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A Weekend in Prague with Children
Traveling families might not think ofPragueas a destination for children. This beautiful Bohemian city is known more for its impressive architectural heritage than as being suitable for young travelers. And while the most popular areas may tire out the littlest ones (but not youths and adolescents),Praguehas numerous sites that will please the whole family. If you are traveling for just a few days, like a weekend getaway, you can intersperse seeing the old part of the city with visits to the city’s three green areas (not counting the slopes on the banks of the Vltava River). These are: the theme park devoted to dinosaurs (Dino Park), which needs no further discussion as children will be sure to want to visit it; the Botanical Garden, with educational and recreational activities for all; and the Vrtbovska Gardens. The green area and the palace are like something from fairy tales, and in addition to its extensive recreational and cultural programming, you can also organize a party however you want if your family is traveling toPrague to celebrate some event. On the other hand, we must bear in mind that folklore in this part of the world is deeply rooted in everyday life. That is why you’ll also find street musicians and puppeteers that will delight both young and old all over the city. Marionette puppet theater (especially those representing witches and monsters) are part of the country’s cultural heritage. You can enjoy these free of charge (with a tip for artists), and there are also shops that sell these dolls, such as Loutky Marionetas. While the Old Jewish...
Kimbra in concert a Rock en Seine
One of the most popular music events in Europe is the popular Rock en Seine event, which is a Rock ‘n Roll festival that lasts for two to three days. The festival was first held back in 2003 and it only lasted for a single day. The location for the event is the Chateau de Saint-Cloud’s park, which is located west of the city of Paris. The entire park and the particular garden where the festival is held was designed back in the 17th century by Le Notre. Interestingly enough, it was at this festival that the band Oasis split up back in 2009 after two members had a huge fight before headlining on the main stage at the event. Rock en Seine 2012 will mark the 10th anniversary of the beginning of this festival and the dates of this year’s event will be from Friday August 24, 2012 through Sunday August 26 2012. This year many great bands are included in the lineup for the event. Some of the new bands that have been announced as part of the lineup include the following: – Of Monsters and Men – Miike Snow – The Knux – The Waterboys – Billy Talent – Kimbra Kimbra is one of the acts that is being featured at Rock en Seine for the first time this year (scheduled for Aug 26). Kimbra is the name used by Kimbra Lee Johnson, a singer-songwriter and guitarist from New Zealand. The style of her music is a soul and jazz combination that for many is reminiscent of the late Amy Winehouse. Some of the influences for...
Summer Fashion in Barcelona
Fashion is always one step ahead and during the recent fashion weeks we could see the trends for winter and spring of next year. Here’s a short summary of this year’s summer fashion. Barcelonais a popular tourist destination, especially during the summer when many people come to enjoy the beaches and nightlife of the beautiful Catalan capital. In fact, it’s not surprising that styles found on the streets here are of all types and often blend influences from all over the world. But there are always a few trends that determine a particular year’s “summer look”, in a similar way that a certain song will dominate a season. Walking the streets inBarcelonaI have noticed some trends: Neon Let’s start with colors. Each season has certain colors that dominate, and this season they are fluorescent colors, a trend that very much reminds me of the eighties. Shoes, accessories and nails in fluorescent colors call for attention and are also a bit daring. Maxi skirts One trend that has stayed with us since spring is the maxi skirt. You can see it in many variations. Some are very formal in chiffon, for example, and worn with heels, but with a pair of flip flops and your bikini underneath, this can be your go-to outfit for the beach or whatever. Backs Baby got back! With such high temperatures it is normal to wear less clothing, and this summer one sees many backs. Girls are wearing a lot of dresses and shirts with an open back. Patterns Patterns this summer are very colorful and lively. And people aren’t afraid to mix different patterns,...
Feist’s first time in Turkey. Her ‘Metals’ Tour comes to Istanbul.
We have to go back to the distant 2004 to mark the beginning of the professional background of Feist, the official “solo career” to understand her because before, in 1991, being only 15 years old, the Canadian singer had begun her musical career. It was in May 2004 when her first album, Let It Die, saw the light thanks to being nominated three Juno Awards, of which she won 2. Best Alternative Album and Best New Artist. Hence her popularity was in crescendo, until her name hit the mainstream and her music began to spread around every corner of the globe. Three years later, in autumn 2007, it was the turn of another extraordinary work, The Reminder, which was consecrated on the Olympus of the Gods of canadian music. Everyone will remember the cut 1234, Inside Out, I Feel It All or My Moon My Man and the success which it was accounted for . Then silence. For 4 years we heard nothing new from her. Still her fanbase kept growing. After this pause for reflection, relaxation and exploring new ideas, Feist returned to give his public her last album, Metals, in 2011. The tour is now the protagonist, it has exactly this name: Metals Tour. On Saturday August 25, she will step in Istanbul within the framework of the Istanbul Jazz Festival, is the first time at all that the singer will tread the Turkish capital. Therefore, if you are in Istanbul, finally time to enjoy the music of Feist properly has arrived. Half Europe, half Asia. Between tradition and modernity. Istanbul´s cultural scene is so broad, fresh...
3 open-air pools in Rome
Do you feel hot visiting Rome? Is the heat not going away? Is it hampering your progress through all the landmarks you want to see? Of course, one always prefers going to the beach when it´s hot in summer and, although the beaches aren´t far from Rome, many go to Rome to visit monuments and the idea of leaving the city breaks all the plans. Don´t worry. Here´s a list of a few small oasis where you can cool down without having to rent a car to go to the beach. Here they are from most expensive to cheapest: If you want to treat yourself Pretty Woman-style and show off that great body around the glamorous pool of the Hilton Hotel, you can do so for 45€ on weekdays and for 85€ on weekends (as long as you´re not staying there, in which case it would only cost you 18€) OSClub: Right behind the Trajan thermal baths, is this pool, which has a fabulous bar that also serve you fresh drinks and homemade food. If you go all day long, from 10am until 7pm, it costs 20€ but if you go from 2pm, it costs just 15€. However, these prices are only for weekdays, with it being more expensive on weekends. Circollo belle arti: This pool finds itself in the Flaminia district. Pros: it only costs 12€ all day or half a day if it´s a weekend. Cons: there are many activities going on, which means there are a lot of children and teenagers running up and down. However, it´s good to keep it handy in case you want to...
Barcelona: City of ham
If there is a flavor that can remind you to visit Barcelona it is the flavor of ham. This preparation of pork leg so characteristic of the Iberian Peninsula is served in most restaurants and is part of several culinary preparations typical of the area. The ham is obtained by curing with salt pork leg and is usually done at high altitudes, where the air and low temperatures help the drying process. Pigs can be of different races, but the finest are the Iberian. The Iberian pig is fed with acorns, which give a special flavor to their meat and as a consequence to the ham. Its level of fat is something that makes it unique in the world. Do not confuse the pata negra ham with the famous Iberian ham, since pata negra is a type of ham that doesn’t describe the original race of the pig used. The famous Serrano ham doesn´t describe it either, as that is just the name given to a type of cut. The flavor and consistency of Iberian ham depends on four factors: the breed of pig, the breeding process, since the pig must walk in the mountains to have the proper musculature; wild food that will give the flavor and fat infiltration proper feeding and because the fat acorns makes curing occurs is distributed more evenly in the muscle fibers. To test the quality of the real ham we recommend the restaurant Cinco Jotas Las Arenas de Barcelona. It is a place with style and culinary where the specialty is ham. Among the activities that take place here is the Jam Hour, in...
To Rome with Love. Rome seen through the eyes of Woody Allen
To Rome with Love, Woody Allen´s latest film, has perhaps not received many positive reviews, but thanks to it the lights focusing on Rome have been switched on once again. Actually, many have defined it as a campaign to promote tourism rather than a work of a film great. However, nobody can deny that the beauty of the Eternal City, no matter how advertised it was in the film, still takes one´s breath away. One of the bitterest reviews has come from one of the main Italian film personalities, Carlo Verdone. The Roman actor and director didn´t like Allen´s representation of Rome too much. According to him, the portrayal of the city does not correspond exactly with reality. His remarks do not refer to the beauty of Rome, which is a given, but to the everyday life of the city. “It´s a Rome seen through the eyes of the Americans, who when they come here they expect to find it just like that: pleasant people, a bit coarse, monuments and good food… Rome in fact is a city with many problems […]”, referring to the city chaos in all of its aspects: double and triple-line parking, loud noises, public and historical places not cared for enough, etc. Perhaps its charm also derives from its untidiness and carelessness, or perhaps he´s looking for an excuse to not see the real problem (which, as an Italian citizen, I know that it exists). However, I´m not here to bore you with a socio-cultural analysis of Rome or a tedious review of To Rome with Love, don´t worry. I´ll talk about the beauty...
The Sitges Festival. Tradition, culture and entertainment
It will come as no surprise to you that July and August are the two months of the year that Spain registers the highest amount of international visitors. The climate, the beaches (or mountains), the gastronomy, the broad frenetic nightlife that´s open to all tastes are just some of the reasons that attract tourists to this country. Also, it coincides that this season comes full of local activities and parties for all those who want to get to know the culture and traditions of the Iberian Peninsula. Catalonia is one of the Spanish regions where, according to the website of the Generalitat, the Catalan government, “there´s practically no town (Catalan) -no matter how small- that doesn´t dedicate a few days to celebrate its festival”. And it´s exactly a Catalan festival that I´m going to talk about today: the Sitges Festival. It´s one of the events that´s worth enjoying if you´re in Catalonia during the month of August. The Sitges Festival represents one of the most important events in this seaside town. It´s an event that gathers a large part of its population in the main squares in the old town, which also appeals to a large amount of visitors every year, increasing its notoriety further than the local limits. In fact, it´s a traditional party of declared national interest by the Generalitat de Catalunya (the Catalan government), and this says a lot about what it´s about today in terms of culture in the region. From the 21st until the 27th of August, the streets of this beautiful little town located some 22 miles from Barcelona will dress up to celebrate the...
3 sports that will never be olympic sports
We all know that for many years, many sportsmen have strived, even made a huge effort, so that their favourite sport becomes an olympic sport. Some have achieved it, others haven´t. Actually, it´s surprising that some of them haven´t made it (Kick boxing, for example, taking into account that judo is and, the way I see it, there´s not that much difference between them) and others haven´t made it yet, such as golf, which isn´t in London this summer but will be in Rio in 2016. Others have actually managed it but have later been eliminated and the IOC have told them to go and play it somewhere else, such as baseball, and others… well, the truth is that they will never make it because if they are considered sports, so should watching the Olympics from the sofa or eating paellas on a Sunday. Let´s see: It´s called bog snorkeling, something like snorkeling in a lake full of crap. You may think that I´m joking but this sport is practiced in Wales, where they have been organizing world championships every summer since 1985, with people from all over the world taking part, including your country. It has rules, like every sport, although in this sport they aren´t to swim like you swim in normal swimming. Hashing is the official name, but if it was a Spanish film it would be called ´run while you get drunk´. This ´sport´ has its origins in Kuala Lumpur and, you won´t believe this, began due to boredom and people wanting to have fun. Of course, there´s always the killjoy who makes a big deal out...
