Don't forget to pack a book. Illustration / Thomas Bywater
Don't forget to pack a book. Illustration / Thomas Bywater
Alert Level 3 is a step in the right direction but travel lovers are still grounded. While we wait to take off again, be transported to these top destinations - here are the best ways to read, watch, listen and eat your way there.
Kafkais everywhere in Prague. Darkly comic and sometimes unsettling, the city and its history can feel warped by his books. However, if you peer under the surface you'll find stories and mysteries worthy of Dan Brown and romance for the easiest page-turner.
The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera (1984): A story about two women, two men, and a dog in 1960s Prague.
Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco (2011): - Move over Da Vinci Code. An epic mystery tying together the city's seen and unseen mysteries.
The Other City by Michal Ajvaz (1993): Could be titled "In the Shadow of Kafka". Ajvaz's story functions as a surreal guidebook to the city.
Kolja (1996): Avowed bachelor finds himself lumbered with a child in post eastern block Prague.
Amadeus (1985): Prague's playboy composer Mozart: undeniable genius, bit of a dick.
Eat this
Dušené zelí - A spiced Czech Cabbage that adds Bohemian flair to the most basic meal Saute onion in bacon fat or oil. Stir in bacon and cook before adding cabbage and caraway seeds. Mix well. Add vinegar, water, salt, sugar, and pepper. Simmer for 40 mins or until soft. Serve with Czech beer.
All right. You can stop carrying around Ulysses, pretending to have read it. Try these more lucid Hibernian books.
Dublin's The Temple Bar Pub. Photo / Getty Images
The Commitments by Roddy Doyle (1987) About unemployment and soul music in Dublin's working-class Northside.
The Gathering by Anne Enright (2007) A family split between Dublin and London gather for the wake of a lost brother.
Dublin 4 by Maeve Binchy (1982) More modern and perhaps more enjoyable than Joyce's Dubliners - a rich cross-section of the city.
Listen to this
For a city that loves a good hooley, most songs about Dublin are uncommonly sad. Song is an unpretentious part of city culture. Even local pop star Dermot Kennedy sounds like he's busking on Grafton St.
Boxty or "Tattie Farl" The comforting potato pancake is made from these staples. Ingredients: 4 potatoes. ¼ cup flour. Pinch of salt. 1 tablespoon butter. Method: Boil and mash the potatoes. Mix in the flour, then shallow fry the mixture in butter till golden brown. Finally cut the cake into quarters or "farls" to serve.
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To mark the Centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising, Google built a virtual tour of the heart of Dublin that jumps between revolutionary Ireland and today. dublinrising.withgoogle.com
The 2002 post-apocalyptic horror 28 Days Later has some chilling parallels with life in 2020. Photo / Supplied
28 Days Later (2002): The surreal opening from a deserted Southbank is still spellbinding. Careful what you wish for, London.
Listen to this
From Abbey Road to the grimy East End, London's been an inspiration to musicians the world over. The Kinks capture a feeling of finding a place in a city of 10 million, as does "George the Poet" Mpanga for a more up-to-date take.
Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks (1967)
LDN - Lilly Allen (2006)
My City - George the Poet, Bhodi (2014)
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Get a 360 city view over from the London EYE Ferris wheel and beyond. 360.visitlondon.com
San Francisco's City Lights Bookstore has inspired almost as many books as it stocks, and was a second home to the beatniks Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac. Here's our pick from the shelves.
The Big Sur by Jack Kerouac (1962):
The roving beatnik's semi-biographical West Coast adventure to the beautiful Bixby Canyon.
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett (1929): A moody description of foggy, 1920s San Francisco was almost made for film-noir adaptation.
Uncanny Valley by Anna Wiener (2020): It's impossible to escape the distorting influence of the Silicon Valley, home to the wealthiest companies on the planet.
Watch this
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006):
Single dad Will Smith chases the American dream, really hard.
The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019): A San Franciscan moves back into his family's old neighbourhood. At least, it might be this one.
The Rock (1996): Before saving the city Sean Connery has one question: "How did Alcatraz become a tourist attraction?"
Listen to this
If you're going to . . . aforementioned city, be sure to be playing this music in your ears.
Piazza, New York Catcher - Belle & Sebastian (2003. And yes, it's about San Fran)
I left my heart in San Francisco - Tony Bennett (1962)
San Francisco – Foxygen (2013)
Eat this
Cioppino - A Mediterranean broth that found a home in the city's Fisherman's Wharf. Saute 1 large onion, 1 fennel bulb, celery, carrots and garlic in olive oil. Add seafood, the more assorted the better, and 4 cups of fish stock and 1 cup of white wine. Season with chilli and a bay leaf. Serve with a big glass of Napa wine and a crust of Frisco sourdough bread.
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Golden Gate Park turns 150 this year but celebrations are, understandably, on hold. Instead, the website has a whole host of virtual experiences, including concerts, webcams, tours and videos. goldengatepark150.com
San Francisco's Golden Gate Park celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2020. Photo / Getty Images
Nothing is True and Everything is Possible by Peter Pomerantsev (2014): A UK-born Pomerantsev discovers the cultural challenges of making reality TV in Russia.
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Symphony 5 - Dimitri Shostakovich (1937): A subversive tour of Moscow's musical history - smuggled under the noses of Soviet censors.
Skbidi - Little Big (2018): It might sound like a siren but Skibidi is the song you need right now. A Russian pop phenomenon to tide you through lockdown.
Skibidi: Yes, there's a dance. Photo / Supplied
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Doctor Zhivago (1965): David Lean's epic, based on Boris Pasternak's 1957 novel, is as vast and varied as Russia, spanning from 1917 to the 1950s.
Moscow's Red Square and St Basil's Cathedral. Photo / Getty Images
Eat this
Borscht: The red beetroot soup is the lifeblood of western Russia. Roughly slice 1 onion and fry in a deep saucepan Add 4 beetroot, 4 carrots and 1 potato, peeled and cubed Cover with either vegetable or beef stock. When vegetables are soft, and soup is deep red, add lemon juice and fresh dill. Top with sour cream and serve with white bread. Optional - add meat trimmings, of either beef or bacon for a richer soup.
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Moscow Underground: a virtual tour of the Moscow metro. metro360.ru
