Nobal Glomad

7 days in Kythira: Day 1

Childhood memories

A recent travel colleague of mine was beach reading 7 years in Tibet. I remember her grumbling "I wish they'd just get to the Tibet part".  So, after arriving in Kythira today (penthouse suite pictured above) I decided as homage to her impatience, to draw inspiration from the book's title for this series of articles, ruthlessly time culling it for the Gen-Y readership. I will be posting just seven to-the-point (ish) stories for seven days, starting right on location, no how to get there's, what to wears or that blah blah, just getting my teeth into the meat… welcome to day 1.



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Sifnos Island – The Cyclades, Greece

Sitting here writing this article, as I every so often look to the vista of Fira, Santorini (yes my hard life continues), post the perfect week in Sifnos, I already am missing her local life'd appeal (More on all that is Santorini in a future edition). Sifnos is the sleeping feline (pure-bred no less) that decides to politely ignore the yap of the attention seeking Hilton-lapped chihuahua. You won't find the Mikonos-ites who strut everything waxed, pumped and leather tanned in cobble destroying Blahnics... they're kept safely away.



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Venezia – 5 ‘off the top 10′ to dos

Welcome to tourist centralé (yes me included, but naturally I'm special). Every second passer-by is neon stamped alien status. It's catwalk amateur hour for suitcase haulers, some opting to pack the kitchen with regret halfway across the wheel-destroying Rialto Bridge. Hold your head up high though and follow the Disney-esque crowd… then turn left rather than right and pause for a side street panini, prosecco or perhaps a salad di pomodoro.

Here are five less-obvious to dos that will give you an introduction to some notable local talent.



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La Biennale di Venezia

Thanks to an enticing 'you know you want to do it' episode of Monocle Magazine's Design Podcast in early September, I managed to squeeze the Italian itinerary to include attending 'La Biennale 2010' in Venezia. The festival encapsulates a carefully curated collection of art, architecture, cinema, dance, music and theatre, focusing on promoting new artistic trends and organising contemporary events on an international scale.



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Isola Comancina, Lago di Como

I'd arrived late evening to the lake-side town of Como, the end of the train line heading north from Fashion Week'd Milan. Like many of Europe's seductive destinations, Como offers vista-on-heat perfection. It delivers a largely unchanged experience to what it would have been 100 years ago… enduring, ageless, mesmerising and an object of returnable elegance.



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Swiss Alps Assault

It's rare in our couch-convenienced world of Imax and 3D TV, Wikipedia'd everything, Playstation vs. Nintendo (yawn), iPhones egg boiling apps and infinite cable TV schlock that we are remotely intrigued by anything Mother Nature throws our way. Today though I was officially no-240volts-required blown away by the perfect Alps vista.

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Destination: Zurich-ophile

It's as if all the formative years of Wallpaper* magazine (pre 2000 of course) including its high-camp charm, globalised style-file (hello my 'I can't face to replace Tom Ford frames'), easy-on-the-eye typography and elegant urban commentary have been plucked from its archival pages and carefully dressed in the perfect Italian extra-virgin. Welcome to Tyler Bruleé' / Monocle's City of the Year for 2009... Zurich.

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August = Paris Perfect

Everyone and everything seems to gasp at the thought of heading to Paris for the month of August. Enough of these why-not-to-go's… here are eight (who has time for 10?) reasons to push critics aside and indulge in all that's on offer.

1. Half the traffic
Less pollution, cleaner air and lungs, reduced street noise, bluer skies, minimal pollination and achievable street crossings as you stroll the arrondissements thanks to the city's mass migration south.

2. Seating selection
In Paris you will feel the need to stroll… a lot. Eventually you'll meander Jardin de Tuilleries, Marais or Montmartre. Enjoy a well deserved  break, and yes you will have a choice, so pick your favourite oak or chestnut and park bench it. As tourists bustle to make the 20 point sight seeing itinerary sit back, relax, and devour numéro trios jambon et fromage baguette.

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1,000,000 Eiffel Towers

I can't help it. I feel the need to art direct at major tourist attractions… "Have you thought of shooting it off-centre?", "Yes I know you don't know me but have you looked at the positioning of the sun?", "Denim minis are pretty but may I suggest the closing of her legs?", "Absolutely… soft focus is amazing". As I gazed upwards at the tonnes of elegantly formed steel that form La Tour Eiffel all I could think of were the thousands of thoughtless snaps taken every day at Paris' number uno (why Italian?) attraction - the camera points, the button's clicked and the image filed straight into the 'I'll never look at this again' folder.



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The eight days of Blog-mas

Eight days in Europe (three de-jet lagging in London, five falling stupidly in love with all that is Paris), seven kilometres a day left-right-left-ing it, six virginal-not-happy-with-it blog posts, five superb exhibitions including musée du quai Branly's Fleuve Congo, Arts d'Afrique Centrale and Saint Germain des Prés Eugène Delacroix's l'apartment, four (a day) perfection and promptly devoured baguettes, three pain au raisin (one required with almost every baguette... it's about balance), two a day Kusmi Kashmir Tchaïs (how does Paris pulling off a better chai than Mumbai?) and a creative nomadic guy able to finally tick the one article complete box for Nobal Glomad.

There... it's done.

Here's to near vertical mountains, back-street pop-up cafés, four story vertical gardens, public cycle-ways, Merci (3rd arrondissement - more on that later), boulangeries, ashrams, remote reefs, rice paddies and the quest for the perfectly affordable and delightfully charming home away from home.

Enjoy. Live. Love.