English
Français
Deutsch
Italiano
Español
Grand Gala of Flamenco
Some say that flamenco was born as the artistic expression of the Moorish farmers after they were evicted from their land. Other claim extravagant origins and relate flamenco to the former Spanish colonies of Flanders (presently The Netherlands and Belgium). Outlandish theories aside, the fact is that flamenco has been documented as a cultural characteristic of the poor gypsies of Andalusia since the late eighteenth century. Distinguished historians such as Demófilo (father of the Machado), poets of the universality of Federico Garcia Lorca (who liked to listen to the café singers of Madrid in his student days) or musicians like Manuel de Falla tried to preserve the oldest Flamenco musical forms. These were also the most profound, melancholy and sad and those that were displaced by other more cheerful and boisterous ones. It is now the subject of research and being promoted through patronage in an effort to preserve the purity of a cultural manifestation that was threatened in the early 20th century. Thanks to specialized cafés and the expansion of this style of song and dance into all strata of Spanish society, and later into Europe, flamenco today has been on the UNESCO heritage list since 2010. Although it’s related to Andalusian folklore, it should not be confused with it. This art form has a clear element of entertainment (of people who sing, play and dance while others to watch) and is not intended for audience participation. Flamenco has spent years crossing all kinds of borders and it is very popular in places as far away as Japan. It has also crossed over from Andalusia to Catalonia, where...
Second edition of Re-Vel-In Festival in Dubrovnik
If you are the type of person who likes traveling to different destinations this city will certainly attract you. Dubrovnik combines beach, history, heritage, quality of life, good food, and above all, the Mediterranean. Known as the pearl of the Adriatic, in 1974 the city was declared World Heritage by UNESCO for its city walls. Place in which the Re-Vel-In Festival takes place. Dubrovnik also known as Ragusa, but should not be confused with its namesake in the island of Sicily, another very nice summer destination, but which we’ll cover any other day. Summer is the season of festivals, festivals that go around the clock, with which we can see both sunset and twilight rebirth, and what could be a better stage to do that than on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and a medieval fortress? This is what the second edition of the Re-Vel-In Festival is all about. The festival will take place at the club with same name, one of the largest in the coastal zone, which is located in the fortress of the Old Port, at the entrance of the city. It has a center court for the events and terraces with spectacular views of the city as well as the Adriatic coast. Thousands of people attended the previous edition and this year is expected to repeat such as success, as its agenda is very tempting for lovers of electronic, techno and house music. It also becomes a very attractive vacation break option, due to its beautiful location. If you Dubrovnik was already the pearl of the Adriatic, now it also becomes the pearl of...
Chino Otsuka Exhibition
We´re not yet in a position to appreciate the tremendous impact the photography had on our lives. We are not only talking about the appearance of a mechanical process that replaced the production of images formed by exposure to iodine vapor on polished silver plates or silver-plated copper daguerreotypes, which were not totally alchemical resonances that were subsequently lost, because of the development of the film darkrooms, in which between magic emulsions of an extraordinary, subtle corrosiveness power were used. But above all, the mass multiplication of these views of essentially omnipresent ghosts of reality, which have been largely replaced. This is, of course, the substantive issue, because in fact the picture, regardless of media and materials used is almost as old as human history and plays a key role in the establishment of some of the myths in Western cultures. Perhaps one of the most disturbing thing in relation to the photographic image, are the ways, in which these are related to memory. We have been suggested repeatedly by a good number of philosophers and poets; born, live and run in the same landscapes that are unique to the imagination, and may be even identifed with a region of this. The relationship between photography and memory is so ambiguous, rich, contradictory and conflicted as the one with what we call reality and in one of the main issues addressed by a retrospective of the last ten years of work by Japanese artist Chino Otsuka that can be seen until the 9th of September at the Photography Museum Huis Marseille in Amsterdam (http://www.huismarseille.nl/en/exhibition/chino-otsuka-a-world-of-memories). The exhibition also includes two recent...
Nightlife in the Big Apple
New York is one of the most lively and cosmopolitan cities on the planet. With reason it is one of the favorite destinations for those who like style and fun. Hence, there are many places to go for a drink and keep partying all the time. One of its strengths is the huge variety of places to have fun, restaurants, clubs and bars make your night truly vibrant. So either way, if you are a lover of good drink in a place with atmosphere and style, New York can offer many options to do so. Manhattan, for example, is a lively area if you feel like going for a drink. You just need to remember the modern stars of Sex and the City, who every night roamed the wide variety of bars and clubs as fixed points of encounter. Here you can move from happy hour type bars to sophisticated, charming places, where everything seems like out of a movie. Right in Central Park in the heart of the Big Apple, you can enjoy a cocktail and a magnificent Boathouse Bar This time in the same Central Park, near East 72nd St. The King Cole Bar and Lounge is a must visit bar, not only for its history, but also for its sophisticated environment. Located at 2 East 55th St., between 5th and Madison Avs. One of its strengths is the Vodka and with all kinds of variations on classic cocktails including the Bloody Mary. Its interior decor and service is a show that really, you shouldn’t miss. For lovers of Champagne, 205 West 54th St. between 7th Ave...
Shopping in the Golden Mile of Madrid
On par with Fifth Avenue in New York or London´s Oxford Street, the Golden Mile of Madrid is one of the most chic and luxury areas of the capital and boasts dozens of stores with the leading brands and an elegant ambient. That’s the Salamanca district, in particular the pentagon of the Golden Mile formed by Serrano, Jorge Juan, Juan Bravo, Ortega y Gasset and Principe de Vergara streets. The most important companies in the world are concentrated in this place where fashion is a lifestyle. This is a high class neighborhood, a shopping area that attracts customers from all over the world, tourists and the curious. It is pilgrimage site for lovers of fashion. The heart of Madrid’s Salamanca district is one of the few places that has remained immune to the crisis, where luxury still reigns and its customers are not on the receiving end of the bad economic news in Spain. Its exclusivity has been spared from the recession and that means the Golden Mile is full everyday with sporadic visitors and regular customers. The backbone of the Golden Mile is the street Ortega y Gasset which features world-class companies, including the most expensive, and especially jewelry stores, and shops for fashion and accessories, for which they pay something like 1,900 euros per square meter a year. It is the most expensive commercial area in Spain to start a business. One of the most expensive and extensive shopping streets in the world is the Fifth Avenue in New York, which is over 12 kilometers long. Its square meter price is around 11,500 euros, and you can...
Gay route around Barcelona
According to some of the studies that were stated in the latest Tourism Fair FITUR LGBT, the so-called gay tourism is considerably more profitable in business terms than heterosexual tourism, since the homosexual tourist tends to spend approximately 150 euros a day. This could undoubtedly be one of the factors that explain the accelerated exponential growth of a leisure industry aimed towards the gay population in the city of Barcelona, close to the beach town of Sitges, a place where one of the best Gay Pride festivals in the whole Mediterranean takes place, one of its most attractive places. Not without reason, this was the town chosen by Brian Epstein to unfold his seduction moves on John Lennon, with results that will forever be wrapped up in the darkest of mysteries. These are possibly the two most famous places to go to among those who are looking for a heated encounter with those of their same sex, with the exception of some areas of the district of Eixample and nearby, such as the Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes, where cruising takes place with the excuse of taking the dog for a walk, the beach known by the name of Chernobyl and certain areas of the Parc de Montjuïc, such as around the Palau Sant Jordi and the Olympic Stadium. Regarding ´Chernobyl Beach´, it receives this name due to the old power plant next to it, whose three towering chimneys point the way from there to the metro station of Sant Roc, or to the trams to Sant Adrià del Besós. Unlike what happens in Montjuïc, where there´s sexual activity during day...
The Fábrica Moritz in Barcelona
On December 12, 2011, after seven years of restoration, the doors of the Fábrica Moritz Factory have once again been opened. But let´s start from the beginning. Louis Moritz of Pfaffenhoffen, a beer region of Alsace, came to Barcelona in 1851. His older brother was a master brewer, so he followed in his footsteps and started making his own beer in 1856. In 1862, thanks to an increasing demand for his product, he bought a farm in the Ronda de Sant Antoni, one of the first buildings of the Eixample after the demolition of the city walls. Thanks to his success, he was able to turn what started out as a single building into an architectural complex after he bought neighboring buildings (from 39 to 43 of Ronda de Sant Antoni) to open the Cevercería Moritz in 1897. Two years after the death of Louis Moritz in 1920, his heirs created the brewery Fábrica de Cervezas Moritz, S.A. In the 1930s they had record sales, controlling over 30% market share of Catalonia. In the 1960s, and after years of success, the production plant was too small so they moved out. But the oil crisis of the 1970s was difficult and Moritz Beer, SA disappeared from the market until the last generations of the family Moritz brought it back to life in 2004. Their offices are located in the former factory in the Ronda de Sant Antoni. Now this great space is a gastronomic center, which also offers cultural activities and entertainment. After a long rehabilitation, promoted by the CEO Alberto Castellón and carried out by the renowned architect Jean...
Best menu restaurants in Madrid
Cornucopia Cornucopia Restaurant and Bar is a very popular place in Madrid. Open to the public since 1992, its facilities are full of art and good taste, which align perfectly with the variety of its dishes, wines and desserts that are spread across various menus. It is perfectly adapted to all your food and drink needs and budgets, with daily menus for € 11.50 from Monday to Saturday, from 13´00 to 16´30 hours (except holidays). It also offers express menus, cheaper prices less food, but never less quality. For € 8.90 you can choose a dish, even for the vegetarians. There are also: night menus, brunch menus or menus for groups. You´ll find this place in the Navas de Tolosa street number 9, in the Callao area. Artemisa This vegetarian restaurant was opened in 1990; it is located in Ventura de la Vega street number 4 (Huertas area) and Tres cruces Street number 4 (Gran Via area). At Artemisa you will be able to taste delicious and healthy dishes:. The daily menu is not exclusively vegetarian and can be tested for the modest sum of 11.90 €, or € 9.90 for those who want to take away, definitely a good choice for the good weather in the capital. Come for lunch from 13.30 to 16.00 and for dinner from 21.00 to 24.00. La finca de Susana This is a spectacular place to taste the best Mediterranean cuisine with creative and magical dishes at very affordable prices, and best of all, it is located downtown Madrid. A significant aspect to highlight in this restaurant is the fact that...
Visiting New York with children
The most interesting park is New York´s Central Park. It is simply the perfect place for walking, cycling, skating, rent a boat, riding a carousel or just shooting spectacular photos. It also has its own zoo, Central Park Zoo. It is advisable to visit the park on weekends and see performances, magicians, clowns and other artists who will entertain you with many more activities fit for the whole family. Just at the southeast entrance of Central Park, on 5th Avenue you will find the oldest toy store in the United States, FAO Schwarz Store, a favorite of New York. It is the famous toy store where the piano of the legendary film Big is played by Tom Hanks. It is a paradise for children and adults. There is also a children´s restaurant. The dream of every girl is in the American Girl Place, a store with three floors full of dolls and accessories, where you can play with them, dress them enjoy live shows and many others fun activities. Is very close to FAO Schwartz, on the same avenue. At Rockefeller Center, also on the same 5th Avenue, is the largest Lego store. From outside you can see a huge model made from Lego pieces. Toys R Us is in Times Square, the big toy store that houses a giant Ferris wheel. There is a huge Barbie mansion with collectible dolls. There is also the Scholastic Store, a store devoted to children´s culture. There you can buy books, educational games, CDs and DVDs. In Dylans Candy Bar will enjoy two floors filled with candy and sweets of all kinds. In town you...
