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Eric Benét in New York

Eric Benét in New York

On the 27th of June, at the Beacon Theater in New York, the American R&B and neo-soul singer Eric Benét will be playing live, together with the also American singer/songwriter Ledisi. This versatile singer, whose long career has brought him to different stages, will be playing to meet his New York fans once again, reminisce his old songs and present the new ones, which keep him always at the forefront of music. Eric Benét Jordan, the real name of Eric Benét, was born in 1966. His early days in music go back to the late 80s, when he participated in the band Gerard. Later, with his sister Lisa and his cousin George Nash Jr., they formed the band Benet and released their first album, with a homonymous name, with such success that they sold over 100,000 copies. In 1994 he signed an important contract with Warner Bros. Records and in 1996 he released his first solo album, ´True to Myself´. The songs on the album were highly successful and the song ´Spiritual Thang´ was even in the R&B Top 10. Also, the song ´Let´s stay together´ was part of the original soundtrack of the film ´A Thin Line Between Love and Hate´. His personal life has been full of tragedies that have affected his career temporarily, such as the loss of his father to cancer and then his girlfriend and mother of his son Maria Tami Stauff. Despite this pain, he managed to overcome it and carry on with his career. Today, he´s married to Manuela Testolini and has a daughter that was born in December 2011. His taste for...
Prater Park in Vienna

Prater Park in Vienna

In addition to its gardens and wooded recreation areas (such as theBelvederePalace), the capital ofAustriahas two large parks very different from each other. The first comprises the grounds ofSchönbrunnPalacetogether with its beautiful gardens and the second is known as the Wiener Prater. In contrast to the monumental fountains, large triumphal arches, the Zoo, or the Palm House (the photogenic greenhouse built of glass) of the former, the latter offers several sporting options for visitors and foreigners. While the first, Schönbrunn, is designed with linear, manicured French-style gardens (with its succession of box hedges, lakes, waterfalls, straight trails and vegetable mazes), the Prater is more like a natural forest. That is, while Schönbrunn seems made to be admired and looked, the Prater Park of Vienna offers excellent entertainment. Let us explain why. What was once a former imperial hunting ground open to the public “commoner” (the noble enjoyed it long before) in the late nineteenth century is, at present, organized for leisure and family sport. We’ll start by giving you the website where you can find out more about the varied options for activities, which are of course constantly changing. http://www.prater.at/. The Vienna Prater is divided into upper and lower halves by an avenue more than 5 miles long, which is flanked by beautiful, hundred-year-old chestnut trees. A walk along this route (bicycles and skates are allowed but motor vehicles are not) will delight the most romantic, especially in autumn when the trees change colors. At one end of the avenue stands the former hunting lodge, the Lusthaus, which has been converted into a stylish cafe restaurant. The other end...
Around the beaches of the Cap de Creus Natural Park

Around the beaches of the Cap de Creus Natural Park

Far from the hustle, crowds, contamination and wild urbanism are these beaches that make up the Cap de Creus (Creus Head), not far from Barcelona. They´re a succession of secluded beaches, almost inaccessible, with a clean and crystal-clear sea, wild nature with its many pines and low hills, towns that still preserve the lifestyle of previous decades… all of that and more you can find at the Cap de Creus. Here, time goes slowly, man coexists in harmony with natural spaces, bands of migratory birds go from north to south and from south to north, the bottom of the sea is paradise for snorkelers and divers… oh! and the beaches… the beaches of the Cap de Creus are made up of fine sand, at the bottom of mountains (actually, we´re at the eastern tip of the Pyrenees), the aroma of marjoram and thyme mixes with wild flowers and the transparent sea water allows us to see the small fish that venture close to the shore in search of sea weed. “A place created for the gods” said Salvador Dalí, the illustrious summer visitor of these coasts, around about the 1920s, when the avant-gardes shook old Spain. This was a place that he came to right until his death. You only have to remember that in one of these towns, Cadaqués, Dalí lived with his partner, Gala. A few steps from the sea, inside towards land, there´s Púbol Castle, a unique witness of the peculiar art of this surrealist genius. The castle is “a delight to feel the passing of time, drop by drop” according to the words of another local writer,...
Snow Patrol Concert in Vienna

Snow Patrol Concert in Vienna

On the 26th of June, the independent music band Snow Patrol will perform at the alternative concert hall Arena in Vienna. You can’t miss it! In a previous post, we talked about how there are cities that are conditioned by its most educated phase. And among them Vienna takes the lead with its classical orchestras, operas, festivals, Museum Island and much more. Well, the capital of Austria not only lives in this kind of cultural events but also offers alternative events where you can enjoy independent rock and pop and all that has been called suburban movements. During the late seventies, a group of young Viennese guys started occupying several abandoned buildings with the ultimate intention of using them to perform their particular art form. Although they were constantly moved out, they managed it to dig in an old slaughterhouse, which was transformed and conditioned into an important part of the current Viennese cultural life. We are talking about the Arena in Vienna, a place to serve the citizens as a multipurpose stage, outdoor cinema and a concert hall; many daily concerts of all stripes, styles and nationalities. Although the place was born with a clear subversive commitment, its stage has hosted international artists, as it is Leonard Cohen, who became fascinated with the place. Web 2.0 has entered the arena of Vienna and the promoters of this initiative (which has already accomplished a good thirty) have maintained a fluid communication through social networks. Under the slogan “Love music, hate fascism”, daily concerts, activities, workshops, exhibitions, courses and lectures are scheduled. Going along with the mentioned schedule, on the...
The Museum of Bags and Purses in Amsterdam

The Museum of Bags and Purses in Amsterdam

In the 90s, the controversial American feminist Camille Plagia wrote a book on the great Alfred Hitchcock movie The Birds, in which she made special and compelling Freudian emphasis about the importance of Melanie Daniels, the main character played by Tippi Hedren, never being separated from her purse and even holding onto it firmly, as if it were the only anchor capable of preventing the collapse of that artwork known as the identity which is presented to the world and most particularly to the world of men. In fact, the one time she does lose her handbag the consequences are formidable. Indeed, perhaps there are few things as suggestive, polysemous and ductile as handbags, which is the subject of devotion at the curious and interesting Tassen Hendrikje Museum of Amsterdam (http://www.museumofbagsandpurses.com/). It has beautiful rooms in an amazing seventeenth-century building and is home to the largest collection of handbags in the world, totaling over 4000 handbags, bags, purses, trunks, suitcases, backpacks, suitcases, boxes and other accessories from all time periods from the Middle Ages onwards. In addition to their impressive permanent collection, whose distinguishing mark is the attention paid to the bag in all its variety of forms, functions and materials, the museum also organizes permanent exhibitions of both national and international handbag designers, in line with their interest in the degree to which the various designs have always changed the fashion and lifestyle of each society. This alone would make a visit to this museum worthwhile, but there’s also the elegant historic building where they display the pieces. It boasts magnificent painted ceiling rooms, exquisite decoration and chimneys from the 17th and 18th...