Holy Week coincides with the onset of spring, a season associated with milder temperatures. Although you should still pack some warm clothes – jerseys, jacket, raincoat, gloves, cap and scarf – it’s unlikely to snow in Warsaw, unless you’re in the higher mountain areas. And, by early April, the days are quite long and sunny. Unlike in other European countries, during Holy Week in Poland both the Thursday and Friday are working days and most of the museums and shops are open to the public. Visiting hours at churches may be different, however, as in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, where the largest Good Friday procession of all Poland is held.

As in other areas where the Catholic festivities are traditionally observed, Palm Sunday is celebrated here in style. Like in Spain, in Poland the faithful carry palms, but here they are far more elaborate. Dried flowers and paper flowers go into their careful making by hand. They are so popular here that many towns and villages organise palm contests. We recommend taking the two-and-a-half-hour drive to Łyse, in the region of Masovia, where you can find palms of up to 6 metres high.

Cultural activity also revolves around Easter. The keynote event is the Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival. Held in Warsaw, as well as in Krakow and Gdansk, it attracts classical music virtuosos from all over to perform a number of works based on Holy Week themes. The festival alone makes it well worth visiting the city. Over the festive period churches host classical music concerts. The programme features religious works, pride of place going to the staging of the Lord's Sepulchre. This is undoubtedly a good reason for visiting the holy precincts of Poland’s capital city. Even under the Communist regime the uncensored sepulchres stood for the most important political events of the time.

Another high moment of the holy celebration is the blessing of the food. Starting on Easter Saturday morning, crowds of people congregate at the churches bearing adorned baskets containing, in addition to the classical hand-painted Easter eggs, bread, salt, pepper, sausage and an endless assortment of Easter pastries to have them blessed. Once the ritual has been completed, they may then eat meat. In bygone days the baskets’ contents were indicative of the purchasing power of the various families – the greater the amount and variety of food, the high their economic status.

Easter eggs are decorated in different ways and this is often the favourite activity of the younger members of the household. Once boiled, the easiest thing is to colour them with polychromed powders dissolved in water. These colours are sold in small sachets at this time of year. A more natural technique is to boil the eggs in a pot with onion skins, giving the eggshells a dark tinge and, the more onion skin you use, the darker the colour. After the eggshell has dried out, it can be drawn on or incised using a sharp needle.

Easter Monday is noticeably more playful in character and closely linked to rural traditions. In Polish it is known as Lany poniedzialek – “Water Monday” – as Slavic tradition has it that throwing water over the girls is believed to ensure their health and fertility. So, make sure you keep your eyes skinned because even today you can have a bucket of cold water thrown over you.

Cuisine is important in Poland at Easter and tables are decked out with Easter eggs, symbols of a new life. Confectionery also plays a major role, particularly mazurek, a cake based on butter and very thick cream, eggs, sugar and flour. It is also stuffed with nuts, chocolate and fruit (orange or lemon). Another cake typically made during this festive season is kaimak. Although similar to mazurek, the dough contains liquid toffee.

Are you eager to go? Check out our prices here!

Text by ISABELYLUIS Comunicación

Images by Polish National Tourist Office

Everyone has heard of Gouda cheese. Some of us have tried it and even regard it as one of our favourites, but few know where it comes from or just what appeal its city of origin holds in store. The fact is that the popular cheese comes from Gouda, a city in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands, situated at the confluence of the rivers Gouwe and Hollandse IJssel.

What To Do In Gouda

The city of Gouda has a very picturesque historic centre, where strolling about proves to be a rewarding experience and where the major landmarks are located. Needless to say, the first of these is related to cheese and is the most powerful magnet as far as tourists is concerned – the cheese market. It is held every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., from April to August. Farmers and traders meet in the market to strike deals and many centennial traditions are preserved here, as in the fact that all goods are still transported in wooden carts and that all deals are sealed by a touch of the hands.

Also located in the square – the Markt – the site of this trade ritual, is the Stadhuis, a beautiful Flemish Gothic building which has the honour of being one of the oldest town halls in the Netherlands. Built from 1448 to 1450, it was modified to some extent in 1692 and 1880. Notable rooms in this edifice are the Trouwzaal (Wedding Hall), dating from 1800, and the Council Chamber.

Another site you can also visit in the Markt square is the Goudse Waag, a building dating from 1668which was once a covered market for buying and selling cheese. It subsequently became a national monument and is now a museum dedicated to cheese.

Apart from the city hall, another gem is Sint Janskerk, which also makes an outing to Gouda worthwhile. Visitors should not hesitate to enter this Church of St John the Baptist. It has a history of withstanding fire, as it was engulfed in flames on three occasions, two of which – in 1361 and 1438 – saw the whole city on the verge of being consumed. The nave measures 123 metres, making it the longest church in Holland. Its most stunning feature, however, are its sixty stained glass windows, placed between 1530 and 1603, twenty of which are the work of the brothers Dirk and Wouter Crabeth I. One of the unusual highlights of one’s visit here is that the preliminary drawings the stained glass windows were based on have been preserved, a rare occurrence.

Those interested in discovering the city’s history should head for the Museum Gouda, located in the buildings known as the Catharina Gathuis and De Moriaan.

To wrap up your tour of the city, we recommend you head for the south side of the old town where you will come across two old windmills – the Molen ‘t Slot, built in 1831, and De Roode Leeuw (The Red Lion), built in 1619 and restored in 1771.

Before you leave Gouda, don’t forget to taste their stroopwafel, a traditional confectionery which consists of two waffles with a filling of soft caramel. Munching on one of these is ideal for restoring one’s energy after a magnificent stroll through the city.

Now that you know the secret gems awaiting you in Gouda, book your Vueling and discover them for yourself.

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Images by bertknot, Sander van der Wel, Hans A Rosbach

Some of Vienna’s luxury hotels set about revealing their sweetest side by creating signature cakes to tempt us. In so doing, they became part of one the city’s most firmly rooted traditions, namely that of Viennese cafés and their fine confectionery. Here, then, are some of the venues where you can enjoy these delicious, exclusive creations.

Hotel Sacher Vienna – The Sacher Torte

Who here has not yet tried the Sacher Torte? But, do you know the origin of this popular Viennese cake? Franz Sachercreated this marvel in 1832 while working as an apprentice chef in the household of Prince Klemens Wenzel von Metternich. This spongy chocolate cake with homemade apricot jam and chocolate topping was so successful that it became one of Vienna’s classics. Eduard, Franz Sacher’s son, opened the Hotel Sacher Vienna, where the original recipe has been jealously guarded until our times. The hotel currently sells over 360,000 “sacher-tortes” each year – a third of them are eaten on the premises; another third are delivered to sales outlets and the remaining third is sent to customers around the world.

Hotel Imperial – The Imperial Torte

Like the sacher-torte, the Imperial Torte has a long history under its belt. In 1873, a young apprentice cook created this recipe in honour of Emperor Franz Josef I to mark the inauguration of the Hotel Imperial. This cake, made up of several layers of almond paste filled with chocolate and marzipan and covered in a chocolate glaze, provides the ideal excuse for visiting this magnificent hotel and indulging in the tasty treat. And, for those who would like to relive the experience or are unable to travel to Vienna, there is always the option to order it online.

Grand Hotel Vienna - The Grand Guglhupf

The confectionery delight which lies behind the Grand Hotel Vienna is their Grand Guglhupf cake. While the recipe is a closely guarded secret, we know it contains butter, sugar, flour and eggs and that the flourish is provided by red wine and cinnamon. Should you be unable to drop in on the fabulous hotel café, located on the Kärntner Ring, you can order it online here.

Ritz-Carlton Vienna – The Ritz-Carlton Cake

In 2014, the luxury Ritz-Carlton created its own signature cake, of which the main ingredients are an exquisite blend of dark chocolate with bursts of orange. You can savour it at the Ritz-Carlton Vienna, situated on the Ringstrasse, or in any of the 85 other hotels in the chain scattered around the world.

Do & Co Hotel Vienna – The Domspitz Cake

The Do & Co Hotel Vienna, located on the Stephansplatz, created the exquisite Domspitz cake inspired no less than by one of the city’s landmarks, St Stephen’s Cathedral (Stephansdom). This chocolate cake with poppy seeds, filled with damson jam coated in chocolate, is sold in a triangular box designed to resemble the roof tiles on the Cathedral.

Vienna Marriott Hotel – The Ringstrasse Cake

At the Vienna Marriott Hotel they also decided to pay tribute to one of the city’s most emblematic

places, the Ringstrasse. This popular avenue features a major architectural complex characterised by its historicist style which is regarded as one of Vienna’s major attractions. The Ringstrasse cake is a combination of sponge cake with raw marzipan, bits of candied orange and hazelnut nougat – a delight on the palate!

Boutique Hotel Altstadt Vienna – The Otto Torte

If only for its unique interior design, it is well worth heading for the city’s Seventh District to visit the Hotel Altstadt Vienna. If to this you add their delicious chocolate cake known as the Otto Torte, crafted by the famous television chef, Sarah Wiener, a successful visit is guaranteed.

Treat yourself to a delicious cake experience – secure your Vueling and travel to Vienna!

Text by ISABELYLUIS Comunicación

The river-and-sea route along the Arousa estuary and the river Ulla commemorates the sea landing in Galicia of the mortal remains of the Apostle, James the Elder, after his martyrdom in Jerusalem in the year AD 44. James was a fisherman of Galilee, an apostle of Christ, and a preacher of the Gospel in the West. Herod ordered his assassination in the year AD 44.

This is undoubtedly one of the less trodden pilgrim’s routes to Santiago. No ordinary route, it is negotiated mainly by boat, against the magnificent backdrop of the Arousa estuary. The subsequent stretch negotiated on foot is only 26 km long, the distance separating Pontecesures from the holy point of arrival in Santiago de Compostela.

The Sea Route

The route starts in the O Grove fishing village. It has pleasure boats that make most of the journey, with stopovers at mussel rafts, tastings included. But, if you’re hankering after a more genuine adventure, the best approach is to make friends with a local fisherman to negotiate the stretch on a small boat. This is the best way to hear the scores of tales about a route celebrated the world over. And, the shallow draught of the vessel means that reaching the picturesque village of Pontecesures does not involve any major difficulty. It is safest to sail up the river during high tide.

The first few paces of the journey are incredible, sailing right past the shellfish harvesters rummaging between the rocks for clams and velvet crabs on the riverbank. You then wend your way among the mussel rafts, a veritable tangle of floating platforms beneath which you can make out sizeable loads of delicious mussels. From Cortegada Island on, a number of pilgrim’s crosses set on islets and on the shores of the Ulla estuary show the way, traversing the mythical Western Towers of Catoira and the nature reserve of Brañas de Laíño, until you reach Padrón and then on to Compostela.

Feet! You’re Now Required!

The half-ruined towers of the Catoira fortification mark the end of the most maritime estuary. From here on, the two riverbanks start moving together, as if to form a river. The stretch up to Padrón is no longer navigable after the river Sar channelling works were undertaken, but you can reach Pontecesures along the river Ulla. This is the landing point. According to ancient Christian traditions, reworked in medieval texts, after his martyrdom, some of St James’ disciples recovered his decapitated body and took it across the Mediterranean and up the Atlantic coast of Iberia as far as Iria Flavia, in the vicinity of present-day Padrón. They made the voyage in a celebrated “stone boat”, which might have been one of the vessels used for transporting minerals between Galicia and other areas of the Roman Empire. The stone or “Pedrón” is housed in the Church of Santiago de Padrón. Tradition has it that the Apostle’s boat was moored to the stone after its long voyage.

Padrón is a modern town. The boat was moored to a stone or pedrón, which is actually an altar stone that can now be seen under the altar at the Church of Santiago. Padrón, the former Iria Flavia, was one of the great Roman metropoli in Galicia. There are also vestiges of St James at the Fuente de Santiago (Fountain of St James) and in Santiaguiño do Monte, where a shrine and megalithic complexes recollect the Apostle’s early preachings. This maritime route was also plied by the Portuguese, who also celebrate it as the route taken by disciples who brought St James’ relics with them.

Don’t miss out on this maritime route reaching Santiago de Compostela after sailing up the Arousa estuary. Check out our flights here.

Text by ISABELYLUIS Comunicación

Photos by Turismo de Galicia, Turismo de Santiago