Scouting Report 2008: Moravský Krumlov

GAZIANTEP, TURKEY Philippe de Vienne: Cofounder with his wife, Ethné, of Épices de Cru, a spice importation and retail business based in Montreal, Quebec (epicesdecru.com), and coauthor of the cookbook La Cuisine et le Goût des Épices. After more than 20 years of running a catering business in Montreal, Philippe de Vienne and his wife, Ethné, decided to close up shop and become full-time spice importers and distributors. "I wanted to combine the two things my wife and I love doing most: eating great food and traveling," he explains. So, for the past eight years, the couple has spent at least a third of each year traveling to places such as Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Mexico, and Turkey in their search for new culinary inspirations and business suppliers. One of the couple's favorite discoveries is in southeastern Turkey, near the border with Syria. "This region is a crossroads of Syrian, Kurdish, and Turkish cultures," says de Vienne. "Anywhere else in Turkey the cooks might use four spices in a dish. Here, they use 15. There's a wonderful depth of flavor in the food." De Vienne especially raves about the food in Gaziantep and, in particular, its baklava. The dessert's main ingredient, pistachios, abound in the surrounding countryside. "It's worth it just to fly to Istanbul, hop a plane to Gaziantep, eat the baklava, and go back home," says de Vienne. "It's that good." Information: Round-trip Turkish Airlines flights from Istanbul to Gaziantep, thy.com, from $200; Anadolu Evleri hotel, 6 Köroglu Sokak, 011-90/533-558-7996, anadoluevleri.com, from $112 with breakfast; Imam Çagdas restaurant, 49 Uzun Çarsi, 011-90/342-220-7080, imamcagdas.com (Turkish only). > See photos of the best places you've never heard of

BERGERAC, FRANCE Britt Karlsson: Cofounder of BKWine, with her husband, Per. The Paris-based company publishes wine newsletters and leads small-group gastronomy and wine tours throughout Europe (bkwine.com). Born in Sweden and now living in Paris, Britt Karlsson spends half the year visiting about 200 wineries in Europe and South America in her roles as wine journalist, wine judge, wine consultant, and tour guide (on wine-themed trips, of course). Bergerac is the name of both a wine region and a small city, but travelers often bypass both in favor of nearby higher-profile Bordeaux. And that's a blessing, says Karlsson. Bergerac's cobblestoned streets, inviting markets and shops, and location on the Dordogne River are so appealing that Karlsson now periodically includes the town as a stop—staying at the central Hôtel de Bordeaux—on her tours. Karlsson recommends pairing a local sweet wine, such as a Monbazillac or Saussignac, with another of Bergerac's specialties: foie gras. "The tenderness of the foie gras is perfect with the luscious sweetness of the wine," she says. "Many small shops, like Godard, sell artisan-made foie gras, which is so much better than what you get at a supermarket. The foie gras entier mi-cuit is my favorite, but everything from the duck is good—the breast and the confit." Karlsson also raves about the grilled duck breast at L'Enfance de Lard, a reasonably priced restaurant overlooking a fountain and the main square. Even a winter visit comes with its rewards, because that's the season for yet another Bergerac specialty: black truffles. Information: Round-trip Ryanair flights to Bergerac from London, from $105, or round-trip train tickets from Paris, from $237; Hôtel de Bordeaux, 38 place Gambetta, hotel-bordeaux-bergerac.com, from $85; Godard, 29 rue des Conférences, 011-33/5-53-61-93-49; L'Enfance de Lard, 8 place Pélissière, 011-33/5-53-57-52-88, grilled duck breast $24. > See photos of the best places you've never heard of

PURNULULU NATIONAL PARK, AUSTRALIA Darrell Wade: Cofounder of Melbourne-based Intrepid Travel, which specializes in small-group, experiential tours around the world (intrepidtravel.com). As a young backpacker, Darrell Wade might have stood out during his travels—he is a 6'7'' Aussie, after all—but he managed to mix easily with locals. So Wade decided to help other tourists do the same: He launched Intrepid Travel with pal Geoff Manchester in 1989 and began leading tours in which clients stay in friendly, no-frills inns, eat at neighborhood restaurants, and explore areas on foot or by bike. "We wanted to get close to the culture and really understand a country," explains Wade. Nearly 20 years later, he has yet to lose his wanderlust. He travels for about half the year, either scouting new tours and destinations for work or vacationing with his family. Considering how far Wade has traveled, it's ironic that the spot he's most recently fallen in love with is in his home country. Purnululu National Park, a.k.a. the Bungle Bungle, is an otherworldly range of eroded sandstone domes in such a remote part of Western Australia that the natural wonders were only rediscovered by a film crew in 1983. "The silence of the Bungles is amazing," says Wade. "You are confronted by the red, red earth and the blue, blue sky. Somehow the world seems bigger out there—with horizons that just stretch forever. It's easily one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to in my life." Rugged hiking trails meander past palm trees, gorges, and streams that tend to dry up during the Australian winter. After setting eyes on the area, Wade immediately added a Bungle Bungle camping trip to two of Intrepid Travel's tours, though independent travelers can book their own stay in a tented cabin at the Bungle Bungle Wilderness Lodge. Information: Purnululu National Park, 011-61/8-9168-7300, naturebase.net, $10 per vehicle, open Apr.–Oct., weather permitting. Purnululu is a 90-minute drive from the nearest town, Halls Creek, which is 14 hours from Darwin. Bungle Bungle Wilderness Lodge, kimberleywilderness.com.au, $175 per person, double, with breakfast and dinner. > See photos of the best places you've never heard of

WEYMOUTH, ENGLAND John Chatterton and Richie Kohler: Scuba divers who inspired the books Shadow Divers and Titanic's Last Secrets (johnchatterton.com, richiekohler.com). Most people's idea of the idyllic dive spot tends to involve turquoise water and colorful fish, but that's not what John Chatterton or Richie Kohler has in mind. The scuba divers rose to fame through Robert Kurson's 2004 best seller, Shadow Divers, which chronicled their quest to identify human remains in a sunken U-boat. That led to solving under­water mysteries around the world for the History Channel series Deep Sea Detectives. Their most recent investigation (which took them to Canada, Ireland, Greece, and two and a half miles under the surface of the Atlantic Ocean) is the subject of Brad Matsen's Titanic's Last Secrets, due out next month. Given their knack for uncovering hidden clues and treasures, it's no surprise that the divers rank the once pirate-friendly port of Weymouth, England, as one of their favorite towns. Weymouth's cobblestoned streets, Georgian homes, and sandy beaches along the English Channel are magnets for British sunseekers. But for divers, its waters have their own attractions: "Wars and storms have been sinking ships here for more than 900 years," Kohler says. "In one day, you can rub shoulders with Roman shipwrecks, 16th-century Dutch sailing fleets, and submarines from both world wars." When on shore, Kohler and Chatterton explore nautical antiques stores and old bookshops before sitting down with a pint at The Boot Inn, a 400-year-old pub that's rumored to have been popular with 17th-century pirates. Today, the town's stone quays host a mix of fishing boats—which sell sea bass, scallops, and lobsters—and high-speed catamarans. Since no trip to the English seaside is complete without fish-and-chips, a local introduced the divers to Marlboro Restaurant, where the Johnsons have been serving the dish for three generations. "It's best enjoyed with liberal amounts of salt and malt vinegar," says Kohler. Information: Trains from London take three hours, nationalrail.co.uk, from $24; The Boot Inn, High West St., 011-44/1305-770327; Marlboro Restaurant, 46 St. Thomas St., 011-44/1305-785700, large fish-and-chips from $11. > See photos of the best places you've never heard of