This cool, airy building concertinas across a hillside outside of Aix; the black and white facade hints at the kaleidoscope of delight within. The museum houses towering panels of brightly coloured optical art: are those cubes really flat? It seems impossible that they aren't pouring out of the walls. Our children were captivated and we were too. For a couple of hours we escaped the heat and revelled in colour and shape and illusion. We felt truly enlivened and enriched when we launched out into the sun's glare once more.

www.fondationvasarely.fr/
1 Avenue Marcel Pagnol, 13090 Aix-en-Provence, France
+33 4 42 20 01 09
Google map: bit.ly/NafxEO

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A two-tiered amphitheatre built by the Romans in the 1st century AD. It's a spectacular building and I remember visiting as a child and being in awe of the fact that gladiators would have fought where I stood. It's still used for plays and concerts now.

www.arenes-arles.com/
1 Rond-point des Arènes 13200 Arles, France
+33(0)891 70 03 70
Google map: bit.ly/MPV4u4

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The Museum of Spirits is a revamped version of an older museum, focusing on the history and culture of alcohol. The newly opened museum has three exciting exhibitions on show, and has a range of activities like wine and whisky tastings. Its a great place to visit, quite different from the majority of other museums. As a complement to their main exhibition, you can buy a tasting box with different kinds of flavoured vodka. The museum has an unbeatable setting: situated by the water at a little harbour in the middle of a green and leafy park. The real draw however is the restaurant and café. The restaurant menu is top notch, and the café does a cracking cinnamon bun and espresso. A class place for a glass of wine of a summers evening.

spritmuseum.se
Djurgårdsvägen 38, 115 12 Stockholm
+46(0)8 1213 1300
Google map: bit.ly/PkIRYW
Get the tram number 7 from the city centre towards Djurgården. Get off at the Tram stop Gröna Lund.

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The Fashion Museum is a great place to visit and not just for people who like frocks! The displays are well-designed and you can get very close to the garments and their accessories, so it is quite evident how things have been made and whether or not the tailoring is skilful.
At present there is an excellent special exhibition, on until 2 September 2012, called 'Jubilee: dressing the monarchy on stage and screen', which shows over fifty costumes made for productions over more than 50 years. These are free-standing, and again you can see the garments at close hand and admire the workmanship. But there is much to see in the permanent collections, whether or not you go for this particular show.
The Fashion Museum is a treat and not to be missed.

www.museumofcostume.co.uk/
Fashion Museum, Assembly Rooms, Bennet Street, Bath BA1 2QH
+44(0)1225 477789
Google map: bit.ly/QfQdRo

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If you are heading to Amsterdam in August, be prepared for a) plenty of festivals and b) limited co-operation from the weather.
So on a dry, warmish night, you might want to head to one of the more unique fests known as Pluk de Nacht (loosely translated as "Seize the Night"). It's an open-air film festival that appears just a stone's throw from Centraal Station, arising somewhat magically from a patch of unremarkable grass called the Stenen Hoofd. Nobody knows this name and online maps don't provide much help, so it's best to walk or bike west of Centraal along the water and you'll see it within minutes.
It's the kind of low-frills, high-fun that Amsterdam seems to do very well. You're in for loads of people who are all in a good mood - because if you are all there it means it isn't raining - with home-brought food and beverages (a selection of food and drinks is for sale too). Oh, and you'll see some critically acclaimed international movies in English (or subtitled). The view over the water isn't too shabby either.
Arriving 45 minutes before nightfall last year (about 10:15pm is when it became dark), the crowds were massive and we were shoehorned in to a less-than-optimal spot though. So if you're feeling Plukky, arrive extra early, snag a beach chair close to the screen or spread a blanket out under the stars.
This year's version runs from August 22 - September 1

www.plukdenacht.nl/index.php?21

* Jeff is our Been there local for Amsterdam. You can read his profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/amsterdam-local-jeff-funnekotter.jsp and follow his tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/jefffunnekotter

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Invigorating and exhilarating - a piece of real London history, a fantastic panoramic view at a fraction the cost of the Eye AND you get a certificate at the end! Commemorating the tragedy of the Great Fire of London, the sheer physicality of this memorial is a fitting tribute the the magnitude of the event. Its symbolic features (look them up if you must - but why not just go and find out?) give an added poignance to the experience.
As the tallest isolated stone column in the world, it's almost criminal to come to London and not see this - especially now that it's emerged from its almost two-year closure for repairs and refurbishment with a newly gilded tip.
Of course, everyone now flocks to the Eye for a frankly dull £15 gander at London from above. Here you get much the same sight, at a smidgin of the price (a trifling £3 - less than a single Zone 1 tube journey) but an unparalleled experience and a serious cardio workout to boot (over 300 steps!)
Being a 17th Century construction, it's not wheelchair accessible - but there is at least now a screen at the base where you can experience the panoramic view without actually ascending (also good for those with vertigo, or just with limited time ... or just plain lazy!)

www.themonument.info/
Fish Street Hill, The City EC3R 6DB
+44 (0) 207 626 2717
Google map: bit.ly/OIQHyY

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LCBO stores are a provincial government enterprise and one of the world’s largest buyers and retailers of alcohol beverages. With hundreds of stores in the Toronto area alone, my favourite one is the LCBO Summerhill location, a former Canadian Pacific Railway station.
Restored to its original grandeur, this 31,000 square foot space is the largest liquor store in Canada and the architecture is a great mix of the old with the new. The tower clock, modelled after the Campanile in Venice, and the high ceilings supported by marble walls nicely complement the modern interactive spaces such as the high-end kitchen and tasting rooms.
The Summerville location is known for its great selection as well as its Tutored Tastings events, held a few times per week in the evenings. With prices ranging from $25 to $50, the educational seminars feature topics such as Introduction to Single Malts, the Vineyards of Chile and Argentina, How to Taste, as well as other seminars involving food matching.
Pre-registration is required so book early. If you’re not able to attend a seminar, I still recommend visiting this beautiful shop. The staff are incredibly knowledgeable and friendly and you may even be able to taste a few samples for free.

www.lcbo.com/learn/
tutoredtastings_summerhill.shtml
10 Scrivener Square, Toronto, Canada
+1 416 922 0403
Google map: bit.ly/MMgtyY


* Giulia is our Been there local for Toronto. You can see her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/places/canada/toronto/index.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/GiuliaFalsetti

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Toronto has many museums and art galleries, but one of the most interesting venues for
showcasing contemporary art cannot be found in any Toronto guidebook, but by walking
through the city. Many Toronto neighbourhoods are full of street art, and some of the most beautiful and eclectic work appears on the side of a wall, under a bridge, down a laneway or in an alley.
One such place known to many locals is called Graffiti Alley, or as Google Maps calls it, “Rush Lane”, located half a block south and running parallel to trendy Queen Street West, it is several blocks long. Walking through the alley changes the city into a walking art gallery. Almost every surface within the area, including doors, lighting poles, fire hydrants and fire escapes, are all covered with graffiti art. And if you also want to look at art you can purchase, there are several galleries on Queen Street West just a few steps away.
Although it’s an alley, the area is perfectly safe to walk through. The space, which was originally intended for delivery trucks, is usually busy with local pedestrians, street art fans like me, photographers, and of course graffiti artists.

From Spadina and Queen Streets, walk half a block south and westbound; the lane runs several blocks all the way to Portland Street.
Google map: bit.ly/QgjDk5

* Giulia is our Been there local for Toronto. You can see her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/places/canada/toronto/index.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/GiuliaFalsetti

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Kensington Market in downtown Toronto represents true multiculturalism, with people of many backgrounds owning shops side by side, including Portuguese, East Indian, African, Asian, South American and Caribbean.
This bohemian neighbourhood offers everything you could ask for, with over 245 local, independent businesses, including some of the best vintage clothing shops in the city, eclectic cafes, funky art galleries showcasing local talent, ethnic butchers, grocers, fishmongers and cheese merchants, several bakeries, spice and dry goods stores, as well as a wide variety of dining options, ranging from classic French to Jamaican patties, and Central American treats such as empanadas and arepas.
I’ve been visiting this area since the early-80s and it hasn’t changed much: brightly painted Victorian homes, some of which have been turned into shops lining the narrow streets, alleyways covered in graffiti, modest family-run stores, grocers displaying a colorful outdoor array of exotic fruits and vegetables, and in summer, many cafes and restaurants offer live music on their patios. While real estate prices in the area have increased sharply since then, Kensington still remains a predominantly working class, immigrant community.
This tight-knit neighbourhood has worked hard to preserve its heritage: there are no chain
stores of any kind here. In fact, when Nike opened a shop here about 10 years ago, the locals forced them to shut down and move away. This is a very friendly enclave where organic bakeries take the place of fast-food restaurants, and vegan and vegetarian restaurants are the norm. Remember to bring cash, as many of the smaller shops do not take credit or debit cards.
Because the narrow streets make it challenging for both pedestrians and drivers, the local
businesses have organized a series of Pedestrian Sunday events in August and September from 12pm to 6pm where some streets are closed to motorized traffic.

www.kensington-market.ca
Google map: bit.ly/MwAbAj

* Giulia is our Been there local for Toronto. You can see her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/places/canada/toronto/index.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/GiuliaFalsetti

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Try the gardens at Cap Roig (Jardi Botanic Cap Roig),a series of beautiful and unusual themed gardens laid out on terraces around a modern castle leading to the sea. My favourite was the cactus garden which affords spectacular views of the coast below. Time your visit to coincide with the open-air music festival that the garden hosts in the summer. When we were there three years ago, Leonard Cohen was performing under the stars!

www.caproigfestival.com
www.ipep.cat/
Carrer Major, 1 17200 Palafrugell, Spain
+34 972 61 18 20
Google map: bit.ly/LIEryS

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Eusebi Guell's model industrial village built in 1890 to house occupants of the textile industry. The highlight is one of Antonio Gaudi's key works - the unfinished church crypt. The crypt features brilliant use of leaded stained glass, brick and ceramics.

www.barcelonaturisme.com/Gaudi-crypt
Carrer de Claudi Güell, 6, 08690 Santa Coloma de Cervelló, Spain
+34 936 30 58 07
Google map: bit.ly/MIalHa

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Gaudi is associated with nearby Barcelona, the Gaudi centre in Reus might be overlooked. It a modern building, with interesting displays, both visual and written information. It does not cost much to get in and you have an audio guide.

www.gaudicentre.cat/
Plaça del Mercadal, 3 43201 REUS, Spain
+34 977 01 06 70
Google map: bit.ly/SELLvN

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When in Spanish Catalonia we offered to answer questions for local school children (under supervision of course) to help them with their English language and geography. In return we got some great info about the best local cafes, shops etc. We also learned the cheapest and best way to travel - like the locals.

We were introduced through the hotel reception.

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Priorat, in Tarragona Province probably produces the most exciting red wines in the whole of Spain. Yet an excursion to this scarcely populated corner of Catalonia brings further delights in addition to the fantastic bodega/ wine tasting visits.
You can visit the spectacular village of Siurana, the last place the Moors were expelled from in Catalonia, where the sheer rock faces were a natural defence.
Another option is Scala Dei, the fascinating remains of a Carthusian Monastery, at the foot of the imposing Montsant Natural Park.
Or if you fancy experiencing one of Catalonia's many festivals, visit the village of Prades, where once a year the baroque fountain spurts cava rather than for a day, for one and all to drink their fill during their yearly Festa Major.

www.tursimepriorat.org

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On the Nit de Sant Joan (St John's night) on 23rd June the usually reserved population of Catalonia goes barking mad for one night only! We've seen it in both Barcelona and Sitges and both were wild! We didn't know about it the first time we went to Barcelona and the first inkling we got of it was when some local residents started building a massive bonfire in the middle of the busy junction outside our hotel! We thought it was the start of a revolt but it turned out to be one of the biggest celebrations of the year so we headed out and got lost in the revelry. There were bonfires everywhere, people were handing out free food, and every bar had set up a stall on the street. As the night wore on everyone headed down to the beaches at Barceloneta where there were more bonfires, children racing round with sparklers, a huge firework display at midnight, and entire families from toddlers to grannies running into the sea for a swim at two in the morning! It was chaotic, boisterous and huge fun and it didn't end until dawn!

Anywhere in Catalonia on 23rd June

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Catalonia was a major Roman province and one of the best places to get a sense of that is Empuries in the far north of the Costa Brava. It's a massive Roman town built on an earlier Greek colony and it's still being excavated today. There are temples, mosaics, painted walls, everyday houses and the usual Roman preoccupation with sewers and water! The museum has a well displayed collection of finds and, even better, the whole thing is right on one of the best beaches on the Costa Brava. So after a morning of ancient history you can strip off, grab a bite to eat at the beach cafe and go for a swim with the fishes. They told us that we might be able to see the odd Roman ruin on the sea floor but we didn't have our goggles that day.

www.mac.cat/eng/Branches/Empuries
C/ Puig i Cadafalch, 
17130 Empúries-l'Escala

+34 972 77 02 08
Google map: bit.ly/PJiRqC

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First week in August every year. A mgnificent four or five days of activities for everyone. There are painting and drawing competitions, a puppet theatre and a parade of the gigantes for the children; a temporary fun-fare at one end of the beach offering attractions to all; sardanas, habaneras and flamenco for traditionalists; and a greasy pole, swimming events and cycling competitions for the more adventurous. But the highlights enjoyed by everyone are the four open air dances on the paseo (midnight to 3,4 or 5am) to a variety of bands/groups; the carrefoc, an explosive fire run with devils dancing through the streets breathing fire and hurling bangers and jacky-jumpers everywhere; and the spectacular, ear-bashing fireworks display in the bay on the last night, watched by thousands seated on the beach or the promenade wall. An exhausting but exhilarating four or five days.

Sant Feliu de Guixols, about 25 miles from Girona
Google map: bit.ly/LvgVW4

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First ensure you’ve had a couple of kwak beers in their proper glass, then head upstairs to Toone’s theatre with its puppets dangling from the eaves, take your place on the bench – and be prepared to not understand very much. Fear not though, this is normal. This is Bruxellois.
This time it is an adaptation of Hamlet, transported to the backstreets and canal of Brussels. There is a bit of hanky panky between King and Queen, a regal ghost burning his bottom on the fires of purgatory, and someone has caught the “English” flu. Sitting near the front you can appreciate the arms behind the artifice: 7 young puppeteers are needed to perform the show, and the lead puppeteer (Toone VIII) is also ticketmaster, barman and answerer of baffled-tourist questions.
“To be or not to be: that is the cwestion…” We’ll say this in English, that way everyone can say they didn’t understand a thing”, says one of the characters. But perhaps this Bruxellois dialect isn’t so tricky after all. There’s a spuuk in this play, you know, and a snotneus, and a stoemmeriek (stupid person). Mostly performances are in French Bruxellois, but once a week you can try Flemish Bruxellois (and be even more confused). The dialect survives mostly as a strong accent and vocabulary: you’re most likely to hear it amongst the older generation and Flemish speakers.
In the interval, you can drink yet more beer amongst retired 30 year old puppets in the tiny museum-cum-bar. Meanwhile I’m mulling over a line from the performance, “Justice is a snail. It will come in its own time.”
Performances at 20:30, and at 16:00 and 20:30 on Saturdays.
Check online to see what is playing, and reserve places online or by telephone a couple of days beforehand if you can.

www.toone.be/
Impasse Sainte-Pétronille, Rue du Marché-aux-Herbes 66, 1000 Brussels
+32 2 513 54 86
Google map: bit.ly/PYFjRD

* Bec is our Been there local for Brussels. You can view her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/brussels-local-rebecca.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/Becinbrussels

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Okay, like every tourist you've already visited Calle Florida. After all, despite everything, there is always something interesting to do there - shopping at Falabella, a coffee at Florida Garden. There are also good bookshops like Ateneo and Cúspide Libros, which have pleasant cafés away from the hubbub of the street - you do not even remember that you are in Florida. And I cannot fail to mention the Galerias Pacifico, with good shops and ceilings worthy of an art gallery.
What you might not know is that the top floor of the Galerias Pacifico is the Centro Cultural Borges where you can find concerts, exhibitions, films, educational programs and workshops. This centre is a great place to see tango shows - not tourist traps, but authentic ones. The prices are quite fair: for the tango show "Bien de Tango" I paid $100 (aprox. US$25). Certainly off the beaten track.

www.ccborges.org.ar
Centro Cultural Borges, Viamonte esq. San Martín C1053ABK, Buenos Aires
+54 (11) 5555-5359
Google map: bit.ly/Ncl3LR

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For me the highlight of Catalonia is a person – or perhaps the places he created. Antoni Gaudi’s masterpiece is usually considered to be Barcelona Cathedral, Sagrada Familia. But I prefer his more human scale creations: the Park Güell and the Casa Milà were the highlights of our visit to Barcelona. The former is a wonderful garden built on a hillside, providing splendid panoramic views of Barcelona. Within the garden are several intriguing structures and sculptures designed by Gaudi, who lived in a house by the park entrance (now a museum). Casa Milà is an amazing apartment block, constructed without a single straight line. The public are admitted to much of the building and on to the roof terrace – the high point of a visit in more senses than one.

www.gaudidesigner.com/uk/index.html
Google map: bit.ly/NciPvT

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