FIGHT CITY
How Las Vegas became the boxing capital of the world
LOOKING UP IN MOSCOW The truth about the Soviet skyscrapers
LUPITA NYONG’O An insider’s guide to Nairobi
RED PLANET
Why Hawaii is so vital to the mission to Mars, and how it’s testing astronauts to the limit
oyster perpetual YACHT-MASTER 40
FLANNEL
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CONTENTS
INTRO
14
18
20
22
26
28
32
39
EXPERIENCE
THE YEAR OF ZAYED
TASTE
STAY
TRAVEL ESSENTIAL
DISPATCH
NEIGHBOURHOOD
COLUMN
FEATURES
50
42
58
LIFE ON MARS
FIGHT CITY
STALKING MOZART
BRIEFING
67
70
72
74
82
88
90
NEWS
INSIDE EMIRATES
DESTINATION
VISA, COMFORT, AND SMART GATE
ROUTE MAP
THE FLEET
CELEBRITY DIRECTIONS
OPEN SKIES / 9
EDITOR’S NOTE
ON THE COVER
FIGHT CITY When it comes to photographing boxing, Neil Leifer is something of a legend. His shot of the Rumble in the Jungle represents part of boxing’s power shift from New York to Las Vegas – by way of Zaire.
When Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor fought in Las Vegas late last year for The Money Belt, it represented boxing’s relationship with the city in microcosm. The belt itself was encrusted with 1.5kg of 24-karat gold, 3,360 diamonds, 600 sapphires and 300 emeralds. The fight, meanwhile, was a face-melting display of showmanship, sleight of hand and, for some at least, sophisticated grifting. Although the numbers behind it were staggering (Mayweather was guaranteed US$100 million minimum, McGregor US$30 million), the show itself was nothing new. The sweet science is increasingly defined by its place on the Strip, with Caesars Palace – where George Foreman slugged it out with Ron Lyle in 1976 to put the city firmly on the boxing map – looming large in the background. But while boxing and Vegas seem a natural fit, our cover story on page 42 explains why this wasn’t always the case, and how its power play came by way of Kinshasa, Caracas and a touch of Mafia corruption. But if this game is known for anything it’s the potential to upset the odds; and those resting on their laurels can get dumped on the canvas pretty quick. Could Vegas face a battle from places such as Macau and Dubai in 2018 to retain its crown?
ANDREW NAGY SENIOR EDITOR
SOCIAL MEDIA facebook.com/ openskiesmag
twitter.com/ openskiesmag
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ALSO AVAILABLE ON YOUR IPAD OPEN SKIES / 11
Intro
NEIGHBOURHOOD
INTRO
EXPERIENCE • TASTE • STAY • NEIGHBOURHOOD • COLUMN
FESTIVAL OF FIRE Travellers to Scotland should visit Lerwick in Shetland for Up Helly Aa – the annual tribute to its Viking heritage. SHETLAND, SCOTLAND | UPHELLYAA.ORG
Turn over to plan your month OPEN SKIES / 13
THE PLAN Events to aim for this month JAN. 4-16
TORUK THE FIRST FLIGHT Artistic director Hugo Martins explains how his Cirque du Soleil show will be out of this world WORDS: Andrew Nagy
What can we expect? This is a unique show by Cirque du Soleil based on James Cameron’s record-breaking movie, Avatar. It’s 3,000 years before the events of the film and we follow three Na’vi teenagers as they set out on a quest through Pandora to save their race from extinction. How do you tell the story? We go big! We use the entire floor, and the set – which is over 20,000 square feet – is covered in projections creating a canvas that’s bigger than five IMAX screens. What should we look out for? We created the giant loom, a sevenmetre-high structure that includes gymnastic high bars, specifically for the show. We also have a bone structure that’s a giant revolving skeleton seesaw. Our athletes do a mix of balancing and contortion on top as it moves and spins around. How many people are involved? The show travels with approximately 100 people from 22 different countries, including a multicultural cast of 41 talented artists. They come from all over the world, and from different disciplines like gymnastics, circus arts, dancing, capoeira, martial arts, juggling and diving. How long does it take to create a show like this? This was no easy task. It took
roughly five years from inception to our premiere. There are so many aspects, from creating storyline and costume, to makeup, the set build, rehearsals and much more before you’re able to start the tour.
Which part do you love most? It’s difficult for me to say, but what I really enjoy is the show’s emotional component and message. It relates to the importance of being connected with each other and
EXPERIENCE
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION... JAN. 5-8
THE EMIRATES FA CUP
There are some big games this month, (Liverpool vs. Everton derby anyone?), but if you’re looking at the potential for some classic Third Round giant-killing, then Fleetwood or Hereford vs. Leicester City could be your best bet. ENGLAND-WIDE | THEFA.COM
JAN. 10-17
WINTER JAZZFEST
This month’s Winter Jazzfest is sure to warm any visitor to NYC, courtesy of six days featuring the freshest new jazz acts in the world. Be sure to check out Giles Peterson’s British Jazz Showcase, which opens the event on January 10. NEW YORK CITY | WINTERJAZZFEST.COM
JAN. 18-28
SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL
The biggest independent film festival in the US is a Robert Redford-chaired monster of an event in Lake City, Utah. Expect a crowd of 40,000 plus, including cinema lovers, aspiring moviemakers and A-list stars. UTAH, USA | SUNDANCE.ORG
JAN. 25-28
DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC
Originally the first European Tour event to be staged in the Middle East, it has attracted some of the biggest names in golf to the Majlis course at Emirates Golf Club. Go this month to see the current elite
with our planet, reminding us that everyone counts and can make a contribution in any challenge we may have to face. DUBAI WORLD TRADE CENTRE | CIRQUEDUSOLEIL.COM
battling for the US$3 million prize fund. EMIRATES GOLF CLUB | OMEGADUBAIDESERTCLASSIC.COM Catch highlights of the 2017 Omega Dubai Desert Classic and more from European Tour Golf on channel 1156 on ice Digital Widescreen.
ADVICE
JAN. 1
JAY-Z
A new year can be tough, so Open Skies went to the King of New York for words on how to tackle 2018 like a champion
ZERO PROBLEMS IN 2018
WORDS: Emma Coiler
RESOLUTE IDEAS
Let the three most popular resolutions guide your January diary in Dubai
1
2
3
YOU WANT TO: Get in shape
YOU WANT TO: Change your image
YOU WANT TO: Try something new
TRY THE: Dubai Marathon or 10km
TRY THE: Dubai Shopping Festival
TRY THE: Quoz Art Fest
JANUARY 26, DUBAIMARATHON.ORG
UNTIL JANUARY 27, VISITDUBAI.COM
JANUARY 26-27, ALSERKALAVENUE.AE
Jay-Z’s album 4.44 is playing in Recent Releases in Music and CDs on ice. The album is his 13th consecutive studio album to top the US chart, and received eight Grammy nominations at the 60th annual awards.
16 / OPEN SKIES
I need a January plan Jay-Z says: My advice would be to not put things off. It’s easy to have a dream, but then invent reasons as to why it’s not quite the right time to do it. The right time is now. I’m launching a new business venture this year. Any advice? Jay-Z says: You’ve got to back yourself. You have to believe in what you are doing, because if you don’t, how can you expect investors or anybody else to? I want to reinvent my brand in 2018 Jay-Z says: Brands are an extension of you – and that’s important. If you’re selling a product with no emotional attachment it doesn’t work. Keep it real – the consumer buys into a product that’s real. I want to start 2018 eating healthy – but how do I stay on track? Jay-Z says: I’ve done a plant-based detox before – it’s good for the body and mind – and actually isn’t as difficult as you might think. A cheat day is OK, though; I’m from Brooklyn and we have the best pizza in the country. I’m just looking for some solid advice to start the year with confidence Jay-Z says: Warren Buffett once said to me: ‘Taxes and inflation can’t take your talent away from you.’ Essentially I think he was saying that, even in a volatile market, be confident; talent will always shine through. How can I stay true to my New Year’s resolutions? Jay-Z says: It’s pretty simple. I came from a place where all you had was your word. If you say you are going to do something, then do it.
524344
THE YEAR OF ZAYED
WELCOME TO THE YEAR OF ZAYED
Throughout 2018, Open Skies will celebrate 100 years since the birth of the UAE’s founding father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, sharing stories from his life and explaining how you can see his vision in action WORDS: Andrew Nagy
IMAGE: Genevieve Chauvel
54.3773° E
24.4539° N,
ABU DHABI
To understand the significance of 2018 as The Year of Zayed, you need to go back to February 1968, and a meeting in desert highland on the border between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It was there that Abu Dhabi Ruler Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and Dubai Ruler Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum shook hands on the principle of founding a federation to replace the withdrawing British government. Their plan would see other Trucial States invited to join forces with them and create a nation.
Negotiations were long and hard but, almost three years later, on December 2, 1971, the United Arab Emirates was formed between Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain – with Ras Al Khaimah joining in early 1972. Sheikh Zayed was appointed the nation’s first president and would
go on to revolutionise the country by virtue of bold leadership, tolerance and inspired ideas. His legacy is one that you can now celebrate each month in the pages of Open Skies. MAIN IMAGE TAKEN FROM FATHER OF OUR NATION | BOOKSARABIA.COM
Sheikh Zayed livery Check the side of your plane if you can today; it could well feature Emirates’ bespoke livery in tribute to Sheikh Zayed. A total of ten Emirates aircraft carry the decal – five Airbus A380s and five Boeing 777-300ERs.
VISIT
ZAYED CENTRE
Based in an Emirati heritage village in Abu Dhabi, Zayed Centre offers an insight into the man who shaped the nation, with visitors able to walk around ‘Sheikh Zayed’s house’ – a hall filled with a number of his personal artefacts, including his favourite blue Mercedes. AL BATEEN DISTRICT, ABU DHABI | +971 2 665 9555
DID YOU KNOW?
Throughout the late 1920s and early ’30s, Sheikh Zayed headed into the desert, living alongside Bedouin tribesmen to learn about their way of life and connection with their surroundings.
18 / OPEN SKIES
What is The Year of Zayed? To celebrate the centennial anniversary of the birth of the UAE’s founding father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, 2018 will see 12 months of programmes and events to honour his life and legacy. OPEN SKIES / 19
TASTE
DUBAI
THE RYOKAN STUFF
Japanese restaurant Kohantei places quality above all else
LONDON
PARK CHINOIS Your Chinese New Year celebrations sorted
In the heart of London’s Mayfair, Park Chinois is a stylish nod to the Shanghai of the 1930s, with a stunning interior harking back to a golden age of the city known as “wicked old Paris of the Orient”. Nominally a dim sum restaurant, but with an array of progressive Chinese dishes, house favourites include duck de chine, grilled XO black cod and Chilean Wagyu ribeye beef – along with an expertly curated wine list. Start with drinks at the bar before heading downstairs for dinner, replete with live music and cabaret – including Disney characters recreating fables with a modern twist. If you’re in town between February 15 and 20, be sure to book a table for their special celebrations for Chinese New Year. 17 BERKELEY STREET, LONDON | PARKCHINOIS.COM
Want to learn more about the top restaurants in Dubai? Check out the Dubai Restaurants podcast, channel 1506 on ice.
20 / OPEN SKIES
Its style is understated. “Kohantei is Dubai’s first kaiseki restaurant, and a small but extremely personal dining experience,” says owner Benjamin Ng. “We’re trying to remind people of the fundamentals of a fine dining experience: produce perfectly sourced, handled with the utmost care in transit, and lovingly prepared with the respect it’s due.” It was built from scratch – a house inside a building. “Kaiseki is served in a traditional Japanese inn (ryokan) or a restaurant (ryotei),” explains Ng. “To replicate this we built an entire house, roof tiles included, to preserve the essence of kaiseki.” Everything is authentic. “We could have only achieved this with an almost fanatical
bid for authenticity,” continues Ng. “Japanese architects, full Japanese team, tatami flooring, shoji screen, even the Toto toilets. Finally, we get produce from Japan twice a week. No expense was spared to preserve the purity of Japanese hospitality.” DUBAI OPERA DISTRICT | KOHANTEI.AE
Serious beef
How Kohantei comes with major approval If you’d like to know just how serious they take their produce in Japan, ask Kohantei owner Ben Ng to tell you a story about when he was sent to a hidden restaurant at a secret location. It resulted in, not only the best eating experience of his life (“the finest cuts of beef were presented, carved, grilled in a traditional earthen pot and served at the optimal temperature”), but also a test to see if he was worthy of selling the nation’s most revered beef. A phone call two days later telling him, “OK, we deal” was proof that he was.
SharjahMuseumsAuthority
STAY
GERMANY
THE DESIGN LOVER’S DREAM A stylishly dark and brooding hotel in the centre of Frankfurt, Roomers is anything but a corporate hangout WORDS: Christopher Beanland
8.6821° E
50.1109° N
FRANKFURT
Dark, mysterious and alluring – Roomers is a hotel that will live long in the memory after even the shortest of stays. The minimal noir aesthetic created by Oana Rosen in Frankfurt’s most prestigious design hotel is bolstered by neat touches such as the Cavalli swan-style chairs, stainless steel and black stone bathrooms, and atmospheric lighting. But while the mood is pleasantly dark, everything else is warm and welcoming, from the awardwinning Roomers Bar to the outstanding breakfast buffet, that offers shakshuka, healthy dips, Mediterranean spreads and vegan walnut cheese, all available until 1pm at weekends – truly wonderful if you’re a night owl. Centrally located near the Hauptbahnhof, and with valet parking too, Roomers is
FRANKFURT
A spa with style
Designed by Germany’s 3Deluxe Architects, the contemporary design of the gym, saunas, hot tubs and outdoor terrace – with 360-degree views of Frankfurt – is a jaw-dropping proposition. Finished in the finest woods, it’s a perfect place to relax after a hard day’s business. convenient as well as classy. But it’s the styling of the place that’s the real winner – like its sisters in Baden Baden and Munich, Frankfurt’s Roomers is opulent, sophisticated and something to really write home about. ROOMERS-FRANKFURT.COM
WHILE YOU’RE IN FRANKFURT
Brutalist architecture is firmly in vogue at the moment, so check out the beasts of the SOS Brutalism exhibition at the German National Architecture Museum in Frankfurt. It’s just across the River Main from Roomers and runs until April 2018. SOSBRUTALISM.ORG Emirates flies to Frankfurt three times daily.
22 / OPEN SKIES
STAY
OPEN SKIES / 23
STAY
SWITZERLAND
ANDERMATT 2.0 At the heart of the mission to rejuvenate this sleepy Alpine village, you’ll find The Chedi Andermatt WORDS: Joe Mortimer
ANDERMATT
8.5936° E
46.6339° N
ANDERMATT
Jean-Michel Gathy’s blend of chalet chic and Asian elegance somehow works exceptionally well in the mountain setting of Andermatt, where miles of new ski runs welcome their first skiers this season. Here at the first European outpost of The Chedi, warm timber and local art fill the moodily lit suites, and glass and steel wood-burners keep guests cosy in The Bar & Living Room: your venue for off-piste downtime. Half-wrapped in glass windows that frame the mountains, the 35-metre pool is a thing of beauty, and the 12-metre outdoor section is a prime spot for deep thoughts under falling snow. The Chedi’s Asian roots are evident in The Japanese Restaurant,
24 / OPEN SKIES
Emirates serves two destinations in Switzerland: Zurich and Geneva. Choose from twice daily A380 service to Zurich, and twice daily flights to Geneva operated by Emirates’ newest Boeing 777-300ERs.
and it’s hard to resist the five-metretall cheese cellar in The Restaurant. But for full destination immersion, book a table in The Chalet, a rustic Alpine hut where truffled fondue is served on traditional red and white tablecloths. You can’t get much more Swiss than that. THECHEDIANDERMATT.COM
STAY
SKI WITHOUT LESSONS Only to be used in emergency slope situations
LEARN TO MOVE Push yourself along flat terrain by keeping the skis parallel and pushing yourself forward with use of the poles.
PICK THE RIGHT SLOPE Know your colours: green is easy, blue intermediate, black diamond is difficult and double black diamond (sometimes with an exclamation mark) is for experts only.
LEARN TO STOP Spread the tips of your skis apart to stop slipping backwards, and then the backs apart to stop yourself sliding forwards.
IF YOU’RE GOING TO FALL When possible, fall uphill and to your side, with your hip and shoulder absorbing the impact. Always wear a helmet.
OPEN SKIES / 25
ESSENTIALS
TRAVEL ESSENTIALS
BLAZING A TRAIL
Three stunning hikes to tackle on your travels
For those set to walk some of the world’s glorious hiking trails in 2018, we offer a stylishly sturdy boot LONG GAME Durable enough to see you through a tough hike, but stylish enough to tackle a brunch.
BASH-PROOF Thanks to the scuffresistant, pebble grain leather, there’s no terrain you can’t tackle, safe in the knowledge that you’ll still look sharp on the descent. 1
Appalachian Trail, US
The longest hiking-only footpath in the world, this epic 3,500km trail passes through 14 states, and requires you take on wilderness and traverse towns and rivers.
FEET FIRST The Vibram rubber lug soles with foam midsole mean that no matter how many kilometres you clock, you’ll still feel good.
THE BOOT Moncler, Peak PebbleGrain Leather Hiking Boot Dhs2,597
Explore nature and wildlife on today’s flight with Wildlife TV on channels 11901196, and four breathtaking wildlife documentaries from Disneynature on channels 460-463.
THE BOOT THE HIKE
It’s January, so indulge that nagging new-year obligation to get fit by getting out onto a hiking trail. This works on two important levels. Firstly, you’ll get to see some of the most spectacular scenery in the world and, secondly, it means you can push any thoughts of joining a Crossfit class far from your mind. If you’re visiting the UAE, then a trip to Hatta – the rocky northern region of Dubai – is a must. With the first phase of Hatta Hiking now open, you can wander this spectacular mountain region on a 12km trail. The first 9km passes through tourist spots such as Hatta Heritage Village before hitting a second, 3km trail that leads to the Hatta dam. The area will eventually feature four trails ranging from easy to tough. Of course, the first thing you’ll need is a decent pair of hiking boots. We can help you there. MRPORTER.COM
26 / OPEN SKIES
2
Haute Route, Switzerland
This stunning 180km hike between Chamonix and Zermatt in Switzerland takes around 10 days and offers both snow-capped glaciers and lush green valleys.
3
Tongariro Northern Circuit, New Zealand
This hike will take you deep into the Tongariro National Park UNESCO Heritage Site, and a journey of glacial valleys, volcanic landscapes and green countryside.
DISPATCH
RUSSIA
MOSCOW AND THE SEVEN SISTERS No visitor to the Russian capital can avoid the glare of these giant Gothic temples to the ambition of the former Soviet Union WORDS: Sean Williams
37.6173° E
MOSCOW
55.7558° N
Moscow has always required a certain robustness to survive. Often cold and occasionally unfriendly, a toughness is needed to navigate its streets. However, recent years have seen a distinct thawing in the Russian capital. Moscow today feels rid of its moodiness, which makes it a great time to explore the history of one of the world’s most unique empires. While the list of potential sites to visit here is long, there are seven buildings that ring-fence central Moscow and elicit excitement and fear, both for their imposing grandeur and for what they represented when they were first built. The Seven Sisters is a group of Gothic skyscrapers commissioned by former Soviet leader Joseph Stalin to celebrate communist splendour. They loom above shopping precincts, bridges and apartment blocks. Many are still of vital importance to the city, each has become as emblematic a sight as any in Moscow, and their history is as fascinating as it is tragic. Following Soviet victory in the Second World War, Stalin wanted people to visit Moscow as tourists. But the city’s low-slung skyline worried him. “What if they come to Moscow and don’t see any skyscrapers,” he allegedly complained. So government architects took cues from the towers that had sprung up in pre-war Manhattan. The first foundations of the Seven Sisters – Muscovites call them the Vysotniye Zdaniye, which means the Tall Buildings – were laid in 1947, 800 years after Moscow was founded. Taking six years to complete, they epitomise the ambition of the Soviet empire, and the people on whose backs it was built. 28 / OPEN SKIES
The skyscrapers performed a range of duties: two were hotels, two were government offices and two were apartment blocks to the USSR’s elite. The seventh, the Moscow State University Building, has remained an academic centre throughout its history. It was the tallest building in the world outside New York City when it was built, and Europe’s tallest building until 1990, when it was overtaken by Frankfurt’s MesseTurm (Trade Fair Tower). An Eighth Sister, the Zaryadye skyscraper, was conceived but never built. When Stalin died in 1953 it was decided that the building would overshadow its neighbour, the Kremlin, and a low-slung, ultra-modern hotel was constructed on the spot instead. The building’s plans were not wasted, however, and were put to use as the blueprint for Warsaw’s Palace of Culture and Science, which remains Poland’s tallest building. The long spires that crown each Sister were allegedly an afterthought, added when Stalin HIGH-RISE
Moscow has become Europe’s high-rise capital. Here are the continent’s tallest skyscrapers 400m
300m
200m
100m
00m
The Shard, London (309.7m)
Mercury Tower, Moscow (338.8m)
OKO South Tower, Moscow (354.1m)
Federation Tower, Moscow (373.7m)
Emirates flies twice daily to Moscow’s Domodedovo International Airport – both flights are operated by the Emirates A380.
How to embrace Soviet nostalgia Three ways to revisit Moscow’s Soviet past
MUSEUM OF SOVIET SLOT MACHINES
Alexander Stakhanov rescued his first arcade machine in 2005. Now he owns dozens in a brightly coloured museum off the pretty Kuznetsky Most Street.
15KOP.RU
BUNKER 42
This decommissioned nuclear bunker in southeast Moscow pays homage to mid-century atom bomb paranoia.
BUNKER42.COM
decided that all his buildings should have one to differentiate them from the towers of the US. When he died, the Sisters’ architects asked his successor Nikita Khrushchev to remove them and return the buildings to their original designs. Khrushchev refused, wanting them to remain as a “monument to Stalin’s stupidity”. Today the buildings have stayed true to their original purpose: the two government buildings are still in use, as are the hotels Radisson Royal and the Hilton Moscow Leningradskaya. The two apartment buildings are now the homes of Moscow’s style elite, and towering emblems of the city’s shift to market capitalism.
Almost 30 years since the fall of the Soviet Union, the Sisters have become focal points for communist nostalgia that has, in some quarters, become cool in modern Russia. “The Soviet wedding cake high-rise buildings that dominate Moscow’s skyline, which seemed grim and overbearing in Soviet times, have now acquired a sort of retro-imperial chic,” wrote Richard Lourie, an American writer and Russian history scholar. Whatever their legacy, the Seven Sisters are an iconic fixture in the city and, as such, represent an unmissable part of any trip to the Russian capital today.
GASTRONOME NO 1
This supermarket, in the famous GUM department store off Red Square, stocks a host of USSR-era food and homeware. GUMRUSSIA.COM OPEN SKIES / 29
EXPO
UAE
SUPERSTORE OF THE FUTURE How Expo 2020 Dubai will ensure every visitor takes home the perfect memory WORDS: Iain Akerman
EXPO 2020 TEA? DON’T MIND IF WE DO
55.2708° E
DUBAI
25.2048° N
While it’s been well documented that Expo 2020 Dubai could bring around 25 million visits, provide 300,000 jobs and deliver an estimated US$34 million economic boost, it’s the finer details that go towards making all of the above possible. Expo 2020 has now developed a licensing strategy to cater to the millions of visitors who will arrive and want to purchase a keepsake of their experience in Dubai. The event organisers are busy establishing licensing partnerships with approximately 70 companies, all of whom will produce licensed products bearing the Expo 2020 logo and its mascot, which is due to be launched by the end of 2018. 30 / OPEN SKIES
The licensed product range will include everything from apparel, headwear, backpacks, magnets, keychains, coffee mugs, regional food and fragrances, to high-end leather goods, artisan products and collectible medallions made from precious metals. The range will also include back-to-school items, toys, games, figurines and other products for children. To date, eight UAE-based licensees have been appointed, with the companies to develop Expo 2020
souvenirs, regional food such as chocolate, dates and Arabic coffee, and fragrances. Amongst them are Little Majlis, an online creative community for local independent artists, and Gallery One. Within the Expo 2020 site there will be about 7,000 square metres of retail space for licensed products, including the Expo 2020 ‘Superstore of the Future’. “We want to ensure we have the perfect souvenir for every single visitor to Expo 2020 Dubai,” said Anita Chandler, director of licensing and retail at Expo 2020. “Whether it’s a limited edition commemorative coin, a piece of art, handwoven textiles or something as simple as an Expo 2020 passport. We want the Superstore of the Future to be a ‘must-do’ part of every visitor’s experience at Expo 2020 by creating a customer experience that sets a new industry benchmark. With the largest showcasing of Expo 2020 licensed products, it will also highlight what can be achieved when a large number of companies work collaboratively on a single brand. “Just as importantly, we aspire to form mutually profitable relationships with all our licensees – delivering sustainable growth for every company that enters into a licensing partnership with Expo 2020, while generating revenues that contribute to Dubai hosting a successful World Expo.” EXPO2020DUBAI.AE
Smile all the stay.
All our hotels are in dreamlike settings, but if we can go the extra step, rest assured that we have what it takes to surprise you, over and over again, so you’ll keep wondering what’s next? MAURITIUS
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NEIGHBOURHOOD
WARSAW
VENUE INDICATOR SHOPPING
DRINK
CULTURE
FOOD
SPORT
HOTEL
A SHADE OF WARSAW
If the city was a colour
There are over 100 monuments
There are six beaches
It would be this
28 per cent of the city is green space
POLAND
SASKA KĘPA, WARSAW WORDS AND IMAGES: Sarah Freeman
21.0122° E
WARSAW
52.2297° N,
Nestled on Warsaw’s right bank, Saska Kępa is one of the Polish capital’s few neighbourhoods that wasn’t flattened in the Second World War, leaving a legacy of modernist buildings that are arguably its greatest treasure. Small townhouses created by fine architects are intersected by grand 20th century manor houses – harking back to a time when the neighbourhood was a weekend destination for the bourgeoisie. Settled by Dutch farmers in 1628, Saska Kępa didn’t become part of Warsaw proper until 1916. It still feels like a small village on the edge of a big city, often referred to as the “local Williamsburg”. It’s also a magnet for the capital’s creative community, who first put down roots here in the 1920s. Polish contemporary composer Witold Lutosławski and sculptor Stanisław Sikora are just a few of the notable names who have been artists-in-residence here. Visiting Saska Kępa is less about striking off a list of tourist sights and more about being a local for the day. Take a walk down its main promenade, Francuska Street and grab a coffee under F30’s colourful canopy of umbrellas,
or a bite to eat at one of Francuska’s informal Hungarian, Greek, Vietnamese, Italian or Indian food joints. From here you can explore its lime and maple tree-shaded side streets for modernist homes. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself on Grecka or Koreanska – Saska is the zip code for around 17 embassies, which occupy some of the district’s most impressive villas (and dictate the road names). One of the neighbourhood’s greatest, albeit seasonal, assets is its beach. Located right on the banks of the Vistula, it boasts sweeping views of downtown, and is just another reason why Saska Kępa is more than worth the tram ride over the river. OPEN SKIES / 33
NEIGHBOURHOOD
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SKARYSZEWSKI PARK
Next door to the National Stadium is Warsaw’s largest urban park, designed by the famous Warsaw gardener Franciszek Szanior. Originally laid out for horse-drawn carriages, its shady boulevards are perfect for rollerblading, cycling or just taking a stroll. Hankering for a late breakfast? Stock up on pastries at cosy Café Misianka – don’t let the fact it was a former public lavatory put you off. There’s also a rose garden, several waterfalls, a warren of trails and the park’s showpiece, Lake Kamionkowskie, which comes to life in the summer when you can rent boats and kayaks. ALEJA WASZYNGTONA | 00-999 WARSZAWA
ELEVENMINUTE TAXI RIDE
SEVENMINUTE TAXI RIDE
2.
HUMOR VINTAGE STORE
This quirky interior shop, inspired by Bauhaus, is an unexpected find on an otherwise nondescript, residential street. Vintage 20th century furniture designed by Charles Eames, Ingmar Relling and Bruno Mathsson is artfully curated alongside more contemporary, playful accessories. Co-owners Joanna Maria Kuś and Paweł Panzer handpick their eclectic stock of chesterfield sofas and neon-hued gnomes from Denmark, Norway, Italy, Germany and Sweden. UL. WALECZNYCH 68 | SASKA KĘPA | +48 534 313 009 34 / OPEN SKIES
NEIGHBOURHOOD
Be prepared for wafts of fresh chocolate from the neighbouring E. Wedel Factory (famed Polish confectioner) to linger over Saska Kępa
3.
VEGAN RAMEN SHOP
Merging two food trends is no easy task, but if the daily queue here is anything to go by, then the experiment has been a resounding success. The former pop-up-turned-street-food-stylerestaurant dishes up Japanese comfort food in the heart of residential Saska Kępa. Patrons slurp down on complex bowls of ramen from levitating shelves-slash-tables stacked with Japanese paraphernalia. The interior may look Scandinavian, but the menu is 100 per cent Japanese, featuring authentic ingredients such as watermelon turnip, enoki and mung sprouts. Try the clear shoyu ramen – a light broth made of six types of fleshy mushrooms, with a side of nattō (fermented soy beans), rounded off with black coconut ice cream.
DID YOU KNOW? The world’s narrowest house – The Keret House – is located on Żelazna street. It’s 92 centimetres at its narrowest point, and 152 centimetres at its widest. Emirates flies daily to Warsaw with the Boeing 777-300ER.
FINLANDZKA 12 A | 03-903 WARSZAWA OPEN SKIES / 35
NEIGHBOURHOOD
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DOM FUNKCJONALNY
This modernist inter-war house was a true labour of love and designed by the Polish architect Czesław Przybylski for his sculptor friend Mieczysław Lubelski. The studio area has been transformed into the popular restaurant Kuchnia Funkcjonalna, while the topsy-turvy building houses two main galleries. BWA Warszawa showcases contemporary art exhibits, whilst Asymetria is devoted to Polish artistic and historical photography by renowned snappers such as Zofia Rydet and Tomasz Sikora. JAKUBOWSKA 16/3 | 03-902 WARSZAWA | +48 600 230 303 | DOMFUNKCJONALNY.ORG
Check out house 37 on ul. Walecznych. The wooden structure is supposedly the oldest house in the neighbourhood, circa 1880 36 / OPEN SKIES
NEIGHBOURHOOD
5.
KWIACIARNIA
Following your nose to the nearest florist isn’t hard in Saska Kępa since there is one practically on every block. For the best blooms, head to neighbourhood favourite Kwiaciarnia. Prices range from three to 200 złoty.
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FRANCUSKA 22 | 03-906 WARSAW | +48 22 616 24 56 OPEN SKIES / 37
Individual Holistic Wellness
The goal of The Peak Health Retreat is to gain a new understanding of your body’s potential and assist you in achieving substantive and sustainable transformative changes. In conjunction with our highly acclaimed Advisory Board, knowledge transfer is a critical element of what we do; from workshops to in-depth research reports and tools to take home, we aim to bring new awareness and understanding to what it means to live a life of peak health and wellness. Practice makes habit and our retreat programme is built around instilling habits by using methodologies based on the principles of sustainable transformation. At the core of the Peak Health Method is a holistic, personalized approach to creating lasting lifestyle changes through our unique Lifestyle Quadrant method. The Lifestyle Quadrant focuses on the interrelation of four key areas; Physical Fitness, Diet and Nutrition, Sleep Quality and Mental Wellness. Through the Peak Health Method, we teach you how to boost metabolism, increase insulin sensitivity and help balance the body’s functions through diet, exercise and lifestyle changes. We help you address each of the four areas by optimizing both fuel and function in the body to create, support and improve overall wellbeing and achieve your PEAK HEALTH. You will leave with demonstrable results, feeling rejuvenated but also with an understanding of how to better support the functions of your body for optimal weight management, improved sleep, enhanced mental focus and increased energy.
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THE CAPRA, LOMATTENSTRASSE 6, CH-3906 SAAS-FEE, SWITZERLAND
COLUMN
SEASONAL DISORDER
Dom Joly has a rule for tackling winter delays: make a production company foot the bill IMAGE: Adam Patterson
31.2357° E
CAIRO
30.0444° N
I’m working in Egypt at the moment, filming a series that will take me around the world during the next three months. It’s particularly welcome as it allows me to escape the English winter – one that actually caused me to miss my flight there in the first place. I shouldn’t haven’t been too surprised, I suppose. In the lead up to the big freeze, my home in the Cotswolds had lost all electricity – meaning no phone or internet access with which to try and sort the problem out. The only thing I could do was hike up the large hill behind my house where I could just about raise one bar at the summit. I’m filming the series with a person who did manage to catch the Cairo flight. For them it was
the dream scenario. They couldn’t really do anything until I’d arrived, which meant lounging around at the production company’s expense, enjoying themselves while pretending to be concerned for their missing programme partner. I know all this to be true because I’ve been on the other side of it. Ten years ago, while making another travel series, I flew to Miami where I was supposed to be joined by my
CAIRO
For more humour from Dom Joly, check out Trigger Happy TV, showing in Comedy TV on ice.
co-host, who lived in Newfoundland. He got snowed in – and I mean seriously snowed in. This left me in Miami for five days before he finally joined us. You can only imagine what an awful time I had. It’s not always snow that holds you up, either. I had to stay in Los Angeles for an extra week back in 2010 because the snappily named Icelandic volcano (Eyjafjallajökull) erupted and covered half the Northern Hemisphere in ash. I was staying at The Chateau Marmont, one of my favourite hotels, and pretty much had the best week of my life. Everything was paid for by the airline and I ended up getting a new show after I bumped into a UK TV commissioner who was also stuck. Talk about prospering during a crisis. Now that I think about it, what I actually should have done this week was just film my family ‘surviving’ without the internet, mobile phones or electricity for 24 hours. You would have thought that the apocalypse had arrived – although we did eventually have a lovely time playing cards, having snowball fights, even talking… almost like a normal family. I suppose what I’m saying is, if you’re delayed for some reason – and this can certainly be the season for it – embrace the fact and seize the day. And if you can get somebody else to pay for it, even better. OPEN SKIES / 39
FIGHT CITY
FEATURES FIGHT CITY • LIFE ON MARS • STALKING MOZART
VEGAS AND THE FIGHT GAME Why Las Vegas, Nevada is the undisputed boxing champion of the world
Turn over for round one OPEN SKIES / 41
F I G HT C IT Y Las Vegas might well be known as the home of world boxing, but how did it pinch the crown from New York, and does it now face a scrap of its own to hang on to the big-money title? WORDS:Chris Young
UNSCRUPULOUS BOXING PROMOTER
BRASH NIGHTCLUB IMPRESARIO
VISIONARY CASINO OWNER
CONTROVERSIAL WEST COAST RAPPER
MATT DAMON
36.1699° N
115.1398° W
LAS VEGAS
On the tennis court of the Caesars Palace hotel and casino, George Foreman is going through his paces, determined to revive a boxing career still recovering from its first hiccup. It’s January 1976, and 15 months since Foreman’s undefeated record was floored in the eighth round of his legendary Rumble in the Jungle encounter with Muhammad Ali. After a lengthy spell licking his wounds, the former world champion has chosen inauspicious surroundings to make his comeback. You won’t see any rackets, nets or markings on this tennis court, though. Caesars Palace owner and visionary Cliff Perlman has invested US$1 million to construct a makeshift arena here, in a bid to attract fresh customers during the January slow season. It’s a genuine attempt to shift the centre of boxing to the Vegas Strip. Fast forward 41 years and the fruits of that pivotal 1976 encounter were seen in lucrative fashion, as Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor fought in the biggest grossing boxing match of all time – less than a mile along from where Foreman and Ron Lyle locked horns on that fateful day. There’s nothing makeshift about Vegas’ boxing scene anymore. On both sporting and business levels, boxing has become inherently entwined with the desert city’s fabric. But this wasn’t always the case. “New York was traditionally boxing’s home because of the concentration of radio and TV broadcasting stations and hubs in the city,” explains author and boxing historian Patrick Connor. “The Gillette Cavalcade of Sports was an NBC programme broadcast out of Madison Square Garden almost every single Friday, starting in the 1940s. By the early 1950s, three major networks had regular boxing programming. However, it was a deal that quickly turned sour, and by the ’60s, NBC had taken it off of their line-up and the sport’s reputation had taken a hit due to high-profile court cases, and alleged widespread corruption.” The corruption, in particular, was a stink that would just not go away when it came to big-time boxing. “Mafia involvement in the sport wasn’t just talk, but welldocumented fact,” explains Connor. “From lower level street toughs to more well-known characters like Frankie Carbo and Blinky Palermo, the mob became very involved in boxing once it realised there was money to be made. Much of the involvement was paying off writers to say complimentary things about fighters they controlled, but sometimes it was paying judges, officials, or even strongarming and intimidation.” Not that this stopped some major bouts still taking place in the city, of course. Even by 1971, the Garden was the only place that could have hosted Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier’s first bout – the legendary Fight of the Century.
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While this wasn’t the first time a promoter used that lofty billing, it was the pinnacle of all that had come before it. “Frazier vs. Ali definitely wasn’t the first Fight of the Century, nor the first fight celebrities attended and wanted to be seen attending,” continues Connor. “But it definitely upped the ante in terms of the viewership and the kind of people there. This is fight promoting, so much of it is pure
FIGHT CITY
BATTLEREADY The ring being constructed at Caesars Palace ahead of the Marvin Hagler-Thomas Hearns fight
hyperbole, but certain things about Frazier vs. Ali made it unique. Two unbeaten men, each catering to a particular side of politics or social perspective – whether they wanted to or not – aided by broadcasting technology that made it possible for almost 10 per cent of the world’s population to tune in live. In terms of the near panic to acquire tickets, it goes well beyond that. Certainly the celebrities in attendance offer some great stories, from Burt Lancaster as guest co-commentator to Frank Sinatra squeezing in on a ticket to shoot pictures for Life magazine.” But the odd high-profile bout aside, NYC was losing its grip on the game. At the same time, one man was emerging in the sport that would, for good and ill, alter its very complexion beyond all recognition. A 43-year-old promoter named Don King from Cleveland, Ohio, saw the value in taking big fights out of the US entirely. “This was basically all about site fees and sponsorship,” explains Connor. “Don King wanted to guarantee fighters certain purses, but he didn’t have that money himself. So for the Rumble in the Jungle, for instance, he sought out foreign locations that wanted the publicity that a fight of that magnitude would bring. They would essentially sponsor the fight and pay the fighters. In the case of George Foreman vs. Joe Frazier in 1972 – known as the Sunshine
THE DETAILS LOCATION: LAS VEGAS VISIT: MARCH-MAY/SEPTEMBER -NOVEMBER
CURRENT TEMP: LOW 39°F/HIGH 59°F SEE: BOXING HALL OF FAME, RAINBOW BLVD.
Discover Las Vegas and over 70 other destinations in the US, Caribbean and Latin America with Emirates and Jet Blue. Members of Emirates Skywards earn Miles on JetBlue flights. Members of JetBlue’s TrueBlue loyalty programme can also earn points for Emirates-operated flights.
LAS VEGAS OPEN SKIES / 45
LAS VEGAS
“ON BOTH SPORTING AND BUSINESS LEVELS, BOXING HAS BECOME INHERENTLY ENTWINED WITH THE DESERT CITY’S VERY FABRIC ”
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LAS VEGAS
FIGHT CITY
BIG MONEY BOUT Mayweather Jr. vs McGregor was the pinnacle of boxing’s relationship with Vegas
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Showdown – Frazier allowed a man who promoted a European music tour of his to negotiate for him. This promoter and his friend then convinced the government of Jamaica to outbid Madison Square Garden for the fight. “George Foreman vs. Ken Norton in 1974 (the Caracas Caper) had to do with money as well, as Don King alleged that the Venezuelan government had told him they would allow him to put on the fight tax-free. That wound up not being the case and Foreman almost got thrown in jail over it, eventually having to pay a tonne in taxes – which is why it became known as a caper. “Ultimately, the trend wound up being short-lived because operating like this was more trouble than it was worth. Much of it hinged on the celebrity and clout of Muhammad Ali, and after Trevor Berbick defeated him in Nassau (Drama in the Bahamas – Ali’s final bout, in 1981), it was difficult to get foreign governments interested in the fights.” But while Don King Productions was busy chasing every
angle possible to guarantee bigger cash purses to the fighters, Vegas was gaining traction back in the US. “It was becoming a popular destination for celebrities and musical acts,” says Connor. “A few fight promoters had dipped their toes into the water there. Jack “Doc” Kearns, former manager to Jack Dempsey, took Archie Moore there to fight Niño Valdés in 1955 and by the early 1960s the Las Vegas Convention Center had become boxing’s home in Nevada.” But it was George Foreman on that tennis court that really brought life to the desert. “Just after the foreign craze got started, Caesars Palace in Las Vegas began hosting semi-regular fights, starting with an insane brawl in George Foreman vs. Ron Lyle that would eventually be named The Ring magazine Fight of the Year,” explains Connor. “By the time we got to the 1980s, it was clear that big fights could draw crowds to Vegas, and crowds generally meant casinos picked up more gamblers.” The Foreman vs. Lyle fight was the catalyst for the big
FIGHT CITY
title fights to be held in Vegas and it began an incredibly fruitful relationship between the city and sport. By the 1990s, the fights were moving from makeshift facilities on the tennis courts and car parks of Caesars into made-to-measure arenas inside the MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay. Fight City had well and truly relocated from New York to Nevada. Dennis McBride, director of the Nevada State Museum, explains, “When they saw the amount of money that these fight aficionados brought into town – they stayed at the hotels, ate at the restaurants and gambled in the casinos – that’s when it really clicked.” Last year’s Mayweather Jr. vs. McGregor bout was the pinnacle of that relationship. Setting aside the US$480 million recouped in pay-per-view buys in the US alone, the ‘Money Fight’ was huge for the Vegas economy itself. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority estimates that the clash brought in US$56 million of revenue to the city’s hotels, restaurants and shops. Another US$65 million was bet on the bout in Vegas alone, according to the Nevada Gaming Commission. After Mayweather Jr. brought the curtain down on his career with victory over McGregor, it’s clear why the man known as Money has become something of a favourite son in Nevada. “It’s all about giving back; and I’m giving back to my home of Las Vegas. This city has welcomed me with open arms from day one,” said Mayweather Jr. , who would win the final 15 bouts of his career in Vegas. From a numbers point of view, the population of Vegas doesn’t change dramatically during a big fight weekend. There were around 100,000 fewer tourists in the city during August 2016 than when the McGregor vs. Mayweather Jr. fight took place in 2017. Yet the major differences are revenue, spectacle and atmosphere. Celebrities such as Bruce Willis, Jennifer Lopez, Leonardo DiCaprio and Chris Hemsworth all navigated the red carpeted route to the floor of the T-Mobile Arena to watch the action after their private jets had hit the tarmac at McCarran Airport just a few hours earlier. No less noteworthy were the thousands of green-clad hordes from Ireland who travelled to Vegas to cheer on McGregor, even if they watched the fight on one of the closed circuit TV productions in the nearby casinos, rather than payiong for the high-priced seats on the arena floor.
It’s just as special for the boxers as it is for the fans. Nothing compared to Caesars,” said Sugar Ray Leonard in one post-retirement interview. “The smell of the cigars, the beautiful women sitting ringside right next to celebrities and criminals. It was exciting. Once I fought there, I never wanted to go anywhere else.” For those fighters who are yet to compete in Sin City, boxing in the desert remains a major target on the bucket list. “All the great fights happen in Vegas,” says former WBA super-bantamweight champion Scott Quigg, who has just moved to Los Angeles from his Greater Manchester home. “As a kid, you would tune in and watch the fight in the early hours of the morning. You’d see the celebrities ringside... it’s always something I’ve wanted to tick off my list.” However, Quigg – who fought on the undercard of Anthony Joshua’s April world heavyweight title win over Wladimir Klitschko in front of 80,000 fans at Wembley – wonders whether there will come a time when these big fights are, once again, shared around the globe. Particularly with the emergence of high-profile rivals to Vegas such as Dubai and Macau – the former recently showing interest in staging a Manny Pacquiao fight while the latter has already hosted a number smaller boxing events. Patrick Connor can’t really see another city stealing Vegas’ crown any time soon. “The demand in the US for a truly big fight would probably take priority over a huge site fee in a case like that,” he explains. “Pacquiao fought in Macau twice, but neither fight was considered particularly interesting or competitive going in, and it was ostensibly done for tax purposes. Unless there was a clear financial incentive or a potential venue deal already in place, it’s unlikely we’ll see big fights heading overseas very often.” It’s certainly unlikely that The Nevada State Athletic Commission would go quietly into the night on this one, and it prides itself on beating off competition from other destinations for world title clashes. Meanwhile, the powerful American pay-per-view broadcaster Showtime has a long-standing relationship with both Vegas and leading boxing promoters. After watching the rise of the city’s boxing scene, Dennis McBride certainly doesn’t see any real threat to its title. “Las Vegas is an entirely artificial construct. We have no industry, no ocean ports, no rivers to give the city any reason to be here. So a manufactured city has to have manufactured industry: marriage, dining, entertainment and fighting.”
“BY THE ’90s, THE FIGHTS WERE MOVING FROM MAKESHIFT FACILITIES ON THE TENNIS COURTS AND CAR PARKS OF CAESARS AND INTO MADE-TOMEASURE ARENAS INSIDE THE MGM GRAND AND MANDALAY BAY”
OPEN SKIES / 49
NO OXYGEN HARSH TERRAIN POSSIBLE ALIEN LIFE 54,600,000KM AWAY FROM EARTH
L I F E
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O N
HAWAII
M A R S
As the new space race gathers pace, the question of finance now faces serious competition from that of whether our species can handle the environment in the first place. Could Hawaii be the answer? WORDS: Gary Evans
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LIFE ON MARS
155.5828° W
HAWAII
19.8968° N,
Companies, not countries, compete in what’s been called the new space race; and the founders of them believe they have all the technology needed to land humans on Mars – perhaps as soon as 2022. While space scientists tinker with familiar problems – rockets and rocket power, water, food, air, the takeoff and landing of it all – they also carry out tests in far more unfamiliar territory: Human behaviour. “I can’t tell you too much about what happens in the selection process,” says astrobiologist Sam Payler. “We just know that our personalities are in some way compatible.” Payler has just spent most of the year living with five strangers on “Mars” – or Hawaii, as it’s currently known. Having applied for the fifth in a series of experiments funded by NASA, Payler passed multiple
rounds of interviews and “lots of psychological assessments” before he earned a place on the mission. He flew to Hawaii, where he met his crewmates for the first time at a week-long briefing, then entered The Habitat. Once the door closed behind him, he knew he wouldn’t feel the sun on his face or breathe an ounce of fresh air for the next eight months. “It’s just lava flows,” explains Payler of the landscape. “There’s no vegetation. There’s not been enough time since the volcano last erupted for vegetation to take hold. We couldn’t see civilisation at all from we where. We were really on our own up there.” The Habitat is a white vinyl dome that looks like a massive golf ball. It sits 8,200 feet above sea level on the side of Mauna Loa, the largest active volcano in the world. The team at HI-SEAS (Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation) selected this site partly because it looks so similar to the surface of Mars. “Nobody here sees this as a race,” says NASA press secretary, Stephanie Schierholz, while explaining their plans. They’re busy working out how to get astronauts to Mars in the first place (expected around the 2030s mark), how to put them to work once they’re up there, and how to keep them fit and well while they do it. That last bit is tricky. Microgravity and weightlessness can affect you in lots of ways. Fluid rushes to the upper part of your body. Neck veins
It could be said that the HI-SEAS test was a little like a reality TV show in its own right. ‘Six people, eight months, complete isolation… you decide’ 52 / OPEN SKIES
bulge. Your face goes puffy and you constantly feel like you have a cold. Eyeballs flatten, vision blurs. Your immune system, muscles, and bones become weaker. You will very probably suffer from excessive flatulence. But predicting what’ll happen in your mind is even trickier, which is where HI-SEAS comes in. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Firstly, how will we get there? “Sending humans to Mars will require a global effort with international cooperation and contributions from industry,” says Schierholz.
TWENTY YEARS AGO, NASA’s Pathfinder set down on the surface of Mars. A little robotic vehicle left the lander and explored an ancient flood plain in the planet’s northern hemisphere. Photos showed a red desertscape, dune seas, deep canyons, giant rock gardens, a bleak and barren alien world, but one that was majestic too. For the first time, NASA used the web as the main way to share photos with the public. The pictures proved so popular they nearly broke the internet. Bas Lansdorp was 20 at the time, and watched the landing on his desktop computer in Holland. He decided he wanted to go to Mars. “All technology required to send humans to Mars exists,” says Lansdorp. “A lot of applied engineering is required, but no new inventions are needed to send humans to Mars. What’s missing is the return mission capability. The return mission is part of NASA’s plan, but not of ours.” The entrepreneur cofounded Mars One in 2011. His company aims to establish the first permanent human settlement on Mars. Coming back, he says, is far more
dangerous and expensive than getting there. The distance between Earth and Mars can be as short as 55 million kilometres and as long as 322 million, depending on the phase of each planets’ orbit of the sun. This shortest distance happens once every two years. So you either have to take the long way home or sit around on Mars waiting for the planets to align. And that’s presuming your rocket is capable of the return flight. Mars One plans to send several unmanned missions to establish a “habitable settlement” before the first astronauts arrive. But going to Mars one-way would still be pretty pricy – it’d cost trillions, according to some estimates. Lansdorp, who watched the Mars landing online all those years ago, created a funding model based on advertising and broadcast rights. Critics said he plans to fund space
travel with reality TV. Think of it: The Real Housewives of Mars, Keeping Up with the Martians … In 2013, Lansdorp called for volunteers to travel to Mars. More than 200,000 people applied. They’re currently being tested and interviewed and whittled down to 24. “Psychology is a lot harder, especially in our permanent settlement mission… we’re mostly looking for the best
THE HABITAT This white vinyl dome 8,200 feet above sea level was ‘Mars’ for eight months
Hawaii (aka Mars)
Fly to Hawaii with Emirates and Alaska Airlines. Through the codeshare agreement with Alaska Airlines, passengers travelling with Emirates to Seattle can connect to Honolulu, as well as more than 40 additional destinations across the United States and Canada.
team players who would be able to deal with the group isolation.” Lansdorp will probably buy his rockets from Elon Musk. He’s a man with serious history in the propulsion game. Dubai to Bangkok in 27 minutes? Los Angeles to Shanghai? Just 36 minutes. Sydney to London? The usual flight time is 20 hours. Musk’s ‘BFR’ would do it in under an hour. Musk started PayPal and runs Tesla – the car manufacturer, energy storage company and solar panel manufacturer. He’s worth about US$20 billion. When the South African wanted to move into the space business, he tried to buy rockets from NASA and then from Russia, but had no luck. So he decided to build his own. He founded SpaceX in 2002. Musk wants to make space travel cheaper and eventually create a colony on Mars. SpaceX now employes over 6,000 people. The company designs, builds, and launches rockets. Musk partly funds his operations with public contracts (like space station cargo-supply missions for NASA) and commercial contracts (like launching satellites for communications companies). In September, at the annual meeting of the International OPEN SKIES / 53
Astronautical Congress, Musk presented an update on SpaceX’s BFR – the Big F****** Rocket. This is the thing that will get you from Dubai to Bangkok before the drinks trolley’s been around. It’ll leave the Earth’s atmosphere, so there’s less friction and no turbulence, and has a top speed of 27,000kmh. Musk says tickets will cost about the same as an economy flight for the same distance. He aims to send humans to Mars in 2024 and super-fast flight is another way of paying for it. But, crucially, he’s yet to present his plans for keeping Mars passengers healthy in body and mind.
WHILE LANSDORP AIMS to turn the colonisation of the red planet 54 / OPEN SKIES
“Microgravity and weightlessness can affect you in lots of ways. Fluid rushes to the upper part of your body. Neck veins bulge. Your face goes puffy and you’ll feel like you have a cold”
into must-watch TV, it could be said that the HI-SEAS test was a little like a reality TV show in its own right – ‘Six people, eight months, complete isolation… you decide.’ But according to Payler, a doctoral candidate at the University of Edinburgh, this was no Big Brother. The dome was 1,200 square feet downstairs – workspace,
kitchen and dining room, room for experiments and storage, all open plan – with a mezzanine upstairs, where thin plywood walls separated six small bedrooms and one bathroom (with a composting toilet). Payler and the crew contacted mission control by email, but with a 20-minute delay both ways, because that’s what it’d be like on Mars. If they left the dome, they had to wear spacesuits. These were hot. On a previous mission, the first time one participant put the suit on she had a panic attack. Some of these things haven’t gone well in the past either. During a similar study in Moscow in 1999 – set up by the ominously named Institute of Biomedical Problems – two Russian participants got into a fistfight, left blood on the walls. And things got worse from there. One participant quit in protest and another got head lice. Social scientists talk about ‘extreme environments’. If it’s extreme, an environment restricts privacy, confines, isolates, crowds, and it doesn’t let you leave when you want to leave. It could be a submarine in the ocean or it could
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Mission to Oman
In 2018, a crew from the Austrian Space Forum will turn Oman into the red planet
THE TESTS For NASA, it’s how to get astronauts to Mars and then keep them alive up there. That last part is tricky
While the UAE Space Agency is aiming to send its Hope spacecraft on an unmanned mission to Mars in July 2020, neighbouring Oman is working, much like Hi-SEAS in Hawaii, from the ground up. Having just signed a memorandum of understanding with the Austrian Space Forum, Oman will play the red planet in a Mars analog mission next month, with a team of 15 from Austria heading to the desert. During the mission, the team will carry out a series of experiments, from growing greens without soil in an inflatable hydroponic greenhouse to testing an autonomous “tumbleweed” rover, which maps out terrain while propelled by wind. While the tests should provide valuable data on whether life on Mars could one day be possible, for the Omani Astronomical Society, that invited the Austrian Space Forum, the mission is a way to inspire the country’s youth.
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LIFE ON MARS
LAURA LARK IT specialist from “Mars” What was the project’s biggest achievement? At the beginning, the crew wrote a mission statement that aimed to maintain our cohesiveness, to ensure high-quality outreach, and to provide good data for the various research studies being conducted. I’m proud of our accomplishments on each of those fronts. What did you find toughest? For me, it was participating in the first place. To join the crew, I had to quit my job and leave my new husband for eight months. That last phone call was pretty tough. How about enjoyable moments? It was all about the people. I really enjoyed many of the projects and adventures that I got to have with my crew. For example, on one occasion we went on a long EVA (Extravehicular Activity) to explore some skylights that we had wanted to check out for months. On the way, we discovered several interesting geological features. The skylights themselves were pretty interesting as well. It’s that constant exploration and creativity with my crewmates that I’ll remember most fondly. What advice would you give an astronaut going to Mars? Stay focused on your crew. It’s easy to concentrate on the work and let the team take care of itself, but like anything else, a strong team takes persistent and intentional effort to build and maintain – especially during a long mission. 56 / OPEN SKIES
THE MISSION The crew had research to conduct, but the biggest test was living together
LIFE ON MARS
Payler used virtual reality to help keep the crew happy. As science officer, Payler hooked the team up to Oculus Rift headsets so they could wander in a forest or through city streets. He is unsure whether this would make Mars astronauts more or less homesick. “Seeing lots of people around you, hearing their voices, it was quite a strange experience.”
On January 18, he entered The Habitat, and once the door closed behind him, he knew he wouldn’t feel the sun on his face for the next eight months
be a research station up on top of a mountain. Mars would certainly be an extreme environment. “A trip to Mars,” one NASA researcher suggested, “would be like a great sea voyage on an old ship.” And when the pioneering American explorer Richard Byrd travelled by ship on his first expedition to the Antarctic in 1928, he took with him 12 straitjackets and two coffins. Payler believes that the toughest thing wasn’t the isolation, the sensory depravation, or the freeze-dried, shelf-stable food: it was no internet. Simple problems took hours, not minutes to solve. “When it’s gone, it’s much more debilitating than I thought it would be.”
SCIENTISTS AND BUSINESSMEN are getting close to figuring out the remaining technical and financial problems that prevent us from flying to Mars. So around the world, space organisations are planning more projects like HI-SEAS. Instead of just looking outwards, to deep space, they’re also looking inwards, at headspace. HI-SEAS starts a new eightmonth mission later this month. Some experts have gone as far as suggesting real astronauts head up Mauna Loa before being allowed to fly to Mars. Payler agrees. “We started off as strangers and I think by the end everyone in the crew was very confidant that we were going to be friends for a very long time afterwards. It was a little bit tough at times, but we made it very easy for each other. Deep space exploration is expensive and it’s so important it works – crew selection was vital. We were set up for success.” In the end, whether a mission to Mars fails or succeeds could come down to more than technical data; and it’s quite fitting. If a move to the red planet could eventually prove the future of the human race, its own compatibility will prove vital. The answers to this might just be found in Hawaii. OPEN SKIES / 57
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STALKING MOZART
STA L K I N G
M O Z A RT
Walking in the footsteps of Austria’s most influential composer takes time, dedication and a strong aversion to tourist-a-rama WORDS: Lisa Schwarzbaum
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VIENNA
48.2082° N,
Leopold Mozart would have admired the marketing skills of the persistent young men in ratty wigs and fraying red waistcoats who prowl Stephansplatz, Vienna’s central square. Just as the elder Mozart aggressively promoted the talents of his son Wolfgang Amadeus, these costumed hawkers are on a similar promotional mission: Their assignment is to drum up customers for the steady output of ingratiatingly light, short-attention-span classical performances programmed around town especially for tourists drawn to one of the most famous cities in western music history. A visitor can’t go terribly wrong following the touts of these barkers in their cartoon costumes mimicking the great composer, whose image graces the boxes of foil-wrapped, chocolate-and-
marzipan Mozartkugeln sold around town. After all, a bite-size portion of Eine Kleine Nachtmusik is better than no Little Night Music at all. But on a November visit to Vienna, I waved off all enterprising impostors, with their handbills and hustles. I am a lapsed violist and a serious practising Mozartian. I may no longer have the chops to play in a string quartet, but I retain my love of the man’s celestial music. It is because of him that I was in Stephansplatz in the first place on a chilly pre-winter’s day, looking for remnants of the real man. Inevitably, while I was at it, I walked in the footsteps of plenty of other giants of the classical repertory who made Vienna their home over the last three centuries. Celebrated resident musicians have included Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Anton Bruckner, Franz Schubert, Antonio Vivaldi, Franz Liszt, Gustav
Mahler, Arnold Schoenberg, Hugo Wolf and a passel of Strausses, among them Johann senior and junior, and the unrelated Richard. The little pension in which I set up Mozart-stalking headquarters was on an unprepossessing side street equidistant from the Vienna State Opera and the Stadtpark. In one direction stood the imposing opera house (rebuilt and restored after wartime destruction in 1945), where Mahler conducted at the turn of the century and introduced the radical notion of dimming the theatre lights during performances. (A quick detour on a street behind the building leads to a plaque noting where Vivaldi once lived.) In the other direction lay the stately municipal park, with its sculpted monuments to Bruckner, Schubert, Franz Lehar and Johann Strauss Jr. That last, an ornate masterwork of selfie bait called the Johann Strauss Golden OPEN SKIES / 59
STALKING MOZART
WITHOUT MARKING, MOZART’S RESTING PLACE COULD NOT BE FOUND BY THE TIME HIS WIDOW WENT LOOKING FOR IT YEARS AFTER HIS DEATH Statue, features the waltz king poised with fiddle and bow as if to strike up the Blue Danube Waltz. But with limited time available for exploration, I focused on one man – not least because Mozart set some kind of record for changes of Viennese address. Born in Salzburg, Austria, in 1756, he moved to Vienna in 1781, when he was 25. And in the next 10 years, until his death in 1791, Wolfgang (along with his wife, Constanze, and the two of his six children who lived past infancy) occupied some dozen apartments during his 35 short years on earth, all within the city’s inner District 1. Sometimes the tenancy lasted a matter of weeks or months. There are plaques, but no extant homes, to show for Mozart’s first two addresses, at Singerstrasse 7 and Milchgasse 1 beside St
VIENNA
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Emirates flies twice daily to Vienna. Choose from a daily A380 service and a second flight operated by the Boeing 777-300ER.
Peter’s Church. There is no plaque at all at Graben 17. And to find any commemorative notification of Mozart’s last address, on Rauhensteingasse 8, a pilgrim must head to the rear of the Steffl department store, which occupies the footprint of an apartment building, demolished in 1847, in which Mozart and his family were living when he died. On the other hand, one very solid edifice where the great man once walked continues to do big business. After two years as husband and wife, Wolfgang and Constanze moved in 1784 to fine digs at Domgasse 5, and they lived there for three years. (That was a record of stability for the couple; pity the missus, forever packing the family knickknacks and supervising 18th-century moving vans.) Music poured out of the artist in that happy, prosperous time – concertos, chamber works, The Marriage of Figaro. And drink flowed, too, for guests including Joseph Haydn. Johann Nepomuk Hummel moved in for a time as Mozart’s student. Today the building is renamed Mozarthaus Vienna. Managed by the city’s Wien Museum, it was substantially renovated and spiffed up in 2006 (timed to the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth) to emulate a model of modern exhibition showmanship: A relatively small nub of historical authenticity is padded out with slick, somewhat Disneyfied interpretive displays and audiovisual installations. Above all, the gift shop looms large, hawking Mozart pencils, key chains, perfumes, playing cards, paper napkins, thimbles, miniature busts, chocolates, golf balls and snap-on cases for cellphones. Leopold Mozart would have been so impressed. But all those gaudy
STALKING MOZART
golf balls left me feeling vaguely bested by souvenirs. So much so that I walked back to Stephansplatz and into St Stephen’s Cathedral itself – called Stephansdom – to soothe my consternation and, indeed, to contemplate life and death. After all, it was here that Wolfgang Amadeus and Constanze were married in the cathedral, a magnificent symbol of all Vienna, in 1782. Two of their children were christened there. And an unspectacular requiem Mass (with none of Mozart’s music) was celebrated there after Mozart’s death; a plaque commemorates the event. Haydn, once a Stephansdom choirboy, was married in the church in 1760, as was Johann Strauss Jr. At the other end of life’s procession, the names of Vivaldi, Antonio Salieri and Schubert appear in the cathedral’s death register. Clearly, it was time for me to visit the final resting place of the man whose music Albert Einstein described as “so pure that it seemed to have been ever-present in the universe, waiting to be discovered by the master”. But where exactly was he resting? I took a tram ride away from the city bustle to the divinely quiet St Marx Cemetery on Leberstrasse 6-8 in District 3, where Mozart’s coffin was transported by coach. In contrast to legend and the Oscar-winning 1984 movie Amadeus, the body was interred not as that of a nameless pauper. Rather, adhering to a decree by the efficiency- and sanitationminded Emperor Joseph II, his burial, like all others, took place in a communal, unmarked grave. Unfortunately, without marking, Mozart’s resting place could not be found by the time his widow went looking for it years after his death (ill from grief, she hadn’t attended his funeral). In the intervening years,
EAT LIKE MOZART
For three squares in the style of the master, try these restaurants in Vienna
1
Breakfast at Café Mozart
Mozart didn’t set foot here – the place opened in 1794, three years after his death – but Graham Greene wrote The Third Man here. CAFE-MOZART.AT
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Lunch at Café Frauenhuber
Mozart loved the place, and reportedly made his last public performance here at what is said to be Vienna’s oldest coffee house. CAFEFRAUENHUBER.AT
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Dinner at Griechenbeisl
Serving notable carnivores since 1447, including Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert, and even Mark Twain, too. GRIECHENBEISL.AT
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STALKING MOZART
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STALKING MOZART
MUSIC POURED OUT OF MOZART IN THAT HAPPY, PROSPEROUS TIME – CONCERTOS, CHAMBER WORKS, THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO the bones in his contingent of dead souls had probably been dug up and reinterred to make room for the more recently deceased. Not until 1855 was an approximation of the gravesite selected in a grassy stretch of those communal graves, and a memorial built. The cemetery stayed open for new business only another 19 years, closing in 1874. No wonder it is such a satisfyingly moody, atmospherically dishevelled sanctuary, thick with vegetation and mournful with pockets of disrepair. Lilacs bloom there in springtime, but late November was a nicely raw time to walk among the Biedermeier-period headstones. And it was easy to find the romantically lachrymose memorial so often photographed today; just enter the main gate and follow the signs to Mozartgrab, where a grieving angel rests a right elbow, heavy with sorrow, on the base of an artfully broken marble column, and flowers are enhanced by offerings from reverent visitors. Then again, this particular statuary has been around only since 1950, while the stone artwork installed in 1855 was moved to one last, and lasting, Viennese site of Mozartean contemplation. And so off I went by tram again, to the city’s central cemetery, the Zentralfriedhof. It is central, that is, to the history of the city: One of the largest burial sites in the world, it is, in fact, on the outskirts of town. Yet the founders were canny. To draw visitors, Zentralfriedhof plans always included a selection of honorary graves, or ehrengraber.
And chief among the honoured are the city’s musical greats, which is why the graves of Brahms and Schoenberg receive such regular foot traffic. And why the remains of Beethoven and Schubert were moved there in 1888, now flanking Mozart in a place of honour. A stiff wind picked up as I stood in front of the three. Bits of Mozart’s own transcendent Requiem played in my head.
Far from the concert carnies of Stephansplatz and the kitschy key chains of Mozarthaus Vienna, I was refreshed, sated. As I took the No 71 tram back towards my pension, I experienced the fervour Schubert must have felt when he wrote in his 1816 diary, “O Mozart, immortal Mozart, how many, how infinitely many inspiring suggestions of a finer, better life you have left in our souls!” OPEN SKIES / 63
BRIEFING
NEWS • INSIDE EMIRATES • DESTINATION • VISA • UAE SMART GATE • ROUTE MAP • FLEET
FLYING INTO THE FUTURE How Emirates uses cuttingedge 3D printing technology in its aircraft cabins.
Turn over for more news from Emirates
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NEWS
Emirates and the future of aircraft cabins EMIRATES HAS USED 3D printing technology to manufacture components for its aircraft cabins. The airline utilised Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), a new and innovative 3D printing technique, to produce video monitor shrouds. This technique uses lasers to bind together powdered plastic into the required shape defined by a 3D model, and is different from
the Fusion Deposition Modelling technique normally used for printing aircraft 3D parts. In reaching this significant milestone, Emirates worked with 3D Systems, a US-based 3D printing equipment and material manufacturer and services provider, and UUDS, a European viation Engineering and Certification Office and Services Provider based in France, to successfully print the first batch of
3D printed video monitor shrouds using 3D Systems’ SLS technology platform. One of the major advantages of using the SLS technique is the reduced weight of printed components combined with optimisation of the strength of the parts produced. This has the potential to lead to significant reductions in fuel emissions and costs when consolidated over the entire fleet of Emirates aircraft. OPEN SKIES / 67
NEWS
Dreamliner deal signed at Dubai Airshow
Emirates flies the flag for the United Arab Emirates EMIRATES HAS COLLABORATED with ESPN to produce a fourpart documentary mini-series called Flying the Flag. The series, which follows four athletes in the UAE as they prepare to compete on the world stage, is running in the UAE on Emirates’ and ESPN’s digital and social media channels. Flying the Flag focuses on athletes in four different sports: Zahra Lari, a UAE national figure skater vying to become the first Emirati athlete to compete in the Winter Olympic Games; Mohammed Al Balooshi, UAE national Motocross champion; Chirag Suri, a 68 / OPEN SKIES
professional Indian cricket player representing the UAE cricket team; and Shadia Bseiso, the first Arab female wrestler from the Middle East to sign a contract with the WWE. “As an ardent supporter of sports around the world, Emirates knows how determined and relentlessly hard these athletes work and we were inspired to share their stories,” said Sheikh Majid Al Mualla, Divisional Senior Vice President Commercial Operations Centre for Emirates. “This series will show the commitment and heart they gave to achieve their dreams.”
EMIRATES HAS PLACED a US$15.1 billion order for 40 Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners. The agreement, signed at the 2017 Dubai Airshow in the presence of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, will see the aircraft delivered in phases from 2022 onwards. “Some of these will be replacements so that we maintain a young and efficient fleet, and others will power our future network growth,” said HH Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group, who signed the agreement with Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Kevin McAllister. “We see the 787 as a great complement to our 777 and A380 fleet, providing us with more flexibility to serve a range of destinations as we develop our global route network.”
This programme is offered outside Dubai and KHDA bears no responsibility for the programme
INSIDE EMIRATES
The eco-friendly fleet
From a water-saving aircraft drywash technique, to a modern fleet and products made from recycled plastic, Emirates ensures an environmentally-friendly attitude in the air
A GREENER TOMORROW Emirates established its A Greener Tomorrow initiative as a way of giving back, with funds generated from recycling contributing to support notfor-profit environmental or conservation organisations. In its 2016 campaign, Emirates selected three not-for-profit groups working in wildlife protection and environmental conservation in Africa: the Southern African Wildlife College Trust, the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds, and African Parks.
UNITED FOR WILDLIFE Emirates is determined to raise awareness about the threat the illegal wildlife trade poses to the survival of some of the planet’s most endangered and iconic animals. One of the unique ways in which it has done this is to emblazon a number of its iconic A380 aircraft with special livery in support of United for Wildlife – an alliance between seven of the world’s most influential conservation organisations and The Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry.
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EMIRATES AIRLINE FOUNDATION Launched in February 2003 under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group, the Emirates Airline Foundation is a non-profit charity that provides humanitarian and philanthropic aid and services for children in need. The foundation, which focuses on health, food, education and housing, is made up of volunteer employees and friends of the Emirates Group, and is funded by generous donations of money and Skywards Miles from passengers and staff.
DESERT CONSERVATION The Emirates Group funds the operations of the 225 square kilometre Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, an inland desert habitat that has been protected by government mandate since 2003. The reserve is home to a number of important species, including Arabian oryx, houbara bustard and pharaoh eagle-owl. In partnership with the Goumbook Give-a-Ghaf programme, hundreds of indigenous ghaf trees have been planted in the reserve in support of their initiative to protect one of the most valuable symbols of the living desert.
INSIDE EMIRATES
THE WATER-FREE WASH For World Environment Day, Emirates showcased an environmentally friendly aircraft cleaning technique that has enabled the airline to save millions of litres of water every year. Crucially, this waterless wash technique ensures that the aircraft remains clean for longer, thereby reducing the number of times it has to be washed down to approximately three per year. It has also been able to reduce the aircraft’s fuel consumption thanks to there being less accumulation of dirt.
A YOUNG AND MODERN FLEET A key part of the Emirates’ environmental strategy is operating an eco-efficient fleet, and during 2017 it retired the last remaining Airbus A340s and A330s. It now only operates a passenger fleet of Airbus A380s and Boeing 777s, and together with its Boeing 777 freighters, the average fleet age stands at 5.3 years – well below the industry average. A modern wide body fleet also delivers lower engine and noise emissions, and offers customers a higher level of comfort.
SUSTAINABLE INGREDIENTS With more than 100 million meals served annually across our network of over 150 destinations, Emirates puts great emphasis on simple, healthy dishes that use fresh and sustainable ingredients, which means working with the best and most environmentally conscious suppliers around the world. This includes Castello Monte Vibiano Vecchio Cantina, the first, and currently only, carbon-neutral vineyard and olive oil producer in the world; and Dilmah tea, which has achieved carbon neutrality marking net-zero carbon emissions by proactive reductions and offsetting its CO2 emissions.
11,000,000 Litres of water Emirates saves each year by using the drywash technique
ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY ONBOARD PRODUCTS Emirates’ newly introduced Economy Class blanket is made from a patented thread called ‘Ecothread’. Each blanket is made from 28 300ml recycled plastic bottles woven into fine thread. Meanwhile, the latest products featured in the iconic A380 shower spa in the First and Business Class lounges are VOYA cosmetics. This range of hand and body creams, shampoo, conditioner, body wash and hand wash are made from sustainable organic seaweed and was formulated exclusively for Emirates.
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GENEVA
Emirates’ newest Boeing 777300ERs, featuring brand new cabin interiors, now fly to Geneva – so enjoy our guide to this historic Swiss city
WHAT SPRINGS TO MIND when you hear the name Geneva? Watches? Chocolate? Banks? All of the above? But this picture-postcard city on the right bank of the Rhône is perhaps best known as an international hub for all things collaborative. Situated at the western tip of Lake Geneva, the largest freshwater reservoir in Europe, Geneva is a hub of international co-operation, with 200 international organisations based in the city. There’s the World Trade Organisation, the World Health Organisation, and the International Committee of the Red Cross. Not to mention the second-largest branches of the United Nations and the World Bank. Contrary to what most people believe, Geneva is not Switzerland’s capital, rather its second largest city. A city that has the Alps as a backdrop and cobblestone streets lined with cafes. It’s a city with luxury boutiques and grand monuments, but also an impressive array of restaurants that have ensured its solid reputation as the culinary capital of Switzerland. As would be expected of a city cut through by a river and perched by a lake, life in Geneva is centred around water. Its most famous landmark, the Jet d’Eau, shoots water to a height nearly three times that of the Statue of Liberty, while many of the city’s fashionable restaurants and hotels are situated on the banks of the lake. A number of the city’s beautiful parks and promenades are also found there, while high up on the left bank of the Rhône is the Old Town, with its cathedral and town hall.
On Emirates flights to Geneva you can now enjoy the airline’s brand new Boeing 777-300ER cabins featuring the new fully-enclosed First Class suites. For travellers heading to or from Belgium, the new product will be available on flight EK183 to Brussels and EK184 to Dubai.
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DESTINATION
CHEZ PHILIPPE
Located in the Passage des Lions, Chez Philippe is a micro-enclave of New York in the heart of Geneva. A stylish steakhouse from acclaimed restauranteur Philippe Chevrier, all meat is grilled over beechwood charcoal to the highest quality. Expect Swiss beef from the Alps, and pan-fried scallops.
LE CHAT BOTTÉ
Starring French and contemporary cuisine from the hands of chef Dominique Gauthier, Le Chat Botté is a Michelin-starred restaurant on Quai du Mont-Blanc. One of the finest gastronomic venues in the city, its menu consists of delights such as wild mallard duck from France, accompanied by raisins, muesli and Italian squash.
THE HAMBURGER FOUNDATION
This classic American-style burger joint originally launched as a food truck, but is now also a restaurant on Rue Philippe-Plantamour. The menu features three items – a burger and two speciality cheeseburgers, all made from locally sourced Swiss ingredients.
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HÔTEL LES ARMURES
BEAU-RIVAGE
D’ANGLETERRE
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Both a hotel and restaurant, Les Armures is a boutique gem housed in a magnificent 17th century residence in the heart of Geneva’s Old Town. Run by the Borgeat-Granges family, it has 28 rooms and four junior suites, and has welcomed a number of famous guests, including the former US president John F Kennedy.
THE OLD TOWN
No trip to Geneva would be complete without a walk around the beautiful Old Town, replete with an ancient maze of small streets and picturesque squares, cafes, restaurants, galleries, museums and historical sights. Of the latter, the partRomanesque, partGothic Cathédrale de St Pierre is a must when you’re in town.
A landmark hotel and home to Le Chat Botté, Beau-Rivage is an elegant spot to stay, offering wonderful views of the city’s big-attractions: the Jet d’Eau, Lake Geneva and the snowcapped summits of the Alps. Located on Quai du Mont-Blanc, it was founded by JeanJacques Mayer in 1865 and remains a familyowned business.
INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS MUSEUM
When Henry Dunant witnessed the carnage of the Battle of Solferino in 1859, he was inspired to create an “international principle, inviolate in character, for the relief of the wounded”. The formation of the Red Cross ensued, with this museum highlighting the fascinating origins. redcrossmuseum.ch
Perched majestically on the edge of Lake Geneva, D’Angleterre showcases the best of British charm with the finest Swiss hospitality. Recognised as one of Europe’s finest fivestar luxury boutique hotels, it provides superb views of the Jet d’Eau and Mont Blanc, and decorations that stretch from African to the Baroque.
CENTRE D’ART CONTEMPORAIN GENÈVE
Founded in 1974, this gallery has seen the likes of Andy Warhol, Cindy Sherman, Nan Goldin and Shirana Shabhazi exhibit their work. The first contemporary art institution in Frenchspeaking Switzerland, with no collection of its own, it organises four annual exhibitions. centre.ch
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COMFORT
Comfort in the air
To help you arrive at your destination feeling relaxed and refreshed, Emirates has developed this collection of helpful travel tips. Regardless of whether you need to rejuvenate for your holiday or be effective at achieving your goals on a business trip, these simple tips will help you enjoy your journey and time onboard with Emirates today.
Smart Traveller
DRINK PLENTY OF WATER
Rehydrate with water or juices frequently. Drink tea and coffee in moderation.
TRAVEL LIGHTLY
Carry only the essential items that you will need during your flight.
BEFORE YOUR JOURNEY
Consult your doctor before travelling if you have any medical concerns about making a long journey, or if you suffer from a respiratory or cardiovascular condition. Plan for the destination – will you need any vaccinations or special medications? Get a good night’s rest before the flight. Eat lightly and sensibly.
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WEAR GLASSES
Cabin air is drier than normal, therefore swap your contact lenses for glasses.
AT THE AIRPORT
USE SKIN MOISTURISER
Apply a good quality moisturiser to ensure your skin doesn’t dry out.
Allow yourself plenty of time for check-in. Avoid carrying heavy bags through the airport and onto the flight as this can place the body under considerable stress. Once through to departures try and relax as much as possible.
KEEP MOVING
Exercise your lower legs and calf muscles. This encourages blood flow.
DURING THE FLIGHT
MAKE YOURSELF COMFORTABLE
Chewing and swallowing will help equalise your ear pressure during ascent and descent. Babies and young passengers may suffer more acutely with popping ears, therefore consider providing a dummy. Get as comfortable as possible when resting and turn frequently. Avoid sleeping for long periods in the same position.
Loosen clothing, remove jacket and avoid anything pressing against your body.
SHARPS BOXES
Sharps boxes are available onboard all Emirates flights for safe disposal of medical equipment. Please ask a member of your cabin crew for more information.
WHEN YOU ARRIVE
Try some light exercise, or read if you can’t sleep after arrival.
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VISA GUIDE
Guide to US customs & immigration
Whether you’re travelling to, or through, the United States today, this simple guide to completing the US customs form will help to ensure that your journey is as hasslefree as possible.
Customs Declaration Form
All passengers arriving into the US need to complete a Customs Declaration Form. If you are travelling as a family this should be completed by one member only. The form must be completed in English, in capital letters, and must be signed where indicated.
ELECTRONIC SYSTEM FOR TRAVEL AUTHORISATION (ESTA) If you are an international traveller wishing to enter the United States under the Visa Waiver Program, you must apply for electronic authorisation up to 72 hours prior to your departure.
ESTA FACTS: Children and infants require an individual ESTA. The online ESTA system will inform you whether your application has been authorised, not authorised or if authorisation is pending. A successful ESTA application is valid for two years. However, this may be revoked or will expire along with your passport.
APPLY ONLINE AT WWW.CBP.GOV/ESTA NATIONALITIES ELIGIBLE FOR THE VISA WAIVER*: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Monaco, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom**
* **
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Subject to change Only British Citizens qualify under the Visa Waiver Program.
VISA GUIDE
Cut the queue at JFK with Quick Connect
If you’re connecting through New York JFK, you can avoid long waiting times in US immigration and queues for connecting flights with the Quick Connect service. The US Customs And Border Protection agency created the special service for passengers who have a connecting flight within three hours of arrival at New York JFK.
Follow these steps
1
Have your boarding card or ticket for your connecting flight ready for the ground staff as you exit.
2
You’ll be given a Quick Connect card. Continue to the Quick Connect queue in the Arrivals Hall.
3
After passport clearance, claim your baggage and clear US customs, regardless of your final destination.
4
If your bag is tagged to your final destination, hand it to Emirates staff at the transfer counter for your onward flight.
Quarantine in Australia Australia has strict biosecurity laws, so when you arrive you’ll need to declare certain food, plant or animal items on your Incoming Passenger Card. You also need to declare equipment or shoes used in rivers and lakes or with soil attached. All aircraft food must be left onboard. Please take particular care when you complete your Incoming Passenger Card – it's a legal document and false declarations may result in a penalty.
Quarantine in Japan Japan has strict rules around exposure to livestock and bringing in livestock items. You will need to go to the Animal Quarantine Counter if: • You have recently been to a livestock farm • Are bringing livestock products into Japan • Your visit to Japan will involve contact with livestock The counter is in the baggage claim area. If you’re bringing meat and livestock products into Japan without an import certificate, you must see the animal quarantine officer. 78 / OPEN SKIES
This programme is offered outside Dubai and KHDA bears no responsibility for the programme
Be Smart! Use UAE Smart Gate at Dubai International Airport Citizens of the countries listed on the right and UAE residents can speed through Dubai International by using UAE Smart Gate. If you hold a machine-readable passport, an E-Gate card or Emirates ID card you can check in and out of the airport within seconds. Just look out for signs that will direct you to the many UAE Smart Gates found on either side of the Immigration Hall at Dubai International Airport.
Using UAE Smart Gate is easy
1
Have your machine-readable passport, E-Gate card or Emirates ID card ready to be scanned
2
Place your passport photo page on the scanner. If you are a UAE resident, place your E-Gate card or Emirates ID card into the card slot
OK!
3
NATIONALITIES THAT CAN USE UAE SMART GATES
UAE SMART GUIDE
Go through the open gate, stand in the blue footprint guide on the floor, face the camera straight-on and stand still for your iris scan. When finished, the next set of gates will open and you can continue to baggage claim
REGISTERING FOR UAE SMART GATE IS EASY
To register, just follow the above process and then spend a few moments having your details validated by an immigration officer. That’s it! Every time you fly to Dubai in future, you will be out of the airport and on your way just minutes after you have landed.
IF YOU’RE A UAE RESIDENT
Remember to bring your Emirates ID card next time you’re travelling through DXB – you’ll be able to speed through passport control in a matter of seconds, without paying and without registering. Valid at all Smart Gates, located in Arrivals and Departures, across all three terminals at DXB. 80 / OPEN SKIES
*UK citizens only (UK overseas citizens still require a visa)
UAE SMART GATE CAN BE USED BY: •
Machine-readable passports from the above countries • •
E-Gate cards
Emirates ID cards
CORPORATE & COMMERCIAL LEGAL SERVICES LITIGATION, ARBITRATION & ADR BUSINESS SETUP & COMPANY REGISTRATION OFFSHORE & FREE ZONE COMPANY FORMATION INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & E-COMMERCE LAWS BANKING, INSURANCE & MARITIME LAWS REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION LAWS MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE DRAFTING & CONTRACT REVIEWS LEGAL TRANSLATION DEBT COLLECTION TRADEMARK & PATENT REGISTRATION PROTECTION & ENFORCEMENT
DUBAI
EMIRATES TOWERS 14th Floor, Sheikh Zayed Road P.O. Box: 9055, Dubai-UAE T+971 4 330 43 43 F +971 4 330 39 39
ABU DHABI
JABEL ALI
SHARJAH
INTERNET CITY
TEL: +971 2 639 44 46 auh@emiratesadvocates.com TEL: +971 6 572 86 66 shj@emiratesadvocates.com
TEL: +971 4 887 16 79 jafz@emiratesadvocates.com TEL: +971 4 390 08 20 dic@emiratesadvocates.com
RAS AL KHAIMAH
TEL: +971 7 204 67 19 rak@emiratesadvocates.com
UAE | SAUDI ARABIA | QATAR | BAHRAIN | KUWAIT | OMAN
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ROUTE MAP
TRAVEL TO ADDITIONAL DESTINATIONS WITH OUR CODESHARE PARTNERS
Visit emirates.com for full details on our travel partners
With 22 codeshare partners in 25 countries (21 airlines and an Air/Rail codeshare arrangement with France’s SNCF/ TGV Air), Emirates has even more flight options, effectively expanding its network by over 300 destinations.
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ROUTE MAP
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INTERNATIONALLY ACCREDITED HEALTHCARE SERVICES AT YOUR DOORSTEP MEDICLINIC MIDDLE EAST OPERATES SIX HOSPITALS, OVER 20 CLINICS AND MORE THAN 700 INPATIENT BEDS ACROSS DUBAI, ABU DHABI, AL AIN AND THE WESTERN REGION.
EXPERTISE YOU CAN TRUST. A MEDICLINIC INTERNATIONAL COMPANY www.mediclinic.ae MOH MH52817-30.9.18
Emirates Fleet
Our fleet of 272 aircraft includes 258 passenger aircraft and 14 SkyCargo aircraft
AIRBUS A380-800 103 IN FLEET
This month:
1 arriving
All aircraft 3,000+
20+ aircraft
Up to 489-615 passengers. Range: 15,000km. L 72.7m x W 79.8m
BOEING 777-300ER 139 IN FLEET All aircraft up to 3,000+
100+ aircraft
Up to 354-428 passengers. Range: 14,594km. L 73.9m x W 64.8m
BOEING 777-200LR 10 IN FLEET All aircraft 3,000+
Up to 266 passengers. Range: 17,446km. L 63.7m x W 64.8m
BOEING 777-300
For more information: emirates.com/ourfleet
5 IN FLEET All aircraft
1,700+
Up to 364 passengers. Range: 11,029km. L 73.9m x W 60.9m
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FLEET HERE’S WHAT CONNECTIVITY, ENTERTAINMENT AND SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE ON BOARD EACH AIRCRAFT TYPE
Live TV, news & sport
Wi-Fi
Mobile phone
Data roaming
Number of channels
First Class Shower Spa
*Onboard lounge
**In-seat power
USB port
In-seat telephone
* First Class and Business Class; **Available in all rows in Economy Class, and in all seats in First Class and Business Class
AIRBUS A319
1 IN FLEET
Up to 19 passengers. Range: 7,000km. L 33.84m x W 34.1m
The Emirates Executive Private Jet takes our exceptional service to the highest level to fly you personally around the world. Fly up to 19 guests in the utmost comfort of our customised A319 aircraft with the flexibility of private jet travel. Further information at emirates-executive.com
EMIRATES SKYCARGO BOEING 777F 13 IN FLEET
EMIRATES SKYCARGO
BOEING 747 ERF 1 IN FLEET
This aircraft is capable of carrying up to 117 tonnes. The deck-side cargo door, with a height of approximately three metres, allows the uplift of
Range: 9,204km. L 70.6m x W 64.4m
oversized shipments that cannot be accommodated in the belly-hold of passenger aircraft. The nose door allows the carriage of long pieces.
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Aircraft numbers accurate at the time of going to press
Range: 9,260km. L 63.7m x W 64.8m
The most environmentally-friendly freighter operated today, with the lowest fuel burn of any comparably-sized cargo aircraft. Along with its wide main-deck cargo door which can accommodate oversized consignments, it is also capable of carrying up to 103 tonnes of cargo non-stop on 10-hour sector lengths.
CELEBRITY DIRECTIONS
Lupita Nyong’o’s
GUIDE TO NAIROBI
Each month the great and the good curate a travel itinerary exclusively for Open Skies. This month, an Academy Award- and Tony-winning actress WORDS: Emma Coiler
36.8219° E
NAIROBI
1.2921° S
If you are new to Nairobi, the first thing you should do is check out the wonderful things we do for animals in the city. Wildlife is such a big part of Kenyan heritage, it’s trusted into our care, and thank goodness there are some good people here doing some really great things. If you would like to eat some classic Kenyan food, then you have to try ugali [a polenta-style dish]. It doesn’t really matter where you get it, finding ugali in Nairobi is easier than finding pizza in Brooklyn. After a great lunch, what else are you going to do but shop? So I’ll give you a tip: in Kenya it’s cheaper to get clothes made than to buy them. So if you ever wanted a made-to-measure suit or a made-to-measure dress, then Nairobi is a really cost-effective place to do that. After a day out and about, you’ve got to enjoy the city’s nightlife. It’s a really vibrant place and I would suggest starting in the Karen area, which has some of the best restaurants in the city – just see where the night takes you from there. You’ll no doubt find on an evening out that Nairobi, like any big city, can get a little crazy. The next day, head to Karura Forest. It’s a place of real serenity in the city. It’s a beautiful place for a walk or a run – and if you are lucky you’ll see some wildlife on your journey. If you’re looking for a family day out then the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage is an amazing place with fantastic people – and I am honoured to be able to work with them through Wild Aid. Elephants are amazing creatures, and you can come and see orphans before these dedicated people nurse and release them back into the wild. If you want to take your wildlife day even further, then we have a national park in the city. However, if you want really good animal viewing, jump on a safari plane and go and see Amboseli National Park or The Masai Mara. Believe me, you will not regret it. THE DETAILS EAT Ugali | City-wide NIGHT OUT Karen | Nairobi FAMILY Elephant Orphanage | Mbagathi SAFARI The Masai Mara | Rift Valley Emirates flies twice daily to Nairobi with the Boeing 777-300ER.
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EXPLORE Amboseli Park | Loitoktok CHILL Karura Forest | North Nairobi
NAIROBI
Wildlife closer than ever Animals of different species moved to their new home, Dubai Safari. Dubai Safari is a project by Dubai Municipality, spread over 119 hectares and aims at providing the best habitat for wildlife; different environments that suit various animals. Come explore the Asian village, African village, Open Safari and Children’s Zoo. Relax by the Valley; enjoy a picnic by the waterfall. Watch a show or engage in activities in the theatre. Meet more than 2500 animal species and be part of Dubai Safari! For more information, please call 800900 (within UAE)
www.dubaisafari.ae