No bridge seems to be as famous as the one in Avignon, the central theme of one of the best known children’s songs in France. Indeed, it has been sung in virtually all languages – local guides can even sing it in Japanese – so it comes as no surprise that anyone arriving at the battered Pont Saint-Bénézet is likely to sing the song or even dance it. This structure, twice destroyed by flooding along the Rhone, has become an icon of this Provençal city and its ambassador par excellence, earning it universal fame.

Apart from its bridge, Avignon, which is just an hour’s drive from Marseille, is a historic city, having once been the capital of Christendom and the centrepiece in one of the major schisms in the Catholic Church. Dating from that period is the formidable Papal Palace, the largest known Gothic palace. In the 14th century it witnessed a cultural and economic Renaissance that saw the arrival of bankers, artists and writers from all over Europe in a quest to be near the papal orbit – Petrarch was one of them.

But, it was not until five centuries later that Avignon again became a beacon of intellectual activity.  1947 saw the birth of the Avignon Festival, France’s longest-standing and most celebrated event devoted to theatre and the scenic arts and one of the most firmly rooted festivals in Europe. This year it runs into its 70th edition and will be held from 6 to 24 July at more than 30 venues.

A turning point in the Festival’s schedule of events came in the year 2000 when Avignon was designated the European Capital of Culture. Then ensued a cultural revival in this, the major population centre in the department of Vaucluse – set in the new region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur – as attested by the opening of the Lambert Collection – Museum of Contemporary Art, set up in 2000 around a historic endowment by the merchant and collector, Yvon Lambert. The endowment is admirable and comprehensive and features permanent exhibitions showcasing the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Sol LeWitt, Douglas Gordon and the ever-controversial photographer, Andrés Serrano, among other artists, as well as numerous temporary exhibitions.

Avignon has ten museums in all, prominent among them being the Musée du Petit Palais, with a large collection of medieval painting, the Calvet Museum, the Musée Angladon, dedicated to Impressionism, and the Musée Louis-Vouland, which specialises in the decorative arts. There is also an opera theatre, an exhibition park and some unique facilities like La FabricA, a theatre factory where various companies rehearse their performances in the run-up to the Avignon Festival.

Art is also present in Les Halles Market, endowed with a stunning vertical garden created by the artist, Patrick Blanc. This market is the ideal spot for buying fresh produce and Provençal specialities at one of their forty plus stores.

It would be amiss to end this article without recommending some of the venues for eating the tastiest food in Avignon. One is Maison de Fogasses, a splendid town palace which offers an exquisite menu of the day for around 20 euros based on locally sourced products. Another is LE 46 which specialises in French cuisine with Mediterranean flourishes.

Avignon is the perfect destination for a getaway from Marseille. Check out your flights to Marseille here.

Text by Tus Destinos

Images by Tus Destinos, Avignon-Tourisme (C.Rodde)

Walking through central Prague it’s hard not to get trapped in the elaborate net of touristy souvenir shops and hot wine stands. But just like in the Dark Ages, there is a hidden layer to the today’s city bustling with lights, sights and stores. Jewelry, accessories and home décor by local artists feeding on the country’s rich design traditions may be hard to spot by accident – but now you don’t have to.

ARTĚL

Started by Karen Feldman back in 1988, now ARTĚL is a renowned glassware brand with 2 stores in Prague and a reputation far beyond. Today, they carry Karen’s own patterned glass items as well as countless multidisciplinary articles by young local designers. Earrings to candles and rings to buttons and postcards, ARTĚL is a seminal element in the local design scene.

Celetná 29 (entrance on Rybná), Prague 1
www.artelglass.com
open daily 10:00-19:00

KUBISTA

Housed in a gorgeous cubist building called the House of the Black Madonna, Kubista shares it with the Czech Museum of Cubism and the Grand Café Orient restaurant upstairs. Focusing on one-of-a-kind cubist (and other) jewelry, lamps, and ceramics, Kubista offers a refined, intimate shopping experience. Each item has the designer’s name on the tag, and extra careful packing and shipping for fragile purchases are available.

Ovocný trh 19, Prague 1
www.kubista.cz/en/
open Tue to Sun 10:00-18:30

DOX DESIGNSHOP

The DOX Centre for Contemporary Art is alone worth a visit, but the Designshop within it puts the huge complex on the must visit map. Attracting a younger crowd in terms of both buyers and designers, the DOX Designshop shows how ambitious artists experiment with jewelry as well as traditionally Czech glass and porcelain,. The Bookshop right nearby offers the best design, art and photo book selection in town.

Poupětova 1, Prague 7
www.dox.cz/en/premises-and-shops/designshop
open Mon 10:00-18:00, Wed & Fri 11:00–19:00, Thu 11:00-21:00, Sat & Sun 10:00–18:00
closed Tuesday

FUTURISTA

A unique gallery slash shop slash workshop spot right next to the Bethlehem Chapel, Futurista Universum strives to offer what’s freshest in the local design world. Go there for an impressive selection of contemporary jewelry with an edge, cheeky accessories, and beautiful minimalist glassware. Check the website for the list of current exhibitions.

Betlémské náměstí 5a, Prague 1
www.futurista.cz/en/stranka-o-nas-2
open Mon to Fri 11:00-18:30, Sat 10:00-18:30

BELDAFACTORY

A family-run business dating back to the 1920-s, BELDAFACTORY fuses classical, contemporary and quirky in their distinctive jewelry, wedding rings and tableware designs. Made by hand with metal, precious stones and enamel, these are offered in their very own shop in central Prague, along with selected works by other local artists. Unique glass and porcelain articles are also available.

Mikulandská 10, Prague 1
www.belda.cz/english
open Mon to Fri 11:00-18:00

Image: Kubista

So you feel like visiting Prague, do you? Book your flights here!

Krakow is the most touristic and historic city in Poland. In fact, the historic centre was declared UNESCO World Heritage Site because even the city was destroyed by the German army during the World War II, since the reconstruction of the historic quarter -known as Stare Miaso – started in 1950, trying to reconstruct it as close as possible to what it was originally.

The hearth of the city is Rynek Glówny, one of the biggest squares in Europe, always cheerful because of the street musicians and the tourists. By night, the gas lamps still light this place, projecting shadows on the walls of the buildings surrounding the square, from 14th and 15th century, giving this location an atmosphere both gloomy and romantic.

Nowadays, Krakow is a great destination for tourists but still remains all its past in order to have a promising future.

The old Jewish ghetto

It was not located in the current Jewish quarter, Kazimierz, but a bit further, in the Podgórze district. From the original, only parts of the wall remain, some of the streets and a memorial square to the heroes of the ghetto (Plac Bohaterów Getta) with big metal chairs that represent their stolen belongings when they arrived to the ghetto.

Krakow’s ghetto was founded in 1941 and as the Nazi genocide intensified, it began to be overpopulated and people died of hunger or diseases or, even worst, they were killed in the streets.

Aguila pharmacy

Nevertheless, stores were allowed to remain operative. Tadeusz Pankiewicz, the owner of the pharmacy Aquila (Apteka pod Orlem), had a significant role for the Jewish. The pharmacy was a valuable meeting point to smuggle with food, medicines and other valuable objects.

Because of that, Tadeusz Pankiewicz received a honourable mention from the state of Israel. In 2004, Roman Polanski and Steven Spielberg managed the restoration of the pharmacy, which is now part of the city History Museum, showing the murder of Jewish in the ghetto and what an important role the pharmacy had. Polanski, who escaped from the ghetto when he was a child, dedicated his Oscar award for The Pianist to Pankiewicz.

Schindler factory

Another awarded movie made a factory near the ghetto very famous. The history of Oscar Schindler’s factory – which is now also a museum – appeared in the known movie by Steven Spielberg.

The exhibition at this factory, titled “Nazi occupation (1939-1945)” includes an exhibition, reconstructions, images, objects from that period and sounds that make the visit a vivid experience, experiencing what Polish experienced during the Nazi occupation.

Krakow Jewish neighbourhood

The Jewish neighbourhood Kazimierz, formed by one of the biggest Jewish communities in Europe before the World War II, is nowadays a charming and bohemian neighbourhood, with cheerful streets, odd stores and craft workshops, also with a great variety of restaurants serving Hebrew cuisine.

Here you can visit the Old Synagogue (the oldest in Poland), the Remuh Synagogue, next to the Jewish cemetery, or the spectacular Catholic churches of Saint Catherine or the c he Crypt at Skałka. As a curiosity, you should know that this is the place where Spielberg filmed his movie Schindler's List.

Auschwitz-Birkenau

About 60 kilometres away of Krakow there is the sadly famous concentration camps Auschwitz I – first to be built - and Auschwitz II (or Birkenau), built after as an extermination camp.

You can get here easily by train or bus, leaving from the central station for trains and buses at Kraków Główny, it takes about one hour and a half to get there.

The shameful significance of this place is because it is the largest concentration camp built during the Nazi regime and the largest extermination in history, over one million people where killed here. Nowadays, it remains as a memorial to prevent this atrocities to happen again and to not forget the atrocities that took place here.

Cracovia by FotoCavallo |  Auschwitz by Gigatel Cyf Ltd. | Fábrica de Schindler by Noa Cafri | Barrio judio de Cracovia by Jakub Hałun

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

Words: Jos Porath – Photos: Lena Aliper

Sunday is the day of rest?! Not so in Berlin. While the party crowd is still going strong, or else nursing their hangovers, sipping espressos and hiding behind dark shades, treasure seekers, bargain hunters and lovers of curiosities flock to the flea markets that pop up all over this mecca of kitsch and knick-knacks on the weekend. Something of a time-honoured tradition, many of the capital’s streets, parks and squares transform into bustling Wunderkabinetts that are a must-do for anyone after a unique gift (to others or self), or a souvenir of the best way to do Sunday strolling in Berlin.

While antiques, vintage clothes, GDR memorabilia, attic finds and someone’s-junk-another-one’s-treasure pieces still dominate, many vendors are also local artists, fashion designers or jewellery makers, offering a chance to snap up one-of-a-kind item particular to Berlin’s creative scene. With twenty plus flea markets to chose from on most weekends, the following top three picks showcase the best of what the barter-and-bargain scene has to offer.

Mauerpark

For those not shy of rubbing shoulders, the flea market at Mauerpark is a must-see. Berlin’s biggest and busiest flea market, this maze features everything from Edwardian nightgowns over formica coffee tables to oversized 1980s knit sweaters, and local designers and artists, and fresh food and drinks stalls to boot. Plan a whole day first scouting the goods, then hang out in the adjoining park watching bands, buskers and performers, or get involved in some open air karaoke.

Bernauer Straße 63-64, Prenzlauer Berg

U8 Bernauer Straße
Sunday, 7 am – 5 pm
Tram M10 Friedrch-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark

Arkonaplatz

A five-minute walk from Mauerpark, the flea market at Arkonaplatz is located in a leafy, residential part of town. A much smaller and more upscale/less digging through smelly boxes affair, browsing and shopping here has an almost bespoke quality to it. While the vendors finding, selecting, cleaning and repairing the goods on offer at this market is reflected in the prices, it can make for a welcome shortcut to finding pieces that are either in astonishing condition or have been lovingly restored.

On Arkonaplatz, Prenzlauer Berg

Sunday, 10 am – 4 pm
Tram M1/M12 Zionskirchplatz

Nowkoelln Flowmarkt/Kreuzboerg Flowmarkt

Berlin is becoming younger, hipper and more international by the day, and the flea markets most reflective of these exciting changes are the Nowkoelln Flowmarkt near the canal at Maybachufer, as well as Kreuzboerg flea market in the Prinzessinnengardens in the heart of Kreuzberg. Aiming to attract a younger crowd with a well-presented and priced selection of hip second hand items, trendy vintage pieces and timeless design objects, as well as top notch food and coffee stalls, the two markets are a great place to stroll, browse and people-watch.

Nowkoelln Flowmarkt, Neukölln

Maybachufer
Every first and third Sunday of the month, 10 am – 6 pm
U8 Schönleinstraße
—
Kreuzboerg Flowmarkt
Prinzessinnengärten, Kreuzberg
Every second and fourth Sunday of the month, 10 am – 6 pm
U8/Bus M29 Moritzplatz

Words: Jos Porath – Photos: Lena Aliper

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