By Michael Shuermann from Easy Hiker

I still remember the first time we came into contact with Ventimiglia market – without even knowing that such a thing existed. We were boarding the local train from Nice to Menton, eastwards down the coast of the French Riviera in the direction of the Italian border. We were amazed to find it packed to the rafters at around 11 am on a Friday. From other trips on that line, we had been used to having a choice of seats on a weekday morning, but on that day, it seemed as though the entire population of the Cote d’Azur was on the move.

We did not find out until much later what was going on, but all these crowds were going to the Italian border town of Ventimiglia – the last stop on that line – for the popular weekly Friday street market.
The market mainly offers clothes, handbags and other leather goods – of mixed quality, it must be said, but occasionally, you can find well-crafted products at large discounts.

One of the market’s attractions apparently has something to do with the fact that – whisper it – the Italian police is less strict than its French counterpart in pursuing brand counterfeiters, so the French customs occasionally stop people on their way back from the market, asking them where they bought their shiny and new “Louis Vuitton handbag”. Be forwarned.

The market also features a section where farmers offer domestic food products. You can buy specialties from all over Italy here – Calabrian sausages, Parmesan cheese, olive oil – but also local produce such as sun-dried tomatoes and home-made pesto sauce, one of the things for which the province of Liguria (which includes Ventimiglia) is famous.

Have a coffee in one of the many charming little coffee houses around the 1930s municipio, the City Hall. You are only 15 km away from the French border town of Menton, but you will already feel a marked difference in the general liveliness (and noise levels) of the street life.
On market days, there is also a particularly large number of ambulant traders around who are walking from cafe to cafe peddling key chains that glow in the dark, small novelty household items and the like.

We have gone shopping many times at Ventimiglia market, and often, what we have bought from the peddlers turned out to be our most unforgettable purchases. What would our lives have been without the cicada fridge magnet that starts to sing when somebody approaches it?
You can reach Ventimiglia conveniently by local train (TER) from Nice. Trains leave frequently, generally every 30 minutes throughout the day. Don’t forget to bring a valid ID!

By Michael Shuermann from Easy Hiker 

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The architectural oddities we find in every city end up being the greatest attractions for tourism.

Some examples are the narrowest street in the world, Spreuerhofstraße, in the German town of Reutlingen, is only 31 centimetres in the narrowest part and 50 centimetres in the widest. In Spain, the narrowest street in Hervás, a town by the north of Extremadura; a little alley in the old Jewish neighbourhood that is barely 50 centimetres wide at the widest part. Another attraction for tourists is in San Francisco, Lombard street is a winding street, not longer than 120 meters, with up to eight turns on the way.

Besides the building at Singel street, number 7, in Amsterdam, a building in Valencia is considered the narrowest in the world. The difference is that in the famous building in Amsterdam, even the front is only one meter wide; the interior is a little bit wider. So, if we want to be precise, it’s the building with the narrowest façade in the world.

The building in Valencia is so narrow that it has only one room per floor. In order to make it liveable, rooms have being distributed high rather than across, as usual.

It’s located in the city centre of Valencia, at Lope de Vega square, number 6, right behind Santa Catalina’s church. In this case, Guinness World Records certificate is the widest in Europe.

Not long ago, cities were built across because there was enough space. But there was a time when cities started being overcrowded and new buildings were built high, because of it. That’s what happened at the world capital city for paella, apparently. We are not so sure, though, if it was build like this because there was not enough space or just to fill in an empty spot, but is clear that they were not pretending to build a skyscraper like those from Chicago school, not at all.

Anyway, less than a meter wide is the reason why hundreds of people take photos in front of this building every day and why this building became one of those unique architectonic attractions, catching the attention of everyone. With time, the building has become a remarkable landmark in the map, a place to go for tourists as much as other classic monumental buildings in Valencia, like the cathedral, or the modern Arts Palace. After years being unnoticed, the owner restored the building and even put a funny sign on it, which informs of the exact wide: 105 centimetres.

It’s strange that not many locals noticed the building. Maybe because it’s right in the middle between two bigger buildings and neither its 5 meters high nor the bright red colour were enough to catch their attention. Despite the building by the canals of Amsterdam or even some narrower houses in Japan, who could imagine that Valencia was part of the competition the be the narrowest building of the world?

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Beer is the most popular drink in the gastronomy of Munich and to sample it, you can take advantage of the dozens of Biergärten or beer gardensthat can be found all over the city, where, sharing huge tables in the sunshine, you can enjoy the cheerful Munich lifestyle, try out some Bavarian delicacies or even bring along your own food, but never the drinks!

The Munich biergarten season takes place between Spring and Autumn when the sunshine allows you to enjoy these traditional gardens as well as the many outdoor terraces that together offer in the region of 180,000 al fresco seats

Among the biggest venues are the 8,000 seater Hirschgarten, or 5,000 places at the Augustiner in Arnulf Street and the Paulaner in Nockherberg with space for 4,000.

Other notable meeting places include the biergarten in Viktualienmarkt Square, the one next to the Chinese Tower in the English Garden or the Waldwirtschaft, where jazz music livens up the atmosphere.

Augustiner-Keller

This biergarten overflows with tradition. With more than 5,000 seats under the shade of 100 magnificent chestnut trees, it guarantees the most authentic experience of them all. 45 of these trees are protected species and are duly numbered. The Augustiner-Keller itself appears as a beer store on a map of the City of Munich dated 1812. The cellar belongs to the oldest brewery in the city and is a perfect example of traditional Munich conviviality and its legendary hospitality.

www.augustinerkeller.de
Arnulfstraße 52 80335 Munich

Biergarten in the Viktualienmarkt Square

You can buy anything you feel like for your tea and eat it straightaway washed down with one of Munich’s famous brands of beer that take turns supplying this beer garden situated in the very heart of the Bavarian capital.

www.biergarten-viktualienmarkt.de
Viktualienmarkt 80331 Munich

Biergarten at the Chinese Tower

After a little sunbathing or having enjoyed a stroll around the English Garden, your visit to the park can be rounded off next to the Chinese Tower with “tea” accompanied by a fine beer in the shade of the chestnut trees. On Sundays the atmosphere is enhanced with live music from a wind band.
www.chinaturm.de
Englischer Garten 80538 Munich

Biergarten at the Staatliches Hofbräuhaus

The congenial Hofbräuhaus beer garden is a surprise, away from the hustle and bustle of the big city, where you can enjoy the world famous beer and culinary delights of Munich in a truly welcoming environment.

www.hofbraeuhaus.de
Platzl 9 80331 Munich

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Dakar offers travelers the chance to enter a world of exotic flavors. It is the best place for a curious palate eager to travel between new flavors and scents of spices, as Senegal’s cuisine has a reputation as the best in Africa. A cuisine influenced by France, Lebanon, Portugal and Vietnam but with its own character and complex flavors.

Dakar, being surrounded on three sides by the Atlantic Ocean, floods its restaurants with the best seafood and fish, brought by the fishermen’s colorful canoes of the area to be sold in the Soumbédioune market immediately. Shrimps, lobsters, sea urchins, grouper, tuna, monkfish, mackerel, swordfish and crabs are exquisite.

A good dish of meat, fish or senegalese seafood always comes with rice (Yassa), base of their cuisine along with wheat and millet.

The most popular Senegalese dish is indeed the mix of these two ingredients: rice and fish marinated to elaborate the traditional tieboudienne, their national dish.

Yassa au poulet is another of their popular dishes, a recipe based on chicken marinated with lemon and onion or blunt maffe, which used to be prepared with lamb and rice and accompanied by a delicious peanut sauce.

Quenching the color with fruit juices made in the are is a pleasure. The ones that you will easily find are those of roselle (Hibiscus), Bouye (from Bwee, baobab fruit) and ginger. They are very refreshing and provide many vitamins.

Street stalls and markets are great places for a quick meal. The vendors are placed around the market with their stalls selling beignets, fritters that will sweeten your day. The best market to find them is Sandanga, located on the corner of the Pompidou and Lamine Gueye Sandaga avenues.

Just4u
Avenue Cheikh Anta Diop
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Two leading national prides are brought together here: gastronomy and music. The best place to enjoy the city’s musical talents , extraordinary musicians like Youssou N'Dour, Didier Awadi or Baaba Maal started here. With a daily schedule of concerts, you'll enjoy a lively evening in this cozy outdoor restaurant.

Le Djembe
56 Rue Saint-Michel

Dakar has a large Lebanese community. Although the place is owned by one of those expatriate Lebanese, the restaurant’s menu is Senegalese. Ideal to taste the best typical recipes like the thieboudienne or chicken with rice served with refreshing juices as Bouye (from baobab) or bissop (hibiscus).

Cabane des Pêcheurs
Plage de Ngor
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One of the best places to try the local fish and seafood on the seafront in the lively beach of N'Gor. Its interior is decorated with lots of nautical motifs.

Le Toukouleur

122 rue Moussé Diop
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All the colorful African culture gets together in this restauran, with a courtyard decorated with painted clay statues. Perfect to try out a mixture of refined local cuisine and international flavors.

Why not take a trip to Dakar? Have a look at our flights here!