Stunning Donostia, Spain

Fruteria

Rarely in traveling do expectations and reality intersect, but they certainly do in Donostia  Known to the Spanish as San Sebastian, this coastal gem lies on the Northern coast of Spain, mere kilometers from the French border, at the foot of the Pyrenees and at the heart (or stomach) of Basque country.  Wide stretches of sandy beach, cobblestoned old town and sultry weather draw both the European jet set and backpacker crowds alike, where they happily mingle over tapas (pinxtos) and wine.

 The Old Town is the focus of most tourists’ attention, and for good reason.  Stone streets cover about six square blocks, lined with tall and narrow buildings, open only to pedestrians and service vehicles, and full of open air tapas bars, shops and pensions.  Our first few attempts to find a pension were met with silence as no one responded to the doorbell, but finally we found a simply appointed place called Pension Amaiur Ostatua, with a large room and small iron balcony overlooking one of the pedestrian thoroughfares.

The old section sits on a small peninsula, with curved bays and expansive beaches on either side framed by broad promenades. We were there off season, so it was quite peaceful, but you could picture the thronging, bronzed, scantily clad masses that descend upon the city during the warmest months.  A funicular on the far end of the main beach takes you up to a vantage point with stunning views of the bay dotted with sailboats and tall white buildings stretching out from the coastline.  I have never been to the French Riviera, but that was the first thing that sprang to mind overlooking Santander.

Old Town

A number of small parks and gardens provide green space for residents and tourists seeking respite from the bustle, or a short siesta in preparation for the next tapas crawl.  From where Old Town sits, you can hike steeply up ancient footpaths for similar views of the city as well as views of the undeveloped rocky coastline.  These trails are part of the El Camino Santiago, a complex web of trails used by Christian pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela, and although a bit difficult to find the start of (ask a local), offer stunning coastal views and chance to burn off some of those calories.

Food and drink though, is what Donostia is truly famous for and it certainly did not disappoint.  While Spanish tapas have become famous around the world, it’s commonly accepted that the best tapas are actually from Basque Country, and Donostia is the best of the best.  Tapas are called Pinxtos in the Basque language, and are small plates or appetizers.  In the Old Town starting at about nine in the evening, begins the tapas crawl.  This consists of wandering from bar to bar, eating a pinxto, drinking a small wine or beer, enjoying conversation with friends or people watching, and then moving onto the next one, until the wee hours of the morning.

Two types of pinxtos were on offer at each bar; cold dishes were spread out across the large bar counter, the best of which were cooked to order once chosen.  Then there was always a small menu of raciones (larger portions made to order), which also turned out to be specialties of the house, and they were the real star of the show in most places.

Almost all of the prepared cold pinxtos were served on little slices of bread, infinitely varietal in presentation but not so much in substance, primarily consisting of combinations of egg, mayonnaise based salads, shrimp, and cheese.  The simple and succulent Serrano ham or even better Ibirico ham should not be forgotten however, and a simple plate of this melt in your mouth dish can not be missed.

Pinxto Bar

Croquettes, deep fried balls of pleasure, came in many forms, but some of my favorite included the pistachio croquettes and a similarly deep fried bisque ball at Astelena, and the bleu cheese croquettes at an ETA bar whose name I’ve conveniently “forgotten”.  Being right on the coast, there was plenty of fresh seafood, and the grilled and Pinxto Barskewered shrimp, cuttlefish in ink and calamari, simply dressed and grilled were succulent.

The raciones, usually written on a chalkboard somewhere in the bar, were always what the locals seemed to order, so we started to as well, and it certainly paid off.  Rape in salsa verde (Monkfish in a green salsa), Tacos de Benito (seared tuna, salad and a tomato dressing), and Chorizo a Veira con ajillo (sausage in a garlic sauce) were some of the more memorable dishes.

My favorite place by far though, was called Ganbara, whose specialty is mushrooms.  On the counter are literally mounds of exotic fungi – delicate chanterelles, woodsy morels, giant forest shrooms, fresh porcinis.  The hongas (mushroom) mixed plate there will forever bring me back…a plentiful helping of the different varieties, sautéed in butter and garlic until slightly caramelized, served in a hot baking dish with bread to sop up every last bit.

Spanish La Palma, Canary Islands

As though it were caught floating halfway away from the Iberian peninsula of Europe towards South America and became lodged off the coast of western Africa, La Palma has something of each continent in its soul. The steepest island in the world at only 16 miles wide and 8000 feet high, La Palma also has enormous ecological diversity and a historic significance dating to 1492.

Tazacorte

That was the year that the first Spaniard, Alfonso Fernández de Lugo, landed on La Palma. The island soon became a stopping ground for crews heading west to the New World. For Columbus it was a necessary stop-over for rest and supplies. The capital Santa Cruz grew to become one of the three most important ports in the Hispanic world. It also saw the departure of thousands of immigrants to South America, such as Cuba where the islanders set up tobacco plantations.

When we visited Santa Cruz we found a pleasant and relaxed city. It’s tidy and tiny with old colonial buildings. There are white churches accented with dark volcanic stone and quaint houses decorated with colorful wooden balconies. There’s a replica of Columbus’ ship the Santa Maria at the end of the Plaza de la Alameda, a delightful square shaded with old laurel trees.
It’s the island’s laurel trees that today make up Los Tilos, a protected biospheric reserve north of Santa Cruz. The name, Los Tilos, is derived from the Spanish word for smelly, since laurels stink when felled.

Santa Cruz Balconies

We joined a guided trek through Los Tilos and were astonished by the diversity of its greenery. Our guide Ilonka from Natour-Trekking explained that there are more than 2000 forms of vegetation and 70 plants unique to La Palma. The hills are a tapestry of fig trees, orange trees, palm trees, banana crops, vineyards, pines, laurels and dragon trees, a tree found only on the islands of the middle Atlantic and which can grow to be centuries old.

"Banana’s are boozers," explains Ilonka as we stop at a banana orchard in San Andres y Sauces, another colonial village with cobbled streets and narrow alleys. "One kilo of bananas needs 1000 litres of water." So avocados, which are much less demanding of the island’s water supplies, are slowly replacing banana farming.

For now the island is covered by huge patches of banana land, with the gigantic leaves swaying in the wind. Some of the fields are covered in plastic to prevent the heavy leaves from bruising the bananas, but as a local restaurateur tells us, bananas cultivated in this way are less tasty.

And taste, it turns out, is a specialty here. We encountered our tastiest treats during our hikes on the western side of the island, known as the sunnier side. As we approached a small almond farm the farmer’s wife appeared with satchels of roasted, sugared almonds for us to buy. At Tazacorte, a genteel village with bright, arty street furniture, we drank sugar cane juice pressed through an old-fashioned hand-mill. It gave us that extra kick needed to climb the cliff for a panoramic view.

East Coast

The goats we saw roaming the northwestern hills produced the best delight of all: goat cheese roasted over pine-brush and topped with a typical Canary Islands sauce called mojo verde. The crushed coriander and garlic sauce combines tantalizingly with the smoky flavour. La Palma’s goat cheese is so fine because of the very diversity of greens the goats can freely graze.

These pampered goats also have spectacular views of the island’s most majestic feature, the Caldera de Tarubiente. This snowy peak is an extinct 5-mile wide crater and the climax of the volcano trail that runs along the north-south spine of the island. The western winds cause clouds to pour over this ridge like milk spilling in slow motion. From here you can also see the tips of the other Canary islands Tenerife and La Gomera.

After all the trekking and fantastic sea views, we were ready for a day at the beach. At Los Cancajos, near Santa Cruz, the sand is very black from the volcanic explosions that formed the island. The lava-rich soil is also the reason for La Palma’s quality wine. With a bottle of malvasia—the wine that was once noted by Shakespeare—and anise-seeded bread, we enjoyed the view of Santa Cruz’s miniature skyline from the warm beach.

Cheap Flight To Poland

Cheap Flight to Poland: Helpful Tips When Travelling to Poland

In the past all foreign tourists were forced to exchange certain amount of money every time they were crossing the boarder according to the official (poor) course - not anymore! People from Western Europe and the USA were also forced to pay higher rates in the hotels than people from Eastern Europe - not anymore either. In spite of the fact that Polish "zloty" (Polish currency) is interchangeable into dollars (there is not anymore "official" and "inofficial" exchange course). Poland is still a relatively cheap country for the foreigner from the Western Europe and the USA.

There are some precautions that you need to take into account before your travel to Poland:

Better use public transportation than rent a car. Car insurance is very expensive, one of the reason, many cars, especially the expensive western brands are stolen by car "Mafia's". Besides, the road system is poor, there is not enough highways and freeways in the country. Traffic on the streets of many towns is also high (lack of beltways) and it makes driving inconvenient and expensive (gas price is high compared to the USA). Polish police can also take advantage of naïve and "rich" foreign tourists and they are first to get tickets. Public transportation system is cheap and comfortable. It includes trains, buses, airplanes (between some cities) and city transportation system like trams, buses, metro (Warsaw) and of course taxis. Be careful with the taxi. Some taxi drivers may charge you higher rate especially if you are at the airport, Warsaw airport is the worst. I know that the police tried to solve that problem but I am not sure whether they did. For instance the best way of transportation between Krakow and Warsaw is an express train, but the best transportation system between the Warsaw and Wroclaw (Breslau) is to take an airplane.

Do not do any money transactions on the streets. There are money exchange offices (kantors) almost everywhere and they do not charge a fee for a transaction and are safe to exchange the money. Some locals want to take an advantage of the foreigner. Do not try to look too much as a wealthy foreign tourist with expensive cameras hanging from your shoulder and do not speak your language too loud because you would be exposing yourself to either a thief or someone trying to do some questionable deals.

Combine your Disneyland Paris trip with other family attractions

Combine your Disneyland Paris trip with other family attractions
by: Samuel Turner
Theme parks are a mainstay of the family holiday options, especially in the summer. Something about amusement parks makes kids believe they are characters in their own favourite cartoons or on the set of their adventures movies exercising their right to one thrilling experience after the other.
Adults, we all know, are not much different. While we?re happy to claim to be at these hubs of boundless enjoyment purely for the sake of the kids, we secretly (and sometimes not so secretly) enjoy the experience. If you have already visited a theme park with children you may have already experienced the transformation from strict and orderly parent to 21st century Peter Pan for a few weeks in these modern day Neverlands.

There are many theme parks to choose from in the UK (such as Thorpe Park, Alton Towers, Legoland and Chessington World Adventures). Europe offers many more options, from the oldest theme park in Europe at the Tivoli Gardens (Copenhagen, Denmark) to the home of the biggest rollercoaster at Europa-Park (Rust, Germany). However, no theme park evokes as much excitement in children, or entices as many visits, as Disneyland in Paris, France. Over 12 million people visit the park annually, dwarfing second place Europa-Park?s 4 million annual visitors.

Opened in 1992 in Marne-la-Vallee in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France, Disneyland Paris is one of France?s and Europe?s most visited tourist attractions. Its unique appeal to families stems from the longevity of the brand and its characters. It is one of very few childhood crazes that can be said to be shared by the children of today, their parents and grandparents. Perhaps only sports share this privileged status.

With a combination of theme parks (Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park), retail, dining, entertainment hubs, golf courses and seven hotels there is lots for every member of the family to enjoy, both on their own and together as a family. Impressive, but you would not expect anything less from an attraction that is one fifth the size of Paris.

The icing on the cake is that Paris - a cultural centre and one of Europe?s top tourist destinations ? is only a few minutes away and can easily be added into the mix of your holiday plans. While the city may suit parents more than children, the whole family can enjoy the fruits of cooking classes that are becoming increasingly popular weekend holiday excuses in themselves. The Pompidou centre also offers a variety of weird and wonderful exhibitions, and several installations aimed directly at children and young adults.

Close by, outside of Paris, the Parc Des Felins in Lumigny-Nesles-Ormeaux is a theme park with more genuine animal entertainment than Mickey & Minnie Mouse. This park is home to 25 species of cats, plus Lemurs and Farm Animals. The cats are afforded a lot of space and the many tame and non-dangerous species are allowed to walk freely so you can observe them in their natural behaviour.

There are many Chateaux to enjoy, and the open spaces and beautiful gardens are well suited to kids with a lot of energy or walks with very young children pushchairs. The Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte in Maincy is perhaps the most beautiful of all, and every summer Saturday sees the exterior lit by 2,000 candles, while every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month features a firework display.


About The Author Samuel is an independent travel writer.