Posts tagged: Cultural contacts

Good Germany minus Bad Germany = Normal Germany?

German war guilt is in the news again – exactly seventy years after Hitler committed suicide in Berlin. It seems that contemporary Germany has shed its burden of guilt and moved on.
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Where (Not) to Go in 2016

How valid are the annual travel hotlists? “Where to Go” cool lists seek to frame the travel year and shape our plans but are they arbitrary or authoritative? Shouldn’t there be more caveats?
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Geneva – the big city versus the bumpkins

How Swiss is Geneva? This sophisticated, French-speaking city seems at odds with much of Swiss-German Switzerland. Geneva has French brasseries aplenty and shuns country bumpkins. Is the city too earnest for its own good or is there a subversive streak in there somewhere?
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The World's Best Airports

Picking favourite airports is subjective. Security and speed-of-escape can be more crucial than sleep pods. Even so, the top terminals are truly surprising, tempting world-weary travellers with tranquil Zen gardens or even a brewery.
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Tallinn's Charm Offensive

Wallowing in wintry Tallinn reveals a city on the cusp of change. Come for moody medieval battlements and Baltic charm. Stay for the contemporary buzz, the eccentric museums and Modern Estonian eateries, along with the Soviet throwbacks and hipster hangouts.
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Eating for London

An East End food safari turns into a story of London immigration, a tale mostly told through street food.  If this is `hanging out in the hood’, I’m all for it. Faux gangsterism aside, the journey from East End boozers to bagels and baltis is compelling food history.
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On Not Giving a Fig for Southern Italy

A taste of Cilento, south of Naples, Salerno and the Amalfi Coast, with a Slow Food trail centred on the sweetest figs, figs that are helping revive a sleepy region. The Unesco-listed Cilento National Park is also famed for the magnificent Greek temples of Paestum and the untarnished coast.
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The Russian Riviera

The enduring Russian love affair with the French and Italian Riviera has left an indelible mark. The Russians helped launch the Riviera as a winter playground and shaped the Riviera in their own image. And the Russians are still there.  
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Land of the Brooding Buffaloes

In Cilento, the buffaloes, the best mozzarella di bufala and fine wines are keys to unlocking the hedonistic Southern Italian character. The enigmatic Ancient Greeks have a lot to answer for.
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Venice Film Festival Steals the Show

Venice Film Festival, the world's oldest, is back in the lagoon city with its 74th edition. It’s a steal-scener of a show in the city that is, for better or worse, a superior film set.  It’s as surreal as Venice itself. Come and sleep in George Clooney's bridal bed, unless he's already in it.
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