National Geographic Traveler USA - 08.2019 - 09.2019

NATGEOTRAVEL.COM

JENNIFER EMERLING (LANDSCAPE), MATTHEW TWOMBLY (ILLUSTRATION)

EDITOR’S NOTE

BY GEORGE!

M

usic is sound organized into a harmonious composition. It’s the

art of the muses, the rhythm of poetry, the scale of inspiration.

In classical Greece, music was embodied by the muse Euterpe,

the “giver of delight.” In ancient times, music was the beat of a drum and

the tone of a flute; before that it was the staccato of raindrops, the rush of

a river, the song of a bird. Sound is all around us, and yet it can become so

layered and discordant that we stop listening. For travelers, the sense of

sound is one of our best tools for discovering the world in all its dimensions.

This issue is about exploring with ears first—it’s about listening to destina-

tions as much as looking at them. We visit musical places such as Morocco

and Corsica, where traditional forms are finding contemporary audiences.

We break sonic barriers with gong rocks in Tanzania, a whispering gal-

lery in India, echoes at a mosque in Iran, singing seals in Svalbard, and

a sea organ in Croatia. We find silence amid the booming sand dunes of

California. Some sounds lead inward on meditative journeys; other sounds

carry us far afield on expeditions in search of harmonic convergences. If

you really want to hear the world, we discovered, you’ve got to travel in the

key of curiosity. Thanks for tuning in! —George W. Stone, Editor in Chief

Nat Geo

Highlights

GLOBE-TROT WITH

GORDON RAMSAY

For National Geographic’s

new TV series Gordon

Ramsay: Uncharted, the

famed chef embarks on

adventures in six destina-

tions around the world to

find culinary inspiration

in local flavors. See page

38 for his travel tips, and

catch the premiere July 21.

“QUEENS OF EGYPT”

Nefertiti, Hatshepsut, and

other fierce females star in

this multisensory exhibition

at the National Geographic

Museum in Washington,

D.C., through September 2.

Go to natgeo.org/dc.

EXPLORATION HAPPENS

BECAUSE OF YOU

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shop, or travel with us, you

help advance the work of

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ATLAS OF THE WORLD

Study the planet and get

travel insight from the

11th edition of this classic

reference book that

reflects the state of the

world today with author-

itative maps, data-driven

graphics, and global

trends: shopng.com/books.

Traveling

to Listen

Let music guide your

way around the world

A landscape in

California’s Joshua

Tree National Park

lends itself to quiet

contemplation.