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Big and Little Things to Do in Bologna
Bologna, the European Capital of Culture, hosts a large number of Erasmus students each year which makes it a rich and attractive destination in northern Italy. It is a walled city and has been for a long time, in contrast with the partying without borders that is typical among university students there. Bologna is an example of how traditions (architectural and gastronomic) and newer developments (large exhibitions and renowned cultural events) can coexist. The city of Bologna has three different nicknames. One is “the learned one”, or La Dotta (in Italian), because one of the oldest and most important universities of Italy and Europe is located there. “The fat one”, or La Grassa, is another due its well-known rich culinary traditions and the dishes. And thirdly, Bologna is also known as “the red one”, or La Rossa, which refers to the color of the roofs that have been red since the Middle Ages. And they don’t only eat pasta Bolognese in this city. It has a bit of everything, and has now become one of the most popular tourist destinations in Italy. Many Europeans generally spend a weekend or some days to get to know the city’s many sides. To begin, I recommend visiting the city center. Right at Kilometer Zero you’ll find the Two Towers of Bologna, Garisenda and Asinelli. The former is smaller and was the first to be built. And although it soon measured around 60 meters over the years, it had to be reduced due to safety concerns. The latter, Asinelli, was built later because the first (Garisenda) was becoming increasingly slanted. It´s like...
Keane concert at Razzmatazz in Barcelona
Keane, one of the most successful British band of the recent decades is on tour in Spain in October. The lucky cities that will be fortunate to have them live will Pamplona, Madrid and Barcelona, which will have them perform three concerts starring the new just released in May album, “Strangenland”, a work that includes more guitars and gives the band a more rock sound to them. Keane´s history dates back to 1995, when Tim Rice-Oxley gets together with some college friends to form a cover band. This first step was the starting point for this band, a band with the most sales and more number ones in the UK music charts in the recent UK music history. The band´s name comes from a sort of tribute to Tim´s mothers friend, Cherry Keane, who was a big musical influence for hiim. As many other English bands, Keane started playing in London Pubs. In 1999, after a year playing in various bars and clubs , Keane recorded their first single, which was sold on a small scale as they had no record label at the time. It was not until 2001, after recording two EPs n and selling limited CD copies -disks that are worth a fortune today and are considered as items of worship- that the band finally signed with a serious label. BMG was their first multi national record company , which was in charge of the tremendous success of the single “Everybody´s Changes” 2003. The new and current band´s label is Record Islands. With four studio albums, the band arrives in Barcelona on October 24. The concert...
Riga
Riga is the capital of Latvia, overlooking the Baltic Sea searching for its sister cities of Helsinki, Tallinn and Stockholm. Fearless, it turns its back on aristocratic St Petersburg and, for the conventional tourist, it´s almost unknown territory. The experimented traveller, the one in search for authentic places that not many tourists go to, will find a beautiful and vital city in Riga. The Latvian capital is also going to the the 2014 Capital of Culture. The old town and the new part of Riga, created after the 19th century, were declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. The city, especially in summer, is bustling with locals who are looking to enjoy the leisure and the sea as well as its dreamy surroundings. The old architecture and especially the late-19th and early-20th century buildings follow the Art Nouveau style and are essential visits. Let´s go through the list: What to see in Riga? 1. Riga Castle, on the banks of the Daugava river, was built in the 14th century as a defensive fortress and is today the official residence of the President of the Latvian Republic. Some areas are open to the public and it´s especially spectacular in winter, with the place is covered in snow. 2. The Old Town (Vecriga in Latvian) consists of many small and narrow medieval and pedestrian streets filled with small shops and restaurants. In summer, during high season, it´s full of people. You have to see its most beautiful buildings: the Fraternity Palace and the Lutheran Cathedral. The Christian temple has an organ that has over 1000 tubes and that is used weekly for memorable concerts. For more...
5 curiosities about Prague
Beer in Prague is cheaper than water, the bread is exquisite and men still walk around with socks and sandals as their history is still present in their hearts. Prague´s beer is good, but it´s not for gourmets. Not a lot can be said about its composition, its fermentation time, its essence or its aroma. In the pubs it´s cheaper than water, it´s a totally artisanal beer. It´s the same one every day, a beer with nice volume, sweet and surprisingly enjoyable; it´s part of the culture. You can also find absinthe. It´s legal and you can buy it everywhere, but I´m not too sure of who actually drinks it. It seems that only foreigners ask for it, because the locals don´t usually drink it at home or on nights out. Large part of the architecture is supremely beautiful. We can easily find, for example, a charming 10th century church in many districts in Prague. The architecture is still standing firm and it´s part of the city´s everyday life. If you go around the streets on a bicycle be very careful, especially after it has rained, since the cobbled streets become very slippery. Prague is also a city that´s filled with history. In the 20th century, this country experienced five regimes. With the oppression that this brought, it is not easy for locals to talk about this. The population awoke with enemy tanks on the streets and saw how their families were taken away by the Gestapo. They packed their bags secretly and left everything and everyone that they had known, with a strong chance of never seeing them...
Kimbra Concert in New York
The city that never sleeps is getting ready for the arrival of the New Zealander Kimbra, who will perform two concerts in one of the most iconic nightclubs in Manhattan. If you happen to be in New York on the 19th and 20th of October, this is definitely a must do for you. From her early childhood, Kimbra knew she was born to be an artist. At the age of 10, she composed her own songs and performed her first concerts. At the age of 12, she sang New Zealand’s national anthem before an audience of about 30,000 people, in the opening of a rugby match and received her first guitar as a gift from her father. Although she began taking music lessons, her voice has always been a prodigious natural talent that she has developed on her own. At the age of 17, she moved to Melbourne to pursue a career in the Music industry. During this period of intense creativity and live performances, the Belgian-Australian musician Gotye watched one of her concerts and invited her to collaborate with him on one of the singles from his album Making Mirrors. The song, titled Somebody I used to know (an international success, which Youtube video reached 300 million views), marked her launch to fame and boosted the release of her first studio album called Vows in August 2011. A self-produced album, recorded between studios and her home. She spent three years in the production of this album, which success was immediate. This 22-years-old girl has dazzled both, critics and audiences alike with her dense and deep voice that...
5 music bars in Rome
Rome has a wide range of musical entertainment big enough to fulfill the demands of any live music fan. From jazz and blues to rock, ethnic music and Latin rhythms, the Italian capital offers all kinds of live music in the most diverse venues. If you want to join the Romans and enjoy a good live show you cannot stop visiting these 5 bars during your stay in the city: Alexanderplatz Located near the Vatican, the Alexanderplatz is the oldest jazz club in Italy. Its Stage usually receive great international artists of the genre, they do not leave without signing the legendary walls of the room, filled with the names of the renowned musicians who have played there. The restaurant is known for its warm atmosphere, in addition to its cuisine, which focuses on Mediterranean food. Definitely a place that jazz lovers should not miss during thier visit to the city. You can check the concert schedule on its website: http://www.alexanderplatz.it/PROGRAMMA3.html Address: Via Ostia, 9 La Palma Club Founded in 1966, the Palm Club is another jazz referral in Rome. You can listen to live music while enjoying some of the delicious dishes the prepare, or you can also visit the gallery to find some of the usual exhibitions of art, photography, etc.. Address: Via Giuseppe Mirri 35 Big Mama Open since 1984, the Big Mama is considered one of the best places to hear live music in Rome. Best-known for its performances of blues ,it also offers jazz, rock, songwriters or ethnic music. In recent years it has been a platform for new talents, which today have successful...
Places to go in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv is the second biggest city in Israel, receiving over 2.5m tourists every year. Here are some of the most interesting places to visit. The city is divided in 9 districts, the oldest one being Jaffa, where the old port of the city is located, and it´s one of the most popular and most visited ones. In this district, as well as walking around its charming streets filled with restaurants, markets and a unique atmosphere, we recommend that you eat hummus for breakfast. You can have a walk around the flea market in the morning, the Ilana Gur Museum and the visitors centre in Jaffa. To end the day that began with hummus, what better than having a nice glass of wine walking around the old port or on the beach of Givat Aliya. Another district that you can´t miss is Neve Tzedek, home of many 20th century artists. Today, it´s a residential area with many art galleries, restaurants and designer stores. In this district you can find the Suzanne Dellal Centre, the official dance centre and whose resident company is the famous Bat-Sheva. Aside from offering an excellent dance and theatre programme, the place is located in a beautiful square surrounded by gardens. The Museum of Art of Tel Aviv is also one of those places that we recommend going to due to its outstanding Israeli art collections and their broad selection of European painting. As well as having architecture and photography collections, inside you can also find the museum of film. Hacarmel Market is one of the most visited and picturesque fruit and food markets. We...
Rio de Janeiro. The marvelous city.
Rio de Janeiro is a true mix of colours, smells and flavours. Just by listening to the music of The Girl of Ipanema, written by Vinicius de Moraes, it awakens our sensuality and makes us imagine the fine white-sand beaches and the deep blue sea that bathes them. Founded as St Sebastian of the River Janeiro, which is where it takes is name today since rio is river in Portuguese, Rio de Janeiro or simply Rio is the second city in Brazil and undoubtedly one of the most visited ones in the world, known as the Cidade Maravilhosa, The Marvelous City. Only the Rio Carnival alone, which takes place in February for five days, brings 700,000 tourists to the city from around the planet. However, Rio isn´t just the Carnival; it´s also art and culture and it has one of the most sophisticated gastronomies in the world, as well as an amazing and lively nightlife. Its streets, beaches, buildings and monuments have been screened in many films and it has transformed the city in an icon of mankind. The same happens with bossa nova, a music genre born in the 60s amongst the intellectuality of Rio de Janeiro, who considered the imposition of American music on the market responsible for their cultural domination, and it developed this musical style with African-American sounds which invaded the world, even the North American music market. For those travelling to Rio, here are some details on the city and the best places to visit. Christ the Redeemer If you want to get to know the city in all of its splendor, you can´t miss out on...
Tokyo’s Many Faces
Tokyo is the capital of Japan, but maybe not everyone is aware that Tokyo is a made up of 47 prefectures and a total of 26 cities, so it´s a little difficult to talk about it as a single city. Tokyo is very diverse, so visiting this city is like going to many places at once. But don’t let the city’s complexity frighten you. Tokyo has something for everyone, so come discover the many facets of the city and choose the ones you like best. Tokyo for fashion addicts The Japanese are very fond of fashion, and you will see the latest trends when you walk through the city streets. The neighborhoods where you can find a concentration of clothing stores include Shibuya and Harajyuku for young fashion;Ginza, where the most famous brands boutiques and expensive; and Shimokitazawa for vintage clothing stores and second-hand shops. Tokyo for technology freaks Tokyo is a paradise for people who love technology and anything to do with video games and animation. Akihabara is famous for electronics. Here, you’ll find numerous multi-level shops where you can find the newest goods as well as second-hand products. Another futuristic route of Tokyo is to take the subway to Odaiba, the artificial island that has been converted into an important commercial center of the city. On this same island you can also visit the Miraikan, the city’s Science Museum, which presents the latest models of robotics. Tokyo for lovers of traditional Japanese culture Although a city of modernity and technology, Tokyo also will appeal to those looking to find its...
