Winemaker Pasquale Chiapparini; photos by Marla Cimini

After receiving a coveted invitation to the Masters of Food and Wine event held at the Park Hyatt in Zurich last autumn, I immediately started daydreaming about the sensational dining experiences ahead.

I knew enough to anticipate succulent –– and sustainable –– menus and the stunning Alpine scenery. However, I didn’t expect to fall for Swiss wines, and with good reason. They are rarely exported, even to other European countries. Instead, Swiss winemakers are content to make small batches and sell them locally.

However, most of these wineries love to welcome visiting foodies, with the enthusiastic winemakers as behind-the-scenes personal guides. It’s good news for travelers seeking culinary adventures, as there are many worthwhile wineries located just outside Zurich. It’s an easy jaunt to spend an afternoon touring a boutique vineyard and returning to the city in time for dinner.

Zurich Lake bouillabaisse

My wine journey started at The Masters event, which was created by Frank Widmer, executive chef at the Park Hyatt and the author of The Chef and the Cowboy. Widmer crafted a series of dinners to showcase food and wine pairings from the region. He brought the Swiss wines to table by inviting representatives from the Young Swiss Winemakers Association to provide personal introductions to their bottles.

Later, I went directly to the source with my group. During a visit to the boutique Chiapparini Vineyard, we were treated to an old-school lesson on bottling, corking and labeling the wine by hand, under the watchful eye of vintner Pasquale Chiapparini, president of the winemakers group.

We somehow succeeded in performing the challenging tasks without breaking either glass bottles or expensive equipment. After an afternoon of “working” in the winery, we participated in a bit of wine tasting, featuring Pasquale’s wonderful light reds, Sorein (which means “so red” in language) and crisp, citrus-noted whites, Soweiss (which translates to “so white”).

Old school wine corking

Afterwards, we enjoyed a special picnic on Chiapparini’s sunny terrace hosted by Widmer. The wines were a perfect match with a  lunch menu that inclued hearty sandwiches featuring mozzarella cheese and pesto, and Scottish salmon with sweet kumquat marinade on whole grain breads, as well as the requisite Swiss chocolate pastries for dessert.

Even if you’re not taking part in a Masters or other special event, Swiss winemakers will do their best to arrange a day or an afternoon visit to their  vineyards. I can also recommend Bechtel Wines, which is known for its Merlot, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc; Weinhof Juno, which specializes in Pinot Noir and Zweigelt, an Austrian red grape; and Weingut Schwarz, whose proprietor, Andreas Schwarz, focuses on Pinot Noir and Riesling.

Pasquale Chiapparini can set up a visit to his winery or connect you with others. Don’t be concerned by the wineries’ websites being in German –– the owners speak English. Besides, the sound of a cork being pulled on a favorite bottle doesn’t need much translation.

Lobby at the Porchester Spa

When my British friend, Marian, asked whether I would be up for trying “something completely different” during a recent visit to London, I immediately thought of the old Monty Python sketch.

What Marian, a native Londoner, had in mind didn’t involve offbeat comedy, but a visit to an off-the-beaten path attraction: the venerable Porchester Spa.

Located in the up-and-coming Bayswater neighborhood, Porchester dates to 1929 and bills itself as London’s oldest spa.

Compared to splashier hotel and resort facilities, the place is showing its age a bit. The somewhat spartan conditions, despite a 2006 renovation, may account for its mixed reviews. But I thought the absence of cushy lounge chairs, new-age music and scented candles added to its charm.

The sprawling, two-level facility features three Turkish “hot rooms,” a Finnish log sauna, two traditional steam rooms, an ice-cold plunge pool, a 30-meter swimming pool and a frigidarium or relaxation area.

The spa’s original details, including white and green tiles, Grecian-style statues, high ceilings and mahogany trim, make it easy to imagine a time when it was frequented by portly, cigar-smoking businessmen and their pampered wives.

As first-time visitors to the spa, we received a brief tour of the various treatment rooms and pools –– which are all included in the $40 admission –– and were assigned a locker and a large towel, and given clear instructions to speak quietly (and not at all in the steam areas), so as to no interfere with others’ chill-out time.

The place is co-ed on Sundays from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., when swimsuits are required, but otherwise specifies “ladies” and “gentlemen” days when clothing and even towels are optional.

Like many visitors who come in small groups, my friend and I split off to find our own bliss. Marian enjoyed a few laps in the pool, while I tested the various steam rooms. The hottest –– the calidarium –– turned out to be the “burn-your-butt-a-darium” for me. I retreated to the frigidarium for another form of British relaxation: tea and biscuits, accompanied by Hello! magazine.

We opted against individual treatments, which range from about $40 for a 30-minute massage to $78 for a full-body wrap. Traditional beauty salon services, including manicures and bikini waxing, also are available, while a “Supreme Shave,” costing $73, is available for men.

Whether you prefer to steam away your troubles or have others attend to you, the end result is likely to be the same. We left feeling decidedly more relaxed and ready for a long afternoon nap.

Photo courtesy of Tourism Niagara

The Niagara Region of Ontario is most famous for Niagara Falls, created by a high plateau that runs across the region, forcing the Niagara River to drop 176 feet over a cliff into the gorge below.

The escarpment, a geological feature formed over millions of years, along with micro-climates caused by the proximity of two great lakes, Ontario and Erie, have also blessed the region with the ability to sustain a unique agriculture. Here grow the best peaches north of the Carolinas, as well as some of the best wine producing grapes in the country.

During the past 25 years, more than 100 wineries have located in the region, earning high ratings from the wine media, and becoming a vital part of Niagara’s tourism industry. Each January, it’s the area’s ice wine harvest that brings thousands of visitors to the snow covered vineyards. The 17th Niagara Icewine Festival arrives on January 13, 2012 and runs for two weeks.

At last year’s event, I braved the cold to attend a series of wine and food tasting events, and to meet with owners and winemakers from some three dozen wineries.

“What we’re drinking today is a 2007 Vidal Icewine which we call Sweet Revenge,” said Ed Madronich, owner of Flat Rock Cellars, as groups of visitors arrived at his modern, glass-enclosed tasting room on a small rise overlooking one hundred acres of snow-covered vineyard.  “We try to harvest the grapes when the temperature is between 11 and 17 degrees Fahrenheit,” he added.

Photo by Ron Bernthal

Grapes can’t be turned into icewine until they freeze, and they need to be kept frozen until crushing, not always an easy task,  even if the press is located within an unheated facility.  If the temperature drops below 10 degrees the crushing will stop so that the rock-hard, frozen berries do not break the press. It may not satisfy Icewine purists, but these days the picking is typically done by machines which don’t need to stop for hot chocolate or to thaw out frozen fingers and toes.

Icewine is expensive, with bottles running between $50 and $100. Not only does the labor intensiveness add to the cost, but so does the fact that to fill a half-bottle of the chilly stuff requires five times as many vines as it takes to fill an ordinary wine bottle.

Vineland Estates Winery, on a former 80-acre, 1857 Mennonite farm site, features an award-winning, four-diamond fine dining restaurant that’s one of the best eateries in the region.  “Between our B&B, the restaurant, the winery, and our vegetable gardens and local farmers, we can offer both vine to table, and farm to table,” observed owner David Halley.

The event spreads through several villages. In nearby Jordan, the Twenty Valley Winter WineFest takes place on the town’s quaint Main Street, and offers tastings from 30 or so wineries, freshly shucked oysters and oyster chowder, wild game stew and roasted root vegetables, smoked salmon, locally produced cheeses, and dozens of other tasty snacks.

On one Saturday night, I made my way to St.. Catharines, a city just west of Niagara Falls, where a thousand festival visitors and residents filled Market Square, listening to a live band and tasting icewine and regional goodies.  I do believe I never noticed the cold.

Wiener Christkindlmarkt at Vienna's Rathaus; photos by Ramona Zacharias

Whether they’re set amidst Vienna’s majestic Rathaus or City Hall, the elegant Schonbrunn Palace or in an ordinary neighborhood, traditional Christmas markets are cause for celebration.

If you find yourself in Vienna this time of year, a visit to Wiener Christkindlmarkt, the city’s main market in front of the Rathaus, is a must. Dating back to the late 13^th century when Emperor Albrecht I gave the shopkeepers of Vienna permission to hold a market for the general public in December, it is the largest and most elaborate in the city.

The adjacent park is decorated with all manner of lights and trinkets. A train runs through the area to take visitors to such attractions as the Nostalgia Merry-Go-Round, while the the main corridor inside the Rathaus serves as a workshop for children to bake cookies or make their own presents.

But while this largest of the markets is certainly worth a look and a few photos, especially if you have children in tow, my favorites are found elsewhere.

The Weihnachtsmarkt am Spittelberg, for instance, is far more traditional in feel and atmosphere. The stalls wind in and out of narrow back streets, their wares much more authentic and far less tourist-driven. This is where you will find local residents at the end of their work day, enjoying mugs of gluhwein, or hot mulled wine, and platters of fried sausage and roasted potatoes.

A flower seller at Schonbrunn Place market

A personal favorite is the Christmas market in front of Schonbrunn Palace. Besides the beautiful setting and extensive gardens open for exploration, I found some unique features, such as a man selling Advent calendars of all shapes and sizes, and a young woman binding fresh flowers into bouquets that could last as stunning centerpieces for up to three years.

While many of the items on sale are handmade and a little on the pricey side, one of the best souvenirs can be found at the gluhwein stand.

For an extra euro or two, you can get your drink in a souvenir mug, specific to the year and location of the market. You can also buy these pretty ceramics without the wine, but where’s the fun in that?

Some Scrooges say the Christmas markets are overdone; and there certainly are those that have traded in their rustic charm for mass tourist appeal. But walking among the stalls, surrounded by pretty lights and local revelers, the smell of pine needles, roasting chestnuts and mulling wine in the frosty air, feels just right for the season.

The Guggenheim in Bilbao; photos by Suzanne and Andrew Edwards

Once synonymous with post-industrial decay and separatist terrorism, Bilbao –– the biggest city in Spain’s Basque Country –– is undergoing a radical rebirth as a cultural and culinary destination.

Emerging from the years of Francoist dictatorship and post-transition boom, the Basques have found their own voice, one as distinctive and proud as their unique language.

Euskara, a language unrelated to any other, is rooted in the mists of pre-history but its survival is a testament to the tenacity of Basque culture. It is this dogged resolve that has seen the city attract world-renowned icons of design resulting in the spectacular Guggenheim Museum and Norman Foster’s individualistic metro entrances.

Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim, a shimmering titanium-clad work of art, has been the poster-boy of Bilbao’s renaissance, attracting visitors in their millions.

Housing everything from Louise Bourgeois’ gigantic spider sculpture to intimate sketches and installation art, the museum’s sensual curves are reflected in the River Nervión, a liquid magnet to the wider metropolis. Miguel de Unamuno, one of Bilbao’s most celebrated writers, saw the river as both the city’s past and future: a metaphor now a manifest truth.

A "Fosterito" or subway entrance.

Crossing the Nervión is also an architectural experience. Santiago Calatrava’s Zubizuri Bridge, with its transparent glass footway, takes the pedestrian to the Paseo Campo de Volantin leading to the historical center of the city and its culinary heart. Basque chefs are at the forefront of renewed interest in Spanish cuisine; however, food has always been central to Basque identity and pride.

Pintxos, their version of Spain’s ubiquitous tapas, have long been their own art form. Ir tapeando, in other words to jump from one bar to another, sampling the delicious small plates of often intricately prepared food, is a classic Spanish way of spending a Friday or Saturday night.

In Bilbao, the pintxos bring this tradition to a new level: small squid stuffed with bacalao and tomato; peppers with garlic, minced Serrano ham and grilled pork; all washed down with a fragrant local cider or the sharp white wine, txakolí. Some of the best bars are set back from the neo-classical arches of the Plaza Nueva, in particular the appropriately named Bar Bilbao is one not to miss. An epicurean tour of the Casco Viejo is best rounded off with a robust hot chocolate and a delicately flaking custard tart.

Getting around Bilbao is made easy thanks to the sleekly designed metro system, which even runs for the entirety of Saturday night into Sunday morning. You emerge from the depths via the affectionately named fosteritos, Norman Foster’s armadillo-like transparent entrances which pitch the traveler headlong into the throng of pedestrians heading for the smart boutiques in streets such as the Gran Vía.

A more animated alternative is the Sunday morning flea market back in the Plaza Nueva. Stall-holders set up under the secular cloisters selling everything from Spanish copies of Lord Byron’s poetry, to caged song-birds and antique corkscrews. Throw yourself into the melee of Basque bargain hunters or watch from a distance over a café cortado as the iconic berets of the Bilbaíno pensioners bob and weave to get their hands on that all-important deal.

The city’s renaissance is built on such sound foundations. The old traditions and architecture co-exist contentedly with their modern counterparts. The original seven streets gather the weary local or culture-soaked tourist into their warm parental embrace.

Kiwi Disposals' uniform looks.

Editor’s note: This is the latest in a series of occasional posts from Mr & Mrs Smith:

New Zealand may be best known for big nature and bungee jumping, but it’s one of our top tips for sexy shopping breaks, too. Take a trip to buzzy Auckland, the country’s biggest city on the North Island, then hightail it to hip drag Ponsonby Road, where an edgy mix of designer fashion, vintage threads, kooky boutiques and stylish bars and cafés awaits.

BRUNCH Kick off with a spot of breakfast at industrial-sleek café Dizengoff (256 Ponsonby Road), where you can flip through a style mag while chowing down on delicious salmon and eggs, come-hither muffins or heart-starting espresso. Snaffle a pavement perch to people-watch in the sun.

For cozy coffee and cakes, we also love bijou bolthole Agnes Curran (No. 181), which offers an inviting communal table, vintage books and homewares on shelves, and a cute little courtyard out back. If you’d rather snack and go, pick up a pie at The Food Room (No. 250) or a gourmet tart, cookie or cupcake at Rocket Kitchen (No. 234A).

BOUTIQUES Ponsonby Road has the funk, with a host of inspiring, one-off stores, but is gentrifying fast, so you’ll also find NZ’s top-flight fashion labels. Look out for cool color and wearable chic at Karen Walker (No. 2/171), glam neutrals at Zambesi (No. 169) and wackier fare at World Ponsonby (No. 97). At sister outlet World Beauty Ponsonby (No. 175), enjoy a smart edit of global slap, perfumes and candles. Marvel (No. 143) is worth a peek for street-sussed menswear, too.

Don't be scared off by Murder Burger's name.

Peruse vinyl pleasures at Boteco Conch (No. 115A), a record shop/café hybrid with a laid-back vibe. For a dash of designer recycling, rummage through the racks at Tatty’s (No. 159), which sells a sassy mix of second-hand labels, with 50 percent of the price tag going to the fashionistas who donated the booty. Or for a quirkily curated collection of curios, make a beeline for Wunderkammer at 76A.

After original homewares? Then swing by retro store Real Time (No. 74). Keep going up to Karangahape (‘K’) Road for a slew of other vintage stores, including Vixen Vintage (St Kevin’s Arcade; 179–183 K Road) and military apparel treasure trove Kiwi Disposals (326 K Road).

BARS Ponsonby is popping with perky bars, but a couple of our faves are the cocktail-shaking Ponsonby Social Club (No. 152) for its convivial outdoor drinking area and the good-times-toting Grand Central (Nov. 126), an informal pub with tunes that’s a magnet for the after-hours crowd (it pours pints until 3 a.m. Monday to Thursday and 5 a.m. Friday to Saturday so Ponsonby’s other bar workers flock here to party).

Mollies offers a pampering touch.

BURGERS Worked up a hunger flexing your credit card? Then call by the spookily named Murder Burger (No. 128A), with its demonic cat sign, and order a cult venison burger with local kumara chips. Glamour rules at Italian restaurant SPQR (No. 150); bag a sidewalk table under trailing vines to sample chargrilled calamari, steamed mussels and upscale pizza. Tasty curries are the go at popular Thai House (No. 25), if you fancy Asian nosh served up by friendly staff.

BED Bunk up at bohemian Ponsonby boutique hotel Mollies, just an amble from this happening ‘hood. Known for its sociable soirées and opera recitals, its classic-meets-arty interiors set the scene for gourmet dining and spa pampering. Bring your own sheet music if you fancy a tinkle on the old joanna: Grand pianos litter this place like confetti.

For more activities and other places to stay in Auckland see Mr & Mrs Smith’s trusty destination guide and selection of boutique hotels.

OpenHouseChicago is, in fact, just one more offering from the Chicago Architecture Foundation, which features dozens of tours of the city, most notably its beloved river cruise. How OHC differs is in the access it’s promising— a chance to get inside some of the city’s iconic interiors, as well as to tour out-of-the-way gems that building buffs might never otherwise encounter.

More than 100 sites are organized into five neighborhoods: downtown, Garfield Park to the west, La Villita and Bronzeville on the South Side, and Rogers Park to the north. I toured a handful back in the Spring, and came away impressed not only with the more detailed looks at the Loop’s greatest hits, but with the gems hiding in plain sight all around the city.

I began downtown at CAF’s headquarters in the Santa Fe Building, one of 26 landmarked buildings on the tour.  From the endlessly fascinating model of Chicago that has pride of place in the lobby (along with a great design bookshop) to the floors occupied by the quintessential corporate architects, SOM, this 1904 Daniel Burnham high-rise operates as a microcosm for all things Chicago style.

Up top, in the 17th floor office suite of another architectural firm, Goettsch Partners, there’s even more. Visitors can peer down at the building’s light well and huddle thisclose to its distinctive  porthole windows. Sweeping views of the Art Institute and Grant Park are a pleasurable bonus.

In Bronzeville, once dubbed the “Black Metropolis” —  where diaspora jazz musicians created the Second City’s own thriving version of the Harlem Renaissance — I strode down the aisles of Meyers Ace Hardware store, one of the more bizarrely fascinating landmarks I’ve ever visited.

Photos by JoAnn Greco

The bins of nails and shelves of paint reveal nary a clue that this was once the Sunset Club, where Louis Armstrong and Cab Calloway jived from a stage that’s been turned into an office for David Meyers, the grandson of the hardware store’s founders.

So redolent was the place with the sounds of jazz, that Earl Hines once said, “if you throw a trumpet up in the air at 35th and Calumet, it will play by itself.” Today, says Meyers, pilgrims in search of a connection pick up plungers by the boatload, in homage to the mutes that Armstrong so famously inserted into his instrument.

This neighborhood rubs shoulders with the elite enclave of Hyde Park, home to the University of Chicago, the Obamas, and Robie House, one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most celebrated residences. But stopping there wouldn’t hew to the notion of “hidden,” so I moved on to a Wright house I’d never heard of, the 1915 Prairie-style Emil Bach home in Rogers Park.

Unfortunately, this private home wasn’t up to journalistic persuasion, so I never did get in (it’ll be on the tour, though). Instead, I checked out the Cat’s Cradle Bed & Breakfast, owned by the same foundation that runs the Bach house. With its oak floors and leaded glass windows, this 1919 Arts and Craft building served adequately enough as Frank Lloyd Light.

Had I known about this option beforehand, I might have chosen to base myself here. The Rogers Park http://rogerspark.com/rp/about/neighborhood is about as far north as you can get in Chicago, and its leafy shopping streets, arts offerings, lakeside setting and diverse population seem ripe for exploring.

But in the end it was a crumbling bit of industrial heritage on the city’s southside that most excited me. I visited two of the five remaining structures from the 1906 Sears Roebuck & Co. complex, which once sprawled over 40 acres and employed 15,000 workers.

A city-within-a-city, this campus also included a a 3 million-square-foot catalog printing plant, showrooms and testing labs, and a publicity office, cafeteria, bank, and even an in-house fire department. All have been demolished.

Sears’ signature 14-story brick tower — used as the merchandiser’s retail headquarters and distribution center —  still stands, though. The OpenHouse tour will allow visitors to ascend to the top for the first time in decades.

Across the street, the old Sears offices, a stately brick building that’s pegged for an apartment conversion, will also be open for the tour.

I didn’t make it inside either, but instead headed for the Henry Ford Academy, a charter school now located in the Power House. Sensitively restored by Chicago’s Farr Associates, this striking space retains the building’s dramatic catwalks, thick glazed subway-tile walls, arched windows and, for funky good measure, some non-working, but formally steam-generating and electricity-producing, relics.

Used for assemblies, a cafeteria, and the like, this sparkling adaptive reuse makes for an inspiring house of education in a neighborhood struggling to get back on its feet. In its perfect blend of old and new, green and dirty, industrial and hi-tech, it also makes for a terrific centerpiece of a tour that unveils the City of the Big Shoulders’ multitude of facets.

Photos by Jacqueline Ostrowski

When four friends decide to head to Paris for a week, the planning can be an exercise in wish fulfillment, stress, and joy that rivals the trip itself.

In my case, our Chicago-based group bought plane tickets in May for an early September trip, allowing ourselves plenty of time to secure the perfect flat and map out our daily activities.

We all approached the trip with different goals, but individual and group research, a pre-trip planning meeting, and a dose of compromise helped make everyone’s Paris experience a memorable one.

Here’s a look at the four women that made up our group and what each hoped to get out of the trip:

Our unofficial leader, Hilary, is an annual visitor to Paris who dreams of owning a pied-a-terre there someday, so she already knows the best route to her favorite stores and restaurants. She put an emphasis on leisurely lunches, long strolls along the Rue St. Honore, and plenty of café time with a book and a glass of wine.

As the only Paris first-timer of the group, Melina’s list of must-visits included all the big hits — the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the d’Orsay.

Steph lived in Paris in college, so she hoped to revisit some of her old haunts. A recent convert from vegan to vegetarian, she put a premium on eating as much good cheese as possible.

As for me, I hadn’t been to Paris since francs were in use. I’d seen the major sights before, so I focused on exploring out-of-the-way neighborhoods, tasting sweets, and visiting lesser-known museums.

Some of us started planning our museum schedules as soon as we booked our plane tickets. Spreadsheets outlined our every move. A Google Doc catalog of links organized scattered thoughts into tidy columns.

Others were content to be more spontaneous and wait until arriving in Paris to make concrete plans.

Before the trip, we met at a new French bistro in Chicago to hash out the details over wine and creme brulee (bonus: some of the waiters were born and raised in Paris, so they weighed in with their own suggestions!).

We started by identifying each person’s must-dos up front so we could tailor the trip to make sure everyone left happy.

We all love culture, fashion and dining, making it easy to focus on our shared interests and to plan group activities around them: art museums, shopping, and dining.

Other activities, like my visits to Musee Carnavalet and Musee Marmottan Monet —- both gems, but probably not must-sees for a first-timer — could be enjoyed solo.

I’m happy to say that we all managed to fit in everything on our list with time left over for lingering over a glass of rose. And when we return to Paris someday soon, we’ll know exactly where to start our research.

(l-r) Hilary, Melina, Steph and the author

The following resources proved especially helpful:

Color-coded Google Map
Satisfy those pesky type A tendencies while you map future strolls and assess exactly how close that tempting bistro is to your hotel.

HIP: Happening In Paris
Written to complement a vacation rental company, this site’s writers offer a knowledgeable and informative look at Paris happenings. Check out the Parisian living section for insight on etiquette and socializing with locals, including the art of mastering the perfectly nonchalant “bon jour.”

Paris By Mouth
Reputable credentials and a wealth of culinary expertise make this site’s take on Parisian eats worth checking out. I used it to narrow down my list of bistros and hone in some good Sunday dining options.

Girls’ Guide to Paris
The site excels in its shopping guides and tips for bargain hunters. Alhough women are the target audience, men will find plenty that pertains to them once they get past the features on women’s fashion.

David Lebovitz
If you’re not already reading, start now! David is an Alice Waters-trained pastry/dessert chef expat who comments on Paris life and dining from a charmingly snarky perspective. His site is an indispensable guide to Paris dining, especially the extensive pastry, gelato, and chocolate shop recommendations.

Occasionally a local resident will recognize Mr.Nakamura behind his sunglasses and bicycle helmet, and call out a friendly greeting. This doesn’t slow down the 63 year-old Nakamura, who glides quickly around street corners, then pulls into the driveway of Sakai’s modern Bicycle Museum,.

A small group of Japanese bicycle aficionados await his arrival with pens in hand, hoping for an autograph — or at least a picture.

A former cycling champion, Nakamura is now the curator of the Shimano Foundation’s Bicycle Museum Cycle Center,  and a long-time employee of the well known Sakai-based bicycle parts manufacturer.

The city is a good fit for Mr. Nakamura for, with about one-million registered bicycles in the city, as well as Shimano and other bicycle firms, Sakai is aptly called “The Bicycle Capital of Japan.”

Not only does the city produce something like half of the bicycles made in Japan, but the municipal government has constructed dozens of well-paved bike paths throughout the city.

Many connect to other bike routes that wind their way through Kansai region, linking Sakai to Osaka, Nara, and Kyoto.

And local hotels and bike shops encourage visitors to ride bikes with affordable  rates, charging only about 300 yen ($4.00) for a full-day bike rental.

Sakai’s bicycle manufacturers owe their expertise and success to the to the city’s oldest trades — knives, scissors, and guns. Blacksmiths began forging Sakai “blades” in the 16th century for workers cutting the area’s thick tobacco plants.

Even today, Sakai blades are highly respected throughout the world, and most Japanese chefs will not enter the kitchen without their personal Sakai-made  sashimi and nakiri knives.

Shimano, whose Sakai headquarters are located just a few minutes’ bike ride from the Museum, began in 1921 when Shozaburo Shimano established Shimano Iron Works and started producing just one product, the bicycle’s freewheel. The company moved to its present factory and administration building in 1936.

Thirty percent of Shimano’s manufacturing facilities were destroyed during World War II bombing raids, and after rebuilding the plant, the company began to concentrate on producing the high-end bicycle components that are now so highly regarded around the world.

They also manufacture gear for the fishing and golf industries as well, and have opened plants in several other countries.

Hiroshi Nakamura. All photos by Ron Bernthal

In 1992, Nakamura, a long-time Shimano employee, was asked to help open the new Bicycle Museum, and he selected the exhibits and designed some of the interactive displays. He also created many of the bicycle routes that now crisscross the city.

There are five historic roads in Sakai, which was an important seaport during the Muromachi period (1300′s-1500′s). On the route, bikers pass historic white-walled houses and earthen walls, and sometimes have to wait at street corners as colorful, old-fashioned street cars, with bells ringing, have priority on the narrow streets.

Along many of the  bike routes are numerous century-old  “street corner museums,” small studios and shops, often in old houses, where the ancient Sakai skills of knife forging, gun making, rug weaving, incense production, and kelp processing are shown to visitors. Some of the products are also available for purchase.

Because the Shimano factory does not offer public tours, the main attraction in Sakai for bikers, other than cruising along its bike-friendly streets, is the Bicycle Museum.  Mr. Nakamura has collected dozens of unique bicycle memorabilia for visitors, from the early high-wheelers of the late 1800s to Tour de France paraphernalia.

As Mr. Nakamura moved among the bicycles hanging on the display racks, he lamented the decline of bicycle riding.  “Our car culture is so dominant that it is difficult to get the Japanese out of their cars and onto bicycles,” he mused.

Although Sakai’s streets are not as jam packed with bicyclists as in Amsterdam and other European cities, its many bike paths and historic roads, combined with its flat terrain, attract local commuters riding to railway stations, housewives on shopping errands, and international visitors who find Sakai’s proximity to Osaka (only 20-30 minutes away by express train), a pleasant excursion.

During warm weather, a short ride to Sakai’s Old Port will bring bikers to the Sakai Fish Market, where local residents purchase just-caught fish and seafood from vendors, and then cook their lunch themselves over small, table-side barbeque grills. Everyone sits at wooden picnic tables under a large open-air tent, and eagerly opines about the best way to cook the fresh fish, prawns, squid, clams, and scallops over the hot coals.

In the spirit of the recently wrapped State of Design Festival in Melbourne, we’re celebrating the best design stores in town. Our top tip for a one-stop shop is fast-gentrifying Gertrude Street in inner-city north’s grunge-cool Fitzroy, the ideal stamping ground for local or visiting design fans alike. You’ll find everything from messenger bags to illustrated tea towels and covetable tableware along this hip strip, as well as a clutch of edgy fashion boutiques, cafés, bars and restaurants.

Crumpler

Kick off your design shuffle at Crumpler on the corner of Gertrude Street at 87 Smith St., known for its messenger bags with vibrant graphic motifs. A Melbourne success story, started by a bag obsessive and a couple of ex bike couriers, Crumpler has since moved on to produce sleek laptop, camera and travel totes, such as new pull-along Dry Red No 3, handy for fashionable minibreaks.

Suave Australian beauty brand Aesop has some of the most cutting-edge stores around, including its simple but seductive wood-lined Fitzroy boutique at 242 Gertrude St., designed by local architect Clare Cousins and Aesop director Dennis Paphitis. Aesop was so inspired by the streetscape’s eclectic mix of characters, shops and great bread, pizza and wine purveyors, it even named one of its glam skincare kits Gertrude Street.

Helmed by designer Stewart Russell, acclaimed Melbourne studio Spacecraft, at 225 Gertrude St., produces a striking range of art, textiles and homewares, drawing on Australian and global patterns, from botanical to urban graphic prints. Chunkier buys include furniture, bed linen and cushions, but you can also bag smaller souvenirs such as T-shirts and toys.

Pop across the road to Max Watts Industria at 202 Gertrude St. for a must-see mix of vintage and industrial designs, including quirky medical equipment, hospital furniture and metal High Bay pendant lamp shades by Mornington Peininsula studio Industria X. If you can resist the lizard specimen in a jar, take home graphic letters or colored metal fruit bowls recycled from old LPG gas cylinders.

Mud Australia

Third Drawer Down is just off Gertrude, a few steps away at 93 George St., but it’s worth the detour to score statement tea towels by top graphic designers, illustrators and artists from Australia and abroad.

Take your pick from David Shrigley’s surreal cards, Martin Parr’s kitsch plates and Donna Wilson’s sweet animal cups, or check out Kiosk in the back of the store, which sells simple, anonymous everyday designs such as net bags from Germany, melamine sugar bowls from Portugal and red lamp shades from Hong Kong.

Founded by Australian Peter Lewis, Porter’s Paints at 167 Gertrude St. draws on his builder/colorist grandfather Fred Porter’s old recipes, offering covetable water-based paints in modern and traditional finishes. Find bespoke handcrafted wallpapers here too.

We’re mad for Mud Australia, which sells sensuous porcelain tableware in an edible rainbow of over 21 colours from smoky grey-blue to power pink and buttery yellow. Based in Sydney, Mud recently opened its first Melbourne store at 181 Gertrude St., where you can pick up ceramics whiz Shelley Simpson’s lovely cups, bowls and plates, as well as exclusive finds from Chilewich table and floor mats to Kobo soy candles and design-classic Vitsoe shelving.

Bikes are the go at Saint Cloud at 73 Gertrude St., a concept store founded by Nick Mahoney touting cutting-edge designer numbers from sleek fixed-wheel frames to saddles, stems, handlebars, pedals, fashionable biking threads and even organic bike care products. It’s named after a commune in Paris, famous for its bike races. Of course.

Cottage Industry

At 71 Gertrude St. you’ll find Little Salon, a bite-size boutique bubbling with a quirky mix of Aussie and global designer treats, including accessories, housewares, fashion and jewelry. You can never have too many bangles with attitude and sassy pairs of shades.

Pretty, girly, vintage-inspired goodies galore beckon from Cottage Industry, at 67 Gertrude St., which champions salvaged fabrics and craft skills. One-off and limited-edition finds include cute cushions made from old Aussie textiles (cue kitsch koalas, kangaroos and iconic tourist sights), quilts, bags and tapestry poufs.

After shopping, you won’t go hungry on Gertrude Street. We heart Smith tastemaker Andrew McConnell’s Mod Oz eatery Cutler & Co or grab a table at Charcoal Lane for indigenous fare; Anada for Spanish tapas; Ladro for thin-crust pizza or De Clieu or Birdman Eating for breakfast. Gertrude Street Enoteca makes a good wine stop if you get thirsty on the design trail.

For somewhere style-savvy to bed down within easy reach of Gertrude Street check out Villa Donati.