By Laia Zieger from Gastronomistas

If you've visited to Brussels, you're sure to have noticed that chocolate is a serious matter here. It is one of the city's emblems that has also earned it world fame in the dessert sector. But, with so many choices, where should you go to try the best chocolate in Brussels? Around the Place du Grand Sablon and its surrounding areas is where there is the greatest concentration of really high-standard chocolate shops. They are all rivals in the exclusivity and quality of their raw materials, in speciality and creativity. One of the most visible signs of chocolate power in Brussels is that the establishments that make this confectionery close late at night and open every day of the year. There's no rest for the sweet-toothed.

• Patrick Roger (Place du Grand Sablon, 43). Ultra-luxurious, this shop is a real gallery of art dedicated to chocolate. The chocolate artist and flavour sculptor - as Roger introduces himself - expresses all of his mastery in impressive and enormous cocoa figures that are displayed at the premises and are only for aesthetic purposes. But let's not forget what's important: they are distinguished by delicious and very fine chocolates, that seem simple but hide extraordinary complexity: they combine up to 14 different products to obtain a unique flavour.
A special mention for the little plain chocolate squares with lime and basil ganache. Speechless.

•Wittamer(Place du Grand Sablon, 6, 12, 13). Four generations of the same family have devoted themselves to making delicious traditional chocolates and cakes, but also to innovating and adapting to new trends. They make their almost 100 different chocolates (some with seasonal ingredients or inspired by current events) with cocoa ‘grands crus’. El Pavé de Bruxelles (plain chocolate filled with Brazilian-style praline and caramel), registered as the firm's own recipe, is their most famous chocolate. But the most daring idea, without a doubt, is their bar covered in fried grasshoppers sprinkled with gold...

•Maison Pierre Marcolini. (Rue des Minimes, 1). Rather than a chocolate shop, it is a cocoa jeweller's shop. The hundreds of different chocolates they make are on display behind glass. To make his products, the Master Marcolini brings the most delicious raw materials from the five continents.
There are also limited editions for celebrating special events and current affairs.

•Neuhaus.(Rue Lebeau 79). The history of this brand is very curious. Jean Neuhaus settles in Brussels in 1857 and, with his brother, opens a chemist on the prestigious Galerie de la Reine. To disguise the taste of the medicines, he decides to cover them with a layer of chocolate. It's not known for sure how, but one day he substitutes the drugs with fresh cream and so creates the first filled chocolate, which he calls praline, and which is one century old this year. It is an immediate success and this recipe spreads as a chocolate classic in cake shops all over the world.

• A little further from the Place du Grand Sablon, we find Zaabär (Chaussée de Charleroi, 125), which defines itself as a chocolate and spice shop. In fact, its name is inspired by the Arabic word bazaar - a market where you can find numerous condiments. The speciality of this firm are chocolate bars flavoured with spices (the plain chocolate ones with cinnamon, Guérande salt or Szechuan pepper are incredible). The point that differentiates Zaabär is that it organises chocolate-making workshops (there are ones for learning to make truffles, cakes…). Ideal for groups and families visiting Brussels, or simply foodies searching for new experiences.

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

Strategically located by the Baltic Sea, between Lithuania and Poland, in Kaliningrad there is a mixture of the Soviet influences and the German roots, when Kaliningrad was the capital city of East Prussia and it was one of the major cities in Europe, better known as Köningsberg.

In 1945, during World War II, the red army occupied Köningsberg, which name changed to Kaliningrad in the memory the president of the Supreme Soviet until 1946, Mikhail Kalinin.

The city was rebuilt after the destruction during the war, creating and odd mixture of elements. Kaliningrad is a Russian setting far from its capital and 600 kilometres far from Pskow, the closest Russian city.

Baltic region is known as the biggest amber site and the most important mines are in Kaliningrad. This valuable material has reputation worldwide for its beauty and the healing properties, also magic, which are given to it.

There is a legend that says they are tears from Yurati, Goddess of the Sea, who wasn’t allowed to be in love with a mortal and was chained to the seabed, next to the castle, crying that sorrow. This romantic story tells that amber teardrops reach the sea bay but, actually, it is made from the solidified resin of tropical trees that used to be in the area.

Fishermen town

Amber is a fragile material but that can be easily modified by the masterfully of local artists and jewellers who used this valuable good. There are many objects made from this precious organic stone at an affordable price in the old buildings at the port, which are nowadays used as workshops.

This fishermen town is made of many buildings that look like a German old historic quarter, pretty different to the rest of Kaliningrad, with red roofs and colourful facades. You can reach the highest point of the drawbridge or start here a boat trip along the Pregolya river. Furthermore, from this area there is a magnificent view of the city and a great walk to the Cathedral, one of the main attractions in the city, by several restaurants and cafés.

Amber museum

In Kaliningrad an Amber museum was built at the Dohna tower, with a unique collection of more than 6.000 pieces, with insects and plants encapsulated inside, hand-made products or a huge pip of 4.280 kg, occupying 28 rooms.

The building is already a beautiful castle made of red bricks, raised by the Teutonic Knights, who had here one of the main headquarters.

Another building of the Teutonic Knights was the Köningsberg castle, which was one of the main symbols for the city. The castle was destroyed during Köningsberg bombings and now there is the Central Square and the Soviets House.

From the previous castle, there are still underground tunnels that made the ground unstable. This was called “the Prussians revenge” and it has cost lots of money and time to fix it.

In Kaliningrad region there are about forty more beautiful medieval castles, an interesting architectural route following the path of the Teutonic Knights.

Other interesting places

Kant’s tomb

The most distinguished character from the city is Immanuel Kant, philosopher, who was born and buried in Kaliningrad. The tomb is outside the cathedral, with a plaque quoting, in Russian and German, the "Conclusion" from Critique of Practical Reason: “there are two things that fill my mind with an ever new and enhanced wonder and amazement, even they at continuously reflect on them: the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me.”

The fortresses

The city is surrounded by a large number of fortresses from the 19th century. The Germans used them as a defence. Even they are abandoned, there is a route to visit the ruins.

Zelenogradsk - Cranz

24 kilometres north from Kaliningrad there is an spa area, a holidays resort where locals and tourists arrived attracted by the beaches, thermal waters and cultural heritage, with over seven centuries of history.

Fishing village by Anton Zelenov | Baltic Amber by Michal Kosior

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

The Guadalquivir Salt Marshes

Stretching across a tract of some 2,000 km² in the river estuary, between Seville, Huelva and Cádiz, they are part of the Doñana National Park, one of Europe’s largest wetlands. It is home to over 100 bird species which are endemic to the ecosystem and create a stunning spectacle whenever they take off into flight. A land where the birds can be imagined playing flamenco, and the red crabs clapping in unison.

The area provides ideal itineraries for what seasoned travellers like best – to wander off on their own. Literally getting lost here, however, is not that difficult, what with hundreds of unmarked footpaths winding between the rice fields.

Seville’s Amazon

Our itinerary starts along the course of the Guadalquivir and its countless effluents branching off near the river mouth, a picture postcard reminiscent of the Amazon. Located here is Isla Mayor, a town of just over 5,000 inhabitants. Surrounded by grasslands and crop fields, the town appears to turn into a genuine island when flooded. For hiking enthusiasts, there are also a number of routes through the town which can be done by bicycle.

Canoeing devotees should make a point of visiting the Brazo de los Jerónimos, a canal thick with reeds and rushes, which makes paddling along it a unique experience.

Going Back In Time

Crossing from one bank of the Guadalquivir to the other can only be done by taking the Coria del Río ferry. This delightful crossing spanning 300 metres in just 3 minutes is reminiscent of some fast-paced American movie set on the Mississippi or in the Everglades. The crossing takes place with passengers jostling for space with cars, tractors, fishermen, goats and farm motorcycles and is an experience in which time seemingly stands still.

A stunning sight to be had from the riverbank is when a merchant or cruise vessel sails inland with the high tide just a few metres away, bound for the port of Seville, or in the direction of the Atlantic. This astonishing, surreal image will remain in your mind’s eye forever.

Having reached Coria, the itinerary takes us downstream as far as Puebla del Río, along the Calle Arrozal, a land trail winding between poplars and carpeted in spring with grass and wild flowers. On this side of the river, you have the chance to visit such towns as Poblado de las Colinas or Utrera.

Finger-licking Cuisine

After a boat ride, it’s time to enjoy some molletes (muffins) ortoast with colorá lard to regain your strength. This is the most traditional breakfast in the area and any bar worth its salt will offer this spread based on pork lard sprinkled with speckles of meat condimented with garlic, red pepper, oregano, bay leaf and other spices. Even Paco de Lucía himself was bowled over by this delight on the senses, to which he dedicated a few notes and chords in some of his more celebrated melodies.

But, the culinary offerings of these Sevillian wetlands go much further still. Indeed, they are as varied as the landscape itself.

If you happen to be here in June, you can attend the Feria y Fiestas del Arroz y del Cangrejo (Fair and Festival of Rice and Crab), which lasts for five days and provides such typical dishes as tomato crab, crab tails with garlic or sauce, pepper shrimps, duck with rice and salted bleaks.

Restaurants like El Tejao, Sevruga or El Estero offer delicious dishes of crab, elvers, duck, giltheads or bass, served up with the inevitable rice, on the banks of the Guadalquivir.

To taste another essential dish in this area, pheasant with rice, head for the Arco de Colina restaurant – their quality and prices will leave you aghast.

Dare to venture into the Guadalquivir salt marshes? Check out your Vueling to Seville here.

Text by Laura Llamas for Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

If any product is sought after in the culinary world it is the truffle. Some humble fried eggs can be transformed into a veritable delicacy by simply adding thin sections of this aromatic fungus. One of the most coveted varieties is the white truffle found around the Piedmontese town of Alba. Also known under its scientific name, tuber magnatum pico, it is regarded as the “Mozart of fungi” or “white diamond” ofhaute cuisine.In addition to its exquisite taste, truffles are also noted for being one of the most expensive products on the market. When it comes to prices, they can even unseat another gastronomic gem – saffron. In many instances, the price of truffles can be in the €3,000 to €6,000 price range. The record was set by a Hong Kong buyer who in 2010 paid a whopping €90,000 for a truffle!

The main reason for white truffle fetching such high prices is that it is in short supply and difficult to extract. It is found some ten to fifteen centimetres under the ground, where the humidity and freshness conditions are ideal for its growth. Care has to be taken to avoid damaging or breaking the truffle when extracting it, a task requiring some skill and delicateness. Formerly, pigs were used for this purpose, a function now performed by dogs, which also happen to be less likely to consume their find. The truffle-hunting season is limited to autumn and the procedure usually takes place at night, when the sniffer dogs rely heavily on their sense of smell.

Apart from the leading chefs, the host of white truffle enthusiasts includes such celebrities as Alfred Hitchcock, Francis Ford Coppola, Gérard Depardieu, Alain Delon, Penélope Cruz and Oprah Winfrey. One of its outstanding properties is that it does not require cooking, while its scent is highly volatile.

The Great White Truffle Fair

The International Alba White Truffle Fair is held each year in October and November, a grand event which unfolds around this prized natural delicacy but also features tributes to other culinary marvels in the area. The Alba White Truffle Auction is the crowning moment of the fair. Held in the Hall of Masks at Grinzane Castle, is attracts a worldwide following. Incidentally, the auction also involves a good cause, as part of the proceedings are donated to charity.

The fair programme also includes the so-called White Truffle Market where visitors can enjoy themselves by examining, touching and smelling these gastronomic delicacies, all endowed with the relevant quality certifications and displayed amid strict security. Of the many activities hosted is the Alba Truffle Show, which includes debates between prestigious chefs and live cooking sessions at which secrets are revealed regarding ways of getting the most out of the truffle.

However, the limelight is not exclusive to the tuber magnatum pico at this fair, as areas are also dedicated to the region’s gastronomy. The Truffle Market stalls display local produce, notably cheese, sausage, meat, homemade pastries and egg-based pasta. Wines, too, are very much in evidence, including Barolo, Barbaresco, Roero, Nebbiolo, Dolcetto, Barbera, Favorita, Arneis and Moscato.

Fancy discovering this world of taste and aroma? Check out your flight here.

Text by ISABELYLUIS Comunicación

Photos by Blue moon in her eyes