On a tour in A Coruña
A Coruña, the city where nobody is an outsider. You hear this a lot in La Coruña as it was the slogan used to promote the city and was eagerly adopted by the local people.
Tapas
One of my favourite places is a small yet typical old-man’s bar with the original decorations from the 1960s. It is called La Bombilla and they serve delicious tapas, empanadilla inflada, croquettes, tortilla, chorizo with potato and milanese-style chorizo at good prices in the city centre; 6 Calle de la Galera. Unmissable.
In the same area, theZona de Vinos, you’ll find a large number of tapas bars with good prices and quality. You could start at the legendary Taberna Olmos at 22 Calle Olmos and continue on down the length of Calle Barrena. The lively atmosphere lasts all night.
Drinks
On Calle Orillamar is one of my favourite bars; Maricastaña. The place offers free concerts by local artists, a relaxed atmosphere and a good time. It is open until 3 in the morning and also serves sandwiches at a good price.
For something a little different and alternative, you could try Puticlú (pronounced as it is spelt). Pop and colour in a mixed and highly entertaining atmosphere.
Mardigras is one of the most iconic music bars in A Coruña. Rock concerts, alternative music and a great time to be had.
Another of the liveliest places for a night out is Orzán, very close to Playa de Riazor and with numerous places to have fun.
Restaurants
I recommend two good restaurants; one with a traditional atmosphere and another more modern. Their traditional dish is the Pulpería A Nova Lanchiña. Great octopus at 30 Calle Capitán Juan Varela. The other, more innovative and stylish restaurant (but equally well priced) is close to the beach in the Riazor area: Utopia at 5 Avenida Buenos Aires.
Museums
Fundación Barrie de La Mazaand the Caixa Galicia Foundation are the two closest. They offer a good collection of resident art and other temporary exhibitions. The Centro de Bellas Artes is also worth a visit.
Walks
One of the unmissable and essential walks is to be enjoyed around La Torre de Hércules, the only oldest lighthouse in the world still working today. There are some wonderful views of the coast and it is very easy to get there because it stands within the city limits of La Coruña itself.
The recently-renovated Parque de San Pedro offers some great views of the city.
Finally, a walk around La Marina to the Castillo de San Antón is very pleasant. If the weather is kind to you, it is a delight to see the typical houses of A Coruña with their white galleries and enjoy a beer or two on a local terrace.
By Marcos La Federica
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Delicious Kos
The most touristic of the Greek Dodecanese Islands is the beautiful Kos, with about 48 kilometers long and eight wide, which is very close to the coast of Turkey. It is normal then that their simple and tasty cuisine is influenced by their neighboring country.
One of the most popular choices is to ask for mezze or meze (very common in the Middle East and in this part of the Mediterranean), a varied selection of dishes that are accompanied with ouzo (or similar drinks like raki, tsipouro or tsikoudia), an alcoholic beverage made in Greece. It is usually prepared with all kinds of ingredients such as eggplant, tomatoes, chickpeas, cucumbers, fish, cheese, peppers, olives or seafood.
Although the mezes are accompanied with ouzo, it doesn’t mean that you have to take them without measure. You are supposed to eat and drink slowly, enjoying the company and the lively conversation.
Try for instance the Gavros Marinatos (anchovies marinated in oil, lemon and salt), the grilled octopus or the Kalamarakia (fried squid), the saganaki (Kefalotyri cheese fried in olive oil), the tirokafteri (made from a softer cheese like feta mixed with yogurt, olive oil and lemon) or the keftedes (fried meatballs seasoned with mint and onion).
Other typical recipes of the island are the noodles in broth called "pitaridia" the "dolmades” (grape leaves stuffed with rice), the "pastitsio" (pasta with vegetables), the "katimeria"(pancakes with mizithra cheese served with honey and cinnamon), and the "lampropites' (pies filled with a cheese called prosfa). There are plenty of different restaurants on the island, from typically Greek food with traditional flavors to international restaurants, bars and nightclubs, with guaranteed fun until the wee hours of the morning.
Nick de Fisherman
Georgiou Averof 21
One of the most popular places to eat fish and only fish, mostly because you will not find meat dishes in this restaurant run by a fisherman and his family since 1942.
Barbouni
Georgioy Averof 26
www.ilovebarbouni.com
Fresh seafood dishes, assorted meze, fish coming directly from the sea and some of their wonderful cocktails to finish.
Agkyra
Averof 14, Kos
Family business with views of Kos’s Harbour.
Dihtaki
Georgiou Averof 30
Seafood and some vegetarian options in this delightful place with a terrace facing the sea.
El Gallo
Georgiou Averof 12
Great Greek and Spanish tapas facing the sea in the city of Kos.
Psarovarka
Antimahoy 1 Kos
Although it was opened recently,this restaurant has earned a reputation as one of the best on the island. Home-made dishes cooked with local products, seafood mezes, salads and high quality fish. They have hammocks on the beach where they serve drinks.
Taverna Mike
Eth. P. Polemiston, Lambi
www.mike-kos.eu
Let yourself be advised by Mike and Gina on the best food and wine of the place. A spacious and welcoming restaurant to taste the specialties of the island.
La Prima
Plaza Diagoras, Kos
www.laprima-kos.com
Pasta, some vegetarian choices and the best saganaki mussels (Greek recipe for mussels with onions, tomatoes and feta cheese).
Picture mezze por Banu
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more infoAt White City
It is called White City because it houses a unique collection of Bauhaus style buildings, more than anywhere else in the world, including any German city, the birthplace of the Bauhaus movement.
Facing huge skyscrapers, we find the beaches in the city of Tel Aviv. Miles of white sand, by the mild climate of the city, let us take a bath and practice water sports nearly every day of the year. Tel Aviv does not stop at night: neighborhoods like Rothschild houses the best nightlife options in the city. Tel Aviv is a lively, active city with entertainment, culture and art, festivals and a rich nightlife.
Tel Aviv is history. You should visit such emblematic places as Bialik House, Ben Gurion and Dizengoff, the old cemetery on Trumpeldor Street, and Reuven’s house. Nature lovers will enjoy the garden of Abu Kabir, HaYarkon Park and Botanical Gardens near Tel Aviv University. Families with children can enjoy an amusement park full of action.
If you like learning about other cultures, a must-visit is the Museum of Tel Aviv, which explains the history of the founding of the Jewish people and the city’s development.
Step into the bustling outdoor market in Carmel, close to the bohemian neighborhood of Neve Tzedek, where you can find clothes, toys and accessories for the house as well as the colorful stalls of the market full of fruit, vegetable, fresh meat, fish and cheese . The market begins at the junction from deAllenby King George and gets to the end of Carmelit, where you will find bus terminal.
A few kilometers from Tel Aviv, at Jerusalem, you will discover a city that contains inside the most visited places in Israel, such as the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Via Dolorosa, Yad Vashem and Mount of Olives.
And if you want to eat a good kebab, you can try one of the best very near from Tel Aviv. It is served in Abu Ghosh , and they say it is one of the top 5 kebab restaurants in Middle Eastern, specifically located in the third position. The fact is that the Arab village of Abu Ghosh, on the road between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, is known for its hummus restaurants and is very popular with both locals and tourists. Here you have the guarantee that they will serve a memorable meat dish . They mix the beef with onion, parsley, pine nuts and some grease before threading the needle on an iron skewer. It is cooked on a grill and served with rice and salad, with a pinkish hue inside.
Imagen de wili_hybrid
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Wegue Wegue: Lisbon by Buraka Som Sistema
The Buraka Som Sistema sound is that of the Angolan immigrant in Portugal, although its moves are not exclusively kuduro and you can easily sense the inner influence of the most urban grimey and the outer influence of the crazy crunked.
We speak to Kalaf, one of the vocalists with the band, who tells us about his favourite places in Lisbon.
Kalaf loves Lisbon because it is a meeting point between Europe and Africa, open to the world and other cultures, and full of fun and warmth.
A good place to start enjoying the riverside part of the city is in Docas, under the Puente 25 de Abril. This entertainment area is very lively in the evenings and a great place for jogging during the day.
Another interesting place located on one of Lisbon’s seven hills is Alfama. The Feira da Ladra street market is held every Tuesday and public holiday. Kalaf usually visits this market in search of second-hand vinyl records. Very close to the market, on the same hill, can be found the San Jorge Castle, which can be visited by taking number 28 yellow tram .
One of the best big clubs in Europe is LUX, in the Santa Apolonia district. A lot of people say that John Malkovich is the owner, but that is just a rumour.
The club is located in a very fashionable area full of good restaurants and shops. Well placed close to the river and the ports, this district was once rather run down but has now been revitalised into a place where the new and the old co-exist in perfect harmony.
Every two months, Buraka take up residence at LUX and organise Kuduro parties with the independentEnchufada music label, who published their album From Buraka to the World in 2006 and Komba album in 2011.
In the same area can be found the Bica do Sapato, which according to Kalaf is one of the best pizza restaurants in Lisbon.
Another of the most interesting parts of Lisbon is the Barrio Alto, a rather Bohemian and very central part of the city full of galleries and shops that is a regular meeting point for the locals. On the 6th floor of the Hotel de la Plaza Luís de Camões is a restaurant and terrace that he likes to visit because of the great views of the river and bridge.
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