You will have noticed that I’m going through a bit of an Iberian phase. It’s not quite the same as the one my colleague Mr Tuck is living through but there are surely a few similarities and reasons why we so thoroughly enjoy this celebrated corner (chunk?) of Europe. While the aforementioned Andrew has created a forward-operating base in Mallorca, I’ve ventured further west to Lisbon and am only now starting to get into the groove of city life, driving on Portuguese highways, always carrying a swim-bag for impromptu plunges and wondering why I didn’t properly seize on the whole Lisbon set-up when we hosted our first Quality of Life Conference there all the way back in 2015.

Speaking of our annual summit, if you’ve not yet bought your ticket for our upcoming conference in Barcelona then you’ve still got a few more days to secure tickets, flights and accommodation. We’re hoping to outdo ourselves this year and feel that, aside from the exceptional line-up of speakers, we’ve also secured the most bijou little dance floor on the entire peninsula – we are firm believers that a few hours of bum-shaking will improve the way you live. But before the DJ takes over, here are three reasons why the region is leading the way that I’ve neatly sandwiched between two areas that need improvement. 
 
1.    
Clean it up 
Over the past 24 hours I’ve covered many hundreds of kilometres. Friday started with a drive down to Comporta and back, while on Saturday morning we jumped in the Jimny to go from Lisbon to Sanxenxo via Corrubedo. It’s all rather orderly as far as European highway driving goes (crazy Portuguese drivers aside) and the scenery pleasing. What needs fixing is the rot of graffiti that makes much of Portugal and Spain look lawless, unloved and simply ugly. It’s clear that many mayors and private landowners have given up, the police don’t care and locals are blind to the blight. Since the economies of Spain and Portugal depend on tourism, they might want to consider what their streetscapes look like through Asian and North American eyes. Why should a beautiful landscape have to compete with the ugliness of lurid colours and profanity? Why should infrastructure that has cost taxpayers billions be a playground for abuse? What happened to pride backed by rule of law? Spain and Portugal are not alone, much of Europe looks shabby and needs a good scrub. The Portugal-Galicia corridor is a good place to start a tidy-up project. Maybe the likes of Galp and Inditex could lead the way by sponsoring stretches of highway or whole neighbourhoods for repainting and planting fast-growing ivy to thwart sprayers. That said, they should only participate if the culprits can be held properly to account.
 
2.    
The company you keep 
Monocle readers often ask if we’re thinking about a modern version of a kibbutz, where like-minded people can live together with a strong sense of community but without needing to set up base in the eastern Med. The good news is that we are thinking about such a concept. In the meantime there might be a better answer underway along the coast of Portugal and another inland. First up, São Laurenço do Barrocal (a favourite Monocle retreat) has a series of residences on its estate, and on the coast near Comporta the team behind JNcQUOI are offering up a community of lifestyle hubs by Vincent Van Duysen. I’ve visited both and this is a stretch of the world that is coming into its own.
 
3.    
Gadis 
If you’re not familiar with the Galician grocery store chain, you need only familiarise yourself with its logo. It’s the best bit of consumer pop in Spain.
 
4.    
One for the table
It might require a drive to Corrubedo and an evening at Bar do Porto to secure a case of their house white but it will be well worth it. This little venture (run by one of the Chipperfield clan) has just launched a new label (the wine comes from a vineyard near Ourense) and it goes down rather nicely on sunny days.
 
5.    
One for Europe, one for the world
We all like travelling down a good corridor and the run from Lisbon all the way up to A Coruña could use some strengthening. The north-south rail development needs to get seriously rolling but, in the meantime, some better air connectivity is required. Try getting from Lisbon to Santiago de Compostela with ease and some good regional produce on your tray. Forget it. The powerhouses from this stretch of the Atlantic might think about 10-15 commuter aircraft to further bolster an already remarkable region of makers, thinkers and sellers.

And before I head back south, a big gracias to Evelyn and David for lunch, a dip and allowing me to perch on their balcony to file this column.

Enjoying life in ‘The Faster Lane’? Click here to peruse all of Tyler’s past columns. 

After an injury left judoka Kamel Saci wrestling with his career prospects, he landed a job at his local bakery in Bordeaux (writes Claudia Jacob). Competing for France’s national judo team instilled in him the discipline needed to be a business owner and gave him the dexterity to knead dough. Fast-forward 25 years to 2020 and Saci was firing up the ovens of his own Parisian boulangerie, Leonie Bakery. The vocation connected him with one of the French capital’s master bakers, Eric Kayser, as well as upscale US deli Dean & Deluca, Baluard Bakery in Barcelona and New York’s Il Buco.

Leonie’s newest outpost is found in a former military barracks in the 12th arrondissement. Sweet-toothed gourmands will find New York cheesecake and Catalan creams as well as traditional sugar-studded chouquettes and buckwheat baguettes. “I want to elevate Paris’s bakery scene,” says Saci. “We must continue to adapt while differentiating our offering.”
leoniebakery.com

Monocle’s Paris Travel Guide takes you to the restaurants, boulangeries and retailers that are a cut above the rest. Bon voyage!

Sicilian Gaia Miccichè is the third-generation owner of Le Calette, a hotel in the town of Cefalù on the island’s northern coast (writes Ivan Carvalho). Guests flock to the property’s private beach club that overlooks a picturesque cove. Here, she discusses island escapes, her love of aubergine and her soulful Sunday soundtrack.

Where do we find you this weekend?
On Filicudi in the Aeolian Islands. First stop: a swim in the crystal-clear waters near La Canna. Then a quiet night in Pecorini. There’s something magical about a place with no streetlights – just the glow of the moon. The next morning kicks off with a granita and brioche, followed by a dip in the wild, pristine sea of Alicudi, nature’s own infinity pool. If we’re lucky, some dolphins might join us on the way back.

Ideal start to a Sunday? Gentle or a jolt?
Ideally gentle – slow, quiet and unhurried. Sundays should feel like pressing pause.

What’s for breakfast?
I usually start with something savoury – eggs, avocado and a bit of salad – then move on to fresh fruit, almond milk with oats and a decaf coffee. 

A Sunday soundtrack?
Soft and soulful. Norah Jones or Cat Power: soothing tunes that set the tone for a peaceful morning.

What’s on the menu?
Aubergine – served in every way – fresh fish and lots of seasonal vegetables. Simple, honest, sun-kissed food.

Monocle’s July/August issue features a Japanese-inspired picnic spread, including this daikon salad curtesy of our recipe writer Aya Nishimura. She uses the radish to create a light, crisp dish with a fragrant dressing. Enjoy.

Serves 4

Ingredients
For the dressing
2 tsps toasted sesame oil
1 tsp olive oil
2 tbsps rice vinegar
1 tsp light soy sauce
2 tsps honey
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

For the salad
200g daikon
1 spring onion
2g katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)
1 large sheet of nori

Method
1. 
Mix the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. 
Peel the daikon and slice it lengthwise, then cut it into thin matchsticks.

3. 
Cut the spring onion into 5cm lengths, then slice thinly lengthways.

4. 
Place the daikon and spring onion in a bowl of ice-cold water for 10 minutes to make them extra crisp.

5. 
Drain using a sieve and pat dry thoroughly. Transfer to a serving bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.

6. 
Just before serving, drizzle the dressing over the salad. Sprinkle with katsuobushi, then crush the nori over the top and serve.

Cairo isn’t short of glossy hotels with views of the Nile and marble lobbies (writes Florian Siebeck). But for those who prioritise charm over polish – and the rhythms of a real neighbourhood over the hush of a luxury chain – a quiet, design-savvy opening in Downtown hits the right note.

High above the fray in the Immobilia building, four handsomely restored apartments offer an elegant base for those looking to live like locals – just with better linen and a Jaguar on call. Completed in 1940, Immobilia was Egypt’s first high-rise and once counted glitzy A-listers such as Omar Sharif and Leila Mourad among its residents. Revived by lawyer Florian Amereller and design doyenne Zeina Aboukheir, the interiors mix Moorish desks, Murano lamps and antique finds from historic homes in Alexandria and Cairo.
26 Sherif Basha St, Downtown, Abdeen

You’ll find more hospitality hot spots from our team of editors and correspondents in our July/August issue, which is on newsstands now.