Irish Ford Vignale Magazine #5

INTERVIEW

MARK WAHLBERG

HOW BOSTONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BAD BOY BECAME THE PERFECT FAMILY MAN PAGE 18.

EDITORIAL A NEW SUV CHAPTER FOR FORD VIGNALE

elcome to the new edition of Ford Vignale magazine, which arrives at a busy time of year for many of us. There’s always

plenty to do, professionally and socially, as the holiday season approaches. But I hope you find occasion to take time out, indulge yourself a bit and enjoy life. As award-winning wildlife photographer Jasper Doest makes clear on p 10, it’s about quality, not quantity. Such values underpin Ford Vignale. Personalised attention, timesaving services, relaxing surroundings, uncompromising standards – the Ford Vignale experience is designed to make you feel good and give you more opportunity to appreciate the finer things in life. On that score, we have a few suggestions in this issue to inspire you, especially if you’re looking for a winter break – from a weekend in Bilbao and San Sebastián to the world’s greatest ski resorts. And two new exciting ways to travel there, whatever the weather: the new Ford Kuga Vignale and the new Ford Edge Vignale, elegant, surefooted SUVs that blend contemporary design, innovative technology, rewarding driving ability and luxurious space. I’ve been fortunate to have driven them already and, believe me, they’re very impressive. If you get the chance, I highly recommend it. Take a look at p 40, and you’ll understand why. Happy reading.

Jim Farley CEO Ford Europe

The Vignale lineup expands with one of the bestselling vehicles ever. Coming soon: the new Ford Fiesta Vignale. Taken to the next level in its premium design and quality, the new Fiesta Vignale includes all the refined Vignale signature elements like the hexagonal upper grille and a luxurious quilted Windsor leather interior. It is also the first Ford integrated with the brand new B&O PLAY audio system.

FORD FIESTA VIGNALE Vehicle shown may not represent full UK or Ireland specification.

JASPER DOEST, NATURE LOVER Photographer Jasper Doest works for the world famous National Geographic magazine. He spends months on a feature and will wait six, seven hours for the right picture. We followed him at his latest wildlife project.

06 16 22 4

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WORLD OF FORD Today’s trends, tomorrow’s talking points.

MUST DO: CITY OF LIGHTS Our event suggestion: the Festival of Lights in Lyon, France.

BUILT TO LAST Great architecture and, above all, very friendly to the environment. Our selection of the world’s greenest buildings.

26 52

PASSION FOR DESIGN Claudio Messale is exterior designer of Ford Vignale models. What makes the Vignale look so special? And what are his sources of inspiration?

SMART HEALTH Apps & gadgets that get you into shape – and show you a healthy life style.

CONTENTS

46 32 38

48 HOURS IN BILBAO/SAN SEBASTIAN From the famous Guggenheim museum in Bilbao to the best food in the world and the wonderful surf beaches in San Sebastian.

SKI IN STYLE

SHOP IN STYLE

Excellent food, breathtaking views, great

Winter fashion: the smartest

design, high quality services: our selection

items for her and him.

of the very best ski hotels.

Publisher: Ford Europe www.ford-vignale.com Produced by: Pelican Custom Delflandlaan 4 1062 EB AMSTERDAM The Netherlands +31 20 7581000 www.pelicancustom.com Pelican Custom: Frank Kloppert, Jeannette Stavorinus, Juliette Hoijtink, Elizabeth Zesjkova Editors in Chief: Helen Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connor (Ford Europe), Hans Verstraaten, Han Thoma Art Director: Jaap Sinke Associate Art Directors: Mervyn Hall, Danny van den IJssel (coordination) Editors: IFA Amsterdam, Jens Holierhoek Copy Editors: Peter McSean Images: Michael Jefferson, Adam Quest, Christian Rolfes, Ingmar Timmer, Georges van Wensveen,

18 MARK WAHLBERG

How a bad boy from Boston became a movie star and a true family man.

Getty Images, Shutterstock Advertising Director: Paul Laurey (Pelican Media) Production Management: DaniĂŤlle van Tol Copyright Ford Vignale Magazine is published by Ford Europe. If you have any suggestions, questions or comments, please contact Pelican Custom by email: fordvignale@pelicancustom.nl. Thank you for your feedback. No part of this publication may be reproduced and/or published by print, photocopy, audio recording, publishing on the Internet or in any other way whatsoever without the prior written consent of Ford Europe and Pelican Custom.

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News & trends from Ford worldwide. Drive smarter and get incentives A new Ford Smart Mobility trial has taken place in London – and its results could end up saving drivers money. Called the ‘Ford-led Driver Behaviour Project’, the trial set out to reward good driving. For four months in London, more than 40 Ford Fiestas were equipped with plug-in devices. Collectively, they were driven for more than 4,000 hours and 160,000km. Each driver received a personal score, based on a variety of driver inputs, which they could check using a smartphone. People who accelerated steadily and steered smoothly scored highest, but harsh braking and overly sporty driving were penalised. Drivers keep their own personal score, so they can share this data with companies to get reduced rates on car hire, car sharing and ride sharing.

1.0-litre EcoBoost named

Engine of the Year

For the fifth consecutive year, Ford’s 998cc three-cylinder EcoBoost engine has won the International Engine of the Year honours in the popular sub-1.0-litre class. This year, it fought off 32 competitors – 19 more than at its first win in 2012. The judges – 65 automotive journalists from 31 countries – crowned the EcoBoost best small engine because of its standard-setting combination of drivability, performance, economy, refinement and technology.

27,000 Ford volunteers helping 1,100 communities They build houses, tutor children, dig fresh water, plant trees… They are the over 27,000 Ford employees who work as Ford Volunteers in 41 countries on 1,100 community projects. Hundreds of those volunteers kicked off Ford’s Global Caring Month last September in Thailand, at Thailand Clean Water Community Project, winner of a $200,000 grant from the Bill Ford Better World Challenge. The volunteers rebuilt a water system in the town of Chanthaburi that serves a school and more than 3,300 local residents. They repaired storage tanks and installed new water purifiers, sinks and other restroom fixtures. In addition, the water will be used to help irrigate crops and sustain community gardens, also providing a hands-on learning experience for students and families.

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WORLD OF FORD

GT supercar

wins top design award The Ford GT keeps winning awards for its technology and head-turning good looks. The ultra-high-performance supercar received the 2017 Gene Ritvo Award for the best design in the automotive world. According to the jury, “Ford kept enough of the soul of the original that it is still identifiable, but used modern tools, materials and technology to make it a car of today.” Just after its debut last year, the 600bhp-plus Ford GT won the prestigious Eyes on Design Awards at the NAIAS exhibition in Detroit.

A key for a lifetime In its labs Ford has developed a new ignition key to withstand a lifetime’s use. Ford tested the key to ensure it could survive being submerged underwater for 30 minutes, dropped 50 times onto a concrete floor and exposed to temperatures from 60 C to - 20 C. To all appearances the fob looks like any other ignition key, with a keypad to lock the vehicle and a flip-style key blade. However, to ensure it is completely waterproof, it is permanently sealed shut, with the two halves of the plastic housing joined by friction welding. The inside of the key is carefully designed to resist typical workplace impacts, and a rechargeable battery cell is charged whenever the key is placed in the ignition, to ensure it never runs out of charge. It is not yet known when the key comes on the market.

Time is what we want most, but what we use worst. – William Penn, founder of the state of Pennsylvania

Ford starts safety push for more self-driving cars Ford has joined a coalition to speed the introduction of self-driving cars and reduce death rates on our roads. Together with Google, Uber, Volvo and Lyft, Ford has created a lobby group called ‘The Self-driving Coalition for Safer Streets’. The main goal is to promote autonomous cars as a way to save millions of lives lost in car accidents. According to the coalition, which started in the US, it’s important to have one clear set of federal standards. The coalition plans to work together with policy makers to find the right solutions for deploying self-driving vehicles. Ford Vignale

DIVERSITY OF STYLE

escape wallcoverings by

WORLD OF FORD

Ford teams up with B&O PLAY

B&O PLAY – the young offshoot of Bang & Olufsen, the renowned provider of high-end audiovideo solutions – has become a new and exclusive branded audio system for Ford vehicles. B&O PLAY products have been created mainly for use on the go, but its premium audio solutions are now destined for the automotive field. Ford and B&O PLAY are teaming up because of their shared love of inspiring customers with ingenious, high-quality products that perfectly fit their lifestyle. Rich experience Transforming the driving experience comes in many forms. Ford believes that offering high-end audio on its global line-up of vehicles is one of them. For many people, the car is their favourite place to listen to their music, so bringing Ford owners the best possible audio experience with B&O PLAY helps enrich their lives. Sound by design A car has challenging acoustic properties so B&O PLAY has tailored and optimised its audio solutions to the vehicle’s environment. More specifically, to each individual Ford model, because a large car has different acoustic properties from a smaller one. All B&O PLAY sound systems are tuned and calibrated to give music lovers the impression that they’re enjoying a live music gig. Dedicated sound tuning adjusts the music to the driving conditions and your position in the car. The driver, front passenger and those in the back seat – all become immersed in the premium sound of B&O PLAY. Made to move The beautiful and powerful sound of B&O PLAY’s audio solutions for Ford is reflected in the appearance. The attention to detail is striking and conveys a distinctive design with contemporary style. The pure simplicity of the design makes every seamlessly integrated B&O PLAY audio solution a jewel in selected Ford cars’ interiors. B&O PLAY will make its Ford debut next year on the new Ford Fiesta Vignale - the

All B&O PLAY products have a distinctive design based on pure simplicity.

first Ford vehicle integrated with B&O PLAY. In time, the B&O PLAY system will be available on all Ford models. More details will follow soon. Ford Vignale

Jasper Doest has become what he always dreamed of being: a wildlife photographer and, more specifically, a conservation photographer. What’s more, he has reached the top of his profession. Boating through the Dutch national park De Biesbosch, he reveals what makes his job so fascinating and satisfying.

NATURAL TALENT J

asper Doest got up, as usual, at 4am today. With his Ford S-MAX Vignale, he drove to De Biesbosch, the car brimming with photo equipment. He knows that you’ve just got to be there very early in the morning. That’s when nature’s at its best – in Africa, in Japan, in South America and here, in this national park, which is famous for its delta-esque landscape and full of creeks and wildlife. A little later, Doest is out of his boat and in the water, up to his neck, his feet in the mud, carrying his camera and a huge and very heavy telephoto lens, searching for the perfect photo.

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The perfect photo: if he has to wait five or six hours for it, that’s no problem. And he often spends five or six months on a single feature story. These days, it seems, everyone is in a hurry; but not Jasper Doest. This is a dream come true for him – thanks to his professional attitude, talent, hard work and that incredible patience. But it’s also thanks to his mission. Through his work, he wants to share with the world a simple but vital message: this is nature; it’s so beautiful, so fascinating and so precious; don’t destroy it.

THE VIGNALE EXPERIENCE

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Turning professional

When Doest finished his laboratory studies, he got a job as a researcher at Unliver, the British/ Dutch food giant. With his first pay cheque, he bought his first camera: “A Minolta Dynax 500 si. I was truly happy with it!” During and after his Unilever job, he started photographing a nest of grebes close to his home because, as he already knew then, nature is everywhere. He asked himself whether a nice nine-to five-job like the one at Unilever was really him. The answer? No, it wasn’t. So he started studying again, this time biology at the University of Amsterdam. As part of that course, he spent three months on

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Spitsbergen, close to the North Pole, observing what climate change was doing to nature there. He saw something else there, too: arctic foxes. Wow! That became his focus. Back in the Netherlands, he spotted a photography competition – for professional photographers. Well, that meant it wasn’t for him but he decided to enter it anyway, with the pictures of the arctic foxes. He won and the media called him “the professional photographer Jasper Doest”. So he thought: well, why not? He became a professional photographer – a professional wildlife and conservation photographer.

National Geographic

One day, he made a bold move for a photographer who was just starting out. He sent his work to the Dutch edition of National Geographic, the world-renowned magazine famous for its outstanding photography. “They told me: it’s looks great, Jasper, but it’s not a story.” That made him think. How do you tell a story with photographs? A few months later, National Geographic offered him a chance anyway. They gave him three months to photograph the wisent – the European bison. Those three months became six months. It was certainly worth it.

During these additional three months he was able to bring his photography to the next level and really work on a proper storyline. Recently he also published a story in the US edition of National Geographic, the ultimate icon of nature and wildlife photography. In an average week, he shoots about 10,000 pictures. A National Geographic feature – a National Geographic story – could therefore easily consist of 100,000 images or more. He sends them all to the magazine’s headquarters in Washington

‘You have to have a very positive attitude to do this kind of work’

Jasper Doest brings back his large, heavy equipment to his Ford S-MAX Vignale.

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DC, where an editor looks at them, all of them, and makes a selection. National Geographic has a strict, cardinal rule: no photoshopping. If a photograph is not good enough, he has to step up his game. It’s tough, but fair. “Photoshop would never turn a mediocre image into something great” he explains. As a photojournalist you have a journalistic integrity, which is very important to Jasper. He rather spends his time in the field, working on his craft than spending it behind the computer. Award winner

One of his most famous features is about the Japanese Macaques, living in the Japanese Alps. 14

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In fact, it earned him a first prize in the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award in 2013. “Being there with those monkeys is an amazing experience. You can work at such a closer distance from the monkeys that they touch my camera and sometimes sit on my back. I became part of their environment. You don’t need that telephoto lens. And you know what the young monkeys made me think of? My kids. Exactly the same behaviour. It became a love affair.” Doest has two daughters. The elder one boasts at school about her father: “Dad is on an uninhabited island at the moment” or “My dad? Oh, he’s in Africa, doing elephants.” His wife

Maaike works as a school teacher. Isn’t it difficult for her having a husband and a father who is often away for months at a time? “I’ve been with Maaike for the past 19 years,” Doest explains. “I worked at Unilever then, while she studied. She saw how my passion for the natural world and photography merged together and how I became a professional photographer. But yes, of course, it can be hard for her, when I’m away for months and she has her work at school and has to care for the children. But when I am home, I am really home. I’m there for her and the kids. And don’t forget, overall in an average year, I’m at home more than the average father.”

His mission continues

After 19 years of photography, his mission remains exactly the same: be so, so careful with nature. But the way he communicates his mission to people has certainly changed. “I give presentations to large audiences. In the beginning, I told them in an overbearing, moral way: do you know what you’re doing to nature, to the world? That didn’t work at all. People would react: ‘And you? You travel a lot in planes, don’t you?’ So these days I show and tell. Show how beautiful nature is by showing details. Tell them where I was, what I saw and what I felt and experienced. Positive, inspiring stories. That works.”

‘When I’m home, I am really home. I’m there for my wife and the kids’ One of the many Macaque monkey pictures Jasper Doest photographed in Japan. He won the Wildlife Photographer of the Year award in 2013 for the feature.

A lucky day

Hour after hour after hour, he boats through De Biesbosch. Periodically, he gets into the water and stares through his telephoto lens, looking for beavers and their lodges. He hasn’t had much luck today. “Huh?” Doest says. “I saw beautiful nature, all day long. That’s a lot of luck.” When he has finally finished his work, he loads all of his equipment into his Ford S-MAX Vignale. “It’s the perfect car for my job – and also on off-road terrain.” Tomorrow, he will rise again at 4am and drive to De Biesbosch. “You have to have a very positive attitude in order to endure this. And, hey, I can’t complain. I have the best job in the world!”

The boot of the Ford S-MAX Vignale offers lots

Jasper at work in one of the very

of room for Jasper Doest’s photo equipment.

few houses in De Biesbosch.

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MUST DO EVENT

CITY OF LIGHTS Festive ‘Fête des Lumières’ is not to be missed this December

t all started in 1852, when the people of Lyon put candles in their windows to honour the statue of the Virgin Mary in the city. From then on, Lyon has been the City of Lights. Fast forward 164 years: Lyon has become a thriving, busy, modern city and, with its famous restaurants and chefs, the capital of classic French cuisine. And today, its reputation as the City of Lights shines brighter than ever, culminating in its famous Festival of Lights. From 8 to 11 December, Lyon will sparkle: four nights of enchantment, each with a different theme, colour scheme and vibe.

Designers from all over the world take part in the event. Video, music and sound effects are used to accompany the vibrant images dotted around the city, and buildings, rivers and parks are incorporated into the spectacular shows. The festival is free and attracts many visitors from France and abroad. Lyon is quite crowded for those four days, and certainly for those four nights, but there’s a relaxed atmosphere and the spectacular light shows can be seen from almost any point in the city centre. www.fetedeslumieres.lyon.fr

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THE VIGNALE INTERVIEW

Mark Wahlberg How Boston’s bad boy became the perfect family man Mark Wahlberg is a highly successful movie actor and producer – but being a dedicated husband and father of four matters even more to him. It’s quite a turnaround for a Boston gangster kid who wound up in jail at the age of 16.

e rises most mornings at 4.30am, runs a couple of miles, takes a shower, reads the news and makes breakfast for his wife and four kids. Then after a family breakfast, he takes the kids to school and goes to mass. At 9am, he’s back, in his home-based office: it’s time to start the working day. Mark Wahlberg is a man who knows his priorities these days. Above all else, he’s a father and husband. Being a famous movie actor and successful producer comes second. He’s acted in 42 movies and produced 11 more. He’s starred in blockbusters such as Transformers, Ted and The Italian Job and he’s been highly praised for The Departed, The Fighter and Boogie Nights. He’s a happy man who seems to have his life and work fully under control. Work hard. Enjoy life. Find time each day to relax. Make time – and lots of it – for the family. Dealing with guilt

Wahlberg lives with his family in Los Angeles. He was born 44 years ago in Boston, in a very tough

neighbourhood called Dorchester. From Boston to Los Angeles, it has been an often wild and troubled journey, starting as a juvenile gangster and ending up as a Hollywood star. (Yes, his life is the stuff of movies.) Looking back on his youth, he says: “I did a lot of things that I regretted and I certainly paid for my mistakes. You have to go and ask for forgiveness and it wasn’t until I really started doing good and doing right, by other people as well as myself, that I really started to feel that guilt go away. So I don’t have a problem going to sleep at night.” He was the youngest of nine children and grew up on the streets. His brothers were tough and the other kids in the neighbourhood were tough, so that’s what he became: a tough kid. Whenever a fight broke out, Mark was there – not to watch but to take part. By 13, he’d started a drug habit and become a member of a local youth gang. They fought. They robbed. A few years later, he was arrested for assault and sentenced to the Deer Island House of Correction, a place he remembers as “hell on earth”. He was scared to death. Ford Vignale

MARKY MARK & THE FUNKY BUNCH

Mark and his daughter Ella Rae.

But ending up there wasn’t really a surprise. “As soon as I began that life of crime, there was always a voice in my head telling me I was going to end up in jail,” he says. “Three of my brothers had done time. My sister went to prison so many times I lost count. Finally, I was there, locked up with the kind of guys I’d always wanted to be like. And I realised it wasn’t what I wanted at all.” Giving back

Once out of jail, he turned his back on crime and gang life. But what next for Wahlberg, who’d had little education? Fortunately, not all his brothers were in prison. There was Donnie, who was in a new boy band called New Kids on the Block. Mark joined the band briefly but left before they became a worldwide success to start his own band, Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. They had a few hits but, more important, the kid from Dorchester had finally realised something: he 20

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could live a life without crime. He had options, like the entertainment industry. A future had opened up. Today, he lives 4,100km from his roots, but he hasn’t forgotten where he came from and why he became a youth criminal. The Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation organises programmes for the tough kids in Boston. It gives them education, work and training. He’s often there himself, back in the neighbourhood, being very active with his own foundation. The kids admire him. That’s why they listen to him and it helps them realise that they, too, can dream of another, better life. Wahlberg says: “They can identify with me and get the chance to see a larger world. Giving back – that’s what it’s all about. Helping people to help themselves.” As Jam Gray, who directed him in The Yards, says: “Mark is the poster boy for redemption.”

‘Giving back – that’s what it’s all about. Helping people to help themselves’

TED 2

A big leap

After his short career as a singer, Wahlberg became world famous as an underwear model for Calvin Klein. The designer chose top photographer Herb Ritts for its advertising campaign and Ritts picked Wahlberg as the star: a bad boy with good looks. But Wahlberg’s real burning ambition lay in a different direction. He wanted to be in movies – serious movies. It wasn’t going to be easy. Coming from a youth gang, a boy band and modelling underwear, he faced a really big leap. Yet it was all he wanted to do: act. Penny Marshall gave him a chance. He directed Wahlberg in Renaissance Man, not a brilliant movie – far from it – but he proved he could act. He showed further talent in The Basketball Diaries, with Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead and then came his first starring role, in Fear, a movie in which he terrorises a whole family. For years, the former tough kid mostly played

THE ITALIAN JOB

tough guys. The reason, he says now, was rather simple: “For a long time, I only wanted to play bad-ass or tough guys because I loved doing that and audiences could easily identify me with those kind of parts. And coming from a tough neighbourhood, I didn’t want to disappoint the guys back home by playing softer characters. But as an actor, you’ve got to learn to be vulnerable, have different edges to you and not just do the same thing over and over.” He plays a wide range of acting roles these days but Ted still astonished many. Wahlberg as a 35-year-old man whose best friend is a teddy bear? Yes, and very convincing he is, too. The movie became a blockbuster, earning $550 million worldwide at the box office (and, Hollywood being Hollywood, a Ted II was made and they’re thinking about a Ted III). At the end of this year, Patriots Day will be released, a film about the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013 that killed three people and

PATRIOTS DAY

injured hundreds of civilians. Wahlberg plays sergeant Tommy Saunders of the Boston Police Department, who is chasing the perpetrators. It brought him back, once again, to his hometown roots. Fatherhood has changed Wahlberg’s life. He’s finally learned to relax. He makes time for his family, wants to see his kids grow up and spend as much time with them as possible. He even thinks about retiring now and then. The restless, relentless Boston boy from the wrong neighbourhood as a laid-back, dedicated Los Angeles father? Miracles do happen, and not only in movies.

Ford Vignale

BUILT TO LAST By harnessing the newest, smartest technology, these are the greenest, most sustainable buildings in the world â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and each one is an architectural stunner.

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URBAN TREND GLOBAL

GREEN BUILDINGS MOBILITY

The Crystal

London This building has the highest LEED rating in the world. Located in London’s Docklands, it achieves the highest energy efficiency through the use of the newest, smartest technology. Perhaps that’s no surprise: it’s owned by giant German company Siemens. Inside, there are permanent exhibitions about Siemens’ vision for a sustainable, green future.

Hearst Tower

Convention Centre

Vancouver How appropriate: one of the world’s greenest cities has probably the world’s greenest convention centre. It has earned an LEED Platinum rating. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and LEED Platinum simply means very green. The gigantic roof merits a special mention. It features more than 400,000 plants and 240,000 bees, which is why it’s called ‘the living roof.’

HEARST TOWER

CONVENTION CENTRE

New York City Designed by famous architect Norman Foster, the Hearst Tower opened in 2006 and was one of the first truly green buildings in the world. For a start, 85% of the tower’s steel contains recycled material. The floors, meanwhile, are made of heat-conducting limestone and special tubing beneath them is filled with circulating water, which keeps the tower cool in summer and warm in winter. It’s all very green – as well as beautiful, inside and outside.

World Trade Centre

Bahrain The two towers – each with 50 storeys – are shaped like sails to catch as much wind as possible. Between them sit three sky bridges, each one with a very powerful wind turbine. The three wind turbines generate the energy for the building – 100% clean, sustainable energy.

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The Shanghai Tower

THE SHANGHAI TOWER

Shanghai Its owners call it the greenest of the world’s tallest buildings. It’s certainly high, at 121 storeys and 632m and consists of nine buildings stacked one on top of the other. Near the top are wind turbines that generate 350,000kWh. (An average European family consumes about 3,300kWh a year.) The tower uses geothermal energy for heating and cooling and the glass is special, too, because it has a high resilience to shifts in temperature. The hotels, shops and offices in this green tower get 16,000 visitors a day.

FORD’S SUSTAINABLE CAMPUS Ford has begun a 10-year transformation of its facilities in Dearborn, Michigan, which are now more than 60 years old. The radical rethink includes Ford’s World Headquarters and will accommodate 30,000 employees in two main campus locations. It will be a walkable community, with paths, trails and covered walkways as well as bikes for employees. The two campus sites will reduce energy use by about 50%, save water and include a new ‘zero-waste, zero-energy, zero-water’ building.

Sun-Moon Mansion

Dezhou The most remarkable thing about this sustainable building, situated in north-west China, is its roof: it’s covered with 5,000m2 of solar panelling. This roof enables the use of solar energy with solar thermal, photovoltaic and energy-saving technology. To cut a long story short, the roof alone saves 88% of energy. The building saves an estimated 2.5 tonnes of standard coal, 6.6 million kWh of electricity and more than 8.6 tonnes in toxic emissions. It shows that China wants to be sustainable, too, albeit rather slowly.

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World Trade Centre Manitoba Hydro Place

Winnipeg This building (actually, it’s two buildings on one platform) is fully equipped with the latest, smartest green technology – and a chimney. Yet this chimney is vital to its sustainability. It draws spent air out of the building during the summer. In winter, fans draw exhaust air to the bottom of the solar chimney and heat is recovered from it and used to warm the two buildings. Useful, especially given how cold winters are in Winnipeg.

Bank of America

New York City The sloping walls weren’t the architect’s idea but the engineers’. Facing the sky and sun, the walls allow more sunlight into the interior spaces. They’re also more effective at capturing rainwater for collection and use. What’s more, the building’s sloping aspect creates a brighter, airier feel in the surrounding neighbourhood. There’s also an on-site natural gas-fuelled power plant that eliminates electrical transmission losses. In a process called cogeneration, waste heat from the power plant is used to make steam, which powers chilling machines to cool the building, as well as providing hot water for heating. The plant produces all of the building’s hot water without outside energy.

b ogn er.com

Claudio Messale is Ford Vignale’s exterior designer, the person responsible for the look of the new Ford Kuga Vignale and Ford Edge Vignale.

A car like an athlete W

hat is the best thing that can happen to a car designer? This… About 10 years ago, Claudio Messale and his colleagues had designed the first Ford S-MAX ever. And there it was, a brand-new model, straight from the Ford plant. He drove it home. People were watching. Staring. They were impressed. When he arrived home, neighbours came out of their houses and looked – again, impressed at the car. In a word: wow! Today, Claudio still drives a S-MAX, although it’s the most luxurious version: the Ford S-MAX Vignale. Of course. Because Claudio Messale has been part of the Ford Vignale design team from the very start. As a boy, Claudio never dreamed of being a car designer. He dreamed of becoming a painter. But his older brother wanted nothing else than to be a car designer. “He was a car freak,” says Claudio. “I was influenced by him, as is often the case with older brothers, and I started to sketch cars as well. He said: ‘You do it much better than me. Try to go to a car design academy.’” So Claudio left his native Rome and started to study car design in Turin, in the north of Italy. It was the early 1970s and, at that time, northern Italy had many famous car design studios, the best in the world. He started to work for one of them, Ghia, owned by the Ford Motor Company. “At Ghia, they made me do some sketches. After

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two weeks, one sketch they liked very much became a car – a show car. I was quite proud. All the other designers were older than me and much more experienced.” As a young, talented car designer, Claudio was asked by Ford to go to Dearborn, Michigan, the company’s global headquarters. “In those days, American and European cars were really different. Ford built cars for the US market and other cars for the European market. Then it was decided to build the same models for the whole world market. That was quite a decision. We were a little scared. Would this work? It worked. It was accepted. Above all, due to the internet, taste has basically become global. The US now appreciates quality cars with a more sophisticated design. This all happened the past 15 years.” In 2000, Claudio came back to Europe, as a designer for Ford in Cologne, and soon started to work with his colleagues on the Ford S-MAX. “When you start to launch a new car, you invest years and years and millions and millions. If the car is not liked by the audience, you have a very big

VIGNALE DESIGN

Ford Vignale

problem. But it is standard procedure that, from the earliest designs, we do market tests and continue them through to the end of the process. We get feedback from the audience, which can be a bit painful, but we learn from it. And sometimes these comments can be real eye-openers. In a way, it’s like poker: you have good cards but you don’t know what cards the other players – our competitors – have.” Buying a car, Claudio knows, is not a rational thing. It’s something of a love affair. “As a designer, you have to think of something so that the customer will fall in love with the car. Every

Ford Vignale

customer buys a car with his or her heart. You look at a car and you see certain details: hmm… what is that? You want to know more. You step inside. You drive it… Yes! Later, you may say to your friend: ‘I bought that car because it is energy-efficient’. Which is, of course, not true. You want to show a little bit of your personality with your car.” Around 2005, when the Ford S-MAX was born, Ford started its kinetic design programme – designs perhaps best described as language communicated through bold, dynamic lines and

taut surfaces. It visualises energy in motion. That is, Claudio says, what a Ford passenger car, every Ford passenger car, should look like: fast, dynamic and, above all, athletic. Do these kinetic design rules also apply to the Ford SUVs – for instance, for the Ford Kuga and the Ford Edge, models that he designed with his colleagues? Claudio says: “The SUVs are a bit more muscular. You can also compare them with an athlete but a little more of a bodybuilder. They are sporty, powerful and bold. It’s fun to work on SUVs.”

With his colleagues, Claudio recently worked on the exterior design of the Ford Kuga Vignale and the Ford Edge Vignale. In fact, he has worked on the designs of every Ford Vignale model. Vignale, he says, is more than a design, more than a line-up of high-end, luxury cars. “They are a statement of the best craftsmanship. The leather, for instance, is of the highest quality. So is the paint, very special paint. But there are also the special services that you can call 24 hours a day when you have a question about your Ford Vignale car, they bring the car to your home, all these time-saving services, and you have your own Ford Vignale Relationship Manager... It is the whole Ford Vignale experience.”

‘Vignale is a family now and, as in every family, each one has its own personality’

In creating the Ford Kuga Vignale and the Ford Edge Vignale, the exterior design team kept the Vignale elegance of course, but they played up the grille and the skid plates a little to give both SUVs “a stronger face”. “When you see these two cars, you see a Vignale but also an SUV. Vignale is a family now and, as in every family, each one has its own personality.’

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International Interior Design Fair, Cologne

‘You absorb like a sponge’ What are Ford exterior designer Claudio Messale’s sources of inspiration? Furniture, fashion, architecture and animals but it can also be something he sees in the street.

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Santiago Calatrava His buildings are far from grey and anonymous; they make bold statements, they stand out with their striking curves and their lines. You either love them or hate them.

Animals in motion A cat, a tiger – the fluidity of the shapes of their bodies, like they are ready to jump. Wonderful.

Santiago Calatrava, New York

Renzo Piano Italian architect Renzo Piano became world famous with his design (together with Richard Rodgers) for the Centre Pompidou in Paris. His designs – from skyscrapers to museums - are often daring, always striking and elegant in a Piano-esque way.

Renzo Piano, Paris

“I get inspiration anytime, anywhere. As a designer, you have to open up your senses to everything. I sometimes get in trouble when I walk with my wife and I see something that intrigues me and I start to study it. Often she reacts by saying: you embarrass me! Our job is to feel trends. I get very inspired by the Salone del Mobile, the great furniture design fair in Milan, and also by the international interior design fair here in Cologne. I look, and feel, anything related to design – art, architecture, fashion. My two daughters study fashion at the university: that helps! You absorb like a sponge, and when you are sketching, something from your brain – from your subconscious – comes up. That is how it works. The more stuff you bring into your brain the better it is.”

Alexander McQueen Alexander McQueen, the British fashion designer who died in 2010, was famous for his eclectic designs: a combination of traditional and modern, of British craftsmanship and Italian elegance. Kate Moss, Victoria Beckham and Lady Gaga were – and are – his biggest fans.

Salone del Mobile This is the most famous and most important furniture design fair in the world, mandatory for every designer of name and fame. Looking for

Salone del Mobile, Milan

inspiration? Here’s your paradise.

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SKI IN STYLE

Where better to enjoy a winter holiday than snowy mountains? Here we reveal some of the world’s top ski hotels – ones that stand out for their design-savvy style, quality of service, superb gastronomy or just their wonderful atmosphere and facilities. If you don’t fancy hitting the slopes, no problem: you’ll find plenty to enjoy indoors.

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SKI IN STYLE

L’Apogée Courchevel, France L’Apogée is the newest addition to the upmarket Oetker Collection, which also includes the legendary Hotel du CapEden-Roc in southern France. Located in Courchevel 1850 at the top of a former Olympic ski jump, L’Apogée Courchevel is the ultimate place to enjoy Alpine pampering. For a start, there’s the Sisley Spa, including a sauna, steam room, large pool and gymand a superb kids’ club. Then there’s the champagne lounge, bar and restaurant. Service is a vital part of the experience, too. So it’s no surprise that many top Hotel du Cap employees move to Courchevel for the winter months. Enjoy, and Bon Voyage!

Kimamaya Niseko, Japan Japan is famous for its magnificent, snowy landscapes and Niseko is the country’s ski haven. So it’s a smart choice if you crave a more original destination. We’d stay at the Kimamaya, the resort’s first boutique hotel, which has just nine carefully designed rooms. Kimamaya is Japanese for ‘be yourself’ and here you can do just that. Choose the exact pillow you prefer (soft, medium or hard) and relax in premium bedding and cotton linen to enjoy the best night’s sleep imaginable. Indulge yourself during the day, too. Visit the spa and have a Japanese back massage, shiatsu, aromatherapy or full body massage – or soak in traditional Japanese wooden (moku) or stone (ishi) spa tubs. As for dinner, head to the hotel’s The Barn by Odin restaurant, set in a stunning building inspired by traditional Hokkaido farm architecture.

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‘The building’s illuminated glass walls seem straight out of a fairy tale, especially at night’

Intercontinental Davos, Switzerland If you’re after a ski city instead of a village, try the chic Swiss town of Davos. Here you’ll find all the facilities for swish urban entertainment, such as restaurants, cinemas, stores and boutiques – and, of course, sunny slopes for the active part of your holiday. Hotels abound. We highly recommend the Intercontinental, which has one of Davos’s best restaurants (Capricorn), a rooftop bar and spa and outstanding views of the valley and city from its many rooms. And look at the outstanding exterior…worth the visit, right?

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Les Barmes de l’Ours Val d’Isere, France This beautifully designed hotel sits at the foot of the infamous Face de Bellevarde piste just 100m from the main ski lifts. Undoubtedly the most luxurious hotel in Val d’Isere, it benefits from a superb location and top-class facilities. There’s live music in the bar for après-ski, two bowling alleys, an exciting games room, a quirky pool room, F1 race training equipment in the gym and more besides. Guests have a choice of three restaurants. One offers local specialty cheeses, meats and wines. Another (La Table d’Ours) is Michelin-starred and very popular, so be sure to book.

Copperhill Mountain Lodge Åre, Sweden Sweden, stylish design hub of Europe, is known for minimalist, simple elegance and so is Copperhill Mountain Lodge. This idyllic getaway is located at the top of Mount Förberget in Åre, Sweden’s number one ski resort. The hotel’s exterior is the work of world-famous US architect Peter Bohlin and it blends perfectly with its environment. Inside, furniture and designs by Hay, Philippe Starck, Patricia Urquiola and many more designers create a warm atmosphere where attention is paid to every detail. The hotel’s Level Spa, which guests enjoy at no extra cost, includes several hot springs and saunas, a pool, panoramic views and a bar with fresh juice, wine and champagne. But if you want something a little more private, book ‘the Villa’ – the hotel owner’s private villa that houses up to 16 people.

Tschuggen Grand Hotel Arosa, Switzerland Looking for something different than the traditional look that characterises most Alpine hotels? Try the Tschuggen Grand Hotel in Arosa. You’ll be amazed by the architecture of this hotel’s spa, designed by renowned architect Mario Botta. The 5,000-square-metre four-floor complex is built directly into the mountain and connected to the hotel by a glass walkway. The building’s illuminated glass walls seem straight out of a fairy tale, especially at night – and so does the spa. It’s one the most spectacular in Switzerland, with indoor and outdoor pools, 11 treatment rooms, a fitness room and saunas. The hotel even has its own mountain railway, the Tschuggen Express, which exclusively brings guests right to the heart of the area’s 225km of guaranteed snow-covered slopes. Add in the Michelin-starred restaurant and we think you might like it here.

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El Lodge Granada, Spain Hotel El Lodge, in the middle of the Sierra Nevada – ‘snowy mountain range’ – has it all: fantastic views (look at that sun deck), the only heated open-air swimming pool in the area and several first-rate restaurants. But what makes El Lodge really stand out is its warmth and true home-from-home ambience. Built in Finnish wood throughout, the chalet sits in harmony with its natural setting. All 20 rooms and suites, plus the hotel’s overall interior, have been decorated by famed English designer Andrew Martin. There’s also a fun room especially for kids, which looks as stylish as it is playful. And this is just a snapshot of the things that make a stay at El Lodge unforgettable.

Hotel Jerome Aspen, US When Hotel Jerome opened its doors way back in 1889, it was dubbed the ‘Crown Jewel’ of Aspen, revered for its lift, public bathroom and fully electric lighting. After a major renovation in 2012, the hotel is a crown jewel once more. With a unique blend of contemporary luxury and rich western heritage, it’s truly one of a kind. Rooms are welcoming and spacious and feature custom-blended Jerome toiletries, gluten-free treats and state-of-the-art technology, including plasma TVs and iPads that act as an in-room, interactive concierge service. Hotel Jerome provides an authentic but luxurious Wild West experience during your ski holiday in the famous Rocky Mountains.

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Nira Montana La Thuile, Italy Attracted to the Italian way of life? Then book your next ski holiday at the Nira Montana in La Thuile. You’ll find a compelling mix of Italian hospitality, traditional food and a refined resort with relatively crowd-free ski slopes. You’ll want to ski all day because the east-facing slopes mean excellent snow and you rarely have to queue for the lift. But once you’ve taken off your skis, you’ll be pleased to return to the Nira Montana. Its rooms and suites are spacious and elegantly appointed, with the added attraction of great mountain views. The main guest area downstairs is just as welcoming, with a big lobby and fireplace, a huge terrace overlooking the mountains, the best spa in the region and many restaurants. A speciality of the hotel is its extensive cellar of high-quality local and international wines.

Wiesergut Hinterglemm, Austria Here you’ll find an ancient family estate transformed into a modern retreat, a place where a white four-storey house rises above an ensemble of minimalist, modern buildings with floor-to-ceiling windows. Welcome to Wiesergut, a hotel that offers 24 suites and immediate access to the slopes in one of Austria’s biggest ski areas, Saalbach-Hinterglemm. It’s an ideal venue for relaxing (witness the high-class spa) and enjoying the exquisite slow-food restaurant, which sources ingredients from Wiesergut’s own farm. Time and the quality of time are of great importance here. As its owners say: “Time ripens all things. In our speedy world, it is good to know a place where you can slow down, calm down and come back down to earth. Our Wiesergut Hotel is designed to be such a place.”

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His & Hers Ski ‘Pursuit 600’,

Inspired by our ski hotels and ready to book your holiday? We’ve selected some great items for you to wear or take along. Safe and comfortable on the slopes, stylish and chic during Après Ski.

Rossignol, www.rossignol.com

Watch, BOSS Orange, www.hugoboss.com

Goggles ‘X-View’, Salomon, www.salomon.com

Credit card case, Ford Vignale Collection, www.vignalecollection.com

Ski jacket ‘Julier’, Back protector ‘

Bogner,

Ridgeline’, Atomic,

www.bogner.com

www.atomic.com

Ski boot ‘Alltrack 120’, Rossignol, www.rossignol.com Action camera ‘Bandit’, TomTom,

Ski pants ‘Porter’,

www.tomtom.com

Bogner, www.bogner.com

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VIGNALE SHOP Beanie ‘Awass’, Earebel Sport, www.earebel.com Ski ‘Absolute Joy’, Head, www.head.com

Snow boot, Moncler, www.moncler.com

Sweater ‘Friendswithyou’, Moncler, www.moncler.com

Bag ‘Wave’, Tod’s, www.tods.com

Women’s purse, Ford Vignale Collection, www.vignalecollection.com

Sunglasses, Tommy Hilfiger, www.tommy.com

Ski boot ‘Raptor 90 RS W’, Head, www.head.com

Ski jacket, Bogner, www.bogner.com

Ski pants ‘Gwenn’, Bogner, www.bogner.com Ford Vignale

Ford Vignale

SUV FAMILY EDGE & KUGA

THE SUV

FORD EDGE VIGNALE AND FORD KUGA VIGNALE:

REINVENTED

The SUV is trending. The combination of its robustness, space and luxury exerts broad appeal. But the luxurious element enters a new dimension with the new Ford Kuga Vignale and Ford Edge Vignale, which offer, of course, everything youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d expect from a Ford Vignale.

Vehicles shown may not represent full UK or Ireland specification. Ford Vignale

FORD KUGA VIGNALE

ou can instantly tell that a Ford Kuga Vignale is not your average SUV just by looking at its exterior colour. Vignale Milano Grigio, to name one of the special choices available, is a pearlescent-metallic shade that catches your eye and emphasises the car’s luxurious character. The high-end look is also underlined by the signature Ford Vignale hexagonal upper grille, with dark matt finish and polished aluminium surround. The Ford Vignale trademark – the hexagon – plays a leading role in the interior, too. Hexagonalquilted Windsor leather, offered in a light Cashmere colour or Charcoal black, is combined with tuxedo-style stitching. The attention to detail is striking. Voice control

The Ford Kuga Vignale is available with a range of engines including 182PS 1.5-litre petrol engine, with its award-winning EcoBoost technology. It features a six-speed automatic transmission and Intelligent All Wheel Drive. Like all Ford Vignale models, the Ford Kuga Vignale comes with the SYNC 3 communication and entertainment system as standard. As well as pinching and swiping on screen, you can control the system using voice commands. 42

Ford Vignale

‘As well as pinching and swiping on screen, you can control the SYNC 3 system using voice commands’

Ford Vignale

Just saying “I need petrol” will select all the nearby fuel stations. In addition, every Ford Kuga Vignale model can be equipped with optional systems which assist the driver, such as Blind Spot Information System, Traffic Sign Recognition, Lane Keeping Alert, Lane Keeping Aid and Driver Alert. Vignale DNA

As well as the Ford Kuga Vignale, Ford offers another SUV underscored by the unique Ford

Ford Vignale

Vignale philosophy: the Ford Edge Vignale. The distinctive Ford Vignale hexagonal grille is present, as are the various matt and chrome finishes for which each Ford Vignale is famous. Two further distinguishing features merit special attention: the exclusive Vignale alloy wheels and White Platinum paintwork, a special pearlescent exterior colour. Inside, hexagonal patterns can again be found along with high-end Windsor leather in light Cashmere or dark Ebony colours.

The sound of silence

Sophisticated technology includes the Front Wide-View Camera, Adaptive Cruise Control and Active Noise Control. Three microphones in the interior capture any kind of engine noise and direct opposing sound waves to cancel out the unwanted noise and improve cabin ambience. The result is a whisper-quiet interior. Powerful fuel-efficient engine options include Ford’s 210PS twin-turbocharged 2.0-litre TDCi diesel.

‘PIECE OF ART’ The Firstsite visual arts centre in Colchester. It exhibits modern art and photography and is very popular with the design crowd. We drove the Ford Edge Vignale and the Ford Kuga Vignale to Firstsite and asked visitors to share their first impressions.

FORD EDGE VIGNALE

Helena Jones “I love the Ford Kuga Vignale! I also love its interior. It looks comfortable and is spacious yet compact. The Ford Edge

‘Opposing sound waves cancel out the unwanted noise and improve cabin ambience’

Vignale looks really masculine.’

Jamie Hilbert “I love the size of the Ford Edge Vignale, and I love the upscale design of the Ford Kuga Vignale.”

Ray Deekes “The Ford Edge Vignale and Ford Kuga Vignale both look very cool and spacious.”

Lauren Orso and Alex Smith “Both of the cars look really nice, spacious and comfortable. The front of the Ford Vignale Edge is quite bold, which makes it look very strong.”

Ford Vignale

Some of the finest food in the world. Fabulous, modern architecture. Breathtaking beaches and surfers’ paradise. You’ll find it all here. Welcome to Bilbao and San Sebastian.

48 HOURS IN BILBAO AND SAN Guggenheim Museum

Friday 14:00

15:30 Guggenheim Museum

Basque Boutique Hotel You’ll find this hotel in the old part of Bilbao, in one of the famous ‘seven alleys’. It’s small but comfortable and every room has a unique interior based on Basque history. Dorre Kalea, 2.

There’s only one word for it: spectacular. This is truly one of the wonders of modern architecture, designed by famous American architect Frank Gehry. Look again and again and again – and each time you’ll discover new angles, forms, materials and details. The interior is no less spectacular, starting with the Atrium, the heart of the museum, with large glass curtains that connect the inside with the outside. The building’s three levels are organised around the Atrium and connected by curved walkways. Don’t forget, there’s also art in this amazing environment: René Magritte, Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol, to name just a few artists. The museum is a kind of greatest hits of modern art. One eye-catcher is the giant puppy by controversial artist Jeff Koons. Advice: allow at least three hours for your visit. Abandoibarra Etorb, 2.

15:00

18:30

Getting there

By bus – or hire car – the city is only 20 minutes from Bilbao’s international airport. This is Spain, of course, but don’t expect heat. Bilbao has a maritime climate. It’s rarely really hot in summer and winters are very mild. That’s just one of its charms. 14:20 Check-in

The Miró (Alameda Mazarreda, 77) has one big advantage: the famous Guggenheim Museum is just across the street. It’s also a charming hotel with gastronomic room service and a beautiful rooftop garden with a spectacular view of, you guessed it, the Guggenheim Museum. The Domine (Mazarredo Zumarkalea, 61) has even better views of the museum and looks like a work of art in itself. It’s a pure designer’s hotel with spacious rooms and once again, a beautiful rooftop garden.

Arropame Concept Store

A must for fashion and design lovers. A classy store with collections from Alexander Wang and Helmut Lang and many others. Calle Villarias, 5. 46

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Casco Viejo

Casco Viejo is the old city of Bilbao and its famous seven alleys are filled with boutiques and above all, bars – pintxo bars. Pintxo is the Basque version of tapas. (It’s tastier and much

CITY SEARCH

SEBASTIAN Casco Viejo

Zubizuri Bridge

international foodies, it’s run by renowned Basque chef Daniel García, who brings his delicate, modern touch to many familiar Basque and international dishes. The menu changes constantly, but these are usually the exquisite highlights: roasted garlic squid with black rice, foie gras terrine and guinea hen in truffle sauce. First pintxos, and then food from heaven: welcome to the Basque country. Calle Alameda Mazarredo, 17. 23:00 Sir Winston Churchill Bar

Gran Hotel Domine Bilbao

better.) Here, in the heart of Bilbao, a pintxo might include cod, hake, stuffed peppers and croquettes with bread, all fresh from the local markets. Casco Viejo is a busy and very social area so join the locals.

Koons’ puppy at the Guggenheim

20:00 Zortziko

Bilbao is a foodies’ paradise. (San Sebastian, as you’ll see, is the foodies’ paradise of Spain, perhaps the world). At least 20 restaurants merit a ‘better than excellent’ rating and Zortziko is top of the list. A firm favourite with

Okay, it doesn’t sound very Spanish, but there are good reasons to finish your first evening in this busy bar. First of all, old and young, hip and not so hip, locals and tourists, they all mix perfectly here. Secondly, there are the bartenders. They’re friendly, have all the time in the world for you and have phenomenal knowledge about cocktails, especially gin cocktails. No wonder they’ve won so many awards. Thirdly, if you’re still thinking about your earlier visit to the Guggenheim, the historic deal to build the museum was done right here in the early 1990s. Sabino Arana Etorbidea, 1.

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Saturday 10:00 Bochoco

This so-called gastrocafé is legendary for its homemade pastries, candies and cakes. Try the confetti cake pops or the dense, dark, gooey squares or – very, very special – the churro (a sort of donut but better, much better) dipped in chocolate. No wonder this is favorite of many locals. 11:00 Zubizuri bridge

Take a long stroll through the Enscanche quarters, the heart of new Bilbao. That’s ‘new’ as in founded at the beginning of the 19th century. Beautiful, neoclassical buildings and fountains indicate why this was and is the place for the bourgeoisie of the city. Walk along the river Nervión and cross the famous Zubizuri bridge – like the Guggenheim, another wonder of modern architecture. Great art, great architecture, great food: that’s Bilbao. 12:00s The road to San Sebastian good

The drive to San Sebastian takes about an hour – by bus or car. (Don’t take the train. It’s much slower.) The road takes you through beautiful, rolling hills and to the left, there are views of the Atlantic Ocean.

Maria Christina Bridge

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Then you arrive at San Sebastian, a small city with a big reputation. Just a few facts: there are nine Michelin-starred restaurants here and three of them have three stars, the highest ranking possible. With that, San Sebastian outdoes London and Rome. Its tradition of high culinary standards goes back centuries, too. 13:15 Check-in

Hotel Maria Cristina Hotel Maria Cristina opened in 1912, and although the hotel has been recently renovated, it has kept its grand atmosphere, including its marble floors and old chandeliers. It’s close to the old city and the beach. Paseo Republica Argentina, 4. Hotel de Londres y de Inglaterra This one is at the beach. What’s in a name? Yes, the interior is very English. If you make a reservation, ask for a room with an ocean view. Zubieta, 2. Hotel Zenit Opened in 2014, this modern hotel offers a bright interior and often raw industrial design. It has its own parking, roof terrace, gym, excellent restaurant and the hotel is close to the beach. Antonio Maria Labaien, 1.

Caption: naam en evt beschrijving

13:30 Kokotxa

Kokotxa is the Basque word for fried cod cheeks, a specialty of the house (and the region). Chef Dani Lopez has a great reputation for his fusion of traditional Basque cuisine with a Japanese and Chinese twist. Don’t be surprised to see a fisherman coming in with the catch of the day if you dine here. This is as fresh as food gets. Yet prices are very reasonable in this Michelin-starred restaurant. You can have an unforgettable lunch for around €60. That’s another of San Sebastian’s great charms: the best food in the world served at sensible prices. Calle del Campanario, 11. 15:00 Parte Vieja

There’s more to this stunning city than food. Keep the famous beach and bay for Sunday and instead stroll through the old streets and alleys of the Parte Vieja (old town). Time stands still here.

Kokotxa

Hotel Zenit

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La Bretxa Market

17:00 La Bretxa Market

Arzak restaurant

San Sebastian has one of the best food markets in the whole of Spain. No surprise there, then. It’s usually crowded – with housewives, chefs, farmers, fishermen – all looking for fresh, local produce, and they all know the two ‘rules’ of the Basque kitchen: quality and simplicity. See and feel freshly caught fish and shellfish. See and taste typical Basque produce such as Idiazabal, a sheep’s cheese, and the green, grilled guindilla peppers. As a tourist, you’ll feel very welcome here. The market traders will tell you everything about their specialities and produce. Pl. De la Bretxa, 2. 20:00 Arzak

What? This is it? The Arzak restaurant is in a residential area and, from the outside, it doesn’t look like what it is: one of the world’s top 10 restaurants. Chef Elena Arzak is one of the fourth generation of Azarks, who run this restaurant. Her father Juan won the third Michelin star, in 1989, and Elena has kept the three stars. What to expect? To give you an example, the lobster is served on a tablet that shows moving images of the sea. Every detail matters and every taste is an exciting experience. Time and time again, what’s served on 50

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your plate looks like a pure work of art. As for wine, just ask the sommelier. The wine list runs to 49 pages and there are more than 100,000 bottles downstairs. Dinner is about €175 per head – not really so much for a once-in-a-lifetime gastronomic experience. But be warned: you need to reserve your table at least six months in advance. Av. Alcalde Elósegui, 273.

Sunday 09:00 The Loaf

Javier Garcia is a five times national barista champion and the man who introduced San Sebastián to exceptionally great coffee. No better way to start the day. And besides the exceptionally great coffee the fresh bread makes your eyes and mouth water. The Loaf is just a few blocks away from… 10:00

Playa de la Concha, one of San Sebastian’s great

Playa de la Concha

On a Sunday, the famous de la Concha beach can get busy from early on. That’s because there’s another reason, besides food, for San Sebastian’s fame: surfing. The city is the setting for dozens of local, national and international surfing championships, and in the spring and summer, the beach looks more like California or Australia than the Basque seaside. The ocean here serves up the perfect natural conditions for surfing. The crescent-shaped Playa de la Concha is also one of Europe’s most beautiful beaches. At the end of it, there’s Palacio Miramar, built in 1893, as the summer residence for the Queen of Spain, Maria Cristina, who had fallen in love with San Sebastian, as so many visitors do. Stroll along the beach, admire the surfers, enjoy the scenery, especially the view of nearby island Santa Clara, and eat a light meal at a beach bar – pintxo, we’d suggest, with extremely fresh cod. Then relax. It’s easy. It’s the San Sebastian way.

beaches; a favourite with professional surfers

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LIFESTYLE

SMART

BODY As tech gets smarter, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re using it to improve our health. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the latest trend. Wearables and clever devices connect to your smartphone and open up previously unimaginable possibilities. Ford Vignale Magazine picks the best ones.

Ford Vignale

A better posture The Lumo Lift is a wearable device that looks after your posture. When the small, lightweight Lumo Lift is worn near your collarbone, it vibrates if your sitting or standing position is not straight. All posture and activity levels during the day are sent to the Lumo Lift app so you can track your progress. www.lumobodytech.com

Silver Mother You want the best care for your parents or grandparents, but we can’t keep an eye on our seniors 24/7. Fortunately, though, ‘Silver Mother’ can. These little ‘dolls’ are stuffed with sensors to monitor safety and health. Every Silver Mother can be attached to an everyday object, from where it can observe quality of sleep, water intake habits and the taking of medicine. The sensors also record temperature, track the front door and monitor daily living habits. If it detects a potential concern, Silver Mother – one central hub and four versatile sensors - sends a notification to your smartphone. www.sen.se

A box full of surprises Sports brand Under Armour has the perfect new year’s day present. To encourage the best intentions – ‘I want to live more healthily’ – the UA HealthBox delivers all the basics. The box consists of scales (to keep eye on the kilos), a chest strap (to monitor your heart rate) and a wristband (to track your steps and sleep). All the data from the different devices is collected in the UA Record app – a dashboard for setting goals, capturing sleep, logging workouts, measuring activity and tracking nutrition. Under Armour also offers a shoe equipped with a chip to track exercise and it is working on a headphone that measures your heart rate via your ears. www.underarmour.com

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Smart scales The Body Cardio scales from Withings – an inventor of smart medical products and apps – tells you more than just your weight. Its digital display shows you your BMI, body composition and heart rate, too. And that’s not all. The scales are equipped with a PWV calculator. PWV stands for pulse wave velocity and this offers an insight into your overall cardiovascular health. It monitors the condition of your heart by measuring how long it takes for your blood to travel from the aorta to your feet. The app that comes with the scales tells you if your heart condition is optimal and offers tips for improving it. www.withings.com

The game of clean teeth

No sweat Keeping hydrated has never been as easy as it is with Hidrate Spark. The fancy water bottle comes in several colours and does more than just hold liquid. The accompanying app tracks the amount of water you drink and helps you set goals by sending reminders. To be sure you never miss out, the bottle glows when it’s time for your next drink.

This electric toothbrush by Kolibree is designed to let children (and parents) enjoy those boring two minutes three times a day to the fullest. Thanks to its connectivity technology – it hooks up to your smartphone – this toothbrush works like a game controller. Brushing your teeth lets you race rabbits or plunder like a pirate, the two games that the Kolibree app provides. When the kids have finished, the quality of their brushing time is monitored precisely by the same app.

www. hidratespark.com

www.kolibree.com

Headphones to dream of Sleep-sensing headphones from Kokoon are the next step in monitoring sleep. They don’t only measure when your night’s rest is below par but also find ways to improve it. First of all, the headphones use audio to relax and induce sleep. Then while you’re asleep, they remove distractions to improve the quality of your slumber. Finally, the intelligent alarm knows the perfect point in your sleep cycle to wake you up. www.kokoon.io

Ford Vignale

A simulated kiss When you first see Thync, it’s hard to believe this futuristic-looking wearable really works. The white triangle-shaped piece of technology must be placed on the upper corner of your face to work its magical powers on you, while black strips do their stuff on your neck. Together, they stimulate the nerves with low-level electrical pulses to recreate the relaxing effect of a massage, a splash of cold water or the kiss of a loved one. A session of 10 minutes is all it takes to let your body activate its natural state of energy or calm. www.thync.com

Slow food

Get that bone Getting enough exercise is essential for man and animal. The WonderWoof is an activity tracker for your dog. The Bluetooth bow tie – how cute – is connected to the WonderWoof app and lets you monitor the minute-to-minute behaviour of your four-legged friend. Based on the amount of running, sleeping, playing, and walking of Max, Lucy or Jake the app calculates if the proper amount of exercise is achieved. An extra feature of the WonderWoof is the ability to meet other dog-lovers in your area. www. wonderwoof.com

Next to eating too much, eating too fast is a poor habit for a proper digestion. HAPIFork tries to fight both by its electronic fork. It prevents eating in a rush through gentle vibrations. The HAPIFork also measures the total time it takes to consume your meal, the amount of fork servings and the intervals in between. All information is uploaded to HAPI.com which makes it easy to monitor your eating habits. A coaching program helps you to achieve your goals. www.hapi.com

As fast as a flash Lumenus specialises in intelligent clothing and accessories. Its bags, running shirts and accessories are equipped with LED technology that lights up when braking or turning while biking or running. Based on the route information you put into the app on your smartphone, the Lumenus apparel, like this FlashBack backpack, knows exactly which way you’re going and signals to other road users. Extra features include a self-coaching mode. The LEDs show if your training speed is close to the goals you gave yourself. Pretty useful. Available in Europe by 2017. www.lumenus.com

Ford Vignale

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