Intelligent Travel

Scenes from the Road with Thievery Corporation

Here at IT, we're always looking to offer you as many varied travel perspectives as possible. So who better to share their travel secrets than a bona fide rock star who is currently on tour? We asked Rob Myers, the sitar player with the group Thievery Corporation, to send us a few photos and stories from their current European and American tour.

Thievery Corporation recently released their fifth album, Radio Retaliation, in September. The group says it is both politically motivated and international in its scope. "This record is our most internationally oriented," frontman Rob Garza has said, and notes that music is influenced by the eclectic sounds of Jamaica, Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. "We worked with artists from around the world. The roots of our inspiration have always come from what is happening globally, and at the moment there is so much happening, on every level." Here are a few glimpses from their travels.

Friday, 10 Oct, Early Morning – LONDON, ENGLAND
We descended into London at dawn. The rays of the sun tried to cut through a thick fog. These were our first steps on foreign soil, but it will be seven days before we get back here for the London gig. On the run to catch the connector to Athens I grabbed this shot of 747's asleep in the mist.

More pictures from the tour after the jump.

Paris Skyline Aims For New Heights, Or Lows?

The view from atop the Eiffel Tower could change dramatically in the next five years, as plans for six skyscraper projects on the outskirts of Paris are currently in the works. Yet another project received the green light recently to begin construction inside Paris city limits – making it the first building taller than 121 feet built in Paris in the last three decades.

Respected Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron (whose past masterpieces include Beijing’s Bird’s Nest and the de Young Museum in San Francisco) will spearhead Le Projet Triangle, a massive 600-foot-tall ultra-modern pyramid structure in southwest Paris (about five miles from the Louvre) that is so thin from the side it hardly casts a shadow. The building will hold offices, a conference center, and a 400-room hotel.

Many people see the project as a throwback to 1972, when the Tour Montparnasse, a generally detested 689-foot-tall structure, was erected, and directly resulted in the city imposing building height limits in 1977. The largest business district of Paris, La Défense, showcases multiple skyscrapers in a compact area, but it's outside official city limits. In fact, only a handful of buildings inside Paris proper are more than 12 stories. And that’s how Parisians like it; 62 percent of residents polled say they dislike skyscrapers within the city limits, according to a poll on the World Architecture News website.

It’s a sentiment shared here in D.C., says Roger Lewis, professor emeritus of architecture at the University of Maryland and practicing urban planning consultant. Lewis has also written the Washington Post column "Shaping the City" since 1984, which focuses on urban design and planning issues. I talked to Professor Lewis about the impending growth spurt in Paris, and how it relates to L’Enfant’s original plan for Washington, D.C.

After the jump: Professor Lewis's thoughts on Parisian expansion.

Iceland on the Cheap

Friend of IT Andrew Evans spent some serious time in Iceland while researching his book - he's the author of the Bradt Travel Guide to the country - and he says that with the recent economic downturn, now might be the best time to go. Andrew sent along some pictures that his partner, Brian Gratwicke, took while exploring the region, and after viewing them, we're about ready to book our flights... 

Ever dreamt of visiting Iceland but were scared of Scandinavian prices? Well, now is the time to head north. In the midst of the worldwide financial crisis, tiny Iceland has been one of the hardest hit. This past week, Iceland’s central bank stopped pegging its currency to the Euro, leading to rapid devaluation of the Icelandic krona. This is devastating for Icelanders, of course, but for anyone who craves pristine lava landscapes or bathing in natural hot springs—your moment has come. 

Among seasoned travelers, Iceland is notorious for being an outrageously expensive destination. Basic travel amenities like food, rental cars, and hotels typically cost double or triple the price of the same in North America and even Europe. To give you some idea of how expensive it is, The Economist ranked Iceland number one on their global Big Mac Index: the per-capita-real cost of a McDonald’s hamburger.

Last year, the US dollar was worth about 60 Icelandic krona. This week the exchange rate jumped to 110 krona to the dollar. That basically means that buying a hot dog in Reykjavík is cheaper than getting one in Central Park. Until real prices are readjusted, traveling in Iceland will cost roughly half of what it normally has.  That still doesn’t make Iceland cheap, but it does make it a heckuva lot more affordable to the average American traveler. What’s more, now there’s a European country that actually wants American dollars!

So how is Iceland in October?  Gorgeous and still not too cold.  Of course, the broader question here is how the current economic crisis will continue to affect global travel trends. As major markets in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East struggle with uncertainty, our concept of affordable and accessible destinations is likely to shift even more dramatically—especially if your travel budget is tied up on Wall Street.

Photos: Brian Gratwicke

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Strange Planet: Water to Wine

A recent article by the BBC led me to the conclusion that Italy just may be the place for me. After all, who wouldn’t want to visit (or live in!) a land where wine flows like water? Literally.

Just this week, residents of Marino, Italy were pleasantly surprised when, instead of tap water, wine began flowing out of their faucets.

Granted, wine isn’t exactly hard to come by in this smallish town (population around 38,000) southeast of Rome. Each year, beginning on the first Sunday in October, town officials provide approximately 792 gallons of local white wine during the four-day Sagra dell'Uva festival. Oh, and the fountains flow with wine as well.

The latter was the source of the recent fortuitous faucet mishap. Apparently, somewhere in the process of connecting wine to the fountains, an error occurred and the wine was sent to local homes instead. (A popular bar on the town square also benefited from the crossed pipes.)

Marino Mayor Adriano Palozzi told the BBC that the wine flow was short-lived: "Apparently the people living around the square who got the wine coming out of their taps were very surprised, they thought that it might be some kind of present from the local council! It only lasted three minutes, we corrected it straight away."

The locals living in the town square may have been the only ones to enjoy wine from their faucet, but visitors arrived from the world over to enjoy the rest of the festivities.

The Sagra dell'Uva, which is one of Italy’s oldest grape festivals, commemorates the return of Admiral Marcantonio Colonna and his victory over the Turks in the Battle of Lepanto in October 1571. Admiral Colonna was one of many sons of Marino who participated in the battle and returned safely. 

Photo: Wine flows from Marino's famed Fontana dei Quattro Mori during Sagra dell'Uva; courtesy of the Marino Town Council Website

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Phony Lederhosen at Oktoberfest?

The 175th Munich Oktoberfest draws to a close this Sunday, after a 16-day celebration in which six million or so visitors pack into 14 tents, cheerily clinking and chugging over 1.5 million gallons of beer, and noshing on wursts, obatzda (fatty, spiced cheese), and steckerlfisch (fish on a stick -- what I can only assume is markedly different than our child-friendly fish stick concoction.) 

It's a time where Bavarian tradition rules, celebrations are jovial, and worries are tossed to the other side of the Alps. Right?

Not so true. The 2008 Oktoberfest featured its own "wardrobe malfunction" of sorts, as it's becoming increasingly easy to purchase lederhosen and dirndl dresses throughout Munich at a fraction of the former cost.  Unlike the traditional garments, these less-expensive duds are made in China, in Eastern Europe, or India, or anywhere that charges less for labor and uses cheaper (and certainly not authentic) fabrics and leather. In essence, a massive market for cheap, tacky versions of traditional Bavarian attire has popped up region-wide.

"Sacrilege!" is what Bavarian purists call it. Hans Lehrer, a member of Munich's Isargau folk costume society, told Der Spiegl Online, "Folk costumes should be made where they're worn. I've got a problem with imported folk dress because heritage refers to one's homeland."

Heavily discounted imports have driven prices down so low that many Bavarian tailors have faced bankruptcy. Today, the number of regional, traditional tailors has been whittled down to less than 100 who are still in business.

There are those who argue that paying top dollar for lederhosen or a dirndl that's worn only once a year is far too much, and oftentimes, tourists are simply looking for an affordable memento from Oktoberfest to take back home. Lederhosen made by a home-grown Bavarian tailor cost about 600 euros (830 dollars), as opposed to less than 200 dollars for the faux suspendered shorts.

What do you think? Do you think the extra cost is worth it to have the real deal, or would you stick with a "cheaper is better" mentality, especially in the age of crushing conversion rates?

Photo: Shutterfool via the IT Flckr pool

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Quirky Caravan of Life

If you happen to be in Brighton, England this weekend (Oct. 3-5) for the Photo Fringe Festival, you'll have a chance to pop into the tiny, traveling Caravan Gallery, which has been trundling around the UK since 2001 displaying photos that emphasize, according to their website, "the reality, and surreality, of contemporary Britain." The Caravan Gallery is an exhibition space, a caravan, and a visual arts project by British artists Jan Williams and Chris Teasdale, who describe themselves as "simultaneously seduced by and suspicious of the rose-tinted tones of tourist information brochures, and frustrated by their yawning omissions." Williams and Teasdale have set out to correct those omissions by photo-documenting curious juxtapositions they come across in their travels, and they display their photos in the 1969 car trailer that follows them around. Gallery visitors are welcome to suggest places for them to investigate next.

If you miss them in Brighton, you may be able to catch the show in the USA.  Chris Teasdale says

We are fundraising to bring The Carvaan Gallery to the USA next year and planning to exhibit images in the caravan of towns and cities in the UK to places with the same name in America.   We will be traveling between LA and New York stopping off at (among others) Portsmouth, Glasgow, Liverpool and Washington.  We have a film company involved o capture the reactions of the American public to the "real" Britain.

Check their calendar for updates.

Hat tip: Shedworking

Photo: the Caravan Gallery

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To Get to the Other Side

Travel writer Andrew Evans recently returned from a trip to Panama, where his dreams of a cross-continental stroll were dashed...

All I wanted to do was to walk across the bridge. That’s all. And yet it almost got me arrested. 

Let me explain: I love crossing borders, especially on foot. I think anyone who loves maps knows what I’m talking about. Stepping from one country into the next is kind of exciting, right? I don’t need to skydive or bungee jump to get a thrill. Just let me stand with one foot in each country and be in two places at once.  And why stop there?  Why not up the ante and walk between two continents? Well, because you can’t, that’s why. I know because I tried. 

On a recent assignment to Panama City, I paid a taxi to drop me off in North America so I could walk back to South America. What’s more, the ride took exactly five minutes and only cost me two bucks. We simply drove across the Bridge of the Americas and over the Panama Canal. Man, was I excited—here I was, about to cross the waterway that links the world’s two great oceans while separating the two American landmasses. It was a glorious moment, the Pacific Ocean was shining in the distance and rows of giant cargo ships were lining up to pass under the bridge and on to the Atlantic. I raised my foot in North America when a uniformed soldier started yelling at me. Then he was running at me, machine gun in hand. 

Bullfighting en Francais

Friend of IT Amanda MacEvitt, a producer for National Geographic Digital Media, writes about an unexpected highlight of her vacation in France.

During my recent trip to France, my historian brother and I had planned to visit the little town of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer in Camargue in the south, right on the Mediterranean. It's a sleepy little seaside town where the local French people came for vacation. Since my brother is a professor of religious studies at Dartmouth, our itinerary naturally included a stop to see the medieval church dedicated to several biblical Marys who are believed to have come to the town to evangelize after the death of Jesus Christ. The church was lovely, with a subterranean chapel dedicated to Saint Sarah, the patron saint of travelers. Later that day, we walked down toward the sea, and found a small bullring with posters of bulls and men in white shirts. Since the event was free, we wandered in.

Global Eye: Autumn in Bosnia

Photographer: Xavier Ciceron from Lausanne, Switzerland. Shot with a NikonD200, in October 2007.

Getting the Shot: It was late afternoon, the end of a beautiful autumn day during my first visit to Bosnia. My girlfriend took me to Boracko Lake, a popular place in summer near Konjic, the small town where she used to live.

The Details: The place was very quiet and I tried to take advantage of the surface of the lake reflecting the forest colors and capture the serene atmosphere. It was a striking contrast with scars of the war still visible in the villages nearby. Even the country houses on the shore of the lake have not been spared. Yet the atmosphere was peaceful, the landscape beautiful. It was as if Mother Nature was showing the way for healing the old wounds.

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Photo: Xavier Ciceron

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The Church of England Says Dim the Lights

The Church of England has just released an, um, enlightening book called "Don't Stop at the Lights," which outlines ways for its many churches, such as St. Paul's Cathedral in London (who has over 2 million visitors each year), to make their buildings more energy efficient and encourage their parishoners to go green. One of their suggestions? Dim the floodlights that illuminate the churches at night. Many churches are open to the idea, though they say concerns about security will be addressed before they flip the switch. But this trend means that in the coming years, they may let there be a little less light...