Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2023 i National Geographic Traveller (UK)

As a returning visitor to Tunisia, I thought I knew what to expect: Saharan backdrops, golden beaches and lively souks. I wasn’t prepared for Sidi Bou Said’s sublime whitewashed houses or the views over the Bay of Tunis. NORTHERN TUNISIA P.46 I first visited Warsaw in 2014 — and wow, how things have changed. The city has a palpable energy now, not to mention a real sense of community. Its food scene is certainly special, but so are its museums, markets and incredible green spaces. WARSAW P.52 Sailing around Denmark’s South Funen Archipelago on a traditional tall ship, I was struck by the region’s bucolic islets, colourful port towns and age-old maritime heritage. Joining a shanty choir, however, came as something of a surprise. DENMARK P.92 In southwest Uganda, gorillas…

Omalo is no place for cars. In summer, this village in Georgia’s mountainous Tusheti region can only be reached via the Abano Pass, one of the most dangerous roads in the world; in winter, by helicopter. Horses are the transport mode of choice here, and Robi is one of the locals who offers riding tours of the area, often by simply standing in the main square and waiting for visitors. I met him in his backyard while he was preparing for a ride. When I saw this composition — Robi on his saddle, fully in his element against the beautiful background of the Caucasus mountains — I knew I had my shot. TADAS KAZAKEVICIUS • PHOTOGRAPHER tadaskazakevicius.com @tadas.kazakevicius…

Shinta Mani Angkor and Bensley Collection Pool Villas Siem Reap’s hotel scene has moved on from the backpacker hostels of decades past, with plenty of oasis-like options to retreat to after a day’s exploring in the Cambodian heat. Chief among them is the local outpost of the Shinta Mani collection. Set in the leafy French Quarter, it’s ideally located: close enough to the city centre to be walking distance, far enough to be serenaded by chirping cicadas. Though the location is tranquil, this boutique property is an exciting one. Architect and designer Bill Bensley has created a space that’s sophisticated yet whimsical: the black-and-white palette is punctuated by splashes of vivid colour, and there’s quirky, Cambodianinspired art around every corner. The Shinta Mani’s suites are spread across three sister properties,…

| ANIMALS | How New Zealand saved a flightless parrot from extinction Native Maori took a leading role in efforts to protect, revive and reintroduce the kakapo, a national icon found nowhere else in the world, to its native habitats. natgeo.com/animals | HISTORY | The window into Da Vinci’s creativity? His sketchbooks During his life, the Renaissance genius made thousands of notes, doodles and drawings that reveal the unique thought process behind many of his ideas and inventions. natgeo.com/history | ENVIRONMENT | How to compost — and why it’s good for the environment About a third of the food produced around the world is going to waste. Learn about the science behind recycling your food scraps at home and how it reduces emissions. natgeo.com/environment…

“If you need to update Facebook, do it now,” the conductor announces over the tannoy. The passengers chuckle but dutifully pull out their phones. As we trundle into the snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains, we’re about to enter another mobile dead zone. I’m sitting in the observation car on Amtrak’s California Zephyr, a train that trundles cross-country for 2,438 miles, making it the longest daily-running rail service in the US. From its starting point near San Francisco to its final destination in Chicago, this expansive journey slicing through the middle of the US takes 51 hours and 20 minutes — more than two full days of riding the rails, assuming you arrive on time, which you likely won’t. In 2022, just 25% of the journeys made by the California Zephyr ran…

THE EXPERTS What would make a good Caribbean two-island combo for a 10-day trip, with plenty to do besides beach time? More than 700 islands, islets and outcrops make up the Caribbean, but hopping between them isn’t simple. Inter-island flights can be expensive, unreliable and indirect, with airlines routing services through hubs; InterCaribbean uses Turks and Caicos, Caribbean Airlines uses Trinidad. There are ferries but unclear scheduling makes them risky for a 10-day trip. An easier option is to exploit international routes. For instance, some British Airways flights make a stopover on one island before continuing to their destination; you can book this inter-island leg separately. Examples include London–Antigua–St Kitts and London–Grand Cayman–Nassau. Top pick is to combine the ‘Spice Isle’ of Grenada and rugged St Lucia. BA flies daily,…

Editorial Director: Maria Pieri Editor: Pat Riddell Managing Editor: Amelia Duggan Deputy Editor: Amanda Canning Commissioning Editors: Lorna Parkes, Georgia Stephens Assistant Editors: Sam Kemp, Angela Locatelli Senior Editor: Sarah Barrell Executive Editor: Glen Mutel Associate Editor: Nicola Trup Content Strategist: Berkok Yüksel Deputy Digital Editor: Karlina Valeiko Art Director: Becky Redman Deputy Art Director: Lauren Atkinson-Smith Art Editor: Lauren Gamp Senior Designers: Kelly McKenna, Dean Reynolds Designer: Rosie Klein Junior Designer: Natalie Cornelius Picture Editor: Ben Rowe Picture Researcher: Aisha Nazar Branded Content Manager: Flora Neighbour Deputy Branded Content Manager: Megan Hughes Project Editors: Sara Crossley, Rory Goulding, Zane Henry, Emma Monk, Farida Zeynalova Assistant Project Editor: Sacha Scoging Head of Sub Editors: Olivia McLearon Senior Sub Editor: Hannah Doherty Sub Editors: Chris Horton, Ben Murray, Victoria Smith Editorial…

Over the centuries, Sierra Leone has been a place of refuge. The Limba peoples were drawn by whispers of a land untouched by turmoil in Africa’s Sahelian kingdoms, and other tribes set out for there too, including the Mende, Loko, Susu, Fula, Temne and Sherbro. It was a place that embraced diversity, setting the stage for a journey of culinary exploration and growth that’s shaped the food history of Sierra Leone — or ‘Salone’ as many of its people call it. The fusion of cultures is palpable in the country’s marketplaces, where vendors from different backgrounds stand shoulder to shoulder. These places are a sensory symphony. Amid the hubbub — people chatting, purchasing, telling stories — the air is thick with the smoke of roast cassava, the sizzle of fried…

A Brief Atlas of the Lighthouses at the End of the World Journey to the wind-blown edges of existence with this book by Spanish writer and graphic designer José Luis González Macías, featuring more than 30 illustrated stories of lighthouses and their guardians. Meet a blind lighthouse-keeper in the Arctic Circle, share the plight of a crew cut off from society for 40 days and learn how these isolated beacons of life have inspired writers such as Edgar Allan Poe and Virginia Woolf. Picador, £20 London Shopfronts Indulge in window-shopping with this illustrated guide to London’s independent outlets, and find out about the traders and families behind them. Your guides — Wes Anderson-inspired illustrator Joel Holland and Time Out London journalist Rosie Hewitson — lead you through a landscape of…

You might think it’s a given that a globemaker is well-travelled; making or painting a globe is, after all, like having a travel brochure staring you in the face all day. In my case, it’s also, apparently, in the blood. My great-grandmother was Marion Carswell Livingstone, who, according to my grandmother (with whom I’d never argue), was descended from David Livingstone. But when I travel, it’s often to see where globes are made, as much as the place they’re made in. I’ve visited Morocco a number of times over the years. There are plenty of artisanal craft pieces on sale in the souks, in whichever city you land, and I often drag my partner into ramshackle workshops, or ‘house factories’. Sometimes, these are found within yards of the shop where…

A long line of empires have ruled and fled northern Tunisia’s shores, leaving behind a trove of treasures in a country where Arabic, African and European cultures coexist in unexpected ways. Nowhere is this more evident than in the capital, Tunis, home to one of the best-preserved medinas in the Islamic world: a 730-acre maze of grand mosques and busy souks, where getting lost along its alleyways is both a joy and an inevitability. Here, palaces once inhabited by wealthy Ottoman families are open for travellers to marvel at the painted ceilings and geometric patterns that adorn their shaded courtyards. A 20-minute drive from central Tunis lies the remains of Carthage — an ancient coastal city stronghold that eventually fell into Roman hands in 146 BCE after three epic wars,…

An Aboriginal healer, dressed as a Jedi and wielding a glowing blue boomerang like a lightsaber, beckons to me. Inching my way along the shadowy corridor of Flinders Street Station’s third floor, I find twisted tree roots carved into haunting sculptures, ancient spirits cast in red neon lights, and an ochre termite mound rising from the centre of a cavernous ballroom. A woman’s mournful singing floats in the darkness. The art installations are captivating, but each room I pass is also a time capsule, preserving small moments from a 113-year-old building — Australia’s oldest railway station. Errant brushstrokes left by painters. Scrawled phone numbers from trespassers. Antique vaults anchored to the floor of former offices. With its arresting French Renaissance architecture and turquoise copper dome, Flinders Street Station in central…

3 million Number of Swarovski crystals on the star that tops the tree in New York’s Rockefeller Center £11.9m Cost of the world’s priciest Christmas tree, a gem-studded spruce that went on display at Spain’s Kempinski Hotel Bahía in 2019 2 21ft HEIGHT OF THETALLEST-EVER CUT CHRISTMAS TREE, A DOUGLAS FIR PUT UP IN A SEATTLE SHOPPING CENTRE IN 1950 SEASONAL ALTERNATIVES In Greece, real and model boats are decorated with lights and garlands in a Christmas custom that waned but is now making a comeback Turkey — home of the historical St Nicholas — is among the countries where many people decorate a ‘New Year tree’ instead On 1 January, Japan displays its own evergreen decoration, kadomatsu — pine branches arranged around three bamboo stalks Evergreen tradition 1521 The…

Tell us about this image. This is a shot of a tournament game at a basketball court — colloquially known as ‘The Cage’ — in Greenwich Village neighbourhood. It’s a dynamic scene, and one I felt really captured the energy of the game. I showed up around mid-afternoon as I was meeting an art director for a dinner later that evening. It was pure luck a game was happening — I only intended to scout out the location for a little while. But the end-of-day light was great, and the hosts said I could take as many photos as I liked from inside the court. After moving around the back and sides of The Cage for a bit, I decided this was the shot I really wanted: the leading lines…

While many of you will have been thinking about your next trip, our team of editors are one step ahead and have had an eye on 2024 for several months now, compiling the destinations that are set to shine in the year to come. From wildlife experiences and off-grid adventures to urban escapes and the most exciting cultural events, The Cool List 2024 identifies tourism experiences around the world that benefit communities and the environment as much the visitors themselves. Whether it’s culinary excellence, solar eclipses, night trains, new national parks, rewilding initiatives, ancient wonders revisited or cultural landmarks, we’ve curated some of the best travel highlights for the next 12 months. From Canada, the US and Argentina to Sierra Leone, India, Australia and beyond, the world is represented in…

Five of La Sagrada Familia’s six central towers, symbolising the Virgin Mary and the four evangelists, have now been completed. Antoni Gaudí’s famously unrealised masterpiece in Barcelona has suffered decades of slow progress, but the pace has recently sped up, partly thanks to new design technology. An inauguration mass is set to be held on 12 November, when the evangelists’ towers — two of which have newly-completed features — will be illuminated for the festive period. Visitors shouldn’t expect to see the site fully completed until at least 2026, when the sixth and tallest tower, representing Jesus, is set to be finished to mark the centenary of Gaudí’s death. The architect’s life was cut short by a tram accident, with less than a quarter of his magnum opus complete when he…

1 MITT MÖLLAN Pick up a bike at one of Donkey Republic’s many rental stations and head to Mitt Möllan, a collection of independent design boutiques in multicultural Möllevangen. Browse handmade North African ceramics at La Kasbah and rune-stamped rings at Pill & Punch before stopping for a bite in the food court, where you’ll find couples sharing bao buns and bento boxes beneath paper mobiles crafted by Swedish designer Egil Jansson. mittmollan.se 2 ARTIBUS MALMÖ This artist cooperative provides studio space for 30 of Malmö’s ceramicists. Members range from hobbyists to seasoned professionals, with many selling their reactive-glaze vases and hand-thrown tableware in the shop. The space is usually only open on the first weekend of every month and on weekends throughout December, though it can sometimes be visited…

For a place long associated with heavy industry, Aberdeen is certainly easy on the eye. Scotland’s third-largest city enjoys a spectacular location, fringed by the North Sea and framed to the south and north by the rivers Dee and Don. Elegant granite architecture is warmed by pockets of flora. And, however much oil and gas continue to bring in business, the city has invested heavily in its museums and parks, with new and improved spaces to explore. Old and new gloriously intertwine at Aberdeen Art Gallery. Inaugurated in 1885, this old dame reopened in 2019 following a four-year, multi-million-pound facelift; so brilliant was its reinvention, it was named Scotland’s building of the year in 2021. It has 18 permanent collections, plus a cafe, and there are viewing terraces on its…

1 LARQ BOTTLE FILTERED This innovative drinking bottle with a low-pressure straw is designed to filter water on the go, stripping out pollutants such as chlorine for a crisp taste. The filter will work on up to 151 litres of water before needing to be replaced — the equivalent of around 300 single-use plastic bottles. Available in 500ml and 740ml sizes. £58 and £68. livelarq.com 2 STUBBLE & CO ADVENTURE BAG This 42-litre rucksack has an easyaccess clamshell design that opens to reveal zipped compartments of various sizes, including a waterproof pocket for shoes. It also features a laptop sleeve, water bottle pocket and hidden compartment for valuables. Available in black, olive, blue and orange. £195. stubbleandco.com 3 SHOKZ OPENFIT Shokz’ lightweight earphones sit on top of the ear canal,…

How did you first get started in maritime archaeology? As a kid, I’d write letters to George Bass, an American professor of underwater archaeology who used to contribute to National Geographic magazine. He actually responded, and we carried on this correspondence for many years — me begging him to take me along on one of his expeditions, him always finding a reason not to.  Until, many years later [following Mensun’s studies in ancient history and archaeology], he asked if I could be on the Greek island of Kos in a week’s time. I didn’t ask any questions. This was my open door, and I walked through it. What sparked your interest in shipwrecks, in particular? While working for George off the coast of Turkey, we had some wonderful discoveries, including…

Beyond Epoka’s grand, neo-Renaissance facade, a theatre-inspired interior welcomes diners. And the show begins swiftly. Within minutes of entering the landmark restaurant that overlooks Warsaw’s elegant Ogród Saski (Saxon Garden), I’m enjoying the pleasant bitterness of a cynar negroni and admiring plush velvet booths in shades of blue and green. Chef Marcin Przybysz approaches my cosy seating, accompanied by a giant bowl overflowing with fresh produce. He shows me some garden-fresh lettuce, a piece of wasabi root and honey so local it comes from beehives on the roof of the building. The menu, he tells me, is more a list of recipes than dishes, the numbers alongside each offering representing the publication year of its corresponding cookbook. Nothing I’ll eat tonight is newer than 1877, and two dishes — a…

In the US, embarking on a train trip means taking the track less travelled. Once the symbol of technological advancement and westward expansion, the country’s railroads have had a hard time moving into the modern era. But when you ride the rails in the US, you’re afforded the opportunity to peel back the layers of this land and experience it on a human scale. From the train windows, passengers bear witness to the epic diversity of landscapes that have shaped the country’s history and people — the snowy Sierra Nevadas, the Rocky Mountains, the rugged West Coast cliffs that plunge into the blue Pacific, the placid swamps of Florida and Texas and the oceans of prairie grass in the Midwest. Watching that scenery roll by is a highlight, but taking…

The skyline of Amman looks a bit like a game of Tetris. From the top of the Bronze Age Citadel, the city’s highest point, the view seemingly comprises tiny blocks of tightly compacted, limestone houses strewn with washing, topped with water tanks and interspersed with the odd cypress tree. The clear blue sky is occasionally pierced by one of the city’s many minarets. The soundtrack, a cacophony of traffic and car horns honking from the streets below, is soothed by the echoes of the call to prayer. Broadly speaking, the Jordanian capital is divided into two parts; the affluent, modern west, home to the city’s upmarket hotels, rooftop bars and restaurants, and the more traditional east, with its older buildings on winding streets, where you’ll find most working-class Jordanians. Juxtaposition…