Taking the plunge … the UK’s wild swimming spots are worth making a splash over.
Readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific concepts
The Duke of Wellington in command at the Battle of Waterloo.
Never mind the first world war and D-day, how will we commemorate the bicentenary of the battle of Waterloo (18 June 2015)? Presumably we join with the Germans (Prussians), but should we invite the French?
Sala Montjuïc, Barcelona
The Sala Montjuïc is an open-air cinema festival that takes place each summer in the gardens of Barcelona’s Montjuïc Castle. There’s a mix of classics and new films. Last year I saw Blancanieves, the silent film version of Snow White, backed by a live band. You can get a ticket for €13.50 that includes an organic burger and chips, although there are plenty of people who bring hampers full of beer and snacks.
You can use either russets or Yukon gold for this dish. The russets are trickier to keep from overcooking, the Yukons hold their shape easier. If you end up overcooking the potatoes, you can mash them for pepperjack mashed potatoes.
You can make this zesty pie in advance and keep it in the fridge until ready to serve.
Kraftwerk play the Positivus festival in Latvia in July.
18-20 July
Situated on the Gulf of Riga, Positivius has a whimsical feel and an impressive line up: this year Elbow, Kraftwerk and Anna Calvi are some of the names on the list. Away from the main three stages there is a local arts and crafts market, a cinema tent, circus perfomances, modern dance, theatre and art. It’s not the slickest festival out there but that’s actually something of a bonus as the idyllic setting would be a little at odds with anything sharper.
Vernazza, one of the five stunning coastal towns in the Cinque Terre national park, Luguria, north-east Italy.
In the late afternoon, the small, medieval town of Vernazza, on the Italian Riviera, is as perfect as Italy gets. With the daytrippers gone, the scene is impeccable, a Hollywood filmset, rolling every gorgeous, romantic Italian cliche into one. Up in the hills, winegrowers tend to their vines. In the piazza, flat-capped farmers, swept into corners by the last rays of sun, gather to talk and smoke. Pizza cooks over a wood fire in a restaurant. The town florist bursts into spontaneous operatic song. A couple kiss on a street corner. It’s so romantic, so iconically Italian, that it’s surreal.
Ingredients:
Pastry for 2 crusts (recipe below)
8 cups sliced, peeled assorted baking apples – about 3 lbs. (Granny Smith, Cortland, Jonathan)*
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Pom Pom Island, Malaysia … ‘The feeling of wading into glass-like waters and finding oneself among giant green turtles has to be experienced’.
YOKOHAMA, Japan — Climate change is already having sweeping effects on every continent and throughout the world’s oceans, scientists reported on Monday, and they warned that the problem was likely to grow substantially worse unless greenhouse emissions are brought under control.
Liverpool is known for its music and football but the food scene is vibrant, too. This budget eats guide to the city highlights a raft places where you can eat well for under £10
Arts space and cafe LEAF was included in Guardian Travel’s first «budget eats» guide to Liverpoool, in 2008, and is still going strong, albeit at a new address. In the meantime, owner Natalie Haywood has branched out at the media arts centre, FACT, and at Oh Me Oh My, a weekday cafe in a grand, Grade II-listed property opposite Liverpool’s totemic Liver Building. LEAF and FACT are natural allies – way beyond their preference for upper case logos – and last year cemented their union when LEAF opened the Garden cafeteria at the centre.
Gaudeamus Cafe in the Lavapiés neighbourhood of Madrid
WINNING TIP: Gaudeamus Café
You wouldn’t realise this restaurant, hidden in the Lavapiés neighbourhood, was here unless someone tipped you off. The Gaudeamus Café is on top of the Escuelas Pías, an old university. It’s beautiful and quirky and offers amazing views over the city. The restaurant is on the fourth floor, but don’t use the lift or you’ll miss the building – it’s full of history.
Calle Tribulete 14, Edificio Escuelas Pías, +34 915 282594.