Voyager | Inflight Magazine of Fly bmi

Explore Views October 2006

The latest news, views and events from bmi destinations including Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Brussels, and Manchester. Plus, the new version of an old board game that lets you purchase property with a credit card and the smallest bar in London opens its doors

England, Amsterdam

German models

HUNDREDS OF DESIRABLE German models are about to make the original home of motor racing in England even more compelling.

Mercedes-Benz World opens on 27 October at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, where English motor racing began in 1907. And on the inaugural race day, the chap who won the Montagu Cup was driving one of the latest automobiles from the continent, made by – who would have thought it? – Mercedes.

The German manufacturer, which merged with Benz in 1926, is opening a homage to its cars next to the current Brooklands Museum. With 100 models – reflecting every colour and every make of the current range – across 16,650 square metres on three levels under one roof, it’s the mother of all car showrooms. With bells on. And multimedia displays.

In places it’s a car version of Disney World. Don 3-D specs, sit in a hydraulic seat, and you can live the car manufacturing process. Then you can find out how oil makes its journey through the car. If you really want to.

But it’s not just educational stuff for kids and die-hard petrol-heads. You can also get your car serviced here while you attend a conference or get some work done. And outside there will be dozens of today’s models you can take for a spin round 2.5km handling circuits, wet and dry skid circles and a 10-acre off-road course.

And this is the closest you’ll ever get to driving across Stonehenge. The track at Brooklands is protected as a ‘scheduled monument’, which makes it effectively the same as an archaeological site. For the princely sum of nothing – simply pretending you want to buy a car – you could drive one of the modern German beasts along England’s most dinosaur of racetracks.

Next year a new luxury hotel and spa will open on the site. It will be the second in the Columbus chain, part-owned by F1 driver David Coulthard. www.mercedes-benzworld.co.uk; www.brooklandsmuseum.com

RAKING IT IN

The smallest bar in London… the widest selection of beers… the first bar to open in Borough Market for more than a century… the new Rake Bar has statistics coming out of its ears. Measuring just 4m long by 2m wide, Rake still manages to cram in 100 bottled beers from around the world, as well as some unusual ciders, spirits and liqueurs. The opening coincides with the market’s 250th anniversary, providing a perfect excuse to raise a glass.

FILLING STATION

Passing through Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport? Be sure to visit Fuel for Travel, an innovative entertainment station where you can purchase and download content for your electronic device. Compatible with selected mobile phones, Blackberries and MP3 players (sadly not the iPod), simply plug in for a host of music, movies, audio books and travel guides.

Copenhagen

Great Danes of design

THE CITY OF COPENHAGEN SHOWCASES THE HIP DESIGN THAT DENMARK IS FAMED FOR

THOSE IN THE know have long looked to Denmark as a standard-bearer for all things hip in the world of design and it’s currently enjoying widespread popularity like never before. Terence Conran has held Danish design in great affection since he first started visiting the country in the 1950s, so it’s perhaps little surprise that when he was looking for a location for his next venture, Copenhagen was the obvious choice. Opening this month, Custom House is a lovingly restored warehouse, similar to the Butlers Wharf development in London with its waterfront setting and multitude of dining and shopping options. From sushi to Scandinavian seafood, it’s set to be another jewel in the Conran crown.

Here are three Danish design gems, old and new, that are worth looking out for in Copenhagen:

■ The Radisson SAS Royal Hotel, opposite the Tivoli Gardens, was the work of Arne Jacobsen, who is often thought of as the godfather of Danish design. In tribute to his work, his original furnishings and fittings have been kept in room 606 and in the hotel’s rooftop restaurant, Alberto K, including his space-age cutlery, which was used in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey.
■ At the Hotel Imperial, the rooms ending in 06 on each floor have been designed by students from the famous Danish Design School.
■ From Japanese manga to fairytale scenes, 21 artists were given free reign to go wild at the Hotel Fox, designing each of its 61 rooms with an individual stamp and earning the hotel a nomination in the True Stylish Hotel category in the World Hotel Awards.

London, Manchester, Brussels

Rolling in it

A NEW VERSION OF MONOPOLY MAKES MILLIONAIRES OF US ALL

REMEMBER THE DAYS when a house in Islington in London would only set you back £100? When Mayfair was the most desirable address in the whole capital? We are, of course, talking about Monopoly, the board game that saved many a rainy day and made hardened property tycoons of even the most mild-mannered of players. But in today’s market, Monopoly has been looking a little – dare we say it? – out of touch. Thankfully, Parkers, the makers of the game, have brought the board bang up to date with a little help from property experts Rightmove. Traditionalists might be in for a shock – there’s no Park Lane, Old Kent Road or even Leicester Square. Even the train stations have gone, replaced by London’s airports. And in comes a host of trendy addresses to snap up for your portfolio: Canary Wharf, Brick Lane, Savile Row and Primrose Hill.

In fact, the only address to survive the overhaul is Oxford Street – but you better have deep pockets, as it will now cost you £3 million. No need to count all that out in cash, however – credit cards have replaced paper money and when you pass ‘Go’ you collect a cool £2 million instead of a measly £200. But there is one notable anomaly – the ‘Free Parking’ square remains. There’s no chance of that in today’s London, surely?

Viva Las Manchester

A LITTLE PIECE of Vegas is coming to Manchester in the form of Manchester235, a £13 million luxury gaming venue offering dining and entertainment alongside the poker and blackjack tables. Housed in the grade two listed Victorian Great Northern Warehouse, it promises to revolutionise the UK gaming market. Are they bluffing? Find out for yourself when Manchester235 opens this month. Similar ‘cool casinos’ are set to follow in London, Nottingham, Glasgow and Leeds.

LITTLE BLACK BOOK:
DANSAERT,BRUSSELS
THE HISTORIC DOWNTOWN AREA OF BRUSSELS IS FULL OF CHARACTER AND BURSTING WITH TRENDY BOUTIQUES AND HIP ART GALLERIES

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