Majorca is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. And it comes as no surprise, because it offers endless attractions. But if you prefer to stay away from the crowds, it’s better to travel out of season. Spring is a great time to go as it is mild, doesn’t rain much and there are fewer tourists about. Find out the best things to see in the largest of the Balearic Islands, and you won’t need a swimsuit!

Proof of this is Berlin’s recent designation as the new vegetarian capital of the world, according to the prestigious American magazine, Saveur. Berliners love the green life. They are second to none when it comes to protecting their parks and gardens, and extending them as much as they can, wherever possible. And, in recent times, they have proved to be open to new procedures geared to eliciting a growing respect for the urban environment.

Public parks are practically an extension of their lounge, particularly in summer, when residents take them over for all kinds of outdoor activity. Each tree is protected and anyone who lacks their own family allotment is free to join any of the initiatives designed to boost the proliferation of community gardens. The fact is that Berlin is a city enamoured of environmental trends. For many Berliners, bicycles have replaced cars as a status symbol. At DIY workshops, they are learning to make their own clothes and furniture, eschewing industrial mass production, which its more harmful to the environment. In short, the LOHAS (“lifestyle of health and sustainability”) tenet is adopted by many here. Hence, today’s Berliner is a person who enjoys the pleasures of life, while following a healthy diet and making sustainable consumer decisions.

The Capital of Healthy Food

And, that is not just our opinion – the prestigious American culinary magazine, Saveur, has just granted Berlin the “Saveur Good Taste Award” for the best vegetarian city in the world. Indeed, when it comes to gastronomy, the city is far more than just currywurst and kebab. Recent progress in Berlin’s gastronomic trends is clearly a praiseworthy development. Any gourmand will tell you so – and not for nothing – as there are some 30 vegan and a total of 300 vegetarian restaurants and food stalls making up that health food network.

Thus, the changes in Berlin’s gastronomic scene are widely recognised. High-end vegetarian offerings surpass the meat-based supply, long a traditional mainstay. As well, recent years have seen the influence of immigration coming into the limelight, bringing culinary traditions that have contributed notably to the new variety in vegetarian and vegan cuisine.

Vegetarian Restaurants You Must Try

Vegetarian food now lies at the heart of Berlin’s culinary scene. Cookies Cream, for example, is one of the best known for its exclusiveness and for being a trendsetter among vegetarian restaurants. In 2014 it featured in Gault Millau, one of the leading nouvelle cuisine guides in the world. Here, the set menu works out at about 39 euros and includes such marvels as Sardinian crunchy potato lasagna with Swiss cheese truffle, pickled kohlrabi (a variety of cabbage) and radish. Another Berlin beacon is the restaurant offering innovative vegan cuisine, Lucky Leek. It also made its way into the prestigious Michelin Guide a short while ago. They serve à la carte on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, with complete menus on Friday and Saturday. Additionally, a growing number of chefs, like those at Nobelhart & Schmutzig, are using locally grown organic ingredients. Even fast-food street stalls are offering vegetarian snacks. Further information at visitBerlin.com.

In short, vegetarian trends are developing in synch with a new, far more complex movement based on sustainability. There is, for instance, a growing demand to reinforce the organic fabric and a call to broaden the reach of vegetarian and social cuisine projects. One example is the imminent inauguration of Restlos Glücklich, which is to feature leftover food on its menu. This involves a new, much more sustainable business concept and a more responsible attitude towards the environment. The raw materials in their cuisine are still fresh, yet they have been withdrawn from sale for whatever reasons (the sell-by date is nearing, there isn’t sufficient storage space for the surplus, etc.). This means that the menu changes every day, as it depends on the food that is available in each instance. Apart from feeding their guests, the idea of the restaurant is to raise awareness. The establishment also offers cooking lessons and organises activities for children.

Accommodation

To round off the green experience, what better than to spend the night at NH Collection Berlin Friedrichstrase. This is an eco-friendly hotel which takes into account a positive impact on the environment through responsible energy consumption. And, how do you reduce your carbon footprint on the environment? By reducing energy consumption with the use of light bulbs that yield a saving of 29.3%, in addition to a 29.5% reduction in water consumption.

Why wait to discover Bergreen for yourself? Check out our flights here.

Text by ISABELYLUIS Comunicación

Images by Restlos Glücklich, Cookies Cream, Lucky Leek, Nobelhart & Schmutzig, Restlos Glücklich

I could spend hours singing the praises of this wonderful Balearic island, but these lines are dedicated to its gastronomic facet, its rich larder and its restaurants. Among the preparatory tasks all travellers should undertake is to research the flavours they are likely to encounter at their destination. Experiencing tourism on one’s palette is a way of coming to grips with local culture.

Thus, Minorca cannot be fully grasped without accounting for its cheeses (DO – Queso de Mahón-Menorca). They are hand crafted using cloth, and painted with oil and red pepper. Drop in on cheese factories like S’Arangi (Es Mercadal) or Son Mercer de Baix (Ferreries). Likewise, their sausage: carn i xulla (raw and cured lean pork and bacon), sobrasada, botifarró (blood sausage) and camot/cuixot/camaiot (similar to botifarró, but stuffed in skin). And, needless to say, their Gin Xoringuer, a traditional distillation that goes into the making of pomada and gin amb llimonada. Also de rigueur are their wines which, after a merely cursory presence at the beginning, are experiencing a sweet resurgence under the label “Vi de la terra Illa de Menorca”. The stores of El Paladar offer some fine examples of all kinds of local produce.

And, don’t forget to try some of the wines at Hort de Sant Patrici, Sa Forana, Binifadet… whenever you sit down to any of their tables. They are highly distinct from one another, from creative cuisine to jam-packed menus, but they all have one thing in common – a desire to offer local produce and dishes of yesteryear that are still current today.

Binifadet – Among Vineyards

Sign up for a guided tour, purchase some wine and enjoy a hearty breakfast on your morning jaunt in Sant Lluís, hard by Mahón. Local cheeses, toast with sobrasada and wine marmalade, carré (spare ribs of lamb) and fresh white hake.

Biniarroca – Among Gardens

A charming rural hotel in Sant Lluís with a restaurant among the most highly recommended on the island. During the day, their porch and gardens are areas where time stands still to the warmth of a cup of coffee. By night, the setting is cuisine based on Minorcan produce with fine service. The accommodation is a wise choice – you will feel very much at home.

Terra Bistró – In the Harbour

This establishment has been open for just one year. It is based on well presented, locally sourced produce and dishes, set in cosy premises and at reasonable prices. Try the botifarró with onion confit and tomato jam, or black calamari and mussel rice. Go for a table on their terrace, and make sure you order one of their homemade desserts.

Rías Baixas and Loar – a Break on the Journey

We stopped off at Ferreries, on the road to Ciutadella. We had heard of a restaurant which combines the best Galician seafood with Minorcan cuisine – Rías Baixas. An ad hoc feast based on fried fish (sea and vegetables), mussels and aubergines stuffed with prawns. Stewed lobster and delicious sweets. Also scrumptious is the menu of the day at the Cala Galdana del Hotel Loar restaurant, where locals pack the tables for lunch each day to savour the island’s traditional fare. À la carte is also available. Comfortable accommodation if you fancy spending the night inland.

Mon – Felip Llufriú and Guillem Pons’ Personal Enterprise

We reached Ciutadella and were blown away first by the cuisine, and then by the locale. The project was once housed in Can Faustino. A quiet establishment with views of the kitchen where you can savour such dishes as marinated rock fish on melba toast and escalibada (smoky grilled aubergine), crawfish in three portions – pincers tartare, ceviche (lemon-and-garlic marinade) of the tail, and soup with the heads – or local cochinillo (suckling pig) with bitter orange and pungents obrasada. Creativity and produce. Indispensable. (Passeig de San Nicolau, 4 - Tel. 971381718.)

Ses Voltes – Casual Roof Terrace in the Heart of Ciutadella

For those seeking a fine cuisine alternative at good prices and for all tastes. Here they feature a huge menu of salads, pasta, rice, meat and fish and an interesting pizza section. They also offer local dishes such as scrambled eggs with sobrasada and milhojas de cuixot.

Torralbenc – Haute Cuisine with the Paco Morales Signature

A privileged spot, a rewarding peace, splendid cuisine. At Torralbenc you can fly on the wings of a royale of cured Mahón cheese – a mysterious and tasty perfect-imperfect – steak tartare and a dessert called “orange” which makes you cry. Great wines and great service.

Further Suggestions for Sleeping… and Continuing to Eat

The Artiem hotels (Audax, Carlos III and Capri), part of a sustainability project called Aportam! were founded with the concerted aim of providing local produce among their culinary offerings. Having ensaimadas and local sponge cake for breakfast, and homemade sausage for dinner, is a real luxury.

For something more rural, Sant Ignasi lies just a stone’s throw away from Ciutadella. They also feature an interesting restaurant concept and a stunning terrace where you can have a relaxing breakfast with a big variety of homemade jams.

We wind up the journey and the day having a drink to a DJ rhythm on the spectacular roof terrace at the Barceló Hamilton in Es Castell, a hotel for those seeking an “adults only” option with views of the Mediterranean.

I bet we have dispelled any doubts you may have had. Check out our flights here.

Text by Silvia Artaza of Gastronomistas.com

Images bySilvia Artazaand establishments

Mainau Island is a captivating green island carpeted with flowers emerging from the blue waters of Lake Constance, just an hour and a half away from Stuttgart. Standout features include a 45-hectare Mediterranean-style garden commissioned by Count Lennart Bernadotte who was related to the Swedish royal family. This gardening artwork is now managed by his children.

Mainau Children’s Land

Mainau Island (also known as the Island of Flowers) has some admirable features and not only those in its lush botanical gardens, with plants from all over the world. Mainau-Kinderland (Mainau Children’s Land) and Germany’s largest Butterfly House draw families from across the globe. Over two million people a year are estimated to visit here. The best thing about this huge children’s park is that it is suitable for children from the age of two years on, and it opens from spring to autumn.

But, what most rivets the little ones’ attention – and grown ups, too, we have to admit – is the Dwarf Village. This attraction is aimed at children between the ages of two and four. It has cave-shaped huts, a wooden train and an area for water games, which operates permanently. The Village is located between the Farm and the Lake and also features a stable for pony riding. There are also dwarf donkeys and dogs – loads of dogs, as virtually all the breeds are represented here. The Farm, which also has a garden, is full of rabbits running about, while cows and goats graze to their heart’s content. And, needless to say, there has to be a chicken run, too, with both roosters and hens crowing away. What child doesn’t like a farm?

One of the major attractions is the Zoo, where children are allowed to pet lots of animals. Perhaps the best part, though, is the Butterfly House, which is open all year around. Stretching across an area of 1,000 m², it is landscaped to resemble a tropical paradise. Strolling among the gurgling waterfalls, pond-straddling bridges and a grotto, visitors can luxuriate in the sight of hundreds of colours and rare butterflies from about 80 species flying freely and feeding, carrying out their mating dances and laying eggs. If you keep still for a while, you might be lucky enough to have one settle on you. Another highlight is the new Insect Garden where you can glean interesting facts about wild bees, honey bees and apiculture in general.

Caution! A Water World

The area which has been most successful of late is the Wasserwelt (Water World). It is an ideal precinct for children to play to their heart’s content in a safe environment. It is actually a game-show-like circuit with a set of small, attached or interconnected houses and towers where children are challenged to overcome hurdles and move from one house to the next without touching the ground. To this end, they avail themselves of ropes and climbing walkways. This water world also has large areas with sand built in the form of mud pools. Here, children can play unfettered – they can build, bake, discover and investigate. Alongside this area is a pathway where you can walk barefoot, made of materials which are pleasant to the touch, purposely devised for adults who are loathe to get splashed while accompanying their kids.

Lake Constance

Lake Constance, nicknamed the Schwäbische Meer (Swabian Sea), is the third largest lake in Europe and straddles three countries – Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Be sure to take advantage of your trip to Mainau Kinderland to tour this marvellous landscape. Formed by the Rhine glacier during the last Ice Age and currently fed by the river itself, this enormous lake is 63 km long by 14 km wide and has a maximum depth of 250 metres. The region is characterised by meadows and vineyards, market gardens and dams, beaches and Alpine foothills. A motley region which blossoms into its full beauty in summer, just when the tourists flock here. Some of the most popular activities here are swimming in the lake and camping on some of its shores. In spring it is carpeted with flowers and in autumn there is new wine, fewer people and magnificent visibility when the warm Föhn blows.

Don’t pass up the chance to treat your children to this cultural extravaganza. The area also features countless Baroque churches, Benedictine abbeys, Stone Age dwellings, Roman forts, medieval castles and even zeppelins. You just can’t get bored. Come on – prepare your children for the grand surprise. Check out our flights here.

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Images by Germany Travel