Hi,
hi, hi!
I hope
that you are doing great and that you are all well rested for some extra activities
for our today’s lesson which we have seen is “Talking about your favorite
city”. Without waiting any longer, let us begin!
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Here is one article about today’s topic.
Read it and write down new words in your notebook, translate them with the dictionary
and make example sentences.
1. Tokyo, Japan
Topping our list of world
cities yet again, Tokyo continues to thrill with its contradictions:
ultramodern, neon-lit skyscrapers and tranquil temples, unmatchable street style and centuries-old
etiquette. As we've said before, it's like
a fever dream you don't want to wake up from. This Japanese capital has more Michelin
stars than any other place on earth, and is—no surprise—one of the world’s best food destinations. For just a taste of
what the city can offer, pull up a stool and dig deep into a bowl of
inventive ramen at Kikanbo, or sample rare Japanese whiskey at Bar Ben Fiddich.
Or let us plan your first trip for you.
2. Kyoto, Japan
You think you know Kyoto—after
all, how much can change in an imperial capital, where you can visit tenth-century
temples and pass young geishas in the street? Though it's still one of the most
well-preserved cities in Japan, Kyoto has also been reborn following a 2011 earthquake,
which brought a change to the foundation. "Many artists moved to Kyoto, bringing
a new energy," says Lucille Reyboz, cofounder of the Kyotographie photography
festival; now the city’s leafy, machiya-lined streets are draws for their specialty
crafts shops and chic concept stores. There's a thriving gin scene along with the sake scene, and, yes,
about 100 Michelin-starred restaurants still. For an authentic meal without Michelin
prices, try 200-year-old ryokan Kinmata.
3. Melbourne, Australia
At once sophisticated, stylish,
and seemingly free-spirited, Melbourne has all of the traits you'd want
in a friend—and an incredible arts scene. Visit Gertrude Contemporary for
eye-popping installations by emerging Australian artists; take an Urban Scrawl street
tour; and drive 20 minutes to the world-renowned Heide Museum of Modern Art. In this city, each
morning should start with a flat white.
4. Vienna, Austria
Artistic, exquisite, and
largely shaped by its musical and intellectual foundations, Austria’s capital and
largest city is packed with culture. It's the kind of city where you could happily
visit four museums in a day and still have more to see, or join fellow culture vultures
for an outdoor simulcast of the latest opera—in the dead of winter. (There will
always be a crowd for the opera.) Make time to get a figurative taste of royalty
at Schönbrunn, the Habsburgs’ former summer residence, and get an actual taste of
Sacher torte, a chocolate cake that's a local treat, at Hotel Sacher Vienna's Cafe Sacher. Just be
sure to ask for the extra decadent dessert mit schlaag—with cream.
5. Hamburg, Germany
Love the canals of Amsterdam and Venice? Hamburg reportedly has
more than both cities, combined. Float through the historic Speicherstadt warehouse
district and past the 19th-century Town Hall, or stay on dry land to walk under
the river via the Alter Elbtunnel, which has artwork lining its tiled walls. Whatever
you do, don’t miss the 361-foot, $1 billion Elbphilharmonie concert venue.
6. Sydney, Australia
Australia’s biggest city is an ideal getaway
no matter the season. Dine alfresco, swim like a Sydneysider in rock pools, and
head to Bondi and Redleaf beaches in the summer (remember,
that’s during our winter); in winter, explore the city’s vibrant arts and culture
calendar through Vivid Sydney and make time to eat out in Paddington, check out
the cool-kid 'hood of Surry Hills, and ferry over to Manly, Australia’s answer to
Montauk.
7. Singapore
With the return of the New
York-Singapore direct flight (and the lure of Crazy Rich Asians tourism), more travelers
than ever will be heading to Singapore in 2019. The bustling city-state
has a growing contemporary-art scene, a new hotel seemingly every eight minutes,
and a commitment to start-ups and innovation (just see the Supertree Grove, above),
which means if you visited once before, you may not even recognize it now. Want
to relax after a day of exploring? Choose from 1,000 types of gin at Atlas bar, or check into
Marina Bay Sands so you have access to that top-of-the-world infinity pool you've
heard so much about. Come evening, dig into the city’s food-hawker culture—you can do a multi-country
food crawl without leaving the hawker center.
8. Paris, France
Paris
needs no introduction. Proper nouns will suffice: The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame, Sacre-Coeur,
Musée Rodin, Centre Pompidou, Saint-Germain,
the Seine (at dusk). The city is firmly established as one of the most beautiful
in the world. Dine like the French near the Bastille at Chez Paul or stroll among
the statues at the elegant Luxembourg Gardens. To stay, treat yourself to a room
at the exquisite Hôtel Plaza Athénée or the remodeled Hôtel
de Crillon, which reopened in September 2017 after a four-year
renovation.
9. Barcelona, Spain
From the mountains to the
beach, the historic to the contemporary, sunny Barcelona—lucky city that it is—has it all.
Brush up on Catalan history at El Born Centre Cultural or take a street art
tour of the trendy El Raval district. For dining, try a 40-course meal at Enigma, a restaurant by Ferran
Adrià, or stay classic at Quimet y Quimet, a standing-room-only joint
that’s been operated by the same family for more than 100 years.
10. Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Seaport Vancouver has a competitive
and creative arts scene, rugged natural beauty, and no shortage of things to do.
As one of Canada’s most ethnically diverse cities, it’s also one of the country’s
best food cities: After you’ve taken a cable car up Grouse Mountain, return to the
city for Indian fare at Vij’s, a French bistro experience at Farmer's Apprentice, or tagine
at Moroccan-inspired Medina.
11. Madrid, Spain
The magic of Madrid is best
captured on foot, strolling through the streets, stopping in a museum or sitting
for a drink at La Alemana, a historic bar once frequented by Ava Gardner and Ernest
Hemingway. For a taste of everyday Spanish life in this vibrant capital city, shop
at El Corte Inglés, sample the market culture
at Mercado San Antón and the Mercado de San Fernando, and bring your picnic
to the ancient Egyptian Temple of Debod, which was donated to Spain in 1968 and
can be found in the Parque del Oeste.
12. Osaka, Japan
Japan’s second-largest city
is often overshadowed by Tokyo and Kyoto, but there are plenty of reasons
it’s become a destination in its own right. For starters, it’s one of the best food
cities in all of Japan—must-eat regional specialities include takoyaki (battered,
fried octopus balls) and okonomiyaki (grilled savory pancakes with a variety of
additions)—and its baseball culture rivals that of the Yankees and their legions
of fans. Don’t miss Osaka Castle (head to the eighth floor outdoor deck for the
view).
13. London, England
Whether it's their first
or 15th trip to London, our readers can't get enough of this
city. It's a starter trip for many Americans looking for that first passport stamp;
it's also constantly changing, despite its deep roots on display at, say, Westminster
Abbey, or the Tower of London. After checking out the classics, head to Brawn in Bethnal Green; catch a show at Almeida,
a performance venue housed in a former train station in Islington; go shopping or
hotel bar hopping in Shoreditch; and see how many of the city's best cocktail bars can be ticked off
the list in one weekend.
14. Budapest, Hungary
With some of the best Art
Nouveau architecture in Europe, scenic Budapest has no bad angles. It's also Europe's unlikely capital of hedonism, where
the pursuit of pleasure hits a new high. Explore the Hungarian capital’s spa culture
at thermal baths built in the 16th and 17th century; have your coffee and pastry
with a side of ostentation at the gilded Gerbeaud or New York cafes; and walk the
Széchenyi Chain Bridge at night over the Danube River for magnificent views and
a reminder of the good life.
15. Amsterdam, Netherlands
Contrary to some people’s
vision of the Dutch city, Amsterdam isn’t all roaming packs of British
stag parties and college-aged tourists. These days, it's a stylish, laid-back cultural
hub filled with knock-your-socks-off art, chic boutiques that would make any Brooklynite
jealous, and innovative, seasonally driven food served in restaurants that look
built for Instagram feeds. It’s also a small enough city that you can feasibly see
what you want to see in three days. Plus, with the new Eurostar route, it’s only about four hours
from central London by train. For a taste of the “new” Amsterdam,
grab a drink at Droog, a renovated 17th-century hotel with
just one room, or float in a weightless state in the saltwater pods at Koan Float.
16. Seoul, South Korea
Think of Seoul as the neon-lit megalopolis with access
to everything you'd want from a heaving, slightly chaotic Asian city. The BBQ houses
and Karaoke bars throughout Itaewon put anywhere you've been in K-Town to shame,
beauty tourism is definitely a thing (give
yourself at least three hours to conquer all four floors of emporium Sulwhasoo, where the shelves are loaded with
the snail serums and horse fat sheet masks you never knew you needed), while centuries-old
palaces in quiet neighborhoods north of the Han River recall a calmer, more serene
era. It doesn't hurt, either, that your English goes farther here than in Tokyo, thanks in part to the special relationship that has
developed between the U.S. and Korea over the years.
17. Istanbul, Turkey
Our readers and travel experts alike agree on one
thing: It's time to get back to Istanbul. Following a series of traumas over the
past two years—terror attacks, political upheaval, a currency crisis—total foreign
arrivals to Turkey are forecast to rise 5.7 percent from 2017 to more than 38 million
this year, the World Travel & Tourism Council says. Istanbul, the capital city,
will always draw us in with its Byzantine and Ottoman architecture, the Grand Bazaar
and Spice Market, and historic taverns. Looking to escape the crowds? Head up Galata’s
hill and down into Karaköy, exploring the shops and restaurants along the way.
18. Athens, Greece
These days, one of the world’s
oldest cities is brimming with new life. See the Acropolis and the Ancient Agora,
sure, but don’t missing shopping Monastiraki’s flea market, walking up Lykavittos
Hill, or exploring the city’s burgeoning Exarcheia neighborhood. Earmark an afternoon
for the Renzo Piano-designed, $623 million Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural
Center, which houses the National Opera and the National Library of Greece, and
sits on the biggest park in Athens. When you’ve had your fill of touring,
fuel up with a souvlaki (or three) at O Kostas, which serves the best in town.
19. Rome, Italy
We wouldn’t be the first
to call Rome the world’s greatest outdoor museum. And
no matter how many times we go to the Eternal City, we stop dead in our tracks at
the first glimpse of the Pantheon as we turn into the Piazza della Rotonda. Ditto
the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, and the Colosseum (all recently restored—grazie
to Fendi, Bulgari, and Tod’s, respectively). But what we realize, especially if
we’ve been to Rome more than once, is that the monuments themselves are not the
destination. They are, rather brilliantly, the backdrop to a lifestyle we came here
for. We are talking about the Roman la dolce vita—the art of lingering over long
lunches and carafes of house wine in villa-lined piazzas, strolling down impossibly
narrow cobblestone vicoli with no particular destination in mind.
20. Dublin, Ireland
Sitting on the mouth of the
River Liffey, the capital of Ireland is renowned for its medieval buildings, live
music in Temple Bar, stately churches, and of course, Guinness. Underneath it all hums a modern heart:
Get a sense of what’s new in the capital by seeking out its edgiest artists at Temple
Bar Gallery and Studios, trying the fish of the day at Catch-22, or sampling the
wares of Teeling, the first whiskey distillery to open in Dublin in 125+ years.
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Don’t
forget to practice, have a lot of fun, take care and of course, see you all tomorrow
for the new lesson!
Best
regards,
your
teacher Stevan! <3
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