Category Archives: Tourism

Travel Guides: Culture & Food In Montreal, Canada

Attaché – Our Montreal travel guide! What a place. It really feels like Montreal shouldn’t exist, it’s such a strange confluence of cultures. But I am so glad it does. And I finally got to experience my Montreal food unicorn – poutine. Glorious, wonderful, Montreal poutine. Absolutely worth waiting 43 years for! Montreal, you have my heart…despite the clogged arteries.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Intro 01:07 – Transport 04:33 – Sponsor 06:01 – Food 10:39 – Money

Preview: France-Amérique Magazine – November 2022

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EVERYONE SPEAKS ENGLISH

Or Do They?

France and the French can remain globally relevant only in English. Or so says British journalist Simon Kuper in one of a series of articles published recently by Le Monde. According to him, French is losing its utility, while English reigns supreme.

BERNARD CERQUIGLINI

“The French Language Is Doing Just Fine, Thank You!”

Who better than this jovial linguist to champion the French language? Bernard Cerquiglini holds a doctorate in literature, formerly directed the Center for French and Francophone Studies at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie, and has been the vice-president of the Fondation des Alliances Françaises for the last two years.

Journeys: Alhambra To Tarifa In Andalusia, Spain

As he travels the Mediterranean, Jaafar Abdul Karim visits Andalusia in Spain. He tries flamenco dancing, tours the Alhambra, and finds his dream house on the Costa del Sol. In Tarifa, photographer José Luis Terrado shows Jaafar his photographs of refugees.

Flamenco music has its roots in the south of Spain. In Las Negras, journalist Jaafar Abdul Karim meets up with flamenco performer Anabel Veloso for a dance. His Mediterranean journey then takes him into the interior of Andalusia. Throughout its history, the region has been a gateway to the Arabic-speaking world. More than 700 years of Islamic rule have left their mark, especially on the architecture.

In Granada, Jaafar visits the famous Alhambra, a world heritage site. Back on the shores of the Mediterranean, the journey continues past beautiful beaches and picturesque bays to the city of Málaga. It’s located on the “Costa del Sol”, where the sun shines more than 300 days per year. The climate attracts millions of tourists, especially from Germany and Britain. Many have bought property here.

In Estepona, Jaafar finds his dream home: the architects José Carlos Moya and Bertrand Coue have built a solar house with floor-to-ceiling windows and 360-degree panoramic views. Its unique design allows it to follow the trajectory of the sun, all day long.

Finally, Jaafar heads to Tarifa, just 14 kilometers across the sea from Morocco. The proximity to the North African side of the Mediterranean has inspired the work of photographer José Luis Terrado. His pictures depict migration and the conditions under which refugees from Africa have to work in order to survive. More than any other destination on his Mediterranean journey, Andalusia shows Jaafar Abdul Karim just how closely linked Europe and Africa are, culturally as well as economically.

Travel Guides: Summer & Winter In Lake Tahoe (4K)

Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, straddling the border of California and Nevada. It’s known for its beaches and ski resorts.

Video timeline: South Lake Tahoe(4:45), Emerald Bay(16:25), Meeks Bay(18:15), Homewood(19:10), Tahoe City(19:43), Truckee(20:29), Tahoe Vista(21:48), Kings Beach(22:12), Crystal Bay, NV(23:22), Incline Village(24:01), Sand Harbor(26:23)

On the southwest shore, Emerald Bay State Park contains the 1929 Nordic-style mansion Vikingsholm. Along the lake’s northeast side, Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park includes Sand Harbor Beach and Spooner Lake, a gateway to the long-distance Tahoe Rim Trail.

West Yorkshire: Touring Brontë Sisters’ England

Emily Bronte, Anne Bronte, and Charlotte Bronte lived 180 years ago. We visit Bronte Country and walk in the footsteps of the Bronte Sisters, piecing together their tragic short lives as we visit places they lived or frequented. The Brontes wrote some of the most dramatic fiction right here in West Yorkshire and many of the places still exist.

On our walk, we will head to where it all started at the Bronte’s birthplace in Thornton. Visit the school that Charlotte Bronte immortalised as Lowood School in Jane Eyre. See Oakwell Hall which she based Fieldhead on in Shirley. Walk the wild Haworth Moors to Top Withens where Emily Bronte found inspiration for Wuthering Heights, and a whole lot more. All the time telling the story of how the 3 Bronte Sisters came to be the famous writers we all know today.

East Africa Views: Makuzi Beach Eco Lodge, Malawi

Located on the shores of Lake Malawi, Africa’s third largest lake, Makuzi Beach Lodge is secluded, isolated and offers fantastic views of the water. Guests’ meals are cooked with ingredients from the lodge’s huge garden — or from the lake on the doorstep. With concepts like this, eco-friendly and sustainable tourism is being promoted in Africa.

Malawi, a landlocked country in southeastern Africa, is defined by its topography of highlands split by the Great Rift Valley and enormous Lake Malawi. The lake’s southern end falls within Lake Malawi National Park – sheltering diverse wildlife from colorful fish to baboons – and its clear waters are popular for diving and boating. Peninsular Cape Maclear is known for its beach resorts.

Cover Preview: Scotland Magazine – Nov/Dec 2022

Sally Coffey takes a private cruise on the Isle of Skye cruise to discover secret anchorages, undisturbed wildlife, and to hear tales of long ago

Our skippers spot it first: a dark lump on the horizon. There’s a scramble as a second pair of binoculars is found and shared around, each of us careful not to take our eyes off the distant point while we wait our turn. Silence as we stand on the ship’s foredeck staring determinedly at the sea, hoping it wasn’t an illusion. And then we see it – the sleek arc of a minke whale’s back and a hint of its dorsal fin.

Scotland Magazine Website

Scotland Views: What To See And Do In Glasgow

DW reporter Hannah travelled to her home country of Scotland to give you her bucketlist of everything you need to check out in the city of Glasgow! When you think of Glasgow, the first thing that comes to mind is probably cold and rainy weather. But despite that, Scotland’s largest city is a vibrant, cultural hub. It’s a UNESCO City of Music, and has one of the best live music scenes in the UK. Which of Hannah’s travel tips is your favourite – the museum, the deep-fried Mars bar or the music scene?

Glasgow is a port city on the River Clyde in Scotland’s western Lowlands. It’s famed for its Victorian and art nouveau architecture, a rich legacy of the city’s 18th–20th-century prosperity due to trade and shipbuilding. Today it’s a national cultural hub, home to institutions including the Scottish Opera, Scottish Ballet and National Theatre of Scotland, as well as acclaimed museums and a thriving music scene.

Travel Guide: 36 Hours In New York City (Fall 2022)

36 HOURS – New York City

By Becky Hughes Photographs by Karsten Moran 

Friday – 3:30 p.m. Get a bird’s eye view of the city

Pack in 400 years of history at the Museum of the City of New York in East Harlem ($20 suggested admission), opposite Central Park at the top end of Museum Mile. Its ongoing exhibition, “New York at Its Core,” will give you a glimpse of the neighborhoods you’ll encounter this weekend, and an overview of the many eras of the city’s development, including its few decades as the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam, its 19th-century shift to an immigrant hub, the growth of the city’s park program after the New Deal and the birth of the punk and hip-hop subcultures of the 1970s and 1980s.

6 p.m. – Go grand in Midtown

To the dismay of the too-cool-for-school set, Midtown is having a moment. Rockefeller Center is enticing popular restaurateurs with real-estate deals, aiming to draw locals and tourists alike. One glamorous newcomer is Le Rock, a French brasserie (from the owners of the popular TriBeCa restaurant Frenchette) with a sleek Art Deco design and a pricey (around $200 for two without drinks) menu of chilled oysters ($24 for a half dozen), bison au poivre ($60) and a long list of natural wines. For a night of grand Manhattan opulence, you’re in good hands. Other notable arrivals in the area: Detroit-style slices at Ace’s Pizza, Italian dining with outdoor seating at Lodi (a Times food critic’s favorite) and the 11-seat Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar.

Saturday – 10 a.m. Have a morning nosh

The real breakfast of champions is a pastrami, egg and cheese sandwich ($12.50) at Frankel’s Delicatessen & Appetizing in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. There may be no better representation of New York deli cuisine than the happy marriage between the Jewish staple meat, and the bodega and coffee-cart hero, the bacon, egg and cheese. If securing a window seat is a bust, the benches of McCarren Park across the street are calling your name. And for breakfast dessert (you’re on vacation!): Peter Pan Donut & Pastry Shop. You might recognize the bakery from the 2021 movie “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” but regulars know it for the unparalleled blueberry buttermilk doughnuts ($1.75).

11 a.m. Shop by the skyline

From Greenpoint, the northernmost neighborhood in Brooklyn, the views of the East River are unbeatable. Follow Noble Street all the way to the end, and you’ll find Greenpoint Terminal Market, a marketplace of vendors, every Saturday and Sunday, rain or shine. You’ll get a top-tier view of the Manhattan skyline while you sift through racks of vintage clothes, tables of art and jewelry, and maybe get a really bad portrait made ($5) to commemorate the day. For a little more shopping, try Big Night, a “shop for dinner, parties and dinner parties”; Dobbin St. Vintage Co-op for vintage furniture; and the mini-Japanese market at 50 Norman for housewares by Cibone and customized dashi packs from Dashi Okume.

1:30 p.m. – Dive into NYC ephemera

Hidden away from Williamsburg’s chain coffee shops and boutique gyms is City Reliquary ($7 entry) a tiny, colorful storefront wedged between buildings on Metropolitan Avenue. Inside is a quirky and fascinating collection of New York artifacts curated by this not-for-profit community museum and civic organization. Packed (really packed) into two small rooms, you’ll find defunct subway signage, souvenirs from New York World’s Fairs, samples of rocks from far below the city and an astonishing amount more. Look for the many iterations of paper deli cups, including the iconic Anthora cup (designed by Leslie Buck in the 1960s), which you’ll still see at diners and bodegas today.

6 p.m. – Dine in the heart of the Village

Greenwich Village cynics will complain about its restaurants: Lines everywhere, many cash-only and littered with celebrities and the rubberneckers that follow. For first-time Village diners, though, Bar Pitti unfailingly delivers an entertaining night out. Get there around 6 p.m. (with cash — no cards accepted) and there should be a short wait. Order the eggplant Parmesan if it’s on the chalkboard of specials ($14.50), pappardelle in a pink cream sauce ($23.50) and a bottle of Lambrusco ($50). The best Italian food in New York? It’s probably not the best on its block. But the brash-yet-somehow-charming service, prime location and killer people-watching makes Bar Pitti a true New York affair. For a more relaxed alternative, Malatesta Trattoria has an excellent tagliatelle ragu ($17, cash-only) and a lower-key ambience.

To state the obvious: You can’t see New York City in 36 hours. You could easily fill a couple of days eating your way down one street in Jackson Heights, Queens, or spend an entire weekend uncovering corners of Central Park. This guide is not designed to check landmarks off a list, but rather to offer visitors one slice of life in New York (minus the laundry schlepping and skyrocketing rent). Below you’ll find a subterranean piano bar, a hidden garden, market shopping against the backdrop of an unbeatable skyline and some big-picture and hyperlocal history to bring you a little closer to feeling the gestalt of the city.

Read more at The New York Times