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.

 
So you feel like visiting Lisboa, do you? Book your flights here!

With a deeply tradition of music, Leipzig has been home to the renowned musicians and composers from all times, for the likes of Johan Sebastian Bach, Richard Wagner, Schumann or Mendelssohn. Music and culture is in every corner of the city, in the habitual concerts in Augustusplatz or in the different music festivals of every music style that the city offers.

Also known as Heldenstadt (City of Heroes), Leipzig was crucible for the revolution against the communist dictatorship in Eastern Germany, in a non-violent revolution that was called Friedliche Revolution and that ended up with the fall of the Wall in Berlin in 1989. 

Baroque, neoclassical and modernist architecture blends with the buildings of the Soviet-era in Leipzig and there are many shops, restaurants, cafés and clubs in the city center. 

A place that shows how the city is constantly culturally evolving is Spinnerei, (http://www.spinnerei.de/ , Spinnereistraße 7 ), an old cotton spinning mill in the district of Lindenau that is now a big factory for culture diffusion where talent and art from the artists of the so-called “New School Of Leipzig”. You can visit workshops, exhibition gallerys and Art shops, asist the cinema forums and eat at their restaurants. 

If you are interested in the History of Music in Leipzig you have plenty of museums and interesting places to visit 

Museum of Musical Instruments
You will enjoy of one of the most important collections in the world and discover a good perspective of the History of Music of the city

Bach's Museum
You will discover Bach, the main artist in baroque german musical style everywhere in the city. Especially in this museum which opened in 2010. An interactive exhibition that present the life and works of Johann Sebastian Bach.

Mendelssohn's museum-house
The last home for Felix Mendelssohn, a late Biedermeier-style house where he moved with his family in 1845, is since 1997 the composer's museum where you will see the original furniture and some of his objects.

Gewandhaus concert hall
Headquarters of the Gewandhaus orchestra. Founded in 1743 and directed for a long time by Kurt Masur, one of the promoters of the peaceful Leipzig's revolution. The main attraction is the visit to the impressive 6,638 pipe organ!

But there is not only music in Leipzig. Auerbachs Keller, a famous restaurant , is a must in the city. Here , Johann Wolfgang von Goethe spent long times as a student and now is full of students and young people from all over the world. It was founded in 1525 by a doctor in his own home cellar.

History has its own place as well in Mädle, an old drugstore which is now a restaurant and a night pub. In Bergstrasse 19, there is also a Saxon food restaurant Thüringer Hof where Lutero used to go.

Notice that there is a Flea Market in Leipzig on the last weekend of the month. They say it is the eldest and the biggest in Europe

Picture Gewandhaus by Andreas Praefcke/ Picture Leipzig by Tino Strauss / Picture Bach by nalocos.blogspot.com

By Ferran Imedio from gastronomistas

Amsterdam has dozens of attractions for the visitor. Without doubt, the most important are the 'must sees and dos'; the canals (a cruise is a 'must do'), the Red Light district and the museums. Taken on its own, the city's gastronomy doesn't hold a great deal of appeal, unless it is combined with a 'must see'. Here we have created a sort of food-museum fusion, without the pretension or high prices. As Miguel Brugman, chef of the Foam Cafe points out, “A short time ago, museum cafes and restaurants only served sandwiches, cakes and tea. Things are finally changing.” The Dutch are faithful museum-goers and it's true that culinary offerings in cultural places have changed for the better. We found this out for ourselves. Here are our recommendations.

Foam Café

Foam Cafe is situated on the ground floor of the prestigious Foam Museum, the city's temple of contemporary photography (a small but very interesting show titled 'Under Construction', featuring young North American artists is on until December). You won't find anything too challenging here. On the contrary, the dishes are direct, simple and engaging. The menu has Mediterranean influences, lots of salads, lots of organic olive oil, plenty of vegetables and pulses, pitas, soups, scrambled eggs (you get the idea). It’S healthy and reasonably priced, with all dishes under 10 euros.

Foam functions as a restaurant from noon to 3pm. Before and after that (it opens at 10am and closes at 6pm) it's a café, serving cakes and the iconic saucijzen broodje (a pastry stuffed with a pork sausage, here prepared with organic ingredients) amongst other things.

On Thursdays, between 6pm and 9pm, the museum offers guided tours that end with supper in the restaurant; a set menu that consists of a tapa (hummus or perhaps marinated octopus) and a main dish (meat, fish or a vegetarian option) costing 19.50 euros. If you don't take the tour, the tapas is priced between 4-6 euros and the main courses 16.50 euros. On Fridays, also between 6pm and 9pm, Foam Cafe puts on 'Frozen Fridays' when they serve snacks (5 euros) and cocktails (6 euros).

Keizersgracht, 609
http://foam.org

Eye Bar-Restaurant

Overwhelming. That is the only word to describe the architecture of the Eye Film Museum. Inside, Holland's national film museum hosts four cinemas as well as an exhibition space. There is also a restaurant that looks like a cinema, with large steps looking onto a panoramic window resembling a cinemascope screen. It leads onto a terrace and affords views across the River Ij to the centre of the city and Central Station, which is next to the free ferry terminal. The restaurant offers French-influenced cuisine with nods to other parts of Europe. Midday sees a more simple menu of soups and salads whilst at night you can enjoy fillet steak and steak tartar, turbot, seafood bisque and mushroom risotto.

The price for the midday menu is 20 euros and in the evening the bill is generally under 40 euros. The restaurant is open 10.30am to 10.30pm (or 11.30pm on Fridays and Saturdays).

Ij Promenade, 1
www.eyefilm.nl

De Plantage

De Plantage is recently opened and contemporary. A natural light comes pouring through the large, welcoming dining room via huge vintage windows. Da Plantage serves Mediterranean food, of high quality and at reasonable prices. It's situated right next door to the entrance of he city's zoo; one of the oldest in the world and the most visited attraction in Amsterdam. The same building hosts a permanent exhibition called 'Micropia'; millions and millions of insects that inhabit the planet and can only be seen under a microscope. In the near future, it will also accommodate the Museum of Natural History.

De Plantage's dishes are well presented, aromatic and healthy; salads, raviolis, pork terrine, fried artichokes, risotto and fish. The kitchen is open from 10am to 4pm and 5.30pm to 10.30pm daily, and in-between times breakfasts and snacks are served. At lunchtime, it costs around 17 euros (drinks not included) and in the evenings around 35 euros. During the autumn months, an evening set menu is offered, consisting of three courses and costing 32.50 euros (drinks not included).

Plantage Kerklaan, 36
www.caferestaurantdeplantage.nl

Rijksmuseum

The enormous, majestic hall that exhibits art from the gothic to contemporary periods (and between November and January, 20th century photography in the show called 'Modern Times') also has an agreeable and tranquil café. The only beer served here is Dutch and in fact all ingredients in the (mainly cold) dishes are be local too. Sandwiches cost between 5 and 9 euros, salads between 12 and 16 and cakes from 2 to 5 euros. Note the chocolates that are shaped like the museum's facade.

The café is open from 9am to 5pm. If you visit the Rijksmuseum from November onwards, you can also eat at the restaurant, where a well-known international chef will take up residence for two or three months at a time - just like a temporary exhibition.

Museumstraat, 1
https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/es

Still hungry? You can always seek out some of the city's more or less conventional restaurants. In Amsterdam, there is a wide gastronomic offering, although you are better off avoiding traditional Dutch cuisine. Even locals agree with this statement, and generally only eat it at home.

Raïnaraï

This pleasant, modern restaurant serves traditional Algerian food (taureg is speciality). It is situated in the Westergasfabriek park, an old industrial zone whose gigantic gas tanks now accommodate dozens of restaurants, clothing shops and art galleries. There are 14 dishes on the menu and they change daily, but all are prepared with organic ingredients. It is open from Tuesday to Sunday, noon to 10pm. Expect to pay between 30 and 40 euros and 7.50 for cocktails.

Polonceaukade, 40

REM Eiland

A petroleum platform that was also used to transmit pirate radio and TV has been converted into a two-story restaurant (one accommodates a terrace, and is only open during the summer). It is simply spectacular. Climbing the steep metal staircase or skirting behind the security rails can produce a sense of vertigo. The cuisine served here is international; simple and direct at lunchtime whilst a night two set menus are offered for 31 euros (3 courses) and 37 euros (four courses), drinks not included. They include dishes such as turbot tartar, bulgur with peppers, avocado and red onion salad, grilled solomillo, and large raviolis filled with pumpkin, mushrooms, carrot and asparagus in the Parmesan sauce. It's opened daily, for lunch from noon and dinner from 5pm.

Haparandadam, 45-2
www.remeiland.com

Sky Lounge

Sky Lounge is a terrace restaurant with views located the 11th floor of the Double Tree Hotel. At night, it's a great place to partake in a cocktail with the entire city laid at your feet and a DJ providing the soundtrack. Whether day or evening, snack food from all four corners of the globe is served; nachos, sushi, sandwiches, fish and chips, hamburgers, pasta, edamamen and gyozas. It's open every day from 11am to 1am (to 3am Fridays and Saturdays).

www.skyloungeamsterdam.com

Brasserie Halte 3

An old tram garage and workshop that stood empty for 16 years has been colonised by two restaurants, a gastro zone with 21 stands offering all types of food (open daily 11am to 8pm, 4 to 8 euros per plate), a cinema, an art gallery, a book and bicycle shop, TV studios and a hotel. Altogether, the complex is called De Hallen. One of the restaurants, the recently opened Brasserie Halte 3, is a French-style bistro whose steak tartar is superb. Other offerings include oysters and lamb chops. Like most restaurants in Amsterdam, the midday menu is more pared down.

Open daily 11am to 10pm. Lunch: 10 euros, dinner: 25-30 euros.

Bellamyplein, 51
www.halte3.nl

Meat West

Also situated inside De Hallen, Meat West is only open for dinner. (7.30pm to 10.30 pm, 11.30pm Thursday to Saturday). Ninety- year old tram tracks decorate the floor and the menu specialises in prime cut meat, mostly steak, which features in hamburgers, entrecotes, chops and steaks.

Expect to pay between 40 and 50 euros (without drinks).

Bellamyplein, 51
www.meatwest.com

Blue Spoon

This restaurant, inside the Hotel Andaz, is one of the most interesting in the city. The French-influenced cuisine is made with local ingredients without the song and dance. The result is KM0, seasonal dishes dressed with herbs that are grown in the restaurant's garden. If you are staying at the hotel, there is a dining room for guests only with canal views, where you can have a snack or glass of wine for free during the day. You can also dine at the chef's table. Expect to pay between 35 and 45 euros without drinks. The 'family' menu, for 6 people, includes the best entrees and fish of the day and costs 56 euros per head. Open noon to 3pm and 6pm to 11pm.

Prinsengracht, 587
amsterdam.prinsengracht.andaz.hyatt.com/en/hotel/dining/Bluespoon.html

The Lobby

One of the most highly recommended restaurants in Amsterdam, not only for its location (two minute's walk from the monumental Damplatz) but also quality-price ratio. Every day, the kitchen opens from noon to 4pm and 6 to 10pm (Friday and Saturday cocktails are served to 3am) although you can also pop in for breakfast from 7am. Don't leave without trying the flammkuchen, a typical Alsatian pizza, thin and crunchy and topped with all manner of ingredients. Otherwise, local produce is prepared into international dishes. A set evening menu is offered for 34.50 euros (3 courses, no drinks). The fish dishes work extremely well, like the elegant sea bass. Also consider the exciting octopus with pancetta, and above all, pork neck cooked at low temperature.

Nes, 49
www.thelobby-amsterdam.nl

Gebr. Hartering

Brothers Paul and Nick Hartering are at the helm of this charming, creative cuisine restaurant on the banks of a canal. It has two floors, a plank over the water and even a little boat that acts as a terrace in good weather. Only tasting menus are served, one consisting of 6 courses (50 euros, without drinks) and another of 9 courses (75 euros, without drinks). Plates, designed to be shared, are placed centre table. The chefs work with local produce and are influenced by classic French cuisine with no mod cons. The wine list, naturally, features a very large selection of French wines.

Open Tuesday to Sunday, 6pm to 11pm.

Peperstraat, 10
www.gebrhartering.nl

Makes you want to go, right? Do it! Check out our prices here!

For those of you who love winter sports... The ski season has begun! Step out of your comfort zone this year and find new challenges in new places. Top quality snow, modern facilities, stunning scenery and, last but not least, a great après-ski atmosphere! Here is a selection of the best ski resorts in Europe: