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

Fez is the symbolic heart of Morocco, as well as the country’s spiritual and cultural centre. Green prevails on the mosque facades and domes and is regarded worldwide as the colour of Islam. This fact is also reflected in the Fez Festival of World Sacred Music, which attracts musicians from all over the planet every summer. This is a unique event which sets up avenues of dialogue between disparate cultures and religions from Islamic lands.

But, don’t start panicking! You needn’t expect slow religious concerts in the sense of Gregorian chant. Rather, this is a festival which, year after year, promises to dish out great chunks of entertainment. On previous occasions, the Fez Festival was graced by the participation of music stars of the calibre of Björk, Paco de Lucía, Patti Smith, Joan Baez and Youssou N’Dour.

Noteworthy among the cultural and musical offerings at this year’s festival – which features over 500 international musicians starring in more than 50 shows and 10 concerts – is the flamenco of Diego el Cigala, the rhythm & blues of The Temptations with their legendary seal of American Motown, the video artist Jean de Boysson and the Malian singer and songwriter, Oumou Sangare, among many others.

In Memory of Hassan Al Wazzan, Explorer of Al-Andalus

This the 21st edition of the Fez Festival will be held from 22 to 30 May. Under the slogan, “A Reflection of Africa”, the festival commemorates the journeys of Hassan Al Wazzan, the Andalusi explorer known as the Lion of Africa whose remains are buried in Fez.

The life of Hassan Al Wazzan, who lived in the 15th and 16th century, was one of a nomad who was forced to travel due to political and religious circumstances. He embarked on a diplomatic career while studying in a Fez madrasa and travelled across all of North Africa as an explorer and geographer. Finally, he went to Rome, where he was adopted as a son of Leo X. There he was baptised with the name Giovanni Leone de Medicis (or Leo Africanus), although he never turned his back on the Islamic tradition.

Alternative Activities

The music programme is supplemented by a comprehensive schedule of parallel activities, notably film screenings, conferences, exhibitions and children’s activities. An alternative cycle of free concerts will be staged throughout the festival in Bab Boujloud square, paralleled by the Nuits Soufies, featuring free, daily concerts in the Dar Tazi gardens, right in the heart of the Fez medina, a symbolic place providing a broad overview of the all-embracing Islamic culture.

Fez – the Cradle of North African Culture

With over a million inhabitants, the Fez el-Bali medina (Old Fez) stacks up as one of the largest inhabited medieval cities in the world. The district is listed as a World Heritage site and contains the world’s largest pedestrian precinct. Its interior is a maze of 10,000 backstreets, some of which are cul-de-sacs, while others seem to lead you back to your starting point. Getting your bearings in that labyrinth can be complicated, but that’s part of its charm.

Like Fez el-Bali, Fez el-Jdid is a walled enclosure. Set in the walls are a number of palaces, gardens, bazaars and Koranic schools, the architecture of which is more elegant than in the rest of the city. The most interesting sights in the area are the Dar El Makhzen Royal Palace and the Mellah or Jewish quarter.

One of the most popular places with tourists is the Chaouwara tannery. While not suitable for the squeamish, on account of the potent smell given off by the animal hides, a visit to this quarter comes highly recommended. Seen from a vantage point, the quarter is magical, resembling a painter’s palette.

Text by Scanner FM

Images by Phil Chambers, Deniz Eyuce, Pablo Jimenez, Elena, Adolf Boluda and Sergio Morchon

La Cervesera Artesana
The name (meaning “Craft Beer House”) may seem rather obvious, but they wear it proudly as this beer house was one of the first brewpubs in town to sport the “craft” label. Through glass panes you can see how they make seven types of Iberian beer, the brand adopted by the first microbrewery in Barcelona, dating from 1993. Their drinks are served on the premises and range from a stout to an acclaimed spicy beer. They went to Facebook to ask their customers which new variety they should bring out and the winning suggestion was a chilli beer. They’re working on it. They offer many others, too. The brewery, in the lower part of Gràcia, always has an upbeat atmosphere.

Homo Sibaris
Guillem Laporta is one of the beer activists with the most pedigree in Barcelona and his beer house, Homo Sibaris, is proof of the knowledge he has acquired. It is also one of the city’s most inviting beer cellars. Located in the picturesque Plaza Osca in the Sants district, its battery of handpumps has recently been augmented to fourteen. The brews that emerge from their spouts are made by Guillem himself (he has just crafted a bitter which is going to be the talk of the town!), in addition to other hard-to-find craft beers from around the world. Take a seat at one of their tables, or on the terrace, browse through the menu you will be handed, ask the staff and let them guide you. They always get it right.

Biercab
When Manuel Baltasar was deciding what type of beer house to open with his friends, he realised that good company was an essential element. Good company in the project – his partners include a beer distributor, a craft brewery in Navarre (Naparbier) and a master brewer from Belgium, Sven Bosch. And good company at the tables in his brewpub, located in the middle of the Eixample district. The tapas menu at BierCab is designed to pair well with their beers.Chef Ronald García prepares the dishes, notably ceviche de corvina (sea bass lemon-and-garlic marinade) with tiger’s milk, and sea bass sashimi with yellow ají sauce. Even non-beer drinkers ought to taste them, although stepping into BierCab without trying a single beer would be riotous. They have over 600 varieties, many of them Catalan, bearing in mind that these climes are now gripped with beer fever. “The best thing here is that everyone can find their own beer style”, Manuel promises.

Blacklab & Kitchen
Jing Cheng and Matt Bader met while studying architecture in Chicago and, after graduating, settled in Barcelona. A few years later, they turned their passion into a profession, setting up a brewhouse in the Palau de Mar, in the Barceloneta. Everything there is reminiscent of what they loved about the USA – the natural beers that Matt makes, the kitchen – they serve up hamburgers, sandwiches and soups, but tend to recommend the chicken wings and pulled pork buns – and even the gigs held on Saturday evening. Customers eat and drink among tanks where the house beers are fermented. They come in a thousand different styles and always feature some new creation.

Abirradero
Craft brewers inevitably treat their profession as a vocation, and they emerge relatively late in life at that. The triumvirate at Abirradero, in Poble-sec, bear this out, as it is made up of Nereo Garbi, a former publisher, Daniel Fermún, an IT technician, and Ivò Castells, a telecoms graduate. Half of the beers they list are their own creation, some in rather bizarre styles. With the assistance of journalist Sergi Bayó, they have even adapted the periodic table of elements to beer, to help newcomers discover the infinite diversity of this world. Accompanied by tapas designed to pair well with the beverage, a dinner at Abirradero will reveal the endless culinary possibilities of beer.

Book your Vueling to Barcelona and gear up to savour the finest craft beers in town.

Text by Josep Sucarrats of Gastronomistas

Situated just 25 kilometres north of Marseille lies this, the former capital of Provence. Its original settlers were drawn to the site on account of its numerous natural springs, while nowadays it is a magnet for university students and tourists. This must-visit stopover on any Provence itinerary is a city best defined by the word “elegance”. Some have even ventured to compare it with Paris, albeit on a much smaller scale. Here, then, are some of the keys to discovering Aix-en-Provence.

Cours Mirabeau, the Old Quarter and the Quartier Mazarin

Sandwiched between the Old Quarter to the north, and the Quartier Mazarin to the south, Cours Mirabeau is Aix’s major landmark. This pleasant thoroughfare with its moss-lined fountains, canopy of plane-trees and magnificent Renaissance mansions invites visitors to stroll along and stop at any of the many cafés and terraces on the avenue, veritable vantage points for soaking up the amazing atmosphere. One of the most popular such cafés is Deux Garçons, once frequented by Paul Cézanne, Émile Zola and Albert Camus.

Wandering through Aix’s Old Quarter is another of the pleasures held out by this city. Here, you can stroll around the pedestrian precinct, enjoy the shopping areas and uncover half-concealed enclaves which are ideal for whiling away the time – the Place d’Albertas is a case in point.

Unlike the Old Quarter, the Quartier Mazarin is more neatly laid out. Here, you will come across its striking hôtels particuliers – the name given to large mansions that once belonged to the nobility and the haute bourgeoisie. This area was designed in the 17th century on the initiative of Archbishop Michel Mazarin. Among its leading landmarks is the Granet Museum, housed in a former Knights of Malta priory, featuring an exhibition of the paintings of François Granet, in addition to Italian, French and Flemish works, and an excellent collection of modern art.

On the Cézanne Trail

The other great icon of the city is the Post-Impressionist, Paul Cézanne, who was born and died here and who captured the landscapes of Provence in many of his works. We recommend you head for the Atelier Cézanne, on the north side of the old quarter, where you can see how the artist approached his work. You won’t however, see a single Cézanne original. If you’re feeling sprightly enough, you can walk up to the Terrain des Peintres (Painters’ Park), a small, quiet park which attracts a large number of artists and the spot where Cézanne painted his multiple versions of Mont Sainte-Victoire.

The Vasarely Foundation – Op-Art in its Pristine State

Located on the outskirts of Aix, the Vasarely Foundation is well worth the effort visiting for its highly original architecture, based on conjoined hexagonal cells, and the exhibition it houses of the pop-art oeuvre of Victor Vasarely. All the exhibits here are large-format. They draw the viewer into the unusual world of this genuine artist, featuring optical effects guaranteed to impress.

Book your Vueling to Marseille and discover Provence – one of France’s most beautiful regions – by visiting some of its most evocative towns, as Aix-en-Provence most certainly is.

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Images by vasse nicolas,antoine, Milena, Sjaak Kempe, Connie Ma, Andrea Schaffer