Berlin clearly lived through one of its most bizarre periods during the Cold War. Bizarre, in that erecting a wall dividing a city into two parts, separating families and neighbours and setting them in opposing universes, is an Orwellian experience to say the least.

Each part of the city obviously developed in a very different way. On the one hand, East Berlin stagnated within a system based on obsessive control by the regime, a pattern shared by the rest of the communist bloc. West Berlin, for its part, evolved in similar fashion to the rest of the capitalist world.

West Berlin – From the Mecca of the Underground to Hedonistic House

From the seventies on, in line with the new trends in England and the United States, a new musical scene began to gain currency in Berlin, based on creative freedom and the aesthetic of a clean break with the past. Berlin became one of the leading centres of punk and all its subsequent ramifications. Their outsider and underground art culture sediment attracted performers of the calibre of David Bowie, Brian Eno, Keith Haring and Lou Reed throughout the seventies. By then, a good number of bands were feeding such exciting circuits as those of London and Sheffield.

At the end of the seventies, the music of Joy Division and dabblers in electronic and industrial music were adopted as icons of the flourishing alternative scene of an open Berlin. Unlike the British or American varieties, German post-punk was characterised by a tension between politics and culture and aesthetically owes much to krautrock, as many of its themes are endless repetitions at a heady pace, notably Geld/Money by the arty band, Malaria, or the early recordings of DAF.

As of 1980, the exciting Berlin scene was always on the move, spawning an inexhaustible string of bands like Einstürzende Neubauten– headed by the controversial Blixa Bargeld – Die Unbekannten, Nina Hagen, Die Krupps, Mekanik Destrüktiw Komandoh, Die Tödliche Doris, Geile Tiere and Die Arztewith their punk funk distinguished by sarcastic lyrics.True to say, the scene was not made up of musicians alone, but by film stars and directors, writers, philosophers, artists and photographers, too. By the mid-eighties a process of disintegration had set in. Music became ever more commercial and groups began to sign up with multinationals. However, it was not long before a new sound revolution arose which had a marked impact on the city – the advent of acid house and techno. Recall that Berlin’s Love Parade was the first mass parade of electronic music in the world. The first Love Parade was in 1989. The event started out as a clamour for peace and mutual understanding through music. Just a few months later, the Wall came down and West Berlin was consigned to history.

The legendary SO36 was still going strong at that time. The club, located on the Oranienstrasse near Heinrichplatz in the Kreuzberg district, took its name from the area’s famed postal code – SO36. The district of Kreuzberg is historically the home of Berlin punk, and of other alternative German subcultures. SO36 was initially dedicated mainly to punk music. As of 1979 it attempted a crossover between punk, new wave and visual art. In those days the club rivalled New York’s CBGB as one of the world’s leading new wave spots. Others on the Berlin circuit included Metropol, the disco, Kino, the club 54 Kantstrasse and the Sputnik alternative cinema, where the cult film Christiane F. premiered.

Period Document on the Big Screen

The 13th Beefeater In-Edit Festival will be held in Barcelona from 29 October to 8 November. Prominent among the many films to be shown is B-Movie: Lust & Sound in West-Berlin 1979-1989, a documentary directed by Jörg A. Hoppe, Heiko Lange and Klaus Maeck on music, art and chaos in the Wild West of Berlin in the decade of the 1980s, the walled city that became a creative crucible for a special type of pop subculture which attracted brilliant dilettantes and world-famous celebrities of all kinds. However, prior to the fall of the Iron Curtain, artists, squatters, poets, music creators and hedonists came together to enjoy a highly unconventional lifestyle in Berlin. They all knew it would be short-lived but, who’s worried about tomorrow? It was a case of living for the here and now.

Featuring mostly unreleased television material and original footage, photos and interviews, B-Movie chronicles life in a divided city, a cultural interzone where anything seemed possible – a place different from anywhere else in Europe. It is a fast-moving collage of stories about a frenzied but creative decade starting with punk and ending with the Love Parade, in a city where days are short and nights are interminable.

Berlin is currently experiencing a youthful resurgence in terms of cultural activity – and music, too! Why wait to discover it all? Check out our tickets here.

Text by ISABELYLUIS Comunicación

Images by B-Moviem, SO36

Manchester is one of the most highly industrialised cities in the United Kingdom, but also one of the most culturally alive. Particularly in terms of music – this is the cradle of punk, and of the groups that were spawned thereafter, notably Joy Division, New Order, The Smiths, The Stone Roses and Oasis, young bands eager to forge a better future, far removed from the industrial assembly lines. The fact is that this musical tradition also generated an extensive network of record shops, scattered across the city centre, stores which are still very much alive and kicking.

The good thing about Manchester is that, being a comparatively small city, roughly the size of Barcelona, it doesn’t take long to get from one end of it to the other. So, if you’re thinking of going there, while you’re visiting the stores we recommend in search of that record you are missing from a collection, or simply just browsing and getting your fingers grubby, you will also have time to wander through the area where the legendary disco, The Haçienda, was located, as well as the Museum – of Science and Industry, of course. So, let’s get started with those five temples of vinyl:

Empire Exchange

Rather than a store, this is more of a basement warehouse where you can wander about and breathe in dust, in search of that record by The Beatles or The Rolling Stones you need to round off your collection. Empire Exchange is acclaimed for having one of the most comprehensive selections of seven singles in England. Indeed, they stock records released from 1930 onwards. This temple of rare vinyls is located in the city centre, specifically, on Newton Street.

Piccadilly Records

Situated in the heart of Manchester, on such a venerable precinct as Oldham Street, you will feel like just another Mancunian when you stroll along it. Piccadilly Records specialises in rare albums which are hard to come by, but also in new releases of independent pop and rock and reissues of classics. Incidentally, the store is very near Piccadilly Gardens, one of the city’s loveliest green areas. It is ideally placed for visiting afterwards and having an impromptu picnic.

Clampdown Records

A small but charming shop which packs a punch, and its vintage appearance endows it with a special status. Here you will find an exquisite selection of used vinyls (especially punk and new wave) and, if you’re game for getting your fingers dirty, you can pick up some gems at a great price. Clampdown Records is on Paton Street, next door to Manchester’s old town. The area has a generous sprinkling of restaurants where you can grab a weekend brunch.

Vinyl Resting Place

Like Clampdown Records, this is also a small store which has maximised available space to a tee. It is on the third floor of Afflecks Palace, right in the centre of Manchester and near both Piccadilly Records and Empire Exchange. So, all you need is a good pair of trainers with air pockets to wander about and fit in. Vinyl Resting Place stocks a good collection of used vinyls, which range from reasonably-priced records to rare releases which will cost you an arm and a leg if you bite the bait. You’ve been warned!

Soundwaves Here We Come

This is the ideal spot for winding up your tour, as the store is also located in Afflecks Palace, just one floor down from Vinyl Resting Place – you just have to slide down the stairs to get there. The list of used vinyls at Soundwaves Here We Come encompasses virtually all styles. What’s more, if you’re lucky, you may catch some group playing live, as the store owners organise regular concerts to promote the city’s upcoming bands. Who knows – you may even be fortunate enough to cross paths withThe Stone Roses!

Put on your walking shoes and experience the magic of record hunting – check out our flights here.

Text by Xavi Sánchez for Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Images by Marc Wathleu

One legend has it that the Breton saint St. Ferreol founded the city after landing there in a boat escorted by a choir of seven mermaids, but scholars still cannot agree on the origin of the name the city has been called since Medieval times.

History

The first people to settle in the area were Celts. And there is evidence of Phoenician and ancient Greek settlements, too. When the Romans conquered Hispania in the first century BC, a fishing village stood on the site of today’s city. Soon the locals began exporting preserved fish to the rest of the Roman Empire. The name “Ferrol” first appeared in church records in the year 1087, referring to a donation made by villagers to the nearby monastery of San Martín de Jubia.

From La Coruña

Ferrol has easy access to La Coruña, only 40 minutes’ distant --via a very scenic stretch of the AP-9 motorway, crossing the Eume river and others-- and to other towns in northern Galicia such as Villalba, Naró, and Ortigueira. You’ll see hills and extensive green meadowland crisscrossed by streamlets, along with panoramic views of the sea. You may wish to stop along the way at the Parque Natural Fragas do Eume, where you can admire Europe’s best-conserved Atlantic coastal woodlands, some 9,000 hectares of virgin forest. The triangular park, lying between the towns of As Pontes, Pontedeume and Monfero, will show you that “enchanted forest” isn’t just a figure of speech –you will expect to see elves and wood sprites frolicking amongst the ferns and lichens, and the springs and waterfalls, all under the leafy canopy of ash, alder, oak, and poplar trees, which the sun’s rays have difficulty penetrating in some spots. You might also visit the equally enchanting  Caaveiro monastery, dating from the year 934, and which overlooks the forest.

A Stroll through the Magdalena District

Ferrol’s urban essence is concentrated in the old quarter, the Barrio de la Magdalena, a commercial and entertainment district featuring such Belle Époque jewels as the 1892 Jofre Theatre, the Magdalena Market, the 1923 fish market building called “La Pescadería”, the Casino Ferrolano (also erected in 1923), the Hotel Suizo (1916), and the Banco Hispano-Antigua Fonda Suiza (1909-1910). The rationalist, geometrically laid out district resembles Barcelona’s Ensanche, and at its extremes lie two broad squares, the Plaza de Amboage or, more properly, del Marqués de Amboage, and the Plaza de Armas). There are numerous 18^th C. and 19^th C. homes with fancy wrought-iron balcony railings on stone corbels and white, wood-framed glass-enclosed balconies, as well and modernist buildings from the early 20^th C. The whole neighbourhood was designated as a protected cultural treasure in 1983. The main shopping streets are Real, Magdalena, Igrexa, Dolores, Galiano, and María. For tapas, drinks, and sit-down meals the calle del Sol is the place to go.

A Fortified City

Well worth visiting are the fortifications, whose construction began in the reign of Phillip II (b. 1527 d. 1598) that protected the city against attacks from the sea, including the  San Felipe Castle, and the Arsenal, a unique building now housing the Naval Museum.  It connects to the Magdalena neighbourhood via the ornate, neo-classical 1765 gateway known as the Porta do Dique.

The Spanish Armada

Ferrol has an important naval base and large military and civilian shipyards. Since the 15^th it has been a key military installation, particularly during the heyday of the Spanish Empire, the first on which “the sun never set” –the Spanish Armada has both the discovery of America and the first circumnavigation of the world to its credit. Sea dogs, history buffs, and landscape lovers alike will find much to rave about in Ferrol. Perhaps you should book a flight to La Coruña with Vueling a take a closer look? Check out or flights here.

Report by Isabel y Luis Comunicación

Pictures by Juan Balsa, Diputación de A Coruña y Concello de Ferrol

Many comments have been made following the post we created on 21 June entitled Enjoying tapas in Granada 
on the Facebook page of Vueling People. You have suggested various places and other cities besides Granada for enjoying tapas in style so we thought it would be a good idea to gather all this information and try to create a tapas trail around Granada for Vueling People. Without further ado, here is the first trail you have created with your comments. More will surely follow. Your contributions are always welcome and we will try to publish them on myvuelingcity.com; the website for discovering the well-kept secrets of Vuelingdestinations.

Ardilla Feliz has suggested Borsalino of Granada. In Borsalino, they give you a free tapa when you order a bottle of beer – standard practice throughout Granada. Very close to the bus station, the residents of Borsalino (the name given to the patrons of this bar) remember this place for the quality of its tapas and the friendly welcome from its owners.

RM López Rodríguez has suggested the Velilla Cafetería Celeste and Los Diamantes. Los Diamantes is another of those bars packed with people but where they offer some amazing ‘pescaíto frito’ or ‘fried fish’. Located on Calle Navas, it is a classic among tapas-lovers in Granada and one of the establishments with the longest history behind it. This is corroborated by Cristina Jimenez, who also says that “for some tapas in great surroundings, the Albaicin district (Plaza La Larga, Plaza de San Nicolás, Torcuato, Mascarones…) and the city centre has millions of places with good Spanish ham and good wines, like Casa de Enrique “the Elephant” next to the cathedral…”. Casa Enrique is at first-sight a rather humble bar but is known by everyone for having some very good cold meats, including Spanish ham.

Cunini is another of the famous places suggested to us by Esther Arribas. It can also be found in the historic city centre, close to the Cathedral, and features an excellent offer of fish and shellfish. Just like most places in Granada, it is usually full and hard to get a table – but if you do, your stomach will certainly thank you for it!

Still in the centre of Granada, Antonio S. Zayas recommends the Bodegas Castañeda in the area near Calle Elvira. Many people rate its tapas and cold meats among the best in Granada but absolutely everyone agrees on the quality of its wines, some of which are home-made such as the “castañeda” and the “calisacas” not to mention its vermouth.

Africa Alemán sends us to the bars in Plaza del Aguaor and Begoña Benito says we really shouldn’t miss La Bella y La Bestia or El Reventaero in Granada, on Camino de Ronda. “Reventaero” means “bursting in Spanish and with such an abundance of tapas it is easy to see why.

Both Consuelo Martos and Anna Calero point us in the direction of the Bullring where we can find La Ermita; a restaurant with a fine selection of reasonably-priced tapas and good Spanish ham, just as it should be.

We will conclude this Vueling People tapas trail around Granada with the recommendation made byManuel Bega to discover the bars of Gran Vía in Granada and to explore other town in the province of Granada, such as Motril.

Many of you have suggested various places throughout Spain, such as Zaragoza, Almeria, Leon (particularly, el Húmedo), Barcelona (Ca l’Arturet in Castelldefels), Avila, Seville (el Eslava is apparently unmissable) and Linares.

Ramón Torregrossa reminds Shiro Takiki of a great place for tapas in Madrid called Bar Scrum at 7 Calle del Sol and Vicent Stronger recommends the Viña district of Cadiz.

We will soon be bringing you another Vueling People tapas trail around another one of our destinations. Thanks to everyone for your suggestions. Catch you later and bon appétit!

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