The emerging hipster capital of Germany, Leipzig’s history is rooted in revolution November 15, 2019 Look down on the quietly affluent pedestrianised streets of central Leipzig from the unparalleled heights of the Panorama Tower, and you would probably never guess that this is a city where the death knell was rung on the Cold War division of Germany. But this year Leipzig commemorates 30 years since a series of demonstrations [...]
Chef’s Table: Flor’s James Lowe invites My Dad Wrote a Porno creator Alice Levine for lunch November 4, 2019 The Lunch: Bread; Anchovy toast, lardo di colonnata, marjoram; Scarlet prawns, orange yuzu kosho; Palourde clam flatbread, spenwood, vin jaune, lautrec garlic; burrata, chestnut, pickled walnuts; Turbot, cultured butter, ‘les molates’ savagnin Alice Levine: Thanks for having me James. I remember when we first met – it was when I was doing supper clubs and [...]
In search of India’s Silk Road, the centuries-old trading route crossing the Himalayas October 31, 2019 Standing on top of Khardung La, I was higher than I’d ever been without flying. An enterprising clutch of soldiers had set up the world’s highest tea shop, and as a brisk wind blew across the Himalayan peaks, I was grateful for the steaming cup of chai in my hand. A group of bikers were [...]
Where to find the best massage in Marrakech – we put four hammams through their paces October 30, 2019 In Morocco a weekly hammam bath is a must, an integral part of life that is about so much more than simply having a wash. It’s a way to decompress and purify the body before going to the mosque for the Friday prayer, and a form of mindfulness in itself. In the countryside and remote [...]
The Last Supper: Actor, rapper, comedian and YouTube star Michael Dapaah tells us why his last meal on earth would be his mum’s jollof rice October 30, 2019 Food has always been a big thing in my house. My mum was a catering officer back in Ghana and she’s a great cook. She cooks everything from Ghanian dishes like jollof rice to a really good Sunday roast or lasagne. I do a bit of cooking myself, too. I started learning how in food [...]
Bruce Springsteen turned 70 this year. We visit the downbeat seaside town in New Jersey made famous by the Boss… October 4, 2019 On the boardwalk of the small seaside town of Asbury Park is a fortune-telling booth, which has been owned by the same family of psychics since 1932. When I visit at ten in the morning, it’s shut, with a phone number pinned to the window instead. Surely they should have known I was coming. This [...]
The Last Supper: Musician and DJ Cerys Matthews tells us what she’d eat for her last meal on earth, including Ian Brown’s secret recipe October 4, 2019 When I was touring I used to keep a little journal about food, full of curiosities and surprises and things that make you smile. Like the fact people from Luxembourg call turkeys “schnuddelhong”, which translates as “snot hen”. Once you’ve heard that you can’t look at a turkey the same way. I collected all these [...]
The story of the world’s best beef: How Kobe conquered the globe October 2, 2019 Wedged between the Rokko mountain range and Osaka Bay, Kobe is the sixth largest city in Japan with more than a million and a half people. Its namesake beef doesn’t come from the city itself but from the surrounding farmland of Hyogo Prefecture where Kobe is the capital and the key port. As the story [...]
From sunken sculptures to rusting Soviet planes, Grenada is an island brimming with mystery October 2, 2019 There’s a human silhouette looming out of the depths. The waves above have churned up the sand below, and now the sediment coils above the seabed like a strange mist, like something out of a Stephen King novel. I pop my head above the surface to fill my lungs with as much air as they [...]
Why did the US Navy sink its own vessel off the coast of the Cayman Islands? September 27, 2019 The sound of whirring rotor blades carries across the bay. I’m staring at a framed photo of Tom Selleck inside the office of Cayman Island Helicopters, while its proprietor, Jerome Begot, readies the chopper. Jerome is a Frenchman who, inexplicably, flew in the US Air Force decades ago, and Magnum PI is his hero. After [...]