Low light, wistful dusks, endless fjords, fishing villages accessible only by dirt track, thermal pools with views of the sea and, above all, tranquility – oceans of tranquility. All of this awaits travellers to Westfjords, Iceland’s loneliest, most unspoiled region. A few days spent exploring its secluded confines is the closest thing to what it must have been like until quite recently to travel around the now very popular Ring Road. We tell you how to reach this remote, captivating paradise and, once there, what to see.

1. Ísafjörður – the Old Fishing Capital
While it is the largest settlement in the Westfjords, Ísafjörður has just 2,600 inhabitants. However, in these latitudes, a census of this size is regarded as a veritable crowd of people.

The atmosphere is surprisingly lively in the quaint town centre, which features a considerable number of timber houses built in the 18th century. There are some good restaurants – fish and seafood are the local speciality – and pleasant cafés which, with the heating always up full blast, are a magnet for visitors seeking to take shelter from the invariably harsh weather outside. The Westfjords Maritime Museum is worth visiting as it is full of relics from the whaling era. It also provides valuable insights into the origins and the heyday of this isolated fishing port.

By land, sea and air: daily flights from Reykjavik have turned Ísafjörður into the quickest and most convenient port of entry to the Westfjords. It is also the point of departure for ships sailing to the Hornstrandir Nature Reserve.

2. Snæfellsnes – Journey to the Centre of the Earth
Those opting to instead make the journey to the far north overland from Reykjavik are advised to take a slight detour to explore the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. The scenic road runs around the perimeter of the whole peninsula and looming overhead is a spectacular volcano covered in glaciers which inspired Jules Verne for his novel, Journey to the Centre of the Earth.

Although the wind is usually rather gusty, the journey is rewarding as it is studded with breathtaking scenery, including lofty cliffs, rivers of lava and peach-coloured sandy beaches. One highly recommendable hike – wind permitting – is the coastal trail linking Arnarstapi to Hellnar. The 5 km route takes you past spectacular basalt formations, sea caves with blowholes weathered by the waves and natural rock arches.

3. Puffins on the Látrabjarg Cliffs
The Látrabjarg cliffs, marking the westernmost point in Europe – and probably one of the windiest, too – afford close-up sightings of the highly photogenic puffins, those flashy birds with colourful beaks that nest alongside other species on the impregnable crags, which rise to over 400 metres above the ocean.

Despite being endearing creatures, visitors should know that the locals once used to feed on puffin eggs and meat. In fact, puffin is still a select dish in some restaurants. The method used to catch these birds involves laying nets and abseiling down the cliff faces. Interestingly, the courage and skills of puffing hunters were put to good use when in 1947 a British vessel sank off these shores and all crew members were rescued and hauled one by one up the cliff faces.

Reaching Látrabjarg entails driving along one particular 50-kilometre stretch of dirt road (only on the outbound journey). Some 5 km before the lighthouse marking “Europe’s land’s end” is a rudimentary campsite suitable for camper vans or for pitching tents – there is a toilet and drinking water, but no showers or hot water.

The road takes you past Hnjótur, where there is a café and an interesting museum with a hotchpotch of items, including an aircraft from the United States Navy.

4. Thermal Pools at Reykjafjarðarlaug
Thermal pools are always a gift of nature but, in an environment like Westfjords, it becomes more of a genuine gift of the gods. One of the best warm pools – although not the only one – was built by a group of volunteers in 1975 opposite the Reykjafjörður fjord, just 50 metres off the dust road running between Bíldudalur and Hrafnseyri. The source of the spring lies a few metres upstream and wells up at 52°C, but the pool is kept at 38°C. Sadly, this is the way it was before, as in 2016 we found it closed. We hope it will reopen in 2017.

5. Dynjandi Waterfall
The Dynjandi waterfall (also known as Fjallfoss), which tumbles 100 metres in the shape of a beautiful staircase, is undoubtedly the most spectacular falls in Westfjords. It is reached by untarred mountain road and a simple camping area has been adapted for tents and camper vans. With its west-facing orientation, the best time of day to take your snaps is at dusk.

6. Seals and Jams at Litlibær
Some 70 km east of Ísafjörður in the direction of the Reykjanes thermal peninsula lives a colony of seals which is visible from the main road. To get an idea of how trusting the locals are, a farmer from the area leaves out some binoculars for anyone wishing to observe the seals in more detail, as well as a few jars of homemade jam and a piggy bank to pay the 6 euros for each jar they may want to buy.

7. Kayak Rides
In the next fjord, called Mjóifjörður (it’s easy to lose count of them), the newly paved Route 61 saves modern travellers from having to take the previous, roundabout way to the bottom of the estuary along the old 633 dirt road. Located in a remote spot is Heydalur, a country hotel with hot pools where they organise kayak outings that start at the site of the seal colony in the mouth of the fjord. Whales can also sometimes be spotted during the excursion, which lasts 5 hours.

8. Expedition to the Hornstrandir Nature Reserve
No one lives there, apart from the forest wardens, birds and Arctic foxes. This is the most isolated and unspoilt spot in Iceland and can only be reached by boat. Beyond the Hesteyri harbour – where you can sleep the night at the old doctor’s house, built in 1901 and with a capacity of 16 – there are no shops, restaurants or hotels. You will only find rudimentary camping grounds. Hence, the Hornstrandir Nature Reserve is the preserve of fauna and flora enthusiasts used to open-air living and the whims of Arctic weather. Some agencies organise guided hiking excursions lasting 4 or 5 days.

Text by Sergio Fernández Tolosa & Amelia Herrero Becker from Con un par de ruedas

Images by Con un par de ruedas

It is more than 10 years since Joe Strummer left us. This artist, famous for his punk period with the well-known The Clash, was in love with spanish poet Lorca, Granada and Almeria coast, where he spent lost of time during his lasts years.
This is something which can be surprising for lots of people, but not for the ones who really knows him drinking rhum and coke at the famous Silbar – at calle Pedro Antonio de Alarcón in Granada- or for those ones that digg into his discography.

It was in the squat where he lived in London – despite being a world-renowned artist- living together with two girls from Málaga and a guy from Navarra, where Strummer once said that he wanted to set up a hardware store in Andalusia. Hence the documentary’s name by Antonio Jesús García and Javier Navarrete where he explains how the singer took refuge in Granada and Almería in search of anonymity and Carlos Prats directed under the title “I Want a hardware store in Andalusia “. All kind of anecdotes are explained in the documentary by his widow Lucinda Garland, vocalist of the band 091 José Antonio García a.k.a. ‘Pitos’, his first band drummer Richard Dudanski and Jem Finer, The Pogues’s component.

Another documentary about his stay in Spain is “I Need a Dodge ! ” by British director Nick Hall, that inquires about the location of the car he loved and he left forgotten in a garage in Madrid . By buying this Dodge, he wanted to go to Víznar, a population at 8 kilometers from Granada where Federico García Lorca was shot to death , with the crazy idea to buy a shovel at a hardware store, locate his grave and dig it up .

The fact is that Joe had great interest in the Spanish Civil War and Federico García Lorca. Thereby he wrote “Spanish Bombs” in his honor, one of the most emblematic The Clash’s songs . In 1984 he settled in Granada and spent long periods of time searching for himself and looking for disconnection in southern Spain’s land. Ten years after his death, the city he loved gave its name to a small square in the heart of Realejo, the old Jewish city’s quarter.

Joe Strummer Square

Due to the popular demand from fans on Facebook asking for Joe to be a part of the city, the City Council of Granada has ended up dedicating him a small space close to the Alhambra. In addition to his first wife, Gaby Slater, and his widow, Lucina Garland,an emotional concert in acoustic remembered the influential figure of the leader of The Clash. The features some Jose Antinio Garcia and Antonio Arias of 091 to which Joe godfather for “Más de 100 Lobos”, Paul Cook of The Mescaleros, Jem Finer of The Pogues or Richard Dudanski of the 101 ‘ers have done a review on some of the artist’s repertoire, without forgetting classics such as “Spanish Bombs” or “London Calling.

Las Gabias – Granada

In this village a few kilometers from the city of Granada, Joe Strummer was hosted at Gaby Contreras’s home, a radiologist nicknamed ‘the mad doctor’ by Joe and who was also close friend to Sid Vicious.

San José – Almería

During his long stay in southern Spain, Joe Strummer settled for a time in the small picturesque village of San José, in the Natural Park Cabo de Gata-Nijar. Bought a house to spend the summer and enjoy Mónsul and Genoese beaches. He spent the nights at Jo’s bar, the Red Fish that is now the Pez Azul – and . Fan of cantaor el Niño de Olivares, Strummer went regularly to Fernan Perez’s flamenco club to attend his performances.

In summer and coinciding with Joe’s birthday on August 21 they continue to schedule concerts in his memory at Jo’s bar in San José by Richard Dudanski’s band Doghouse -former The 101′ers’s drummer and whom Joe Strummer made his first foray into the world of music.

Desierto de Tabernas – “Straight to Hell”’s filming

Tabernas Desert is located about 30 kilometers from Almeria, in a desert area with a low rate of rainfall that becomes one of the driest in Europe. Although it has a tourist charm for having been the scene of the shooting of many spaghetti westerns like Death was priced or The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and many others

Here the film Straight to Hell Alex Cox was filmed in 1987, starring Joe Strummer and the cameos by Dennis Hopper, Courtney Love, Grace Jones, Elvis Costello, Jim Jarmusch and members of bands Amazulu, The Circle Jerks and The Pogues. The Irish Pogues’s travel to Almeria inspired them in one of their most famous “Fiesta”. Straight to Hell is a parody of spaghetti westerns that was written in two or three days and was shot in four weeks.

I am Francisco Vasquez Garcia
I am welcome to Almeria
We have sin gas and con leche
We have fiesta and feria

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

Picking up from our activities in the previous chapter, today we continue with our monographic tour of Berlin techno. This, then, will be our second night in the city. For this purpose there is a variety of venues. In a radius of less than 200 metres there are two of the standout spots, both on the Kreuzberg intersection. Access to the first of these, Monarch, is up a staircase which doesn’t seem to lead to anywhere safe. But, after negotiating a metal door concealed on one side of the street – bingo! The venue has a fixed programme and special events, such as the XJAZZ Festival. Another of the mythical spots is La Paloma – you could pass by the door twenty times and you’d never suspect that there was any action there… and on this occasion there wasn’t. 9 p.m. is too early for this locale. We didn’t even try going to Farbfernseher as we wanted to really hit the big time!

“The best techno is still at underground rave-ups, where it’s not easy to get a look in”, remarked Ana, a designer from Madrid who lives in Berlin. With that auspicious comment we head into the Berlin night, to more exciting spots than the ones touted… Before that, we make a slip-up.

“Tresor has become the Pachá of Berlin”, wages Carlota, a Catalan who has been living in the German capital for some years. Tresor is not the best of places in Berlin – it is no longer on its original premises either – but it is an affordable piece of history. The tunnel leading down into the basement hall with its strobe lights and tedious hard techno is unlike anything else in Europe. Whatever is being played, thanks to its crew it sounds marvellous. As well, the premises are clean and they even offer deodorant and shampoo to customers who prolong their stay through the night.

After a couple of hours we realise that there aren’t any real Berliners around. You can hear more Spanish and English being spoken in the corridors than German. You also encounter a host of guiris in such places as Suicide Circus, Cassiopeia, Kit Kat and Weekend. The venues actually exploit the fact that some legendary clubs have closed down precisely because of the pressure exerted by foreigners and a process of gentrification – Kater Holzig, Golden Gateor Icon, for example. We decide to head for another iconic spot, this time with its pedigree intact – Berghain, in Rudersdorf.

The sandy forecourt leading to the earthy-coloured building rising several storeys high is imposing. Not for its size but because it smells of fear from a long way off. The stats confirm that no for an answer is the prevailing response at the door. Five pro bouncers are tasked with controlling not so the outbreak of scuffles as customer dress code (spotless black, although a couple dressed in green latex was allowed in) and the deportment of the cautious queuers (no talking in the queue, no group entry, no boy-girl couples). Martí, a Barceloner who went to Berlin on an Erasmus, has never been able to get in. Needless to say, neither were we. It’s 4 in the morning.

“Have you got an invitation?” asks a sturdy bouncer in English. We haven’t yet opened our mouths, but he already knows we are certainly not Teutons.

“No”, we reply in our half-German. The bouncer moves his head to one side, motioning towards an exit. Our visit to Berghain with its legendary label is short-lived.

What gives in the club that has made the legend grow exponentially in the last few years? “It’s their hallmark of exclusiveness which the club is careful to promote”, replies a Galician, who has also been unable to gain access. “They say there are dark rooms inside and, maybe, the best music”, adds Ana. Little is known about the interior, over and above the odd testimonial from people who have managed to get in, as the image of Berlin’s clubs is jealously guarded.

The night is taking its toll on our legs. And, to round off our whirlwind weekend, we make another mistake – we go to the best afternoon club, but in the early hours. Sisyphos has been one of Berlin’s mainstays in the last few years. It is a huge, open-air expanse on the riverside, where our eyes begin to shut. We take a taxi as our NH is on the far side of the city, and we leave mulling over our encounter with techno in Berlin. “We’ll be back!”

Text by Yeray S. Iborra | Our thanks to Ángel Molina, Ana Riaza, Carlota Surós and Martí Renau for the first-hand information on the itinerary for this article.

Images by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS, Michael Mayer

How to define Catania? A city of a thousand faces, a thousand flavours, a thousands treasures. A city of the sea and of a volcano, port on the Ionian sea, and capital of Etna. A city of tradesmen, countryfolk and fishermen who have always lived in symbiosis with the water, the fire, the sea and the mountains. A city of a thousand hearts of a multiethnic culture, multicultural, multi-religious, home of Bellini, of Sicilian Baroque, and of street food. From the sea to the mountains, the endless fields of orange groves and vineyards of the Etna coast, the black cliffs of volcanic rock and the long stretches of white sand, the Roman ruins and the Baroque churches, the festival of Saint Agata, and the city centre markets, all this is Catania.

You probably already know the Baroque, the churches, the palaces, the streets, the balconies and the traditions that give life to the city centre. Instead, choose one of the many alternative experiences of Catania, unearthed by sicilying.com, the portal to the best experiences in Sicily. Here we have three suggestions for you.

Suggestion one:take a walk down the streets of the city centre with your nose in the air, to explore the city by the scents that invade it.
The food and culinary traditions found here are a treasure trove of many cultural influences: Greeks, Phoenicians and Romans, Normans and Arabs, Spanish and French, have all left their mark. Peasant cooking and aristocratic cuisine, rich and poor ingredients blend together to create authentic and intense flavours. Sophisticated restaurants are complemented by genuine traditional taverns, and alleyways are brought to life by the most extraordinary street food.

Catania is the home of "street" food. Entrusting yourselves to the best of specialized tour operators, you will be able to combine a Catania tour with the discovery of the best food and wine that the city can offer. You can visit the Sicilian Baroque in Piazza Duomo or Via Crociferi, cross the famous fish market ("la pescheria") and taste the "sangeli" (pig's blood) or "zuzzu" (meat jelly). In Piazza Stesicoro, with the Roman amphitheatre, you can stop in a traditional bar to sample the street foodpar excellence: the “arancino”, the “cartocciata”, the “cipollina”, and all the sweet and savory varieties of "walking" food. Or let yourself be guided by local chefs through the traditional markets of the centre, to then be put to work in preparing Sicilian cuisine yourself.

Suggestion two:immerse yourself in the green countryside of Catania, in search of the roots of the most famous Sicilian wines. Many wineries of Catania trace their origins back to the 1700s: their vineyards are located on lava rock 700 metres above sea level and are cultivated according to methods handed down from generation to generation. The typical micro-climate and the favourable characteristics of the volcanic soil allow the cultivation of a high quality grape.

Beyond the vineyards and you will find old “bagli” (isolated old buildings in the Sicilian countryside), Fourteenth Century monasteries, now “agriturismi” farm homestays. The wine tasting in a cellar on Mount Etna is a wonderful experience, giving you the chance to savour "on the land" some of the most famous products of this region - Nero d'Avola, Inzolia, Cerasuolo di Vittoria, Etna DOC red and white – all washed down with typical cuisine tastings.

Suggestion three:after having eaten and tasted some wine, it's time to get out of the city and climb in mountain bike the “muntagna”, Mount Etna! Mount Etna, the mountain of fire, with a summit of 3,300 metres above sea level, the highest active volcano in Europe.

With its lunar landscapes at high altitude, and woods along the coast, the trails and unique landscapes, the typical products and the historical centres of the little towns, Etna is in every season a fascinating visit, for travellers and nature lovers, for lovers of food and wine, for lovers of outdoor sports in unique surroundings.

The lava flows have greatly influenced the land, making it extremely varied, rocks, lush vegetation and landscapes, are always in continuous change as the substrate moves over time, as temperatures, precipitation and exposure also vary at these altitudes.

Making an Etna tour by bike along the stunning trails (the “Pista Altomontana”) led by an expert guide, or try an Etna bike tourdescending from the volcano to the sea, either way it'll be an extraordinary experience that you will remember for years to come.

Would you rather see Sicily from a completely unique point of view, unusual and absolutely breathtaking? Then book a mongolfiera tour in an hot air balloon! The flight will give you the chance to live a totally extraordinary experience, giving you an unforgettable view of the whole of Sicily; on landing a glass of fine Etna wine will be waiting for you, along with some special typical local products, and you will be awarded a “flight baptism certificate” signed by the pilot.

Come on, don't just settle for the usual stay: Catania is a city to enjoy to the full!