Land of legends
Visiting Brittany is reviving the exciting European medieval history, delving into their cultural roots, their traditions and their legends. Rennes is the capital of Brittany, but it is also at the gates of the Normandy region and is a leading architectural heritage place and witness of the history of the region. Around the two Royal squares, Parliament and the City Council, and their features wood and Renaissance mansions half-timbered houses, centuries of history are drawn.
30 kilometers from Rennes you will find the leafy forest full of oaks and beeches in Brocéliande, a magical place of Celtic myths and legends. Here is where you usually place many episodes in the novels of the Round Table. This was the place where King Arthur ordered to seek the Holy Grail and also where lived the fairy Viviana, the knight Lancelot and Merlin, friend and adviser of the young Arthur, who was trapped by love there as it is rumored.
On the magical forest of Broscelae, you will travel across hidden paths that will lead you to the Secret Bridge, Paimpont village and its beautiful abbey or to Brocéliande castles and the Holly Pasage.
If you like being on the lookout for the best bargains and deals, you have at La Grande Braderie in Rennes one of the best chances. That days Rennes becomes this huge outdoor market where you can find some hidden treasure and many bargains among antiques, clothes, ornaments or jewelry, because everything is bought and sold at La Grande Braderie in Rennes.
With the large street market in Lille, this is the biggest Opportunities Fair in France. Here you may search and dig through thousands of stalls belonging to shops, scattered around 60 streets of the city.
And to eat, you will find in the medieval heart of the city, on a picturesque XVIth century inn, the Auberge du Chat-Pitre that will take you to the Middle Ages. Here the bartenders are dressed as innkeepers of the time. Do not worry as they will not force you to eat boar thighs by your hands like Asterix and Obelix, but you will feel the atmosphere of a magical night with the animation of minstrels, jugglers, storytellers and magicians in a memorable meal.
And with such funny names for their traditional recipes as druid stew, wild boar hugs or mountebank you may have with Hypocras, a drink made of red wine, honey and spices that made the delight of our ancestors.
Makes you want to go, right? Do it! Check out our prices here!
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Indie Nightlife in Rome
When you think of nightlife and dancing to indie music until the early hours, Rome doesn’t normally spring to mind. The nightlife in Rome is perhaps not among the most popular in Europe but it does have its own charm and venues where you can enjoy indie music.
In order to give you an idea before you set out into the night around Rome, you need to know that the bars usually close at midnight in winter and stay open until 02:00 in summer. Another important factor to consider is that the price of drinks can range from € 2 for a glass of house wine at a bar to € 12 for a long drink in a night club.
We have taken a tour of the most indie bars and discos in the city. Why not check them out if you happen to be in the Italian capital and miss the indie sound of the clubs back home.
Let’s start the night at Micca Club. Here, you can have a bite to eat while listening to good music and enjoying the first drink of the evening. It can be found in the Esquilino district and it is worth seeing a place like Micca before heading over to the Pigneto district where you will find most of the bars and clubs you are looking for.
Once you get to Pigneto, why not have a drink in Necci. They say it was a favourite of Pasolini and the 1960s style decoration is well worth a visit.
On the same street, at number 101, you will find Fanfulla 101. Cheap drinks, good DJ sessions and maybe an interesting exhibition.
After those first drinks, the time has come to dance and keep all that alcohol from going straight to your head. If you get there early, Init is a great place. It’s small and cosy with good music.
To end the night, there is nothing better than dancing at Circolo Degli Artisti. If you go in summer, you can even take a dip in their swimming pool.
There are other alternatives but at a distance from this part of the city. However, we do recommend Piper Club for being the spiritual home of all lovers of the 1960s sound in the Italian capital or Palalottomattica for being the largest indie club in Rome.
Palalottomattica
We hope you enjoy your indie night in Rome. Have a look at our flights here!
Image: Aaron Logan
more infoFuerteventura – Seaside and Zen
They happen to be the best beaches for doing all sorts of watersports, especially windsurfing. Apart from the island’s fine seaboard, it also has other spots worth discovering, notably the Lobos islet, its age-old towns and its coastal villages, where you can taste fresh seafood.
150 Kilometres of Beaches To Choose From
Fuerteventura is sand and sea in their pristine state. Huge beaches and small, solitary coves, some completely wild and virgin; others, sheltered and safe for all the family… a vast array to choose from. The Jandía peninsula features the endless Playas de Sotavento, with some of the most popular and celebrated seaside resorts: Morro Jable and El Matorral, Playa Esmeralda and Playa Barca. On the leeward side we find the stunning beach of Cofete – kilometres of solitary sand lashed by the powerful Atlantic. The north side is surprising for its Grandes Playas, and the immense Corralejos and dune system. The area also features family beaches such as El Cotillo and La Concha with their calm waters, thanks to the nearby horseshoe-shaped natural reef. Stretching out under the sun on any of those beaches, and bathing in the crystal-clear turquoise waters, is capable of giving anyone a new lease on life.
Raw Nature Under Clear Skies
Fuerteventura is the second largest of the Canary Islands. Its stark landscape, which conveys a relaxing, soothing feeling, is the best antidote to the stress of hectic, everyday life. Listed as a Biosphere Reserve, the island is divided into thirteen protected natural spaces, from Malpaíses to the vast area of sand dunes which support endemic species. The volcanic landscape has been modelled by the passage of time into a land of gentle relief, albeit dotted with such unique elements as volcanic cones and blades. The famous Mirador de Morro Velosa vantage point, designed by the brilliant Canary Island artist, César Manrique, affords spectacular views over the landscape of Fuerteventura. The depths of the Cueva del Llano take you into the bowels of the earth, providing insights into the formation of this vast volcanic tube and the island itself. Additionally, if you cast your gaze skywards, you will appreciate why Fuerteventura was also listed as a Starlight Reserve.
Why wait to discover it for yourself? Check out our flights here.
Text: Turismo de Canarias
Images: Promotor Turismo Canarias, S.A.
more infoPère Lachaise. Celebrity cemetery.
Today´s route takes us into one of the most bucolic places of the French capital: Père Lachaise cemetery , the largest one in Paris and one of the best known and most visited in the world.
We left a little of the bustle of the Parisian streets and headed to the twentieth district, east of the city, particularly at number sixteen Rue du Repos (resting Street), where we find the main entrance to the cemetery.
Upon entering, we feel that the place has a special energy, and walk quietly through their streets is a wonderful thing. Curiously, we will say that Parisians use it as a park, so it is not surprising to find locals strolling, reading, drawing ... Or even watching tourists with their maps in search of the most famous tombs.
And like good tourists that we are, we did what we were supposed to do and bought a map of the camp, which helped us not to be lost and to locate the graves of many celebrities who are buried there.
I have to confess that, even before arriving we had already chosen some tombs that we wanted to visit, we were surprised by the large number of known characters that lie among its more than 70,000 graves.
Among the personalities who inhabit this posthumous Walk of Fame, are Oscar Wilde, Edith Piaf, Marcel Proust, Molière, Maria Callas, Chopin and Isadora Duncan.
One of the most visited places, is the legendary leader of The Doors, Jim Morrison, and it is a pilgrimage place. There you can read the inscription "Kata ton Daimona eaytoy" (according to his own mind). A few years ago, you could see a bust of the singer, but it was stolen and never recovered. Now, instead, find a security guard to prevent further vandalism.
One of the most famous landmarks is the Mur des Federes in tribute to the dead of the Commune of Paris from 21 to 28 May 1871 or memorial tribute to the French volunteers in the International Brigades in Spain between 1936 and 1939.
Père Lachaise Cemetery is very well preserved, although there are areas where the trees seem to gain ground to tombs.
One of the most beautiful mausoleums is home to the love story of Abelard and Heloise.
However, we also find creepy sculptures that horrorized us: winged children in memory of those gone too soon, or some with their faces covered by the anonymity of those who rest there.
It is getting dark at Père Lachaise and silence would absolutely if not for the incessant cawing of crows flying over our heads. To make matters worse, in this Halloween postcard, we realized that tens of smug cats have started appearing all over the place ...
Call us superstitious, but I think it's time to leave.
By Nadia Polo
A place well worth discovering! Check out our flights here.
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