by Roy -

It never takes long before people realize that Oporto (known to locals as Porto) is an extraordinary city. Perhaps they will be standing along the Douro River in Villa Nova de Gaia – the neighbourhood built and sustained by fortified port wine — captivated by the way Portugal’s second largest city looks like a pop up town, with medieval relics, soaring bell towers, extravagant baroque churches and stately beaux-arts buildings piled on top of one another, illuminated by streaming shafts of sun.

Or maybe it will be the quiet moments that grab them: the slosh of the Douro against the docks, the snap of laundry lines drying in river winds, the shuffle of a widow’s feet against the cobblestone, the sight of young lovers tangled in the notch of a graffiti bombed wall, the sound of wine glasses clinking under a full moon.

Yes, Porto is a tumbledown and artistic, historic and young, wine-drenched town that can make you weak in the knees in hundreds of different ways. Consider just three.

The night is alive

Porto is a college town, and the narrow cobblestone streets just north of Rua das Carmelitas, especially Rua Galeria de Paris, fill with young nocturnal marauders for an all-out street party on warm summer nights and on weekends throughout the year. Rockers and bohemians pile into Plano B, where the upstairs art gallery and cafe are atmospheric and social, but the cosy basement is kinetic with international indie rock, DJs, performance art and engaging theatre.

Guerrilla art

Maybe it is some postmodern, evolutionary art cycle, wherein the city chooses its worthy, salvageable relics and lets street artists fix the rest, but three-dimensional scrawl appears everywhere in Porto, on garage doors, crumbling ancient walls, empty storefront glass and neglected stucco. Here, a stencilled pilgrim; there, a cloaked bodhisattva. There is no getting around it — when graffiti tolerance is this high, it becomes a sort of passive celebration. And in Porto the graffiti deserves to be celebrated. It is massive, ubiquitous and spectacular, especially at Lapa Metro Station.

Classic flavour

Roast Veal Dinner

Tucked into a tight corner of the Unesco-certified Ribeira district, A Grade (Rua da Saoicolau 9, 223-321-130) is a humble family operation and a masterwork of traditional fare. Padre Ferreira works the room with a beaming smile and generous pours of tawny port. Madre Elena prefers her tiled kitchen where she bakes octopus in butter and wine, and presents special roast veal dinners in gorgeous casseroles alongside sautéed kale and crispy potatoes. The meal ends with free nips of Padre’s house-aged aguardiente (Portuguese brandy) then guests are released and drawn to the banks of that ever present Douro River: a sheet of dimpled glass reflecting a glittering, dreamy city.

Adam Skolnick

10Jan 2012

http://www.bbc.com/travel/feature/20120110-urban-treasures-in-oporto

Average Rating: 5 out of 5 based on 157 user reviews.

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by Roy -

Cathedral of Santa Maria, Seville, Spain

Welcome to the new Seville, a cleaner, greener and more breathable metropolis, where bikes, pedestrians and streamlined electric trams roam. This Spanish city has bidden adios to the organized urban chaos found in so many Mediterranean cities and embraced a more sustainable outlook.

Kick-started by proactive city mayor, Alfredo Sánchez Monteseirín in 2007, the lightning pace of Seville’s “greening” defies its laidback fiesta and siesta image. In the span of just five years, the Sevillanos have instituted a community bike-sharing scheme, a surface tram, an underground metro, two high-speed train links, a pilot electric car programme and — 20km away in Sanlúcar la Mayor — the first commercial solar power plant in Europe.

Sevici Bikes

After decades of driving chaos, the inauguration of Seville’s Sevici bike-sharing scheme in April 2007 was something of a godsend, even for avowed car users. Sevici was the second bike-sharing initiative in Spain (there are now nine), opening a few weeks after Barcelona’s Bicing programme. Despite subsequent copyists — Paris’ Vélib was launched in 2009 — it remains the fifth largest scheme of its kind in Europe, with 2, 500 bikes on offer. Grab a two-wheeled machine from any of the 250 docking stations and you will quickly discover that cycling suits this flat, balmy metropolis.

Most of Sevici’s 250, 000 daily users are local, but visitors can take advantage of the sharing system by purchasing a seven-day pass online for 10 euros (plus a 150 euro returnable deposit). You will need to proceed to the nearest docking station and punch in the number from your coded receipt to get your bike. Seville has 120km of city bike lanes and the first 30 minutes of usage are free. Beyond that, it is one euro for the first hour and two euros an hour thereafter.

Avenida de la Constitución

Cycling down Avenida de la Constitución, inhaling the aroma of ripe oranges, will bring you within a wheel’s width of museum-queuers, horses and carts, and attractive señoritas in red-and-white polka-dot dresses — but no cars. Central Seville’s main arterial roads were pedestrianised in 2007 to make way for a new tram system, the MetroCentro.

The original tram-line — a modest 1.4km in length — was extended in 2011 to incorporate an extra 1.1km. At the same time, the introduction of revolutionary new battery-powered technology meant that ugly overhead cables could be dismantled. Stage three of the tram plan is to extend it as far as Santa Justa, Seville’s main railway station, where new high-speed trains head off to Madrid, Cádiz and (by 2013) Granada.

There is a tram stop right outside Seville’s majestic Gothic cathedral, its facade remarkably grime-free these days thanks to a noticeable drop in air pollution. The tram also connects with the bus station (at Prado de San Sebastián) and the new subterranean Metro (at Plaza Nueva).

Seville Metro

On the drawing board since 1974, Seville’s Metro finally opened its first line in 2009. Twenty-two stations spread over 18km to connect the southern and western suburbs with the city centre, and reasonably priced tickets start at 1.35 euros. Three more lines are scheduled to be in operation by 2017.

If Seville’s reputation for crazy driving has not already dissuaded you, you could consider hiring an electric car to get around. Renault chose Seville as the city to launch its three new zero-emission models in October 2011, and ultimately these vehicles and others will be able to make use of 75 battery-recharging points that are being built around the city as part of Proyecto Movele, a government-sponsored plan to boost electric car use.

Finding parking remains a perennial problem. Seville has built over many of its traditional car parks, most recently in March 2011 with the daring, ultra-modern Metropol Parasol in the Plaza de la Encarnación, which harbours a museum (with Roman and Moorish ruins found on-site), a market, a restaurant, a plaza and a panoramic walkway. Professing to be an architectural icon in a liveable city core, this giant structure, purported to be the largest wood structure in the world, is best described as a forest of mushrooms welded onto a flying waffle. To date it has stoked as much controversy as the Eiffel Tower once did. But, for its defenders, its spirit represents an integral part of Seville’s new, forward-thinking urban experiment.

The surreal Metropol Parasol in Seville, Spain is the world’s largest wooden structure.

Brendan Sainsbury

6 Jan 2012

http://www.bbc.com/travel/feature/20120105-seville-goes-green

Average Rating: 4.4 out of 5 based on 213 user reviews.

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by Roy -

This article is written by Shantanu Ghosh.

I almost did not make it to Barcelona. The Spanish consulate insisted they needed more time to process my visa – something I did not have since I was flying out that weekend to the USA. Just when I had given up, they handed me my passport with the visa – one day before my flight. And what a trip it has been!


I flew into Barcelona on a Lufthansa flight late in the night. By the time I had checked in and taken a shower, it was close to midnight and I was thinking of ordering room service. But then I looked out of the window. Down below I could see cafes open and packed with people. It seemed too good to pass up. During the week I spent here, I would discover several uniquely delightful things about Barcelona, including the fact that dinners begin late and continue well past midnight!

This was my very first trip to Spain and the first discovery I made was Barcelona wasn’t Spanish speaking! The local language, Catalan, is very distinct and shares a few words with French. My limo driver, a young man from Valencia, gave me some quick facts about the city. While the city has a population of about 1.5 million people, the cruise ships bring in almost the same number of tourists every year. As he put it, Barcelona is the Bahamas of Europe.

I took a table outdoors surrounded by tourists and locals who had come out of the nearby shopping mall to grab some dinner. A cool breeze blew from the ocean nearby. I ordered their red house wine, a selection of Iberian ham and a seafood paella.

The Hilton on Diagonal Mar turned out to an excellent choice. While the location is not central, it is right on the oceanside and has easy access to the Metro station. The large shopping mall opposite the hotel also provides several small tapas places for a quick bite. My room was airy and comfortable with panoramic views of the city and the ocean. The lounge on the executive floor is another nice location to work or laze around with the sea-breeze blowing on the open terrace.

I found a good amount of time to do the tourist routine here. While Barcelona has many attractions – history, architecture, food and wine – one needs to be aware of the seamier side of this lovely city. With unemployment rampant, criminal activities are on the rise. Be wary of pickpockets – there are several incidents of mugging and thefts, especially in crowded areas. If you are in the wrong side of La Rambla in the late evenings, you may be accosted by pimps, prostitutes or drug peddlers openly. To be fair, I haven’t heard of violent crime involving tourists.

Shantanu Ghosh

2 Oct 2011

http://www.shantanughosh.com/2011/10/in-catalan-country.html

Average Rating: 4.8 out of 5 based on 228 user reviews.

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by Roy -

Bologna, home to mortadella and ragù, is one of the best places to eat out in Italy, says John Brunton – and one of the cheapest.

Bologna

Bologna is known as “La Grassa” (the Fat One), and this friendly city can stake a strong claim to being at the heart of Italian cuisine. This is the home of fresh pasta, the famous mortadella sausage, and nearby there are the finest producers of Parma ham, Parmigiano cheese, balsamic vinegar. There is no better place in Italy for eating out, and it really is almost impossible here to pay a lot of money for a meal.

Average Rating: 4.5 out of 5 based on 246 user reviews.

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by Roy -

Through the colder months, the British landscape can be at its dramatic, blustery best. Enjoy it on one of these six walks – and warm up by the fire in a cosy pub at the end.

Scottish Highlands: Through frosty glens to warming whisky

The Great Valley of Glen Coe

Along with Ben Nevis and Loch Lomond, the great valley of Glen Coe is one of Scotland’s best-loved locations, home to some of the country’s most admired scenery. Carved out by giant glaciers back in the Ice Age, the glen’s sheer size is immediately impressive. The steep-sided valley walls on either side appear almost vertical, topped on the northern side by the serrations of the Aonach Eagach ridge and on the south by the trio of peaks known as the Three Sisters. Nearby is the conical summit of Buachaille Etive Mòr. It is the type of classic Highland scenery that decorates a million tins of souvenir shortbread, and it’s all the more dramatic in winter, when the mountains are covered in a layer of snow. Unlike much of Scotland’s wilder landscapes, which often require long journeys or serious hikes to appreciate, Glen Coe is splendidly accessible and can be enjoyed by the most casual of weekend walkers.

The walk

Start at the An Torr car park, just off the A82 which runs through the glen. A clear path heads eastwards between the River Coe and the A82, leading to a bridge carrying the main road over the river, just west of Loch Achtriochtan. From here, you simply keep heading up the glen. Sometimes you can follow the old road that runs roughly parallel to the A82, while other times you have to walk beside the main road itself. This is an ‘out-and-back’ route, so continue walking for as long as you like, but a great spot to aim for is the viewpoint over Glen Coe near Allt-na-ruigh, about 2½ miles along the route.

The pub

After walking back down the glen, top off your day in the Clachaig Inn, a spot long favoured by hikers and climbers. The bar offers more than 200 whiskies, while the menu includes local venison, haggis and wild boar burgers, so make your order and warm up by the fire – no-one here will worry about a little snow tracked in onto the flagstones. The convivial atmosphere is further enhanced by the long tables and benches in the main bar, so you’ll find yourself forced – in a positive way – to eat and have a good chat with other walkers.

Make it happen

At the northwestern end of the valley of Glen Coe is the village of Glencoe. The nearest train station is about 16 miles away at Fort William. Scottish Citylink coaches run between Glasgow and Fort William via Glen Coe.

An Torr car park is 2½ miles east of Glencoe village on the A82. Much of Glencoe is under the protection of the National Trust for Scotland – see glencoe-nts.org.uk for more details .

The Clachaig Inn is 2½ miles east of Glencoe village on the old road which runs parallel to the A82. Food is served between 12pm and 9pm, and there are also rooms available (mains from £8; rooms from £44).

For more walks in the Scottish Highlands, see walkhighlands.co.uk.

Average Rating: 4.4 out of 5 based on 169 user reviews.

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by Roy -

This article is written by Justin Rabindra. Justin is a Manager with an Advertising Agency in Delhi. He is also an avid traveler and photographer.

Wandering around the main piazza in Florence, my eye was drawn to the spectacularly bight colours in this bar. I was hoping I could hold the camera steady long enough to get a decent enough exposure (it was night). I needn’t have worried, the lights were bright enough to freeze the frame without camera shake. On the other hand maybe I have rock steady hands.

Justin Rabindra

29 Nov 2008

http://justinrabindra.blogspot.com/2008/11/bar-in-florence.html

Average Rating: 4.6 out of 5 based on 177 user reviews.

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by Roy -

Toledo is one of the most important centers of european medieval history. The first one to report about it was Roman author Titus Livius, who describes it as a “small fortificated town”, and fortification has always been an important parameter in its history, still evident to today’s tourist for the monumental walls around, and the “Swords of Toledo” gave to its steel-production world-wide fame.

Lane in Toledo

Toledo was capital of Spain from the Gothic epoch until 1560, fact that explains its really impressive medieval architecture. Walking through its streets one feels like having stepped back into the Middle-Ages, but in the best sense of it, and perhaps you will search your pockets for a few gold-ducats to buy some of Toledo’s fine artisany or just to enjoy of its highly recommandable cuisine.

Its privileged location, and the natural turn of the of the Tagus River, together with its continuos population from ages ago, create a unique city in which beautiful and harmonious buildings of an array of architectural styles.

Cradle of Monarchs, and the seat of principal archbishops, Toledo constitutes a tourist attraction point of first order sheltered in the knowledge stored in its Mosques, Synagogues, churches and convents. The cathedral, the monastery of Saint John of the Kings, the doors and the walled enclosure or the Alcazar portray the special attractiveness of its streets and plazas.

Gastronomy

Cuchifrito

Toledo’s cuisine, fitting to the character of the town itself, puts you back into long gone times, and the dishes seem to be served out of one of Velazquez’s still lifes. Recipes are influenced by the region’s long tradition of hunting and cattle-breeding, but show Moorish influences as well.

Quails are some of the most extraordinary pleasures for delicate palates. They are usually served either stuffed, Perdiz Estofado, or together with a particular kind of beans, Perdiz con Pochas.

Very typical are as well lamb, fried or boiled, Cordero Asado or Cuchifrito, and the potato-omelette Tortilla a la Magra.

But there are two products in particular that have made Toledo’s cuisine internationally famous: Queso Manchego, a very mature cheese often made of ewe’s milk, and marzipan which is produced here in extraordinary quality and exported into many countries.

The wines of the region, D.O.C. La Mancha or Mentrida, are of high reputation as well.

Fiestas and Folklore

Toledo’s perhaps best known festivity is the procession of Corpus Christi, when the splendid 16th century monstrance is taken out of the cathedral. The popular Romería de la Virgen del Valle, a festival of pilgrimship, takes place in May as well.

A Float at The Festival of San Isidro,  Talavera

Among the best known and most interesting festivities in the province are the Fiesta del Olivo (Olives Festival), at the last Sunday of April in the village Mora de Toledo, and the Festival of San Isidro in Talavera, from May, 15th to 18th, with processions and poular dances. Of archaic traditions is the Fiestas de Danzantes y Pecados in Camuñas.

In June there is the nice Fiesta de la Amistad (Festival of Friendship) in Polan, and in November the popular Fiesta de la Rosa de Azafrán in Consuegra.

Source: cyberspain.com

Average Rating: 4.5 out of 5 based on 254 user reviews.

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by Roy -

Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, a classic chocolate, whipped cream and cherry cake, is staging a comeback in the Black Forest, a wedge of southwest Germany where the dessert was invented in a humble confectioner’s kitchen almost a century ago.

Stretching some 200km east of the Rhine, from Karlsruhe almost to the Swiss border, the Black Forest is something of a misnomer. It is definitely more green than black, unless seen on a snowy day when the landscape appears monochromatic, and it is more a series of thickly wooded hills, high pastures and valleys than one big forest. Scenic roads dip and rise through the region, past farmhouses huddling on hillsides and half-timbered towns with a rustic, fairy-tale-like prettiness. Nearly every cafe serves Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake) at 3pm sharp.

Ask the locals where to find the best Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (known as Black Forest gateau in England) and they will probably rattle off the names of a few traditional hilltop cafes, where you have to earn your Kuchen with a brisk three-hour hike through woods of fir and pine, or sing the praises of Oma (grandma) who makes her cake with cream fresh from the cow. Other locals have embraced the new — and highly controversial — Black Forest gateau that can be found in a tin, the brainchild of baker Johannes Ruf who runs the Holzoffenbaeckerei in St Peter. He made the cake small enough to fit in a picnic basket, just big enough to share.

No matter what the size, all are in agreement as to the gateau’s core ingredients — layers of moist sponge and sour cherries, lashings of whipped cream, a dash of Kirschwasser (cherry schnapps) and a dusting of chocolate shavings. Get it wrong and the cake is gooey and boozy. Get it right and the dessert is light and spongy, the sourness of the cherries perfectly offsetting the sweetness of the cream. For a taste of the real deal, try the following spots:

Café Schäfer

Café Schäfer Triberg

Famous as the home of Germany’s highest waterfall and the world’s biggest cuckoo clock, Triberg is a kitsch, quaint, storybook village. The Sheik of Dubai and the BBC’s Hairy Bikers have made the pilgrimage for the prized Black Forest gateau at Café Schäfer, baked by Claus Schäfer, the heir to Josef Keller’s original 1915 Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte recipe. “I only ever bake a couple of cakes at a time and use top quality Kirschwasser, ” said Schäfer. “A little marzipan adds flavour to the shortcrust pastry base, too.”

Café König

The grande dame of Germany’s spa towns, Baden-Baden has been baden (bathing) ever since the Romans discovered the therapeutic benefits of its waters. Today it is a gentrified city of leafy avenues, belle-époque villas and delightfully old-world cafés — none better than Café König. Alongside petit fours, éclairs and fruit tarts that look (almost) too good to eat, sits the crowning glory, Black Forest gateau. Order a slice and do as royalty and celebrities have done before you – savour it on the chestnut tree-shaded terrace, watching the world go decadently by.

Todtnau

Todtnau, Black Forest

If you can never have your fill of cake, consider timing your Black Forest trip to catch the annual Black Forest Gateau Festival. Celebrating the Black Forest’s most famous export with baking contests and brass bands, the festival is held in Todtnauberg, a village with fine views of the region’s highest peak, Feldberg, on clear days. Even if you miss the fun, there is always the option of — whisper it very quietly — taking home a Black Forest gateau in a tin. They last for a year, you know.

Kerry Christiani

6 Dec 2011

http://www.bbc.com/travel/feature/20111205-the-king-of-kuchen-in-black-forest-germany

Average Rating: 5 out of 5 based on 194 user reviews.

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by Roy -

This article is written by Sathish K, a Software Professional and travel writer, based in Bangalore

Travelling from Germany within the German region it is Konstanz, from the Swiss or Austria section it is called Bodensee. Its a big lake originating from the Alps flowing down through Austria is the intersection of the three countries.

You can just keep walking along the lake and if you have a valid visa for entering Switzerland you can within few minutes!!
Its a highly romantic place and a good getaway. Though you might not find lot of tourists from other countries who visit mostly the main cities in the countries.

Sathish K

17 Apr 2008

Konstanz or Bodensee

Average Rating: 4.4 out of 5 based on 282 user reviews.

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by Roy -
This article is written by Justin Rabindra. Justin is a Manager with an Advertising Agency in Delhi. He is also an avid traveler and photographer.
The Church in Faro, Portugal
There’s something about churches and cathedrals in Europe that transport you to another time and era in an instant. We have walked into scores and a favourite pass time of Rosita and Ragini is to light candles at every opportunity. I don’t know where they acquired this habit from (maybe the Catholic college Rosita attended), but I prefer to explore the artworks and iconography and wonder how many years it took a person to complete a job, and whether clients ever told them, “it was wanted yesterday.” Despite being located in crowded, noisy cities the inside of churches is silent, protected by thick walls and heavy wooden doors. I usually allow myself one, hopefully well chosen photograph, because the sound of the camera clicking is like a gun shot in the silence.
I don’t remember the name of this church in Faro, but like several churches in Europe it was empty of visitors, certainly of worshippers. The few that you do see are bent old women, like a relative said cruelly, “preparing for the final exams.”
Justin Rabindra
29 Nov 2008
http://justinrabindra.blogspot.com/2008/11/church-in-faro-portugal.html

Average Rating: 4.4 out of 5 based on 218 user reviews.

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