I grew up in a small seaside town, and so I always wanted to experience the vibrancy and culture that the rest of the world had to offer. My fascination for place and culture materialised into wanting to study human geography at university and have since been able to visit many of the destinations I spent hours researching.
The destinations that attract me the most are those that were pioneers in the arts and architecture as I love to see and feel the history of a place as I walk through it. This particular interest led me to spending a lot of time in Italy, as for me, Italy is the heart of the art world, having such a rich and a diverse history and has some of the most beautiful and charming architecture in the world.
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Q&A with Natasha
What’s the best local dish you've tasted?
A Croatian Dish that has stuck with me is the traditional Dalmatia dish soparnik. It’s a pie-like dish with the filling of chopped chard and onion pressed between two bits of pastry, and then to top it all off, it gets glazed with garlic (always a winner for me). The first time I ate this dish was in Gata Village, an area that used to be part of the Poljica Rebublic, a community dating back to the Middle Ages. We drove into the countryside from Split toward Omis and stopped in the village to meet a local lady in her humble home where she showed us how she made it. The recipe has resisted the flow of centuries and has been recently protected by UNESCO. It gets baked in a ’komin,’ which is an open space with hot stone and ashes in which it’s covered. The technique takes years to perfect and produces the most delicious assortment of flavours. It’s the perfect lunch-time dish and was accompanied with refreshing homemade elderflower juice from their garden.
Where would you love to travel next?
Jordan is where I want to go next. I’d love to swim in the Red Sea and visit the vast array of historic monuments. Jordan has a fascinating history, with monuments still standing from many of the different civilisations it has been home to. Also, Jordan’s landscapes are so unique and vast, yet the country remains less known by visitors.
Which book, film or artwork captures France and Spain the most?
One of my favourite films is a called ‘The Way,’ which follows a father finishing the journey of the El Camino de Santiago for his son in France and northern Spain. Along the way he’s joined by other pilgrims who all start to change his bitter outlook on life. The film captures the beauty of untouched landscapes but also the importance and value of meeting people with different perspectives and upbringings to your own. The film takes you through stunning countryside but also depicts the excitement of discovering small quaint towns that immerse you into a different way of life. Every time I watch it, I find myself planning my next trip away.