Latest news with #NicolaeCeaușescu
Telegraph
22-07-2025
- Automotive
- Telegraph
The best countries to drive in, according to our long-serving motoring writer
Will you be driving for a holiday, or driving to a holiday? Having driven through much of Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Antipodes over a long career testing cars, I need to make this important distinction as well as ask some questions. Such as what sort of car you will be driving. Believe me, if you try to tackle the old Italian road-race routes, the Futa or Raticosa passes con entusiasmo in a roly-poly family car, your passengers will be green about the gills soon after the first corner… Similarly, you'll need to rise early if you want to get up the vaunted Transfăgărășan Pass in Romania to avoid the Baden-Baden Sunshine Tours coaches, packs of Lycra-clad cyclists and leisure motorcyclists. But remember that, since this 56-mile vanity project of infamous former ruler Nicolae Ceaușescu, which took a decade to build and cost the lives of hundreds of military builders, goes from nowhere to nowhere, you'll encounter that whole circus on the way down. Irrespective of what time you set out. If it's thrills you are after, believe me, they occur in the strangest of places. Luxembourg, for example, the mini-Ardennes; the twisting, open-curved roads of the Éislek area have hosted the launches of performance cars from the Ford Escort Cosworth to Ferraris. These are truly great roads, beautifully surfaced, with terrific rolling countryside and if the hospitality isn't the world's cheapest it certainly hits the spot. Or try the Nürburgring. No, not the 13 miles and 154 corners of Germany's famous old Nordschleife racing circuit nicknamed 'Green Hell' by Jackie Stewart and open to anyone with the required €30-€35 (£26-£30), but the roads around it. These wind pleasingly through the Mosel region as you and your passenger stare up at the near-vertical sides of the valley wondering how on earth the winemakers harvest their grapes, before stopping to sample their work – or go to Restaurant Pistenklause and vicariously live through tall tales of a fast lap of the aforementioned fabled racing circuit over a stone-cooked steak. You can travel through similar vertical wine-growing in the Portuguese Douro valley, although the roads are narrow and heavily congested, as various car makers have found when hosting launches in this picturesque region. Japan and South Korea? Congested, although a tour of the DMZ border between North and South Korea is invigorating; just don't stop for too long. Tokyo's traffic jams are legendary, but at night the secretive Wangan racers come out and have a ball, although you need to be in the know to catch these displays of Japan's underground car culture. China is frankly bizarre, with mobs of cyclists and electric scooterists to keep you on your mettle. The new concrete motorways have excellent surfaces, but the air pollution can obscure the lane ahead, which often contains a slow-moving truck or even a pony and trap. For winter driving fun, head to the Scandinavian countries. The fjords of Norway are simply amazing, with winding roads around them and great views, all created (according to Douglas Adams in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) by the planet designer Slartibartfast. Be warned, however; Norway, Sweden and Finland have heavily policed roads with simply eye-popping fines. The same goes for Iceland, largely deserted and with great views, but you need to enjoy a 56mph maximum velocity. If you want to go fast, try some ice lake driving where, as Finnish rally driving legend Rauno Aaltonen once told me: 'My father would send me to the shop in our family estate car and could never understand why when I returned the car's radiator was boiling while it was minus 20C outside…' Heavy-handed speed enforcement is also true of France these days, where the Gendarmerie seems to regard the issuing of fines as part of our punishment for Le Brexit. All the same, the coastal roads of Brittany and the Atlantic coast are spellbinding as long as you travel before the start of French national holidays. Coast roads are the perfect motoring experience wherever they are, from the 124-mile South African Garden Route along the Western Cape between Mossel Bay and Storms River, the Namibian Skeleton Coast (often obscured by fog and don't, just don't, run out of fuel – the clue is in the name), the Causeway Coastal Route in Northern Ireland (which includes the Giant's Causeway), the Pacific Coast Highway in California, the pea-shingled Argentinian highway to Tierra del Fuego, or the French Corniche travelling west out of Nice on the Côte d'Azur. My money is on the Route Napoléon in the Alpes Maritimes, where the roads are quieter and you can find yourself diving down the old Monte Carlo Rally stages such as the Col de Vence, the Col de Turini, La Turbie or perhaps the other-worldly Mont Ventoux. All are heaven on earth if you really enjoy driving. For those looking for one of the best coastal roads with food to match, however, I'd plump for Spain and the road northwards out of Barcelona to Tarragona and its Costa Daurada. The roads are well surfaced and curvaceous while there are some great restaurants tucked into the rocky bays. The Alps can provide the most stunning scenery, but you need the timing of a great comic. Find yourself behind the Elvis Tribute Monkey Bike display team or similar hazard on the upper reaches of the Stelvio Pass in high summer and you'll rue the day you ever decided to tackle it. The Pyrenees between France and Spain are equally as challenging, just not as imposing or as busy. The Basque Country has its own charm, from where you can pop down to Spain and try the famous Rioja wines. For those in search of adventure and more testing driving routes, dip a toe into the Sahara, though not too far. Start with Marrakech and work your way south. There's a ferry from the bottom of Spain to its own 'Gibraltar' in Morocco, then cross the border and drive for miles along the coast road to end up in the bazaars and the Majorelle blues of Marrakech, before taking in adventure driving aplenty in the Atlas Mountains. Land Rover has used the Atlas range for several launches in the past. For me, northern France and Belgium still have some of the finest seafood, quietest roads and most hospitable eateries. You can detour to see the Champagne caves at Epernay and sample the goods, but the less pretentious Route du Cidre in Normandy has the distinction of being the scene of Ford's most expensive-ever launch, for the first-generation Focus in 1999. It's often best to shun the oft-travelled routes such as the Italian regions of Tuscany or Umbria and instead travel to the hills above Cuneo and Alba in the north-west, where on the sunny sides they grow the grapes for the famous Barolo wine and on the shady side the equally delicious Barbaresco. My favourite countries to drive in 5. Canada Can be congested in the season and snowy in the winter, but if you're into your endless plains, the massive tidal surges in the Bay of Fundy, the Yukon Highway 5 (Dempster Highway), it's all here. Great hospitality, good road surfaces and gorgeous colours in the autumn. 4. France Whether it's La Route des Crêtes through the Vosges mountains, the Col de la Bonette through the Alps or the coastal roads in Normandy or Brittany, France seldom fails to deliver on the views, the well-manicured road surfaces and the fine repasts. 3. Scotland From the North Coast 500 in its northern extremities, or just pootling around the lower parts, Scotland has it all; deserted moorland, winding roads, a James Bond connection, great food and a warm welcome. Just a shame you're often seeing it from behind a Dutch motorhome… 2. Italy A perennial favourite with Telegraph readers, with good reason. The north has the Alps, the passes and the congested but lovely lakeside roads. The centre has Emilia-Romagna, one of the greatest launch pads for some of the most scenic roads and the gateway to Florence, Siena and Rome, then on to the south for parched roads and great seafood. 1. United States of America A country founded on wheels, the USA remains one of the great driving countries. Whether it's the Cherohala Skyway, 43 miles of driving heaven from Tennessee meadows to a mile-high peak in South Carolina, or the 2,448-mile Route 66 which, as Chuck Berry sang, 'winds from Chicago to LA, more than 2,000 miles all the way; get your kicks on Route 66.' And even if you aren't into the whole petrolhead mythology, few could fail to be unmoved by the genius of Highway One, the Pacific Coast Highway (my tip, do it from north to south because, in left-hand drive America, you'll get the best views this way). Get used to burgers, enjoy the accents and try to go for the less travelled paths such as the 'Big Sky' states of Montana or Dakota.
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘The New Year That Never Came' Wins Top Award at 15th Luxembourg City Film Festival
The New Year That Never Came, a drama about the Romanian revolution of 1989, written and directed by Bogdan Muresanu, won the Grand Prix, the top prize, at the 15th edition of the Luxembourg City Film Festival (LuxFilmFest) on Saturday. 'December 20, 1989. Romania is on the brink of revolution. The authorities are preparing New Year's festivities as if nothing – or almost nothing – is happening, but the official façade begins to crack,' reads a synopsis for the film, which world premiered at Venice 2024. 'Amid the fervor of the uprising, six lives will intersect over the course of an extraordinary day, which leads to the fall of Nicolae Ceaușescu and his regime.' More from The Hollywood Reporter Asian Film Awards: 'All We Imagine as Light' Wins Best Picture, Yoshida Daihachi Takes Best Director for 'Teki Cometh' Children's and Family Emmy Awards: 'Percy Jackson,' 'Sesame Street' Universe, 'Orion and the Dark' Among Top Winners 2025 ACE Eddie Awards: 'Wicked,' 'What We Do in the Shadows' Among Winners The fest jury, led by Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof, also included Danish actress Trine Dyrholm (The Girl With the Needle, Poison), VFX expert Jeff Desom (Everything Everywhere All at Once), Austrian actress Valerie Pachner (Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, A Hidden Life), Spanish director Albert Serra (Afternoons of Solitude), and screenwriter Paul Laverty. The festival has also featured masterclasses by British star Tim Roth and Oscar-winning filmmaker Alejandro Amenábar. The New Year That Never Came, 'although set in the recent past, … can be seen as a reflection of the present and carries a warning for the future,' the jury said. 'It is a film with beautiful images and fascinating performances. It is skillfully constructed and builds to a wonderful climax. Although the characters face terror and repression, the grand absurdity of the regime is exposed by intelligence and wit. It is a reminder that the powerful fear ridicule, often the first crack in their barbarism.' The jury also mentioned The Village Next to Paradise, Mo Harawe's feature debut that explores the socio-political situation in Somalia through a family. The movie also won the 2030 Award by Luxembourg Aid & Development on Saturday. The festival's documentary award went to The Landscape and the Fury by Nicole Vögele, a doc about the Bosnia-Croatia borderlands. Meanwhile, Went Up the Hill by Samuel Van Grinsven, starring Luxembourg's Vicky Krieps, won the audience award, while the International Critics' (Fipresci) Award went to The New Year That Never Came. The Youth Jury Award was bestowed upon Home Game by Lidija Zelovic, the School Jury Award went to Sieger Sein by Soleen Yusef, with a special mention going to Young Hearts by Anthony Schatteman, and the Kids Jury Award winner was Grüsse Vom Mars by Sarah LuxFilmFest also handed the Best Immersive Experience Award to Champ De Bataille (Battlefield) by François Vautier, with a special mention for Ito Meikyū by Boris Labbé. With an attendance of more than 21,000 people, the festival also wrapped up with a new record. Best of The Hollywood Reporter The 10 Best Baseball Movies of All Time, Ranked 20 Times the Oscars Got It Wrong The Best Anti-Fascist Films of All Time
