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National Geographic Traveller – June 2024

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National Geographic Traveller Magazine (May 2, 2024): The latest issue Explore 17 unique ways to get out and about in Paris as it celebrates its Olympic year with the June 2024 issue. Plus, take a look beyond the resorts of Phuket, go on a wild adventure in Albania and discover the long-flourishing desert community of Scottsdale, Arizona.

From sailing its scenic waterways to cooling off in open-air pools or stepping back in time on a historical walking tour, there’s no shortage of ways to enjoy Paris as it welcomes the warmer weather. One of Europe’s most majestic and storied capitals, with plans to turn it into one of continent’s greenest well underway, this is a city best explored outdoors.

Also inside this issue:

Phuket: Divine gastronomy and spirited religious festivals define Thailand’s largest island
Albania: Home to Europe’s first wild river national park, this adventure hub is the Balkans’ best-kept secret
Algeria: Slip into a landscape of ochre citadels, nomadic peoples and volcanic plateaus
Scottish Isles: Experience the nation’s wave-rattled northern and western fringes with these daring itineraries
Valletta: Whether on a church ceiling or in a subterranean necropolis, art can be found all over the Maltese capital
Scottsdale: This Arizona city’s past, present and future are bound to the mountains and the desert
Northern Lanzarote: Forget the beach resorts — this island’s northern reaches are ripe for adventure
Mumbai: In this vast city, a love of street food is as immovable as the streets themselves
Santiago: Hang behind in the Chilean capital to discover museums, street art and characterful hotels

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Cultural Views: A Journey Into The Republic Of Malta

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Jaafar Abdul Karim travels through one of the smallest countries in Europe: Malta. The Romans, the Arabs, the British and the French have all left their mark here. A sunny country with a multicultural heritage. Jaafar Abdul Karim starts his journey in the capital, Valetta.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the city has been extensively restored and renovated. Architect Konrad Buhagiar played a major role in this. He shows Jaafar Valetta’s most beautiful places, where old and new architecture come together. In Siggiewi, the presenter meets Marilu Vella and the two cook a very special local dish: pastizzi. The dumplings are a favorite snack of the Maltese.

The island nation has been a member of the EU since 2008. And here – in a tax haven – people like to show off what they’ve got. But Malta also has its dark sides: At the end of 2017, a murder shook Maltese politics and plunged the country into a crisis. Journalist Daphne Galizia uncovered one of Malta’s biggest corruption scandals. Shortly after, she was the victim of a car bomb.

Deeply shaken by this story, Jaafar takes the ferry to Gozo. The second largest island in the Maltese archipelago is only 14 kilometers long, but it has two large opera houses. Jaafar Abdul Karim finds out why from the artistic director John Galea. This Mediterranean island is one of the sad hotspots in the refugee crisis.

Tens of thousands of people have drowned in recent years trying to reach Europe. Time and again, ships that have rescued survivors from the Mediterranean dock there. Jaafar Abdul Karim talks to survivors and Maltese photographer Darrin Zammit Lupi, who has captured moments of the refugee drama in pictures.