Baltic Outlook May 2013 by Bookletia

MAY 2013

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Welcome aboard

Martin Alexander Gauss Chief Executive Officer

Dear Customer, We have achieved 77% improvement of airBaltic’s net result for the past year. This is a tremendous step ahead for our airline, delivered as part of a robust business turnaround programme leading us back to profitability. The progress made last year is well ahead of our original plans, and we are proud to keep that pace also for the first months of 2013. You as a customer are central when considering improvements to our business. We are delighted that you and 3 million other passengers have welcomed a number of initiatives that airBaltic implemented last year. These include flying more often to your favourite destinations, launching a range of service improvements and innovative new products, slashing costs and offering more affordable tickets for early holiday planners, making flight connections more efficient and gradually modernising our fleet, to name a few. The better-than-planned business result has allowed us to further improve our service by offering

you six new routes this summer to warm-weather destinations. We have decided to extend our service to a number of popular airports. Thus, Rome, Munich, Palanga, Prague and Moscow Domodedovo will have more airBaltic aircraft taking off and heading towards Riga – a fitting way to see the Latvian capital open up and enter a vibrant summer. As Riga prepares to become a European Capital of Culture in 2014, it is already hosting a multitude of events and attractions this year, including the Nationwide Song and Dance Festival, Riga city marathon, Riga Opera Festival, Tall Ships Races and Riga Festival, along with numerous restaurant and gourmet events. We sincerely hope that these will become unforgettable spotlights of your visit to the Latvian capital. And… did you know that airBaltic carries up to 600 tons of postal cargo every month? This is equivalent to the weight of around 480 Volkswagen Golf cars. Thank you for flying airBaltic.

Yours, Martin Alexander Gauss

BALTIC OUTLOOK / MAY 2013 / 5

CONTENTS / MAY

May

/ page 44 44

Your next destination

Cyprus – island of hospitality 56

Interview Jacques Polge, master

perfumer at CHANEL, about why you always have to listen to women and where to find the most beautiful fragrances 64

Travel Heviz-Balaton, Hungary –

airBaltic’s new destination, where you can find the best way to treat yourself

Read Baltic Outlook on your iPad! Download free of charge from App Store

CONTENTS / MAY

Robert’s thought Top ten travel books

City icons Copenhagen, pinnacle of luxury

Agenda May 2013

Review Glocalisation

Little black book Malta

Thing of the month Suitcases that suit

Design Italian classics

Style Luscious May

People Framing the moment

Tech Marantz – where the future meets the past

Food The promise of spring. Sorrel

Travel Secrets of Paris’ gardens

airBaltic cooks

Gadgets Pocket rockets

102

Cars Driven: the Opel Adam

112

Food & Drink Restaurants and wine bars

117

airBaltic news

30 Editorial Staff Chief Editor: llze Pole / e: ilze@frankshouse.lv Editor: Ieva Nora Fīrere / e: ieva@frankshouse.lv Copy editor: Kārlis Roberts Freibergs Design: Marika Štrāle Layout: Inta Kraukle Cover: Corbis / Scanpix

Baltic Outlook is published by SIA Frank’s House Stabu 17, Riga, LV 1011, Latvia / ph: (+371) 67293970 / w: frankshouse.lv / e: franks@frankshouse.lv Director: Eva Dandzberga / e: eva@frankshouse.lv Advertising managers: Indra Indraše / e: indra@frankshouse.lv / m: (+371) 29496966 Ieva Birzniece / e: ieva.birzniece@frankshouse.lv / m: (+371) 26416866 Inta Veinšteina / e: inta.veinsteina@frankshouse.lv / m: (+371) 29263692

Check out Baltic Outlook’s profile on Facebook The opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the authors and/or persons interviewed and do not necessarily reflect the views of airBaltic AS and the editors at Frank’s House SIA. Advertisers or their representatives assume full responsibility for the content of their advertisements, and for ensuring that this content corresponds with the laws and other normative acts of the Republic of Latvia. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publisher. Printed at Poligrāfijas grupa Mūkusala, Latvia, phone (+371) 67063187

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DETAILS / ROBERT’S THOUGHT

TEXT BY ROBERT COTTRELL, OWNER OF ROBERT’S BOOKS | PHOTO BY REINIS HOFMANIS, F64

MAY

Top ten travel books What are the ten greatest travel books

of all time? Here is my choice, based on the pleasure that the books have given me, and the influence they have had on other travel writers. First, in chronological order, has to be the The Travels Of Marco Polo, published around 1300, when the very idea of foreign travel was an exotic one. This account of a Venetian merchant’s journey to China has been a best-seller for most of the past 800 years. No other travel book is going to beat that record in a hurry. Next, a big jump through the centuries to 1937, when Robert Byron published The Road To Oxiana, his diary of a trip to the borders of Afghanistan. This book marks the birth of the modern travel-writing style – funny, rich in anecdotes, full of surprises. Much in the tradition of Byron comes my next favourite: A Short Walk In the Hindu Kush, by Eric Newby. The story is very much as the title suggests: Newby and a friend, with little preparation or training, walk across the edge of Afghanistan. They bump into the great explorer Wilfred Thesiger, who is not impressed. “We started to blow up our air-beds. ‘God, you must be a couple of pansies,’ said Thesiger.” Venice, by Jan Morris, is a model portrait of any travel writer’s favourite city: scholarly, lyrical, and, above all, affectionate.

This book marks the birth of the modern travel-writing style – funny, rich in anecdotes, full of surprises On the Road, by Jack Kerouac, is one of the great novels of youth, and the greatest ever novel of the American road trip. “The only people in life for me are the mad ones,” says the hero, Sal Paradise, as he drives from New York to Los Angeles with much fun to be had along the way. Among the Russians, by Colin Thubron, describes a journey by car from

St. Petersburg via the Baltic States, through Russia to the Caucasus in the 1970s. Thubron looks at the people, not the landscapes. No foreigner has written a better account of the everyday life across the decaying Soviet Union. Paul Theroux’s first and best travel book, The Great Railway Bazaar, records a comparable journey to Thubron’s, but undertaken by train, through Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Just when the romance of rail travel was dying in the West, Theroux found it again in the East. Notes From A Small Island, by Bill Bryson, is the funniest book ever written about England, which is saying something, seen through the eyes of an American who knows and loves the country and the culture. Bruce Chatwin’s In Patagonia tells of a six-month journey through Argentina to the world’s southernmost city, Ushaia. It is a travel book that reads like a novel, and a very fine novel at that. The last of my ten choices will have you laughing, but I stand by it all the same: A Year In Provence, by Peter Mayle. Yes, it is a facile, trivial book, but it is also a pleasure to read; and it launched the great wave of amateur, everyday-life travel writing that fills our bookshelves today. So. Those are my ten. How about yours? BO

TEXT BY SIMON COOPER | PUBLICITY PHOTOS

Pinnacle of luxury

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Hotel d’Angleterre is to Copenhagen what the Ritz is to London: a hotel cut through with lavishness, but one that has also gone beyond its raison d’être and into the collective consciousness of a culture. Starting May 1, after the most ambitious hotel restoration in Danish history, it will help put Copenhagen back on the luxury travel radar

The amazing

lineage of one the Second World War, Nazi officers boarded of Europe’s first grand hotels began in 1755 there and held highly tense meetings when royal servant Jean Marechal and his with members of the Danish resistance. lover Maria Coppy opened a restaurant Legislation has been drawn up in the across Kongens Nytorv hotel. It has outlived generations, Square from where today’s Corridors have political tenures and the ripples hotel stands. 1791 saw retained their felt by historic world events. the naissance of the Hotel width due to Hans Christian Andersen, Walt d’Angleterre – named in Disney, Winston Churchill and the broadFrench after its in-house Madonna have spent nights bottomed English gentlemen’s club – amid the stately grandeur of dresses worn Hotel d’Angleterre. Countless heads before a newly-located by ladies in the of states, royals and celebrities neoclassic mansion was 18th century redesigned by Danish have mingled at various galas, architect Vilhelm Dahlerup banquets and assemblies in the in the 1870s. Current proprietors – the opulent Palm Court and the Louis XVI Remmen Foundation – are overseeing Ballroom, both of which are now restored this latest development, a ménage a trios with a stained glass ceiling, sandstone floor between CF Møller, London-based Design and the latest technology. International, and SPACE Copenhagen. The hotel’s 90 bedrooms include Hotel d’Angleterre hosted concerts by 60 suites – but all are even larger than composer H.C. Lumbye and housed Russian before. The elegant living spaces, as airy refugees during the First World War. During and light as summerhouse conservatories

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are done in modern classical decor and have climate control systems and self-flush toilets. Furniture has been handpicked from around the world. Marbled and aesthetically endearing, a huge new staircase provides access to corridors that have retained their width due to the broad-bottomed dresses worn by ladies in the 18th century. Hotel d’Angleterre’s foyer, under an original golden ceiling alcove, gives way to a spacious reception area and bar. Balthazar, a stylish champagne bar, will suit those who come in from shopping at the nearby high-end fashion boutiques. A state-of-theart spa, fitness and wellness centre will offer a spread of re-energising treatments. With a menu of part French and part new Nordic flavour, freshly-installed head chef Ronny Emborg aims to up the culinary ante. Ambitions for the forward-thinking restaurant might be high, but guests will still be able to order classics like club sandwiches. BO

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PUBLICITY PHOTOS

MAY / 2013 Wagner Idyll Pianist Vestards Šimkus Opening concert of the Riga Festival, Great Guild Hall (Lielā ģilde), Riga / June 3

Wei Seng Chen, Malaysia Pacu Jawi Bull Race, Indonesia

World Press Photo Exhibition 2013 St. Peter’s Church, Riga / May 13 – June 3 Every year after the World Press Photo Contest, the winning images go on tour. Following the official opening in Amsterdam, the exhibition will be seen in approximately 100 cities and 45 countries, Latvia being among them for the first time since 1991. This year, a total of 5,666 photographers handed in their works, which were judged by an international jury. This year, out of 103,481 photos, Swedish photographer Paul Hansen won first prize for his photo of mourners carrying the bodies of two dead children through a street in Gaza City. The exhibition is a showcase for creativity in photojournalism and a platform for developments in the profession, an aim that World Press Photo has aspired to since its foundation in 1956, along with the encouragement and stimulation of the work of press photographers around the world. More information at www.worldpressphoto.org Skārņu iela 19

The Riga Festival (Rīgas Festivāls) is one of the most noteworthy classical music events in the Baltic countries and is now taking place for the third time. Outstanding musicians from both Latvia and abroad will perform at various concerts until June 20. The opening of the festival takes place on June 3 with a concert performance by Latvian piano virtuoso Vestards Šimkus of pieces from his latest solo album, Wagner Idyll. Šimkus gained widespread international recognition through

his successful cooperation with the BBC Philharmonic, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and numerous other classical music performers. He has played at many prestigious venues, including the Wiener Konzerthaus, Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall, Moscow Conservatory and Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. The pianist is best-known for his electrifying performances under such conductors as Lawrence Foster (USA), Andris Nelsons (Latvia), Vassily Sinaisky (Russia), Karel Mark Chichon (UK/Gibraltar) and Olari Elts (Estonia), to name a few. He has recorded five solo albums to date. More information at www.rigasfestivals.lv Tickets at www.bilesuparadize.lv Amatu iela 6

DETAILS / LOCAL AGENDA

Chants of the Sacred Wind (Svētā vēja dziedājumi) Kamēr… youth choir Tabakas fabrika, Riga / May 25–26

works for Kamēr…, and his latest work is of large format, in other words, a choral symphony. According to Adams, birds inspired his first compositions and now he is returning to them through the untapped potential of human voices. His upcoming work will be a vocalized piece (that is, without words, using only sounds), and hence universally accessible the world over. Jānis Liepiņš will conduct the premiere of Chants of the Sacred Wind under the direction of Margita Zālīte, in stage setting designed by Gints Gabrāns.

The Latvian Kamēr… youth choir and celebrated American composer John Luther Adams have had a productive relationship over the past years. Called “one of the most original musical thinkers of the new century” (Alex Ross, The New Yorker), Adams has previously composed choral

Tickets at the Biļešu paradīze box office and at www.bilesuparadize.lv More information at www.kamer.lv Miera iela 58

John Luther Adams

Museum Night (Muzeju nakts) Various museums and cultural venues in Latvia / May 18 For the eighth year in a row, Riga will be one of the host cities of the annual Museum Night, an international initiative that was spawned in Berlin and that has now spread to many European countries. During this cultural extravaganza, museums and other institutions provide free admission to the public and leave their doors open long after midnight. Along with traditional exhibitions, various other cultural events are held, including creative workshops, concerts and theatre performances. Besides museums, other institutions that guard and promote Europe’s cultural heritage will be involved, such as theatres, concert halls, libraries and institutions of higher learning. This year, Museum Night will also take place in other cities across Latvia. In Riga, the theme for 2013 is Forest – the Colour Green (Zaļā krāsa – Mežs). Free admission More information at www.muzeju-nakts.lv

CMY

DETAILS / EUROPEAN EVENTS

In association with www.anothertravelguide.com

Pablo Picasso, Nudo (1909) St. Petersburg, The State Hermitage Museum Cubism was one of the most significant Western art movements in the early 20th century, serving as

Frankfurt Keith Haring, The 10 Commandments (1985). © Keith Haring Foundation, NY, Collection: Keith Haring Foundation

Paris

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a visual reflection of a world that was changing at breakneck speed. The new movement presented a challenge to classical Western art traditions and broke painting conventions that had been in place since the Renaissance; for example, by depicting objects from different perspectives simultaneously. Cubism drew part of its inspiration from primitive art and particularly from African masks, with Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque seen as groundbreakers of this style. The exhibition at the Complesso del Vittoriano features more than 200 paintings, drawings, sculptures, films, design objects, costumes and other items from the Cubist period, illustrating this art style’s influence on architecture, music, literature, cinema and design. Among the featured artists are the aforementioned Picasso and Braque, as well as Fernand Léger and Diego Rivera. Complesso del Vittoriano Via san Pietro

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Last Works. From Manet to Kippenberger, Schirn Kunsthalle / Until June 2

Located in a vast building that used to house Paris’ undertakers, the Centquatre exhibition space in the city’s 19th arrondissement forms the ideal setting for a retrospective of works by legendary New York street artist Keith Haring (1958–1990), whose popular imagery has been among the most widely recognizable by any artist of the late 20th century. During Haring’s short but illustrious career, his cartoon-inspired works – which dealt with such themes as life, death, love, sex and war – were displayed at more than 100 solo and group exhibitions. He also created more than 50 oeuvres in public spaces such as metro stations, schools, hospitals and homeless shelters, reflecting universal themes like poverty, disease and injustice, to which the socially active artist wished to draw the public’s attention. Like many artists of his generation, Haring died prematurely of complications induced by AIDS, at only 31 years of age.

American artist Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986) was already over 80 years old in the late 1960s, when she discovered the thrill of flying, travelling across the Last Works. From Manet to Kippenberger Orient, the Middle Exhibition view © Schirn Kunsthalle East, India and Frankfurt 2013 Europe. Flying also inspired her last two large series of works, which depict bird’s-eye views of clouds, rivers and other landscapes. Some of these paintings, created shortly before the permanent impairment of O’Keeffe’s vision in 1972, are now on view at the Schirn Kunsthalle. There, an unusual exhibition of the final works by O’Keeffe and 13 other well-known artists (including Edouard Manet, Andy Warhol and Martin Kippenberger) offers a surprising and captivating view of their artistic careers.

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Römerberg www.schirn.de

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Keith Haring. The Political Line – Grands Formats Centquatre / Until August 18 * Price available for bookings at least five months in advance

from

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The State Hermitage Museum /Vladimir © Terebenin, Leonard Kheifets, Yuri Molodkovets; © Gosudarstvennyj ErmitaZ, Sankt-Peterburg, 2013

“Cubisti Cubismo” a Roma Da Picasso a Leger, da Braque a Severini, Complesso del Vittoriano / Until June 23

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Photography: Norbert Miguletz

Rome

DETAILS / EUROPEAN EVENTS

Munich Rolls-Royce. Strive for Perfection BMW Museum

* Price available for bookings at least five months in advance

All roads of car enthusiasts currently lead to Munich, which is hosting a major exhibition devoted to vehicles manufactured by British auto industry legend Rolls-Royce. This is the largest ever showing outside of Great Britain dedicated to the car brand that epitomizes luxury and perfection. Of course, taking into account that the British carmaker has been owned by the Munichbased BMW firm for the past ten years, it is hardly surprising that this exhibition is being shown in the five stories of the BMW Museum. Here, the history of Rolls-Royce is recounted with scrupulous precision – starting from the initial meeting between Henry Royce and Charles Rolls in 1904, and

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continuing to this day. Fifteen original vehicles dating from 1907 to 2012 are on display, including the iconic Rolls-Royce 10EX (1926), which was one of the most innovative experimental car models of its time. A special section focuses on the legendary Spirit of Ecstasy figure that adorns the hood of every Rolls-Royce model ever made and that turns 100 this year. Three large photos from an enthralling 100-piece photo series by legendary English photographer Rankin are also on view at the museum. Visitors will also gain insights into the process by which each Rolls-Royce is crafted at Goodwood, the home and production site of all Rolls-Royce vehicles. Am Olympiapark 2 www.bmw-welt.com

Meret Oppenheim, Ein Abend im Jahr 1910, 1972 Kunstmuseum Bern, © Peter Lauri, Bern © VBK, Wien, 2013

Vienna Meret Oppenheim Bank Austria Kunstforum / Until June 14 “Women are not goddesses, not fairies, not sphinxes. All these are the projections of men,” said famous Surrealist painter and sculptor Meret Oppenheim (1913–1985), who would have turned 100 this year. At the age of 18, she left her native Switzerland to study art in Paris. As a regular patron of the Café du Dôme in the city’s Montparnasse district, Oppenheim met and befriended other creative souls, including Alberto Giacometti and Pablo Picasso, as well as André Breton and his Surrealist colleagues. The iconic black-and-white photograph by Man Ray, in which Oppenheim poses naked with an ink-stained hand and arm, has become a classic in its genre. Much to Oppenheim’s dismay, she became known mostly for her good

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looks, for Man Ray’s photographs of her and for a single, legendary work named Breakfast in Fur (1936). It was displayed at an exhibition devoted to Surrealist art and purchased soon after by the Museum of Modern Art in New York, further contributing to its iconic status. Oppenheim was only 23 years old at the time and soon after, she experienced a crisis of creativity that lasted nearly two decades. In 1967, Stockholm’s Moderna Museet organized a retrospective of her works, which provided a new impetus to her artistic career. The latest retrospective in Vienna is devoted to Oppenheim’s 100th birthday anniversary. The exhibition will then travel on to the Martin-Gropius-Bau exhibition hall in Berlin. Bank Austria Kunstforum Freyung 8 www.bankaustria-kunstforum.at

DETAILS / REVIEW

TEXT BY ROGER NORUM | PUBLICITY PHOTOS

The Architect’s Home

by Gennaro Postiglione

Glocalisation This month, we offer some worldly inspiration to bring the big planet just a little bit closer to home A Map of the World: The World According to Illustrators and Storytellers

by Antonis Antoniou, R. Klanten, H. Ehmann and H. Hellige

29.99 EUR Taschen, www.taschen.com

Taschen has done it again, with a stunningly gorgeous book that shows off in brilliant colour and vintage B&W the most personal, private aspect of any architect: her home. Fifty renowned architects from all over the world are showcased. Should offer more than enough ideas for planning your next big move.

Text by Adam Jacot de Boinod, author of The Meaning of Tingo and Other Extraordinary Words from Around the World, published by Penguin Books | Illustration by Inga Briede

DVD

David Attenborough’s Africa

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This brilliant new large-format book will make map lovers fall in love with printed matter all over again, offering 224 pages of inspired, innovative and cutting-edge cartography from some of the world’s best illustrators and graphic artists. The masterpieces herein range from detailed, analytical views of small geographic communities to bird’s-eye, impressionistic takes on the entire planet. An absolute must for the inveterate traveller, design geek or out-of-the-box dreamer in your family.

21 EUR BBC, www.bbcshop.com

These three DVDs may well contain the most exhilarating 345 minutes of landscape and wildlife shots that you’ll ever see. Spanning jungles, lakes, glaciers and volcanoes from the Atlas Mountains to the Cape of Good Hope, Attenborough romances without romanticising, and captures the essence of things without essentialising. A must for all mammals.

Baling (Manobo, Philippines) – the action of an unmarried woman who, when she wants to marry a certain man, goes to his house and refuses to leave until the marriage is agreed upon

The Meaning of Tingo is a compilation of extraordinary words and expressions from around the world that have no equivalent in English. Adam Jacot de Boinod’s passion is scouring the planet for language oddities and every month, Baltic Outlook features one of the many amusing terms that he has come across in his travels.

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Malta

DETAILS / CITY MUST-SEES

Text by Patrick Cooke | publicity photos

When asked to name five great spots for Baltic Outlook’s little black book, Malta-based journalist Patrick Cooke chose places that answer questions most visitors ask him: where can we go in Valletta during the evening; where can we go in St. Julian’s away from the crowds?

ONE WAY

Tat-Tarag restaurant

Juuls bar

Few hostels anywhere in the world offer the prospect of sipping cocktails in a Jacuzzi on an open terrace, but Hostel Malti does. With Wi-Fi throughout, regular barbecues, island excursions, expert staff and nightly bar crawls, this hostel can provide new arrivals with the perfect introduction to the island. New for this summer is a Hostel Malti jeep for road trips, and the management is hoping to buy a boat for shenanigans at sea in the near future.

Perched on the periphery of one of Malta’s highest towns, Tat-Tarag is worth a visit for the terrace views alone. Luckily, it has divine food to match, with homemade dips, platters, ftira (baked Maltese bread with topping) and pasta, not to mention an extensive collection of local and international wines. Book ahead if you want a spot on the terrace and work up an appetite beforehand by strolling through the delightful back streets of Rabat, where ancient catacombs are found next to impossibly charming limestone houses. Just a short walk away is the ancient hilltop capital of Mdina. If you find yourself getting carried away with the sheer medieval magic of the area, then take a horse and carriage ride near Mdina’s main gate and arrive at Tat-Tarag in fitting style.

41B’Kara Hill, Ta’ Giorni, St. Julian’s www.hostelmalti.com

Saqqajja Hill, Rabat www.tat-tarag.com

In an area known for its boisterous nightlife, Juuls provides a laidback refuge with Rasta vibes. This unpretentious chillout baron at the edge of postcard-perfect Spinola Bay attracts a cosmopolitan crowd of free spirits. Cushions are provided for sitting outside on the moonlit steps, while an extension to the building last year means there is ample space inside for dancing and live music. 7 St. Joseph Street, Spinola Bay www.juulsbar.com

Hostel Malti

St. James Centre for Creativity Housed in St. James Cavalier, a formidable 16th-century fort built by the Knights of St. John, the centre is home to a small theatre-in-the-round, an intimate cinema, a chamber music room and galleries. You can spend hours wandering through atmospheric chambers and admiring exhibitions by some of the islands’ best artistic talents. There is also a delightful café with an outdoor terrace, open for lunches and evening meals. Pjazza Kastilja,Valletta www.sjcav.org

Maxokk bakery This secluded family bakery in Nadur is a Gozitan institution and well worth a mini detour on the way to catch the ferry. Blink and you could miss it – the nondescript exterior doesn’t get any fancier inside. However, that allows the food to take centre stage, and when you bite into your steaming hot ftira on the way back to your car, you’ll want to break into applause. Maxokk’s secret is its old brick oven, used to bake 16 different types of ftira and pizza the way they did it 80 years ago when the business started. St. James Street, Nadur, Gozo www.maxokkbakery.com

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DETAILS / THING OF THE MONTH

TEXT BY ROGER NORUM | PUBLICITY PHOTO

A suitcase to suit Globe-Trotter’s Centenary luggage pieces call to mind a mode of travel all but forgotten

Few items stand as more iconic

his infamous Antarctic expedition in 1912, emblems of travel than the classic luggage which unfortunately ended in tragedy. collection – large, khaki leather cases that Queen Elizabeth II had a set with her on belonged as much in a Calcutta train station her honeymoon. And Sir Edmund Hillary as in a Prussian duke’s carriage. ascended with one to base camp during his But where have they all gone? It’s 1953 conquest of Everest. almost a truisim: no one makes great Today, little has changed. These luxury luggage anymore. The turn from great style icons are still sought by travellers old characterful suitcases to interested in a timeless The handles, soulless boxes of modernity aesthetic (James Bond made comes down in large part use of one – a rifle case – in produced to the materials involved: Skyfall). The brand’s Centenary by a team of the cases of yore were made leatherworkers, series is one of the most iconic of canvas or leather, heavy must cure over and instantly recognizable textiles that only really made designs of any suitcase in the a period of sense in an era when travellers world, with pieces ranging five days – on had someone to carry their from a 16-inch slim attaché to original bags for them. a 33-inch ultra deep suitcase Victorian Luckily for those of us who with casters. The cases feature still harbour a taste for the presses, no less grain leather straps and good ole days, one company corners, chrome locks and is still making suitcases like they used to. interiors lined with a jacquard weave. They Founded in 1897 by Englishman David are built to be lightweight but extremely Nelken, the aptly named Globe-Trotter strong. One of the company’s best-known PR began making its legendary leather cases stunts showed a cabin case supporting the in Hertfordshire, England. Within a short weight of an elephant from the London Zoo. time, the company had gained some The processes involved in the production serious street cred: Captain Robert Scott are as old as the look and feel of the objects took Globe-Trotter luggage with him on themselves. Each piece is built entirely

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by hand and takes weeks to produce. The cases are made out of heated vulcanised fibreboard, a material invented in 1850s England consisting of 14 layers of paper specially bonded together at a local mill. The leather trimmings are hand-crafted from fine local hides on original antique sewing machines, while the handles, produced by a team of leatherworkers, must cure over a period of five days – on original Victorian presses, no less. To attain such high levels of quality, Globe-Trotter employs some of Britain’s finest artisans – case-makers and leather experts who undergo a rigorous apprenticeship program. Many have worked on Globe-Trotter’s factory team for decades. This makes sense in a place where little has changed: the factory effectively uses the same designs, processes and materials as when it opened in 1897. All this tradition shows in the final product: classic, beautiful pieces that could body-double as furniture in a manor estate home. Unlike cheap, glossy polycarbonate luggage, these suitcases only look better the more they’re used. The more scratches, nicks and baggage stickers, the more stately they appear in their old age. BO

PUBLICITY PHOTO

Magistretti’s Maralunga sofa by Cassina

DETAILS / DESIGN

Classics of modern-day production Being among the pioneers who set the grounds for what is known today as Italian design, Vico Magistretti (1920-2006) has left an outstanding heritage that graces not only homes, but also museums worldwide

The timing

was far from perfect. was also discovered. He had an eye for Vico, born Ludovico Magistretti, acquired his well-designed mass-produced items degree in architecture during the Second and didn’t see a contradiction between World War in Italy and even had to flee the terms. Starting from the 1960s, Vico to Switzerland to avoid deportation. His turned his focus to household design. It background, however, did make things a bit didn’t take long for him to create his own easier. Vico’s family had been architectureindividual handwriting, which changed the tied for generations and the architectural scene of Italy and young student swam in this field propelled him to further fame. He had like a fish in the water. Vico became one of the founding an eye He started his career in members of so-called Italian for wellpost-war Italy as an architect design, which he himself called designed inspired by the Humanist ideas miraculous, thanks to a close massof his future maestro Ernesto collaboration between architects produced and manufacturers. At the end Nathan Rogers. During the 1950s, Magistretti became known as one of 1960s, Magistretti started items of the most brilliant members of working with such renowned the ‘Third Generation’ of Italian architects, furniture and lamp manufacturers as following the construction of the famous Cassina, Artemide and Oluce, coming up Tower in Park on Via Revere in Milan and with items that are still seen as classics of an office block on Corso Europa in the modern-day production. same city. Under the wing of Cassina, legends as It was only later in 1950s that the Carimate chair, Maralunga sofa (1973), Magistretti’s talent for industrial design Sindbad sofa (1981) and Veranda armchair

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(1983) were born. During the late 1960s and 1970s, Magistretti’s work as a designer came first and his successful collaboration with Artemide manifested itself through such notable and famous lamps as Eclisse (1967), Teti (1970), Dalù (1965) and many more. The 1966 Selene chair was one of the first plastic chairs (together with Verner Panton’s Panton Chair and Joe Colombo’s Universale), changing the face of furniture design for generations to come. During his long career, Magistretti won various design awards (including the Golden Compass Award). His works can be seen in the permanent collections of MOMA in New York, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and many other places in Europe and America. After he passed away in 2006, his Milan studio was turned into a museum (on via Conservatorio 20) that continues to promote Magistretti’s work. In a way, his intellectual heritage also keeps living through his students, as Magistretti was a generous teacher. BO

T/c „Spice Home” Jaunmoku iela 13, Rīga Tālr.: (+371) 66100047, (+371) 27477774 spice@gaismasmagija.lv www.gaismasmagija.lv

Brīvības iela 99, Rīga Tālr.: (+371) 66047077, (+371) 27709909 brivibas@gaismasmagija.lv www.gaismasmagija.lv

DETAILS / STYLE

STYLING BY AGNESE NARNICKA, ONE WOLF | PHOTOS BY GATIS GIERTS, F64

Luscious and brilliant! Bright colours return with the spring in full bloom

9 4

3 8

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1/ Painting May by Agnese Narņicka, (oil and acrylic on canvas), LVL 32 / EUR 46 at Paviljons 2/ Men’s shirt, LVL 49 / EUR 70 at Suitsupply 3/ Men’s tie, LVL 25 / EUR 36 at Suit Supply 4/ Facial serum by Pomegranate, LVL 20.50 / EUR 30 at The Body Shop 5/ Eau de parfum for women by White Musk, LVL 13.50 / EUR 19 at The Body Shop 6/ Bow ties by April Look, LVL 18 / EUR 26 each at Paviljons 7/ Eau de parfum for men by White Musk, LVL 19.50 / EUR 28 at The Body Shop 8/ Women’s shoes by United Nude, LVL 69.95 / EUR 99 at The Shoe Store 9/ Primroses in a flower pot, LVL 3 / EUR 4.20 at Kalsnava 10/ Violets in a flower pot, LVL 2 / EUR 2.80 at Kalsnava 11/ Pails, LVL 2 / EUR 2.80 each, at Tiger 12/ Women’s shoes by Vagabond, LVL 44.99 / EUR 64 at Euroskor 13/ Women’s top by ZIB, LVL 25.50 / EUR 36 at Paviljons Addresses in Riga: Euroskor, Tērbatas iela 16/18; Paviljons, Tērbatas iela 55; Suit Supply, The Body Shop and Tiger at the Galleria Riga, Dzirnavu iela 67; Kalsnava, Ģertrūdes iela 37; The Shoe Store at the Galerija Centrs, Audēju iela 16

201 Brivibas str., Riga. Ph.: +371 26606060, www.podium.lv

DETAILS / PEOPLE TEXT BY IEVA NORA FIRERE | PHOTOS BY GATIS ROZENFELDS AND ALEXANDER GRONSKY

Framing the moment In the well-hidden studio that Alexander Gronsky (33)

shares with the Riga-based International Summer School of Photography, the renowned photographer takes a call before sitting down with Baltic Outlook. He confirms that he will be attending a Russian poetry evening at the Berga Bazārs and exchanges his cell phone for a coffee mug. After four years in Riga, the Tallinn-born, Moscow-based artist has finally settled in the Latvian capital. “I’m not attached to cities, rather to apartments. But since it’s my fourth year in Riga, I’ve got to socialize, at least a bit,” he smiles. Being among the laureates of World Press Photo competition 2012, Alexander’s photographs were on display in the organization’s travelling annual exhibition last year. The prize-winning pictures of the 2013 contest will reach Latvia this month. No other Riga-based photographer has won the highly praised award so far. Moving to Riga served as a watershed, professionally. Alexander gradually exchanged the hectic and compact schedule of a Moscowbased editorial photographer for art work and family life. Since settling in Riga, his exhibitions have travelled to cities like Moscow, Paris, Amsterdam, New York and even as far Bogotá, the capital of Colombia. He still takes on assignments for magazines and frequently flies to Moscow, but smilingly admits to an increased detachment from his former role as an editorial photographer.

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Holy Grail

The World Press Photo exhibition is a collection of powerful, jury-selected photos that chronicle the events of the previous year and simultaneously reveal current trends in contemporary photography. In a way, this competition is the Holy Grail of the industry, says Alexander. The prize that he won last year within the category ‘Daily Life’ brought him considerable attention. Alexander’s award-winning photo series Pastoral consists of 12 images, which he created over the course of three years, periodically roaming Moscow’s peripheral neighbourhoods. The series centres on the rural urges of the urban inhabitants who populate the world’s northernmost megacity. Returning from time to time to a number of favoured spots in Moscow, Alexander sometimes spent hours waiting for the right composition of passers-by and perfect lighting conditions. He is not known to be hasty with his works. “As a matter of fact, I’m incredibly slow with particular art projects and with my development as a photographer in general. It probably would have been much faster if I’d had a proper education,” says Alexander, who learned to master photography on his own, “having gone through all of the photo clichés”. He started off as a freelance photographer at the age of 18.

MANDATUM LIFE, Kronvalda bulvāris 3, Rīga, Tālr. 67 503 333, INFO@MANDATUMLIFE.LV

DETAILS / PEOPLE Fake of a fake

The series centres on the rural urges of the urban inhabitants who populate the world’s northernmost megacity

His current art project is connected with a particularly favoured practice in Russia – the historic re-enactment or staged recreation of particular moments in history, especially spectacular battles. “It’s basically a fake of a fake, as these people don’t play out their own experiences, but rather something that they have seen in films”. Alexander’s focus is not on re-enactments per se. “I use them as settings for my art work. I’m dependent on the time and space where these re-enactments take place, but I’m not documenting them,” he explains. Recently, Alexander’s pace of work has picked up quite a bit. He has turned from quiet vistas to dramatic scenes involving the participation of dozens of people. One of his upcoming sessions will depict the events of May 9, known in Russia as Victory Day, when the Nazi regime surrendered to the Allies in 1945 and the Second World War finally ended in Europe. This has proven to be a particularly inspiring event for history enthusiasts. Re-enactment schedules around Moscow and central Russia will be particularly packed.

X-rayed films

Frequent flights are now part of Alexander’s work routine, with Riga–Moscow being his most travelled route. On one occasion, his films were damaged by the X-ray machines that had scanned his checked-in baggage. Now he knows that hand luggage is scanned by less powerful X-rays. “One of my friends, also a photographer, had it even worse while on an assignment in Chechnya. There, the terrorist threat is high and X-ray machines are everywhere, even at store entrances. There was no way that he could avoid having his film damaged by the repeated exposures,” says Alexander, pointing to the occupational hazards that film photographers can face, and to the reality of life in Chechnya today. According to the artist, photography does not always serve as a reflection of reality. “Some of my photos can be very misleading about the atmosphere on the spot. Even if it’s a documental shot, I choose a specific part of this reality and decide how to frame it. There’s no truth or actual representation, it’s just an interpretation of a particular moment.” BO

The World Press Photo Exhibition 2013 is on display in St. Peter’s Church, Riga, from May 13 to June 3 www.alexandergronsky.com

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The future meets the past

Marantz Consolette

Ishiwata

had already spent some time in Europe working for Pioneer, trying his hand at photography and engaging in many other pursuits. Thirty-five years later, Marantz’s and Ken Ishiwata’s names remain inexorably linked. Ishiwata’s business card reads: Marantz Brand Ambassador, and for good reason, as he personally takes part in the construction of Marantz’s top-of-the-line products. His initials, KI, are included in the names of the company’s exclusive audio items. For more than 30 years, Ishiwata has carefully checked the quality of every new Marantz product, and only after he gives his stamp of approval is the item released onto the world market, ensuring that music-lovers are not disappointed. Thanks to his natural talent of converting simple stereo sounds into a genuine high-end experience, Ishiwata remains one of the 40 / AIRBALTIC.COM

Text by Girts Rozners | publicity photo

Hi-fi technology enthusiast Ken Ishiwata’s legendary relationship with Marantz began in 1978, when the Japanese-based audio product maker was seeking someone with good English-language skills to help the company break into the world market has built-in wooden elements with rounded corners. The round display at the centre of the dock station is similar to the Model 9 display of the monoblock amplifier produced in 1959, while the Electronic Gyro Touch regulators are inspired by ST-8 receivers made in 1979. The electronics also reflect Marantz’s meticulous attention to detail. The Consolette has built-in active speakers made with the same technologies that are used in hi-end equipment. Two separate mono amplifiers are connected to bass speakers, while the higher frequencies are played back by special Balanced Mode Radiator (BMR) speakers, which are also connected to separate amplifiers, thus ensuring a very even and wide distribution of higher most influential personalities in the audio frequencies across the whole room. Hence, industry. Hi-Fi publications and websites this premium sound system is equipped with frequently ask him for his opinion about four independent amplifiers. The Consolette new products in the field. stands out not only with its The latest Marantz item to superior sound, but also with As a former undergo Ishiwata’s rigorous its connective versatility – it can violin player, be hooked up to a LAN home quality controls is the Marantz Consolette dock station. In 1953, he takes music network and play music saved Marantz’s American founder in other devices, as well as far more Saul B. Marantz released the seriously than internet radio. Ishiwata can company’s first audio product, spend hours talking about audio one might the Audio Consolette – a technology and does so with expect of an pre-amplifier designed for great conviction, considering engineer playing mono vinyl records that he has spent a great part and producing the best of his life working in this field – possible sound. Now Marantz is releasing practically all of his working life. As a former the Consolette in a new form – a dock violin player, he takes music and its sound station designed to work with portable far more seriously than one might otherwise audio devices, which have become very expect of an engineer. Indeed, everything popular of late. The new product bears that Ishiwata works on sounds fantastic, several elements from the past. The body including the Consolette. BO

www.marantz.com

DETAILS / TECH

OUTLOOK / FOOD

Text by Krista Baumane, food blogger, www.krista.lv | Photo Corbis / SCANPIX

You will find a small bed of

Sorrel:

the promise of spring

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and founder of the Slow Food sorrel in almost every traditional movement in Latvia, says that Latvian country garden. My sorrel is a national dish known grandparents had one, just by everybody. He served it once behind the well. I remember it to HM Queen Elizabeth II (the to this day, because as a child, Buckingham Palace-approved I was often asked to go pick a menu included a timbale of handful for the soup. wild salmon with local crayfish I am talking about a hearty, tails and sorrel-citrus dressing) thickened soup with barley; the and, on another occasion, to chopped sorrel put in at the HRH Prince Charles when they last minute to lend it a fresh were in Riga. Mārtiņš recalls that flavour. Minced hard-boiled Prince Charles was intrigued by egg and rich sour cream are the sorrel-mint sauce that went added individually to taste at with the lamb, and liked it so the table. Versions of this soup – much that he asked for another sometimes without sauce boat. meat and often “Sorrel makes The green, with the addition of a tangy sauce for pointed spinach – are popular oily fish – similar leaves are on restaurant menus to rhubarb and rich in throughout the gooseberries. Its vitamin C and fresh, mouthyear, but particularly minerals such puckering acidity in late spring and as iron and tickles and delights”, early summer, when calcium sorrel is abundant in says Mārtiņš. Sorrel gardens and markets. needn’t be fancy. The green, pointed leaves are It’s great simply shredded on rich in vitamin C and minerals top of new potatoes together such as iron and calcium, so with butter, salt and a splash they’re good for you, too, of olive oil; and similarly to besides having a pronounced, spinach, it is one of the best tart flavour. accompaniments to eggs. Perhaps it is the Latvian Fellow food blogger name of this tangy, fresh-tasting Ilze Lipska, who runs a small spring green that makes me organic farm near Sigulda, loves think of it as sulky: skābene, the to add sorrel to her omelettes, sour one. It evokes thoughts pesto and green smoothies of an unappreciated beauty, together with spinach. She says failing to aesthetically conform that there has always been a bed to some oversimplified standard of sorrel in her garden, that it is of prettiness, just because it easy to grow and that it needs turns an army-green colour no care at all. Ilze also reminded when cooked. Accomplished me that wild sorrel can be chefs, however, sing her praises. found in overgrown meadows – Rowley Leigh of the Café Anglais a perfect snack to graze on in London recently wrote when picking flowers for the this poetic description in the Midsummer’s Eve celebrations. FT Weekend paper: “Sorrel in a If you visit Latvia in late dish is the gustatory equivalent spring or early summer, then of a bank of snowdrops or you will almost inevitably daffodils: it lifts the dish out of encounter this sulky, green leaf the drab passage of winter into with a strong personality – be it the promise of spring.” in a fancy restaurant, a friend’s Mārtiņš Rītiņš, the celebrated place, a university canteen or chef of Riga’s Vincents restaurant even out in a grassy field. BO

YOUR NEXT DESTINATION

Text by Una Meistere, www.anothertravelguide.com | Photos by Ainars Erglis

Island of hospitality Bad luck, somebody has already taken the Anothertravelguide brochure about Cyprus, but don’t worry, all the information is also available at ANOTHERTRAVELGUIDE.COM in cooperation with airBaltic.

Fly to Larnaca with airBaltic from

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€115

ONE WAY

BALTIC OUTLOOK / MAY 2013 / 45

YOUR NEXT DESTINATION

Latchi fishing harbour on the Akamas peninsula

To us northerners Cyprus seems like an explosion of colour

Soon

after landing in Cyprus in the middle of the night, we were greeted with a surprise: pleasantly tired from the journey, we went to unlock the door of our rented car, only to find the steering wheel on the right hand side. Then we noticed that the locals’ cars have yellow registration plates, while rental cars have red plates. That is probably with good reason: to give the locals warning of distracted holidaymakers not used to this hold-over from the time when Cyprus was a colony of the British Empire. The air smells of orange blossoms – it’s orange season, and the trees along the sides of the roads are loaded with fruit. Oranges are special in that the trees bloom and bear fruit at the same time. The mimosas have just finished blooming, while the cherry trees are still in full bloom and the strawberries are already ripe. We pass roadside stands selling strawberries and the first tomatoes of the season. To us northerners, worn out by an endless winter of grey and white, Cyprus seems like an explosion of colour. The saltwater lake near Larnaca Airport, one of the most significant areas for waterfowl in Europe, also explodes in colour with flamingoes and wild ducks passing through on their migrations. Long ago, this lake was an important Mediterranean port. Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily and Sardinia. It is located at the crossroads of three continents – Europe, Asia, and Africa – and this strategic location has played an important role in its turbulent history. The first wave of Greek settlement dates back about 3500 years and laid the foundation for the island’s Greek heritage. Greek is the main language here, although locals speak a Cypriot dialect that, as the islanders themselves like to say, the Greeks in Athens cannot understand. Like everything else in Cyprus, this dialect has been heavily influenced by history; the Phoenicians, Assyrians, Venetians, Ottomans, and British have all left their mark. Likewise, the popular Cedar Valley hiking area in western Cyprus may well have been

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the result of Lebanese immigrants, who brought their cedar trees along with them to the island.

Repository of ancient treasures Cyprus is a true paradise for history and archaeology buffs. Here one can find remnants of the Byzantine Empire, ancient Greek temples, Roman theatres and villas, Crusader castles, Venetian and Moorish architecture, and British colonial style buildings. During the Classical period (480 BC – 330 AD), Cyprus was pulled into the Greco-Persian Wars and for a time was even a part of the Persian Empire, although it simultaneously retained its independence. In the Roman era (30 BC – 330 AD), Cyprus was known for the mining of copper, which was discovered on the northern slopes of the Troodos Mountains. In fact, the Latin word for copper, cuprium, is said to have derived from the Greek name of the island, Kypros; the English word for this metal is also believed to have derived from this same name. One of the grandest remains of the ancient era is the Kourion Greco-Roman amphitheatre, which has been restored and is now used for concerts and opera performances. The amphitheatre is located directly on the Mediterranean Sea and is one of the most impressive places on the island. Silver and gold production became important industries in Cyprus during the Byzantine period (330 – 1119 AD). A unique witness to this time is the Angeloktisti church and its 6th-century mosaic of the Virgin Mary and Child between the two guardian angels Michael and Gabriel. Mosaics from this period can only be found on Cyprus and Mount Sinai. Motivated by territorial strategy, Richard the Lionheart of England invaded Cyprus in 1191. Here he also married the faithful Berengaria of Navarre and crowned her Queen of England. However, having understood that the island was difficult to control, he later sold it. The Frankish period of Cyprus’ history lasted for three centuries (1192 – 1489), and one of the most impressive objects from that time is the medieval Kolossi Castle near the port of Limassol (Lemesos), now a popular resort area. Built in the 13th century, the castle came under the control of the Knights Templar in the 14th century. The Templars had developed an industry of growing and exporting sweet wine, which was called vin de

Limassol

Omodos village in the Troödos Mountains

Commandaria – a dark yellow Port-like dessert wine (15%) that is still one of Cyprus’ trademarks today. With a history dating back 800 years, it is also one of the oldest wines in the world. Richard the Lionheart is said to have once called it “the wine of kings and the king of wine”. The last Queen of Cyprus, Caterina Cornaro, ceded the island to Venice in 1489. Cyprus was strategically important for Venice, because it ensured unimpeded commerce throughout the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Larnaca (now the site of one of Cyprus’ airports) became the most important port and was also known for its export of salt. When the Ottomans took over the island of Rhodes in 1522, the Venetians feared they might lose Cyprus and therefore built a defensive wall around the city of Lefkosia, a part of which can still be seen today. Nowadays, dog owners exercise their pets and yoga practitioners greet the sun along the wall. The Ottomans did eventually conquer Cyprus, and the first Muslim communities were established on the island in 1571. Certain privileges (including political) were granted to the Orthodox Church, which remains the dominant religion in Cyprus.

A local legend tells that the Ottomans invaded Cyprus mostly to gain control of its southern region, the Commandaria, where the previously mentioned wine is made. The Ottomans controlled Cyprus from 1571 to 1878, when the island was ceded to Great Britain in a secret agreement between the Turks and British. The Republic of Cyprus proclaimed its independence on August 16, 1960. According to the Zurich-London Agreement, however, two sovereign British military bases were to remain on the island and still do to this day. Two other treaties – the Treaty of Alliance and Treaty of Guarantee – granted the three guarantor nations (Great Britain, Turkey and Greece) the right to intervene if the terms of the treaties were violated. The island had not lost its status as a coveted location, and the constitutional amendments proposed by the Cypriot president in 1963 resulted in protests by Turkey and the Turkish-Cypriot population. The tension resulted in a wave of emigration, with many Cypriots moving to Great Britain and Australia. In 1974, the Turks’ moment of action arrived. The ruling military junta in Greece provoked a coup in Cyprus with the goal of ousting the country’s president (and Orthodox

YOUR NEXT DESTINATION

The tranquil Troödos mountain region provides a cool refuge for long walks on hot summer days

Lefkara village

As accurately recounted in Greek mythology, the island of Cyprus slowly rose out of the sea archbishop), Makarios III. Turkey used this as a pretext for military intervention and occupied the northern 37% of Cyprus, forcing 200,000 Greek Cypriots living in the territory to relocate to the southern portion of the island and Turkish-Cypriots to relocate to Turkish-controlled areas. The issue of the illegal occupation of the island has still not been resolved, but in spite of this conflict, the Republic of Cyprus on the southern side of the island became a member of the European Union on May 1, 2004. The status of the northern side remains unclear, as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is recognised only by Turkey. Even though relations between the two sides have become somewhat freer in recent years – crossing the border is no problem (show your passport and receive a symbolic piece of paper serving as a visa; just don’t allow the immigration officials to stamp it into your passport) – the situation between the Turkishcontrolled north and the Republic of Cyprus remains tense. Lefkosia (Nicosia) is the only divided capital in the world; its Green Line vaguely reminds one of the Berlin Wall. In some places,

the line is marked only by a pile of metal barrels and barbed wire. A “dead zone” with abandoned houses and streets lies between the two territories. The most popular crossing point is at the end of Ledra Street, a popular shopping area in Lefkosia. Here, the Greek side of the border is lined with flower pots, while the Turkish side looks like a big, jumbled flea market, with one shop boasting a huge sign advertising Prada, Gucci and Bottega Veneta merchandise – all counterfeit, of course. Like so many other people who have lived through hardship, Cypriots seem stoically calm on the outside, even in regard to the recent banking crisis, about which they’ve already begun creating legends. For example, by asking a correspondent from a large news agency not to film a crowd standing by a closed bank, which might be interpreted as a demonstration – something rarely seen on the island. Instead of protesting, Cypriots would rather help each other. For example, instead of buying tickets to a recent concert by a Greek pop music star, fans were asked to bring food donations for the unemployed.

Leonardo da Vinci and donkeys Over the course of history, Cypriots have become accustomed to a stream of countless guests – both invited and uninvited – and they show an unbelievable level of hospitality and tolerance. Most also speak English well, with many having studied abroad in Australia, Great Britain or elsewhere in Europe.

Lefkara village is famous for its lace-making traditions

Although Cyprus is a relatively small island, one week will probably be too little to see it all. One face of Cyprus is the Mediterranean, with the cleanest water in the region, more than 330 sunny days per year, beaches, breathtaking cliffs and the birthplace of Aphrodite. Another face can be found in the Troodos Mountains, which are located in the middle of the island and were created by the colliding of the Asian and European tectonic plates. As accurately recounted in Greek mythology, the island of Cyprus slowly rose out of the sea. The highest point in the mountains is Mount Olympus (1952 metres), where in the winter it’s even possible to ski. In summer the highland villages provide respite from the heat of the coast, and this is a popular area for summer houses. Most of the mountain villages are protected by UNESCO, which means that all new construction is strictly regulated. Arriving in a village is like stepping back in time, the only difference being that now automobiles have replaced the donkeys once so characteristic of Cyprus. Up until the 1970s, practically every household had at least one or two donkeys to transport olives, jugs of wine or grain to the mill. Horses were few and expensive, so donkeys did all of the heavy lifting. The British army even used donkeys for transport during the Second World War in operations to liberate neighbouring Greece from foreign occupation. Staying abreast of today’s obsession with healthy lifestyles, Cypriots have discovered a niche market – donkey milk. It is said to have

been the secret to Cleopatra’s beauty and is considered to be the healthiest milk in the world, selling for much more than regular cow’s milk. Some of the mountain villages are best reached by travelling into the hills from the resort town of Limassol. This road is also known as Cyprus’ wine route. The island’s wine industry has bourgeoned, and wine is also the most popular alcoholic drink among Cypriots themselves. The unique local grape varieties, which grow only in the sandstone soil of Cyprus, are called Xynisteri (white wine), Maratheftiko and Mataro (red wine). Wine growers have experimented with growing other varieties of grapes, but locals admit that the best wine comes from their own indigenous grapes. The small mountain village of Omodos (population just over 300) is the symbolic centre of the wine region. It is located at an elevation of 810 metres and surrounded by vineyards, as well as apple, plum, peach, pear and apricot orchards. At its centre stands the Holy Cross Monastery with its ancient icons. The main exhibit in the nearby miniature Linos museum is an old grape press. Even though the press ceased being used decades ago, the ancient stone walls surrounding it still seem seeped in the aroma of wine. A little higher in the mountains is the resort town of Platres. In winter its population is only 250, but tourism sometimes brings that count up to over 10,000 in the summer. The town is known for the nightingales immortalised by the

YOUR NEXT DESTINATION time. The main street is lined with lace shops, their owners – often elderly women – sitting in the doorways and sewing. A legend says that the Renaissance genius Leonardo da Vinci came to the village in 1481, acquired a locally made tablecloth and immortalised it in his fresco The Last Supper on the walls of the Santa Maria delle Grazie church in Milan, Italy. The main motifs found in Lefkara lace have been inspired by the local flora and fauna, and the work is so fine that both sides of the fabric look identical. One of the old women calls me into her shop and shows me a slightly battered photograph. The photo is from 1986, when the cathedral in Milan was celebrating its 600th anniversary and the Cypriots presented it with an identical reproduction of da Vinci’s tablecloth. The cloth measured 10.5 x 2.5 metres and took three women a year-and-a-half to make, one of whom was the woman showing me the photo. Nearby I notice an older black-and-white photo of at least eight sewers sitting around a table. “They’re already dead,” my host says calmly as she goes back to her embroidery.

The best fish meze and the wild west

Baths of Aphrodite on the Akamas peninsula

Here coffee is a ritual, it is brewed slowly on hot sand poet and Nobel Prize winner Giorgos Seferis: “The nightingales won’t let you sleep in Platres....” Kathikas, a small town between the coastal resort town of Paphos (on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List) and Polis on the edge of the Akamas peninsula nature reserve, once served as a rest stop for travellers and merchants. To this day, each of the three coffee shops in the town is patronised by supporters of a different political party. Even the tea-loving British were unable to eradicate the Cypriot tradition of drinking coffee. Here, coffee is a ritual and, similarly to Turkish coffee, it is brewed slowly on hot sand. Drink it without sugar for a real boost of energy. As befits an island known for its hospitality, most restaurants serve a complimentary coffee following a large dinner. The best-known village in Cyprus is Lefkara, famous for lacemaking traditions that can be traced back to the time of the Venetians. The cobbled streets and low houses seem untouched by

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A highway leads from the capital Lefkosia to the resort town of Paphos on Cyprus’ western coast. Even though the drive takes a little over two hours, many Cypriots make the trip to Paphos and nearby fishing villages just to have lunch on a weekend. The western coast is much quieter and more beautiful than Limassol, which tends to be overcrowded with tourists and tasteless architecture. Paphos was once the capital of Cyprus and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. According to legend, this is the place where the mythological Aphrodite emerged from the sea. However, a walk along the promenade by the port reminds one more of Havana’s Malecón, with powerful waves crashing against the shore no less forcefully. The Akamas peninsula, one of the most beautiful and untouched places on the island, is only half an hour’s drive from Paphos and has not yet been spoiled by mass tourism. During the British colonial period, the peninsula was used for military training and this fact also helped to preserve it. Today, part of the peninsula is a nature reserve with several hiking trails. One of the pearls of Akamas is Lara Beach – a secluded and wild place where turtles come to spawn. A popular tourist site is the Baths of Aphrodite, a natural springfed pool surrounded by century-old fig trees. Here the Greek goddess of love and beauty is said to have enjoyed bathing. Here she also met her love, Adonis, the god of fertility. Of course, the water is said to have countless magical qualities and is unbelievably clear; even the backs of the eels swimming between the rocks can be seen in full detail. The luxury Anassa hotel, the most exclusive lodging in Cyprus, is situated on the northern coast of the Akamas peninsula. Its architecture has been inspired by Byzantine villages and its interior is dominated by the colour white. The wild Mediterranean coast is simply breathtaking, but if you crave a room with a marvellous view of the sunset, then book the seventh-floor apartment (Studio Suite with Pool) at the Coral Beach Hotel and Resort near Paphos. It even has old olive trees growing next to the pool on the terrace. When looking about for the best lunch spot, you may be directed by the locals to the Yiangos & Peter tavern, right across

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Insider’s view

A room with a view. Studio suite with pool at the Coral Beach Hotel and Resort

The food reflects a great variety of influences, with a bouquet of flavours and freshness that is downright intoxicating from the fishing boat dock in the small port town of Latchi. The tavern was established by two brothers who are now deceased, but the business is still family-run. Like any fishing village, Latchi’s docks are covered in colourful nets and your dinner was most likely caught the same morning. Yiangos & Peter’s fish meze is outstanding: calamari, octopus, cuttlefish, mussels, shrimp, two or three types of fish, a fresh tomato-cucumber-lettuce salad, hummus, tzatziki, bread roasted with olive oil and garlic and herbs. By the way, Cypriots grill and serve cuttlefish uncleaned so that it retains the taste of the sea. If you carefully divide it up on your plate, do not be surprised if an astonished Cypriot exclaims, “What are you doing? That’s the best part!” The cuisine of Cyprus is just as wonderful as the nature, sea, and cultural history one encounters there. Like the Greek dialect spoken there, the food reflects a great variety of influences. In a way, it could be considered a combination of the best of Greek food and Lebanese meze. The bouquet of flavours and freshness is downright intoxicating, from the lush and peppery rucola growing in the fields to the sea that thankfully still abounds with fish. For those who grow weary of traditional Cypriot fare, gourmet restaurants have

become popular in recent years. Of the several such restaurants in Paphos, the newest is Palia Elektriki, built in an old power plant unused for the past 50 years. The city renewed the building five years ago and established a museum in it. Like many restaurants in Cyprus, Palia Elektriki is also run by a husband and wife team. The husband has had 20 years of experience as a chef, having worked in the Anassa luxury hotel for the previous five years before deciding to open his own business. As almost everywhere on the island, Palia Elektriki offers fish or meat mezes, but these mezes bear the distinct signature of a gourmet chef. One of the restaurant’s specialities is pork filet served with a Commandaria sweet dessert wine sauce and apples. Once a week, the chef prepares rabbit in the Cypriot style, with lemon juice. Just like in any family restaurant, the chef himself takes orders and at the end of the meal, he offers guests a taste of the restaurant’s own zivania, a locally distilled version of grappa made from grape skins. I must admit, that drink hits the spot. A full table is a thing of honour in Cyprus, and – as befits a corner of the earth so generously lavished with sunshine – portion sizes are equally generous... just like the Cypriots’ hospitality.

Vakis and Diana Hadjikyriacou

Small is beautiful Vakis Hadjikyriacou is a Cypriot architect; his wife, Diana, is a British designer. Vakis studied in London, but the couple has lived in Cyprus for over 30 years. Four years ago, they opened a “non-hotel” named in the small village of Lofou, a place with only 100 permanent residents located in the Troodos Mountains. Today the hotel has become a destination in its own right and is almost like a journey within a journey, an ideal stop on the search for the soul of Cyprus that lies beyond the hubbub of the tourists. Lofou is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has no modern buildings. Even the hotel – consisting of five rooms, two auxiliary buildings and one small cottage – is situated in historical edifices that have been gently restored and updated for the comfort of modern travellers. Each of the rooms is a pearl of fascinating design onto itself. Everything in the rooms is authentic and was custom-made. The furniture, designed by the owners themselves, has been made locally in Cyprus and in India, while other pieces have been found on various travels. Diana has included modern takes on traditional Cypriot motifs in the textiles, which were handmade in workshops in Rajasthan. On warm summer evenings, Vakis and Diana show classic, blackand-white Greek films on the white wall behind the swimming pool. Climb to the rooftop terrace for a view of the small village and surrounding mountains and witness a moment frozen in time, untouched by the negative aspects of civilisation. What is it about Cyprus that made you move here 30 years ago – and stay? Diana: “The people. They’re very open and friendly; they’re helpful and simple. And the climate – the sun shines almost every day. Cyprus is also a place where it’s possible to successfully start and develop a

business from zero.” Vakis: “Small is beautiful. And that makes life much more simple. The highways leading to the big cities are always full with people going to work on Monday mornings in order to earn those few precious days that they call weekends or holidays; so that they can, for

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example, visit a place like this. Then you start to wonder: ‘What’s the point?’ Workers in factories are often treated almost like animals; they need to arrange for someone else to take their place at the conveyer belt while they go to the bathroom. I studied in Great Britain and then worked in a huge architecture firm. It was basically a factory with thousands of architects. The feeling was the same: I was designing glass buildings but didn’t know anything about wall panels – the work was that specialised. I saw many troubled lives, people broken after 10 or 15 years of doing that kind of work. That’s when we decided to move to Cyprus. We have an average income. We’re not super wealthy, but we’ve raised two children; we’ve had time to spend together with them and also start up our own business. We have our own office and we’ve built our own hotel. Everything here is close by. It’s life on a human scale. I’ve talked with lots of people who have visited here, with people who have returned again and again or moved here.

This is not the most beautiful island in the world and it might not have the most perfect climate, because it can get both quite cold and very hot. But there’s something about the place that keeps pulling us back and returning. Mostly people are attracted by the atmosphere here, the calmness and peace in the rhythm of life.” What do you miss most since moving to Cyprus? Diana: “Theatre, museums, galleries. Cyprus still has no opera house. If you like things like that, well, there aren’t many here. But, if you like to sail or hike or do anything that involves nature, then Cyprus is great.” Vakis: “On the other hand, if you ask a Londoner how many times he’s been to the theatre or museum, then he’ll most likely be able to count the times on one hand. If you ever feel the itch, however, then it’s easy to get from Cyprus to any of Europe’s cultural metropolises.”

What are some special places that one should definitely see in Cyprus? Diana: “The Chrysorrogiatissa Monastery in Paphos is wonderful. It was built in 1152 and restored in the late 18th century. It’s famous for its collection of icons and treasures, and also has one of the oldest working wineries in Cyprus. The monks there still make wine of outstanding quality.” Vakis: “The village of Anogyra lies between Limassol and Paphos at an altitude of about 400 metres and is known for its carob trees. The trees belong to the legume family and the pod-like fruits are used in local gastronomy. Carob seeds and pods contain a high concentration of carbohydrates, so they’re used a lot in sweets. Two kilometres from the village is a museum with an ancient olive press. And, of course, the ancient lace-making village of Lefkara. Small villages are one way to become acquainted with Cyprus. Another trademark of the island is that it’s not a very organised place. There’s still so much to be discovered here. All you need to do is rent a car and let yourself get lost on the small roads. Cyprus is a safe place; there is hardly any theft and the people are friendly and easy-going. They speak English well. There aren’t all that many places in the world today where one can feel safe travelling in such a manner.” Diana: “The Kourion Amphitheatre is definitely worth a visit. It’s located right on the edge of the sea and has unbelievable acoustics. And the Akamas peninsula. One of the most beautiful beaches there is Lara Beach – a quiet, secluded beach with no unnecessary accoutrements.” Vakis: “As opposed to other islands, which are markedly seasonal, Cyprus is diverse and vital. Life here does not stop when the tourists leave. Go to places where the Cypriots themselves go and you’ll always have a wonderful time. However, I do recommend staying away from the typical tourist traps, such as Limassol.” BO

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Master of Perfume

Jacques Polge, creator of CHANEL perfumes

Jacques POLGE, creator of CHANEL fragrances

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was not spring yet. Not in Paris, either. But...Paris is a state of mind, so there was no real need for spring. It was raining as I stepped out of the discreet glass building in the Paris suburb. I stopped to call a friend of mine because I had a special gift for her. Monsieur Jacques Polge had asked me to give her a bottle of Chanel N°5 Eau Premiere. He doesn’t know her, but he believes you always have to listen to women, because perfume is an inner dimension of femininity. The building I was coming from is the headquarters of CHANEL, and Jacques Polge is the company’s Master Perfumer. Beginning May 5th, the Palais de Tokyo in Paris is hosting the N°5 Culture Chanel exhibition. The works of art, photographs, archives and objects exhibited provide an account of the inspirations that fed the imagination and world of Mademoiselle Chanel, taking visitors to some of her favourite destinations such as Venice, Russia and her villa La Pausa as well as the creations of her artist, poet and musician friends Cocteau, Picasso, Apollinaire, Stravinsky and others. The objects echo her inner thoughts and shed light on N°5 – that unique and timeless perfume. N°5 was born in 1921. Inspired by the cubist revolution brought about by Picasso’s Demoiselles d’Avignon in 1907 and the advent of futurism in Italy in 1908, the avant-garde of that creative and dynamic age ceaselessly went about writing a particular modernity that would finally triumph at the dawn of the 1920s. More than ever before abstraction spanned all forms of creativity, equally inspiring art, poetry, literature and music as well as this new fragrance that evoked a very mysterious flower...unless, of course, it didn’t first evoke a woman. Mademoiselle Chanel hoped and prayed for this “perfume with the scent of a woman” and she gave it the name of a number to avoid any attempts at defining it figuratively or descriptively. If we are to believe the legend, when presented with small glass vials of scent numbered 1–5 and 20–24 for her assessment, Chanel chose the sample composition contained in the fifth vial. Mademoiselle said that since she presents her dress collections on the fifth day of the fifth month of the year, so she would let this fragrance keep its existing name – five – and it would bring good luck. N°5 appeared as an olfactory manifesto for the creative spirit of the times and aspired to attain absolute modernity. N°5 was the first couturier (designer) perfume. The Russian-French chemist and perfumer Ernest Beaux compounded its chemical formula. Since 1921 this formula has been guarded by CHANEL’S master perfumers – first its creator Beaux, then Henri Robert (the creator of N°19, named in honour of

Mademoiselle’s birthdate, August 19, 1883) and now by Jacques Polge (born 1943), who is only the third Master Perfumer at CHANEL. As before, a master perfumer’s main mission apart from creating fragrances is to monitor every stage in the manufacturing of products, from the selection of raw materials to the final quality controls. Nowadays CHANEL is the only house that creates all its perfumes in-house with its own perfumer, or “nose”, as they are called. Originally from Vaucluse, but also with a rightful claim to Grasse, the capital of perfumes, Polge entered the perfume world by chance. He was studying literature and English in Aix-en-Provence and had a passion for poetry, which he still enjoys greatly, even calling fragrance a form of poetry. One day he heard that a company in Grasse was searching for “noses” for its branch in New York. He got the job because he could speak English. Polge describes the adventure: “New York was fascinating at that time. More spontaneous and

Perfume is a form of something that doesn’t use words, and at the same time has a very strong power bubbling than it is today. Anything was possible. Before leaving, I learned the bases in Grasse, but it was only in New York that I began to truly understand what I was doing.” He spent two years in the United States and then returned to Paris, where he worked for RoureBertrand-Dupont, which had a long-standing vocation to create fragrances for couturiers. “We learned why a fragrance suited one brand and not another. It’s a very specific approach to creation, a reflection on style.” He adds, “Brands have a sex.” And when Polge joined CHANEL in 1978, there was no doubt in his mind about the sex of this brand. So feminine, but with Mademoiselle’s own interpretation of the genre. And so, I was sitting in the CHANEL headquarters. Monsieur Polge greeted me warmly, offered me a strong coffee and apologised for his slightly hoarse voice. “I just came back from Morocco, I got sun burned,” he says.

CHANEL is about legacy and history, but I would like to start with a question about the future. How do you see the young generations coming into the industry? I’m not sure I know a lot of them, but I know some.

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OUTLOOK / INTERVIEW

OUTLOOK / INTERVIEW for me. For instance, we were very much interested in the beginning of the industry, the history of Guerlain and Coty. Also, what kind of reaction will the launch of one perfume cause in another company, what will their answer be? We had a lot of memories. But I think this is true not only about perfumers, but in many fields. Don’t you think?

It might be. Maybe because we are always looking to go ahead and not too concerned about what has happen before. Which is good in a way. But in order to do something in the future, you have to have some idea of the past. I think there is no future without the past.

You’ve said that it’s possible to train almost anyone to be a nose, but few could invent a perfume; it’s a question of creativity. That’s true, I believe it. But at the same time, you cannot know how creative you are without trying. There is no other way how to find out; you just have to start. You never know how good a painter you will be if you don’t start painting. You only realise that later on.

How did you realise it?

Laboratory, CHANEL

I think they work the same way as we did when we started, except for one thing – it feels like their memory is getting shorter and shorter. When I started, I knew a lot of perfumes from the past. But for young perfumers the past of perfumes is very short – maybe five, maximum ten years. I think the past was longer

I still haven’t (laughs). I started in Grasse, and for me the people working in that industry were fascinating. They travelled a lot and very far away to very romantic places to find the ingredients and essential oils. I had a very romantic idea about the industry. The other aspect I was very interested in, and which is still the most important for me, is that perfume is a form of something that doesn’t use words, doesn’t use images, and at the same time has a very strong power. For me it’s a poetic form. I was captured by the idea that with a perfume you could seduce, you could mean things you couldn’t express in any other way.

I think if there is a perfume that exists for a long time, it is because of its way of expressing things people cannot express otherwise. The perfume has its own language.

I’ve noticed there are scents that some people are absolutely infatuated with. I remember when I first smelled Allure Sensuelle, I felt like I’d met myself. I wore it for so many years, till just recently, when I changed to N°19 Poudré. As long as you stay with CHANEL! (Laughs.) But I’m glad to hear that. What you just expressed, you couldn’t do it better in words, and it’s very moving for me – the idea that I have worked so long and you were able to find it and you felt the way you did about it... Can I ask why did you change perfumes?

It intrigued me; there was something so warm about it. Would you use that word for Allure Sensuelle as well?

Yes, but a bit different. Different. You see, you can use the same word, but it can have a lot of different meanings. That’s why it’s very difficult to talk about perfume.... Perfume is something so very intimate, but I can understand every word you said.

Would you be able to describe someone by the perfume he or she is wearing? I think I could have a guess about them, yes. But I could definitely tell if someone is not wearing the perfume they should be wearing. You see? And on the contrary, you come across people whose perfume has become…them. I think the right perfume is your perfume. Like a dress or a suit in which you feel so yourself. Because you also have brought something to the perfume.

What was Paris like when you started working for CHANEL in the late 1970s? It was a different Paris, I would say. The fashion surroundings were different; everything has changed. I would say it was a different CHANEL. When I joined the company, 90% of the turnover of the company was because of N°5. Mr. Karl Lagerfeld joined CHANEL two years after

me, and then the company started to breathe again, I would say. I think perfume follows fashion, and Mr. Lagerfeld brought life and dynamism to the company. I arrived earlier and it was much quieter then. I am not a Parisian; I was not born in Paris. But for me the area I like is the same one I liked when I arrived. It’s SaintGermain-des-Pres. I liked the atmosphere, shops, galleries, cafés. Later – I would even say much more recently – I’ve discovered other places as well (laughs). Are you from Riga?

Yes. I don’t know Riga, but I’ve heard about it. I remember before I was working for CHANEL, I was working for another company and we were trying to do perfumes for Russia at the time, and we were in contact with very interesting people from Riga, but I never went there. When should one go there? In the summer? Otherwise it’s too cold?

In the summer, that’s the most beautiful time. By the way, do you remember how CHANEL approached you at the time? Oh, I remember it very well. I am the third generation of noses at CHANEL, and my ancestor, the legendary perfumer Henri Robert, was more then 80 years old at the time, and the owner of the company once called me, we met and I was chosen. At the time I was not 100% convinced; I didn’t know what I was going to do. Because nobody really knew what the work inside the company was like. Like most of my colleagues, I was working for companies that create perfumes for those who don’t create them themselves. I talked to my friends and people within the industry and I asked them what shall I do – shall accept this offer or not? The interesting thing is that people told me not to go! They said a launch of a new perfume every ten years will be very boring, but I didn’t listen to them. I thought if I refuse, there is a good chance I will never be offered this job again. If I’ll say yes and if I’ll find it very boring, I can always leave. But I haven’t left, I’m still here!

About N°5. Why does it still remain a classic? It’s a mixture of many various elements.

OUTLOOK / INTERVIEW One, surely, is that it smells good! A smell that is mysterious. All women wearing N°5 speak about it in different ways. Nobody can really describe what N°5 is, and that mystery is very important. I think something that cannot keep a certain dose of mystery wears out very quickly; people get tired of it very quickly. But N°5 was never like that, because of the mystery of its scent. It’s synonymous with femininity. I think that all the elements – the name, the bottle, the fragrance, the publicity – they have all been very well managed since its creation. And on top of that, the fragrance’s quality. We take care of N°5 almost every day.

right approach to it. Even though she recognises a scent immediately. “I just wonder whether to go by my heart or my mind,” she says. It’s very interesting... But let me send your friend a present I created just a couple of years ago: N°5 Eau Premiere. It was aimed at those who find N°5 very special, iconic, but don’t wear it. It’s fresher, more transparent. But please tell her the most beautiful thing is to wear N°5. One really important thing about N°5 is that the older it gets, the more unique it becomes.

Laboratory, CHANEL

I could definitely tell if someone is not wearing the perfume they should be wearing The perfume is made from a lot of natural ingredients, which are harvested at different times of year, and we keep a close eye on their quality. It starts with bergamot at the beginning of the year; then later on, in April, we choose neroli, orange blossoms; in May we select roses; in summer, jasmine.

I know a very beautiful woman who likes N°5 very much, but doesn’t own one yet, and she says she can’t find the

But it’s not a mystery for you, because you know the formula! Oh, yes (laughs), we keep the formula as close to the original as possible. The only changes made were because of a couple of regulations. At the time they were using some animal products, but these have been banned. We have replaced them with products similar to those used at the beginning. Apart from that, there haven’t been any changes made.

OUTLOOK / INTERVIEW Creations by Monsieur Jacques Polge

Jacques POLGE Creator of CHANEL Fragrances

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ANTAEUS COCO ÉGOÏSTE POUR MONSIEUR CONCENTRÉE PLATINIUM ÉGOÏSTE ALLURE ALLURE HOMME COCO MADEMOISELLE CHANCE ALLURE HOMME SPORT ALLURE SENSUELLE LES EXCLUSIFS - EAU DE COLOGNE - 31 RUE CAMBON - N°18 - COROMANDEL - BEL RESPIRO - 28 LA PAUSA CHANCE EAU FRAÎCHE

In the same way writers sometimes experience ‘writer’s block’, have you ever suffered from something similar? Yes, that’s why I always manage to work on several projects at the same time. When I don’t see where to go further with one perfume, I usually stop and work on something else. I come back later with fresh new vision.

You’ve travelled a lot, what places do you suggest to visit? That is true, I have travelled a lot. We receive products from all over the world; there isn’t a place in the world we don’t have something coming from. I have

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ALLURE HOMME SPORT - COLOGNE SPORT ALLURE HOMME EDITION BLANCHE LES EXCLUSIFS - SYCOMORE N°5 EAU PREMIERE LES EXCLUSIFS - BEIGE CRISTALLE EAU VERTE CHANCE EAU TENDRE BLEU DE CHANEL N°19 POUDRÉ LES EXCLUSIFS - JERSEY ALLURE HOMME SPORT EAU EXTRÊME COCO NOIR LES EXCLUSIFS - 1932

travelled not to choose the ingredients, but instead to visit our suppliers, to see how they are growing the flowers, trees and other plants and to get an idea and feeling about them. Now I only travel to places I like (laughs). I like the south of Italy, Calabria, and Sicily and Morocco. Now is a very beautiful time there. The orange trees are blooming. I travel a lot in my mind; I don’t like flying, to be honest.

What is the scent that could seduce you? Oh, many scents. I like the smell of magnolia very much, jasmine, vanilla. But things other then scents can seduce me as well. A beautiful woman, a beautiful painting. There is a variety in life. BO

OUTLOOK / TRAVEL

Treat yourself well TEXT BY ELINA RUKA UBLICITY PHOTOS P

According to legend, the

Fly to Heviz-Balaton with airBaltic from

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€67

ONE WAY

Although Heviz has a population of only 4500, it is probably not an exaggeration to claim that this small Hungarian town has the highest concentration of hotel, medical and wellness staff in the country. That is because the town is located at the edge of Lake Heviz, the world’s largest biologically active thermal lake of volcanic origin, with healing properties that have been acclaimed both far and wide. Baltic Outlook headed out to explore one of this summer’s new destinations

springs that supply the water to Lake Heviz were called forth by the Virgin Mary, who responded to the earnest prayers of a Christian nurse caring for an ailing child. The heated waters of the springs and the peat mud of the lake’s bottom helped the child to regain his health. Some say that the little patient was none other than Flavius Theodosius (347-395), the last emperor to rule over both the eastern and western halves of the Roman Empire. Ancient coins from that era have been found in the lake, along with remnants of an altar. The town’s more recent history is connected with the Festetics family, which acquired the lake and it surroundings in the late 18th century. Soon after, Count György Festetics decided to develop the area’s spa potential. In 1795, the count had a plank house built on the edge of the lake, which he used together with his family and guests to change into swim clothes before bathing in the curative waters. At about the same time, a doctor named Ferenc Szláby began to study the waters’ healing properties. Then, in 1905, Dr. Vilmos Schulhof, a balneology specialist, was commissioned to found a health institute, complete with a gymnastic and electrotherapeutic laboratory, as well as X-ray diagnostic equipment. His brother Dr. Ödön Schulhof joined him in 1911 to work as a radiologist and physiotherapy doctor, also running laboratory diagnosis tests. Together, the brothers successfully created the foundations for the further development health treatment activities in Heviz.

Healing waters Lake Heviz really is a natural wonder, surrounded by forest land that shields it from wind, dust and noise. On the spring morning when I set off to see the famed lake together with local guide Laura, I come across a beautiful sight.

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OUTLOOK / TRAVEL

Medicinal mud treatments

Heviz’s nearly black, medicinal peat mud covers the lake bottom in a layer one to seven meters deep The contrast of the lake’s warm waters with the cool, surrounding air had created a steamy fog, through which I discerned the tips of colourful water lily flowers, creating a mystical atmosphere. No wonder that a water lily also adorns the town’s coat-of-arms. Covering 4.4 hectares, Lake Heviz obtains its water from springs that flow into a cave at a depth of 38 metres. The water flow is so abundant that the lake’s entire water supply is entirely replenished every three days. The water temperature never descends below 22ºC, even in the wintertime, while during the summer it can reach 38ºC. At the time of my visit, the air temperature was only slightly above freezing. Standing on the pier in my bathing suit, I quickly got the shivers. However, I immediately relaxed after stepping into the warm 26ºC water, while the underwater current provided a light massage to my body. I then entered the building in the middle of the lake, where bathing is also possible during the wintertime. Several pools are filled with the lake’s water, providing a similar massaging effect. There is also a humid salt room that stimulates the lungs, along with an

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OUTLOOK / TRAVEL

At the Danubius Health Spa Resort

array of saunas. If, by chance, you come across a group of people hanging by their necks in a pool, then don’t be alarmed, they are not being subject to torture, but undergoing a medical procedure invented by Dr. Károly Moll to stretch out the spinal column. This treatment is recommended for patients with back and neck problems, but also works as a preventive procedure. The lake’s water is rich with various dissolved and gaseous materials that include calcium, magnesium, carbonic acid, carbonate and inert gases, a combination that provides anti-inflammatory, tranquilizing, vasodilator and hormone-creating effects. Specialists recommend bathing in the healing waters for 20-30 minutes, then resting for at least half an hour. A total time of about one-and-a-half hours per day in the waters is considered optimal. The waters are said to be particularly beneficial against osteoporosis and locomotor ailments, as well as spinal and joint diseases, among others. For those who suffer from chronic gastritis and other digestive disorders, the waters can also be taken internally. However, one doesn’t have to be afflicted with some ailment to benefit from the lake’s medicinal waters, which soften the skin, impede the onset of diseases and generate a feeling of well-being, helping one to forget the stresses of the workplace and fast-paced urban life. Hippocrates once said: “If you are having a bath, then do it with a calm

Medicinal bath at Lake Heviz

The water temperature in the summer can be as high as 38ºC

and cheerful spirit. “The spa centre offers various health and wellness procedures, of which the most popular is the mud treatment. Heviz’s nearly black, medicinal peat mud covers the lake bottom in a layer one to seven metres deep. It contains radium salt and reduced sulphides, which means that the mud is slightly radioactive and must be applied under the supervision of a physician. I decide to undergo a simple mud treatment at the Danubius Health Spa Resort Heviz, whose elegant, wood-columned lobby is filled with visitors wearing morning

OUTLOOK / TRAVEL specializes in meat dishes. These include goat, grey beef, water buffalo, donkey, guinea fowl, rabbit and ‘mangalica’ pig, which the owners purchase from local farmers. Foodies who visit Heviz on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays can find good buys at the local farmers’ market, which is located behind the town’s large car park. If you yearn for some history and culture during your spa getaway, then take the short eight-kilometre trip to Keszthely, right by the shores of landlocked Hungary’s most famous body of water, Lake Balaton. The city’s main attraction is Festetics Palace (now known as the Helikon Castle Museum), home for two centuries

Hotel’s guests can feel like true aristocrats as they wander through the building’s stately rooms and picturesque garden

Thermal pool

gowns. They are all waiting their turn to see a doctor, who will examine each guest and assign the relevant mud treatment procedures. Eventually, I am also wrapped from head to toe in the warm, soothing mud, which renders my skin silky soft. I look out at a wall covered with pictures of cactuses and for the second time that day, I doze off into a pleasant slumber.

Dose of sunshine Aside from medicinal mud and water treatments, Heviz and its surroundings also offer a host of other activities and culinary delights that can be enjoyed in between your health procedures. Not far from the town, for example, the hills of Egregy are known for their fine wineries.

Due to the soil of the region and enduring local traditions, the majority of the wine produced in these parts is white wine, although some good reds can also be found. The main grape varieties of the region are Olaszrizling (Italian Riesling), Szürkebarát (Pinot Gris) and Rizlingszilváni (Müller Thurgau). The Oreg Harang Borozo (Old Bell Tavern) in Egregy is a great spot to enjoy these wines, with outstanding service provided by the friendly waitstaff. Our affable waiter is from the owner’s family and speaks five languages. Upon learning that I am a vegetarian, he arranges to have a special, impromptu meal prepared for me, accompanied with delicious Otello wine. He must have really gone out of his way, as this establishment

The picturesque garden at the Helikon Castle Museum

to the noble family after which it is named. The expanded version of the palace that we see today was completed in 1887. The horseshoe-shaped Baroque structure has over 100 rooms; the most interesting and valuable of which is the library. Its original shelves house 86,000 books written in practically all of Europe’s languages and other tongues as well – the largest surviving aristocratic library in the country. One part of the palace also houses a hotel, whose guests can feel like true aristocrats as they wander through the building’s stately rooms and picturesque garden, which abounds with the beauty of 70,000 annual flower plants. Next to the palace in a former stable is a coach museum, while within the palace itself an entire room is devoted to the theme of horses, as befits a country with long horse-breeding and horse-riding traditions. In 1797, Count György Festetics Keszthely established the first agriculture university in Europe, which still operates as a faculty of the local university. There, during the warmer months, one can not only watch, but also take part in the planting and tending of spice and

OUTLOOK / TRAVEL

Lake Heviz central building

other plants, as well as in the reaping of the harvest in the fall. One unconventional way to view Lake Balaton and its surroundings from above is by riding in a hot-air balloon. Those who lead an active lifestyle can also go cycling, hiking and Nordic walking, as well as play tennis and golf, or engage in aqua fitness activities. A bicycle path leads from Heviz to Keszthely. From there, one can choose further paths of various difficulty and length, including one that goes all around Lake Balaton. This extended bicycle trip takes three to four days. Along the way, one can explore old church buildings, go birdwatching, relax at the lake’s many beaches, observe colourful fish markets and visit subterranean wine cellars.

Golfclub Imperial Balaton

After a delicious lunch at the Halászcsárda fish restaurant in Keszthely, Laura and I cycle over to the Golfclub Imperial Balaton. The day is warm and sunny, and we are in a good mood when we arrive for our golfing session. The balls fly across the field and Laura does particularly well for a beginner. Our trainer tells her that she has talent and encourages her to return for some serious golfing lessons. As a perfect end to this active day, I undergo an aroma massage at the NaturMed Hotel Carbona. Ah, the good life! La dolce vita, Hungarian style! BO Special thanks to Laura Horváth-Sarródi and Orsolya Horváth from Tourinform Heviz and Attila Benkő from the Heviz-Balaton airport.

OUTLOOK / TRAVEL

For your address book Hotel Lotus Therme

Spa Heviz

Surrounded by 17 hectares of tranquil parkland, this chic fivestar hotel looks like a huge mansion from a distance. Among the outdoor park activities are tennis, golf and horseback riding, while indoors, the hotel’s relaxing pools and saunas will help you wind down for a restful sleep in a canopy bed. The establishment offers traditional and special Ayurveda massages, as well as beauty and Dead Sea salt cave treatments, along with guided sauna rituals every day. A very large place, with 222 guest rooms and 10 suites at rates that start from 119 EUR.

Going by the motto of ‘Health and Harmony’, this spa offers various health and wellness procedures, including the Kavicky beauty treatment, which uses of water and mud from Lake Heviz, cereal extracts and biological volatile oils. Bathing sessions in the lake waters start from 9 EUR.

www.lotustherme.net

www.spaheviz.hu

Danubius Health Spa Resort Heviz

NaturMed Hotel Carbona This hotel in the centre of Heviz has a pleasant atmosphere. The renovated spa evokes the Roman era, with thermal water pools, a whirpool bath and a coldwater Kneipp treading pool, as well as a cryosauna. Special offers include a 1000-calorie diet package, purifying treatment and Carbona-Kleanthous Beauty Program. Full-scale wellness programs also available. Rooms from 77 EUR (minimum two nights with half board). www.carbona.hu

This hotel is a five-minute walk from the thermal lake. It offers various relaxation, wellness, beauty and medical treatments and de-stress programs under the supervision of doctors and lifestyle specialists. Special packages include traditional balneotherapy, an original Hungarian lavender experience and complete medical spa therapy. Rooms start from 100 EUR with half board. www.danubiushotels.hu

For more information on Heviz and the region, see the following websites: www.heviz.hu www.gotohungary.com www.west-balaton.hu www.keszthely.info.hu

OUTLOOK / TRAVEL

TEXT, PHOTOS AND SKETCHES BY KRISTINE LUIZE AVOTINA

“Paris is always a good idea,” Audrey

Hepburn once said. I thought the same, so I packed my bags and spent a few months in the French capital earlier this year. I was eager to gain new impressions and additional inspiration for my painting, and simply to enjoy life to its fullest. I found a workshop across from the famous Notre Dame cathedral, and can’t imagine a more beautiful and colourful location for a painter to produce her artworks. Before leaving Riga, I thought about what I would do in this magnificent city. I was sure about one thing. I would make a special effort to visit at least some of Paris’ numerous parks and gardens. These are wonderful oases of peace, where the sounds of the bustling city recede into the background and where the imagination can run wild, like a dog let loose from its leash. Eight years ago, I spent my first extended stay in Paris. I got to know the city’s green spaces quite well by painting outside en plein air, in some of the grandest and most famous parks, as well as in some of the most obscure and charmingly romantic gardens. This spring, I returned to five of these lush locations to let my thoughts roam

Let your thoughts roam freely Early spring in five Paris gardens

Parc Monceau

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I first visited this small but special park on the recommendation of one of my painting teachers at the Latvian Academy Art, Professor Aleksejs Naumovs, who loves to paint outdoors. The park is a 15-minute metro ride from the city centre. When I stepped out from the underground into the sunlight at street level, I was dumbstruck. The small green space looked like a mini garden of paradise. Among the highlights is a Corinthian colonnade set around a Roman-style naumachia or water basin. Designed by painter Louis Carmontelle, this and other quaint constructions, including a miniature Egyptian pyramid, still remain from

freely. I realized that each of us has their own inner garden, and that the people we meet in everyday interactions make this garden thrive and flourish.

the time of the park’s opening in 1779, providing it with an aristocratic feel. Since 1852, the park has been accessible to the general public, and on warm days, it is teeming with visitors from the early morning hours. Recently, I read an interview with Nina Ricci’s creative director Peter Copping for the magazine Numéro, in which he revealed that the Parc Monceau is an important part of his life. A stroll from one end to the other is all that he needs to lift his spirits and clear his mind. After you walk through the park, I recommend heading on to the nearby Musée Jacquemart-André, which has a wonderful inner courtyard, and yet another small, charming park.

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Jardin du Luxembourg In my opinion, the Jardin du Luxembourg is the prince of the left bank of the Seine, so to speak. I have grown very fond of this garden space over the years and was so eager to visit it this time that I headed out there the day after my arrival in Paris. I have been in this garden at all times of the year and have spent hours enjoying its unique atmosphere, simply observing the wide variety of people who go there. When the trees break out in leaves, the flowers bloom in the flower beds and the plants are brought out from the greenhouses,

Parc des Buttes Chaumont This is a place that people visit either by chance, or because a local Parisian has told them about the park and its interesting history. The Parc des Buttes Chaumont is located quite a distance from the city centre, on the right bank of the Seine. Upon exiting the metro station, I was struck by the large number of multi-storey apartment buildings that surround this small, well-kept territory. The terrain here is surprisingly hilly, unlike the case at most other Parisian green spaces, which are generally flat. This location formerly served as a gallows to hang criminals before the invention of the guillotine, then as a refuse dump, and then as a limestone and gypsum quarry for the construction of buildings in Paris and elsewhere. As the city expanded in the mid 19th century, Paris city planner Georges Eugène Haussmann turned the territory into an English-style park. Today, it is an enchanting space with an island in the middle of a lake where one can go for boat rides, as well as artificially created cliffs. During one of my trips there, I spotted a couple kissing blissfully by the Romanstyle belvedere on the island. Once the weather gets warm, Parisians flock to relax on the park’s well-kept lawns, making it hard to believe that this popular place is so far from the city centre. Parts of the Parc des Buttes Chaumont remind one of a primeval paradise. All that’s missing are a few wild animals to roam through the grass and amble among the bushes. Then the park would look as if it were straight out of a Henri Rousseau painting.

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then this picturesque spot reminds me of the gardens at the palace of Versailles. The garden features numerous 19th-century statues and an ornate fountain donated by Marie de’ Medici. The Jardin du Luxembourg is a place where one can view the beauty and buoyancy of humanity, particularly on weekends, when throngs of visitors can be seen strolling through the garden, reading, playing tennis or pétanque, or practicing their dance routines, among many other things. The centre of the garden boasts a grand

fountain, where visitors have been able to rent little wooden sailboats since the 19th century. The boats are prodded along with specially made wooden sticks. It is fun to watch the children playing with them along the fountain’s edge, in a timeless activity that has repeated itself over the generations. Green metal chairs, similar to those found in other large Parisian parks, are scattered throughout the Jardin du Luxembourg, and visitors can freely move them about within the garden’s territory. The chairs are a particular pleasure to sit in when the weather is warm and sunny. During the spring and summer, the garden’s stone vases are filled with flowers that change with the seasons, providing added variety to the territory’s colour accents and moods. Once in September, when the leaves on the trees were already yellowing, pink flowers were plated into the vases. That was a brilliant spectacle. It seemed as if the gardener in charge was a painter at heart, for the flower’s pink blossoms stood out prominently against the yellow backdrop of the autumn leaves. This spring, one of the garden’s main accents will be Between War and Peace, an exhibition devoted to famous painter Marc Chagall at the Musée du Luxembourg. It will be running until July 21. Since my shoes had become a bit dusty after my walk through the garden, I stepped into the museum to see Chagall’s masterpieces. The ordinary and the extraordinary, right beside each other. That, to me, is Paris – simultaneously simple and majestic.

OUTLOOK / TRAVEL

Place des Vosges / Hôtel Sully In my opinion, Paris’ Marais district is among the most quiet and peaceful of the city’s central areas. You can reach it by walking along the Rue de Rivoli, one of the main streets on the right bank of the Seine, then turn towards the Place des Vosges when you see the sign Marais. The Musée National Picasso is located along the way. Although it is unfortunately closed for renovations this year, it hosts a large collection of works by Pablo Picasso, mostly drawings, of which a fair number are erotically themed. The Marais district is not very large and the walk to the Place des Vosges doesn’t take very long at all. It is a symmetrical square ensconced by 36 buildings, with ground-level arcades that house stores, cafés, restaurants and art galleries. The main

surprise, however, is the garden in the middle of the square. Adorned with finely manicured trees, the garden really comes to life in the spring, when its water fountains are turned on again after the winter has definitely ended. The Place des Vosges is a lively place and popular with the locals. You will see parents with children, dignified, cigar-smoking elderly gentlemen sporting long scarves, and middleaged professionals hurrying through the garden to catch their next meeting. Once, as I was sitting there sketching, a man walked by and wished me a bonne journée (nice day). He stopped to examine my freshly-drawn sketch of a water fountain and complemented my drawing abilities. It is a pleasant and unusual feeling to find yourself in one of Europe’s largest cities, but to hear

countless bonjour, merci and au revoir, as if you were in a small and friendly village. The Hôtel Sully is responsible for part of the charm of the Place des Vosges. One can enter the Renaissance-period building and its hidden garden through a passageway at one end of the square. Once you pass through the small door that leads into the garden, you will feel like Alice in Wonderland. The magnificent green space is an oasis of quiet and peace, where nothing indicates that the noisy Rue de Rivoli is right nearby. A solitary stone bench can be found in one corner, surrounded by immaculately trimmed bushes. I have rarely seen anyone sitting on this bench, but it is precisely this emptiness that gives me a particular feeling of satisfaction and gets my imagination rolling.

OUTLOOK / TRAVEL Jardin des Plantes Originally, this lush location on the left bank of the Seine was designed as a botanical garden, where medicinal plants were grown and where a pharmacy school was set up. Now surrounded many monumental buildings, the garden is home to a museum of natural history and even a small zoo. Walking at a leisurely pace from the Notre Dame cathedral along the left bank of the Seine, you should reach the Jardin des Plantes in no more than 15 minutes. The large variety of plants at the Jardin des Plantes provides a fascinating insight into the world’s diverse flora. The first cedar tree to be planted in France can be found here, while the alleys and flower beds dazzle the eye with their vibrant colours. Recently, while sketching “portraits” of the garden in my sketchbook, I suddenly realized why my paintings have so many flower blossoms and fruits in them. Walking past an anemone that had just gone into bloom, I understood that I, myself am like a flower, and that a person’s life is very similar to that of a flower. This epiphany left me with a pleasant aftertaste that lingered for some time afterward, and with a lasting feeling of affection for Paris’ lush green spaces. BO

OUTLOOK / PROMO

“The matchmaker” of the Baltic Sea Region is chairing the Summit of the Year in Riga

Hans Brask, Director hb@bdforum.org

New realities – New Opportunities are the promising headlines of the high level summit coming to the Riga Congress Centre on 29-30 May 2013. Baltic Development Forum (BDF), a well known and highly esteemed organisation in the Baltic Sea macro-region, is hosting the summit in cooperation with the government of the Republic of Latvia. “His Excellency Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis – together with his colleagues from neighbouring countries – is attending the summit. We expect more than 400 participants from politics, business and academia,” says Hans Brask, the director of BDF, to Baltic Outlook. “The timing for addressing competitiveness, investments and business development in the Baltic Sea Region is right. We are facing new realities in the wake of global and regional economic crisis and Latvia is leading the way with the highest growth rate in Europe. Contrary to the boom and bust economy before 2008, Latvian businessmen and government representatives are reassuringly telling us the economic growth today is based on solid exports and production of goods and services. This is really good news, and it makes sense to meet in Riga.”

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Hans Skov Christensen, Chairman, Baltic Development Forum, and Valdis Dombrovskis, Prime Minister of Latvia

Baltic Development Forum is an independent think-tank and non-profit networking organisation with members from large companies, major cities, institutional investors and business associations in the Baltic Sea Region. Baltic Development Forum (BDF) works with a wide range of partners, including businesses, governments, regional organisations, researchers and media institutions. The BDF network involves more than 7000 decision makers from all over the region and beyond. The mission of Baltic Development Forum is to promote the Baltic Sea Region as an integrated, prosperous and internationally competitive growth region. Baltic Development Forum is chaired by Hans Skov Christensen, former CEO of Danish Industry. The Baltic Development Forum Honorary and Advisory Boards consist of

high-level political dignitaries and prominent business executives representing the entire Baltic Sea Region. As the leading high-level and agenda-setting networking organisation in Northern Europe BDF facilitates and develops new initiatives, partnerships and international contacts to stimulate growth, innovation and competitiveness in the Baltic Sea Region and its 11 dynamic countries. BDF seeks to develop the Baltic Sea Region as a global centre of excellence and establish the region internationally as a strong and attractive place brand. Being the preferred platform for decision makers from business, politics and academia, Baltic Development Forum is a unique platform for innovative thinking, informal cross-sector/ cross-border/cross-level encounters and concrete new business opportunities with a global perspective. BO

Alongside the arrangement of a yearly summit, Baltic Development Forum is active in several EU funded projects: bringing together investment promotion agencies, cooperation in the ICT and transport sectors, helping out in energy efficiency, promoting branding and a “we-feeling” in the region via research reports and a new website called newsWave (www.newswave.eu) and arranging seminars on issues such as green and blue growth. Contact at BDF: Director Hans Brask, hb@bdforum.org

OUTLOOK / SPECIAL

One

Fly, cook and show TEXT BY KRISTA BAUMANE, FOOD BLOGGER, WWW.KRISTA.LV PHOTOS BY GATIS GIERTS, F64

airBaltic’s international team has many talents, not only safely flying you places, but also cooking up a storm, as shown by the three heroes of the gourmet evening set up by Baltic Outlook

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cold autumn evening, I got together with five girlfriends for a long, wine-laced dinner to chat and catch up. As dessert arrived, one of them casually mentioned that her boyfriend, an airBaltic pilot, was having some of his international colleagues over for a cooking session. Would any of us like to join them afterwards? Each of us came up with an excuse for not going: a breast-feeding baby waiting at home, an important case to be argued in the courtroom early next morning. There should be a punishment for wasting such a unique opportunity to have a good time, I later thought. When was the last time a pilot made a meal for you? As it turns out, I was extremely lucky, for I was given a second chance. The lovely people working at airBaltic have many talents. They not only safely fly you places, but can also cook up a storm, as I discovered during a friendly evening in the upstairs “guest kitchen” at the popular 3 pavāru restorāns. This dinner also confirmed that a love of food is the perfect social glue for instantly bonding strangers over simmering paellas, exotic Indian spices and orangeflavoured tiramisus.

Food blogger Krista Baumane (on the right) is there to hold together this sometimes overly-creative evening Viktorija and her guacamole. Gunita and her temperament

Making sure that the spelling of paellero, the special paella pan, is correct

The chosen red wine of the night turned out to be the same that Gunita has been serving on airBaltic flights for the past two to three years

First come, first served

BALTIC OUTLOOK / MAY 2013 / 85

OUTLOOK / SPECIAL

Ayurveda and a good Spanish cava wine usually don’t mix, but tonight...

Starters by Viktorija Jurēviča, sales assistant To kick off the evening, Viktorija had brought a tasty hummus and quickly put together guacamole, which we all enjoyed with freshly baked bread offered by the restaurant. While hummus and guacamole are pretty straightforward appetizer choices, she also presented us with a surprise. My guess of baked aubergine was wrong, along with everyone else’s. The surprise turned out to be champignons sautéed in ghee and then blended to a delicately flavoured paste. Viktorija is possibly the most senior airBaltic employee, having joined the company as a check-in agent 16 years ago, three months after the airline was founded. When not working, Viktorija is a devoted student of Ayurveda. She quickly determined who among us were Vatas, Pittas and Kaphas,

and proceeded with the Palak Paneer – a warm Indian/Pakistani dish of spinach and fresh cheese, served with Basmati rice. She cooked the spinach together with some onion, garlic paste and blanched, diced tomato, adding cream in the end and fried cheese pieces on top. She makes the ghee herself, once a month, when the moon is at its fullest. Basmati rice was cooked in the clarified butter, where in advance she toasted some turmeric to make the whole thing warmly yellow and black mustard seeds “until they spit and crackle”. In accordance with Ayurvedic traditions but unlike any home or professional cooks I’ve met, Viktorija doesn’t usually taste her food while making it to “avoid the stress of getting it right and ruining the mystical element of the finished meal”. The result was surprisingly delicious!

Palak paneer, the traditional Indian-Pakistani vegetarian dish, served with rice

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OUTLOOK / SPECIAL Paella mixes the passions of the earth and sea. Chicken and pork cooks next to squid, prawns, crab legs, monkfish and mussels

Main course by Bartolome Morey, 1st officer The spectacular centrepiece and most complicated dish of the evening – paella mixta – was prepared by Bartolome from Palma de Mallorca. Bartolome is a pilot who loves to fly but dislikes travelling – there is a difference when you think about this apparent contradiction for a moment! Paella is Spain’s gift to the world and must be prepared by the man of the family in the special paellera, a well-seasoned pan, handed down through generations. This created

a bit of excitement as the proper paellera we had borrowed from the Mexican/Latino/Spanish restaurant Monhe Negro in the Old Town didn’t work on the fancy induction cooker that was available to us. Bartolome courageously made a go with a huge electrically heated pan used by 3 Pavāru restorāns for out-of-house catering. In the absence of a real paellera one may use another pan, but it must be wide, shallow and heavybased throughout, so as to evenly hold and distribute heat. Paella is usually made for family luncheons,

Bartolome explained, while chopping up heaps of ingredients – green beans, red paprika, chicken, pork and squid. He has four or five paelleras of various sizes at home. “What is the largest crowd for which you’ve made paella?” I asked. A hundred people, over an open fire, he told me.

along, spreading a heavenly aroma. During the last stage of paellamaking you should avoid stirring, Bartolome explained, shaking the pan gently every now and then. This is important so as to prevent the rice from giving off too much starch. (He used Arborio because the originally required Bomba type

summer at

Minutes before adding the stock and rice

Parsley-chopping like a professional chef Once we got the pan going after several failed attempts, Bartolome started by stir-frying all the ingredients in olive oil, one by one. He began with the vegetables, putting each one aside as it was done. Then came the seafood – shell-on prawns, crab legs and fish. He seasoned the chicken and meat with salt and pepper, but save for a fat pinch of saffron, along with finely chopped garlic and parsley, no special spices were added. This dish blends the qualities of the different ingredients in harmonious unison, without one taste dominating over the others. Therein lies its beauty. As we talked, Bartolome quickly made a sofrito – a base sauce of sautéed chopped onions and tomatoes. Then he put all of the prepped ingredients back into the pan, adding fish and chicken stock and rice; and making a big cross over the top the way his mother, a devout Catholic, used to do. The dish was now gently bubbling

of rice was unavailable.) More delicate seafood such as squid and pre-cooked mussels were added toward the end. Finally, Bartolome distributed strips of red paprika on the top like flower petals. He then covered the finished dish and allowed it to rest for 15 minutes. A sign of a true paella-master is the presence of a tasty crust called socorraet at the bottom of the pan. Paella should be served as soon as it is ready, with the chef distributing portions like wedges from a cake. Picking off one’s favourite ingredients from the top is not allowed, I am told. All in all, it took Bartolome oneand-a-half hours to complete his masterpiece. From what I observed, it was not so much complicated as meticulous, requiring the chef’s undivided attention, since you cannot leave the pan unattended. Thus, it is most helpful to have friends fill up your glass when you are cooking this dish!

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OUTLOOK / SPECIAL Part of Gunita’s night sleep between flights to Rome and Vilnius was sacrificed to bake a sponge cake for her tiramisu

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Dessert by Gunita Lāce, cabin crew While Gunita’s assigned task was to prepare the dessert, she was the first to arrive, happy and bubbly like a Cava wine. She immediately spotted Baltic Outlook’s chief editor as a regular passenger. How is that possible, I wondered? It’s utterly simple, actually. Having worked on airBaltic flights for the past five years, Gunita pays close attention to her clients! The flight attendant treated us to tiramisu, and since her most recent flight was to Rome, she had used the occasion to ask one of the Italian passengers for some tips. Her previous experience with the classic Italian dessert includes a tiramisu party thrown

by Italian colleagues at airBaltic some years ago, a tiramisu made for her by Giancarlo, a pilot from Malta, and countless late-night trips to pasticcerias in Rome, where “everyone eats cakes right on the street before going to clubs. Tiramisu can have many different flavours, such as raspberry, strawberry and so on,” she told me. Tonight, Gunita decided to make an orange tiramisu. Instead of using shop-bought Savoyardi biscuits, she made the sponge cake herself and soaked it in freshly pressed orange juice mixed with a bit of Cointreau – no espresso! – before assembling individual portions in wide-rimmed glasses. As I helped to grate the chocolate, Gunita told me how she and her best friend – also a flight attendant – had experimented with melting sugar and making caramel curls on waxed baking paper after watching a tutorial on YouTube. They had done so the previous evening, fresh off the return flight from Rome, in order to make the presentation of tonight’s dessert more spectacular, if not entirely Italian. The tiramisu was fabulous. I will surely try the juice-instead-of-espresso version at home, which I think is a brilliant idea – not least because it is also child-friendly. When the recipe makes it into my blog, I promise to call it Gunita’s Tiramisu, remembering the extraordinary evening of food and conversation with people who love to fly. BO

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Mesmerizing sugar threads were also mastered from a tutorial on YouTube the night before the dinner Special thanks to Dana Gritāne and Ieva Medniece of 3 pavāru restorāns, as well as Jose Javier Manzur Garcia, the head-chef of Monhe Negro, and Ilze Arkliņa from airBaltic

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Galleria Riga shopping centre Dzirnavu iela 67 Entrances from Dzirnavu iela 67 and Blaumaņa iela 10 (between Brīvības bulvāris and Tērbatas iela) Information centre Tel. (+371) 67307000 info@galleriariga.lv galleriariga.lv/en

The Galleria Riga is located in a business area in the centre of Riga. A wide variety of shops line the seven storeys of the building, providing visitors with a broad selection of items. Here you’ll find necessities for both daily life and celebrations. At the Galleria Riga you can purchase items by such famous labels as Stefanel, women’secret, Cortefiel, Springfield, Karen Millen, Oasis, Parfois, Ecco, Mango, Marella, Gino Rossi, Suitsupply, Baltman, Diesel, Triumph, Ioanna Kourbella, John Galliano, Alexander McQueen (the last three brands are available at the mon chéri store), Crocs, Piazza Italia and many more. To better serve its customers, the shopping centre has a built-in parking garage (free parking for two hours on Sundays) and special stands for bicycles. Guests have use of free Wi-Fiand can take full advantage of Global Blue tax-free benefits. Those who are short on time, or who would rather place their trust in a professional, can shop with a personal stylist who will help find the most appropriate outfits, taking into account your style and needs, as well as the trends of the season. Other useful services at the Galleria Riga include a post office, dry-cleaning, currency exchange and beauty salons. A favourite spot for guests to stop for a moment’s rest is the centre’s fountain, which offers a great view of the building’s elegant architecture.

Kids will be thrilled by Blue Wonders (Zili brīnumi), a knowledge-stimulation centre for children that will keep your little ones occupied and happy while you shop. Art lovers will be drawn by the regularly changing exhibitions of works by Latvian artists on the 5th and 7th floors. After you’ve finished your shopping, enjoy a hearty meal at one of the Galleria Riga’s nine distinguished restaurants, which have become among the most popular dining spots in Riga within a very short time. Happy shopping! Māris Āboltiņš Manager of the Galleria Riga shopping centre

This summer season, the classic cuts of business attire are complemented by light tones of beige or grey, along with thinner materials like cotton or silk and energetic accents such as orange ties and red hats Parfois LVL 5,49 EUR 7

Tie

Baltman LVL 9,90 EUR 14

Monton LVL 17.90 EUR 25

Jacket

Marella LVL 189 EUR 269

Jacket

Monton LVL 75,90 EUR 100

Hat

Parfois LVL 11,49 EUR 16

Skirt

Oasis LVL 44 EUR 62

Necklace Monton LVL 10 EUR 14

Dress

Karen Millen LVL 144 EUR 206

Trousers Shoes

Shoes

Karen Millen LVL 145 EUR 206

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Monton LVL 13.90 EUR 20

Polo shirt

Belt Parfois, 1st floor

Scarf

Baltman LVL 59,90 EUR 85

NS King LVL 62,95 EUR 90

Prices in EUR are listed solely for information purposes. All transactions at the Galleria Riga must take place in LVL. A currency exchange booth is available at the shopping centre

Suitsupply, 2nd floor

Do you fancy a leisurely meal with a splendid view of Riga’s historical rooftops? Are you looking for something special that you won’t find at any other shopping centre in Riga?

Since opening in 2010, the Galleria Riga has found its place in the hearts of Riga’s residents and visitors as a convenient shopping centre, which also happens to provide opportunities for relaxation and entertainment

Oasis LVL 121 EUR 172

Bracelet

Māris Āboltiņš

The eighth floor of the Galleria Riga hosts the largest rooftop terrace in the Baltic countries

Mango LVL 65,99 EUR 94

Bag

Necklace

If you answered “yes” to at least one of these questions, then the Galleria Riga shopping centre is a “must visit” destination during your trip to the Latvian capital. Galleria Riga has continued to expand with the recent opening of stores by the popular Reserved, Monton and Mohito brands. Those who are fond of Italian fashion can visit Latvia’s only Stefanel shop, which began its operations in April, while fans of Tommy Hilfiger and Guess will be pleased at the opportunity to shop at the newly opened Denim Dream store.

Jacket

OUTLOOK / PROMO

OUTLOOK / PROMO A few reasons to visit Jūrmala this summer season: • A new nature trail opens at the Ķemeri National Park; • The active bicycling season has resumed; • The Līvu akvaparks water park opens a summer section with water slides and other fun features in June; • Exciting sports and cultural events all season long; • 26 km sandy beach and four Blue Flag beaches with a first-rate infrastructure and services; • New children’s playgrounds; • Outdoor recreation facilities; • Water sports rentals; • Restaurants with terraces and live music.

Līvu akvaparks

Blossom out

with the spring in Jūrmala! As the snow and ice melt away and the trees break out into bloom, the largest resort city Jūrmala is welcoming the summer season. An increasing number of visitors can be seen walking along the beach to take in the fresh, pine-scented and ionized air. Many also choose to undergo one or more of some 400 available health and wellness procedures at Jūrmala’s spa centres, as well as enjoy a healthy meal at a restaurant or café. There are many activities

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to choose from in this beautiful resort location, such as short bicycle rides along the seashore, excursions to view some of Jūrmala’s architectural marvels, boat trips along the sea, outings at the Līvu akvaparks water park, physical activities at the Dzintari Forest Park or family picnics in a natural setting at the Ķemeri National Park. Discover Jūrmala together with your family, friends and work colleagues.

How to get there From the Riga International airport by taxi (approximately 15 min). From Riga’s Central Station: by train or minibus. If you want to explore the centre of Jūrmala, ask for a ticket to Majori Station.

www.tourism.jurmala.lv

Baltic Beach Hotel

BALTIC OUTLOOK / MAY 2013 / 95

PHOTOS COURTESY OF HOTEL JURMALA SPA AND RESTAURANT JURAS PERLE ARCHIVES

OUTLOOK / PROMO

Upcoming performances of Promenādes stāsts (Promenade Story) May 3, 10 and 25 June 8 and 28 Hotel Jūrmala Spa Founded in 2005, after the complete renovation of a historic hotel building.

Steak and fish restaurant BLUE COW Meistaru iela 21, Līvu laukums, Riga (+371) 67223307

osts 190 rooms and is located on Jomas H iela, Jūrmala’s bustling pedestrian street. T he cabaret show at the hotel’s Jūrmala restaurant can entertain up to 120 guests.

Let there be cabaret! Jūrmala

– the seaside resort town on what is popularly known as the Latvian Riviera – is a special place, with a Belle Epoque aristocratic feel that still emanates from its charming turn-of-thecentury buildings, sanatoriums built for the proletariat at the height of the Soviet era and the revival of sanum per aqua water treatments following the renewal of Latvia’s independence in 1991. However, one period in the city’s history stands out in particular. That was the 1980s, when Jūrmala became the first place in the USSR to host professional cabaret shows. These performances, which provided a rare taste of Western entertainment, were only accessible to the Soviet elite, turning such restaurants as Jūrmala and Jūras pērle into cult establishments. Table reservations at these venues had to be made months in advance. The Jūrmala cabaret restaurant was revived only a year ago, providing an added source of entertainment to the already bustling Jomas iela – Jūrmala’s popular pedestrian street. In the company of sparkling wine and a three-course dinner, here – as by the neon-lit windmills of Paris’ Moulin Rouge – visitors are treated to a dizzying array of dance, music and magician performances. Last year’s warm-

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up routines have now been transformed into a full-fledged show named Promenādes stāsts (Promenade Story), recounted within the classic framework of unrequited love. Amid a backdrop of fiery dances, acclaimed jazz singer Daumants Kalniņš recounts a charming story of romance in the resort town of Jūrmala, about that which has been and about hopes that still lie on the horizon. The new performance has been stripped of such traditional cabaret embellishments as glitz, feathers and can-can dancing, making the Promenade Story more elegant and appropriate for families with children. However, despite the fact that this show is not openly erotic, it retains a sensual, almost electrifying feel – just the right kind of atmosphere for a glass or two of sparkling wine. Another cabaret essential, the gourmet dinner, is just as refined as the performance itself. Trout rolls filled with cucumber and cream cheese followed by grilled chicken breast with vegetable risotto are just one example of what you can choose from during the two-hour performance that will seem to pass as quickly as a flash. Blueberry-cheese layer cake served with mango sauce and cookie crumbles will add the necessary icing on the cake, so to speak, for a perfect end to the evening. BO

hether buying the ‘show + dinner’ ticket W (30 LVL/43 EUR) or ‘only show’ ticket (20 LVL/29 EUR), a sparkling welcome drink from Freixenet is included.

www.zila-govs.lv

Laima Vaikule and her cabaret team in the Jūras pērle restaurant in the 1980s

Latvian fish restaurant FISHERMAN’S SON Kaļķu iela 2, Riga (entrance from Kungu iela) (+371) 67227505

www.zvejniekadels.lv

OUTLOOK / GADGETS

TEXT BY ROGER NORUM | PUBLICITY PHOTOS

Pocket rockets This month brings an enviable collection of pocket-sized travel gadgets to prepare you for the warmer months ahead

Tumi luggage scale Pre-empt checkin nightmares Avoid excess baggage charges with this slender digital hand scale, which works with the push of a button and is so compact that you can place it into your luggage right after weighing your travel bags. Slip the strap through the handle of your bag, then suspend the bag from the device. The weight appears on the digital readout to an accuracy of 1/10th of a kilogram or pound. A must for those who like to push the packing limit. 55 EUR | www.tumi.com

Vertu Ti Luxury living as a smartphone This luxury smartphone features a leather-accented handset of simple, elegant titanium and a 3.7-inch scratchproof, sapphire crystal screen. Vertu’s user interface now controls the latest version of Google’s Android OS, offering 64GB of memory. The Vertu key offers 24-7 access to Vertu’s renowned Concierge (as well as Life and Certainty) services. Also available in black alligator and gold models. 7,900 EUR | www.vertu.com

OUTLOOK / GADGETS

Garmin GPS 62stc Rugged outdoor handheld pathfinder Garmin’s latest handheld GPS device is advanced enough to guide you to the ends of the earth, but rugged (and waterproof) enough to hike the Amazon with you. The 2.6-inch screen is readable in sunlight, while an altimeter tracks pressure and altitude. A 5MP autofocus camera permits photo navigation. You can also wirelessly share up to 2000 waypoints and 200 routes with other units. Indispensable for outdoorsy types. 449 EUR | www.garmin.com

Panasonic HXWA30 Camcorder A waterproof camera? Yep. Panasonic’s completely redesigned camcorder can be used in water up to a depth of 10 metres. It is also shockproof, dustproof and freezeproof. The innovative built-in Wi-Fi lets you easily share your work through a tablet or smartphone, and you can even play back your material on a DLNA-compatible TV without any cables. Also does great slow-motion shooting – perfect for action sports such as surfing and skiing. 340 EUR | www.panasonic.com

Innergie PocketCell Duo Power in your pocket Barely bigger than a USB stick, this tiny gizmo is the world’s smallest 6800mAh rechargeable portable battery, holding enough power to fully juice up two smart phones or one tablet on a single charge. Five LED power level indicators let you know how much charge is left in the device. Also comes with a Magic Cable, which supports micro- and mini-USB, as well as iPhone connectors all in one. Available this summer. Approximately 89.99 EUR | www.myinnergie.com

CARS

In association with car buyers guide Whatcar.lv

First drive: the Opel Adam

It is no secret that today’s small cars are aimed squarely at urban fashionistas. The new Opel Adam is the company’s answer to small, chic hatchbacks like the Citroen DS3, Fiat 500 and Mini. So is it special enough to provide an answer to these models or is it just an exercise in style and marketing? Its cutesy styling is completely new, but beneath the surface things become rather more familiar. There you’ll find a shortened version of the Corsa platform and three of Opel’s

current-generation petrol engines: a 70 hp 1.2 and a 1.4 with either 87 hp or 100 hp. One of the Adam’s biggest selling points is that it’s the most customisable car ever, with an unbelievable amount of options and accessories - from paint colours to interior trims and wheel designs.

What’s it like to drive?

All the versions we’ve driven so far have been fitted with optional sports suspension. This helps keep the Adam upright through tight corners,

but it can make the ride a bit firm – especially if you opt for the largest (18-inch) alloys. This stiffness doesn’t help the Adam’s handling on bumpy roads, either, because it causes the car to hop sideways when you hit a midcorner bump or drain cover. Also, the back end doesn’t feel anywhere near as grippy as the front, which is unnerving if you enter a corner too quickly. The steering feels precise around town, however, it doesn’t weight up enough when you’re travelling at faster speed. This doesn’t inspire confidence when you’re driving along twisty B-roads, because you’re never sure when the front tyres are approaching their limits of grip. In this test drive in Budapest we tried the 87 hp 1.4, which Opel expects to be the biggest seller. Performance is adequate, if not exactly sparkling. Refinement is a bigger issue, because the engine drones noisily at motorway speeds due to the low gearing and the lack of a sixth gear. You hear some noise from the suspension, too. Official fuel economy is 5.5 liters/ 100 km which is not bad at all.

What’s it like inside?

The driving position is good, the seats are comfortable and the dashboard layout is reasonably well-designed. There are intuitive controls for the air conditioning and a user-friendly touchscreen interface called ‘Intellilink’, which can link with your smartphone.

The Adam joins the growing ranks of premium superminis

CARS

The choice of materials and solid construction quality make the Adam’s interior feel classy, too. However, your view of some of the dashboard buttons is blocked by the steering wheel, and overthe-shoulder visibility isn’t great because of the Adam’s chunky rear pillars. Practicality is a bigger issue. Head- and legroom are so tight in the rear seats that even children will feel hemmed in. Adults will be downright uncomfortable – assuming they can squeeze in at all – and the boot is pretty pokey, although no smaller than a Mini’s. However, none of that is what’s going to sell the Adam. Instead, it’s the fact that you can tailor the car so precisely to your requirements that you will never see another one quite like yours. Firstly, you have to choose from one of three trims: Jam, Glam or Slam. Jam models are reasonably priced (in Latvia prices start at 12 200 euros) and come with all the essentials, there’s around 500 euro price jump for more luxurious Glam models, while range-topping Slam trim starts at 13 000. Next, you pick from 12 paint colours, with names that include Saturday White Fever, Papa Don’t Peach and James Blonde. To this you add a roof colour from a choice of Men in Brown, I’ll Be Black or White My Fire,

followed by (if you so desire) exterior decal packs called Splat, Fly and Stripes. If you can’t be bothered with all that, then you can simply add accessory packs with names such as Twisted and Extreme, which combine various set elements from the options list. Then all you have to do is select one of 20 wheel designs and you’re done – with the exterior at least. Inside, there are a further dozen colours and numerous dashboard surrounds that – should you get bored or want to tone down the car before selling it – can be changed at your local dealer. Finally, there’s the roof lining; you can have a sunroof, or 64 LED lights set out in celestial constellations, clouds, leaves or a black-and-white chessboard.

Should I buy one?

It remains to be seen, but we suspect that the Adam won’t hold its value as well as a Fiat 500 or Mini. It is not a prime driving enthusiast’s car but the Adam will impress many with its style statement and its stand-out colours and trims. The job of specifying the ideal car will entertain certain buyers in a way that specifying an Volkswagen Up or Mini never would. BO

SIXT and airBaltic. A dream team between heaven and earth. (Earn 500 Baltic Miles with every car rental. Sixt welcomes you in Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and all around the world. Find your nearest Sixt location at sixt.com)

sx07425_Anzeige_BalticMiles_08_2012.indd 1

08.03.2013 10:46:15

OUTLOOK / PROMO / DINING

PUBLICITY PHOTOS

Ribs & Rock Kaļķu iela 8 Tel. (+371) 28650450 Grēcinieku iela 8 Tel. (+371) 26699966 www.ribsrestaurant.lv

Preparing excellent ribs is laborious – that’s one good reason to leave it to the experts. At Ribs & Rock, two spots located right in the heart of Riga, Michelin restaurant-trained head chef treats ribs at a state-of-the-art level Rock and roll is what they play, and ribs are what you’ll get. Ribs & Rock is the tempting blend of an American-style restaurant with a Latvian heart and staff. Having opened their second edition a year ago (which, just like the first one, is also located in the Old Town), the daring promoters of the Ribs & Rock chain have once again proved their expertise in the business. They also own KID and Steiku Haoss, two equally celebrated Riga brand names. However, Ribs & Rock is different, not only menu-wise, but also judging by the interior. Its signature is a special American-style décor. Jim Morrison, the former leader of The Doors, features prominently in one of many posters and paintings that hang from the walls. Photos of numerous rock bands and singers abound, along with vintage electric guitars, drum sets and plenty of rock and roll memorabilia. Being the only restaurants in Latvia that specialize in lamb, beef and pork ribs, Ribs & Rock knows how to make its customers´ mouths water right from the start. Sometimes the aroma emanating into the dining hall is so irresistible that it’s easy to overrate one’s hunger when choosing from an order of either 400 or 800 grams of ribs. The two restaurants offer not only great meat, but also a large menu with a wide range of choices for every palate. When the first Ribs & Rock opened in 2011, head chef Andris Jugāns turned his kitchen into a veritable laboratory. After a great deal of work and numerous experiments, he figured out the perfect process for marinating and cooking ribs in order to make them particularly soft. In fact, he found a dozen different combinations of flavours to offer. In all cases, the meat must be marinated for 24 hours and then steamed, then marinated once more and put into the oven before it goes to the grill with plenty of gravy. Even though the total preparation process after you order it takes only about 15 minutes, the method for preparing excellent ribs is laborious. When leaving it to Ribs & Rock, you can be sure that you’ve addressed the city’s best experts, as Jugāns has been trained in London under the wing of Michelin star-winning British head chef Tom Aikens. Among the restaurants’ specialties are Dark side of the moon, prepared with the renowned Riga Black Balsam, as well as Red Hot Chilli Peppers and U2. The ribs are featured in a separate menu and are served with different side dishes like variously filled baked potatoes, as well as with diverse sauces such as Béarnaise, guacamole, yoghurt or spicy dried plum – all freshly made in the restaurants’ kitchen. To whet your appetite, the menu offers six different kinds of salads, along with various cold or hot appetizers, including beef

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fillet tartar, fried goat cheese, vitello tonnato and tiger prawn tails in tempura. If you don’t fancy ribs, then there are great soups, pastas or fish to choose from, as well as a wide range of steaks, including an Argentinean one. Don’t forget to spoil yourself with a sweet treat before you leave. Try the chocolate Sacher cake or the Philadelphia cheesecake, or perhaps a homemade sorbet and you will leave completely satisfied. Be sure to match a special wine with your main course, for

Sometimes the aroma emanating into the dining hall is so irresistible that it’s easy to overrate one’s hunger example, pork ribs. Believe us, the Ribs & Rock restaurants are among the most skilled places in Riga for coupling wine and pork perfectly. Savour a glass of red or one of their numerous types of beer, lagers or cocktails on the outdoor terrace, which is a true challenge for any passer-by to overlook. Appetizingly filled plates, relaxed patrons sipping refreshing drinks and listening to live music by Latvian rock groups while soaking up the sun and city charm on the cobbled streets of the Old Town – all this proves very hard to resist during springtime in the Latvian capital. BO

BALTIC OUTLOOK / MAY 2013 / 109

OUTLOOK / PROMO / DINING

PHOTOS COURTESY OF 1221

Pretty darling of the Old Town

Jauniela 16, Riga Hours: Mon.–Sun. 12:00–23:00 (+371) 67 22 01 71 1221@apollo.lv www.1221.lv

Ragout of beaver marinated in champagne with goat cheese ravioli

Jauniela, one of Riga’s oldest streets, has never lacked in beauty. It has even “acted” in a number of films, doubling as London’s Baker Street, the home of Sherlock Holmes; as the Rue Dante in German-occupied Paris or as the fateful Blumenstraße in Bern in a serial about Stierlitz, the fictional Soviet spy. From whatever angle you catch it, the cobblestoned Jauniela nearly never misses making a postcard out of a photo. If you retrace your steps a little along the intersecting Krāmu iela, then behind a building with a flowery blue façade (which looks like a real treat), you’ll see the tower of the legendary Dome Cathedral. This beautiful building now houses 1221, one of the city’s best restaurants. A wooden edifice once stood on this same site some 800 years ago, serving as the home of the founder of Riga, Bishop Albert. No matter how rich the presence of history in the three floors of the restaurant, which is visited every so often by guide-led tourist groups, 1221 puts its focus on the art of fine food. Roberts Smilga, the head chef and co-owner of 1221, is an artist at heart. He sees his cooking as being no less creative than any other field of art, and says that he can’t come up with new dishes on commission. In other words, the ideas for his new recipes have to come naturally, based primarily on inspiration. 1221 largely keeps following its set course in terms of style and offer, knowing that practically every item on the menu is much loved by the large number of returning customers. The restaurant offers continental cuisine for the most part, although the head chef tells us of his plans to gradually introduce more elements from Italian cuisine. At 1221, Smilga truly follows the demands of the public, carefully selecting the most exquisite products from all over Europe to create his legendary dishes, such as the 1221 steak fried in truffle oil, the beaver ragout with pineapples or the quirky “snacks for vodka”, which contain pork scratchings, jellied tomatoes and more. One section in the menu is dedicated solely to Latvian cuisine, featuring such classics as sauerkraut soup with pork ribs glazed in honey, or the combination – which is simple to the point of perfection – of salted herring with cottage cheese and boiled potatoes. The dessert of layered rye bread with whipped cream and cranberry jam will have you willing to come back to Riga very soon indeed. BO

The area around Lake Ķīšezers in Riga has always been a desirable location, and why not? Queens is a British pub and restaurant with a gorgeous Victorian atmosphere and delicious food. More than 18 draught beers to choose from, including local and imported brands, a wide range of steaks, burgers and other meat dishes.

Kaļķu iela 2, Riga (+371) 67800001 Antonijas iela 9, Riga (+371) 67331130

www.queens.lv

www.apogi.lv

A first-rate Latvian restaurant with fine European cuisine. Banquet hall with a perfect view of Līvu Square on the 2nd floor. After your meal, enjoy a hookah in a relaxing atmosphere in one of the basement rooms.

Meistaru iela 23, (Līvu laukums), Riga (+371) 67225686

www.4rooms.lv 110 / AIRBALTIC.COM

SIA KALNA APOGI Ausekļa iela 22-2, Riga, Latvia (+371) 29208136 apogi2@inbox.lv (+371) 29230999 osnd@inbox.lv

FOOD&DRINK

Text by KATE KRUMINA PHOTOS BY GATIS GIERTS, F64 AND COURTESY OF GARAGE

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Garage wine bar, Riga The alluring alleyways of the Berga Bazārs (Bergs Bazaar) shopping arcade are probably among the nicest places to get lost in Riga. Even if you know this part of town like the back of your hand, the criss-crossing passages bordered by Elizabetes, Marijas and Dzirnavu streets hide so many aesthetic and gastronomic pleasures that you are likely to wander off your original trajectory. The arcade is like a trap, but a pleasurable one. One locale in the Berga Bazārs where time flies, conversations flow and the mood invariably improves is Garage. A century ago, it was literally the place where the Bergs Family kept its cars. Today however, only the industrial décor reminds one of this restaurant’s former functions. In all other senses, Garage is a prime location for Riga’s foodies, and occasionally, for international celebrities of the highest calibre. Kylie Minogue

and Sting have dined here, and last summer Garage also catered Lady Gaga’s team. Speaking of catering, the signature dish of the house has always been tapas, although soups, salads and a thorough choice of main dishes are also in the menu. Having offered this Spanish culinary treasure since the establishment’s opening day, the chefs at Garage have mastered the art of tapas to perfection, both variety- and taste wise. Garage calls itself a “democratic wine bar”. In Latvian, the word “democratic” heralds the promise of a great price and quality relation, as well as an open attitude. Indeed, be you a wine novice or an expert, you’ll feel right at home at one of Garage’s candlelit tables. Daily 10:00–24:00 Elizabetes iela 83/85 Tel. (+371) 26 628 833

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Zn metals Aviācijas iela 18e Jelgava, LV-3002, Latvia Phone: +371 26433555 Fax: + 371 67072201 E-mail: info@znmetals.lv www.znmetals.lv

FOOD&DRINK

Degustare restaurant, Riga

THE FULL SERVICE PROPERTY HOUSE www.newsecbaltics.com

Degustare, one of the latest additions to Riga’s restaurant scene, opened its doors with the ambitious promise of bringing in a fresh breeze of haute cuisine to Latvia’s capital. Suspecting that this might be a spot with a sniffy attitude, Baltic Outlook went out to see for itself, only to find a restaurant run by hearty professionals who seem passionate about showing what they can do. In one way, Degustare does differ from its brothers-in-arms. It’s the first restaurant in Riga to have the solid and frequent presence of a Michelin-starred chef – the award-winning Swede Bjorn Franzen, whose Franzen Lindeberg in Stockholm’s Gamla Stan is a true molecular gastronomy hot spot. Franzen not only set up Degustare’s menu, but was there for the opening and has promised to come over now and then for special gourmet evenings. On a day-to-day basis, the kitchen is run by a head chef Mihkel Heinmet, who is Estonian, just like the restaurant’s owners. Although it operates at the high end of the price scale, Degustare is a busy place. The fact that it’s on the first floor of a hotel partly explains this. In addition, the restaurant has wisely chosen to offer two different menus (varying both choice- and price-wise), so that in fact it’s two different restaurants under the same roof. The more casual space by the entrance and bar is where you can

get classics like Ceasar salad, grilled chicken, homemade beef burger or pasta. The value-for-money business lunch (from 12:00–15:00), where two courses come at the price of 4.50 LVL and three for 6.50 LVL, is also hosted in the casual area. The elegant gourmet premises deeper in the restaurant open at 17:00 on work days with à la carte options. If you decide to visit during the à la carte hours (and every foodie should), try Degustare’s bestsellers as a starter: a slow-cooked organic egg or cold-smoked Nordic shrimps, prepared right in the kitchen. Regarding main courses, the 12-hour poached beef cheeks are accompanied with a fairy-talelike truffle-pumpkin puree and raw grated fois gras. A compliment to the chef is sure to follow any course, but make sure not to skip a tribute to beetroot, the local veggie king, for dessert. It comes with a lavender mousse and a nearly century-old balsamic vinegar. Degustare aims high, as evidenced by a bottle of the world’s most expensive champagne, which will reach the restaurant this May. The owners might want to think about solid security once the precious item arrives, as it’s one of only 145 bottles recovered from a 19th -century shipwreck in the Baltic Sea, of which the approximate auction price is 12,000 LVL (around 17,000 EUR). Daily 08:00–24:00 Pulkveža Brieža iela 11/13 Tel. (+371) 67631790

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Sardinia

In brief

1/ New holiday destinations this summer 2/ Summer sun brings seasonal returns 3/ Be a high-flier with airBaltic Training 4/ Get the new, customized airBaltic newsletter 118 / AIRBALTIC.COM

1/ New holiday destinations this summer airBaltic continues to open exciting new routes to destinations in central and southern Europe. Sun worshippers will be delighted to learn that direct flights to Larnaca on the holiday island of Cyprus were already launched back in April. May 4 sees the opening of flights to both Olbia on the spectacular Italian island of Sardinia and to Heviz-Balaton, the gateway to Hungary’s famous Lake Balaton. A week later on May 11, the fascinating island of Malta joins the destination list and soon afterwards on June 6 the beautiful Croatian resort of Rijeka also makes it onto the airBaltic roster. Each destination has a wealth of attractions, so whether your passion is for the beaches of Cyprus and Rijeka, the cuisine of Sardinia, the architecture of Malta or the spa centres of Balaton, there’s sure to be something just right for you. Book now at www.airbaltic.com to get the lowest possible prices.

If you have always dreamed of a career in the aviation industry, airBaltic Training offers a wide range of internationally-recognised IATA distance-learning diploma courses. Our long experience understanding international best practice, standards and regulation ensures that courses meet the real challenges you are likely to encounter in the workplace, so whether you are a new recruit, a specialist or senior management wanting to broaden your skills, airBaltic Training can provide courses that are both engaging and effective. Most courses are available with prestigious Harvard ManageMentor modules to help you improve your management skills. To see available courses and apply, please visit www.airbaltictraining.com. Special offers are available for applications received by May 15.

BALTIC OUTLOOK / MAY 2013 / 119

airBaltic / BEHIND THE SCENES

TEXT BY IEVA NORA FIRERE Publicity photo

Deep green Pauls Cālītis, Senior Vice President of Flight Operations 120 / AIRBALTIC.COM

airBaltic / BEHIND THE SCENES

Once in a while, Pauls Cālītis puts on his captain’s uniform and flies a Boeing 737. He spends most other work days wearing a regular suit as the head of airBaltic’s largest department (staff-wise). It seems that now Pauls could also use a “green” suit, for he is also responsible for an ecofriendly pilot project with a genuinely Baltic acronym: AMBER (Arrival Modernization for Better Efficiency in Riga). This is the most significant green aviation initiative at airBaltic to date. As aircraft taxi from the piers behind Paul’s window, he talks about the pioneering efforts taken in Scandinavia, Asia and the Middle East to modernize arrival procedures. Up until recently, the aviation industry in Europe had been slow to accept satellite-based solutions, which make the arrival process “greener”. airBaltic is proud to be Europe’s first airline to launch ‘green’ flights for turboprop aircraft. By the time you read this article, planning will be in full swing to have airBaltic’s Bombardier pilots specially trained for the 100 trial flights that will be flown this summer. Data from these flights will be analyzed for fuel and CO2-emission savings. “Beginning next year, and by 2016 at the latest, the Boeing aircraft in our fleet will have been replaced by Bombardier models. ‘Greener’ landings will be routine, daily events, rather than part of a special project,” says Pauls.

Aside from airBaltic’s green corporate logo, how ‘green’ is the company? There is no doubt that our main investments are definitely “green”-oriented – we are using them to renew our fleet. Our Fokker aircraft have already been replaced by newer Bombardier Dash Q400s, and this spring we will be acquiring four more of these aircraft: totally new, straight from the factory. By flying with a new fleet that is equipped with the latest technologies, airlines set a positive example to others. They show that they are treating the environment with respect. New aircraft are as eco-friendly as possible, consuming less fuel and emitting far less CO2 than older models.

Has airBaltic set up anything akin to a ‘green department’, now that ‘green aviation’ has become such an issue? That is very important for the largest airlines. Here at airBaltic we’ve divided the responsibilities among ourselves and done so quite successfully. When our industry colleagues told us about the opportunity to apply for a SESAR (a European Union initiative aimed to improve air traffic management) funded project, only a couple of weeks were left until the application deadline. During that time, we put in the equivalent of two months of work. It was worth the trouble, as our AMBER project was accepted and will get a 50% co-funding. Together with our project partners – Quovadis and Latvijas Gaisa Satiksme – and with close cooperation of the Latvian Civil Aviation Agency and Riga International Airport – we have launched Europe’s first green flights for turboprop aircraft. We’ve been surprised at the positive feedback that has come in, both from the media and from other airlines. Along with other companies that use Bombardier aircraft in their fleets, we have become experts in giving advice on how to fly ‘green’.

So how do you actually fly ‘green’? The most eco-friendly impact can be achieved during the approach for landing. When taking off, the aircraft is swiftly brought up to higher altitudes, where less fuel is consumed. While landing, however, airplanes must spend more time at lower altitudes, where the fuel consumption rate is higher. AMBER is an arrival procedure that has been specially designed for Riga’s airport. It will shorten arrival distances by up to 50 kilometers; it will improve flight trajectories to avoid such residential areas as Jūrmala and consequently reduce noise levels there; and it will decrease fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 300 kg per flight.

Why is this only being applied to Riga’s airport? Each improvement is a wide scale project, which demands implementation of precise procedures that have to be approved by authorities. It also involves special training, not only for pilots but also for air traffic controllers. We are starting with Riga, our hub, which means that these savings will apply to 50% of our Dash Q400 flights.

You mentioned a specially designed arrival procedure. Yes, this procedure can now be implemented thanks

Pilots are generally happy to take on new challenges, such as finding the most cost-effective altitude and optimal flight trajectory to the latest addition to our fleet, the Bombardier Dash Q400, which will be followed in two years by Bombardier CSeries aircraft. Both are equipped with the latest technologies. Using traditional navigation tools, a landing aircraft receives signals from a beacon close to the runway. In order for the landing to be made properly and safely, the plane must take a long and straight path towards the airport. Satellite navigation, however, permits the plane to follow a precise flight path at all times based on coordinates, which means that the long and straight landing trajectory to the runway beacon is no longer necessary. The plane’s location can be precisely determined in both time and space. As a result, the aircraft’s arrival can be flown much more efficiently. This also permits air traffic controllers to manage traffic more effectively. Under traditional navigation systems, if eight or ten planes are approaching an airport, the controller will have no choice but to send some of these aircraft out to make a longer landing trajectory and wait for their turn to land. Satellite navigation is more precise, helping airlines to save both time and resources.

How will airBaltic’s passengers be affected by these changes? The most observant passengers may notice a change in

BALTIC OUTLOOK / MAY 2013 / 121

airBaltic / BalticMiles

To great Finnish experiences

DESTINATION

Ask the flight attendant for your BalticMiles card

LAPPEENRANTA

and start earning straight away! the arrival routing. Previously, when landing from the north, the planes had to make a considerable detour and fly over the Gulf of Riga. Now this route will be about three to four minutes shorter. Passengers won’t physically feel the change. Perhaps only those who work in the industry will notice the new energy-efficient descent. The traditional descent method, when drawn on paper, looks similar to the steps of a staircase, which is why it is called a step-down procedure. Increased engine thrust is required to maintain horizontal flight, meaning a “step-down” consumes a lot of fuel. Under the new method, the aircraft makes a continuous descent so the engines don’t have to work as hard and burn additional fuel.

Previously, when landing from the north, the planes had to make a considerable detour and fly over the Gulf of Riga

Fly to Larnaca for 11 000 Points from Riga

airBaltic offers you an easy acc ess to the Saimaa region from anyw here in europe – via rIga

he Lappeenranta and Imatra region offers great summer activities for everyone: all terrain vehicle safaris, golf courses, relaxing spa breaks, or lake cruises. A cruise on the picturesque Lake Saimaa is quite an experience, and if you want to venture a bit further, you can cruise all the way to Vyborg, Russia, without a visa. More information on accommodation alternatives, weekly activities and various attractions is available at www.gosaimaa.com.

Lappeenranta & Imatra regIon Lake Saimaa Finland

Those who will be most directly affected by these “green” changes are the pilots. How have they reacted? As a pilot yourself, you can probably answer as an insider. I fly with Boeing aircraft, so the latest changes haven’t yet affected me, personally. Pilots are motivated to be top performers. They are eager to learn about new technologies and like to take on new challenges, such as finding the most cost-effective altitude and optimal flight trajectory.

Where is the evolution of aircraft equipment heading and how might this change the industry in, say, 10 years? Well, once we have swapped all of our Boeings for Bombardiers, our fleet will be equipped with the latest available technologies. The evolution of aircraft equipment is a rather unhurried process, since it takes considerable time and care to examine how each innovation affects safety and security. Therefore, our aircraft equipment will still be topical in ten years’ time. If we’re speaking about true game-changers, then I reckon that something new might appear in about 30 years’ time. This would include things like new methods of aircraft construction, where the jet engines are replaced with giant propellers mounted in the tail rather than under the wing and be fully exposed rather than enclosed in a typical engine housing. These types of innovations are sure to bring about tremendous changes, but will probably apply to an era when I am no longer working in the aviation business. Laughs. BO

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10 Points for each EUR spent on a Business Class ticket

Basic

5 Points for each EUR spent on an Economy Class ticket

VIP

1 Point for each EUR spent on a Basic Class ticket Claim Points later If you have forgotten to show your card, or maybe didn’t know that you’ve shopped at a BalticMiles partner, BalticMiles offers you the option to retroactively claim your Points – even get Points for flights you’ve flown up to 30 days before becoming a member! Just contact a BalticMiles Member Service and we’ll sort everything out.

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Applying and participating in the BalticMiles program is completely free of charge, and anyone from 2 years of age is welcome to become a BalticMiles member. A separate BalticMiles account and specially designed Young Pilot card will be created for children.

BALTIC OUTLOOK / MAY 2013 / 123

airBaltic / BalticMiles

Kino Citadele

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Earn 2 Points

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for each LVL spent on movie tickets, snacks and at Jameson Lounge terrace bar and Casa Blanca cafe

for each EUR spent

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124 / AIRBALTIC.COM

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BALTIC OUTLOOK / MAY 2013 / 125

airBaltic / Flight schedule in May Flight No

From

Flights to Riga To

PALANGA BT 033 RIX PLQ KAUNAS BT 041 RIX KUN STOCKHOLM Arlanda BT 101 RIX ARN BT 105 RIX ARN BT 109 RIX ARN BT 103 RIX ARN COPENHAGEN BT 133 RIX CPH BT 131 RIX CPH BT 139 RIX CPH BT 141 RIX CPH BILLUND BT 145 RIX BLL OSLO BT 151 RIX OSL BT 153 RIX OSL BT 154 RIX OSL BT 157 RIX OSL BERGEN BT 171 RIX BGO ALESUND BT 175 RIX AES STAVANGER BT 177 RIX SVG BERLIN Tegel BT 211 RIX TXL BT 217 RIX TXL BT 213 RIX TXL MUNICH BT 221 RIX MUC BT 223 RIX MUC BT 223 RIX MUC BT 223 RIX MUC DUSSELDORF BT 231 RIX DUS BT 233 RIX DUS FRANKFURT BT 243 RIX FRA BT 243 RIX FRA BT 245 RIX FRA HAMBURG BT 251 RIX HAM BT 253 RIX HAM HELSINKI BT 301 RIX HEL BT 303 RIX HEL BT 305 RIX HEL BT 307 RIX HEL BT 325 RIX HEL TALLINN BT 311 RIX TLL BT 313 RIX TLL BT 315 RIX TLL BT 317 RIX TLL BT 361 RIX TLL VILNIUS BT 341 RIX VNO BT 343 RIX VNO BT 345 RIX VNO BT 347 RIX VNO BT 349 RIX VNO TURKU BT 355 RIX TKU TAMPERE BT 357 RIX TMP LAPPEENRANTA BT 387 RIX LPP KIEV Borispol BT 400 RIX KBP BT 404 RIX KBP ODESSA from May 18 BT 410 RIX ODS MINSK BT 412 RIX MSQ MOSCOW Domodedovo RIX DME BT 416 BT 418 RIX DME

Days

Departure

Arrival

123-5-7

23:05 23:50

12-4--7

23:15 00:05+1

1234567 1234567 1234567 1234567

09:10 14:30 19:10 23:05

09:25 14:45 19:25 23:20

12345-1234567 1234567 -----6-

06:25 09:40 18:20 22:45

07:25 10:25 19:05 23:15

1-34567

22:40 23:40

1234561234567 1234567 1234567

09:10 17:55 19:15 23:00

12345-7

22:45 00:05+1

1---5-7

12:45 14:10

-2345-7

22:45 00:05+1

10:05 18:50 22:05 23:50

12345-7 09:20 10:15 123456- 13:05 14:00 1234567 17:55 18:50 123-5--2345------6------7

09:30 16:25 16:35 17:05

10:45 17:40 17:50 18:20

-2-4-61-3-5-7

09:50 11:25 16:00 17:45

1-3---------7 -2-456-

09:10 10:25 09:30 10:45 16:15 17:30

12-45612345-7

09:10 10:15 17:30 18:45

1234567 1234567 1234567 1234567 1234567

09:40 12:40 16:20 19:30 22:55

10:45 13:50 17:30 20:40 23:59

1234567 1234567 1234567 1234567 1234567

09:45 13:05 16:25 19:30 23:05

10:40 14:00 17:20 20:25 23:59

1234567 1234567 1234567 1234567 1234567

09:45 13:05 16:25 19:30 23:05

10:40 14:00 17:20 20:25 23:59

-234567

22:55 00:15+1

1--4567

22:55 00:20+1

12345-7

22:45 00:10+1

1234567 09:20 11:15 1234567 18:00 19:55 -2---6-

22:55 01:30+1

1-34--7

14:10

1-345-7 12345--

22:45 01:55+1 09:35 12:15

15:20

Flight No

From

Flights from Riga To

PALANGA BT 032 PLQ RIX KAUNAS BT 042 KUN RIX STOCKHOLM Arlanda BT 104 ARN RIX BT 102 ARN RIX BT 106 ARN RIX BT 110 ARN RIX COPENHAGEN BT 142 CPH RIX BT 134 CPH RIX BT 132 CPH RIX BT 140 CPH RIX BILLUND BT 146 BLL RIX OSLO BT 158 OSL RIX BT 152 OSL RIX BT 153 OSL RIX BT 154 OSL RIX BERGEN BT 172 BGO RIX ALESUND BT 176 AES RIX STAVANGER BT 178 SVG RIX BERLIN Tegel BT 212 TXL RIX BT 218 TXL RIX BT 214 TXL RIX MUNICH BT 222 MUC RIX BT 222 MUC RIX BT 224 MUC RIX

Days

Departure

Arrival

1234-6-

07:00 07:45

123-5--

06:55 07:45

1234567 1234567 1234567 1234567

06:25 09:55 15:10 19:55

08:40 12:10 17:25 22:10

------7 12345-1234567 1234567

06:35 08:05 10:50 19:30

08:55 11:05 13:30 22:10

12-4567 06:00 08:55 1234567 1234561234567 1234567

06:00 10:40 17:55 19:15

08:45 13:30 18:50 22:05

123456- 05:35 08:55 1---5-7

14:35 17:50

1-3456-

05:40 08:55

12345-7 10:40 13:35 123456- 14:30 17:25 1234567 19:15 22:10 -2----11:50 15:00 1-3-5-12:00 15:10 -234567 19:00 22:10

DUSSELDORF BT 232 DUS RIX -2-4-6BT 234 DUS RIX 1-3-5-7 FRANKFURT BT 244 FRA RIX 1-3---BT 244 FRA RIX ------7 BT 246 FRA RIX -2-456HAMBURG BT 252 HAM RIX 12-456BT 254 HAM RIX 12345-7 HELSINKI BT 326 HEL RIX 1234567 BT 302 HEL RIX 1234567 BT 304 HEL RIX 1234567 BT 306 HEL RIX 1234567 BT 308 HEL RIX 1234567 TALLINN BT 362 TLL RIX 1234567 BT 312 TLL RIX 1234567 BT 314 TLL RIX 1234567 BT 316 TLL RIX 1234567 BT 318 TLL RIX 1234567 VILNIUS BT 350 VNO RIX 1234567 BT 342 VNO RIX 1234567 BT 344 VNO RIX 1234567 BT 346 VNO RIX 1234567 BT 348 VNO RIX 1234567 TURKU BT 356 TKU RIX 1-34567 TAMPERE BT 358 TMP RIX 12--567 LAPPEENRANTA BT 388 LPP RIX 123456KIEV Borispol BT 401 KBP RIX 1234567 BT 405 KBP RIX 1234567 ODESSA from May 19 BT 411 OSD RIX --3---7 MINSK BT 413 MSQ RIX 1-34--7 MOSCOW Domodedovo BT 417 DME RIX 12-456BT 419 DME RIX 12345--

11:50 15:30 18:20 22:00 11:35 14:40 11:20 14:25 18:55 22:00 10:40 13:35 19:10 22:10 07:45 11:15 14:15 17:55 21:05

08:40 12:15 15:20 19:00 22:10

06:55 11:20 14:25 17:45 21:05

07:50 12:15 15:20 18:40 22:00

06:55 11:20 14:25 17:45 21:05

07:50 12:15 15:20 18:40 22:00

07:15

08:30

07:15

08:30

07:00 08:30 11:45 13:40 20:20 22:15 06:00 08:45 15:55 17:05 07:25 08:35 13:00 13:45

Flight No

From

Flights to Riga To

Days

Departure

Arrival

MOSCOW Sheremetyevo BT 424 RIX SVO 12345-- 06:00 08:30 BT 424 RIX SVO -----67 09:25 12:00 BT 422 RIX SVO 1234567 17:55 20:30 CHISINAU BT 420 RIX KIV -2-4-6KALININGRAD BT 428 RIX KGD 1234567 VIENNA BT 431 RIX VIE 123456BT 433 RIX VIE 1-3-5-7 ST-PETERSBURG BT 442 RIX LED 123456BT 444 RIX LED 12345-7 SIMFEROPOL from May 20 BT 452 RIX SIP 1---5-WARSAW BT 461 RIX WAW -2345-BT 463 RIX WAW --3-5-7 PRAGUE BT 481 RIX PRG 1--4--BT 481 RIX PRG ------7 BT 481 RIX PRG ----5-BUDAPEST BT 491 RIX BUD 1-3-5-7 HEVIZ-BALATON from May 4 BT 493 RIX SOB -----6BRUSSELS BT 601 RIX BRU 12345-BT 601 RIX BRU -----6BT 603 RIX BRU ------7 BT 603 RIX BRU 12345-AMSTERDAM BT 617 RIX AMS 123456BT 619 RIX AMS 12345-7 BARI BT 623 RIX BRI -----6VENICE BT 627 RIX VCE -2---6MILAN Malpensa BT 629 RIX MXP -2-4-6BT 629 RIX MXP 1-3-5-7 ROME Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino BT 631 RIX FCO --3-5-7 BT 633 RIX FCO 12-4-6ZURICH BT 641 RIX ZRH 1--4--7 BT 641 RIX ZRH -2--56LONDON Gatwick BT 651 RIX LGW 123456BT 653 RIX LGW --3---7 BT 653 RIX LGW ----5-OLBIA from May 4 BT 655 RIX OLB -----6LARNACA BT 657 RIX LCA -----6BARCELONA BT 681 RIX BCN -2--56BT 683 RIX BCN ------7 BT 683 RIX BCN 1-3---BT 683 RIX BCN ---4--PARIS Charles de Gaulles BT 691 RIX CDG --34-6BT 691 RIX CDG ----5-7 BT 693 RIX CDG 1234567 NICE BT 695 RIX NCE --3---BT 695 RIX NCE ---4-6ISTANBUL Sabiha Gokcen BT 711 RIX SAW 1-3-5-7 BT 711 RIX SAW -2-4-6TBILISI BT 722/724 RIX TBS -2--5-7 MALTA from May 12 BT 739 RIX MLA ------7 TASHKENT BT 742 RIX TAS 1-----BT 742 RIX TAS ----5-TEL AVIV BT 771 RIX TLV 123--6BT 771 RIX TLV ---4---

12:55 15:25 22:50 23:50 09:35 11:15 16:45 18:20 09:30 11:50 18:50 21:10 23:10 01:35+1 14:00 14:35 22:45 23:20 09:20 10:30 13:05 14:15 14:10 15:20 13:05 14:35 15:50 17:30 06:05 09:20 15:50 17:30

08:00 11:15 17:45 19:25

09:10 10:35 16:50 18:15 15:55 17:50 16:10

17:50

09:35 11:20 15:50 17:35 09:20 11:25 15:05 17:10 11:10 16:10

12:40 17:40

09:20 10:10 16:00 16:50 16:15 17:05 09:30 11:40 22:40 02:30+1 09:25 14:00 14:15 14:05

12:10 16:45 17:00 16:50

09:05 10:55 09:30 11:20 16:00 17:50 10:40 12:50 15:10 17:20 09:30 12:25 15:45 18:40 22:55 03:25+1 09:20 12:00 19:20 02:20+1 23:05 06:05+1 09:30 13:45 09:20 13:35

Flight No

From

Days

Departure

MOSCOW Sheremetyevo BT 425 SVO RIX 12345-- 09:20 BT 425 SVO RIX -----612:50 BT 425 SVO RIX ------7 12:45 BT 423 SVO RIX 1234567 21:15 CHISINAU BT 421 KIV RIX -2-4-6- 15:55 KALININGRAD BT 429 KGD RIX 1234567 08:00 VIENNA BT 432 VIE RIX 123456- 11:35 BT 434 VIE RIX 1-3-5-7 18:45 ST-PETERSBURG BT 443 LED RIX 123456- 12:20 BT 445 LED RIX 12345-7 21:40 SIMFEROPOL from May 21 BT 453 SIP RIX -2---606:00 WARSAW BT 464 WAW RIX 1--4-6- 06:30 BT 462 WAW RIX -2345-- 15:00 PRAGUE BT 482 PRG RIX 1--4--11:00 BT 482 PRG RIX ------7 14:45 BT 482 PRG RIX ----5-15:50 BUDAPEST BT 492 BUD RIX 1-3-5-7 15:00 HEVIZ-BALATON from May 4 BT 494 SOB RIX -----617:55 BRUSSELS BT 602 BRU RIX 12345-- 08:30 BT 602 BRU RIX -----611:55 BT 604 BRU RIX ------7 18:15 BT 604 BRU RIX 12345-- 19:55 AMSTERDAM BT 618 AMS RIX 123456- 11:20 BT 620 AMS RIX 12345-7 18:50 BARI BT 624 BRI RIX -----618:25 VENICE BT 628 VCE RIX -2---618:25 MILAN Malpensa BT 630 MXP RIX -2-4-6- 12:00 BT 630 MXP RIX 1-3-5-7 18:20 ROME Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino BT 632 FCO RIX --3-5-7 12:10 BT 634 FCO RIX 12-4-6- 17:55 ZURICH BT 642 ZRH RIX 1--4--7 13:30 BT 642 ZRH RIX -2--56- 18:20 LONDON Gatwick BT 652 LGW RIX 123456- 10:50 BT 654 LGW RIX --3---7 17:20 BT 654 LGW RIX ----5-18:10 OLBIA from May 4 BT 656 OLB RIX -----612:15 LARNACA BT 658 LCA RIX ------7 04:35 BARCELONA BT 682 BCN RIX -2--56- 12:50 BT 684 BCN RIX ------7 17:25 BT 684 BCN RIX 1-34--- 17:40

Arrival

10:05 13:35 13:30 22:00 18:35 08:55

Onboard menu

15:10 22:15 12:40 22:00

Business Class

08:30

airBaltic’s Business Class menu offers a number of delectable dishes to celebrate the new season. The new menu reflects our chefs’ philosophy of using fresh and seasonal products to create healthy gourmet meals. As appetizers, duck liver paté with crostini, smoked chicken breast with chicory salad and Dorblu cheese with figs are offered. Main course dishes include basil chicken with sweet potato mash, orange-glazed roasted duck breast with seasonal vegetables and an eggplant and goat cheese terrine with dried pork. For dessert, passengers can savour the everpopular marble cheesecake, chocolate pineapple cake and lemon posset. As is the case with our superior meals, specially selected drinks are also available to Business Class passengers at no additional charge. On airBaltic flights to/from

08:55 17:30 14:05 17:50 18:55 18:20 21:30 12:15 15:40 22:00 23:40 14:35 22:05 22:20 22:05 15:40 22:00 16:20 22:05 17:10 22:00 15:30 22:00 22:50 16:30 08:40 17:30 22:05 22:20

PARIS Charles de Gaulles BT 692 CDG RIX --34567 11:55 15:35 BT 694 CDG RIX 1234567 18:35 22:15 NICE BT 696 NCE RIX --3---13:25 17:30 BT 696 NCE RIX ---4-617:55 22:00 ISTANBUL Sabiha Gokcen BT 712 SAW RIX 1-3-5-7 13:00 15:55 BT 712 SAW RIX -2-4-6- 19:15 22:10 TBILISI BT 723/725 TBS RIX 1-3--6- 06:00 08:35 MALTA from May 12 BT 740 MLA RIX ------7 12:45 17:25 TASHKENT BT 743 TAS RIX -2----05:20 08:40 BT 743 TAS RIX -----611:20 14:40 TEL AVIV BT 772 TLV RIX 1234-6- 14:35 19:05

The given information is a subject to amandements and cancellations taken unilaterally by airBaltic.

Flights from Riga

airBaltic / MEALS

Barcelona, Istanbul, Helsinki, Lappeenranta, Palanga, Turku, Tallinn, Vilnius, Kaunas, Tampere, Vaasa, Bergen, Billund, Aalesund, Stavanger and Chisinau Business Class customers are offered food and beverages from a special menu.

Economy Class Economy Class customers can purchase a selection of meals, snacks and drinks from the airBaltic Café. But if you would like to choose from a much wider selection of gourmet meals than available on board, order your meal before the flight. Our extensive pre-order menu offers more than 20 different meals, including special dietary and children’s dishes. By ordering a meal before the flight, you will save money and will be served first on board. You can pre-order your meal while you book your flight ticket or anytime later, up to 24 hours before departure, under the Manage Booking section at www.airbaltic.com.

airBaltic / FLEET Tromso

* Seasonal flights. ** Operated in cooperation with tour operator Tez Tour.

Kittila

Rovaniemi

Boeing 737-300 Number of seats 142/144/146 Max take-off weight 63 metric tons Max payload 14.2 metric tons

Kuusamo

Lulea

Boeing 737-500

Oulu

Skelleftea

Number of seats 120 Max take-off weight 58 metric tons Max payload 13.5 metric tons

Umea

Length 29.79 m

Length 32.18 m

Kristiansund

Wing span 28.9 m

Wing span 31.22 m

Kuopio

Vaasa

Cruising speed 800 km/h

Cruising speed 800 km/h Commercial range 3500 km

Commercial range 3500 km

Fuel consumption 3000 l/h

Engine CFM56-3C-1

Sundsvall

Engine CFM56-3 Borlange

Tartu Visby Gothenburg

Oskarshamn

Halmstad

Kristianstad

Q400 NextGen 76 29.6 metric tons 8.6 metric tons

Fokker 50 Number of seats 46/50/52 Max take-off weight 20.8 metric tons Max payload 4.9 metric tons

32.83 m

Length 25.3 m

28.42 m

Wing span 29.0 m

667 km/h

Gdansk

Baku*

Dublin Hanover

Cruising speed 520 km/h

2084 km

Commercial range 1300 km

1074 l/h

Fuel consumption 800 l/h

P&W 150A

Tashkent*

Westerland

Dresden Prague

Cologne/Bonn

Engine P&W 125 B

Donetsk Dnipropetrovsk

Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;viv

Saarbrucken Karlsruhe/ Baden Baden

Simferopol*

Ivano Frankivsk

Budapest Geneva

Chisinau*

Heviz-Balaton*

Odessa*

Venice* Trieste Rijeka*

airBaltic codeshare partners

Belgrade Santander

La Coruna Vigo

Bilbao

Bucharest

Nice*

Oviedo

Burgas** Olbia*

Madrid Valencia

Ibiza

Pescara Naples

Bari* Brindisi

Menorca Palma de Mallorca

Alicante

128 / AIRBALTIC.COM

Seville

Granada Malaga

Athens* Malta*

Larnaca* Heraklion**

Antalya**

Kittila

Rovaniemi

Lulea

Kuusamo Oulu

Skelleftea

Arkhangelsk

Umea * Seasonal flights. ** Operated in cooperation with tour operator Tez Tour.

Kristiansund

Kuopio

Vaasa

Sundsvall

Chicago

Borlange

Bergen Karlstad

Tartu

Gothenburg Halmstad

Jonkoping Vaxjo

Visby Oskarshamn

Kristianstad

Westerland Gdansk Dublin

Hanover

Dresden Prague

Cologne/Bonn

Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;viv

Saarbrucken Karlsruhe/ Baden Baden

Ivano Frankivsk

Budapest Geneva

Dnipropetrovsk Donetsk

Chisinau*

Heviz-Balaton*

Odessa*

Trieste Rijeka* Venice*

Simferopol*

Belgrade La Coruna

Oviedo

Santander

Bilbao

Bucharest

Nice*

Almaty

Vigo

Olbia*

Madrid

Pescara Naples

Menorca Valencia

Ibiza

Burgas**

Tashkent*

Bari* Brindisi

Yerevan

Palma de Mallorca

Alicante Seville

Dushanbe

Granada

Athens*

Malaga

Antalya**

Malta*

Santa Cruz de Tenerife Las Palmas

Baku*

Heraklion**

Larnaca* Beirut

Casablanca

Amman

Doha Sharm el-Sheikh Hurghada

airBaltic / CONTACTS

Country/City Ticket offices

Airport Ticket Offices

AUSTRIA Vienna airBaltic Germany Hauptstrasse 117, D-10827 Berlin ☎ 0820600830 local calls (EUR 0.17/min) service@airbaltic.de

Airport Schwechat Terminal 2 Airport Ticket Office Celebi Ground Handling ☎ +431 700736394

AZERBAIJAN Baku Improtex Travel 16. S. Vurgun Str. Baku AZ1000, Azarbaijan ☎ +994 124989239 info@improtex-travel.com booking@improtex-travel.com

Airport Ticket Offices

Country/City Ticket offices

Hamburg

Airport Fuhlsbuttel Terminal 1, Departure Hall Airport Ticket Office AHS ☎ +49 (0) 4050753672

RUSSIA

Munich

Airport Munich Terminal 1 Airport Ticket Office AHS ☎ +49/89 975 92553

Greece Heydar Aliyev International Airport Airport Ticket Office Silk Way Travel South Terminal ☎ +994 124972600

BELARUS Minsk airBaltic Belarus 19 Pobeditelei Av., 6 ☎ +375 172269043 tat@airbaltic.com

Country/City Ticket offices

Athens Tal Aviation 44 Ihous str. 17564 - P.Faliro ☎ +30 210 9341500 F: +30 210 9341620 airbaltic@tal-aviation.gr

Athens International Airport Airport Ticket Office Goldair Handling

Moscow airBaltic Russia 28 Tverskaya Str., Building 2 Business Center “Amerop” 125009 Moscow ☎ +7 (495) 2217213 moscow@airbaltic.com

International Airport Sheremetjevo Terminal E Airport Ticket Office DAVS ☎ +7 (495) 9564661

St. Petersburg airBaltic Bolshaya Morskaya Str. 53/8 190000 St.Petersburg ☎ +7 (812) 5700597 F: +7 (812) 5718654 zam@airbaltic.com

Airport Pulkovo Terminal 2 Airport Ticket Office LTD North-West Transport Agency

Kaliningrad

Airport Khrabrovo Airport Ticket Office airBaltic / Aviapartner

Hungary Airport Minsk 2 3rd floor Airport Ticket Office airBaltic ☎ +375 172792568, ☎ +44 7792568

Budapest Tensi Aviation Kft. Komjadi Bela utca 1. ☎ +36 1 3451526 F: +36 1 9991466 aviation@tensi.hu

Budapest Airport Airport Ticket Office Celebi Ground Handling Hungary

Barcelona

ISRAEL Airport Zaventem Departure Hall ☎ +32 (0) 27230667 Airport Ticket Office Aviapartner

CYPRUS Larnaca

Larnaca International Airport Airport Ticket Office airBaltic / LGS Handling

Vaclav Havel Prague Airport Terminal T2 Airport Ticket Office Air Dispatch s.r.o. ☎ +420 220117540

DENMARK Copenhagen

Airport Copenhagen International Terminal 3 Departure Hall Airport Ticket Office SAS

Billund

Billund Airport Departure Hall Airport Ticket Office ☎ +45 76505205

ESTONIA Tallinn ☎ 17107 (0.51 EUR/min, local calls only) tallinn@airbaltic.com

Airport Tallinn Main Terminal, Departure Hall Airport Ticket Office airBaltic /Tallinn Airport GH

FINLAND Helsinki

Helsinki-Vantaa Airport Terminal 1 Airport Ticket Office airBaltic / Servisair

Lappeenranta

Lappeenranta Airport

Tampere

Airport Tampere-Pirkkala Airport Ticket Office Airpro OY

Turku

Airport Turku Airport Ticket Office Airpro OY

Leonardo de Vinci – Fiumicino Airport Terminal 3, Departure Hall Airport Ticket Office A.R.E SRL

Bari

Bari Airport Airport Ticket Office Bari Palese

Milan

Milan Milan Malpensa Airport Terminal 1, Departure Level Airport Ticket Office A.R.E. Airline Representative Europe

Venice

Airport Venice Marco Polo Airport Ticket Office A.R.E. SRL

Vilnius ☎ 890015004 (2.12 LTL/min, local calls only) vnoreservations@airbaltic.com

Vilnius International Airport Airport Ticket Office Litcargus ticketing@litcargus.lt

Palanga

Palanga Airport Airport Ticket Office Orlaiviu Aptarnavimo Agentura ☎ +370 46052300 F: +370 46056401

Airport Charles de Gaulles Terminal 2D Airport Ticket Office Swissport Services CDG

MOLDOVA

Nice

Airport Nice Cote D’azur Terminal 1 Airport Ticket Office Lufthansa Ticket Desk

Chisinau Moldavian SRL - AirService Bd. Stefan cel Mare 3, MD-2001 Chisinau ☎ +373 22 549339 ☎ +549340, 549342 F: +373 22549341 agency@airservice.md

Tbilisi Discovery Travel Ltd/airBaltic GSA 72 Paliashvili st. Tbilisi ☎ +995 32 2 900900 airbalticgsa@discovery.ge

Kaunas Airport Airport Ticket Office Litcargus ☎ +370 37750195

MALTA

Paris APG France 66 avenue des Champs Elysées Building E, 2nd floor 75008, Paris ☎ +33 153892100 airbaltic@apg.fr

GEORGIA

Riga International Airport Main Terminal Airport Ticket Office airBaltic

LITHUANIA

Malta

FRANCE

Malta Airport Airport Ticket Office Air Malta ☎ +356 22999620 mia.airmalta@airmalta.com

Chisinau Airport Airport Ticket Office Moldavian Airlines Departure Hall ☎ +373 22525506

NETHERLANDS Airport Tbilisi Airport Ticket Office Discovery Ltd ☎ +995 32433155 ☎ +995 32433188

Amsterdam

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport Air Agencies Holland Ticketdesk Departure Hall 3, opposite checkin 22 ☎ +31 20 3161945 / 46 Fax: +31 20 316 1998

NORWAY

GERMANY Berlin airBaltic Germany Hauptstrasse 117, D-10827 Berlin ☎ 0900 124 7225 (EUR 0.69/min German landline – mobile calls may be different) service@airbaltic.de

Airport Berlin-Tegel Main Terminal Airport Ticket Office GlobeGround Berlin Opposite Gate 4/5

Dusseldorf

Airport Dusseldorf Terminal B Airport Ticket Office AHS ☎ +49 (0) 2114216275

Frankfurt

Airport Frankfurt Airport Ticket Office AHS Terminal 2, Hall E, Desk 939 ☎ +49 69 690 61465

Oslo

Oslo Airport Departure Hall Airport Ticket Office SAS

Aalesund

Aalesund Airport Airport Ticket Office Roros Flyservice 6040 Vigra ☎ +47 70 30 25 60

Bergen/Stavanger

Bergen Airport – Flesland Stavanger Airport Airport Ticket Office Aviator

POLAND Warsaw

Warsaw Airport Airport Ticket Office BGS

If there is no local ticket office phone number indicated and you would like to contact airBaltic reservations, please call ☎ +371 67006006. 132 / AIRBALTIC.COM

Stockholm Arlanda Airport Airport Ticket Ofiice airBaltic / Nordic Aero International Terminal 5

Zurich airBaltic Germany Hauptstrasse 117, D-10827 Berlin ☎ 0840600830 local calls service@airbaltic.de

Airport Zurich (Kloten) Departure Hall Airport Ticket Office CGS Terminal 2 ☎ +41 438166739

TURKEY

LATVIA

Kaunas

Stockholm

SWITZERLAND

Rome Tal Aviation Italy Via Adolfo Rava, 106, 00142, Rome ☎ +39 0654242544 F: +390654242534 airbaltic@talaviation.it

Riga ☎ 90001100 (0.37 LVL/min, local calls only)

Airport El Prat de Llobregat Terminal 1 Airport Ticket Office Lufthansa Ticket Desk

SWEDEN Ben-Gurion International Airport Airport Ticket Office Laufer Aviation GHI Level 3, Terminal 3 ☎ +972 39754076

ITALY

Czech Republic Prague

Tel Aviv Caspi Aviation ltd 1 Ben Yehuda st. Tel-Aviv 63801 ☎ +972 3 5100213 /4 F: +972 (3) 5108365 bt@caspi-aviation.co.il

International Airport Domodedovo Airport Ticket Office DAVS Ticketing counters no: 177, 185

SPAIN

BELGIUM Brussels Air Agencies Belgium 153 A Vilvoordelaan 1930 Zaventem ☎ +32 (0) 27126427 airbaltic@airagencies.be

Airport Ticket Offices

Istanbul AVIAREPS Cumhuriyet Cad. Pertev Apt. No:3 D:5 Taksim, 34437 Istanbul, Turkey ☎ +90 212 297 48 53 F: +90 212 297 4854 bt.turkey@aviareps.com

Sabiha Gökçen International Airport Airport Ticket Office Merkur ☎ +902165888800 F: +902165888801

UKRAINE Kiev airBaltic Ukraine 52 Bohdana Khmelnytshkoho Str. 01030 Kiev ☎ +380 442382649/68 kiev@airbaltic.com

Airport Borispol Terminal D Airport Ticket Office Swissport Ukraine LL ☎ +380 445 916 902

Odessa

Odessa International Airport Airport Ticket Office airBaltic / Londonskaya LTD

Simpferopol

Simferopol Aiport Airport Ticket Office Krymaviaservice ☎ +380 652 595321

UNITED KINGDOM London Aviacircle Building D, 2nd floor 28-29 The Quadrant Business Centre 135 Salusbury Road, London NW6 6RJ ☎ +44 870 774 2253 Res.AirBaltic@aviacircle.com USA New York airBaltic USA 1 Penn Plaza, Suite 1416 NY 10119 ☎ +1 - 877 359 2258 ☎ +1 - 646 300 7727 nyc@aviaworldna.com Chicago 101 N.Wacker Dr Suite 350 Chicago, Il 60606 ☎ +1 - 877 359 2258 ☎ +1 - 312 269 9333 F: +1 - 312 269 0222 chi@aviaworldna.com Los Angeles 16250, Ventura Blvd Suite 115 Encino, CA 91436 ☎ +1 - 818 990 9215 ☎ +1 - 855 284 2967 F: +1 - 818 501 2098 lax@aviaworldna.com Houston 3050 Post Oak Boulevard Suite 1320 Houston, TX 77056, USA ☎ +1 - 713 626 0134 ☎ +1 - 855 284 2967 F: +1 - 713 626 1905 hou@aviaworldna.com UZBEKISTAN Tashkent APG CENTRAL ASIA Kichik Beshagach str.,104 A Tashkent 100015 ☎ + 998 71 1209012

Airport Gatwick Airport Ticket Office Skybreak Terminal S