Marrakech is mayhem and no one who has set foot in that Moroccan city will ever claim otherwise. It’s a happy form of bedlam for those who like excitement, but a stressful and terribly unpredictable place for those who like to exercise strict control. We advise the latter to take a Vueling to Zurich with their family and enjoy the placid feeling of a place where everything works and a scrumptious fondue is easy to come by. As for the rest of you – we recommend you follow us on this fantastic adventure.

Marrakech is the sort of place where someone accosts you every three steps you take, touting to sell you something or lead you to someone’s shop, offer you a guided tour of the city, drape a snake around your neck, tattoo you, make you an orange juice, walk with you and his monkey – which he wants you to hold by the hand – or fill your bag with perfumes, spices, soaps and beautiful decorative objects that appear to have leaped out of A Thousand and One Nights. All this happens as you dodge to avoid horse-drawn carts rolling to the cry of “Cheap carriage ride, María”, donkeys and other fauna that throng the streets, as you have your photo taken with a chameleon, visit palaces that until then were just a figment of your imagination and chatter about the latest exploits of Barça with men of all ages who cross your path.

This Moroccan city is pure magic, a delightful, fascinating chaos with whiffs of spice and mint tea – sometimes of horse dung, too, but, what the heck! – where any adventure lover is bound to have a whale of a time. And, who better than children to imbibe such a place, different from anything they’ve ever seen before, and abandon themselves to the stream of outlandish characters and situations that will punctuate their stay in Marrakech and make it unforgettable.

The first place the young ones are going to be infatuated with is Jemaa el Fna Square, the nerve centre of the Medina, where one of the most enchanting gastronomic festivals in the world strikes up as night falls. The smell of delicious spicy meat starts to waft out from the street stalls, and of hummus, couscous, tajine, salads and other specialities, sold for a sou. Some are reluctant to sit down to a table in that street market for fear of food poisoning, contaminated water and possible adverse effects on their digestive system. But, just by making sure the cutlery is clean and dry, and avoiding raw food, you can take part in an extravaganza that even Sublimotion can’t touch.

The same square has numerous restaurants with a view, providing angles to gawk at the ongoing revelry in Jemaa el Fna. One of our favourites is Aqua (68 Jemaa el Fna); their top-floor terrace affords privileged views of the square and the homemade Moroccan food is quite good. They also have pasta, pizza, sandwiches and other international dishes, which is great if you want to get away from local cuisine for a day.

We press on with the family gastro route through Marrakech and sit down to a table at a venue which is marvellously unclassifiable – Clock Cafe, one of the few hipster eateries in town, a spot which could be in London or Berlin but has nevertheless retained its Arab essence. Prices here border on those in Europe, their piped music is indie pop, their chairs are yellow, the walls are scrawled with graffiti and they serve a brilliant chicken and caramelised onion couscous, although the kids are more likely to go for the camel hamburgers, one of the star performers of the house. If the weather is cold – which it might be during the Marrakech winter – their fireplace will be your best friend.

Another spot well worth stopping off at is Nid’Cigogne (60 Place des Tombeaux Saadiens), a spacious, three-storey restaurant next door to the Saadian Tombs where the children can have fun with the cats roaming the terrace, enjoy the simple dishes, ranging from sandwiches to Moroccan stews, and take a break for a few hours from the incessant bustle of Marrakech. The service is friendly and, as is the case throughout this fairy-tale city, children are always welcome and are treated kindly, respectfully and effusively.

Lastly, while your options are endless, do make a point of having tea in the pretty Marrakech Henna Art Cafe, where you can get a henna tattoo and taste their little pastries while you wait. You can also dive into a delicious snack of hummus and vegetable couscous at a reasonable price, and pick up some of the souvenirs on sale inside.

Armed with a basketful of craftwork, spices, soaps, multi-coloured babouches and thousands of unforgettable memories, you will have enjoyed a family experience filled with hours of laughter and a stream of wonderful stories to tell. Well, where else in the world are you likely to come across a serious-looking character dressed in a djellaba who stops your little boy in the street and calls out, “Hello, little Nicholas!”. Book your Vueling to Marrakech and get ready to live out the experience for yourself.

Text and photos by Laura Conde of Gastronomistas.com

Venice envelops you in its melancholy, mist and light. It is also soothing. If you let yourself drift along that winding canal that dominates the city, your visit will flow, too. Notice how there are no cars and that, despite the flood of tourists that enter the city each day, this is a silent destination. Whether you find yourself on a bridge, at an intersection, in the heart of the Campo or in a narrow alleyway, wherever you feel famished, your deliverance is at hand. Not only because you can get anywhere fast on a gondola, but because the capital of Veneto is full of places to enjoy the cuisine. Either at street level or up high, with those views that swayed and swathed writers and intellectuals of all eras. Following are some of those spots with a sparkle of their own and a unique offering.

Fish
Given Venice’s seafaring nature, what could be better than to order and savour the city’s fresh fish? A prime spot for eating fish virtually from the market to your plate is the Antiche Carampane for its proximity to the Rialto Market. This simple, family restaurant is frequented by Venetians who know where to find the best of the best, as well as by well-informed celebrities. Here you will witness respect for food and for Venice’s most characteristic culinary tradition, both on and off the menu.

Street Food
In Venice you will wander about willy-nilly to come to grips with its soul. If time is short for having a relaxed meal, an advisable option is the street food. A tramezzino (wedge-shaped sandwich) at some café, or a pizza al taglio (sliced pizza) at Antico Forno, are both generous snacks. But, if you’re after something more authentic without having to sit down to it, better settle for Acqua & Mais, a dainty eatery which makes the most out of the Venetian culinary repertoire when it comes to a practical packaged takeaway. Your eyes will pop out at the fried fish, croquettes, polenta and the classic creamed codfish.

The Confectionery
Here there are two historic and thus essential locations. Two pastry shops, quite a long way from each other, have coexisted as successful local landmarks. However, each one has evolved differently over the years. At Rosa Salva they still serve classic single-helping pastries, buns and ice-creams in an atmosphere more akin to a bar. Colussi, for its part, is celebrated for its focaccia veneziana, which resembles panettone or sweet bread in shape and tastes like a really good ensaimada. It is ideal when eaten with hot chocolate from the same establishment, where they make dough and bake on the premises every day.

Wine and Glasses
Estro - Vino e Cucina is a modern gastrobar and wine bar with a lot of character where you can eat typical Italian dishes and raw fish – a hallmark of the Italo-Japanese chef, Mashiro Homma – marinated in the wine of your choice from among a wide selection within view of the tables. The wine has a “double label” and can also be purchased.

The historical Osteria ai Pugni focuses on aperitifs, sausage boards with regional fare, a variety of different flavoured croquettes and the typical tramezzini with unusual fillings. A striking feature is their wine, served by the glass, which can be savoured in a relaxed atmosphere alongside the Ponte dei Pugni, in the heart of the Dorsoduro district.

Paradiso Perduto
You can either sit at the bar or at one of the many tables in this huge, bustling restaurant which provides live music on Monday nights to fire the after-dinner ambience. Their forte is large helpings of homemade dishes. Their fresh fish comes highly recommended – complete with matching side dishes or contorni (vegetables, field mushrooms or roast potatoes)–as do the lasagna, fagioli (beans) and tiramisu, a dessert that originated in Venice. Keith Richards once played the piano here…

The Vegetarian Streak
The fact that you have to book in advance for La Zucca is the best compliment you can pay it. The artificers of the restaurant have managed to remain faithful to the origins of the business, where pumpkin is the major attraction and the basis of many of the homemade dishes on the reasonably priced menu.

Accommodation
If you can afford it, the Hotel Danieli is one of those places that leave their mark on you. Commensurate with the beauty of Venice, this luxury hotel is part of the city’s living history. It is just two-minutes’ walk from St. Mark’s Square and its two highly distinct buildings – the rooms in each hardly resemble one another – recreate the splendour of times past with an evocative atmosphere that fits in well with their 21st-century service. Their majestic Carnival ball, held near the lounge, is celebrated, while you can have a unique, enogastronomic experience in their new Wine Suite. You can also have one in the Danieli restaurant and terrace, a spot which entices you with its views over the Grand Canal and the Adriatic, as does the creative fare provided by their executive chef, Dario Parascandolo, featuring perennial classics and in-house recipes based on local products.

Souvenir
If you appreciate little gifts and good craftsmanship, treat yourself to a book marker, a notebook, a print, a postcard or one of the hand-painted recipe books by the artist, Nicola Tenderini. You cannot leave Venice without a keepsake that takes you back to the city, as far away as you might be.

I bet you can’t wait to delight in fine Venetian cuisine. Check out our flights here.

Text and photos by Carme Gasull and Belén Parra from Gastronomistas

Some months ago we wrote about five must-visit restaurants in Gijón: Los Pomares, where the fabada is a winner; El Quinto, a wine tavern with globe-trotting tapas; Casa Trabanco, a cider mill with guided visits laid on and dishes based on ingredients from their own market garden; El Candil, which boasts the best fish in town, and La Bolera, a grillroom acclaimed throughout Spain.

Should the list not make the grade – it does, I can assure you – Gijón also hosts several gastro-events which provide an excellent pretext to visit.

Flavours of Arcu Atlánticu

Billed as a culture festival featuring a blend of literature, performing arts, fine arts, music and cuisine from the Atlantic regions of Spain, France, Portugal, Ireland and the United Kingdom, the festival also features star chefs in action. Graced with awards by the city of Gijón, they cook on an enormous stage in the Plaza Mayor before more than 1,000 people, flanked by giant screens, as if a rock concert were being staged. This year, it will be held on 1 August. The event has already hosted such celebrities as Elena Arzak, Eneko Atxa, Andoni Luis Aduriz and Dieter Koschina, the chef at the Vila Joya restaurant, until recently the only Portuguese eatery with two Michelin stars.

Natural Cider Festival

In the week from 22 to 28 August, Gijón tastes only of cider. Around thirty cider mills set up their cider-serving stalls in two urban settings – the Plaza Mayor and the marina (alongside a sculpture known as “The Cider Tree”, made up of bottles from 80 Asturian cider mills). For a token fee, visitors get a commemorative glass they can fill up free-of-charge at any of the stands throughout the day at the so-called Mercadín de la sidra y la manzana (cider and apple market). There are various activities during the week. The bus de la sidra or “cider bus”, which visitors can take to the local cider mills, cursos de escanciado (courses in cider-pouring) and cancios de chigre (cider tavern songs) when hundreds of people gather in the Plaza Mayor to sing the most popular songs of Asturias, while on Poniente Beach there will be an attempt to break the Guinness simultaneous cider-pouring record. Set in 2014, it brought together 8,448 cider pourers.

Gijón de sidra

The Gijón de Sidra festival is held for eleven days each October (this year, from 6 to 16 October), during which cider mills from all over Asturias are twinned with emblematic cider taverns in the city. Each tavern then offers a bottle of cider from the mill they represent, in addition to a homemade portion of food served in a cazuelina, all at a moderate price, accompanied by the singing ofcancios de chigre(cider tavern songs).

Gastronomic Workshops

You can always join some gastronomic workshop around the time of the traditional fiestas. The celebrations of Antroxu (Carnival), with pote (hotpot), picadillo (mince) and frixuelos (flour fritters); those of Holy Week, the Asturian de Pinchos contest (in February), the pinchos (meat on the skewer) contest at the Gijón Sound Festival (last held from 15 to 17 April), and the Pinchos de Gijón championship (in November).

The Cider Route

A good way of learning everything you need to know about cider, the Asturian beverage par excellence, is by indulging in it. Depending on the ticket you purchase, you can learn the secrets of cider making, visit outlets where it is sold, take part in tasting sessions or eat candies made with apple. (There are four types of ticket, which are sold at the Gijón Tourist Offices or online). Available throughout the year.

Gijón Gourmet

Epicureans have the chance to lunch or dine at seven of the best restaurants in Gijón (Casa Gerardo, Agua, Bellavista, El Candil, La Salgar, Casa Víctor, Ciudadela) at an attractive price – 50 euros in the case of Michelin-starred eateries and 45 euros in the others. The menu comprises two starters, two main dishes, dessert and wine. When booking, all you need to point out is that you want a Gijón Gourmet Menu (only tables of up to 8 diners are eligible for the offer).

Gijón Goloso

Gijón Goloso works in a similar way. Considering it is one of Spain’s cities with the most confectionery shops, sixteen of them were selected to make a special sweet which visitors can taste after buying a ticket online or at the Infogijón offices. Five tastings costs 7 euros, while 10 tastings costs 13 euros. The offer lasts all year long, so you have ample time to prepare your trip, as sweet-toothed tourists will never be short of their candies.

Text and photos by Ferran Imedio of Gastronomistas.com

John Waters shot to fame by directing outlandish, low-budget movies such as Pink Flamingos (1972) which glorify violence, sexual perversion and bad taste. He uses provocation as a weapon targeting the good-mannered hypocrisy, iron-fisted morals and religious values of the American way of life. However, few realise that the American dandy with a pencil moustache has also designed large-format collages and photomontages. He has chosen 40 of these pieces – including storyboards from his movies – for the exhibition, How Much Can You Take?, which runs until 1 November at the acclaimed Kunsthaus Zürich, coinciding with the murals by Joan Miró on display there until the end of January.

Paradoxically, the multifaceted filmmaker has other traits in common with Zürich, such as class, a sense of order and extreme cleanliness. Deep down, Waters also has a tenderness and fetishism that suggests he would delight in the bric-a-brac on sale in downtown Teddy’s Souvenir Shop, offering the music boxes, Swiss army knives, cowbells and cuckoo clocks so typical of Switzerland’s bucolic image. That same cliché embodied by Heidi, the children’s character created by the writer, Johanna Spyri who, like the poet, Gottfried Keller, is buried in the leafy park of Sihlfeld Cemetery, the first in Europe to incorporate a crematory. Waters would surely relish a visit there, both for his fascination for the macabre and his professed love of literature, which of late he is more engaged in than cinema. Hence, we might also recommend he visit Fluntern Cemetery, site of the beautiful tomb of James Joyce, who in Zürich gave himself over to a licentious alcoholism while writing much of Ulysses, a diatribe against Church and State. Another writer who also passed away in this city was the German author of The Magic Mountain, immortalised in the Thomas Mann Archives, a small museum housed in the ETH Zürich. This State university has also been graced by no fewer than twenty Nobel prizewinners, notably the scientist Albert Einstein, as much a rebel against conventional mores as Waters. Located in the same university is the spectacular Law Faculty Library, designed by the architect, Santiago Calatrava. However, the maker of morbid films would probably prefer to read in the old abbey housing the Zentralbibliothek Zürich, the city’s main library.

The filmmaker’s more iconoclastic side would relish the recollection that Zürich was the cradle of Dadaism, the anarchic “anti-art” so critical of middle-class society in World War I. That was when the artistic couple, Emmy Hennings and Hugo Ball, founded the celebrated Cabaret Voltaire in Niederdorf’s Old Town. Together with Tristan Tzara, the locale broke with all established canons. The building gradually became derelict until it was occupied in 2001 by a group of artivists and used to stage neo-Dadaist-style performances before vast crowds of Zurichers. After their eviction, the City Council overturned its original plan to demolish the building, which was then refurbished as an alternative cultural centre. Also located in the Old Town is the unusual Musée Visionnaire, where visitors choose what they want to see – and are encouraged to critique it – from a catalogue of Art Brut, a movement also known as Outsider Art – the work of amateurs, the mentally disabled and any creator alien to institutions and the boundaries set by official culture. In short, characters who would not be out of place among the Dreamlanders, counter-culture misfits and such regular collaborators of Waters as Mink Stole or Divine.

The young Waters who was so enthralled by gruesome accidents and bloodthirsty tales would also take a fancy to the Moulangenmuseum, a museum featuring wax representations of body parts twisted by disfiguring diseases, including exhibits in the University Hospital’s medical teaching collection dating from 1917. And, lured by the repulsive, he might also look up the dark oeuvre, biomechanical aesthetic and highly charged erotic sense of another illustrious native of Zürich who designed the visual effects for the movie, Alien – the recently deceased H.R. Giger. Although fans of the illustrator and sculptor have to choose between a visit to his comprehensive museum in the walled town of Gruyères (nearly two hours south of Zürich), and the stunning Giger Bar in his native Chur (about an hour’s drive from Zürich), situated, strangely enough, in the same land that inspired the pastoral Heidi.

To wind up this walk on the dark side, nothing better than supper at Blindekuh Zurich, the world’s first restaurant where diners eat in the pitch black. Fortunately, Waters is not the chef, so you needn’t worry about being served what Divine ate in Pink Flamingos. I assume you get my drift but, just to make sure, before you take the plunge you should go to a quality chocolaterie like Sprüngli.

In any event, remember that the Waters exhibition only lasts for a few more weeks, so get your tickets here!

Text by Carlos G. Vela para ISABELYLUIS Comunicación

Images by David Shankbone, Roland zh, Juerg Peter Hug, Absinthe, Edsel Little