PRIVATE TRAVELLER COLLECTION

The Greeks believed that the god Aeolus lived in these islands. He held the wind prisoner, and would only release him at his fancy.

The legend gave their name of Aeolian islands to Lipari, Stromboli, Salina, Vulcano, Panarea and Filicudi. Today life is still flowing at a leisurely pace, to the rhythm of the sea and the wind. Far from Google and Facebook… With five thousand inhabitants, Lipari is the largest island: something like the archipelago’s capital.

As soon as your ferry sails ashore, you will feel the island’s gentle serenity: a calm that is not even broken by the return of the fishing boats. The Aeolian waters are teeming with fish, especially

aroundPanarea and Stromboli. Most fishermen use fishing lines, and bring in plenty of bream and swordfish.

The swordfish, usually served grilled, is a local speciality. It tastes spectacular: just like the sea. You might want to settle in Lipari for a few days and sail along its coasts.

The Mediterranean there changes color all the time, depending on the shadows of the steep rocks and on the sunlight in the creeks. To get acquainted with the island, you can walk up to its antique acropolis and wander around its streets, amongst the terraces of trattorias, until the sea breeze revives your desire to sail away.

Sail off to Salina, the green island. It is covered with wild caper trees that grow in the rocks.

In late May, their fruits are handpicked and marinated in the salt that gave the island its name, in order to rid them of their bitterness. Salina’s production is the second in Italy and the finest, thanks to the sea air’s flavor.

Here you will sample the best products grown from of the volcanic soil. You’ll have no choice but to embrace the philosophy of slow food. Other than capers, the island is well known for its wine. The most famous was its Malvesia wine, until the 19th century when

phylloxera ravaged the cultures. The island then became depopulated of its inhabitants, who migrated to the US, Australia or South America.

Today the wine of Salina has recovered its prestige, with its heavenly hint of resin. The abandoned houses have been turned into villas and eco-chic hotels that offer an enticing atmosphere of insular luxury.

After a day of riding around the island on a vespa, on the way back from the beach, you will head to the harbour to sip a glass of white wine with some capers.

You won’t need to wait for a ferry to Stromboli: it is very easy to find a boat crew at the ready to approach the volcano’s near-perfect cone, which rises at 900 meters above sea level. It is possible to sail around the island in an hour.

On foot, it is preferable to be accompanied by a guide. The volcano has remained active after two and a half thousand years.

Every ten to twenty minutes, one of the five craters lets out some fire.

Sometimes, its explosions of lava make the earth shake. In 2003, those were so violent that the inhabitants of the island had to be evacuated for a couple of weeks. More recently, last January, the volcano alarmed the scientists again before calming down for good.

The sand, the rocks, the landscape… This singular, almost threatening atmosphere inspired Roberto Rossellini to make one of its best movies. Stromboli is the story of a blond woman from the North who marries a fisherman from the island.

The film deals with ostracism, antagonism, passion… Ingrid Bergman plays the main character. The shooting took

place on the island. Between the Roman filmmaker and the Hollywood island began a romance that shocked catholic Italy as much as puritan America.

Today, Casa Ingrid, the house where they both stayed, can be visited. Just like a family home, it is full of emotional memories – with the island’s old people adding anecdotes about the film’s shooting.

Vulcano is the southernmost island. Its great crater lets out some columns of smoke: as soon as you arrive, you will be struck by the smell of sulphur. Fortunately, one gets used to them fairly quickly. Sulphur has therapeutic virtues: it helps cure muscular pain, rheumatisms, migraine and skin problems.

Like in a thermal spa, people come from the continent to bathe outdoors in the warm mud, then rinse themselves in

the bubbling sea, turned into a natural Jacuzzi by underwater geysers.  

After an afternoon of immersion in the mud, it is time to climb to the top. The views are stunning. As you walk downhill, make sure you take a small detour via the creek of Polara for a pilgrimage on another film set: this is the place where Michael Radford shot Il Postino, with Philippe Noiret as Pablo Neruda. A little bit of Chile in Sicily…

Panarea, Alicudi and Filicudi: heavenly creeks to swim in, more pristine than tropical waters. The water is crystal-clear and is perfumed with thyme and rosemary… If you are short of time, Alicudi is the place to go to first. Wherever you are on this rock that seems to be floating on the sea, you enjoy 120° views of the azurean water.

Alicudi is the wildest of the Aeolian islands. Electricity and phone lines were only set up there in 1990! Goods are still transported on donkey’s

back. Its steep rocky hills are carved, sculpted with hundreds of steps and mule paths. Its terraces, covered with prickly pear bushes, slope down to the sea.

Its whitewashed houses are like incandescent stains in this untouched landscape. Some of them can be rented out: the perfect place to hide out to read Homer or Marguerite Yourcenar… Your peace and quiet will only be interrupted by escapades to Pantaluci, by the arrival of the fishing boats and by the aperitivo…

I love travelling. As a child, after flying to Rimini aged 7 with my mother and brother, I wanted to be an air hostess.

Travelling meant taking off for the unknown, and I wanted this pleasure to go on forever.

At 16 I passed my glider pilot flight test, then at 20 the entry exam to work for Lufthansa – I am German. Everything was going great: language, humanities…

I graded 7^th out of 300 candidates.
But the medical test detected a spine problem: I was inapt for fling planes.

So I went off travelling to France, planning to stay in Paris for a month or two… and I’m still there!

Today I travel every day, across countries and centuries, in the capital’s museums: I am a museum guide.

I do love my job but I often feel the urge to travel and unwind. Last spring, a long weekend was coming up and I decided to go and spend three days in Istanbul.

I had been there before, more than 15 years ago! Some friends had been telling me how much the city had changed, and I was feeling curious…

When we land, the sky is grey and the airport looks totally different: it’s been completely modernized. A taxi drives us to our hotel, which has been recommended by a friend.

The place is stunning: it is located behind the Blue Mosque, in an old neighborhood of wooden houses, but everything has been beautifully renovated.

Our room overlooks the mosque’s back garden, and we can see its six minarets rising above. We couldn’t have hoped for a better spot.

After dropping our luggage, we are ready to go for a walk. I had wandered around this neighborhood before, and at the time the houses were falling apart.

I was afraid they would disappear forever but now the neighborhood has been lovingly and tastefully rehabilitated. The weather goes bad, and we need to get our umbrellas out.

We carry on walking in spite of the cold: across the main square, Sultanahmet Park, the old Hippodrome and past the entrance of the great Blue Mosque.

We find ourselves in front of the magnificent Agya Sofia basilica.
In my memories, Istanbul was culturally very rich. I had visited museums (I can’t help it!), Topkapi Palace… This time, no museums: we wander around the small streets and let their atmosphere guide us.
We see lots of young people and almost no women wearing a veil.

We reach the Bazar a bit late, but not too late to find a very original octagonal pipe. We want to avoid going shopping-crazy, but this decision proves hard to stick to…

When the gates of the market close, we are starving: we go in search of a little local restaurant. There are hundreds. 

We wander around the small street stalls. We have amazing tea with Turkish delight, and buy some to bring back to our friends.

The city looks modernized and cleaner, but has lost none of its oriental charm. On the contrary, I find it easier to enjoy its atmosphere.

The tram - which wasn’t there last time round - is very convenient, and crosses the Bosphorus towards Karaköy: this thriving neighborhood, around the Galata tower, is not to be missed.

Avoid stilettos: you will need comfortable shoes!

We climb up to the top floor of the Anemon Galata hotel, and enjoy the views with a delicious cup of tea.

Back in the streets, we stop at a tiny stall that serves lamb meet with salads: why not treat ourselves to a kebab?

It is scrumptious, and there are no tourists to be seen all around.

I had promised my friends a little pilgrimage at the Pera hotel: we end the afternoon in the sumptuous armchairs where Agatha Christie must have spent some time lounging.

On the next morning, we are woken up by a very loud muezzin. That is the price you pay for a room with a view! The hotel’s breakfast is very copious: it will keep us going for a while, until our next meal. The weather is still cold and wet, never mind. It is Saturday. 

We visit the Basilica’s cistern, with its 336 columns. It is very busy, but the mysterious lighting sometimes makes the crowds disappear. And the Medusa’s head carved into a gigantic marble bloc leaves us all impressed.

Our program for the next day: a visit of Agya Sofia. I make a wish while spinning my thumb in a hole in one of its huge columns, you never know…

Our guide, Yusuf Akkaya, speaks perfect French and has a great sense of humor. He suggests a boat trip on the Bosphorus and the Marmara Sea. Pity it is so cold, but Yusuf’s good spirits and knowledge make us forget the bad weather.

He drops us off for lunch on the Asian bank of the Bosphorus, in Beylerbeyi.

During our cruise, we sail past palaces and luxury hotels, but I wouldn’t trade any of them for the DJEM hotel.

The afternoon is passing fast, we need to get to the spice market. All the fragrances of the East are mixed there, and it is very tempting to bring everything back home. We buy sponges, cinnamon sticks, cardamoms, pepper… so tasty!

We walk and walk until the evening.

On the Monday morning, I wake up early for a hammam session near the hotel.

It is nothing like the one at the Blue Mosque but is really authentic. For an hour, I daydream about this marvelous film, Hammam, with Vittorio Gassmann’s son playing a young Roman lawyer who inherits his aunt’s hammam.

He goes to Istanbul for a couple of days… and stays there forever! Unfortunately that is not my case.

The taxi is waiting for us at midday and we catch our flight to Paris, but we promise each other to come back at the end of summer.

At no time did we feel harassed by the people there. The Turks have a great sense of humor!

And Istanbul is a very emancipated city, to match many European capitals… with something extra: the charm of the thousand and one nights!

Best places:

Hôtel DJEM.  The staff is lovely and speaks fluent English. 50 to 60€ for a double room, breakfast included. Tavukhane Sk.No 3 Sultanahmet 34122 Fatih Istanbul (tel +90 212 518 12 95  / fax +90 212 516 93 50  / e-mail:   info@hoteldjem.com).

Khorasani kebabhouse is recommended. It is located at Divanyolu caddesi Thicarethane sokak no 39/41. It is best to book ahead (tel: +90 212 519 59 59). It serves quality Anatolian cuisine, with delicious fish, and is very reasonably priced.
 
Yusuf Akkaya, a tourist guide who speaks perfect French (+90 536 223 01 43 / e-mail:  bendenselam@hotmail.com  / www.istanbuladix.com)

Croatia’s Dalmatian coast offers a multitude of small islands with mind-blowing landscapes, with desert creeks, crystal-clear waters and preserved nature.

The most beautiful beach on the Adriatic might be located on the small island of Vis: Zaglav is a cove of fine sand located on the island’s South coast, sheltered from the winds.

The beach is pristine and its location a bit out of the way keeps the crowds away:

perfect for a relaxing swim.You will reach Zaglav in ten minutes’ walk from the village of Milna. Or better, a taxi-boat from town will drop you on the beach.

The shimmering white stand is caressed by the Adriatic’s gentle waves, and the forest bordering the beach offers its cool shade for days of heat.

There is only one small restaurant, called Zaglav, on the beach. You can sit on its gorgeous terrace to savor local specialties while watching the sunset.

Ten miles of golden and perfectly preserved sand: the perfect spot for a barefoot walk, with nothing on the horizon but the Mediterranean, the dunes and the mountains West of the beach.

Patara is a unique site in Turkey. To get to the beach, you will cross the antique ruins of a Roman port: a magical spot well worth a visit.  The sea’s transparent,

perfectly pure waves gently  break on the shore for miles.

The nature all around is particularly well preserved, as the beach belongs to a national park and is home to many protected species.

You will share the beach with the loggerhead turtle, a highly protected species: the beach is closed to the public from May to October so that the turtle can lay its eggs there.

An almost Mediterranean landscape, with a long promenade along a white sand beach and transparent waters: you could almost forget that you are on the Baltic coast, in the North of Poland.

Perfect for a walk and a bit of farniente in the summer, the beach is scattered with small

cafes where you can have a drink whilewatching the fishing boats sail in. This three-mile stretch of fine sand is perfect for long walks or cycles.

In the sunset, the long pier stretching out into the sea offers a magical viewpoint on the horizon.

Far from the crowds of tourists on the Algarve coast, the small village of Sagres offers remarkably well preserved beaches.

The red, grey and green stone cliffs of Cabo de Sao Vincente overlook virgin stretches of fine sand: the place feels like the world’s end.

You will have a choice between three stunning

beaches. The most peaceful one, and the surfers’ favorite, is Beliche: a small cove of fine sand you can access from the cliff by walking down small stairs carved in the rock.

Mareta is more popular, and offers sublime views of the old fortress built on top of the cliff, as well as wide stretches of golden sand, sheltered from the Atlantic winds.
 

With coal-black sand contrasting against the deep blue and the bright green of surrounding fields, Vik in Southern Iceland is a perfect example of the island’s most amazing contrasts. The beach’s volcanic sand is bordered with cliffs of basalt, with surreal geometric shapes.

Out on the horizon, on the Atlantic, the mysterious shapes of   three peaks stand out: the legend  says that they are the petrified ships of three trolls who landed ashore, a long time ago. The water temperature might not be so tempting, but this is a great spot for bird-watching, with flocks of puffins living on the beach. You can also rent an amphibian car to explore the coast until the island’s southernmost tip.  

The bar of the Lancaster hotel offers the perfect sensorial experience on a hot night.

Mixologist Mei Ho has imagined a menu of ten erotic-sounding cocktails. Fancy a Chérie Cherry, a Nude for Lada or an Appel au Flirt? Why not go for an Encre de Chine? A mix of soya milk, cocoa cream, sesame syrup and Calvados, it is sweet and strong as a kiss.

The Plein Soleil is a mix of apricot juice and fresh black berries perfumed with thyme syrup, lavender and rose essential oils and a touch of gin – just the drink to sip before the cult movie that gave the cocktail its name is re-released.

Almost like a trip to the gardens of Boboli: if you wander in these gardens on an August afternoon, you will be struck by its vivid perfumes: the warm air smells of neroli, violet and iris.  

This flower, whose most noble variety is from Florence, has inspired Acqua di Parma’s new cologne, Iris: a gentle and elegant fragrance to refresh yourself before returning to the Raphaelite beauties of the Galleria degli Uffizi, or walking up to Fiesole for an alfresco dinner. In summer, orange blossom is the all-feminine fragrance: the perfect time to delight in Annick Goutel’s delicate Neroli, or in Guerlain’s sensual Acqua Allegorica Bianca. 

The recipe for a perfect day out at sea: when embarking aboard your Riva, don’t forget your Moët Ice Imperial trunk and your XXL Stranos bath towels. The white trunk is a mobile trunk that will keep up to twenty bottles of Moët Ice Imperial refreshed.

Ice Imperial is the only champagne designed to be drunk on the rocks, with mint leaves or grapefruit zest…

For a touch of chic, a maître d’hôtel will take care of the service on your yacht. As for Stranos, its bath towels are cult in Saint Tropez. They come in a 580g or 700g weight, and the brand’s bed linen is in Egyptian cotton. Just like haute couture, each piece can be made to measure and personalized.

Bahia ribbons and Copacabana seashells… With its ethnic-chic bracelets, Ipanema will make your holidays swing to the sound of bossa-nova.

This is a collection with a heart: Claire, Jenna, Prisca and Virginie, the four granddaughters of Clarins founder Jacques Courtier, have each designed one of these charm bracelets.

For each bracelet sold, 3€ are donated to the Arthtritis Foundation: a charity that fights against severe rheumatisms – a disease that had affected the girls’ grandmother.