London, Copenhagen

Using your loaf

Words: Emma Juhasz

THE SANDWICH MAY be one of the world’s most popular foods, but most of us would baulk at indulging in Elvis Presley’s favourite, the Fool’s Gold Loaf, which weighed in at 42,000 calories. Equally excessive is the world’s most expensive sandwich which has just gone on sale at the Cliveden Hotel (an hour from London ) for £100. The hotel describes it as "the perfect lunchtime treat for gastronomes". It weighs half a kilo and includes rare white truffl es.

If you’d rather pay less ­ and have more choice ­ then head for Copenhagen. The city is renowned for its smørrebrød, or open sandwich, and local chef Ida Davidsen (www.idadavidsen.dk) is famous for the longest menu in Denmark ­ it’s six feet long and includes over 250 varieties. Celebrities frequent her shop hoping to have a sandwich named after them, but few could compete with Hans Christian Andersen, whose smørrebrød features ingredients mentioned in his tales: bacon, liver pâté, tomatoes, jellied consommé with port and coarsely grated horseradish.

Nice, London, Lyon

THE REFUGE OF KINGS

"A MAN WITHOUT an address is a vagabond, a man with two addresses is a libertine." So wrote playwright George Bernard Shaw while staying at one of his favourite hotels, the Hotel du Cap Eden Roc. And what a second address to have: there are few places that do old-world glamour as well as the Cap d’Antibes in the South of France (close to Nice ), and none as well as this hotel which is so legendary that it now has a glossy coffee-table book all of its own.

For once you can believe the hype: the Duke and Duchess of Windsor decamped here after his abdication, the Emperor of Ethiopia, Marlene Dietrich and Elizabeth Taylor were regulars. Pablo Picasso sketched in the hotel’s guest book, and F Scott Fitzgerald described its "deferential palms" and "short dazzling beach" in Tender is the Night. More recently Bruce Willis hosted an all-night party for 300 (even though he only booked a table for 30).

Location aside, the allure is that the Hotel du Cap Eden Roc stands not only for a level of luxury that few of us can imagine, but also for a sense of perspective that belongs to another age: until recently there were no TVs in any of the bedrooms and credit cards could not be used. "Dover sole can be ordered at any time and will be served with boiled potatoes," the book informs us. It sounds simple, but for most of us, it’s a simplicity of which we can but dream.

Hotel du Cap Eden Roc, Cap D’Antibes (Assouline, £28.50) is available from www.amazon.co.uk and Harrods.

Mighty army

ARCHAEOLOGISTS in China have uncovered a mysterious new underground chamber at the same site that they discovered the Terracotta Army in 1974. These burnt clay statues are an extraordinary feat of mass production dating from 210 BC. Around 8,000 life-size fi gures and horses were buried with the First Emperor of China, Emperor Qin, to help him rule a new empire in the afterlife. And while China waits for the secrets of the recently unearthed chamber to emerge, the largest group of these objects ever to be loaned abroad is about to take up residence in The British Museum, London (www. thebritishmuseum. ac.uk). The First Emperor: China’s Terracotta Army opens on 13 September.

Perfect Punch

AS THE RUGBY World Cup gets underway, the most recognisable face in France will be the French team’s rugby captain, Rafael Ibanez. Except, perhaps, in Lyon , where Ibanez will have stiff competition from the town’s most famous resident, Guignol.

This popular fi gure is married to Madelon and together they are the French Punch and Judy. Created by Laurent Mourguet in the 19th century, the couple have provided hilarious commentary on life ever since. If you’re waiting for a game to kick off at the Stade de Gerland and want to experience something authentically Lyonnaise, then pop into the Théâtre Le Guignol de Lyon (www.guignol-lyon.com) from 26 September.

For those who prefer more conventional entertainment, the ENO (www.eno.org) has collaborated with the Young Vic to bring the comic/tragic opera Punch and Judy to the London stage as part of its new season

Edinburgh, Zurich

Drive of your life

IN 1962, THE James Bond fi lm Dr No was being fi lmed in Jamaica. But the producers couldn’t fi nd our hero a sports car ­ until a local cruised by in a Sunbeam Alpine roadster. They hired it for a princely 10 shillings (50p) a day, and the Bond car phenomenon began. Today these classic cars are big business. The industry generates over £3bn a year in the UK, and to hire a Bond-style car you could expect to pay £130 a day. If you’re lucky enough to own a vintage motor, why not take it up to the Borders Classic Car Challenge in Scotland (http://classiccars.visitscotland.com), closing date 31 October). Just an hour from Edinburgh , a choice of three routes will take drivers through a network of quiet, scenic roads, and they’ll be rewarded with discounts and prizes for completing each circuit.

LITTLE BLACK BOOK

LIQUID BAR

This hip and colourful bar is spacious, retro and comfy , if not a little pink. The DJ pla ys some top tunes that may keep y ou out of your seat, but make sure you sample a pitcher of its f amous Strawberry Mar garita. Zwinglistr asse 12, Tel: +41 44 291 12 91

RESTAURANT EXER

This stylish r estaurant serves up fr esh, local produce as w ell as a host of appetising specialities f or you to try. Wh y not treat yourself to a plate of gschwellti mit kase ­ a traditional dish of potatoes and c heese. Tellstrasse 10 Tel: +41 44 242 52 12

BEIGE SWIS S STYLING

Designers K arin Maur er and Manuela Helg’ s have revolutionised knitwear to mak e it modern and funk y. Their lively shop is worth a br owse, and you can or der an outfi t that they’ ll design for you on-site. Josefstrasse 10 Tel: +41 44 272 74 22