In England, football culture is a world apart. Match days become a liturgy in which fans turn soccer players, the pitch and the ball into their own holy trinity. Football fever has London as its holy city, and its numerous stadiums as endearing temples of goal worship. The city boasts five teams in the Premier League, a list of companies added to a sizeable bunch of historic clubs. Here, then, are the 10 best stadiums in London.

10. Leyton Orient FC
Stadium: Brisbane Road. District: Leyton

While lacking a prize-winning record, and although having spent several seasons drifting in the Football League Two, Leyton Orient FC is one of London’s most endearing teams, as is their stadium. Inaugurated in 1937,Brisbane Road breathes everything one would expect from a historic British field – terraces, throaty songs and a sour smell of warm beer.

9. Queens Park Rangers FC
Stadium: Loftus Road Stadium. District: Shepherd’s Bush

While the West Endstands for an upmarket London, Queens Park Rangers FC encapsulates its glamorous side in football. Once the seat ofShepherd’s Bush FC (the club closed down in 1915), since 1917Loftus Road has been the home of The Hoops. Another iconic shoebox exuding footballing legend from its four grandstands, which its owners are unfortunately thinking of retiring.

8. Millwall FC
Stadium: The Den. District: South Bermondsey

Their football fans are known to be among Britain’s most belligerent, to which the followers of Millwall FC reply with their chant: “No one like us, we don’t care”. Founded in 1885 by a group of stevedores, from 1910 to 1933 Millwall played at a stadium known asThe Den.It was then demolished to make way forThe New Den,the first stadium to be built after the Hillsborough tragedy. It was also the home ground for the fictitious club,Harchester United,the fortunes of which were the plot of a television series,Dream Team,broadcast by the Sky channel from 1997 to 2007.

7. Tottenham Hotspurs FC
Stadium: White Heart Lane. District: Tottenham

Founded in 1882, Tottenham Hotspurs FC set up atWhite Hart Lane in 1899. Until 1972, it was one of the few stadiums that lacked advertising signage installations, after which it also succumbed to football marketing. Eternally vying for the hegemony of North London football with their eternal rivals, Arsenal, Spurs couldn’t keep turning down the prospect of extra revenues from advertising. Despite the charm of their home ground, the development plans of the Lilywhites, as the Spurs’ fans are known, involves building a new stadium alongside the existing one

6. Fulham FC
Stadium: Craven Cottage. District: Fulham

Fulham FC have always had a soft spot for their stadium, while berating the ground of their rivals, Chelsea, with whom they have kept up one of the staunchest rivalries in London football. Built in 1866,Craven Cottage is one of the most historic and architecturally beautiful grounds in English football. In front of the main entrance to the stadium is a statue of…Michael Jackson, a personal tribute to the King of Pop from his friend, the club’s chairman,Mohamed Al-Fayed.

5. Chelsea FC
Stadium: Stamford Bridge. District: Fulham

Stamford Bridgewas originally earmarked to be Fulham FC’snew ground, after having been based since 1866 at Craven Cottage just opposite. When the latter refused to move, another occupant of the premises had to be sought. Eventually, the London Athletics Club was founded for the purpose, and in 1905 it was renamed Chelsea FC. Located at the Shed End of the pitch is theChelsea Centenary Museum,surely one of the most interesting football museums in London.

4. West Ham United FC
Stadium: Upton Park. District: Upton Park

Thames Ironworks FCemerged in 1895, later to be calledWest Ham United FC, the team of the shipyards’ ironworkers. West Ham’s social legacy has led their fans, the “hammers”, to stake their claim as representatives of the East London working-class spirit. They dispute this class pride with their archrivals, Millwall. Their cockney essence comes to the fore on match days atUpton Park,West Ham United’s home ground since 1904. The Upton Park team is nicknamedThe Academy of Football,on account of its excellent work with homegrown talent, among other things. Sadly, as of the 2016–2017 season, West Ham will move to theLondon Olympic Stadium.

3. Arsenal FC
Stadium: The Emirates Stadium. District: Holloway

Unveiled in the summer of 2006, the Emirates Stadiumis one of the most striking colosseums in the world. Even so, Arsenal FC will always be associated with its old home ground,Highbury.After the club moved from these premises, Highbury has been reconverted into luxury apartments. The original facade of the stadium has been preserved intact, while the rectangular pitch has been turned into a green square. The flats are located on the site of the former main stands.

2. The Football Association
Stadium: Wembley. District: Wembley

Wembley stadium, crowned by its emblematic twin towers, opened on 28 April 1923. That same evening it hosted the FA Cup Final between Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United. From then on it has become, as Pelé once declared, “…the cathedral of football. It is the capital of football and it is the heart of football.” Demolished in 2003, the new Wembley was erected on the same site and, while it is no longer the original ground, it is still regarded astheSTADIUM.

1. Brentford FC
Stadium: Griffin Park. District: Brentford

Founded in 1889, in its one-hundred-year history,Brentford FChasn’t played a single season in the top flight. This modest record has not prevented The Bees, as the fans of this West London club are known, from topping this chart. Why is this so? Because, not only doesGriffin Parkevoke everything one could imagine when picturing an English football ground – it also has the unique claim to being the only football stadium in Britain (and, probably, the world) that has a pub in each of its four corners. It wins the number 1 spot, hands down!

Whether you like football or not, a tour of these veritable sports cathedrals is worth the trip to London. Check out our flights here.

Text by Oriol Rodríguez

It probably can’t boast about having the best weather or food, but London is one of the world’s great centres of art production and exhibition. Its museums are a must-visit for expert and amateur museum-goers, as well as tourists who relish wandering through the kilometres of galleries to admire an Assyrian relief dating back 2,600 years, or paintings by Caravaggio or Turner, Charles Dickens’ original manuscripts or Pop Art silk screen prints by Andy Warhol.

The fact is London has museums for all tastes. From small and medium-sized private collections to the homes of illustrious figures, and large museums where you can spend days on end, if you feel so inclined. What’s more, most of them are admission-free. We toured the city, and here are our findings regarding the ten museums you simply shouldn’t miss.

1. British Museum – A Walk Through Archaeology

Going to London and not visiting the British Museum is like going to Madrid and not having a calamari sandwich. Among the oldest museums in Europe, it houses one of the most prestigious archaeological collections in the world. Here you will find such celebrated artefacts as the Rosetta Stone, the friezes from the Parthenon of Athens and a display of Egyptian art matched only by the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The British Museum is in the district of Bloomsbury, a short distance from Tottenham Court Road and Russell Square, housed in one of the most striking Neoclassical buildings in England.

2. National Gallery – the Temple of Painting

If visiting London without going into the British Museum is like visiting Madrid and not eating a calamari sandwich, then touring the city without setting foot in the National Gallery is like going to Rome and not trying a dish of pasta. Presiding over the immensity of Trafalgar Square, London’s National Gallery is home to some of the most famous canvases in art history, notably Jan van Eyck’s The Arnolfini Portrait, Rokeby Venus by Velázquez or Bathers by Paul Cézanne.

3. Tate Modern – for the Creative

Opened in the year 2000, a former power station on the bank of the Thames houses Britain's national gallery of international modern art, known as the Tate Modern. It is one of the city’s major attractions and boasts one of the most comprehensive modern art collections in the world. Here you can see works by Picasso, Dalí, Mark Rothko or Andy Warhol, while their excellent schedule of temporary exhibitions enables enthusiasts to keep up-to-date with the leading artists of the moment.

4. Wallace Collection – An Oasis in the City Centre

If there was a single word to define The Wallace Collection, it might well beoasis. This erstwhile family residence is located in the heart of London, a stone’s throw away from Oxford Street and Selfridges department store. Much of the original decor remains intact and the mansion houses a collection of art, weapons and objects which the Wallace family bequeathed to the British state in 1897. Works by Rembrandt, Velázquez, Titian, Canaletto and Fragonard rub shoulders with sumptuous chandeliers, vases and chimneys in this must-see landmark. The museum is quiet, admission-free and not too large, ideal for those seeking to avoid crowds and not get museum legs from too much walking. Be sure to have afternoon tea in the museum’s elegant covered court before leaving.

5. Tate Britain – British Style

Opened in 1897, this museum boasts a large collection of historical and contemporary British art. The major draw in the exhibition is the section dedicated to William Turner, one of Britain’s most famous painters, whose life was dramatised in the award-winning 2014 film, Mr. Turner, starring Timothy Spall in the title role. There is a boat service connecting the Tate Britain to the Tate Modern, so there is no excuse not to visit both museums and have a stroll along the bank of the Thames.

6. Victoria and Albert Museum – Art in the Service of Empire

Covering an area of 45,000 square metres, the Victoria and Albert Museum is one of the most spectacular museums in London. Located in the exclusive area of South Kensington, it features a truly amazing collection of decorative art. Items on display range from ivories to oriental textiles, goldsmithery, ceramics, glass and building fragments. The architecture of the building is eminently majestic, too, featuring large galleries and courts containing life-size replicas of Trajan’s Column and the Pórtico da Gloria from the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela – incredible!

7. Charles Dickens Museum – A Literary House

Oliver Twist and David Copperfield are two of the most famous novels of all time, while their author, Charles Dickens, is one of the great geniuses of English literature. Born in Portsmouth, Dickens spent most of his life in London. Although he lived in various houses, the one at 48 Doughty Street in the central district of Holborn is the site of the museum dedicated to this literary figure. Here, the writer lived with his family from 1837 to 1839, a comparatively brief yet fertile period in which some of his most celebrated works were written. Venturing into this Georgian house is like travelling back in time – a highly enjoyable experience, as the rooms have been kept the way they were in Dickens’ time. Rounding off the visit is an exhibition of the writer’s personal belongings and his manuscripts.

8. Handel & Hendrix – A House of the Baroque… and Rock, Too

What do the guitarist Jimi Hendrix and the composer Georg Friedrich Händel have in common? Well, they both lived in the same house, although with a 200-year separation in time. To be more exact, Handel resided at 25 Brook Street, while Hendrix lived at number 23. Two adjoining houses which can be visited together. Handel lived here from 1723 until his death in 1759. Four of the rooms have been re-constructed, including the bedroom and dining-room, and some of the composer’s music and personal items are on display. If you’re lucky, you might also be in for one of the concerts organised there from time to time. The home of Jimi Hendrix, where he lived in 1968 and 1969, features an exhibition highlighting the musician’s important role and influence in 1960s London.

9. The Queen’s Gallery – In Queen Elizabeth’s Home

The British love of monarchy is well known, so before leaving London, it is worth getting a feel for the esteem in which Elizabeth II is held by the people. And, the best way to get to know someone is by visiting her home. The Queen’s Gallery is located at one end of Buckingham Palace, the Queen’s official residence in London, where temporary exhibitions of items from the Royal Collection are held. If you’re due to be in London in summer, check out the events calendar beforehand. The Gallery opens for a few weeks and is a veritable experience.

10. Saatchi Gallery – In Line With the Latest Trends

Avant-garde and ground-breaking, the Saatchi Gallery is one of the great cutting-edge exhibition centres in Europe. Opened in the early eighties to display the art collection of the publicist and art collector, Charles Saatchi, it was bequeathed to the British government in 2010. It is one of the most frequently visited museums in the world and the ideal spot to become familiar with artists and art movements. Even those not moved by art will be impressed by this museum. It is located in the heart of the Chelsea district, an area frequented by London’s elite, so you will feel like a celebrity when you visit.

Text by Aleix Palau for Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

No less than 40% of the island’s population is concentrated in the capital, Ibiza. It is the venue for most social and cultural activities throughout the year and boasts the lion’s share of Ibiza’s culinary, sporting and leisure facilities.

Twenty-seven centuries of history are crammed within the walls of Dalt Vila in this ancient, sea-facing Phoenician capital. A visit to this site takes you on a journey into the past, essential to any understanding of the origins of the island. With their panoramic views of the sea, the Cathedral steps or the Old City Hall are hotspots for logging Instagram “likes”. The vantage point overlooks Es Freus, the strait that separates Ibiza from its sibling island, Formentera.

Business and leisure activities are concentrated at the foot of the walled precinct in Sa Penya, the old fishing quarter, as well as inLa Marina,the harbour, the central Vara de Rey boulevard, the lively Plaza del Parque and along the city’s main avenues.

Before Arriving

Dalt Vila can easily be toured in half a day. We met Shana Dominique Lacroix next to the boats moored in Ibiza harbour and she explained that the best panoramic view of the Old Town is to be had from alongside the Boas de Ibiza residential complex, designed by Jean Nouvel, on the opposite side of the docks (Paseo Juan Carlos I). While strolling along the dockside on our way to the walled city, we came across a monument dedicated to corsairs. Ibiza was a strategic point in the 16th, 17th and 18th century, as from there the whole south-east of the Iberian Peninsula could be defended against surprise raids by Turkish pirates.

Opposite the harbour, between Plaça d’Antoni Riquer and Plaça Sa Tertúlia, is a street market which begins after Holy Week and offers all kinds of craft wares, jewellery and leather goods. It is best to visit it at night time, when you can also have an ice-cream or a cold beer in the harbour area. It opens from 5 p.m. until the early hours. Nearby is Es Mercat Vell, with its Roman temple aesthetic, where you can enjoy fresh food and buy cut flowers. Open every day except Sundays.

Shana explained how the luxury marina had been relocated at the foot of the Old Town. This is one of only seven examples of such an oddity in the world. The fact is that a mooring in Ibiza’s exclusive harbour costs from 6,000 to 7,000 euros a day in high season (July and August).

Within the Walls

It is well worth strolling through the randomly laid out streets here and, on our walk, we came across medieval, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque buildings. The austerity of the Gothic Cathedral is surprising. A rewarding stop is the Dominican Convent, in Renaissance style. It houses the tomb of Guillem de Montgrí, who drove the Moors out of Ibiza and Formentera in 1235. It was then that Catalan was adopted as the main language, although it gradually morphed into Ibizan over the centuries.

In Dalt Vila, culture vultures will be able to quench their thirst in the Contemporary Art Museum, with paintings, engravings, drawings, posters, photographs and videos by such prominent contemporary artists as Bechtold, Floris, Broner, Micus, Zush/Evru, Flanagan, Vedova, Schlosser, Hausmann, Le Parc, Tàpies, Gordillo, Dmitrienko, Hinterreiter, Vallribera, Broto, Faber, Tur Costa, Echarri and Portmany. Also worth visiting is the Puget Museum, dedicated to the work of the acclaimed artist, Narcís Puget. You can now also visit an exhibition devoted to the work of his son, the recently deceased photographer, Narcís Puget Riquer.

Ibiza “All’Antica”

Ibiza was designated a World Heritage Site in 1999, by which UNESCO recognised the need to preserve the historical, cultural and natural assets which make this island unique, although especially on account of four complexes:

1. The Walled Precinct of Dalt Vila. The best preserved fortress in the Mediterranean. In the 16th century, Philip II ordered the island to be defended tooth and nail against Berber assaults. He had the old medieval walls converted into an impregnable, fortified bulwark.

2. The Puig des Molins Necropolis. The world’s largest and best preserved Phoenician-Punic necropolis is located in the ancient Roman settlement in the city centre. On display are over 2,500 hypogea or underground chambers where the deceased were buried along with their belongings and tools, in preparation for the afterlife. This is also where the bust of Tanit was found. The goddess of love and fertility, she is identified as the goddess of Ibiza.

3. The Phoenician Settlement of Sa Caleta, in the environs of the Ses Salines Nature Reserve, was the earliest Phoenician settlement on the island, dating from the 8th century BC. The site is fenced off but you can still see the layout and the way life was organised in those times.

4. The waters around Ibiza and Formentera are exceptionally clean and transparent on account of abundant, well preserved underwater meadows of posidonia which promotes seabed biodiversity and the development of indigenous species of marked scientific value. The waters and islets of Es Freus, within the Ses Salines Nature Reserve of Ibiza and Formentera, are ideal for diving.

A large medieval market is held on the second weekend in May each year to celebrate the anniversary of Dalt Vila’s designation as a World Heritage Site.

But, not all is world heritage in old Ibiza. Other assets have emerged over the last few decades and, while they may not be as edifying, they are nevertheless equally essential. For instance, there is the broad slew of culinary offerings available in a host of restaurants, many of which can be found on the Calle de Santa Cruz. We can recommend La Oliva, which features Mediterranean cuisine with some Asian flourishes, where you are sure to bump into the odd celebrity. Then there is the Plaza del Sol, with amazing views of the harbour.

Why wait to explore Ibiza’s Old Town? Check out our flights here.

Special thanks to the Fundación de Promoción Turística de Ibiza.

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Images by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS and Fundación de Promoción Turística de Ibiza

The Englischer Garten is the biggest park in the city and as the weather was fine we decided to spend the morning there, along with what seemed to be most of the residents of Munich. At the entrance to the park there is a bridge over the River Eisbach on which surfers take advantage of the strong current and resulting waves to practice their sport. It’s great fun watching them, seeing how they organise themselves, waiting for their turn to jump in and do their balancing act.

The park has huge boulevards and other areas full of trees criss-crossed by streams so it’s very relaxing to going for a walk around and crossing the bridges. In the middle of the Englischer Garten you find the Chinese Tower Biergarten. People can take their own food along to the beer gardens but as we didn’t take anything we bought sausages from a stall.

We carry on walking through the park and head for one of the side exits. There we find another small biergarten that caught our attention because they had put a ski lift cabin on their terrace in which you sit to have your coffee. We thought it was a really original idea.

We took Hohenzollernstraße; we wanted to go to a place we’d been recommended by Laurel Robbins on monkeysandmountains.com. This is a restaurant in which they serve potatoes with more fillings that you could possibly imagine.
You can find all types of shops in Hohenzollernstraße: fashion designers, antique shops, shoe shops… The Lili & Milou shop window is full of really original children’s clothes and games.

Unfortunately Kartoffelhaus was closed, more than likely because we had spent too long wandering in the park. We were still not used to German eating hours and the time at which we arrived was probably far better suited to having dinner rather than lunch.

Luckily, we found a place very close by that we really liked, the Schwabinger Wassermann at No. 82 Herzog Street. The idea of being in a street dedicated to the Munich director and producer Werner Herzog also really appealed to us because we’re huge fans of his films. This man drove his entire team mad as a result of his strong character. For the film Fitzcarraldo, he had a 320-ton steamship hauled up a hill rather than resort to special effects.

As we didn’t really know what the German words on the menu meant, we ordered a Thai dish by pointing to what the girl at the next-door table was eating. It looked really tasty and the end result was really hot but incredibly tasty.

The photo shows the dish we were served garnished with red chilli pepper. One thing we will remember the next time we eat something with chilli in it is to make sure we don’t rub our eyes after handling it. The sting in the eye is just the same as on the tongue with the inconvenience that you can’t have a drink to relieve the pain.

Next day, we decided to pay a visit to the centre of the city. The Marienplatz square stands at the heart of Munich with its impressive City Hall, the Peterskirche and the Frauenkirche with their characteristic green cupola adorning the church towers.

The Viktualienmarkt market is very close to the historic centre and its spectacular colours make you stop at each little stall. On one of the side streets are butchers selling all sorts of German sausages and delicious smoked meats. Stalls are distributed all around the maypole in the square offering attractive displays of fruit, vegetables, cheeses and Christmas decorations.

The most popular stall in the entire market was a small log cabin where they served Glühwein Haferl, hot wine with cinnamon and lemon served in little Christmassy china cups. Hand on heart we have to admit that the first sip didn’t go down too well but the taste grows on you as you drink more, apart from the fact that it also warms you up.

We continued on our way to Vits in Rumfordstraße 49, a delicious coffee shop recommended to us by Laurel. They say they serve the best coffee in city here and they aren’t wrong!

Of all the bars in Munich, the recommendation had been not to visit the famous Hofbrauhaus; it’s the one the Germans don’t go to because it’s too touristy. However, as we passed the door – to be honest by chance – we could not resist the temptation of going inside. Sitting at one of the shared tables near the door, we watched groups of tourists going into a small room in which regular clients left their beer glasses, kept under lock and key. When these clients went to the bar, they collect their glass and give it a rinse. It’s easy to tell who the regulars are as they generally come decked out in characteristic Bavarian hats and lederhosen.

In the Odeonsplatzse we found the Tambosi coffee shop, one of the oldest in town. The weather had already turned chilly and on the terrace, where a classical music concert was taking place, people were sitting outside wrapped up in red blankets.

They say that if you touch the noses of the lions on the door of the Münchner Residenz, the former royal palace of the kings of Bavaria, you will have good luck, but only if your touch is light, almost a stroke. If you touch them for too long, you will get the opposite effect. Normally these types of superstitions are usually only observed by tourists, but we can assure you that in this case, the people of Munich themselves are the most rigorous followers of tradition.

Munich was home to the Olympic Games in 1972 and it’s worth paying a visit to its Olympic Village, the Olimpiastadion with its irregular-shaped glass canopy.

Apart from being a sports venue, the Munich Olympic Stadium hosts lots of concerts and many of the artists that have performed there have left their signatures in the cement, just like the Hollywood Walk of Fame. You can find signatures from Metallica, REM, Kiss, Genesis, Aerosmith, Bryan Adams, Carlos Santana and Roger Waters just to name but a few of those that we can remember. It’s a walk through the history of music.

By Mónica Hidalgo on seriebcn.net

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