A getaway to Leeds is the perfect excuse to do two diametrically opposite things. First, you should take the chance to do some quality shopping, as the city boasts an abundance of shopping centres, markets and pedestrian precincts packed with stores – a pleasurable exercise in which we put the credit on our card to the test. In contrast, you can also make the most out of your trip by exploring some of the jewels that lie in the Yorkshire and the Humber region, which is where cosmopolitan Leeds is situated. In the following we propose four outings to destinations less than two hours from the city where you will discover just how special and manifold is this beautiful area in the north of England.

1. Saltaire – In Search of the Region’s Industrial Legacy

Our first stop is Shipley, situated in the Bradford metropolitan district. Here we find the Saltaire model industrial village, a jewel from the Victorian era which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001. Strategically located next to the river Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, it was founded in 1853 by Sir Titus Salt, a philanthropist and entrepreneur of the Yorkshire wool industry – wool was the region’s major driving force during the Industrial Revolution.

This model village was purpose-built to house both the wool mill and the living area for the workers and their families. It featured a number of different spaces, designed to meet the needs of the community: a hospital, school, library, recreational areas, a church, etc. This enabled the workers to live near their place of work and also provided them with better conditions than in the nearby city of Bradford.

Nowadays it operates as a leisure area in which most of the buildings have been restored and turned into shops, art galleries, restaurants and cafés, but it still conveys the idea of the region’s important industrial past.

2. The Evocative Scenery ofWuthering Heightsin Haworth

The picturesque village of Haworth, situated some 36 kilometres west of Leeds, owes its fame above all to the Brontë sisters (Emily, Charlotte and Anne), who wrote their acclaimed novels right here. Most of the tourists who come here do so on account of one of their best known literary works, Wuthering Heights, penned by Emily Brontë, and to see for themselves the places depicted in the novel. Apart from having a walk through this peaceful setting, permanently marked by the curiosity of sightseers eager to capture snippets of fiction, we recommend hiking through the area and soaking up this unusual scenery which acted as the source of inspiration for what has become a veritable classic of English literature.

3. Outdoor Art

You’re an art lover but you hate enclosed spaces – in that case the Yorkshire Sculpture Park is for you. Located half an hour from Leeds, in the grounds of Bretton Hall, stands this unusual “museum”, where you can delight in their magnificent collection of modern and contemporary sculpture in an inimitable setting. Something to note – it boasts Europe’s largest number of bronzes exhibited in the open-air by Henry Moore, the most international local artist in this region.

4. Castle Howard – A Movie Set

North of the historic fortified city of York, which is well worth stopping over in, stands this magnificent country house, as these rural palaces owned by the British aristocracy are known. Castle Howard was built between 1699 and 1712 for the Earl of Carlisle. While its exterior, designed by the architect, Sir John Vanbrugh, is an exquisite example of the English Baroque, its interior will not leave you unmoved either. There you can enjoy the incredible collection of paintings by the likes of Canaletto, Leandro Bassano, Titian, Annibale Carracci, Marco Ricci, Joshua Reynolds and Gainsborough, among others.

A visit to this priceless mansion, which has been the home of the Howard family for over 300 years and is open to the public, has the added value of having served as a cinema and television set. It was here that Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon was filmed,as was Brideshead Revisited – both the successful 1981 series and the film from 2008, adaptations of the literary classic by Evelyn Waugh.

You simply must visit the region of Yorkshire and the Humber – book your Vueling to Leeds here!

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Images by Tim Green, John Robinson, Nick, Michael D Beckwith, vagueonthehow, Karen Bryan

What can we say about Pedro Almodóvar? Luis Buñuel notwithstanding, he is the internationally best known Spanish film director. His Oscar-award-studded, iconoclastic filmography includes both masterpieces and a large number of highly interesting movies. Like any creator worth his salt – and the Manchegan is one of these – Almodóvar has a pet city that features repeatedly in his films. We are referring to Madrid. In the late seventies he left his native Calzada de Calatrava and journeyed to the capital, Madrid, intent on making his name in cinema. It ended up becoming his favourite set. He has portrayed it in many different ways, revealing both its highlights and shadows, its well-known and its hidden facets. Almodóvar has explored virtually all the streets of his adopted city with a view to heightening the emotions and feelings of his main actors. His fiction breathes life into buildings, streets, establishments, airports, train stations and a long list of other settings.

The director of Volver turned the city into a film set, using to advantage real locations recognizable  to his audience and turning some spots into must-visit centres of pilgrimage for his fans. Touring these precincts involves venturing into Almodóvar’s passionate, architectural world, by way of an alternative tourist guide to Madrid. We now retrace some of the most emblematic spots on a route which you can round off by viewing the films directed by the creator of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown and jotting down new sites in your Almodovarian logbook.

Chicote Museum and La Bobia

One of the two bars that appear in Almodóvar’s films is the Chicote Museum, a chic cocktail bar with an eventful history sited on Madrid’s iconic Gran Vía. It opened in 1930 and its premises have been graced by a considerable number of contemporary stars and Hollywood classics, too. Its interior features in one of the main scenes of Broken Embraces, starring Blanca Portillo. La Bobia is another legendary meeting point in Madrid. It is hard by El Rastro flea market and was once a hotspot of La Movida (The Madrilenian scene). It was actually during those heady times that Almodóvar decided to set the opening scene of Labyrinth of Passion in La Bobia. The movie’s cast was headed by Imanol Arias and Cecilia Roth.

Cuartel del Conde Duque

A must-visit venue to see the spot where one of the Manchegan filmmaker’s most famous scenes was shot – when Carmen Maura takes a night-time shower with a hose in one of his masterpieces, Law of Desire. The scene was filmed in the doorway of the Cuartel del Conde Duque, one of Madrid’s largest and oldest palaces (it was built in 1717), which also boasts a highly valuable cultural and historical endowment. What’s more, once you’ve taken the snapshot de rigueur to relive Almodóvar’s shot, you can go inside and visit it, as it has been turned into a cultural centre featuring various temporary exhibitions throughout the year.

The M-30 Apartment Blocks

Pedro Almodóvar did not restrict himself to capturing only Madrid’s well-known city centre – he also turned his gaze to the suburbs. He did so in one of his best movies, the iconic What Have I Done to Deserve This? in which a long-suffering Carmen Maura is going through hell. She plays a woman who lives in one of the apartment blocks lining the M-30 motorway, a working-class residential area in the district of Moratalaz.

The Segovia Viaduct

One of the natural settings Almodóvar has used most often, both at the beginning of his career and even today. It appears in both Matador and the very recent I'm So Excited. In the latter, Paz Vega stars in an amusing scene shot against this backdrop. The Segovia Viaduct is located in Calle Bailén, near the Royal Palace, and is one of Madrid’s best known bridges.

Be sure to tour these Almodovarian settings – book your Vueling to Madrid here.

Text by Xavi Sánchez for Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

When it comes to Germany’s underground, everyone thinks of grand Berlin with its hipsters strolling through Kreuzberg, especially when it was alternative and arty – now Neukölln has taken over – its endless art galleries, flohmarkts and variegated events staged on any derelict or decadent-looking site.

However, it might occur to a few of you that Hypezig – from “hype” and “Leipzig” – has become Berlin’s major rival in the last ten years. The city is ideal for soaking up street art or homing in on radically alternative galleries, far removed from the bustle of the capital and beyond the tourist trail. A city where throngs of students, artists and musicians have been mingling for a long time.

Mom, I Want to be an Artist in Hypezig!

Spinnerei

This former cotton mill – once the largest in Europe – is a paradise for any art lover. Nearly a hundred artists and many galleries coexist in this emblematic spot. And, if you happen to stop by, you should not miss the ASPN Galerie, headed by Arne Linde, as this was a beacon of Leipzig’s art scene when it first got off the ground. Also a must is the Galerie Kleindienst, the city’s “New Leipzig School” of artists involved with all kinds of media and materials. At the Spinnerei you will also come across small establishments offering creative products, as well as a cinema and a bistro to act as your watering hole.

Weißcube Galerie

This gallery, housed in a white cube in the middle of a Bauhaus villa garden, is a must-see landmark. Apart from providing viewers with a fine example of outsider art, the dialogue set up between the building’s architectural pieces and its surroundings will leave no one indifferent.

Ortloff Galerie

On display in this gallery are exhibits ranging from graphic design to sculptures, to installations of all types. Many of the exhibiting artists are graduates of the Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig (HGB), the city’s visual arts faculty.

But, perhaps the best way to soak up the art is to stroll through Leipzig’s streets. When you least expect it, you are likely to turn a corner and bump into such works as “Mural of the peaceful revolution”, by Michael Fischer, or Blek Le Rat’s “Madonna and child” graffito, which was restored and placed behind a protective glass screen.

Dancing in the Night

And, since man does not live by art alone, getting into the swing of the city’s nightlife is a good way of rounding off the day.

Elipamanoke

This is one of the first locales to be opened in the east of Leipzig, an area characterised by its industrial past and transformed into one of the city’s hot districts. The underground parties in Elipamanoke move to the rhythm of minimal techno and house, although you can also hear drum’n’bass or electroswing.

Institut fuer Zukunft

Their rule forbidding taking photos and their access policy make this an exclusive club which prides itself on being an alternative to the current club scene. The lineup at Institut fuer Zukunft features local and international DJs who gift experimental sessions of house and techno. During the day, they host conferences and debates on gender, club culture and electronic music.

Villa Hasenholz

The best parties are usually held at venues that were not originally clubs. Thus, this kulturhaus and biergarten called Villa Hasenholz, which is also a residence for artists, hosts rave-ups of all kinds. Making use of either the interior or their outside garden, the premises can operate as a disco, a concert hall or a multi-purpose festival venue, outside the established circuit and idyllically located in a forest.

Leipzig is the ideal destination for a weekend getaway where you can steep yourself in a bohemian ambience of art and music. It is also one of the iconic cities for its classical music or for lazing in its parks and gardens, like the Clara-Zetkin-Park, where jazz is played every Sunday. But the city offers, above all, a markedly alternative Germany, alien to any stodgy clichés. It also brings home the fact that smaller cities such as Weimar, Dresden or Bremen are also likely to raise the eyebrows of more than one cosmopolitan hipster.

I’m sure you’re eager to plunge into the city’s cultural effervescence. Make haste – check out our flights to Leipzig here.

Text by Carmen Gómez for ISABELYLUIS Comunicación

Photos by Elipamanoke, Institut fuer Zukunft, di.fe88, GlynLowe, Pfauenauge

When one thinks of Paris, one of the first images that springs to mind is that of an aspiring writer, secluded in an attic, waiting for the Muse of inspiration to make her appearance. Paris is pure poetry and, as such, it houses some of the world’s best bookstores, like Shakespeare and Company. We are going to relive the fascinating history of this book shop and tour the most select Parisian literary venues.

Shakespeare and Company

Sylvia Beach had been in Paris for 20 years when she realised the need to open a shop where readers could find works in English. Shakespeare and Company opened on the rue Dupuytren in 1919 and subsequently moved to rue de l'Odéon, near Saint-Germain-des-Prés. The bookstore founded by Sylvia Beach – who was soon to embark on the publication of one of the great works of universal literature; James Joyce’s Ulysses – almost immediately caught on as a meeting point for English-language writers during their stay in Paris. There must have been some memorable literary gatherings within those walls between such illustrious figures as Man Ray, Ezra Pound, Ernest Hemingway and Samuel Beckett, among others.

In 1941, during the German occupation, Sylvia Beach refused to sell the first copy of Joyce’s novel, Finnegans Wake, to a German officer, an act of defiance which led her to be arrested and incarcerated in a concentration camp. She was released six months later, but never opened her book shop again. Sylvia Beach died in 1962 and a year later, another American, George Whitman, acquired her publishing list.

George Whitman had his own bookstore, Le Mistral, which was little more than a study full of printed pages on the rue de la Bûcherie, at the intersection of Saint-Jacques, alongside the Seine and opposite Notre Dame. Fascinated by the life story of Sylvia Beach, and as a tribute to her legacy, he changed the name of his store to rekindle the legend of Shakespeare and Company, the most famous bookstore in the world. This literary venue is well-known, among many other reasons, for providing accommodation to writers who come to Paris in search of inspiration free-of-charge on the upper floor of the shop. In exchange, they are expected to help stack the new releases that keep coming in, as well as serve and chat with customers. A huge number of literary figures have slept over in that loft – George Whitman estimates they number some 40,000. They include both anonymous enthusiasts and those who have ended up becoming paramount figures of the literary world. Prominent among our own literary figures is Terenci Moix who in his autobiography dedicates some passages to George Whitman and his stay at Shakespeare and Company (37 Rue de la Bûcherie).

Abbey Bookshop

Another of the most endearing bookstores in Paris is Abbey Bookshop. Located just a stone’s throw away from Shakespeare and Company, it is run by a Canadian whose warmth and friendliness are simply beyond words. The store is notable for its endless list of works in English (29 rue de la Parcheminerie).

Artazart

Located on the bucolic Canal St Martin, Artazart is a must-visit spot for design lovers. There, they will be enthralled not only by a stunning range of books and magazines on the subject but by some of the most outlandish design objects, on sale in the shop (83 Quai de Valmy).

Assouline

“The Most Sophisticated Books in the World” is the motto of Assouline Publishing. With branches in New York, London and Paris, its venue in the Saint Germain des Prés quarter features a boutique where you can purchase their publications, if you can afford them (35, rue Bonaparte).

Gibert Jeune

In the centrally located Place Saint-Michel, rather than a single bookstore per se, Gibert Jeune has several premises scattered around the square, each devoted to a different subject: literature, history, biography, etc. It can take up a whole afternoon’s browsing – and even two! (Place Saint-Michel)

L’Arnaqueur

A store featuring rare books, its major appeal lies in its boundless collection of titles dedicated to cinema, photography and art in general. In addition to books, the shop carries a huge selection of posters, acetates and promotional photos. A film-worthy experience for visitors (13 Rue Gerbier).

L’Écume des Pages

A bookstore purpose designed for those who cannot go to sleep without first reading for a while. At L’Écume des Pages, you will not manage to exhaust their wealth of titles, despite the shop staying open until midnight, except for Sundays, when they close at 10 p.m. to get a break (174 Boulevard Saint-Germain).

Ofr. 

Freedom, fashion, design, Paris, elegance, class, youth, vibrant cultural urge… these are the words used by Ofr. to describe their publishing policy. A bookstore and exhibition gallery geared to art, design and fashion targeting the modern set, hipsters and other contemporary birds. Welcome to your Parisian intellectual gymnasium! (20 rue Dupetit-Thouars)

Ulysse

If Paris is just your first port of call on a long journey, make sure to drop in on Ulysse, one of the best bookstores in town and anywhere as far as globe-trotters and other migratory species are concerned (26 rue Saint-Louis en Île).

Text by Oriol Rodríguez for Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Images by Dustin Gaffke, craigfinlay, Groume, Arnaud Malon, Luc Mercelis, Blowing Puffer Fish