Cookham, a Thames-side village in Berkshire, was described as “a village in heaven” by the artist Stanley Spencer (1891-1959), who lived there most of his life. He is best known for his paintings of biblical events transposed to Cookham’s streets, gardens and riverbanks. Today the village houses the Stanley Spencer Gallery, a converted Methodist chapel run entirely by volunteers. The gallery opened in 1962 and was refurbished in 2007, with a mezzanine floor added to show more of the 100-odd works in the collection. Two exhibitions are staged every year. The summer show, A Brush with History: Stanley Spencer and Modern British Art, runs until 5 November. The winter exhibition, Everywhere is Heaven: Stanley Spencer and Robert Wagner, begins on 9 November and is the gallery’s first collaboration with a living artist. As well as paintings and drawings, the museum contains memorabilia such as Spencer’s pram, which the eccentric artist used to push his canvas and easel around the village – wearing his pyjamas under his suit if it was cold.£7 adults/£3.50 age 18-25/under-18s free, daily until 5 November, Thursday to Sunday only from 9 November to 24 March
In Sanliurfa, the Silk Road Meets the Stone Age
17.10.2023 - 10:25 / nytimes.com
As we climbed the slope toward one of the world’s most momentous archaeological sites in a gusty December drizzle, a futuristic shape loomed into view. It was the swooping white canopy erected over the main excavation at Gobekli Tepe, a group of Neolithic structures up to 11,400 years old in southeastern Turkey. Their unearthing in the mid-1990s caused a reconsideration of the standard timeline of human civilization. From under the space-age canopy, my partner, Anya, and I stared down into the monumental Stone Age panorama before us, like awed and slightly spooked time travelers.
Awarded UNESCO World Heritage status in 2018, Gobekli Tepe (Potbelly Hill) has spawned sensational Netflix shows and the woolliest of speculative theories. Recently, the site and its mysteries have been drawing record numbers of visitors to this place near the provincial capital of Sanliurfa in the borderland with Syria — 850,000 in 2022. February’s earthquake, which devastated other parts of Turkey, only minimally damaged the site, which reopened in April.
A short flight from Istanbul, Sanliurfa is an ancient Mesopotamian Silk Road city, richly textured with multicultural tradition and history. It has important religious pilgrimage sites, a vivid food culture and a historic bazaar quarter that resounds with Kurdish, Arabic and Turkish.
The city is a palimpsest of civilizations as well. It was called Urhai under the Aramaeans; Edessa under Alexander the Great, the Romans, Byzantines and Arabs; and then renamed Urfa by the Ottomans in 1607. Its honorific title, Sanli, meaning “glorious” in Turkish, was bestowed in 1984 for itsheroics in the Turkish War of Independence, but locals still call it Urfa.
This history was laid out for us by our tour guide, Emine Yesim Bedlek, a vivacious former assistant professor of English literature at Turkey’s Bingol University, whom we’d hired through Istanbul Tour Studio, a boutique agency. She picked us up from the Tessera Hotel in Sanliurfa’s Eyyubiye district. Formerly an Armenian monastery, built of the ubiquitous local limestone, Tessera opened in 2021, one of a number of small, atmospheric hotels in the neighborhood, most of them renovated 19th-century konaks, or Ottoman mansions.
“Our Urfa is famed as the city of prophets, of Abraham and Job and others,” Dr. Bedlek began her exposition on our way to dinner in the vast courtyard of a many-centuries-old Ottoman inn, turned into a restaurant called Cevahir Han. It is run by Cevahir Asuman Yazmaci, a granddaughter of a renowned Kurdish tribal leader, and a pioneering female entrepreneur in this patriarchal culture.
Southeastern Turkey is the cradle of kebab, and soon our table held a mammoth platter of Urfa’s signature patlican kebab with
For Those In-The-Know, The Paris Choice Is The San Regis
There’s no shortage of chic hotels in Paris. But very few offer the comfort and intimacy of a luxurious Parisian apartment coupled with the five-star service of a top hotel. That is, except for the Hotel San Régis, the iconic 100-year-old gem in the tony eighth arrondissement that’s hosted the likes of Richard Avedon, Lauren Bacall, Gene Kelly, Louis Malle, Jacqueline Bisset, Romy Schneider and more.
I'm an American in the UK who loves Halloween. If you're here for the spookiest day of the year, prepare to be disappointed.
Halloween has always been my favorite holiday.
Round Britain Tour - Celebrating 120 Years of Heritage Sailing
Bessie Ellen will be calling in at fourteen ports around the UK, where there will be the opportunity to climb aboard, tour the ship and meet her skipper, Nikki Alford. A passionate sea farer, Nikki has owned and sailed Bessie Ellen for 24 years, lovingly restoring and caring for her. Listed on the National Historic Ships register, Bessie’s remarkable heritage has seen her quite literally witness the changing tides of history. Built in Plymouth in 1904 she started life as a cargo ship, crossing treacherous waters to transport goods between Ireland, Wales and the West Counties. As trade dwindled during the second World War, Bessie found herself heading to the Baltic after being purchased by a Danish captain, Moller, in 1947. This second chapter of her life saw her re-named whilst undergoing a radical transformation with the creation of a large steel hatch, reduction in rigging and a large Hundested single cylinder engine installed. Sadly, by the 1970’s, running her became unprofitable and she lay to rest until being restored back to life nearly 100 years after her initial creation.
The Best Foreign Language Horror Films, According to Our Editors
While accepting one of the many Oscars he received for the film Parasite at the 92nd Academy Awards in 2020, South Korean director Bong Joon Ho advised that Americans would do well to “overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles” in order to discover an even broader swatch of amazing films than already available at our fingertips. Indeed, subtitles are nothing to be afraid of—but that doesn’t mean the movies they caption can’t be scary themselves. Amongst our editorial staff, in fact, there’s a consensus that foreign horror productions are actually much more terrifying than those produced stateside—bolder, bloodier, darkly funnier, and more haunting for their willingness to leave questions unanswered.
Can you still book Qatar Airways Qsuite awards with American AAdvantage miles?
Qatar Airways' award-winning Qsuite has long been among the world's best business-class products.
Khaite Clothes, Made Miniature
The Khaite designer Catherine Holstein was newly pregnant in the fall of 2022 when the French children’s wear brand Bonpoint reached out to her about collaborating on a capsule collection. Now, the 11 new designs, intended to fit babies and children up to 10 years old and made with materials that are gentle against sensitive skin, are launching on Oct. 25 with a campaign featuring Holstein’s now-seven-month-old son, Calder. Standout pieces include a billowy white cotton top with a ruffled collar, a whimsical red-and-white botanical print skirt and miniature versions of two Khaite mainstays: a double-breasted Tanner blazer and a wool version of the brand’s flare-sleeved Scarlet cardigan. “I’m just amazed at the conversations you can have with kids after the age of three, and what their perspective is,” says Holstein. “I wanted the collection to give them the option to really home in on their individuality.” The pieces most dear to the designer are those inspired by her 1980s childhood. “I had black corduroy overalls that I would wear with suspenders with cars on them and a Fair Isle cardigan. … I really wanted to capture that nostalgia.”
British Airways Just Launched a Sale on Flights and Vacation Packages From the U.S. to Europe — Here's When to Book
British Airways is putting flight and vacation packages to Europe on sale for fall and winter travel with flights starting as low as $586 round-trip.
Vintage photos show what it was like to visit Egypt 100 years ago
Egypt has been a nation in some capacity since 3150 BCE, and the land has changed hands many times in the thousands of years since. Modern Egypt as we know it was officially founded in 1954, when the British occupation of the territory finally ended, according to The Guardian.
Best Tourism Villages: UN Names Three Locations In Italy
The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has added three villages in Italy to the 2023 list of Best Tourism Villages.
U.S. Issues Message of 'Caution' to American Tourists Worldwide
Good morning from Skift. It’s Friday, October 20. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.
Why Thanksgiving Is Actually the Best Time to Travel Abroad
For travelers looking for a unique Thanksgiving experience, travel booking experts recommend setting your sights abroad.