METRO WORLD NEWS
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Monday, 06 June 2011 www.metrotravel.com
TRAVEL
MONDAY, 06 JUNE 2011
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we live where you’re going
CORNWALL: RIDING WAVES IN THE UK’S TOP SURF SPOT {page 03}
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Super travel
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sunhats for shade
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What’s inside
The hipster’s guide to Washington DC {page 02}
Eat fresh in Israel {page 04}
VANDA BIFFANI
The fashionista’s guide to Washington, D.C. {page 02} + Movie deserts to inspire dream holidays {page 05}
Inspiring movie deserts {page 05}
Top 3 straw sunhats {page 06}
Eat fresh in Israel {page 04}
VANDA BIFFANI
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www.metrotravel.com MONDAY, 06 JUNE 2011
GET INTO MY CITY: WASHINGTON, D.C. Jackie Flanagan lives in D.C.’s hip Mount Pleasant area and runs Nana, a women’s clothing shop inspired by all things vintage, modern, handmade, and ethically made The store is named after her stylish grandmother She launches her first collection for the shop this summer, a locally-produced range inspired by simple vintage designs but crafted with modern, sustainable JACKIE FLANAGAN METRO WORLD NEWS materials.
Best of the U.S. in D.C.
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enjoy living in DC because it is a big city with a small-town feel. It's large enough that there is always a new discovery around the next bend but it's small enough to feel manageable and sometimes even cosy. We are surrounded by museums, cultural centres, embassies and sites dedicated to our nation's history with such a beautiful mix of people that I am never
First time? I will never forget the first time I came to DC as an 11-year-old. My Dad drove us around the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson, the White House and the Capitol at night. They looked as though they were crafted with beautiful paper. I was in awe at the beauty of the city at night. It is still my favourite time to see these lovely buildings. Take a nice evening walk by the Lincoln and Jefferson or have a picnic in the
For more information check out washington.org
middle of the Mall and enjoy the views. One of my favourite city events takes place in summer, Screen on the Green. Old movies are shown on a huge screen outside the Capitol, and everyone brings a picnic. Of all of the Smithsonian museums, I'd hit the Museum of American History first. It is a nice glimpse of American highlights. It might be because of my shop, but I find the First Ladies’ dresses a stunning collection (americanhistory.si.edu). WASHINGTON DC
Picnic outside the Capitol
Shopping! Jefferson Memorial
Been there before? One of my favourite gatherings happens every Sunday at Meridian Hill/Malcom X park just one mile north of the White House. The park has stellar views of the city. There is a drum circle that draws a group of all ages, ethnic backgrounds, and musical instruments. We'll bring our kids, a picnic, and listen for a while. There are impromptu soc-
cer games, frisbee games, African dance lessons and hula-hoop marathons. The National Arboretum does not make a lot of lists but is packed with sights: coy ponds, the National Bonsai trees (some date from 1629), and the original columns of the Capitol (usna.usda.gov). Every evening the Kennedy Centre holds a concert on their Millennium Stage. It's open to all and a great way to see such a lovely building. (kennedy-center.org)
I find Good Wood (www.goodwooddc.com) and Millennium (www.millenniumdecorativearts.com) on U Street inspirational. The Dupont Farmers’ Market (www.freshfarmmarket.o rg) and Mount Pleasant Farmer's Market (www.mtpfm.org) are perfect spots for fresh flowers and organic produce. I don't travel too far, though: it's always Nana (www.nanadc.com) in Mount Pleasant.
NANADC.COM
Stay for dessert
Stay in Hotel George is a favourite for its location and service (www.hotelgeorge.com).
Go out
nana d.c.
FLICKR CC DAQUELLA MANERA
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Kennedy Center
WASHINGTON DC
bored. It's quite accessible so many events and museums require no entrance fee. There seems to be an exciting feeling in DC right now - as if people outside of this city are finally realizing that it's a diverse, modern, metropolitan city. There seems to be a new spotlight on it.
Eat A fun people-watching spot with good Mexican food is Lauriol Plaza. Kick off with chips, salsa and a margarita (www.lauriolplaza.com). For a small, out-of-the way spot, I love Room 11. The atmosphere is cosy and great desserts are worth the wait for a seat (www.room11dc.com).
You can't go wrong with a show at the Rock-nRoll hotel in DC's edgy H Street, NE neighbourhood (www.rockandrollhoteldc.com). The old-school vibe of the Looking Glass in the Petworth neighbourhood is worth a cab ride (thelookingglasslounge. com). The Gibson is fun, just North of U Street on 14th, and set up like a speak-easy during the Prohibition years, with an unmarked door.
Rock-n-Roll Hotel
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MONDAY, 06 JUNE 2011
TRAVEL WITH A TWIST: SURFING IN CORNWALL VISIT CORNWALL
Surfing in the United Kingdom
The VW Camper, a Cornwall surfer’s trademark ride
Blessed with sub-tropical climate and enormous Atlantic waves, Cornwall is the UK’s No. 1 surf destination The wave are great and at the atmosphere is fun There’s also a rugged coastline, sandy beaches, smugglers pubs and lush exotic gardens to explore too.
EMMA E. FORREST
METRO WORLD NEWS EMMA.FORREST@METRO.LU
“Cornwall offers great surfing, beautiful beaches, wild coastline, exotic gardens and atmospheric fishing villages” Right at the south-western tip of England is one of the most dramatic and windswept counties we have, and also one of the best for surfing. Locals surfers are dedicated to keeping track of the surfing conditions 365 days of the year, strapping their board to their trademark vintage VW camper vans and dashing out to catch a wave they’ve just heard about. Newquay, on the northern coast, is a popular surfing spot that boasts fourteen beaches including Fistral, Britain’s most famous surfing beach, that benefits
from the swell from the Atlantic Ocean. The waves caused by a reef at one end of the beach are a challenge to even the most experienced of surfers. As one of the hottest surf spots in Europe, it hosts major international surf competitions and even has a surf museum. The town is home to several surf schools where amateurs can hire boards and get lessons from pros on the beach before they head into the waves. There are plenty of other schools in Cornwall offering different surf experiences along both north
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GREAT PLACES TO VISIT IN CORNWALL
and southern coasts. Adrenalin junkies can also get their kicks with other water and beach sports in Newquay, coasteering, rockclimbing, kite boarding, scuba diving, kayaking and also ‘wild swimming’ – a new trend for swimming along the coast. Before hitting the beach pub for a pint of local Doom Bar beer, novices should get the knots massaged out of their backs at the Fistral spa at the Bay Hotel. Book an aromatherapy massage session and you’ll come out deliriously relaxed or alter-
natively hop into the sauna with your surf buddies. When you’re done with the swell, take a trip along the coast to the picturesque fishing villages. Even the most radical surf tourist will enjoy the vibe of tiny smugglers villages like Polperro, with its tiny cottages, cosy pubs and alleyways wedged into a pretty cove. This county is blessed with sub-tropical weather and its equally exotic plantlife. Cornwall is known for its beautiful gardens including Lanhydrock, which is the grounds of a stunning
MARTIN BRENT
historic house (www.nationaltrust.org.uk), the geodesic domes of the Eden Project (see box) and The Lost Gardens of Heligan, a 19th century garden restored in the 1990s, which is packed with lush greenery and an exotic jungle area with huge ferns and plants which is in a microclimate 5 degrees warmer than the formal gardens at the top of the estate (www.heligan.com). For more information check out www.visitcornwall.com
DANIEL BOSWORTH
Quick tips STAY After a day battling to stay upright on your board, you’ll be delighted to strip off your wetsuit and stagger a few short steps to boutique hotel The Bay Hotel. It has cool bars, a restaurant and an excellent spa with saunas, steam rooms and a swimming pool. www.newquay-hotels.co.uk
EAT Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen restaurant is set in an inspiring location, clinging to the cliff of a bay near to Newquay, with amazing views of the sea, which licks around the lower floor at high tide. It’s also part of the Fifteen social enterprise, giving wayward kids a second chance by training them as chefs. And the food is incredible. www.fifteencornwall.co.uk
DO MINACK THEATRE
EDEN PROJECT
www.minack.com
www.edenproject.com
This famous open-air theatre has been carved into the rocks at the tip of Cornwall in the 1930s and has served as the stage for plays ever since. Catch a play or musical between May and September.
This remarkable estate is home to the world’s largest greenhouse, with plants from all over the world living beneath geodesic tropical biomes in a crater the size of 30 football pitches. Educational and beautiful.
ST MICHAEL’S MOUNT www.stmichaelsmoun t.co.uk Accessible by causeway only at low tide, this historica sub-tropical island is topped with a medieval castle with a spectacular view of the Cornish coast.
Learn how to make fish and chips in style in Padstow. The lovely seaside town is nicknamed ‘Padstein’ as it is home to celebrity seafood chef Rick Stein, who has put his name to four restaurants, several hotels, a deli, gift shop, patisserie and seafood cookery school in the town. www.rickstein.com
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MONDAY, 06 JUNE 2011
GOURMET TRAVELLER: ISRAEL
Fresh flavors, no falafel
Israel is home to people from a huge mix of cultures, who each bring their own cuisine to the table Israel’s hottest chefs are giving a twist to traditional Israeli dishes Food markets are a great place to try out classic Israeli snacks and street food as well as discover the huge range of delicious fruit and vegetables and freshly-baked breads DANIEL LILA
INBAL KLEIN
Quick tips
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Tel Aviv’s Itzik HaGadol (Itzik the Great) is a top example of the popular Middle-Eastern formula restaurant. Sit down and the table is immediately filled with dozens of little plates of eggplant salads, eggs salad, zucchinis, pickles, roasted and fried vegetables, hummus and tahini and pita breads straight from the oven. 3 Raziel st. Tel Aviv www.itzikhagadol.com
“Young chefs are bringing new flavours to traditional cuisine.” The Israeli cuisine is a melting pot, even if the people who live here have a hard time getting along. It’s an immigration state, collecting its people from four corners of the world: Eastern and Western Europe, Arabia and the countries around the Mediterranean. Its cuisine is based on the culinary traditions of all of these cultures, in addition to local Palestinian cooking. The immigration culture has produced a great wealth of flavours, colour and aromas: from the shakshouka, an egg dish originating in Tripoli, to the European chulent stew, the Turkish shawarma meat wrap and the Moroccan tagine stew. Until recently, most tourists’ culinary greeting in Israel took the shape of falafel – fried balls of chickpeas inside a pita bread, an overrated dish that had become the national dish. But in the last decade or two Israel – and particularly Tel Aviv, its cultural capital - has formulated an impressive
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DISHES TO TRY... WHEN YOU’RE EATING IN ISRAEL
STAY The Scottish Hotel is situated in Tiberius, on the Sea of Galilee. A former maternity hospital, it’s a good place to get to know Galilean cuisine, and the wine cellar and brunch buffet are excellent. www.scotshotels.co.il
Carmel Market, Tel Aviv
VISIT culinary offering. The current generation of Israeli chefs were brought up in traditional kitchens, and are giving classic dishes their own twist. Meir Adoni, for instance, the chef of Catit, one of Israel's finest high-end restaurants, Heichal HaTalmud 4 Tel-Aviv), was brought up on his mother and grandmother's Moroccan cooking. Adoni studied classical French cuisine and specialized in molecular cooking. Today he creates innovative dishes with echoes of his mother's
kitchen, like Bruschetta of veal brain with harrisa (a Moroccan spicy pepper sauce), lemon, lettuce and parsley butter. Meanwhile, Rafi Cohen, in his prestigious Rafael (HaYarkon 99 Tel-Aviv), serves couscous with spicy fish kebabs, and in Aviv Moshe's Messa (HaArbaah 19, Tel-Aviv) you'll find shawarma. The Israeli fusion phenomenon is also found outside of the fancy restaurants. One of the hot trends in Israel is the “return of the pita” - the flat
SHAKSHOUKA
HUMMUS
Shakshouka is a dish originating from the Tripolitan (Libyan) kitchen, a rich breakfast-dish of eggs cooked in thick, spicy tomato and pepper sauce. The dish is eaten with simple bread and can be found nearly everywhere. It is served with cheese, sausages or vegetables.
Israelis take their hummus very seriously. This paste of pureed chickpeas mixed with tahini (sesame puree), herbs and spices, is usually eaten with a pita bread. The best hummus is found in Arab restaurants, in Jerusalem and in Galilee.
Middle-Eastern bread that embraces foods from completely different worlds, like steak and egg, fish and grilled vegetables or stirfried shrimp. On of those responsible for this revolution is celebrity-chef Eyal Shani. For a glimpse of what Tel Aviv can offer, check out Carmel market – as well as fresh produce you'll find food stands, from kebab to sushi, and great restaurants in the neighbourhood. An hour's drive from Tel Aviv you can experience a whole other world of
ISRAELI BREAKFAST Israelis love their breakfast. The classic Israeli breakfast includes fresh vegetable salad, very finely chopped (with olive oil and lemon juice), an egg in various cooking styles, freshly-baked bread and cheeses and a glass of fresh orange juice.
flavours in Israel's capital, Jerusalem. Pay a visit to the market – Machane Yehuda – where in recent years, chic cafés, small taverns and upmarket restaurants have popped up next to the meat and spice booths. Restaurant Mahneyuda (Beit Yaakov 10 Jerusalem), offers excellent food, dazzling colourful design, great music and wonderful atmosphere. For more information check out www.goisrael.com
SABICH This Iraqi sandwich has evolved into a popular street food in Israel. Sabich is made up of a soft pita filled with slices of fried eggplant, hardboiled egg, potato, fresh vegetable salad, parsley, onion, tahini and amba – a spicy yellow sauce with a very distinct smell.
To get a feel for the range of fresh local produce, visit Tel Aviv’s farmers’ market in the renovated port marketplace.
The Scottish Hotel
GRILLED EGGPLANT You’ll find grilled eggplant in many variations all over the country. The eggplant is thoroughly grilled on all sides, stripped from its skin then is doused in tahini or yogurt. It’s usually accompanied by chopped vegetables, meat, seafood or spices.
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MONDAY, 06 JUNE 2011
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TOP 5: DESERT VACATIONS FROM THE MOVIES
Dunes of your dreams
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Deserts create a dramatic backdrop for movies and equally exciting holidays Take inspiration from your favourite movies for your next holiday
NED EHRBAR
METRO WORLD NEWS NED.EHRBAR@METRO.LU
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‘SEX AND THE CITY 2’ Morocco
“Deserts give movies - and holidays - drama” If the sweeping vistas of epics like “Lawrence of Arabia” leave you more breathless than thirsty, then a desert vacation might be just the thing for you. Luckily, Hollywood’s locations specialists have already staked out the best and most visitor-friendly spots around the globe for arid relaxation.
Originally to be filmed in Abu Dhabi, trouble with clearances from the Arab nation forced the producers to shift to the more tourist-friendly Morocco, which makes it much easier for you to retrace the high-heeled steps of Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha. When you’re done shopping in the markets of Marrakesh, go south east towards the village of Merzouga, near to the spectacular dunes of Eg Chebbi. Book a camel trek into the Western Sahara for the definition of a desert adventure. www.visitmorocco.com
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Skip Dior on your camel trek
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“NATIONAL LAMPOON’S VACATION”
“TROY” Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Monument Valley, Utah
While Malta stood in for much of the ancient land for this 2004 epic, the famed walls of Troy were actually constructed in the much more easily-accessible Baja peninsula in Mexico. With beautiful white-sand beaches on both side of the rocky desert landscape, this strip of land dividing the Sea of Cortez from the Pacific Ocean may be the most ideal desert destination out there. www.visitmexico.com
While Monument Valley is easily one of the most recognizable locations in film history — hosting everything from John Wayne’s 1939 “Stagecoach” to a Metallica video to the most recent season of “Doctor Who” — it is also iconic as the spot where the Griswold’s long-suffering station wagon finally gives up and breaks down in the first “Vacation” film. Hopefully you’ll have better luck while checking out one of the best vistas in the U.S. utah.travel THINKSTOCK.COM
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“THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES” Atacama Desert, Chile
Walter Salles’ 2004 film chronicling a young Che Guevera (Gael Garcia Burnel) as he traverses South America in 1952 features some stunning locations, but one
clear standout is the Atacama desert on the Pacific coast of Chile, a barren, lunar landscape — and supposedly the driest desert on earth. Follow the Atacama north into Peru and you can catch a glimpse of giant, mysterious animal drawings etched into the plains by the indigenous Nazca people thousands of years ago. www.chile.travel
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“STAR WARS” Tunisia Traveling to a galaxy far, far away is actually just as easy as heading across the northern African nation of Tunisia, which is now seeing tourists and cruise ships return after a lull brought on by the country’s revolution in January.
Filming scenes for five out of the six “Star Wars” films in the country had such an impact on George Lucas that the name of Luke Skywalker’s desert-filled home planet, Tatooine, was inspired by the country’s southern-most territory, Tataouine. Tours of locations used in the films are available, but you’ll have to bring your own light saber. Good luck getting that through airport security. www.bonjour-tunisie.com
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MONDAY, 06 JUNE 2011
GADGETS: STRAW SUN HATS
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HATS TO CREATE STYLISH SHADE
1 LOCK & CO FOLDING PANAMA
This classic Panama hat with an 8cm brim is produced by old-school hatmaker Lock & Co and hand-woven in Ecuador. Rolls up for travel. €180/$250, lockhatters.co.uk
2 PACHACUTI CAPRI CALADA FEDORA This beautifully-made Capri Calada (Openwork) Fedora looks cool, rolls up neatly in your suitcase, and even better, it’s truly Fair Trade, so your purchase will contribute to the livelihoods of rural Andes producers. €56/$79, panamas.co.uk
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3 ASOS COWBOY HAT For a cool, hippy option, go for a straw cowboy hat. Asos’ Ethnic Beaded Trim Straw Cowboy Hat has a wide curved brim and contrast beaded trim. €26.24/$35.86, asos.com METRO WORLD NEWS
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