Camino de Santiago. A trip to experience.

It’s a fact. Everyone who has walked the road to Santiago agrees, the trip leaves marks for life. But, what does Camino de Santiago have to cause such profound impression to everyone? Is it for the people you meet along the way or the amazing landscapes it goes through? Is it, maybe, the reward of arriving by your own merits to the final destination, Santiago, after many days walking?.

The numbers are compelling: every year, more and more pilgrims arrive to Santiago de Compostela, especially on Holy Years. This is a unique experience that combines a sport challenge and seeking for authenticity and discovering your own self. The final goal is to arrive to Santiago, the center of Jacobean tradition and a place of pilgrimage, after the grave of apostle Santiago was found in the 9th century.

The route has become a mass phenomenon, connecting a network of roads with Santiago as the final destination. No other city is so warm welcoming for travelers and pilgrims; this is a meeting point for people from all over the world.

The city. A great monumental complex.

Santiago de Compostela was declared Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 1985, because of its urban beauty, monuments and for keeping the spiritual essence of an apostolic sanctuary.

The city combines perfectly tradition and modernity, in a great monumental complex. The Obradoiro square, which welcomes thousands of pilgrims, is a good example of how the past and the future coexist here, hand-in-hand. Taking a look around the square we can discover many different architectonic styles from buildings that were built during over 700 years on the making. The people look from the Cathedral to the Hostal dos Reis Católicos or from the Colexio de San Xerome to the Pazo de Raxoi, headquarters for the city council.

Along to the abundant green areas, many urban parks and forests surrounding the city, Santiago is a magic and charming place to visit.

For the food lovers.

Whether you choose a good and economic three-course menu, which recovers the energy of the pilgrims, or you prefer a casual meal of tasty portions or original mixes, Santiago is the place to go for food lovers.

Who can resist a tasty pie filled with the most daring combinations, pork with turnip tops, the best seafood, veal, octopus or a strong Galician soup? Or the distinctive taste of a wide variety of cheese: tetilla cheese, Arzúa-Ulloa, O Cebreiro or San Simón?.

Tarta de Santiago is a famous dessert, with over 200 years of history, combining the right proportions of ground almonds, eggs, sugar, butter and hints of cinnamon, under the Apostle cross drawn on sugar.

You can combine culture and gastronomy, can’t you? The place to go is Abastos market, a beautiful building from 1941. This place is the second most visited place in Santiago after the Cathedral. Around here you will find great restaurants and even places where you can ask the owner to cook the products you have purchased at the market.

So you feel like visiting Santiago, do you? Book your flights here!

No other Spanish dish has spread throughout the world like the Valencian paella. Along with toros and sangria, these are the very first words all tourist learn when they step on these lands. Likewise, when they get to Spain, they are flooded with posters of "typical spanish" or "spanish paella" to end up having any low quality mixture of rice or directly frozen, nothing to do with the original recipe.

No other course shows as much controversy in its preparation and ingredients required like it. As it happens with other traditional dishes such as the fabada in Asturiana or the Andalusian gazpacho, when the valencians speak about paella they light up watching the original recipe distorted.

Imagine that there is even a wikipaella to protect and defend the original paella where the basic rules of the Valencian paella are manifested. Such as:"The original paella has its origin in the Valencian community", "The best paellas are cooked with firewood and rice from the Valencian community" or "authentic paellas are made according the tradition of each area of the Valencian community ".

In general, there is consensus that the authentic Valencian paella uses other ingredients besides rice, the garrofón -big beans-, chicken, rabbit, ripe tomato, ferradura beans - flat green beans- olive oil, salt, water and saffron. And in some cases they also add snails, rosemary or paprika.

Some will say that the best paella is the one they eat at home - and they are probably right-but if you go to Valencia and want to eat some of the best paellas in the world, you can find some of the winners and finalists of the Sueca’s International Paella Competition , a prestigious international competition that rewards those cooks who prepare the best Valencian paella of the world.

Restaurant Ampar (third winner of the 2014 edition)
Navarro Reverter Avenue, 14, 46004 Valencia

The Ampar restaurant, located on the ground floor of the Hotel Hospes Palau de la Mar, in the historic center of Valencia, won the third prize in the 2014 Sueca’s International Paella Competition .The first prize went to the Miguel y Juani restaurant –from the chefs Julian Garcia and Mercedes Vacas – from Alcudia (Mallorca), where 35 of the best paella cooks were brought together.

Casa Picanterra, from Cullera (second prize of the 2013 edition)
Calle den picanterra nº3, 46400 Cullera

In 2013, the Picanterra chefs won the second prize of the contest.

El Redolí, from El Palmar (finalistas edición 2013)
Calle del Arzobispo Aliaga, 0, 46012 Palmar, Valencia

Other restaurants in Valencia where paella is prepared according to the original recipe:

La Pepica
Passeig de Neptú, 6, 46011 València

Casa Ripoll
Playa de la Malvarrosa, Paseo Marítimo, Módulo 7, 46011 València

Casa Roberto
Carrer del Mestre Gozalbo, 19, 46005 València

La Riuà
Carrer del Mar, 27, 46003 València

Casa Carmela
Calle Isabel de Villena, 155, 46011 València

Restaurante la Herradura
Paseo Marítimo, módulo 2 (Malvarrossa), 46011 Valencia

El Racó de la Paella
Carrer de Mossèn Rausell, 17, 46015 València

Picture from Jan Harenburg

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

Now that the end of the year draws near, you are bound to have a few spare days. Here’s a great recommendation for spending a delightful long weekend in Gran Canaria. As you will see, it is time enough to get a good taste of one of the pearls of the Atlantic. Why wait to discover it? Four days on the island will yield any number of plans to take a well-earned break from your routine. Here, then, is a compendium of practical tips for making the most of your stay on the island.

Thursday

As soon as you leave the airport, your best bet is to head south and have your first weekend splash in the ocean. Maspalomas and Playa del Inglés await you with their large tracts of pale yellow sand where you can sunbathe safely all year around. If you’re looking to switch off real quick, take an adventurous stroll in the heart of the sand dunes or play golf on one of the quiet courses in the area.

Be sure to visit charming Puerto de Mogán, the ideal spot for promenading and savouring fresh fish in any of the restaurants at the seaside.

Friday

Begin the day by taking a route across the north of the island. And where better than to aim for the town of Arucas, where homes are harmoniously interspersed with banana plantations? Its most striking landmark is the Neogothic Church of San Juan Bautista, built with stone quarried in the municipality itself. Another highlight of your itinerary is the Arehucas rum factory, where the celebrated beverage is made in the oldest and largest rum distillery in Europe.

On the way to the north-western triangle of Gran Canaria, make a point of visiting the Gáldar Painted Cave, a museum and archaeological park based on a large native deposit. If you then press on towards the picturesque village of Agaete, you will marvel at the rugged rock formations adorning the coastline. Enjoy a sunset there and take time to upload to your social networks some stunning panoramas. Your main subject is likely to be the striking dragon’s tail plotted by the cliff faces which the ocean has eroded over millions of years.

Saturday

Time to discover Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, a modern, cosmopolitan capital city. Have a walk through Vegueta, the historic old town and stop over at the Christopher Columbus House Museum which boasts a valuable cultural legacy encapsulating the relationship which the island has maintained with the Americas for five centuries. The Calle Mayor de Triana has all you need for a busy shopping day, as it is lined with shops stocking both local brands and international labels.

The Pérez Galdós House Museum, where the universally acclaimed Canary Island writer was born, is another point of interest before heading to Las Canteras, one of the finest urban beaches in Spain. Open-air concerts are held there as part of the “Ruta Playa Viva” (Living Beach Route), one of the most attractive leisure proposals in the city.

Sunday

The rich natural heritage of Gran Canaria reaches its climax in the island’s interior. On Sunday you can drop in on the street markets to taste the best of local cuisine and choose a souvenir from among their regional craftwork. Devotion in Teror involves pampering the “Virgen del Pino” (Virgin of the Pine), the patron saint of the Canary Island diocese. This is where you start a climb up to Tejeda and Artenara.

A phenomenon known as the “sea of clouds” spreads out at your feet, in a breathtaking landscape which Miguel de Unamuno described as a “petrified storm”. Look out over the Roque Nublo and Roque Bentayga outcrops; then close your eyes and engrave that stunning picture in your mind’s eye forever. Why wait to experience it for yourself? Check out our flights here.

Images by the Patronato Turismo Gran Canaria

You would be hard put not to fall in love with San Sebastián and its people, its streets, its beaches. And, if you happen to be a foodie, there’s no way you could resist its charms. Their meticulous sourcing of local produce is tangible, they handle meat and fish like nobody else and they boast an irresistible culture of pintxos.

Being a city with good food and an amazing culinary array ingrained in its DNA, it’s always useful to have a list of favourites handy when embarking on an escape to the capital of Guipúzcoa. Here, then, is our top five:

The Best Pintxos… at Zazpi
That’s what we say, from experience, backed up by them twice having won the Guipúzcoa pintxos champions award. In the kitchen, young chef Paul Arrillaga shows his craftsmanship over the fires. Spirited and with a clear idea of what he wants, he turns out creative offerings without masking the quality product. Zazpi has the advantage of not being located in the much-trumpeted “Parte Vieja” (Old Town), while their tables and bar counter are filled each day with bites that will leave a smile on your face. Their latest award-winning pintxo is asparagus with egg yolk and asparagus heart. Other dishes that come highly recommended are the txipis (squid-ink calamari), vichyssoise with foie gras and caviar, stewed pig’s ear and glazed cheek of pork.

The Best Txuleta… at Casa Urola
A historic restaurant in San Sebastián’s Parte Vieja which never fails to please. Revamped traditional cuisine and top-notch product crafted by chef Pablo Loureiro Rodil, who pampers the seasonal fare and runs a grillroom which is unique in the city. Their awesome txuleta (pork chops) are rivalled by such great dishes as sauteed country beans, potato froth, codfish flakes and olive oil, tempered oyster in Iberian cheek of pork, cream of cauliflower, prawn soup and lemon zest oil, and hake fillet with cheek of hake and clams.

The Best Omelette… at Nestor
One at 1 p.m. and another at 8 p.m. – two omelettes a day for the lucky ones who sign on to Nestor’s “delivery list” (not reservation list), which opens an hour in advance. It is well worth the treasure hunt to be able to sink your teeth into an omelette like nothing you might have tried before. They have just enough onion, pepper and potato to allow the egg to jiggle and fall juicily onto the plate.

The Best Cheesecake… at La Viña
A classic – La Viña’s cheesecake, the “sweet pintxo” to mark the final flourish of a pintxo-hopping morning. We’ve tried it and can safely say it lives up to its reputation. Golden-brown on the outside, smooth and creamy on the inside; you really must taste it if you regard yourself as a genuine cheesecake lover. And, speaking of cheesecakes, be lenient on yourself and head some 10 kilometres out of San Sebastián to one of the leading restaurants in the area, Zuberoa, in Oiartzun – their cheesecake is simply divine!

The Best Cocktails… A Dry María Cristina
We wind up our tour of surefire San Sebastián offerings with the best drink in town. Bearing the seal of Javier de las Muelas and served up in an amazing setting, the cocktails at Dry are a true experience. Martinis, classic-style mixes and avant-garde creations await you in their legendary María Cristina. The perfect excuse to set foot in this historic hotel and swoon in the unique atmosphere.

Book your Vueling to San Sebastián and gear up to explore the gastro side of Guipúzcoa’s capital.

Text by Silvia Artaza of Gastronomistas.com

Photos by Silvia Artaza and establishments