E D I T O R ' S
L E T T E R
The smell of gingerbread; the tingle in
your cheeks after a walk in the December
chill; and, of course, the opportunity to see
normally stiff-lipped family members in a
ridiculous sweater with a reindeer motif.
Such knitwear has become pretty
much de rigueur in most households.
Not only is it undeniably warm, it’s
unmistakably festive – making it a perfect
inspiration for the cover of our special
festive issue. Nowadays, these pullovers
are highly fashionable too, thanks to
Sarah Lund, the lead character from
The
Killing
,
who's never without hers.
The Danish detective is not the
only one to covet a Fair Isle knit. Her
countrymen have long realised the
benefits of a chunky patterned jumper
–
especially at Christmas. That’s why,
this month, we’ve got a nine-page
special on enjoying party season in true
Scandinavian style – from gifts and
fashion (including knitted sweaters, of
course) to food (see page 80 . There are
also last-minute gadget gifts for the nerd
in your life (p119 , top bars to get merry
in (p113 and our pick of the best places to
see in the New Year (p31 .
If you’re looking for something a little
more, well, thought-provoking, we also
sent a writer to Prague to track down the
favourite haunts of the city's most famous
authors and poets. It just so happens that
they were all cafes and taverns, so the
trip turned into something of a literary
pub crawl (p55 . Well… it is Christmas.
Have a great one, wherever you are,
and we'll see you on the other side.
Simon Kurs,
Editor
Word from
Traveller HQ…
What's exciting us
this month
ILLUSTRATION
ANNEKA LANGE
COVER PHOTO
PIXELEYES
‘
MIDDLE EAT’ PHOTO
STOCKFOOD
AMBER NECTAR
With the ban on spirits
in Prague recently lifted,
we’ve been savouring a
delicious, newly discovered
Czech single-malt whiskey
called Hammer Head.
MIDDLE EAT
Persian food is our latest
culinary crush, thanks
to London chef Sabrina
Ghayour's recent pop-up
collaboration with the
Modern Pantry. Yum.
WEEKEND RUSH
We’re rather enjoying
Taschen’s great new book
36
Hours: 125 weekends in
Europe. Top of the to-do
list right now is dry-land
tobogganing in Madeira.
There are some
things you can't
help but love at
this time of year...
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