open now
TAKE ART
OUTSIDE
Is it a giant pinecone
or blunted porcupine?
This unusual sculpture
is just one of many on
show at Al Maaden,
Africa’s first sculpture
park. Open this month,
it will showcase wacky
local art against a back-
drop of the High Atlas.
Fly to Casablanca
.
fondationalliances.org
07
-
09
march
JAZZ IT UP
The chocolate-voiced stylings of
Imelda May will be adding a pinch
of va-va-voom to proceedings at
Bristol’s Jazz and Blues Festival
this month. Expect big bands, big
sounds and, possibly, the odd roll
neck – that’s jazz, baby.
Fly to Bristol.
bristoljazzandbluesfest.com
14
-
15
march
GOROUND INCIRCLES
Talk about the sacrifices that professional cyclists make. With
thighs meauring 68.5cm in circumference when he was at his
peak, you can be sure that Chris Hoy never slipped on a pair of
skinny jeans. Then again, he could accelerate from 0-44mph
in less than 10 seconds. He’s now retired, so it’s too late to see
the mega-Olympian in action. However, this month, we’ve got
the next best thing as many of his former teammates – includ-
ing Laura Trott, Jason Kenny and Ed Clancy – return to Lee
Valley VeloPark for the Revolution Track Cycling Series’ finals.
This is the first time the facilities have been put to use since
the 2012 Games. Even more excitingly however, it marks the
opening of the Olympic park to the public. The 50m pool at
the Zaha Hadid-designed Aquatic Centre invited its first swim-
mers on 1 March, and from the 31st, the VeloPark will be us-
able from £2 (approx €2.45) a session. Who cares if you have
the acceleration of a pug? Even Hoy had to start somewhere.
Fly to London.
queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk
Feeling dizzy? Wait
till you have a go...
Looking for a
more extreme
sport? Try flying with a
fan on your back, AKA
paramotoring
.
See p36
What do Marvin
Gaye and the
Belgian seaside town
of Ostend have
in common?
Find
out on p68
PHOTO
REX
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T H E J O U R N E Y
