Category Archives: Gastronomy

Visiting Santander city (Cantabria)

September 6, 2014Beach, mountain and nature, Cantabria, Gastronomy, Streets and monuments, Tours and GuidesManu

Santander, which is certainly renowned for its beautiful bay and its magnificent beaches, is situated in the northern Spain, on the Cantabrian Sea coast. Surrounded by breathtaking scenery among its bay, the sea and green belts, Santander is an outstanding example of a natural landscape of great beauty, with a population of about 180,000 inhabitants it is the capital city of Cantabria region (Spain).

In the mid 19th century Santander became a perfect tourist destination for aristocracy, upper class and wealthy people who came to enjoy its lovely beaches, and its mild climate during the summer. Although in 1941 a disastrous fire destroyed a considerable part of its old town (Casco Antiguo), currently, Santander is also noteworthy for the quality of its architecture.

Nowadays, Santander not only has one of the most impressive bays in the world and magnificent beaches but also, gastronomy, sport, festivals, events, night-life, architecture, nature, culture, parks among other many more things. In fact, Santander is a holiday destination where tourists from all over the world choose to visit Santander in order to spend their holiday doing outdoor activities, enjoying its beaches, tasting its traditional cuisine or having a lot of fun at its parties, beaches and streets.

What to visit in Santander

Among the more imposing buildings is the Magdalena Palace that was built in the early 20th century on a hill in the Magdalena Peninsula surrounded by outstanding landscape. The king Alfonso XIII used to spend the summers in this palace until 1930. Currently, the palace hots events, exhibitions and summer courses at Menéndez Pelayo International University where more than seven thousand students attend the courses in Santander every year. This peninsula is itself a must-see place.

If visitors take a leisurely stroll along the elegant Sardinero Promenade, which is one of the most emblematic areas of the city, they will find the famous Sardinero Beaches, Gran Casino del Sardinero, the Auditorium, luxury hotels, restaurants, terraces, bares, cafés and, pubs, as well as the Piquio Gardens which are regarded as some of the most lovely places in Santander from where visitors can see wonderful views. The Sardinero Promenade is to the east of the city.

Paseo de Pereda is without a doubt the most remarkable area in Santander where people can enjoy the beautiful Pereda Gardens and historical buildings walking along the Paseo de Pereda and Castelar Street and bordering the impressive Bay of Santander, to the south of the city. Moreover, the seaport, the port of call, the marina, the pier, Palacete del Embarcadero, the Cathedral, the City Hall, the Plaza Porticada and Santander Bank are interesting places and building near the Pereda Gardens. This area is plenty of restaurants, cafés, terraces, glamorous shops and luxury hotels.

Santa Maria de la Asuncion Cathedral, which incorporates remains of a Roman structure that can be seen if you visit the Cathedral, was built on a hill between 14th and 17th centuries in Gothic style. It was severely damaged during the 1941 fire although it was rebuilt and widened. The cloister from 14th century in Gothic style. Besides, Cristo Church also known as Cripta is under the cathedral dating from 13th century was built on the site of a previous monastery in Gothic style too. By the way, the tomb of Marcelino Menéndez Pelayo ( 1856 -1912) is in this cathedral.

If tourists are interested in visiting museums theses are probably worth mentioning Modern Art, Menéndez Pelayo House, Fine Art, MMC Cantrabrian Maritime, Prehistory or Botin Art Center among others.

Sports and Beaches

Although there are a lot of facilities for football, swimming, surfing, windsurfing, horse riding and play golf, tennis and others in Santander, the natural surrounding with their beaches and sailing are really of main attractions. In fact, Santander hosted the Sailing World Championship 2014 (on 30th August to 21st September) where almost 1400 participants from 95 countries and more than 700 vessels took part in the competition.

Santander also has a lot of parks where people can do sport, walk or play such as Las Lamas Park, the largest Park in Santander with plenty of trees, a lake and the Palacio de Deportes (Sport Palace) at its main entrance, it is really more than a park is the green heart of Santander; Mataleña Golf Course is on a hill; Mataleña Park, with breathtaking views, borders the Cape Menor and arrives at Faro in Cape Mayor; El Faro (The lighthouse) is on a hill and measures 30 meters in height (90 meters over sea level), being erected in the mid 19th century, it is 2 km from city center. Mesones Park near Sardinero II beach is ideal for children; Water Park, Doctor Morales Park, La Alameda, the Jado Park among others without forgetting the Piquio Gardens.

Obviously Santander also has some of the most famous beaches in Spain all of them of the highest quality, with fine golden sand, clear waters and excellent facilities. Besides, the beauty of the landscape around the beaches has the additional advantage of being within walking distance of the city center. In addition, there are cultural events on the beaches.

Los Peligros Beach with quiet waters, measures about 200 meters in length by 70 meters in width; Magdalena Beach measures more than 800 meters in length by 30 meters in width and the Bikinis Beach is more than 200 meters long and 30 meters wide with quiet waters and soft breeze is easily reached from Magdalena Peninsula. These three beaches are situated to the south of Santander by the Paseo Reina Victoria and Magdalena Peninsula.

Situated to the east of the city visitors can find the busiest beaches:

El Camello measures 200 meters by 50 meters; La Concha Beach is 250 meters long and 20 meters wide located between Camello and Sardinero I beaches; Sardinero I Beach measures more than 300 meters in length by 80 meters in width with fine sand is very popular among tourists, it is next to Sardinero II Beach which measures about 1000 meters in length by 80 meters in width is the largest beach in Santander. All of them border the Sardinero Promenade.

Molinucos Beach is a small beach with fine and golden sand and often empty, it is about 30 meters long and 5 meters wide not far of Sardinero II Beach and near Mataleñas park. Mataleñas Beach which is very popular among local people, is located between the Cape Mayor and the Cape Menor near the Mataleñas Park in an area of natural beauty, measures about 120 meters by 40 meters.

Other beaches nearby:

Punta Parayas Beach is a artificial beach in Camargo it measures 50 meters in length by about 30 meters in width. Punta Parayas beach offers good facilities with green areas to walk and play, bicycle path, parking and so on.

El Bocal Beach 200 meters by 10meters and Maruca Beach 400 meters long and 10 meters wide are situated on the north coast of Santander in Monte with low occupation; Virgen del Mar Beach in San Roman de la Llanilla with 400 meters by 40 meters is an isolated beach to the north of village, here is the Chapel of the Virgin of the Sea ( Virgen del Mar) It is 5 km from Santander.

Gastronomy

It is well known that local people are justly proud of its traditional cuisine, the excellent and healthy food which is attractive not only for its aroma and exquisite taste, but also the quality of its savory anchovies, the fresh seafood, fish and meat, its famous green pepper, its tasty Pasiego cheese, delicious desserts and its flavorful wine make Santander an ideal tourist destination of the highest quality.

To sum up, we suggest enjoying the beaches, the food, the nightlife and do water sports. Visitors can arrive in Santander, by train, by car, by sea, by air.

Santander is about 400 kms. from Madrid

Cabarceno Nature Park

Cabarceno Park (15 Km. from Santander) is a zoo with a surface area of more than 7,000,000 square meters that preserves the conservation of the environment. There are giraffes, jaguars, rhinoceros, hippopotamus, zebras, bears, lions, elephants, tigers, deers, horses, wallabies and many much animals from Asia, Africa, America, Australia and Europe that visitors can see them living in freedom in a suitable area surrounded by nature.

Visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of nature and wildlife in Cabarceno Park if they go on foot or by car through the paths and roads of park. Moreover, the park has excellent facilities to spend all day with children and old people. By the way, this park is one of most visited places in the northern Spain

The ticket costs between 7 to 25 euros.

Other places to visit in Cantabria region (Spain)

– Comillas: Comillas is an attractive town located on the Cantabrian Sea coast, in the north of Spain, indeed in an area of natural breathtaking beauty in Cantabria region.

– Potes: Visiting the beautiful villages in Cantabria region, in the north of Spain, tourists should not miss out on the medieval town of Potes whose traditional buildings, wooden balconies, steep streets and surrounding mountains make the Potes town an interesting tourist attraction place.

– Altamira Cave: Located in Santillana del Mar, was declared a World Heritage in 1985 by UNESCO.

Tenerife Island: Beaches and gastronomy in Tenerife (Canary Islands)

March 29, 2014Beach, mountain and nature, Canary Islands / Islas Canarias, Gastronomybestplaces

Situated in the Atlantic Ocean, Tenerife Island is the largest island of the seven Spanish Canary Islands (known as Islas Canarias) off northwest coast of Africa. Tenerife covers a surface area of about 2,030 square kilometers and being Santa Cruz of Tenerife its Capital city.

Its favorable geographical location, its pleasant mild climate, its tropical trade winds (vientos Alisios), its annual average temperatures between 17 degrees in winter and 25 degrees in summer, its sunny beaches, and leisure activity make Tenerife Island an ideal holiday destination. Moreover, Tenerife also has a lot of offer in the way of culture, nature, gastronomy, sport, festivals, and so on.

The beaches of Tenerife

The exceptional warm climate makes the beaches of Tenerife its main attraction for visitors who can enjoy bathing, windsurfing or swimming in the clear water of the Atlantic Ocean during all the year round, sunbathing, relaxing on the Médano, the Cabezo, the Cristianos, The Gigantes, San Juan or some of the many sandy beaches which surround on the coast of Tenerife island.

If tourists want to enjoy a different beach every day, they can take the public bus or tram which run very frequently from wherever village or city of Tenerife to all the most famous beaches of the island. It might take about an hour or less to arrive at the farthest beaches. Although the best way to reach the beaches is to hire a car and enjoy the incomparable beauty of the island.

We suggest joying the fine golden sand of Teresitas beach in the north of the island, it takes about 12 minutes (9 km. away) from Santa Cruz de Tenerife city. The volcanic black sand of Arena beach in the south of the island which will take about an hour (100 km. away) from Santa Cruz de Tenerife city, or the exotic black sand Socorro beach near the Orotava Valley it takes about 30 minutes by car (42 km away).

By the way, the beaches have excellent facilities for people of all ages.

The gastronomy in Tenerife

Visitors can enjoy delicious food and excellent wine in Tenerife if they ask for traditional dishes at the cafés, taverns, or restaurants which offer Canary Islands’ cuisine such as montaditos de batata (sweet potato canapé), bacalao con mojo rojo (cod with red mojo sauce), queso asado con miel (fried or roasted cheese with honey), puchero canario (Canary Islands’ stew), grilled pork, chicken or fresh fish with the famous papas arrugadas (wrinkled potatoes boiled dry in sea salt) served with mojo picon ( a spicy of garlic sauce), Besides, the sweet and famous plátanos (bananas), aromatic goat’s cheese and the excellent honey are massively popular with tourists and local people.

Anyway, all the villages on the coast have restaurants and cafés where tourists can try tasty fresh fish in Canary Islands’ style. Do not forget that many restaurants in Tenerife have terraces overlooking the sea and modern open-air terraces to have lunch, dinner or tapas with good red, rose or white Canary Islands’ wine. Read more here about the Gastronomy of the Canary Islands.

The Wine of the island

Although international cuisine is served in all the restaurants and cafés of Tenerife, visitors should not forget the great quality of its wines which have just been chosen by world renowned chefs. Moreover, tourists must not lose the opportunity to see the vineyards, which grow on volcanic soil giving a delicate flavor to its vintages, such as in the beautiful landscape of the Orotava Valley, Gúimar Valley or Taracote among others. As for wine, people interested in knowing more about wines can also make the wine route which offers leisure activities, visits wineries, savors fine local wines and superb traditional cuisine, among other things.

By the way, there are several guided winery tours of half a day, full day, nature and wine and so on. However, a few tourists make it on their own because the distances are short in Tenerife what let people combine several activities the same day taking the efficient and cheap public transport service. The Orotava Valley takes about 25 minutes by car ( 35 km away) from Santa Cruz of Tenerife city.

More places to visit in the Canary Islands

– Santa Cruz de Tenerife city: A guide to visit Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

– Towns, Ports and beaches in Tenerife: Garachico and Icod de Vinos.

– Gran Canaria: Find here our posts about the best beaches of Gran Canaria, and Towns and Mountains of Gran Canaria.

– The Gastronomy of the Canary Islands: In this post you’ll learn more about the traditional food and drinks of the islands.

San Sebastián / Donostia: What to visit in San Sebastian city

March 10, 2014Beach, mountain and nature, Gastronomy, San Sebastián, Tours and Guidesjulia

Situated in the north of Spain on the Bay of Biscay coast, washed by the Cantabrian Sea, San Sebastian (or Donostia) also known as Perla del Cantábrico (the Cantabrian Sea Pearl) is renowned for its spectacular natural beauty. Being one of the most elegant cities of Spain with about 200,000 inhabitants, Donostia – San Sebatian and the Polish city of Wroclaw will have the honor of being the Cultural Capitals of Europe in 2016.

Being one of the main tourist destination of quality in Spain, Donostia (in Basque or Euskera language), or San Sebastian (in Spanish Language) is the capital of Gipuzkoa province (in The Basque Country region) and both the capital and the region really have a lot of to offer citizens and visitors in the way of the gastronomy, culture, architecture, water sports, comfortable lifestyle, entertainment, beaches, leisure activities, festivals, among other things.

The Concha, Ondarreta and Zurriola beaches

Taking a stroll along its coastal promenade, the starting point might be at the Peine del Viento (the Wind Comb) the famous sculpture by the architect Luis Peña and the world renowned sculptor Eduardo Chillida. At Igeldo Mountain by the sea, visitors can feast their eyes on the beautiful Bahía de la Concha (the Shell Bay) (so called because the Bahía de la Concha is shaped like a shell) where are the Ondarreta Beach and La Concha Beach, which are some of the most beautiful beaches in Spain. In front of both beaches in the heart of the bay is Santa Clara island the symbol of the city with a small beach.

Following the enjoyable stroll walkers will find a large garden, the impressive Miramar Palace and its park and interesting buildings on the right, and the Ondarreta Beach and the Concha Beach on the left. After 30 minutes on foot they will arrive at the Hall City an imposing building on the right and at the end the Concha Beach on the left. By the way, both beaches have the best facilities people can go windsurfing, kayaking, canoing and others. Visitors must not leave the city without walking along this romantic and elegant area.

If visitors go on walking they will arrive at the Zurriola Beach the largest Beach of San Sebastian where people go surfing, swimming, sunbathing, windsurfing, so on. It takes about 20 minutes on foot from Hall City to the Zurriola Beach, walking through the pedestrian Zumardia Boulevard, crossing the Kursaal Bridge over the Urumea River, in the Gros Neighborhood. It is a pleasant and unbelievable stroll.

Tasting the gastronomy of Donostia San Sebastián

It is said that one of the main tourist attractions in Donostia- San Sebastian is its gourmet food because Gipuzkoa is known all over the world for its excellent restaurants, a famous chefs and traditional cuisine. Local people, who are easy going and friendly, are used to enjoying good food and fine wine at home and out with friends and visitors.

Wandering through the lively Old Neighborhood (La Parte Vieja) from Zurmardia Boulevard to Urgull mountain, tourists can find traditional bars, cafés, restaurants full of people eating pintxos (tapas) and drinking txakoli (a special white wine) or sidra (cider) creating a pleasant and relaxed atmosphere while enjoying the delicious and tasty pintxos.

There are plenty of bars, restaurants and cafés in the Gros and the Center neighborhood which also serve great variety of excellent pintxos and traditional wine. Moreover, visitors will come across stylish restaurants, bars and cafés which offer a rich variety of local specialty.

The three neighborhoods come alive at night when people are attracted by music, dance, food and drink. Donostia – San Sebastian is probability the best city to enjoy a pleasurable lifestyle and a lively nightlife. In fact, most tourists come back again in order to have a lot of fun at its parties.

Monuments, buildings and other interesting places

Probablyyou should visit The Mota Castle on the hill of Urgull mountain dates from 12th century, with a breathtaking view of the Concha Bay. It takes about 10 minutes on foot from Hall City. It is worth a visit.

The Gothic San Vicente Church dates from 16th century, the Baroque Santa Maria Basilica from 18 th century, and the historic Constitución Square, which is the main meeting point of the city, are located in the Old Neighborhood.

Nearby the luxury Maria Cristina Hotel, the outstanding Victoria Eugenia Theater by the Urumea River, and other interesting buildings can be seen walking around the center neighborhood. Moreover, walkers will come across amazing sculptures and buildings as they stroll along the streets such as the neogothic Buen Pastor Cathedral which was built in 19th century, one of the most emblematic buildings of the city it is located in the center neighborhood where visitors can stare other magnificent buildings. Do not miss out on this spellbinding church.

Parks, gardens and fun

San Sebastian has many large parks and lovely gardens where people can do sport, play football or tennis, spend the free time. Moreover, the city has plenty of green areas, and a theme park for children and multiples activities for all family. Besides, the Palacio del Mar (the Sea Palace) is one of the most modern aquarium in Europe with more than 5,000 living species.

In conclusion, San Sebastian can offer people luxury hotels, fine restaurants; a good theater; clean and sandy beaches with clear and blue water; unique festivals, Cinema, Gastronomy, Fashion, Music, Regattas, Surfing, fascinating museums, high class shops and so on. In fact, San Sebastian is a very glamorous holiday destination.

San Sebastian is situated to 30 km. from France, 80 Km. from Pamplona; 100 km. from Bilbao, and 450 km. from Madrid.

Other cities and regions to visit near San Sebastián / Donostia

– Bilbao: In Bilbao you can visit The Guggenheim Art Center, Gexto town and beaches and many more interesting places.

– The Basque Country: Check here all our posts about the Basque Country.

– Asturias: Asturias region is placed close to the Basque country. In there you will discover Gijón and Oviedo cities and a lot nature.

The Canary Islands Gastronomy: What to eat and typical food of the islands

February 25, 2014Canary Islands / Islas Canarias, GastronomyJorge

Today we are going to talk about the typical food of the Canary Islands (Islas Canarias). Its location in the Atlantic ocean, at the west of Africa near the Sahara and Morocco coast makes a difference in the typical food of the islands in comparison to the food that can be grown or fished in the rest of Spain, in the Iberian Peninsula.

Eating in the Canary Islands

The Canary Islands are a holiday paradise for many tourists who travel there to enjoy its beaches and its tropical climate. And of course, as in any other touristic places, the Canary Islands are used to receiving a huge number of tourists who who go to shops and restaurants to eat.

Surely you will find a lot of shops, bars and restaurants in any part of the islands (Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Fuerteventura, La Palma, Lanzarote…). Usually, these restaurants are cheaper than the restaurants in the rest of the country, what means that a person can eat dinner for less than 10€. However, everything depends on what are you looking for: In the Canary Islands you can find some of the cheapest places of Spain, and also some luxury ones.

Typical food and drinks from the Canary Islands

When eating in a restaurant in the Canary Islands, you will be able to ask for a normal dish from Spain or Europe… but our recommendation is to try the typical food from the islands. It’s very tasty and our experience there was very satisfying!

Here you have a list with some of the traditional dishes of the Canary Islands:

– Baked potatoes with mojo sauce (Patatas arrugadas): This variety of small potatoes (popularly known as Papas arrugás) are baked in an oven and served unpeeled with Mojo Sauce.

The Mojo sauce can be red or green depending on the ingredients which have been used to prepare it, and it gives a soft taste to the potatoes that everyone will love. Commonly, this typical sauce is prepared from: oil, salt, tomato, pepper and a little bit of garlic and parsley.

– Fish (Pescado): The seaports of the Canary Islands provide all kind of fish to its shops and restaurants.

Also, you will probably see in the restaurant menus some other fish as squid or sepia (calamares, chocos, chopitos, puntillitas) which are not typical from the islands, but which are very popular in other regions as in Andalusia or in the Mediterranean coast.

– Gofio: Long time ago, it was the basic food for the original residents of the islands (The “guanches” tribes). The gofio is mainly composed by cereals (wheat and barley). Nowadays it’s eaten with the main dishes as fish or meat.

– Meatloaf (Carne mechada / Ropa Vieja): The meatloaf is highly popular among the citizens of the islands. You can try it alone, with salad and chips or in a sandwich.

– Cactus Jam (Mermelada de cactus) and Prickly pears (Higos chumbos): The weather of the islands makes very easy to grow upland plants as cactus or palms. With its fruits, people make a wide variety of dishes, as marmalade and other similar products.

– Fruits and juices (Fruta y zumos): Don’t leave the islands without trying its natural juices and smoothies. Also, the Canary bananas (Platanos de Canarias) are very popular, besides they are exported all over the world because of its good taste and its hight quality.

– Alcoholic Drinks: There are two very popular brands of alcohol in the islands: The Tropical Beer and The Areucas Rum, which factory is located in Aruca Town (Gran Canaria).

More about the Canary Islands

– The Canary Islands: Read here all our post about the islands: Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, La Palma, Lanzarote, El Hierro and La Gomera.

Gijón: What to visit in Gijón city (Asturias)

January 27, 2014Beach, mountain and nature, Gastronomy, Gijón, Tours and Guidesbestplaces

Gijón (or Xixón) is the biggest city of Asturias region, and the most touristic one. With near 300,000 inhabitants, Gijón is a nice seaside city which invites all its visitors to enjoy its beaches, its gastronomy and its way of life.

In this article we are going to talk about the best places to see when visiting Gijón: beaches, monuments, restaurants and many more. For doing that, we will suggest three routes through the city, with the main sites and the recommendations of their citizens (thanks Tania!)

Route one: San Lorenzo beach (Playa de San Lorenzo), Cimadevilla and West Beach (Playa de Poniente)

San Lorenzo beach is probably the most famous beach of Gijón. It is located from Isabel la Católica Park, through Ezcudia Avenue to San Pedro Church.

In this area, close to San Pedro Church, you will also find the ruins of the Roman Baths (Termas romana de Campo Baldés) and the Jovellanos museum (Casa natal de Jovellanos). In the Roman Baths museum are exposed the ruins of this public baths: The first ruins were discovered in 1903 but they haven’t been fully explored and the museum wasn’t inaugurated until the end on the 20th century. On the other hand, in Jovellanos museum you will visit the 15th century birthplace of Jovellanos family (a famous Spanish writer and politician).

Once passed San Pedro Church beach, you can walk uphill to Cimadevilla neighborhood, where it’s placed Santa Catalina Park (Parque del cerro de Santa Catalina) and one of the icons of the city: the “Elogio del horizonte” monument. This construction was designed by sculptor Eduardo Chillida and built in 1990. Near this zone you also can visit Plaza Mayor of Gijón.

From this point of Santa Catalina Park, you will be able to see on the horizon the Cantabran and Gijón coasts (on one side San Lorenzo beach and on the other one The Port and El Musel).

For finishing the route, you can walk downhill to the other side of the city, where it’s placed the Port of Gijón, the famous red structure with the name of the city (Las Letronas), Revillagigedo Palace (Palacio de Revillagigedo) and the West Beach (Playa de Poniente).

Route two: Visiting the City centre

For visiting the centre of Gijón, a good start point is Begoña Street (Paseo Begoña) and Covadonga Street, in where you will find Jovellanos Theather and San Lorenzo Parish.

Another popular site is Jovellanos Square (Plaza del Instituto Jovellanos), popularly known as Plaza del Parchís. This is one of the meeting points of the city. Also, in this square is located the Municipal Library.

Route three: The view point of La Providencia

If you have enough time, you can go to La Providencia by foot. The walk from Gijón city to La Providencia could last around one hour from San Lorenzo beach (stair 17). During this walk, at first you will reach the “Juana la Lloca” monument, In memory of the fishers who were disappeared in the sea. Then, once passed the beach, there is placed La Providencia, a boat-shaped view point from where you will be able to enjoy one of the best view of Gijón.

Gastronomy: Eating in Gijón

Asturias is famous for its nature and for its gastronomy. For discovering Asturias nature you can look for routes in its villages and mountains. For tasting the Asturian food you can eat at some of the traditional restaurants of Gijón as the following ones.

Two examples of traditional restaurants of Gijón:

– El Otro Mayu (Sanz Crespo Street, number 15): An ideal option to taste the traditional food of Asturias.
– El Trasgu Farton (Luanco Street, number 16): Another option, in where you will be able to eat for a cheap price (around 10 euros per person).

More places to visit in Asturias

– Oviedo: With 225,000 inhabitants, Oviedo is the capital city of Asturias. If you want to visit it, Gijón is only 28 km away of Oviedo.

– Cudillero, Lastres and Llanes: These three seaside towns are highly popular among the tourists. If you have enough time, don’t miss them!

– Covadonga: In the Covadonga Sanctuary it’s placed the famous cave with Don Pelayo tomb and the statue of Lady of Covadonga. Close to the cave, there is located San Pedro Monastery and the Basilica of Santa María la Real of Covadonga.

– Routes in the nature: For discovering the “green Asturias” a recommended option is to plan a route on foot through the nature. For doing that you can start by trying this two routes: Ruta de las Xanas and Ruta del Cares.

Mercado de San Antón / San Anton Market (Madrid)

January 24, 2014Gastronomy, MadridJorge

San Anton Market (Mercado de San Antón) is a food market located in Chueca Neighborhood, in the center of Madrid City. The market is focused on “tapas” (small dishes of food) and premium food to eat in its stalls and restaurants.

The Market is placed inside a four-levels building, it’s open seven days a week (as San Miguel Market), and it is full of people all evenings and nights, above all from Thursdays to Sundays.

San Antón Market is placed at Augusto Figueroa Street, number 24. To arrive there, you can go by Metro, using Line 5 to Chueca Metro Station. It’s also close to Gran Via Metro Station (Lines 1 and 5).

The history of the market

The current market is located at a modern building placed in the cross between Augusto Figueroa Street and Libertad Street ,in Chueca Neighborhood. This building was inaugurated in 2002 and has a high architectonic value.

However, before the new building was constructed, the market was in an older building located in the same place since 1945. Before that year, the market already existed: Since the 19th century to 1945, the stalls were in the street.

What you will find in San Anton Market

The market is in a four-levels building. In each level there is placed a different kind of stalls:

– The first level is focused in positions takeaway.

– In the second floor you will find stalls with tapas and drinks to eat in the terraces of the market. As example, you can find premium hamburgers, meat, sushi, fish, fruit or any kind of Spanish tapas. To drink, people frequently ask for wine, beer or cider.

– In the third floor there is a restaurant with a balcony from where it can be seen the sky of Madrid. Surely, it’s a good place to have a dinner or just have a lunch and drink something. The balcony is air-conditioned so you can visit it in all seasons of the year.

– The fourth level is in the underground, where there is a supermarket.

Other zones to eat in Madrid

– San Miguel Market: San Miguel Market is a building placed in San Miguel square, between Plaza Mayor and Almudena Cathedral. Inside of this famous market you will find an incredibly variety of food: juices, “tapas”, “croquetas”, hamburgers, fruit, fish… all of this of the highest quality.

– La Latina Neighborhood: La Latina is a central neighborhood of Madrid whose bars and restaurants are highly popular among the citizens. On Cava alta and Cava baja streets, there are a lot of premium places, and also other much cheaper ones which offer original and good quality for a few price.

– Seven-days tour in Madrid: In this article we are going to tell you what are the most relevant places in Madrid: From popular streets, parks and squares, to monuments, museums, football stadiums or restaurants and pubs areas.

Plaza Mayor de Salamanca / Salamanca Main Square

January 22, 2014Gastronomy, Nightlife, Salamanca, Streets and monumentsJorge

The Main Square (Plaza Mayor) of Salamanca is the hearth of the city. This square is located in the Old Town of Salamanca and it’s surrounded by the most important buildings of the town, as The University faculties, The Shells House (Casa de las Conchas) or The Cathedral.

Salamanca is one of the best maintained traditional cities of Spain. The Old Town of Salamanca is highly popular for its elegant stone-made buildings, monuments and squares.

The Main Square of Salamanca

Salamanca Main Square is one of the icons of the city. It was built from 1729 to 1756 by architect Alberto Churriguera. The square has a rectangular shape bordered by elegant stone-made Baroque buildings.

The main facade of the square is the Hall Town of Salamanca. Starting from this point and bordering the square, there is a beam corridor in where are medallions which have sculpted the faces of some important people of the last centuries: The kings of Spain (Carlos I, Felipe II…), conquerors (as Cristobal Colón or Hernán Cortés), or writers (Cervantes, Miguel de Unamuno…).

Although in the beginnings of the 20th century the Main Square has gardens in it. Nowadays it has been remodeled to leave more free space. However the square has benches and terraces for the people who want to rest or have a lunch.

Note: Don’t mistake Plaza Mayor of Salamanca with Plaza Mayor of Madrid. This second one was in 1580, but it’s not as spectacular as the Salamanca’s one.

Restaurants and bars in Salamanca near Plaza Mayor

To eat and drink in the Old Town of Salamanca is a pleasure: The bars and restaurants are merged with the traditional environment of the town, which will lead you into a medieval atmosphere in were Salamanca was one of the main cities of Spain.

The most visited bars and restaurants of Salamanca are placed in Plaza Mayor and its surroundings. Also, there are many pubs and discotheques in the area for young people.

Take into account that, as Plaza Mayor of Salamanca is the heart of the city, people are used to dating there with their friends to spend the free time in this zone. As a curiosity, it is said that the prices of the bars are cheaper than in other bigger cities of the country as Madrid.

Night Life in Salamanca

Salamanca is a high popular destination for young people. As it has the oldest university of Spain, many students (both Spaniards and Erasmus) live there during their studies. That means that, during the academic course, there are always a lot of activities for students and visitors.

The main bars and discotheques of Salamanca are placed in the Old Town, near the University buildings. In there, there is a lot of night life almost every day, from September to June (during the academic year).

Other remarkable places in Salamanca that you might like to visit

– What to visit in Salamanca: Check here our article with the top buildings and monuments of Salamanca.

– Castile and Leon (Castilla y León): By visiting Castile and Leon you will be in some of the most ancient cities of the centre of the Iberian Peninsula: Salamanca, Burgos, Segovia, Avila and more.

– The best cities to visit in Spain: A list with the most touristic cities and destinations of Spain.

What to buy in Spain? Food and drinks from Spain

December 19, 2013Gastronomy, Spain / España, Tips and opinionsAnna

If we talk about shopping… Spain offers many interesting things to buy for tourists and people visiting this beautiful country.

Let’s start from food!
If you are in Spain, you have to buy at least some of the things which are on the list:

– Jamón serrano, chorizo, salchichón: all of them are typical Spanish hams used to prepare tapas or bocadillos, the price of really good jamón can be very high (100 euros for 1kg), but it’s really worth trying. These cured meats have a very specific taste, so if you don’t like trying new things or you are not sure if you like it or not the best option will be to go to some coffe house or pub and ask fot the “bocadillo de jamón”. I’ll try it and decide if you enjoy it or not.

– Vine or sangria: Germany is famous from its beer, Poland from vodka and Spain from wine. Spanish wines are the best in the world and much cheaper than the French ones so that gives them a lot of advantage. La Rioja is the most popular region of the country where the vine is maid. Of course, the best vine is the red one, but you can also try other types of it. Another Spanish invent which is woth trying is sangria or summer wine (tinto de verano). Both of them are sweet red wine made form a lot of fruits. As I said they are very sweet but taste deliciuos, especially with a lot of ice! They are grat alternative for the beer which you may drink during hot Spanish summer. One bottle of sangria usualy costs around 1,5-2 euros. The prices of the vine are very diversified. You can buy many vines for 3 euros and there are considered to be a good ones, but the shops are full of many different types, so you can choose whatever you like.

– Turrón: is a traditional Spanish sweet for Christmas. Christmas in Spain begin after the 1st of November, at least in shops and malls. Turrón is a tradional things which may remind you chocolate, but only from inside. The two tipical types come form two cites near Valencia, in the east of country: Alicante and Jijona (Xixona in catalan language). Both of them are made from almonds, but the one from Alicante consist of the whole almonds while this from Jijona from the grinded ones. To prepare them, apart form almonds you need honey, eggwhites and nuts oil. The tradional recepies are supervised by a special comission which takes care of the quaility of turrons.

– Fruits: Spain is an Europe’s door to exotic fruits! Because of it situation you can find a wide range of fruits and vegetables in this country, which are often much cheaper and taste better. All of fruits shop are very colorfull and can offer you many things: khaki, chirymoya or papaya.

– Cheese: even thought the cottage chceese is not a Spanish delicacy, the one which is made from goat’s milk is one of the bests. You can’t leave Spain without trying it. You also have to try the typical cheese, made form cow’s milk, becuse they are very tasty. As you can see, you can call France the country of cheese, but Spain has also many things to offer in this area.

After eating well, you can finally go and visit some clothes shops!

The best places in Spain

A guide to visit Spain, written by Spaniards