THESSALONIKI
Piers Golden,
Sunday Times Travel
Magazine
photographer
I like Thessaloniki’s unpretentious edginess.
The recession hit the country hard, but one
of the few happy consequences is that
businesses have come together to support
and champion local produce. If you take a
few turns off the main strip, Tsimiski Street,
into Kouskoura Street, you’ll find a restaurant
called Ergon (
ergonproducts.gr
)
and its sister
deli – or ‘grocery’ as they call it – next door.
They’re both run by young entrepreneurs,
brothers George and Thomas
Douzis, with a little help from
Dad and Dimitris Skarmoutsos
in the kitchen – a judge on
MasterChef Greece. I suggest
you gorge on delicious fresh
tapas such as fava bean dip or
crisply coated aubergine and
goats’ cheese in the relaxed, chatty
cafe. The deli is very well priced considering
the fantastic quality, and they sell a sweet
mustard and olive tapenade that I would
literally fly back to restock if I could. Luckily,
they have a store opening in London this
spring so I won’t have to.’
LVIV
Russ Malkin, author of
Big Earth – 101 Amazing
Adventures
,
and producer
of documentary series
Long Way Round
and
Long
Way Down
I predict that tourism will take off in Lviv
this year – so get there before everyone
else does! We filmed there for
Long Way
Round
with Ewan McGregor and
Charley Boorman. When we entered
Ukraine, it was almost like stepping
back in time, with fields being turned
over with horse-drawn ploughs and
checkpoints manned by fantastic
characters in very big hats. Fascinating
and wonderfully friendly! Head for the town
squares where you’ll find chess games set
up on uneven streets, then take a tram
BUCHAREST
Craig Turp, Editor-in-chief of In Your
Pocket, Europe’s biggest publisher of
locally produced city guides
Bucharest’s nocturnal charms are in a
different league. Clubbers in the know
have been beating a path here for years,
others are now following. And it’s not all
about the superclubs either – although
the extravagant wealth at venues like
Player (
Str. Primo Nebiolo 5, theplayer.
ro)
has to be seen to be
believed (Recession? Crisis?
Not here!). Bucharest is
also now a seriously good
incubator of live acts: Mojo
Music Club (
Str. Gabroveni
14,
mojomusic.ro
)
in the
thumping Old Town has local
bands of all musical persuasions performing
almost every night of the week, cutting
their live teeth in front of the city’s toughest
audience. And when new bands aren’t
playing, the resident Mojo covers band is.
S UMM E R C I T I E S
70
/
WIZZ MAGAZINE
