A few days ago, after Banksy had updated his website, we noticed that his work is now displayed at various points in “The Jungle” refugee camp in Calais, one of the largest camps in western Europe. Despite his identity still being cloaked in anonymity, Banksy is currently one of the most highly valued artists around. His sharp, critical wit is undoubtedly the hallmark of his work.

Noteworthy among the four new artworks he posted is the one showing Steve Jobs carrying an early-eighties Macintosh, with a sack slung over his shoulder, reminiscent of the bags the forced migrants often take with them on their harsh journey. This is clearly a reference to the whole migratory movement being enacted from Syria to Europe. Jobs was, of course, the son of a Muslim Syrian immigrant and was adopted by a middle-class family of Armenian origin. That is the conceptual link Banksy draws between Steve Jobs and the Syrian diaspora.

Another Banksy offering in the same area makes reference to a famous work by Théodore Géricault, The Raft of the Medusa, painted between 1818 and 1819, depicting a group of castaways in danger, packed onto a drifting raft. This alludes to the dangerous voyage embarked on by many of these refugees who risk their lives crossing the Mediterranean on flimsy rafts. In this version, the castaways are crying out for help to a modern cruise ship speeding past near the horizon. The artist had previously drawn attention to the issues surrounding the refugee crisis in a work entitled, Dismaland.

In addition to these artworks, members of Banksy’s team set up 12 permanent installations in Calais, and a makeshift children’s playground in the camp precinct. The materials used were either sourced locally or were remnants of the Dismaland project brought here for the purpose. This new project is known as Dismal Aid.

A Much Frequented But Little Visited City

Calais is primarily a city of passage. Some 15 million people are estimated to pass through it each year as it is a compulsory way station for access between France and England. In contrast, comparatively few people actually spend some time visiting the city. However, we can wholeheartedly recommend this city in the north of France, with little over 75,000 inhabitants and just 34 km from Dover, as a tourist destination. Its charm lies not in its architecture or monuments but in its privileged siting on the seaboard and the majestic Côte d’Opale.

The city is not celebrated for its grand monuments or buildings, but it does have such landmarks as the Musée Mémoire 1939-1945, dedicated to the Second World War and housed in a bunker, a sculptural group by Rodin known as The Burghers of Calais, located opposite the City Hall, and the Cité Internationale de la Dentelle et de la Mode, the city’s Lace Museum. On display is a century-old mechanical loom with 3,500 vertical threads and 11,000 horizontal ones. Calais’ genuine heritage lies in its natural surroundings and local scenery is stunning. Come armed with your camera as the views are breathtaking. The attractive seafront is dotted with striped changing booths which take you back to the early 20th century. The sands stretch westwards for 8 km along the dune-filled Blériot beach, so named as it was here that the pioneer aviatorLouis Blériottook off on the first ever solo flight over the English Channel in 1909.

By the way, when you feel like having lunch or dinner, be sure to head for the Histoire Ancienne, a bistro specialising in regional and French dishes, some cooked on an open wood fire. This very pleasant, Parisian-style restaurant was opened in the 1930s. Prices are affordable, with dinner ranging from 19 to 28 euros.

Don’t miss your getaway to Calais – check out our flights to Lille here.

Text by ISABELYLUIS Comunicación

Images by Rob Sinclair, Carawah, Olivier Duquesne

London is in a class of its own when it comes to cultural offerings. This list of exhibition spaces to visit may seem overwhelming, but it is well worth seeing some of these museums or exhibition halls whenever you happen to be in London. One such privileged spot is the Victoria & Albert Museum, dedicated to art and design, which has been hosting an endless stream of exhibitions lately. This alone warrants at least a brief visit to London.

This is true of Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion, the latest jewel put out by the V&A to steal our hearts, cajoling us into making room on our agenda to delight in the work of this brilliant couturier. The exhibition, inaugurated on 27 May and running until 18 February 2018, pays tribute to Cristóbal Balenciaga, one of the great visionaries of haute couture. A contemporary of Coco Chanel and Christian Dior, he managed to seduce everyone with his technically perfect minimalist designs based on polished lines and new materials. His craftsmanship once prompted Coco Chanel to remark, “He alone was a couturier in the truest sense of the word… the others are simply fashion designers”.

On display at this exhibition, curated by the fashion specialist Cassie Davies-Strodder, are a hundred garments and twenty hats, most of which come from the V&A collection. Among the curiosities at this show is the chance to discover some of Balenciaga’s dresses and hats in detail, thanks to the collaboration of artist Nick Veasey who uses X-ray imaging techniques to reveal the complexity hidden in the designs.

This is the first exhibition in the United Kingdom dedicated to Balenciaga, who opened his first boutique in San Sebastián a hundred years ago, while eighty years have gone by since he arrived in Paris, fleeing from the Spanish Civil War. It was there that he eventually set up his own workshop and earned international fame. However, recognition was late in coming to this outstanding couturier. Acclaimed for his meticulous craftsmanship, he always shunned the limelight, despite boasting such customers as Marlene Dietrich, Ava Gardner and the millionaire, Mona von Bismarck.

New Design Museum in London

Still within the confines of design, to make the most of your London getaway we recommend you take the opportunity to visit the new premises of The Design Museum, which opened its doors on 24 November. Housed in the former Commonwealth Institute, the building has 10,000m² of floor space and a parabolic ceiling. Renovation work on the premises was assigned to British architect John Pawson. The goal of this reconversion was to turn the museum, previously housed in more modest premises in the city, into a veritable beacon of design, by way of a Tate Modern of design and architecture. Apart from revelling in the new design space, you can also visit the newly unveiled exhibition, Designed in California. It explores how the ideals of the 1960s counterculture morphed into the tech culture of Silicon Valley, and how the “Designed in California” concept became the global phenomenon we know today.

Fire up and make your getaway to fine design – book your Vueling to London here.

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Photo: Dovima with Sacha, cloche and suit by Balenciaga, Café des Deux Magots, Paris, 1955. Photograph by Richard Avedon © The Richard Avedon Foundation

By Panenka www.panenka.org

As they did before with Lisbon and Milan, Panenka, a soccer magazine anyone can read, invite us to discover othercountries through their passion for the sport. This time they take us to Munich where they show us their perfect eleven, both for those places related to the football game and for those touristic places.

SPORTING ELEVEN

1 Dantestadion: Opened in 1928, was the setting for Nazi parades and today hosts two football teams.
2 Olympiastadion: Venue for some historical soccer shocks, Beckenbauer was crowned here in 74 and Van Basten in 88.
3 Olympisches Dorf: The Olympic Village in 1972 Olympic games, infamous for the murder of 11 Israeli athletes.
4 Olympia Schwimmhalle: A guy called Mark Spitz won seven gold medals in this Olympic pool. Only available to Michael Phelps.
5 Olympia Eishalle: After soccer, the most popular sport in Munich is the ice hockey: entertainment ensured.
6 Sabener Strasse: Bayern has their sports facilities in the south of the city. Here will be the next office for Pep Guardiola.
7 Neues Rathaus: Also known as City Town Hall. Bayern celebrates the titles won with the fans from here
8 Grünwalder Stadion: The old stadium of Bayern Munich until 1972 and the one for Munich from 1860 to 1965, in the heart of most fashionable district.
9 Allianz Arena: An architecture jewel opened in 2006 World Championship, its front changes color depending on who is playing.
10 Unterhaching: The club of this working class town, SpVgg, met its maximum apogee in 2000 when they go up to the Bundesliga.
11 Kurt Landauer: Next to Allianz, the former president of Bayern inmate in Dachau has a street with his name.

TOURISTIC ELEVEN

A Maximilian-Platz: A visit to this square of imperial beauty will not leave indifferent any visitor.
B Karlstor: Literally, Karl’s door, the entrance to the city heading to the Marienplatz. In winter, an ice rink.
C Frauenkirche: The stunnning two towers of 99 meters height for Munich Gothic Cathedral can be seen from anywhere in the city.
D Pinakothek der Moderne: The museum of Contemporary Art that includes works by Picasso, Magritte, Klee and Warhol.
E BMW Museum: It may be most spectacular see it from the heights, with its form of three-engine pistons, than to visit.
F Viktualienmarkt: It is the square of the supplies: a marketplace where you can buy and taste the typical products of the land.
G Residenz: Former imperial residence, it is the best vestige of courtly life Bavaria met in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
H Chinesischer Turm: The most renowned Munich Biergarten. Tables and benches to drink, eat and chat.
I Hofbräuhaus: Pros: beer is served continuously since 1589. Con: Nazi Party was founded by Hitler here.
J Isartor: The eastern gate of the city which is named after the river that comes from the Alps, runs through Munich and pours into the Danube.
K English Garden: 373 hectare park makes it the ‘Central Park’ of Munich. Its Chinese Tower is its main icon.

By Panenka www.panenka.org

Image: Pep Boatella / @pepboatella

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

World cuisines converge on London and Spain’s contribution is no exception. The story goes back a long way, to when a handful of immigrant chefs turned up with the intention of staying. That was just the beginning. Nowadays, Spanish cuisine is well established there. In great establishments and in the guise of some great names. Iberian presa and paleta, chorizo and pollo al chilindrón no longer require translation. Similarly, no introduction is required for such names as Juan Mari Arzak, Nacho Manzano, Eneko Atxa or Dabiz Muñoz. Not even Albert Adrià or the Roca brothers, even though their ventures in London have thus far proved fleeting – the former, in the Café Royal and the latter, on the first stop of their forthcoming tour. The present offers bites worthy of nostalgia-free refuge, while the future promises to be equally appetising.

Starred. Ametsa, managed by Juan Mari and Elena Arzak, is the first Spanish restaurant to be awarded a Michelin star in London, and just a few months after opening at that. They offer creative cuisine of Basque origin, in the form of a tapa with tea at four o’clock, as well as lunch for just a few pounds featuring a tasting menu with an immaculate parade of dishes. Their wine list shows special sensibilities for wines with soul and Spanish varieties.

With a “barra” (bar counter). Between Nieves Barragán’s different Barrafina – where there’s always a queue to try their regional Spanish tapas – and Donostia, with their pintxos and other nods to the finest Basque cuisine, you will be hard put to choose where to nibble on tasties at a reasonable price. However, if your thing is grills, go for Lurra.

With a history. Boasting four venues in London, and others still to come, Nacho Manzano’s Ibérica restaurants showcase the pull and the consistency of traditional Spanish cooking. Produce with designation of origin, generous helpings and an all-enveloping interior design are key to the success of a label which reaches as far afield as Manchester and Leeds.

Venerable. Boasting a team of chefs trained by the great names in Spanish haute cuisine, Alquimia is a must-visit restaurant for tasting fine rice in London. All of them, including the paellas, are served in portions for two, and there is also an assortment of other dishes on the menu.

Classy. There are very few places where cocktail culture carries as much weight as in London. Hence, Javier de las Muelas and his signature cocktails just had to set up in that city. Dry Martini London, at the Meliá White House - London, boasts an admirable nursery of mixologists who even create themed cocktails in the adjoining experimental kitchen.

In addition to these proposals, keep a look out for the long-awaited opening of the London StreetXo, while the restaurant Eneko Atxa is due to unveil in the One Aldwych Hotel in Convent Garden.

Overnights:
The Halkin By COMO. This hotel is synonymous with authenticity and distinction. Surrounded by embassies, with a siting as tranquil as it is near to the shopping bustle around Harrod’s, this hotel has spacious, sought-after rooms. Their luxury amenities and à la carte breakfast are also among their fortes.

IGH London Park Lane. If you want to sleep like a king, what better than to lodge in this former royal residence a stone’s throw away from Hyde Park? Their bar, restaurant and rooms have enviable views and noteworthy floral arrangements.

Meliã White House. Close to Soho and to major tourist attractions, the architecture of this hotel is an inducement on its own. The renovated rooms and the access to The Level Floor will enliven your stay all the more.

Text by Belén Parra of Gastronomistas

Images courtesy of the establishments