Only-apartments' blog

ONLY BE AMSTERDAMMER

ONLY BE BUDAPESTER

ONLY BE VENETIAN

ONLY BE BARCELONIAN

ONLY BE BERLINER

ONLY BE VALENCIAN

ONLY BE ISTANBULITE

ONLY BE FLORENTINE

ONLY BE LISBOETA

ONLY BE LONDONER

ONLY BE NEW YORKER

ONLY BE MADRILENIAN

ONLY BE MALAGUEÑO

ONLY BE MILANESE

ONLY BE PARISIAN

ONLY BE PORTUENSE

ONLY BE PRAGUER

ONLY BE ROMAN

ONLY BE SEVILLIAN

ONLY BE PROXIMAMENTE

ONLY BE ATHENIAN

ONLY BE COMING SOON

Last posts

Galata Tower in Istanbul

The Only Team Istanbulite, Only-Be, Practical Guide to Istanbul

The Galata Tower is one of the world´s oldest towers. It was built under the rule of Emperor Anastasius in 507. At first it was built of wood, to control access to the city from “The Golden Horn”. The one that stands today is not the original, which was a few hundred meters from the present site. The current Galata Tower was built in 1348 to substitute the place of the old tower, destroyed during the Fourth Crusade in 1204. Its construction was ordered during the expansion of the Genoese citadel of Galata, and although its erected in a different place, it became the highest point of the city and an essential bulwark for the defense of the city. Its original name was Christea Turris, and was used as a surveillance platform to prevent attacks on the city during the Ottoman Empire, when it was partially renovated to function as an object of defense. Later, in the fifteenth century, it was used as a prison and later it resumed its role as a watchtower. As a curiosity, we must remember that the first ever flight was made from this iconic tower. The Turkish Ahmet Çelebi Hezarfen managed to make that first air trip, thanks to a complex mechanism of wood and cloth, in about 1630. His flight departed from the Galata Tower and reached the hills of Üsküdar. In the 1960s the tower underwent a complete renovation, which replaced the original interior of wood with concrete to prepared to be open to the public. they built a cafe and a restaurant at the top and became one of the... read more

48 hours in Porto

Mónica Boixeda Only-Be, Portuense, Practical Guide - Porto

Holidays are usually short and there´s no time to lose. That´s why we´ve made this quick guide to essential places to visit if you just have 48 hours to stay in the wonderful Portuguese city of Porto. Porto is the second most important city in Portugal after the capital Lisbon. It holds a rich historical and architectonical legacy. You can start our tour by visiting some of the most important monuments in the city, the Torres dos Clérigos. It´s a symbol of the city and by paying just 2 euros you can go up to the top of the tower (by foot). It´s really worth it because the views of Porto from the top are amazing. From here you can go to the Cais da Ribeira, on the banks of the Douro. This dock is a beautiful riverside walk with bars, restaurants and a lot of people. It´s the most active area in the city. Here you can go to Praça da Ribeira, the most beautiful square in the area. You can visit it by foot or hire one of the many cruises that go down the river that will allow us to admire beautiful bridges such as the Dom Luís I Bridge, which connects Porto with the town of Vila Nova de Gaia. If you´re interested in wines, you cannot miss out on a visit to the important wine-making cellars of this village. The cruise would be on board of a rabelo, which is an old wooden boat that was used to transport wine. All of this area is the most popular and busy in Porto so if you´ve... read more

The City of London Gin Distillery

The Only Team Londoner, Only-Be, Practical Guide to London

The City of London Distillery, also known as COLD, is one of the hottest new spots to visit in London this 2013. The distillery opened its doors in November of 2012, and is the first operational distillery within the city limits for over 200 years. The distillery’s owner, Jonathan Clark, has set up a venue where the story of gin can be told and where visitors can learn about the process – and of course, sample the products offered by Master Distiller Jamie Baxter. The bar and distillery is now producing its own brand of gin and vodka, and folks are arriving in droves to find out more. Once upon a time, gin was the drink of the masses. In 18th century England, gin was cheap and free-flowing, thanks to the nearly 1700 distilleries scattered throughout London. So prevalent was gin in London’s social structure that William Hogarth created two works of art to show the unfortunate consequences of the liquor on the lower classes. Fortunately for us, COLD is once again giving gin the respect it deserves. Using more than a little clever planning, the whole distillery has been installed in a basement on the historic Bride Lane. Tucked safely behind bomb proof glass, a set of hand-made German copper stills are lined up, gleaming brightly. The distilling process purifies the base alcohol (brought in from elsewhere). The distilled alcohol may then be bottled as vodka or passed along for further processing. The copper in the stills acts as a catalyst which helps to remove some of the sulphides throughout the process. To make gin, the distillery dilutes the... read more