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!

Vigo is the largest and liveliest city in the verdant Galicia region on Spain’s northwestern corner, and the unspoiled Islas Cíesislands that guard the entrance to the Vigo estuary provide the contrasting note of blissful peace and quiet, in a natural setting of fine beaches, dunes, lagoons, thick forests, and hiking trails. The three islands are the crown jewels of the Parque Nacional Marítimo Terrestre das Illas Atlánticas de Galicia, which includes theIslas de Ons archipelago to the north, and their almost pristine state is jealously protected. There are no hotels, only a campsite open in the summer months, and the number of visitors is restricted to 2,200 per day, so it’s wise to take an early morning boat. That will also give you time to relax on the beach and to explore the hilly islands which are criss-crossed by hiking trails –no cars or bicycles are allowed. You’ll see spectacular views, rich vegetation, and large colonies of both resident and migratory seabirds, such as the yellow-footed seagull, the cormorant, and many other species.

Monte do Faro and Monteagudo Islands

The ferries take you to the two northernmost islands, connected by a stone footbridge and by the Playa de Rodas itself, which is really a sandy 1.2 km-long isthmus separating the Vigo estuary from the tidal lagoon between the islands. A third island, San Martiño, can be reached only by private boat, and indeed, dozens of sailboats and a few luxury yachts can be seen lying at anchor near all three islands in the summer. There are nine beaches on the two connected islands, each with its own character, and the most famous after Rodas is that of Figueiras, a popular nudist beach with plenty of shade, on the north island, Monteagudo. Serious nature lovers can easily hike all the trails in a few hours, looking down the steep cliffs on the windward western shore, or admiring the panoramic views in all directions from the lighthouse –faro in Spanish– built in the mid 19^th C. at 178 metres above sea level on Monte del Faro, also known as the Isla del Medio or “middle island”.

Playa de Rodas

The halfmoon-shaped curve of Rodas beach connecting the two islands on the leeward, eastern shore is a true gem of fine gold sand and shallow crystalline waters –you can walk 200 metres from the shore and keep your hair dry, so it’s very safe for children. The tides regularly flush it clean, also renewing the water in the lagoon behind, which is the abode of a rich variety of fish and shellfish (diving is allowed, but spearfishing is not).

Where to Eat

Asador Soriano
To restore your strength with some local fare you should try the pulpo á Illa –octopus, island-style– tender chunks of boiled octopus with onion, coarse sea salt, and both sweet and spicy paprika. But the large menu also features roasts and other specialities. The restaurant has a choice of rooms in which to enjoy your meal –public, private, with fireplace, etc. – and cellars where you can sample some of Galicia’s exquisite wines

How to Get There

From June through September there are ferries at least every hour from Vigo harbour, or the nearby towns of Baiona, Cangas, and Moaña, from 0630h until 1030h. In the off season you must hire a boat, with or without crew, which is easy to do in Vigo, but you’ll need a permit, and another permit for anchoring off the islands.

Fancy a hop to the islands? Check out our fares here! 

Text:  Isabel y Luis Comunicación

Photos: Tour Galicia

A maze of cobbled streets where you can easily get lost; white houses, prominent among them the traditional cármenes (Moorish-style houses); historical vestiges which transport us back to their Moorish origins, and what are possibly the best views of the Alhambra, make the Albaicín a must-visit quarter for sightseers in Granada. In short, while on one bank of the river Darro stands the main reason for visiting this beautiful city – the Alhambra and Generalife – on the other bank lies the other reason for coming here – the Albaicín.

Our first piece of advice when visiting this quarter of Moorish Andalusian origin is that you should take things leisurely, as it is packed with captivating, inspirational nooks and crannies that need time to soak up. Not for nothing was it designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.

Traces of its Moorish Past

Its steep, narrow, winding streets, where you can easily lose your bearings, is one of the first signs of the quarter’s Moorish past. But, there are many other reminiscences of what was one of the Albaicín’s periods of greatest growth and splendour – the Nasrid dynasty. These include the 11th-centuryZirid Wall,which runs between the Albaicín and neighbouring Sacromonte, the entrance gates, like those of Puerta Nueva (New Gate), Arco de las Pesas (Gate of Weights)–located in the Plaza Larga –Puerta de Fajalauza,on the Cuesta de San Gregorio Alto, and Puerta de Elvira, on the street of the same name. Similarly, the 11th-century Arab Baths, on the Carrera del Darro, known locally as the Bañuelo or “Little Bath”, and the Palace of Dar al-Horra, the 15th-century residence of Boabdil’s mother and queen. Even some of the local churches feature surprises from the past, as in the Church of San Salvador, located in the Plaza de Abad, the interior of which features an ablutionary font from the former Great Mosque of the Albaicín.

Also from those times are vestiges of former water distribution channels and the aljibes (cisterns), of which twenty-five still remain, notably the Aljibe del Rey (King’s Cistern), located between the Zirid Wall and the Placeta del Cristo de las Azucenas.

Another of the Albaicín’s traditional buildings are the so-called cármenes granadinos, which also date from the Nasrid period. This type of Moorish house is typically free-standing and surrounded by a high wall, with a small orchard or garden inside. A noteworthy example is the Carmen de Aben Humeya, on the Cuesta de las Tomasas, which is now a restaurant.

To round off this venture into the past, we recommend visiting the streets of Calderería Vieja and Calderería Nueva, in the lower part of the quarter. They are lined with shops and tea houses with a special charm that will transport you to the lands lying south of the Strait of Gibraltar.

The Finest Sunsets in Granada

One thing you simply must do in this city is head for one of the miradores or vantage points in the Albaicín to watch the sun setting, as the views are really stunning. The two best and most popular lookouts are the Mirador de San Cristóbal, said to afford the finest vistas of the Alhambra and Generalife, the Vega of Granada and the Sierra Nevada, and the Mirador de San Nicolás, which became popular after a visit to the city by Bill Clinton. However, be prepared for the crowds, as throngs of people tend to come here to enjoy the dusk sights.

Succumb to the charms of one of Granada’s most beautiful quarters – check out your Vueling here.

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Images by Rocío Garro, Alper Çuğun, Isa Ruiz, Julia Kostecka, Esteban Chiner

Highly influenced by the culture from the neighbouring countries, Hungarian gastronomy is mainly known for the intensity of the dishes and spicy flavours. From meat (chicken, pork, beef, goose), vegetables (potatoes, celery, beans, peas, cabbage) and paprika as main ingredients, we can find a wide variety of typical dishes you should know and some of the restaurants where you can try them.

TYPICAL DISHES

Gulash: Spiced soup with beef cattle tacos, potatoes and, sometimes, dumplings. This is, no doubt, one of the most famous dishes in the Hungarian gastronomy.

Dobostorta: Hungarian cake invented by local baker Jozsef C. Dobos, in 1884. It is made of five fluffy layers collated by chocolate cream with a caramel topping.

Újházi tyúkhúsleves: One of the most popular soups from traditional cuisine in Budapest. It is made of pasta, carrot, chicken and peas or mushrooms.

Mákos rétes: A typical cake, very typical and popular among estrudel (it can be made of cottage cheese, cherry, sour cherry or apple). This is the star cake at the bakeries in Budapest.

Pörkölt: Cooked meat with onion, chilli and tomato, sometimes it is considered a variant of gulash.

Dumplings: Balls of flour, potatoes and bread, filled with meat or fish and completed with the “cispetke”, a pastry made of flour and egg to accompany the soup and the meat.

Paprikas csirke: Main course made of fried chicken with onion sauce and paprika pepper with a little bit of tomato and bathed with a creamy herb sauce right before it’s served.

Borjúkotlett magyaróvári módra: Veal cutlet marinated with tomato sauce and herbs that is put in the oven among a layer of mushrooms and cheese.

Halaszle: Fish soup highly spiced up with Hungarian paprika, very spicy pepper.

RESTAURANTS

Menza: One of the most fashionable restaurants in Budapest. Decoration from the ‘70s, young public and a menu that mixes classic and vanguard food, at an affordable price.

RemizRemiz: This place is known for serving huge portions of Hungarian food. The place is frequented by both, locals and tourists, and has a big dinning room and a terrace outside, great if you want to have a long meal you're your family on a Sunday or to have a business lunch.

Kőleves: Located at the centre of the Jewish neighbourhood in Budapest, here you can find affordable prices anytime on the day. Monday to Friday there are two menus, one with meat and one for veggies. You should also try one of the desserts.

Vadarspark Étterem: a modern restaurant, with a terrace and a folk band entertaining the diners. Here you can also enjoy a typical Hungarian folk dance show while eating some of the most typical dishes in the city.

Gundel: Legendary restaurant in Budapest that is open since the 19th century, serving great food following traditional Hungarian recipes. The dress code is formal, men should wear a nice coat.

Image from Sarah Stierch

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