A route through the Bretagne
Exploring the Bretagne means reviving the exciting medieval European history, delving into its cultural roots, into its traditions and legends. You will discover stunning landscapes: its beaches, cliffs or amazingmedieval towns like Vitre or Fougères, and you will get the most out of the beneficial effects for the body of Atlantic waters. Bretons are fond of spas and some of the best spas to relax and get purified are located in Dinard and La Baute .
The French Brittany is a large peninsula. Its 1,200 kilometers of coastline and its landscapes and gastronomy prove its close relationship to land and sea, as well as its ancestral traditions, dating back to its Celtic past, actually closer to Ireland or Wales that France itself.
The beauty of the breton coastline is prolonged for its islands, to the North Brehart or Ouessant and the South Sein, Glenan, Groix and Belle-Ile to, paradise of wild beauty with its protected bays and their headlights, and a history and personality. Its ports were strategic points for trade as for military defense and even lands of banishment.
Rennes, capital of Brittany, although it is located at the gates of the Normandy region and is a prominent place of the architectural heritage and witness of the history of the region. Around the two Royal squares, Parliament and the City Council, and their features wood and Renaissance mansions half-timbered houses, centuries of history are drawn.
Brocelandia por CRTB
By the magic Broceliande forest, you will go over hidden trails that will take you by the Bridge of the Secret, the village of Paimpont and its beautiful Abbey and castles of Brocéliande and the passage of Holly.
To the north, in the estuary of the Rance river one comes to Dinan, with its charming old town, and one of the best preserved medieval cities. For its walled enclosure you will discover fascinating monuments as the basilica of Saint-Sauveur or the tower of l’Horlage.
From here the Coast Emerald spreads, with its Green shores dotted with villages, which passes from the walled city of Sain-Malo to the Coast of Pink Granite, which owes its name to its peculiar rock formations of pink shades. And between them, countless sites to explore: the rocky cliffs of Cap Fréhel or Rochefort-en-Terre with its low houses with slate roofs and the charm of the old villages.
Another attraction of the route by the Breton coast is to follow the Way of the headlights, which starts in Brest and ends in Portsall, to take a walk through the half-hundred lighthouses that dot its coastline.
Great painters such as Paul Gauguin and Maurice Denis have immortalized like nobody the Brittany. You can rediscover them in at the Museum of Fine Arts in Pont-Aven. Pont-Aven owes its reputation to the painters’ school that Gauguin led in this fishing village, arrived from Paris and willing to follow his teachings.This population keeps on preserving the nostalgic mills that were happening along the river, which so many times these artists recreated, and its fascination for the painting, but also you will be able to enjoy its famous confectioner’s.
Finishing up the Arch of the Brittany coast to the South, is Carnac, town which houses more than 3,000 prehistoric remains of between 5,000 and 2,000 BC years TIt is the oldest archeological site of Europe, divided into four major areas: Le Menec, Kermario, Kerlescan and Le Petit Menec. You can also complete your visit in the Museum of the prehistory of Carnac..
Eating in Britain
The dilated Breton coastline, bathed by the waters of the Atlantic, mark the gastronomy of the region, which has succeeded like no other, preserve its gastronomic specialities. Fish and seafood take the menus of the restaurants as anywhere else. One of the best oysters in the world, the Belon, and of course, mussels collected here.
In general, all the shellfish and seafood as the spider crab, lobsters or crabs, is collected in its cold waters. This also translates into delicious fish soups. Although if there is a fish by the that the Bretons have a special fervour, that is the cod, which was prepared in all ways imaginable.
But, apart from the fish, in Britain prepares excellent cheeses, as the curé nantais, and butter, cider and delicious pastries. Their crepes, croissants or Sabres will delight the greediest.
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Beer Garden Season
Beer is the most popular drink in the gastronomy of Munich and to sample it, you can take advantage of the dozens of Biergärten or beer gardensthat can be found all over the city, where, sharing huge tables in the sunshine, you can enjoy the cheerful Munich lifestyle, try out some Bavarian delicacies or even bring along your own food, but never the drinks!
The Munich biergarten season takes place between Spring and Autumn when the sunshine allows you to enjoy these traditional gardens as well as the many outdoor terraces that together offer in the region of 180,000 al fresco seats
Among the biggest venues are the 8,000 seater Hirschgarten, or 5,000 places at the Augustiner in Arnulf Street and the Paulaner in Nockherberg with space for 4,000.
Other notable meeting places include the biergarten in Viktualienmarkt Square, the one next to the Chinese Tower in the English Garden or the Waldwirtschaft, where jazz music livens up the atmosphere.
Augustiner-Keller
This biergarten overflows with tradition. With more than 5,000 seats under the shade of 100 magnificent chestnut trees, it guarantees the most authentic experience of them all. 45 of these trees are protected species and are duly numbered. The Augustiner-Keller itself appears as a beer store on a map of the City of Munich dated 1812. The cellar belongs to the oldest brewery in the city and is a perfect example of traditional Munich conviviality and its legendary hospitality.
www.augustinerkeller.de
Arnulfstraße 52 80335 Munich
Biergarten in the Viktualienmarkt Square
You can buy anything you feel like for your tea and eat it straightaway washed down with one of Munich’s famous brands of beer that take turns supplying this beer garden situated in the very heart of the Bavarian capital.
www.biergarten-viktualienmarkt.de
Viktualienmarkt 80331 Munich
Biergarten at the Chinese Tower
After a little sunbathing or having enjoyed a stroll around the English Garden, your visit to the park can be rounded off next to the Chinese Tower with “tea” accompanied by a fine beer in the shade of the chestnut trees. On Sundays the atmosphere is enhanced with live music from a wind band.
www.chinaturm.de
Englischer Garten 80538 Munich
Biergarten at the Staatliches Hofbräuhaus
The congenial Hofbräuhaus beer garden is a surprise, away from the hustle and bustle of the big city, where you can enjoy the world famous beer and culinary delights of Munich in a truly welcoming environment.
www.hofbraeuhaus.de
Platzl 9 80331 Munich
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Dakar’s exotic taste
Dakar offers travelers the chance to enter a world of exotic flavors. It is the best place for a curious palate eager to travel between new flavors and scents of spices, as Senegal’s cuisine has a reputation as the best in Africa. A cuisine influenced by France, Lebanon, Portugal and Vietnam but with its own character and complex flavors.
Dakar, being surrounded on three sides by the Atlantic Ocean, floods its restaurants with the best seafood and fish, brought by the fishermen’s colorful canoes of the area to be sold in the Soumbédioune market immediately. Shrimps, lobsters, sea urchins, grouper, tuna, monkfish, mackerel, swordfish and crabs are exquisite.
A good dish of meat, fish or senegalese seafood always comes with rice (Yassa), base of their cuisine along with wheat and millet.
The most popular Senegalese dish is indeed the mix of these two ingredients: rice and fish marinated to elaborate the traditional tieboudienne, their national dish.
Yassa au poulet is another of their popular dishes, a recipe based on chicken marinated with lemon and onion or blunt maffe, which used to be prepared with lamb and rice and accompanied by a delicious peanut sauce.
Quenching the color with fruit juices made in the are is a pleasure. The ones that you will easily find are those of roselle (Hibiscus), Bouye (from Bwee, baobab fruit) and ginger. They are very refreshing and provide many vitamins.
Street stalls and markets are great places for a quick meal. The vendors are placed around the market with their stalls selling beignets, fritters that will sweeten your day. The best market to find them is Sandanga, located on the corner of the Pompidou and Lamine Gueye Sandaga avenues.
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Avenue Cheikh Anta Diop
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Two leading national prides are brought together here: gastronomy and music. The best place to enjoy the city’s musical talents , extraordinary musicians like Youssou N'Dour, Didier Awadi or Baaba Maal started here. With a daily schedule of concerts, you'll enjoy a lively evening in this cozy outdoor restaurant.
Le Djembe
56 Rue Saint-Michel
Dakar has a large Lebanese community. Although the place is owned by one of those expatriate Lebanese, the restaurant’s menu is Senegalese. Ideal to taste the best typical recipes like the thieboudienne or chicken with rice served with refreshing juices as Bouye (from baobab) or bissop (hibiscus).
Cabane des Pêcheurs
Plage de Ngor
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One of the best places to try the local fish and seafood on the seafront in the lively beach of N'Gor. Its interior is decorated with lots of nautical motifs.
Le Toukouleur
122 rue Moussé Diop
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All the colorful African culture gets together in this restauran, with a courtyard decorated with painted clay statues. Perfect to try out a mixture of refined local cuisine and international flavors.
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Culinary Sparkle After Expo Milan
Some excellent culinary ideas were spawned by the passage of Expo Milan 2015. The show prompted new establishments with an enticing culinary range to open in the city. Most of them are starred eateries, whether blessed with Michelin stars or those that shine with inherent charm, making Milan a highly alluring destination. They are venues where you can discover concepts, savour the emerging talent and distinguish this city as one of Europe’s gastronomic capitals.
Armani Ristorante. Apart from its unbeatable location in Milan’s most stylish district, this restaurant, in the hotel of the same name, was awarded its first Michelin star this year. Its gastronomic offerings denote a reworking of Italian culinary classics based on seasonal produce. Helpings are generous and their presentation befits the status of the establishment. Tables with views, excellent service and a wine list which encourages guests to custom pair with the tasting menu.
Contraste. This is the latest creation of the chefs, Matias Perdomo and Simon Press – a highly personal project – in partnership with the maître and sommelier, Thomas Piras. Housed in a stately mansion alongside the canals, guests are warmly welcomed. Here the service is provocative in that you are cajoled into leaving things in their hands when it comes to selecting dishes, and you are urged to choose the tasting menu. You can eat à la carte, but then the surprise effect is cancelled out. A ritzy, worthwhile gastronomic restaurant.
Tiramisù Delishoes. Picture a bar counter regaled with tiramisus, a restaurant with creative dishes and a “made in Italy” shoe store, all together on the same premises. That is Tiramisù Delishoes, a delightful project combining gastronomy and fashion in the bohemian Brera quarter. On a strategically sited corner between pedestrian precincts, women’s footwear shares the shop window with bottles of wine, pastries and desserts.
L’Orto Di Brera. Still in Brera, where it is a pleasure to stroll about and peek into the different shop windows and bars, you will come across a coquettish market selling fresh produce, cuisine and chef included, where you can buy whatever you like and eat it on the spot at once. If you prefer to avoid getting bogged down with your purchase and cut to the quick, you can choose any of the dishes of the day and have them prepared right there by the chef, Claudio Crotti.
Mandarin Bar. This is the place to be, currently all the rage in Italy’s fashion capital. Your required meeting point is the Mandarin Oriental. Their exquisite bar counter is the perfect spot for extending your stay after lunching in the star-studded Seta– in the same hotel – or for wetting your appetite. Apart from drinks, the bar also serves small dishes with a distinctly Italian flourish and impeccable presentation. Noteworthy, too, is their cocktail list and the dessert trolley, which is not to be missed, as is their Jazz Brunch on Sundays.
Text by Belén Parra of Gastronomistas
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