Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2022 i National Geographic Traveller (UK)

Jacqui Agate Memphis is almost synonymous with barbecue and chicken wings, but a fresh crop of plant-based restaurants is energising the city’s food scene, from ‘veganised’ versions of meaty classics to posh fine dining menus that put vegetables at the fore. MEMPHIS P.52 Joe Sills In Botswana, our conservation group was suddenly overtaken by a thunderstorm. As the rains poured down, we cursed Toto and sang their song. We truly felt like a team, brought together by our shared work and long days spent in the bush. BOTSWANA P.88 Sarah Marshall On each of the four occasions I’ve visited the Pantanal, I’ve been struck by the sense of lost world wilderness that still exists — largely thanks to the efforts of conservationists. It truly is one of the South American…

Until her recent retirement at the age of 100, Betty was the oldest living park ranger in the US National Park Service. She gave bi-weekly lectures at the Rosie the Riveter National Historic Park in Richmond, California, telling the story of the Bay Area’s pioneering role in desegregation. After one of her lectures, Betty agreed to be photographed. At first, she wanted to keep her trademark sunglasses on, then she relented and proceeded to look straight into the lens for the entire shoot. Afterwards, I watched her climb a flight of stairs faster than I could, which really gave me pause. FREDERIC ARANDA • PHOTOGRAPHER fredericaranda.com @fredericaranda One of the Single Image winners of Portrait of Humanity™ 2022/1854 Media. 1854.photography…

Leven Inspired by the city’s industrial past and famous love of a good time, Manchester’s latest crop of boutique hotels take original Victorian architecture and add a dash of sleek modern design and humour. Cue Leven, which opened in the city’s Gay Village at the end of 2021. From the outside, it couldn’t be more Mancunian: a former cotton warehouse with restored red bricks and Crittall windows. Step into the lobby and you’ll find the city’s irreverent spirit in the interior design, via emerald-green fish-scale tiles, fluffy rugs and tongue-in-cheek pop art (look out for the guide to the local lingo on the wall). The vibe is a little more subdued in the 42 rooms, which range from the standard ‘Life Size’ to ‘Living The Dream’, a top-floor, two-bedroom duplex.…

THE DESTINATION On the edge of the Ionian Sea, Corfu is one of Greece’s most evocative islands, home to rugged, pine-covered mountains, deep valleys and secluded coves that have inspired writers, poets and painters for centuries. But it’s not just the timeless landscape that makes Corfu such an unforgettable escape — the island has a rich and layered history to discover, too, reflected in ancient fortresses looming over picture-perfect towns and elegant Regency palaces that house dazzling Byzantine relics. THE PRIZE Courtesy of The Greek Villas, the winner and a guest will enjoy a three-night stay at the luxurious Villa Daniela, located above the pretty harbour village of Agios Stefanos, on Corfu’s north-east coast. The villa comes with air conditioning, heated pool, organic vegetable garden and gym, as well as…

Germany might not seem an obvious destination for a beach break, but the North Frisian Islands have been a holiday hotspot for Germans for centuries. Most gravitate towards the slender, windswept isle of Sylt, the easiest-to-access of the 14 islands. Facing out to the North Sea, its long, beautiful beach acts as something of a blonde shield for Denmark to the east. It’s tethered to the mainland by a single rail causeway — cars aren’t necessary for exploring the island, and if you take one, you’ll have to load it onto a train first. Dotted with five-star hotels, lavish spas and Michelin-listed restaurants, Sylt’s main towns are today famous for high-end holidaymaking.But beyond the glamour — and the bracing shoreside walks — there’s plenty of history to discover, too, from…

It’s a summer Saturday on the Amalfi Coast, and it feels like everyone has come to Positano. Only one street leads up from the harbour through the village, and it’s packed — along snake of people winding their way up, the swell of the crowd moving as one. Initially, it’s hardly appealing, to be honest — the reality of overtourism dampening the beauty that brought us all to Positano’s colourful cliffside houses.But there’s a different side to the Amalfi Coast, as I’m discovering: a place of thriving culture, history and dolce vita beyond the Instagram shots. It’s just that, as in any place grappling with its honeypot status, you have to dig a little deeper to find it. Literally, in the case of Positano. I’m in the crypt of the…

SEPTEMBER ARTUPUNCTURE Artupuncture promotes Zagreb’s art scene by envisioning the capital as a living organism, with a flow of energy that accumulates in certain locations. Inspired by acupuncture, the annual event figuratively taps into these hotspots with installations by contemporary artists, hosted in various galleries around the city. The aim? Placing autumn in Zagreb firmly on the cultural calendar. artupunktura.hr OCTOBER ZAGREB FILM FESTIVAL This is one of the country’s largest film festivals, with showings at cult venues including Cinema Europa (Croatia’s oldest active cinema), Cinema Tuškanac and the striking Museum of Contemporary Art. It promotes independent filmmakers, both from Croatia and abroad, and serves as a stepping stone for many art house film directors. A popular side programme is The Big 5, which focuses on outstanding alternative films from…

ALTHOUGH ONLY GRANTED CITY STATUS THIS YEAR, COLCHESTER IS REGARDED AS BRITAIN’S ‘FIRST CITY’. IT WAS FOUNDED BY THE ROMANS IN AD 49 AND NAMED CAMULODUNUM Six towns across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were granted city status as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations earlier this year. Douglas on the Isle of Man and Stanley in the Falkland Islands were also given the honour Traditionally, English towns required an Anglican cathedral to acquire city status. But this hasn’t been the case since Birmingham was the first town to achieve it without a cathedral, in 1889. The city’s St Philip’s Church was awarded cathedral status in 1905 Bath is one of the only cities in the world to be recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in its…

Try a four-issue subscription for just £4, or sign up for a two-year subscription and you’ll also receive a luxury leather passport case worth £140 from Ettinger, one of the country’s finest manufacturers of luxury leather goods. OPTION ONE For just £4, you’ll receive four magazines delivered straight to your door: three issues of National Geographic Traveller (UK) and one issue of Food by National Geographic Traveller OPTION TWO Pick a two-year subscription for £55 and receive 20 issues of National Geographic Traveller (UK) and eight issues of Food by National Geographic Traveller, plus a luxury leather passport case from Ettinger CHECKOUT.NATGEOTRAVELLER.CO.UK/ITEM/NGTNTF/DSEP22 OR CALL 01858 438787 QUOTING DSEP22 T&Cs: Closing date for orders is 1 September 2022. The prices shown are UK Direct Debit offers. Your subscription will begin with…

Get in touch inbox@natgeotraveller.co.uk Have a query about subscriptions? Get in touch at natgeotraveller@ subscription.co.uk or call 01858 438787 WIN A camping bundle from Vango worth £165! Set off on an adventure with this duo from outdoor specialists Vango. The dome-style Tay 300 tent sleeps up to three people and is one of the brand’s best for festivals and camping trips. Also included is the Zenith 200 sleeping bag, made with recycled Polair Z Eco fabric. It comes with insulated zip baffles and a 3D hood to retain heat. vango.co.uk STAR LETTER Train of thought I was delighted to add more spectacular European railway journeys to my must-do list after reading your ‘Rail Renaissance’ feature (Smart Traveller, June 2022). It brought back memories of regularly catching the sleeper train between…

There are few spots in the Mediterranean quite as dazzling as Sardinia. Italy’s second-largest island offers over 1,000 miles of spectacular shoreline where it’s hard to believe just how turquoise the sea is, how soft the sand is and how dramatically serpentine the coast is. And while Sardinia may be one of the Mediterranean’s best-known beach destinations, Italy isn’t really a nation celebrated for its coast. And more’s the pity, as there’s so much of it, unfurling in such a wild, thrilling and varied way. In addition to the country’s 400-plus islands, the mainland itself has almost 5,000 miles of coast to explore — with beaches, in many cases, rarely the main draw. So, in our cover story this issue (p.66), our focus on the Italian coastline includes an inside…

MUST-TRY DISHES COCONUT DHAL Dhal is a real Sri Lankan classic, and this version — cooked with lemongrass and pandan leaves, as well as coconut milk, curry leaves, turmeric, garlic and lime — is light and restorative. POL SAMBOL Sambols appear as condiments and side dishes on every table and deliver a hit of flavour. This is king among them, combining the sweetness of coconut, the heat of Kashmiri chillies and the zing of curry leaves and limes with the punch of Maldive fish. JAFFNA CRAB CURRY Cook crabmeat in a spicy, smoky curry sauce with coconut milk, curry leaves, fried onions and ginger. In the final seconds, add a generous amount of ‘meat powder’ — aspice mix heavy on fennel, cardamom and nutmeg. CYNTHIA SHANMUGALINGAM is the author of…

From New York, where I lived and worked as a food and travel writer, I’d landed in Paris, flown to Toulouse and caught a wobbly regional train to Carcassonne. My assignment?The history of cassoulet, the ancestral dish of stewed, tender pork, caramelised beans and crispy duck confit. A short, easy article, I thought. Couldn’t have been more wrong. Growing up in Geneva, Switzerland, I often travelled through France with my parents, but for some reason never made it to the province of Occitania. Perhaps it was simpler to drive straight down the Route Nationale 7 through the lavender fields of Provence to the Riviera. As soon as my train left Toulouse, the land spoke to me. It was April and the French countryside unravelled a shimmering, pointillist panorama — wave…

In the Lattari Mountains, high above the Amalfi Coast, is an Alice in Wonderland landscape of what look like upended tree roots. These are vines, but here in Tramonti, they’re more like trees, with branches as thick as arms, entwined in centuries-old embraces. Key to their survival has been their location, helping them to escape a plague that wiped out most of Europe’s vines in the 1800s. “When the phylloxera arrived, it couldn’t kill Tramonti’s vines,” says Gaetano Bove, striding through his vieyard.Phylloxera is a microscopic pest from the US that attacks at the root. But here, it couldn’t get a hold. “Look at this one,” he says of a centuries-old vine striking a ballet-like pose.“It’s a work of art.” Today, Gaetano’s cooperative, Tenuta San Francesco, makes È Iss —…

BEST FOR VIEWS CAPO PELORO, SICILY Capo Peloro sits where the Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas swirl into each other, at the north-eastern tip of Sicily. Spilling out in front of the village, the beach — anature reserve — is a wide, flat expanse of sand, unfurling beneath a mammoth electricity pylon, which was once the tallest in the world. Dolphins frolic in the crystalline waters and swordfish pass through the strait in summer, while the Calabrian coast looms on the horizon. Where to stay: The slick, modern Capo Peloro Hotel is only 300ft from the sea. From €75 (£64), B&B. capopelorohotel.com BEST FOR NATURE MARINA DI ALBERESE, TUSCANY If you're after something wilder, head to the Maremma area, near the border with Lazio. Here, deep within the Maremma regional park,…

S linkingthrough the tall grass, the feline form ahead of us is mesmerising. She moves lithely, graceful as a burlesque mademoiselle, but her ability to vanish in an instant makes her more nebulous than a ghost. “Seeing this jaguar is even more special than seeing any other,” says Mario Haberfeld, co-founder of Brazilian NGO Onçafari, who’s clocked up more big cat sightings than most. “Mainly because she wasn’t supposed to exist.” Aracy, the rosetted beauty now crouched in front of us, is a symbol of hope for her species.The granddaughter of Isa, an orphaned jaguar successfully rewilded by Mario and his team in 2015, Aracy is living, breathing proof of nature’s ability to thrive if given a helping hand. Rescued by wildlife authorities when their mother was accidentally killed after…

Antwerp has long been at the centre of things. Belgium’s handsome northern city grew wealthy on the profits of its port, trading since the 16th century in glittering diamonds, priceless works of art and the spices and spoils of assorted empires. The Port of Antwerp remains extraordinary: a Blade Runner-esque noirscape of industrial architecture, where the rusted hulks of old trade ships sit side-by-side with space-age modern buildings, presided over by a steel canopy of creaking girders and looming cranes. Nothing encapsulates the port’s double-edged character like the Zaha Hadid-designed Havenhuis, where a futurist, diamond-like building glitters atop a historic former fire station. In the midst of it all are remnants of the port’s pre-industrial life — lonely church towers, frozen windmills and, most charming of all, the village of…

Tell us about this image. While in Salamina, a town in the north of the coffee region, I went to Cafe El Polo for my morning caffeine fix before a busy day of shooting. The man drinking coffee against the deep emerald wall looked so picturesque that I asked if I could photograph him. He was happy to pose and I was so excited that I forgot to ask for his name! He told me that this cafe was a regular hangout spot for him and his friends. How did you achieve the shot? I shot this portrait using my mirrorless Fujifilm X-T3 and a Fujinon XF 35mm F/1.4. This is definitely my favourite lens and my go-to set for a quick stroll around town, when I can leave the…

TIRED OF THE TUBE? Hop on a River Bus — services run all the way to Greenwich, via Westminster and the Tower of London. tfl.gov.uk Nearly 10 years after development began, the transformation of Battersea Power Station is entering its final phases. Turning the Grade II*-listed icon into a vibrant neighbourhood beside the Thames has been a long and expensive ride — costing £9bn, in fact — and there’s even been two, shiny new Tube stations (at Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station) to link the area up to central London. Big-name architects, such as Frank Gehry and Norman Foster, were also tasked with designing swathes of the development. Much of the area’s already open, with riverside bistros and slick wine bars set beneath the railway arches, but the crowning…

1 NATIONAL MUSEUM OF CERAMICS AND DECORATIVE ARTS Kick off with a visit to Spain’s largest national collection of ceramics, which is housed in the Palacio del Marqués de Dos Aguas. Originally built in the 15th century, this baroque building is worth a stop for its architecture alone, with elaborate rococo sculptures and frescoed ceilings forming the backdrop to ancient ceramics, alongside period furnishings, clothes, paintings and more. culturaydeporte.gob.es 2 VAQUETA GASTRO MERCAT Valencia’s restaurants are often temples to design in themselves.One of the highlights is this nature-inspired spot by local studio Janfri & Ranchal. Enter through an artisanal grocery and you’ll be greeted with lush plants climbing brick walls and quirky lights draped above an open kitchen and bar (look out for the huge pink fish lantern). The food…

The street art, museums and thriving cafe culture aside, it’s the natural beauty that beckons most in this pintsized town above the Arctic Circle. Set around a working fishing harbour, Bodø is bathed in salty sea air and backed by snow-dusted mountains, and in the past decade has transformed into a mini metropolis where hipsters mingle with hikers in Champagne bars. Perhaps the best way to get to know the city is through its art: back in 2015, the town hosted the inaugural UpNorth Festival for urban art, where international graffiti artists were let loose on the city’s walls. Street art murals range from ogres to butterflies and the Northern Lights, but standouts include the one by Phlegm, on Sjøgata 18 — along-nosed half-human creature straight from a Grimms’ fairytale…

1 FINISTERRE NIEUWLAND 2E YULEX LONG SLEEVE SHORTY WETSUIT Made from 2mm-thick natural rubber, this ergonomic wetsuit is a sustainable alternative to regular neoprene swimwear, using 10 times less water in its production and reducing CO2 emissions by up to 80%. Combining a long sleeve and a short leg, it’ll keep you cool and protected on warm water descents. £135. finisterre.com 2 PARALENZ VAQUITA CAMERA With its cylindrical chassis, this 4K point-and-shoot camera has been created with divers in mind.It’s easier to operate than squareshaped alternatives, and you don’t need any additional filters or waterproof housing. Novices will appreciate the automatic feature that adjusts the white balance relative to depth. €799 (£687). paralenz.com 3 APEKS RK3 HD FINS Apeks’ RK3 range is a popular choice for divers, and its latest…

To many Italians, this is the ultimate seaside holiday spot. To get a handle on it all, start, as most do, with the beach, which is divided into strips of private sand. At BAGNO TIKI 26, you’ll have to pay for a sun lounger but you’ll get access to hot tubs, volleyball and yoga classes on the sand, plus an excellent seafood restaurant and a tapas bar, where there’s a DJ in the evening. bagno26rimini.com Head into town, and you’ll see a more historic Rimini: begin at the ARCH OF AUGUSTUS, a monumental gateway into the ancient city of Ariminum, and the end point of the Via Flaminia (the original road from Rome), built of blazing-white Istrian stone.The ancient forum, meanwhile, is now T HEPIAZZA TRE MARTIRI, which sports elegant…

With its rolling vineyards, frescoed churches and medieval hilltop towns, Tuscany epitomises Italian culture. Florence, the regional capital, is widely regarded as the birthplace of the Renaissance and abounds with churches, galleries and museums displaying some of the world’s finest works of art. Outside the city, the region’s fertile soil produces exceptional ingredients that burst with flavour and give life to award-winning produce, from olive oils to cheeses and wines. For a new perspective on one of Italy’s most popular regions, here are five ways to get off the beaten track and uncover a new side of Tuscany. 1 TASTETRUFFLES Dominating the lower Arno valley between Pisa and Florence, the hilly area of San Miniato is celebrated for its much-prized white truffles. These knobbly fungi thrive in the area’s shaded…

THE EXPERTS I’m keen to start planning a Silk Road trip for 2023. What highlights would you suggest for a two-week tour? Not only is the Silk Road a fascinating part of the world, but it also offers a real sense of a ‘journey’ as you follow in the footsteps of countless traders, pilgrims and warriors who trod this path between the 2nd century BC and the 15th century AD. You can get a reasonable sense of the area in two weeks, but I’d probably recommend sticking to just two of the ’Stans (you could cover more in a longer three- or four-week trip). Of these countries, I’d suggest combining Uzbekistan with Kyrgyzstan, with a week in each. In Uzbekistan, take in the three main Silk Road cities — Khiva,…

It’s night aboard the Santa Cruz II and the Pacific Ocean thrashes with endemic Galápagos sharks. Using our ship’s lights, we watch the creatures below hunt flying fish with quicksilver agility, some of the hapless prey crashing into our vessel’s hull, around which sea lions wait for an easy meal. A huge green turtle pops up unawares amid the melee, before swiftly returning to the depths. Such is the Galápagos’s scintillating theatre. The Galápagos Islands (a national park since 1959) can thank large upwellings of cold currents for their staggering marine biodiversity; water that ushers in a rich soup of nutrients, helping to support a food web that contains abundant marine and terrestrial wildlife — alarge proportion of which is found nowhere else on Earth. It was this uniqueness that…