Comic book tour

JANUARY 2013
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Chief Editor: llze Pole / e: ilze@frankshouse.lv
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CONTENTS / JANUARY
Robert’s thought The best bit is
at the end
10
City icons A market with flair
12
Agenda January 2013
18
Review New year, new books,
new journeys
20
Four must-sees in Berlin
22
People Inese Ozola
24
Style 23 shades of white
26
Gear Nordic fundamentals
28
Thing of the month Notebook
30
Design Dutch designer
Hella Jongerius
32
Your next destination: Brussels
42
Interview Ingela Klemetz-Farago
and Peter Farago
48
Travel Sweden in the spotlight
66
Gadgets Latest inventions for 2013
68
Cars The new Range Rover
74
Food & drink in Riga and Tallinn
77
airBaltic news
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Welcome aboard
Martin Alexander Gauss
Chief Executive Officer
Dear Customer,
We expect 2013 to be an exciting year. Our success over the past year in turning
airBaltic around has been encouraging, and we will firmly stick to this approach
when defining our future.
We have been concentrating on popular high-demand routes and added
frequencies to 12 destinations in Europe and the CIS already this winter. At the
same time, we have decreased flying on low-demand routes, which has made
aircraft available for service to new attractive destinations, without actually
increasing the total size of our operations. We are delighted to introduce six
new destinations for the coming summer season – Prague (Czech Republic),
Heviz-Balaton (Hungary), Larnaca (Cyprus), Rijeka (Croatia), Olbia (Italy), and
Malta. We have designed the schedule to offer convenient travel between
these destinations and Riga, and beyond to airports in the Baltics, Scandinavia,
Russia, and the CIS.
Furthermore, we continue to improve the schedules and structure of our
network of 60 destinations in Europe, Middle East, Russia and the CIS. This
effort will shorten connection times in Riga for faster travel, increase flight
frequencies on highly demanded routes, and will help us to offer single-day
trips to more and more cities, and will allow you to be more flexible with your
time at your destination. On top of this convenience and flexibility, we also
improve our aircraft utilisation by serving the same amount of flights with
fewer aircraft. This enhanced efficiency helps us to better control costs and
maintain our price leadership that we are known for.
And... did you know that every 15 seconds, at least one BalticMiles loyalty
card is used across Europe and Russia?
Thank you for flying airBaltic,
Yours,
Martin Alexander Gauss
BALTIC OUTLOOK / JANUARY 2013 / 7
Text by Robert Cottrell, owner of Robert’s Books
Photo by Reinis Hofmanis, f64
DETAILS / ROBERT’S THOUGHT
JANUARY
I am
The best bit is at the end
passing through the U-bend of life.
Which doesn’t sound very attractive, I know.
But if your first thought is to call for a
plumber, then don’t worry. It’s mostly good
news, and here’s how it comes about.
During the past decade or so, politicians
and economists have become a bit less
fixated by national wealth, and started
thinking more about other aspects of life.
Instead of assuming that money makes
people happy, they’ve been asking people
how happy they feel, and then trying to
work out why. The logic here is that, once
governments know what makes you happy,
they can give you more of it. For me, the most striking result from
research in America and Europe is the
correlation between happiness and age.
On average, we’re very happy in our
teenage years, but then we get steadily
more miserable in our early 20s, and
gloomier still in our late 30s and 40s, to hit
a rock bottom in the early 50s.
After which – spoiler alert – the feeling of
happiness rises sharply again, and goes on
rising into old age. By your late 60s, you are
happier even than you were at 18.
Happiness, in other words, is U-shaped.
High at the 18 end, and low in the middle.
I’m delighted to hear it. Assuming that I’m
an average person – a proposition that in
most circumstances I would want to contest,
but which rather suits me here – then I’m
now at the bottom of the U-bend. I am as
“Older people have
fewer rows and come up
with better solutions
to conflict. They are
better at controlling
their emotions, better at
accepting misfortune and
less prone to anger”
glum as I will ever be. From here to eternity,
I go on getting happier.
It’s tempting to say that these studies must
be wrong – that the people who compile
them are asking the wrong questions, or
misunderstanding the answers. Historically
we have looked upon happy old age as a
very rare privilege, not a normal state of
affairs. Happiness studies are a new field.
Mistakes are likely, even inevitable. There again, I find the explanations
advanced for late-life happiness
encouraging, even persuasive. According
to The Economist: “Older people have fewer
rows and come up with better solutions to
conflict. They are better at controlling their
emotions, better at accepting misfortune
and less prone to anger… They come to
accept their strengths and weaknesses”.
So it’s not that my life will get better,
but that I will get less demanding, less
ambitious, and better at rubbing along with
other people.
I can buy that. I can also see that a thesis
like this becomes self-fulfilling. If I believe
that I will get happier as I get older, then
very probably I will ease up a bit, lower my
demands and my stress levels, and, indeed,
become more happy as a result. Best of all, this gives me a new way of
looking at the young. Lately I have been
prone to envy all those preposterously
clever and healthy people in their 20s and
30s bursting out into the world. But now,
equipped with my U-shaped view of
life, I can feel a certain patronising
sympathy for the increasing miseries and
frustrations that lie ahead of them. It is the young who should be envying
me. And what better thought than that
to put a spring in my middle-aged step
for the New Year? BO
DETAILS / CITY ICONS
TEXT BY IEVA NORA FIRERE | PHOTO COURTESY OF F64
A market with flair
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Riga Central Market
Opened in 1930
Occupies 5.7 ha
emains one of the largest
R
markets in Europe
avilions open daily from
P
08:00 – 17:00
Nēģu iela 7, Riga
The five main pavilions of Riga’s
Central Market look like upsidedown letter ‘U’s and stand out
prominently in the city’s skyline.
They extend almost to the edge
of the Daugava River, where
their wavelike pattern is taken
up by the five arches of Riga’s
Railway Bridge. That, which
now looks like a harmonious
and well-planned assembly of
arch-like structures was initially
put together by sheer and
rational necessity.
Soon after Latvia declared
its independence in 1918,
the newly proclaimed capital
city began to address the
acute need for a clean and
well-organized marketplace.
The marketplace also had to
be large, as numerous food
enterprises were springing up
and Riga was experiencing a
postwar period of economic
growth. Riga’s city planners
10 / AIRBALTIC.COM
decided to recycle five former
zeppelin hangars that the
occupying German forces had
abandoned in Latvia’s western
region of Kurzeme. Exceeding
37metres in height, the hangars
were too tall for the market’s
needs, so only the top portions
were used and embedded on
specially constructed pavilion
buildings made of stone and
reinforced concrete.
This is by no means one of
the loudest marketplaces in the
world – far from it. Although
many of the vendors and
purchasers are of exuberant
Slavic background, the
temperament here is reservedly
Baltic. Nobody will grab you
by the sleeve and try to push
their products on you. You will
usually only be addressed after
something has caught your eye
and you have stopped to take a
look at it.
Begin your tour of the
market at the dairy pavilion
(piena paviljons), where you
will occasionally be treated to
scenes right out of a historic
postcard. Well-kept middleaged women stand by Sovietera scales from the 1980s.
Nearby, tourists crowd around
a counter covered with blocks
of black, sticky paste labelled
“hemp butter” in English.
This local product made from
roasted and ground hempseeds
is popular with visitors to Latvia.
Each of the market’s five
pavilions is notable in one
way or another. The vegetable
pavilion stands out among the
other four – which are dedicated
to meat, dairy, gastronomy and
fish, respectively – with the most
recent facelift. It offers numerous
varieties of sauerkraut, a popular
dish in Latvia during the cold,
winter months.
The fish pavilion is
perhaps the most lively.
Fresh and smoked lampreys,
a local delicacy, are offered
from practically every stall.
Although most of the catch
has come straight from the
Baltic Sea and been brought
in from producers in such
coastal villages as Ragaciems
and Salacgrīva, some of it is
also prepared on the spot
in the Riga market’s vast
underground labyrinths.
Your shopping bag will
likely be filled with various
delectable wares at this point,
so head back to the milk
pavilion. There, at a small stall
with a slightly slanted counter,
you can buy some of the best
pončiki in town. Costing only 13
santims apiece, these cherryfilled, oil-baked pastries will be
just what you need to round off
your market shopping trip. BO
Special thanks to our experienced guide, Juris Berže
One great way to explore the Riga Central Market is in the company of a shopping list,
while another way is with a guide, since the place is just as much about culture and
atmosphere as it is about products and sales
DETAILS / LOCAL AGENDA
An evening with Kārlis
Lācis. Night for orchestra,
choir and soprano
Excerpts from the ballet
Oskar Strok. Riga Tango
Great Guild Hall (Lielā
Ģilde), Riga / January 30
© JAnis Deinats
JANUARY / 2013
PUBLICITY PHOTOS
What is Latvian tango? It has been
featured in music by Latvianborn composers Oskar Strok and
Aleksandrs Okolo-Kulaks, who
were inspired by the legendary
Argentinian tango music composer
Ástor Piazzolla. Nowadays, Arturs
Maskats and Kārlis Lācis are
continuing to compose works
inspired by tango music.
The latter, Kārlis Lācis, is one of
the most popular and sought-after
Latvian stage and film composers.
At the end of this month, he will
be getting together with a group
of like-minded colleagues to take
a look at non-academic music
from a strictly academic angle. His
music draws listeners with its vivid
melodies, distinctive harmonies and
aptly characterized moods. The
audience will hear incidental theatre
music assume a new breadth and
depth, interpreted and performed
by a symphony orchestra.
Tickets at www.bilesuparadize.lv
More information at www.lnso.lv
Roberta Gambarini
Roberta Gambarini, Raimonds Pauls and the Latvian
Radio Big Band
Latvian National Opera, Riga / January 28
The rebirth of the Latvian Radio Big Band, which had kept quiet for the
past 16 years (though originally founded in 1966), has been one of the
highlights of the Latvian music scene in 2012. Brought together under the
supervision of Māris Briežkalns, the patron of the legendary Rīgas Ritmi (Riga
Rythms) festival, the Big Band’s re-initiation took place in December, in a
performance with American jazz vocalist Kurt Elling. This year begins with
a no less stunning event, featuring Italian jazz vocalist Roberta Gambarini
and legendary Latvian composer and pianist Raimonds Pauls. A dynamic
and virtuoso performer, Gambarini draws rave reviews and enthusiastic
fan support wherever she performs. Her North American debut Roberta
Gambarini: Easy to Love was nominated for a 2007 Grammy Award in the
Best Jazz Vocal Album category. In 2010, her last album So In Love was also
nominated for a Grammy in the same category.
Tickets at www.ticketservice.lv
More information at: www.rigasritmi.lv
12 / AIRBALTIC.COM
V, 2012, oil on canvas
Ēriks Apaļais. Words
personal exhibition
kim? Contemporary Art
Centre, Riga / January 25 –
March 3
Ēriks Apaļais (1981) is a young
Latvian painter, whose creative
career has been closely connected
with Germany. For six years he has
been attending the Hochschule
für Bildende Künste (University of
Fine Arts) in Hamburg as a student
of Prof. Andreas Slominski, while
holding exhibitions in some of
the most prestigious art galleries
in Germany and receiving such
prizes as ars viva 11/12 – awarded
to young artists with links to that
country. Apaļais’ exhibition in
Riga examines the link between
painting and language, as for
him, the creative process is like
a search for words in the desire to
express oneself.
Maskavas iela 12/1
More information at www.kim.lv
DETAILS / LOCAL AGENDA
Voldemārs Johansons.
Organiskie raksti /
Attractors personal
exhibition
Arsenāls Exhibition Hall,
Riga / Until January 27
Meanders, 2011
Voldemārs Johansons (1980)
is one of the most interesting
Latvian contemporary artists
to have gained international
recognition. One of the
themes that he examines is
the creation of forms and
patterns in nature, which he
has also extensively studied
in his earlier works. The
creation of structures also
occupies the artist’s attention
in Organiskie raksti / Attractors,
an exhibition that demanded
thorough and extensive
preparation. Nature scientists
and computer programmers
played an important role in
creating the end result, and it
would not be an exaggeration
to call Johansons’ latest
project a lengthy biological
research study, with the results
put on display in the form of
installations, sculptures and
works in graphic art.
More information at www.lnmm.lv
D E V E L O P M E N T O P P O R T U N I T Y I N T H E B A LT I C S
a
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Rig
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International
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Accelerating success.
Riga City Council in cooperation with
Colliers International is offering a unique
opportunity to acquire a land plot next
to the Riga International Airport.
- Total area of land plot - 40 ha
- Mixed-use development
- Adjacent to the Riga International Airport
- 20 min drive to Riga City Centre
Property will be auctioned on the 14th of March, 2013 in Riga.
Submit application by 27th of February, 2013.
Find out more at www.colliers.lv, www.riga.lv or contact us:
- by email: colliers.latvia@colliers.com
- by phone: +371 6778 3333
- in person: 21-11 Kr.Valdemara street, Riga
DETAILS / EUROPEAN EVENTS
In association with www.anothertravelguide.com | Publicity photos
Barcelona
© Jackson Pollock/VEGAP 2012
© Helmut Newton Estate
Jackson Pollock,
Joan Miró Foundation
/ Until February 24
Helmut Newton, British Vogue, London 1967
Berlin
Coursing around his huge canvases
as in a trance, the Abstract
Expressionist classic Jackson
Pollock (1912-1956), led by some
unknown hand, liberally splashed
paint onto his works, creating the
feeling that his whole body was
doing the painting. This is certainly
one of the most powerful images
in 20th-century art history. Initially
not a particularly well-known
artist, Pollock was discovered
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by Peggy Guggenheim, who
organized his first solo exhibition
at Venice’s Museo Correr. Pollock
gradually gave up a typical artist’s
usual arsenal, including brushes
and palettes. Instead, he turned
to painting with a stick, a hard
painter’s brush, his hands or simply
to pouring and forcing paint onto
the canvas. His works don’t contain
specific images, but are dominated
by an energetically charged chaos.
Pollock spent his whole life battling
with his demons, which he never
did conquer. He died in a car
accident at the age of 44.
Alongside Pollock, one can also
see the works of Yves Klein,
Bruce Nauman, Andy Warhol and
Saburo Murakami at the exhibition,
illustrating an era that breached
the borders between art and
performance.
Parc de Montjuïc
www.fundaciomiro-bcn.org
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Helmut Newton: World Without Men / Archives
de Nuit, Helmut Newton Foundation at the Museum
of Photography / Until May 19
Helmut Newton is a fashion photography legend. He continues to
be unparalleled in his own way, as none of his other colleagues was
able to push the boundaries of fashion photography as far as Newton
succeeded in doing during the 1970s. His women, wearing high heels,
balance seductively on the edge of fashion, sex, money and power,
knowing full well that right there, not far away, is the abyss. The
boundary between pleasure and pain sometimes tends to be quite
delicate, but Newton’s subjects don’t even entertain the thought of
stumbling. They would rather push the spirit of daring just that little bit
further.
The Helmut Newton Foundation in Berlin is now showing two legendary
books by Newton in an exhibition format - World Without Men and
Archives de Nuit. The first came about in 1984, bringing together fashion
photographs that Newton took from the 1960s to the 1980s in the
most diverse places (including Paris, Saint Tropez, Los Angeles, Milan,
Berlin and London). Archives de Nuit, for its part, is a black-and-white
photo story of Paris, revealing Newton as an outstanding portrait, nude,
landscape and still life photographer.
Jebensstraße 2
www.helmut-newton-foundation.org
14 / AIRBALTIC.COM
Stockholm
Moment – Le Corbusier’s
Secret Laboratory
Moderna Museet
/ January 19 – April 18
Modernist classic Le Corbusier
(1887-1965) is considered to be one
of the most influential architects of
all time. However, while architecture
is certainly the most striking feature
of his work, it isn’t the only aspect
of his extensive legacy. Painting
also had an equally significant
Fly to Stockholm
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role in Le Corbusier’s life. At the
centre of the new exhibition is
the architect’s ceaselessly creative
fluctuation between two seemingly
differing impulses – the adulation of
mechanical objects and searches for
poetic form. One of the exhibition’s
highlights is the opportunity to see
his comparatively rarely exhibited
paintings and sculptures.
Skeppsholmen
www.modernamuseet.se
DETAILS / EUROPEAN EVENTS
The Dance of Life, 1899-1900
Oslo
* Price available for bookings at least 5 months in advance
Celebrating Edvard
Munch’s 150th
“No longer shall I paint interiors
and people reading, or women
knitting. I will paint living people
who breathe and feel and love”,
said Edvard Munch (1863-1944), a
fascinating Norwegian artist who
pioneered Northern Expressionism.
In 2013, the world will celebrate
his 150th birthday with an extensive
programme of exhibitions and
events. This is a great occasion
to discover Munch beyond his
most famous and iconic work, the
legendary Scream.
One of the central stopping points
in the celebratory marathon of
events is the Munch Museum in
Oslo, which houses more than
1100 of the artist’s paintings, 4500
drawings and 18000 graphics in its
collection. The museum will host a
travelling exhibition named Modern
Eye until February 17, offering
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visitors the chance to see more than
60 paintings, 20 works on paper,
50 photographs and a number
of films on the artist. Meanwhile,
on March 1, the museum’s doors
will open for the From Munch to
Slettemark exhibition, showing
the works of a private Norwegian
collection to the public for the first
time. This showing will focus on
Nordic and Scandinavian art in the
period from 1900 until 1960.
The city of Oslo has also created
a special Munch itinerary, which
includes addresses where Munch
lived, as well as places that inspired
him. For example, the Grand
Café, which was also popular with
playwright Henrik Ibsen, is portrayed
in Munch’s painting Henrik Ibsen at
the Grand Café (1898).
The full Munch anniversary-year
programme of events can be viewed
here: www.munch150.no
London
Constable,
Gainbourough, Turner
and the Making of
Landscape, Royal
Academy of Art / Until
February 17
This exhibition presents
the creative work of three
outstanding representatives of
British landscape painting – John
Constable (1776-1837), William
Turner (1789-1862) and Thomas
Gainsborough (1727-1788), while
providing an insight into the further
development of this art form in
Great Britain.
All three painters were members
of the Royal Academy of Art. The
works by this great British trio
strikingly reveal the changes that
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landscape painting experienced
during the 18th and 19th century.
Even though Gainsborough’s
portraits were “hot items” and only a
few of his landscapes found buyers,
they are still considered to be a
significant part of his creative work.
Turner was a tempestuous product
of Romanticism. He was interested
in nature as an element, with the
end result arousing an almost
shockingly sentient impression,
portrayed through the use of bold
colours and brushwork. Constable
was a sentimental Romantic and
one can sense the presence of
nostalgia in his landscapes.
Burlington House
Piccadilly
www.royalacademy.org.uk
John Constable R.A.,
The Leaping Horse, 1825
Photo: © John Hammond © Royal Academy of Arts
Photo: © Børre Høstland, National Museum
In association with www.anothertravelguide.com | Publicity photos
DETAILS / REVIEW
TEXT BY Roger NORUM | PUBLICITY PHOTOS
New year, new
books, new journeys
These just-released titles are guaranteed
to start your year off with a severe case of
wanderlust
Dangerous work:
Diary of an Arctic adventure
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Steve McCurry
The iconic photographs
E-books be damned:
nothing can compete
with this large-format
photo book, a collection
of stunning images
from one of the world’s
most beloved travel
photographers. McCurry
makes genius use of light,
form and composition to
show a window into other
worlds. From images of
children and farmers,
pilgrims and fishermen,
he explores life lived
around the world at its
street corners, temples
and mountainsides.
Extended picture captions
at back. Breathtaking.
British Library
www.publishing.bl.uk
University Of Chicago Press
www.press.uchicago.edu
30 EUR
There can be no better
bedtime reading this
year than this gorgeous
travelogue, penned by the
creator of Sherlock Holmes
when he was just 20 years
old. Doyle spent half a year as
a ship’s surgeon on an Arctic
whaler, and his adventurous
journal – which has been
uniquely reproduced here
as a facsimile photographed
from the original
parchments – documents
the exciting Golden Age
of seafaring with humour
and daring.
Lonely Planet’s best in travel 2013
Phaidon, www.phaidon.com
50 EUR
Lonely Planet,
www.lonelyplanet.com
12.35 EUR
Commemorating Lonely
Planet’s (LP’s) 40th
anniversary, this lavishly
photographed book compiles
the recommendations of
LP authors, editors and the
online Thorn Tree community
to get you up close with
some unforgettable travel
experiences. In addition to
great individual destinations –
many of them on airBaltic’s
route map – you’ll find a
collection of themed holidays
that centre around ideas such
as bike hire schemes, elephant
rides and, um, snakes.
Text by Adam Jacot de Boinod, author of The Meaning of Tingo
and Other Extraordinary Words from Around the World,
published by Penguin Books | Illustration by Inga Briede
Julgransplundring (Swedish) — the removal of all the
decorations from the Christmas tree
Fully Furnished and
Serviced Offices
Prime location in the Central Business District
Class A Office building
Immediate availability – move in today
Flexible terms
Convenient meeting rooms
Underground parking
Virtual Offices
Professional management
Call +371 6703 5200
The Meaning of Tingo is a compilation of extraordinary words and expressions from
around the world that have no equivalent in English. Adam Jacot de Boinod’s passion
is scouring the planet for language oddities and every month, Baltic Outlook features
one of the many amusing terms that he has come across in his travels.
info@valdemaracentrs.lv | www.valdemaracentrs.lv
21 K. Valdemara Street, Riga, LV 1010
Owned and managed by BPT | www.bptam.com
Berlin,
Germany
DETAILS / Four MUST-SEES
TEXT BY MATTHEW HIRTES | PUBLICITY PHOTOS AND BY CORBIS / SCANPIX
Katz Orange
Little
Black
Book
Berlin seemed doomed to
an eternal game of catch-up
on the gastronomy front, its
restaurants rarely talked about
in the hushed tones reserved for
eateries in Spanish cities such
as Barcelona and San Sebastián.
However, with Katz Orange,
which opened in January 2012,
Berlin has made a quantum
leap forward. Sourcing organic
ingredients from local and
regional producers wherever
possible, the restaurant can
host the ideal dinner party, as
its menu caters to meat-loving,
fish-fancying, vegetarian and
even vegan guests. The chef
behind the playful cuisine is
Daniel Finke, an emerging
talent and a name worth
remembering.
Fly to Berlin
with airBaltic from
€49*
*Price available for bookings at
least 5 months in advance
Bergstraße 22
www.katzorange.com
KingSize
Kreuzberg
Looking for cool Berlin? Feel the
chill by going local in the hipster
Kreuzberg area, rather than having
your wallet hit hard in the tourist
traps around Alexanderplatz.
Kreuzberg, or as natives dub it:
X-Berg, is one of Berlin’s most
vibrant neighbourhoods. Boasting
an enviable central location, its
history is one of immigration
(predominately from Turkey), punk
rock (Iggy Pop played the S036 club
in the 1970s), and hip hop music
(introduced by US servicemen
when there was still a Berlin
Wall). Germans rarely drink on an
empty stomach. Line yours with
a visit to Mustafa’s kebab stall on
Mehringdamm (www.mustafas.de).
The Germans are famously known for irony rather than humour, if the name
of this miniscule Mitte dive is anything to go by – unless the owners were
referring to a king-size bed. A hedonist insomniac’s dream, the club’s doors
swing open at 9 PM and reluctantly close at 7 AM. DJs, playing the latest and
greatest cuts in disco, house and techno, make sure that the party makes it
all the way through to dawn. Marvel at the creations by upcoming artists in
this bohemian locale.
Friedrichstraße 112b
www.kingsizebar.de
Kottbusser Tor station on the U1 and
U8 lines, Mehringdamm station on the
U6 and U7.
SO36 at Oranienstraße 190,
www.so36.de
Auguststraße
This 900-metre-long street in the Mitte district is a hive of galleries, nightclubs
and restaurants. A working-class East German district prior to the dismantling
of the Berlin Wall, August Street reinvented itself during the 1990s, becoming
Berlin’s premier arts destination in the process. Beat a retreat from its buzz by
popping into do you read me?! (Auguststraße 28, www.doyoureadme.de).
This bookshop with the friendliest and most informative staff stocks
magazines and more from all around the world, covering everything from
design to fashion to society. Elsewhere, Clärchens Ballhaus (Auguststraße 24,
www.ballhaus.de) furthers Berlin’s claim as Germany’s 24-hour city. Enjoy an
alfresco coffee during the day or watch the evening party get started by a
crowd ranging from teenagers to octogenarians.
Rosenthaler Platz or Weinmeisterstraße on the U8 line
20 / AIRBALTIC.COM
DETAILS / PEOPLE
Of love, sexuality
and femininity
“The most beautiful clothes that can dress
a woman are the arms of the man she loves.”
This quote by Yves Saint-Laurent is a favourite of
up-and-coming Latvian designer Inese Ozola (34).
While Inese is self-taught and new in the field
of design, she certainly knows how to make an
entrance. The most recent example is her new
brand Amoralle, a bold statement of female
sexuality that has brought Inese admirers from
across the globe within a very short time
22 / AIRBALTIC.COM
TEXT BY KARINA OBORUNE | PUBLICITY PHOTOS
When it comes to their
own outfits, the key figures
of the fashion empire often
hide behind something
plain and preferably black.
Amoralle’s creator is not
that kind of designer. She
wears red lipstick, high
heels and impressive cuts.
Inese is as bright as her
brand, which over the past
four years has grown from
the SockBox stockings
and lingerie store into
the Amoralle luxury
design house.
Amoralle is a cross
between the Italian
amore (love) and English
immoral. As Inese puts
it, this is a story of love,
sexuality and femininity,
all played out obscurely,
since a woman should
always be a secret. There’s
no better compliment to
Inese’s work than a client
who says she feels more
feminine when wearing
Amoralle women’s wear.
And Inese has quite
an arsenal to enhance
a woman’s beauty:
lace- decorated lingerie,
fine velvet bodysuits
decorated with Swarovski
pearls, tempting stockings
held up by suspenders
and silky deep-décolleté
nightgowns.
After a hard day’s
work, business is put
miles away by slipping
into a silky nightgown,
Inese says of one of her
collection darlings, Fragile
Jasmin, which is delicately
trimmed with golden lace.
It’s aristocratic as much
in appearance as in price
(about 680 EUR), with
less decorated versions
of the nightgown being
one third of this sum, but
still impressively romantic
and feminine.
For Inese, fashion shows
are always a reference
point. “You’ve got
minutes to say what’s
been on your mind for
the past six months”.
Despite the random sleep
before the show, Inese
loves the preparation
process, which she
finds invigorating. The
biographies of wellknown fashion figures
serve as a source of
inspiration to her. For
Inese it’s not a story
of brands but of the
personalities behind
them, who share one
common trait – daring to
flow against the stream.
“Only strong personalities
reach what they desire,”
Inese says. Being a selftaught designer, she
has received her own
portion of scepticism
and disbelief, so she
really knows what she’s
talking about.
As for the future,
Amoralle’s creator is
superstitious and isn’t
yet ready to reveal what
we can expect from
her next. However, one
Inese Ozola
thing is clear – Amoralle’s
first runway has lead it
onto the global fashion
stage, with industry
heavyweights like the
Italians getting interested
in this Latvian statement
of femininity. BO
www.amoralle.com
DETAILS / STYLE
23 shades
of white
Styling by Agnese NarNicka, One Wolf
Photo by Gatis Gierts, f64
Photographed at Paviljons, Domina Shopping, Riga
1
2
3
5
1/ Purse by H&M, 29.95 LVL
2/ Collar by Vita Radziņa, Paviljons, 9.80 LVL
3/ Tutu skirt by Leny Tomy Factory, Paviljons, 35 LVL
4/ Sweater, H&M, Galerija Centrs, 29.95LVL
5/ Scarf by Walk With Dog, Paviljons, 21 LVL
6/ Scarf, Zara, 16.95 LVL
7/ Socks by Walk With Dog, Paviljons, 7 LVL
8/ Hat, Zara, 5.95 LVL
9/ Hat by Sleepyhead, Paviljons, 14 LVL
10/ Leather bracelets by RR, Paviljons, 15 LVL apiece
11/ Sweater, Zara, 35 LVL
12/ Candle, Riija, 14.90 LVL
13/ Milk, Daugava, 0.89 LVL
14/ Cup, Riija, 13.50 LVL
15/ Hand soap by PienSpa, Riija, 6.70 LVL
16/ Leggings by QooQoo, Paviljons, 30.80 LVL
17/ Shirt, Zara, 25.95 LVL
18/ Napkin, Riija, LVL 4.85
19/ Children’s polo shirt by PAADE, Paviljons, 21 LVL
20/ Sheep by PATE, Paviljons, 7 LVL
21/ Zefīrs candy by Laima at Prisma, 0.90 LVL
per package,
22/ Eyeglasses by Max &CO, Pasaules Optika, 73 LVL
23/ Soy wax glass container candle, Paviljons, 9 LVL
4
6
10
7
15
12
17
13
11
14
18
16
Addresses in Riga: Paviljons, Prisma and Daugava at Domina
Shopping, Ieriķu iela 3 | Riija, Tērbatas iela 6/8 | Zara, Tērbatas iela 30 |
H&M and Pasaules Optika at Galerija Centrs, Audēju iela 16
23
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19
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20
24 / AIRBALTIC.COM
9
8
MIXED USE
DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY
IN VILNIUS
DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTS
• Land area – 19 055 sqm
• Scope of development (GBA) –
- Total net areas –
- Residential (GSA) –
- Commercial (GLA) –
• Parking planned – 450 spaces
• Detailed plan approved
38 300 sqm
33 500 sqm
16 500 sqm
17 000 sqm
LOCATION
DETAILED PLAN REGULATIONS
PROJECT DETAILS
Located in central Vilnius, just 3
minutes walk from the most important
street of the city, Gediminas Ave., and
only 10 minutes walk from Vilnius Old
Town.
Fully developed infrastructure with
public transportation stops, several
kindergartens, schools and prime
shopping streets. In addition, shops
restaurants and cafes operate nearby.
• Intensity – 2,1
• Density – 60 %
• Height – 5 floors (20m)
• Purpose of use – residential and
commercial
• Date of approval – Autumn 2012
Approximately 17 000 sqm GLA of
multipurpose commercial building for
B+ office and/or hotel. On the left part
of the site, a mid/high level residential
complex with total of 16 500 sqm of
GSA is planned.
CONTACTS:
GIEDRIUS RAGAISIS
Head of Advice, Lithuania
+ 370 612 16 408
+ 371 6750 8400
g.ragaisis@newsec.lt
www.newsecbaltics.com
THE FULL SERVICE PROPERTY HOUSE
Exclusive adviser
DETAILS / GEAR
TEXT BY ROGER NORUM | PUBLICITY PHOTOS
Nordic fundamentals
“There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing”
– Scandinavian proverb
When I was a kid, if you wanted to stay warm in the winter, you would put on an itchy woollen cap and scarf, don an ill-fitting,
hand-me-down coat and head outside to grin and bear it. Since then, a gaggle of fancy cold-weather technologies has made its way into
our closets. One German company now even weaves silver threads into its fabrics, which generate a warm electric current when hooked
up to a battery pack. However, in Scandinavia, where it’s been cold for longer than humans have been alive, the best local outfitters still
stick to the basics, adding a dash of modern textile know-how to organic, natural materials to keep you toasty all season long.
Bergans of Norway
Haglöfs
Woolpower
After pioneering the first anatomical rucksack in
1908 and outfitting Sir Edmund Hillary’s ascent
of Everest half a decade later, this Norwegian
outdoor company has taken its gear to the
masses. The company now integrates its trendy
outdoor products with Dermizax technology,
a waterproof, windproof, durable and highly
stretchable laminate with doubled perspiration
wicking that allows moisture through with
minimal condensation – in other words, you’ll stay
dry but won’t sweat it up. Another Bergans textile,
TecnoWool, combines traditional organic wool
with modern fabrics, reinforcing the excellent
heat-preserving qualities of wool, better regulating
body temperature and transporting moisture
away, thereby increasing thermal insulation.
Based out of Avesta, Sweden, this adventure
outfitter makes full use of several versions
(Ripstop and Elastane) of multi-layer Gore-Tex,
the waterproof, breathable form of Teflon that
makes fabrics impenetrable to liquid while
still allowing water vapour molecules to pass
through. The company’s best jackets – the
revolutionary Cirque and Endo, for example –
mix a soft shell with the properties of a hard shell
and a ski jacket, integrating a hybrid brushed
mesh and flannel lining, with a durable waterrepellent treatment that further improves water
shedding. If that’s not enough to tempt you,
some 35 percent of all of Haglöfs’ Ökotexcertified fabrics are made of recycled or
recyclable materials.
This Swedish group teamed up with scientists half
a century ago to produce tubular-knit thermals
for the Swedish military. Today, Woolpower’s
functional, thin and multi-layerable clothing
keeps the annual builders of the Jukkasjärvi Ice
Hotel (see page 60) very warm. Woolpower’s
gear melds Merino wool with a polyamide nylon
that results in a strong, elastic, moisture-resistant
and quick-drying blend named Ullfrotte Original.
The outside remains smooth, while the inside
fabric contains tiny, finely-designed, seamless
crevices that trap heat against your skin. The
company sources its wool entirely from southern
Patagonia, guaranteeing the ethical treatment
of the sheep that give of themselves so that we
might stay warm.
26 / AIRBALTIC.COM
Ipe Cavalli
Ego
Roberto Cavalli
Angelo Cappellini
Poliform
Zanaboni
Angelo Cappellini
Pico
Giorgio Collection
Poliform
Saint Babila
DETAILS / THING OF THE MONTH
TEXT BY LAURA KENINS |
PUBLICITY PHOTO
Noted
It’s the New Year, so time to turn over a
new leaf, perhaps a paper one, and keep
that New Year’s resolution to write down
all of your appointments or start a journal.
By keeping a notebook close at hand,
you’re in good company: many great
thinkers have sworn by them. Charles
Darwin’s notebooks combined shopping
lists and observations on species, while
Benjamin Franklin kept a list of 13 virtues
to live by. Leonard Cohen and his
notebooks are so connected that souvenir
merchandise for his last tour included a
notebook with his picture and a song lyric.
If you can’t decide between a day
planner and a notebook, then the Latvian
paper designer Purpurs frees you from
that choice with its Fluxbook, a notebook
designed for a year, more or less. Start
whichever day you like, fill in the dates
yourself and use it for your diary or to-do
lists. The Fluxbook concept is a play on
words – ‘flux’ for flexibility and ‘lux’ from
the Latin for light. Even if you don’t keep
a list of virtues, you might be inspired to
with this year’s notebook artists focusing
on the theme of light (“sacred light, world
light”). A religious theme connects the
three available journals (in red, brown
or gold).
Three Latvian artists were selected to
design the collection. The red notebook
was designed by textile artist Diāna
Dimza-Dimme. Taking a Soviet-era key
cabinet as her inspiration, the icon-like
images feature the Virgin Mary as a
“somewhat primordial female figure,”
the artist says, “a story about a woman,
through whom the world comes to life; the
key to life. ” With such an inspiration, the
notebook should be ready to hold your
story, or the keys to your life, too. BO
www.purpurs.com
28 / AIRBALTIC.COM
OUTLOOK / DESIGN
Publicity photos
Dutch
Hella
Jongerius:
one of the most
influential female
designers in the
world
30 / AIRBALTIC.COM
designer Hella Jongerius has
become famous for her ability to blend the
industrial with craft, the traditional with
the contemporary and art with technology.
Lately, she has begun a mission to change
the design industry’s attitude and use
of colour. By highlighting the paucity of
the industrial colour palette, Hella wants
to include livelier colours that change in
the light.
Thus, in 2005, Vitra hired her as a colour
consultant. Hella’s first decision was to
begin producing the Eames plastic chair
in three different shades of white. She
has helped the Camper shoe company to
lure clients away from the usual shades
of black and brown, and also produces
her own colours with the Swiss company
KT.COLOR. The designer has collaborated
with Porzellan Manufaktur Nymphenburg,
creating the Nymphenburg Sketches service,
as well as the biggest part of the
company’s Four Seasons collection. The
most famous part of this collaboration
is a series of Animal Bowls. By choosing
five out of the 700 animal figurines in
the Nymphenburg archive, Hella put
them in bowls, adding various patterns
and ornaments.
Hella Jongerius was born in 1963 in
De Meern, not far from Utrecht. She started
studying industrial design at the Eindhoven
Design Academy in 1988. After graduating
from the academy in 1993, the young
designer presented her Bath Mat at the
Milan Furniture Fair with Droog Design.
In 2000, she created her own
design company, Jongeriuslab, in
Rotterdam, producing her own
projects, as well those for such clients
as Maharam (New York), Royal Tichelaar
Makkum (Netherlands), Vitra (Switzerland)
and Ikea (Sweden). Her work has been exhibited in such
museums and galleries as the Cooper Hewitt
National Design Museum (New York), MoMA
(New York), Design Museum (London),
Galerie KREO (Paris) and Moss Gallery
(New York).
Her new creative space and office
can be found in a city that’s as eclectic,
versatile, colourful and original as her own
work: Berlin. Jongeriuslab is located on
Kastanienallee 21 in the fashionable area of
Prenzlauer Berg, which is home to some of
Berlin’s most stylish and extraordinary art
and design galleries. BO
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– Цена от 1400 евро за кв.м.
+371 6760 0888
sales@saliena.com
saliena.com
YOUR NEXT DESTINATION
The
Brussels
comic
book tour
Text by Una Meistere, www.anothertravelguide.com
Photos by Ainars Erglis
32 / AIRBALTIC.COM
YOUR NEXT DESTINATION
If
Bad luck, somebody has already
taken the Anothertravelguide
brochure about Brussels,
but don’t worry, all the
information is also available at
ANOTHERTRAVELGUIDE.COM in
cooperation with airBaltic.
I start by telling you that Brussels is truly an
unbelievably fascinating metropolis, then you’ll
probably think I’ve lost my marbles. If you tell someone
that you’re headed for Brussels, the usual reaction is
sympathy and perhaps a thought like: ‘Can’t you find
anything better to do?’ Despite these prejudices and
a reputation for being one of Europe’s most boring
cities, I’ve always taken great pleasure in my visits to
the Belgian and European capital. Perhaps it’s because
Brussels makes you use your imagination, instead of
inundating you with a flood of impressions like Paris
or London. The French and British capitals carry you
off with their aesthetic, artistic and culinary intensity,
whilst Brussels makes you work to get under the skin
of its stereotypes. As a child, I loved those workbooks
that asked you to connect a series of dots to come up
with a drawing. When I came across a book that had
similar dots marking 39 spots on a map of Brussels –
each pointing to a large mural covered with comics, it
seemed a perfect way to get to know the city from a
completely different angle.
Brussels is known as the capital of comics, and
has been the home of a museum called the Belgian
Comic Strip Centre since 1989. The museum is in
a very special structure – a warehouse designed in
1906 by Belgium’s most renowned practitioner of Art
Nouveau, Victor Horta. It was built for the Waucquez
family, which had made a fortune by wholesaling
textiles. Now, along with its permanent exhibits, the
museum hosts special exhibitions from time to time.
It also features a fabulous comic book store and often
invites the creators to attend book openings. In the
place of an autograph, you can sometimes get an
impromptu comic drawn in your book. Comic strip art
developed swiftly in Belgium after the Second World
War, reaching an artistic apogee in the 1950s. There are
two distinct schools of drawing – French and Flemish.
Hergé was the primary exponent of the French style,
creating the legendary Tintin. Willy Vandersteen was
the most famous member of the Flemish school. His
best-known creations were Suske en Wiske, or Spike
and Suzy in English. The ‘ninth art’ is well-represented
at the museum, with enlarged drawings and threedimensional models. The permanent exhibits include
an excellent illustrated history of the birth of the comic
book and its development.
The idea to take comics into the streets of Brussels
was born in 1991, thanks to a joint initiative by the city
council and the Comics Centre. Some of the ‘illustrated
streets’ are fairly central, while others are hidden away
in byways, adding an element of childlike surprise and
delight when you discover them. Even the most jaded
adult could get excited upon seeing this art.
BALTIC OUTLOOK / JANUARY 2013 / 33
YOUR NEXT DESTINATION
Rue des Chandeliers
To make the tour more intriguing, it’s better to hunt down the
more central artworks later in the evening, when the streets begin
to empty and hordes of tourists no longer surround the renowned
statue of the urinating boy on the Rue de l’Etuve. Right near the
adjacent café is the very first comic mural in Brussels – its hero is
Broussaille, from a series of that name by the Belgian artist Frank
Pé. He was born in the Luxembourg district of Brussels that is now
home to the European Parliament. In the mural, Broussaille and a
friend are crossing the street where the mural is painted. On the
nearby Rue du Marché au Charbon, in a small space hidden by the
café Le Lombard, another mural shows a scene from the street as
it looked during the First World War. It’s taken from Francis Carin’s
Opera of Death, with the hero, Victor Sackville, arriving in Brussels
as a secret agent on a mission from King George V. Not far away is
another early comic mural at the Rue du Bon Secours 9. In a feat of
trompe-l’oeil, the artist, Tibet, shows his hero Ric Hochet blending
in with the façade and cobbled street.
The most unusual street in Brussels
Not far from the Rue Danseart, where the cream of Belgian design
is concentrated, one will find a strange small street called the Rue
des Chartreux. One of its legendary denizens is the café Greenwich,
famous as a haunt of the great Surrealist René Magritte, who went
there to play chess. Perhaps his real reason for coming was to try
to sell his works, since he was a total loser when it came to chess.
One of the other habitués, asked why he took money and not
Dandoy – Brussels’ most
legendary biscuit shop
paintings from Magritte, remarked that if Magritte painted as badly
as he played chess, then he’d surely rather take the money. Because
of its many chess players, the air bristling with concentration,
Greenwich became known as Brussels’ quietest café in its heyday.
The old cash register can still be found by the coat check.
Apparently, the venerable machine was imported from England,
since it bears a notice that payment may be in pounds sterling.
Unfortunately, chess is no longer played there. The café has since
been refurbished by Robbrecht and Dae, a Belgian architectural
firm. Even though the lovely Art Nouveau interior has been lovingly
restored, including the glass dome of the ceiling, many observed
that the soul of the establishment has been irretrievably lost. As
usual, people are upset when a place that they love is altered.
Nevertheless, while the old days are gone, the Greenwich retains
a unique atmosphere. It’s still worth a visit – and don’t miss the
washroom downstairs, with its authentic Art Nouveau interior of
black-and-white tiles and decorative steel carvings on the door
leading to the men’s room – it’s the most amazing washroom in all
of Belgium!
The Rue des Chartreux also features a fabulous vintage store,
Gabriele Vintage. It was established by Gabriele Wolf, a well-known
costume designer who was among the first creative professionals
to move onto this street. Her shop, which specializes in clothing
and accessories from the 1920s through the 1980s, is popular
with fashion designers, theatre people, and those from the film
industry. The store is full of surprises, from stunning 1920s dresses
YOUR NEXT DESTINATION
Ric Hochet mural at
the Rue de Bon Secours 9
to extraordinary 1980s extravagances. The other side of the street
holds an eccentric design store called Espace Bizzar. Next to that is
another comic wall – this one features an angel from Yslaire’s 1980s
story XX Ciel.
There are also two odd lamps or sculptures, of metal and
wood. They’re five metres high and their dark metal branches are
decorated with tiny light bulbs. By day, when they’re not lit, they
look like something that Magritte might have come up with.
However, the most unusual sight on the Rue des Chartreux is at
the very end of the street, at the intersection of the Rue du Vieux
Marché. You could easily pass it by without noticing, since it fits
in with the street scene so organically, especially if the day is
gloomy, as it often is in a Brussels winter. It’s nothing less than a
urinating dog – an ironic take on the famous urinating boy. Unlike
the statue of the boy, the bronze dog known as Zinneke, which
means a stray, is not surrounded by tourists snapping pictures.
The Belgian sculptor Tom Frantzen notes that the model for the
dog lives in that very quarter, so you might even catch a glimpse
of it. The dog artwork dates to 1998 and is the third sculpture to
urinate in Brussels. The famous urinating boy known as Manneken
Pis dates from 1619. He was joined in 1987 by a shameless girl
named Jaenneke Pis, who is protected from passing vandals by a
metal screen. Thus, Brussels has almost a whole family of statues
urinating in public.
A few minutes away from Rue des Chartreux is a fabled
destination for fans of Belgian fashion – the first shop opened by
the conceptualist Martin Margiela, where the now global empire
of the Maison Martin Margiela was born. Alhough Margiela himself
announced his decision to leave the fashion industry in 2009, the
house that bears his name remains faithful to his style. The store
was at the centre of a storm this autumn, thanks to collaboration
between the Maison Martin Margiela and the Swedish giant H&M.
One of the side effects was an attack by a vandal – in a protest
against the bloated luxury market, a street artist covered the white
façade of the flagship store with red and black graffiti and drawings
of skulls. At the end of November, the graffiti still hadn’t been
painted over, the face of the historic building still looking like an
Abstract Expressionist painting. The street artist, who goes under
the pseudonym Kidult, remarked: “All these retail outlets have once
YOUR NEXT DESTINATION
Halles Saint-Géry
used graffiti as a commercial tool to get
more money and be cool without knowing
anything about the culture. I didn’t simply
say hello to them. If they really like graffiti,
I just gave them what they love”.
Next to the spontaneous graffiti, on
the other side of the street at Rue de
Flandre 109, is a legal painting – another
of the comic book tour’s highlights; it’s
the artist Dupa’s parody of the urinating
boy. Dupa has seated his hero, Cubitus,
on a fountain – a large white dog who
can communicate in human language. He
lives with his master, a former sailor, and
has taken on many a manly feature. For
example, he walks on two legs and has
hands instead of paws. However, he still
has a weakness for chewing on bones and
detests the neighbouring cat. You can see
that he is quite thrilled by the urinating
boy – but the boy is obviously disturbed by
Cubitus’ presence.
The Surrealist café
Those into comic books and Magritte
should also visit the Rue des Alexiens. At
number 55 there’s a bar called La Fleur en
Papier Doré. At the beginning of the 20th
century, Greet Van Bruaene, an art dealer
known locally as Little Gérard, opened the
bar in an 18th-century monastery. It soon
became popular with the Surrealists –
Magritte, Paul Rouge and Marcel Lecomte
were regulars. If you can believe the
legends, then it was here that Magritte
had his first exhibit. He was then almost
an unknown. As happens with many an
artist, he was sometimes short of money
and paid with sketches and drawings or
decorated the walls. Some of the stormy
past is still alive here, from the worn and
scratched tables to the back room that still
serves as a venue for exhibits and poetry
readings. One wall bears a black-and-white
photograph of the Surrealists posing on
the street in front of the bar. After the war,
the watering hole attracted many members
of CoBrA, a leading group of European
avant-garde artists that lasted only briefly,
from 1948 to 1951. Poetically associating
themselves with the harbinger of new
things– spring, and the child – they tried to
bring a new aesthetic to a Europe ruined
by war. Spontaneity was their watchword –
they strove to be as impulsive as children,
unleashing their fantasies in vivid colours
and working with a wild array of materials.
Hugo Claus, a Belgian writer involved with
CoBrA, married his first wife at La Fleur
en Papier Doré. In 2008, his death caused
controversy – suffering from Alzheimer’s, he
chose euthanasia, which is legal in Belgium.
One of the most wonderful things about
the bar is that it hasn’t really changed.
The ambience is that of a slightly dowdy,
bohemian cavern overflowing with
antiques and elements of kitsch. There’s a
feeling of home in the half-light, especially
on a cold winter’s day. Worn tiles cover
the floor and the walls are nearly totally
hidden by more than 400 framed sketches,
drawings, photographs and newspaper
clippings. In the summer there’s also an
interior courtyard, decorated by the comic
YOUR NEXT DESTINATION
strip artists Marck and De Wulf. Georges
Prosper Remi, better known as Hergé
(1907-1983) was another well-known
regular here. The place is such a symbol of
Brussels that the façade, three main rooms
and numerous artefacts, including some
of the furniture, have protected status as
historic monuments. La Fleur en Papier Doré
may not be the best place for dinner – it’s
only a bar, after all – but you simply must
sip a beer or a glass of wine here. You’re
bound to have some sweetly melancholic
musings about the passage of time as you
gaze upon the scratchings in the tables and
attempt to decipher them.
A few metres further down the street,
there’s another fantastic mural. Its hero is
Albert, who is capable of giving anybody in
his vicinity a headache. He’s the creation of
the French comic strip artist Yves Chaland,
who perished in a car accident in 1990 –
the wall is something of a memorial to him.
Back to Art Nouveau
The comics tour turns deviously toward
Marolles, where there was a leper colony in
the Middle Ages. Later it became a workers’
district with its own dialect. Nowadays,
Marolles reminds one of the Marais in
Paris. Jeu de Balle, the most famous flea
market in Brussels, has been located
here since 1919. It’s chaotic and crawling
with all kinds of freaks, and you can find
anything here – from real antique pearls
to useless junk. Most things are simply
arrayed on the cobblestones, so crawling is
sometimes quite literal. The wall showing
the adventures of Quick and Flupke, two
bratty boys, is along Rue Haute, the central
artery of the flea market. It also happens
to be one of the oldest streets in Brussels.
Quick and Flupke were created by Hergé.
They’re not quite as famous as Tintin,
but unlike Tintin they do not wander the
world and stay put in Brussels. The street
is packed with strange cafés and slightly
alternative shops.
The Rue des Chandeliers would be a
good place for their further adventures.
Narrow, dusky and cobbled, it’s a
pedestrian zone and lined with street art.
The artists have essentially occupied the
place, covering the façades with graffiti.
A wonderful place to have a rest or end
your comic book voyage is Les Brigittines
aux Marchés de la Chapelle. Midnight in
Paris may not be the best movie by director
and actor Woody Allen, but entering this
café reminds one of the time travel taken
by the central character in that film. You’re
instantly transported to the Belle Epoque.
The Art Nouveau interior is lovely, and
the ambience is truly unusual. It feels as if
time has stopped. A roaring fire hypnotizes
you, reflected by a gentlewoman’s portrait
in glass. A collection of antique cameras,
probably acquired at the nearby flea
market, lines the shelves of an antique
cabinet. The kitchen serves traditional
French and Belgian food with a slight dose
of creativity. Pheasant for two is presented
with the air of a ritual. The chef will first
tell you the story of the bird – where it
was hunted down and how many weeks
Tintin mural at Stoofstraat 37
it was aged, and in what conditions. It’s
then divided, the filet and legs offered
separately. Being proper game, you might
encounter some birdshot in the flesh. I only
have time to touch upon this culinary
adventure – with 35,000 eateries and cafés
as well as a liberal sprinkling of Michelin
stars, Brussels is not a city where you have
to worry about going without great food.
To return to the centre of the city, you
can make use of the panoramic lift that
carries you from the Rue Haute to Poelaert
Square. The trip takes only 30 seconds,
but the views are breathtaking – whatever
the season!
YOUR NEXT DESTINATION
Insider’s view
Who said that Brussels is boring?
Derek Blyth is a writer and journalist. Originally from Scotland, he has lived
in Brussels for more than 20 years. He is a former editor-in-chief of The
Bulletin and has written countless articles and books on the city, including
a regular column on Brussels life in Eurostar’s Metropolitan Magazine. In
2012, he published his guide The 500 Hidden Secrets of Brussels, revealing
500 places and details that few people know about Belgium’s capital city.
“In 2008, the travel website Tripadvisor announced the results of a poll that voted Brussels as the most
boring city in Europe. There are two things that you can do when you are told that your home town
is the most boring city on the continent. You can move to a more interesting place, like Luxembourg
perhaps. Or you can prove that Tripadvisor is wrong. I decided to prove that Tripadvisor is wrong about
Brussels. So I have put together a day in Brussels, which will show that this city, far from being boring, is
possibly the most interesting city in Europe”, says the author.
Brussels in one day
• Place Saint-Géry 23
The day begins on the site of the first settlement
of Brussels. It was originally an island in the River
Senne (or Zenne in Dutch, the original language
of Brussels). The island has since vanished,
although you can still see its outline in the
curving streets. The river has also gone, buried
below ground during the 19th century. However,
it hasn’t vanished completely. If you enter the
courtyard at 23 Place Saint-Géry, you will find
traces of the river running between the old brick
houses. The water is no longer flowing, but you
can at least see what it was like.
• Halles Saint-Géry
The brick and iron building in the middle of the
square was once a market hall. Before the market
was built here, this was an open cobblestoned
square with an obelisk in the middle. The architect
designed the market hall so that the obelisk would
fit neatly inside. The vaulted basement sometimes
has photography exhibitions.
• Le Roi des Belges
Twenty years ago, the Place Saint-Géry was run
down. Someone tried to turn the area into the
Covent Garden of Brussels, but the project flopped.
It looked like a lost cause. Then Frédéric Nicolay
noticed that the city had extended the pavement.
He opened a café called Java with tables and
chairs on the street. People liked Java. It was cool
but not pretentious. You could go there with your
grandmother. Nicolay opened another café called
Mappa Mundo. And another one called Le Roi des
Belges. Soon the square was mobbed by young
Europeans looking for the heart of Brussels.
Where to shop
• Hunting and Collecting
Here is a cool concept store run by two Belgians
with an eye for creative clothes, books, photos
and shoes.
Rue des Chartreux 17 | Central Brussels
www.huntingandcollecting.com
• Rue Dansaert
This is the street where you will find Belgian
fashion designers like Annemie Verbeke and
Carine Gilson.
• Le Pain Quotidien
Everyone knows Le Pain Quotidien, but the
branch on the rue Antoine Dansaert is special,
because it all started here back in 1990, when
Alain Coumont decided to open a bakery that
made sourdough bread the old-fashioned
way. He picked up a round table to create the
atmosphere of a village café and served coffee in
ceramic bowls, like a French grandmother would
do. Now you get branches of Le Pain Quotidien
in hundreds of cities across the world, but you
might still want to take a look inside this branch,
because it was the first.
Rue Antoine Dansaert 16A | Central Brussels
www.lepainquotidien.com
• The Anspach Fountain
Here is a monument to Brussels burgomaster
Jules Anspach, who came up with the project
to cover the River Senne and create the grand
boulevards of central Brussels. The monument
is dripping with details, but the loveliest feature,
seldom noticed, is the figure of a young girl
crouched below an arch, who represents the lost
river that now flows through a tunnel.
• Nordzee
The Nordzee fish shop, also called Mer du Nord,
has a long steel counter where you can snack
on fish soup or fried squid, along with a glass
of chilled Spanish white wine. It can get quite
crowded here, but the people who serve you are
always charming, dealing with orders in French,
Dutch, English or maybe even Spanish.
Rue Sainte-Catherine 45 | Central Brussels
www.vishandelnordzee.be
• Plaizier
Everyone updates their Facebook page when
they go on holiday. But you are much more
sophisticated, so you send hand-picked postcards.
You buy them here, in a shop full of whimsical
and arty cards by Belgian cartoon illustrators and
photographers. For example, you can send a card
with a faded photo from Expo ’58, or one from
the Ukelele Museum. Or something surreal.
Rue des Eperonniers 50 | Central Brussels
www.plaizier.be
• Underpants Museum
No, it’s not a joke. A brass sign next door to
Plaizier confirms that this is the Musée du Slip,
the Underpants Museum. It was founded some
years ago by the Belgian artist Jan Bucquoy and
is currently housed in a downbeat Belgian café.
Here you can see underpants worn by wellknown Belgian politicians, as well as French porn
stars, each with a little label attached to confirm
that the item is authentic.
Ваш эксперт по недвижимости
тел. +371 67069116
www.rvlc.lv
YOUR NEXT DESTINATION
• City wall
The old city wall was torn down
a long time ago, but a few fragments
have been left standing, like a stretch
that runs along a school playground
and a tower that stands next to a
bowling alley.
Greenwich café
this coffee house in the heart of
the Marolles. They make sublime
espressos and lattes using Ethiopian
beans that are freshly roasted in the
back room.
Rue Haute 140 | Marolles
www.askumcoffeehouse.com
• Frituur de la chapelle
• The Flat
You can’t visit Brussels without eating
a portion of frites, or French fries.
So here is one of the best fritkots in
town, with two serving hatches next
to the lovely Church of Notre Dame
de la Chapelle, where artist Pieter
Bruegel the Elder lies buried. The
customers range from local school
students to smart-suited antique
dealers from the Sablon.
• Askum
It looks like you have walked into
a private apartment, but don’t
panic. This is the latest concept bar,
decorated to look like a residential
flat. You can drink a cocktail in the
living room sitting on the sofa, or
you can move to the bathroom and
sit with your feet in the bathtub. You
can even lie down on the double
bed, if that’s how you want to end
the day. It’s strange but sexy, like
Brussels. Really!
Here is a cool place for a shot of
espresso. Two Finnish men opened
Rue de la Reinette 12 | Central Brussels
www.theflat.be
Place de la Chapelle | Marolles
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OUTLOOK / INTERVIEW
TEXT BY IEVA NORA FIRERE
PHOTOS COURTESY OF FARAGO PUBLISHING AND Chanel
Chanel
archaeologists
Northern Women in Chanel
• A photo project featuring 45
Scandinavian and Baltic models from
seven countries: Denmark, Estonia, Finland,
Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden;
• 384 pages of Chanel garments ranging
from the year 1925 to the Haute Couture
Spring/Summer 2011 and Ready-to-Wear
Fall/Winter 2011/2012 collections;
• All proceedings go to the Swedish
organization of Save the Children for
the education of girls in various parts of
the world.
Peter Farago and Ingela Klemetz-Farago,
Fashion photographer duo
Within a few hours, the white art space where I am standing will be
buzzing with fashion connoisseurs, making this one of the hottest
Helsinki events of the season. Right now, the freshly washed floor
is still drying up, the red carpet is in position to be rolled out, and
countless goody bags with small bottles of the latest perfumes
by Chanel Coco Noir stand ready to be distributed. Ingela and
Peter Farago sit facing me, as beautiful and decorative as the
photographs that they create. Their main claim to fame in fashion
photography is Northern Women in Chanel – an almost ghoulish
photo series that was recently published in a coffee table book. It
depicts Scandinavian and Baltic women framed in near-timeless
clothing items by Chanel.
The Faragos know the fashion industry like the back of their hand
and call the most sought-after Baltic and Scandinavian supermodels
by their first names, as close acquaintances. They combed through
decades of Chanel’s haute couture and prêt-à-porter collections,
42 / AIRBALTIC.COM
and compare their latest publication to an archaeological dig, in
which they have made a true cultural discovery.
I urge them to talk about what goes on behind the scenes in
the industry, about the greediness and competitiveness, but they
don’t fall for the bait. Ingela and Peter, who are a pair not only
at work, but also at home, talk only about the virtues in fashion.
Their vision of things made Peter (then a photographer for the
Russian Vogue) and Ingela (who previously pursued a music career
in Sweden in a genre that can be described as fairytale rock) set
up a fashion, art and luxury-focused publishing company. This
happened exactly at the time when the words “economic crisis”
were at the tip of everybody’s tongue. They have their own,
specific definition of luxury – luxury as an opposition to the “wear
and tear” culture. What they mean by that can be seen in their
new book, and in the travelling exhibition that will end in Helsinki
on January 27.
OUTLOOK / INTERVIEW
What is fashion to you?
Peter: Fashion is an art form that’s expressed
through colours, shapes and forms. It also allows
you to step into a world full of imagination, dreams,
excitement and luxury. And speaking of luxury, we
love it. If you look at Chanel, it’s not a story of clothing
anymore, but rather of art pieces. The choice of the
garments, the beads, the feathers, the tailoring, all are
mesmerizing. For us, fashion is not about brands; about
having the latest, the poshest, the coolest. It’s about
having heritage and history.
Ingela: We’re not fans of the “wear and tear” culture. For
us, everything has to last and have a meaning. That’s
what we mean by luxury.
Kirsi Pyrhönen
Today, when it is minus 15 degrees Celsius
outside, I can see very little in common between
the roughness of Scandinavia and the elegance
of Chanel. How did you come across the idea of
putting the two together?
I: About four or five years ago, Peter mentioned how
great it would be to work with a huge fashion house –
to get an access to its archives and tell others about it
through our photographic lens.
P: The idea was in the back of my head, all the luxury
and craftsmanship stored in the archives of the grand
fashion houses. It was a photographic journey that I
had always wanted to take. One thing led to another.
We met people from Chanel and had a chance to
present our idea to the company. As you can imagine,
it’s a very closed fashion house. The proposal had to
travel miles before it reached the people who made
the final decision.
I: We had a huge amount of preparation work to do. The
collections, the venues and the models – everything
had to be planned to the smallest detail. It was
particularly difficult with the models, because of their
packed schedules and changing locations. We started
off by making a list of girls with the most inspiring faces
from Scandinavia and the Baltics. That list began with
Freja [Beha Erichsen, a Danish supermodel, one of Karl
Lagerfeld’s muses, who also features on the cover of the
book – ed.], Helena [Christensen, from Denmark, at age 43,
is one of the most experienced models in the Faragos’ list]
and Carmen [Kass, the Estonian supermodel whose career
was launched by legendary Vogue editor Anna Wintour
in 1999 and whom Baltic Outlook had the pleasure of
interviewing in October 2011 – ed.].
Carmen Kass
You mention the Chanel archives. How far back are
we talking about?
I: The oldest clothing item in our book dates back to
1925, and it required serious procedures for us to be
Vicky Andren
BALTIC OUTLOOK / JANUARY 2013 / 43
OUTLOOK / INTERVIEW
be yet another testimony to the fact that
fashion works in cycles.
To be able to unearth such a large
amount of brand history, let alone
organizing all of the photo shoots – it
sounds like you needed a big team to
do that.
I: Well, it was just the two of us. Of
course, we had help at various stages,
like retouching the photos afterwards in
Stockholm and art directing from New York,
but basically we were two.
P: All together it took us one year, and the
last four months were really tough. Towards
the deadlines a working day could last
for 20 hours. It involved lots of moving
around, as some shots were done in the
Arctic territories up in Northern Sweden;
some were shot in a studio in New York
or Paris. Basically, we spent the year with
our suitcases. We had to plan extremely
well and work quickly, because everyone
involved was on a tight schedule.
My vision was to show a very vivid life.
That’s why the book consists of images
ranging from black-and-white photography
in the studio to a very bright location
outdoors in the next page. We wanted it to
feel diverse.
What inspires you?
I: Music, films, dance and theatre – we
consume a lot of that. It’s not as much a
question of genre as it is about the level of
execution. We love opera just as much as
rock and roll music, and I must confess that
Peter even likes rap. Smiles.
Frida Gustavsson
able to borrow it for a photo shoot. [The
black feather-decorated coat was created
a year before Coco Chanel’s legendary
little black dress was born, and has been
stored in the fashion house’s archives in the
suburbs of Paris for decades. For the sake
of the book, it was loaned to the Faragos,
who photographed it in the Salon de
Haute Joaillerie at the Place Vendôme. The
garment is so precious that due to insurance
restrictions, it cannot travel abroad and had
to be photographed within minutes – ed.].
P: What surprised me was how timeless
this garment was. It didn’t seem tied to any
specific decade and looked fabulous on a
44 / AIRBALTIC.COM
21st -century model. And also the quality
of it; the textile, the feathers and the seams
were all in excellent condition. Chanel
takes good care of its archive. Every item
that enters it is fixed up to look like new.
The seams are redone if necessary and the
items are well-maintained.
Digging up nearly one-hundredyear-old fashion items sounds almost
archaeological to me.
P: It certainly was! We scraped out things
and where amazed by what we saw.
I: The forms, the lines and colours kept
coming back. This book turned out to
What is it about the beauty of Northern
women? What makes them take up an
entire book?
P: Population-wise, Northern Europe is
a small region, but it has given rise to so
many supermodels. We discovered that
Scandinavia and the Baltics have a wide
range of beauty.
I: The Danes look a bit sexier, perhaps,
with bigger lips; stronger-looking. The
Norwegians are more elfish, like forest
creatures. With their specific cheekbones,
the Finns almost look as if they were from
outer space. The Swedes are somewhere in
between. Ginta [Lapiņa] and Ieva [Lagūna],
from Latvia, are very plastic, classically
beautiful; I’d say almost too beautiful.
OUTLOOK / INTERVIEW
Can you tell this Northern beauty apart within the modelling
world in general?
I: One thing that we discovered in common among Scandinavian
and Baltic girls was their honesty and pureness. They are sweet,
not ruined girls. They stand on their own, they are in charge of
themselves. Actually they are women, not girls, with eyes that
seem to be saying: I might be here for this brand today, but I still
have my own life and personality.
Is your profession as glamorous as it sounds?
P: It’s even more glamorous! Smiles. Actually, we are very down to
earth, preferring honesty to the thrill of the show. This is really our
dream job. We love photography and fashion, and we love working
together.
I: It’s a gift to be able to see things the same way. Like today, when
we passed an empty house in Helsinki. We stood by a window
to catch a glimpse inside, as it was a beautiful building. Standing
there, we both said at the same time: ‘Look at that floor!’ Things
have been this way for the past 15 years, since Peter first saw
me on a street in Stockholm, came up to me and started talking.
Basically, he scouted me. Smiles.
Dorothea Barth Jörgensen
Theres Alexandersson
and Linn Arvidsson
OUTLOOK / INTERVIEW
How competitive is the backstage of
fashion photography?
P: It’s super competitive, but we don’t look
at that. We don’t focus on the sideshow, but
on our own vision.
Any vision, even if it is one’s own, has
influences. Tell us about yours.
P: The list is quite grand. Irving Penn and
Helmut Newton, both now brand names
in themselves. Or the great Hungarian
photographer Martin Munkácsi, who
emigrated to the US and fixed his name in
photo history in the 1930s, later inspiring
such masters as Henri Cartier-Bresson and
Richard Avedon.
Or André Kertész, the Hungarian-born
photographer who settled first in Paris
and then in New York. Or Clifford Coffin,
who was so far ahead of his time. It’s such
a variety of photographers who we really
love and who have taught us how they see
photography.
You work in three cities: Stockholm,
Paris and New York. Which one inspires
you the most?
The exhibition Northern Women in Chanel
is on display in Helsinki, at the Laboratory
gallery on Erottajankatu 9B (courtyard
entrance), through January 27.
Northern Women in Chanel can be purchased
at www.faragopublishing.com
P: It’s all three, but Paris possesses a special
atmosphere that makes a city so easy to
love. Most of our time is spent in New York,
apart from the hot summers, when nothing
beats the Scandinavian archipelago. We
have a stuga, a summer house in Vaasa.
We tend to gather inspiration from
everywhere – exhibitions and
performances, music; even seeing a small
picture in the local newspaper can be
inspiring. And travelling, of course. One of
our last inspiring journeys was to Florence
a year ago. It was early December, the city
was empty and the colour scheme was
fantastic, with different shades of brown
and green dominating. We stood there
and realized where all that Renaissance
painting had come from.
You’ve managed to pick inspiring
venues not only for photo shoots, but
also for your exhibition, like Verdens
Ende in Norway.
P: Yes, it’s a picturesque place in the
southern part of Norway, with a horizon
where the North Sea meets the sky. The
rocks are grey one moment, yellow the
other and reddish a minute after. The
name translates as the End of the Earth,
which we didn’t believe in at first.
I: We brought our exhibition there after
it had been on display in Stockholm and
Copenhagen. Bringing it outdoors to this
harsh environment uplifted the images
to a new level, making the aftertaste
stronger. The exhibition drew about
120,000 people to the End of the Earth,
a tiny place in the middle of nowhere.
It’s a magical place, like a mental spa –
a place everybody should go to now
and then. BO
OUTLOOK / TRAVEL
How Swede it is
Forget Sesame Street’s bumbling, incomprehensible preparer of foodstuffs, the
Swedish Chef. Stockholm’s new family of gastro-chic doyens of cuisine have turned
this Scandinavian capital into one of Europe’s hottest haunts for the epicurious
TEXT BY
ROGER NORUM
PUBLICITY PHOTOS
If the Kingdom of Sweden hasn’t graced your travel
itinerary with its presence for a couple of years, then
you’re probably still thinking that Swedish cuisine is
all about boggy dishes such as köttbullar (meatballs),
gravlax (salt-cured salmon) and falukorv (sliced, fried
baloney served with ketchup and mashed potatoes). For
centuries, the Swedish culinary tradition was concerned
more with food storage than succulence: brief summer
harvest periods required hardy locals to gather what they
needed and save the bounty for future use. The main
pride of a Swedish housewife was having the pantry well
stocked in anticipation of long, cold winter ahead.
Luckily for us moderns, Swedish cuisine has emerged
from the caveman days, when kerchiefed Nurse Diesels
48 / AIRBALTIC.COM
brewed up cauldrons of meat and potatoes. Today,
exciting, world-class restaurants across Scandinavia
are surging forth with local, seasonal approaches to
gastronomy. Swedish chefs are making full use of the
country’s open, cultivated landscapes, deep forests
and large wetlands, which provide them with such
delicacies as black grouse or unique home-grown
goodies like lingonberries and reindeer lichen.
The traditional Nordic methods of smoking,
fermenting, salting, drying, marinating and poaching
have been brought back into the fold to create
known-but-new taste sensations. While European
chefs emphasise the predominance of taste, Swedes
up the ante by also considering the essential role
OUTLOOK / TRAVEL
of sight, smell, temperature
and texture in the dining
experience. This recent seismic
shift in Nordic gastronomy
eschews the flair and flourish of
Franco-fusion food for back-tobasics cooking techniques that
emphasise “locavorism” – eating
locally-produced food – with
ingredients that often grow a
few metres from the kitchen
they’re being prepared in. As
celebrated French gastronomy
writer Curnonsky put it, “Good
cooking is when things taste of
what they are.”
In the following pages, Baltic
Outlook turns its taste buds to
several excellent Stockholm
restaurants – some tried and
true, some brand new – to
show how the Swedish capital
has turned itself into a centre
of gastronomic innovation and
hedonistic dining.
Frantzen Lindeberg
The deal: This intimate awardwinning restaurant in Gamla Stan
serves molecular gastronomy that
will both amaze and delight with its
unusual tastes and presentations.
The specs: The consummate
destination for foodies, an evening
at this small, two-Michelin-starred
spot is more a culinary journey than
a meal. It is currently rated #20 on
the San Pellegrino list of the world’s
best restaurants, and voted Best
Restaurant in Sweden’s esteemed
2012 White Guide. The molecular
French-inspired Nordic cuisine
features touches that stimulate all
the senses: langoustine presented
alive before being prepared into a
tartar at the table, bread dough that
rises in a wooden box right in front
of you; reindeer meat charred as the
server holds it. Adventurers could
consider ordering the horse meat,
which arrives in a column of tartar
slices before being roasted in front
of you. Vegetarians, meanwhile,
might try the Satio Tempestas, with
32 different ingredients. Once or
twice a month, the chefs put on
“Extreme Dinners”, which give them
creative license to serve off-the-wall
stuff like Swedish-farmed yak, live
sea urchins and local crispy pig ears.
Don’t forget to down your meal
with a shot of snaps, a distinct liquor
flavoured with spices and herbs
such as caraway or dill, often served
in small, long-stemmed glasses.
The tip: Try to book a front-row
seat right at the kitchen’s main
preparation table or in one of the
extra comfy OLBY Design chairs.
Lilla Nygatan 21
+46 (0)8208 580
www.frantzen-lindeberg.com
BALTIC OUTLOOK / JANUARY 2013 / 49
OUTLOOK / TRAVEL
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Mathias Dahlgren
The deal: Easily Stockholm’s
hottest restaurant, this twostarred Michelin establishment
is run by its eponymous
champion chef, Mathias
Dahlgren.
The specs: Culinary champion
and four-time Swedish chef
of the year Mathias Dahlgren
opened this astounding whitetablecloth spot in 2007. Modern
and elegant and set inside the
Grand Hôtel, with views across
to the Royal Palace, Dahlgren’s
kitchen takes Swedish
ingredients and Scandinavian
food traditions and infuses
them with some very special je
ne sais quoi. Chef Dahlgren has
a fetish for sashimi, resulting
in amazing concoctions such
as salmon, cod, langoustine,
oyster, lumpfish and salmon roe
sashimi served with cucumber,
ginger, horseradish emulsion
and a “caviar” of soy-infused
tapioca. The restaurant’s interior
is an amalgam of modern
Scandi design objects and lots
of natural wood. Impeccable
service; outstanding wine
pairings. Foodies book now.
The tip: The next-door
Matbaren is Dahlgren’s more
casual (but still Michelinstarred) bistro, serving equally
fine gastronomic delights.
Reservations recommended
here too, although there’s
usually a place or two at
the bar.
Grand Hôtel Stockholm
Södra Blasieholmshamnen 6
+46 (0)8679 3584
www.mathiasdahlgren.com
OUTLOOK / TRAVEL
Köttbaren
The deal: This recently-opened,
casual, hip and extremely
coveted steak and burger
bar – with possibly the best
burgers in Stockholm – also
serves a wonderful list of
outstanding cocktails.
The specs: One of Sweden’s
famed White Guide nominees
for 2012, the award-winning
“Meat Bar” is known for
its buzzy, unpretentious
atmosphere and industrialcasual decor: a door handle
shaped like a butcher’s knife;
heavy brown wooden tables,
candles reflecting off copper
pots nailed to the walls and
an open kitchen. The chefs
do an outstanding selection
of tartars, steaks and burgers,
whose flame broiling and
sauces (oxchili and salsa fresca,
for example) lend them some
unrivalled flavouring. After
your meal, browse renowned
bar manager Johan Evers’
list of excellent, innovative
cocktails and place an order.
His Envyation is a take on the
classic Daiquiri with Bulleit
bourbon, triple sec, lemon
juice and bitters, while the Pelle
Janzon is a thinly sliced marbled
ox filet, with egg yolk and fish
roe placed atop a slice of toast
garnished with lemon juice.
The tip: Köttbaren doesn’t
take reservations, so get
here by 7 PM on weekends
to avoid long waits. If there’s
a queue, don’t despair: just
cosy up to the bar and order
something there.
Tegnérgatan 32
+46 (0)8505 24426
www.kottbaren.se
OUTLOOK / TRAVEL
Ekstedt
The deal: A high-concept, perfectly executed Basque-Nordic
restaurant with eye-catching open-fire cooking, run by a
much-loved TV chef.
The specs: In late 2011, wunderkind chef and TV celeb Niklas
Ekstedt opened this conceptual Basque-Swedish restaurant.
At 19, Ekstedt worked for Charlie Trotter in Chicago; at 21, he
opened his first restaurant Niklas, voted the fifth best restaurant
in Sweden in 2005 by the vaunted White Guide. At Ekstedt,
everything – from starters to desserts – is cooked over an
open fire (the wood burned is from Scandinavian apple trees).
Accordingly, the food here has a slight smoky flavour, with
some of the regular (and scrumptious) suspects including
baked langoustine with seaweed and pulses; and smoked
beef tartar with morels, ox marrow and spring herbs. Despite
cooking some excellent meats, Ekstedt tends to be renowned
for his innovative fish dishes: try the smoked king crab, perch
or baked trout – served in hay with roasted beetroot, oysters
and parsley.
The tip: Some of the staff have done stints at El Bulli and The
Fat Duck, making this a restaurant with real pedigree – and
some of the best service in Stockholm.
Humlegårdsgatan 17
+46 (0) 8611 1210
www.ekstedt.nu
OUTLOOK / TRAVEL
Teatergrillen
The deal: This old-school, white-tablecloth Franco-Nordic spot
is still the place to be seen in Stockholm.
The specs: The interior of this playground for Sweden’s
media and artsy set has hardly changed since it opened
in 1968. It’s done up in heavy red velvet swathes and
theatre accoutrements – masks and costume dummies,
for example – thanks to the nearby Dramaten stage, giving
the entire place no small amount of gravitas. The food
doesn’t disappoint either, with classic dishes – cured salmon,
oven-baked entrecote or meat and potatoes (literally) – that
are prepared to perfection. The wine list has hundreds of
vintages as well: treat your steak to a 1999 Armand Rousseau
Gevrey-Chambertin Cru Clos or any of the Burgundies. As
the restaurant has been around for nearly 35 years, the staff
knows a thing or two about finding good help. The waiters and
maitre d’s are among the best you’ll find in Stockholm.
The tip: One of Tyler Brûlé’s top five dishes in the world is
Teatergrillen’s Classic Biff Rydberg, a sirloin with raw egg and
horseradish, sided with diced fried potatoes and onions.
Nybrogatan 3
+46 (0)8545 03565
www.teatergrillen.se
OUTLOOK / TRAVEL
Restaurang Hjerta
Fly to Stockholm with
Direct flights from Riga starting from EUR 27*
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BalticMiles partners in Stockholm: LSG Sky Chefs, Hilton Worldwide, Worldhotels,
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* Price available for bookings at least 5 months in advance
The deal: A rustic, casual
restaurant in a beautiful
waterfront setting – a former
shipyard – serving great
comfort food with
a French twist.
The specs: Opened on
Valentine’s Day, 2010, this
Skeppsholmen find is ideal
for casual couples (though
it’s a hit with Stockholm’s
trendy set as well). Nestled
into a renovated shipyard
and looking onto the Östra
Brobänken quay’s white
sailboats, the bright interior
is the setting for innovative
Franco-Swedish dishes.
The turbot, for example,
has been on the menu
since the place first opened
and is the chef’s signature
dish. Hjerta also bakes its
own stone oven-baked
baguettes and pizzas at an
on-site bakery. The famous
skeppsbröd, or skipper’s
bread, is a handsome
pizza piled high with goat’s
cheese, mushrooms, herbs
and more. The restaurant
is perfect after a visit to
the neighbouring National
Museum and Museum of
Modern Art.
The tip: Once it cools
down after dinner, head
in to Hjernet (“The Brain”),
the restaurant’s cosy
cocktail bar.
Slupskjulsvägen 28B
+46 (0) 8611 4100
www.restauranghjerta.se
OUTLOOK / TRAVEL
Easy being green
TEXT BY ROGER NORUM
PUBLICITY PHOTOS
Scandinavian hotels have long been redefining what it means to be ecological. We
take a look at three Swedish properties making waves way up north
56 / AIRBALTIC.COM
OUTLOOK / TRAVEL
New York boasts scores of Hiltons, Best
Western, Mandarins and W’s. Shanghai,
Beijing and Hong Kong are building
Park Hyatts and Peninsulas up the wazoo.
Dubai’s mega-tech hotels continue to
soar high in the sky. So what have the
Scandinavians got?
Well, in case you’ve been living out the
past decade or two in an ice cave, the
Norwegians, Finns, Danes and Swedes
have been making forays into unique and
interesting hotel properties for some time
now. The Swedes broke the (ice) mold
nearly 25 years ago with their Ice Hotel in
Lapland, and since then there has been
no turning back. There are now hotels that
resemble glass igloos, hotels that float on
lakes, even free-standing, pod-like hotels
built right into a river valley.
But this shouldn’t come as a surprise;
Scandinavia’s very high standards of design
innovation have always struck a chord,
whatever your aesthetic sensibilities. Even
the most humdrum of public spaces –
airport terminals, museum restrooms –
command a few extra moments of
appreciation, with simple and subtle
touches that make bold statements without
screaming for attention. Employing simple
lines, organic materials and a deft merging
of function with form, Scandinavian style has
become nothing short of iconic. The region’s
design traditions champion the fusion
of a highly stylized aesthetic with basic
utilitarian demands as central to modern
living – hardly surprising in a region whose
harsh climate can mean a lot of time spent
indoors. And yet perhaps the most striking
thing about contemporary Scandinavian
architecture is its simplicity. Emphasizing
restraint, modesty and clarity, the earliest
Scandinavian architects embarked upon an
inventive incorporation of traditional forms
with modern techniques, and a return to
organic materials like wood and brick. Long
before ‘eco-friendly’ became a buzzword,
Scandinavian architecture established itself
as the most forward-looking in the world,
setting a global standard for architectural
modernism and foresight.
Fast forward to the 21st century, when
the planet’s natural resources are being
depleted and everybody and their uncle
is hoping to capitalise on the “greening”
trend. Luckily, the Nordic countries are
natively about as green as you can get,
from seemingly-interminable coniferous
forests and laconic duned beachfronts, to
undulating hillsides of lavender and slabs of
granite that jut into the sea, to say nothing
of glaciers, valleys and alpine mountains:
Scandinavia boasts easily the most diverse
geography in Europe. What’s more, the
environment – and citizens’ right to access
it on foot, ski or cycle – is enshrined
in law. Across all the Nordic countries,
the constitutional everyman’s right
(allemansrätten in Swedish) allows both
locals and visitors to pick berries, fish in
lakes or ski across meadows anywhere – or
walk freely right across the entire country,
should you so desire.
So it makes sense that the Swedes
would be round the clock coming up
with innovative places to bed down for
the night, and the only real obstacle
for innovative local architects is their
imagination. Opposing conventional
hotellier wisdom, they have rewritten
that not-so-age-old adage of modern
construction: If you build it (in the middle
of nowhere), they will most definitely come.
BALTIC OUTLOOK / JANUARY 2013 / 57
OUTLOOK / TRAVEL
TreeHotel, Harads
Built high up in the pines of Sweden’s northern
Boreal forest, this is easily the most out-of- thebox property idea to come around in a long time.
Comprising half a dozen individual, free-standing
tree houses of sorts, each structure has been
designed by a different architect and elevated
as high as 12m in the air (over the next several
years, they hope to build as many as two dozen
different structures). “Each room is designed
to have a different character and most contain
double beds, seating, but no televisions, because
that isn’t the ethos of the hotel,” says creator
58 / AIRBALTIC.COM
Kent Lindwall. Lindwall purchased the forest land,
thereby rescuing it from being cut down, then
built each room from locally-sourced wood and
aluminum, installing floors heated with solar
power. The designs are as fantastical as you
can imagine, the interiors as comfy and cosy
as you’ll ever need. Videgard and Tham’s Mirror
Cube, for example, perches high over a forest
valley, its exterior completely covered in mirrors
and looking something like floating reflective
box in the pines (a special protective transparent
UV film has been applied to the glass, making
it visible to birds). Inside is a spacious, lofted
living space, with the bed situated below,
but outside the structure reflects everything
around it, from the trees to the clouds. Other
fantastical constructions include the Tree
UFO, with portholes and an entry ladder
that calls to mind that scene out of Close
Encounters of the Third Kind, and another
structure enveloped in reclaimed tree limbs
and branches. The buildings are set just 60km
below the Arctic Circle, so the Northern Lights
and midnight sun are well within view. High
living indeed.
From SEK 4400 (about EUR 510) per night
OUTLOOK / TRAVEL
Kolarbyn Eco-lodge,
Västmanland
Set smack in the middle of a forest next
to gorgeous Lake Skärsjön, a few hours
from Stockholm, this spot was originally
founded in the mid-1990s as a way to teach
people traditional techniques in charcoal
burning. Since then, the collection of
twelve cosy huts has evolved into one of
Sweden’s most beloved – and indeed, most
primitive – places to spend a night. Each tiny
yurt-like hut, which sleeps two, is outfitted
with berths bedecked with sheepskin rugs,
so arriving with your own sleeping bag and
pillow is de rigeur. There is no electricity to
speak of – only candles and a wood-burning
heater, for which you’ll have to head out and
forage for wood (it’s hardly rocket science
though: remember, you’re in a forest).
There are no fancy toilets, shower rooms or
running warm water (all water used comes
from a local spring), but none of these
limitations seem to bother the adventurous
couples, families and students who come
here throughout the year to sleep with
Mother Nature. Two communal fire pits let
guests prepare their own food with their
forest-dwelling neighbours, encouraging
conviviality. In the morning, waking up to
the sounds of the forest, you can head
out on winter hikes and wildlife safaris – to
spot moose or wolves, say. There is also a
lakeside sauna, a visit to which is a necessary
ritual in the deep, dark midwinter. As the
owner, Andreas, puts it, “To live in nature ... It
is just a really, really magical feeling to wake
up in the morning, start the fire and hear the
birds singing. It is just to be in this place, and
that’s enough for many people. They don’t
want to have our tours, they just want to
be here.”
SEK 250 (about EUR 29) per person, per night
INCORPORATION
OF LATVIAN
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OUTLOOK / TRAVEL
Ice Hotel, Jukkasjärvi
Offer most people the opportunity to stay in
an igloo for a night, and they’re likely to run the
other way. But the really adventurous will jump
at the chance to experience this most unique
of overnight adventures, placed in a northern
Swedish river valley that is about as remote a
place as you could imagine. A unique, once-ina-lifetime experience, Sweden’s architecturally
marvellous Ice Hotel was the first of its kind,
beginning life as a 60 square meter igloo and
now the world’s largest hotel to disappear each
year, at 5500 square meters. Everything in this
Arctic adventurer’s dream hotel – beds, floors and
glasses – is carved from snow and ice, and kept
at a balmy –5ºC. For shuteye, guests jump into
expedition-strength, subzero sleeping bags, then
lie down on a furry cut of reindeer hide. Though
the hotel often recommends sleeping in the nude
in order to maximise heat generation inside the
sleeping bag, wise visitors bring along mittens;
endurance and an unorthodox sense of adventure
are also recommended. Although the design and
appearance change from year to year (depending
on the architects’ whim), there’s always an on-site
Ice Bar, offering (hot) drinks as well as snacks,
and a restaurant that serves the local favourite,
reindeer (if you’re sitting on a reindeer hide, with
reindeer antlers hanging up above you, you might
as well give this tender game a try). Eschewing a
cold reception, staff here are surprisingly cheery,
and they can organise pretty much everything
under the Arctic sun: husky rides, snowmobile
journeys and trips out to the tundra. Though
not for the cold blooded, this is easily the most
invigorating, dine-outable overnight experience
Scandinavia can offer.
From SEK 2500 (about EUR 290) per night
OUTLOOK / TRAVEL
OUTLOOK / PROMO
Baltman, 2nd floor
The Galleria Riga –
a modern-day shopping
centre in the very heart
of Riga
Oasis, 3rd floor
Since opening in 2010, the Galleria Riga
has found its place in the hearts of Riga’s
residents and visitors as a convenient
shopping centre, which also happens
to provide opportunities for relaxation
and entertainment
The Galleria Riga
Galleria Riga shopping centre
Dzirnavu iela 67
Entrances from Dzirnavu iela 67 and Blaumaņa iela 10
(between Brīvības bulvāris and Tērbatas iela)
Information centre
Tel. (+371) 67307000
info@galleriariga.lv
galleriariga.lv/en
62 / AIRBALTIC.COM
lies in
the centre of Riga, close to the Old Town,
the Freedom Monument, several popular
hotels, and the Quiet Centre – the
Riga neighbourhood with the highest
concentration of Art Nouveau architecture.
A wide variety of shops line the seven storeys
of the building, providing visitors with a
broad selection of items. Here you’ll find
necessities for both daily life and celebrations.
At the Galleria Riga you can purchase items
made by such famous labels as women’secret,
Cortefiel, Springfield, Karen Millen, Oasis,
Parfois, Ecco, Mango, Marella, Gino Rossi,
Suitsupply, Baltman, Diesel, Triumph,
Ioanna Kourbella, John Galliano, Alexander
McQueen (the last three brands are available
at the Mon Cheri store), Crocs, Piazza Italia,
Liviana Conti and many more.
To better serve its customers, the shopping
centre has a built-in parking garage (free
parking for two hours on Sundays) and
special stands for bicycles. Guests have use
of free Wi-Fi and can take full advantage
of Global Blue benefits. Those who are
short on time, or who would rather place
their trust in a professional, can shop
with a personal stylist who will help find
the most appropriate outfits, taking into
account your style and needs, as well as
the trends of the season. Other useful
services available at Galleria Riga include
a post office, dry-cleaning, currency
exchange and beauty salons. A favourite
spot for guests to stop for a moment’s
rest is the centre’s fountain, from which
there’s a great view of the building’s
elegant architecture.
OUTLOOK / PROMO
Watch
Scarf
Wallet
Suitsupply
Ls 39
Ecco
Ls 49.99
Cufflinks
Suitsupply
Ls 69
Watch
Laiks
Ls 349
Laiks
Ls 165
Gloves
Belt
Baltman
Ls 22.90
Ecco
Ls 54.99
Waistcoat
Baltman
Ls 47.90
Dress
Karen Millen
Ls 268
Brooch
Parfois
Ls 5.99
Shirt
Baltman
Ls 39.90
Tie
Suitsupply
Ls 25
Shoes
Baltman
Ls 202
Trousers
Mango
Ls 36.99
The biggest
Dress
Oasis
Ls 53
Gloves
Mango
Ls 32.99
Bracelet
Belt
Parfois
Ls 6.99
Cortefiel
Ls 20.99
news this season is the
arrival of Europe’s fifth largest textile group, the
Grupo Cortefiel, in Latvia. As a result, three of the
group’s stores – women’secret, Springfield and
Cortefiel were opened in November.
For an added taste of London charm in Riga,
check out the newly opened fashion clothing
and accessories stores Karen Millen and Oasis.
In other news, the 6th floor of the Galleria Riga
has been home to Blue Wonders (Zili brīnumi),
a knowledge-stimulation centre for children,
since the month of September. The centre’s
founders hope that visiting schoolchildren will
acquire an even greater motivation to excel
in their studies. In fact, the centre is a great
place to visit and learn new things not only for
children, but also for their parents.
The Galleria Riga is the perfect place for a
hearty meal during the holiday season, with
numerous restaurants on the 7th floor to suit all
tastes. You will find Italian, Japanese and Indian
establishments, to name just a few, as well as
a new Italian bistro.
Bow-tie
Necklace
Eletto
Ls 56
Paco Romano
Ls 4
Earrings
Diva
Ls 4.39
Clutch
Bra
Oasis
Ls 12
women’secret
Ls 12
Knickers
women’secret
Ls 10.99
Shoes
Gino Rossi
Ls 112.99
Clutch
Marella
Ls 75
Belt
Dress
Karen Millen
Ls 186
Eletto
Ls 87.50
BALTIC OUTLOOK / JANUARY 2013 / 63
OUTLOOK / PROMO
Health and wellness
rituals in Jūrmala
Jūrmala – your ticket to health, relaxation and
perfect harmony in all seasons, be it winter,
spring, summer or fall
64 / AIRBALTIC.COM
Publicity photos
The resort hotels and rehabilitation centres of Jūrmala
are known for their medical, rehabilitative and restorative
procedures, many of which employ local natural
resources that can be found only in Jūrmala. A diverse
array of spa procedures, specially designed to increase
overall health and well-being, can also be found in this
seaside town. Here you can imbibe local mineral waters
containing hydrogen sulphide, bromide or sodium
chloride; indulge yourself with medicinal mud baths and
body wraps; and relax with spa procedures that whisk
away stress and rejuvenate both body and mind.
The climate of Jūrmala is restorative and calming.
Even a simple walk along the seashore will improve
your well-being – the ionized sea breezes and airborne
phytoncides (released by the surrounding pine forests)
bolster the body’s thermoregulatory mechanisms and
improve both heart fitness and blood composition.
The light exercise will help your mind to relax and
your nervous system to strengthen itself. As you
take a healthy stroll along the beach, your eyes will
be rewarded with views of wooden architectural
masterpieces. Built at the turn of the 20th century, these
types of houses can be seen in few other places. The
historic resort town is also a haven for Nordic skiers
and pole walkers, being the perfect place for outdoor
activities, as well as for escaping from the hustle and
bustle of the big city.
If you have a hectic work life, then consider spending
your weekends in Jūrmala. The resort town’s hotels and
rehabilitation centres offer recreational and relaxing
opportunities for both adults and children, as well as
for couples or single travellers. Jūrmala is just as ideal a
spot for a romantic get-away as for a business meeting.
Its spa centres offer almost 500 different procedures,
during which specialists will recharge your body with
new energy, strength and health. In Jūrmala you can find
procedures offered nowhere else, due in part to the use
of sea water, mineral waters and medicinal mud found
only in the nearby Ķemeri National Park. Even the most
scrupulous guest will be surprised by the combination of
modern technologies and therapeutic natural resources
to be found in Jūrmala.
Among the procedures offered are amber therapy,
traditional medical procedures, aesthetic medical
procedures, relaxing spa programs, hydrotherapy –
including underwater massages, relaxing baths (pearl,
honey) and restorative baths (detox, etc.); various types
of massage (classic, aesthetic, therapeutic, firming),
including massages for children; body wraps that not
only have a relaxing and restorative effect, but that
also nourish the whole body by promoting the deep
absorption of essential micro-nutrients through the skin;
mechanically applied physical therapy modalities for both
medical (ionic therapy, electric muscle stimulation, etc.)
and preventive (vacuum massage, LPG procedures, spa
capsules) purposes; as well as magical juice detoxes that
cleanse the physique and harmonize the body and soul.
Sometimes, all it takes to feel great is a little break! BO
OUTLOOK / PROMO
» Baltic Beach Hotel*****
Baltic Beach Hotel, a 5* spa and conference
hotel right by the seacoast in Jūrmala. It
offers cosy guest rooms, European and
Italian restaurants, 10 conference halls, a
24-hour lobby bar, swimming pool with
heated sea water and one of the biggest spa
centres in Northern Europe.
» Amber Sea Hotel & Spa****
Elixir of Youth spa weekend (3
days/2 nights)
Package includes early check-in and late
check-out, breakfasts, dinners, daily visit to
the hotel’s aqua club (sauna, steam bath,
swimming pool), parking, Wi Fi and four spa
treatments per person.
Warm your body and soul by enjoying our winter
season special – DAY SPA 5x5. Spend three hours
in our spa for only for 25 LVL.
From 230 EUR per person
Discount for Baltic Outlook readers – 10 %*
DAY SPA 5x5 I
Express Slim spa weekend (3 days/
2 nights)
• Баня (Banya) visit (Russian and aroma
saunas, snow room, Jacuzzi under an open
sky and swimming pool);
• Cocoon spa capsule;
• Cosmetic body wrapping;
• Back massage 30 minutes;
• Green tea Spirit of bath.
DAY SPA 5x5 II
• The Garden water relaxation area (amber
sauna, old wood sauna with fireplace,
hammam Turkish bath, swimming pool with
cascades);
• Cosmetic body wrapping in Rasul Arabian
bath;
• Soap mask with peeling glove;
• Salt chamber;
• Ion foot detox.
Package includes early check-in and late
check out, breakfasts, dinners, daily visit to
the hotel’s aqua club (sauna, steam bath,
swimming pool), Wi Fi, parking and seven
spa treatments per person.
From 280 EUR per person
Discount for Baltic Outlook readers – 10 %*
www.amberhotel.lv
* Upon presentation of a magazine issue
Choose from: Wellness ritual, Green tea
ritual, Chocolate ritual, Wine Spa ritual,
Vitamy ritual, Geo Thalasso ritual, Amber
ritual, Beer ritual, “Golden shine” ritual,
Cherry ritual or Linden blossom ritual.
(A spa ritual contains different body treatments
and a massage, all delivered on the same day.)
Promotion code: Baltic Outlook
Offer valid until 31.01.2013
www.hoteljurmala.com
» Boutique Hotel Light House
Jūrmala
This complex is located right on the
seacoast, permitting visitors to enjoy the sea
air enriched with sated oxygen and ozone
directly from their hotel rooms.
Book Elite Business Class rooms at a 20%
discount – only for Baltic Outlook readers in
January and February.
Promotion code: Baltic Outlook – January
www.lhj.lv
» Hotel Jūrmala Spa****
Enjoy your best spa experience by treating
yourself to any face and body spa ritual.
What’s more, you’ll obtain a 15% discount!
www.tourism.jurmala.lv
Baltic Beach Hotel
DAY SPA 5x5 III
• Swimming pool with heated seawater;
• Gym and sauna visit;
• Ķemeri mud applications for feet;
• Back massage 30 minutes;
• Oxygen cocktails.
Offer is valid from 15.01.-31.05.2013., Monday to
Friday.
After the treatments you are welcome to enjoy
a special winter 5-course lunch/dinner at our
Caviar Club restaurant for only 20 Ls per person
(offer with wine – 35 Ls per person).
www.balticbeach.lv
How to get there
From the airport Riga by taxi (apr. 15 min.)
From Riga Central Station: by train or minibus.
If you want to explore the centre of Jūrmala,
ask for a ticket to Majori Station
BALTIC OUTLOOK / JANUARY 2013 / 65
OUTLOOK / GADGETS
TEXT BY ROGER NORUM | PUBLICITY PHOTOS
You got game
These great new playful gadgets will give you plenty of ways to ring in
the New Year right at home
QOOQ
No more greasing up your iPad
This ingenious, kitchen-ready tablet comes chock full of 1000
international recipes, detailed step-by-step through HD video, photos
and text. Recipes are searchable across cuisine type, difficulty level,
preparation time and ingredients. You can also create your own weekly
menus and shopping lists, and automatically adjust ingredient quantities
to suit the number of people per meal. The 10.1-inch splash-proof,
heat-resistant screen has waterproof buttons and non-slip feet. Available
in red, cream and black. Bon appétit!
349 EUR | www.qooq.com
Kymera Magic Wand
Command everything at home
Guaranteed to be a hit with kids from 8 to 88, this buttonless remote control
was originally funded on the BBC show Dragons’ Den. The infrared device
can learn up to 39 gesture-based commands, allowing you to tap, flick and
rotate to adjust volume, record a show or turn off the power. Can also be
trained to control iDevices, DVD players and stereos.
49.95 EUR | www.thewandcompany.com
Pico Genie P100
Cinema in a box
Pioneer DDJ WeGO
Spin like a pro anywhere
The first of its kind, this amazing, compact projector effectively transforms
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185 EUR | www.picopros.com
299 EUR | www.pioneer.eu
CARS
In association with Whatcar.LV
First drive:
the new
Range Rover
There’s still nothing else like the Range
Rover. Audi, BMW and Porsche all sell
SUVs that operate in the same sphere,
but not one of them is anything like as
statesmanlike. Or, arguably, manages to so
successfully marry on-road luxury with offroad ability.
No wonder, then, that the current car
is more popular than ever. It’s certainly
not flawless, though, and the all-new
version that’s just about to hit Land Rover
showrooms is designed to put that right.
This fourth-generation Range Rover is
more efficient and promises superior onand off-road credentials, with even more
luxurious and spacious accommodation.
It’s also considerably better equipped, but
pricier, too.
Aside from the sleeker – albeit slightly less
imposing – new look, the Range Rover’s
huge weight-saving is the most obvious
change. An aluminium body and a host of
other technologies have conspired to make
it up to 420 kg lighter than the outgoing
model. While other car makers are crowing
about 50-kg savings, this merely underlines
what an advance Land Rover has made.
The changes make the car around the same
weight as its rivals, with a big impact on fuel
economy. The entry-level engine is now a
CARS
V6 diesel, which is fine because the car is
to put up with a lot of body roll in corners
so much lighter. It joins a V8 diesel and a
if you opt for the V6 diesel model; the V8s
supercharged V8 petrol engine,
come with active anti-roll bars that
both of which are mildly more
help the car stay remarkably flat and
The new
powerful and fuel-efficient than
composed at all times.
Range Rover The new Range Rover is more
they were in the outgoing car.
remains
All come with an eight-speed
comfortable, too. You do feel some
striking,
auto box as standard, but only
patter over battered urban streets,
but has
the V6 has a stop-start system.
but it has genuine luxury saloon
suppleness at higher speeds.
become
What’s it like to drive?
Likewise, it quashes wind- and
sleeker
Drive the V6 diesel and you
than before road noise to the extent that only a
feel the benefits of the weight
Mercedes S-Class is quieter, and even
loss straight away. For starters,
then the margin is negligible.
the car feels as swift as the outgoing V8,
It might be a moot point for most would-be
both getting away from the line and for
owners, but there’s still little to reproach
overtaking.
the Range Rover off road. On the sand, rock
It’s quieter, too. We’ve become used to
and gravel we took it across in Morocco a
refined diesels, but this one is especially
couple of months back, it coped effortlessly.
cultured, even from start-up. In fact, the
Particularly clever and impressive is the
new diesel is now the engine of choice. It’s
new Terrain Response system that surveys
quieter than the V8 diesel and feels just as
the obstacles ahead and then selects the
fast in most circumstances.
optimum electronic setting to get you
If blistering, sports car pace is on your wish
through it.
list, then the V8 supercharged model does
What’s it like inside?
deliver, but it’s also addicted to gulping
One area where the Range Rover has always
petrol. You’d have to question the wisdom
exhibited its luxury credentials is in the
of buying one considering the fuel prices.
cabin. Quality of craftsmanship is even
Perhaps the major advantage of the weight
higher now and, thankfully, you still get the
savings – whatever the engine – is how
agile the Range Rover now feels. The old one terrific raised seating position and all-round
visibility.
wasn’t cumbersome, but there was always a
sense of you having to drive around some of The number of switches and buttons has
been cut in half, so there’s even more of a
its vices – stopping distances, for instance,
feeling of elegant restraint. Most functions
and the way you had to manhandle it
are now controlled through the large
through some corners.
touch-screen display, or using a menu in the
This time it feels crisper, requires a lot less
middle of the dials, although these can be
steering input and stops and turns with
distracting while on the move.
far more accuracy. That said, you still have
The most welcome improvement is for
rear passengers. A much longer wheelbase
means that it’s far easier to get into and out
of the vehicle. Once installed, you’ve got
five centimetres more knee room.
For the first time, there’s an ‘executive
seating’ option. It’s pricey, but you get two
individual electrically adjustable rear seats
instead of a bench, and a central tunnel
dividing them.
The boot is just as spacious as before and is
accessed through the traditional split-fold
tailgate, although this is now powered.
Should I buy one?
Absolutely, if you can afford it. The one
major irritation is that all this comes
with a sizeable hike in the Range Rover’s
price – by more than 10 000 EUR on
some models. If you can swallow this,
then there’s no denying that it’s a
magnificent ride.
The world’s best SUV? Easily. The world’s
best luxury car? That’s still debatable. BO
OUTLOOK / PROMO / DINING
Publicity photos
A bouquet of flavours,
Art Nouveau style
Kalēju iela 9/11, Riga
Tel. (+371) 67087580
E-mail: ambiente@kolonna.com
www.ambiente.lv
www.hotelkolonna.com
70 / AIRBALTIC.COM
At the turn of the 20th century, the opulent
Art Nouveau style flourished in Europe’s cities,
including Riga. Today, around 800 Art Nouveau
buildings are scattered throughout Latvia’s
capital, some of which are located in the old town.
One of these edifices houses Ambiente, the first
Art Nouveau restaurant in Riga. It can be found
on a winding, medieval cobbled street at Kalēju
iela 9/11. As was common during the Middle
Ages, street names arose from the trade shops
that lined them. Kalēju iela (Smiths’ Street) once
hosted several smithies. The building that hosts
the modern-day restaurant is part of the Konventa
Sēta hotel complex, which, in turn, is nestled into
one of the oldest quarters of Riga’s old town.
Most of us associate Art Nouveau with a certain
type of architecture. However, at Ambiente,
this distinct style is also evident in the interior
furnishings, food and even in the serving
methods of the dishes. The Art Nouveau era was
punctuated by several trends, including a return
to established values, the expression of personal
perspective, and meticulous attention to the
finest of details.
Ambiente has been set up as a typical early
20th-century flat and consists of five rooms –
a kitchen, a dining room, a living room, a cabinet
and a library. A large number of new features –
such as refrigerators, modern cookers and cast-iron
sinks equipped with faucets – were introduced
to kitchens at the beginning of the 1900s. Cooks
usually hung pots, pans and various utensils from
brass hooks lined above the stove-top. Generally,
the grandest room to be found in Art Nouveau flats
was the dining room. Here the family ate its daily
meals and held its celebratory dinners.
The living room served as a sitting room, where
the hosts received their guests and drank tea
OUTLOOK / PROMO / DINING
while discussing the latest events. The flat’s
menu at Ambiente also features sandwiches,
cabinet served two purposes: if the man
topped with boiled eggs and anchovies.
of the house held a professional position
About one century ago, dessert became
that required the receiving of clients (such
an obligatory dish with which to finish off
as a barrister, doctor or architect), then
a meal. This was partly due to Latvia’s entry
business was conducted in this room. At
into the sugar production industry.
other times, the room was used to pursue
In creating Ambiente’s menu, head
manly hobbies and interests. Upon passing
chef Māris Pastars looked for inspiration
through the doors of Ambiente, it is easy
in cookbooks and restaurant menus from
to feel yourself going back in time. The
the early 1900s. The cookbooks of that
decorative Art Nouveau style is reflected in
era also had separate sections on how to
the furnishings and drawings on the walls;
furnish and arrange rooms, as well as on
even magazines and photographs from the
how to best receive guests. Undoubtedly,
era have been put on display in the hallways. these manuals on home economics and
Ambiente’s head chef Māris Pastars says
hosting have yet to be surpassed. Pastars
that during the Art Nouveau
has combined the ideas he
At Ambiente, discovered with current trends
period, Riga’s menus were quite
Art
bountiful and that the dining
in European cuisine, thereby
culture played a significant part
setting up the restaurant’s
Nouveau
in daily life. Fish, wild game and
is evident three-part formula in creating
everything that can be grown in
dishes: one part flavours found
in the
home gardens and fields have
in traditional Art Nouveau foods,
interior,
traditionally been the mainstay of
one part popular ingredients of
food and
Latvian cuisine. At the beginning
the time, and one part moderneven in the day cooking principles. Potatoes,
of the 20th century, hunting was
serving
no longer a necessity for survival,
mushrooms and fish were highly
but rather filled a ritual function.
methods
favoured back then, which is why
For aristocrats, hunting provided
Pastars recommends trying the
the opportunity to showcase one’s mastery
beer-batter-dipped fried herring with a
at mimicking deer calls and reading animal
warm potato-and-pickle salad on the side,
tracks in the forest. Interestingly enough,
or the beef stroganoff with wild mushrooms
it is because of the barons’ passion for
and a crispy potato pancake.
hunting that there is now such a healthy
Ambiente features background music
number of moose in Latvia’s forests. It was
from the Art Nouveau period, and single
only about 100 years ago that moose, which diners are encouraged to leaf through the
had been raised in captivity up until then,
restaurant’s collection of books on the
were released into the wild – eventually
golden age of Art Nouveau. Ambiente is one
forming the plentiful populations found in
of three restaurants owned by the Kolonna
Latvia today.
Hotels Group, and thereby reflects the
Although the aristocrats were brought
company’s commitment to providing only
up to behave with good manners, they
the best in service and comfort. The other
were still fond of simple dishes. In order to
two restaurants – Rozalija in Rēzekne and
upgrade ordinary ingredients to restaurantAlexis in Cēsis – also feature local dishes and
quality levels, chefs imparted them with
traditions, in accordance with the wishes
original and exotic spices, and tried to
of their patrons: Rozalija serves Latgalian
present the dishes in creative ways. Openfavourites and hosts special musical
faced sandwiches were popular, and since
evenings, while Alexis focuses on European
the various cold-cuts and sausages were
cuisine and themed wine evenings.
usually made in-house, they were fancy
Naturally, Ambiente reveals in the majesty of
enough to be included as appetizers. The
Riga’s Art Nouveau period. BO
Māris Pastars
BALTIC OUTLOOK / JANUARY 2013 / 71
OUTLOOK / PROMO / DINING
Pretty darling of
a historic street
Jauniela 16, Riga
Hours:
Mon.–Sun. 12:00–23:00
(+371) 67 22 01 71
1221@apollo.lv
www.1221.lv
72 / AIRBALTIC.COM
Jauniela, one of Riga’s oldest streets, has never lacked
in beauty. It has even “acted” in a number of films,
doubling as London’s Baker Street, the home of Sherlock
Holmes; as the Rue Dante in German-occupied Paris or
as the fateful Blumenstrasse in Bern in a serial about
Stierlitz, the fictional Soviet spy.
From whatever angle you catch it, the cobble-stoned
Jauniela nearly never misses making a postcard out
PUBLICITY PHOTOS
of a photo. If you retrace your steps a little along the
intersecting Krāmu iela, then behind a building with a
flowery blue façade (which looks like a real treat), you’ll
see the tower of the legendary Dome Cathedral. This
beautiful building now houses 1221, one of the city’s
best restaurants. A wooden edifice once stood on this
same site some 800 years ago, serving as the home of
the founder of Riga, Bishop Albert.
No matter how rich the presence of history in the
three floors of the restaurant, which is visited every so
often by guide-led tourist groups, 1221 puts it focus on
the art of fine food. During the two years since it was
founded, 1221 has achieved high rankings among Riga’s
restaurants in Tripadvisor, earning the praise of local
Riga residents, tourists and celebrities from both Latvia
and abroad.
Receiving VIPs isn’t always simple. When 1221 began
its operations, its staff didn’t know a great deal about
the protocol for receiving important officials. Now,
after having hosted such prominences as Herman van
Rompuy, the President of the European Council, 1221
has learned all the tricks of the trade.
1221’s head chef Roberts Smilga has had the honour
of serving numerous politicians, show business
stars and other illustrious personalities. One of his
observations is that unlike what people might think,
famous people are often not overly choosy when
coming in for a private meal. That’s one of the reasons
why Smilga doesn’t overcomplicate his menu. It
features a simple but thorough introduction to Latvian
national specialties, and the same principles apply to
1221’s versions of Russian, Italian, French and other
cuisines, featuring simple textures and flavours without
overdone twists.
1221 has already announced its latest news: the
opening of a second restaurant, Albert’s 1221, in the
quiet centre of Riga. It is located on Antonijas iela 13
(entrance from Alberta iela) at one of the city’s main Art
Nouveau arteries. When Baltic Outlook ran into Smilga,
he was tossing ideas around for the menu of the new
restaurant. Whether in Old Riga or in the quiet centre, at
1221 you can be sure of a special atmosphere, invariably
high quality and friendly service at any time, including
on public holidays. BO
TEXT BY LAURA KENINS AND KATE KRUMINA | PUBLICITY PHOTOS
Restaurants, bars and cafés
Fly to 5 cities
in the Baltic states
with airBaltic from
€29*
3 pavāru restorāns,
Riga
When we first wrote about this
newcomer to the Riga restaurant
scene in 2011, it looked
incredibly creative, colourful and
promising – three things which,
taken together and applied
to the restaurant business,
rarely last. Well, we’re happy to
announce that this place has
gotten only better. 3 pavāru
restorāns translates as “three
chefs’ restaurant” and really is
staffed by a team of three top
Latvian chefs – Ēriks Dreibants,
Mārtiņš Sirmais and Jānis
Sproģis – who give each each
other a helping hand to ensure
that no one burns out in this fast
and demanding business.
Set on two floors in Riga’s old
town, this is a solid platform
for culinary pleasures, with a
short and quickly rotating menu.
For starters, think of a creamy
topinambour (i.e. Jerusalem
artichoke) soup or a Camembert
cheese from a place that you
may have never heard of before
(from Rucava, a town in Latvia’s
southwest corner). For the
mains, try something from the
wide selection of seafood and
fish, as the same chefs also
work at the nearby fish bistro
3 zivis (three fish). Among the
exotic combinations is a fillet
of flounder with ox tails. As
for classical options, 3 pavāru
restorāns offers excellent duck
breast and marble steak.
The chefs prefer local and
seasonal products, and
have perfectly mastered the
sous-vide or vacuum cooking
technologies, under which food
is heated at lower temperatures
and over a longer period of
time. This preserves its colour,
flavour and taste much better
than ordinary cooking methods.
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 12:00-23:00,
Sat.-Sun. 11:00-23:00
Torņa iela 4, Jēkaba kazarmas 2 B
(+371) 20370537
www.3pavari.lv
* Price available for bookings at least 5 months in advance
FOOD & DRINK
FOOD & DRINK
Boheem, Tallinn
Although properties in Tallinn’s
Kalamaja neighbourhood were
already being bought up by
artists as far back as the late
1980s, for nearly two decades
the area lacked eateries to
serve its residents. Boheem
changed that when it opened
five years ago.
“Everyone said I was mad, that
there was no point in opening
a café or restaurant here”,
manager Harry Randma recalls.
He had been living in the
neighbourhood and lamenting
the fact that there was nowhere
to go for a cup of coffee. It took
just a few months before his
restaurant was “really busy”, and
other restaurants have since
cropped up.
With a low-key but sophisticated
atmosphere (the building won
an award for its renovation
the year after the restaurant
opened), the establishment is
an ideal spot for either lunch
or an evening glass of wine.
Everything is made on site
and from scratch, including
preserves and desserts. Luckily
for those who’ve lived abroad,
Boheem offers that most elusive
meal in Europe – brunch – with
a full selection of crêpes, eggs
and bacon, frittatas, potatoes
and porridge for late mornings
or lazy afternoons.
The menu changes twice a
year, but pancakes and Caesar
salad, the most popular items,
are always available. The rest of
the menu offers mostly lighter
fare, with a range of salads,
soups, quiches, wraps and pasta
dishes. The chefs throw in some
interesting Estonian twists, like
a black bread quiche with ham
and sun-dried tomatoes, or
“fiery dumplings” in jalapeno and
cheese sauce. They continually
experiment and try new things.
Although it’s a convenient
distance from the market
and train station, as well as a
short walk from the old town,
Boheem is not the spot for a
quick lunch because everything
is made from scratch. Allow
enough time for the chefs to do
their thing and for a second cup
of coffee.
Mon-Fri 9:00-23:00, Sat 10:0023:00 (kitchen closes 21:45)
Kopli 18, Tallinn
(+372) 6311 928
www.boheem.ee
WINTER HOME ACCESSORIES COLLECTION
Winter Wonderland
01.12.2012.- 31.01.2013
Old Riga,
Kalku street 3,
open: every day from 10 AM- 11 PM
LIVE MUSIC ON WEEKENDS
airBaltic
Vaasa*
Moscow Sheremetyevo
Moscow Domodedovo
Amsterdam
PRAGUE
from Jaunuary
Budapest
Venice*
RIJEKA
Nice*
from June 6
HEVIZBALATON
from May 4
Chisinau*
Odessa*
Simferopol*
Tashkent*
Bari*
OLBIA
Baku*
from May 4
Athens*
LARNACA
MALTA
from April 6
from May 11
* Seasonal flights.
** Operated in cooperation with tour operator Tez Tour.
Hurghada**
Sharm el-Sheikh**
Welcome
aboard airBaltic!
78 airBaltic news / 80 Behind the scenes / 82 Booking classes / 83 Meals
84 BalticMiles / 88 Fleet / 89 Flight map / 92 Contacts
airBaltic / NEWS
Publicity and Corbis / Scanpix photos
Prague
New flights to Prague starting in January
airBaltic is opening a new route from Riga to Prague in the Czech
Republic, starting from January 2013.
Prague is one of the most beautiful and picturesque cities in
Central Europe, with a vibrant cultural scene and great restaurants.
The old town is particularly enchanting, with many churches and
other historical sites, not to mention Old Town Square – the heart of
Prague since the 10th century. There is no shortage of cultural events
to suit all tastes, including performances by the world’s leading
pop music and opera stars. Prague is also known as a gastronomic
destination. From tasty street food to fine dining, there is no
shortage of variety in the food on offer. After a good meal, head out
to enjoy the city’s lively night life.
airBaltic now flies three times per week to Prague. One-way ticket
prices from Riga start from 41 EUR. Transit flights from the Baltics
and Scandinavia through Riga start from 59 EUR.
Check in or drop the baggage at Business Class
counter with Economy Class ticket.
airBaltic / NEWS
New attractive destinations coming next summer
Larnaca, Cyprus, from April 6
Sun, white sand and the sparkling blue
Mediterranean Sea. It’s hard to imagine a
better place for a beach holiday. Cyprus offers
a fascinating underwater world to discover for
snorkellers and divers. However, if you’re more
interested in history than in sand and surf, then
you’re also in luck, as there are lots of ancient
archaeological sites to visit. Cyprus has been
nicknamed the island of Aphrodite or island
of love, as it is the location of various myths
surrounding the Greek goddess of love and
beauty. This legendary background, along with
the island’s inviting and relaxed atmosphere,
draws many young couples to choose Cyrus as
the place for celebrating their nuptials.
Heviz-Balaton, Hungary, from May 4
Nicknamed the Hungarian Sea, Lake
Balaton is known for its silky green-yellow
waters in the middle of Transdanubia.
The 77-kilometre-long lake is one of
Hungary’s most precious natural treasures
and a popular resort, offering a wide
range of thermal spas. The southern
shores of the largest lake in Central
Europe are ideal for small children
because of the shallow water, while on
the north shore the water gets deep
much more quickly. Picturesque vineyards
in the region produce an assortment of
excellent wines that go very well with the
delicious local food.
airBaltic will fly from Riga to Larnaca on
Saturdays, with one-way ticket prices starting
from 84 EUR.
airBaltic will fly from Riga to Balaton on
Saturdays, with one-way ticket prices
starting from 41 EUR.
airBaltic will fly from Riga to Malta on Saturdays, with one-way
ticket prices starting from 84 EUR.
Malta, Marsaxlokk Port
Olbia, Sardinia, from May 4
Sardinia is known for its turquoise sea,
white sandy beaches, mountain peaks,
valleys of citrus groves, wine and tasty
food. The island is a popular destination for
boating, windsurfing, hiking, climbing and
camping. And of course, one cannot fail to
mention Sardinia’s simple yet tasty Italian
cuisine, with seafood, pasta and lots of local
delicacies for you to enjoy.
airBaltic will fly from Riga to Olbia on
Wednesdays and Saturdays, with one-way
ticket prices starting from 84 EUR.
Balaton
Malta, from May 11
From its North African and Arabic influences (listen carefully to the
local language) to its Sicilian-inspired cuisine, Malta is a microcosm
of the Mediterranean. Its rich historical heritage beckons at
practically every step, with unique prehistoric temples and various
museums worth visiting. No holiday in Malta is complete without a
visit to its beaches, which are not as large as on other islands, but no
less charming. The numerous small coves that dot the shoreline are
particularly charming.
Sardinia
Croatia
© Mladen ŠCerbe, Croatian tourism board
Rijeka, Croatia, from June 6
The clear blue waters of the Adriatic Sea make Croatia a beach
lover’s paradise at the crossroads of Central Europe and the Balkans.
The country boasts family beaches with gentle coves of pebbles
or stones, well-hidden romantic sandy beaches, tidy town beaches
and beach promenades for partying and having fun. Furthermore,
Croatia offers a lot to discover for history buffs (with several sites
on UNESCO’s World Heritage List). Don’t forget to try out the local
cuisine, which features many seafood specialties prepared in various
ways, thanks to Greek, Italian and French influences.
airBaltic will fly from Riga to Rijeka on Thursdays, with one-way
ticket prices starting from 55 EUR.
BALTIC OUTLOOK / JANUARY 2013 / 79
airBaltic / BEHIND THE SCENES
Dace Bērziņa-Zalpētere,
Assistant to the CEO
Text by Ieva Šmite
Photo by Lauris Viksne, f64
If you have a meeting arranged with Martin
Alexander Gauss, airBaltic’s Chief Executive
Officer, then the first person you will meet at his
Riga Airport office is Dace Bērziņa-Zalpētere,
his personal assistant. Her bright smile and
peaceful demeanour are sure to make you think
that any problem is just a small hitch that can
quickly be resolved
80 / AIRBALTIC.COM
The idea for this interview came from Dace’s colleagues,
who often come to her with one request or another.
“Dace is a very good colleague. She is optimistic, openminded and has proved herself as someone we can rely
on. Her capabilities, knowledge and positive attitude
make Dace not only a wonderful person, but also
a pleasure to work with,” says Ingus Bērziņš, airBaltic’s
corporate account sales manager.
Dace’s main task is to ensure that her boss’ day
runs smoothly. Besides organizing Mr. Gauss’ calendar
and meetings, she is sometimes responsible for his
correspondence and also helps out airBaltic’s two other
board members.
It’s hard to top the praise that Mr. Gauss has for his
personal assistant: “With Dace at my side, I can work
effectively and lead the company. She knows how to take
care of things. I don’t even have to assign tasks to her, as
Dace herself knows what has to be done and organizes
it so that I don’t have any unnecessary worries, and I can
concentrate on my work. I value Dace very highly, both as
a professional and as a sincere and pleasant person.”
Dace has worked at airBaltic since February of 2004,
when she started out as a flight attendant. “Before that,
I worked at an export agency for wood products. It was a
successful company and I had a good position there, but
I wanted to change something,” says Dace.
“So I left the company. I was 26 years old and sent
an application letter to airBaltic, which seemed like an
attractive place to work. I didn’t have the faintest idea
of what I might do there and was quite surprised when
someone from the company contacted me the next day.
I was invited to an interview, as a vacancy had come up
in the sales department. The interviewer was a lady from
the human resources department. The job in question
involved business trips and being away a lot, but I had
a family and my son was only two years old. We both
agreed that that position wasn’t really for me. When I got
up out of my chair to leave, she looked at me and said,
‘You know, I started my career here as a stewardess, and
we are putting together a new group of flight attendants.
There’s one free spot left and training starts next week.
Would you like to join the others?’
“There hadn’t been any discussion about a
stewardess’s position and I hadn’t even considered such
an option. Maybe because it was so unexpected, I told
her that I’d think about it. I thought it over during the
drive home and said: why not? Initially, my husband
wasn’t happy about my decision, but I went ahead with
it and started working at airBaltic as a flight attendant.
I discovered many things about myself while in that
position. I was continually helping people and really liked
that. We agreed that I’d initially work for six months and
try it out, but I stayed on for three years, and for the last
two as a senior flight attendant.”
airBaltic / BEHIND THE SCENES
Dace’s colleague Inese Peinberga, a senior cabin crew
member, worked together with her as a flight attendant.
“You cannot fail to notice Dace – tall, beautiful and always
composed. However, her main quality is the magical way
in which she can make any dispute between colleagues
or customers end with a win/win result. Flying together,
you get to know a person in the most unusual situations,
and I have to admit that she emerged from all of them as
a graceful soul.”
However, Dace’s health began to suffer due to her
irregular schedule, so she was offered a place in office
administration, where she worked for a year-and-a-half.
Then the CEO at the time, Bertolt Flick, invited her to
become his personal assistant.
“Obviously I’ve been lucky to find and to do work that
I truly like,” she says. “There are people who do their work
and do it very well, but don’t feel entirely satisfied. It’s a
fantastic feeling to get up in the morning and head off
to the office with a smile on your face. A new day with
new challenges, events and people awaits me. Each
day offers something new. Sometimes things don’t flow
very smoothly and the position can be stressful. There
may be precious little time to get something done, or
due to some external, unpredictable circumstances, my
seemingly perfect plan for the day falls to pieces. You just
have to get on with it and reorganize things.”
Michael Grimme, airBaltic’s chief commercial officer,
says that Dace provides the office with an extra positive
atmosphere. “That not only works to the benefit of the
CEO, but also to airBaltic’s other employees and of course,
Mr. Gauss’ visitors.”
Dace can now be seen in airBaltic’s new calendar
for the year 2013. Her photo accompanies the
month of January. “The shooting took place at
photographer Aleksandrs Sokolovs’ studio. The make
up, hairdressing and photography took several hours to
complete. I was a little worried in the beginning, as I was
being photographed at a professional studio for the very
first time. I didn’t know how to move and what to do, but
the end result was quite good and I enjoyed it.”
The airBaltic calendar features creative photos of the
airline’s stewardesses and other employees. Mr. Gauss also
supported the idea, intensively taking part in the selection
and evaluation of the final photographs. This year’s
calendar is a little bolder than previous issues, leaving no
one indifferent.
The new airBaltic calendar can be purchased at
www.airbalticshop.com in either wall or desk format. BO
Latvia +371 67207121 I Lithuania +370 52395636 I Estonia +372 6058148 I International +49 1805 23 22 22
on
Promoti:
e
d
Co
9848219
The best gift for the winter holidays in Baltics comes from Sixt.
(Between 1 Dec 2012 and 31 Jan 2013 rent eg. a VW Golf (or similar) in Latvia, Lithuania or Estonia for only 29g/day.
For more information and bookings, please visit www.sixt.com/airbaltic)
sx07768_AZ_AirBaltic_Bordmagazin.indd 2
09.11.2012 14:20:55
airBaltic / BOOKING CLASSES
A class
to suit your needs
Each passenger is unique and each has different
demands. In order to help you better design
a trip that suits your individual needs, we are now
offering five different ticket types on airBaltic
flights. Compare the travel conditions and services
offered and choose the class that suits you best.
Business
Flex
One-way ticket price
example Riga –
Budapest
Travel date/time
change
Cancellation with
refund
Advance seat
reservation
Hand baggage
Checked-in baggage
Sports equipment
from EUR 585
Business
Economy Flex
Economy
Basic
from EUR 395
(available no
later than 10 days
before departure)
from EUR 385
from EUR 125
from EUR 45
EUR 50 per direction
EUR 100 per direction
from EUR 3
2 pieces
2 pieces
3 pieces,
30 kg total
3 pieces,
30 kg total
1 piece
from EUR 3
1 piece
1 piece
1 piece, 20 kg
1 piece, 20 kg
EUR 30 per piece per
direction if purchased
at www.airbaltic.com
EUR 30 per piece per
direction if purchased
at www.airbaltic.com
1 piece
EUR 19,99 per piece
per direction if
purchased together
with flight ticket at
www.airbaltic.com
EUR 30 per piece per
direction if purchased
at www.airbaltic.com
EUR 10
EUR 10
EUR 10
EUR 36 access to
lounge in Riga Airport
from 9 EUR for hot
meal, preorder or buy
on board
EUR 36 access to
lounge in Riga Airport
from 9 EUR for hot
meal, preorder or buy
on board
EUR 36 access to
lounge in Riga Airport
from 9 EUR for hot
meal, preorder or buy
on board
Front cabin
Economy cabin
Economy cabin
Economy cabin
10 Points for each
EUR spent
from EUR 50
5 Points for each EUR
spent
from EUR 50
5 Points for each EUR
spent
from EUR 50
1 Point for each
EUR spent
1 piece
Priority check-in
Security Fast track
Business lounge
Meals and drinks
International press
Seating
Free seat next to you
Front cabin
BalticMiles Points
earned from ticket
purchase
10 Points for
each EUR
spent
Available free of charge
82 / AIRBALTIC.COM
Not available
airBaltic / MEALS
Onboard menu
Business Class
On airBaltic flights, Business Class customers enjoy
a complimentary full meal that includes an appetizer,
a main course, dessert, and a wide range of beverages and
alcoholic drinks.
On flights from/to Barcelona, Istanbul, Helsinki,
Lappeenranta, Palanga, Turku, Tallinn, Vilnius, Kaunas,
Tampere, Vaasa, Bergen, Billund, Aalesund, Stavanger and
Chisinau Business Class customers are offered food and
beverages from a special menu.
Economy Class
Economy Class customers can purchase a selection of snacks,
sandwiches, paninis, croissants and drinks (soft and alcoholic)
from the airBaltic Cafe. Hot meals are also available on flights
longer than two hours.
Order your meal
before the flight
Chef ’s offer
EUR 15
• Prosciutto ham with Emmentaler
cheese
• Venison roulade with grilled vegetables
• Pear cake
• Red wine or orange juice
If you would like to choose from a much
wider selection of meals than available on
board, then order your meal before your
flight.
Our extensive pre-order menu offers
more than 20 different meals, including
special dietary and kids’ dishes.
You can pre-order your meal while
you book your flight ticket or anytime
later, up to 24 hours before the flight,
under the Manage booking section at
www.airbaltic.com.
Breakfast
Cold meal
EUR 9
• Omelette with mushrooms, with home
fries and vegetables
• Yogurt and croissant
• Orange juice
EUR 9
• Chicken roll with mushrooms, paprika
and yogurt sauce
• Fruit dessert
• Red wine or orange juice
BALTIC OUTLOOK / JANUARY 2013 / 83
airBaltic / BalticMiles
airBaltic / BalticMiles
Ask the flight attendant for your BalticMiles card
and start earning straight away!
Register your card online after the flight at register.balticmiles.com and get 50 bonus Points.
Keep earning Points for everyday things like travelling, shopping, eating out and having fun and spend
them on free flights and other great rewards – that easy!
BalticMiles is the airBaltic frequent flyer programme and the leading multipartner loyalty programme in the Nordics.
Fly airBaltic and earn
Membership levels
10 Points for each EUR spent on a
Business Class ticket
Basic
5 Points for each EUR spent on an
Economy Class ticket
VIP
1 Point for each EUR spent on a Basic
Class ticket
Claim Points later
If you have forgotten to show your card, or
maybe didn’t know that you’ve shopped at a
BalticMiles partner, BalticMiles offers you the
option to retroactively claim your Points –
even get Points for fights you’ve flown up
to 30 days before becoming a member! Just
contact a BalticMiles Member Service and
we’ll sort everything out.
Executive
The more you fly, the greater the
privileges, which include a free
luggage allowance, no queues,
reserved seats and much more to
make travelling easier.
Earn Status Points and enjoy
a whole new world of comfort and
convenience!
Spend Points on
airBaltic flights
Exchange your Points for free flights
from just 4200 Points
Upgrade your ticket to Business
Class from just 8000 Points
BalticMiles Member Service
In Latvia: (+371) 6728 0280
In Estonia: (+372) 630 6660
In Lithuania: (+370) 7005 5665
info@balticmiles.com
www.balticmiles.com
BALTIC OUTLOOK / JANUARY 2013 / 85
airBaltic / BalticMiles
ew
N
The Latvian National Theatre
The Latvian National Theatre has
established a unique position on the
Latvian theatre scene and in the heart
of the audience by offering a versatile
repertory and glamorous atmosphere
for over 90 years. Earn Points by
expanding your theatrical horizons!
ew
N
Attirance
Earn 50 Points
Feel the touch of nature in an exquisite
setting, recreating 18th century France
in the very heart of Riga, at Attirance
Spa, as well as bring that feeling into
your own bathroom with a wide range
of natural cosmetics made exclusively
by Attirance.
Earn 10 Points
for tickets priced LVL 1 – 7
for each LVL spent
Earn 100 Points
for tickets priced LVL 8 – 20
ew
N
Thomson Furniture
One of the most important players
in the office furniture market in
Latvia, Thomson Furniture is the
official representative of Narbutas
Furniture Company, a leading furniture
manufacturer in Eastern Europe
providing functional and elegant office
furniture of high quality.
ew
N
Kin Leaves scratch resistant vinyl skins
protect and enhance your gadgets
and send a powerful message about
their owner. A wide range of designs,
available for virtually any device out
there – order online easily and get free
shipping worldwide!
Earn 1 Point
Earn 10 Points
for each LVL spent
ew
N
for each LVL spent
X-dental
ew
Enthusiastic professionals at X-dental
love smiles and will take excellent care
of yours. Have all dental issues solved
effectively and use the great discount
system to save money.
N
Earn up to 10 Points
for each LVL spent
for each LVL spent
ew
INRE
ew
Located in the very centre of Riga, at
Radisson Blu Hotel Latvija on Brīvības
Street, INRE scandinavian design store
offers a wide range of design interior
items for home and office as well as
the best selection of Latvian design
souvenirs.
Earn 2 Points
for each LVL spent
86 / AIRBALTIC.COM
ReCure
Health recovery and education centre
ReCure offers treatments, yoga and
exercise as well as advice on improving
health in the long term. Reduce stress,
solve back issues, improve skin health,
detox the body and reduce headaches.
And earn Points!
Earn 7 Points
N
Kin Leaves
N
ekopreces.lv
The first organic goods online store
in Latvia, ekopreces.lv provides
convenient shopping for everything
organic – certified quality items
with clearly indicated origin and
ingredients. Earn Points for your green
and healthy lifestyle!
Earn 5 Points
for each LVL spent
airBaltic / BalticMiles
ew
N
Great to spend
Rinno
Located in a quiet street in Vilnius
Old Town, hotel Rinno has a cosy
and home-like atmosphere to which
guests love to return, as well as a lovely
location, reasonable prices, delicious
breakfast buffet, free internet and
professional service.
There are more than 3000 rewards to choose from the
shop.balticmiles.com and more than 40 000 digital records in
BalticMiles Music shop.
Elīna Garanča —
Romantique Album
Earn 300 Points
for each stay
1 700 Points
ew
N
Hotel Vyturys
Hotel Vyturys is an economy class
two-star hotel near Palanga seaside
resort Botanical Park, away from the
city noise. Also numerous wellness
programmes are provided here,
including over 60 medical procedures
and prophylactic treatment and
recreation.
Earn 1 Point
Pica LéLa Necklace
“Crown”
11 105 Points
Earn Double Points till May 31.
for each LTL spent
ew
N
Tommy Hilfiger “tommy”
EDC 100ml
Žilvinas
Hotel Žilvinas is situated in a pine
wood near the sea, at the very heart
of Palanga seaside resort. It also has
its own aesthetics and beauty centre
and a restaurant for grand celebrations
or nice evenings with friends, family,
or alone.
12 840 Points
Earn Double Points till May 31.
Marley GET UP STAND
UP™ Audio System
Earn up to 2 Points
for each LTL spent
57 247 Points
ew
N
Rehabilitation Center Baltija
Rehabilitation Centre in Palanga
seaside resort provides supreme
specialized inpatient rehabilitation
services (rehabilitation II), supportive
rehabilitation and ambulatory
rehabilitation, as well as sanatoriumcommercial treatment.
Earn Double Points till May 31.
Pippi Longstocking
Backpack
7 302 Points
Earn 1 Point
for each LTL spent
All the prices displayed include shipping costs to Latvia. Prices and availability of rewards
are subject to change and may vary by delivery country.
BALTIC OUTLOOK / JANUARY 2013 / 87
airBaltic / FLEET
NEWS
Boeing 737-300
Number of seats 142/144/146
Max take-off weight 63 metric tons
Max payload 14.2 metric tons
Boeing 737-500
Number of seats 120
Max take-off weight 58 metric tons
Max payload 13.5 metric tons
Length 29.79 m
Length 32.18 m
Wing span 28.9 m
Wing span 31.22 m
Cruising speed 800 km/h
Cruising speed 800 km/h
Commercial range 3500 km
Commercial range 3500 km
Fuel consumption 3000 l/h
Fuel consumption 3000 l/h
Engine CFM56-3C-1
Q400 NextGen
76
29.6 metric tons
8.6 metric tons
Fokker 50
Number of seats 46/50/52
Max take-off weight 20.8 metric tons
Max payload 4.9 metric tons
32.83 m
Length 25.3 m
28.42 m
Wing span 29.0 m
667 km/h
Cruising speed 520 km/h
2084 km
Commercial range 1300 km
1074 l/h
Fuel consumption 800 l/h
P&W 150A
airBaltic codeshare partners
88 / AIRBALTIC.COM
Engine CFM56-3
Engine P&W 125 B
Kittila
Rovaniemi
Lulea
Kuusamo
Oulu
Skelleftea
Umea
* Seasonal flights.
** Operated in cooperation with tour operator Tez Tour.
Kristiansund
Kuopio
Vaasa*
Sundsvall
Chicago
Borlange
Bergen
Karlstad
Tartu
Gothenburg
Halmstad
Jonkoping
Vaxjo
Visby
Oskarshamn
Kristianstad
Westerland
Gdansk
Dublin
Hanover
Dresden
Prague
Cologne/Bonn
L’viv
Saarbrucken
Karlsruhe/
Baden Baden
Ivano Frankivsk
Budapest
Geneva
Dnipropetrovsk
Donetsk
Chisinau*
Heviz-Balaton
Odessa*
Trieste
Rijeka
Venice*
Simferopol*
Belgrade
La Coruna
Oviedo
Santander
Bilbao
Bucharest
Nice*
Vigo
Burgas
Olbia
Madrid
Pescara
Naples
Menorca
Valencia
Ibiza
Bari*
Brindisi
Palma de Mallorca
Alicante
Seville
Granada
Athens*
Malaga
Antalya
Malta
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Las Palmas
Heraklion
Larnaca
Beirut
Casablanca
Amma
Doha
Sharm el-Sheik
Hurghada**
Arkhangelsk
Dnipropetrovsk
Donetsk
Simferopol*
Almaty
Tashkent*
Yerevan
Dushanbe
naca
*
Baku*
Beirut
Amman
Sharm el-Sheikh**
Tromso
* Seasonal flights.
** Operated in cooperation with tour operator Tez Tour.
Kittila
Rovaniemi
Kuusamo
Lulea
Oulu
Skelleftea
Umea
Kristiansund
Kuopio
Vaasa*
Sundsvall
Borlange
Tartu
Visby
Gothenburg
Oskarshamn
Halmstad
Kristianstad
Tashkent*
Westerland
Gdansk
Baku*
Dublin
Hanover
Dresden
Prague
Cologne/Bonn
Donetsk
Dnipropetrovsk
L’viv
Saarbrucken
Karlsruhe/
Baden Baden
Simferopol*
Ivano Frankivsk
Budapest
Geneva
Chisinau*
Heviz-Balaton
Odessa*
Venice* Trieste
Rijeka
Belgrade
Santander
La Coruna
Vigo
Bilbao
Bucharest
Nice*
Oviedo
Burgas
Olbia
Madrid
Valencia
Ibiza
Pescara
Naples
Bari*
Brindisi
Menorca
Palma de Mallorca
Alicante
Seville
Granada
Malaga
Athens*
Malta
Sharm el-Sheikh** Larnaca
Hurghada**
Antalya
airBaltic / CONTACTS
Country/City Ticket offices
Airport Ticket Offices
AUSTRIA
Vienna
airBaltic Germany
Hauptstrasse 117, D-10827 Berlin
☎ 0820600830 local calls
(EUR 0.17/min)
service@airbaltic.de
Airport Schwechat
Terminal 2
Airport Ticket Office Celebi Ground Handling
☎ +431 700736394
Country/City Ticket offices
Airport Ticket Offices
Country/City Ticket offices
Hamburg
Airport Fuhlsbuttel
Terminal 1, Departure Hall
Airport Ticket Office AHS
☎ +49 (0) 4050753672
RUSSIA
Munich
Airport Munich
Terminal 1
Airport Ticket Office AHS
☎ +49/89 975 92553
Moscow
airBaltic Russia
28 Tverskaya Str., Building 2
Business Center “Amerop”
125009 Moscow
☎ +7 (495) 2217213
moscow@airbaltic.com
International Airport Sheremetjevo
Terminal E
Airport Ticket Office DAVS
☎ +7 (495) 9564661
St.Petersburg
airBaltic
Bolshaya Morskaya Str. 53/8
190000 St.Petersburg
☎ +7 (812) 5700597
F: +7 (812) 5718654
zam@airbaltic.com
Airport Pulkovo
Terminal 2
Airport Ticket Office
LTD North-West Transport Agency
Kaliningrad
Airport Khrabrovo
Airport Ticket Office airBaltic / Aviapartner
AZERBAIJAN
Greece
Baku
Improtex Travel
16. S. Vurgun Str. Baku
AZ1000, Azarbaijan
☎ +994 124989239
info@improtex-travel.com
booking@improtex-travel.com
Athens
Tal Aviation
44 Ihous str.
17564 - P.Faliro
☎ +30 210 9341500
F: +30 210 9341620
airbaltic@tal-aviation.gr
BELARUS
Minsk
airBaltic Belarus
19 Pobeditelei Av., 6
☎ +375 172269043
tat@airbaltic.com
Airport Minsk 2
3rd floor
Airport Ticket Office airBaltic
☎ +375 172792568,
☎ +44 7792568
BELGIUM
Brussels
Air Agencies Belgium
153 A Vilvoordelaan
1930 Zaventem
☎ +32 (0) 27126427
airbaltic@airagencies.be
ISRAEL
Vaclav Havel Prague Airport
Terminal T2
Airport Ticket Office Air Dispatch s.r.o.
☎ +420 220117540
ITALY
DENMARK
Copenhagen
Budapest Airport
Airport Ticket Office Celebi Ground Handling
Hungary
ESTONIA
Tallinn
☎ 17107 (0.51 EUR/min, local
calls only)
tallinn@airbaltic.com
FINLAND
Helsinki
Helsinki-Vantaa Airport Terminal 1
Airport Ticket Office airBaltic / Havas
Lappeenranta
Lappeenranta Airport
Linate Airport
Airport Ticket Office A.R.E. SrL
Rome
Leonardo de Vinci –
Fiumicino Airport
Terminal 3, Departure Hall
Airport Ticket Office A.R.E SRL
Riga
☎ 90001100
(0.37 LVL/min, local calls only)
Airport Tampere-Pirkkala
Airport Ticket Office Airpro OY
Turku
Airport Turku
Airport Ticket Office Airpro OY
Vaasa
Vaasa Airport
Airport Ticket Office Airpro OY
FRANCE
Paris
Airport Charles de Gaulles
Terminal 2D
Airport Ticket Office Swissport Services CDG
GEORGIA
Tbilisi
Discovery Travel Ltd/airBaltic GSA
72 Paliashvili st. Tbilisi
☎ +995 32 2 900900
airbalticgsa@discovery.ge
Palanga
Palanga Airport
Airport Ticket Office Orlaiviu Aptarnavimo
Agentura
☎ +370 46052300
F: +370 46056401
Kaunas Airport
Airport Ticket Office Litcargus
☎ +370 37750195
MOLDOVA
Chisinau
Moldavian SRL - AirService
Bd. Stefan cel Mare 3,
MD-2001 Chisinau
☎ +373 22 549339
☎ +549340, 549342
F: +373 22549341
agency@airservice.md
Chisinau Airport
Airport Ticket Office
Moldavian Airlines
Departure Hall
☎ +373 22525506
NETHERLANDS
Amsterdam
Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
Air Agencies Holland Ticketdesk
Departure Hall 3, opposite checkin 22
☎ +31 20 3161945 / 46
Fax: +31 20 316 1998
NORWAY
Berlin
airBaltic Germany
Hauptstrasse 117, D-10827 Berlin
☎ 0900 124 7225
(EUR 0.69/min German landline –
mobile calls may be different)
service@airbaltic.de
Airport Berlin-Tegel
Main Terminal
Airport Ticket Office GlobeGround Berlin
Opposite Gate 4/5
Dusseldorf
Airport Dusseldorf
Terminal B
Airport Ticket Office AHS
☎ +49 (0) 2114216275
Airport Frankfurt
Airport Ticket Office AHS
Terminal 2, Hall E, Desk 939
☎ +49 69 690 61465
Oslo
Oslo Airport
Departure Hall
Airport Ticket Office SAS
Aalesund
Aalesund Airport
Airport Ticket Office Roros Flyservice
6040 Vigra
☎ +47 70 30 25 60
Bergen/Stavanger
Bergen Airport – Flesland
Stavanger Airport
Airport Ticket Office Aviator
POLAND
Warsaw
Warsaw Airport
Airport Ticket Office BGS
If there is no local ticket office phone number indicated and you would like to contact airBaltic reservations,
please call ☎ +371 67006006.
92 / AIRBALTIC.COM
Stockholm Arlanda Airport
Airport Ticket Ofiice
airBaltic / Havas
International Terminal 5
☎ +46 (0)8 797 93 23
Zurich
airBaltic Germany
Hauptstrasse 117, D-10827 Berlin
☎ 0840600830 local calls
service@airbaltic.de
Airport Zurich (Kloten)
Departure Hall
Airport Ticket Office CGS
Terminal 2
☎ +41 438166739
TURKEY
Istanbul
Airmark
Gumussuyu Is Merkezi No:11/4,
TR-34437 Taksim
☎ + 90 212 444 1472
F: + 90 212 245 4486
BTreservations@air-mark.com
Airport Istanbul Ataturk
Airport Ticket Office AirMark
International Terminal,
Departure Floor
☎ +90 212 5797951
UKRAINE
Vilnius International Airport
Airport Ticket Office Litcargus
ticketing@litcargus.lt
Airport Tbilisi
Airport Ticket Office Discovery Ltd
☎ +995 32433155
☎ +995 32433188
GERMANY
Frankfurt
Riga International Airport
Main Terminal
Airport Ticket Office airBaltic / Havas
Vilnius
☎ 890015004
(2.12 LTL/min, local calls only)
vnoreservations@airbaltic.com
Kaunas
Tampere
Airport El Prat de Llobregat
Terminal 1
Airport Ticket Office Lufthansa Ticket Desk
SWITZERLAND
LITHUANIA
Airport Tallinn
Main Terminal, Departure Hall
Airport Ticket Office airBaltic /Tallinn
Airport GH
Barcelona
Ben-Gurion International Airport
Airport Ticket Office
Laufer Aviation GHI
Level 3, Terminal 3
☎ +972 39754076
Milan
Airport Copenhagen
International Terminal 3
Departure Hall
Airport Ticket Office SAS
Billund Airport
Departure Hall
Airport Ticket Office
☎ +45 76505205
SPAIN
Stockholm
Tel Aviv
Caspi Aviation ltd
1 Ben Yehuda st. Tel-Aviv 63801
☎ +972 3 5100213 /4
F: +972 (3) 5108365
bt@caspi-aviation.co.il
LATVIA
Billund
International Airport Domodedovo
Airport Ticket Office DAVS
Ticketing counters no: 177, 185
SWEDEN
Airport Zaventem
Departure Hall
☎ +32 (0) 27230667
Airport Ticket Office Avia Partner
Czech Republic
Prague
Hungary
Budapest
Tensi Aviation Kft.
Komjadi Bela utca 1.
☎ +36 1 3451526
F: +36 1 9991466
aviation@tensi.hu
Airport Ticket Offices
Kiev
airBaltic Ukraine
52 Bohdana
Khmelnytshkoho Str.
01030 Kiev
☎ +380 442382649/68
kiev@airbaltic.com
Airport Borispol
Terminal D
Airport Ticket Office Swissport Ukraine LL
☎ +380 445 916 902
UNITED KINGDOM
London
USA
New York
airBaltic USA
1 Penn Plaza, Suite 1416
NY 10119
☎ +1 - 877 359 2258
☎ +1 - 646 300 7727
nyc@aviaworldna.com
Chicago
101 N.Wacker Dr Suite 350
Chicago, Il 60606
☎ +1 - 877 359 2258
☎ +1 - 312 269 9333
F: +1 - 312 269 0222
chi@aviaworldna.com
Los Angeles
16250, Ventura Blvd Suite 115
Encino, CA 91436
☎ +1 - 818 990 9215
☎ +1 - 855 284 2967
F: +1 - 818 501 2098
lax@aviaworldna.com
Houston
3050 Post Oak Boulevard
Suite 1320
Houston, TX 77056, USA
☎ +1 - 713 626 0134
☎ +1 - 855 284 2967
F: +1 - 713 626 1905
hou@aviaworldna.com
UZBEKISTAN
Tashkent
APG CENTRAL ASIA
Kichik Beshagach str.,104 A
Tashkent 100015
☎ + 998 71 1209012
Airport Gatwick
Airport Ticket Office Skybreak
Terminal S
A Christmas
Rich in Tradition
Restaurant



Delicious meals
Cold delicatessen buffet
Live music
Reservation: + 371 67700000
Bistro · Pub




500 different types of Latvian
and international dishes
Lido beer
Lido brewery
Live music
Open daily 11-24
Krasta street 76, Riga, Latvia · Phone +371 67504420 · www.lido.lv