Gadling http://www.gadling.com Gadling http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.gadling.com/media/feedlogo.gif Gadling http://www.gadling.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Eurovision 2013: All Of Europe Under One Roof]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/05/18/eurovision-2013/http://www.gadling.com/2013/05/18/eurovision-2013/http://www.gadling.com/2013/05/18/eurovision-2013/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , ,

eurovision
Alex Robertson Textor
Launched in 1956, Eurovision is a Europe-wide music competition held every May under the auspices of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Participating countries select their representative songs over the course of the preceding winter and spring. Some countries - like Sweden - make their selections via televised heats held over several consecutive weeks. Others - like the U.K. (this year, at least) - make their selections by internal committee.

Eurovision is a major event in Europe, with a remarkable 125 million viewers.

Nowadays, Eurovision lasts for almost an entire week. With the end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, there are now so many participating countries - 39 this year; even more in recent years - that two semi-finals are required to winnow down contestants to a manageable tally for the grand final. After semifinals on Tuesday and Thursday, this year's final will be held later today in Malmö, Sweden. (Sweden won Eurovision last year, and with its win came the right to host this year's contest.)

Continue reading Eurovision 2013: All Of Europe Under One Roof

Eurovision 2013: All Of Europe Under One Roof originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 18 May 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Azerbaijandenmarkeurovisioneurovision song contestEurovision song contest 2013EurovisionSongContestEurovisionSongContest2013gaygreeceHungarymalmonorwayRomaniarussiaswedenukraineunited kingdomUnitedKingdomSat, 18 May 2013 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Mayotte's Zam-Zam: Restaurant And Launchpad]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/05/11/mayotte-s-zam-zam-restaurant-and-launchpad/http://www.gadling.com/2013/05/11/mayotte-s-zam-zam-restaurant-and-launchpad/http://www.gadling.com/2013/05/11/mayotte-s-zam-zam-restaurant-and-launchpad/#commentsFiled under: , ,

mayotteLast month I visited Mayotte, an island located between Madagascar and Mozambique in the Mozambique Channel. Mayotte is part of the Comoros archipelago, but unlike the rest of the Comoros, it is part of France.

In 1975, when the rest of the Comoros became independent, Mayotte elected to remain with France. In 2011, the association got even tighter when Mayotte became an overseas department of France. But despite its integration into France, Mayotte is a world apart from the mainland. Its population is largely Sunni Muslim and its most common language is not French but Shimaore, a tongue related to Swahili.

Mayotte is incredibly lush. There are lemurs and lizards on the land, dolphins skipping along the surface of the sea, and huge bats with wingspans as wide as eagles hovering above. The diving and snorkeling is world-class, reefs buzzing with life. The tourist infrastructure is operated largely by métros, or French people from metropolitan France. It would be easy to spend an entire vacation there enveloped by a "métro" bubble. It became clear very quickly that we would have to make an effort to engage with Comorian culture.

I was keen to try Comorian food. Food is a good route to a sense of culture - maybe the best. The Petit Futé guide to Mayotte lists a favorable review of Zam-Zam, a restaurant in the southern town of Bandrélé, conveniently near our guesthouse. One afternoon we set out to find it. After a 15-minute walk we came across a sign for it. A man saw us looking around and pointed to a yellow shack on a side street. He told us the restaurant would reopen later that evening.

Continue reading Mayotte's Zam-Zam: Restaurant And Launchpad

Mayotte's Zam-Zam: Restaurant And Launchpad originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 11 May 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Comorosfrancegrand comoreGrandComorelocavoremayotteSat, 11 May 2013 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[My Mini-Holiday In Sweden]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/05/08/my-mini-holiday-in-sweden/http://www.gadling.com/2013/05/08/my-mini-holiday-in-sweden/http://www.gadling.com/2013/05/08/my-mini-holiday-in-sweden/#commentsFiled under: ,

swedenA few weeks ago I went to Sweden. I'd planned to spend the week doing research elsewhere, but when I sat down to actually review the visa requirements for said place it became clear that I simply didn't have time to pull everything off without more lead time. So, with a few "spare" days ahead of me, I decided to go to Stockholm to see some old friends instead.

I flew out from London on a Tuesday night, exiting Arlanda just before midnight into foggy autumnal air. (Yes, I know that it's spring, but "spring air" is usually a projection of warm things to come. When I arrived it was cold but not frigid. It felt like autumn.)

M was waiting for me at the airport bus stop near her apartment in the hazy cold. We walked back to her flat and talked about her dance class and its bewildering social networks. Then I fell asleep until 10:30. I woke up, made myself coffee and helped myself to breakfast and realized, again, that her flat is one of my favorite places in the world. Don't we sometimes fall in love with the ways our friends live? M's flat is of a perfect scale. Everything has a purpose, and there are many whimsical things - a postcard collection, an obscene refrigerator magnet, a to-do list for an upcoming trip.

I walked to Willys, the discount market in the enormous public housing project next to her flat and replaced the breakfast I had just eaten. I returned, cleaned the kitchen, and walked down to the nearby train station to ride into Stockholm proper. It had been a few hours of perfect idleness in a place familiar yet novel. It was going on 1 p.m. and I'd done nothing of note. I was content.

This became my pattern. My two-and-a-half days were days of idleness. I didn't go to a single museum or tourist site. I tried, half-heartedly, to reserve a table at a buzzy restaurant or two. I failed, but this seemed to be of little consequence. I was having too much fun doing nothing.

Continue reading My Mini-Holiday In Sweden

My Mini-Holiday In Sweden originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 08 May 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>StockholmswedenWed, 08 May 2013 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[In Praise Of Travel Lists]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/04/30/in-praise-of-travel-lists/http://www.gadling.com/2013/04/30/in-praise-of-travel-lists/http://www.gadling.com/2013/04/30/in-praise-of-travel-lists/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

travel listsTravel lists get a lot of grief. I've overheard many fellow travel writers offer the opinion that lists of various sorts are deeply inferior to any and all narrative travel writing. Others have suggested that lists are slowly crowding out real travel writing entirely.

C'mon now.

Let's agree for a few provisional minutes that the purpose of travel writing is, very generally, to inspire people to think about travel. (Why not? This is a good goal, all things considered.) Few genres of writing are better suited to achieving this goal than travel lists - lists of destinations, hotels, beaches, restaurants and so on. A list written by an expert can feel like an extended secret, like an invitation to experience the world differently.

Lists at their best are efficient. They cover key territory and reduce unnecessary noise. They reveal their writers' passions directly. Are they the ticket to cross-cultural understanding? Not usually, but then very few traditional travel stories, no matter how drenched they may be in self-importance, ever accomplish this end.

Let's take this past Saturday's print edition of Guardian Travel as an example of the value of travel lists. The section was full of inspiring ideas in list form - summer holiday recommendations, adventures in south-west England, and cool accommodations on the Isle of Wight. There's a more bullet-point-like list of upcoming holiday festivals in the UK as well.

The summer holiday recommendations kick off with some exciting suggestions about corners of France slightly off the beaten path, written by Jacqueline Mirtelli of Atout France, the France Tourism Development Agency. Mirtelli suggests Cap Corse, the little-visited peninsula on the northern coast of Corsica, and finishes off her tip list with the inland villages of the Var, a region in Provence. Elsewhere Michael Cullen of i-escape tips the Greek island of Kastellorizo, Simon Wrench of Inntravel suggests the Danish Riviera, and Lucy Kane of Rough Guides lists Tbilisi, Palma and Montenegro as her summer travel recommendations.

In this short round-up piece the excitement of summer travel is infectious and inspiring. There is information here, and more importantly there are multiple jumping-off points for research. Could this sort of generalized excitement be achieved by one longer piece on, say, the Amalfi Coast? I'm doubtful that it could.

Like many absolutist stands that we travel writers get sidetracked into on occasion, the resistance to lists is misplaced. The wholesale replacement of narrative by lists would be a terrible development for sure; shy of that, there's no need to attack the humble list. There is, however, as always, a need across genres for high-quality versions of all types of writing.

[Image of Cap Corse: Flickr | cremona daniel]

In Praise Of Travel Lists originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cap corseCapCorseCorsicadanish rivieraDanishRivieradenmarkenglandfrancegeorgiagreeceisle of wightIsleOfWightitalykastellorizolistsMontenegropalmaprovencespainTbilisithe guardianTheGuardiantravel listsTravelListsunited kingdomUnitedKingdomTue, 30 Apr 2013 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[#OnTheRoad On Instagram: Reunion]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/25/ontheroad-on-instagram-reunion/http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/25/ontheroad-on-instagram-reunion/http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/25/ontheroad-on-instagram-reunion/#commentsFiled under: ,

reunion

This week on Instagram, Gadling is off to the Indian Ocean island of Reunion.

The Indian Ocean bridges Africa in the west and Southeast Asia and Australia in the east. Much less familiar to Americans than Europeans, the region's islands challenge the Caribbean for the attention of upscale Europeans, and can lay claim to some of the world's dreamiest properties. Some of its countries, like the Comoros, are very poor; others, including Seychelles and Mauritius, can be found at the top of Africa's per capita income tables.

Most popular among French-speaking tourists, Réunion is a French overseas department whose closest neighbor is Mauritius. Like Mauritius, Réunion is a true creole hodgepodge of a place, with a melting pot population; unlike Mauritius, it boasts a volcanic, mountainous interior so dramatic that it is often likened to Hawaii.

I'm here for the hiking, the mountain villages, réunionnaise cuisine, the tropical fruit and the heat. It's been an interminable, wet, gray winter and I want to warm up. I'll be sure to pass along some warmth to you.

Do you have any photos you'd like to share with a wider audience? If you mention @GadlingTravel in your own photo AND use the hashtag #gadling, your photo will be considered for our Photo Of The Day.

[Image: Flickr | Aleix Cabarrocas Garcia]

#OnTheRoad On Instagram: Reunion originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 25 Mar 2013 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Comorosfranceindian oceanIndianOceaninstagrammadagascarmauritiusReunionSeychellesMon, 25 Mar 2013 07:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Mar Mikhael: Beirut's Shopping District]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/22/mar-mikhael-beiruts-shopping-district/http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/22/mar-mikhael-beiruts-shopping-district/http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/22/mar-mikhael-beiruts-shopping-district/#commentsFiled under: ,

Mar Mikhael

Beirut's Mar Mikhael (Saint Michael) looks at first glance like a pretty quiet neighborhood, a place where the sounds of machinery coming out of auto repair shops emit the only real noise of note. Scratch the surface just the tiniest bit and it becomes obvious that Mar Mikhael has gone the route of many other neglected urban corners. In between the exhaust and the whirring motors, the neighborhood boasts lots of innovative shops. Taken together, they offer the perfect antidote to the much-hyped Beirut Souks shopping center with its Beverly Hills-in-Lebanon glitz.

Here is a clutch of exciting stores for shoppers and culture browsers in Mar Mikhael.

1. Papercup (Agopian Building, Pharaon Street) is a bookstore/café, the obvious place in the neighborhood to launch or conclude a Mar Mikhael shopping adventure. It's well lit, has a community bulletin board, serves very good coffee - try the Vietnamese espresso! - and stocks an impressive selection of magazines and books, some keyed to current museum exhibitions around the world.

2. Tan (Alexandre Fleming Street) is conceptually geared to the current financial moment. Partners Ghada Rizk and Rima Sabbah decided that the global recession was a good moment to start a business and proceeded to start a label of affordable clothes for women: "We can't afford to pay $500 for a dress, and neither can our friends," they told me. Sensible. Their signature item is a lovely versatile tank top, good for work and going out both, priced at $80. Tan set up shop in Mar Mikhael in October 2011.

3. Plan Bey (Armenia Street) is to my mind the star shop of the neighborhood. It is an extraordinary bookshop and exhibition space that also sells music, photographs and various little objects. Owner Tony Sfeir has curated an appealing selection, and is exceptionally friendly. When I visited, Ethiopian jazz was playing and the star products for sale were super seasonal jams and oils from Syria. I didn't leave empty-handed.

4. Nayef Francis (Armenia Street) opened in December 2011. The store sells Francis' own very expensive mirrors, furniture, aluminum cups and lamps. Everything is beautifully finished and made in Lebanon.

5. Some great mid-century modern furniture pieces, plus some one-of-a-kind vintage signage and other industrial cast-offs can be found at Studio Karim Bekdache, a vast space on Madrid Street. Some of architect Bekdache's original designs are for sale here.

6. Find jewelry nearby at Rania Choueiri's L'Atelier Fanfreluche (Madrid Street). The shop doubles as an exhibition space. Last year saw an innovative exhibition of buyable upcycled goods, including furniture and lamps.

[Image: Alex Robertson Textor]

Mar Mikhael: Beirut's Shopping District originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 22 Mar 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>beirutlebanonmar mikhaelMarMikhaelshoppingFri, 22 Mar 2013 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Shaking The Disease]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/20/shaking-the-disease/http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/20/shaking-the-disease/http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/20/shaking-the-disease/#commentsFiled under: ,

east germany

From August 1984 through the summer of 1985, I lived with my family in Saarland, in the southwestern corner of West Germany. A French protectorate in the years following the Second World War, Saarland was a strange place for a family's sabbatical year. It felt more like a cul-de-sac on the edge of German-speaking Europe than it did the "heart of Europe," the notion underlying its contemporary self-presentation. Back then, many of my classmates had never crossed the border into France, which was just two or three miles away. The border felt sealed, even though passport checks were perfunctory and even though French words enlivened local dialects.

Saarland was a good launching pad. The dollar was strong and my parents' modest discretionary income went far. We jumped on trains, sometimes on consecutive weekends, to explore the surrounding regions and beyond.

In the summer of 1985, we made a particularly exciting journey to Karl-Marx-Stadt (earlier and now again Chemnitz) in East Germany to visit some cousins. My father had become strongly interested in genealogy over the previous decade, and his research had yielded friendships with a slew of West German relatives. We had gotten to know one distant cousin especially well, and he invited us to stay with his aunt and her family near Karl-Marx-Stadt.

Continue reading Shaking The Disease

Shaking The Disease originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 20 Mar 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>berlineast berlinEast GermanyEastBerlinEastGermanygermanykarl-marx-stadtwest berlinWest GermanyWestBerlinWestGermanyWed, 20 Mar 2013 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Edmonton: Three Boars, Perfect Cocktails]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/08/edmonton-three-boars-perfect-cocktails/http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/08/edmonton-three-boars-perfect-cocktails/http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/08/edmonton-three-boars-perfect-cocktails/#commentsFiled under: , ,

edmonton

Before a recent trip to Edmonton I did my standard restaurant research. All trails seemed to lead to a place called Three Boars Eatery, located happily enough just a few blocks from my hotel in the neighborhood of Old Strathcona. I left a message requesting a booking the day before my arrival and two minutes later my phone pulsed. "Hi. You called. We're full upstairs tomorrow night but there's always room in the bar."

The next night, after an airport shuttle ride through snow-choked streets and a quick check-in, I entered Three Boars' bar area. It was populated solely by men, all of whom sported either a beard or a plaid shirt. Some, like me, boasted both. It felt like a homecoming. I overheard talk of poorly-behaved roommates at the far end of the bar, while the two gymrats next to me discussed in very technical terms the effect of steroids on a friend's growth. The Rolling Stones ranted in the background; in the foreground, the service was attentive and nerdy. A revolving cast of three waiters asked questions and probed, made suggestions, and explained that the menu changes several times a week, sometimes daily.

Three Boars is about offal and local provenance. It's full-fat and high protein. Three Boars is relaxed but it is also self-conscious, telling guests where all their food and drinks originate. I sipped local beers (fine, though nothing truly exceptional) and ate several small and very good courses: smoked pork jowls with grainy mustard, smoked steelhead trout, and bacon-wrapped figs stuffed with blue cheese. So far so good.

Then came the truly exceptional part of the evening, the part that made me sit up: a miso-braised pork belly sitting on steel-cut oats cooked in dashi, with scattered pickled mushroom, roe, and seaweed. The flavors were bold and beautifully balanced. The result was a wildly delicious and quite comforting savory breakfast, but for dinner. It entered the upper reaches of my global favorite food items chart with a bang.

Naturally I asked my waiters where else I should eat. "The food community is small in Edmonton, so everyone knows each other," said one. To illustrate, he pointed out a chef sitting at the far end of the bar and then grabbed a fellow who was just leaving. "And this is Tarquin, the best bartender in Edmonton. You should have him make you cocktails."

Continue reading Edmonton: Three Boars, Perfect Cocktails

Edmonton: Three Boars, Perfect Cocktails originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 08 Mar 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>albertacanadaedmontonfood and drinkFoodAndDrinklocavoreNorth AmericaNorthAmericathree boarsThreeBoarsFri, 08 Mar 2013 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Photo Of The Day: Luang Prabang]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/01/04/photo-of-the-day-luang-prabang/http://www.gadling.com/2013/01/04/photo-of-the-day-luang-prabang/http://www.gadling.com/2013/01/04/photo-of-the-day-luang-prabang/#commentsluang prabang

Kuang Si waterfall, 15 miles (25 kilometers) south of Luang Prabang in Laos, is one lovely spot.

Photo Of The Day: Luang Prabang originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 04 Jan 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>asiaLaosluang prabangLuangPrabangphoto of the dayPhotoOfTheDayFri, 04 Jan 2013 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Photo Of The Day: Victoria Pier]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/28/photo-of-the-day-victoria-pier/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/28/photo-of-the-day-victoria-pier/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/28/photo-of-the-day-victoria-pier/#commentsFiled under: , ,

victoria pier

This Victoria pier, the Ogden Point Breakwater Pier in James Bay, Victoria, British Columbia, is today's Photo of the Day. Piers are strange metaphors for travel, as they function both as cul-de-sacs and tethers to the familiar, but there can be no question they are great for centering images. This photo was taken by Flickr user `James Wheeler on Christmas Eve. He observes in his image notes that this pier has been deemed dangerous. As a consequence, it will soon feature handrails.

Upload your favorite images to the Gadling Group Pool on Flickr. We choose our favorites from the pool as Photos of the Day.

Photo Of The Day: Victoria Pier originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 28 Dec 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bcbritish columbiaBritishColumbiacanadaphoto of the dayPhotoOfTheDayvictoriavictoria pierVictoriaPierFri, 28 Dec 2012 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Photo Of The Day: Puerto Rico Vista]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/21/photo-of-the-day-puerto-rico-vista/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/21/photo-of-the-day-puerto-rico-vista/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/21/photo-of-the-day-puerto-rico-vista/#commentsFiled under: , ,

puerto rico vista

This beautiful Puerto Rico vista, snapped by Flickr user trishhartmann, was taken in Guzmán Arriba, Río Grande, toward the eastern end of the Commonwealth territory.

With temperatures dipping and daylight at a premium in the north temperate zone, this image is a reminder of the near-magical appeal of the Caribbean, and the tropics in general over the winter. If you don't sort of want to jump into this canopy of green now, you surely will by February.

Upload photos of your favorite vistas and vantage points to the Gadling Group Pool on Flickr. We choose our favorites from the group pool to be Photos of the Day.

[Image: Flickr | trishhartmann]

Photo Of The Day: Puerto Rico Vista originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 21 Dec 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>caribbeanphoto of the dayPhotoOfTheDaypuerto ricopuerto rico vistaPuertoRicoPuertoRicoVistaFri, 21 Dec 2012 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Cocos (Keeling) Islands: Australia's Indian Ocean Idyll]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/19/cocos-keeling-islands-australias-indian-ocean-idyll/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/19/cocos-keeling-islands-australias-indian-ocean-idyll/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/19/cocos-keeling-islands-australias-indian-ocean-idyll/#commentsFiled under: ,

cocos (keeling) islands

The Cocos (Keeling) Islands are possibly the most beautiful place I have ever been.

This is strange to admit, even embarrassing. Travel writers are not supposed to make such claims. We're supposed to give information, provide historical context and show how our readers might make the journey we're sketching. We're not supposed to lose our cool and submit to the sheer gorgeousness of a particular place.

But the fact is that the Cocos Islands, an Australian external territory, are exquisite. The beaches are damn near close to perfect and the lagoon is full of exotic marine life. For anyone who has gone out of his or her way to visit deserted beaches, the Cocos Islands are the Holy Grail. And for those who have waited for hours to witness a single sea turtle clamber ashore on one or another Caribbean beach, the thousands of sea turtles simply hanging out in the Cocos lagoon will come as a revelation. The same goes for the reef sharks, of which there are an impressive number.

It's also hard to beat these islands for their remoteness. They're 1700 miles and two time zones to the west of Perth, the most practical launching pad for the islands. (It's also possible to book a charter flight to the Cocos Islands from Kuala Lumpur via Christmas Island on a Malaysian airline called Firefly, but most visitors fly from Perth with Virgin Australia.) It takes over six hours to reach Cocos Islands from Perth, with a 50-minute refueling stop on Christmas Island.

Continue reading Cocos (Keeling) Islands: Australia's Indian Ocean Idyll

Cocos (Keeling) Islands: Australia's Indian Ocean Idyll originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 19 Dec 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>australiaaustralian exernal territoriesAustralianExernalTerritoriescocos keeling islandsCocosKeelingIslandsindian oceanIndianOceanWed, 19 Dec 2012 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Photo Of The Day: Hampi]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/14/photo-of-the-day-hampi/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/14/photo-of-the-day-hampi/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/14/photo-of-the-day-hampi/#commentsFiled under: , ,

hampi

Hampi is a village in the southwestern Indian state of Karnataka, home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an important religious place. It is photographed here at sunset by Flickr user arunchs, who has captured a glorious fragment of time at the most poetic time of day.

We like sunsets. They're beautiful and they allow us to imagine that we're on the road. So upload your best sunset images to the Gadling Group Pool. We pick our favorites from the pool as Photos of the Day.

[Image: Flickr | arunchs]

Photo Of The Day: Hampi originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 14 Dec 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>hampiIndiaphoto of the dayPhotoOfTheDayFri, 14 Dec 2012 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Caucasus, Central Asia And British Airways]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/14/the-caucasus-central-asia-and-british-airways/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/14/the-caucasus-central-asia-and-british-airways/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/14/the-caucasus-central-asia-and-british-airways/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , ,

caucasus and central asia

I traveled to Beirut earlier this year with bmi (British Midland International), the East Midlands-based airline partially absorbed into British Airways in the spring. My Beirut trip was meant to be the third installment in an ongoing series called "Far Europe and Beyond," which reached a premature end in the lead-up to the airline's sale to International Airlines Group (IAG), the parent of British Airways and Iberia.

"Far Europe and Beyond" was, as its title suggests, focused on several cities along on Europe's margins and just beyond. I visited Tbilisi and Yerevan last year, Beirut earlier this year, and had hoped to carry on to three additional cities, one (Baku) within Europe and Almaty and Bishkek (see above), both indisputably outside of Europe.

BA has absorbed many bmi routes and withdrawn others. I did a little cursory research and discovered that two of the cities I originally proposed for the series (Bishkek and Yerevan) have been dropped - as has Tehran, where the Yerevan-London bmi flight I took last October originated.

Last week, in response to an email query, a helpful British Airways spokesperson confirmed that the above destinations have indeed not been included in BA's winter schedule. When I asked whether or not BA had any intention to initiate new routes to the Caucasus and Central Asia, she told me that there were no immediate plans to do so, and added that she suspected that future route development would focus on destinations further east. She also pointed out that the airline has just begun to fly nonstop between London and Seoul, an exciting development in light of the ascendance of Korean popular culture and the recent debut of a Seoul-based correspondent at Gadling.

Here's a little plea to British Airways: please bring these cities back, perhaps looped into other routes on a once-a-week basis. What about a stop in Bishkek coming back from Almaty or a stop in Yerevan en route to Tbilisi?

Continue reading The Caucasus, Central Asia And British Airways

The Caucasus, Central Asia And British Airways originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 14 Dec 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AlmatyArmeniaAzerbaijanbakubatumibishkekbmibritish airwaysBritishAirwayscaucasus and central asiaCaucasusAndCentralAsiaEkaterinburgfar europe and beyondFarEuropeAndBeyondgeorgiaIrankazakhstanKyrgyzstanrussiasochisochi 2014Sochi2014TbilisiTehranuralskYekaterinburgYerevanFri, 14 Dec 2012 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Tawlet: Lebanese Locavore Love]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/11/tawlet-lebanese-locavore-love/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/11/tawlet-lebanese-locavore-love/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/11/tawlet-lebanese-locavore-love/#commentsFiled under: , ,

tawlet

On my first visit to Beirut's Tawlet, I stopped to ask a shopkeeper directions. "Tawlet?" she verified. I nodded. "C'est très bon," with a delicate flutter of the fingers accompanying her très, before she pointed me in the right direction. I'd heard great things about Tawlet for quite some time. The shopkeeper's gesture was the icing on the cake. I knew the way I know my own name that this meal was going to be exceptional.

I found Tawlet at the rather inauspicious end of an industrial cul-de-sac in Mar Mikhael, an up-and-coming neighborhood with an exciting slate of new shops, some of them quite innovative.

It was still on the early side but I couldn't wait. I walked into Tawlet before the restaurant opened for lunch and sat patiently for the wait staff to finish setting things up. A Saudi television crew was taping interviews of the day's chefs. Just when my hunger had reached epic proportions, just when I thought I wouldn't be able to wait any longer, a distinguished looking man approached me in English and told me I could begin to eat. He carried himself like a proprietor. And as it turned out, he was Kamal Mouzawak, the head honcho. I introduced myself and we chatted briefly.

Mouzawak has pioneered and tended a food revolution in Lebanon. Souk El Tayeb is the umbrella organization behind his efforts. It has spawned the Beirut Farmers Market, founded in 2004, Dekenet, a farmers shop, established in 2006 and regional food festivals, which followed in 2007. Tawlet, interwoven into the other Souk El Tayeb endeavors, opened its doors in 2009.

Continue reading Tawlet: Lebanese Locavore Love

Tawlet: Lebanese Locavore Love originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 11 Dec 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>beirutfoodfood and drinkFoodAndDrinklebanonlocal foodLocalFoodlocavoremiddle eastMiddleEasttawletTue, 11 Dec 2012 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Hayete: Beautiful Budget-Friendly Beirut Guesthouse]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/09/hayete-beautiful-budget-friendly-beirut-guesthouse/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/09/hayete-beautiful-budget-friendly-beirut-guesthouse/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/09/hayete-beautiful-budget-friendly-beirut-guesthouse/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Hayete

Hayete, a budget-friendly guesthouse in Beirut, is a rare bird: stylish, in a fantastic location, and relatively inexpensive.

Budget-minded travelers who also enjoy a bit of style are usually out of luck when it comes to accommodations. Budget-friendly options generally consist of hostels, folksy guesthouses, smarmy bed & breakfasts and budget hotel chains - all honorable and fine, but only rarely stylish.

There are very few super stylish rooms in in-demand cities with rates in the $100 per night territory. Boutique and art hotels charge several times this amount in most buzzing cities. Budget hunters usually have to rely on the occasional off-season rate dip to enjoy anything approaching boutique style.

hayete Hayete, located in Beirut's exciting, intrigue-drenched Achrafieh neighborhood, provides an exception to the rule. The place looks and feels like the setting for a photo shoot in an underground European style magazine. It occupies an old classic building, built in the early 20th century, with original detailing intact. The tiled floor is particularly beautiful.

On the walls here are several huge photographs of color-saturated Russian landscapes by Liza Faktor. The design template is clever and very contemporary, capturing several impressions at once. There is the breezy feel of the carefree 1970s in several pieces alongside a fussy mid-century sitting room aesthetic, itself unsettled by contemporary upholstery. Throughout, there's a strong sense of place.

hayeteThe location is right in the thick of the Achrafieh action. Guests breakfast on a communal balcony that sits above a lively intersection, just beyond the main lounge's enormous antique aviary with its live, singing inhabitants. From the balcony, guests can spy morning traffic extending through narrow streets, old mansions, and the noises and sights of construction and renovation projects. The Lebanese breakfast (labneh, pita bread, juice) provides a pleasant, if light, start to the day.

Hayete has just four rooms. Two, with shared bathrooms, run $105 per night for a double (or $75 for single occupancy.) Two en suite rooms start at $125 (or $95 for a single). The rate includes breakfast, tax, coffee and tea from a shared bar, Wi-Fi and use of a communal refrigerator.

These nightly rates are particularly impressive in light of Beirut's hotel rate index, which is not generally easy on the wallet. While Hayete is not an extreme budget pick, its nightly rates put it in an all-too-slim category of reasonable, stylish hotels. For this alone it deserves to be championed.

[Images: Alex Robertson Textor]

Hayete: Beautiful Budget-Friendly Beirut Guesthouse originally appeared on Gadling on Sun, 09 Dec 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>accommodationsachrafiehbeirutbudget travelbudget-travelBudgetTravelguesthouseshayetelebanonSun, 09 Dec 2012 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Photo Of The Day: What's In Your Bag?]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/07/photo-of-the-day-whats-in-your-bag/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/07/photo-of-the-day-whats-in-your-bag/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/07/photo-of-the-day-whats-in-your-bag/#commentsFiled under: , ,

what's in your bag

What's in your bag? Mine contains my laptop, several notebooks, a folder with tickets and research notes and a beat-up middling digital camera. Flickr user nan palmero's bag, as you can see above, is rather more technologically with it.

There's nothing I like more than nerdy connoisseurship. (If you'd like an item-by-item run down of these objects, check out the photographer's own site.) I love it so much that I chose an image from the same photographer whose work I featured in last Friday's Photo of the Day.

Upload your best images to the Gadling Group Pool on Flickr. We choose our favorites from the bunch as Photos of the Day.

[Image: Flickr | nan palmero]

Photo Of The Day: What's In Your Bag? originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 07 Dec 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>photo of the dayPhotoOfTheDaysan antonioSanAntoniotexasunited statesUnitedStateswhats in your bagWhatsInYourBagFri, 07 Dec 2012 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Photo Of The Day: St. Pancras]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/11/30/photo-of-the-day-st-pancras/http://www.gadling.com/2012/11/30/photo-of-the-day-st-pancras/http://www.gadling.com/2012/11/30/photo-of-the-day-st-pancras/#commentsFiled under: , ,

st. pancras

It's five years this month since the Eurostar began its run from the renovated St. Pancras train station. The station remains a tour-de-force of a hub. This may be the only train station in the UK that feels truly European, and not only because it connects to the European train grid. St. Pancras is densely useable and grand, with a real buzz - like a train station of yesteryear, the sort of place you might have read about as a child. Flickr user nan palmero captures some of the station's buzz in the above image.

Upload your best images to the Gadling Group Pool on Flickr. We choose our favorites from the pool to be Photos of the Day.

[Image: nan palmero | Flickr]

Photo Of The Day: St. Pancras originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 30 Nov 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>europeEurostarlondonphoto of the dayPhotoOfTheDaySt PancrasSt. PancrasSt.PancrasStPancrastraintrain stationTrainStationFri, 30 Nov 2012 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Photo Of The Day: Wing In Flight]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/11/23/photo-of-the-day-wing-in-flight/http://www.gadling.com/2012/11/23/photo-of-the-day-wing-in-flight/http://www.gadling.com/2012/11/23/photo-of-the-day-wing-in-flight/#commentsFiled under: , ,

wing in flight

A wing in flight can be a gorgeous thing to behold. Last Sunday I flew from Sydney to Los Angeles on board a Qantas Airbus A380. I spent some time simply gazing at one of the airplane's enormous wings, which struck me as a triumph of engineering and design. Flickr user pkorsmok might have been similarly struck earlier this month when he snapped this image of a wing of a new United Airlines 787.

Upload your favorite images to the Gadling Group Pool on Flickr. We choose our favorites from the pool to be Photos of the Day.

[Image: Flickr | pkorsmok]

Photo Of The Day: Wing In Flight originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 23 Nov 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>787photo of the dayPhotoOfTheDayunited statesUnitedStateswing in flightWingInFlightFri, 23 Nov 2012 17:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Photo Of The Day: Paris Jogger]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/11/16/photo-of-the-day-paris-jogger/http://www.gadling.com/2012/11/16/photo-of-the-day-paris-jogger/http://www.gadling.com/2012/11/16/photo-of-the-day-paris-jogger/#commentsFiled under: , ,

paris jogger

This Paris jogger is slender and polished even in motion, looking for all the world like he hasn't even broken a sweat. (That hair!) Captured by Flickr user Cosmic Smudge, he comes across as about two million times more stylish than most of his fellow joggers around the world. Then again, he is in Paris, and, we can only assume, is a Parisian.

Upload your best images of perfectly coiffed joggers and other cultural anomalies to the Gadling Group Pool on Flickr. We choose our favorites from the pool as Photos of the Day.

[Image: Cosmic Smudge on Flickr]

Photo Of The Day: Paris Jogger originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 16 Nov 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>franceparisparis joggerParisJoggerphoto of the dayPhotoOfTheDayFri, 16 Nov 2012 17:00:00 EST