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

Fantasies and Sensuality in Istanbul

Mónica Boixeda Istanbulite, Only-Be

Eroticism is a human condition we all share. The stimuli we receive in everyday life can, of course, excite our senses and therefore be sexual, leading us to fantasies, desires, new experiences. When it comes to traveling, our sense of the erotic is intensified. Once apart from the hustle of daily life, we can recover some time and space to enjoy ourselves and seek pleasure. When it comes to exploring exotic cities, Istanbul is one of the cities where you can find many stimuli to ignite your sensuality and that of your partner. If on the one hand Istanbul is part of a significant Muslim tradition, its status as a bridge between Europe and Asia has allowed it some versatility in its cultural development and at the same time to be permeable to change. The older side of town boasts exotic mosques and ancient bazaars that will open your eyes with their diversity of forms and colors. A dinner by candlelight in the city center can be the start of a night of interesting adventures. After dinner you could take a walk along the Bosphorus, the strait that runs through Istanbul, where you can enjoy new views of the big city and discover lightly illuminated places, landscapes which appear to be imagined or from some unknown place. The lights on both sides of the strait are really beautiful after sunset. If you are looking for a place to dance and meet new people, including lots of sensuality and movement, the Cuba bar is for you. This bar celebrates the best of Cuban culture, with lots of salsa and tropical music and exquisite Latin drinks. With concerts and lots... read more

Marilyn Monroe, the eternal Hollywood diva.

Mónica Boixeda New Yorker, Only-Be

Generally, one doesn´t begin reviewing the life of someone with their death, but when it´s the 50th anniversary of the death of someone, we want to do it like this. Marilyn Monroe died on the 5th of August 1962. There´s no doubt about the fact that she was one of the most influential figures of the 20th century, an icon that became a legend, one of the figures that has created the most merchandising. However, behind this figure there´s a person of whom little is known about, eclipsed behind her role as a star. After a difficult childhood, from family to family, with various sexual abuses before she turned 12, the future wasn´t smiling at Norma Jeane Mortensen (later Baker after her mother´s surname). She got married for the first time at the age of 16 and began to work occasionally as a model at the age of 19. At that time, Norma decided to dye her hair blonde. After her first divorce, she began to participate in auditions for films and TV series, finally being hired by 20th Century Fox. It was Ben Lyon, one of the cast executives, who suggested she changed her name: Marilyn as a tribute to the actress Marilyn Miller and Monroe because it was her mother´s maiden name. In the 1950s Marilyn was already a big star, America´s blonde bride. In 1954 she married what was perhaps her only true love but also the most brief one, the baseball player Joe DiMaggio, a marriage that lasted only a few months. In 1956 she married the playwright Arthur Miller, who also wrote scripts for... read more

‘El Clásico’ between Barcelona and Real Madrid

Mónica Boixeda Barcelonian, Only-Be

The 22nd of April is the day that one of the most highly-awaited classic football matches is taking place at the Camp Nou in Barcelona, the match between FC Barcelona and their arch-rival Real Madrid. This clash of the titans is part of the second round of the Liga BBVA 2011-2012 and, like every year, it´s highly-awaited by thousands of fans of both teams, the two biggest representatives of Spanish football. This match won´t be played on a neutral ground but rather in the impressive Camp Nou, the stadium of FC Barcelona, who are also known as Barça. This stadium was inaugurated on September 24th 1957, designed by the architects Josep Soteras Mauri and Francesc Mitjans. The stadium took two years to be built and is now a monumental sporting landmark. Its current name was formalized in 2001 after a referendum with the club´s fans. It´s 55sq metres big and 157ft tall, with a playing field of 114×74 yards and a capacity for 99,000 fans. FC Barcelona, or Barça, was born out of the initiative of a group of young sports fans, especially football fans, in 1899. The 1950s was one of the best decades for the club, adding players such as Ladislao Kubala to their ranks, who helped them win 3 Spanish League titles, 5 Copa del Generalísimo (now Copa del Rey) and 2 Fairs Cups. Another motive of dispute between the two teams was Alfredo Di Stefano, who Barça claimed to have signed, only for him to end up playing in the white of Real Madrid and going on to win many trophies with them, being a... read more