What started out as a religious festival in honour of the Virgin Mary has become one of Lyon’s – and, by extension, France’s – standout cultural events. Worship of Mary the mother of Jesus in the capital of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region goes back a long way, its origins steeped in the Middle Ages. During the plague which ravaged France in 1643, for instance, the city was placed under her protection.

To uncover the roots of the Fête des Lumières (Festival of Lights), you have to go back in time to 8 December 1852, the date on which a statue of the Virgin was unveiled. Executed by the sculptor, Joseph-Hugues Fabisch, it was placed in the Chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Fourvière. The event was widely celebrated in the city and, in keeping with the traditional way of marking important commemorations in those times, the facades of well-to-do homes were lit up with candlelight. What might have been just an isolated event in Lyon’s history was later reenacted each year on 8 December, when the nativity of the Virgin is celebrated, gradually becoming the festival of lights which we know today. Over time, the religious nature of the festivity has been replaced by one more akin to cultural entertainment, while the candles have been replaced by grand spectacles of light designed by renowned artists, and the celebration itself has been extended from one to four days.

The festival has grown so popular over the years that it now attracts up to 4 million visitors who flock to Lyon, eager to witness for themselves the huge, charming and magical display of light. This can be daunting for newcomers arriving in the city to discover and enjoy the Fête des Lumières. We advise you to book your accommodation in advance and to be patient when attending the various light shows, as you are bound to encounter large crowds. What we can guarantee, however, is that you will be amazed by the earnestness with which the Lyonnais celebrate this festivity, and by the sheer number and quality of the visual displays, most of which are held in the old town and around Lyon’s major landmarks.

What’s More…

Apart from visiting Lyon for its Festival of Lights, which this year runs from 8 to 11 December, we recommend you take the opportunity to discover some of the city’s other charms, too. Be sure to visit its historic centre or Vieux Lyon, designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1998, where you can breathe the medieval atmosphere, visit Roman ruins – most notably the Roman Theatre of Fourvière – and do a spot of shopping at the Carré d’Or. Cuisine is another of the city’s fortes, and has earned it international accolades. Indeed the city features such standout chefs as Paul Bocuse and Eugénie Brazier. So, make a point of dropping in on at least one of the countless bouchons, as restaurants are known in Lyonnais parlance, and treat yourself to their excellent local cuisine.

Come and experience first-hand this stunning festival of lights – book your Vueling here.

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Images by Fulvio Spada

A city underground. This idea was developed by Emir Kusturica – filmmaker born in Bosnia, raised on Islam, later converted to Christianity and self-proclaimed Serbian – in the movie Underground (1995), which showed the eventful recent history of the former Yugoslavia in a tragicomic point of view, with the protagonists create their own world underground to protect their interests, forgetting about the events above the ground. This is some kind of Plato’s cave where they live isolated while about the Nazis invade the territory, later Tito regime during the Cold War and finally the Yugoslavian war.

Located strategically between western and eastern territories, at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and by the Adriatic, Aegean and Black seas, probably is the European city that has been devastated and rebuilt again the most. Serbian capital has been occupied about 38 times in the past 300 years. Austrians, Serbians and Germans have created all kind of structures in the territory that Belgrade occupies.

The insides - a tangle of tunnels, shafts, caves and bunkers - have always been there, preserved during all these wars and also created because of them. Most of the historical center is on archaeological sites and hundreds of meters of tunnels were built for many reasons, during thousands of years.

Since 2012, some of these secrets can be revealed in Belgrade - even most of them still remain closed to the public – in a trip through subterranean routes. Total, there are about 140 structures certified officially nowadays, which are allowed to be visited.

But for now is almost impossible to know how many elements can be found underground. One person that knows this well is Zoran Nikolic, cowriter of Beograd ispod Beograda (‘Belgrade under Belgrade’) where he reveals the secrets that he now also shows as specialized guide around this area.

Under the library in Belgrade

By the start of Knez Mihailova street the City Library can be found, located in a building that used to be the most famous hotel in Belgrade. In the underground floors there is the Roman room, with well-conserved rests of an old fortress and a collection of Roman sculptures and graves. The room is used for lectures, music concerts and other cultural events.

Under the Belgrade fortress

Kalemegdan, the great Fortress of Belgrade, is one of the seven fortifications that stand by the Danube, along Serbia and at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers. Here is where, according to the legend, Attila was buried. The fortress along to the Kalemegdan Park, become the most relevant historic-cultural complex in Belgrade.

Under the ground there is Barutana cave, a former Austrian military warehouse now used as archaeological museum, including pieces from Singidunum, the antique Roman city that used to be where Belgrade is now, including sarcophagi, tombstones and altars.

Bellow the park there is also a fascinating bunker, from the last days of the Soviet Union. Josip Broz Tito, Yugoslavian head of state, wanted to built a bunker after World War II to protect Belgrade of a possible Russian invasion.

Near the fortress, artificial caves where used as food warehouses. Nowadays, restaurants and cellars are located here, where there is never a need for air-conditioned.

Under Tašmajdan park

One of the most significant parts of the route is under the centric park of Tasmajdan, right bellow the Serbian Parliament. Bellow asphalt and concrete layers there are caves built by the Romans that were used centuries after for many purposes: during the Great War they were a warehouse for bombs and during World War II they were used as hidden headquarters by the Germans.

Picture from wikimapia.org

A place well worth discovering! Check out our flights here.

This time we’re showcasing a more genuine Dublin – a Dubliner’s Dublin. We shall avoid tourist tracks – well covered by umpteen posts in the blogosphere – and provide you with a more contemporary vision.

Getting about the city is very easy as it is well connected, but we propose discovering Ireland’s capital on foot. Most of the spots we’ll be recommending are accessible on a pleasant stroll along the banks of the river Liffey.

Our first stop is a Georgian mansion, the house of Richard Wingfield, Viscount Powerscourt (1730-1788), and his wife, Lady Amelia. It has now been converted into a trendy shopping centre, the Powerscourt Shopping Centre. A gem of past times become contemporary. Under one roof you can see the transition from the Baroque to the Neoclassical. The interior features unique design, fashion, gastronomy and art shops, among others. It also houses six restaurants, notably The Pepper Pot, with its large menu of organic dishes, and Pygmalion, known for its snacks and breakfast based on local produce.

Nearby, along George´s Street, is one of the best gay and lesbian pubs, The George, perfect for listening to live music and having a good pint. Could it be otherwise? On entering, turn around and you will see one of the city’s most beautiful murals, executed by the artist, Joe Caslin. Dublin’s gay district is gradually gaining currency, opening up an alternative avenue in the city and well worth visiting.

On the street that bears the name of the legendary Irish guitarist, musician, composer and producer, Rory Gallagher, lies Meeting House Square. In summer, this square throngs with musical events, while all year around on Saturdays it hosts foodies at a quaint organic market studded with takeaway food stalls offering the best quality. Here you will also come across the Temple Oyster Bar. If you’re a lover of this bivalve shellfish, just do it!

Now that we’re in the heart of the famous Temple Bar area, a short way off the beaten track we come to Essex Street East, home to one of the most delightful men’s fashion shops in all Dublin, Indigo and Cloth.

If you’re a photography enthusiast, make sure you head for The National Centre for Contemporary Photography – their exhibitions are really excellent! You will discover thematic collections of old Dublin, the Irish countryside and remembrances of the Great Famine.

The city also boasts an unusual cinema, a meeting point for Bohemians and lovers of the seventh art, where you can also have the menu of the day; we’re talking about the Irish Film Institute. 

But, if you’re game for a unique extrasensorial gastronomic experience, make sure you book for the city’s on-trend restaurant, Sophie's restaurant, located on the terrace of the newly inaugurated The Dean Hotel. Any description of their service, and the glamorous, stylish decor, is unlikely to do it justice, not to mention the incredible 360-degree views of the city.

Lastly, if you’re sweet-toothed, don’t fail to give yourself a treat at Queen of Tarts, a café and patisserie which was opened in the late-nineties by the Fallon sisters. Among Dubliners, their unbeatable cakes and tarts are an open secret.

If you’ve been following this itinerary, you’ve obviously strayed from the traditional route. But, if you still have the time, we recommend taking a whole day off to see the city in one of the typical Hop on-Hop Off tourist buses. We guarantee that, by the end of the weekend, you will have finished Dublin off!

We’ll be returning to Dublin soon, as this year sees the Irish Design 2015 event,but we’ll get to that in another post… for further information, check out the Tourism Ireland website.

Hurry and book your tickets with Vueling – you’re closer than ever to Dublin!

Text by Tensi Sánchez of actitudesmgz.com

Photography by Verónica García

First Discovery – The Pink City

It was in Toulouse I discovered that dusk can be pink, particularly if you watch it from the banks of the river Garonne. The light can be rather fickle, especially when it strikes from a high or low angle on the marble of the grand edifices which bedeck the city’s historic centre. The Place du Capitole, its daytime beauty matched at night by a lighting display, is the point of departure for any route through this city in the new Languedoc-Roussillon Midi-Pyrénées region. This is where the Capitole building stands, now home to the City Hall and National Theatre. Its eight pink marble columns symbolise the power of the eight districts that made up Toulouse in the 18th century. The square also has some hidden treasures, like the paintings under its colonnade where the city’s history is recounted.

Second Discovery – Home to Carlos Gardel and the Inquisition

In Toulouse I learned that Carlos Gardel was born in France, despite the Uruguayans claiming the king of tango as a fellow countryman, as I did that Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, author of The Little Prince, had stayed at the Hotel Le Grand Balcon, like all the pilots in the Compagnie Générale Aéropostale. Toulouse is also the birthplace of institutions, as antagonistic as they are important, like the Inquisition – founded to combat the Cathars – the Jeux Floraux, and the Gay Science, dating from the 14th century.

Third Discovery – A Vast Heritage

Toulouse is the site of the largest Romanesque church in the West, the Basilica of Saint-Sernin, also one of the major stopovers on the Road to Santiago on its passage through France. Close by stands the Convent of the Jacobins, a magnificent example of monastic construction and, further along the Garonne, we come across the Basilica of Notre-Dame de la Daurade, consecrated to the Black Madonna, draped in mantles made by great dressmakers.

Fourth Discovery – Pablo Picasso

It was in this city that I realised how passionate Toulousians are about Pablo Picasso. Les Abattoirs Museum, regarded as one of the leading cultural centres in Toulouse, features as an exhibit The Remains of the Minotaur in a Harlequin Costume, the work of the universal artist from Málaga.

Fifth Discovery – Aeroscopia

Toulouse is France’s aerospace capital  – the Airbus factory is located at Blagnac – particularly after the inauguration of the Aeroscopia Museum which, covering an area of 7,000 square metres, houses such legendary aeroplanes as the Concorde and the Super Guppy, the forerunner of the celebrated Beluga.

Sixth Discovery – Its Markets

In Toulouse I discovered that markets have a life of their own in France and that, apart from being venues for shopping, their restaurants attract a host of customers. The Victor Hugo Food Market, the Marché Cristal – where fruit and vegetables are sold in the open air – and the Marché des Carmes are some of the best known ones.

Seventh Discovery – N5 Wine Bar

Here, as in the rest of the country, the wine bar concept is very much in vogue. A fine example of this is the N5 Wine Bar, where you order wine by the glass (choosing both the type and the amount) and your order gets chalked up on a card which keeps track of your consumption. Be sure to try their tapas, such as the culatello di Brozzi, foie gras or Bronat cheeses.

Eighth Discovery – Toulouse Nightlife

Lastly, Toulouse is the French city with the most pronounced Spanish influence. You can tell as soon as you arrive when you start chatting to locals or when you give yourself over to the Toulousian night. In France’s fourth largest city, the people go out onto the street, regardless of the cold, and live it up for as long as they can hold out. Toulouse nightlife draws droves of locals and foreigners, many of them students, who gather at the nightspots on the Rue des Filatiers and the Carmes, Trinité, Wilson and Victor Hugo squares.

Toulouse is the perfect destination for a weekend getaway. Check out your Vueling here.

Text by Tusdestinos.net
Photos by Toulouse Tourism