B-FIT in the streetor D’ale Bucureştilor, is held in the streets of Bucharest’s old city from late May to early June each year. This admission-free festival features a host of events, including theatre stagings, open-air cinema, music performances and parades, attended by thousands of festival-goers. No other place is so evocative for enjoying the folk music and medieval traditions of the B-Fit festival as the narrow backstreets of the area. So, now that we find ourselves in the picturesque historic centre of the Romanian capital, let’s wander through the area to soak up its charm.

A City with a Parisian Air

Bucharest was once known as the “little Paris of the East” for its French influences, still noticeable in its wide avenues and, like the French capital, a striking triumphal arch at the entrance to Kisseleff Avenue. This grand avenue was the megalomaniacal dream of Ceauşescu, who wanted to better the Champs Elysées by making it a few metres longer than the original model. Under his rule, a large part of the city centre was demolished to make way for ugly Communist-era buildings.

Piața Unirii (Unification Square), one of the largest in the city, is also reminiscent of the grand squares of Paris. It is intersected by Unirii Boulevard, which marks the divide between old and new Bucharest, affording comparative views of the contrast between the two.

Lipscani – A Historical, Lively District

North ofUniriisquare,after crossing the Dâmboviţa river canal, lies Lipscani, the centrul vechi (historic centre) of Bucharest. This is one of the most interesting areas as, fortunately, it managed to elude Ceauşescu city plans. It is a lively quarter, packed with bars, restaurants and modern pubs throbbing with activity.

Also fronting Unirii Square is Manuc's Inn (Hanul lui Manuc),a centuries-old inn architecturally way ahead of its time. Its magnificent inner court, which was once a staging area for the throngs of carriages that plied across Europe in the mid-19th century, now accommodates charming terrace cafés.

Well worth visiting is the Curtea Veche archaeological excavation which houses the residence commissioned by the 15th-century ruler, Vlad III Dracula or Vlad Țepeș the Impaler, the Transylvanian nobleman whose legend was immortalised in the novel, “Dracula”, by Bram Stoker. A visit of Curtea Veche might include venturing into some of its underground halls, browsing through its museum and taking vampirish shots of Vlad’s bust.

Prominent among the jewels of religious architecture in Lipscani is the priceless Stavropoleos Orthodox church, built in response to the call of numerous Greek merchants resident in Bucharest for a place of worship.

Eating at Historical Restaurants and Modern Terrace Cafés

The above Orthodox church is usually stumbled on by tourists heading to the restaurant known as Caru' cu bere (Beer Cart), a veritable institution in the city. It is housed in a neo-Gothic building listed as a historic monument, and its interior boasts numerous art nouveau adornments. Although it includes a terrace, we recommend eating indoors to admire the murals, mosaics and stained-glass windows, and soak up part of the history that has played out between its walls. Since it was first opened in 1899, it has been a meeting place for Romanian artists and writers.

Cafeneaua Veche (Old Café), on Covaci Street, is another venue you must see. It is Bucharest’s oldest café, dating from 1812, and is a heritage site listed by UNESCO. Later on you could spend some time listening to music in one of the many lively pubs along Covaci Street, notably the 1974 or the Underworld.

Another traditional restaurant in the old city is Crama Domnaesca, on Strada Selari. This is the perfect place for splashing out on a fully-fledged banquet, to try the main dishes in Romanian cuisine in a setting with medieval décor. Price is no object, as they are generally laughable in comparison to restaurants in other European countries.

What are you waiting for to hit Bucharest? Check out our trips here.

Text by Scanner FM

Images by Jordi Joan Fabrega, Richard Mortel, fusion-of-horizons

By Tensi Sánchez from actitudesmgz.com

t gives me great pleasure to debut as a writer for My Vueling City and, naturally, my first post is about Bilbao. Without boasting or bragging too much, it must be said that no other European city has anything of which “My City” could be envious of. See for yourself as you read on.

Bilbao has been able to reinvent itself to an extent that few other European cities have achieved. In less than fifteen years, Bilbao has gone from being an industrial city to a city where the focus is on services, and the constant change continues to this day.
There is no surprise then that the majority of large international companies have set up shop in Bilbao; the regional capital of Biscay. Bilbao can also claim to have put itself on the map as an architectural benchmark.
Residents and visitors alike can enjoy a highly varied lifestyle that includes a great combination of the modern, the traditional, good food and shopping.
Just one weekend is time enough to immerse yourself Bilbao’s lifestyle. Here are a few suggestions about my favourite places in the city.

Everybody knows that good food abounds in these lands and this is precisely one of the strengths in Bilbao. Restaurants can be found dotted all over the city and cater to a wide range of culinary tastes. Exploring the many options is a delight for all the senses as you are seduced by the cuisine and often spectacular visual treats.

Here are some great examples: Un Señor de Bilbao, La Cuchara de Valentina, Nerua, La chuleta sin espina and Shibui, the latter being the only place in the city to offer haute cuisine, Japanese-style.

Bilbao is also the perfect city for trend setters and trend followers. A clear example of mixing the modern and the traditional can be found at Enkarterri Concept Store; clothes, furniture and food, all franked by the Basque label.

When talking about fashion and design, I must mention Persuade, the quintessential temple to avant-garde fashion and, dare I say it, the most amazing shop I have ever seen in my whole life ( although not suitable for all budgets), and Shopa, which specialises in design, clothes, books, wine and much more, is located inside the iconic La Alhóndiga leisure building and was designed from start to finish by French industrial designer, Philippe Starck.

And finally Lu:la, Narata, Serie B, Charada, Cultto and Ah Moda are shops that exude fresh and different fashion.

After a hectic morning of shopping, treat yourself to brunch in Plaza Nueva in the old town. You cannot come to Bilbao and leave without trying the famous Basque pintxos! Just take a short walk and you’ll see for yourself that there are countless bars just waiting to be discovered.

Visiting one of the many contemporary art galleries is another option but Epelde y Mardaras is undoubtedly the most peculiar. Located in an enormous flat dating back to 1840 with the chance to order lunch or dinner, it really is an incredible experience.

For vintage style at its purest, go to Almoneda Campos – an intriguing shop full of all kinds of items from times gone by. However, if you’re looking for something more exclusive and modern in terms of decoration and design, I have two excellent suggestions: Urbana 15 and Mosel.

Enjoying a carefully-prepared evening drink is a must in this city. My favourites are to be had at Corto Maltes, La Gallina Ciega, El txoko de Gabi and, of course, on the terrace at Hotel Domine with those marvellous and unbeatable views of the Guggenheim Museum – the perfect place to round off an evening in Bilbao.

And if that’s not enough for you, there is always an online agenda of cultural and leisure activities happening in Bilbao, ilovebilbao.com. I recommend you sign up for free before planning a trip to Bilbao because it will help you find information about everything that is going on, up to a week in advance.

Vueling offers a large selection of connections to the city so there is no excuse for not planning your “perfect weekend”. Bilbao is in Fashion… ¿What are you waiting for? Book your flight now!

By Tensi Sánchez from actitudesmgz.com

London is well known for its large number of watering holes with the odd modish touch. Here is a selection of five bars where you are sure to come across more than one surprise.

1- Evans & Peel Detective Agency

Get onto the space and time machine and travel back to the 1920s, to one of the speakeasies that operated illegally during the Prohibition era in the United States. London has several “clandestine” bars, although there are virtually none in West London, so the Evans & Peel Detective Agency is a must-visit for the adventurous all-nighters in the area. Admission is strictly by appointment with the detective agency, specialising in blackmail and missing persons. You will be met by one of the detectives in his office and, if you cough up about everything you are supposed to know, he will motion you into a dimly-lit room where you will be served bottles of liquor wrapped in brown paper – to put the authorities off your scent – notably some amazing cocktails brewed American-style.

2- Viktor Wynd Museum Of Curiosities

A weird spot? There you go… the Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities, Fine Art and Natural History will meet your expectations if you’re seeking a unique (and ornate) experience. Here, fantasy knows no bounds and anything goes. Share a table with a big cat by candlelight? Go ahead! Sip on a cocktail alongside a skeleton sleeping in a coffin? This is your spot. Interested in anything related to taxidermy? You simply must come. Here, bizarre things have an added value and enhance the experience. The best idea is to pay an amusing visit to the “museum of curiosities” set up by Mr Wynd, an artist enthralled with subversive worlds and a limitless imagination, and end off in the Museum Café/Bar, where they serve cocktails. To round off the experience with a bite, in line with the locale, make sure you order a hamburger. Which one would you like – a zebra or crocodile hamburger?

3- Sew Over It

Get this – we have to admit that the Sewing Café is not entirely a café, but we simply couldn’t resist mentioning it. More than anything else, it is a workshop and sewing school run by ever-charming Grace, its owner, who always has some advanced-level dressmaking project up her sleeve. Her two sewing shops are transformed into a Sewing Café on certain days of the week, becoming co-working spaces where you can have as many cups of tea as you like and use the thread, patterns, fabric, sewing machines and overlockers. Sew It Over brings together groups of people – mainly women – to work on sewing projects and to share ideas and resolve concerns. Why not dedicate a while during your holidays to do a bit of sewing and get to know passionate DIY Londoners? There are two Sewing Cafés – one in Clapham and another in Islington.

4- Ladies and Gentleman

Several public toilets in London have been turned into trendy bars. If your first reaction is aversion to having a drink in a former loo, explore everything Ladies and Gentleman in Kentish Town has to offer and you will understand why hipsters jostle over tables in this inviting cocktail bar. The white square floor tiles and the sign over a bidet saying that “it is forbidden to wash anything other than face and hands” reminds us that we are in an erstwhile public toilet. The heart-stopping cocktails are guaranteed to make us forget anything else. Don’t arrive late – it’s always full.

5- Bounce

The Home of Ping Pong – this is how Bounce describes itself. It has two venues in London – Farringdon and Shoreditch – and will shortly be opening a third branch in Chicago. Its two London venues boast a total of 28 ping pong tables available for customers. They can be hired by the hour or half-hour from £10. The folks at Bounce take things seriously – the bats and balls are included in the price, and they even offer tips on their website for improving your skills. The interiors in both venues are conscientiously designed and feature spacious rooms suited to groups. Their menu and pizzas with antipasti are highly recommendable and they offer a large variety of gins and craft beers.

Ready to discover London’s more unusual watering holes? Book your Vueling here.

Text by Rita Peré for Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

At certain times in the 20th century, Prague took on a leading role as one of the major design production centres in Europe. During the Art Nouveau period, it was among the leaders, together with Vienna, Brussels and Barcelona. Now, the Prague design scene is again emerging on an international level. We went there to take a look at what’s been happening of late.

On our arrival in the capital of the Czech Republic, we decided that the best way of discovering the trends in Czech design over the last few years was to visit The Museum of Decorative Arts, a beacon for enthusiasts of the arts and applied design. However, we found that the museum was closed for renovations and will only re-open to the public in 2017. Instead of feeling disappointed, we took the setback as a more stimulating challenge and set about unearthing less well-known places associated with the past and present of Czech design. Just opposite the Museum stands the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design, whose students are destined to influence the future course of design, architecture, fashion, jewellery, graphic arts and the fine arts. Apart from presenting the work of its students and graduates, some of the Academy exhibitions are contextualised in terms of references from the past and present.

From Cubism to the Influence of the Brussels School

There are still many sites from that period on display. The Czech Republic – or Czechoslovakia, as it was then known – was a hub of multi-cultural design during the two World Wars. Even prior to World War I, the Czech Cubist movement played a vital role and creators such as Josef Gočár, Pavel Janák and Vlastislav Hofman designed unique works of architecture, furniture and ceramics. The furniture which Jindřich Halabala began to design for the United Arts and Crafts Manufacturing Plant between the wars influenced several generations. For further details of the key players in the design field during the interwar period, there is a publication entitled “Czech 100 Design Icons”. But, we also recommend having a look at the stores Modernista and Kubista, where you will find a wide variety of replicas from that period.

Czech design also came to the fore in the 1950s and 1960s, making itself felt on the international scene, particularly at the Brussels World Fair of 1958, while eight years later its consolidation earned widespread recognition in the film, Czechoslovak New Wave.It was not, however, until democracy was restored in 1989 that the following resurgence of Czech design occurred.

New Age of Splendour – Studios and Shops

Events unfolded apace after the return of democracy to the country. Thus, in the nineties, design flourished in the Czech Republic. A host of stores, designers and architectural and design studios emerged, notably Olgoj Chorchoj, Studio Najbrt and Maxim Velčovský, which continue to play a decisive role. At the same time, the design world continues to be augmented by young, upcoming talent provided by the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design, which organises the Great Design Prizes competition each year.

On the contrary, fashion designers have been late in catching the wave. While in the nineties and the early years of this century they were practically nowhere to be seen, nowadays there are some stores of note. These are Timur et Grupo, Sister Conspiracy, Hana Havelková, Klára Nademlýnská, Denisa Nová and Liběna Rochová, to name but a few.

Design Markets

The 17th international Designblok exhibition, with “Freedom” as the theme, will take place in October this year. The event is aimed at both the professional sector and the public at large and will be given over to design from a broad perspective, ranging from fashion to furniture design, to jewellery, home accessories, product design, lighting, etc. Also to be featured there are installations of a character halfway between design and the plastic arts.

While Designblok holds its presentations in upmarket establishments, the Dyzajn market focuses on the sale of original creations. Here, the leitmotif is the open-air format. But, if you’d like to see it, you’ll have to wait until next year, as it is held on the first two days of August. This year’s location was Střelecký Ostrov. Lastly, the next DesignSUPERMARKET is scheduled for this December and will be hosted in Kafka’s House. These three events provide an opportunity to see the exhibitions and also to make design purchases.

Prague design is waiting to be discovered. Check out our flights here.

Text by ISABELYLUIS Comunicación

Images by Wendy, Kubista, Academia de las Artes, Arquitectura y Diseño de Praga, Museo de Artes Decorativas de Praga