There’s so much more to Menorca than just idyllic beaches, fishing villages and charming paths by the sea. The island offers amazing food and a busy cultural programme throughout the year.

Traditional festivities often go hand-in-hand with culinary delights, as is the case with the mona de Pascua, associated with Easter Monday, when the custom is for men to gift one of these cakes to their godchildren. Eating the mona de Pascua ushers in the end of Lent and fasting.

Themonais eaten in various regions of Spain, including Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, Aragon, Murcia and Valencia, each with their own recipe and peculiarity. In Catalonia, the chocolate mona prevails, while in Valencia they resemble a sweet bun, most of them made of flour, sugar, eggs and salt.

The Tradition in Alicante

Several types ofmonaare made in the Community of Valencia, although the panquemado or toña are available all year around in bakeries and pastry shops. But the variety that appear at Easter are more elaborate and decorative. They are usually either elongated or round and dusted withanisetes(aniseed candies). Those made for children come in amusing, attractive shapes, such as monkeys, snakes or lizards, with a hard-boiled egg embedded in their mouths.

In Alicante and, in general, throughout the Levante (south-eastern seaboard), the custom is to go on an outing in the countryside or hills on the Day of the Mona. Families and friends meet to eat the traditional confectionery in nearby nature areas, including the Sierra de Callosa, the Pinada de Guardamar and the Sierra del Maigmó.

One amusing custom is to break the hard-boiled egg that comes with the mona on a friend’s or family member’s head. They say that some bakers garnish their monas with raw eggs to make the situation even more entertaining. The ritual dictates that the aggressor recite the verse: “Ací em pica, ací em cou i ací t’esclafe l’ou” (Here I’m itching, here I’m smarting and here I break the egg over you).

The Best Pastry Shops in Alicante to Buy Monas and other Confectionery

In Alicante, the pastry shops vie with one another to produce the best monas and display them in their shop windows. One of the most acclaimed ones in the city is Prefiero Sussu, owned by José Manuel Samper, at number 3, calle Pintor Baez. It is a landmark of the best pastries and has won several awards for its delicious toñas. At Sussu they also make one of the finest croissants in Spain. Fresh out of the oven, the taste of butter is unmistakeable, as margarine is not allowed into the Prefiero Sussu bakery under any circumstance.

Horno Rafelet, at 57 calle Maestro Alonso, is a family concern in operation since 1932 where some exquisite homemade products are made. It stands out from the rest because of the traditional recipes they follow and their fine baking.

In the town of Orihuela, in Alicante province, we find what are reputed to be the best toñas in the province. They come from the bakery of El Horno del Obispo, which has been operating since 1850, located in the historic centre of Orihuela. It shares the accolade for the best toñas in Alicante with El Angel, also located in that town. If you visit Orihuela, you should also taste their typical confectionery, known as chato de Orihuela.

How about the Gluten-free Variety?

If you’re looking for gluten- and lactose-free monas de Pascua, there are some delicious ones in the Pastelería José María García, at 46 avenida de Novelda. Their bakery follows homemade recipes based on natural products.

What are you waiting for? Check out our prices here!

Text by Scanner FM

Images by Horno Rafelet, La Murciana and Pastelería Torreblanca

Cascais is a Portuguese municipality some 25 kilometres west of Lisbon. It is now a tourist resort with a host of facilities – extensive beaches and secluded coves, a rugged terrain suited to all kinds of sports, culinary offerings based on quality products and endless leisure options. It also has an exciting history, reminding us that this spot in Portugal was once the refuge of royal families and the nobility and a nest of spies during the Second World War.

Today Cascais is a quiet town dotted with small urban beaches and sheltered from the rough Atlantic by a beautiful bay and a formidable fortress. It is well worth taking a relaxing stroll along the beach known as either La Ribeira or Los Pescadores and discovering its beautiful buildings, notably the Palaces of Condes da Guarda and Seixas.

The ocean is one of Cascais' great assets as it supplies the town with its culinary foundations – fish and seafood, prepared in a special way here. Among the most popular dishes in the region are fresh sea bass and white seabream and the delicious Cascais sole, accompanied by fine garnish. They can be ordered in any of the highly varied array of restaurants in the town, from the simplest, economical eateries to the more refined establishments, where culinary innovation is very much in evidence.

In Cascais harbour you can catch sight of luxury yachts, leisure craft and competition boats, as the town and, by extension, the Coast of Estoril, is a worldwide hub of sailing competitions. Apart from this sport, the waters in this part of the Atlantic attract thousands of surfers (particularly to the beaches of Guincho and Carcavelos), windsurfers, paddle surfers and sports fishing enthusiasts, which is increasingly gaining more devotees. The town harbour is also very lively at nightfall as it is full of restaurants, bars and café terraces, ideal for dining or having a drink.

Home of Kings, Land of Spies
In the late 19th century, this region was a pioneer of tourism in Portugal. Indeed, in 1870, the Portuguese royal family chose the Cascais citadel for their summer residence on account of its excellent location. It was also the destination of the nobility and European families of noble lineage, among them Spain’s monarch in exile, who lived in Villa Giralda for many years.

Apart from being a town that breathes tradition, owing to its geographical situation, during World War II Cascais attracted countless spies, including Ian Fleming (best known for having created the celebrated fiction spy, James Bond) and the Serb Dušan Popov, a hardened womaniser whom Fleming is said to have based his 007 character on. The agents who lived in Cascais followed similar routines. They loved lodging at the elegant Hotel Palácio, having tea and delicious Portuguese pastries at the Pastelaria Garrett and burning the midnight oil in the famous Casino Estoril which witnessed more than one row between the secret agents that gathered there.

On the outskirts of Cascais is the natural vantage point of Boca do Inferno (Hell’s Mouth) and, twenty kilometres further north, Cabo da Roca (Cape Rock), the westernmost tip of continental Europe. This privileged spot, “where the land ends and the sea begins”, as the poet Luís de Camões would have it, affords stunning views of the sunset, reminding onlookers that Cascais is the perfect choice for a relaxing getaway.

Book your Vueling to Lisbon and head for Cascais, where you are sure to succumb to its charm.

Text by Tus Destinos

Lyon is an ideal city for quickly switching off from one’s daily routine and returning home with one’s batteries charged. Here, you will find everything you’re looking for, from fine cuisine to myriad musical, historical and artistic offerings.

But, before strolling through Lyon’s streets, let’s review some features that will help us come to grips with that amazing city.

Introduction

Founded by the Romans, Lyon has long been a compulsory place of passage between northern and southern Europe. Further, its privileged position at the confluence of the Saone and Rhone rivers and its proximity to the Alps has rendered it an essential setting over the last 2,000 years. Listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1998, the city breathes that blend of tradition, modernity and sophistication so endearing to tourists. The fact is you can stroll along the medieval backstreets in its old city or promenade along its luxurious boulevards; eat traditional food or shop in its boutiques.

Hub

We begin our itinerary on high. To that end, we take the funicular railway from the Vieux Lyon station and go up to Fourvière hill, the spot where the city was founded. Added to the splendid views are vestiges of the Roman Theatre and Odeon, two backdrops still used for summer art festivals. The impressive Gallo-Roman Museum, embedded in the hillside near the archaeological site, makes a compulsory visit for anyone wishing to discover the origins of the city, as well as to enjoy the sublime building which Bernard Zehrfuss designed in 1975. Still on the hillside and not far from the Roman precinct stands the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière, its design inspired by Romanesque and Byzantine architecture, the perfect spot for a spiritual retreat and noteworthy for its dozens of mosaics.

After descending on the funicular, the route proceeds through Old Lyon, site of the Cathedral of St John, with its blend of Romanesque and Gothic styles. It is set in one of Europe’s best preserved medieval and Renaissance quarters which is well worth ambling through to soak up the atmosphere. It is also an ideal area for stopping off to eat in the odd bouchon, a traditional Lyonnais restaurant which has helped earn the city its international fame. Consider that Lyon is regarded as the world’s gastronomy capital, the cradle of such chefs as Paul Bocuse and Eugénie Brazier. Make sure you try the local tablier de sapeur, the quenelles, Lyonnais sausage, salade lyonnaise and onion soup. But, make sure the restaurant features the Authentique Bouchon Lyonnais label to avoid anyone pulling the wool over your eyes.

The Upshot

To work off your meal, we recommend crossing the river Saone and venturing along the Presqu’île, a peninsula formed by the confluence of the rivers Rhone and Saone. Prominent landmarks here are the Place Bellecour and Place des Terreaux, the luxury Carré d’Or district lined with boutiques, the sumptuous City Hall and the interesting Fine Arts Museum and Opéra de Lyon. The latter, designed by the acclaimed architect, Jean Nouvelle, sees a large modern structure superimposed on an older, original building – the result is a colossal artwork that will not leave you indifferent. If you check out its website, you are sure to find a show to round off your day.

Here, then, are some pointers for spending an unforgettable day in Lyon. Check out our flights here.

Text and images by Aleix Palau for ISABELYLUIS Comunicación