In Belgium, beer is undoubtedly a quintessential beverage, something the people of Mechelen – just over 20 kilometres from Brussels – are well aware of. Citizens of this Flemish town have had enough with beer being regarded as a male prerogative, prompting them to launch a guide entitled, Beer in women’s hands,which stresses the historical and current role of women in the making of this elixir.

This Mechlinian project features recommendations on both tours of the city to visit historic sites and craft breweries and pointers to tasting the best local beers combined with typical dishes. A good example of this are bapas (snacks paired with a beer) and food pairing (creative combinations of beer with local dishes). All these options have one goal – to banish the myth that beer is not a woman’s drink and to dispel the belief that they prefer wine (and white wine at that) or light, fruity beers.

Another option in the guide is to cycle from Het Anker brewery, the oldest in Flanders, originally run by Beguines, nuns of a lay religious order who lived mainly in Mechelen and Louvain. This is where Golden Carolus is brewed – thus called after Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor, who was brought up in this city – as is the brand named Lucifer, which tops the rankings of the best beers in the world.

Another suggestion in the guide is to have an aperitif in St Rumbold’s Tower, one of the major tourist landmarks in Mechelen. After the effort of climbing the more than 500 steps to the top of the tower, a beer is just what you need to quench your thirst as you take in the views of the city. St Rumbold’s Tower, nearly 100 metres tall, houses two famous carillons with 49 bells. It is worth mentioning that Mechelen is renowned for its Royal Carillon School, where many carillonneurs from all over the world have come to learn the secrets of this instrument.

The guide also recommends going on a multicultural, historical walk with tastings included. The itinerary takes you through the city’s central square, the Grote Markt, site of one of Mechelen’s three city halls, and of the unusual statue known as the Opsinjoor, depicting a man pulling a doll around on a sheet, considered the city’s mascot. Other landmarks on the route include the Palace of Margaret of Austria, Charles V’s aunt and governor of the Netherlands in the 16th century, the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, originally a Jesuit church, the Church of Our Lady across the river Dijle, which features works by Rubens, and the Palace of Margaret of York, the residence of the Bishop of Kamerrijk (Cambrai) when he was in Mechelen.

A final recommendation for Mechelen is a visit to the Dossin Casern, an erstwhile transit camp converted into a museum and documentation centre on the Holocaust and human rights. From 1942 to 1944 it was used by the Nazis as a transit camp where over 25,000 Belgian Jews and gypsies were detained before being deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Mechelen is an ideal spot for sightseeing on a day trip from Brussels, as it is easily reached by train. Check out our flights to the Belgium capital here.

Text by María Jesús Tomé
Images by Turismo de Malinas

Visiting Ibiza out of season offers a number of pleasant advantages, making it the ideal destination for a getaway where you can recharge your batteries in a highly attractive – and peaceful – location. You might be taken aback by the idea of it being peaceful, as Ibiza is internationally renowned for being studded with celebrities sailing off its coastline in fabulous yachts, crowded beaches for strutting your stuff and endless revelling in its world famous discos. But there is indeed another side to the island and it’s well worth discovering.

In that “other Ibiza” you can experience the island’s beaches and scenery in all their splendour, and soak up the unique magic emanating from some of its corners. One such surprise awaiting those who visit Ibiza this spring is its culinary offerings. Imagine savouring the island’s typical flavours in some of its prime restaurants at a very special price? It’s yours for the taking from 20 April to 28 May, when the island is due to proffer its gastronomic face to delight visitors (and locals, too, needless to say). Dubbed #IbizaSabor2017, this fair brings together 51 illustrious restaurants which for a few days will be offering haute cuisine at affordable prices, with house menus for 25 euros (wine and drinks apart).

Showcasing Ibizan Cuisine

One of the highlights of this initiative is the presence of Ibizan cuisine on the menus drawn up by the participating restaurants. So, you can taste popular fish dishes such as bullit de peix, or sofrit payés, featuring assorted meats combined with potato, vegetables and the two most popular cured meats on the island –sobrasada and butifarra. Other offerings include cuinat, a typical Holy Week dish seasoned with a herb characteristic of the place and time, borrida de ratjada, with ray fish as the centrepiece, pescado en salmorra (pickled fish), ensalada de crostes, a salad based on bread crusts and dried fish, and the ever juicy and tasty arroz de matanzas (a meat paella rice). Desserts are there, too, especially two island classics – flaó, an Ibizan cheesecake, and greixonera, a kind of steam pudding, which the sweet-toothed will adore.

The restaurants that have signed up for this fair are scattered about the island’s major towns – Ibiza, Santa Eulària, Sant Josep, Sant Antoni and Sant Jona, making this event the perfect excuse for including local cuisine on your itinerary across Ibiza. Of the venues that have joined the #IbizaSabor2017 initiative, you can enjoy haute cuisine at La Gaia, in the Ibiza Gran Hotel, the Aguas de Ibiza Hotel restaurant, Unic, Can Domo and Es Terral. You will be amazed by the long-standing experience in hospitality at Ca Na Ribes, an establishment that goes back ninety years, and Ca N’Alfredo, which can boast seventy-five. Savour the seafood at Sa Caleta or Sa Nansa and discover the charm of locales such as Ses Roques and La Veranda by Atzaró. The long list of eateries also features Ca N’Anneta, Café Montesol and Ibosim where tapas take pride of place (5 euros per tapa, with a glass of wine or beer included). Check out the full list of restaurants in the #IbizaSabor2017 initiative here.

Fire up, book your Vueling to Ibiza and taste the island’s most flavourful fare.

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

After the hot, bustling Majorcan summer crowded with tourists seeking the sun and fabulous beaches, autumn arrives and, with it, tranquility, at one of the most beautiful times in the year to visit the island. The weather is still good enough to go on excursions around the island and the number of people you are likely to encounter is infinitely lower. Just one hitch – on any outing in this season, you are likely to find many beach bars and summer businesses closed. However, it is well worth taking the risk, especially if you’re hankering after some peace and quiet and are eager to relax amid some of the most picturesque Mediterranean scenery.

Stroll Around Palma

One of the first things to do on the island is to enjoy its capital city and seek out traces of its past in the historic centre. The many sites you should make a point of visiting on your itinerary include the formidable Cathedral – where works by artist Miquel Barceló are featured in the Santísima Chapel – the Almudaina Palace, the Lonja and the Plaza Mayor. And, be sure to head for Santa Catalina, the city’s trendiest district, where you can enjoy the varied culinary offerings, among other things.

Enjoy the Beaches

Have the last dip of the season on a solitary beach, enjoy a magnificent sunset or go into contemplative mode and delight in the splendid views – these are some of the pleasures to be had in Majorca at this time of year. Boasting almost three hundred beaches – be they sandy, rocky or shingle – and secluded coves, you are sure to find the ideal spot for switching off from everyday noise.

Take Part In Nature Activities

The island’s good weather all the year around and the wealth of possibilities it offers make it the ideal spot for doing sport in natural surroundings, particularly cycling and hiking. Devotees of cyclotourism can either check in their bike or hire one, and then set off on main or district roads, cycling comfortably from one village to the next while enjoying the scenery to the full.

Hiking enthusiasts should make a point of heading to one of the most beautiful spots on the island, namely the Serra de la Tramuntana mountain range, which has areas of acclaimed ecological value such as the island nature reserve of Sa Dragonera or Torrent de Pareis and the Fonts Ufanes, both of which are listed as natural monuments.

Birth-watching buffs take note – Majorca is a great spot for bird watching as it is a place of passage for numerous migratory species in the months running from autumn to spring. Among the various activities related to this pastime is the event known as the I Mallorca Birding Race, a bird-watching marathon held from 21 to 23 October.

Taste Their Wine

Majorca boasts some 70 wineries, a great reason for embarking on a wine-tasting tour of the island. The most popular route is through the DO Binissalem, which includes the following towns in the centre of Majorca – Santa María del Camí, Consell, Binissalem, Sencelles and Santa Eugenia. This route will take you to such classical wineries as José Luis Ferrer and Vins Nadal, and others which have not been on the market for so long, notably Celler Ramanya. Curiously enough, off this route and outside this DO is the 4Kilos winery, home to the enologist, Francesc Grimalt and one of the founding partners of SÓNAR, Sergio Caballero.

Fire up and take your autumn getaway to Majorca – book your Vueling here.

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Images by Cristian Bortes

By Silvia Artaza from gastronomistas

We thought we’d fly to the Austrian capital to discover those routes that take us beyond the city’s glittering imperial and classical legacy, beyond St. Stephen’s Cathedral, and the giant ferris wheel in the Prater park. And to be sure, we found streets, neighbourhoods, and very modern projects un which all sorts of interestingly hip restaurants have sprung up, many of them quite wunderbar.

Naschmarkt and Freihausviertel

We began our tour in the Naschmarkt, the city’s best-known food market, which has become a meeting spot for all sorts of people. It’s the place to buy fruit and vegetables, but also to sample exotic cooking from all over the world, as more and more eating places are to be found amongst the market’s 120 stalls. Particularly noteworthy are Neni, with dishes from Israel and the Orient, and the “ecological” cuisine of Tewa. But the best approach is to walk around the market with your nose on the alert for the aromas that most strike your fancy. There are even more places to eat on the streets near the market, such as the spectacular On Market, specialising in Asian food, or the Café Amacord, for Viennese treats in a setting heavy with local atmosphere.

Leaving Naschmarkt, we headed for Schleifmühlgasse to find a street that is also famous for small, exquisite Indie restaurants with very tempting fare behind the show windows. One such is Babette's, a shop selling cookbooks, spices, and other items where hot food is also served, and then there’s Coté Sud with its tasty French dishes. More temptations await you on other streets of the Freihausviertel son interesantes en la ruta.

Karmelitermarkt

Like Naschmarkt, another market taking on a whole new life is Karmelitermarkt, on the other side of the Danube in District 2 (Leopoldstadt). Check out Schöne Perle, with its home-cooking interpretation of traditional Viennese cuisine, and the organic, seasonal fare offered at Zimmer 37, There are many more surprises for you on the lively, nearby streets of Praterstraβe and Leopoldsgasse.

MuseumsQuartier

Another spot worth a visit it MuseumsQuartier (MQ), a cultural enclave with numerous museums and exhibitions of a wide variety of artistic disciplines, and also brimming with the most inviting cafes and restaurants. In the courtyard, mulled wine is served these days at the Christmas market, to the music of a DJ, and in the summers you can even rent hammock space there for serious chilling. Glacis Beisl, though almost hidden in the rear part of MQ, is usually fully booked by people anxious to partake of its local and international dishes at very affordable prices in a pleasant atmosphere. If you can get a table, this is a great place to eat after a morning visiting museums.

Spittelberg

Jus behind MuseumsQuartieris the charmingly Bohemian Spittelberg, consisting of a few cobbled streets enclosed by Burgasse, Breite Gasse, Sigmundsgasse and Mariahilter. Here you’ll find a wide choice of dining options, amongst then Amerlingbeisl with its lovely courtyard, Das Möbel with its original furniture, and all for sale, Die Burgermacher for delicious hamburgers and also vegetarian dishes and a fresh “special of the day”, and Trattoria da Paolo & Anna a small Italian restaurant with chequered tablecloths and delicious food.

And if you come at Christmas time…

At Spittelberg you’ll find one of the city’s best Christmas markets, specialising in handcrafted items. Another busy and festive Christmas market is that of Rathausplatz, with 150 stalls selling decorations, gifts, and sweets treats of every variety. You should try the hot wine (Glünwein) and the Viennese pasty –you can’t leave Vienna without sampling the Apfelstrudel, and here you’ll find it at its very best.

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