Seafarers on ice
The 80-kilometer Vikingarännet or Viking Run from Uppsala, Sweden, all the way to the capital, Stockholm, is the world’s longest skating race. More than a thousand people are expected to take part again in 2017 – provided the northern European winter isn’t too mild.
Ever since Chicago hosted the first Lollapalooza in 1991, music fans in North and South America (and since 2015 also in Europe) have been rocking the festival. Headliners at its July 22/23 Paris premiere are Lana del Rey (photo) and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Culture clash
Wearing hats is all the rage. But picking the right one is something of an art form, given that there’s a suitable model for every occasion and each subculture has its favorites.
Goes well with horn rims
In the ’90s, it was the trademark accoutrement of British boy bands. Now, you’ll
mostly see nerds and geeks sporting a trilby. With its narrow brim, it looks rather like the younger brother of the classic fedora.
SLICK IN STRAW
In the summertime, a boater, the epitome of straw-hat elegance, is even acceptable attire for formal occasions. The homburg, which comes in straw or felt, is also a smart choice and goes well with a suit.
HIPSTER HAT
Flat crown, narrow brim, usually felt, the pork pie hat was originally made for women. Then Buster Keaton made it famous and today, it’s the favored headgear of the jazz, blues and ska scene.
A giant zeppelin named Gulliver straddles the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art in Prague. Forty-two meters long and made of wood, it recalls the optimistic mood of the early 20th century. Gulliver’s interior serves the museum as event space.
How about vacationing at a vineyard? More recent wine-growing regions in India, Canada and Thailand have joined classic destinations in Bourgogne, Rioja and Piedmont and offer fascinating holidays for connoisseurs
India is one of the oldest wine-growing countries in the world; people were fermenting grapes here 2500 years ago. But commercial wine production only came into its own in the 1990s. India now even has its own wine capital, Nashik, located northeast of Mumbai.
Vinland – in other words, wineland – is what the Vikings once called the east coast of North America. The Okanagan Valley on Canada’s west coast is regarded as the equivalent of California’s Napa Valley. Guess what Vinland’s roughly 120 vineyards produce – yep, ice wine!
So you thought good wines could only be grown between the 30th and 50th parallels? The vintages grown in Thai wine-growing areas, such as the mountains surrounding Hua Hin, provide tasty proof that you would be wrong.