november-2010

PHOTOS © GETTY, 4 CORNERS, CORBIS
ST TROPEZ
Totón Comella is a Spanish fashion
designer based in Barcelona. TCN, the
swimwear brand she started in 1984,
recently launched its own clothing line
St Tropez has always been a special
place for me, after holidaying there as
a child. My father had a clothes shop
in the centre, and we would go from
Barcelona each summer with my mum,
brothers and sisters. It was the happiest
time of year for me.
Now I go back to St Tropez each
year with my own family, and I love to
wander through the streets early in the
morning and walk down to the seafront.
At that time of day the smell of fi sh being
brought in by the fi shermen fi lls the air
and the cobbles of the streets are all wet.
There’s a real sensation that the town is
slowly but surely waking up for the day.
Club 55, a beach club, is a
particularly nice place to eat and have
an afternoon siesta in the sun, and
although the town has changed a lot
in the 40 years that I’ve been visiting,
there still remains a strong romantic
feel and a real holiday spirit.
BERLIN
Paul van Dyk is a German musician,
DJ and producer. He was named the
world’s best DJ in 2005 and 2006
and is currently travelling the globe on
a sell-out world tour
I’m from Berlin, which is widely seen as
one of the capitals of electronic music. We
have a very infl uential club scene over here,
but Berlin has a different way of clubbing.
In big cities, you have the so-called “super
clubs” with the big PA, laser system and
lighting set-up. But Berlin is still pretty
dark – most of the clubs only hold around
400-500 people. It’s a very intense and
intimate experience of electronic music
that you can only really have in this city.
For that intimate club setting, I would
go to Weekend or Berghain in Berlin.
Weekend is situated in the top three fl oors
of an East German tower. It has a clubbing
area, then the next fl oor is a bar, and
then you can go outside – they have a big
terrace with beautiful views.
For me Berlin has something else to
offer, apart from all the culture. It’s a
quiet oasis – we don’t just have one city
centre. We have something called a kiez,
a small district. We have all these kiezes,
which have a different fl avour and vibe.
To really understand Berlin, you need to
visit them all. It’s a very green city, so for
me, it’s a place to rest, recharge and if I
want to go out, it’s the best place to be. We
love clubbing 24/7 – it’s very easy to do
that, but then also to live a normal life like
anyone else.
TRAVELLER TALES | 15 BEST
IBIZA
Natacha Gachnang is a Swiss
Formula 2 racing driver and one of
the best female drivers in the world
Being a race driver I’m constantly
travelling for work, and rarely get to take
a holiday. But about two years ago I did
manage to take some time off and I went
to Ibiza for the fi rst time. My boyfriend
and I went with a friend, as her dad has a
house on the island.
People think of Ibiza as loud, and of
course it’s a place that’s famous for its
nightclubs, but my experience was the
opposite – I discovered somewhere that I
could truly rest.
Every morning we’d go to the beach
and go snorkelling, as we’d heard that you
see more fi sh in the mornings than in the
afternoons. The water there is so warm
and it was amazing how many different
coloured fi sh you would see. I found small,
quiet beaches where I could sit and think,
and see only one or two other people
walking past. In the evenings we’d go out
to small local restaurants where we could
talk and catch up. I didn’t go to any of the
clubs, to be honest!
15 TH BIRTHDAY ISSUE | TRAVELLER | 51