WE arrive in Istanbul, to the Sumahan on the Water, a former raki distillery turned boutique hotel on the Asian side of the Bosphorus, which is all abuzz in the wake of the famous annual Cross-Continental swim. This is a four-mile marathon along and across the straits from the Asian shores of Istanbul to the European side. The historic trade route, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, comes to a halt, for this day only. As many as 2,500 competitors power through the waves freestyle, directly past the hotel pontoon before they pass beneath the iconic first suspension bridge, The Bosphorus, the soaring delicate silhouette of which frames the view from my bedroom window, shimmering with commuter traffic against the setting sun. Beyond it are the shadowy outlines of the supertankers lining up like planes on a runway waiting to cross the city’s watery boundary.
At the cherry-lined private boardwalk and hotel restaurant in the nostalgic sepia-tinted dusk that is classic Istanbul, I order the signature shaved pan-fried liver on lavash. Tables are set in the lee and electric wink of a landmark lighthouse; one of the 19 that punctuate the city straits.
Denne historien er fra February 07, 2024-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra February 07, 2024-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Tales as old as time
By appointing writers-in-residence to landscape locations, the National Trust is hoping to spark in us a new engagement with our ancient surroundings, finds Richard Smyth
Do the active farmer test
Farming is a profession, not a lifestyle choice’ and, therefore, the Budget is unfair
Night Thoughts by Howard Hodgkin
Charlotte Mullins comments on Moght Thoughts
SOS: save our wild salmon
Jane Wheatley examines the dire situation facing the king of fish
Into the deep
Beneath the crystal-clear, alien world of water lie the great piscean survivors of the Ice Age. The Lake District is a fish-spotter's paradise, reports John Lewis-Stempel
It's alive!
Living, burping and bubbling fermented masses of flour, yeast and water that spawn countless loaves—Emma Hughes charts the rise and rise) of sourdough starters
There's orange gold in them thar fields
A kitchen staple that is easily taken for granted, the carrot is actually an incredibly tricky customer to cultivate that could reduce a grown man to tears, says Sarah Todd
True blues
I HAVE been planting English bluebells. They grow in their millions in the beechwoods that surround us—but not in our own garden. They are, however, a protected species. The law is clear and uncompromising: ‘It is illegal to dig up bluebells or their bulbs from the wild, or to trade or sell wild bluebell bulbs and seeds.’ I have, therefore, had to buy them from a respectable bulb-merchant.
Oh so hip
Stay the hand that itches to deadhead spent roses and you can enjoy their glittering fruits instead, writes John Hoyland
A best kept secret
Oft-forgotten Rutland, England's smallest county, is a 'Notswold' haven deserving of more attention, finds Nicola Venning