the latest renovation in 2001 preserved the café’s elegant Art

Nouveau interior and seven-metre high Neo-Renaissance style ceilings.

While Prague is full of secret places, its streets form one of its greatest mysteries.

Supposedly no map represents them all with 100% accuracy, and even if you think you’ve almost arrived at your destination, you may suddenly find yourself feeling lost. One of the more tricky places to find is John Lennon’s wall. Even though Lennon himself never set foot in Prague, the wall named after him plays as large a symbolic role for the city as do the Beatles’ songs.

The wall was like any other until Lennon’s death in 1980, when someone painted his portrait on it, turning the wall into an artists’ canvas and indeed a whole movement.

The wall symbolised freedom and protest against a regime that sought to crush any glimmer of Western culture. In 1988, students even clashed with security police on the nearby Charles Bridge because of the wall. In an effort to do away with the wall, the authorities whitewashed it several times, and at one point guards were even posted by the wall to prevent repainting by the public. However, by the following day people had already managed to place flowers, peace signs, and Beatles lyrics by the wall. The Lennon Wall has even been called Prague’s “Berlin Wall”. It is still a gathering place for young people, although today the graffiti on the wall tends more towards love poetry instead of sociopolitical texts. Every time you visit, the wall will look different. As will Prague itself.

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Prague’s spirit of anarchy lives on Even though Prague is officially in the European Union, it does not find it necessary to adhere to all of Brussels’ recommendations. For example, despite the current global obsession with healthy lifestyles, smoking is still permitted in most of Prague’s cafés and bars.

Officially, marijuana is illegal in Prague, but liberal laws have led to the city being known as the “Amsterdam of the East” and many shops, including tourist shops, offer all the necessary smoking accessories.

Alcoholic drinks are sold until two in the morning, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find as large a selection of absinth anywhere else. Of course, connoisseurs say that the absinth available today is nowhere near what it used to be like. But if you nevertheless wish to experience absinth and all of its accompanying rituals, go to the Absintherie store/bar on Jilska Street.

Look for the green bicycle or car with green doors parked outside its green door. Here you will be given a special spoon to burn a sugar cube and a 50-gram shot of absinth (68% alcohol) to sip slowly with water. The Absintherie also makes its own absinth. By the way, the insect at the bottom of the bottle is also local, from the Czech Republic.

Finding good, tasty, and comparatively inexpensive food in Prague is not a problem, even in the very centre of the city.

There are cafés and bars on every corner

Fly to Prague with airBaltic from

€99

round trip

Price available for bookings at least five months in advance

because “going out” is very popular here.

Czechs are more likely to meet in a bar than visit one another at home.

Holešovice, a former industrial area having recently received a cultural facelift, is currently one of Prague’s trendiest districts. It is best known for the DOX art gallery (at Poupetova 1) that opened in 2008 in an old metal factory and has come to symbolise the regeneration of

the entire district. DOX’s first exhibition was titled Welcome to Capitalism, and the contemporary art centre continues to offer some of the best art exhibitions in the city. DOX also has a café and a large bookstore specialising in art and design titles. Nearby is Prague’s legendary Cross Club (Plynární 23), an alternative cultural centre offering concerts, discussions, films, and performances as well as a café on the upper level. BO

OUTLOOK / IN CONVERSATION

Text by Trevor Baker Photos courtesy of Rathfinny Estate

English wine pairing As the world gets warmer, can British couple Mark and Sarah Driver really convince the world to love Englandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s answer to champagne?

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OUTLOOK / IN CONVERSATION

Mark Driver has always loved wine.

When he was in his early 20s, he travelled around New Zealand, visiting the best vineyards and dreaming about starting his own winery. That was in 1990, when New World wines with vast production were rapidly catching up with their European counterparts. French champagne, however, remained at the top of its class.

Nevertheless, on the other side of the Channel, tiny English wine makers were still bravely battling the native climate to produce their own humble fizz.

Once he got back from his travels, Mark got a job in the City of London, eventually becoming a highly successful and wealthy fund manager. He got married, had four children and busied himself with his career.

Then one day in 2009, his business partner John Horseman announced his intention to retire and advised Mark to do the same.

“I was only 45 and felt too young to sit back and do nothing for the rest of my life. But since wine has been a long-held passion of mine, I started looking around at what I could do in that field.”

By then, the world of wine had changed significantly and English wine had changed even more. Although it was actually an English scientist, Christopher Merret, who invented the double fermentation technique used for sparkling wine (and not the Benedictine monk Dom Pérignon), English wine makers have never been able to take advantage of this process to the same extent as their French counterparts. It’s long been considered difficult, if not impossible, to make great wine further north than the 49th parallel of latitude, which cuts through northern France and Germany.

However, by 2009, this apparent truism was being challenged. English corks were popping all over the world and British sparkling wines were winning some of the industry’s most prestigious competitions.

England’s tiny vineyards were struggling to keep up with demand. The last 20 years have seen, on average, higher temperatures across Europe, leading to highquality grape harvests further north than ever before.

With his career in the City over, Mark decided to take

BALTIC OUTLOOK / APRIL 2013 / 51

OUTLOOK / IN CONVERSATION had a steady increase in annual temperatures and partly because we now have a dedicated wine university at Plumpton College.

We have much better-qualified individuals who really know what they’re doing.

There’s a market for English wine.

We’re already getting better technical ability and therefore much better quality. Some English wines, particularly in the sparkling wine category, are now considered among the best in the world. We’ve got the ability to make top quality wine and a good market for that wine. For me, there was no question about investing in the UK wine industry. It would be stupid not to.”

Sarah Driver

a massive gamble on the future of the English wine industry. He would buy some land and create the country’s biggest vineyard, planting 400 acres of vines, just an hour south of London’s Gatwick airport. He argues now, however, that it’s not been a gamble at all.

“The hard facts are,” he says, “that in the UK, we import 1.8 billion bottles of wine a year. We consume nearly five million bottles of wine a day. And yet we produce less than that amount in a whole year. English wine has been improving in quality, partly because we’ve

However, there’s a big difference between seeing an investment opportunity and knowing how to Mark Driver exploit it. Mark was initially a wine enthusiast, rather than an expert. So while he was searching for land on which to plant vines, he also went back to school, enrolling himself at Brighton University’s Plumpton College to study the science of wine-making.

After years of working in the City, it was strange for Mark to go back to college alongside teenagers.

He admits that it was much more difficult than he’d expected. He might have quit his demanding job in the City, but he was working as hard as ever at school.

OUTLOOK / IN CONVERSATION “A lot of the 18- and 19-year-olds dropped out because it was a pretty intensive course,” he says. “They take you back to your high school chemistry.

You’re doing botany, soil types and basic biology. There were things that I hadn’t thought about for over 30 years.

And so many things are different now, technologically. For example, when you hand in an essay, it gets screened and scanned by a computer to check for plagiarism. When I was last at university, everything was handwritten.”

“Mark had to produce a lot of graphs and different things on the computer,” says his wife Sarah. “Good thing we’ve got teenage children!”

When asked whether they ever thought of giving up and doing something else, Sarah replies with a firm “no, never,” but Mark admits to having had a few wobbles, particularly when it came to applying for planning permission. “‘Planning really gets you down,” he says.

“It’s the single biggest problem we’ve had.

The natural reaction of all planning officers is simply to say ‘no’. We produced a 35-page master plan that spelled out everything we were planning on doing over the next 10 years. We then had to go into every environmental detail.”

“At one point I had to go to the Business Secretary, Vince Cable (UK Minister for

By the end of the year, he´ll have the biggest vineyard in England. By the end of 2020, his PR company claims that he´ll have what might be the biggest single-site vineyard in Europe For Sarah and the children it was an equally significant upheaval. She comes from a legal background, too, having also worked in the City. In recent years, she’s been running a youth trust to promote literacy while writing books and studying creative writing. Initially, she agreed to help out with some of the legal details but, as more and more challenges appeared, she found herself increasingly involved. “I know more about farming than I ever thought I would!” she laughs.

They were on holiday in Majorca when their agent informed them of a suitable plot of land. It was in a valley called Rathfinny, three miles from the England’s south coast, with free-draining chalk soil similar to that found in Champagne.

However, the dream site was also in a national park: the South Downs between London and Brighton. This might have been an advantage in terms of natural beauty, but brought its own set of problems. There are very strict rules about what you can and can’t do in a national park. At first, it seemed impossible to satisfy the bureaucracy.

Business, Innovation and Skills) to point out the economic advantages of winemaking to this part of the country,” says Sarah.

“He gave us his support, which helped.

There have been some low moments, but we persisted.”

“I would have given up two years ago when we were first denied permission to build the winery. The Planning Authority said that a winery is an industrial building, which you can’t build in a national park. They wanted to say that a winery is like a chip factory! It just took us about six months to convince the authority that a winery is an agricultural building,” Mark explains.

“That would have been the death knell of the wine industry in this country, because if you think about the wineries around the world, they’re in beautiful places. That’s exactly where they should be,” says Sarah.

“We also had a big issue with building barns to house our seasonal workers. We said that we need people on site so that they can start working when the weather’s right. The authorities said: ‘No. You need to have three years’ profit before we consider

OUTLOOK / IN CONVERSATION

Vines ready for planting

it.’ And we said: ‘We’re a vineyard and we’re not going to be in profit until. . .”

“We might start to see a little bit of money in 2018,” finishes Mark. It was a tough battle, but eventually, the Drivers obtained the permission to build the barns for their workers.

The couple had made a promising start and found the perfect terroir, as the French call the environment

in which vines are grown. Now they just needed the expertise and technical ability to match. Mark passed his exams and then sought out some more expert help. One of his first moves was to attract a top viticulturist or vine grower, Cameron Roucher, who’d already made a name for himself in his native New Zealand. He also brought in a winemaker, Jonathan Médard, who was born and raised in Champagne, where he’d trained with Mouton Rothschild, among others.

OUTLOOK / IN CONVERSATION

Jonathan wasn’t the first native of Champagne to find southeast England interesting. Ironically, this part of England – not far from Hastings, where King William the Conqueror’s soldiers arrived from Normandy in 1066 – is now seeing a very different invasion.

Apparently, the big Champagne producers have long been seeking to buy land in the south of England.

“One of the major champagne houses tried to buy some land off one of our neighbours,” says Mark. “But he didn’t want to sell. Land in Champagne, if you can buy it, costs about 500,000 euros per acre. But it’s just not for sale. In the UK, it costs about eight to ten thousand pounds per acre. So it’s a fraction of the cost.”

While sparkling wine production in Champagne will continue to dwarf that of England for the foreseeable future, the big wine estates have faced some difficult questions with the increased global temperatures of the last 20 years.

“In Champagne, they now harvest their grapes in mid to late August,” Mark continues. “Twenty years ago, they were harvesting at the end of September. We now harvest in this country at the end of September or beginning of October, while previously we used to do so about a month later. Everything’s been pulled forward, which means that we’re getting better sugar levels and better ripeness in our grapes.

In Champagne, they’re harvesting earlier in order to avoid having too much sugar. They’re thus losing out on some of the good things that you’d get from a long, slow ripening period. Our temperatures are similar to those in Champagne in the 1980s,” he continues. “They made some pretty good champagne in the 70s and 80s. Some of the best vintages came from that time.”

At the time of writing, Mark is about to oversee the arrival of 20,000 kilometres of wire. In early April, he’ll plant 80,000 vines of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. These grape varieties are used on the other side of the Channel to make the world’s best champagne. By the end of the year, he’ll have the biggest vineyard in England. By the end of 2020, his PR company claims that he’ll have what might be the biggest single-site vineyard in Europe.

In the wine trade, however, the greatest plans play second fiddle to one, almighty random factor: the weather. Everything can be ruined by a damp, cold summer. In a cruel blow to the Drivers, the summer of 2012 – their first season with experimental vines at Rathfinny – was the wettest the region had experienced for several years.

“Last year was an absolute disaster,” Mark admits. “But it was also a wash-out across all of Northern Europe.

Vineyards in Germany were affected. The Loire was affected. Even Bordeaux was affected. Champagne yields worldwide were down about 40 percent and that was one of the few times when global production decreased. Australia also experienced heavy rains and flooding, while North America went through a drought.

There was actually a surplus of demand to production, which is unheard of in the wine industry.”

The big question for the wine-making industry, not just in England, but all over Europe, is: What’s going to happen to the climate over the next few decades?

While the high temperatures seen in the 1990s and the first years of this century have forced producers to change the way they work, they have also produced new opportunities for English wine-makers.

OUTLOOK / IN CONVERSATION

In 2011, we had average annual temperatures of 12.3 degrees. That was a new record, nearly one degree hotter than the average for the 20 years prior to that “For the last 20 years, there’s been a steady increase in temperatures,” says Mark. “Let’s take Eastbourne, for example, Rathfinny’s nearest major town. It has a weather station with records going back nearly a hundred years. The average temperatures were flat-lined until the late 1970s and early 80s.

Then they started to pick up a bit. And now again, over the last 20 years, there’s been a slow and steady increase. In 2011, we had average annual temperatures of 12.3 degrees in Eastbourne. That was a new

record, nearly one degree hotter than the average for the 20 years prior to that.”

However, some climate scientists think that increasingly wet summers will become the norm in England, as global warming alters the Gulf Stream, which provides Northern Europe with a climate that’s much milder than similar latitudes in North America.

Mark and Sarah, however, are confident that the long-term trends will be positive for their business.

OUTLOOK / IN CONVERSATION If the climate is favourable, and if Rathfinny takes off, then it’s not just the wine producers who’ll be happy.

The tourism industry in the area already has big plans to boost “enotourism” in the South Downs National Park. Along with the National Trust, responsible for many of the UK’s stately homes, monuments and parks, the Drivers are setting up a Rathfinny Wine Trail. The details are still sketchy, but the park’s beautiful scenery, charming nearby villages and Sussex coastline are already a big attraction.

For all their excitement, however, Mark is under no illusions that Rathfinny will rival Laurent Perrier or Moët & Chandon any time soon.

“We’ll probably produce a little over a million bottles when we’re at full production, but that’s nothing compared to Champagne, where they produce over 300 million bottles. Big producers such as Laurent Perrier produce 17 or 18 million bottles each year.”

Nevertheless, for English wine production, for the South Downs National Park and for Mark and Sarah Driver, the future looks bright. Just as long, of course, as the sun comes out. BO This year, English Wine Week is from May 25-June2.

The Rathfinny Estate opens in August. www.rathfinnyestate.com

OUTLOOK / TRAVEL

TEXT BY ELINA RUKA PHOTOS COURTESY OF RIJEKA TOURIST BOARD AND CROATIAN NATIONAL TOURIST BOARD

Adriatic princess The best impressions of a place are made by its people. A few days spent in Rijeka and its surrounding area convinced me that it is definitely worth lingering in this multi-faceted and friendly Croatian port city, which usually serves as a starting point for travel to the rest of the country, as well as to neighbouring Italy and Slovenia.

Baltic Outlook explores this modest jewel on the Adriatic Coast

It

is lightly drizzling on the evening that I arrive in Rijeka, yet the locals don’t seem concerned. They are sitting on terraces, enjoying drinks and chatting.

Even though I do not understand the Croatian language, I pause for a moment to listen to the pleasant-sounding chatter. The people seem relaxed and friendly. My feelings are confirmed the following morning by tour guide Sandra Bandera, who describes the city’s popular Korzo Street as a living room, because it always has an agreeable ambience. Sandra leads me through the Old Town, occasionally stopping to greet someone and gesturing demonstratively in a flamboyant, Italian manner at every step.

Rijeka has experienced countless shifts of power and governing systems. In the 20th century alone, there were six major changes. The locals have not only had to change their passports several times, they’ve

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also grown weary of the ever-changing street names, favouring instead to arrange meetings “near the fountain” or “at the lion café” or “by the bridge”.

Morčić and the women of Rijeka The continual change of regimes does not seem to have affected the resilience of the city’s inhabitants, and perhaps has even strengthened it. For centuries, Rijeka has been known as a city of strong women. In Dairy Square, a monument honours a simple milkmaid from Grobnik – hunched over, dressed in black, with a heavy load on her back, she awoke at 2:30 AM every morning to milk the cows and provide fresh milk for the city dwellers. Grobnik is still famous for its cheese, known as grobnički sir.

However, the city’s most famous woman is Karolina of Rijeka, who saved the city from destruction during

OUTLOOK / TRAVEL servant wearing a turban, and concludes with the Halubajski zvončari or bell-ringers who herald the arrival of spring.

Shark on a plate Having seen various Old Town sites (all of which are designated with QR codes) and the city’s opulent theatre – where opera and ballet performances are also held – we proceed to the market. This colourful place brightly demonstrates the city’s bustling character and quality of life. The counters are full of fresh, seasonal products and healthy Mediterranean seafood.

Across from the fish market – where activity begins in the early morning and where each daily catch is accompanied by clear information about when it was caught and how long it should be stored – is the popular Fiume seafood restaurant, where the daily catch can be tasted. When I head there for lunch at the suggestion of my guide, a queue has formed and

the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815) and successfully used her beauty to charm British admiral John Leard while negotiating with him. A feature film and a play are devoted to this local heroine. The only remaining evidence of events from that period is a cannonball stuck in the wall of St. Vitus Cathedral. Next to the cathedral is a bar, while on the hill behind the cathedral is a jail, reminding locals that in life, these two places are separated by mere footsteps.

Disregarding the possibility of such an unenviable outcome, Rijekians are true lovers of life. Their most important tradition, observed for over a hundred years, is the annual carnival. It takes place during the winter or, as the locals say, during Rijeka’s fifth season, and its motto is “Be what you want to be”. It has been recognized as the 3rd largest carnival in the world. The parade is led by the city symbol Morčić, a young black

people are even willing to sit outside on the terrace in cool, 10-degree weather to enjoy a hearty meal.

A ship’s captain named Danilo Grgic, who visits the restaurant every single day he is on land, strikes up a conversation. Over coffee, he tells me that in a few days, he will again travel around the world, that he has been in the Latvian port Ventspils a few times and that once, he narrowly escaped pirates by paying the demanded ransom. And I thought the biggest

BALTIC OUTLOOK / APRIL 2013 / 61

OUTLOOK / TRAVEL The best view over Trsat Castle

adventure of the day would be the shark that I ate for lunch!

Patchwork port It’s possible that wanderlust of the inhabitants of Rijeka has been shaped by the presence of it always-active port, which has a colourful history. During the 19th century, Rijeka was a significant port of trade, even surpassing Venice, and had a renowned shipyard. Beginning in 1903, passenger ships made regular trips from Rijeka to New York, transporting thousands of European immigrants determined to start a new life in the USA. Interestingly, Rijeka’s Maritime and History Museum houses the only life jacket from the wreck of the Titanic in Europe. It was brought there by Josip Car, who worked on the Carpathia, which was the first ship to reach the scene of the disaster and which rescued all surviving passengers of the ill-fated ship.

In the early 1990s, industry collapsed and now, before Rijeka has implemented new development plans, the neglected but strangely appealing industrial zone near the port continues to form part of the city’s face. Through the practical travellers’ network www.couchsurfing.com, I meet Sanja, a teacher who has chosen to work as a tour guide in Dalmatia this season. She agrees to show me this industrial region, which she has loved since her days as a student, when she went there to read books, eat the popular börek pie filled with meat, cheese or spinach, and dream about life. First, she brings me to her favourite haunt, the Cukarikafe, whose playful décor highlights the Rijekan’s love for socialising.

We proceed to a former paper mill that was founded in 1821. Formerly known as Hartera (the name of its owner), it was, for its time, an especially modern factory that used old clothing as raw material. Hartera produced 6% of the world’s tobacco paper and employed many locals. In appreciation for their work, the factory executives set up a dance hall, a singing stage and living quarters for their employees. Today, part of the territory of the former mill, which was in operation until 2000, is used by a water bottling plant.

During the summer, the premises host the popular Hartera urban music festival. In honour of the factory’s 150th anniversary, a fountain created of two millstones was erected in Kobler Square in 1971.

I discover the patchwork of the port in both the popular two-kilometre-long promenade by the seacoast, which reveals the city’s 19th-century architecture, as well as in the area of the port that features old warehouses, cranes and modern cargo containers. As the setting sun bathes me in a reddish light, I dream of summer and sailing, or sunbathing on one of Rijeka’s beaches. The port has allowed Rijekians to grow accustomed to the diversity of humans, both

OUTLOOK / TRAVEL

Rijeka’s famous fish market

in terms of nationalities and personalities. Their blood flows with a cosmopolitan attitude and the ability to appreciate what they have, as well as a loyalty to their place and the tendency to preserve family ties.

Diversity of Krk Island When heading to Rijeka, the first stop will inevitably be Krk Island, because the airport is located at the island’s north end. Therefore, the island can serve as either the running start of a trip or the finishing touch to wrap up a holiday. While it can’t quite be considered a stroke of luck, my trip to Krk Island coincided with a day when the region was swept by a gale known as the Bura wind. It can be so powerful that the 1430-metre-long bridge that connects the mainland with the island must be closed. Then the only form of transportation allowed to cross is an emergency services vehicle that

weighs two tonnes. Nikola Špehar, the guide who accompanies me to Krk, explains that the locals have a saying – once the Bura has blown three times, winter will come to an end.

Krk Island has a rich history as the former seat of the Frankopan family – a powerful dynasty of Croatian nobles who built many of the forts, churches and monasteries that dot the region. An interesting testimony to the past is the Glagolitic script that took root on the island and is still found on the inscriptions of some buildings and road markings. Over a thousand years old, this writing offers a dose of the exotic, as its symbols are similar to some objects found in nature, such as a mushroom or an hourglass.

When Joseph Klabučaricki, a royal cartographer in the Vienna court, drew Krk Island, he highlighted his birth town with the biggest letters, creating the incorrect impression that the town was the largest on the island. Today’s map of the island would highlight its traditions, culinary delights, wonderful beaches and recreational areas. Every inlet is home to countless boats and yachts, while piles of limestone shaped into border fences remind one how difficult it must have been to free this land up for farming. Nowadays, the revived cultivation of olive trees ensures the production of the highest quality olive oil. Finally, Klimno Bay is famous for a particular type of healing mud that is used for curing gout.

Every town and village on the island is full of life.

The Franciscan monastery, which houses a notable library and – together with the church of Our Lady of the Assumption – makes up an ethnographic museum, is located in Punat. Baška is renowned for its marvellous beaches. Vrbnik will likely be fancied by wine connoisseurs, as this is where the region’s unique Žlahtina grapes are grown. This variety came to the island of Krk in the 1880s and to the Vrbnik

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field during the period between the two world wars. The wine’s name, Žlahtina, comes from the general Slavic adjective meaning noble. The grapes are harvested within approximately one week, once a special commission has established that they contain the most sugar. The Nada or “hope” family winery produces white and sparkling wines. The proximity of the sea allows for the keeping of champagne bottles in seawater, which gives the

drink its quality and its salt-caked bottles a unique appearance.

Inevitably, life flows more slowly and freely on the island. But that leisurely pace is exactly what allows for an unforgettable holiday. And that freedom provides an opportunity to meet the locals, who, after diving in the turquoise blue waters during the day, might linger over dinner and share their life stories with you in the evening. BO

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Peek&Poke This vintage computing technology museum contains more than 1000 exhibits on the theme of world and local computer history, ranging from very early calculators and game consoles to rare and obsolete computers of the 1990s. www.peekpoke.hr

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This facility is the first astronomical centre in Croatia to include both an observatory and a digital planetarium. It was opened in 2009 above the city, in a former fortress that dates back to the Second World War. Its programme takes place within the spherical dome, which can host up to 52 visitors. Films and shows dedicated to the immensity of the universe can also be seen.

The centre disposes of lecture halls and workshop areas, a coffee bar and a terrace with a panoramic view over Kvarner Bay. It is accessible by city bus. www.rijekasport.hr

Mount Učka Nature Park Located in one of the northernmost spots of the Mediterranean area, Mount Učka visually dominates the Istrian peninsula and the Kvarner Bay. The nature park covers an area of 160 km2. To experience one of the most stunning panoramas in this part of Europe, climb the highest peak, named Učka-Vojak (1401 m). Učka is the only place in the world where you can take a photograph of the Učka bellflower (Tommasini), and one of the last European sites where you can watch griffon vultures or golden eagles. Apart from enjoying good vibrations, here you can also taste sweet local dishes made of chestnuts, asparagus and other specialities of healthy, traditional cuisine.

The Mount Učka Nature Park has two educational trails (the Plas, which passes over the top ridge of Mount Učka, and the 2-km-kong Vela draga) and the Slap hiking path. www.pp-ucka.hr

Trsat Fortress Perched on a hill overlooking the harbour area and keeping watch over the hinterland is the Trsat Fortress, which has stood guard over the city since Illyrian times. Trsat is the site of Rijeka’s first settlement, inhabited since prehistoric times. It’s one of the best known symbols of the city and provides the most beautiful view of Kvarner Bay, which extends to Mount Učka, Cres and Krk islands. The fortress can be reached by bus or by foot – walking up 500 steps that carry the name of Petar Kružić, the royal captain who ordered their construction. For more than seven centuries, Trsat has been a place for pilgrims. The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Trsat is visited by thousands of people each year. www.trsat-svetiste.com For more information on Rijeka and the region, see the following websites: www.tz-rijeka.hr www.kvarner.hr/en/tourism www.krk.hr

OUTLOOK / TRAVEL

PUBLICITY PHOTOS

Viennese waltz Roger Norum rides in tandem with a fair maiden in one of Europe’s most romantically underrated capitals

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In 1907

, unmarried, aged 45 and still living with his mother in a small Viennese apartment, Gustav Klimt laid down the first brushstrokes of what was to become one of the finest canvases ever painted. Created during Klimt’s so-called Golden Period, the gold-leaf masterpiece The Kiss spotlights a couple wrapped in a gilded, mosaicked cape, surrendering themselves to each other in a harmonious embrace upon a bed of technicolor flowers.

Now if you know Vienna at all, then you’ll know that the city hasn’t been known for romance. Much like sugar-coated Salzburg, whose tourists come by the busload in search of The Sound of Music and the sounds of Mozart, Vienna can suffer from a stereotype of the saccharine. One is more likely to arrive here on the hunt for schnitzel or sachertorte, Schubert or Schoenberg – depending on whether you’re an epicure or a musicologist – than for a cosy or steamy getaway with one’s better half.

And yet, as a quintessential olde-worlde European capital boasting cobbled Plätze, grandiose theatre houses and a charmer of a fin-de-siècle Riesenrad (Ferris wheel), Vienna has plenty of attractions for luring in curious visiting couples. It did just this to one-night-standers Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy in the mid-90s indie film Before Sunrise. It did the same to Klimt, whose 150th birthday was feted all across the city last year. The Austrian capital inspired him to paint his glittery visions of unfettered love and affection. Still, I wondered whether Vienna could possibly trump the Parises and the Florences of the world enough to captivate a pair of star-crossed, long-distance lovers. I decided to visit the city with my partner-in-crime, Kelly, to find out.

After the short trip from the airport, Kelly and I checked into our hotel, dropped our bags and headed out to explore the sites. Given that we were in the market for romance, a bicycle built for two seemed like the obvious mode of transport. While you can always hoof it or take the tram, there is no better way to experience Vienna à deux than riding a tandem bicycle through its rich confection of Gothic, Baroque and Rococo limestone buildings. Vienna is the perfect European city for cyclists. Forget overpopulated Copenhagen or Amsterdam, where everyone and their uncle rides a bike – smack alongside automobile traffic. In Vienna, separate bike lanes feel tailor-made for a leisurely pedal

around the hundreds of miles of paths that run throughout the city. This June, in fact, Vienna will hold the world’s largest cycling conference, Velo-city.

Kelly and I rode off on our hired bike towards the central Ringstraße. We coasted past the mammoth Kunsthistorisches Museum, whose Kunstkammer (Chamber of Art and Wonders) reopened this March after a lengthy renovation, then past scores of other structures rebuilt following their destruction during the

Second World War. Many of Vienna’s oldest surviving buildings are still adorned with preserved Roman ruins and statues, because the Danube demarcated the northern border of the Roman Empire, and the Habsburgs who ruled Austria loved flaunting their fondness for classical civilisation. For example, off the inner courtyard of the sculpture-bedecked Imperial Palace – now the office of the Austrian President – a set of colourful Renaissance doors leads to the chapel home of the world-famous Vienna Boys’ Choir. Here, in one guise or another, the boys have sung at Mass nearly every Sunday since 1498.

We continued on past the municipal theatre and the parliament, erected in the 1870s in spot-on Historicist style. Just opposite,

OUTLOOK / TRAVEL

Vienna is the only capital city in the world with any significant wine production inside its borders under the carved wooden columns and Neoclassical friezes of the stylish Café Landtmann, Kelly ordered a cup of ein kleiner Brauner (a short black coffee with milk) as I sipped on a pint of local Ottakringer. This is where Sigmund Freud, who lived around the corner, would ritually enjoy his coffee every day, following his psychoanalysis sessions.

Turn-of-the-century Vienna carried some serious cultural heft, with creative progeny that included composer Gustav Mahler and Egon Schiele, an expressionist artist well-known for painting orange-hued women in nothing but orange boots.

This was the epoch of the Viennese coffeehouse, where people smoked cigars, read their post (many had it sent straight to the café) and carried out business – or conducted the odd romantic escapade.

A few blocks away from Landtmann stands the Café Central, where Leon Trotsky played chess and plotted revolution under its

chandeliers and vaulted ceilings. Klimt hung out there too, probably hoping to meet someone special. Everyone who was anyone in Vienna back then had their café.

Kelly and I retired that night to what may be possibly the greatest bastion of Viennese romance: The Imperial. An over-the-top destination in itself, the property was built in 1863 as a palace for Prince Philipp of Württemberg and is now the luxury hotel of choice for everyone from Angelina Jolie to Queen Elizabeth II. It’s a place with trained butlers who hand-iron your newspaper and serve decadent champagne-and-caviar breakfasts with golden cutlery in your room.

We stayed in the regal Elisabeth Suite, which had soaring periwinkle ceilings, oil paintings of pre-modern royals, wall mouldings that resembled the frills on wedding cakes and a marble his-and-hers bathroom. Everything else felt properly regal. Bulgari bath products. Neoclassical

OUTLOOK / TRAVEL

Hotel Jūrmala Spa perfect SPA holidays for the family in Jūrmala!

We want all of our guests to feel happy at the Hotel Jūrmala Spa!

Happy living!

columns. Schönbrunn yellow 19th-century armchairs. I am not a fan of ‘classical’ hotels (by the same turn, I can’t stand period films or historical re-enactments) but if this was saccharine, then I wanted second helpings.

The next morning, a helmeted Segway tour group was hovering just outside the hotel. The tourists were gathered below the balcony where Queen Elizabeth confessed in 1969 to hotel staff that she had fallen in love with the place during her stay. “I imagine that none of you are staying here”, the tour guide announced to the group, as I stole a glance at Kelly.

“It’s very proper”.

Our days in Vienna continued much like this: champagne and caviar for breakfast at the hotel in the morning, taking out the bike for a ride around the ring road and searching for new nooks and crannies to explore. Modern Vienna has plenty going on for culture aficionados. The curtain has now gone up at the brand new Vienna Boys’ Choir concert hall in Augarten Park, for example. And later this month, the newly refurbished Liechtenstein City Palace will open its doors, featuring Biedermeier and classical art. These venues are welcome additions to Vienna’s

Getting around Hire a one-man or tandem bicycle from Pedal Power (www.pedalpower.at; +43 1729 7234) from €27 per day or €5 per hour. The company can deliver the cycles directly to you and then pick them up from your hotel. It also offers Segway tours of the city.

burgeoning cultural scene, which centres around its 160 museums, four opera houses and some 15,000 concerts every year.

One evening, Kelly and I cycled past a Monteverdi ballet that was being projected onto a Gothic building façade at a cinema festival. Later, we headed along the Prater, Vienna’s grand public park, towards a handful of Heuriger wine taverns (Vienna is the only capital city in the world with any significant wine production inside its borders). We made our way all the way to the top of the city’s famed Ferris wheel, where we looked out over a twinkling Vienna, holding hands.

I kissed Kelly lightly on the cheek.

When we returned to the hotel later that night, it was drizzling rain. I shrouded Kelly in my blue parka – it wasn’t exactly a gilded, mosaicked Klimt cape, but it would do. We parked our bike with one of the bellhops under the hotel’s white-stucco, Belle Époque entrance. “It’s amazing the Queen ever made it back to England”, Kelly whispered to me. And with that, we waltzed our way back into the bosom of the Imperial, with its wedding-cake mouldings, periwinkle ceilings and snacks of champagne and caviar. BO

Staying there The 76 rooms and 72 suites at the Hotel Imperial (www.imperialvienna.com; +43 1501 100) are tastefully furnished with precious antiques and walls cocooned in jewel-toned silk. Rates start from 369 EUR per double room per night, including taxes and charges.

For more information about Vienna, visit www.vienna.info

White Garden — это первая в Риге узкоспециализированная мастерстудия класса “люкс” , предлагающая комплексный уход за руками и ногами по авторской методике Christina Fitzgerald , эпиляцию с австралийскими восками Lycon. Поклонники аппаратного педикюра смогут по достоинству оценить немецкую косметику Baehr. В салоне также есть возможность сделать различные процедуры по уходу за лицом и телом, фотоэпиляцию и вакуумный массаж тела от Starvak. Являясь эксклюзивным представителем косметики и лаков Christina Fitzgerald в странах Балтии, White Garden предлагает широчайшую палитру лаков, число цветов в которой — 67.

White Garden — место, где каждый клиент найдет для себя что-то особенное! Здесь знают секреты красоты!

White Garden is the first luxurious Master Studio with a dainty finesse in the city of Riga, offering the most sophisticated Christina Fitzgerald hands and feet care treatments and Australian Lycon epilation as well as Baehr German cosmetics for the delight of those who love to indulge in the pleasures of machine pedicure. We also offer assorted manner of face and body care treatments, photo epilation and Starvak vacuum massage. White Garden, in the Baltics, is the sole representative of Christina Fitzgerald cosmetics with its enormous range of nail polishes that number up to 67 colours!

There is something special for you out there, discover that secret at White Garden!

Master’s Studio White Garden, 5 Ausekla street , Riga Ph.: +37167078777, +37127553777 www.whitegarden.lv

OUTLOOK / TRAVEL Fly to Lappeenranta with airBaltic from

â&#x201A;Ź41

ONE WAY

Price available for bookings at least five months in advance

TEXT BY Howard Jarvis | PHOTOS www.gosaimaa.com, mikko nikkinen

Lake Saimaa paradise With its gentle harbour, lakeside spas and pristine countryside, the Finnish city of Lappeenranta makes a charming getaway at any time of year. The summer is a great time to experience cruises on Lake Saimaa, famous for its freshwater seals, the biggest sand castle in Scandinavia and some of the most scenic golf courses in Europe 74 / AIRBALTIC.COM

OUTLOOK / TRAVEL

Strolling at sunset along the quay, with the yachts barely moving on the placid water and the inviting lights twinkling in the windows of pastel-coloured spa houses, visitors can easily forget that Lappeenranta, one of Finland’s most picturesque lakeside hamlets, is also one of the country’s most active. The town’s location beside Lake Saimaa, the fourth biggest lake in Europe, ensures that many of the adventures and activities available in the pristine forests of South Karelia take on a watery dimension.

It’s easy to obtain a weeklong fishing license and go salmon-angling, or take a boat out with experienced locals and catch rainbow trout, pike-perch and even arctic char.

A network of carefully mapped routes for canoeing and kayaking, from five to 115 km long, incorporates some of Finland’s most tranquil and isolated spots, filled with the sounds of nature and far from the intrusions of man. The routes stay close to the shore, as a turn in the weather can make this huge lake as rough as the open sea, despite its countless islands and bays.

Fortunately that’s uncommon, and the summer skies over Saimaa are often as blue and restful as the water.

Freshwater seals If you’re very lucky, you might catch sight of one of Europe’s most timid and leastglimpsed creatures, the graceful Saimaa ringed seal. This unique freshwater animal is listed as critically endangered, and there are only about 250 left in the wild. The seals’ lifespan is around 20 years, but because of their tiny numbers, less than 30 seal pups make it to adulthood each year. To capture one on camera is a rare and remarkable experience.

Take a cruise on summery Lake Saimaa and you’ll get to experience the lake’s beautiful scenery in an entirely new way.

Several cruises are available daily, and you can hop on board at the harbours of Lappeenranta, Imatra, Imatra Spa and Vuoksi Fishing Park. The cruises last from a couple of hours to several days, going as far as the capital city of Helsinki on the Gulf of Finland.

With the Russian border only 20 km away, one can also sail between Lappeenranta and the neighbouring town of Vyborg (Russia) through the historic Saimaa Canal, built in the 1840s. The ship takes passengers 75 metres downstream over a course of eight locks. Afterward,

BALTIC OUTLOOK / APRIL 2013 / 75

OUTLOOK / TRAVEL

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passengers can choose to stay in Vyborg for a night or two, or continue across the Gulf of Finland.

In the past, Vyborg was a bustling trading town. Elegantly laid out on a circular waterfront, the town’s sights include a Swedish-built medieval castle and the Lenin House, where the Russian insurrectionist stayed in 1917 while planning the October Revolution.

Nowadays, package boat tours from Finland to Vyborg can be arranged visa-free and one can also sail on to St Petersburg.

Cruises from Lappeenranta can be booked as a package together with hotel accommodations. Hotel stays are well provided for, with the Scandic Patria

close to the harbour offering classy, wellappointed rooms and the Sokos Hotel Lappee standing close to the town’s shops and galleries.

White-night golf Golf is another summertime recreation that can be booked as a package at competitive prices. The star attraction is the midsummer opportunity to tee off at midnight and play through the cool white night. The atmosphere on the scenic, 18-hole Etelä-Saimaa golf course, 15 minutes from Lappeenranta, is magical at all times due to its sprawling views of Lake Saimaa from every tee. Study your Strokesaver map of each hole carefully before you swing and you’ll avoid any lost-ball embarrassments.

Officially, the course and its new clubhouse open at 5 AM in summer, but all-night games can also be booked in advance.

Golfers can further test their poise at another location closer to town, the nine-hole Kahilanniemi course. Also situated on the panoramic Saimaa shores, the course lets players hit multiple balls at holes on floating islands in the lake. There is another 18-hole golf course in the town of Imatra 35 km away and Holiday Club will open a new one this summer at about the same distance. Indeed, golf is all over the place here.

Back in charming Lappeenranta, an array of good restaurants and lively bars, independent art galleries and revealing

OUTLOOK / TRAVEL and holds handicraft classes to keep local traditions alive.

Pampering and fun at spas

museums keep visitors occupied. The Lappeenranta Fortress is a great oval peninsula stretching into the lake. Most of its tsarist-era fortifications have been lost to time, but below the fortress, by the water’s edge, is an area reserved in summer for the biggest sand castle and the most elaborate sand sculptures in Scandinavia. Three million kilos of sand are shipped to the area each year, and the resulting giant sandpit is an exciting adventure playground for kids. Between June and August, a “street train” chugs passengers to and from the sandscape.

At the centre of town is Wolkoff’s House, a 19th-century residence-turned-museum that evokes the way that family life was lived in the distant past. Originally built as

a merchant’s residence in 1826, Wolkoff’s House has miraculously kept much of its antiquated furniture. In the children’s room, hand-painted century-old dolls peek out from miniature beds. Almost imperceptibly, icons of Russian Orthodox saints look down on each of the rooms from the darkest and most undisturbed corners, a sign of this region’s close historical ties with tsarist Russia.

Wolkoff’s House is part of a series of carefully reconstructed 200-year-old wooden buildings. In one of them next door there is a Wolkoff Café-Restaurant.

Another is home to a unique art gallery.

Tasihin House sells everything imaginable made of felt – most distinctively, a “felted rabbit cooler” that keeps wine bottles cool after being dipped in ice-cold water –

Refreshing water is combined with wellness treatments and fun at the spas of Lappeenranta and Imatra. Their tropical warmth allows you to enjoy massages, face and body treatments, health procedures and more. In the Saimaa area, spas are for people of all ages. You can round off a day of cross-country skiing or trekking by relaxing in the warm water of a spa centre.

The glorious Cirque de Saimaa spa delights visitors with its carnival and circus theme. Or dive into the colourful world of fountains, sounds and lights at the new Holiday Club Saimaa. In Imatra, mist, lights and music create a magical ambience at the Imatran Kylpylä Spa. There, you can try the Yorokobi hot pool and massaging showers, and feel the force of water in a waterfall at the “magic forest”.

The legendary Rantasipi Imatran Valtionhotelli combines a spa with a romantic castle milieu, while the Day Spa offers relaxing pools and jacuzzis. The Lappeenranta Spa is proud to call itself the oldest spa in the Saimaa region. On this site close to the harbour, the refreshing powers of water have been promoted since the 1820s. BO More information on accommodation alternatives, weekly activities and various attraction in the Lappeenranta and Imatra region is available at www.gosaimaa.com.

OUTLOOK / PROMO

Publicity photos

Jūrmala –

a prime destination for families with children

Jūrmala is an acclaimed resort town, where the fresh, ionized air of the sea and coastal pine forests has a beneficial effect on children’s health and strengthens their immune system. The shallow waters along the white sandy coastline – which is staffed by qualified lifeguards during the summer months – ensure that parents can feel safe when their children play by the sea.

Jūrmala’s beachfront is equipped with numerous playgrounds and attractions for kids, both on land and in the water How to get there From the airport Riga by taxi (apr. 15 min.)

From Riga Central Station: by train or minibus.

If you want to explore the centre of Jūrmala, ask for a ticket to Majori Station

Jaunķemeri www.tourism.jurmala.lv

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OUTLOOK / PROMO

Jūrmala’s specialised health resorts and

rehabilitation centres offer a wide array of spa and recuperation programmes for children. These include massages, salt rooms, therapeutic procedures, special children’s meals, riding therapy, as well as Bobath handling therapy, which is used to promote motor learning. As one of the central elements of Bobath therapy, handling permits children to progressively improve their movement and coordination skills in a natural manner. Handling also includes practical advice

are all wonderful ways to promote a child’s creativity.

Meanwhile, the possibilities for physical activity in Jūrmala are practically endless. These include bicycling along the beach and bike paths, tennis, swimming in pools filled with either mineral, sea or regular chlorinated water, as well as skating, cross-country skiing and hockey in the wintertime.

Those who enjoy swimming will love the Līvu Akvaparks, one of the largest water parks in Northern Europe. Open year-round, it offers more than

Baltic Beach Hotel

to parents on how to properly lift, hold, carry, put down 20 different attractions for the entire family. An and dress their children. When properly implemented, additional zone with water slides and other fun features handling reduces the risk of asymmetric operates during the summer. body development or undesirable Another year-round draw is the Dzintari Young nature changes in muscle tone. This method is Forest Park (Dzintaru mežaparks), a true observers will paradise for children and their parents. most crucial during the first three months of a child’s life.

Covering nearly 14 hectares, it features be able to see Infants should also undergo physical climbing walls, a skatepark, outdoor various birds, exercises so that they get to know their basketball courts, an observation tower, protected bodies, acquire a balanced muscle tone, a roller skating path and much more. plant species avoid asymmetric development and learn Young nature observers will be able and unspoiled to see various birds, protected plant new movement skills. Studies show that nature vistas babies who undergo exercises during species and unspoiled nature vistas at the at the Ķemeri their first year of life feel more secure, Ķemeri National Park (Ķemeru Nacionālais National Park have a better sense of orientation and parks). As an added attraction, the newly enjoy the feeling of movement. Exercise reconstructed Great Ķemeri Moor Nature also works as a therapeutic treatment Trail (Lielo Ķemeru tīreļu dabas taka) will be for children with muscular imbalance or neurological reopened to the public in June. problems, as well as for infants who have suffered from Earlier this year, the Russian tourist site www.travel. hypoxia during pregnancy or childbirth, or if they have ru voted Jūrmala as the best leisure spot for families been incorrectly lifted, carried or dressed. with children, out of 78 selected tourist destinations.

Sandplay therapy, creative game workshops at the Bring your kids along for an unforgettable holiday Jūrmala City Museum (Jūrmalas pilsētas muzejs) and in one of the most child-friendly destinations in painting sessions at the Inner Light painting theatre Northern Europe! BO

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OUTLOOK / PROMO

Publicity photo

Here are some recommendations for working at a table of adjustable height:

Born to move The continued

www.kate.lv Nīcgales iela 18a Riga, Latvia

Jānis Mežulis, SIA KATE architect – product manager

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development of technology has led to major changes in our work and rest habits. Many office workers now sit at their desks for lengthy periods of eight to 10 hours per day, which can eventually lead to problems with posture and health.

The fact that many of us work as “sitters” rather than “standers” has led some employers to seek out the best possible office conditions so that their employees stay healthy and productive. For years, the world’s leading furniture manufacturers have sought to create ergonomic work stations. At first they designed tables of a standard height, but since people’s heights vary, these tables weren’t suitable for everyone.

Then came advice on how to sit properly at one’s work station, including the correct angle of one’s body, arms and legs against the work desk and chair. However, no matter how correctly one sits – and particularly if one does so for eight or more hours a day – nothing beats regular physical activity for maintaining one’s health.

Actually, there is no such thing as a “correct body posture”. The right thing to do is move around from time to time and regularly change one’s sitting or standing position. Static sitting can lead to back pain and cut the blood circulation to the legs and feet. The result is a feeling of discomfort that makes us want to change our sitting position. While that temporarily improves the blood circulation, the best thing to do is stand up

• Spend 75% of your work time seated and about 25% standing; • Change your work posture 2 to 4 times per hour; • Standing up frequently for short periods is healthier than standing up rarely for long periods; • Don’t work standing for more than 20 minutes per hour.

and walk around from time to time, which invigorates the muscles.

One of the best solutions is a height-adjustable sit-stand table, which can be raised or lowered to any height between 65 and 130 cm as often as needed.

The table’s adjustable legs serve to raise or lower the table surface, thus permitting the user to sit or stand in various positions throughout the working day. The resulting freedom of movement is one of the main features of quality ergonomic furniture.

The table legs can be regulated either mechanically or with the assistance of an electric motor, which is the optimal solution. Changing the table height electrically is quite simple: all you have to do is choose the button with the up or down symbol on the control panel, and the desk will either rise or descend within an accuracy range of one cm. The costs of this solution compared with earlier baseline models have gone down considerably, making the desk accessible to a wide range of consumers.

The height-adjustable tables at SIA KATE have been ergonomically designed for maximum comfort. The main advantage of height-adjustable tables lies in the fact that their users can alternate between sitting and standing work positions, and thus be in movement during the working day. Employees don’t have to cater to the demands of a standardized piece of furniture.

Rather, it is the table that adjusts to the comfort and needs of the user. BO

OUTLOOK / GADGETS

Back to basics These decidedly less-than-digital gizmos are sure to appeal to the analogue at heart Organic computing Oree Board wooden keyboard This gorgeous, full-size keyboard is guaranteed to make you the envy of the folks in the cubicle next door, and is an obvious gift for your favourite eco-geek. Each model is strikingly hand-carved from either maple or walnut woods, and typing on the spring-action keys is light and effortless. Bluetoothcompatible with both Mac and PC, as well as tablets and smartphones.

125 EUR | www.oreedesign.com

TEXT BY ROGER NORUM | PUBLICITY PHOTOS

Drink in elegance Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Atelier du Vin, Oeno Box Solid Wood corkscrew Available from high-end of wine shops (or straight from the online web site), this French-crafted solid walnut and chrome corkscrew makes uncorking bottles fast, easy and glamorous, with a zero chance of breaking the corks. The streamlined device is adapted to fit the neck of all types of wine bottles.

Comes with a spare spiral and integrated foil cutter.

See also the simpler Chef Sommelier and Black Black stainless steel corkscrews.

74 EUR | www.atelierduvin.com

OUTLOOK / GADGETS Fine from afar Swarovski EL 8x32 Swarovision binoculars Though not cheap, these are undoubtedly the finest, clearest specs on the market. Weighing just 20 ounces, the rubberised green body fits snugly in your hand. The image is just as bright as (and has a wider field of view than) Swarovski’s much heavier 42-mm counterparts, thanks to newly-developed ED glass. The 20mm of eye relief mean that you still get the big picture, no matter how large your eyeglasses are.

Also come in a compact Traveller version.

1669 EUR | www.swarovski.com

The clock that literally tells you the time Karlsson talking time flip clock This large, funky Dutch-designed retro-styled clock is guaranteed to be the talk of the town. The time is spelled out on a minimalist face in simple, proper English (other versions do the same in Dutch, German, French and Italian). What’s more, the display only changes every five minutes, giving you a bit more time to enjoy those quiet moments. Technically powered by 4 D-sized batteries (or mains), but still looks as unelectric as anything.

Perfect for the mantle, hutch or bookshelf.

289 EUR | www.presenttime.com

Get in to and out of tight spaces Craftsman lighted pliers Gone are the days of having to squeeze both wrench and flashlight into that rathole to fix your plumbing. This set of two ingenious tools includes both long-nose and diagonal pliers, with embedded lamps that emit very bright lights, making sure that you can get the job done. Both feature sealed LED modules to protect the electronics from moisture.

28 EUR | www.craftsman.com

CARS

In association with car buyers guide Whatcar.lv

Driven: the new Toyota Rav4

The Toyota RAV4 has felt distinctly dated in recent years, but this all-new version promises more space, more equipment and more performance As with the previous model, a 2.2-litre diesel is available with manual and automatic transmissions, along with a 2.0-litre petrol that gets a CVT ‘box’ as standard. Both versions are 4x4, although some markets will get a cheaper 2.0-litre diesel with front wheel drive.

What’s it like to drive?

Our test car was a 2.2-litre diesel. It had good mechanical refinement, plenty of mid-range torque and an elastic-feeling gearbox that was well-calibrated to take advantage of the vehicle’s easy pulling power.

This is an easy car to drive. Performance felt bang-on the class average, as the 10 seconds to 100 km/h claim would suggest. Economy was likewise, with a return of just over 8 litres/100km in mixed use.

Whichever model you choose, you’ll notice wind

noise from around the door mirrors when you’re on the motorway. However, this is not that much of an issue, because it’s never loud enough to interfere with in-car conversations.

Our test drive was in Spain, where the roads are generally much smoother than those in Latvia. Even so, the RAV4 did shimmy around a bit.

We noticed that the stability control tends to step in before you feel the benefits of the four-wheel drive’s cornering control system. This feature gradually increases the amount of torque going to the rear wheels in an effort to keep the car balanced through bends.

What’s it like inside?

The latest RAV4 is one of the biggest cars in its class, so there’s plenty of space inside. Four adults will be

CARS

perfectly comfortable, and and forward visibility although the narrow central is excellent, thanks to rear seat means life isn’t as spindly windscreen good for a fifth, those in the pillars. Unfortunately, the back get even more legroom rearmost side windows than they do in the Honda are small and the rear CR-V and Mazda CX-5. pillars thick, which restricts Boot space is also impressive, over-the-shoulder vision. and the rear seats Should I buy fold down almost one? flat. Meanwhile, The new a conventional RAV4 is the The new RAV4 is a practical five-seat tailgate makes it fourth SUV. In reality, the much easier to load model in RAV4 may be no the boot in tight the car’s better off-road than spaces than it was 19-year many of its rivals, with the old model’s history but feels like it side-hinged door. ought to be. And if The touch-screen you like a capable, infotainment system reassuring feel to your 4x4, leaves a little to be desired, then you may well respond because the display is hard to to that. The new RAV4 read in bright conditions. has quality, practicality, In addition, you have to mechanical refinement and look at the main screen to decent value for money on see directions given by the its side – but it’s definitely optional sat-nav system; a more traditional kind there’s no secondary display of SUV in which a bit of among the instrument dials. rough still comes with The other readouts and the smooth. BO controls are simple enough,

OUTLOOK / DINING / PROMO

PHOTOS BY REINIS HOFMANIS AND COURTESY OF F64

Jauniela, one of Riga’s

oldest streets, has never lacked in beauty. It has even “acted” in a number of films, doubling as London’s Baker Street, the home of Sherlock Holmes; as the Rue Dante in Germanoccupied Paris or as the fateful Blumenstraße in Bern in a serial about Stierlitz, the fictional Soviet spy.

From whatever angle you catch it, the cobblestoned Jauniela nearly never misses making a postcard out of a photo. If you retrace your steps a little along the intersecting Krāmu iela, then behind a building with a flowery blue façade (which looks like a real treat), you’ll see the tower of the legendary Dome Cathedral.

This beautiful building now houses 1221, one of the city’s best restaurants. A wooden edifice once stood on this same site some 800 years ago, serving

ideas for his new recipes have to come naturally, based primarily on inspiration.

1221 largely keeps following its set course in terms of style and offer, knowing that practically every item on the menu is much loved by the large number of returning customers – especially tourists, who, upon revisiting Riga, wish to have the same unforgettable meals at 1221. The restaurant offers continental cuisine for the most part, although the head chef tells us of his plans to gradually introduce more elements from Italian cuisine.

At 1221, Smilga truly follows the demands of the public, carefully selecting the most exquisite products from all over Europe to create his legendary dishes, such as the 1221 steak fried in truffle oil, the beaver ragout with pineapples or the quirky “snacks for vodka”, which

Venison back steak

1221’s slice of history Jauniela 16, Riga Hours: Mon.–Sun. 12:00–23:00 (+371) 67 22 01 71 1221@apollo.lv www.1221.lv

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as the home of the founder of Riga, Bishop Albert.

No matter how rich the presence of history in the three floors of the restaurant, which is visited every so often by guideled tourist groups, 1221 puts its focus on the art of fine food.

Roberts Smilga, the head chef and co-owner of 1221, is an artist at heart. He sees his cooking as being no less creative than any other field of art, and says that he can’t come up with new dishes on commission. In other words, the

contain pork scratchings, jellied tomatoes and more.

One section in the menu is dedicated solely to Latvian cuisine, featuring such classics as sauerkraut soup with pork ribs glazed in honey, or the combination – which is simple to the point of perfection – of salted herring with cottage cheese and boiled potatoes.

The dessert of layered rye bread with whipped cream and cranberry jam will have you willing to come back to Riga very soon indeed. BO

The area around Lake Ķīšezers in Riga has always been a desirable location, and why not?

www.apogi.lv

SIA KALNA APOGI Ausekļa iela 22-2, Riga, Latvia (+371) 29208136 apogi2@inbox.lv (+371) 29230999 osnd@inbox.lv

OUTLOOK / DINING / PROMO

Alberta 1221:

Alberta 1221 Antonijas iela 13, Riga (+371) 67336500 www.alberta1221.lv

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Publicity photos

Proven values meet bold ideas in the heart of Art Nouveau Riga

Alberta 1221, which is a sister restaurant to the wellthe fact that Smilga is very much into French classic known 1221 in Riga’s Old Town and which has been cooking, revolves mainly around Italian cuisine. Every open for three months, should not make you think month, several items get exchanged for new creative ‘twin sisters’. A more appropriate term would be masterpieces by Smilga, who admits to being especially ‘second cousins’, with familiar traits but refreshing intolerant of boredom. differences among the two establishments. Alberta 1221 The head chef listens closely to his customers’ is appropriately situated near Alberta iela, feedback and combines this information The head which fully reflects the ambience of Riga’s with his own likings for more enticing and chef admits extraordinary flavours. He has created such ‘quiet centre’, and is romantically hidden away from your typical tourist tracks. The delectable dishes as stewed veal tails, fried to being interior is faithful to the Art Nouveau style, lamb with tuna-nut cream and ground especially one of Riga’s greatest claims to fame, and coffee beans, lamb confit with seaweed, and intolerant which is widespread in the architecture of even pigeon, which is making its way to the of boredom. this elegant part of the city. The restaurant’s upcoming spring menu.

Every month, All of the meat and fish on the menu at interior also benefits from modern and chic he offers elements in its design. These agree with Alberta 1221 comes from abroad, mostly new creative France. As Smilga admits, the quality of the general conception of Alberta 1221 – to be flexible and up-beat, while not masterpieces these products is so high and has had such compromising on quality and proven values. long-standing tradition that he does not The restaurant’s relation to the 1221 on Jauniela mind the extra cost and effort to get a hold of them. assures customers that equally high quality standards Smilga does use locally-grown cod, however, which has are maintained and that the meals at Alberta 1221 are quickly become a local favourite. The dessert menu has no less exquisite than in the Old Town. Surprisingly, benefited from a new type of technology that Smilga head chef Roberts Smilga admits that one of his goals uses to prepare chilled sweet treats. One can now taste upon opening Alberta 1221 was to have customers a tangy and refreshing cucumber sorbet or chicory ice not realize that the same chef operates at both cream with crushed sugarplums, and we can certainly locations. This restaurant’s menu is bolder and, despite look forward to the fresh fruit and berry season! BO

Steak and fish restaurant BLUE COW Meistaru iela 21, Līvu laukums, Riga (+371) 67223307

Welcome!

NIGHT CLUB KARAOKE BAR on the GROUND FLOOR

www.zila-govs.lv

HIGH-QUALITY SOUND FRIENDLY PERSONNEL COZY ATMOSPHERE FREE ENTRANCE FACE CONTR OL OPEN EVERY NIGHT

21:00 - 06:00 Reservations:

+371 29 299 444

www.clubfriends.lv facebook.com/clubfriendsriga

Latvian fish restaurant FISHERMAN’S SON Kaļķu iela 2, Riga (entrance from Kungu iela) (+371) 67227505

www.zvejniekadels.lv

FOOD&DRINK

Text by AgRA LIege AND KATE KRUMINA | Publicity photos

Restaurants, bars and cafés

Queens is a British pub and restaurant with a gorgeous Victorian atmosphere and delicious food. More than 18 draught beers to choose from, including local and imported brands, a wide range of steaks, burgers and other meat dishes.

Kaļķu iela 2, Riga (+371) 67800001 Antonijas iela 9, Riga (+371) 67331130

www.queens.lv

A first-rate Latvian restaurant with fine European cuisine. Banquet hall with a perfect view of Līvu Square on the 2nd floor. After your meal, enjoy a hookah in a relaxing atmosphere in one of the basement rooms.

Meistaru iela 23, (Līvu laukums), Riga (+371) 67225686

www.4rooms.lv

Bistro Priedaine, Riga The Russian word ‘bistro’ might not have the most pleasant ring for many ears, being associated with a place that sells fast and cheap food; something akin to the word ‘diner’ in English. This is exactly why Heinrihs Erhards, a Michelin-trained head chef, has taken it on himself to change established perceptions of this almost dirty word.

He proudly uses the word ‘bistro’ instead of ‘restaurant’ for his newly opened Bistro Priedaine on Strēlnieku iela 1A in the ‘quiet centre’ of Riga, and strides away from what he sees as outdated features of public dining.

Erhards avoids the pretence and stiffness of what could be called the ‘fine dining mentality’, having created a dynamic and tastefully balanced conception as an alternative. The design consists

Fly to Riga with airBaltic from

€39

ONE WAY

of both over-the-top traditional elements – such as painted porcelain crockery, crystal glasses and rough drying cloths as napkins – and simplicity in form through spaciousness and plain white wooden furniture.

Kitsch traditionalism and elegant chasteness put this establishment in a category that approximates neither a stiff, high-class restaurant aiming to educate its guests in the ways of fine dining, nor an old-school darkish diner that serves bland, fatty food. The Bistro Priedaine attempts to provoke the feeling you get when you visit your parents’ home, where you can enjoy homemade food that is simple and familiar, yet of the highest quality.

The menu is not for weak stomachs, nor for those who prefer light, meatless dishes – the offer is hearty, flavourful and satisfying. Beetroot pie with goat cheese (3.30 LVL) and chicken soup with barley (2.80 LVL) for starters, or cod chops with couscous (4.10 LVL) and pork sausages with mashed potatoes and mushrooms (3.80 LVL) for mains – these are some of the dishes that, while embracing modern vibes, stay true to traditional Latvian cuisine.

The all-day breakfast includes milky rice porridge with stewed fruit (2.90 LVL) and salted salmon with capers (3.80 LVL). In addition, the bistro’s savoury specialty pies are available for take-away. Head chef Erhards has kept the menu short; it is written out on a single, stylish cardboard sheet offering a few items in each category – something that Erhards is trying to get his customers accustomed to. He says that the bistro’s patrons are not to be taught about fine dining; rather, they are to enjoy fresh, simple and hearty food, just like at home.

Mon.–Fri. 08:00–22:00, Sat. 12:00–22:00, Sun. closed Strēlnieku iela 1a Tel. (+371) 67 282 122

Welcome to the LIDO Centre!

Restaurant   

Delicious meals Cold delicatessen buffet Live music

Reservation: + 371 67700000

Bistro · Pub 

 

500 different types of Latvian and international dishes Lido brewery Live music

Open daily 11:00–24:00

Krasta street 76, Riga, Latvia (5 min from city centre) Phone +371 67504420 · www.lido.lv

FOOD&DRINK

Restaurant Piramīda, Riga A while ago, hotel restaurants were more like spacious dining rooms and certainly the last place a refined gourmand would pick for a tasty meal. Luckily, Piramīda has never seen such misconduct. It’s been treated as one of Radisson Blu Rīdzene’s most valued assets right from the start in 1999, when a glass pyramid (hence the name) was erected next to the hotel.

Carefully curated into a gourmet destination, Piramīda had a facelift last fall, thanks in large part to Scott Kennedy, the new head chef.

A new broom sweeps cleanly, and the arrival of Scottish-born Scott at the helm of Piramīda’s kitchen has correspondingly resulted in a clean sweep of the restaurant’s menu. No need to worry, though, as Piramīda remains a pillar of classic fine dining in Riga. Instead of such molecular gastronomy scientists as Heston Blumenthal, Scott feels more inspired by French classic chefs.

“My passions in the kitchen include a long marinating time, slow roasting and classic recipes,” he says proudly. That coincides well with the values at Piramīda, which has always been a place where a Ceasar salad or any other international culinary reference point is as

authentic as it gets. Due to the head chef’s origin, the UK is quite tangible in the menu, and once in a while there is a flirt with the local cuisine.

Once the summer terrace gets erected, the menu brings surprising and refreshing seasonal additions.

The establishment’s classically reserved interior can seat 80–90 guests, the busiest time being during business lunch hours between 12 and 3 PM. Small wonder that Piramīda has gained a solid reputation among the surrounding embassy staff, business and political elite. With delicacies like beef carpaccio and lamb rack for 7 LVL, the filling lunches are indeed a bargain (three courses go for 9 LVL).

Scott is not big-mouthed and prefers to let his cooking do the talking. So here’s a draft menu for a perfect dinner. For starters, try a pan-seared fois gras with crisp Parma ham resting on an intense black pudding sauce (13.50 LVL), followed

by Piramīda’s signature dish – Beef Wellington with Argentinean Black Angus beef (21.50 LVL). This is perfectly complimented with mushroom duxelles and an herb crepe, which is then wrapped in a French pastry and accompanied with buttered asparagus, as well as a demi-glazed sauce that takes a solid 26 hours to prepare.

Dessert is always a hard question.

Well, not the decision of whether or not to have it, but rather whether to treat yourself with the caramelised tart, a true hymn to lemons (6.90 LVL), or the impeccable warm apple crumble (5.75 LVL), together with a sauce anglaise, of course.

Mon.–Fri. 06:30–23:00, Sat. 07:00–23:00, Sun. 07:00–11:00.

Closed daily between 15:00–18:00 Radisson Blu Rīdzene Hotel Reimersa iela 1 (+371) 67 093 333 www.restaurantpiramida.lv

LIVE MUSIC ON WEEKENDS

airBaltic

Moscow Sheremetyevo Moscow Domodedovo Amsterdam

Prague

Budapest Venice*

RIJEKA Nice*

from June 6

HEVIZBALATON from May 4

Chisinau* Odessa* Simferopol*

Tashkent*

Bari*

OLBIA

Baku*

from May 4

Athens*

LARNACA

MALTA

from April 6

from May 11

* Seasonal flights. ** Operated in cooperation with tour operator Tez Tour.

Hurghada**

Sharm el-Sheikh**

Welcome aboard airBaltic!

102 airBaltic news / 104 Behind the scenes / 106 Training / 107 BalticMiles 110 Booking classes / 111 Meals / 112 Fleet / 113 Flight map / 116 Contacts

© Cyprus Tourism Organisation

airBaltic / NEWS

Cyprus

In brief

1/ New destinations in southern Europe 2/ Summer sun brings seasonal returns 3/ Warranties mean worry-free travel 4/ Change of airports for Milan and Istanbul 5/ Online check-in now 72 hours before departure

1/ New destinations in southern Europe airBaltic is opening several exciting and brand new routes to destinations in central and southern Europe.

Sun worshippers will be delighted to learn that direct flights to Larnaca on the sun-kissed island of Cyprus will be launched April 6.

May 4 sees the opening of flights to both Olbia on the spectacular Italian island of Sardinia and to Heviz-Balaton, the gateway to Hungary’s famous Lake Balaton.

A week later on May 11, the fascinating island of Malta joins the destination list and soon afterwards on June 6 the beautiful Croatian resort of Rijeka also makes it onto the airBaltic roster.

Each destination has a wealth of attractions, so whether your passion is for the beaches of Cyprus or Rijeka, the cuisine of Sardinia, the architecture of Malta or the spas of Balaton, there’s sure to be something just right for you.

Book now at www.airbaltic.com to get the lowest possible prices.

102 / AIRBALTIC.COM

airBaltic / NEWS

4/ Change of airports for Milan and Istanbul From April, airBaltic is changing which airports it uses for Milan in Italy and Istanbul in Turkey. Flights will now depart from and arrive at Milan Malpensa and Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport.

This change in airports has allowed us to improve our schedule and enable new connections through Riga for travellers to and from the Baltics, Scandinavia, Russia and the CIS countries.

Furthermore, our passengers will enjoy new connections to longhaul flights operating out of Milan Malpensa.

In Istanbul, passengers will benefit from a more modern and less crowded airport with less time to wait for baggage, improved public transport options to the city centre. There also happens to be a great outlet shopping mall right near the airport!

2/ Summer sun brings seasonal returns This month, airBaltic switches to its full summer schedule, bringing with it the return of many popular seasonal destinations that will be available right through to the autumn.

From April, flights resume to Nice on the French Riviera four times per week. Venice and Bari in Italy is being served twice and once per week, respectively, while the Uzbek capital of Tashkent is back on the timetable with two flights per week.

From May 18, airBaltic will be flying to two popular Ukrainian Black Sea resorts: Odessa (four flights per week) and Simferopol (three flights per week).

Later in June, flights open to Athens (three times per week) and Baku (twice per week).

Choose your favourite summer getaway and book now at www.airbaltic.com.

Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport

3/ Warranties mean worry-free travel

5/ Online check-in now 72 hours before departure

When booking your flight ticket at the airBaltic website, you can also purchase two different types of travel warranties for peace-of-mind.

If you are booking a ticket that is not changeable, but still don’t know if you will be able to travel on the specified dates, then with a warranty you can protect yourself against sudden changes in your travel plans and save money.

For a fee of 24.99 EUR for Economy Class or 34.99 EUR for Basic Class passengers, you can buy the right to change your flight in one direction at no additional charge if the price of a new ticket is the same. If not, then the fare difference has to be paid.

The second option is to protect yourself against travel delays.

When booking a flight, purchase the On-Time Arrival Guarantee for only 23.99 EUR. If your flight arrives at the destination at least one hour later than promised, just submit a request within 21 days after the travel date and receive a Travel Voucher worth your net ticket price plus the fuel surcharge payment.

airBaltic’s online check-in system is better than ever thanks to a recent upgrade. You can now check in online for airBaltic-operated flights from your computer or mobile device from 72 hours to just one hour before departure. airBaltic is proud to be one of very few airlines that offer such an extended online check-in availability for your convenience.

The improved system takes just two minutes to use and sends a boarding pass straight to your e-mail account. You can either print out the boarding pass or simply open it in your mobile phone and head straight to security control.

Online check-in not only saves you time and helps you to avoid airport queues, it also saves you money, as checking in at the airport costs an extra 10 EUR. If you still prefer to check in the traditional way, then choosing airBaltic’s priority check-in service for an additional 5 EUR on top of the standard 10 EUR fee will enable you to use the exclusive Business Class check-in desk for the speediest possible service.

BALTIC OUTLOOK / APRIL 2013 / 103

airBaltic / BEHIND THE SCENES

Toms Andersons, VP Cargo

TEXT BY IEVA Šmite PHOTO BY REINIS HOFMANIS, F64

How important is cargo transport for airlines?

While cargo transport obviously does not account for the lion’s share of earnings for passenger airlines, it does provide a stable secondary source of income.

It also permits airlines to make the most of the space on their planes. airBaltic handles cargo of all types, including mail, as well as medical products, perishable goods such as fruits and vegetables, and electronic goods. A new gadget from China will take only two days by air to reach practically any place in the world, but up to an entire month if it is sent by ship. According to some studies, the shelf life of certain laptops is shorter than for a carton of milk.

A month later, nobody will want to buy them because a newer model has made its appearance.

Statistics show that although only 3 to 5 percent of all world cargo is transported by air, this relatively small amount accounts for 60 to 70 percent of the total value of transported goods. Most of our clients use our services because they need their cargo to be sent as quickly as possible to its final destination.

Indeed, part of our mission is to facilitate both world trade and postal exchange.

How many people work on your team?

Secure and fast delivery Toms has never been a plane spotter.

He is more interested in the processes that occur around airplanes, such as operations, safety and finances. Currently he is airBaltic’s vice-president for cargo transport and last year the department that he heads was an income-earner for the airline, highlighting the potential of cargo transport as a business 104 / AIRBALTIC.COM

Currently we are seven, although we receive a lot of support from various other airBaltic departments.

We are responsible for three main tasks. One of these involves fine-tuned and perfectly functioning logistics. If a client’s goods need to reach a place in two days’ time, then we have to make sure that this happens and that the shipment is flown as booked.

The security and operational side of cargo transport is the second aspect and it is strictly regulated. The procedures for transporting specific types of cargo are precisely delineated and have to be followed to the letter, because some of the goods that we carry need to be handled with care and aren’t allowed in passenger cabins. That means that our warehouses must also be correspondingly equipped to store various types of goods.

The third part of our work involves the commercial side. Since air transport is also a business, we also have to make sure that the airline makes a profit, which we do in close cooperation with airBaltic’s flight operations, ground operations and finance departments, to name a few.

Are there times when you feel particularly satisfied after transporting an important shipment?

We encounter urgent situations practically every

airBaltic / BEHIND THE SCENES

week. For example, we might have only two days to send an important spare part to a ship that is sitting in port somewhere far from Latvia. We have to deliver that spare part on time, otherwise the ship might have to delay its departure, which could cost our client hundreds of thousands of dollars. Of course, some shipments are particularly interesting, such as when we transport live animals from one zoo to the other. airBaltic is a very strong player in this field, helping to ship goods quickly from Western Europe to Scandinavia or Russia. It’s always interesting to observe the shipping trends. For example, exports from Latvia have increased.

Five years ago, about 50% of the cargo that we handled was transit goods, 35% consisted of imports to Latvia and 15% were exports from Latvia. While transit goods still make up half of our cargo volume, the volume of exports from Latvia has doubled at the expense of imports. Since Latvia is in an advantageous geographic location, transit goods make up an important part of the goods that flow through the country. Most of the cargo that we transport goes from West to East, which is logical, since a great deal of the goods that get sent from East to West, such as oil, are usually not transported in airplanes.

So the best compliment… … is silence (laughs) – that is, when the telephone is quiet and nobody is calling us to complain about a late or lost shipment. We don’t have a budget for marketing activities and we don’t need it either, because the best form of marketing lies in the satisfaction of our clients.

We let our results do the talking.

Last year airBalticCargo showed some very good results.

Things started going really well at the end of last year.

We have managed to maintain our previous levels of activity and even increase them in some spheres, which is fantastic, considering that airBaltic has reduced its transport capacity in accordance with its restructurization plan. One would expect a drop in cargo transport revenues to result from the reduction

The best compliment is silence – that is, when the telephone is quiet and nobody is calling us to complain about a late or lost shipment in the number of airplanes in our fleet, but fortunately, that didn’t happen. Cargo transport depends very much on the overall economic situation. We can predict changes in the economy five or six months before they happen, based on changes in the volume or cargo that we transport. That happened, before the onset of the world economic crisis. Now, starting already from November, we have seen a large increase in demand for our services, which is why I predict a gradual upturn in the overall economic situation. BO

SIXT and airBaltic. A dream team between heaven and earth.

(Earn 500 Baltic Miles with every car rental. Sixt welcomes you in Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and all around the world.

Find your nearest Sixt location at sixt.com)

sx07425_Anzeige_BalticMiles_08_2012.indd 1

08.03.2013 10:46:15

airBaltic / BalticMiles TRAINING

Superior aviation training in a great location airBaltic Training offers a wide range of aviation training services at the Riga International Airport. Its modern and first-rate training facility is equipped with a Boeing 737 Classic Full Motion Flight Simulator, a multipurpose trainer, door trainers, as well as modern and computerized classrooms.

We offer different training programmes for flight and cabin crews, flight dispatchers, ground personnel and aviation management, as well as IATA classroom and distance-learning courses for aviation and tourism professionals.

Flight crew programmes include Multi Crew Cooperation courses and Type Ratings for B737, B757, F50 and Q400 aircraft.

Last year alone, airBaltic Training helped approximately 3000 professionals obtain the required qualifications in their respective fields.

Among them were more than 1500 pilots, almost 1000 cabin crew members and several hundred ground handlers, cargo agents, security personnel and other professionals from nearly 30 countries.

IATA training courses at airBalticTraining As a IATA Regional Training Centre, airBalticTraining offers instructor-led classroom courses and distance-learning courses for the aviation, cargo and travel industries. During its second year under the IATA umbrella, the training centre increased the amount of courses by 40% and successfully organized 14 IATA courses with over 180 participants from 16 countries.

IATA distance-learning courses are becoming more and more popular among aviation, cargo and tourism professionals.

The greatest interest is for IATA courses with Harvard ManageMentor programs.

Tel: (+371) 67668512, (+371) 26116606 skype: airbaltictraining e-mail: training@airbaltictraining.com www.airbaltictraining.com

106 / AIRBALTIC.COM

IATA instructor-led classroom courses in 2013 - - Customer Service

May 7 - 9

- - Quality Management Systems

May 14 - 17

- - Document Control Systems

May 27 - 30

- - Aviation Law for Managers

May 27 - 31

- - Cargo Quality Management

May 29 - 31

- - Emergency Response Management for GPS

June 10 - 13

- - DGR Recurrent

June 12 - 14

- - Human Factors in Aviation

June 17 - 21

- - International Air Cargo Law

June 18 - 19

- - Professional Skills for DGR Instructors

July 8 - 12

- - Aircraft Loading Supervision

September 3 - 5

- - Airline Passengers Services

September 9 - 13

- - DGR Initial

September 16 - 20

- - Cargo Proration

September 25 - 27

- - Aircraft Weight and Balance

September 30 – October 4

- - Airline Route Profitability

October 2 - 3

- - EU Aviation Law

October 16 - 18

- - SMS Implementation and Control

April 15 - 17

- - Advanced Train the Trainer

November 6 - 8

- - Managing Air Cargo Operations

November 19 - 22

- - IOSA SMS Requirements

November 20 - 22

- - Emergency Response and Planning Management November 25 - 29 - - DGR Recurrent

December 4 - 6

- - International Cargo Operations & Documentation December 9 - 13

airBaltic / BalticMiles

Ask the flight attendant for your BalticMiles card and start earning straight away!

Fly to Barcelona for 6300 Points from Riga

Register your card online after the flight at register.balticmiles.com and get 50 bonus Points.

Keep earning Points for everyday things like travelling, shopping, eating out and having fun and spend them on flights and other great rewards – that easy!

BalticMiles is the airBaltic frequent flyer programme and the leading multipartner loyalty programme in the Nordics.

Fly airBaltic and earn

Membership levels

10 Points for each EUR spent on a Business Class ticket

Basic

5 Points for each EUR spent on an Economy Class ticket

VIP

1 Point for each EUR spent on a Basic Class ticket Claim Points later If you have forgotten to show your card, or maybe didn’t know that you’ve shopped at a BalticMiles partner, BalticMiles offers you the option to retroactively claim your Points – even get Points for flights you’ve flown up to 30 days before becoming a member! Just contact a BalticMiles Member Service and we’ll sort everything out.

Executive

The more you fly, the greater the privileges, which include a free luggage allowance, no queues, reserved seats and much more to make travelling easier.

Earn Status Points and enjoy a whole new world of comfort and convenience!

Spend Points on airBaltic flights Exchange your Points for flights from just 4200 Points Upgrade your ticket to Business Class from just 8000 Points BalticMiles Member Service In Latvia: (+371) 6728 0280 In Estonia: (+372) 630 6660 In Lithuania: (+370) 7005 5665 info@balticmiles.com www.balticmiles.com

Applying and participating in the BalticMiles program is completely free of charge, and anyone from 2 years of age is welcome to become a BalticMiles member. A separate BalticMiles account and specially designed Young Pilot card will be created for children.

BALTIC OUTLOOK / APRIL 2013 / 107

airBaltic / BalticMiles

ew

N

Burusports

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Advanced bicycles for the demanding leisure rider and the confident sports cyclist, as well as bicycle service centre providing Olympic level maintenance and repairs – find it all at Burusports stores in Riga where professionals will help pick the best for you.

N

Martini’s restaurant and cocktail bar invites you to enjoy exquisite dishes, colorful cocktails, and excellent service in a bright and slightly kitsch interior in a 1960s mood, designed

by Andis Sīlis.

Earn 2 Points

Earn 8 Points

for each LVL spent

ew

N

for each LVL spent

Harmony Park

ew

Over 160 hectares of tranquility and cozy luxury within a wide variety of different accommodation – from 4* luxury hotel Simboly to cozy cottages and villas, with pools, saunas, hamam baths and spa center for relaxation and a horseback riding arena.

N

Earn 5 Points

for each LTL spent for hotel accommodation

ew

Apavi 40+ Footwear from size 40 and over – if you have trouble finding your size in regular stores, Apavi 40+ is the perfect place for you. The store stocks global and Latvian brands in sizes 40 to 46 for women and 46 to 53 for men, and a wide range of accessories and hosiery.

Earn 1 Point

N

Martini’s

for each LVL spent

Hotel Europa fit

ew

Four star spa & wellness resort hotel awaits those longing for relaxation and revitalization in the heart of Héviz, only a few minutes walk from the medicinal lake, with high standards and a wide range of wellness and beauty services.

N

Arensburg Located on the main street of Kuressaare Old Town in Saaremaa, the architectural gem Arensburg Boutique Hotel & Spa offers memorable stays, luxurious spa treatments and sumptuous meals at several restaurants.

Earn 500 Points

Earn 500 Points

Up to 300 Points

Earn 5 Points for each EUR spent for spa treatments or at restaurants

for each stay

for each stay

for additional spa packages

Great to spend Wine Tasting for Two in Stockholm

18 331 Points

There are more than 3000 rewards to choose from the shop.balticmiles.com and more than 40 000 digital records in BalticMiles Music shop.

Calvin Klein Belkin YourType Zippo Casual Pippi Folio with Keyboard “Eternity” Watch 45003/2/5 Longstocking Doll for iPad/iPad2 Men 100

21 334 Points

6 107 Points

19 247 Points

All the prices displayed include shipping costs to Latvia. Prices and availability of rewards are subject to change and may vary by delivery country.

108 / AIRBALTIC.COM

12 486 Points

airBaltic / BalticMiles

The Loyalty Awards recognize excellence, innovation and best practice in the global travel industry. BalticMiles received this award for the best use of technology and innovation in 2012. We are happy that so many BalticMiles members contributed with great ideas to further improve the program through the Brainstorm crowdsourcing platform.

We’ll keep on working to give you even more!

BALTIC OUTLOOK / APRIL 2013 / 109

airBaltic / BOOKING CLASSES

A class

to suit your needs Each passenger is unique and each has different demands. In order to help you better design a trip that suits your individual needs, we are offering five different ticket types on airBaltic flights.

Compare the travel conditions and services offered and choose the class that suits you best.

Business Flex

Business

Economy Flex

Economy

Basic

Name change

EUR 35 per ticket

EUR 35 per ticket

EUR 35 per ticket

EUR 35 per ticket

Travel date/time change

EUR 50 per direction

EUR 50 per direction

Cancellation with refund

EUR 100 per direction

EUR 100 per direction

Advance seat reservation Hand baggage Checked-in baggage

2 pieces

2 pieces

3 pieces, 30 kg total

3 pieces, 30 kg total

Sports equipment

from EUR 2,99

from EUR 2,99

1 piece

1 piece

1 piece

1 piece, 20 kg

1 piece, 20 kg

EUR 19,99 per piece per direction if purchased together with flight ticket at www.airbaltic.com

EUR 29,99 per piece per direction if purchased at www.airbaltic.com

EUR 29,99 per piece per direction if purchased at www.airbaltic.com

EUR 29,99 per piece per direction if purchased at www.airbaltic.com

EUR 10 at the Economy Class desk, EUR 14,99 at Business Class desk

EUR 10 at the Economy Class desk, EUR 14,99 at Business Class desk

EUR 10 at the Economy Class desk, EUR 14,99 at Business Class desk

Business lounge

EUR 36 access to lounge in Riga Airport

EUR 36 access to lounge in Riga Airport

EUR 36 access to lounge in Riga Airport

Meals and drinks

from 9 EUR for hot meal, preorder or buy on board

from 9 EUR for hot meal, preorder or buy on board

from 9 EUR for hot meal, preorder or buy on board

Economy cabin

Economy cabin

Airport check-in

1 piece

1 piece

At the Business Class desk

At the Business Class desk

Security Fast track

International press Seating

Front cabin

Front cabin

Economy cabin from EUR 50

from EUR 50

from EUR 50

10 Points for each EUR spent

10 Points for each EUR spent

5 Points for each EUR spent

5 Points for each EUR spent

1 Point for each EUR spent

Free seat next to you BalticMiles Points earned from ticket purchase

Available free of charge

110 / AIRBALTIC.COM

Not available

airBaltic / MEALS

Onboard menu Business Class As winter gives way to spring, so airBaltic’s Business Class menu offers a number of delectable dishes to celebrate the new season. The changes in our menu reflect our chefs’ philosophy of using fresh and seasonal products to create healthy gourmet meals.

From April, airBaltic is offering such tasty appetizers as duck liver pâté with crostini, smoked chicken breast with chicory salad, and Dorblu cheese with figs. Main course dishes include basil chicken with sweet potato mash, orange-glazed roasted duck breast with seasonal vegetables, and an eggplant and

goat cheese terrine with dried pork. For dessert, passengers can savour the ever-popular marble cheesecake, chocolate pineapple cake and lemon posset. As is the case with our superior meals, specially selected drinks are also available to Business Class passengers at no additional charge.

Business Class customers are offered food and beverages from a special menu on airBaltic flights to/from Barcelona, Istanbul, Helsinki, Lappeenranta, Palanga, Turku, Tallinn, Vilnius, Kaunas, Tampere, Vaasa, Bergen, Billund, Aalesund, Stavanger and Chisinau.

Pre-order your meal and save money A special seasonal menu is also prepared for Economy Class passengers who would like to enjoy a gourmet meal during their flight. This spring, we have included meals with an Oriental touch, such as fried chicken fillet with sesame sauce and rice noodles, as well as a special meal for little travellers who will thrilled by its octopus-shaped sausages.

Passengers wishing to enjoy a real Latvian meal can try the roast lamb shoulder with

seasonal vegetables and the traditional Latvian rye bread dessert. Those with special dietary requirements may choose from gluten- and lactose-free meals, as well as vegetarian dishes.

By ordering meal before your flight, you will save money and will be served first on board. You can pre-order your meal while you book your flight ticket or anytime later, up to 24 hours before departure, under the Manage booking section at www.airbaltic.com.

BALTIC OUTLOOK / APRIL 2013 / 111

airBaltic / FLEET NEWS

Boeing 737-300 Number of seats 142/144/146 Max take-off weight 63 metric tons Max payload 14.2 metric tons

Boeing 737-500 Number of seats 120 Max take-off weight 58 metric tons Max payload 13.5 metric tons Length 29.79 m

Length 32.18 m

Wing span 28.9 m

Wing span 31.22 m

Cruising speed 800 km/h

Cruising speed 800 km/h Commercial range 3500 km

Commercial range 3500 km

Fuel consumption 3000 l/h

Fuel consumption 3000 l/h

Engine CFM56-3C-1

Q400 NextGen 76 29.6 metric tons 8.6 metric tons

Fokker 50 Number of seats 46/50/52 Max take-off weight 20.8 metric tons Max payload 4.9 metric tons

32.83 m

Length 25.3 m

28.42 m

Wing span 29.0 m

667 km/h

Cruising speed 520 km/h

2084 km

Commercial range 1300 km

1074 l/h

Fuel consumption 800 l/h

P&W 150A

airBaltic codeshare partners

112 / AIRBALTIC.COM

Engine CFM56-3

Engine P&W 125 B

Kittila

Rovaniemi

Lulea

Kuusamo Oulu

Skelleftea

Umea * Seasonal flights. ** Operated in cooperation with tour operator Tez Tour.

Kristiansund

Kuopio

Vaasa

Sundsvall

Chicago

Borlange

Bergen Karlstad

Tartu

Gothenburg Halmstad

Jonkoping Vaxjo

Visby Oskarshamn

Kristianstad

Westerland Gdansk Dublin

Hanover

Dresden Prague

Cologne/Bonn

Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;viv

Saarbrucken Karlsruhe/ Baden Baden

Ivano Frankivsk

Budapest Geneva

Dnipropetrovsk Donetsk

Chisinau*

Heviz-Balaton

Odessa*

Trieste Rijeka Venice*

Simferopol*

Belgrade La Coruna

Oviedo

Santander

Bilbao

Bucharest

Nice*

Vigo

Burgas

Olbia

Madrid

Pescara Naples

Menorca Valencia

Ibiza

Bari* Brindisi

Palma de Mallorca

Alicante Seville

Granada

Athens*

Malaga

Antalya

Malta

Santa Cruz de Tenerife Las Palmas

Heraklion

Larnaca Beirut

Casablanca

Amma

Doha

Sharm el-Sheik Hurghada**

Arkhangelsk

Dnipropetrovsk Donetsk

Simferopol* Almaty

Tashkent*

Yerevan

Dushanbe

naca

*

Baku*

Beirut

Amman

Sharm el-Sheikh**

Tromso

* Seasonal flights. ** Operated in cooperation with tour operator Tez Tour.

Kittila

Rovaniemi Kuusamo

Lulea

Oulu

Skelleftea

Umea Kristiansund

Kuopio

Vaasa

Sundsvall

Borlange

Tartu Visby Gothenburg

Oskarshamn

Halmstad

Kristianstad

Tashkent*

Westerland Gdansk

Baku*

Dublin Hanover

Dresden Prague

Cologne/Bonn

Donetsk Dnipropetrovsk

Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;viv

Saarbrucken Karlsruhe/ Baden Baden

Simferopol*

Ivano Frankivsk

Budapest Geneva

Chisinau*

Heviz-Balaton

Odessa*

Venice* Trieste Rijeka Belgrade Santander

La Coruna Vigo

Bilbao

Bucharest

Nice*

Oviedo

Burgas

Olbia

Madrid Valencia

Ibiza

Pescara Naples

Bari* Brindisi

Menorca Palma de Mallorca

Alicante Seville

Granada Malaga

Athens* Malta

Sharm el-Sheikh** Larnaca Hurghada**

Antalya

airBaltic / CONTACTS

Country/City Ticket offices

Airport Ticket Offices

AUSTRIA Vienna airBaltic Germany Hauptstrasse 117, D-10827 Berlin ☎ 0820600830 local calls (EUR 0.17/min) service@airbaltic.de

Airport Schwechat Terminal 2 Airport Ticket Office Celebi Ground Handling ☎ +431 700736394

Country/City Ticket offices

Airport Ticket Offices

Country/City Ticket offices

Hamburg

Airport Fuhlsbuttel Terminal 1, Departure Hall Airport Ticket Office AHS ☎ +49 (0) 4050753672

RUSSIA

Munich

Airport Munich Terminal 1 Airport Ticket Office AHS ☎ +49/89 975 92553

Moscow airBaltic Russia 28 Tverskaya Str., Building 2 Business Center “Amerop” 125009 Moscow ☎ +7 (495) 2217213 moscow@airbaltic.com

International Airport Sheremetjevo Terminal E Airport Ticket Office DAVS ☎ +7 (495) 9564661

St. Petersburg airBaltic Bolshaya Morskaya Str. 53/8 190000 St.Petersburg ☎ +7 (812) 5700597 F: +7 (812) 5718654 zam@airbaltic.com

Airport Pulkovo Terminal 2 Airport Ticket Office LTD North-West Transport Agency

Kaliningrad

Airport Khrabrovo Airport Ticket Office airBaltic / Aviapartner

AZERBAIJAN Baku Improtex Travel 16. S. Vurgun Str. Baku AZ1000, Azarbaijan ☎ +994 124989239 info@improtex-travel.com booking@improtex-travel.com

Heydar Aliyev International Airport Airport Ticket Office Silk Way Travel South Terminal ☎ +994 124972600

BELARUS Minsk airBaltic Belarus 19 Pobeditelei Av., 6 ☎ +375 172269043 tat@airbaltic.com

Airport Minsk 2 3rd floor Airport Ticket Office airBaltic ☎ +375 172792568, ☎ +44 7792568

BELGIUM Brussels Air Agencies Belgium 153 A Vilvoordelaan 1930 Zaventem ☎ +32 (0) 27126427 airbaltic@airagencies.be

Airport Zaventem Departure Hall ☎ +32 (0) 27230667 Airport Ticket Office Aviapartner

CYPRUS Larnaca

Larnaca International Airport Airport Ticket Office airBaltic / LGS Handling

Greece Athens Tal Aviation 44 Ihous str.

17564 - P.Faliro ☎ +30 210 9341500 F: +30 210 9341620 airbaltic@tal-aviation.gr Hungary Budapest Tensi Aviation Kft. Komjadi Bela utca 1. ☎ +36 1 3451526 F: +36 1 9991466 aviation@tensi.hu

Vaclav Havel Prague Airport Terminal T2 Airport Ticket Office Air Dispatch s.r.o. ☎ +420 220117540

DENMARK Copenhagen

Airport Copenhagen International Terminal 3 Departure Hall Airport Ticket Office SAS

Billund

Billund Airport Departure Hall Airport Ticket Office ☎ +45 76505205

ESTONIA Tallinn ☎ 17107 (0.51 EUR/min, local calls only) tallinn@airbaltic.com

Budapest Airport Airport Ticket Office Celebi Ground Handling Hungary

Tel Aviv Caspi Aviation ltd 1 Ben Yehuda st. Tel-Aviv 63801 ☎ +972 3 5100213 /4 F: +972 (3) 5108365 bt@caspi-aviation.co.il

Ben-Gurion International Airport Airport Ticket Office Laufer Aviation GHI Level 3, Terminal 3 ☎ +972 39754076

ITALY Bari

Bari Airport Airport Ticket Office Bari Palese

Milan

Milan Milan Malpensa Airport Terminal 1, Departure Level Airport Ticket Office A.R.E. Airline Representative Europe

Rome

Leonardo de Vinci – Fiumicino Airport Terminal 3, Departure Hall Airport Ticket Office A.R.E SRL

Venice

Airport Venice Marco Polo Airport Ticket Office A.R.E. SRL

LATVIA Riga ☎ 90001100 (0.37 LVL/min, local calls only)

Riga International Airport Main Terminal Airport Ticket Office airBaltic

Airport Tallinn Main Terminal, Departure Hall Airport Ticket Office airBaltic /Tallinn Airport GH

LITHUANIA Vilnius ☎ 890015004 (2.12 LTL/min, local calls only) vnoreservations@airbaltic.com

Vilnius International Airport Airport Ticket Office Litcargus ticketing@litcargus.lt

Helsinki

Helsinki-Vantaa Airport Terminal 1 Airport Ticket Office airBaltic / Havas

Palanga

Lappeenranta

Lappeenranta Airport

Palanga Airport Airport Ticket Office Orlaiviu Aptarnavimo Agentura ☎ +370 46052300 F: +370 46056401

Tampere

Airport Tampere-Pirkkala Airport Ticket Office Airpro OY

Turku

Airport Turku Airport Ticket Office Airpro OY

FINLAND

Kaunas

Paris

Airport Charles de Gaulles Terminal 2D Airport Ticket Office Swissport Services CDG

Nice

Airport Nice Cote D’azur Terminal 1 Airport Ticket Office Lufthansa Ticket Desk

Chisinau Moldavian SRL - AirService Bd. Stefan cel Mare 3, MD-2001 Chisinau ☎ +373 22 549339 ☎ +549340, 549342 F: +373 22549341 agency@airservice.md

Airport Tbilisi Airport Ticket Office Discovery Ltd ☎ +995 32433155 ☎ +995 32433188

Berlin airBaltic Germany Hauptstrasse 117, D-10827 Berlin ☎ 0900 124 7225 (EUR 0.69/min German landline – mobile calls may be different) service@airbaltic.de

Airport Berlin-Tegel Main Terminal Airport Ticket Office GlobeGround Berlin Opposite Gate 4/5

Dusseldorf

Airport Dusseldorf Terminal B Airport Ticket Office AHS ☎ +49 (0) 2114216275

Frankfurt

Airport Frankfurt Airport Ticket Office AHS Terminal 2, Hall E, Desk 939 ☎ +49 69 690 61465

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport Air Agencies Holland Ticketdesk Departure Hall 3, opposite checkin 22 ☎ +31 20 3161945 / 46 Fax: +31 20 316 1998

Oslo

Oslo Airport Departure Hall Airport Ticket Office SAS

Aalesund

Aalesund Airport Airport Ticket Office Roros Flyservice 6040 Vigra ☎ +47 70 30 25 60

Bergen/Stavanger

Bergen Airport – Flesland Stavanger Airport Airport Ticket Office Aviator

POLAND Warsaw

Warsaw Airport Airport Ticket Office BGS

If there is no local ticket office phone number indicated and you would like to contact airBaltic reservations, please call ☎ +371 67006006.

116 / AIRBALTIC.COM

Airport El Prat de Llobregat Terminal 1 Airport Ticket Office Lufthansa Ticket Desk

Stockholm Arlanda Airport Airport Ticket Ofiice airBaltic / Nordic Aero International Terminal 5

SWITZERLAND Zurich airBaltic Germany Hauptstrasse 117, D-10827 Berlin ☎ 0840600830 local calls service@airbaltic.de

Airport Zurich (Kloten) Departure Hall Airport Ticket Office CGS Terminal 2 ☎ +41 438166739

TURKEY Istanbul Airmark Gumussuyu Is Merkezi No:11/4, TR-34437 Taksim ☎ + 90 212 444 1472 F: + 90 212 245 4486 BTreservations@air-mark.com

Sabiha Gökçen International Airport Airport Ticket Office Merkur ☎ +902165888800 F: +902165888801

UKRAINE Kiev airBaltic Ukraine 52 Bohdana Khmelnytshkoho Str. 01030 Kiev ☎ +380 442382649/68 kiev@airbaltic.com

Airport Borispol Terminal D Airport Ticket Office Swissport Ukraine LL ☎ +380 445 916 902

Odessa

Odessa International Airport Airport Ticket Office airBaltic / Londonskaya LTD

Simpferopol

Simferopol Aiport Airport Ticket Office Krymaviaservice ☎ +380 652 595321

UNITED KINGDOM London

New York airBaltic USA 1 Penn Plaza, Suite 1416 NY 10119 ☎ +1 - 877 359 2258 ☎ +1 - 646 300 7727 nyc@aviaworldna.com

NORWAY

GERMANY

Stockholm

Chisinau Airport Airport Ticket Office Moldavian Airlines Departure Hall ☎ +373 22525506

NETHERLANDS Amsterdam

Barcelona

USA

GEORGIA Tbilisi Discovery Travel Ltd/airBaltic GSA 72 Paliashvili st. Tbilisi ☎ +995 32 2 900900 airbalticgsa@discovery.ge

SPAIN

Kaunas Airport Airport Ticket Office Litcargus ☎ +370 37750195

MOLDOVA

FRANCE

International Airport Domodedovo Airport Ticket Office DAVS Ticketing counters no: 177, 185

SWEDEN

ISRAEL

Czech Republic Prague

Athens International Airport Airport Ticket Office Goldair Handling

Airport Ticket Offices

Chicago 101 N.Wacker Dr Suite 350 Chicago, Il 60606 ☎ +1 - 877 359 2258 ☎ +1 - 312 269 9333 F: +1 - 312 269 0222 chi@aviaworldna.com Los Angeles 16250, Ventura Blvd Suite 115 Encino, CA 91436 ☎ +1 - 818 990 9215 ☎ +1 - 855 284 2967 F: +1 - 818 501 2098 lax@aviaworldna.com Houston 3050 Post Oak Boulevard Suite 1320 Houston, TX 77056, USA ☎ +1 - 713 626 0134 ☎ +1 - 855 284 2967 F: +1 - 713 626 1905 hou@aviaworldna.com UZBEKISTAN Tashkent APG CENTRAL ASIA Kichik Beshagach str.,104 A Tashkent 100015 ☎ + 998 71 1209012

Airport Gatwick Airport Ticket Office Skybreak Terminal S