The Culture

Located in southwestern Taiwan, Kaohsiung is a city of a longish shape. It is cast in sunshine throughout a year and its weather is amiable. Mountains, oceans, rivers and ports make the city’s geology and culture highly diverse. Kaohsiung used to enjoy a thriving economy for its steel and petrochemical industries, but now it is gearing towards cultural tourism, touting its history, nature and hospitality. An oceanic tourist capital it is!

River Ports & Oceanic Tourism

In Taiwan, people call Kaohsiung “the port city” because it has the most beautiful port views. The magnificent Kaohsiung Port, modern-style Singuang and Glory Ferry Wharfs, and romantic Love River all enhance Kaohsiung’s urban charm. Taking a ferry is actually a popular tourist activity in Kaohsiung.

Visitors may take a ferry at Shaochuantou Wharf so and then hop off in Qijin to enjoy a walk, or take the Love Boat or a fancy gondola by the Love River. Cultural yachts are an option, too – the yacht trip is longer, allowing visitors to immerse in the splendid views of Kaohsiung’s ports and the Asian New Bay Area.

Tapping into History

Kaohsiung was previously named “Takau,” referring to the bamboo forests dwelled by indigenous Makatau. During the Qing Rule, it was renamed as “Dagou” and by the Japanese Rule a Dagou office was to be established on Qijin Street. The Dagou Branch Office of Tainan Prefecture was therefore relocated to Shaochuantou. In 1920 (9th year of Taisho), Kaohsiung Prefecture was established. The Japanese adopted the name “Kaohsiung” from “Takau.”

Natural Resources & Great Views

Kaohsiung has more than modernized urban scenery and the vitality which comes in from the ocean; it also boasts an expansive hinterland, with rich natural and cultural resources, fields and gardens, forests, mountains, hot springs- it has everything.

The strange “Moon World” formations near Tianliao, Yenchao, and Neimen, known as “badlands” in the field of geography, form mainly as a result of rainwater and river water scouring mudstone areas which have soft soil. It is difficult for plants to grow in such an environment, which exposes the mudstone, creating a unique landscape densely covered with ridges and trenches. In fact, Moon World’s geographic richness and rarity has already met UNESCO Geoparks’standards for recognition as a Geological Heritage Site. What’s more, Purple Crow Butterfly Valley in Maolin Scenic Area is also a world-class natural resource, one of just two valleys in the world in which butterflies winter.

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Luxury Resorts

Mauritius is rightly famed for its sapphire-blue waters, powder-white beaches and, yes, luxury resorts that provide a front-row seat onto some of the most beautiful views in the Indian Ocean. These are places of the utmost refinement, of impeccable service, of facilities that range from pampering spas, designer rooms and extensive watersports options to dreamy swimming pools, expansive palm-strewn grounds and world-class restaurants. Your stay will live long in the memory and will have you dreaming of a return. Partly that’s because of the supreme levels of comfort and luxury. But it’s also thanks to the resorts’ discretion and warmth, and the unmistakable sense of being treated like royalty.

Active Mauritius

What to do, what to do? Lie on a beach all day? Or enjoy the wonderful range of activities on offer? Either way, you can’t really lose and there’s not much you can’t do here on the water – highlights include kitesurfing, boat excursions to the beautiful islands of the lagoon, and the full suite of paddling activities offered by hotels and beach operators. But the diving and snorkelling here is terrific, encircled as Mauritius is by shallow waters, a coral reef, sublime underwater topography and a dramatic ocean drop-off. On land, you’ll need to decide between fabulous hiking, horse riding and even championship-standard golf courses. Decisions, decisions…

Wildlife Island

Once thought to be the preserve of nearby Madagascar, wildlife tourism in Mauritius is rapidly gaining in popularity. And why wouldn’t it? Mauritius has saved more bird species from extinction than any other country on earth, with the result that you can now see two of the loveliest birds of the Indian Ocean – the pink pigeon and the Mauritian kestrel – at various places around the island. Giant tortoises – in captivity in their hundreds, or roaming free on Île aux Aigrettes – are another drawcard, while dolphins, whales and sharks are just three highlights of the island’s richly biodiverse marine environment.

The Mauritian Table

Foodies of the world, rejoice! Mauritius is winning plaudits for the excellence of its food, and that goes for fine-dining restaurants at five-star resorts as well as beachside shacks serving fish just off the boat. Curries, seafood and staples like the thankfully ubiquitous salade d’ourite (octopus salad) owe their presence to influences from Mauritius’ Indian, Chinese, French and Creole communities – less a melting pot than a wonderfully aromatic cooking pot. The charming tradition of the table d’hôte, the family table opened to all and covered with the signature dishes of Mauritian home cooking, captures the essence of the warm local welcome.

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Cultural Life

Come to Oslo to pay homage to Edvard Munch and Henrik Ibsen, the city’s two most famous sons, by all means. But don’t leave without discovering something of its contemporary cultural life too. Explore one of its many museums, get to know its booming contemporary-art scene at one of its commercial galleries or just marvel at the work of its architects. You can also walk the neighbourhoods that may already be familiar via the works of Karl Ove Knausgård, whose autobiographical novel series Min Kamp are set here, along with the mean streets of Norwegian-noir crime writers Jo Nesbø and Anne Holt.

Natural Pleasures

Oslo’s skyline might be crowded by cranes but this rapidly growing urban metropolis is also one of the world’s most overwhelmingly green cities. It has earned the honour of being named European Green Capital for 2019, via one of the lowest carbon footprints in the world, excellent and well-patronised public transport, city planning that puts pedestrians first, and a real commitment to sustainable food production and green space. The city is blessed with a large number of bucolic parks, and the Oslofjord’s waterways and islands are just minutes away from the centre, as are the ski slopes and forests of Nordmarka.

Culinary Capital

Once known only for hot dogs and high prices, Oslo’s culinary scene is currently enjoying a Neo Nordic moment in the sun, and has become a culinary destination in its own right. This delicious change takes in everything from the most northern three-Michelin-starred restaurant in the world (Maaemo) to its deservedly hyped neighbourhood coffee scene to fabulous fusion (Icelandic-Korean is the hottest ticket in town) to the celebration of traditional favourites such as peel-and-eat shrimp, and, yes, even polse (hot dogs). The city also has a penchant for sushi and pizza, both of which can now compete on the world stage.

Cracking Nightlife

Has Oslo become Scandinavia’s late-night party hot spot? Wander Møllegata on a, well, Wednesday and you might be convinced it is. Whether it’s working your way through a list of the latest natural wine from Burgenland or Sicily, getting your hands in the air with local DJ acts such as Lindstøm and Prins Thomas or an international indie band, drinking a local beer over a game of shuffleboard or sipping cocktails made from foraged spruce or Arctic seaweed, you’ll notice that, with a grungier, wilder, realer edge than Copenhagen or Stockholm, this is certainly a city that knows how to have fun.

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Celts, Romans, Visigoths, Moors and Christians all left their mark on the Iberian nation. Here, you can gaze upon 20,000-year-old stone carvings in the Vila Nova de Foz Côa, watch the sunset over mysterious megaliths outside Évora or lose yourself in the elaborate corridors of Unesco World Heritage Sites in Tomar, Belém, Alcobaça or Batalha. You can pack an itinerary visiting palaces set above mist-covered woodlands, craggy clifftop castles and stunningly preserved medieval town centres.

The Portuguese Table

Freshly baked bread, olives, cheese, red wine or crisp vinho verde (young wine), chargrilled fish, cataplana (seafood stew), smoked meats – the Portuguese have perfected the art of cooking simple, delicious meals. Sitting down to table means experiencing the richness of Portugal’s bountiful coastline and fertile countryside. Of course, you don’t have to sit; you can take your piping-hot pastel de nata (custard tart) standing up at an 1837 patisserie in Belém, or wander through scenic vineyards sipping the velvety ports of the Douro Valley. You can shop the produce-filled markets, or book a table in one of the country’s top dining rooms.

Cinematic Scenery

Outside the cities, Portugal’s beauty unfolds in all its startling variety. You can go hiking amid the granite peaks of Parque Nacional da Peneda-Gerês or take in the pristine scenery and historic villages of the little-explored Beiras. Over 800km of coast offers more places to soak up the splendour. Gaze out over dramatic end-of-the-world cliffs, surf stellar breaks off dune-covered beaches or laze peacefully on sandy islands fronting calm blue seas. You’ll find dolphin watching in the lush Sado Estuary, boating and kayaking along the meandering Rio Guadiana, and memorable walks and bike rides all across the country.

Rhythms of Portugal

Festivals pack Portugal’s calendar. Drink, dance and feast your way through all-night revelries like Lisbon’s Festa de Santo António or Porto’s Festa de São João. There are kick-up-your-heels country fairs in the hinterlands, and rock- and world-music fests all along the coast. Any time of year is right to hear the mournful music of fado in the Alfama, join the dance party in Bairro Alto or hit the bars in Porto, Coimbra and Lagos.

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Budapest’s beauty is not all God given; humankind has played a role in shaping this pretty face too. Architecturally, the city is a treasure trove, with enough baroque, neoclassical, Eclectic and art nouveau buildings to satisfy everyone. Overall, though, Budapest has a fin de siècle feel to it, for it was then, during the capital’s ‘golden age’ in the late 19th century, that most of what you see today was built.

The Past at Hand

They say the past is another country, but it’s always been just around the corner in Budapest. Witness the bullet holes and shrapnel pockmarks on buildings from WWII and the 1956 Uprising. There are sad reminders like the poignant Shoes on the Danube memorial, but ones, too, of hope and reconciliation – like the ‘sword’ of the former secret-police building on Andrássy út now beaten into the ‘ploughshare’ that is the House of Terror, with both sides of the story told.

Eat, Drink & Be Magyar

There’s a lot more to Hungarian food than goulash, and it remains one of the most sophisticated styles of cooking in Europe. Magyars may exaggerate when they say that there are three essential world cuisines: French, Chinese and their own. But Budapest’s reputation as a food capital dates largely from the late 19th and the first half of the 20th century and, despite a fallow period under communism, the city is once again commanding attention. So, too, are Hungary’s excellent wines – from Eger’s complex reds and Somló’s flinty whites to honey-sweet Tokaj.

In the Soak

The city is blessed with an abundance of hot springs. As a result, ‘taking the waters’ has been a Budapest experience since the time of the Romans. The choice of bathhouses is generous – you can choose among Turkish-era, art nouveau and modern establishments. Some people come seeking a cure for whatever ails them, but the majority are there for fun and relaxation – though we still maintain it’s the world’s best cure for what Hungarians call a macskajaj (cat’s wail) – hangover.

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Art & Culture

A tireless innovator of art and culture, London is a city of ideas and the imagination. Londoners have always been fiercely independent thinkers (and critics), but until not so long ago people were suspicious of anything they considered avant-garde. That’s in the past now, and the city’s creative milieu is streaked with left-field attitude, whether it’s theatrical innovation, contemporary art, pioneering music, writing, poetry, architecture or design. Food is another creative arena that has become a tireless obsession in certain circles.

Diversity

This city is deeply multicultural, with one in three Londoners foreign-born, representing 270 nationalities and 300 tongues. Britain may have voted for Brexit (although the majority of Londoners didn’t), but for now London remains one of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities, and diversity infuses daily life, food, music and fashion. It even penetrates intrinsically British institutions; the British Museum and Victoria & Albert Museum have collections as varied as they are magnificent, while the flavours at centuries-old Borough Market run the full global gourmet spectrum.

A Tale of Two Cities

London is as much about wide-open vistas and leafy landscape escapes as it is high-density, sight-packed urban exploration. Central London is where the major museums, galleries and most iconic sights congregate, but visit Hampstead Heath or the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to flee the crowds and frolic in wide open green expanses. You can also venture further out to Kew Gardens, Richmond or Hampton Court Palace for beautiful panoramas of riverside London followed by a pint in a quiet waterside pub.

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