Lonely Planet Traveller ME - Issue 8, 2013 Aug-Sep

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Every moment unveils a

unique story Tales of rich Arabian traditions at Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara Surrounded by the vast expanse of dunes and a heritage of centuries inherent to the Liwa Desert, delve into the glorious past of Arabia. Discover a fine blend of contemporary luxuries and a touch of royal opulence. Embark on a voyage of the creation of over a thousand unforgettable moments, cherished and shared for a lifetime.

Design your Arabian adventure now at anantara.com Call +971 (0)2 656 1399 or email crome@anantara.com

Thailand

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Indonesia

Vietnam

Maldives

United Arab Emirates

China

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PUBLISHER Dominic De Sousa GROUP COO Nadeem Hood ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERS Carol Owen Georgina Wilson-Powell

EDITORIAL

EDITOR Georgina Wilson-Powell georgina.powell@cpimediagroup.com/ +971 50 574 2884 CONTRIBUTORS Justin Foulkes, Dan Hallman, Amy Kerafin, Christa Larwood, NIcola Monteath, Sarah Reid, Chris Suttenfield ART DIRECTOR Sérge Bones

PUBLISHING

SALES DIRECTOR: Sarah Motwali sarah.motwali@cpimediagroup.com /+971 50 678 6182

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Marizel Salvador marizel.salvador@cpimediagroup.com

ONLINE

Louie Alma

PRODUCTION Devaprakash

DISTRIBUTION

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SUBSCRIPTIONS

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PUBLISHED BY

Head Office, PO Box 13700, Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 440 9100, Fax: +971 4 447 2409 Group Office, Dubai Media City Building 4, Office G08, Dubai, UAE A publication licensed by IMPZ ISSN 2306-6547 © Copyright 2013 CPI. All rights reserved.

While the publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors therein.

MANAGEMENT

Bigger is better We’ve gone big this month. Big cities, big valleys, big history and big sky views. From the Kenyan plains to the streets of New York, August brings you some of the most iconic locations in the world and some relatively unknown gems, but they all pack a big punch. Our cover story gets inside the Big Apple, with New Yorkers sharing their secrets to one of the best cities in the world (page 24). If you’ve ever wanted to explore New York, now’s your chance. Our Tales of the Masai Mara feature brings to life the African savannah but amongst some seriously big game, from elephants to hippos, there is a timeless peace waiting to be discovered (page 50). While Istanbul has made headlines recently, this historical melting pot has survived bigger troubles, and shouldn’t be written off.

Its winding streets lead to endless Turkish coffee spots and gorgeous roof top restaurants from which you can survey this historical giant (page 34). In our Perfect Trip to Norway (page 42) the only giants are the landscapes, the epic fjords and earth shattering glaciers, that conjure up plenty of myths and legends. And in Vienna (page 58), a big appetite is required to take on the delicious Austrian cuisine, and perhaps a big walk afterwards. Happily Vienna can oblige with plenty of historical gusto. Happy travelling!

FROM TOP Get to grips with New York thanks to the locals (page 24); zebras populate the Masai Mara plains (page 50); Norway’s trains offer scenic views (page 48); take a special tram in Brussels (page 19)

Chairman Stephen Alexander Deputy chairman Peter Phippen CEO Tom Bureau Head of licensing & syndication Joanna Alexandre International Partners Manager: Aleksandra Nowacka

Editor Peter Grunert Art director Hayley Ward Publishing director Alfie Lewis Publisher Simon Carrington

Georgina Wilson-Powell, Editor

Lonely Planet Traveller is published by CPI Media Group under licence from LPG, Inc. (part of the Lonely Planet group). Lonely Planet is a trade mark of Lonely Planet Publications Pty Limited (part of the Lonely Planet group) and is used under licence.

Copyright © Immediate Media Company London Limited All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part prohibited without permission.

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Our promise to you Lonely Planet Traveller provides trusted, independent travel advice and information that has been gathered without fear or favour. We aim to provide you with options that cover a range of budgets and we reveal the positive and negative of all locations we visit.

Because we believe it is important that our journalists experience first-hand what they’re writing about and because you require comprehensive information from every corner of the world, at times it may be necessary for us to seek assistance from travel providers such as tourist boards, airlines, hotels, national parks and so forth. However, when receiving such assistance, we ensure our editorial integrity and independence are not compromised through the following measures: by publishing information on all appropriate travel suppliers and not just those who provided us with assistance, and by never promising to offer anything in return, such as positive coverage.

All prices correct at time of going to press. Prices for hotel rooms are for double, en suite rooms with breakfast in low season, unless otherwise stated.

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The Lonely Planet story In 1972, two years after meeting on a bench in London’s Regent’s Park, newlyweds Tony and Maureen Wheeler went on an unforgettable honeymoon. With only a shabby car and a few dollars to their name, they travelled overland across Europe and Asia to Australia. At the end, broke but inspired, they sat at their kitchen table to write their first travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap. Within a week of its publication in 1973 they’d sold 1,500 copies, and Lonely Planet was born. The Wheelers began publishing books on Southeast Asia, India and beyond. Over the years, coverage extended to most countries, and on lonelyplanet.com.

BBC Worldwide became the sole shareholder in 2011, and Lonely Planet now makes books, ebooks, apps, TV shows and, of course, this magazine. Turn to page 14 for Tony Wheeler’s column, The Road Less Travelled.

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Lonely Planet Traveller Middle East August/September 2013

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Contents August/September 2013

POSTCARDS

Your travel photos and the stories behind them

ON THE COVER

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New York, New York! Get under the skin of the Big Apple p24

From Carmargue white horses to India’s blue city

OUR PLANET

This month’s travel news, views and events 11 Join a highland fling, understand Inuit customs and uncover Colorado

8 EASY TRIPS

Short breaks to book now 18 LILONGWE, MALAWI Uncover a world of Malawian music and culture 18 MUSANDAM, OMAN Learn how to work the decks and become a DJ 19 BRUSSELS, BELGIUM A 1960s tram has been converted into the city’s coolest restaurant 20 SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA Now’s the time to give this buzzing capital some love 21 TUSCANY, ITALY Rolling hills and iconic countryside are perfect for any bike lovers 21 ISLE OF WIGHT, UK Discover the dinosaur capital of the UK and get digging 22 BERLIN, GERMANY Pyronale is the world’s largest firework festival, need we say more?

22 BATH, UK The Jane Austen festival celebrates the 200th anniversary of Pride & Prejudice

FEATURES

Fall in love with Norway’s stunning scenery p42

In depth experiences to add to your wish list 24 ON THE COVER NEW YORK Locals share their secret hideaways. Uncover this city’s real beating heart 34 ISTANBUL The Turkish city may have issues but its nightlife is up there with some of the best in Europe 42 NORWAY The stunning fjords and islands are just waiting for you to explore 50 KENYA Kenya’s Masai Mara should be considered as one of the best safari experiences Africa has to offer 58 VIENNA Eat your way round the Austrian capital. That larger waistline will be worth it 6

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Meet the creatures of the Masai Mara p50 Istanbul at night will enchant you p34

ARMCHAIR TRAVELLER Books, apps and websites that will feed your passion for travel 63 Build your own Burj Dubai and work your way round Mount Everest, virtually

MINI GUIDES

Themed guides to pull out and take with you 67 GLASGOW The Scottish city’s nightlife is second to none 69 FLORENCE Tuscany’s capital is one of the most popular cities in the world 71 HELSINKI The Finns have a way with design. Uncover their best works 73 SICILY The Italian island has some very special charms 75 LAS VEGAS Nevada’s Sin City offers more than you think 77 LYON You won’t go hungry in one of the most foodloving French towns

PLUS 66 SUBSCRIBE at only Dhs120 for 12 issues, a year’s subscription is a steal for all your inspiration

COMPETITIONS Eat your heart out in Vienna p58 LP ME_0813_006-007_Contents.indd 7

79 WIN A TWO NIGHT STAY AT The Sentosa, Singapore!

80 WIN AN SIX DAY HOLIDAY TO India with G Adventures!

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Postcards

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Lonely Planet Traveller Middle East August/Septmeber 2013

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POSTCARDS Why not get involved? We’d love to include your best new travel photos (at 300dpi) and the inspiring stories behind them. Send them with a pic of yourself to photos@lonelyplanettraveller.me

Camargue horses are an ancient breed indigenous to the marshes and wetlands of the Rhone delta – they are born with dark hair and their white coats appear in adulthood

CAMARGUE, FRANCE

Horses for photo courses My husband and I had travelled to the Camargue area specifically to take photos of the area’s white horses. These beautiful animals are owned by the local cowboys, known as ‘gardians’.

Traditionally, they are used to herd the Camargue black bulls that are used in bullfights in southern France. To make extra income, the gardians hire out the horses to groups of photographers, so we could capture romantic images of them galloping through the water. It was quite exhilarating watching them come closer and closer at such a fast pace. The trick was to stand our ground, as they would always veer away from us. It is not usual to find a herd of horses like this, all charging in the one direction towards you!

Jenni Alexander and her husband were in southern France on a four-day photography group trip.

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POSTCARDS Why not get involved? We’d love to include your best new travel photos (at 300dpi) and the inspiring stories behind them. Send them with a pic of yourself to photos@lonelyplanettraveller.me

JODHPUR, INDIA

Blue print I visited Jodhpur earlier this year. It was my second trip to the city and I had made up my mind to capture the ‘Blue City’ in all its glory. The opportunity presented itself when I was at the majestic Mehrangarh fort. The sun was setting and visitors were being asked to leave at closing time. I knew I had to linger just that little bit longer to get the photo I wanted. This is the best shot that I managed to take. It was worth testing the guard’s patience! It captures the vibrancy and serenity of this Rajput city. Every time I look at the picture, I feel really satisfied with the result.

It is thought that, traditionally, blue was used to signify the home of a Brahmin (priest), but the practice soon spread

Chaitanya Deshpande is currently planning a holiday to bonny Scotland.

GALÁPAGOS, ECUADOR

Scale model This picture was taken on South Plaza Island.

It features a land iguana, endemic to the island. None of the animals we saw in the Galápagos were scared of people – they just lived their lives in their natural habitat without taking much interest in our presence. We even had to be careful not to step on them, because they didn’t bother moving. We like this particular picture because of the beautiful colour of the iguana’s skin and the look in its eyes. We felt like it wanted to ask what made us come to see it. The photo reminds us of the privilege we had to be able to share these incredible islands for a while.

Sophie Lambert was on a five-month round-the-world trip with her husband.

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In The Voyage of the Beagle, Charles Darwin described the Galápagos land iguana as having ‘a singularly stupid appearance’

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Our Planet

OUR PLANET

This month’s travel news, views and discoveries A L OCAL’S VIEW

Nicolas Emmanuel, salsa teacher, Havana, Cuba I’ve been dancing since I was a baby – being able to dance is hugely important to Cuban people.

We have a special way to walk, to talk, to move, and we have developed a way of manifesting our happiness through dancing. The Cuban word for salsa is ‘casino’. Casino derives from African influences on Cuban culture, from the rhythms of rumba or traditional slave dances. Although I have been teaching salsa for a while, I never worked for myself, only for the state. But last year, the government announced that the job of ‘salsa teacher’ was permitted in the private sector, so I started offering lessons to tourists. It’s allowed me to create my own styles and to put my stamp on our traditional dance. I have clients from Australia, Europe, everywhere. Cuba is softly opening up, creating new opportunities for its people, and it’s giving me the chance to be recognised as an artist for the first time. It’s very exciting.

O Contact Nicolas for more details

INTERVIEW: MATT BOLTON. PHOTOGRAPH: MARK READ

at salon.lys.baile@gmail.com

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OUR PLANET This month is the annual BRISTOL INTERNATIONAL BALLOON FIESTA in the UK. While over 150 balloons take to the skies between 8-11 August, above the pretty Bristol valleys, the free event is packed with family fun on the ground.

ANYTHING TO DECLARE?

Simon Reeve SIMON REEVE is an author and presenter whose TV travel series have included Equator, Tropic of Capricorn, Tropic of Cancer, Indian Ocean and his most recent three-parter, Australia

The golden age of travel is now

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The Inn of France, on Avenue of the Knights in Rhodes Town, dates back to late Crusader times

People often hark back to a ‘golden age’ of travel: the idea that things were better in the past, when we had attendants on trains who wore white gloves.

It’s a romantic ideal and in many ways I think travel would have been more exotic in the past – but travel wasn’t open to everybody then in the way it is today. Now travel is democratised. It’s something most people can do. I came from an ordinary family and I didn’t get on a plane until I started working.

But if you go to a school anywhere in the country today, you’ll find that most of the kids there have been abroad. We should all be unbelievably grateful for that fact, and recognise it for what it is – a huge privilege.

been stuck in Britain for their entire lives can now go to the Mediterranean. That’s a wonderful thing. Anyone who doesn’t agree with that probably doesn’t agree with the idea that everyone should get the vote.

There’s a pomposity in trying to be a bit unique when you’re travelling.

Victorian travellers imagined they were the first to visit some places in the Middle East, for instance – but, of course, people had been ahead of them for centuries, and those people were preceded by other travellers centuries before that. Humans have always been on the move – it’s just a case of the scale of the movement, the number going.

I find it quite disdainful when you hear someone moaning about people in shell suits going on package holidays to Spain or to the Greek islands. Making a really exclusive, unique journey can be quite costly. Not everybody can afford that – but it is still wonderful that people who in centuries past would have

Now we see situations where people come up with crazy ways to try to be the first person to do something new. To carry a wardrobe to the North Pole, or to be the first to visit every pub in Dublin walking backwards, for instance. I mean if you want to do that, fine, but I think there are more rewarding ways of travelling, personally.

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OUR PLANET The first ever BERLIN MUSIC WEEK will happen from 4-8 September. The city that throbs with techno and bounces with bass, will put all its heads together for a week of parties, clubs, showcases, workshops and more. Get ready to party!

SUMMER IS OFTEN a time for wearing paler colours, but in the US the custom is more strictly defined. By decades-old tradition, it’s a fashion faux-pas to dress in white before Memorial Day (the last Monday in May) or after Labor Day (the first Monday in September).

IN MY CASE

We should celebrate the fact that we can move around the world the way we do today. It does mean that sometimes you’ll turn up somewhere, thinking that you’re going to have it all to yourself, but finding other people have got there before you. You’ve got to deal with that – it’s an innate desire to be the first person to look over the hill and see the new beyond. There are still parts of the world where you can at least imagine that you’re doing that. But generally, that’s no longer possible because there are seven billion of us living on the planet.

Let’s be realistic about it – there are a lot of people out there in the world.

I am still amazed, consistently on my journeys, by the people I meet. Humans are really quite wonderful. In terms of what’s evolved on Earth over nearly five billion years, we are by far the most fascinating thing. I never tire of meeting new people and hearing about their experiences – whether it’s a postman who’s gone on holiday to Mexico, or an Australian Aboriginal. There are a lot of stories out there.

INTERVIEWS BY OLIVER SMITH AND SOPHIE MCGRATH. ILLUSTRATION: LOUISE MORGAN. PHOTOGRAPHS: IMAGE 100/SUPERSTOCK, ZIXIA/ALAMY/FRANCK FOTOS/ALAMY, BBC/MATT BRANDON, MATT MUNRO, BBC/GLENN DEARING

Kari Herbert KARI HERBERT is a travel journalist and author.

Her latest book Heart of the Hero: The Remarkable Women who Inspired the Great Polar Explorers (Dhs90; Saraband) has just been released. See Kari’s website polarworld. co.uk

I was 10 months old when I first went to the Arctic. My father, polar explorer Sir Wally Herbert, had recently completed an epic dog-sledging expedition across the Arctic Ocean via the North Pole. He had learnt many of his skills from living and travelling with the Inuit, and felt compelled to return and record the dying days of their traditional culture.

In 1971, we left England to live with a small tribe of hunters on a remote island off the coast of northwest Greenland.

Traditionally, a tupilak was a miniature ivory carving depicting a monster that was magically brought to life by its creator and sent out to attack his enemy in whatever form it had been made to represent; as a walrus, it would capsize the victim’s kayak; as a bear, it could attack him on a hunt. This type of witchcraft had died out by the time we lived in Greenland, but tupilaks are still a fundamental part of the creative identity of the Inuit.

As a child, I was given a tupilak by the last shaman of Thule, in northwest Greenland. He was a wonderful man. I called him Ata, meaning ‘grandfather’. He was descended from a long line of shamans. When hunting had been bad, he said, his father had plunged to the depths of the ocean to comb the hair of the

terrifying goddess Nerrivik to release seals and walruses trapped in her knotted locks. My tupilak was carved from the tusk of a walrus Ata had hunted. It’s hard to say what it represents – a sort of part-man, part-dog beast with a raven’s head – but I’ve always found the grotesque faces strangely comforting.

Tupilaks are relics of a time when the Inuit believed everything had a spirit – they believed in reincarnation and the interconnectedness of all things.

Mine sits on my desk, alongside carvings which my father cherished. They remind me of Dad, of Ata, and that there is magic in the smallest of things.

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COLORADO, USA

EXPLORE THE GARDEN OF THE GODS T H E R O A D L E S S T R AV E L L E D , WITH TONY WHEELER

THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES

Voted the third best park in the world by TripAdvisor, the Garden of the Gods park is an out of this world attraction, with over 1.7 million visitors each year. The stunning red sandstone rock formations and hiking trails in Colorado Springs are some of the USA’s most beautiful and iconic landscapes. The park is also home to Pike’s Peak, the biggest mountain in America and the enduring symbol of the ‘frontier’ and the historic gold rush. colorado.com.

WHY NOW?

Despite all the negative publicity about the region, you’ll find Palestinian people extraordinarily welcoming and delighted with the opportunity to talk to outsiders.

WHAT CAN I SEE?

Bethlehem is the number one sight, but don’t miss Jericho (above). It may or may not be the world’s oldest city, but there’s no disputing the ‘lowest’ tag – it’s way below sea level.

HOW SAFE IS IT?

If you want to visit West Bank refugee camps (which usually look more like regular towns than rows of tents) it’s best to go with a local guide.

WHERE’S TRULY OFF THE BEATEN TRACK?

Tourists are few and far between, so the whole place feels off the beaten track. Hiking can really bring you into contact with the country and the people – the Abraham Path is being developed as a long-distance walking trail (abrahampath.org).

WHAT SHOULD I EAT?

It’s standard Middle Eastern cuisine, with plenty of pitta bread and falafel. As Israelis and Palestinians say: ‘The real argument around here is where you find the best hummus.’

You can down a cold Palestinian Taybeh beer to go with it.

WHAT SHOULD I BRING HOME?

Glass from Hebron (produced since Roman times) and mother-of-pearl work from Bethlehem are traditional crafts, but if you get to Nablus, check out an olive-oil-based soap factory – the production process is definitely worth seeing.

TONY WHEELER is Lonely Planet’s co-founder. Next month on his wish list: Mongolia. Read more about his travels in Tony Wheeler’s Dark Lands, out this month (Dhs54; Lonely Planet).

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OUR PLANET FREE WORLD

CHICAGO Lonely Planet’s Karla Zimmerman shares her pick of free experiences on offer in the Windy City MILLENNIUM PARK

Downtown’s public-art-studded showpiece is a trove of freebies in summer, with gratis garden tours, no-cost yoga classes and complimentary kids’ activities. But nothing beats the free concerts at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, especially the weekend classical gigs.

Patrons bring wine and picnics to set the scene as the sun dips, the skyscraper lights flicker on, and glorious music fills the twilight (millenniumpark.org).

GREEN CITY MARKET

Stands of purple cabbages, red radishes, green asparagus and other bright-hued produce sprawl through Lincoln Park at Chicago’s biggest farmers’ market. Follow your nose to the free demonstration tent, where local cooks (such as the US Top Chef winner Stephanie Izard) prepare dishes – rice crêpes with a mushroom gastrique (greencitymarket.org).

MONEY MUSEUM

The Frank Gehry-

designed Jay Pop into the gallery inside Pritzker Pavilion in the Federal Reserve Bank Millennium Park of Chicago, and you’ll emerge a bit richer. Literally, as the museum provides a bag of cash to take home (if only it wasn’t shredded), and figuratively, as displays impart knowledge such as who’s on the $10,000 bill. Get a photo of yourself clutching the million-dollar-stuffed briefcase for the ultimate money shot (chicagofed.org).

SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARKS

‘How many fond fools serve mad jealousy?’ The question lingers in the evening air while families huddled on blankets sit rapt before the makeshift stage. The Comedy of Errors, the Bard’s slapstick tale about mistaken identity amid two sets of twins, travels to 18 neighbourhood parks until 25 August and provides the answer free of charge (chicagoshakes.com/parks).

NORTH AVENUE BEACH

Chicago’s most popular strand of sand wafts a southern California vibe. Buff teams spike volleyballs, kids build sandcastles, fit young things run, cycle and rollerblade along the lakefront, and everyone jumps in for a swim when the sun hots up. Bands rock the steamboat-shaped beach house and a short walk on the curving breakwater yields postcard skyline views (cpdbeaches.com).

KARLA ZIMMERMAN is the author of Lonely Planet’s Chicago guide and has lived in and explored the city for more than 20 years.

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From here to there...

Swashbuckling pirates in the Adriatic, dancing in the highlands and African plains and New York gets arty

AND ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD...

O M I S , C R OAT I A

SHIVER ME TIMBERS Take part in a pirate festival! Between the 11th and 13th centuries, the Omis’ pirates were a powerful force in the Adriatic Sea. Every year on 18 August, the town recreates a famous battle with the Venetians. Cannons, boisterous raiding parties and over-eager hearty swaggers all get an outing as the locals celebrate their swashbuckling past. Make a week of it with a Croatian coast cruise (Avast Party Week) with Sail Croatia that takes in various clubs and islands including Hvar, Makarska and Korcula, the birthplace of Marco Polo (sail-croatia.com).

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Korea calling. Do more on your holiday. Spend six nights learning Korean in South Korea. Stay with a local family and dive into local culture, including a ticket to watch the filming of a K-Pop TV show! gokorea.co.uk. Unique Uluru. Any visitors to Australia’s Uluru (Ayers Rock) might want to consider a Sounds of Silence dinner. A camel ride will take you into the desert for a three course meal and chilled Champagne dinner under the stars, accompanied with a local storyteller. ulurucameltours.com.au/ tours/daily-tours. NYC gets crafty.

Conceived by artist Jackson Pollock 83 years ago, the Washington Square Outdoor Festival in New York brings together artisan crafters from all over the world. It will take place this year from 31 August-8 September. wsoae.org. Get your kilt on. The Glenquhart Highland Games (24 August) will showcase the awesome skills of Scots men who can caber toss and hammer throw as well as showing off Scottish dancing and traditional music. And don’t miss the Old Scottish Kilt Race! glenurquhart-highland-games.co.uk. Live from space! Well live from Jodrell Bank, Cheshire, really. The famous British observatory will host a series of bands, including Sigor Ros, (31 August-1 September) who will beam their projections on a 76m telescope, the third largest in the world. With science workshops and talks during the day and bands at night, it’s a geeks’ dream holiday! livefromjodrellbank. com. It began in Africa.

Experience vibrant Zulu life in KwaZuluNatal with the traditional reed dance on 14-15 September. A colourful tribute to local life, more than 10,000 maidens make the procession to the King’s Palace in this rite of passage. zulu.org.za

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EASY TRIPS

Learn to DJ in Oman, eat your way round Brussels, cycle Tuscany and discover dinosaurs on the Isle of Wight

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8 EASY TRIPS

Musandam, Oman Superstar DJs

Get ready for a party, Malawian style

Lilongwe, Malawi African beat

WHY GO NOW? Ever fancied yourself a master on the wheels of steel? Longed to be the next Tiesto? The DJ Dispensary are bringing their bag of tricks and renowned DJs Matty Wainwright, Brendon P and Stephen Day to Six Senses Zighy Bay to teach you how to spin those (digital) discs.

Over four or six nights you’ll have hands on, small group and private lessons in mixing and equipment familiarisation, before taking on a

solo set at the hotel’s Sense from the Edge restaurant on the mountain top behind the resort.

But it’s not all work, work, work – the package also includes sunset dhow cruises, molecular cooking lessons, essential mixology training and plenty of chill time in the luxury spa. Your debut live set will also be video and audio recorded for posterity. Better start practicing your autograph as well as your scratching now!

MAKE IT HAPPEN 4 The DJ Dispensary will be at Six Senses Zighy Bay on 20-27 September and 6-13 December (from Dhs11,624 for a four night course, half board; free Wi-fi; sixsenses.com/resorts/zighybay/).

4 The Musandam border has changed its visa regulations. The hotel will help but they need your visa and passport photo pages, four working days before travel.

WHY GO N OW? When Will Jameson travelled to Malawi on a volunteer programme in 1998, he had no idea that he would fall in love with the country, set up a club night named after the local beer (Chibuku Shake Shake) and found Lake of Stars festival in 2003 on the shimmering shores of Lake Malawi. Well known now as a diverse celebration of local and international music, arts and culture, the festival has moved to capital Lilongwe this year as City of Stars. 10 years old this year, the festival is focusing on the local people more than ever, and acts as the very best ambassador for the potential of Malawian music and arts. A great example of this is one of the first headliners to be announced, duo, The Very Best, a London producer and Malawian artist Esau Mwamwaya, who have played with The XX and Florence & the Machine, amongst others.

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Sense on the Edge restaturant could be the site of your first gig!

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MAKE IT HAPPEN 4 City of Stars festival runs from 27-28 September, based at Sanctuary Lodge, Lilongwe (tickets from Dhs90; lakeofstars.org).

4 Make the most of your trip and add on a beach or bush tour with Wilderness Safaris at a reduced rate (from Dhs4,758; wilderness.mw).

4 Malawi can be found in southeastern Africa, with Lake Malawi separating it from Tanzania and Mozambique.

4 Fly to Lilongwe on Kenya Airways (from Dhs4.385; kenya-airways.com).

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A three course meal on the move in Brussels

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Brussels, Belgium Some like it haute WHY GO NOW? Dining on public transport instantly conjures up images of packaged snacks and yet, the Belgians have managed to find a way to serve passengers a Michelin-starred meal while touring Brussels by tram.

Building on the immense success of last year’s edition, the über unique Tram Experience has returned to the capital. The two-hour journey takes 34 passengers along the city’s most scenic avenues – which they fail to notice as the haute cuisine takes

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centre stage – in a refurbished tramway dating back to the 1960s.

Complete with eccentric lighting and sleek white furnishings, this backdrop sets the tone for the finest of Belgian gastronomy.

Seven Brussels-based chefs have been commissioned to prepare gourmet versions of traditional Belgian dishes with a focus on local produce and seasonal ingredients.

But it’s the little details that prove most memorable in this mini culinary adventure: the tram’s creaks and groans add an element of old-world charm to dining on

the move and the double-takes of people watching the tram pass by are truly priceless.

MAKE IT HAPPEN 4 The tram will take eight weekly trips from Tuesday through Sunday until the end of the year. Each journey includes three courses, amuse-bouches, champagne, wines and water. (Dhs445 per person – booking essential; tramexperience.be).

4 Air France flies from Dubai to Brussels via Amsterdam (from Dhs3,006; airfrance.ae).

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8 EASY TRIPS

Discover the new beating heart of Asia

WHY GO NOW? This once gritty city has re-emerged as a dynamic Asian metropolis – serving as World Design Capital in 2010, a major engine of popculture, and a leading supplier of high-end gadgetry. Seoul’s booming contemporary arts scene, fashionable stores and hip restaurants now rival other Asian hubs such as Tokyo. Its astonishing post-war growth, due primarily to 20

an export fueled economy, has earned the 600-year old city the moniker, “the miracle on the Han.” Upon completion next year, Zaha Hadid’s Dongdaemun Design Plaza aims to be the fashion centre of the Asia-Pacific. The Leeum Samsung Museum of Art houses everything from ancient Korean ceramics to works by Mark Rothko and Anish Kapoor. The Cheongyecheon stream, a formerly neglected water

source that once served as the sewers of the Joseon Dynasty, has been re-imagined as much needed urban park. Located 4.6 m below street level, it creates an oasis of serenity as it weaves through the most hectic parts of the city, connecting in time Seoul’s medieval past with its ultra-bright future. This is a city set for big things, discover it now, before the hordes beat you to it.

MAKE IT HAPPEN 4 Emirates fly direct to Seoul Incheon International Airport (Dhs 4,655; emirates.com).

4 Book into the Park Hyatt Seoul, located in fashionable (and very famous) Gangnam (from Dhs1,400; 995-14, Daechi 3-dong, Gangnam-gu; seoul.park.hyatt.com).

WORDS - NAUSHEEN NOOR

Seoul, South Korea Gangnam style

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8 EASY TRIPS

Tuscany, Italy Road race WHY GO NOW? Tuscany has some of the most beautiful landscapes in all of Europe. It’s gentle rolling hills, olive groves and relaxing hues of lush yellows and greens have seen it become one of the most popular areas in Italy for cycling. This year the RCI Road World Cycling championships are being held in Tuscany, with a finish line in Florence. Two wheel enthusiasts

can view the races for free from the various Tuscan towns, such as medieval Lucca and if you’re inspired to work off some of the Italian cuisine, there are plenty of places to hire bikes and hit the road with a locally guided tour.

MAKE IT HAPPEN 4 La Mezzaluna is a beautiful self catered villa in Lucca which sleeps five (from Dhs8,070 per night; free

Wi-fi; cvtravel.co.uk).

4 Chronobikes in Lucca offer guided bike tours and rent bikes (from Dhs100 per day for rental; chronobikes.com/en/rent-bikeslucca).

4 Fly to Florence from Dubai on KLM (from Dhs4,665; klm.com).

4 Cool off with homemade gelato, Le Bonta serves family recipe stuff (Via C.Castracani 269 Arancio; le-bonta.it).

Become an island fossil hunter

Isle of Wight, UK Walk with dinosaurs WHY GO NOW? The Isle of Wight is the UK’s undisputed dinosaur capital - the fossil version of Jurassic Park - (it’s nicknamed ‘Dinosaur Island’) but this summer you can now walk with the long gone beasts with a new app that combines your holiday pics with the 130 million year old gigantors. The free app is only triggered when you visit six locations on the new walking trails set up to discover dino remains around the island. But if you want to get your hands on the real thing and dig up your own bit of dino, then you can go fossil hunting on this ancient island at either Compton Bay and Yaverland.

Children can also meet life-size versions of the famous creatures at Dinosaur Isle musuem. A 3D movie , Walking With Dinosaurs, is set for global release in December.

Tuscany and its capital Florence gave birth to the Italian Renaissance

MAKE IT HAPPEN 4 Download the dino app (free; visitisleofwight.co.uk).

4 Go on a guided fossil hunt with Martin Simpson, the ‘fossil man’ (Dhs24 per adult, 00 44 1983 740493).

4 Dinosaur Isle is in Sandown (Dhs30; dinosaurisle.com).

4 Fly to London on Emirates (Dhs4,075; emirates.com). Take a hovercraft (Dhs125 per person return; hovertravel.co.uk).

4 Stay at Hillside hotel, an18th century thatched cottage (Dhs 450 per person; free Wi-fi; hillsideventnor.co.uk).

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Berlin, Germany Explosive action and yellow set to the music of Johann Strauss and Jacques Offenbach in two obligatory rounds. The freestyle (we love the idea of freestyle fireworks) round will entail lighting up the city’s sky with 10 minutes of fireworks to music picked by the individual teams within the theme ‘My Country’. Last year, the sheer magnitude of the displays at this dazzling event saw over 60,000 spectators in attendance.

MAKE IT HAPPEN 4 Tickets can be bought online or at the Osttor and Südtor box offices, both of which will open at 2pm on 6-7 September (from

WORDS - SARAH REID

WHY GO NOW? With their fantastic choreography of sounds and colours, there’s just something about fireworks that feels magical no matter how old we get. Hosting some of the biggest and most breathtaking firework displays in the world is Pyronale, also known as the International Fireworks Championship, which is held annually on the outskirts of Berlin.

Taking place from 6-7 September against the imposing backdrop of the Olympic Stadium, it will see six international teams (Croatia, Poland, Finland, Philippines, Greece and Spain) competing with glittering fireworks in purple

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Dhs109 for a standard ticket, Dhs745 for VIP; ticketmaster.de).

4 Get to the event by light rail (S-Bahn); take line S5 to station Olympiastadion. Buy a Berlin WelcomeCard for unlimited travel for 48 or 72 hours or five days; also included are insider tips, tour suggestions, a city map and discounts of up to 50% on over 200 tourist attractions and cultural highlights. Buy one from tourist offices, the airports and S-Bahn stations (Dhs89 for a 48 hour card; visitberlin.de/en/ article/online-shop).

4 Lufthansa flies direct from Dubai (from Dhs2,775; lufthansa.com).

Oooh and aaah in Berlin at the biggest display of fireworks this year

Go for an 18th century stroll

Bath, UK Regency respite WHY GO NOW? Jane Austen remains one of the most loved British writers of all time (and has now been proposed to grace UK currency). This year marks the 200th anniversary since her most famous tome, Pride & Prejudice, hit the shelves. The writer spent much time in Bath, and set Northanger Abbey and Persuasion near by. The Georgian city has changed little since Austen’s day so during the Jane Austen festival you might be forgiven for thinking you were still in the 1800s. Go back in time with the Regency parades, where crowds take to the street in period dress, or attend a masked ball in the Roman Pump Rooms (watch out for Mr Darcy), as well as talks, concerts, etiquette lessons and how to do Regency dress on a budget.

MAKE IT HAPPEN 4 The Jane Austen festival runs 19-27 September (visitbath. co.uk).

4 Fly to Bristol on Air France or KLM (from Dhs4,165; klm.com).

There are plenty of trains between Bristol and Bath (from Dhs42 book in advance; thetrainline.co.uk).

4 Stay in a Georgina townhouse, beautifully renovated into a stylish hotel (from Dhs990; free Wi-fi; thequeensberry.co.uk).

4 Don’t miss the afternoon tea at the Pump Rooms. Ladies of leisure have been coming here for hundreds of years (from Dhs120; romanbaths.co.uk).

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Š photos : Centre de Presse Monaco - G. Luci - G. Mazza - ACM - Ballets de Monte-Carlo - MYS - Sportfot

Life is brighter in Monaco

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nationalities together celebrate

700

events a year In Monaco, not a day goes by without its event, not a day without a memorable gathering.

A crossroads for the Mediterranean. Ideal to begin exploring France and Italy. To be discovered. The stuff of dreams. The Principality of Monaco.

Monaco 1

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It’s a city that needs no introduction, its skyline and the streets below loved by locals and

U N C OV E R E D

The view from 30 Rockefeller Plaza takes in the Empire State Building and, beyond it, One World Trade Center – now New York’s tallest building

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PHOTOCREDIT

WORDS AMY KARAFIN O PHOTOGRAPHS DAN HALLMAN

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visitors alike. But the Big Apple

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still has secrets – you just need to know who to ask

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GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL ‘The key is to look up’

THE AMERICAN FOLK ART MUSEUM ‘Many artists worked in their kitchens’

In an otherwise glossy part of Midtown, just a few doors down from the ever-popular Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), stands the tiny, humble American Folk Art Museum. An eclectic crowd made up of conventional art lovers, edgy artists and craft enthusiasts wanders through, reflecting on an equally diverse collection of exhibits, from 1980s crayon drawings to a towering 19th-century weathervane.

The work here is made by self-taught artists – those who have had no formal training – also called ‘outsider art’ because many of its creators live on the fringes of mainstream society. Self-taught Dwight Mackintosh lived most of his life in mental institutions and painted animals with see-through skin; Judith Scott, an artist with Down’s syndrome, completely covered objects in coloured yarn; a 15,000-page watercolour story about winged beings called ‘Blengigomeneans’ was secretly created by a janitor, Henry Darger.

The work is lauded by some as being more original than the work of artists who follow academic or art-world conventions, and the museum embraces the old as well as the new.

On any given day, you might find 18th-century needlework on display, or early American portraits painted by ‘spirit effect’, in which the artist painted according to a mystical vision of a deceased subject.

According to Stacy C Hollander, the museum’s chief curator, many artists worked at home in their kitchens, or in secret, or without any intention of ever showing their work. This makes for a very different viewing experience than visitors might have at MoMA. ‘People are very moved when they come here, and even I don’t know what causes that reaction,’ says Hollander. ‘The way that most self-taught art is made, in a face-to-face or intimate way, gives it an immediacy. So when you’re looking at it, it’s as if you’re experiencing the moment of making with the artist.’

O Donation appreciated; closed Mon; folkartmuseum.org;

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ABOVE The American Folk Art

Museum features work by early portrait painters and other self-taught artists, with exhibits from the 18th century to the present day

The massive terminal of Grand Central sees more than 500,000 passengers and visitors a day. Even outside rush hour, the arrivals hall is a blur of black coats; from the staircases at either end, the travellers seem to weave a complex fabric as they criss-cross their way between dozens of train platforms.

One man stands unusually still in the midst of the rush, looking upward. Anthony W Robins is a New York City native and historian, and he knows almost all there is to know about the place. He gestures at the zodiac mural on the ceiling, whose light bulbs create a twinkling starscape over the arrivals hall.

It had just been completed in 1913, he explains, when an observant commuter noticed that it was not astronomically correct: the signs were all backwards.

Today, very few people are stopping to look around the Terminal, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. Occasionally, visitors from out of town stop to talk to the wall at the lower level’s ‘whispering gallery’, where acoustics allow sound to travel between opposite corners of the room as if spoken from inches away. But most miss the subtlety of the Beaux-Arts architecture and detailing, with its brass acorn motifs – included as a symbol of Cornelius Vanderbilt, the 19th-century industrial tycoon who bankrolled the terminal’s predecessor.

Outside, Robins points out features on the Terminal’s façade: the number VI on the stainedglass clock is a door that can be opened for repairs.

‘I visited Grand Central a lot as a kid,’ he says, ‘but I only remember the trains – not the station.’

It wasn’t until he was older that he appreciated its architecture. ‘I remember coming back and noticing the details and it was like a third eye opened. I want people to have that experience. The key with New Yorkers,’ he says, ‘is getting them to look up. Once they’ve done that, they’ll get it.’

O Anthony offers tours via anthonywrobins.com. His book is

Grand Central Terminal: 100 Years of a New York Landmark (Dhs156; Stewart, Tabori & Chang); grandcentralterminal.com

RIGHT AND OPPOSITE Anthony W

Robins knows all of Grand Central Terminal’s secrets – from the hidden repair door in the clock, to its flawed zodiac mural ceiling

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N E W YO R K

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TOP OF THE STRAND

‘The view still gets me every time’

subway-tiled dining room – hidden out the back is a huge kitchen garden.

BELOW The restaurant’s kale salad, served with apples and roasted shallots

RIGHT At Top of the Strand, one of the city’s favourite rooftop bars, you can sip drinks while admiring the 102 floors of the nearby Empire State Building

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GOAT TOWN

‘I grow things that I can’t buy better’ At Goat Town’s ‘Oyster Happy Hour’, East Village regulars sip on the restaurant’s signature Ku-Ku Goat cocktail and throw back fresh oysters while a rock anthem by Journey blares out from the recordplayer behind the bar. The restaurant’s name is a modern English translation of ‘Gotham’ – the Anglo-Saxon nickname given to New York City in the 19th century, and later to Batman’s home town – and the space appears very urban and fashionable, with subway tiles, aged wooden floors and arched tin ceilings. But out the back, Goat Town’s true colours are revealed: an 18-bed garden is filled with organic radishes, escarole, fennel, kale and kohlrabi, among other vegetables. Gerardo, the sous-chef, ducks out in his spare moments to monitor the effects of a new compost mix on his sprouting crops, while the owner, Nicholas Morgenstern, is busy pruning. Goat Town is practically a farm, growing around half of the vegetables they serve.

‘I want to grow things that I can’t buy or that I can’t buy better,’ says Morgenstern. ‘I can’t grow a better tomato than I can buy at an organic farm, but I can’t buy radishes of the quality we can produce.

I can’t get good huskberries, so I have to grow them.’

‘It’s like night and day, working with stuff right from the ground compared with store-bought,’ says chef Kelly Hughett. ‘Take kohlrabi. When you order from suppliers, it sits around and gets woody. When you get it super-fresh, it has such a delicate texture and so much more flavour.’ The garden and the menu are planned together, and vegetables star in the dishes, from rocket pappardelle with carrots, fennel and goat’s cheese, to kale salad with apples, roasted shallot and red wine vinaigrette.

It’s all about the taste, of course, but this is New York, so fashion also comes into it: farming is considered ‘in’ at the moment, as are certain ‘superfood’ crops. ‘Kale,’ Nick says, ‘is the ‘it’ vegetable in New York right now.’

O Mains from Dhs66; goattownnyc.com

O Cocktails from Dhs60; topofthestrand.com

PHOTOCREDIT

ABOVE Goat Town’s stylish,

When the elevator doors open on the 21st-floor Top of the Strand rooftop bar, the Empire State Building thrusts itself into view, looking close enough to touch and even taller than its 102 storeys. Its lights – and those of all the many buildings around it – are just starting to glow in a dusky lilac sky. Tonight, the bar is crowded with workers from the neighbouring Garment District, sipping cocktails made with tequila and cardamom. Many of them have shed their brightly coloured stilettos, which sit in pairs on the floor. Others have discarded their jackets to feel the cool spring breeze.

Until the World Trade Center was completed in 1972, the Empire State Building reigned as New York’s tallest for 52 years, and still seems to tower from its site, just four blocks away from The Strand.

Its flood lighting casts a glow over the bar like a private illumination show, changing with holidays (green for St Patrick’s Day), sports events (tennis-ball yellow for the US Open) and memorials (blue to commemorate Frank Sinatra – aka Ol’ Blue Eyes).

The bar has a glass enclosure that keeps the place warm in winter without obstructing the view. But it really shines in spring and summer, when New Yorkers are obsessional about rooftop parties.

Rooftops have long been a refuge from the city’s steamy summers, and the number of such bars in Manhattan is growing. Few of them, however, have the Strand’s prime spot at the foot of the Empire State Building. ‘I’m here so often,’ says waiter Kevin Lewis as he wanders by with a trayful of cocktails, ‘but that view still gets me every time.’

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BARGEMUSIC

‘It’s easier to play Carnegie Hall than to play the Barge’ The pianist’s fingers run delicately over the keys as he plays Beethoven’s Sonata No. 22 in F Major.

Behind him, seagulls fly past the picture window, tugboat horns sing, and the sun sets, casting a lavender glow over the shifting waters of the East River and the Brooklyn Bridge above. Watching the performance, a studious woman reads the score on her iPad; others play air piano on their knees.

A young musician in high-waisted corduroys closes her eyes – later she will swear that the barge rocked in perfect rhythm with the music.

Bargemusic is a small, floating concert hall docked at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge. It’s the brainchild of Olga Bloom, who searched for years for the perfect vessel before finding and then renovating a barge in 1977. Today, it’s considered among New York’s best chamber music venues.

‘Beethoven’s sonatas were written for intimate spaces, so this is really how they’re supposed to be played,’ says pianist Jeffrey Swann. ‘But it’s easier to play Carnegie Hall than to play the Barge.

At Carnegie, you have all those footlights so you can’t see anyone. Here, the audience is sitting five feet from you, so it’s a constant conversation.’

And the East River’s waves can also cause problems.

‘The only technique for playing through the rocking is to concentrate like mad,’ Swann says.

Bloom passed away in 2011, but Bargemusic continues to put on about 220 concerts a year.

Artistic director Mark Peskanov admits the venue does have unique challenges. ‘During Hurricane Sandy,’ he says, ‘everyone thought we would float away, but the barge was the only thing that survived.

We were like the Noah’s Ark of chamber music.’

As he talks, Peskanov idly plays short sections of Bach or gesticulates with his bow. ‘With music, some days you just love it so much, but you know what?

Some days it loves you, too,’ he says. ‘When I’m deciding on the barge’s programme, I think about which pieces the audience would enjoy. But I also think about which music will love them back.’

ABOVE Jeffrey Swann plays

the piano at Bargemusic, a floating concert hall famed for chamber performances.

BELOW Bargemusic is moored on the Brooklyn side of Brooklyn Bridge, near the artsy neighbourhood of Dumbo, and has views across the East River to downtown Manhattan

O Tickets from Dhs138; bargemusic.org

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New York’s Food Carts

‘It’s amazing, the quality you find’

‘The cast mingle with the audience’

In 1935, the grandfather of New York artist and playwright Cynthia Von Buhler was shot, and no culprit was ever charged. Learning of the story decades later, Von Buhler sought answers in old police records, and using an old criminology method, she made tiny dioramas of the murder, complete with dollhouse versions of New York just after the Prohibition era, to work out what happened.

‘It helped,’ she says, but to get inside the heads of the characters, ‘I realised I needed real people.’

The result is a unique interactive play, which tells the known facts about the murder and seeks to solve the mystery. Twice a month, the sprawling Back Room bar in Manhattan’s Lower East Side transforms into a speakeasy, where gin is served in coffee cups and key scenes are played out around the building.

The basement becomes a bakery, where a character called John Guerrieri talks about how he doesn’t see his wife enough. Upstairs, a burlesque show takes place, and outside in the alleyway Frank Spano is finally murdered – audience members are drafted in as pallbearers. Gangsters, burlesque dancers, politicians, floozies, an accordionist and homing pigeons (‘Everyone used pigeons then,’ says Von Buhler) all play some part in the murder story.

The action is free-flowing. Audience members can wander where they like and talk to cast members in order to garner clues. To facilitate the immersion, some evidence is sent out by email beforehand, and everyone is given a role. The suggestion to dress in 1930s style is studiously followed: theatregoers mill about in sequined headbands, fascinators and suspenders. One wears a sailor suit.

It all makes for great theatre, but Von Buhler genuinely is gathering ideas about the crime, and attendees receive an email from her after the show to see if they have any theories. ‘We keep trying new things and learning new information,’ she says.

She is also working on a book about the mystery.

‘Now I have these rich characters that exist on their own, and all I have to do is record them.’ l Tickets from Dhs120; speakeasydollhouse.blogspot.com

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top to bottom Speakeasy Dollhouse is a bi-monthly murder mystery event that recreates 1930s New York in Manhattan’s Back Room bar; participants and performers, like Katie Kat, dress in period costume; in a nod to the time of Prohibition, drinks are served in coffee cups

opposite Bangladeshi chef Meru Sikder runs the Biryani Cart on 46th Street. right His speciality, the chapati-wrapped kati roll, is made either with potato and cauliflower (left), or chicken and caramelised onion (right)

l Food truck tours Dhs180; turnstiletours.com

photocredit

Speakeasy Dollhouse

It’s 1pm and the sidewalks in Midtown Manhattan are overflowing: people in suits rush by, fashion handlers push industrial clothes racks around the Garment District, and co-workers stop for a smoke.

Some are in a hurry; others pause by the side of the footpath to breathe in the delicious scents of onions, tacos, falafel and Korean bibimbap, all emanating from the food trucks peppered throughout the streets. From them snake long queues, made up of people who know that these carts serve up some of the city’s best and cheapest ethnic food.

On West 43rd Street, Rosa Cardosa and her brother Martin cook the food they grew up with in Puebla, Mexico – and that includes the occasional dried-grasshopper quesadilla. When a customer at their truck, El Rey del Sabor (The King of Flavour), says she’s never had tortillas made with pumpkinblossom flour, Rosa exclaims excitedly: ‘You haven’t had flor de calabaza? What?!’ She rushes to prepare the enchiladas. ‘It’s so delicious, just wait.’

‘You can’t get authentic Mexican food like this in most Mexican restaurants,’ says Brian Hoffman, who leads food-cart tours in Manhattan.

‘It’s amazing, the quality you find.’ The food tends to follow immigration trends, he explains, and in particular Middle Eastern, Latin American and Trinidadian food are currently big. ‘Thirty or 40 years ago, there were many Greek food carts. Now a lot of it is halal,’ he says.

A few blocks away on 46th Street, Bangladeshi chef Meru Sikder runs the Biryani Cart, specialising in the chicken ‘kati roll’ – tender grilled chicken and caramelised onion rolled up in a chapati. For an authentic taste, he brings in all of his rice from India: ‘Right now I’m waiting for 2,500 bags of it to get through customs. It’s at some port,’ he says with a laugh, taking it all in his stride. Meru now has a restaurant, but serving up his food on the sidewalk is where his heart is: ‘People don’t even have to order here – I know what they want. Dealing with all the people, that’s what I love.’

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KIOSK

The stairwell leading up to Kiosk is covered in wild-coloured graffiti and band stickers – a reminder of this neighbourhood’s roots. Before SoHo was a gallery, and then shopping, district, it was the domain of starving artists who made brilliant work in abandoned factories. Some of that spirit, in rather tidier form, is holding on at Kiosk, which is nominally a store but mostly an installation.

Neon sculptures illuminate the wares – a giant aluminium salt-shaker from the Netherlands, a soft raw-cotton blanket from India, Portuguese paper hot-air balloons – clustered on mirrored boards, or hanging from colourful chains on the ceiling.

The eclectic items for sale are bought by co-owners Marco Romeny and Alisa Grifo and their team on research trips across the US and around the world: ‘A travel story depicted through objects,’ as they put it. It’s a hodgepodge: there’s candy and pencil sharpeners, a trumpet kazoo, a Japanese cat toy, and combs engraved with French wordplay. On the road, the collectors who source Kiosk’s eclectic range forgo the usual souvenirs, the novel and the pretty, for the ordinary and under-appreciated, like toothpaste or gloves. ‘For our Icelandic collection we visited all these liquorice factories,’ says shop employee Ming Lin. ‘That was fun.’

Some objects also come from nearby, such as a New York doughnut map, or a Shaker onion basket

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from New Hampshire. ‘I keep saying we should do a Canada collection. That’s a seriously underrated country,’ says Ming. ‘Some people are disappointed by our domestic collection – they want exotic stuff – but it’s good to see what’s being made here too.’

O noon–7pm, Mon–Sat; kioskkiosk.com

COMPILED BY AMY KARAFIN. PHOTOGRAPHS: DAN HALLMAN,

‘A travel story told through objects’

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP

Kiosk’s eclectic display includes ephemera from around the world; collaborator Ming Lin; painted wooden figures, made in China, show Americans at work

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LP ME_0813_024-033_NYF2.indd 32 RAFIN is an American writer, editor and translator, and

author of several Lonely Planet guides. She was born in rk City and today calls Brooklyn home.

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MAKE IT HAPPEN

New York The city that never sleeps has something going on at every moment.

Discover quality food carts and Prohibition-style speakeasies, worldclass performances and high-rise views ESSENTIALS

WAYS TO DO IT

Getting there Fly direct to New York City on Emirates (from Dhs6,065; emirates.com). Etihad flies with one change to John F Kennedy airport, New York from Abu Dhabi (from Dhs9,165; etihad.ae).

Getting around The subway is excellent and goes just about everywhere.

A one-way fare is Dhs9, and a seven-day unlimited ticket costs Dhs114 (mta.info).

COMPILED BY AMY KARAFIN. PHOTOGRAPHS: DAN HALLMAN, LEBRECHT MUSIC & ARTS PHOTO LIBRARY/ALAMY, MATT MUNRO

Further reading Lonely Planet’s New York City guide (Dhs90) has detailed coverage on what to see and do. Pocket New York City (Dhs48) is a more compact look at the city, while Discover New York City (Dhs90) is full of lovely colour photos.

Climate

Campbell Apartment at Grand Central Terminal

Tucked-away Burger Joint

Budget

The prestigious Philharmonic

Mid-range BARGAIN!

Skyline views at The Surrey

Luxury

A park made from an abandoned stretch of elevated railroad track, the High Line offers a unique perspective on the city (admission free; thehighline.org).

The New York Philharmonic’s rehearsals (mostly in the mornings) are fascinating, and even better in some ways than the performances (rehearsal tickets Dhs72; nyphil.org).

Subversive and hilarious, the Tony Award-winning musical Book of Mormon tells the story of two naïve Mormons (tickets from Dhs270; bookofmormonbroadway.com).

Sleep

Many NYC locals rent out their apartments on Airbnb. It can be a great budget option and a way to explore the city. Be sure to read the user reviews (from Dhs180; airbnb.com).

At Bubba & Bean Lodges on Lexington Ave there are simply furnished guest rooms, with hardwood floors and navy linen, and a youthful feel (from £100; free Wi-fi; bblodges.com).

The Surrey, off Madison Ave, is all about luxury. Walls sport blue-chip artists and the ‘salons’ have verycomfortable beds (from Dhs2,100; free Wi-fi; thesurrey.com).

Eat

Burger Joint hides behind a curtain in the lobby of the Le Parker Meridien hotel. Inside are graffitied walls, retro booths and burger brilliance (burgers Dhs30; parkermeridien.com).

Perennially crowded Amy Ruth’s in Harlem serves classic soul food: fried catfish, mac ‘n’ cheese and waffles dished up 13 different ways (mains from Dhs51; amyruthsharlem.com).

Sublime vegetarian Korean food is the draw at high-achieving Hangawi. Try the amazing leek pancakes and tofu in ginger sauce (mains from Dhs66; hangawirestaurant.com).

Drink

Buy a beer at Williamsburg’s Alligator Lounge and you get a whole free pizza. This deal draws a mixed crowd, especially at happy hour (beers from Dhs15; alligatorloungebrooklyn.com).

In a corner of Grand Central, Campbell Apartment was once a railroad magnate’s office. No expense has been spared in its ’20s-era restoration (beers from Dhs33; hospitalityholdings.com).

Charming Little Branch lurks behind a brown door, feeling like a throwback to Prohibition, with its inventive, old-timey cocktails (cocktails from Dhs48; 00 1 212 929 4360; 20 Seventh Ave S).

See

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BUZZ ON THE BOSPHORUS

You’ve done Istanbul’s Old City and taken in over 2,000 years of history but now what? After dark this ancient city comes to life with supperclubs, superclubs, rooftop bars and amazing restaurants. You just need to know where to look WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHS GEORGINA WILSON-POWELL

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I S TA N B U L

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19TH CENTURY SULTANS MADE DO WITH TORCHLIT CELEBRATIONS AT CIRAGAN PALACE, BEFORE THEM IN TOPKAPI PALACE, PARTIES WERE LIT WITH CANDLES STUCK TO THE SHELLS OF GIANT TORTOISES

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I S TA WNABLU E SL

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HEN FATIH SULTAN MEHMET successfully lay siege to the city in 1423, killing off the Roman Empire in this part of the world and replacing it with Ottoman rule, he allegedly declared, ‘Either I conquer Istanbul or Istanbul conquers me’.

It’s understandable to know how he felt. The city today is a vast sprawling metropolis that is home to nearly 14 million people. The hills that surround the city’s central suburbs are full to bursting with villas, apartments and tenement towers, the skyline in every direction is disrupted by thin minarets that pierce the blue sky, along with their modern counterpart, the antennae.

Once you’ve ticked off your must see list in Sultanhmet or the Old City (see page 46 for ours), it’s hard to know where to start when it comes to the rest of Istanbul. We all know the city’s inhabitants love a party, but where do they go?

Sat between the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus is Beyoglu. A hundred years ago this area was called Pera. It was the administrative, retail and artistic heart of a city on the cusp of becoming a Republic.

Agatha Christie and Ernest Hemingway were fond of the area (see Where to Stay below) and it’s not hard to see why with its grand buildings and mix of wide avenues and interesting backstreets. The rest of the 20th Century wasn’t so kind to this suburb, despite its central location and home to Galata Tower, a squat round cone that juts above the myriad of roofs.

It can be seen clearly from Sultanhmet (some people mistake Beyoglu for Asia as it’s across the water).

Built in 1348 by the Genoese, it was used as a watchtower by the Ottomans, and now is best used as a beacon guiding you across Galata Bridge in search of fun.

Just up from the tower sits Tünel Square. Dive off a side street here and you’ll find a rabbit warren of cobbled streets and endless bars. The Social House sits in an enclosed courtyard carved out between

ISTANBUL WHERE TO STAY

Jumeirah Pera Palace Built in 1823, this is a recent addition to Jumeirah’s chain.

A pretty al-fresco terrace offers a quiet respite from the busy streets and it also features an ‘Ataturk’ museum room as the country’s former leader used to stay often.

Don’t miss the original 19th century lift. (Dhs1,235; free Wi-fi; jumeirah.com).

Galata Tower now marks the start of the trendy Begolyu district

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I S TA N B U L two buildings and is busy day and night with groups of locals. If you want something more intense, bars line the smaller streets and come 10pm, revelers spill out into the graffitied narrow lanes and the entire area feels like one large al-fresco party.

Moving further back from Galata still, Istikal Avenue is the lifeline of this area and Istanbul’s main shopping street. An old funicular links it to Taksim Square at the top and Tünel at the bottom. While the shops and restaurants on Istikal (as it’s known) are nothing to write home about, dive down a street such as Kumbaraci Yokusu and you’ll find tiny coffee shops in the downstairs of terraced houses where you can sit on the pavement on the small stools Turks love so much and chat through the open window to the staff inside. Venture off Istikal further up towards Taksim and you’ll come across random courtyards hidden away full of tea shops doing a brisk trade in the strong sweet glasses of tea as locals smoke like chimneys and gesture away furiously.

While Istikal still sees a lot more tourists, head into the heart of what was Pera to find some truly wonderful restaurants. Mikla has been at the top of Istanbul’s fine dining game for the last eight years and it’s not hard to see why. A small but inventive menu offers modern Ottoman-Medittereran cuisine such as smoked and dried beef with humus and serves up deliciously light Turkish wines. It’s hidden away on the top floors of a nondescript hotel (Mesrutyiyet Cad; miklarestaurant.com), and the attached roof bar (complete with decks and stylish cocktails) is the place to be seen around here. It’s also got the best view this side of the river. Watch the sun go down on Galata Tower and the Old City and know that for now Istanbul has definitely conquered you.

But those still up for a battle of wills with the city need to head further away from its heart and up the banks of the Bosphorus. The modern city keeps on going and so does the nightlife. The further away from the Old City, the more glam things seem to get.

The dying gasps of the Ottoman empire can be seen along this ‘golden mile’ of clubs, restaurants,

ISTANBUL WHERE TO STAY

Ciragan Palace, Kempinski The A-lister hotel of choice; Bono, Madonna (and Orlando Bloom while we were there) have booked into the beautifully restored 19th century suites.

The city’s movers and shakers can be seen on the afternoon terrace or the al-fresco smoking bar. (Dh1,920; free Wi-fi; kempinski.com).

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palaces and cafes in Besiktas and Ortakoy. These suburbs sprawl along the side of one of the world’s busiest waterways, but yet a world away from the container and freighter ships conducting slow dances round each other on their way to and from the Black Sea. Tree lined wide avenues are almost permanently gridlocked so think about taking a tram to Kabatash and then walking or catching a bus to Dolmabache or Ciragan.

Ciragan Palace (now a hotel, see Where to Stay below) was built for the Ottoman Sultans in 1719; it hosted the Turkish Parliament in 1909 before succumbing to a fire in 1910. It took nearly over 70 years for this grandiose building to be restored, and its revival spurred a renewal in this area that has seen some of the most exclusive clubs and restaurants open along the coast.

The Palace is now home to one of the city’s best Ottoman restaurants called Tugra and lucky diners can sit outside on the old balcony and gaze over the edge of Asia as you embrace the evening. It looks nothing like the Asia that is conjured up in an imagination – all Far East exotica and Hong Kong hills – rather it looks just like a reflection of the European bank. But just over the jazzily lit Bosphorus Bridge is the start of a new continent and really, the rest of Turkey.

Ten minutes further up the coast, the pretty pedestrian square and cobbled streets of Ortakoy are perfect for a sundowner. While the area immediately surrounding the seafront mosque is a hive of tourist style bars with roof terraces and overly attentive waiters, hit one of the side streets and find quieter bars on the seafront (Zuma Istanbul is one); which can offer amazing views level with the banks of the Bosphorus. The river generally rides high and from sitting so close it almost looks like Istanbul should be on permanent flood alert.

Take the main road that winds along the river out of Ortakoy, Muallim Naci Cad, strung along the coast are the Turkish superclubs. This is where the serious playboys, Eurotrash princes, skinny A-listers and yacht party princesses come to conquer the city in style. A drive past reveals shadily lit doorways and one word names – Reina, Sortie, Crystal and Supperclub (a branch of the one just opened in Dubai). These entrances lead down to huge open air clubs that use the busy Bosphorus as a backdrop.

And be ready to drop some serious cash. Dress smart – veering towards over the top, make a dinner reservation, cross your fingers and you might get in.

While the 19th century Sultans made do with torchlit celebrations at Ciragan Palace, before them in Topkapi Palace, parties were lit with candles stuck to the shells of giant tortoises, these decadent soirees come complete with strobes, dancefloors and an alarming love of mirrors. Nothing happens before midnight, so be prepared for a long night. The city won’t need to lay siege to your emotions to win you over. Even a short weekend is enough to be conquered by the sights, smells and sounds of one of the greatest cities on earth.

Because of Istanbul's recent protests, do check your government's official travel advice before you book your trip and be more aware of the local atmosphere when in town.

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THE MODERN CITY KEEPS ON GOING AND SO DOES THE NIGHTLIFE. THE FURTHER AWAY FROM THE OLD CITY, THE MORE GLAM THINGS SEEM TO GET

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP

The tram moves down Istikal Avenue, Galata Tower offers some shade to nearby medieval streets; a local vendor sells traditional Turkish pretzels, carpets for sale in the Old City

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MAKE IT HAPPEN

ISTANBUL One of the world’s most ancient cities still has plenty to attract the modern traveller, especially those who have hefty appetites for a bustling nightlife ESSENTIALS Getting there Fly to Ataturk airport, Istanbul with Etihad direct from Abu Dhabi. Flight time is a reasonable 4.5 hours and business class seats lie flat for those that want to sleep (from Dhs2,185 Coral Economy, Dhs7,935 Pearl Business; etihad.ae).

Getting around Taxis are everywhere and start at Dhs7. The easiest way to navigate between Sultanhmet and the other sides of the Bosphorus is on the tram. One way tokens are Dhs6 or top up cards are in theory available, but hard to find.

9 SIGHTS YOU CAN’T LEAVE WITHOUT SEEING The sprawling Grand Bazaar up behind Sultanhmet is worth getting lost in. Streets of fabric sellers (below) precede the ancient arched hallways home to spices, gold, jewels and carpets since the 15th century. Make sure you bring your haggle face!

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The point from which all Roman roads across the empire used to be measured is the Milion column, erected in 20 BC by the Emperor Augustus.

Easily ignored now, it sits on the corner by the Istanbul cisterns and is one of the oldest columns in town overall.

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Further reading Read the Lonely Planet Istanbul guide (Dhs90; lonelyplanet.com). Check istanbuleats.com for up to date restaurant reviews.

Climate

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The Basilica Cisterns are the place to cool off. Built in the sixth century by the Byzantines who used old Roman rubble to orchestrate drinking water down from the hills – don’t miss the upside down Medusa head (Dhs21; yerebatan.com).

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Spend an afternoon in Sultanhmet’s Topkapi Palace, where the Sultans including Ibrahim the Mad ruled and romped in utter splendour. The gorgeous harem (left) is worth the separate entrance price, just be prepared to queue to get in (Dhs79; topkapipalace.com).

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The six minarets of the Blue Mosque can be seen standing tall from all over the Old City. Get a decent view of this ancient building from the reasonably priced rooftop restaurant of Seven Hills hotel (Tevkifhane Sokak; sevenhillshotel.com).

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Don’t miss out on the Galata Bridge. Yes you can go across by tram, but get off before it and stroll under the road and you’ll find a row of cheap but oh so good fish restaurants, cooking whatever has just landed in their nets.

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Haghia Sophia started life as a cathedral (built in 537 AD

by Emporer Justinian) but was turned into a mosque

by Fatim Sultan Mehmet in 1453 when the city fell to the Islamic invaders. It remains absolultely stunning and a must see (Dhs42; hagiasophia.com).

Get off at Sirkeci tram station and you’ll find the old end of the line station for the Orient Express. The famous train glided into town from London via Budapest. The train station still has an original waiting room and small museum that have been recently restored.

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It’s not all history here.

Discover the contemporary city at Istanbul Modern, Turkey’s first modern art gallery in a converted warehouse. Impressive exhibitions in all media and a decent café (Dhs30; istanbulmodern.org).

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Norway T h e P e r f e c t Tr i p

This country doesn’t do nature on a small scale: it is a land of earth-shattering glaciers, fjords of epic proportions and innumerable coastal islands still scarcely touched by civilisation WORDS CHRISTA LARWOOD O PHOTOGRAPHS JUSTIN FOULKES

The Kjeaasen family's farm, overlooking the Hardangerfjord, the third largest fjord in the world

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THE PERFECT TRIP Norway

Your trip mapped out Traverse Norway’s dramatic landscape via train, boat and car, taking in one of the world's great rail journeys from capital Oslo to the historic port of Bergen, venturing on to sail the unspoilt islands of Solund, before gazing in wonder at the awesome views of the mighty Aurlandsfjord and Hardangerfjord

SOLUND ARCHIPELAGO Best for islandhopping AURLANDSFJORD Best for fjord views Escape the bustle of modern life and hop aboard the postal boat to explore Norway’s far-flung island communities.

OSLO TO BERGEN RAILWAY Best for rail adventures

Teeter over the edge of Stegastein viewpoint, if you dare, to experience the sensation of hovering above one of Norway’s great vistas.

BERGEN Best for history

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Explore rickety Bryggen wharf, once one of Europe's great trading centres, now a buzzing collection of waterside shops, galleries and restaurants.

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HARDANGERFJORD Best for mountain life

Visit the traditional farming families preserving an ancient, and precarious, way of life.

MAP ILLUSTRATION: ALEXANDRE VERHILLE

A marvel of engineering endeavour, this famed route powers its way through the mountains, fjords and glaciers of a diverse and dramatic land.

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OSLO TO BERGEN RAILWAY

Best for rail adventures

miles into your trip: 0 Depart from Oslo Central Station.

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The train pulls out of Oslo Central Station and begins its journey west. With the passing miles, the city’s stern-looking apartments and office buildings dwindle, and the landscape softens into farmland, broad and green in the mid-morning light, punctuated with clapboard farmhouses painted red and mustard-yellow.

The Oslo to Bergen railway is one of the world’s most scenic journeys, stretching 308 miles through some of Norway’s most spectacular landscapes. Passengers press to the windows, cameras in hand. But this is also a route for commuters, and dozens pay no heed to the surrounds, tapping at laptops or nodding off. One, in a seeming insult to the increasingly glorious views streaming by, dons a sleeping mask.

Soon the window glass becomes cool to touch as the train climbs more than 1,000 metres into a bare, otherworldly landscape of boulders and snowdrifts, navigating beautiful but treacherous mountain country through high passes and tunnels hewn from solid rock. The railway was lauded as an engineering marvel when it opened in 1909 and it remains a striking homage to the chutzpah of its creators.

At Finse station, passengers climb down to the platform with packs and sturdy boots, their breath visible in the cold mountain air. The village is little more than a series of railway buildings in a bowl created by the Hardangervidda mountains; along one side, the smooth white lip of the Hardangerjøkulen glacier seems to flow across the rocky expanse like cream.

Finse is the highest mainline rail station in Europe, at 1,222 metres, and was founded as a camp for ‘rallars’ (navvies).

Thousands of these workers burrowed through the mountains with hand tools and explosives, cleared land and laid tracks, often working in appalling conditions. So dirty and desperate did the men become that they attempted to remove the omnipresent lice by smearing warm dynamite on their skin – particularly hazardous when working by candlelight.

It’s perhaps not surprising that 63 workers were killed during the 34 years of the railway’s construction. According to Nicolay Lange-Nielsen, an actor and director from Oslo, the hardy, flint-faced

rallars are national heroes and should be celebrated. ‘Great explorers like Amundsen reached the Poles and all the stories are told about these feats,’ he says, ‘but these rallars were in similarly extreme conditions – and they weren’t just planting a flag. It’s maddening that this is an untold story.’

Nicolay is attempting to redress this in an unexpected way – by staging an opera about the rallars told through Norwegianlanguage arias. He bustles about the ‘theatre’ – the cold, dark shed near Finse station, housing the Rallarmuseet (Navvies’ Museum). ‘It's an impossible task,’ he says, grinning, ‘but we can’t give up. This is Norway's Great Wall of China – people should know how it came into being.’

From Finse, the train descends into the valleys of western Norway, with rich green farmland and flowing rivers, masked and revealed by thick stands of pine trees that blur as the train hurtles by. It follows the gentle curves of the glassy Osterfjord, so still as to reflect perfectly the scudding clouds above. At length, the train begins to pass clusters of houses, building up gradually into the centre of Bergen, where it comes to rest under the vast cylindrical glass roof of the main railway station.

The passengers who’ve spent the journey pressed to the windows have a dazed look of scenic overload. Others stir and stretch into wakefulness, bleary-eyed and seemingly unaware of the sights that have just passed them by.

FURTHER INFORMATION O nsb.no O For information about Finse’s 2013 opera performances, visit finse1222.no.

ABOVE Some of Norway’s most

dramatic scenery unfolds along the Oslo–Bergen railway

WHERE TO STAY AND EAT

Finse 1222 This excellent hotel could scarcely be more convenient – it’s on Finse's station platform.

Rooms are simply furnished, with views of the Hardangerjøkulen glacier. Belying its remoteness, the hotel restaurant serves up exceptionally good food: warming soups and hearty dishes such as lamb sourced from nearby farms, as well as homemade bread (from Dhs810; free Wi-fi; finse1222.no).

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THE PERFECT TRIP Norway

BERGEN

Best for history miles into your trip: 308 arrive at the west coast city of Bergen after a journey of 7 hours.

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Late afternoon sunlight slants across the face of Bryggen, Bergen’s ancient trading wharf, giving a golden glow to the steepleroofed warehouses painted in bright shades of orange and dusky pink. They lean at angles, jostling for space with their neighbours. Once, the wooden buildings were crammed with barrels of unsalted codfish. Today, art galleries, craft shops and restaurants have taken up residence.

Groups crowd around small tables at an outdoor bar clutching bottles of beer, while others wander the shadowy alleys between the buildings, walking on creaking wooden planks laid out like the deck of a ship.

For some 400 years, until the mid-18th century, this wharf was an important centre of trade for the mighty German merchant outfit, the Hanseatic League, which traded fish and lamp oil to cities across Europe. It’s now a World Heritage site comprising 61 buildings. This quaint cluster of aged timber stretches along the northern side of Bergen’s harbour, a world apart from the shiny modern office buildings across the water.

‘It has always been that way, the separation between this wharf and the rest of the town,’ Torleif Skage says as he expertly negotiates Bryggen’s warren of walkways. A teacher, youth worker and occasional guide, Torleif has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the city and is easily followed, even as dusk approaches, thanks to his fluorescent green trousers.

During the time of the Hanseatic League, Bryggen had its own customs and laws. ‘It was an almost exclusively male settlement,’ he says, ‘and none of the Germans were allowed to have any contact with Bergen women. Of course, it did happen from time to time and the man was punished. And the woman was thrown into the fjord.’ He grins. ‘But it was quite shallow, so she would just swim home.’

Torleif points out a wooden building known as a schøtstue, or ‘assembly room’, where apprentice merchants would gather to drink beer and stage violent games and initiations. ‘One was known as the smoking game,’ he says. ‘A boy would be suspended over a boiling pot of mixture used by tanners [containing lime, urine and faeces], and would breathe in the fumes until green in the face. They would

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also keelhaul each other [dragging beneath a boat] in the fjord, then there would be whipping and nakedness. There was always a lot of that for some reason.’

At the rear of the complex, signs of reconstruction are evident and wooden foundations exposed. The marshy ground has led to several buildings sinking, causing structural destabilisation, along with a picturesque leaning. Original building methods and hand tools are being utilised, and craftsmen from all over the world are coming to learn how to restore wooden buildings, continuing the proud Bryggen tradition of training apprentices.

Back at the wharf’s colourful façade, Torleif gestures upward. ‘These buildings have been the entrance to Bergen for the last 600 years, so it’s a big part of our city’s identity,’ he says.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP

The gabled buildings of Bryggen wharf; Bryggen at sunset; small wooden figureheads are used to advertise a shop’s wares; brightly painted houses up the hill in Bergen’s suburbs

FURTHER INFORMATION O visitbergen.com

WHERE TO STAY

Det Hanseatiske Hotel The Hanseatic Hotel keeps true to the roots of its ancient warehouse building, with exposed-timber walls and low-beamed ceilings. Add in plenty of rich furnishings and each room has the feel of a luxurious merchant’s quarters brought up to date with modern design (from Dhs810; free Wi-fi; dethanseatiskehotel.no).

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SOLUND ARCHIPELAGO

Best for islandhopping Mile marker: 407 From Bergen, take a 2-hour trip to Krakhella by boat, then jump on a bus for a 20-minute ride to Hardbakke. The postal boat departs from here, bound for Solund’s many tiny islands.

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The faraway hum of an engine can be heard on the breeze and Anne Marie Gåsvær emerges from her cottage, wandering down to a small wooden jetty to wait. The island she calls home is Gåsvær, named after her husband’s family, who have lived for hundreds of years on this small grassy rock.

From a hill above the harbour, the view is clear to the horizon, the ocean surface scattered with countless small granite lumps and the craggy mountains of distant islands. Several of the closer, green-fringed outcrops are topped with Anne Marie’s hardy sheep, which occasionally swim from one rock to another in search of more tough island grass, salted with spray.

The source of the engine noise – the jaunty blue-and-white MS Stjernsund – approaches, weaving deftly between the islets and into the pale aquamarine waters of the harbour. This vessel doubles as a postal boat and passenger service, and it’s a lifeline for the tiny communities spread out among Solund’s 1,700 islands, as well as the Askvoll archipelago farther north.

It arrives daily in the warmer months,

bringing visitors, news and mail – and, in Anne Marie’s case, her son David, the young postman himself. She welcomes the boat and ushers its half-dozen passengers into a nearby fisherman’s shed for an afternoon tea of crêpes drizzled with melted butter and heaped with sugar.

The boat’s journey begins from the island of Sula at the mouth of the Sognefjord, north of Bergen. Departing from the pretty harbour at Hardbakke, it plots a course through narrow channels and around sharp headlands. The landscape changes suddenly from island to island: one rugged and dramatic, sheared by ocean winds, another with perfect sheltered bays and gentle hills dotted with bright red houses. At each stop, David leaps from the boat to place the mail in dockside letterboxes or to pass it into the hand of a waiting island resident.

Roar Moe walks with a rangy stride to the dock on the beautiful curved harbour of his island, Little Færøy, greeting the boat’s crew with a familiar shout. Roar is the island’s only resident and has been living here alone for more than a decade, restoring classic boats and running wilderness skills workshops for schools.

‘It’s the lifestyle I choose,’ he says. ‘I want my life to be as slow and lonely as possible.

It’s so beautiful here – it’s a privilege.’ An appearance by Roar on television recently led to a flood of letters from amorous female fans offering to join him on his lonely island – he refused them all.

‘It’s so important, especially in these modern times, for people to experience nature – to really feel it,’ he says. ‘Most areas along the coast are filled with heavy industry, but not this part. Out on these islands you can see the original landscape,

FROM TOP Fishing has been essential to communities on islands such as Gåsvær; Roar Moe restoring a boat on Little Færøy; houses cling to the rocks of Norway’s westernmost islands

WHERE TO STAY

Solund Leilegheitshotell A series of comfortable apartment-style rooms designed for self-catering, each with a kitchenette. Located on a hilltop close to the dock at Hardbakke, it has fine views over Sula island and often holds exhibitions of local photographers’ and artists’ works (from Dhs660; free Wi-fi; internatet.com).

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HARDANGERFJORD

Best for mountain life

miles into your trip: 682 Drive southwest from Aurland through the town of Voss and south to Bruravik in a journey of 69 miles, notable for its long mountain tunnels. Catch the ferry across Hardangerfjord to the small dock at Brimnes; from here, it’s an easy 10-minute drive east to Eidfjord.

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Best for fjord views miles into your trip: 611 Return to Bergen in 2 hours via the boat from Hardbakke, then take the road east in your hire car, driving 105 miles via glass-still lakes and green mountain scenery until reaching the Aurlandsfjord coast.

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‘It’s impossible to improve on this pristine environment, so we tried to add something to the experience, not the landscape,’ says architect Todd Saunders. He nods at his creation, the smooth wooden shelf of the Stegastein viewpoint, stretching out from a high mountainside.

The broad sweep of the Aurlandsfjord lies below, a southerly offshoot of the mighty Sognefjord, with steep, snow-dusted mountain walls rising straight up and curving into the distance. The scene took millions of years to perfect, as gargantuan fingers of glacial ice tore inexorably through the landscape, leaving a chasm of steep rock, part-filled with an expanse of seawater. Today, the water is so calm that, as a boat passes through the fjord, its wake fans out for hundreds of metres behind it like a bridal train of clear blue.

The timber walkway juts out 30 metres from the mountain wall before plunging suddenly downward in an elegant curve, leaving viewers suspended over a 650metre drop, with only a pane of glass in place to prevent a tumble. Several visitors approach the edge, only to scurry back or grasp at the security of the glass panel, some with small squeals of alarm.

The viewpoint was created by Todd and fellow architect Tommie Wilhelmsen in 2006, one of a series of architectural projects built in scenic areas across Norway, from the rugged Trollstigen plateau to the windswept Lofoten islands.

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‘When you’re driving around this amazing landscape, you can become numb to how powerful it is,’ Todd says. ‘We wanted to make it so that when you walk out on the platform, you feel fragile and tiny. It makes you look around and really experience how enormous and beautiful the place is.’

He gives a grin. ‘I love coming up here to see how people react. Usually I just hear “Holy shit!” in about 15 different languages.’

He laughs and nods to where a couple are daring each other to inch closer to the edge, shrieking with laughter, while another pair stands nearby, leaning calmly over the lip of the glass to take in the full extent of the magnificent fjordlands below.

FURTHER INFORMATION O aurlandsfjord.com O nasjonaleturistveger.no ABOVE, FROM LEFT Stegastein viewpoint; architect Todd Saunders.

OPPOSITE The viewpoint overhanging Aurlandsfjord

WHERE TO STAY & EAT

Fretheim Hotel This 19th-century wooden farmhouse sits on a scenic location at the head of a fjord inlet in Flåm. The building has been modernised with a vast glass atrium and new wing, so guests can choose to stay in stylish new rooms or in the historic quarters. The excellent restaurant serves up the likes of pan-fried halibut with a thyme white wine sauce (rooms from Dhs1,050; free Wi-fi; fretheimhotel.no).

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Morning breaks over vast Hardangerfjord, sending shafts of soft light across hillsides ribbed with the orderly lines of orchards.

The area’s rich soil has drawn fruit growers for some 800 years, and the dawn light picks out the bright red rounds of apples, shining with dew. Above, perched on a cliff that rises 600 metres straight up are the traditional mountain farms of Kjeåsen.

At one time, Norway’s fjords were lined with mountain farms, with families raising sheep and planting crops on small, sharply inclining plots. Today, the majority are no longer working, with farmers having sought a more prosperous life elsewhere, but family pride in the traditions remains strong.

Alvhilda Kjeaasen, a tall, elderly woman, gets ready for a day of overseeing her old farm, preparing the waffles and hot coffee she’ll serve to visitors who might come by.

Soon enough, the first arrive. Some stop to chat, taking a seat in a sparse wood-walled front room and learning a little about the area’s history. Most, however, simply bypass the farmhouse and head to the edge of the property to take in the glorious views.

The bright blue waters of the fjord pool beneath cliff edges and rushing streams are bordered by high, grassy mountain walls, shot through with white seams of waterfalls.

‘I often have to call them back if they go the wrong way,’ Alvhilda says, keeping one eye out for errant walkers. ‘There are some nasty places to fall down around here.’

While the property has not been actively cultivated since the early ’60s, the traditions of Alvhilda’s family stretch back 400 years, and she remembers all the stories of her forebears. The farm’s scenic and isolated location came at a high price.

With no roads to the clifftop built until 1974, and no way to transport goods up to the farm by cart or pulley, all supplies had to be carried on the family’s backs, from food and tools to livestock, with sheep and calves slung across shoulders and carried 530 metres up a steep cliffside path. When the farmers had goods to trade, they would load up a boat and row to the markets of Bergen – a journey of some 130 miles – and back again.

WORDS: CHRISTA LARWOOD, STUART BUTLER, ANTHONY HAM, MILES RODDIS. PHOTOGRAPHS: VIGELAND MUSEUM, EIVIND RØHNE, MUSEUM OF CULTURAL HISTORY, UNIVERSITY OF OSLO, TWO LITTLE GIRLS WITH BLUE APRONS, 1904-1905, MUNCH MUSEUM/MUNCH-ELLINGSEN GROUP/BONO 2013

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Norway Before you head off to see Mother Nature, spend a few days exploring gateway city, Oslo. You’ll discover a thriving café and bar culture and world-class museums, galleries and restaurants The gable-roofed shops of Bryggen Wharf, Bergen ESSENTIALS

WAYS TO SEE OSLO

WORDS: CHRISTA LARWOOD, STUART BUTLER, ANTHONY HAM, MILES RODDIS. PHOTOGRAPHS: VIGELAND MUSEUM, EIVIND RØHNE, MUSEUM OF CULTURAL HISTORY, UNIVERSITY OF OSLO, TWO LITTLE GIRLS WITH BLUE APRONS, 1904-1905, MUNCH MUSEUM/MUNCH-ELLINGSEN GROUP/BONO 2013

Getting there Fly to Oslo with Qatar Airways from Dubai and go via Doha (from Dhs3,610; qatarairways. com). From Abu Dhabi fly with Etihad with a stop in Brussels (from Dhs4,055; etihad.ae).

Getting around Oslo has an excellent public transportation system, with an extensive network of trains and trams (single tickets from Dhs21; ruter.no/en). For explorations throughout Norway, it’s a good idea to hire a car (from Dhs210 per day; rhinocarhire.com).

Further reading Lonely Planet’s Norway (Dhs84) gives a comprehensive guide to the country. The tourist website visitnorway.co.uk is a good resource for planning your trip and includes a list of places to stay as well as restaurants.

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Chocolate tones at Grand Hotel

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Vigeland Park is an open-air showcase of work by Norway’s best-loved sculptor, Gustav Vigeland, with more than 200 works in granite and bronze (free; vigeland.museum.no).

At Oslo’s Viking Ship Museum, three of the best-preserved 9th-century Viking ships in the world are displayed, excavated from the Oslofjord region (Dhs36; khm.uio.no/english).

Munch Museum houses thousands of works by Edvard Munch, such as Two Little Girls With Blue Aprons (right) (Dhs60; munch. museum.no).

Sleep

Homely Ellingsens Pensjonat is one of the best deals in the capital. It is housed in a building from 1890 and is full of period features (from Dhs600; free Wi-fi;Wiellingsenspensjonat.no).

Grims Grenka (right) has stylish rooms, a bar, and Asian-fusion restaurant (from Dhs900; free Wi-fi; grimsgrenka.no).

The Grand Hotel has long been considered the most elegant hotel in Oslo, and the rooms are luxuriously appointed without being overdone (from Dhs1,320; free Wi-fi; grand.no).

Café Sara (right) serves Norwegian and international dishes. Try the meat stew with potatoes, corn and rice (from Dhs66; cafesara.no).

On the side street of Hegdehaugsveien, near the centre of town, is the lively Rust.

It’s great for burgers, salads or tapas late into the night (mains from Dhs90; rustoslo.com).

Feinschmecker (meaning ‘foodie’) is a modern take on classic Norwegian dishes, such as crayfish soup and lamb with wild mushrooms (mains from Dhs270; feinschmecker.no).

By day, The Tea Lounge offers steaming brews, but at night it becomes one of the coolest bars in Oslo, with a great cocktail list and atmosphere (tea from Dhs36; tealounge.no).

Bar Boca is a tiny and has just five tables. Squeeze in and you’ll discover retro ’50s décor and some heady cocktails (cocktails from Dhs78 Thorvald Meyers Gate 30; 00 47 22 04 13 77).

Palace Grill is a New Orleans– style bar crowded with wellheeled Oslo regulars. It’s known for its live music, great restaurant and wine cellar (glass of wine from Dhs66; palacegrill.no).

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A proud Viking ship on display

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The Masai Mara is a rich and verdant land, full of rivers and plenty of wildlife

Tales from the KENYA’S FAMOUS SAFARI DESTINATION IS A REVELATION IN NATURE

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K E N YA

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HEN I THINK OF African safaris I think of wide empty plains, literally no variety in the flora and have the echo of childhood disappointment in not seeing the uncontrollable wildlife. I spent enough time as a kid on ‘safaris’ in countries that stretched this term to the limit. Sat in damp cars, with the windows wound tightly shut, nose against the foggy glass, trying to catch a glimpse of anything even remotely alive.

Here, in Kenya, crossing the Masai Mara Nature Reserve on what is essentially our airport transfer, we tick off everything I hoped to see in the first hour.

Five minutes away from the airstrip with Raphael our Kenyan guide, we run into our first encounter – a herd of young female elephants. Elephants are matriarchal and can live for around 60 years. They get new molar teeth every 10 years with which to crush the hard grass and they get six sets in their lifetime. Once the last set has gone they can’t chew hard food any more so move to

e Masai Mara WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHS GEORGINA WILSON-POWELL

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Zebras play follow my leader in the long grass

the softer food by the river beds. Eventually this clogs up th their and they di die – a thi l i system t d th progression accepted by the elephants who will move away to find a quiet spot. But these elephants who trundle quite happily past the car are only a few years old and they have little predators (other than a man with a gun) and their casual confidence reigns supreme.

Past the elephants come the hippos. These fat, lumbering, comedy lumps are highly aggressive and rather grumpy. We come across eight or nine gathered together in a bend in a river, crowded next to one another to stay in the shade offered by the trees from the bank. Their prehistoric heads rise and fall above the water, their snorting echoes loudly in the quiet landscape. There’s pushing and fighting as they jostle for the coolest position, often only identifiable by their large round nostrils acting like a twin snorkel above the water. And the smell! You can smell a group of hippos much quicker than you can see one. The brown selfpolluted water masks their location, a quick glimpse across a river surface and the hippo almost disappears, quite a feat for one so large and cumbersome.

Water is so important to these brown beasts, who are actually descended from the whale, because they’re just not cut out for

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burn the African sun. In the daylight, they bu – lik like water they lit literally t lloving i vampires i – th cook when on land and it can be fatal. Like the hippo, the African Nile crocodile is a dangerous beast. Bringing down zebra and wildebeest who cross its path, we find one sunning itself quietly on a river bank.

Quite simply, the Masai Mara could be The Lion King brought to life. It has more lions than the Serengeti and large prides of the big cats live peacefully away from the huge amount of tourists the Serengeti gets.

Here up in the northern end of the Masai Mara, in the Olare Conservancy, where the Kempinski Olare Mare camp is based, poaching is no longer an issue, thanks to the hard work and community spirit of both the Kenyans and the Masai tribe.

We see lionesses relaxing under natural fly-repellant bushes (important if your mouth is covered in fresh blood) with their young. They’re perfectly camouflaged to blend in with the long grass and remain unbothered by the odd tourist car and the long lense cameras. Some celebrities could learn a thing or two from these often photographed animals, cool cats indeed.

Raphael tells me about the Natche brothers. Four huge brothers and a father lion, they are the mafia bosses of the savannah, known as the Kings of the Mara.

Most prides belong to them and they are the plains’ most successful killers.

Lions might be the stars of the show, but they’re outnumbered terribly by wildebeest and zebras who live side by side in their herds, peacefully co-habiting thanks to eating different sections of the same grasses.

Impalas, dik-diks and a range of different gazelles dart in between, permanently anxious, like ineffective, nervous mothers.

Trios of warthog trot across the grassy lands, their thin tails held high like the radio antennae on the Jeeps we sit in, alert for danger and food. These ‘pumbas’ can be aggressive but from a distance their jaunty little run and comic appearance makes them highly entertaining to watch.

And as the circle of life really does exist, so must certain animals meet a sticky end.

Across from the zebra herd is a huge flock of what have to be the most ugly birds in the world. Vultures. Maybe 50 of them; swawking, fighting, attacking each other and flapping their enormous wings over an unlucky zebra. The intact hind legs are all that is visible under a grey mass of feathers, necks and evil sharp beaks which conjure up death and anger as much as they pull the red flesh from the bones.

It is awful and mesmerising at the same time. The birds that have had their fill flutter

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Huge herds of wildebeest and zebra can be spotted – they are the vanguard of the famous Serengeti migration, crossing the border of Tanzania and into the Mara

heavily a few metres away unable to get airborne until the meat has been digested.

They look disgusting, like fat old angry men arguing over a large inheritance. Their behaviour is so spiteful and so human it’s hard not to attribute them with more intelligence. They are nature’s cleaners – they have a mandated role just like everything else. Raphael looks at us taking it in, asking question after question, and shakes his head and speaks wisely ‘to understand nature, to really understand her – that is a life’s work.’

To really understand how large the Masai Mara is however, you need to get above it. We go up in a hot air balloon one morning and drift peacefully across the plains. Huge herds of wildebeest and zebra can be spotted – they are the vanguard of the famous Serengeti migration, crossing the border of Tanzania and into the Mara. Nearly a million wildebeest and 400,000 zebra make the crossing every six months back and forward, in an endless natural to and fro. For the lions, cheetahs, leopards and hyenas, it’s like Christmas, they gorge on what is an endless stream of fast food.

From up in the balloon we see the wonderful colour patterns of the Africa plains – the reds, yellows, oranges and greens look like a rich painting, the underground rivers and streams create a network of green veins across the dry

MASAI MARA WHERE TO STAY

Kempinski Olare Mare Kempinski Olare Mare has 12 tents that can sleep 26 (suitable for children over eight). This is serious glamping with wooden floors, roll top baths and four poster beds. There’s also a pool, riverside bar and an observation deck for sundowners (from Dhs3,056; free Wi-fi; kempinski.com/en/masai-mara/olare-mara).

African body. We sail over a lioness on the prowl, she is stalking a young gazelle, but stops and looks up as our shadow passes over her. It is a complete moment of wonder, for her and for us.

The ground we’re floating over, the Masai Mara, covers 1,510 square kilometres and is

split into several ‘conservancies’ which are run on behalf of the Masai landowners. For the Olare Conservancy, the head caretaker, Rob O’Meare, deals with nearly 300 landowners, and acts to bring back a sense of community decision making to the land, after tribes in recent generations had lost a sense of working as a group. Unfortunately tribes have become fragmented and there are complicated alcohol related issues at play, something the conservancy is working hard to help with. A programme O’Meare is completely passionate about is introducing cows to keep the savannah’s long grasses short. Previously this was done with razing but this killed off much fauna and small flora. He now rents the cows from the various tribes, and grazes them together during the day, like natural lawnmowers.

The animals prefer the short grass (long grass is easy to be surprised in), so they remain in the conservancy, which makes it better for tourists and makes the Masai’s lands more valuable. Another reason this area is so popular is its exclusivity. Only 96 people can stay overnight across five camps in this conservancy which stretches over 35,000 acres.

Kempinski Olare Mare is one such camp.

Built on a bend in the river, there are no gates, fences or boundaries.

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LEFT TO RIGHT Wildebeest tend to live in herds; the most agressive are forced to live alone however; Hot Air Safaris see us safely landed

LEFT TO RIGHT Olare Mara Kempinski’s talented guides; African elephants aren’t scared of tourists; a lion cub plays in the savannah

LEFT TO RIGHT Hippos wallow in the shady river; the Masai Mara tribesmen perform a traditional dance

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K E N YA

Giraffes graze the highlands across the Masai Mara

“This is the animals’ land, so what right do we have to fence it off,” says Raphael.

“We work with the animals to create a safe space.” One side of the one kilometre long camp is named Acacia, after the local leopard who lives in one of the nearby trees.

“She likes to have her breakfast, where we also like to have a breakfast spot, so if we go down in the morning and see half an antelope hanging from the tree, we move our breakfast spot,” explains Raphael.

The entire camp has a soft spot for the leopardess and her cubs, they understand this is her territory. But she’s not the only one, hippos use the river right under my tent, baboons can be seen on a bush walk, loping across the long grass in front of the camp, and a family of velvet monkeys play hide and seek in the colonial style, open air lounge. As we sit having lunch on an elevated deck, they scamper and play, like naughty children desperate for attention. To ensure safety guests are walked with local tribesmen between the tents and the main camp area after dark, but it feels perfectly safe. O’Meare has lived out here on the Mara in a series of tents for the last six years, peacefully co-existing with the animals.

The only thing Raphael wishes is that the elephants would stop ripping up his trees.

“They do it almost for fun. They’re after a certain root but they only eat one or two mouthfuls and move on. You can wake up in the morning, and half the trees have been broken.”

Once you stop looking for animals, bumping up and down dirt tracks in a creaky Jeep, the thing that strikes home more than anything, is that nature is quiet.

Sitting on my tent’s terrace, there is no noise except the occasional tweet of a bird and the zooming noises made by insects which fly how we thought spaceships would by now – darting all over the place. I can’t remember the last time I sat in silence, complete silence outside, just watching.

This bend in the river has always been here, this tiny corner of Africa, in the Masai Mara, a forgotten twist of land and water.

And yet there is so much to see. A heron stands to attention on one bank. He cranes his neck every so often to peer into the water. Something below me makes a rippling in the shallow stream. A couple of very small gazelle called dik-dik, graze around close to the heron, darting small distances, alert and on the move at every errant sound. It is so quiet you can hear a bush rustle 20 metres away. Nature is just getting on with it. Is this how the world was before us? It’s magical and wonderful and harsh and unfair and yet perfectly sensible all at the same time. It makes no difference whether I sit here or not and yet I feel incredibly privileged, like I’ve been let in

This bend in the river has always been here, this tiny corner of Africa, in the Masai Mara, a forgotten twist of land and water on a secret world. Time and life goes on immortal here, at its own pace.

After all the excitement of seeing the headline act, the savannah’s animals, this to me is the real revelation of the safari. There are big sky views. Fluffy clouds hang on the near horizon, dropping their shadows like a patchwork across the grasses, which rustle and weave in the wind and when you stop moving this is all you can hear.

The next morning Raphael takes me out on foot (accompanied by a couple of gun carrying rangers just in case) to track hippos, discover gazelle ‘toilets’ and spot baboons and warthog. We end up just down river from the camp and the hippos make an appearance, just underneath where a table is set for two. There’s no sign of Acacia’s breakfast only a chef who waits under a tree

to cook eggs. As the Champagne cork pops the hippos snort in agreement, the wind licks over my skin and makes the trees creak. It feels so restoring to be outside, not just outside of a building, but nowhere in sight of a permanent structure. Yes, this is glamping on a high end scale, but it doesn’t detract from the deep soul thinking that tends to go on out here.

When it’s time to head back the Jeep won’t start. Once we bump and jolt our way there, the airplane is an hour late. A herd of elephants, my favourites, graze close to the runway, apparently unfazed by the guards with guns or the noisy propellers of planes dropping by. “They’ve come to see you off,” says Raphael. “You must have unfinished business in the Mara”. I think he might be right.

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Kenya The African savannah is heaven on earth for animal lovers.

Kenya has safari options for every budget but the stunning Masai Mara should be your main draw ESSENTIALS Getting there Emirates Airlines flies direct to Nairobi and takes around five hours flying time. The airline’s Business Class Lounge in Terminal 3 offers a range of soft drinks, beers, wines and always has a tasty buffet range waiting (from Dhs2,775; emirates.com).

Getting around The easiest way to get to the Masai Mara is to fly. Several airstrips are dotted around the area, most around 45 minutes from Nairobi (from Dhs592; airkenya.com). Hot Air Safaris offer daily early morning hot air balloon rides (from Dhs1,830; maraballooning.com).

Further reading Buy the Kenya Lonely Planet guide from the website (Dhs69; lonelyplanet.com).

9 ANIMALS TO SPOT ON YOUR MASAI MARA ADVENTURE Zebras’ stripes are all different, just like our fingerprints. Their distinctive pattern makes them very hard to see from far away. Over 400,000 migrate from the Serengeti to the Masai Mara every year between July and August.

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Cheetahs are the fastest cat on the African savannah but they can’t sustain their top speeds of 120 kilometres per hour, so when they make a kill they have to be certain they’re going to succeed. Look for them under large shady bushes.

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The African elephant (left) has ears shaped like its namesake continent and lives in small but strict matriarchal herds. The mothers are pregnant for a whopping 22 months and only have one calf at a time.

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Leopards are pretty and pretty hard to spot but you should look up as they like to sleep and eat in the savannah’s trees. They will drag an animal, like a large gazelle, which can be twice their body weight up into the boughs before eating it.

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Warthogs trot across the plains, living close to the zebras and wildebeest as they eat the same grasses in groups called ‘sounders’. Derived from pigs, these social animals live in burrows and can escape predators with a quick sprint.

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Lions, the most recognised animal on any safari and the planet (right), are the only cat to have a tasseled tail which they use to communicate with others in their pride.

They can live up to 20 years old and some can weigh up to 250 kilos!

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Vultures. Don’t forget the African plains are home to plenty of birdlife too. Vultures are the African cleaners out here, and although ugly and angry they serve a vital role in the savannah’s cirle of life and can be seen circling above.

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Hippos spend their days wallowing in rivers and ponds in family groups. As much as they love the mud, it’s to protect their thin skin. The harsh African sun can cause them fatal sunburn! You’ll find them by following their rather stinky trails!

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Hyenas. Forget lions, hyenas are the real Apex killers in the Masai Mara and the rest of Africa.

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You’ll never want to leave For our fabulous offers please call +971 (0) 2 690 8888 or email at reservations@emiratespalace.ae emiratespalace.ae *Rates are subject to 10% service charge and 6% tourism fee.

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The Austrian capital is fit to bursting with everything from fine dining to fusion food, vegan cafes to legendary bakeries.

The one thing you won’t be doing, is going hungry WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHS CHRIS SUTTENFIELD

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IENNA IS FIERCELY PROUD OF ITS CULINARY heritage, some might say combatively so. It’s said that the croissant was invented here in 1683 to celebrate the expulsion of Ottoman forces from the city, the Viennese cheekily appropriating the Islamic crescent emblazoned on the Ottoman flag into a pastry. While the present day gastronomical focus in Vienna has evolved to incorporate a multicultural palette, many dishes remain rooted in tradition, intrinsically linked to the city’s textured history.

Eating your way around Vienna is an exhausting, rewarding and calorific adventure. It’s best embarked upon with an open mind and an empty stomach. Take time to savour the luxuries of the opulent dining halls, the intimacy of quaint parlours and the confusion of sprawling outdoor food markets; elements that enrich the flavours of every morsel.

Start at Vestibül, situated in the imperial carriage entrance of the Burgtheatre, one of the most famous German language theatres in the world. It’s silver service, located in what was once the royal theatre entrance for Kaiser Franz Joseph and his wife Sisi. The original fixtures have been restored following a bombing at the end of World War II, with the alcoves decorated in bas-reliefs of the royal initials. Neoclassical marble columns and sculpted pediments line the walls under high ceilings, juxtaposed with über cool downtempo lounge music and crisp white tablecloths.

Opened in 2000 by Chef Christian Domschitz and his wife Veronika Doppler, Vestibül is famous for its signature dish of hummerkrautfleisch. It’s a unique creation; firm lobster meat atop a modest bed of tart shredded cabbage surrounded by a moat of zesty, red lobster sauce. The meat is wonderfully light and firm without being dry or rubbery.

Domschitz explains the motivation behind sweating over a hot stove all day. “I love to see how traditional creations can have new interpretations and how my guests find their passion and love for my cuisine. Also, as a chef, I can gauge immediately the success of a dish from the feedback of my guests”.

After satiating your hunger at Vestibül, take a short stroll down Löwelstrasse to Demel, one of the city’s most famous pastry houses and the former Imperial and Royal Court Confectionary Bakery.

Guests are greeted by an enormous glass case overflowing with a cornucopia of sugary delights. Follow the waitress upstairs in her French maids uniform to an extravagant tea room and sit under an ornate blown glass chandelier while perusing the menu and channeling your inner confected damsel.

Demel is famous for apple strudel; baked apple and cinnamon delicately wrapped in a thin layer of crunchy pastry, dusted with a generous smattering of icing sugar. The flavours are subtle, without the cloying sweetness that is commonly found in bastardised strudel incarnations outside of Austria. It’s light and perfect for sharing while you sit among polite people having civilised conversations in hushed tones.

On your way out, pick up a slice of Sachertorte and decide for yourself who makes it better. The battle for choco-supremacy has been raging since 1938 between Demel, and nearby Hotel Sacher with various legal sagas and trademark disputes throughout the decades over who has the rights to Vienna’s most famous chocolate cake. Regardless of who does it best, the Viennese are so proud of Franz Sacher’s eponymous creation that 5 December has been declared National Sachertorte Day. If you’re looking for something a little less traditional, try DO & CO overlooking St. Stephen’s Cathedral. This upmarket joint in the crowded city centre serves up standard Viennese schnitzelfare for the tourist throngs, but where it really shines is fusion cuisine. The menu is energetically innovative and thoughtfully assembled, using local ingredients where possible.

Nachtsmarket is a bustling market full of delicious Austrian produce

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Try the rucola salad with buffalo mozzarella and caramelised fig.

Light, perfectly balanced flavours caress your tastebuds like a romantic Viennese waltz. Follow this up with new style carpaccio; a generous plate of paper thin bresaola beef slices, drizzled with truffle oil and citrus mayonnaise, anointed with a tempura prawn.

The fresh, citrusy infusions permeate the dish and propels the subtlety of the beef to the forefront of your attention.

For a main course, choose from the expansive range of meats and vegetables stashed on ice at the wok buffet and sit back as the chefs create a stir fry to your custom specifications. We recommend however, taking a laid back approach and opting for sashimi; a comprehensive mountain of mackerel, salmon, roe, tuna and local butterfish. It’s tender, moist and despite the absence of carbs, will not leave you hungry afterwards.

Tone things down a bit and get back to basics after your fine dining splurge with some traditional Viennese street food.

Würstelstands (sausage stands) punctuate the corners of Vienna’s streets, dishing up no nonsense fare of meat, pickles and sourdough. The most famous of these is at the western end of Hoher Markt in the city centre. Operating in the same location for more than 25 years, the official name of the stand is the very un-Viennese Ahmad Munir. Enquiries for this name will be met with puzzled expressions. Instead, ask any of the nearby shops where the Hoher Markt würstelstand is and you’ll be happily pointed in the right direction.

If you try no other snack in this city, make sure you sample the käsekrainer, a typically Austrian creation of sausage stuffed with cheese. The crispy outer skin of the thick, ten inch käsekrainer bursts with a salty explosion of tangy cheese wonderment. Locals refer to this as an ‘eitrige’, loosely translated as pus-explosion, but don’t be put off by this graphic imagery. Paired with sauerkraut or pickled chilli to suit your taste, you really can’t go wrong. The best time to visit any würstelstand is after 1am, where poets, lovers, dreamers and bohemians congregate to wax lyrical to the stars.

Continue in the bo-ho vein after a big night out, with breakfast at Phil, a funky cafe cum bookstore dishing up healthy snacks and hearty portions. The space is full of light, with high ceilings, retro lounges and vinyl covers adorning the walls. In the evenings, Phil transforms into a lounge bar, regularly hosting local DJs spinning lo-fi tracks to a cool alternative crowd. Phil also plays host to cult cinema nights, screening underground classics and offbeat celluloid gems. If you’re particularly enamoured with the sofa you’re sitting on, or that unique lamp that caught your attention when you walked in, you can take it home with you. Most of the chairs and lights are for sale with the second hand stock from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s carefully curated from Banana (a vintage

VIENNA WHERE TO STAY

Sans Souci Wein hotel The Sans Souci Wein hotel has transformed a historic building in the artists’ region of Spittelberg. It has a spa, fitness centre and pool and in the rooms there are pillow menus and bedding for allergy sufferers (from Dhs1,045 including breakfast; free Wi-fi; sanssouci-wien.com).

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VIENNA

Phil is an example of the modern kind of cafes that Vienna is teeeming with.

BELOW LEFT Vestibül is one o the finest restaurants int he city

THIS PAGE A sashimi chef gets to work

furniture store) in nearby Naschmarkt.

While the menu is limited to snacks and cafe food, we recommend the Bed and Breakfast, Breakfast; a large plate of eggs, cheese, local pastry, radish and organic ham that will put you in good stead to tackle the day ahead, whether you choose to head out and explore the city, or lounge on a sofa sipping latte.

If the frenzy of pastries, meats, gourmet restaurants and fine dining has you overwhelmed, wind things back a notch and head to Maran Vegan, Vienna’s only vegan supermarket. Recently opened in July, Maran Vegan hosts Hollerei, a vegan cafe facing the street, filled with happy yellow sunflowers. Despite the dedication to würst and other meaty delights, there is a large vegan population in Vienna of around 15,000 people.

Hollerei is the creation of head chef and owner, Margit Stoczlechner. Despite the misconceptions that surround vegan cuisine, the food at Hollerei is not based on mung beans and lentils, served up to anemic human wisps. It’s inspired by traditional Viennese cooking; wholesome Austrian dishes with a vegan twist.

When we visited, the set lunch menu was krautfleckerl; a baked pasta dish with cabbage, macaroni and smoked tofu. Margit also runs vegan cooking classes at Hollerei.

“These days people are tired after work. I teach people how to cook something healthy and eat it thirty to forty minutes later”, she explains.

Savour the taste of Vienna and take it home with you. The sprawling Naschmarkt (nosh market) is a triple lined row of stalls running for about 600 metres and the city’s largest outdoor market.

Snap up fresh fruits, snacks, dried meats, breads and other delicatessen goodies from local vendors sandwiched between busy cafes and bistros. The best time is visit is early morning; grab a coffee and witness the colours unfurl as locals and tourists mix together in the swelling crowd. Naschmarkt expands on Saturday and diversifies to include a flea market. While most of the bric a brac is slightly overpriced, a good bargain can be found if you search hard enough and bring your haggle-face.

For a different flavoured market, Brunnenmarkt promises a low-key tempo and a more alternative crowd. Here you’ll find many Turkish migrants hawking hot pide fresh from the oven, doner kebab, home made cheeses and sweets. It’s in Ottakring, a little further from the city centre, but easily accessible by metro and worth the visit if you want a different cultural experience away from the common tourist hordes.

Vienna’s vibrant gastronomical landscape is as diverse and varied as the city itself, best enjoyed with an adventurous disposition, leisurely grazing in the company of happy locals.

at DO & CO; tuck into a käsekrainer at a local stall; the Ahmad Munir würstelstand is a must visit

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MAKE IT HAPPEN

Vienna Vienna, the capital that brought us Freud, Mozart, Beethoven and many more has plenty of simple pleasures to offer today’s tourist.

Roll up your sleeves and dive into a city that loves to eat ESSENTIALS Getting there Emirates Airlines flies direct daily from Dubai to Vienna.

Average flying time is just over six hours (from Dhs2,415; emirates.com).

Getting around Vienna is well stocked with trams, underground trains and buses that all run with typical Austrian efficiency. A Vienna Card is the best value for travel of all forms over 72 hours and it also gives you handy discounts at over 210 attractions and restaurants around the city (Dhs99; wien. info).

Further reading Get a Vienna City Guide (Dhs56; lonelyplanet.com) or download the Vienna chapter of the Austrian guidebook (Dhs12; lonelyplanet.com).

Vienna dates back to 500 BC, founded by Celts

VIENNA’S TOP FOODIE FINDS Vestibül (left) is the place to try Austrian delicacy Hummerkrautfleisch, amongst elegant Austrian décor at the Burgtheatre and a worldy wine list (mains from Dhs220; Universitätsring 2; vestibuel.at).

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Don’t miss the traditional food stall, Ahmad Munir, selling the traditional Käsekrainer and wurst near what was a huge medieval marketplace in the middle of Vienna (Dhs16; Hoher Markt 1, 00 43 6 991 846 218 6).

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Fancy a ten tier cake or some of the best apple strudel pastries around? Demel will make even the sweetest of sweet tooth happy. Head there for an old fashioned afternoon tea (from Dhs20 for a strudel; Kohlmarkt 14; demel.at)

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The morning after the night before definitely needs a decent breakfast, and we think we’ve found it at cool retro lounge Phil (right). You might still be there at lunchtime! (breakfast from Dhs32; Gumpendorfer Strausse 10-12; phil.info).

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For a modern take on Austrian and international cuisine you can’t do better than DO & CO. Try their sashimi for a lighter meal amongst the Austrian stodge! (mains from Dhs90; Stephansplatz 12; doco. com)

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Vegans and vegetarians need not panic in Vienna, the wonderful bright and breezy Hollerei, does amazing food and can teach you to cook it all for yourself (mains from Dhs39; Stumpergasse 57; hollerei.at).

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Climate

Find and pick out your own supper at the Naschmarkt (right) and grab an evening picnic of local meats and organic cheese and head off to one of Vienna’s squares or parks (daily; Am Modenapark, Naschmarkt 1-2).

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For a stylish and modern twist on Austrian cuisine try the small Kulinarium for intimate, high end dining with style. It’s highly recommended (three courses from Dhs180; Sigmundsgasse; kulinarium7.at).

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Cool off with a homemade ice cream at Eis Greissler, the long queues outside the little café are an indicator how good this family recipe stuff is. Try the Alpencaramel (from Dhs6,25 a scoop; Rotenturmstrasse 14; eis-greissler.at).

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Traveller Armchair

Can’t get away? Check out the latest apps and books to keep you exploring

BOOK REVIEW

BRICK CITY: LEGO FOR GROWN UPS Warren Elsmore (Dhs78; Mitchell Beazley)

Lego fan Arthur Gugick wrote his own software to help him model Moscow’s St Basil’s Cathedral (LEFT). The 1:650-scale Burj al-Arab (ABOVE) took seven months to build – the real hotel in Dubai took five years to complete

This book calls out to anyone who ever took up valuable space in their childhood home creating Lego cities and generally acting on their architectdictator tendencies. The author is a lifelong fan of the versatile Danish plastic bricks, and has himself built many of the landmarks and city scenes illustrated here, including an astounding model of London’s St Pancras International station at ‘minifig scale’ (where Lego people look like realistic crowds), using 180,000 bricks. Alongside virtuoso works such as Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Taj Mahal and London’s Olympic Stadium, complete with parachuting Queen, are step-bystep instructions for DIY monuments, from a hugely simplified 15-brick White House to a 1,664-brick Colosseum. If you can complete this last challenge (not easy given it’s a building made entirely of curves, and Lego lends itself to right angles), you’ll be ready for the big time.

BEST FOR A newfound way to appreciate the world’s landmarks.

RORY GOULDING

APP REVIEWS

Pin Drop If you prefer a more spontaneous trip opposed to the thoroughly-researched kind, then this app is for you!

Walking around a new city uncovers many quirky finds, which you might want to remember for later. Use Pin Drop to drop a GPS pin where you are on the map, add a photo, description, and name and share the details on Facebook or Twitter. Free for Apple.

Mount Everest 3D Conquer the world’s highest mountain by planning smart.

The handy app is interactive and interesting to use; navigate the mountains and camp through a 3D View, which almost makes you feel as though you are there. If you’re going to attempt the peak, rather than just peek round, the 2D maps are based on the latest aerial and satellite images. The only thing it can’t do for you is the actual climb. Free for Apple and Android.

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A RCM T R EAV ARM HC AH I RATI RR AV L LEELRL E R GADGET REVIEWS

SAMSUNG

(Dhs1,699; samsung.com).

Another month, another update from the upstoppable Samsung.

The Galaxy Note 8.0 now offers multi-window options where you can surf the web at the same time as making a call, a ‘reading mode’ to enjoy ebooks and increased functionality with the handy S Pen. Hover the stylus over a photo or video to see a preview, edit and crop photos and now you can also control menu options with the it.

New function Smart Remote gives you a univdersal remote control to ease TV and video watching too.

While the screen size might bother some tablet users more used to an iPad, the Note makes up for it in capability and userability, and it really is pocket sized.

SONY XB920

(Dhs799; sony.com) Serious sound quality comes from Sony with these new stylish headphones, featuring deep bass, 50mm driver units and high-energy neodymium magnets for a dynamic frequency that makes every note clear as a bell, where ever you are and whatever you are doing.

The swivel element means they take up less room in your luggage, as the ear cups lie flat and the cable detatches. An inline control on the cable means that the menu is at your fingertips.

ONLINE REVIEWS

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IMAGINATIVE-TRAVELLER.COM

RIGHT-TOURISM.ORG

WILDATARTSCOTLAND.COM

SAFARIBOOKINGS.COM

Whether you’re looking for a family escapade, heading away overland (in a purpose-built truck), or building a customised trip, Imaginative Traveller has options for all. Search through over 185 affordable adventures on the website, according to region, country, price range and duration.

The website also offers last minute holidays, where you get up to 20% off on trips – great for a spontaneous summer or Eid holiday! It offers beach holidays, safaris, and tailor-made holidays, where everything from flights to accommodation and tours is arranged for you. Perfect for a stress-free adventure.

Most people are aware of making environment friendly choices but the next time you sign up for an adventure holiday that includes anything animal related, log on to here to find out all you need to know on making animal friendly choices. This unique site looks at activities such as elephant trekking or horse riding all over the world and explains the best way to enjoy it without harming any animals. It even includes a low down on animal products to avoid when travelling and what should be avoided on menus round the world, so you don’t accidentally contribute to endangering rare animals even more.

Unleash your inner artist on a Scottish art vacation. Dive into batik, silversmithing, weaving, felting, drawing and stone carving and get inspired. Meet like minded people, relax and rediscover your creativity with a range of packages, all which include tutors, accommodation, inspiring venues and much more.

The holidays also include local tours of Scottish sites, evenings out and field trips to find resources that you’ll turn into a wonderful necklace or sculpture.

If you want to reconnect with something artistic and have an unusual break, this could be just what you need.

Why go through a hundred safari tour websites, when you can view all tours in one place?

SafariBookings is the largest marketplace for African safari holidays. Search for a particular tour by typing in a keyword, or select a country you’re interested in visiting. Not sure where to head to? Check the Country tab and pull up a guide to the best parks and reserves and reviews of each tour. All tours include detailed info on the organising company, the accommodation included and what you can expect to see. If you’re thinking Africa this summer, then make this your first stop.

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AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2013

MINI GUIDES Six themed guides to take on the perfect short break The Duomo is still the focus of the Florentine skyline

The Designmuseo offers a masterclass in Finnish form

The Undertones at King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut

MINI GUIDE

MINI GUIDE

MINI GUIDE

NIGHTLIFE IN GLASGOW

EATING IN FLORENCE

HELSINKI DESIGN

Cradle of the Italian Renaissance and home of Machiavelli, Michelangelo and the Medici, Florence has a grand-slam of sights to take in. Thankfully, its cafés, bars and trattorias provide the necessary fuel for the day.

The Finnish capital is awash with understated Art Nouveau buildings, centenarian cafés and harbourside heritage, but it’s also at the heart of the country’s modern design, from its art galleries to shops selling Nordic homewares. lls tials tials ntia enti en ds esse d

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Whether you’re after a wee dram in a cosy pub, a microbrewery beer in a swanky bar or a night filled with loud live music and dancing, Glasgow can lay claim to some of the best nightlife in Britain.

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MINI GUIDE

MINI GUIDE

MINI GUIDE

SICILY’S BEACHES

NIGHTLIFE IN LAS VEGAS

SHOPPING IN LYON

With its Arab-influenced culture and cuisine, archaeological sites and varied landscapes, Sicily keeps you busy. But when it’s time to kick back, there’s a plethora of beaches to relax on and azure waters ers to dip your toe into.

Sin City’s hulking megaresorts and casino hotels flashily compete to lure you and your wallet inside with a dizzying array of largerthan-life shows, celebrity-filled clubs, cabarets, jukebox bars and cocktail lounges.

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MINI GUIDE

NIGHTLIFE IN GLASGOW Whether you’re after a wee dram in a cosy pub, a microbrewery beer in a swanky bar or a night filled with loud live music and dancing, Glasgow can lay claim to some of the best nightlife in Britain.

ARTA ART RTA

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ÒRAN MÓR Praise be and let’s give thanks: this converted church – and an almighty one at that – is now home to two bars, two restaurants and a club. The whisky bar, with more than 250 malts to choose from, feels like it’s been here for years: it’s heavy on the wood and thick, exposed stone, giving it warmth and a celestial air. Club O is open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 11pm (Club O free–Dhs28, Thur, Dhs34 Fri, Dhs45 Sat; top of Byres Road; oran-mor.co.uk).

BABBITY BOWSTER In a quiet corner of the Merchant City area, this is one of Glasgow most charming pubs, in one of its noblest buildings (and indeed the intriguing name comes from a dance popular at the time it was built). It’s perfect for a tranquil daytime drink, particularly in the adjoining beer garden, and service is attentive. There are also six en-suite bedrooms on the second floor (mains from Dhs59; 16–18 Blackfriars Street; babbitybowster.com).

The building that houses Babbity Bowster pub was built in 1790

BLACKFRIARS The friendly staff and chilled-out music at this atmospheric pub make it special. They take their cask beer seriously here – with five regularly changing real ales on tap, and monthly Meet the Brewer events – and have been rewarded by twice being named Camra’s Glasgow Pub of the Year. The seating area with large windows is great for people-watching (sandwiches from Dhs25; 36 Bell St; blackfriarsglasgow.com).

Live music

Bars and clubs Set in a former cheese market, this baroque bar, music venue and restaurant has to be seen to be believed. It’s opulent, cavernous and candlelit, with floor-to-ceiling velvet. Despite the luxury, it’s got a relaxed vibe and a mixed crowd. There’s a decent list of inexpensive cocktails too (from Dhs28; Thu-Sat from 11pm; 62 Albion Street; Canvas Club; arta.co.uk).

This legendary city pub dates from the late 19th century and is largely unchanged. It’s a picturesque spot and, at nearly 32 metres, its Victorian bar is one of the longest in the UK. But the main attraction is what’s served over it – real ale and some of the best value pub grub in town (burgers from Dhs31;17– 19 Drury Street; thehorseshoebarglasgow.co.uk).

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Òran Mór, an old church, is now a place to eat, drink and dance

CORINTHIAN CLUB An impressive domed ceiling, gold-leaf detailing, mosaic flooring, sculptures and majestic chandeliers make this an awesome five-floored venue.

Originally a bank and later Glasgow’s high court, the regal building houses the main bar, a plush club (downstairs in the old court cells), a piano bar and numerous private function rooms. Get dressed up to fit right in (Dhs28; Studio 191 Fri–Sat from 10pm; 191 Ingram St; thecorinthianclub.co.uk).

One of the city’s premier live-music pub venues, the excellent King Tut’s hosts bands almost every night. It’s a small, intimate venue, allowing you to get up close and personal with the acts, and is a showcase for new and emerging bands: Oasis were signed here straight after a gig (from Dhs34; 272a St Vincent Street;kingtuts.co.uk).

THE ARCHES A one-stop culture/entertainment fix, The Arches, below Glasgow’s central station, makes you feel as though you’ve discovered Hades’ bohemian underworld. Not only one of the city’s biggest clubs, it also has a theatre showing avant-garde productions and is an eclectic live music venue for everything from folk and bluegrass to indie and LA prog rock (from Dhs45; 253 Argyle St; thearches.co.uk).

Head to The Arches for live music, theatre and clubbing

BARROWLAND An exceptional old dancehall, dating back to the 1930s and with a huge luminous sign outside, Barrowland is now a concert venue that caters for some of the larger acts that visit.

It’s a little rough around the edges but the place is dripping with history and the atmosphere is incredible. This year sees dates for The Specials and Nick Cave (from Dhs112; 244 Gallowgate; glasgow-barrowland.com).

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MINI GUIDE

Nightlife in Glasgow Drinking

TRANSPORT R Glasgow Airport is well served by Emirates; KLM; Lufthansa, Air France and Royal Jordanian (from Dhs4,845 from Dubai; emirates.com). Fly from Abu Dhabi to Glasgow via Manchester, with Etihad Airways (from Dhs7,600; etihad.com).

Glasgow can easily be navigated on foot but there are also buses, suburban trains and a subway that serves 15 stations as well.

WHERE TO T STAY STAY T The Brunswick Hotel in Merchant City is the sort of place that every now and again converts itself into a party venue, with DJs in the lifts and art installations in the rooms.

The18 minimal rooms are priced by size, called from pokey to penthouse suite (Dhs281; 106–108 Brunswick St; brunswickhotel.co.uk).

The Alamo may not sound like a peaceful spot, but that’s exactly what this great little guesthouse is. Opposite Kelvingrove Park, it

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The know-how ART R & CRAFTY Gen up on Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Glasgow’s most famous designer and architect

Glasgow School of Art The interior design at Mackintosh’s greatest work is strikingly austere (gsa.ac.uk).

The Lighthouse Blythswood Square offers plenty of city-centre luxury

feels miles from the hustle of the city, but the West End is within walking distance. The Victorian feel is made homely by the family who run and have invaluable advice (Dhs308; 46 Gray St; alamoguesthouse.com).

Blythswood Square is housed in a Georgian terrace and the ‘classic’ rooms look onto the delightful square, but it’s quieter in the new wing at the back. There’s a bar, restaurant and an inhouse spa (from Dhs 670; 11 Blythswood Square; townhousecompany.com).

Where to stay

The architect’s first building, designed in 1895, now houses a Mackintosh Interpretation Centre, a design centre and a café bar (thelighthouse.co.uk).

Mackintosh Church The headquarters of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society is the only one of his church designs to have been built (crmsociety.com).

Mackintosh Trail ticket This gives you a day’s admission to his creations, and unlimited bus and subway travel (Dhs90; available at tourist office and CRM sites).

TOP TIP The West End is the culinary heart of the city, with restaurants, cafés and bars such as the lauded Ubiquitous Chip and The Hidden Lane Tearoom. To grab a bargain, check out 5pm.co.uk for offers, which change daily.

FURTHER FURTH R ER READING Lonely Planet’s Scotland (Dhs78) has a chapter on Glasgow, which is also available to download at lonelyplanet.com (Dhs17).

The Listt is a fortnightly guide to films, theatre, music, clubs and more and is available at newsagents and online (list.co.uk; Dhs14). Glasgowborn James Kelman won the Booker prize for How Late it Was, How Late, a stream of consciousness of an unlikely hero in Glaswegian dialect (Dhs51; Vintage).

COMPILED BY NATALIE MILLMAN, WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM ANDY SYMINGTON. PHOTOGRAPHS: TONY CLERKSON/ALAMY, YADID LEVY/ALAMY, KRIS KESIAK, BILLY MACDONALD, V&A IMAGES/ALAMY

Glasgow essentials

Entertainment

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The Duomo is still the focus of the Florentine skyline

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Tuscan cuisine L’OSTERIA DI GIOVANNI This friendly eatery in Santa Maria Novella is staunchly Tuscan, with dishes such as chickpea soup with octopus, and pear and ricotta tortelli in leek and almond cream.

The complimentary glass of prosecco on arrival and after-meal Vin Santo with cantucci biscuits seal the deal (mains from Dhs 95; lunch Sat & Sun, dinner daily; Via del Moro 22; osteriadigiovanni.it).

MINI GUIDE

EATING IN FLORENCE Cradle of the Italian Renaissance and home of Machiavelli, Michelangelo and the Medici, Florence has a grand-slam of sights to take in. Thankfully, its cafés, bars and trattorias provide the necessary fuel for the day.

L’ANTICO TRIPPAIO P

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PIZZA MAN There are a handful of branches of Pizza Man dotted around Florence – the cheap and cheerful pizzerias are popular for their Naples-style pizza (baked in a wood-burning oven). The branch near Santa Croce sticks to the formula: a limited range of pizzas including marinara, caprese and margherita (tomato, basil, fior di latte mozzarella, extra-virgin olive oil and parmesan), and bargain basement lunch deals (pizzas from Dhs24;daily;Via dell’Agnolo, 105–107r; pizzaman.it).

TRATTORIA TRATT A TORIA MARIO Arrive at noon to secure a stool at a shared table at this fabulous trattoria. The charming Fabio, whose grandfather opened the place in 1953, is front of house while brother Romeo cooks Tuscan home dishes. Monday and Thursday see tripe on the menu, Friday fish, but every day you can tuck into the signature dish of bistecca alla fiorentina, served rare (mains from Dhs28; Mon–Sat noon–3.30pm Via Rosina 2r; trattoriamario.com).

Tasting bars

Quick eats When Florentines fancy food on the move they flit by a trippaio – a cart on wheels – for tripe panini.

This traditional one serves lampredotto – cow’s fourth stomach simmered in broth and topped with salsa verde or salsa piccante. Beer and soft drinks are also available, as are sandwiches with more everyday cuts of meat (panini Dhs22;Piazza dei Cimatori; anticotrippaio.com).

IL SANTO T BEVITORE BEVITOR T E You’ll need to call ahead to book a table within this cavernous, whitewashed restaurant in Oltrarno that’s lined with wood and wine bottles and is lit by candlelight. The menu is a creative reinvention of seasonal classics: hand-chopped beef tartare, chestnut millefeuille and lentils, puréed purple cabbage soup with mozzarella cream and anchovy syrup (from Dhs45; closed Sun lunch; Via di Santo Spirito 64; ilsantobevitore.com).

Beef is a highlight of Tuscan cuisine, as here at Trattoria Mario

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OBIKÀ

Vivoli offers nearly 50 flavours from amaretto to zuppa inglese

VIVOLI Florentines take gelato seriously and there’s healthy rivalry among local artisan ice cream shops to make the city’s creamiest, freshest and most flavourful gelato. Vivoli has a good claim: it is one of the oldest gelaterie in Florence and sells tubs, not cones, of classic flavours such as coffee, lemon, stracciatella (vanilla with chocolate shavings) and zabaione. Tea, coffee and cakes are also served (small tub Dhs11; Tue–Sun 7am–8pm; Via dell’Isola delle Stinche 7; vivoli.it).

With an exclusive location in Palazzo Tornabuoni, this is a cheese bar with an affordable apericena (dinnertime buffet). Try different mozzarella cheeses with other small dishes, or a creative pizza in the cathedral-like interior or out in the courtyard (aperitivo Dhs47; Mon–Fri noon–4pm & 6.30pm–11pm, Sat–Sun noon–11pm; Via de’ Tornabuoni 16; obika.com).

LE VOLPI E L’UVA L UVA L’ The city’s best enoteca con degustazione (wine bar with tasting), this intimate address near the Ponte Vecchio chalks up an impressive list of wines. Fill up on crostini topped with honeyed speck or melted Asiago cheese, black truffle-infused sausage or platters of cheese and cured meat (wine from Dhs19 a glass, dishes from Dhs34;Piazza dei Rossi 1; 11am–9pm Mon–Sat; levolpieluva.com).

Florence comes to life outside mo matter what time of year

SLOWLY L Slowly is known for its glam interior, Ibiza-style lounge tracks and lavish cocktails. Monday to Saturday there’s an all-you-caneat lunch buffet (noon–3pm) for just Dhs43. During aperitivo hour, 7pm–10pm, your cocktail costs Dhs48 but will also include a full buffet of salads and small bites. It’s easy to linger all day and night here (open until 2am;Via Porta Rossa 63r; slowlycafe.com).

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MINI GUIDE

Eating in Florence Drinking

TRANSPORT R Fly to Florence from Dubai, with SWISS Airways (from Dhs3,575; swiss.com) and Air France (from Dhs2,916; airfrance.com). AlItalia, Lufthansa, KLM and Austrian Airlines also fly to Florence from Abu Dhabi (from Dhs2,685; klm.com).

From Florence airport to the centre, take a shuttle bus (Dhs23) or taxi (Dhs95 downtown fixed rate). The city is easily walkable and there are also plenty of buses through the centre (90-minute ticket Dhs5; ataf.net).

WHERE TO T STAY STAY T Hotel Scoti is located next to Prada on Florence’s smartest shopping strip. This pensione is a splendid mix of value for money and old-fashioned charm in the middle of town, don’t miss its floor-to-ceiling frescoed living room (from Dhs280;Via de’ Tornabuoni 7; hotelscoti.com).

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The know-how THE TUSCAN TABLE T LE TAB Recipes passed through generations form the backbone of Tuscan cuisine. Try these:

Bistecca alla fiorentina Chargrilled T-bone steak rubbed in oil, salt and pepper, and served bloody.

Trippa alla fiorentina Tripe in a rich tomato sauce.

Ribollita Frescoes from the 17th century decorate Hotel Scoti’s interior

without breaking the bank, Hotel Torre Guelfa is the place.

The rooms all have high ceilings and faded period furnishings.

Scale its 13th-century tower for sunset views (from Dhs533; Borgo SS Apostoli 8; hoteltorreguelfa.com).

Luxury wristwatches provide the running theme at Hotel L’Orologio. The 54 rooms have dark-wood floors and furniture, and marble bathrooms (from Dhs897;Piazza Santa Maria Novella 6; hotelorologioflorence.com).

Where to stay

A thick vegetable, bread and bean soup. Tuscans are known as mangiafagioli (bean eaters).

Cacciucco Livornese fish stew.

Pici con ragù di cinghiale Pasta with wild boar sauce.

Cantucci Hard, sweet bisc biscuits cuits usually made with almo onds and served almonds with Vin Santo dessert dessert wine.

Castagnaccio Chestnut cake (pictured).

Wine Brunello di Montalcino, Mon ntalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano epulciano and Vernaccia di San Gimignano are all produced in Tuscany.

TOP TIP 500 Touring Club has a fantastic selection of food and drink tours. Try its Florence Taster Tour (Dhs308), for a walk around the city sampling or the Picnic Tour (Dhs670) in a convoy of Fiat 500s (500touringclub.com).

FURTHER FURT R HER READING Lonely Planet’s Florence Encounterr (Dhs45) is ideal for weekend breaks while Florence & Tuscanyy (Dhs84) provides a more in-depth guide to the region.The region. The Florence chapter from the latter is available to download at lonelyplanet. com (Dhs17). Both EM Forster’s book A Room with a View w and its 1985 MerchantIvory film adaptation use Florence as a backdrop, as does Franco Zeffirelli’s 1999 film, Tea with Mussolini.

COMPILED BY NATALIE MILLMAN, WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM ROBERT LANDON AND NICOLA WILLIAMS. PHOTOGRAPHS: MASSIMO BORCHI/4CORNERS, GUIDO COZZI/ATLANTIDE/PHOTOTRAVEL/CORBIS, BENIAMINO GIROTTI, PETE SEAWARD, TIPS IMAGES/SUPERSTOCK

Florence essentials

Eating

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Museums and galleries KIASMA

The Designmuseo offers a masterclass in Finnish form

MINI GUIDE

HELSINKI DESIGN

DESIGNMUSEO

The Finnish capital is awash with understated Art Nouveau buildings, centenarian cafés and harbourside heritage, but it’s also at the heart of the country’s modern design, from its art galleries to shops selling Nordic homewares.

The Finns’ almost-mystical closeness to nature has always underpinned their design. The Design Museum is home to a permanent collection entitled Finnish Form, which looks at the uniqueness of Finnish design since the late 19th century. The museum’s shop offers the chance to stock up on design classics and new products from emerging designers (Dhs48;closed Mon, except JunSep;Korkeavuorenkatu 23; designmuseum.fi).

Bars and restaurants

Shopping

A21 COCKTAI COCKTAIL T L LOUNGE

DESIGN FORUM FINLAND

Ring the doorbell to enter this swanky club. The interior is sumptuous in gold and there are cushioned booths curtained off with silk. Innovative cocktails are the biggest draw, in particular the Finnish blends that include lakka (cloudberry) and rhubarb (cocktails from Dhs62; 6pm– 2am Wed–Thu, until 3am Fri–Sat; Annankatu 21; a21.fi).

This organisation promotes the work of Finnish designers and runs a shop that hosts their work.

It’s a good starting point to get an idea of the array of fashion, jewellery, ceramics and furniture in the city – such as Sami Rinne’s quirky cups with reindeer antlers or angel wings as handles (Sami Rinne cup Dhs168;closed Sun; Erottajankatu 7 designforum.fi;).

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Designed by American architect Steven Holl, the quirky and curvaceous metallic Museum of Contemporary Art has been here for 15 years but is still a symbol of the city’s modernisation. Inside are cross-media installations and exhibitions of kinetic sculpture, alongside Finnish and worldwide art from the 1960s to the present (Dhs40; closed Mon; Mannerheiminaukio 2;kiasma.fi).

Owned by Finnish filmmaker Aki Kaurismäki and designed by local rock band the Leningrad Cowboys, this fun restaurant and pub has a kitsch Czech tractor theme.

Kitted out as a barn, complete with stuffed animals and plenty of tractors, it’s a shrine to rural nostalgia. Hearty dishes, such as sautéed reindeer and hotpot, are complemented by Finnish booze including sahti – a traditional ale flavoured with juniper berries (mains from Dhs76; open daily; Mannerheimintie 3–5).

A21’s restaurant is round the corner from the cocktail lounge

SAVOY Alvar Aalto and his wife Aino created the 1930s design for this standout dining room with blonde wood and Artek furniture throughout, and some of the city’s best views. Tasting menus have a strong emphasis on foraging, with flowers and berries featuring in all plates. Sample dishes include cold smoked white fish with malt bread pudding (three-course lunch from Dhs320; lunch and dinner Mon–Fri, dinner Sat; Eteläesplanadi 14 ravintolasavoy.fi).

MARIMEKKO Founded in 1951, Finland’s most celebrated designer fabrics bucked trends to focus on bright, colourful patterns and florals. The retro appeal of its classic shirts, bags and fabrics fills homes with flowers once again, but there are also newer designs, including a range of Converse shoes sporting Marimekko’s graphic prints (Converse shoes Dhs530; closed Sun; Pohjoisesplanadi 33; marimekko.com).

Kiasma stands out in Helsinki for its design and its popular café

ARABIA MUSEUM Just north of the city centre, the restored Arabia factory is home to a museum that showcases the legendary Finnish ceramics company’s creations of the past 140 years. The factory is still producing Arabia products and Iittala glassware, which can be viewed by taking a tour, plus there is an outlet store selling specials (guided tours Dhs19; closed Mon–Tue in winter, Mon in summer; Hämeentie 135;designmuseum.fi).

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Browse collections of glassware at Design Forum Finland

ARTEK ARTE R K The prolific Alvar and Aino Aalto set up this homeware, glassware and furniture store in 1935, and it maintains the simple design principles of its founders. Classic products include the threelegged birch Stool 60, along with works from other Finnish brands such as Woodnotes, which sells carpets and blinds. The store also houses exhibitions from time to time (Stool 60 Dhs785; closed Sun;Eteläesplanadi 18; artek.fi).

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MINI GUIDE

Helsinki design Shopping

TRANSPORT R Helsinki’s Vantaa airport is 11 miles north of the city. Fly with Aeroflot or Finnair (from Dhs2,690; aeroflot.com). Bus 615 shuttles to the city (Dhs21; 35 minutes), while Finnair buses drop passengers off in the city centre (Dhs30; 30 minutes). Taxis cost Dhs224. The city’s public transport system, HSL, includes buses, metro and local trains, trams and a ferry to Suomenlinna island. A one-hour single ticket on the network costs Dhs13 (hsl.fi).

WHERE TO T STAY T Book early for good deals at Hotel Finn. Corridors are dark in chocolate and red tones, while rooms are white with blonde parquet. There’s no breakfast, but you can get a discount at the café next door (from Dhs477;Kalevankatu 3b;hotellifinn.fi).

Pine-scented rooms at Hotelli Helka are decked out with ice-block bedside lights

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Sights & Activities

Where it all began…

Artek’s Aalto chairs To think that we take bent wood for granted in our furniture these days.

The Iittala vase Aalto again. Whether or not it actually resembles an Inuit woman’s leather pants, it’s undeniably a classic.

and backlit prints of autumn forests hanging over the beds.

There’s a generous buffet breakfast too (from Dhs670; Pohjoinen Rautatiekatu 23; helka.fi).

Hotel Kämp has been one of Helsinki’s finest addresses since 1887 and continues to impress to this day. It romances visitors with a stately marble lobby and rooms furnished with antiques.

There are three saunas, a day spa and two restaurants (from Dhs1,120; Pohjoisesplanadi 29; hotelkamp.com).

Where to stay

The know-how FINNISH DESIGN CLASSICS

Posters and Finnish photo art line the walls at Hotel Finn

Eating

1930s ringed tumblers designed by Aino Aalto You’ll drink breakfast juice out of them within a couple days of your arrival.

Marttiini knives Made up north at Rovaniemi, these are still first choice for outdoors folk 85 years after they were first produced.

Unikko bedclothes from Marimekko Who doesn’t dream better next to those upbeat red poppies (pictured)?

TOP TIP Head straight to the district of Punavuori, which is bristling with design shops and studios. A couple of hundred are part of Design District Helsinki, whose invaluable map is available at the tourist office (designdistrict.fi).

FURTHER FURTHE R R READING Lonely Planet’s Finland (Dhs90) has a detailed chapter on Helsinki, which is available to download at lonelyplanet.com (Dhs17).

Finnishdesign.com mostly sticks to established names but is a good introduction, while Design Forum Finland has useful links and its awards are a good way of keeping tabs on the scene (designforum.fi). The Man Without a Pastt (2002) is the best of Aki Kaurismäki’s Finland film trilogy.

COMPILED BY NATALIE MILLMAN, WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM ANDY SYMINGTON. PHOTOGRAPHS: ERNO ENKENBERG, MARIMEKKO CORPORATION, SILWEN RANDEBROCK, LIISA VALONEN

Helsinki essentials

Drinking

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Mediterranean coast & islands ERACLEA MINOA

The Th T he h e Scala Scal c ad ca dei eii Turchi e Tu T Tur urcchi hii in sso southern sou o the he errn n Sicily Siici cily ci illy y

MINI GUIDE

SICILY’S BEACHES

SCALA DEI TURCHI

With its Arab-influenced culture and cuisine, archaeological sites and varied landscapes, Sicily keeps you busy. But when it’s time to kick back, there’s a plethora of beaches to relax on and azure waters to dip your toe into.

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Now a small resort, Eraclea Minoa was once an important Greek settlement. Get your fill of history at the archaeological park (entry fee Dhs11) before heading to the beach, backed by eucalyptus and cypress trees. There’s a mud rock at the western end of the beach: scrape the mud off the rock, rub it on your skin, then let it dry before rinsing it off in the sea. You’ll emerge looking 10 years younger.

One of the most mesmerising – and least publicised – sights in the Agrigento area is the Scala dei Turchi. This is a blindingly white rock shaped like a giant staircase that juts out into the sea near the small town of Realmonte. Named after the Turkish pirates who used to hide out from stormy weather here, it’s a popular spot with local sunseekers who sunbathe on the milky-smooth rock and swim in the indigo sea. Take a picnic and make a day of it.

Aeolian islands

East coast

FORGIA VECCHIA, STROMBOLI

OASI FAUNISTICA DI VENDICARI

Although Stomboli is best known for having the only permanently active volcano in Europe, its blacksand beaches, the most beautiful in the Aeolian archipelago, have also put it on the map. Particularly lovely is Forgia Vecchia, close to the port. It’s a pretty stretch of black pebbles curving around a tranquil bay and is backed by the volcano’s green slopes.

Butting onto the Greek ruins of Eloro, this reserve is a wonderful stretch of coastline, encompassing three marshes and many sandy beaches. From the main entrance (signposted off the Noto-Pachino road), it’s a 10-minute walk to the beach, where you can pick up the coastal path. Spy on black-winged stilts, storks, geese and flamingos at the reserve’s observation posts.

CAMPOBIANCO, LIPARI Lipari is the largest and liveliest of the seven Aeolian islands. At Campobianco on the east coast, huge gashes of white rock streak down the hillside as a result of quarrying. This unlikely place is a great spot to swim, as you can slide down the pumice chutes into the sea. You’ll need to rent a boat or sign up to a tour to access the chutes. Popolo Giallo runs a tour of Lipari and Salina that includes swimming at Campobianco (tours Dhs140; popologiallo.it).

Lipari viewed from the great crater on the island of Vulcano

GELSO, VULCANO Most people come to Vulcano to climb its volcano, Fossa di Vulcano, and for the geothermal mud and hot springs. Once you’ve had your fill of sulphurous gases, escape the crowds to Gelso on the island’s southern coast. The village has a couple of black-sand beaches that rarely get crowded.

A steep dirt track leads to Spiaggia dell’Asina (Donkey Beach) and to Spiaggia Cannitello, which is surrounded by almost tropical greenery. Both beaches have a café where you can hire loungers.

ISOLA BELLA Not far from the popular resort of Taormina lies Isola Bella, a tiny island set in a cove. Access it by taking the funicular to Mazzarò beach, then walk south past the Sant’Andrea hotel – there’s a path that connects the island to the mainland. There’s wonderful swimming and snorkelling in the bay’s crystalline waters or head out further with Nike Diving Centre (Discover Scuba Dive Dhs252; diveniketaormina.com).

Shade is easy to come by at the golden beach at Eraclea Minoa

SPIAGGIA DEI CONIGLI, LAMPEDUSA Closer to Tunisia than Italy, the island of Lampedusa’s main draw is its beaches. One of the most beautiful is Spiaggia dei Conigli (aka Rabbit Beach), a secluded bay lapped by shallow, turquoise waters. The beach is part of a nature reserve, the only place in Italy where loggerhead sea turtles lay their eggs. Siremar runs ferries to Lampedusa from Sicily’s Porto Empedocle (from Dhs168 per person;9 hours; siremar.it).

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The islet of Isola Bella, also known as The Pearl of the Ionian Sea

GIARDINI-NAXOS This unpretentious resort is an alternative to the more expensive Taormina, nearby. A parade of hotels, bars, pizzerias and shops is strung along the seafront, overlooking a sand and pebble beach which curves around a crescent-shaped bay. There’s a small public beach but much is given over to lidos – where you pay around Dhs11 for entry and extra for umbrellas and loungers (sayonarabeachclub.it).

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MINI GUIDE

Sicily’s beaches Sights & Activities

Sicily essentials

WHERE TO T STAY STAY A In a narrow alleyway just off Lipari’s main strip, Diana Brown has delightful rooms with tiled floors and bright colours. Some rooms have kitchenettes, plus there’s a rooftop terrace and solarium ( from Dhs224;Vico Himera 3, Lipari; dianabrown.it).

Hotel La Corte del Sole is

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COASTAL WALKS Earn your swim or scenic views with these walks…

Riserva Naturale Torre Salsa Well-marked trails offer sweeping panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and coast. Cool off at the Torre Salsa beach, accessed from the reserve’s northern entrance (free; wwftorresalsa.com).

Hotel Villa Athena lies in Sicily’s Valley of the Temples V

a typical Sicilian farmstead of sandstone buildings set around a courtyard. It has 34 rooms, a restaurant, bike hire, cookery courses and a shuttle bus to the sea (from Dhs450; Contrada Bucachemi, Lido di Noto; lacortedelsole.it).

With the Temple of Concordia lit up in the distance, the views from the 18th-century, five-star Hotel Villa Athena are stunning.

Rooms are elegant and the hotel has a large pool (from Dhs897; Via Passeggiata Archeologica 33, Agrigento; hotelvillaathena.it).

TOP TIP Pollara beach, sandwiched dramatically between the sea and the steep slopes of an extinct volcano on Salina, was made famous by the film Il Postino. Admire the view and get that shot by heading down the steep steps at the northwest edge

Cefalù Brave the steep walk up the Salita Saraceno (Saracen Staircase) to La Rocca, which has views over the medieval town. On your return, stop at the crescent-shaped beach (admission to La Rocca free).

Riserva Naturale dello Zingaro Zingaro’s wild coastline is a haven for the rare Bonelli eagle (pictured). A walk along the coastal path between betw ween the reserve’s two entrances, Scopel Scopello llo and San Vito lo Copo, Co opo, takes 4 hours (Dhs15 (Dh hs15 entrance fee; riser rva riserva zingaro.it).

FURTHER FURT R HER READING Lonely Planet’s Sicilyy (Dhs79) is a detailed guide, and its chapters can be downloaded at lonelyplanet.com (Dhs17).

A good online guide is bestofsicily.com, which also lists beaches. Writers and filmmakers have long been inspired by Sicily’s history, landscapes and society: Giovanni Verga’s I Malavoglia (Dhs56; Dedalus) is about a family’s struggle for survival here, while Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather trilogy was shot on the island.

COMPILED BY NATALIE MILLMAN, WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM GREGOR CLARK. PHOTOGRAPHS: CUBOIMAGES/ALAMY, PRISMA/ SUPERSTOCK, UNIVERSAL IMAGES GROUP/SUPERSTOCK, MATT MUNRO, JUAN MANUEL MENACHO/AGEFOTOSTOCK/SUPERSTOCK

The know-how

TRANSPORT R Sicily’s two main airports serve the biggest cities: Palermo and Catania. Fly to Palermo KLM (from Dhs5,000; klm.com). Sicily can also be reached from Abu Dhabi with Air France, Lufthansa, Egypt Air and Emirates (from Dhs5,445; airfrance.ae) It’s preferable to hire a car (or motorbike) in Sicily as getting around the island on public transport is difficult and time-consuming. To get to the islands there’s an extensive system of hydrofoils and ferries – see ngi-spa.it, siremar.it and usticalines.it.

Where to stay

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Las Vegas’s V Strip comes into its own as night falls

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Shows CIRQUE DU SOLEIL’S L O Cirque du Soleil is made for Vegas, where spectacle is the name of the game, and the aquatic O at Bellagio is the hottest ticket in town. Aerial acrobatics, high dives and synchronised swimming create an electrifying atmosphere.

If you can’t get tickets, the Beatles-themed LOVE (from Dhs100; Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd S; 7.30pm & 10pm Wed– Sun;cirquedusoleil.com).

MINI GUIDE

NIGHTLIFE IN LAS VEGAS Sin City’s hulking megaresorts and casino hotels flashily compete to lure you and your wallet inside with a dizzying array of largerthan-life shows, celebrity-filled clubs, cabarets, jukebox bars and cocktail lounges.

FIRESIDE LOUNGE

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BEAUTY BAR Once you’ve dropped some serious cash on cocktails at the megaresorts, head down to Fremont East to throw back a few beers at some local downtown watering holes. This buzzing enclave is dominated by the Beauty Bar, a ’50s beauty salon that’s been turned into a live music venue. DJs and bands (think anything from punk to metal and glam rock) rotate nightly and the bar also hosts karaoke nights (beers from Dhs11; thebeautybar. com; 517 Fremont St; 9pm–2am).

FREMONT STREET EXPERIENCE

BALLY’S L BACKSTAG BACKSTAGE T E TOUR T

Streaking down the centre of Vegas’s historical Glitter Gulch gambling district, this pedestrian mall is lined with casinos and topped by a 450m-long canopy, which displays a six-minute light and sound show hourly. The shows are kitsch but mesmerising – and exhilarating if you happen to be on the new Flightlinez zipline (zipline from Dhs57; flightlinez fremont.com; vegasexperiencecom).

See the feather and rhinestone headdresses of old-school Vegas showgirls at Bally’s Backstage Tour, then score tickets to Jubilee! to see the women in action. One of Vegas’s long-running shows, more than 1,000 costumes are worn during the extravaganza.

If you can forgive the cheesiness, you’ll have a riot (Dhs215; tour Dhs45 with a show ticket; 3645 Las Vegas Blvd S; 7.30pm & 10.30pm, ballyslasvegas.com).

Clubs

Bars When it’s 4am, your feet hurt and you’re in no mood for another glitzy bar, head to the Strip’s most spellbinding hideaway.

In Peppermill’s Fireside Lounge, the swinging ’70s never ended.

Couples chill out in couches and sip cocktails beside the glow of neon lights and faux flickering fireplaces (cocktails from Dhs28; 2985 Las Vegas Blvd S; peppermilllasvegas.com).

It’s all action in Cirque du Soleil’s O, V Vegas’s most popular show

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TRYST

The bedazzling Chandelier at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas V

THE CHANDELIER Dangling like a glimmering jewel in the centre of The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is The Chandelier, a three-tiered cocktail bar that’s draped with glass beads. Perched on a velvet loveseat, you’ll feel like you’re sipping champagne inside a jewellery box. The first level hosts DJs, the second specialises in cocktails and the third serves floral and fruit infusions (cocktails from Dhs37; open 24 hours; 3708 Las Vegas Blvd S; cosmopolitanlasvegas.com).

Steve Wynn’s signature hotel is home to Tryst: a rather decadent club, even by Dubai standards.

Situated on a faux lagoon under a waterfall, the cascade doesn’t just make the place look cool – the mist literally cools you off after you’ve worked up a sweat (cover charge from Dhs73; 10pm–4am Thu–Sat; Wynn, 3131 Las Vegas Blvd S; trystlasvegas.com).

MOON & RAIN There’s an unusual glow over the dance floors at the Palms’ twin nightclubs. At futuristic Moon, the roof retracts, so you can dance to hip-hop and pop while desert stars shine above. At Rain, highend pyrotechnics mean you’ll be dancing to big-name DJs beneath blazing fireballs (cover Dhs67 and Dhs45; Moon Tue, Thu-Sat from 10.30pm; Rain Sat from 10pm; Palms Casino Resort, 4321 W Flamingo Rd;n9negroup.com).

Opulence is the name of the game at Tryst at the Wynn hotel

XS XS at Encore is the hottest club in Vegas – for now. Centred around a gorgeous pool, the indooroutdoor layout gives the club an open feel that’s welcome at 3am.

The world’s best DJs are often on the turntables and the scene is upscale. Monday is the best night as the cover is cheap and the lines are much shorter (cover from Dhs73; Fri– Mon 10pm–4am; Encore, 3131 Las Vegas Blvd S; xslasvegas.com).

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MINI GUIDE

Nightlife in Las Vegas Drinking

TRANSPORT R Virgin Atlantic flies to Las Vegas (from Dhs4,470; virgin-atlantic. com). The easiest and cheapest way to get to your hotel is by airport shuttle (Dhs28 to the Strip). Las Vegas is a great road trip destination, so you may want to fly to other US cities then hire a car: LA is a 4½-hour drive, San Diego 5 hours. To get around Sin City, it’s worth remembering that the Strip is more than four miles long. You’ll be best off combining walking (the Strip has movable walkways and elevated crosswalks) with monorail, bus rides and taxis.

WHERE T TO S STAY T TAY Relive the fabulous heyday of Vegas in the ’50s at the Golden Nugget, a casino hotel that set the downtown benchmark for extravagance. Outside, a threestorey water slide plunges through a huge shark tank (from Dhs224;129 E Fremont St; goldennugget.com).

Unlike most Vegas hotels, the

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The know-how NIGHTLIFE SURVIVAL SKILLS

The Golden Nugget is one of the oldest casino hotels in Vegas V

4,000-room Aria in CityCenter has no particular theme. It attracts a sophisticated guest who comes for the contemporary design, Fine Art collection and fantastic spa (from Dhs560; 3730 Las Vegas Blvd S; arialasvegas.com).

Sin City’s most luxurious address is the Encore. It has beautiful indoor flower gardens and standard rooms (suites) come with floor-to-ceiling windows and flat-screen TVs in the bathrooms (from Dhs897; 3131 Las Vegas Blvd S; wynnlasvegas.com).

Where to stay

Vegas’s doormen, VIP hosts and concierges share their tips…

O Club cover charges are typically Dhs112 on weekends, Dhs634 on weeknights, with women paying less, or sometimes not at all.

O Book ahead with a club promoter such as freevegasclub passes.com or call the club directly to get on the guest list or for bottle-service tables (Dhs730 minimum per foursome).

O Look for the club’s promoters, usually on the casino floor of the corresponding resort, as they often hand out passes for speedy entry and even for free drinks.

O Remember to tip bartenders Dhs5 per drink or 15% each round.

TOP TIP Vegas’s buffets are a good way to recover from the night before. Wicked Spoon has stations for meat, sushi, seafood and desserts, as well as made-to-order dishes.

Angry Mac n Cheese is a good bet (from Dhs84; from 8am; cosmopolitanlasvegas.

FURTHER FURT R HER READING Lonely Planet’s Discover Las Vegas (Dhs78) is an invaluable guide to the city.

Vegastripping.com has general information and links to award-winning blogs. For an instant insight into the city, read Neon Metropolis: How Las Vegas Started the Twenty-First Centuryy by Hal Rothman (Dhs118; Routledge). Also make sure to watch 2001’s remake of Ocean’s Eleven and listen to Elvis’s catchy Viva Las Vegas.

COMPILED BY NATALIE MILLMAN, WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM BRIDGET GLEESON. PHOTOGRAPHS: THE COSMOPOLITAN OF LAS VEGAS

Las V Vegas essentials

Entertainment

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Fold 2 Walk off some of the best French L food along Lyon’s beautiful streets

Best for food IN CUISINE Capitalising on Lyon’s reputation for culinary excellence, this book store is dedicated to food. It’s bright, vibrant and well stocked: sections include wine and vines, world cooking, chef’s books, and health and nutrition. It also has a good café, open Monday to Friday, serving gourmet coffee and generous lunches (books from Dhs22, lunches Dhs56; 1 Place Bellecour, 2e; incuisine.fr).

MINI GUIDE

SHOPPING IN LYON Grand old Lyon is France’s third-largest city and its gastronomic capital. Food shopping is an unmissable part of the city’s experience and its famed outdoor markets are the place to pick up a whole host of culinary delights.

Best for fashion and design MIS EN SCENE Looking more like a plush pad than the fine furniture and interior decoration specialist that it is, Mis en Scène (the work of design graduate Mariane Sauzet) revels in bold and playful pieces in punchy colours, sleek Modernist water features and striking textiles and carpets (lamps from Dhs477; closed Sun & Mon; 4 Rue du Colonel Chambonnet; misenscene.org).

Tear out page here then fold along dotted lines

PRINTEMPS Occupying one corner of the elegant central square of the Place de la République in Lyon, this baby sister of the grand Parisian department store Printemps sells fashion, lingerie, shoes and jewellery on five floors, with a separate menswear store next door. Latest collections this year include Jérôme Dreyfuss handbags and Claudie Pierlot dresses and tops (Claudie Pierlot pullover Dhs813; closed Sun; 42 Rue de la République; printemps.com).

BERNACHON This tiny but world-famous cake and chocolate shop run by the Bernachon family treats chocolate not as a sweet, but as a gourmet food in its own right.

Not only do they make chocolates here, they make the chocolate itself: raw cocoa beans are roasted, grinded and blended in-house. Try the signature Le President, a flamboyant chocolate cake (cakes for one from Dhs140; 42 Cours Franklin Roosevelt; bernachon.com).

Cake-making is an art form at chocolate specialist Bernachon

LES HALLES DE LYON LYON LY More than 60 traders tout their wares at this popular indoor food market, which has been in operation since 1850. It’s the place to stock up on ingredients – from speciality cheeses, such as the impossibly runny St Marcellin, and seasonal fruit and vegetables to fresh jamón serrano, snails and oysters. You can also enjoy a sit-down lunch at the stalls (St Marcellin from Dhs11 for 100g; closed Mon;102 cours Lafayette, 3e; halledelyon.free.fr).

Best for outdoor markets

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MARCHÉ DE L’ARTISANAT L ART L’ R ISANAT A ET DES MÉTIERS D’ART R

Colour and lighting are key in the designs of Mis en Scène

KAOLIN This famed luxury homeware boutique is so beautiful it could almost be a museum. The shop is located on the corner of one of the largest squares in Lyon, and is filled with unique, handmade creations and contemporary design pieces that are often exclusive to the store, including colourful, post-modern Philippe Starck chairs and glass vases by the Italian designer Ettore Sottsass (vases from Dhs1,120; closed Sun & Mon; 1 Place Bellecour; 00 33 4 78 37 53 56).

Every Sunday morning, sculptors, painters, jewellers, fashion designers, poets and musicians come together at this market on the banks of the Saône river.

Amble while browsing the clothes, ceramics, paintings and prints for sale (silk scarves from Dhs45; Sun 8am–1.30pm;Quai de Bondy; 00 33 4 72 10 30 30).

CROIX-ROUSSE Soulful Croix-Rousse – a hillside quarter known for its silk industry – has a villagey feel and a fantastic food market. More than 100 traders set up their stalls every morning to sell local cheeses, meats and crusty bread.

Tuesday is the best day to visit as silkware, crafts and fabrics are also for sale amongst the food (meats from Dhs11, 4e; closed Mon; Bld de la Croix-Rousse; 00 33 4 72 10 30 30).

Artists display their latest canvases at Marché de la Création

MARCHÉ DE LA CRÉAT CRÉATION A ION Set up in 1979 by writer and ethnologist Jean-Yves Loude, this market in Vieux Lyon attracts creatives and art lovers eager to snap up paintings, photography, crafts and engravings. The stylistic range of the paintings is incredible – from classical landscapes in oil to spray-can modern pieces (paintings from Dhs224; Quai Romain Rolland; Sun 8am–1pm; marche.creation.lyon.free.fr).

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MINI GUIDE

Shopping in Lyon Shopping

LLyon essentials

Le Boulevardier, in the Presq’ile district, has 11 snug and very cool rooms. The hotel is up a spiral staircase above a cool little bistro and jazz club of the same name, which also doubles as the hotel’s reception (from Dhs280; 5 Rue de la Fromagerie; leboulevardier.fr).

Péniche Barnum is a barge moored on the Rhône near Pont Morland. It has two en-suite rooms, a book-filled sitting room

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LOCAL FOOD What’s on the menu in Lyon, a French gastrononic capital:

Tablier de sapeur:

Breaded fried tripe, first cooked in broth and then marinated in white wine.

Andouillette:

A junior suite at the historic Cour des Loges in Lyon’s L old town

and a terrace on deck. It’s open all year-round and does wonderful breakfasts to start the day with (from Dhs645; 3, Quai Sarrail; peniche-barnum.com).

The Cour des Loges in Vieux Lyon comprises four buildings set around a glass-roofed courtyard. Rooms are generous and lavishly decorated. The hotel also has two restaurants, a delicatessen so you won’t go hungry and a spa to rest tired feet from exploring (from Dhs1,120; 2-8, Rue du Boeuf; courdesloges.com).

Coarse-grained sausage made with intestines, pepper, wine, onions and seasoning.

TOP TIP As in most French towns and cities, small shops in Lyon tend to close for two hours at lunchtime. However, they often stay open until 7pm.

Malls and supermarkets usually remain open all day.

Many shops are closed on Sunday and Monday too.

Rosette de Lyon: R L

The city’s most famous sausage – it is dried and cured and is served in thick slices.

Boudin noir aux pommes:

Black pudding poached in wine with stewed apples. Best served with a glass of red wine.

Salade lyonnaise:

A green salad (ideally frisée) with lardons, croutons and egg (pictured below).

FURTHER FURTH R ER READING Lonely Planet’s France (Dhs100) has a chapter on Lyon, or you can download the Lyon & the Rhône Valley chapter (Dhs16) from lonelyplaneom. Find out what’s on at the cinema, theatre, galleries and music venues at lyonpoche.com and petit-bulletin.fr. Lyonborn musician, producer and composer Jean Michel Jarre’s 1976 album Oxygène is one of France’s biggest-selling records (Dhs50; Disques Dreyfus/Sony Music France).

COMPILED BY JASON RILEY, WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM CATHERINE LE NEVEZ. PHOTOGRAPHS: BONY/GAMMA – RAPHO/GETTY IMAGES, COUR DES LOGES/G PICOUT, HEMIS/ALAMY, MARKUS KIRCHGESSNER/LAIF/CAMERA PRESS, PHOTOCUISINE/ALAMY

WHERE TO T STAY STA TAY

Where to stay

The know-how

TRANSPORT R Fly direct to Lyon-Saint Exupéry from Dubai and Abu Dhabi with Lufthansa, SWISS Airways and KLM (from Dhs3,585; airfrance. ae). Buses, trams, a metro and two railway lines are operated by TCL, which has information offices adjacent to metro stations throughout the city (all-day tickets Dhs21; tcl.fr). Hire bikes are available at 200 vélo’v cycle stations in the city (first 30 mins free, the next half hour Dhs1.50; velov.grandlyon.com).

Eating

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COMPETITION

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To be in with a chance of winning this gorgeous prize, go to lonelyplanettraveller.me before 15 September 2013 and answer the question along with your details, or scan the QR code below What sea does The Sentosa Resort & Spa overlook? a) South China Sea b) North China Sea c) Gulf of Oman CONDITIONS OF ENTRY 6 l^ccZg l^aa WZ X]dhZc Vi gVcYdb Cdi Veea^XVWaZ Yjg^c\ ;dgbjaV &! :kZ d[ 6 l^ccZg l^aa WZ X]dhZc Vi gVcYdb Cdi Veea^XVWaZ Yjg^c\ ;dgbjaV &! :kZ d[ and notified by email and Public Holidays :cigVcih bjhi WZ dkZg &- VcY ]daY Gddbh VgZ hjW_ZXi id VkV^aVW^a^in Vi i^bZ Gddbh VgZ hjW_ZXi id VkV^aVW^a^in Vi i^bZ :cigVcih bjhi WZ dkZg &- VcY ]daY a valid passport of booking KVa^Y [dg h^m bdci]h [gdb i]Z ^hhjZ YViZ KVa^Y [dg h^m bdci]h [gdb i]Z ^hhjZ YViZ Cdi Veea^XVWaZ [dg ZbeadnZZh d[ Cdi Veea^XVWaZ [dg ZbeadnZZh d[ Beaufort hotels or CPI Media Group

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COMPETITION

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Jaipur Mumbai Delhi

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