Kosmos

Just follow your nose? The sense of smell tends to be undervalued in the West but has a high status in many other cultures:

SMELL THE BABY

The Serer-Ndut people in Senegal believe in reincarnation and that a child’s scent reveals which ancestor has been reborn. The matter is settled if there’s a resemblance.

ACKNOWLEDGE THE NOSE

“How is your nose” is the common greeting used by the Ongee people. Smell is the prime sense for the Andaman islanders in Southeast Asia, and their calendar is dictated by the blossoming periods of certain flowers.

LISTEN TO THE FLOWERS

Smell? Hearing? For the Dogon in Mali these two senses overlap, with language having an odor and flowers a sound. They love the sound/scent of onions, which both sexes rub over their bodies.

Google, the Smart car, the iMac, Hong Kong International Airport and the cult film The Big Lebowski all turn 20 this year. Flying high in the charts in 1998: “Pretty Fly (For a White Guy” by The Offspring, “Frozen” by Madonna and “Big Big World” by Emilia.

Before they conquered Beijing in 1644, the rulers of the Qing dynasty had already created a miniature version of the Forbidden City in the country’s northeast. Although twelve times smaller, its inimitable design com­bined elements from Manchuria, Mongolia and China. In addition, the buildings that make up the Shenyang Imperial Palace, now a museum, are based on nomads’ yurts.

en.sypm.org.cn

In the past ten years, the number of visitors to Frankfurt has increased by 68 percent. In October, even more people will be arriving for the Frankfurt Book Fair. So it’s a good idea to plan ahead for your visit to this lively city: As the name suggests, the Hyatt Place Frankfurt Airport is just minutes from the airport. Its casual atmosphere makes it perfect for leaf­ing through those books you just bought.

frankfurtairport.place.hyatt.com