There’s a lot more to Munich than the Oktoberfest beer festival and a legendary football team –this city of 1.5 million people is one of Europe’s most important cultural centres, while also boasting a very complete menu of entertainment and recreational options, every day of the year. Here are a few proposals for a weekend getaway to this liveliest of German cities.

Amongst it many attractions, Munich is easy to get to and to get around in, thanks to its huge international airport, excellent rail connection, and the super-modern public transport systems serving the city and its outskirts. Most of the key places for sightseers are concentrated in a relatively small area, and the city is thronged with visitors all year round. Keep in mind that the Alps are nearby, and the city is a staging point for skiers in winter and for climbers, hikers, mountain bikers, and paragliders in summer.

The city’s cultural life is intense, and no tourist should neglect to visits the cluster of three classical art museums collectively known as the Pinakothek –a show of El Greco is now in progress in one of them and will remain open until 12^th April. Not far away is the Brandhorst museum of modern art. On the bank of the Isar river is the fascinating Deutsches Museum of science and technology. It has a branch in Schleissheim to the north of the city that specialises in airplanes, and another in Theresienhöhe dedicated to every imaginable type of land transport vehicle. You may also enjoy the recently opened ZNT, New Technologies Centre, with its focus on nanotechnology and biotechnology. Car aficionados will love the BMW Welt museum –BMW is a Bavarian brand, afer all! To learn more about Munich itself, and its long and curious history, check out the Stadtmuseum, and don’t miss the permanent “Typically Munich” exhibition. For insights into the Bavarian people, there’s the incredible Residenz, the old palace of the Bavarian royal family, located in the city centre, and Germany’s largest urban palace. Today it is one of Europe’s leading museums of decorative arts, and its richly furnished and adorned spaces evoke many centuries of history under the Wittelsbach dynasty (1180-1918). At a short distance is the dynasty’s first Munich home, the Alter Hof, later used as law courts, and now the site of the Bavarian Museums Information Office and of a small museum devoted to the Wittelbachs, whose most famous king, Ludwig II, was born in the Nymphenburg castle standing in the western part of the city, next to the entrance to the Nymphenburg park. But just two hours southwest of Munich is one of Germany’s most celebrated castles, Neuschwanstein, at the foot of the Alps, which was Walt Disney’s inspiration for the castle in the cartoon classic Sleepìng Beauty.

Munich, by the way, has three top-ranked orchestras, numerous music festivals in many genres, and dozens of concert halls.

Design
Design is something else Munich is famous for, and this is evident in the way people dress –in style and good taste, like the people of Milan. The city centre is the best place to shop for designer clothes and decorative items, for antiques, and for books. For luxury goods, jewellery, silverware, etc., look for shops labelled as Königlich Bayerischen Hoflieferanten, or “suppliers to the royal household of Bavaria”.

A Bite to Eat, Sports…
It’s almost impossible not to eat well wherever you go in Bavaria, and Munich’s dining is unrivalled for quality and variety. Local specialities include the famous Weisswurst or veal sausages, accompanied by a salty soft or crisp pretzel and sweet mustard; a ration of pork or beef with mash; and a spicy Obatzder cheese sauce with black bread. When it comes to eating, the locals prefer the biergärten –especially in summer—and the friendly beer halls found throughout the city.

For the sports-minded, we recommend a tour of the Olimpiastadion stadium where the main events of the 1972 Olympic Games were held, a milestone in stadium architecture, and still in almost continual use, as is the Allianz Arena, built for the 2006 World Football Cup, and now home to FC Bayern -a team with five Champions League titles to its credit- and the less well-known TSV 1860.

Munich awaits! Check out our fares here!

Text: Isabel y Luis Comunicación

Photos: Deutschland Tourismus, Haydar Koyupinar/ Museum Brandhorst

The beautiful region of Campania in southern Italy features two gems that enable us to spotlight daily life during the Roman period – Pompeii and Herculaneum. The fact that these archaeological sites are so well preserved – possibly more so than any other in Europe – on account of a natural disaster has a horrific, spine-chilling side to it. This somehow magnanimous tragedy was caused by the eruption of Mt Vesuvius on 24 August in AD 79, which buried in lava and ashes these two localities, which became frozen in time forever, or at least for many centuries. Nowadays both sites are places of pilgrimage for tourists, bystanders and scholars eager to find out more about Rome’s past.

Pompeii

Prior to forming part of the Roman Empire, Pompeii (Pompei, in Italian) was a Greek and Samnite settlement. In AD 62 it was struck by a terrible earthquake, which left part of the city in ruins. Interestingly enough, some remains from that time reveal Pompeii in the throes of reconstruction, as evinced in the Temple of Jupiter, or the plaques on some buildings featuring the names of benefactors who had helped fund the repair work. Unfortunately, their efforts were in vain, as the eruption of Vesuvius led it all to be smothered in lapilli, causing the death of the entire population and rendering Pompeii uninhabitable.

The city fell into oblivion until it was rediscovered and excavated in 1748 under Charles III of Spain, also known as Charles VII of Naples. Initially, the excavations were only intended to salvage valuable objects, which were then incorporated into the royal collection. Over time, however, the endeavours took on a more professional guise and archaeological work on the site continues even today. Stories from the past are still being unearthed, while work to preserve the ruins is ongoing.

A tour of Pompeii should be taken calmly. The itinerary usually takes about 3 to 4 hours and our first recommendation is to wear sturdy footwear and, should you visit the site in summer, to avoid the peak sunlight hours and wear sun protection. And, of course, to get the most out of your visit, it is advisable to secure a guide, who will orientate you and point out the various areas, or at least an audio guide. But, it is well worth the effort, as the itinerary is full of stories, anecdotes and a number of surprises. One such titbit is The House of the Tragic Poet, where in the vestibule you can see a mosaic with the inscription, Cave Canem (Beware of the Dog)! Or the risque frescoes in the changing rooms of the Underground Thermae, with sexually explicit scenes. Other thermae, known as the Stabian Baths, reveal a sophisticated system of heating using hot air, which circulated between the walls under the floor.

Be sure to visit the Villa dei Misteri, one of the most important buildings in the whole complex. A noteworthy feature of the interior is the stunning Dionysiac frieze, a series of frescoes depicting the rituals of initiation into the “bridal mysteries”. Another house, the House of the Vettii, one of the most luxurious in the city, boasts some excellent frescoes, some of which depict trompe l'oeil views of architecture.

Herculaneum

While Pompeii is more popular among visitors and covers a larger area, the best preserved ruins are to be found in Herculaneum (Ercolano, in Italian). This is true of the houses which in some cases are two-storeys buildings. In this instance the houses were both buried by and preserved for posterity by the pyroclastic flow of the eruption. Excavations got under way in 1738 and the finds unearthed here exerted a marked influence on Neoclassicism. Among the many that came to light in 1980 in the rooms or fornici were over 200 skeletons of people of all ages and social status huddled under archways who were burned by the heat given out by the volcano. Interestingly, they had taken refuge from the disaster with their most valuable belongings in harbour warehouses.

Herculaneum was smaller in size than Pompeii and excavations have revealed mainly houses, most of them with magnificent mosaics, as in the House of the Mosaic Atrium, the House of Neptune and Amphitrite and the House of the Skeleton. Other landmarks include the male and female bath houses which have yielded considerable details about life during those times.

National Archaeological Museum

We recommend rounding off your tour of those sites by a visit to the National Archaeological Museum in Naples, which houses a large part of the objects, frescoes and mosaics excavated at both Pompeii and Herculaneum.

Treat yourself to a getaway to Naples and travel back in time to Pompeii and Herculaneum.

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Images by Pablo Cabezos, Andy Hay, Carlo Mirante, momo, Citi-zen, Aleksandr Zykov, Rachel Bickley, Amphipolis

“The Metamorphosis”, by Franz Kafka (1883–1924), is undoubtedly one of the major works of the 20th century. Kafka took just 21 days to write it, yet nothing would be the same in literature after that, for, in this concise story, he soared to the heights of the genuine literary titans like Kleist, Dickens and Flaubert. Also the author of “The Trial” and “The Castle”, Kafka features among the leading figures of world literature. His theatre of operations and his inspiration were centred on Prague, the essence of which has thankfully has been preserved practically intact.

What is “The Metamorphosis” About?

“When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from unsettling dreams, he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin”. Thus begins the “metamorphosis” of a man who “thinks about nothing but his work”. Gregor Samsa is actually a person who stands for all of humanity. One fine day Gregor discovers that he has turned into something repulsive which should be hidden from everyone else. But, what does that suffocating story actually refer to? The novel sets out to make us aware of what we really are. The transformation into an insect involves an awakening. It is only then that Gregor sees the profound metaphysical horror he is living in. And, as he is the only person that notices it, he becomes a social outcast.

Kafka’s Prague

Prague was the centre of both his literary world and his life – a mysterious city, but also a dazzling one for its entangled layout and fanciful architecture. In his short stories and novels, Kafka does not name the places he describes, except for a select few. Nevertheless, Prague emerges in his work as an ever-present, imaginary city charged with metaphor and allegory. Indeed, if we look at his writings closely, it is easy to retrace the famous author’s footsteps through the maze of streets in the old city and the picturesque spots where Kafka lived and wrote.

The Old City and its Square

Kafka spent most of his life in Prague’s Old City. U věže, the house he was born in, was located on the corner of Maiselova and Kaprova street. After the city’s facelift in the late-19th and early-20th century, the only part of the building still wrought in the original stone is the facade – emblazoned on it is a simple commemorative plaque.

While the Kafkas moved often, and usually did so within a few houses of the original one, the trail of Franz Kafka is present at virtually every step through the Old City, but mainly around the Old Town Square. For instance, in the period 1880–1896, the Kafkas lived in the charming Minute House, very near the City Hall, which stands out for its beautiful sgrafitto decoration. The future writer lived just a stone’s throw from the German Institute, the present-day Kinský Palace. His father, Hermann Kafka, ran a haberdashery on the ground floor of the same building. Today the palace houses the National Gallery. On Široká street, between the narrow Maiselova street and the luxury Pařížská Avenue, stands the must-see Kafka Bookshop, virtually next door to the Maisel Synagogue and within view of the High Synagogue. Travellers are also urged to visit the Church of the Holy Spirit and the Spanish Synagogue, on Dušní street, which houses the school that Kafka frequented.

In Kafka’s Footsteps – the Museum and Castle

The famous writer’s work brings to life both the old Prague Ghetto and the Malá Strana quarter and Prague Castle. The Franz Kafka Museum is located near Charles Bridge in Malá Strana. A Kafka exhibition entitled “The City of K” was organised by the Barcelona Contemporary Culture Centre (CCCB) in 1999 and, after touring New York’s Jewish Museum, it arrived in Prague in 2005. The exhibition was arranged in two distinct parts – the first showed how Kafka was influenced by the city and how it affected his life, while the second part reviewed the way Kafka describes the city without actually mentioning the names of places that emerge in his novels and short stories.

The characters in Kafka’s novels often follow routes leading up to Prague Castle. While it is often said that one of the places he lived and worked in was the tiny house at 22 de Zlatá Ulička – Golden Lane – the house actually belonged to his sister and Kafka used to sometimes take refuge there to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre. The stories dating from that period were later published under the title “A Country Doctor”.

In 1917, the writer went down with pulmonary tuberculosis and later died in a sanatorium in Austria. His mortal remains lie in a family pantheon in the New Jewish Cemetery of Prague-Strašnice.

If you’re eager to experience a feeling of being shrouded in mystery, make sure you visit Prague. Check out our flights here.

Text by ISABELYLUIS Comunicación

Images by Czech Tourism, Nico Paix, Jose Mesa, Roman Boed

Indeed, a lot has been going on in this lovely city in Western Bohemia throughout the year. Over 600 events of all kinds have been held as part of its splendid programme. If you haven’t the chance to go there yet, the final stretch of these cultural events are clearly a good excuse to do so.

Art is Everywhere

One of the hallmarks of this edition is that the arts are present in public spaces in the form of temporary installations, themed parties and inaugurations held in unusual venues. Some industrial buildings, which have given over their premises to the so-called “Imagination Factories”, have also been taken over by art. The renowned plastic artist and director of cartoons, Jiří Trnka, is hosting an exhibition entitled The Garden, while, for the first time ever, Europe will see the valuable collection of Maori portraits by Gottfried Lindauer, a native of Pilsen and one of the illustrious figures of New Zealand art.

At the Museum of Western Bohemia (Západočeské muzeum),design and technology enthusiasts will be treated to an exhibition on the work of Ladislav Sutnar, a pioneer of information architecture and one of the founders of world graphic design. The original home interiors of the architect, Adolf Loos, are also open to the public as part of a special itinerary drawn up for the occasion. Also featured is an exhibition of contemporary European puppetry under the direction of Matěj Forman, while an exhibition of contemporary international design will be hosted on the magnificent premises of the Pilsner Urquell Brewery.

The Western Bohemia Gallery (Západočeská galerie) will be presenting works by the leading figures of the Munich Secession, pioneers of the early European avant-garde, featuring works from the collections of Munich’s Villa Stuck Museum and the Lenbachhaus Gallery. On display will be the work of such artists as Gabriel von Max, Franz von Stuck, Vassily Kandinski, Paul Klee and other members of the group, Der Blaue Reiter, as well as Czech representatives of Art Nouveau and modern art who lived and worked in the Bavarian capital during the same period.

However, to keep track of the cultural activities programmed for this final stretch, those interested should check out the events on the Pilsen Information Website, where you will find a day by day schedule of all the events to come. We recommend you keep tabs on the days when the grass-roots craft workshops are held in the main square as they will only be set up on eight days in the year, and this is something you should not miss.

A City Under A City

One of the must-see sights of the city is one that takes you into the maze of corridors, cellars and wells under the paving stones of Pilsen. The complete underground complex was built in the 14th century, and this underground city had an important function – to preserve food, but also as the site of craft workshops, wineries and malt breweries. You will also see technical installations such as drainage galleries, sewers and wells. It takes you back in time, providing insight into life in a medieval city.

World Beer Capital

You are advised to pick up your special beer coin which can be exchanged for tasting the Master Semi-dark beer in some restaurants. If you don’t see the badge on the door, ask the waiter. And, as you’re in the “beer city”, don’t fail to drop in on the Brewery Museum. This is the best way to see how this barley elixir is brewed and the museum reveals the history of beer from ancient times up to the present. It is located in an original brewery in the city’s historic centre.

The exhibition, both amusing and edifying, reveals the brewing process, the secrets of production and ways of serving and drinking the hops-laden beverage over the centuries. You can also stroll through medieval breweries and into a 19th-century village brew-house. A whole section of the museum is set aside for the display of implements and curiosities associated with the world of beer. One of the most impressive areas features the steam-driven brew kettles, capable of producing thirty litres of beer each in one go.

Art and beer are the winning combination in Pilsen. What are you waiting for? Check out our flights here.

Text by ISABELYLUIS Comunicación

Images by Centro de Información de Pilsen