Want to join in European Car Free Day? The aim of this initiative held every 22 September is to raise awareness about climate change by encouraging people to make their routine journeys on foot, by bike or by public transport. This year, as well as leaving your car at home, we invite you to inject some fun into it: get away to the European cities that are implementing policies to favour pedestrians and take a quiet stroll through the streets without worrying about the traffic.

I’ve never heard about the Dutch tradition of Sinterklaas, since not long ago. It’s funny and charming, also pretty controversial. For many years, every December 5th a Dutch friend of mine gathers us at her place to celebrate it; she explains where the tradition comes from, we sing the Dutch traditional songs the best we can and eat the typical sweets from these dates.

There is no doubt that this is the most anticipated day in the year for the Dutch kids because, as night arrives, Zwarte Piet (Peter) will get down the chimney to deliver presents if they behaved well. Before that, they must leave a shoe, a carrot for the white horse named Amerigo and a drawing that shows how well they have behaved.

This is when the mess starts. First of all, according to the tale, Sinterklaas comes from Madrid by boat… “Wait, what?! This makes no sense. From Madrid to Amsterdam, by boat? What the hell?”

The tale says Sinterklaas (Saint Nicholas) comes originally from Turkey and once he died, the remains were taken to Bari, in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, where Charles V would be the king. Once Philip II became his successor in the Kingdom, which covered the Low Countries, Spain and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, the story was taken to Spain, specifically Madrid, as the starter of the trip, to make it simpler.

“¿Don’t you think Peter, the ‘assistant’ as a black person is a bit racist?” Apparently, many controversial voices argued that ‘Zwarte Piet is racisme’, which means that Peter, Sinterklaas assistant, being a black person was racist. After that, Peter’s color have changed annually, from blue to red to yellow. Other people argue that Peter is black because of the pollution in the chimneys. Both options set great debates in the Netherlands.

Finally, my friend says that when they’re kids and they behaved wrongly, the tradition was to say "Sinterklaas will take you to Madrid.” I was like “Whatever. What kind of punishment is that?”

Sinterklaas in the Netherlands

It’s clear that Sint’s arrival to the Netherlands is a great event, with many parades previously. On December 5th, at night, families gather at home to sing, read poems and make little presents.

Every year, a Dutch city is chosen to broadcast the Sinterklaas parade on national television, an event followed my many people. This year, the chosen city is Gouda, by the north of Rotterdam, known as the origin of a world-famous cheese.

But Amsterdam is the city with the greatest Sinterklaas parade. He arrives by boat along the Amstel river and to the Maritime Museum, where is received by the Major of the city on Sunday, November 16th. With him, great amounts of cookies to deliver to kids and many different Peters to assist him, like Book Peter, who takes a big book with notes of what all the kids want, there is also absent-minded Peter, Peter the acrobat or Gifts Peter.

Sinterklaas sweets

These delicious cookies that Sint brings are called pepernoten, what means spiced walnuts. They are small and have a very intense caramel and ginger flavour. There is also the to speculaas, with Christmas or Sinterklaas related pictures and made of many spiced and cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, cardamom and white pepper.

Other typical sweets from Sinterklaas are chocolade letter, big letters made of chocolate that are usually gifted with the initial capital letter of your name, or schuimpjes, with funny forms and colours.

Pictures Sinterklaas by MarkDB and Michell Zappa

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

Munich Oktoberfest, the world's biggest beer festival, attracts every year to the Bavaria capital around seven million people. Here everything is celebrated on a large scale: millions of roast chicken are prepared to go with the huge number of beer being served.

With more than 200 years of history, Oktoberfest is an acclaimed tradition that has imitations all over the world, but if you want to live it's genuine spirit, you'll have to go to Munich from the 20st of September to the 65h of October 2014. Traditionally, celebrations start the first saturday before 15th of September, when Munich's mayor opens the festival fisrt barrel shouting "O’zapft is!" which means, "it's already open".

2014 programme highlights

Saturday 20 September Procession of brewers and their families to the Oktoberfest and official opening by the mayor of Munich.
Sunday 21 September. Traditional parade with colorful Bavarian costumes.
Tuesday 23 September Family day with reduced prices for children and parents.
Sunday 28 September Half time at the Oktoberfest.
Sunday 28 September Concert by Wiesn bands on the Bavaria statue steps Sunday 5 October at 12 noon Traditional gun salute on the Bavaria statue steps.

Photo: Oktoberfest by Dilankf

We’ll be there. If you want to come too, check out our flights here.

The team behind the Territorios Sevilla Festival tells My Vueling City about some of the most modern venues with the greatest tradition in the cityso that visitors from afar can leave Seville with lingering memories. This route includes some of the best options for transforming the festival into a non-stop 48 hours in Seville.

Food and Tapas

Sol y Sombra (151 Calle de Castilla). Immerse yourself in tradition at this cosy place with typical Andalusian tapas at excellent prices and very close to the festival. The bull-fighting atmosphere runs deep in this traditional district of Triana.

La Bulla (28 Calle Dos de Mayo). At the heart of Seville, only 150 metres from the Torre del Oro, the Cathedral and the Maestranza Bullring, La Bulla is the perfect place to discover and enjoy the best gastronomy in the city.

Pura Tasca (5 Calle Numancia). Good tapas and great taste in the Triana district at a place with a 1970s theme.

Traditional Seville

Casa Vizcaíno (27 Calle Feria). A legendary wine bar if ever there was one. The carpet of peanut shells on the floor confirms this place as one of the most traditional bars in the Andalusian capital that simply must be seen. It is perfect for tapas and wine on Thursdays when a second-hand market is organised. This is the most bizarre, authentic and oldest such market in the city as it has been held all the way back to the 13th Century.

El Mariano (3 Plaza del Pumarejo). Great for a lunchtime beer washed down with their emblematic tapas dish of the season: snails.

Popular Places

Enjoy an afternoon coffee (or something stronger!) in the city centre on the Alameda at Central (64 Alameda de Hércules), Habanilla (63 Alameda de Hércules), El Corral de Esquivel (39 Alameda de Hércules) or Café República (27 Plaza de la Alameda de Hércules).

Unmissable and Underground

Corralones de Castellar

The place also offers somewhere to have a drink and mingle with the Bohemian culture scene in Seville.

Shopping & Culture

SohoBenita is an initiative from the businesses on Calle Pérez Galdós, Calle Santillana, Calle Ortiz de Zúñiga and Calle Don Alonso el Sabio, in the heart of Seville, where visitors will find shops, hotels, places to eat, tapas bars, galleries, etc.

Image: Jebulon

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