Malta is an archipelago in the central Mediterranean between Sicily and the North African coast. It’s a nation known for historic sites related to a succession of rulers including the Romans, Moors, Knights of Saint John, French and British. It has numerous fortresses, megalithic temples and the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum, a subterranean complex of halls and burial chambers dating to circa 4000 B.C.
Film by Robert Kovacs
For the Cannes Film Festival, held this year from May 17-28, we take you to the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc, a legendary palace on the Mediterranean brimming with Hollywood glamor, and we bring you the story of Alice Guy, cinema’s forgotten pioneer: She was the world’s first female filmmaker and spent her life between Paris and New Jersey. Also in this issue, meet the French-Belgian chef at the helm of Fanny’s, the restaurant at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, visit the Galignani bookstore – a mecca for Anglophone readers in Paris – and discover how a business-savvy Frenchman claimed the rights to the smiley 50 years ago.
This cinematic travel film features mountain hikes in Glencoe and Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve.
Chapters: 0:00:00 – Intro 1:01:00 – Ascent 6:08:13 – Plateau 7:11:00 – Descent
Glencoe is a village in western Scotland. It lies in steep-sided Glencoe valley, in the Scottish Highlands. The area is known for waterfalls and trails that climb peaks such as Buachaille Etive Mor and Bidean nam Bian. In the village, Glencoe Folk Museum occupies 18th-century thatched cottages, with displays on local heritage and the Glencoe massacre of 1692. Wildlife in the area includes red deer and golden eagles.
Iceland, a Nordic island nation, is defined by its dramatic landscape with volcanoes, geysers, hot springs and lava fields. Massive glaciers are protected in Vatnajökull and Snæfellsjökull national parks. Most of the population lives in the capital, Reykjavik, which runs on geothermal power and is home to the National and Saga museums, tracing Iceland’s Viking history.
This exhibition celebrates the addition of nine masterpieces to the French national collections – six paintings, two sculptures and a sketchbook – via the country’s gifts-in-lieu scheme, which was introduced on 31 December 1968, allowing inheritance tax to be paid in kind. This unique acquisition mode is key to the very identity of Musée Picasso, which was founded in 1979 specifically to house the donation made by Pablo Picasso under this system.
Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France.
Downton Abbey has become THE British cult series. The story about the fate of a noble family and their servants at the beginning of the 20th century in Yorkshire, England, is even set in a real palace: Highclere Castle. There aren’t servants anymore, but it still has a countess. The lady of the house takes us on an exclusive tour of the castle where Downton Abbey has been shot. Some of the locations may look familiar, especially since the second film is now being released after six successful seasons on TV.
Highclere Castle is a Grade I listed country house built in 1679 and largely renovated in the 1840s, with a park designed by Capability Brown in the 18th century. The 5,000-acre estate is in Highclere in Hampshire, England, about 5 miles south of Newbury, Berkshire, and 9.5 miles north of Andover, Hampshire.
Lisbon is Portugal’s hilly, coastal capital city. From imposing São Jorge Castle, the view encompasses the old city’s pastel-colored buildings, Tagus Estuary and Ponte 25 de Abril suspension bridge. Nearby, the National Azulejo Museum displays 5 centuries of decorative ceramic tiles. Just outside Lisbon is a string of Atlantic beaches, from Cascais to Estoril.
Located on an uninhabited five-island cluster in the Noonu Atoll, Soneva Jani features 51 enormous overwater pool villas that come with retractable roofs and water slides. The villas are spread along two jetties that curve into a 5.6 km (3,4 mi) magnificent lagoon of crystal clear waters.
Video chapters: 0:00 Intro 3:24 Arrival 6:02 Chapter One 9:43 Overwater villa 26:58 Slide 28:00 Pool 31:01 Wildlife 32:00 The Gathering 52:02 Beach 55:21 Water sports 59:03 Medhufaru island 1:00:30 Soneva Soul 1:06:18 Jungle Gym 1:09:13 Dolphin cruise 1:13:25 Beach buffet 1:17:17 Dinner at Overseas 1:20:38 Buffet at Down To Earth 1:24:15 Dinner at So Starstruck 1:26:02 Dinner at Director’s Cut 1:29:50 Breakfast 1:37:56 Biking the jetty 1:46:26 Private beach barbecue 1:49:21 Chapter Two preview
Known as Chapter One and Chapter Tow, both jetties are connected to the Maldives’ largest resort island, a tropical paradise fringed by pristine beaches and blanketed with lush tropical greenery.
The River Seine is the beating heart of Paris. The banks of the river attract 8 million visitors each year, making it one of the busiest places in the French capital. We meet those who take care of the Seine seven days a week, from the technicians checking water quality to members of the river patrol, who respond to emergency call-outs and use radar to explore the river’s depths.
“Barcelona combines everything that is most charming about Mediterranean cities – a relaxed pace, months of endless sunshine, unbeatable food – with the cultural and design clout of almost any city in the cold north.”
SALLY DAVIES, TELEGRAPH DESTINATION EXPERT
Boomers Daily 