With the arrival of summer, many are those who dare to practice scuba diving. Nothing compares to the pleasant feeling of calm that produces snorkeling in crystal waters and between unique species as you discover all the wonders that the seabed hides.

This exciting experience is available to everyone. Making diving a passion and the more you know, the more addicted you become.

If you are already an accomplished expert, in Menorca you will discover a wide variety of possibilities. If you start now, in the diving centers scattered through the island, they will teach you the techniques and procedures for a progressive development, putting at your disposal the best material.

The descent to the wonderful water depths of Menorca is a unique experience. Its warm, clear waters and colorful environments, have nothing to envy to the Caribbean beaches.

In the north of the island of Menorca, in the stretch between Cap Gros and Sa Punta des Morters in the Mola des Fornells, there is the Marine Reserve, a zone located very close to the coast that does not exceed the 30 meters depth. A dramatic landscape with unique marine species, natural caves, galleries and wrecks.

In this Marine Reserve we find special interest areas for underwater diving, such as S'Illa des Porros (or illa de Sanitja), with a coastline without buildings and a seabed with abounding wildlife, such as large groupers, barrucadas, dentones and false pollocks. There are also remains of boats that have succumbed to their waters. Accessible to all levels because of the shallower side doesn’t reach the 8 meters and the deepest reaches 30.

In Cala en Morts there is the so-called Swiss Cheese Cave, which gets its name from the many galleries that form it and that communicate with each other. A nice dive with the penetrating rays of light that create a beautiful set of lights and backlighting.

Es Pont d'en Gil is the name of a natural bridge that hangs on the cliffs in the middle of the sea. It is close to Ciutadella and you can dive in its waters to reach Sa Cigonya, a beautiful cave, about 200 meters, full of stalactites and stalagmites. If you go through you can access a vault with a fine sandy beach.

South of the port of Maon there is a diving paradise. These are the surrounding funds of Illa de l'Aire with their rock arches and abundant wildlife. About 20 meters under the islet of Cagaires we discovered a whole system of natural galleries with walls covered with coral, anemones, and sponges where groupers, moray and eels hide. The waters of the Illa de l'Aire collected the remainings of centuries of navigation disasters. In the sand and rocks there can still be seen some objects as anchors, cannonballs and other pieces of artillery.

If you want to know more about the possibilities that Menorca offers for scuba diving with excursions for all tastes and levels, take a look at this guide.

Why not take a trip to Menorca? Have a look at our flights here!

Pictures bt buenaventuramenorca.com

Greeting the arrival of summer is taken very seriously by the people of A Coruña. Indeed, the festivity of the Night of St John (San Xoán, in Galician) is celebrated extravagantly, with fire playing a major role in the form of myriad bonfires taking over the beaches, and magic rituals unfolding all over the city. The fiesta has grown ever more popular in recent years and in 2015 was designated an international Tourist Interest event. It is the perfect excuse for a getaway to A Coruña to spend a very special feast of St John.

While the big night is that of 23 June, the preceding week sees the city splashing out on a plethora of concerts, gastro events and children’s activities, although at the back of people’s minds is the Eve of St John on the 23rd, when the ancestral sun worship rituals take place.

“Sardiñadas”

The “sardiñadas” or sardine festival provides the centrepiece of the Festa de San Xoán. The city is impregnated with the characteristic smell at dinner time, what with sardine cook-offs organised by grass-root associations studding the streets and spilling over into the bars. The grilled sardines are usually eaten with broa (corn bread), which you should make a point of tasting. To round off the experience, be sure to have the local punch known as queimada to set you well on your way in this long, grand festival night.

Beach Bonfires

Fire is unquestionably the highlight of the Night of St John, and the beaches, where most of the celebrations are concentrated, become filled with light and charm. So, be sure to head for any of the beaches as night falls and set up your own bonfire, or else tag along with any of the numerous groups you will encounter on your way – they are certain to welcome you into the fold. You could always head for either Orzán or Riazor, where most people congregate or, if you are the sort that tends to avoid large crowds, we suggest you choose a smaller beach, like San Amaro or Las Lapas, or the tiny coves of Adormideras. The idea is to pick your perfect spot for spending the shortest night in the year.

The moment of maximum splendour is midnight, when the main effigy or Falla is lit on the beach of Riazor. This is preceded by fireworks which, together with the bonfires, fill the calm waters fringing the seaside promenade with light. Then starts a fiesta which is sure to see you through to daybreak, and the nocturnal events will be redolent with a host of purification rituals. The idea is to put all the bad things from the previous year behind you, in order to start afresh, or to simply have a great time on such a special night.

TExt by Turismo A Coruña

Ai Weiwei is a controversial figure wherever he goes. While his activist streak has earned him more than one headline in the media, particularly in connection with the problems he has with the regime in his native China, his artistic facet has also put him under the spotlight in all the exhibitions he unveils, given the political denunciation behind his work. Last year it was the Royal Academy of London that enshrined him as the great international artist he is. Now it is Vienna’s turn as it hosts an exhibition, running until 20 November, of his latest works. This is the largest display of Ai Weiwei’s work so far in Austria.

A Temple in the Museum

Under the title, Translocation – Transformation, referring to the metamorphosis which people and objects undergo after a deliberate relocation, migration or expulsion, the event features several installations by Ai Weiwei distributed over different spaces in the Belvedere Gardens. The main feature of the exhibition, curated by Alfred Weidinger, is located in the former Austrian pavilion for the 1958 World Expo, currently used as a platform for promoting contemporary art under the name 21er Haus. Displayed in the interior is the Wang Family Ancestral Hall, an installation which is unlikely to leave the viewer unmoved. This 14-metre-high exhibit made up of 1,300 separate pieces is an ancestral temple from the Ming Dynasty. The temple, which belonged to the Wang family, a clan of tea merchants who were expelled from China during the Cultural Revolution, was thus abandoned. Ai Weiwei acquired it from an investor some time ago and transformed it into what we see today, a decontextualised work which coexists and communicates with other architectural environments.

Another exhibition site, the Upper Belvedere pond, showcases the installation, F Lotus, where the artist elicits a reflection on subjects unfortunately in the limelight in recent years, notably the refugee crisis besetting Europe. The work comprises 1,005 discarded life vests picked up on the beaches of Lesbos after being used by Syrian refugees on their sea crossing to Europe. They are set in a total of 201 rings linked to resemble the lotus flower, the overall structure forming a hugefin the water.

Another work displayed in the Upper Belvedere pond is the Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads, a veritable classic of Ai Weiwei’s oeuvre. Composed of twelve bronze heads standing for the signs of the zodiac in the Chinese horoscope, they are inspired by the fountain-clock at the summer palace of Yuanming Yuan which was ransacked by French and British troops during the Second Opium War in 1860. The treasures – including the heads – were looted and have never been returned since.

Eager to see the work of Ai Weiwei first-hand? Be sure to make a getaway to Vienna – book your Vueling here.

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

By Eddy Lara de www.destinosactuales.com

There are hidden parts of Barcelona capable of surprising even those of us who live in this city. One of those concealed treasures is the Plaça de la Concordia.

Far from the tourism bustle of the city emerges a place whose location camouflages the treasure it can represent. Right next to one of the vibrant financial centres of Barcelona (the western end of Avenida Diagonal) and the district of Les Corts (famous for being the home of the Camp Nou football stadium) we come across the Plaça de la Concòrdia.

It seems as if the name of this square (Harmony Square) was given to it for a reason because, although a significant part of the tourism and financial work in the city takes part around it, time passes at a different pace within the square itself. Tranquillity oozes from all four sides of this square and therefore makes it the perfect place to spend a summer’s afternoon on a terrace with a beer or a glass of wine while observing a lifestyle among the inhabitants that would perhaps be better suited to a small village than a large city such as Barcelona.

One of the iconic places in this square is the Centro Cívico Can de Deu, created especially to promote jazz together with the importance of a sustainable environment in the city. It has a garden and a bar in which to enjoy a vermouth while soaking up the sun and tranquillity of this spot.

If what you’re after is something to eat, the Fragments Café restaurant offers one of the most varied selections of tapas in the city. The ‘patatas bravas’ (chips in a spicy sauce) are especially good and the most popular dish among the patrons. Other delights to be had here, whether on its terrace, in the garden, at the bar or sat at a table inside or out, include the ‘gildas’, parmesan cheese with modena vinegar, anchovies with confit onion, scrambled eggs with mushrooms and foie… all to be washed down with an excellent selection of Spanish wines. And why not top it off with Belgian chocolate cake?

In one of the streets off of the square you will find Infussion Bar, perfect for spending an afternoon while enjoying teas of the Mediterranean, Middle East and beyond. The décor evokes the atmosphere of a souk in Marrakech… the perfect place when visiting the square in the depths of winter.

Life in the square can also be appreciated at weekends, thanks to the market that adds colour and sounds to the place. However, every place that calls this square home has its own charm: the cake shop, the chemist’s and the Florentine Cup&Cakes – somewhere to enjoy freshly baked cakes, biscuits and cupcakes.

By Eddy Lara de www.destinosactuales.com

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