By Gastronomistas

They say if you haven’t truly experienced the magic of Christmas until you’ve been to Nuremberg. All the streets decked out in festive lights and decorations while carols ring out to the delight of old and young alike, creating a magical atmosphere imbued with the very essence of Christmas Eve.

From 29 November through to 24 December, the whole city becomes one huge Christmas celebration and a “picturesque village of fabric and wood” appears as if by magic in the heart of the city’s old quarter; the Christkindlesmarkt, one of Europe’s oldest and most renowned street markets.

More than 180 stalls adorned with candles, decorations and winter plants tempt visitors with their toys, local crafts, nativity scenes, Christmas ornaments and, above all, delicious sweets and wholesome culinary delights. The air is filled with an enticing mixture of aromas, from spices and wine through to toffee, nuts and savoury treats. Absolutely EVERYTHING is a temptation for the senses. What are the best things to try while strolling around the Christkindlesmarkt?

MULLED WINE
What better to ward off the crisp cold of Nuremberg than a mug of mulled wine. This hearty drink made with cinnamon, cloves and fruit peel is served in ceramic mugs that visitors can take home with them as a souvenir from the Christkindlesmarkt. They even do a non-alcoholic mulled wine for the kids to try.

FEUERZANGENBOWLE
This famous punch is named after the sugar tongs used in its concoction. To make Feuerzangenbowle, dry red wine is slowly heated in a large punch bowl, along with rum, caramelised sugar, cloves, cinnamon, slices of lemon and orange juice.

BRATWURST
“It is one of the reasons why you never forget Nuremberg”, wrote the poet Jean-Paul (maybe while suffering writer’s block), in reference to the sausages par excellence originating from this Bavarian city: bratwurst. They are on sale all around the city at stalls equipped with giant barbecues, so you’re bound to gobble up more than one during your stay. They are served in a bread roll, garnished with sauerkraut or potato salad, or even as a three-in-one known as a “weggla”. To make sure you only get the real McCoy, it’s worth knowing that an authentic bratwurst from Nuremberg is between seven and nine centimetres long, no more and no less.

NUREMBERG LEBKUCHEN
No Christmas is complete without some famous lebkuchen: a biscuit made from nuts, honey and spices covered in chocolate or icing. The recipe has been a closely-guarded secret in Nuremberg for over 600 years and has even been given a protected designation of origin. It’s easy to spot the market stalls selling lebkuchen as nearly all of them look like the witch’s candy cottage from Hansel and Gretel.

And there are many other food stalls selling a wide range of mouth-watering treats, such as candied fruit, all kinds of sweets, caramelised almonds, chocolates, waffles and sauerkraut. But be warned! After indulging yourself in beautiful Nuremberg, you may need to go on a diet for a few days.

CHRISTKINDLESMARKT
From the Friday before the first Sunday of Advent through to 24 December.

Where: in Nuremberg’s main market square (Hauptmarkt) and surrounding area.

Opening times:
Monday to Wednesday: 9am to 8pm.
Wednesday to Saturday: 9am to 9pm.
Sunday: 10.30am to 8pm.

By Gastronomistas

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

Strategically located by the Baltic Sea, between Lithuania and Poland, in Kaliningrad there is a mixture of the Soviet influences and the German roots, when Kaliningrad was the capital city of East Prussia and it was one of the major cities in Europe, better known as Köningsberg.

In 1945, during World War II, the red army occupied Köningsberg, which name changed to Kaliningrad in the memory the president of the Supreme Soviet until 1946, Mikhail Kalinin.

The city was rebuilt after the destruction during the war, creating and odd mixture of elements. Kaliningrad is a Russian setting far from its capital and 600 kilometres far from Pskow, the closest Russian city.

Baltic region is known as the biggest amber site and the most important mines are in Kaliningrad. This valuable material has reputation worldwide for its beauty and the healing properties, also magic, which are given to it.

There is a legend that says they are tears from Yurati, Goddess of the Sea, who wasn’t allowed to be in love with a mortal and was chained to the seabed, next to the castle, crying that sorrow. This romantic story tells that amber teardrops reach the sea bay but, actually, it is made from the solidified resin of tropical trees that used to be in the area.

Fishermen town

Amber is a fragile material but that can be easily modified by the masterfully of local artists and jewellers who used this valuable good. There are many objects made from this precious organic stone at an affordable price in the old buildings at the port, which are nowadays used as workshops.

This fishermen town is made of many buildings that look like a German old historic quarter, pretty different to the rest of Kaliningrad, with red roofs and colourful facades. You can reach the highest point of the drawbridge or start here a boat trip along the Pregolya river. Furthermore, from this area there is a magnificent view of the city and a great walk to the Cathedral, one of the main attractions in the city, by several restaurants and cafés.

Amber museum

In Kaliningrad an Amber museum was built at the Dohna tower, with a unique collection of more than 6.000 pieces, with insects and plants encapsulated inside, hand-made products or a huge pip of 4.280 kg, occupying 28 rooms.

The building is already a beautiful castle made of red bricks, raised by the Teutonic Knights, who had here one of the main headquarters.

Another building of the Teutonic Knights was the Köningsberg castle, which was one of the main symbols for the city. The castle was destroyed during Köningsberg bombings and now there is the Central Square and the Soviets House.

From the previous castle, there are still underground tunnels that made the ground unstable. This was called “the Prussians revenge” and it has cost lots of money and time to fix it.

In Kaliningrad region there are about forty more beautiful medieval castles, an interesting architectural route following the path of the Teutonic Knights.

Other interesting places

Kant’s tomb

The most distinguished character from the city is Immanuel Kant, philosopher, who was born and buried in Kaliningrad. The tomb is outside the cathedral, with a plaque quoting, in Russian and German, the "Conclusion" from Critique of Practical Reason: “there are two things that fill my mind with an ever new and enhanced wonder and amazement, even they at continuously reflect on them: the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me.”

The fortresses

The city is surrounded by a large number of fortresses from the 19th century. The Germans used them as a defence. Even they are abandoned, there is a route to visit the ruins.

Zelenogradsk - Cranz

24 kilometres north from Kaliningrad there is an spa area, a holidays resort where locals and tourists arrived attracted by the beaches, thermal waters and cultural heritage, with over seven centuries of history.

Fishing village by Anton Zelenov | Baltic Amber by Michal Kosior

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

By Panenka www.panenka.org

Beyond the obvious attractions of the ‘City of Light‘, Paris hides large and small secrets for the travelling sports fan. Pioneering and revolutionary in all senses of the words, the banks of the Seine witnessed the first final of the Europa Cup competition, the first game of football at the Olympic Games and the creation of the Ballon d’Or. And as man does not live by football alone, every year, the eyes of the world turn towards the French capital to greet the king of Roland Garros, in the Bois de Boulogne, or the ‘Maillot amarillo’ of the Tour de France, with its victory run down the Champs Elysées. Apart from the ancient Stade de Colombes, where the final match in ‘Escape to Victory’ was filmed, there are important venues in Paris that must be visited including the hallowed ground of the Stade de France in Saint-Denis and for rugby fans, the unmissable Parc des Princes, home of Paris Saint-Germain. From these terraces, fans shouted at the tops of their voices: “Paris est magique!” And how right they are: all you have to do is take the step and discover the magic for yourself.

The eleven sporting venues

1 Yves-du-Manoir The stadium in old Colombes that featured in Escape to Victory.
2 Philippe-Chatrier Rafael Nadal’s back garden.
3 Parc des Princes Home of the PSG and Luis Arconada’s nightmare scenario.
4 Stade Bauer Last home of wandering club Red Star.
5 Stade Charléty Modest home of the decadent Paris FC.
6 Stade de France The Olympus of the heroes of 98 in Saint-Denis.
7 Paris-Bercy Hard to think of a sport that has not been played here.
8 Jacques-Anquetil Velodrome Hosted the first Olympic football contest.
9 Pershing Stadium Today it’s a baseball pitch but it was the heart of football in 1924.
10 Dominique-Duvauchelle Stadium The home of US Créteil-Lusitanos.
11 Stade Salvador Allende The Noisy-le-Sec reds stadium.

Eleven tourist spots

1 Versailles It was not by chance that Louis XIV was called the ‘Sun King’.
2 Ballon d’Or The golden sphere was born at the headquarters of France Football.
3 Trocadero at night, the best place to enjoy the Eiffel Tower.
4 Arc de Triomphe Napoleon’s caprice to celebrate Austerlitz.
5 Hotel Delaunay Named after the former president of UEFA and its trophy.
6 Café de Flore The second home of Sartre and Simone De Beauvoir.
7 Pigalle Like Amsterdam’s red light district but more glamorous.
8 Hotel Ambassador Bernabéu and Hanot met to create the Europa Cup.
9 Sacré Coeur The basilica of Montmartre commanding the best views.
10 Le baise The City Hall square and a photo by Doisneau.
11 Père-Lachaise Artists’ Cemetery, including Jim Morrison.

Ilustration by Pep Boatella / @pepboatella

A perfect idea for travelling with friends! Check out our flights and off you go!

“When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life”, Samuel Johnson once said. To paraphrase the celebrated writer, we can highly recommend delving into some of the outlandish activities that could only take place north-east of the Thames.

A Café that Only Sells Cereals

What can I tell you about the latest major hipster phenomenon in London that you don’t already know?

It looked like they had finally got rid of them. Around a hundred anarchists from the activist group, Class War, who set out to combat inequality, attacked the Cereal Killer Café last September. However, not only has the establishment emerged unscathed from the attack, it continues to draw long queues of patrons at its front door. How long the truce holds remains to be seen, although what on earth could be more innocuous than a Chocapics seller? Problem is, the 5-euro bowls of cereal in this unique café have grown into a symbol of the drama of gentrification besetting London.

However, you are sure to find so many cereal combinations that you’ll be able to eat for months without repeating any of them. They offer no fewer than 100 cereal varieties, 12 types of milk and 20 different toppings!

Here is the statement which Class War put out when calling for action against Cereal Killer Café:

“Our communities are being ripped apart – by Russian oligarchs, Saudi Sheiks, Israeli scumbag property developers, Texan oil-money twats and our own home-grown Eton toffs.

Local authorities are coining it in, in a short-sighted race for cash by regenerating social housing. We don't want luxury flats that no one can afford, we want genuinely affordable housing. We don't want pop-up gin bars or brioche buns – we want community.

Soon this City will be an unrecognizable, bland, yuppie infested wasteland with no room for normal (and not so normal) people like us. London is our home. Working class people are being forced out of our homes but we won't go out without a fight."

Protest video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhUT2YDDa6Q

The Hot Tub Cinema

40 degrees and oodles of champagne! Welcome to the most bizarre cinema in all London… the Hot Tub Cinema!

The intrepid cinema-goers daring enough to plunge into this unforgettable experience can choose from a host of inflatable tubs set out on the rooftop of the former Shoreditch station.

The dress-code, as you can imagine, is a bathing suit. But, if you really want to fit the occasion, the thing is to sport a 90s swimming costume, as only classics are shown in this cinema.

And, here goes the lowdown you were all waiting for… yes, the hot tubs are communal, and can hold up to six people!

A Cat Café

Walking into Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium is like stepping into the Internet. This is London’s first ever cat café, the haunts of twelve friendly feline creatures, all rescued from sanctuaries. The venue is in the popularBrick Laneprecinct and is becoming all the rage, so much so that you are advised to book ahead. Otherwise, you would be hard put to find a free table.

Perfect Your Zumba in the Neighbourhood Church

Think you could tone your gluteal muscles while purifying your spirit? Could there be any better form of redemption than to practise Zumba in a church? For those of you who have lost their faith, for further information, see here.

I bet you are taken aback by these proposals. But, there’s more to come, although we’ll leave that for another post. If you want to see it for yourself, starting packing your bags and check out our flights here.

Text and images by Isa Roldán for ISABELYLUIS Comunicación