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Forbes
05-05-2025
- Forbes
Raise A Glass To Slow Travel: 4 Destinations To Savor Local Culture One Drink At A Time
Woman pouring red wine from a bottle into a drinking glass at vineyard. The Napa Valley Railroad dates back over 160 years. However, Napa Valley Wine Train is also celebrating its 36th anniversary, debuting a new clean-energy locomotive, designed to cut emissions by 95% without sacrificing its vintage charm. Guests can choose from curated experiences, lasting between 2.5 to 6 hours and ranging from gourmet meals and afternoon tea to grape stomping. But to mark this anniversary, it also hosted a special 'Earth Day' tasting event on April 22 in partnership with Grgich Hills Estate, a winery focusing on organic and regenerative winemaking. This milestone offers more than just a toast to history, it is a reminder that slow travel has been and will be compelling. For those who enjoy sipping their way through a destination at a relaxed pace, here are four additional slow travel experiences where the journey is just as flavorful as the destination. Cape Winelands District Municipality is one of South Africa's most celebrated wine regions, known for its world-class vineyards, fine dining and French Huguenot heritage. It is over 3,167 square miles, stretching from the outskirts of Cape Town all the way to Tankwa Karoo National Park. Franschhoek lies within the Cape Winelands region, calling itself the 'Valley of Dreams.' It is home to over 40 wineries and vineyards, as well as several immersive experiences to discover fine dining, award-winning wines, art galleries andsculpture gardens. Aerial view of Babylonstoren in Franschhoek. If you do not want to drive around, hop on the Franschhoek wine tram that takes you through scenic vineyards with stops at world-class wineries. But choose your line carefully. There are five color-coded routes, each offering a unique mix of wine estates and tasting experiences. If you want to stay in one place to experience award-winning wines, South Africa's rich history and slow travel, head to Babylonstoren. Wine here is only the beginning. It is a modern working farm, luxury hotel, spa, farm-to-fork restaurants and state-of-the-art winery. Whether for a day visit or an overnight stay, Babylonstoren makes slow travel luxurious while connecting you with South African traditions in a meaningful, immersive way. The garden of Babylonstoren from above. It has over 230 acres of vineyard to grow 13 different grape varieties and over 12 acres of garden filled with seasonal vegetables, edible flowers, fruit trees, beehives, climbing roses, a prickly pear maze and rare indigenous plants of botanical importance. In its Story of Wine Museum, visitors can try hands-on wine blending and taste the full range of its award-winning wines: four whites, a rosé, four elegant reds and the beloved Sprankel Cap Classique. A meal with a display of Babylonstoren wines. Visitors can cycle through the vineyards, enjoy bass fishing or canoeing, learn to bake mosbolletjie, a South African sweet bread, unwind with stretching classes, visit the herd of water buffalo, or join a guided drive up the slopes of Simonsberg to In the Clouds. Soetmelksvlei is Bablyonstoren's unique art and living history project to bring 19th-century farm life to life. Bablyonstoren restored and immaculately recreated the interiors of a farmhouse, a cottage, a cellar, a distillery, a mill and a workshop, where visitors can also try traditional craftsmanship. Fowl House at Soetmelksvlei Northumberland is the northernmost county of England, spreading from Hadrian's Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, all the way to the Scottish border. The region has a distinct identity shaped by centuries of history, from the Iron Age and Roman rule to Anglo-Saxon and Viking influences. Thanks to its strategic location, Northumberland has over 70 ruined or inhabited castles, the most compared to any other county in England. It offers endless opportunities for slow travel from England's largest dark sky park, Northumberland National Park, to walking on trails, passing Roman forts, rolling hills and remote moorlands. Sunset at Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland, England Active England Tours, a British adventure and luxury tour operator, launched a new tour for 2025 to explore Northumberland at a leisurely pace. Its 'Bike Hadrian's Wall & Northumberland' tour is a 4-day coast-to-coast cycling adventure through Northern England's rugged landscapes, including the famous Hadrian's Wall, local pubs and historic ruins. Stop at Ad Gefrin Anglo-Saxon Museum and Whisky Distillery if you love a good whisky. In the distillery, the first (legal) Northumbrian English Single Malt Whisky in over 200 years is currently maturing, with the first limited release set to be available in 2026. Ad Gefrin visitors centre and whisky distillery Until then, try Ad Gefrin's signature spirits: Tácnbora Whisky Blend, a blend of grain and malt whiskies from Ireland and Scotland, Flyté, a whisky cream liqueur and Thirlings Dry Gin, flavored with Sea Buckthorn and Irish moss from the coast, dill and elderberry from the hedgerow, and heather and pine from the hills. One of Ad Gefrin's signature spirit the Tácnbora Whisky Blend. Visitors can take a 90-minute guided distillery tour, explore The Great Hall and Museum—including artifacts on loan from the British Museum—and sample spirits in a multi-sensory tasting room set to Northumbrian pipe music. It is at least a half-day experience, blending storytelling, craftsmanship and regional pride. Skip Paris and slow down in France's Champagne region. It is in northeastern France, bordering Belgium. The region is the birthplace of 'champagne,' the only sparkling wine legally allowed to bear the name. This year marks the 10th anniversary of The Champagne Hillsides, Houses, and Cellars becoming a UNESCO World Heritage site. The region spans 320 villages and includes nearly 280,000 vineyard plots cultivated by over 16,000 growers, upholding a winemaking tradition that dates back centuries. Wineyards in Marne, Champagne-Ardennes, France. Visitors can leisurely explore wine trails around Reims or Épernay, drive through vineyard-draped hills, stop in villages to visit cellars, explore open-air vine museums or picnic with scenic views. For travelers who prefer slow travel over road-tripping, Belmond's Conquelicot offers an elegant alternative, a floating celebration of France's art de vivre. Conquelicot is a luxury canal barge navigating Canal de la Marne au Rhin, an almost 200-mile-long canal connecting the Marne River at Vitry-le-François to the Rhine River at Strasbourg. Deck of Coquelicot luxury barge of Belmond Bateaux. Six guests in three en-suite cabins can enjoy all the luxurious facilities: elegant lounge, expansive outdoor deck and scenic view of the Marne Valley. From fresh French breakfast pastries to alfresco dining, curated by three-Michelin-star Chef Dominique Crenn, all meals will be prepared using seasonal and local ingredients. Private tastings and vineyard tours at esteemed champagne houses, including Ruinart, the world's oldest champagne house, Leclerc Briant, Veuve Clicquot and Dom Pérignon await its guests. Wine tasting at Coquelicot luxury barge of Belmond Bateaux. While it may not be on most tourist's radar, Gifu quietly champions the values of authenticity, heritage and slow travel. It is where centuries-old craftsmanship meets striking natural beauty and well-preserved historical towns. The region is mostly renowned for the UNESCO-listed thatched farmhouses of Shirakawa-go. However, the meticulous art of Washi paper-making, the time-honored production of Gifu lanterns and umbrellas and the 1,300-year-old traditional cormorant fishing on the Nagara River are all part of this region's living history. Shirakawa is a village located in Ōno District, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Watanabe Sake Brewery is a family-owned business in operation for 150 years in Hida Furukawa, Gifu Prefecture. Their brewers use traditional sake-making techniques that were added to UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2024. Wabunka, a Japanese travel company specializing in exclusive experiences that showcase traditional craft and art industries, offers private sake tastings and guided tours at the historic Watanabe Sake Brewery. The tour begins with an introduction to the traditional sake-brewing process and concludes with a tasting in a beautifully renovated, 100-year-old building that's typically closed to the public. If you time your visit between September and June, you will be able to see the brewing happening live. Cold sake with rice and ear of rice on the table What else to do in Gifu Prefecture? A representative of Wabunka recommended in an email interview to visit and unwind in the waters of Gero Onsen or Yunoshimakan, stroll through Takayama's Edo-era Old Town, try kaiseki cuisine rooted in regional tradition and walk through Hida no Sato, an open-air museum preserving Japan's rural heritage.
The Guardian
15-03-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Marco Rubio says South Africa's ambassador to US is ‘no longer welcome'
The United States is in effect expelling South Africa's ambassador to Washington, with secretary of state Marco Rubio accusing the envoy of hating the country and President Donald Trump. 'South Africa's ambassador to the United States is no longer welcome in our great country,' Rubio posted on X on Friday. Rubio accused ambassador Ebrahim Rasool of being 'a race-baiting politician who hates America and hates @POTUS', referring to Trump by his White House X account handle. 'We have nothing to discuss with him and so he is considered persona non grata.' Neither Rubio nor the state department gave any immediate explanation for the decision. However, Rubio linked to a Breitbart story about a talk Rasool gave earlier on Friday as part of a South African thinktank's webinar in which he spoke about actions taken by the Trump administration in the context of a US where white people would soon no longer be a majority. Rasool pointed to Elon Musk's outreach to far-right figures in Europe, calling it a 'dog whistle' in a global movement trying to rally people who see themselves as part of an 'embattled white community'. Rasool is a former anti-apartheid campaigner who served time in prison for his activism and went on to become a politician in the African National Congress, the party of Nelson Mandela, the country's first post-apartheid president. The expulsion of an ambassador is a very rare move by the US, although lower-ranking diplomats are more frequently targeted with persona non grata status. Phone calls by the Associated Press to the South African embassy seeking comment, made at the end of the work day, were not answered. It is the latest development in rising tensions between Washington and Pretoria. In February, Trump froze US aid to South Africa, citing a law in the country that he alleges allows land to be seized from white farmers. Last week, Trump further fuelled tensions, saying South Africa's farmers were welcome to settle in the US after repeating his accusations that the government was 'confiscating' land from white people. Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that 'any farmer (with family!) from South Africa, seeking to flee that country for reasons of safety, will be invited into the United States of America with a rapid pathway to citizenship'. One of Trump's closest allies is South African-born billionaire Musk, who has accused South African president Cyril Ramaphosa's government of having 'openly racist ownership laws'. South Africa was ruled by white Afrikaner leaders during apartheid, which violently repressed the country's black majority, including forcing them to live in segregated townships and rural 'homelands'. Afrikaners are descended mainly from the Dutch, who began colonising South Africa in 1652, as well as French Huguenot refugees sponsored by the Dutch. More than three decades after white minority rule ended, South Africa remains hugely unequal, with land and wealth still largely concentrated among white people, who make up 7% of the population, about half native Afrikaans speakers, while black people are 81%. However, some white South Africans claim they are discriminated against, often citing the country's affirmative action laws. During a G20 event in South Africa last month, Ramaphosa said he had a 'wonderful' call with Trump soon after the US leader took office in January. But relations later 'seemed to go a little bit off the rails', he said. In Friday's webinar, Rasool – speaking by videoconference – talked in academic language of the Trump administration's crackdowns on diversity and equity programs and immigration. 'The supremacist assault on incumbency, we see it in the domestic politics of the USA, the Maga movement, the Make America Great Again movement, as a response not simply to a supremacist instinct, but to very clear data that shows great demographic shifts in the USA in which the voting electorate in the USA is projected to become 48% white,' the South African ambassador said. With Agence France-Presse and Associated Press
