By Laura Conde

You have three days off, and some money saved up. You’ve already visited the major European capitals and, although you would love to return to London or Paris, you just can’t afford to pay €4 for a cup of coffee right now. What to do then? Book a flight to Munich? We’re here to help and to answer your question. We took a flight to Munich to spend three days discovering the wonders of the third largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg, the capital of Bavaria, where people say goodbye with a cheerful “ciao”, have beer and sausages for breakfast, and worship both Guardiola and Duke William IV, who back in 1516 passed a law that would change the course of German history – the so-called Purity Law – which established that only water, hops, yeast and malt could be used to make beer. Why did he do that? Apparently, William IV was losing many of his subjects because they were drinking lethal homemade beer that contained all kinds of preservatives.

Drinking beer, as we can see at Oktoberfest, has always been and always will be a deeply-rooted tradition in Munich, which is one of the cities where the popular biergarten (beer gardens) appeared: they are outdoor gardens with long tables to share, and Bavarian music playing in the background; places where you can bring food and spend all day drinking beer. When the weather is fine, the biergarten fill with locals and tourists, but they are usually closed in winter. Beer lovers must come to the city during the Starkbierfest, the so-called “strong beer festival”, from 21 March to 6 April. It’s a kind of Oktoberfest, not as busy but just as fun, when the locals take to the streets with the same purpose in mind: to drink lots of beer!

Another famous William in the history of Bavaria was William V of Wittelsbach, whose huge wedding celebration was unique in the city, and it led to the creation of one of Munich’s largest attractions: the famous Glockenspiel in the Town Hall, which can be seen twice a day and is a really interesting event. That festive spirit from 16th century Munich, where everyone stopped working in order to devote themselves to that wedding, is still pleasantly alive today, in a beautiful and surprisingly lively city, where the locals are kind and cheerful. We walked through the city’s historic quarter, the trendy neighbourhoods and those new districts that are enjoying a boom thanks to the gentrification that increasingly affects the outskirts of wealthy cities, and we found what we think are Munich’s 15 hot spots. And after this, you won’t need to think twice: You have to go!

THE TRENDY MUNICH

1. Brunch at Cotidiano

In Gärtnerplatz, the trendy area in Munich par excellence, and one of the most bustling areas in the city, we can find this busy place, which is ideal for Sundaybrunch or just to spend the afternoon enjoying a large mug of coffee (which is actually served in a bowl!), and taste one of the sandwiches, homemade cakes or salads. Other things not to be missed in the square include the range of salads and other dishes that are available, which look absolutely delicious. The large window that looks onto the street is delightful on sunny days, which are unfortunately not very common in winter. But that’s part of Munich’s charm. There is no Wi-Fi in the café.
Gärtnerplatz 6

2. A stop to shop for clothes at Kauf Dich Glücklich.

Very close to Cotidiano we find a very interesting shop selling men’s and women’s clothes. Inside there is a small bar where they serve coffee. Outside there is a sort of terrace with a few recycled tables and chairs, and this shop is the ideal place to stop and purchase sophisticated, urban, stylish and affordable clothes.
Oderberger Straße 44

3. XXL cake at Kochspielhaus.

The size of absolutely everything in this café in the centre is incredible. Their idea of a portion is nothing like ours, so tourists who like to eat well will not be disappointed. Kochspielhaus, however, is not one of those tacky places where they serve huge portions of food and people talk in a loud voice: it’s a beautiful café, with impeccable decor, similar to Cotidiano, with a bakery inside. It’s full of young professionals, many of them accompanied by their dogs (if there’s a city that’s dog friendly, it’s Munich), where everything is gorgeous as well as huge. When you walk in, you find a selection of large and delicious cakes, that you can combine with an enormous latte, or a gigantic glass of fruit juice. The café is covered in wood and is a must if you want to discover the coolest side of Munich.
Rumfordstraße 5

4. Italian dinner in Sarfati.

We weren’t sure about visiting an Italian restaurant because after all, we are in Munich, and here people have beer and sausages for breakfast (we’ve seen it with our own eyes), and when you’re really hungry you can have pork knuckles. But there is such a strong Italian influence in this Bavarian city that you wouldn’t think that this colourful restaurant, Sarfati, situated in the hipster part of Munich, is an international restaurant. Many people in Munich speak Italian and any restaurant in any neighbourhood includes Italian dishes on the menu – tiramisu, salads or pasta, for example. In this context we find this restaurant/wineshop that puts a lot of work into its pasta dishes: all the ingredients come from Italy (you should order “burrata” if it’s on the menu), the pasta is handmade with excellent raw materials, and there is an interesting selection of wines. The house wine, an Italian Asinoi, is delicious. And you can eat excellent food for €25 each.
Kazmairstraße 28

5. Any time of day at Café Marais.

This is probably our favourite restaurant in Munich, both for the quality of a simple and delicious menu that is available all day, and for the fairy-tale decor, in a small area surrounded by small and charming boutiques selling clothes by local designers. It’s not very far from Sarfati, and it’s a friendly café with large cakes and tables to share, full of vintage details and an authentic atmosphere between retro and naive. Looking out the window while it snows outside is an amazing experience. Bear in mind that there is no Wi-Fi here.
Parkstraße 2

6. Brenner, Germany’s largest indoor grill.

As we were saying, the Mediterranean influence in general, and Italian especially, is ever-present in Munich. We can see this in one of the fashionable restaurants in the city: Brenner. It’s a large and busy restaurant situated in an old stable, and the average price on the menu is less than €25, while it is sophisticated and stylish. Mediterranean-style cuisine with a clear Italian influence and interpretations of traditional German dishes is what we find in a restaurant where you have to order meat, which is served with vegetables, and is cooked instantly on the largest indoor grill in Germany. They offer a wide selection of cakes, perfect for the sweet-toothed. There is no Wi-Fi, either.
Maximilianstraße 15

7. A coffee with the children at San Francisco Coffee Company.

It’s a very pleasant café chain, and we chose the one that is next to the amazing Verkehrszentrum, the transport museum, to stop for a drink, and at last! – we were able to use their Wi-Fi and boast a bit about our trip on Instagram (there aren’t many restaurants with Wi-Fi in Munich). Delicious coffee and cakes in a modern, attractive and child-friendly place – it was full of families with children, and there was even a play area.
Check where the cafés are at: www.sfcc.de

THE TRADITIONAL MUNICH

8. A litre of beer at Hofbräuhaus

This is a very interesting place: Hofbräuhaus. Don’t leave the city without coming here. It’s a large brewery, established in 1589 by… guess who? Yes, William V, the same man whose wedding lasted one whole week and produced the Glockenspiel in the Town Hall. This place is a paradise for tourists, a large temple of beer, served by the litre and drunk like water, while eating an XXL pork knuckle with potato dumpling at 5 pm. Hofbräuhaus is like Munich’s version of “Cheers”. It’s a place full of interesting characters, ranging from large blond men with bushy moustaches, wearing the typical Bavarian costume, to waitresses wearing the same traditional costumes. Look out for one thing: the knot on their dresses. If it’s on the right, they are married; if it’s on the left, they are single; and if it’s at the back, they are widows.
Platzl 9

9. Bavarian dinner at Augustiner.

One of the most popular beers in Munich, also known as the champagne of beers, has been brewed since the 14th century in a monastery in the city centre. It has an amazing restaurant where you can taste high quality Bavarian food for dinner, in an equally traditional setting, but less informal than the previous brewery and also less touristy. Although they serve a large range of Bavarian dishes, we also find international cuisine.
Neuhaustraße 27

10. Wasabi cheese (and more) at the Viktualienmarkt biergarten.

The Viktualienmarkt is one of Munich’s hot spots and it is worth flying to the city just to see this place. It’s an enormous outdoor market selling fresh produce and top quality food, and in summer a biergarten is set up here, which is very popular with the locals, who usually buy food at the market and eat it at the biergarten, washed down with a large beer. Although the biergarten is only set up in summer, the market is open all year round. As well as the outdoor market, the Viktualienmarkt has a large indoor area full of fresh produce where we can find many shops and food stalls.
Viktualienmarkt 3

11.Souvenirs from the Milka shop.

In the indoor market – where we don’t recommend stopping to eat, although everything there looks delicious, we can guarantee – we find one of the most popular souvenir shops in the city: the Milka shop. When we got to the till, a friendly shop assistant, in perfect Italian, convinced us to leave behind some badges we were going to buy, telling us they were too expensive and that why would you spend all that money on them (“troppo caro, amici”). It was probably just then, or maybe just before, that we fell in love with this place full of all kinds of interesting objects, from Milka-purple Bavarian dresses to slippers, chocolates, or one of our favourites: a 4.5 kg Toblerone!
Viktualienmarkt 15.

12. Beer by the litre at Oktoberfest.

It happens once a year but you remember it for the next eleven months. Marquees are erected next to the river, offering many places to enjoy beer exclusively, which is apparently drunk by the litre. Everyone in Munich, together with a large amount of visitors, takes to the streets to enjoy the pleasure of drinking beer: families with children, elderly couples, groups of students, businessmen, etc. It starts off early in the morning, so by midday the merriment is at its height in every corner of the city, the shy become bold and people strike up friendships that will last at least until the end of Oktoberfest.

13. The spring Oktoberfest: Starkbierfest.

Two weeks to celebrate strong beer, in several places in Munich, which locals usually call “Oktoberfest with no tourists”. The main venue for the festival, boasting plenty of beer and Bavarian music, is Paulaner, a brewery in Nockherberg, where apparently the first starkbier (strong beer) was made, called Salvator, which helped monks to endure their partial fast during Lent.

ART & SNACKS

14. Ella.

In the modern art museum, the Lenbachhaus, situated in the so-called “art district” with all the most important museums, we find a beautiful café with large windows that serves international food, especially Italian. It’s worth visiting just to take a photo next to its attractive seventies-style sign, although we do recommend visiting its collection of paintings by 18th and 19th century Munich-born artists, too. There’s more to it than just food!
Luisenstraße 33

WITH A MICHELIN

15. Star-quality traditional dinner at Pfistermühle.

Munich has several restaurants with a Michelin star. Some of them serve international cuisine, like the interesting and prestigious Japanese restaurant, Toshi, but we decided to stop at Pfistermühle, situated in an old 16th century ducal mill, to taste star-quality food, for less than €60. It’s right in the city centre and in fairy-tale surroundings, and especially offers interpretations of Bavarian specialities.
Pfisterstraße 4

AND MORE

Staying at the Schiller 5.

We chose this 4-star hotel in the centre for several reasons: it’s close to the station, which makes it easier to get to the airport; five minutes from the Marienplatz square, also in the centre; and in an area full of hotels, so there were restaurants open all the time, and all kinds of services in general. The hotel is sober, modern and comfortable, with a kitchen in the room, and the owner, a friendly elderly gentleman, goes round the tables at breakfast to ask guests if they are happy at his hotel.
Schillerstraße 5

A must (especially with the children): Deutsches Museum

Apart from all our food recommendations, we advise you to visit the most popular museum in Germany. The best way to get there is by walking along the river, which has a good place for swimming, very busy in the summer. It’s one of the most important science and technology museums in Europe, and has a section on transport (ships, aeroplanes and all kinds of motorised contraptions), space, musical instruments, ceramics, pharmacy, metal, physics, etc. We would need about eight days to visit it all! A good place to have a cup of coffee is the café inside the shop.
Museumsinsel 1

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

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

What do cities like Cannes, Berlin,Venice, San Sebastián or Locarno have in common? Well, they all host long-standing film festivals and, for a number of days and at different spots in town, all feature both screenings and parallel events as a tribute to the seventh art. Visiting these cities during a festival reveals a different side to them. Instead of the conventional tourist escapade, it involves experiencing the city from a cultural viewpoint like any of its residents. To the above-mentioned cities we should add Rotterdam, famous for having one of the largest maritime harbours in the world. It is also an industrial centre and a capital of football, with three teams in the Dutch top-flight Eredivisie – Feyenoord, Sparta and Excelsior. Over and above that, however, Rotterdam is privileged to host a highly potent film festival which turns the city into one of the leading world cinema hubs for a period of twelve days.

This time around, the International Film Festival Rotterdam (its official name) will take place from 25 January to 5 February 2017, and the programme is dedicated to art house films, both European and international, and the leading figures of independent cinema. This year is dedicated to a retrospective of Jan Němec, one of the paramount filmmakers in Czech cinema, who died a few months ago. A tribute to his figure will involve screening his best known films, as well as a posthumous film, The Wolf from Royal Vineyard Street. The official festival lineup will feature the latest movies by Jim Jarmusch, Paterson and Gimme Danger, in addition to the long-awaited film, Jackie, by Pablo Larraín, starring Natalie Portman.

The focal point of the festival will be De Doelen, a venue with an eventful history in downtown Rotterdam. Its location gives you plenty of time to stroll around and discover the city between screenings. De Doelen was built in 1966 and is both a convention centre and the primary venue of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. The other cinemas providing screenings are also in the city centre, in such charming theatres as Oude Luxor and the Pathé Schouwburgplein. They are relatively near some museums which are well worth visiting, including the Maritime Museum, devoted to the importance of maritime culture and various aspects of sailing. Apart from the exhibition space, it features a canal in the surrounding area offering all types of parallel activities. The Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum is Rotterdam’s stellar art museum with an amazing collection, a dream come true for any painting enthusiast. Its exhibits include works by Salvador Dalí, Tintoretto, Hubert van Eyck, Willem Heda and Pieter Bruegel, among others, but it doesn’t stop there – the museum also covers other art disciplines (industrial design, installations, graffiti) and itinerant exhibitions that are refreshed each month. By the way – the Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum is just a stone’s throw away from Museumpark, one of the city’s lungs and most beautiful parks.

Apart from the aforementioned films and cycles, the International Film Festival Rotterdam also hosts a number of out-of-the-ordinary special screenings. One of the most prominent is a whole, day-long session dedicated to children. This year it falls on Sunday 29 January and features a selection of films which the little ones can enjoy in the company of their parents. Other events worth mentioning include two short marathons to be hosted on 4 February. Lasting six hours each, they will be held in the Kino Rotterdam, a cinema where you can also have dinner or a drink, if you wish. Check out the rest of the festival events here.

Be sure to discover Rotterdam through the prism of its cinema festival – book your Vueling here.

Text by Xavi Sánchez for Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

With its five centuries of history, the Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is a must-visit event for all enthusiasts of this festivity, when the streets in the capital of this fantastic Canary island are inundated with music, entertainment, colour, masks and other festival costumes. Its origins go back to the time of the island’s conquest, when its population included a large number of Genoese, who were instrumental in introducing the festivity – it is assumed to have been a highly italianised celebration during that period. The magnificent climate, the proximity of the beach and the friendly demeanour of the people meant that Carnival was here to stay. It has now grown into one of the most popular Carnival celebrations in the world.

Those of you wishing to experience for yourselves this year’s Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria should head for the island between 10 February and 5 March, when most of the scheduled activities take place during the lengthy festivity. The list of things to see and do is endless, but the crowning moments include the Gala de la Reina (the Queen’s Gala), the Carnaval al Sol (Carnival in the Sun), held at Las Canteras, the shortlisting and election of the Drag Queen at the Drag Queen Gala, the Traditional Carnival at Vegueta, the Carnaval de Día (Day Carnival) in Santa Catalina and the Cabalgata Infantil (Children’s Horse Parade). Spoiled for choice?

The nerve centre of Carnival is located in Santa Catalina Park, where the highlights of the festivities are staged. Local streets and establishments fill up with people dressed in striking costumes, ready to express themselves to the full.

Every year has a central theme for the festival, and this year it is The Eternal Spring, which is supposed to inspire the costume design of both locals and festival-goers from everywhere, all intent on coming to enjoy the Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Here, you would be hard pressed to see anyone not concealed behind a mask, wig or fancy dress of some kind – you have been warned.

Your Carnival experience will often be accompanied by the sound of murgas –similar to the chirigotas of Cádiz – with ensembles chanting songs set to satirical lyrics poking fun at the political and social status quo, in addition to comparsas or carnival troupes dancing to the beat of batucadas (percussion groups). Be sure to let yourself get carried away by the rhythm!

Any festivity worth its salt also has a culinary facet, and the Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is no exception. Be sure to taste the tortitas de carnaval (carnival flapjacks), sopas de miel(a bread pudding) and pan dulce (sweet bread), all designed to restore your energy after so much revelry and upheaval.

Time for a Breather

If you’re lucky enough to be able to spend so many days that you end up getting worn out from so much cavorting to the Carnival beat, fear not. Gran Canaria is an island laden with secluded spots where you can wander about far from the everyday bustle. You can take the opportunity to sunbathe and have a dip at Maspalomas beach, or that of El Inglés, marvel at the natural spectacle provided by the blowhole known as the Bufadero de la Garita, or head for Tejeda and its stunning lunar landscape, presided over by the formidable Roque Nublo.

Pick up your fancy dress and get ready to delight in the Carnival of Gran Canaria – book your Vueling here.

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Images by El Coleccionista de Instantes Fotografía & Video