walki-talki.com Travel Blog

“What’s your favorite city in Europe?”

We get that question a lot.

For some the debate might take hours: Do you go with an obvious jewel like London or Paris? Or perhaps a more discrete gem in the European crown like Heidelberg in Germany or Sintra in Portugal? What about a modern phoenix like Berlin or Barcelona? Not to mention Prague. And don’t even get me started on Italy.

Fortunately for me, however, the answer is simple: The best city in Europe is Edinburgh…in August.

August is Edinburgh is the time when the artistic universe aligns in the form of the Edinburgh Arts Festival. The festival is the largest in the world and is actually comprised of seven different festivals related to music, books, theater and the arts. For four weeks, the entire city is transformed into one giant arts venue where even the back of a taxi cab is liable to be the set of a roving one man show. The creative energy is contagious and you are guaranteed to see something amazing as Edinburgh attracts literally thousands of debuts acts from around the world. It is here the first stones are cast that will cause ripples throughout the art world for the rest of the year.

And the parties aren’t bad either.

Of course what makes the Arts Festival truly special is the setting itself. Edinburgh is a living museum that oozes with medieval architecture where the ghosts of Robert the Bruce, Robert Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson and countless others (not all named Robert) seem to roam at every wynd and cranny. The city is built along what’s called a crag and tail volcanic formation with a castle crowning the top of the rock. The main road leading up to the castle, known as the Royal Mile, is home to some of the earliest “high rise” residential buildings, built in the early 1500’s. After the castle and the Royal Mile, many first time visitors head to the area known as the grassmarket. This was once a large outdoor cattle market as well as the place where hangings, beheadings and all other manner of executions were carried out to the public’s satisfaction. Today the area is filled with pubs and restaurants.

Once you’ve had enough of the festival or are just looking for a break near the city, head to The Meadows, a large park near Edinburgh University and home to the worlds first golf course. Also near the city is the hill known as Arthur’s seat. This mini-mountain provides breathtaking views of the city and the Scottish coast.

For information about the main festival visit http://www.eif.co.uk/. For more alternative fare go to http://www.edfringe.com/ for info about the Fringe Festival, now the largest component of the seven-headed beast known as the Edinburgh Arts Festival.

Of course while you’re there, there’s no better way to get to know the city than by walking the walk with Walki-Talki’s Essential Edinburgh Walking Tour: http://walki-talki.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=33

Och-aye! See you there.

La Biennale di Venezia: Cinema. August 29 – September 8, 2007 Director: Marco Müller

The most preeminent film festivals in the world are the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, and the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy (linked above). How do you decide which to attend?

Cannes is a beautiful beach town, but the festival has associated with it a media feeding frenzy that is perhaps unbearable to most. Park City offers a spectacular natural setting for a festival, and Robert Redford has transformed the movie industry by creating the Sundance Film Festival as a showcase for independent filmmakers. However, many claim that the festival has lost its “independent edge”, and that, for example, the Toronto Film Festival offers a better variety and quality of films in North America.

This leaves, of course, the Venice Film Festival as the festival of choice because, frankly, few complain about it. And, if the lack of complaints is not incentive enough to visit the Venice Film Festival, consider the following. The Venice Film Festival is part of La Biennale, the biennial (the namesake) art festival in Venice. La Biennale is the biggest art festival in the world. It takes place over several months, and it covers every aspect of art: fine arts, design, architecture, dance, music, and film. Although each genre is fested at a different time, you are assured some overlap (art exhibit is from June 10 through November 21, 2007) and a dreamy setting to cleanse your palate between movies.

And, this year, there is a tribute to The Conformist, Bernardo Bertolucci. You can decide if you like him better for edgy films like The Conformist, the sex-laden movies like The Dreamers or Last Tango in Paris, or sentimental movies like The Last Emperor. It may be fun just contemplating.

And, if all of this is still not enough, then grab the walki-talki.com mp3 walking tour of Venice, and see Venice this year. It is a good time to visit.

Payam

The new Globe Theatre is stop number 8 on the walki-talki.com mp3 walking tour of London. The original Globe was, of course, host to the master works of the best known playwright in the world, William Shakespeare. From the stage of this theater, the Bard transformed British theater so completely that he came to define it. From this stage, he mocked the royalty, the Church and the laity alike with zest and eloquence unseen heretofore or hence. On this day, June 30, in 1613, the Globe burned down to the ground.

It took nearly 400 years, but a replica of the Bard’s stage has now been built, and it is open to the public. Even if you are not a Shakespeare fan, you will find the many activities offered in this venue to be a most welcome break from the mind-numbing array of temptations that London offers. So, if you’re not quite in the mood for anything else, the new Globe is a worthwhile visit.

La Biennale di Venezia: Dance. June 14-30, 2007

La Biennale is perhaps the greatest art exhibit on the planet. It is now well under way in Venice, and you have until the 30th of June to partake in the dance portion of La Biennale. You really should partake in this event because there are no bonehead judges of the sort in the “reality” television series. It is the highest form of the art, performed on stage for your enjoyment and intellectual enrichment, should you choose to take a break from your vacation.

So, grab a copy of the walki-talki.com mp3 walking tour of Venice, and enjoy La Biennale.

Many more events remain in La Biennale, which officially lasts through November. We will bring you updates as they draw closer.

Berlin Hotel Recreates East Germany | World Latest | Guardian Unlimited

The above Guardian article mentions perhaps the greatest treat for the cost-conscious traveler in Berlin: nostalgia, history and cheap prices. The Ostel in Berlin is a budget hotel that recreates the East German way of life. At nightly rates that are quite low compared to standard hotel rates in Berlin, guests stay in rooms decorated like the standard issue apartments of the communist era. (The beds and sheets, we are assured, are new.) For as little as $20 a night, you can bunk with other travelers in multi-occupancy rooms that harken to the Free German Youth summer camps of the former DDR.

Naturally, you will want to take the walki-talki.com mp3 walking tour of Berlin with you to get a better idea of why the Ostel hostel is so special.

The Ostel’s official web is www.ostel.eu.

You can find complete photo galleries here.

Traveling around Europe, I often get the feeling of traveling backwards through time. Everything is so much older here compared to the United States where a mall dating back as far as the 1980’s might be considered ‘ancient.’

But while old Europe’s well preserved cities are of course quaint, fascinating and eminently historic, I can’t help but think sometimes that everything around me was built by dead guys (A thought that first occurred to me after visiting the Catacombs in Paris).

Perhaps that’s why my favorite monument in all of Europe is the Segrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona. It’s not old. In fact, it’s still growing.

The Temple of the Sacred Family was started way back in 1883. The intent was to built a Cathedral that would represent Christendom, as well as show off Barcelona’s newfound prosperity from the Industrial Revolution. The original architect on the project was fired after a year and replaced by Antoni Gaudi who was just 31 at the time. Despite being color blind and suffering from cripple rhumetism, Gaudi had already become one of Barcelona’s most well known architects. He was the leader of the art movement known as Moderniste, a Spanish offshoot of art Nouveau. Gaudi worked on the Cathedral of the Segrada Familia for 40 years and dedicated the last 16 years of his life soley to the Cathedral. By the end, he even lived inside temple year round to help speed construction and was called “God’s architect” by the Barcelona people. When asked once about the length of construction on the project , Gaudi responded by saying: “It doesn’t matter how long the project takes… My client, is not in a hurry, “

It’s a good thing. Because almost 100 years later, work is still going, funded entirely by private donations. Work is now continued under the direction of Etsruo Sotoo of Japan, with Gaudi no doubt keeping an eye on things buried beneath the central crypt.

Nowhere else can you watch history unfold brick by brick as its spires twist and stretch to the sky like a forest of giant beanstalks (The central tower will eventually reach 170 meters – by far the tallest in the world). Part of the fun is that there is always something going on. The building literally changes before your eyes. The constant movement of cranes, scaffolds and sculptors at work makes the Cathedral feel alive. If you decide to visit, you can also be happy knowing that your admission price goes toward helping to complete the Cathedral – that some day you too can be a dead guy who helped build something great.

I know I feel better.

As an American, I find one of the best perks about living in Europe is that owning a car is almost totally unnecessary. The cities are, in general, older and more compact and can easily be conquered by foot or public transportation. Perhaps the best option, however, is the one that has been employed by the Dutch for almost 200 years: The bicycle.

At least 30% of all Dutch people in the Netherlands commute to work by bike. The entire country is connected by bike paths and all of the cities have special lanes for bikers. Some cities, like Amsterdam, have even begun programs to discourage driving in the city by reducing the amount of parking spaces and limiting the number of entry points into the city.

The benefits are obvious: Less stress, less polution, less money spent on gas, insurance and the like; and of course, a healthy workout along the way.

The Dutch habit does however take some getting used to for first timers. Especially in summer, riding a bike can mean slaloming between tourists – oblivious to the delineations of the “fietspad”, or playing chicken with a mother on her mobile phone as she bikes her three children to school in pedal-powered wheel barrel. Bike theft is also common and the Dutch weather is not exactly conducive to year-round riding.

That said, there is nothing quite like the experience of riding along the Amsterdam canals with the wind in your hair and a song in your heart, or seeing Dutch wonders like a four-story parking garage dedicated only to bikes.

Some would say it even beats walking.

But you didn’t hear that from me.

Amsterdam Accommodations