Open Skies | May 2015

No peeking until the year 2114

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Turbo-charged engine

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Editor-in-ChiEf Managing PartnEr & grouP Editor EditoriaL dirECtor grouP Editor SEnior Editor dESignEr Sub Editor EditoriaL aSSiStant

Obaid Humaid Al Tayer Ian Fairservice Gina Johnson gina@motivate.ae Mark Evans marke@motivate.ae Andrew Nagy andrew.nagy@motivate.ae Ralph Mancao ralph@motivate.ae Salil Kumar salil@motivate.ae Londresa Flores londresa@motivate.ae

ContributorS

Chris Anderson, Christopher Beanland, Andrew Birbeck, Geoff Brokate, Gaia Cambiaggi, Ivan Carvalho, Marina Chetner, Gemma Correll, Jamie Knights, Kaye Martindale, ZoĂŤ Noble, Lisa Pollman, Robbie Porter, Sandra Tinari, Rachael Vance, Craig Earl (Cover Image)

digitaL dESignEr Ralph Mancao ralph@motivate.ae digitaL aniMator Surajit Dutta surajit@motivate.ae

gEnEraL ManagEr ProduCtion S Sunil Kumar ProduCtion ManagEr Murali Krishnan

ChiEf CoMMErCiaL offiCEr Anthony Milne anthony@motivate.ae

PubLiShEr Martin Balmer martin.balmer @motivate.ae

grouP SaLES ManagEr Jaya Balakrishnan jaya@motivate.ae

rEgionaL ManagEr abu dhabi Imane Eddinari Imane@motivate.ae

dEPuty SaLES ManagEr Amar Kamath

EditoriaL ConSuLtantS for EMiratES Editor Hannah Burden Hamer arabiC Editor Hatem Omar dEPuty Editor Andy Grant WEbSitE emirates.com

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E D I T O R ’ S

L E T T E R

ANDREW NAGY

A

ll things considered, the Internet has cost me a fortune. Ten years ago I was only in genuine peril if I was on the high street during the working hours of 9am to 6pm. It turns out that Google has no care for my life as a spendthrift, in fact it feeds it, one incessantly blinking curser at a time.

Thankfully the item calling out to me on this occasion was something I feel to be a little more worthwhile: a first edition copy of Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas. It costs… well it costs more than I care to mention, but to me it just seemed a positive purchase; a genuine piece of culture that you can hold in your hands; something real that will age, and bend and change.

The whole project throws up interesting notions of what literature really is and how it should be consumed.

In 100 years time who knows what the medium will be, will books even exist? Thankfully, through Future Library, at least we know that people will be able to see and enjoy what has come before them.

This month sees the very first author, the legendary Margaret Atwood, hand over a novel written specially for the project. She told us that it represents a modern day version of the legacy of pebbles and shells she would bury in the dirt as a child.

While Future Library is a noble quest for its founder, Katie Paterson, my potential purchase of Fear And Loathing is probably a little more questionable;

A book will be written each year, by authors poets and more, but nobody will be allowed to read them for 100 years That’s probably at the heart of why I never really joined the Kindle revolution. Don’t get me wrong, I see how it’s useful and convenient – particularly if you want to read Fifty Shades Of Grey in public – but it just seems so empty and impersonal. I like shelves overflowing with dog-eared books that have been read and re-read, left in the sun and sat on.

I think this is why I find our cover story, the Future Library project in Norway, so fascinating. I’ll let our writer, Christopher Beanland, explain it in more detail on p62 but these are the facts: Every 12 months, between now and 2114, a chosen writer will produce a piece of literature. It will then be housed in a special room on the fifth floor of Oslo’s Deichman library but nobody will be allowed to read it for 100 years. It will then be printed using the trees that are currently being planted in a section of the Nordmarka forest.

an extension of a dark art that started in childhood – my secret life as a collector. What began with football stickers and swiftly moved trainers and records is now, as an adult, officially out of control.

Our second main feature this month, the Collectors of Berlin, looks at a city where every purchase is possible, from fine art to vintage furniture, rare clothes to Cold War memorabilia.

'Now here’s a place I could truly spend a for tune' I thought while reading, safe in the knowledge that neither I nor my wallet was actually there.

Imagine my surprise then when I looked down only to realise that, in a subconcious act of desperate spending, I'd actually booked a flight there. I'll be honest, I was excited, but left under no illusions that the Internet had beaten me once again.

Enjoy the issue.

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C O N T R I B U T O R S

MAY Some of the people who helped create this issue of Open Skies IVAN CARVALHO

ANDREW BIRBECK

CHRIS ANDERSON

MARINA CHETNER

Ivan is the Milan correspondent for Monocle Magazine. For this issue he delved into the city’s Brera neighbourhood ahead of the World Expo. In his free time he likes to attend wine tastings to learn about Italy’s many unique grape varieties.

Andrew is an Edinburgh-born author, writer and blogger who contributes regularly to a broad range of international and national titles. For this issue he interviewed Fabrice Le Roy, who rents classic cars in Nice.

Chris is a freelance journalist based in London who writes for Esquire and Conde Nast Traveller.

For this issue he spoke to legendary music photographer Baron Wolman. Chris is a big sports fan and was once gifted a grill by George Foreman after an interview.

Marina is an Australian-born freelance writer based in Los Angeles. For this issue she went to Australia to visit one of the growing band of boutique hotels in Sydney. A muchneeded change in the landcape.

“I’ve seen the Brera neighbourhood change dramatically in the past few years. Everywhere restaurants are opening with new concepts and you see it’s becoming quite the hot-spot.”

“I love classic cars so this month’s interview was a delight. Fabrice took a chance and followed his dream, and where better to do that than the Côte d’Azur, an iconic stretch of coastline often described as one gigantic movie set.”

RACHAEL VANCE Rachael is a Berlin-based Australian freelance ar ts, lifestyle and travel writer who has managed contemporary art galleries and curated exhibitions. For this issue she trawled the city of Berlin in search of, well, everything.

“The feature explores the city through a collector’s lens. Seeking out the very best of fine art, vintage furniture and more a diverse bounty of cultural discoveries are uncovered for the high-end collector and casual tourist alike.”

“I loved the way he talked about his life with such amazing passion.

He’d worked with some of the greats too. Even just listening to him, you couldn’t help but be in awe of it all.”

“Sydney needed a quirky hotel like the QT to jazz up the scene. Not only has the hotel beautifully restored two iconic buildings but it’s given new life to Market Street, located in the heart of the city. I can’t wait to get back to its cute spa.”

CHRISTOPHER BEANLAND

SANDRA TINARI

RICKY HATTON

Christopher is a London-based writer who focuses on culture and architecture. For this issue he wrote about the Future Library project in Norway.

Sandra is an Australian freelance journalist and photographer, based in Dubai. For this issue she had an old-school adventure in Dubai and met with two men who are transforming the city’s café culture.

Ricky is the former world welterweight and super welterweight boxing champion. For this issue he wrote about the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao fight – and he should know, he’s fought them both.

“It’s always fascinating to trail the back streets of cities to experience their bustling hearts away from the traditional tourist drawcards and Diera was exactly that – eclectic, exciting and utterly vibrant.”

“Like everyone I would have liked to have seen the fight five years ago when they were both at their peak, but if the fight hadn’t have happened it would be a travesty. I think it is still going to be great.”

“If you looking around places that you don’t actually live surely we all do) then Open House will tickle your tastebuds. It’s basically about getting access behind closed doors – from Buenos Aires to Barcelona – for one weekend a year, and seeing exactly what you can find there.”

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F R O N T Life With Jimi Hendrix, p24 | A Taste Of India In London, p34 | Neighbourhood: Brera, Milan, p42

E x p E r i E n c E

May 2

Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao Las Vegas, Usa

Like most people I would have loved this fight to have gone ahead five years ago, when they were both at their peak, but at least it’s happening at all. If it hadn’t I think it would have tarnished both their reputations for good.

These guys are just polar opposites in every way. Pacquiao is a southpaw, with an exciting all-action style; Mayweather (pictured) is more or thodox and a master of defence. Pacquiao fights in bursts, while Mayweather takes his time and pick his shots. Pacquiao is a quiet man of the people with a huge

following in the Philippines, Mayweather is a bit flash and doesn’t seem to have a big fan base at all.

My fight went longer with Mayweather than it did with Pacquiao, so I’ve got a better idea of how good he is. I can tell you that his timing and speed are exceptional. Pacquiao needs to use his angles like when he beat Oscar De La Hoya in 2008. He needs to be in and out and choose the right time to apply pressure with shor t, explosive bursts.

I guess, like everyone, my worry is that this all might end up being something

of an anti-climax, but there’s no doubt that it’ll be an event; probably the biggest match-up since the days when Muhammad Ali boxed Joe Frazier.

The first minute will be so impor tant and will give us an indication of how the fight is going to develop. Is Pac going to come out all guns blazing? Is Mayweather going to stand off? It’s a tough one but, with no degree of cer tainty, I’m edging towards Mayweather. He just always finds a way to win.

Ricky Hatton’s Vegas Tales, by Headline Publishing, is out on May 19.

fly from dubai to las vegas with emirates and Jetblue. members of emirates skywards earn miles on Jetblue flights, and members of Jetblue’s trueblue loyalty programme can earn points for emirates-operated flights.

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imAge: getty

An event five yeArs in the mAking, Mayweather vs Pacquiao could well be the lAst super-fight of All time. former welterweight world chAmpion ricky hatton hAs fought them both And predicts A tough night in vegAs

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E x p E r i E n c E

May 9 – NoveMber 22

Venice Biennale V e n i c e , i t a ly

The Arsenale – Sale d’Armi has the type of peeled and faded beauty that you can only find on buildings in Italy. Firmly part of the landscape at the Venice Biennale, it’s here, on the first floor, that you’ll find Sheikha Hoor bint Al Qasimi, curator of 1980 – Today: Exhibitions In The United Arab Emirates, the UAE’s National Pavilion at this year’s event. It’s fair to say the venue represent something of a challenge.

“It’s not that uncommon to use historic buildings or structures as places to exhibit contemporary ar t,” she says. “In fact, I’m very interested in the idea of using historical venues, not

only for exhibitions but also as a way of preserving these impor tant spaces.

Venice offers a rich history that contrasts with the contemporary ar twork on show at the Biennale, that doesn’t always work and The Arsenale – Sale d’Armi provides a unique challenge, but that’s all par t of the process.”

The fourth year that the UAE has shown in Venice, Sheikha Hoor wanted to plot a course through Emirati art with the pavilion.

“I chose to explore the past four decades in this exhibition because they are so crucial to the development of art in the region. As an artist myself, who has grown up alongside

the development of the UAE art world, I will be bringing a particular perspective that has been fundamentally influenced by my childhood in Sharjah, exposure to art through the Sharjah Biennial, and the work of the Emirates Fine Art Society,” she says.

“I think the key to our exhibition this year is that, while previous editions have centred on either three or four artists, I’m excited that in 2015, I’m able to present 15 from the region. With this expanded exhibition we’re able to celebrate and honour both the work of these significant artists, and also, a pivotal moment of art history in the UAE.” nationalpavilionuae.org

emirates launched its non-stop daily service to Venice in 2007. emirates also became the only airline in the world to offer a water limousine airport transfer service, for First class and Business class customers arriving and departing from this city world-famous for its canals.

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as told to: lisa pollen/iMaGe: Venice Biennale

Sheikha hoor Bint Sultan al QaSimi talks aBout curatinG the uae’s national paVilion at the Venice Biennale, and celeBratinG Middle eastern art with the world

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E x p E r i E n c E

Until May 24

The rolling STone YearS BY Baron Wolman London, EngLand

I was the first ever photographer at Rolling Stone magazine when it star ted back in 1967 and it was just an amazing time for music, with Janis Joplin, The Rolling Stones, Frank Zappa, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, The Beatles… I got to work with them all.

There hadn’t been anything like Rolling Stone before us, at least not in the States.

The only real publications you had for music were trade magazines, but fans didn’t want to read those, they wanted detail. They wanted to know about the

musicians, the shows and the touring.

The Who was my very first concer t for Rolling Stone and Pete Townshend was mesmerising. He broke his guitar, threw it around, let off a smoke bomb on stage, did all that stuff. I had three eventful years watching people like that, a defining period and a different time.

On stage Jimi Hendrix was larger than life. You couldn’t take a bad picture of him – the way he dressed, how he presented himself, the way he performed. But when you were with him

off stage, he was really quiet, with a very intellectual approach to music and life.

Like two sides of the same human being.

I got along very well with Bill Graham, the great rock promoter, and he let me into all of his shows – anywhere I wanted to be, backstage, on the stage, in front of the stage, he just said, “Go do your thing, you have no restrictions.”

Try getting backstage at a Rolling Stones concer t to photograph them now; it’s like, forget about it. proud.co.uk

enjoy legendary rock n’ roll on ice digital widescreen’s music channels. in box sets you can enjoy 12 beatles albums, while the playlists section brings you the best of the doors and Jimi hendrix. plus, the doors ‘Feast of Friends’ 1968 tour documentary is in music & the arts in this month’s tV.

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as told to: chris anderson/image: baron wolman

Former music photographer Baron Wolman on his new exhibition in proud gallery, which showcases a liFe spent in the company oF rock and roll legends

E n t r E p r E n E u r

Rent a ClassiC CaR Nice, côte d’Azur, FrANce

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E N T R E P R E N E U R

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE If you’re in the Côte d’Azur…

Drive on the Corniche, then tour the F1 circuit in Monaco To eat like a local…

Head to the mountains For unseen Nice...

Try the Negresco, halfway between a hotel and a museum and packed with art – a place like nowhere else My all-time favourite car is…

Usually the next one we buy. Right now that’s an Aston Martin DBS6 Volante (The Persuaders/James Bond) The best advice I can give is…

Drive your business with passion

WORDS: ANDREW BIRBECK IMAGE: RENT A CLASSIC CAR

W

hen someone loves their business you know in an instant: a look, their pattern of speech, certain signifiers that run beyond a simple money-making concern.

Fabrice le Roy is one such person. His combination of enthusiasm and easy Gallic charm effortlessly win you over.

A little over five years ago Fabrice and his beautiful wife Linda had a ‘eureka’ moment. The pair, who share a passion for classic cars, had recently moved to the Côte d’Azur, bringing with them a stunning Porsche 356 Speedster and a Lotus 7. “A friend asked if he could borrow the Porsche for his wedding,” explains Fabrice. “Of course I was thrilled.

When Linda and I saw the photographs, heard their stories, and realised what a wonderful time they’d had we just knew it could make a fantastic business. It was that simple.” I ask Fabrice what makes classic motoring so special and he replies with a smile, “It’s not just about the cars; it’s

not just nostalgia either. The cars reflect a period of incredible creativity from the 1950s through to the 1970s. It was a time of great music, film, architecture and art, as well as design, of course. I see cars as one of the highest expressions of that particular era.” It’s clear that Fabrice and Linda have tapped into a passion shared by many, as the business has grown at an extraordinary rate, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy for him to pick a favourite in the incredible collection, now numbering more than 30. “I can’t choose,” Fabrice says with a shrug. “We love them all.

But, we do have a Citroën DS Convertible Chapron that we’re particularly keen on. There were only 200 ever made. Actually, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt drove it in their latest movie,

By The Sea. When shooting finished they offered to buy it from us but it’s not for sale. To me it’s the epitome of the lost élégance à la Française.’ rentaclassiccar.com

Emirates flies to three destinations in France: Nice, Lyon and Paris.

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L u n c h

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CErys MatthEws Kaye Martindale talks to the BBC 6 Music DJ about being a teenage rock star, throwing an axe, and keeping chillies in her bag at all times images: geOFF BROKaTe

E

very Sunday morning my family follows a tradition of eating breakfast while listening to Cerys Mathews on the BBC radio station, 6 Music. So going to meet her at Zing, an Indian restaurant in London’s sophisticated and multicultural Hammersmith, felt like meeting up with an old friend. After all, I've technically been meeting her every weekend for the past two years, well her voice at least. A voice that carries a distinct Welsh accent with a soft, intimate tone, over the past six years

she has seduced half a million listeners with that lilt. Cerys is a siren of the airwaves.

I arrive at the restaurant early. It has a pared down elegance, with tasteful art and Indian antique pieces positioned sparingly.

The staff were busy preparing for the lunchtime rush. I meet Rahul, the owner, and he tells me how Steve Abbott – Cerys’ husband and manager – was one of his first customers. He was there the night Zing opened and has been coming ever since.

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L u n c h

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Cerys releases a laugh that fills the room at the thought of a young blind teenage boy driving his band members around new orleans As I was talking to Rahul I noticed out of the corner of my eye a striking woman pass by wearing a fedora hat and a black cape – it had to be Cerys. As she strode into the restaurant it was clear her style echoed her all-encompassing musical influences.

“I always travel with fresh chillies in my bag,” reveals Cerys, conspiratorially, as we sit down. “I have done for 20 years. Curry is on top of the British food charts as the most popular food in the country and this place is very special because it has taken the tired British curry and dragged it into the 21st century.” As I listen to her voice I'm transported to my Sunday breakfast time, it’s an enjoyable experience to have the voice animated by it’s owner in real time.

I sense some natural nerves between two strangers as Cerys fiddles with the rings on her fingers. I’m surprised as she's a veteran of receiving and giving interviews. She began her career as the lead singer of ’90s band Catatonia, reaching international fame with hit singles Road Rage and Mulder and Scully. The band were together for 10 years and released four albums before splitting up in 2001.

Voted Sexiest Woman In Rock, she was known as a wild frontwoman who stage-dived her way to the top. “I think the wild rocker thing is probably because I like to stir things up.

Interviews can get quite boring if you’re a youngster and I liked to play with that.”

Cerys insists I try the Indian wine, which, she assures me, has a beautiful smokey flavour. It also eases any awkwardness and it all starts to feel like I'm meeting with an old friend.

Cerys leans forward with a complicit grin as she warns me about reports from her past “You have to be careful when you read interviews, especially when you read headlines, because papers sell better if you only represent a person in a two dimensional form.”

Careful to represent as many dimensions as she can through her radio programme, Cerys holds true to her own musical philosophy. “I’ve never thought of music as anything but sound and so if a sound interests me or makes me feel good, it doesn’t matter where it’s from, what era or who it's by. So the idea of having stations that only play one kind of music, especially now with the internet, seems kind of dated to me.”

It was the repetition of being in a band that eventually wore Cerys down. “If you’re lucky enough to get that level of success then you’re part of a business in a way," she says. "You have an itinerary and you have certain restrictions within it and you have certain restrictions within a band as well, because you’ve got five people, five musical tastes, five opinions and five musicians' egos.

So after a good, long 10 years, it was definitely time to move on.”

She hit the road and decided to move to the US where after only two weeks in New York she met Bucky Baxter, who was the pedal steel guitar player for Bob Dylan. He offered her a half-built studio in the hills of Tennessee. She jumped at the chance and began exploring the Deep South, the homeland of her musical heroes.

Our food arrives and I realise I’d forgotten all about lunch. Cerys had ordered the jumbo prawns marinated in pomegranate seeds, with a huge side of chopped green chilies, while I had opted for the mellower ar tichoke and paneer cheese in a vegetable gravy.

Passionate about music as a vital art form, it appears that Cerys’ early musical career has swayed her against the music industry’s method of taking artists and turning them into brands. “You can

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L u n c h

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i like people who have Been around The Block, you kNow people who may NoT be houSehold NameS buT haVe acTually beeN mega-TaleNTed think of music in two ways: you can look at it as a business or you can look at it as art that you’re drawn to do. I’m definitely of the art brigade. If you think about it, music has been made by humans for centuries and it was only when it was able to be recorded that people began to realise it could be a business.”

In an attempt to bring people back in touch with their musical heritage, Cerys has added to her roles of musician, presenter, celebrity and mother-of-three that of festival director. This is the second year of The Good Life Experience festival held in September in the UK. It’s a family- oriented festival that offers a varied and unique selection of events. A quick look at the activities and you will find axe-throwing, sausage-making and stargazing.

“The whole point of the festival is to try and give these kids and parents, myself included, a bit of a break from their online lives and get to do things like sharpening axes, cooking on an open fire and dancing Cuban-style. I think it’s the trying that is important rather than the succeeding in this case.” She smirks at the thought of herself attempting to dance Cuban-style.

“I think that at the minute we are beginning to understand that there’s such a huge gulf between older traditions and modern life, so it’s quite nice to dip back into the landscape for a while. I think that’s the point. To feel dirt in your hands,” Cerys says as she offers me a prawn, which I decline thinking fearfully of the generous helping of extra chillies she’d added from her bag.

Cerys has an ability to find and interview remarkable people. “I like people who have been around the block, you know, people who may not be household names but have actually been mega-talented and put out some songs that have

touched millions of people around the world.” I ask about her favourite interview and she lights up with joy of the memory.

“Allen Toussaint! I absolutely adore Allen. He’s not a household name to most people but when you look at what he’s done and his dignity in the interview, I just adore him. He’s a New Orleans producer, arranger and songwriter who’s worked with some of the greats.

“When I have a guest on the show, I usually pick music that I think they’ll like or will trigger memories for them. And so I played one from New Orleans by Snooks Eaglin 'cause that’s his hometown. And I played it and Allen Toussaint turned around, and this is my favourite ever moment in an interview, he turns around and says: ‘I was in a band with him when I was 15,' and I said, ‘No way!’ He said: ‘Yeah, he used to drive us around.’

“When did he go blind then?” I asked, and he said ‘Oh, he’s always been blind.’” And with that, Cerys releases a laugh that fills the room at the thought of a young, blind teenage boy driving his band members around New Orleans.

Our conversation begins to weave through subjects as I learn that the first Welsh poem was a war cry and that a Roma family helped keep the Welsh tradition of triple harp alive. We talk about the fact that Cerys will be singing at a gig that night and I discover that her family is on a mobile gadget diet.

Tales and stories not only define Cerys’ radio programme, they are who she is. Every aspect of her life is delivered with a yarn about its origins or some funny coincidence about how it came to be. Her career has been marked by distinct phases.

“Most of us go through that stage where you’re finding yourself as a teenager and through your early 20s being so reckless with the gift of life. Then when you start a family, you look back and think, ‘Oh my goodness!’ Then you get to the middle of your life and you’re looking at what time you’ve got left and suddenly there's an intense pressure to make sense of this life you’ve been given and try and do something that matters.”

With our meal finished, Rahul brings out a takeaway order for Cerys’ husband. We say our goodbyes and she leaves in as she arrived, wearing her fedora and cape, before striding out on to the street, no doubt in search of another story.

The Bill 1 x Tandoori artichoke and paneer with a warm, spicy, roasted vegetable gravy (£12.50), 1 x jumbo prawns in pomegranate seeds and dill (£14.50), 1 x Shiraz, Sula Vineyard, Nashik from India (£19.50)

Total: £46.50 | 33 |

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DISHOOM NIHARI Indian food has long been an adopted favourite in England, and nowhere serves it better than the wonderfully kitsch Bombay-style London café, Dishoom WORDS AND IMAGES: SARKA BABICKA

INGREDIENTS FOR THE NIHARI: 1kg lamb leg meat, cut into chunks 150ml mustard oil Salt, to taste 1 bayleaf 3-4 cardamom pods 4 whole cloves 500g chopped white onions 3 tsp mild chilli powder 1.5 teaspoons turmeric powder 3 cloves of garlic, crushed to a paste 1 Thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated 100ml Greek yoghurt 300ml lamb stock (or water) A few drops kewra (pandan or screwpine) water (Optional) 50g butter 1 tbsp gram flour ½ tsp garam masala (Serves 4) TO SERVE: Sliced green chillies Fried onions Slivers of fresh ginger Chopped coriander Fresh mint leaves

STEPS

HISTORY

1

Heat mustard oil and add cloves, cardamom and bayleaf. Let them crackle for a few seconds

2

Add one quarter of the onions and fry till golden, then add the lamb and salt. Sauté on medium heat for few minutes

3

Turn heat down to a simmer, add ginger, garlic and a splash of water. Mix everything and layer in the remaining onions, red chilli powder and turmeric powder.

Cover and leave for 15-20 min on low heat

4

Stir and continue cooking till onions are completely softened, add the yoghurt and cook for a further five minutes

5 6 7

8

Add lamb stock or water.

Simmer till lamb is cooked Remove lamb and strain the sauce through a sieve Heat butter in a separate pan and add the gram flour, cook for one minute on a low temperature heat then add to the strained sauce, to thicken Return lamb pieces to the sauce and finish with the garam masala and kewra water

“Nihari is an Islamic dish that is very popular in India,” says Dishoom chef, Naved Nasir.

“It’s often eaten at festivals and religious celebrations like Eid Al-Adha, the Muslim festival that marks the end of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.

“This is a family recipe and it brings back amazing childhood memories of going to my mother and father’s house, which was a big haveli, or mansion, in a rural village called Pichokra in India. They had been wealthy landowners, known as zamindars, in the days of the Raj and they still had four or five cooks working in their kitchen.

“Because of this, my mum had never been allowed in the kitchen before, so when she first married my father she didn’t have a clue how to cook for herself – it must have been quite a shock for her. But she learned fast and soon became excellent in the kitchen once she had her own home and family to feed. Her nihari is wonderful and I owe my lifelong love of food to my mother.”

Emirates has been flying to destinations in the West Asia & Indian Ocean region since 1985. Karachi, Delhi and Mumbai were among the airline’s first destinations when it began operations. Today, Emirates serves 19 cities in the region with 321 flights per week, offering the best connectivity in the region.

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T a s T e

o f

I n d I a

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Kewra waTer This is distilled from the pandan flower.

Mainly used in desserts, if you can locate it, it really adds flavour to the dish

foodies’ paradise Dishoom is something of a gourmand’s delight.

It has been lauded by the UK’s finest food critics, and is listed in the 2014 Michelin Guide

Turmeric Known for its health benefits, turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties that protect the liver – making this a great dish for the day after a big night out

Leg of Lamb Two main cuts are available. The sirloin end is tender, fatty, more evenly shaped and therefore easier to cook, but the shank | 35 | end is known to be tastier

S t a y :

R o o m

Hôtel AmericAno N e w Yo r k C i t Y, A m e r i C A

Words: AndreW nAgy ImAge: UndIne Pröhl In the mid-’90s, as rents in New York’s SoHo spiralled out of control, the city’s art galleries migrated to west Chelsea for more space and a less affronted bank balance. It was a move that brought bars, cafés and hotels to the area, too.

The gritty urban exterior of Hôtel Americano conceals 56 rooms coming in three types, each offering the feel of

an urban ryokan. The work of Parisian interior designer, Arnaud Montigny, a beautiful Kengo Kuma bed dominates while black vinyl Zanotta beanbag chairs and denim Loden Dager robes emphasise the design-led experience.

The rooms are minimalist but with a warmth that many of their competitors don’t – ask for something nor th-facing

for a view of the Empire State Building.

Each room has an iPad filled with music, and a city guide offering a stylish trawl around SoHo. However, we advise a night in, just once. Order the bento box from room service and attempt a tune on the harmonica you can buy in the mini bar. Your normal hotel, this ain’t. hotel-americano.com

Emirates offers four flights a day to New York: three non-stop daily A380 services, and a daily Boeing 777 service that makes one stop in Milan.

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shoppıng experıence ın İstanbul

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S t a y :

C l a S S i C

Hotel Bristol Vienna, austria

Words: AndreW nAgy ImAge: stArWood ColleCtIon Vienna’s Hotel Bristol has always turned heads. A hangout for Europe’s well-heeled elite since its 1892 opening, it’s an emblem of, not only Austria, but also of the dying art of old-world luxury.

With a prime location (next door to the glorious State Opera House), this Biedermeier building with Art Deco styling has had its fair share of famous – and

infamous – guests coming through the doors. It’s here where Prince Edward VIII came in 1936 after abdicating the throne of England to marry Wallis Simpson.

The entrance to this, the now-named Prince Edward Suite, is still embellished with the ostrich feathers of his official emblem; it takes up the entire floor, and has a library, fitness centre and sauna.

While dining options are limited – they once had a restaurant called The Grill modelled on the place of the same name onboard the Titanic – you should end each evening enjoying the hospitality at the Bristol Bar. During the Cold War it was a hangout for US diplomats; now it’s simply the place to escape the cold for an after-work drink. bristolvienna.com

Emirates has been flying to Austria since May 2004. Since launch, Emirates has carried over 2 million passengers on the route between Vienna and Dubai.

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S t a y :

C o n t e m p o r a r y

QT Sydney S y d n e y, A u S t r A l i A

Words: Marina Chetner iMage: Qt sydney A deft hand was required to transform the interiors of Sydney’s majestic State Theatre and iconic Gowings men’s store into a boutique hotel, and design duo Nic Graham and Shelley Indyk delivered in spades.

Located steps away from the Queen Victoria Building in the hear t of Sydney’s CBD, QT Sydney has added hip

sophistication and a dash of quirkiness to the city’s hotel scene.

A dimly-lit first-level guest lounge adds a modernist touch with its eclectic collection of bespoke furniture; and sensual video art colours the reception area. Of the 200 guest rooms, those in the Gowings Building side meld original timber floors with dark stone bathrooms

and freestanding baths. The adjacent State Theatre rooms feature exclusive Rothko-inspired carpets, collectables such as bowler hat lights shades, and pops of primary colours throughout.

There’s also the brasserie restaurant, Gowings Bar & Grill, and SpaQ, to unwind from the city bustle directly outside. qtsydney.com.au

Emirates is a principal sponsor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, with more than 12 years of collaboration between the airline and the orchestra.

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N e i g h b o u r h o o d

BRERA, MILAN Words: IVAN CArVALHo ImAges: gAIA CAmBIAggI

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Emirates launched non-stop flights to Milan in the year 2000. In 2007 Emirates began its sponsorship of the world famous football team AC Milan. Today Emirates flies non-stop to Milan three times daily, including a daily A380 service. Additionally, the flight EK 205 to Milan continues with an onward service to New York-JFK.

A leisurely stroll from Milan’s fashion boutiques and the Duomo, the Brera district has historically been the place where artists and intellectuals congregated to smoke, eat and chat at bars and cafés. Full of quaint side streets and prestigious palazzos – it

hosts the Pinacoteca ar t gallery with works by Caravaggio, Raphael and other great masters – it has in recent years undergone a mini-revolution.

Restaurants have been opening at a steady rate, perhaps in anticipation of the food-themed Expo 2015 world’s | 43 |

fair, which Milan hosts from May 1 to October 31. A whole array of new establishments have sprouted up of late, happily ensuring that those who want an alternative to Italy’s best-known foods of pizza and pasta will not have to venture far when hunger calls.

N e i g h b o u r h o o d

PALAZZO PARIGI

A mix of sober Milanese elegance and Parisian luxury, the recently completed 98-room Palazzo Parigi hotel looks to compete with the city’s existing five-star proper ties for attention. The lobby features a mix of Venetian mosaic tile flooring, marble, impressive columns and opulent Murano chandelier – the interiors were designed by Pierre-Yves Rochon, whose por tfolio includes the Hotel George V in Paris. Rooms have oak parquet with rugs and there are 33 suites, which enjoy unparalleled views of the historic downtown and the city’s new Por ta Nuova business district. The proper ty has a 1,400sqm spa and conference rooms bathed in natural light, while the stylish lounge has an onyx-lined bar and parquet with refined neoclassical inlay. The gourmet restaurant is a mix of traditional, featuring a 17th-century fireplace with red Verona marble and gilded bronze detailing, and modern as waiters arrive from the kitchen with exper tly curated dishes via a transparent glass cube.

Corso di Porta Nuova 1, Brera, Milan | Tel: +39 02 625 625 | palazzoparigi.com

MASSIMO ALBA

Recognised for his way with cashmere – he had stints as creative director for fashion brands Agnona and Ballantyne – clothing designer Massimo Alba is at home making wearable knitwear for men and women. Since 2006 he has run his eponymous label and won plaudits for his collections of super-soft garments tailored to a laidback lifestyle. His Italian cashmere is dyed with natural, chemical-free pigments in a range of exclusive colours. Fans flock to see his understated looks at his boutique set on a quiet side street a stone’s throw from the Pinacoteca. An old-fashioned shopkeeper’s bell announces a visitor’s arrival in a space featuring well-worn hardwood floors, wallpaper made of pages taken from gardening journals and vintage dressers and loungers from Alba’s home. On hangers one finds knitted jumpers and cardigans together with slim pants, shor ts and casual shir ts in luxurious cotton and linens done in an array of pastel tones.

Via Brera 8, Brera, Milan | Tel: +39 02 7209 3420 | massimoalba.com | 44 |

N e i g h b o u r h o o d

N’OMBRA DE VIN

Few wine shops in the world can match the atmosphere inside Milanese enoteca N’Ombra de Vin. The cave-like interior, with imposing 14th-centur y granite columns and vaulted ceiling, was once a refector y used by Augustinian friars. Today, meals are available for hungr y travellers in the cellar but don’t be surprised to see oenophiles perusing the shelves shopping for wines.

Staff stock an impressive selection of over 1,000 that cover ever ything from robust Sicilian reds made from Nerello Mascalese grapes on Mount Etna to biodynamic Tuscan wines to aged white wines from Italy’s Austrian-influenced South Tyrol region (seek out vintages from Cantina Terlano for tasting). In the evenings, a relaxing drink and finger foods can be had upstairs at outside seating. Quaff a glass or two of Italian bubbly from the countr y’s Franciacor ta region or sample the house cocktail that locals swear by (a mix of ginger soda and champagne).

Via San Marco 2, Brera, Milan | Tel: +39 02 659 9650 | nombradevin.it

PISACCO

Situated on the last block of Via Solferino, the opening of Pisacco in 2012 gave a much-needed boost to the local restaurant scene. The 21st centur y trattoria is co-owned by a Michelin-starred chef but the atmosphere is casual with a sprinkle of modern ar t on the walls and a menu that favours hear ty dishes over molecular fanciness. Tr y a star ter of spinach with egg and mullet roe or vitello tonnato (sliced cold veal in tuna and caper sauce) followed by the house risotto with veal ragu.

Downstairs is perfect either for a romantic dinner or informal business lunch while upstairs the eater y hosts a reinterpretation of the classic evening aperitivo between 7pm and 8.30pm, where patrons congregate around bar stools and snack on a constantly changing buffet of bite-sized meat and fish goodies, saffron-flavoured chips and finely pickled vegetables. The wine list delivers with bottles of lesser-known grape varieties from Italian, French and Slovenian vintners.

Via Solferino 48, Brera, Milan | Tel: +39 02 91765472 | pisacco.it | 47 |

N e i g h b o u r h o o d

FIORAIO BIANCHI CAFFÈ

Originally a neighbourhood florist, Fioraio Bianchi has morphed in recent years into a café-cum-bistro. People pop in for a cosy lunch, intimate dinner with friends or a lazy mid-morning cappuccino in the midst of a riot of fresh flowers that are available for purchase – there’s even a popular cocktail hour from 6pm to 8pm that has locals cramming in to procure a glass of Sicilian red from the French maitre d’ in charge. The kitchen does a contemporary take on traditional Italian fare, serving up freshly made garganelli pasta, Piccadilly tomatoes, aubergine and a sprinkling of mature cacio ricotta cheese followed by a main course of rack of veal cooked over embers with a mushroom reduction. To finish off proceedings, or for an afternoon standalone snack, sample the house cannelès, a traditional Bordeaux desser t with a soft vanilla and rum-infused dough.

Via Montebello 7, Brera, Milan | Tel: +39 02 2901 4390 | fioraiobianchicaffe.it

GUIDO GOBINO

Founded in Turin, where he still prepares batches of chocolate daily in his sweets laboratory, confectioner Guido Gobino is for many foodies the Willy Wonka of Italy. For the past five years he has had a foothold in Milan with his mini-boutique on the pedestrian friendly strip of Corso Garibaldi. Milanese with a sweet tooth to satisfy frequent the shop to stock up on his giandujastyle sweets made from a mixture of quality cacao and Piedmontese hazelnuts – be sure to sample his prize-winning cremino al sale, a sugar-cube size chocolate treat made with sea salt and extra virgin olive oil. Among Gobino’s delicious treats are the Tourinot dark chocolate candies made without milk and his range of creamy ganache delicacies that are infused with a variety of flavours (black tea, Sicilian lemon, vermouth to name a few). To beat the heat in summer, order a chocolate granita to go.

Corso Garibaldi 39, Brera, Milan | Tel: +39 02 8909 6601 | guidogobino.it | 49 |

N e i g h b o u r h o o d

DRY

Don’t be deceived by the name, as Dry has quickly become the favourite watering hole of discerning Milanese. Inaugurated in the summer of 2013 and open only in the evenings, the thirsty wet their lips savouring the bar’s line-up of vintage cocktail recipes – forget about the available everywhere Aperol Spritz and order a Corpse Reviver #2 made with a sweet Piedmontese aperitif wine, dry gin, Cointreau and fresh lemon juice. Nibble on focaccia laced with prosciutto crudo and creamy strips of mozzarella in the front lounge, listen to a hip soundtrack of tunes and watch the fast-moving hands of bar tender Guglielmo Miriello execute long pours into an array of antique stemware. At the rear, Dry hosts an upscale pizzeria that serves Neapolitan-style pizzas in a smar t setting that includes video ar t installations. There’s beer on draft or in the bottle and for desser t scoops of classic Italian gelato.

Via Solferino 33, Brera, Milan | Tel: +39 02 6379 3414 | drymilano.it

NATHALIE JEAN

Montreal native Nathalie Jean moved to Milan in 1987 to work for famed architect Ettore Sottsass before branching out on her own as a product designer. In 1998, she switched gears to focus her creative talents on making jewellery. In her Milanese atelier she and a team of artisans bring to life her designs using sterling silver and 18k gold. Jean draws inspiration from both nature and her extensive travels and has won a cult following that includes art gallery owners and magazine editors from New York to Dubai. Last year she inaugurated her bijou boutique in Via Solferino’s gourmet ghetto where, on afternoons and evenings, she greets clients and invites them to sit on vintage Gio Ponti chairs and browse her assortment of rings, bracelets and chains spanning the organic shell-like shapes of her alluring Hoya Carnosa necklaces to the limited edition Saphir Infini geometric pendants crafted in matt silver.

Via Solferino 48, Brera, Milan | Tel: +39 02 6208 6089 | nathaliejean.com | 51 |

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DeirA Fish MArket How to have an adventure away from the skyscrapers, by way of vibrant food stalls, old souks, and traditional architecture words and IMaGEs: sandra TInarI

A

wonderful, noisy hive of activity, Deira Fish Market and its surrounding streets in Old Dubai have long been the beating hear t of the city’s traditional trading district; a multicultural community where generations of disparate nationalities have lived and worked side by side in the markets and souks.

The market itself is a foodie’s – and photographer’s – delight. Once only the stomping ground of savvy residents who snapped up good-quality foodstuffs at rock-bottom

prices, Deira Fish Market is now also attracting inquisitive tourists, who revel in the banter of the market’s quick-tosmile fishmongers, butchers and produce sellers.

Occupying by far the largest section of the market, the fishmongers offer a wide selection of fresh fish and crustaceans. Laid out and iced on long tables, the catch of the day is weighed with beautifully traditional weights that resemble antiques before sale to the throngs of customers.

Visitors can purchase impor ted meats and even camel

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OPEN SKIES FOR IPAD

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K n o w L e d g e

Old dubai takEs a Bit OF wORk But it’s wORth it. hERE yOu CaN gEt OFF thE BEatEN tRaCk aND REaLLy ExpLORE with Fr ying Pan Adventures, says the market and Old Dubai offer visitors an enthralling insight to the destination. While travellers in Dubai don’t have to go ver y far to discover iconic buildings and structures in the city, experiencing all that it has to offer means that a visit to its historic areas and fish market are a must.

Somji says: “What is often overlooked are the older areas of Dubai. They give the city another dimension and are a good riposte to critics of Dubai who claim it’s perhaps a little too clinical.

“Old Dubai takes a bit of work but it’s well wor th it. I’d say best place to star t would be at the Bur Dubai Abra, where there’s a nice and small old souk area around the textile markets. Here, you can actually get off the beaten track and explore the small alleys.

“I would then take an abra, the small ferr y boats used for crossing the river, to one of my favourite areas – Deira and its fish market. They’re vibrant, diverse, have a life of their own and will give even a frequent Dubai visitor second thoughts about their perceptions of the city.”

Deira Fish Market is open daily from 5am to 1pm, and 5pm to 11pm. It is adjacent to the Palm Deira Metro station and a shor t walk from Dubai’s Gold Souk and Spice Souk. gulfphotoplus.com

meat from the nearby butchers, while sweet-smelling herbs, spices, fruits and vegetables, including exotic treats such as mangosteens, yams and rambutans, can be sourced from the sellers, who are engulfed by the towering mounds of their hunger-inducing offerings.

Once caught in the shadow of Dubai’s stunningly iconic landmarks, Old Dubai and its fish market are increasingly playing a starring role in visitors’ itineraries, as they offer an eclectic cultural experience, blending Bedouin heritage with Dubai’s place in history as a trading post between Europe and Asia.

Mohamed Somji, founder of Gulf Photo Plus, which runs guided food and photography walks through Deira at night On board Emirates flights in Economy Class you can enjoy Nairobi Coffee. Coffee brewed to order is available in Business Class and First Class.

Choose from espresso, cappuccino and decaffeinated. Nespresso (Ristretto, Espresso Leggero, Lungo Forte, Espresso Decaff) available in First Class.

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The Sum oF uS How to find the best coffee in Dubai, by the duo that brought a touch of Australian café culture to town and never looked back

F

illed with a tantalising aroma of fresh baked sourdough bread and roasting coffee, The Sum Of Us, Dubai’s newest gourmet café, is proving irresistible to the city’s foodies and coffee lovers.

Founded by Tom Arnel and Serg Lopez, the guys behind the eponymous Al Quoz café that proved an instant hit when it opened in 2013, The Sum Of Us is a cavernous café, baker y and coffee roaster y devoted to producing and ser ving good, honest, casual food with great coffee in a relaxed space.

“It’s really all about the product and the people who make it,” says Serg. “We’re proud of what we do and we’re putting it on show. Our staff love to talk about their craft, so you can expect an open space that’s interactive.

“The baker y and coffee roaster are all on show so our customers can learn more about our craft from star t to finish. They can have a conversation directly with our exper ts and ask questions before buying.”

With a reputation for ser ving fresh, uncomplicated food,

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The bakery and coffee roasTer are all on show so people can learn about our craft from start to finish. they can talk to our experts and ask questions before buying washed down with one of the best coffees in town, the question is if the Tom & Serg Café formula will be replicated for its devotees at The Sum Of Us. “Not a chance,” says Tom. “We would be going against ever ything we stand for. As a city develops, it’s easy to inject a formula into as many spaces as possible, but this is where the food preparation and ser vice process become soulless and robotic. We want our product to be handcrafted by people with passion and drive; you just can’t get this with a multi-outlet model.

“We’ll be ser ving an, ‘all-day breakfast’, lunch and dinner menu seven days a week with food that’s simple, balanced and precise. For breakfast you can expect things like creamy scrambled eggs with parsley purée and charred tomatoes on freshly-made toasted sourdough, or waffles with poached plums and vanilla custard. For lunch and dinner we will have a great range of salads like our famous confit lamb and quinoa salad with feta cheese and pomegranate dressing, or a great

main course like our lemon myr tle risotto with roasted cod, sour cream and chilli oil.”

Nestled among the five-star hotels opposite the World Trade Centre, the two-storey The Sum Of Us stands in stark contrast to the industrial confines of its predecessor… much like its founders.

Tom is an Australian executive chef, who left the glitz and glamour of fine dining for laidback eateries, while Serg, heralding from Spain, ran luxur y hotel restaurants before par tnering with the antipodean in 2013.

“We’re total opposites,” laughs Tom, “but we don’t step on each other’s toes, which makes us work better as a team. We’re both ver y passionate about what we do and almost obsessive about the same vision for our company but sometimes, as in any business, we have different ways of achieving the same goal. We haven’t resor ted to fist fights yet but Serg has recently taken up boxing, so…” thesumofusdubai.com

| 59 |

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M A I N Pulped Fiction, p62 | The Collectors Of Berlin, p68

PulPed

Fiction

P u l P e d

F i c t i o n

Something’S going on in norway. it involveS the greateSt writerS of our generation, poetS yet to be born, and a project like no other. the only problem iS, nobody can See it until 2114 wordS: chriStopher beanland imageS: future library

T

here’s a dense forest just outside of Oslo that dominates the nor thern-most par t of the city. Filled with towering Norway spruce, pine and birch, it’s known as Nordmarka and people travel the world to hike and ski there. As of this month, however, it has a rather more lofty mission status: a story set to be 100 years in the telling.

This is the premise of Future Library: 100 trees are being planted. They’ll then be cut down in 100 years and turned into paper – and on to that paper will go words that writers have written in the

present day. Some of the 3,000 books that result will be sold and some kept in Oslo’s Deichman Library, which – like the trees planed in Nordmarka – is also slowly rising from the ear th.

“I had a very clear vision for this many years ago, but at that point I could never have imagined it would go beyond the dreaming stage,” says Katie Paterson, who came up the idea for Future Library.

“The idea to grow trees to print books arose for me through making a connection with tree rings to chapters – the material nature of paper, pulp and

| 64 |

The Nordmarka Forest in Oslo.

Here 100 trees will be planted to make 100 books in 100 years’ time

If you’re after a good book on today’s flight, check out the Audiobooks collection on ice. Highlights this month include Marcus Zusak’s The Book Thief and Nick Hornby’s Funny Girl.

books. And imagining the writer’s thoughts infusing themselves and ‘becoming’ the trees. Almost as if they’ve absorbed the writer’s words like air or water, the rings then become chapters, spaced out over the years to come.”

Paterson is an ar tist from Glasgow who has exhibited everywhere from PKM in Seoul to the James Cohan Gallery in New York. But with this project she’s also dipping her toes into the worlds of literature, architecture and even forestry. Ar t critic Zoe Pilger, from UK broadsheet The Independent, recently described her as operating like, “an enlightenment polymath”.

But the really compelling point here is how it’ll take 100 years for the books to finally be printed. “When I had the idea for Future Library I knew instantly it would outlive me and most of us alive today. It’s impor tant that I don’t see it fully realised – it’s a work conceived for an unknown, future generation,” says Paterson.

“It will unfold over this generation and the next, and remarkably, I will spend my whole life crafting this ar twork.

Every decision I make now regarding Future Library I have to think of in 100-year time spans. How will the library room be looked at and experienced in 100 years? How will the materials react over the decades to come? What languages will people be speaking in 100 years? What kind of technologies will exist?

What will the status of the printed book be? The writing process could be experimental for the author too, to write something they could never imagine being made public now.”

She jokes, “I wonder if anyone will submit just one word?”

Every year between now and 2114 one author will be picked to submit a story. The final anthology will then contain all 100.

The first writer to agree to take part is acclaimed Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood, who’s most famous for her 1985 Booker Prize-nominated dystopia The Handmaid’s Tale – which was dramatised by Harold Pinter for a movie version in 1990.

For Atwood, “Future Library is a complex time capsule, and books by their very natures are time capsules – the time in which the reader reads is not the time in which the writer writes.”

At least for now, the words of the writers will be collected and, from 2018, stored in Oslo’s gleaming new public library, the Deichman – which is currently being built. Nobody will be allowed to look at the texts until publishing day.

The Library will sit on the Waterfront of Norway’s capital city, next to Oslo’s acclaimed Opera House, which was designed by architects Snøhetta and opened in 2008. The Library is being built to a design by Atelier Oslo (with Lund Hagem Architects) and by housing Future Library it has niftily future-proofed itself.

Technology may be rapidly changing, but these books – come what may – will be unveiled in 2114. A printing press is also being installed in the Library for the books to be printed on.

“The whole idea of the Future Library as a project spanning 100 years into the future is beautiful. It strengthens the library as a building for the future,” says architect Nils Ole Brandtzæg. He also explains how it will fit into the building: “The new Deichman Library consists of an open continuous space spanning through all floors. More specialised rooms or niches are all organised around three cores.

The idea is that these rooms may have a Legendary author different atmosphere and materiality as a Margaret Atwood contrast to the more calm and continuous (below left), is the first to write library space. Future Library will be placed and will hand inside one of these rooms, creating a over her new special place on the fifth floor of the library. book this month The idea is also that the fifth floor is the

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Oslo’s Diechman Library will have a special room and printing press built to eventually create the books from Future Library in 2114

most quiet and contemplative floor – so, in that respect, we think that the Future Library room will fit together perfectly.”

If culture is the greatest gift we can give to the generations to come, then surely Future Librar y is the most selfless gift of all – because it’s something that we give to our children and grandchildren without actually ever experiencing it ourselves. Paterson agrees. “Future Librar y is an ar twork that belongs not only to us and the City of Oslo now, but to these who are not yet born.” Atwood sees the idea as a natural progression of the way that children bur y time capsules. Her stor y is a memor y of the present day for future generations, “I was a child who buried things in the backyard,” she reveals. “So I consider my contribution a grown up version of the marbles, pennies, and bits of shell I interred way back in 1948.” futurelibrary.no

FUTURE HEADS

How to make a library relevant in the digital age “Build it big and they shall come,” is the slightly Field of Dreams, but no less relevant answer to the argument for the modern day use of a library. Stuttgart’s new Municipal Library is a stupendous cube designed by Yi Architects of Cologne. Inside it’s dazzlingly white and the space seems enormous. Meanwhile in Norway, the small southern town of Vennesla has a library built from timber, whereby the bookshelves form parts of the building’s support.

Making libraries work for people future-proofs them, too.

In Britain, mobile libraries are a quaint tradition – a van that visits rural communities and drops off books. The English town of Kent has just given its 12 mobile libraries a brand new look – giant books have been painted on the side, and the vehicles also dispense DVDs. At the other end of the scale, the new Weston Library at Oxford University opened in March. A new branch of the famous Bodleian, it aims to provide a

high-quality research environment for students and scholars who need to read ancient books. Wilkinson Eyre architects have created an environment where the natural light is at the perfect level and the bespoke oak chairs are said to be ver y “bottom-friendly”.

In China, a low-tech librar y built to help a community damaged by an ear thquake has turned heads. The Pinch Librar y was built in Shuanghe village, Yunan Province, by John John Lin and Olivier Ottevaere. It has a slide on its roof and won Small Project Of The Year at the World Architecture Festival in 2014. Finally, Birmingham’s hi-tech librar y showed that a mix of free Wi-Fi, computers, space-age architecture, cafés, and free poetr y readings can lure in visitors – 2.4 million – last year, making it the 10th most popular attraction in the whole of Britain.

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FROM SPY CAMERAS TO MODERN ART, VINTAGE FURNITURE TO HAUTE COUTURE, A VISIT TO GERMANY’S CAPITAL IS A CHANCE TO PURCHASE A HISTORY FULL OF FORGOTTEN STORIES AND SECRET MEANING Words: Rachael Vance ver the course of one thousand years a city can reveal a hoard of historical wealth. Cultural elements of interest, importance and value become scattered along the proverbial trail of time. Embroidered in that rich fabric is the narrative of its location, its people and the essence of its multifarious character. Yet buried deep within some cities, society’s apex achievements and the nadir of its lowest lamentations can be unearthed too.

O

Images: Zoe Noble

Moving ever forward, the energetic German capital takes all these things in its stride, remembers them and gets on with it all rather magnificently. Empires, world wars, iron curtains, jubilant reunification – rarely is a city’s distant past so intertwined with the darkest anecdotes of its more recent memory and, more seldom still, with the hip, cutting edge of modern consciousness. Welcome to Berlin, the dynamic modern metropolis filled to the | 70 |

brim with compelling artefacts while also helming the vanguard of contemporary art and design. A collector’s jackpot.

It therefore comes as no surprise that many people love to take a physical part of that wealth back home with them. It is perhaps even more poignant that some of the world’s most interesting and avid collectors live within the city and offer those riches themselves for the public to see. Berlin teems with a cross section of

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local, regional and global exhibits. From communist era memorabilia hawked along the well-worn tourist trail, to exclusive ateliers presenting their wares in seemingly hidden art-nouveau loft apartments. The city not only provides opportunities for the traveller to see and procure its culture, it often begs them to become immersed in it.

The sprawling flea markets found in many central locations around the city are perhaps the perfect point of departure to scratch the surface of what is on offer.

The Sunday market at the Mauerpark – which translates to ‘wall park’ – is in many ways a microcosm of a newer Berlin. Lying directly adjacent to parts of the former wall and the notorious ‘death strip’, locals and tourists flock to peruse the many stalls of curiosities, rare vinyl music collections, hand-made fashion and accessories. Of unique interest is the abundance of GDR memorabilia during the period when the wall divided the city between 1961 and 1989. The Germans have even created their own term for nostalgia from the former East Germany.

“Ostalgie”, a portmanteau derived from the German words for “east” and “nostalgia”, can describe various aspects of life from the era. One of the most recognisable remnants for tourists is the Ampelmännchen, a small traffic symbol for pedestrian crossings of a man walking.

Items on sale vary from television sets and ceiling lamps, to spectacle frames and military costumes. Situated in the first district to become gentrified after the fall of the wall, Prenzlauer Berg, the market gained traction with a fresh demographic and is now extremely busy every week.

The flea markets of Boxhagener Platz in Friedrichshain and also Fehrbelliner Platz in the West, with its Kunstmeile or ‘art mile’, are also worth seeking out.

Venturing inside from the markets and the street stalls, Berlin’s own greatest collections are housed within some of its most impressive public buildings. The wonders of the Pergamon Museum are ostensibly inexhaustible and their value likewise incalculable.

The imposing Ishtar Gate from ancient Babylon is a symbolic show of the museum’s archaeological treasures from

antiquity. It is, however, the city’s private collections that are truly unique and offer an alternative window into both the city’s attitudes and its zeitgeist.

In Mitte, the most central borough of the city, and only a 15-minute walk over the River Spree from the Pergamon, stands a converted Nazi air-raid shelter of monolithic proportions. Housed inside is the Sammlung Boros, the private contemporary art collection of Christian and Karen Boros. Specifically reimagined and renovated to be both home and public space, the building’s history and appearance demand thoughtful attention.

Extensive architectural changes were required to realise the vision of such

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an undertaking and have been done so with breathtaking precision. It is little wonder so many art enthusiasts take guided tours through the 3,000 square metres of exhibition space featuring post-1990 visual art and installation. The couple lives in a glass walled penthouse above and if the architecture was not inspiration enough, the collection in the bunker below is filled with a star cast of contemporary art’s biggest names. Featured in the current curated exhibition are the highly collectible works by acclaimed artists such as Ai Weiwei (China) and Wolfgang Tillmans (Germany).

Tours are by appointment only.

Also located nearby is another gem of the Berlin collector’s landscape; the collection of Erika Hoffmann. The Sammlung Hoffmann, started in 1968 for the “inspiration and stimulation” of living with contemporary art, follows in a similar vein and conducts 90-minute guided tours on Saturdays. These are also by appointment only as the tour is quite literally through her home. For those seeking a collection stretching beyond the confines of the contemporary, the Me Collectors Room Berlin / Stiftung Olbricht on Auguststraße, has a permanent “Wunderkammer”, a cabinet of wonder and curiosities, that features pieces dating back to the Renaissance and Baroque.

Everyday objects such as postage stamps and toys are displayed alongside the art

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and near to the private collections, is perhaps the densest. It’s a logical step to explore the neighbourhood’s swathe of renowned commercial contemporary art galleries. Easily missed on Linienstrasse, down a courtyard without any clear entrance signage, the anonymity of Neugerriemschneider purveys the expectation that art-loving visitors should know who they are. The sleek interior exhibits a Who’s Who of the art world such as Olafur Eliasson (Denmark), known for transporting tons of glacier ice from Iceland for a solo exhibition. Equally

from various eras. The entire collection was founded by Thomas Olbricht, heir to Germany’s Wella hair care estate, and also offers part of its space and infrastructure for other major international collections to exhibit. Works from private collectors are rotated with new exhibitions curated throughout the year featuring hundreds of distinguished artists.

There are several recognised gallery precincts in Berlin, but that of Mitte wedged between Torstraße and the Spree

programme for the well-heeled art collector with the likes of Cindy Sherman (USA) and Thomas Demand (Germany).

South of the river and beneath the Tiergarten, Berlin’s equivalent to Central or Hyde Park, lies the art and design hotspot surrounding Potsdamer Straße.

With a mixture of both heavyweight and emerging galleries and stores, the area has risen to prominence over the last half decade. In terms of the contemporary, Arndt, representing famed duo Gilbert & George and also with a focus on South-East Asian art, highlights the city’s

THE STASI, EAST GERMANY’S SECRET POLICE, WERE NOTORIOUS FOR SPYING ON THE PRIVATE LIVES OF ITS CITIZENS. THE MORE OBSCURE ITEMS THEY LEFT BEHIND HAVE BECOME PRIZES FOR THE MOST DEDICATED COLLECTORS impressive is the Berlin branch of Sprüth Magers owned by influential gallerist duo Monika Sprüth and Philomene Magers.

Absorbing visitors in the impressive spaces of a former auditorium the gallery is more like a museum. Its polished concrete floors and stark white walls play host to an innovative exhibition

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connection to Europe and the rest of the world. Just over the Landwehrkanal and in the direction of Checkpoint Charlie another major force in Berlin’s art world, Johann König, represents 27 artists, many of whom are in extreme demand. The gallery also uses the concrete brutalist interior of St.Agnes church in Kreuzberg as a project space. Berlin really ups the ante in terms of presenting and selling art.

Within a building adjacent to Potsdamer Straße, the pearly white design and fashion emporium of Andreas Murkudis can be found, showcasing highend collectible fashion. Yohji Yamamoto and Dries Van Noten are just two of the many collectible names on offer with a price point to match. Just footsteps away from the showroom is the atelier and store of one of the world’s most highly regarded milliners, Fiona Bennett, featuring hats praised by Vivienne Westwood and Lady Gaga no less. For avant-garde menswear, a journey to Darklands near the central train station Berlin Hauptbahnhof, is worth making. The cavernous concrete space lined with racks of dark hued clothing might convince you

that Berlin is indeed the new black. The city, it seems, has a penchant to impress with its use of alternative and sometimes bleak spaces – an allusion to its past and perhaps its vision of the future. Designer, Karl Lagerfeld, is documented as having purchased 60 items in the store.

The East, during the communist era, had its own vision of the future.

The time during which the city was first divided and the wall erected, dovetailed neatly with the latter par t of mid-century design and had a direct channel from the Bauhaus movement.

Soviet influence and the need to design, craft and produce almost everything within its own borders created some interesting results. A contender for the most grandiose is Karl-Marx Allee, the classic socialist boulevard lined ominously with eight-storey wedding-cake style architecture, stretching from the eastern border of Mitte through Friedrichshain. It is fitting then, that on the ground floor of one of these buildings is the showroom of Original in Berlin, a furniture store with a large collection of international pieces from and inspired by the era.

Over 350 square metres of Scandinavian, American and varied European designs coalesce into a fantastic snapshot of vintage modern. Danish Kofod-Larsen sideboards and original Eames chairs a staple. Nearby in a similar building is the likewise inspired Coroto, a store with a more exotic flavour, providing furniture and an intriguing contrast to nor thern winters and socialist architecture with “vintage furniture and tropical living,” In fact, across Berlin, in its many second

hand stores and flea markets, there are countless oppor tunities to chance upon authentic and evocative pieces of furniture, period fittings and other assor ted homewares. Sourced from Germany and abroad, each piece has its own forgotten story and secret meaning.

The phrase, “if these walls could talk”, is most poignant in Berlin.

The Stasi, East Germany’s secret police, were notorious for spying on the private lives of its citizens. The more obscure items and technological gadgets they left behind have become prizes for the most dedicated collectors. Spy cameras, listening devices and other modified or purpose built equipment are listed in some of the

world’s most renowned auction houses and can fetch hefty prices. Examples of these are on permanent display at the Stasi Museum just north of Frankfurter Allee, the continuation of Karl-Marx Allee.

From curious flea market finds and haute couture fashion, to avant-garde fine art purchases and classic vintage furniture pieces, Berlin allows visitors to excavate both distant and recent history.

It offers a sense of time travel through collectible objects that carry both value and countless stories. The city also has its finger firmly on the pulse of what is happening now and that makes it a paradise for the discerning collector wishing to tap into that energy.

b r i e f i n g The Emirates App for Apple Watch, p78 | Destination: Bali, p82 | Route Map, p90

E m i r a t E s

n E w s

a record breaking year Staff Q&A Violet Vaguza Anyonge Training Manager How does Emirates maintain world-class standards in training?

Our high investment – Dhs73 million in 2014 – in our programmes shows just how our Cabin Crew receives the very best training for their role. Our state-ofthe-art simulators give trainees the ability to experience real-to-life scenarios; they’re so good that, occasionally, even other airline crew are trained there. Our trainers are also active participants in consulting bodies, sharing industry best practices and advice on industry policy and regulations.

With over 33,000 attendees in various training courses, Emirates Aviation College Crew Training had a recordbreaking year in 2014.

Emirates invested Dhs73m on cabin crew training, last year, which saw a total of 4,280 new cabin crew graduating, and 17,650 crew par ticipating in their recurrent training – a mandator y course crew under take every year.

Opened in 2007, the state-of-the-ar t training facility is equipped to suppor t learning in the areas of safety and emergency procedures; medical training;

security training and cabin cer vice amongst others. There’s also a dedicated Induction team who take care of the new recruits as they arrive to help them acclimatise and settle into Dubai.

“The quality of training makes sure that Emirates crew are not only competent but confident to perform their duties,” says Catherine Baird, Senior Vice President Cabin Crew Training. “With a focus on competency and evidence-based training in an experiential setting, our cabin crew practice with real world scenarios.”

dnata launches travel app dnata Travel has launched an app providing customers in the GCC and beyond with a choice of more than 200,000 hotels and thousands of holiday destinations.

The app also boasts an easy-to-use interactive map for discovering hotel locations and nearby airports.

The price match guarantee helps you make the best choice and all prices listed include taxes and service charges. This means there are no hidden charges to worry about.

The app requires iOS 8.0 or later and can be downloaded from the App Store on iTunes. It is compatible with iPhone and iPad. It will also soon be available on Android. | 76 |

What are the main challenges for training staff?

Our trainers are selected for their passion and dedication to our customers, the crew and learning. As with any operational environment in Emirates, we look at challenges as opportunities.

Some of these can include learners not meeting the required level during their theory or practical assessments, despite supplementary or additional support. Also, trainers need to be flexible and when the business requires it, we often deliver extra courses to meet their needs.

What do you attribute Emirates’ record-breaking year to?

Emirates offers a competitive tax-free basic salary, company provided accommodation and transportation (or allowances), annual leave of a minimum of 30 calendar days per annum, medical provision, insurance, a profit share scheme and more. Staff get free annual tickets to approved leave destinations including our eligible dependants, subject to company policy. A range of concessional ticket options are also available for family and friends.

Moreover, we can also take advantage of attractive discounts at numerous dining, retail and leisure outlets in the UAE and hotels in the UAE and abroad with our Emirates Group ID/Platinum Card.

Your home in Dubai

• • • • • • • •

Located in the heart of Dubai Opposite Metro Station Walking distance to Burj Khalifa, world’s tallest skyscraper Dubai Airport - 15 min Abu Dhabi Airport - 45 min Walking distance to shopping malls Close to Business Hubs (DIFC and DWTC) Spa and Outdoor Swimming Pool

Sheikh Zayed Road, P.O Box 116957 Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 323 0000 | Fax: +971 4 323 0003 www.emiratesgrandhotel.com

E M I R A T E S

N E W S

NON-STOP SERVICE TO ORLANDO

STAY CONNECTED

Emirates offers Wi-Fi on over 106 of its aircraft, with two to three additional aircraft getting connected every month.

Currently on 66 aircraft, customers can enjoy free* Wi-Fi, and on all other enabled aircraft the Wi-Fi is just US $1 for 500MB. Emirates is working on upgrades to the software to extend the free Wi-Fi offer across the fleet.

With an investment in excess of US $20m annually on installing and operating inflight connectivity systems, the Wi-Fi service has seen a sharp rise in popularity.

In 2014, around 650,000 customers used Emirates’ Wi-Fi service on board

and as of early March this year, more than 350,000 customers had already logged on.

On Emirates’ ultra-long-haul flights Wi-Fi services are most popular, with a recent flight to New York seeing more than 66% of the passengers on board use Wi-Fi. Emirates is also in the process of converting all of its Boeing 777-300ERs and 777-200LRs to become Wi-Fi-ready.

In addition to on board Wi-Fi services, Emirates also offers complimentary Wi-Fi connectivity at all 37 of its dedicated airport lounges around its global network. *The first 10MB data is free. Users can enjoy additional 500MB of data for US$1.

EMIRATES LAUNCHES APPLE WATCH APP Emirates is the first airline in the Middle East to offer an app for the eagerly anticipated Apple Watch. With live travel updates at a glance, you can stay one step ahead throughout your journey.

The Emirates App for Apple Watch reminds you when it’s time to board and lets you know if there’s a change to your flight. And it even tells you where to pick up your bags when you land. It’s designed to complement The Emirates App for iPhone. So you can check the status of your flight without reaching for your phone.

You can also download your boarding pass to the app and stay hands-free throughout the airpor t. Download the app now and be one of the first to experience a smarter way to travel.

GET TO YOUR GATE ON TIME

Emirates is commencing a daily service to Orlando, Florida from 1 September.

Orlando is renowned for its world-class theme parks, family entertainment and year round sunshine, which brings in over 59 million visitors each year. It also has a strong business base with thriving industries in film production, life sciences and aerospace.

From Orlando Emirates customers can connect onto many destinations in the US, the Caribbean and South America through the airline’s codeshare partner JetBlue. JetBlue flies to 24 cities from Orlando including San Juan in Puerto Rico; Bogota, Colombia and Nassau in the Bahamas.

The route will be served by a Boeing 777-200LR. Flight EK 219 will depart Dubai International at 3.50am and arrive at Orlando International Airport at 11.40am. The return flight, EK 220 will depart Orlando at 2.20pm and arrive into Dubai at 12.30pm the following day.

DON'T MISS YOUR FLIGHT Please make sure you get to your boarding gate on time.

Boarding starts 45 minutes before your flight and gates close 20 minutes before departure. If you report late we will not be able to accept you for travel.

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survival in the desert How the documentary The Last Wilderness of the UAE will help preserve the amazing – yet largely unknown – wildlife of the region Words: jamie Knights photography: priscilla Van andel/tlWUae

Vast expanses of desert play host to incredible metropolises that have seemingly appeared overnight. It is the crossroads of the past and the future of the Uae – exciting times indeed.

But this rapid expansion of the country’s cities has brought the topics of sustainability and preservation into sharp focus in recent years. For many, the landscape outside of its urban centres may seem a barren desert, with little life aside from the occasional camel or a lone bird of prey. But this is an often-made misconception and the wide-open expanses of the UAE, in fact, contain a rich and fascinating biodiversity, which is only now being documented in detail.

The Last Wilderness of the UAE is a three-part documentary series that will focus on the incredible and surprising wildlife of the region’s natural history. As a sponsor, Emirates has made the project possible and for the first time the UAE and its natural treasures will be showcased to the world.

The ecosystems of the mountains and wadis, the deserts, and the seas of the UAE will be brought to the screen in all their glory with surprises guaranteed. Jonathan Ali Khan, the producer and director of The Last Wilderness of the UAE has spent 25 years in the region documenting the natural world and believes the time is right to dedicate a series to the country’s wildlife.

“We are covering the full fabric of life from plants to insects and birds, rodents, reptiles moving up through the food chain to the predators, creating a full picture of the natural balance,” he enthuses.

“It may be a precarious balance, but it’s certainly a remarkable one.”

“For most people when they think of this region, they think of it as dry arid desert, without much life or with a lot of species

struggling to survive. But the fact is, there are species thriving in these conditions,” he continues.

“We are going to try and show how as an epicentre of global warming under the process of desertification throughout millennia, we are able to see how wildlife adapts in these harsh conditions; such as the Oryx, that can go without ever drinking water, only taking what moisture it needs from the vegetation it eats.

“This region is a living laboratory where we can study species and wildlife that are managing to survive in some of the harshest conditions.”

Of course, tracking the rare species of the UAE is not as easy as filming on a wildlife park in Africa.

“We are having to look hard to find these species and are relying on experts and local knowledge to locate many of these animals,” Ali Khan explains.

But the interest in conservation has spread across all levels of the UAE and that had brought about a renewed sense of optimism.

“Things have changed and a project like this would not have even been possible 10 years ago,” says Ali Khan.

“An increase in awareness about the need for conservation has brought about a firm dedication from the conservation authorities over the last few years. Social media means the issues of conservation have surfaced and have become a priority in some government circles,” he adds.

“The beauty of the current scenario, which is part of the change, is that there is a lot of work and research being done.

These days, there are people undertaking PHDs through university studies alongside all manner of academic and conservation

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projects and the UAE authorities are fully behind research. So we have hit the nail on the head in terms of the timing of this project.”

So what can we expect to see in the final documentaries?

“We’ve got our eyes set on a range of key species and each ecosystem has their little stars and we want to highlight those, in a sense as ambassadors that people can relate to,” he says. “When it comes to the mountains, we have some large endangered species including the Caracal, a cousin of the lynx and we are featuring a project where they are trying to catch and radio collar one. In fact, we are sponsoring the radio collar. Then there is the Arabian Tahr, a type of highly endangered mountain goat that was thought to be extinct in the wild, but there have been recent sightings on Jabal Hafeet. A colleague of ours has also discovered a new species, perhaps two new species of tarantula.”

The Oryx story continues to be documented, a species that has been taken to the brink of extinction twice, but is now being cared for successfully across the nation and especially at the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve supported by Al Maha Desert Resort, owned by Emirates.

Indeed Ali Khan says the difference between being inside the reserves compared to outside is quite staggering, largely due to the impact of foraging camels. The sheer abundance of camels and the changing face of society in the UAE means many are let loose into the wild, consuming everything in their wake. And while racing and beauty pageants give some camels an intrinsic value, the former beasts of burden may now be becoming a burden from a conservation point of view. It’s just one of the reasons why the series is so important.

“It’s necessary for a project of this kind to have a number of educational purposes, informing the general public, but also as a record for posterity,” Ali Khan asserts. “Not only does it show the way things are, but highlights the various transitions of the region.

The misconception may be that nothing is being done, so we are really pleased that we help to spread the information and highlight the importance of the work being conducted.”

And this is why sponsorship of the project is so impor tant to Emirates.

“Without Emirates Airline this project would never have seen the light of day,” says Ali Khan. “It’s resonated right from the outset that content such as this is important for them… it’s unparalleled support.”

Long ago, inflight entertainment seemed to be where “films go to die”, according to Ali Khan “the last gasp sales pitch to an airline”, he adds.

“It’s a very clear times have changed, when you have a million passengers a week flying on Emirates who need something to do and most watch inflight channels. With cross channel promotion we will reach a lot of people showcasing the UAE as an interesting environment from a tourism perspective as well,” he adds.

Patrick Brannelly, Divisional Vice President Customer Experience for In-Flight Entertainment and Connectivity, said Emirates is “committed to providing support for innovative projects that highlight the unknown incredible stories within the vibrant UAE ecosystem.”

“Through supporting this documentary, we hope to engage our customers around the world and raise awareness about the fragile terrestrial and marine ecosystems of the UAE and the challenges

ahead to help preserve their beauty and abundance,” he added.

The Last Wilderness of the UAE will feature three 60-minute long films that capture the natural behaviour of a wide selection of terrestrial and marine wildlife including invertebrates, mammals, fish, reptiles and birds – studying their behaviour and survival mechanisms in the unforgiving surroundings of the UAE. It will also tell the formidable, powerful stories of these species, underscored by new knowledge of their fragile existence and their life-or-death quest for survival in a harsh environment.

Additionally, the stories of the wildlife featured in the films will be linked to the local knowledge of Bedouin and coastal inhabitants of the UAE, merging instinctive knowledge with academic research methods.

We are covering the full fabric of life from plants to insects and birds, rodents, reptiles to predators, creating a full picture of the natural balance in the uae The series is set to premiere on Discovery Channel in the autumn of 2016 initially in English with Arabic subtitles, airing in the Middle East and North Africa. An Arabic edition is also being produced to be aired after that and the documentary series will eventually be aired in other territories, such as Central Europe, Europe and Africa. It will also simultaneously air on ice, Emirates award winning in-flight entertainment system.

In addition to the three part 60-minute documentaries, content will also be produced for 12 five minute mini-documentary videos for podcasts and across a spectrum of social media channels, among other online platforms. DVD sets will be produced and distributed regionally to retail outlets and DVDs will also be distributed free-of-cost to schools and universities to educate them about the UAE’s diverse ecosystem.

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D E e sm t i i rn aa tt Ei o s n n GE uwi D s e

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D E S T I N A T I O N

BALI Starting next month, Emirates launches its daily service to the Indonesian island of Bali. Here are some highlights not to be missed Bali represents the quintessential tropical island, but the sheer range of experiences sets it apar t from other destinations.

It’s little wonder that 3.7 million tourists flocked to this Indonesian jewel in 2014, especially when you see the tropical beaches, simmering volcanoes and dense jungle on offer.

But it’s not all relaxed fun in the sun. Kuta is a chaotic par ty town where thrill seekers can keep themselves enter tained for as long as they can stand the pace. Then there are the

world class surf breaks that provide adrenaline rushes on tap.

Bali is also the perfect base from which to launch trips fur ther afield and to other Indonesian islands, all bringing their unique charms.

A trip to Bali fills the senses, so whether unwinding at a luxurious spa, trekking deep into a mystical jungle or par tying to the small hours of the morning, the one thing you are guaranteed is a lifetime of memories.

EAT

STAY

DO

PUTERI MINANG Padang cuisine comes from the predominantly Muslim island of Sumatra, but it has become incredibly popular on Bali. Puteri Minang is a fantastic option and one of the best places to sample Padang food, boasting high quality, expertly cooked dishes you’ll love.

ECHOLAND Set in Canggu, about 10km away from Kuta, this 18-room B&B is a great budget option. Clean, comfortable and in a beautiful location, it’s easy to see why it has become a firm favourite amongst backpackers. Free Wi-Fi and breakfast are great extras. echolandbali.com

UBUD MONKEY FOREST A spiritual as well as scientific site, as well as being the place to see monkeys, it’s also home to all manner of paths that twist and turn amongst the dense foliage. It creates a tantalising atmosphere that shouldn’t be missed on a trip to Bali. monkeyforestubud.com

BARBACOA On the pricier side of restaurants in Bali, Barbacoa still manages to impress with its love of all things barbeque. Meat-lovers flock to sample the beautiful smoked dishes, adding a lot of Latin flair to the menu. The perfect spot for a group celebration, this is a cool hangout that will warm your mood. barbacoabali.com

THE SAMAYA UBUD Sat on the River Ayung, this beautiful villa and spa resort is many people’s favourite on the island. Making the most of what this tropical paradise has to offer, the villas are luxurious, all offering a unique angle on the surrounding rice fields and hills.

The staff are excellent and the views spectacular. ubud.thesamayabali.com

VISIT MOTHER TEMPLE Besakih Temple is more than 1,000 years old and nestles in the south western slopes of Mount Agung. The site is incredibly important to local culture with many people making a pilgrimage there each year. While the temples are spectacular the views of the surrounding area are a stunning added bonus.

MERAH PUTIH Traditional meets modern in a restaurant that celebrates and pushes the boundaries of Indonesian cuisine. Sharing platters are planted in the middle of the table tempting everyone to get stuck in. The smell of the spices and tender meats fill the restaurant, making the mouth water. merahputihbali.com

DESA SENI Authenticity and tranquillity are abundant at this very special resort. Boasting original antique wooden homes and organic food grown on site, while the Svaasthya Wellness program ensures meditation sessions are plentiful. This is the place to unwind and gain an exceptional insight into Indonesian culture. desaseni.com

HIT THE SURF Bali is many surfers’ idea of paradise, so it would be a travesty not to try get on a board while visiting. The major breaks such as Uluwatu and Padang Padang are crowded, but there are plenty of spots off the beaten track to explore, with surf schools for novices or those looking to hone their skills in a world class surf destination.

EMIRATES STAFF TIPS: SUKAWATI Strike a bargain at the colourful markets on fine art, antique furniture, paintings, delicately carved jewellery, wood and stone carvings, masks and dyed fabrics.

It’s where international and world-famous designer brands can be found beside local and handmade curios.

NUSA LEMBONGAN Just off Nusa Penida is this sister island facing the Indian Ocean. Just a 45 minute boat trip from Nusa Dua or Sanur. Here the waves to look out for are known as Playground Surf Break, Shipwreck Surf Break, Ceningan Reef Surf Break and Lacerating Surf Break.

Believe me, they’re well worth the trip.

Arif Wahyudiono Airport Services Officer, Jakarta

Starting June 3, Emirates’ daily flight to Bali will depart Dubai as EK398 at 0820hrs and arrive at Bali’s Denpasar International Airport at 2140hrs.

The return flight, EK399, will depart at 2340hrs and arrive at Dubai International Airport at 0500 the next day.

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C O M F O R T

WELLNESS 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 on board with Emirates today.

SMART TRAVELLER

DRINK PLENTY OF WATER Rehydrate with water or juices frequently. Drink tea and coffee in moderation.

TRAVEL LIGHTLY

WEAR GLASSES

Carry only the essential items that you will need during your flight.

Cabin air is drier than normal, therefore swap your contact lenses for glasses.

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.

AT THE AIRPORT

USE SKIN MOISTURISER Apply a good quality moisturiser to ensure your skin doesn’t dry out.

KEEP MOVING Exercise your lower legs and calf muscles.

This encourages blood flow.

DURING THE FLIGHT

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.

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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.

MAKE YOURSELF COMFORTABLE Loosen clothing, remove jacket and avoid anything pressing against your body.

WHEN YOU ARRIVE Try some light exercise, or read if you can’t sleep after arrival.

V i s a s ,

q u i c k

c o n n e c t

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 hassle free 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 Programme, You must apply for electronic authorisation (ESTA) 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** * SubjEct to changE ** only britiSh citizEnS qualify undEr thE viSa waivEr programmE. | 86 |

&

q u a r a n t i n e

i n f o r m a t i o n

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. 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

2

3

4

have your boarding card or ticket for your connecting flight ready for the ground staff as you exit.

You’ll be given a Quick Connect card. Continue to the Quick Connect queue in the Arrivals hall.

After passport clearance, claim your baggage and clear US customs, regardless of your final destination.

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 on board. 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. | 87 |

U A E

S M A R T

G A T E

BE SMART! USE UAE SMART GATE AT DUBAI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

NATIONALITIES THAT CAN USE UAE SMART GATES

UAE

Andorra

Australia

Austria

Bahrain

Belgium

Brunei

Canada

Denmark

Finland

France

Germany

Greece

Iceland

Ireland

Italy

Japan

Kuwait

Liechtenstein

Luxembourg

Malaysia

Monaco

Netherlands

New Zealand

Norway

Oman

Portugal

Qatar

San Marino

Saudi Arabia

Singapore

South Korea

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland

*UK

USA

GO THROUGH IMMIGRATION IN SECONDS AND GET YOUR VISIT TO DUBAI OFF TO A FLYING START Citizens of the countries listed on the right and UAE residents can speed through Dubai International airport by using UAE Smart Gate.

If you hold a machine-readable passport, UAE Emirates ID card or E-Gate 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 UAE Emirates ID card, E-Gate card or machine-readable passport ready to be scanned

2

Place your passport photo page on the scanner. If you are a UAE resident, you can scan your UAE Emirates ID card. If you have an E-Gate card place it into the E-Gate slot

OK!

3

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

*UK citizens only (UK overseas citizens still require a visa)

UAE SMART GATE CAN BE USED BY:

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 landed. | 88 |

• Machine-readable passports from the above countries • UAE Emirates ID cards • E-Gate cards

• • • • • • • •

Contract Drafting & Review Business Setup , Offshore & Free Zone Companies Corporate & Commercial Legal Services Litigation & Arbitration Debt Collection Banking, Insurance & Maritime Cases Real Estate, Construction & Labor Cases Trademarks, Patents & Copyrights

‫ﺻﻴﺎﻏﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﻘﻮﺩ ﻭﻣﺮﺍﺟﻌﺘﻬﺎ‬ ‫ﺗﺄﺳﻴﺲ ﺍﻟﺸﺮﻛﺎﺕ ﻭﺍﻷﻭﻓﺸﻮﺭ ﻭﺍﳌﻨﺎﻃﻖ ﺍﳊﺮﺓ‬ ‫ﺍﳋﺪﻣﺎﺕ ﺍﻟﻘﺎﻧﻮﻧﻴﺔ ﻟﻸﻓﺮﺍﺩ ﻭﺍﻟﺸﺮﻛﺎﺕ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺘﻘﺎﺿﻲ ﻭ ﺍﻟﺘﺤﻜﻴﻢ‬ ‫ﲢﺼﻴﻞ ﺍﻟﺪﻳﻮﻥ‬ ‫ﻗﻀﺎﻳﺎ ﺍﻟﺒﻨﻮﻙ ﻭﺍﻟﺘﺄﻣﲔ ﻭﺍﻟﻘﻀﺎﻳﺎ ﺍﻟﺒﺤﺮﻳﺔ‬ ‫ﻗﻀﺎﻳﺎ ﺍﳌﻘﺎﻭﻻﺕ ﻭﺍﻟﻌﻘﺎﺭﺍﺕ ﻭﺍﻟﻘﻀﺎﻳﺎ ﺍﻟﻌﻤﺎﻟﻴﺔ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻌﻼﻣﺎﺕ ﺍﻟﺘﺠﺎﺭﻳﺔ ﻭﺑﺮﺍﺀﺍﺕ ﺍﻻﺧﺘﺮﺍﻉ ﻭﺣﻘﻮﻕ ﺍﳌﺆﻟﻒ‬

• • • • • • • •

DUBAI EMIRATES TOWERS, 14TH FLOOR, SHEIKH ZAYED ROAD P.O. BOX: 9055, DUBAI, UAE TEL: +971 4 330 4343 | FAX: +971 4 330 3993 contact@emiratesadvocates.com | www.emiratesadvocates.com ABU DHABI Tel: +971 2 6394446 auh@emiratesadvocates.com

RAS AL KHAIMAH Tel: +971 7 2046719 rak@emiratesadvocates.com

DUBAI INTERNET CITY Tel: +971 4 3900820 dic@emiratesadvocates.com

SHARJAH Tel: +971 6 5728666 shj@emiratesadvocates.com

JEBEL ALI Tel: +971 4 8871679 jafz@emiratesadvocates.com

DIFC Tel: +971 4 4019562 difc@emiratesadvocates.com

WITH AFFILIATE OFFICES IN SAUDI ARABIA, QATAR, BAHRAIN, KUWAIT AND OMAN

FOR 24 HOUR LEGAL ASSISTANCE, PLEASE CALL +971 (50) 328 99 99

R O U T E

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M A P

R O U T E

M A P

NEW ROUTES: Bali: daily service starts June 3 Orlando: daily service starts September 1

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R O U T E

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M A P

INTERNATIONALLY ACCREDITED HEALTHCARE ON YOUR DOORSTEP MEDICLINIC MIDDLE EAST OPERATES: • • • • • •

Mediclinic Mediclinic Mediclinic Mediclinic Mediclinic Mediclinic

Welcare Hospital Dubai Mall Meadows Mirdif Beach Road Corniche

• Mediclinic City Hospital • Mediclinic Ibn Battuta • Mediclinic Arabian Ranches • Mediclinic Al Qusais • Mediclinic Al Sufouh • Mediclinic Al Hili

EXPERTISE YOU CAN TRUST. UAE • SOUTH AFRICA • NAMIBIA • SWITZERLAND www.mediclinic.ae

MOH RY82023-31-3-15 Ad approval covers facility in UAE only

R O U T E

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M A P

THE FLEET Our fleet contains 235 aircraft made up of 221 passenger aircraft and 14 cargo aircraft BOEING 777-300ER

Emirates is the world’s largest operator of this aircraft, which joined the fleet in 2005.

Number of Aircraft: 104 Capacity: 354-442 Range: 14,594km Length: 73.9m Wingspan: 64.8m

BOEING 777-300

Since 1999, Emirates operates two and three-class versions of the 777-300.

Number of Aircraft: 12 Capacity: 364 Range: 11,029km Length: 73.9m Wingspan: 60.9m

BOEING 777-200LR

Number of Aircraft: 10 Capacity: 266 Range: 17,446km Length: 63.7m Wingspan: 64.8m

BOEING 777-200

In 2005, the Boeing 777-200LR set a new world record for distance travelled non-stop when it landed at Heathrow airport, London, after a journey of 21,601km (11,664 nautical miles) from Hong Kong - the long way round. Emirates received its first 777-200LR in August 2007.

Emirates’ first Boeing 777-200 joined the fleet in 1996.

Number of Aircraft: 7 Capacity: 274-346 Range: 9,649km Length: 63.7m Wingspan: 60.9m

BOEING 777F

Number of Aircraft: 12 Range: 9,260km Length: 63.7m Wingspan: 64.8m For more information: emirates.com/ourfleet | 96 |

The most environmentally-friendly freighter operated today, with the lowest fuel burn of any comparablysized 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.

AIRBUS A380-800

Emirates has operated the A380 since 2008, and is the world’s largest operator of this aircraft. In 2014, 13 Emirates A380s joined the fleet.

Number of Aircraft: 61 Capacity: 489-517 Range: 15,000km Length: 72.7m Wingspan: 79.8m

AIRBUS A340-500

This ultra-long range passenger airliner was introduced to the Emirates fleet in 2003. This saw the launch of the First Class Suite which has since been rolled out on the Boeing 777 and Airbus A380.

Number of Aircraft: 2 Capacity: 258 Range: 16,050km Length: 67.9m Wingspan: 63.4m

AIRBUS A340-300

Similar in many respects to Emirates A330-200s, the A340-300 is equipped with four engines giving it an enhanced range.

Number of Aircraft: 4 Capacity: 267 Range: 13,350km Length: 63.6m Wingspan: 60.3m

AIRBUS A330-200

First added to the fleet in 1999, this aircraft operates predominately on shorter-haul routes.

Number of Aircraft: 21 Capacity: 237-278 Range: 12,200km Length: 58.8m Wingspan: 60.3m

BOEING 747-400ERF

Number of Aircraft: 2 Range:9,204km Length: 70.6m Wingspan: 64.4m Aircraft numbers through end May 2015 | 97 |

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 oversized shipments that cannot be accommodated in the belly-hold of passenger aircraft. The nose door allows the carriage of long pieces.

E n t E r t a i n m E n t

CAPTION COmPeTITION

E-mail your captions for this cartoon to openskies@motivate.ae with ‘CAPTION COMP’ in the subject line. The winning caption will be published in the June issue.

WINNeR: JullIeNe HeRNANdez, 22, SAlES COOrdINATOr, PhIlIPPINES

“Talk abouT a weTsuiT!” | 98 |

A LEVEL ABOVE BREATHTAKING

Soaring high at 555 meters, At the Top, Burj Khalifa SKY is fittingly Dubai’s most iconic destination. You can now enjoy exclusive access to the redefined, highest outdoor observatory in the world, spread across levels 125 and 148 of the Burj Khalifa. With dedicated lounges, elevator access and complimentary refreshments, you will be personally escorted through stunning views and never seen before interactive experiences.

#TouchTheSky www.atthetop.ae