walki-talki.com Travel Blog

I am extremely happy to announce that walki-talki.com’s self-guided digital walking tour of the historic center of Prague is now available as a fabulous app for the iPhone and iPod Touch (OS 3.0 or higher tested).

Tyn Cathedral, track number 8, of walk-talki's walking tour of Prague.

Prague is a wonderfully preserved medieval city, and its remarkable history spans every major war, cross draft, intellectual movement, and cultural development that has alternately gripped and liberated Europe for the past 1000 years. From the spectacular Tyn Cathedral, Tycho Brahe’s burial place, to Kafka’s house, to Wenceslaus Square, the old Jewish Ghetto and the major sites of Prague Spring and the Velvet Revolution, you will see it all in this fantastic walking tour of Prague.

The entire self guided walking tour–including an interactive map, the audio tracks and instructive images–resides on your iPhone. The app requires no data connection, and you won’t incur any additional charges beyond the price of the app. There are no maps to print out, no tedious software to deal with and no walking tour meeting points and schedules to contend with. Get the tour from The App Store, load up your iPhone (or iPod Touch) and see the city when you want and at your own pace.

Prague awaits.

(Of course, if you don’t own an iPhone or iPod Touch, you can always buy our regular walking tour of Prague for any device capable of mp3 playback; even the cheapest media player.)

walki-talki.com is proud to announce that its self guided mp3 audio walking tour of Berlin is now available as an app for the iPhone and iPod Touch (OS 3.0 or higher required) through The App Store.

Checkpoint Charlie on the iPhone walking tour App of Berlin

This wonderful walking tour of Berlin introduces you to the key historical sites of Berlin, from the origins of the city, to the remarkable history of culture, suppression, repression and rebirth recounted in sites like the Bundestag/Reichstag, the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie and Gendermenmarkt. Best of all, with this new app package for the iPhone and iPod Touch (OS 3.0 or higher required) there is no hassle of printing a paper map to take along. (That option is, of course, always available.) Our self-contained app has an interactive map that shows you the path to follow, to skip tracks if you so desire, and to see a picture of the landmark at each site so that you can be certain of your whereabouts. All of this is on your device with no need to connect to any network for information.

This app is pure walking bliss, and our Berlin tour happens to be the longest tour that we offer in terms of time. You walk a great distance to visit a great many sites and to learn history unrivaled in its complexity and importance. It is a lot to take in, and you can do it all now from the comfort of your iPhone or iPod Touch, at your own leisurely pace. Take two hours to do the tour, or take six hours. Just make sure your battery doesn’t run out.

It took some time, but we’re happy to announce that the walki-talki.com self guided, mp3 audio walking tour of the Red Light District of Amsterdam is now available for sale through the App Store.

The red light district is, of course, best known as the unabashed showcase for prostitution and soft drugs, but it is, in fact, the oldest and most historic district of Amsterdam with many landmarks dating back over 1000 years. In this walking tour, you will get an excellent introduction to this history of Amsterdam, you will learn about the subtle differences in Dutch architecture, and, you will be introduced to old and modern Dutch culture, and you will be guided through the illustrious history of  Dutch trade which had made Amsterdam the center of global trade in the 1600s.

And, yes, the tour does include a rather comprehensive section on the trades in flesh and drugs that are invariably conjured by the words “red light district.”

This walking tour is distributed as a self-contained app for the iPhone and iPod Touch (OS 3.0 or higher required). It requires no internet connection to operate. All you do is run the app, and follow the route traced on the interactive map. Press the play button whenever you want your guide to speak, and press the right arrow in the point of interest pop-up button to see a picture related to that particular stop.

This tour comes with a 17+ rating in The App Store, but do not be alarmed by this rating. The tour contains no profanity or foul language. Prostitution and drug use are described with cheeky humor in about three tracks.

You had better hurry, though. The red light district might be closing soon. If that happens, our jokes won’t be as funny.

And, if you don’t have an iPhone or an iPod Touch, you need not worry. You can always take our standard mp3 walking tour of Amsterdam. This tour plays on any device that can play mp3 files.

Welcome to Berlin’s squat scene | The Guardian

As the Guardian article points out, squatting is not quite the write word for it, but it persists because the phenomenon of the Volkskueche (“People’s Kitchens” or “folks’ kitchens”), or Vokue for short, is rooted in the practice of squatting in abandoned buildings, of which far too many could be found in the former East Berlin soon after the wall came down. The sense of camaraderie that suffuses this piece is palpably present in every trip to the hippest neighborhoods of the former East Berlin. Prenzlauer-Berg was the first eastern neighborhood to go through a remarkable resurrection to become an amazingly active social and cultural district. Now, it isFriedrichshain’s turn. (In fact, a young doctor who had grown up in the former East Berlin told me on a train ride to Berlin that she was among the first wave of youngsters who brought Prenzlauer-Berg back to life and who subsequently moved to Friedrichschain once PB became too hip and, consequently, too expensive.)

Tacheles Volkskueche, from The Guardian

Squatting happens to be a big feature of many European cities, Amsterdam in particular, but it is a practice that seems to be on the wane these days as globalization opens the floodgates of capital to the world’s most storied cities and brings in foreigners eager to partake in the hallowed histories. One ought to partake in these fantastic social experiments, therefore, while one still can. Our walki-talki self-guided mp3 walking tour of Berlin (soon available as an iPhone App, like our Paris and London tours) will provide you with an excellent historical background on Berlin and give you a great appreciation of what’s going on in the former East Berlin. To get to Prenzlauer-Berg after the tour, continue walking east to Alexanderplatz and take the north bound (to Pankow) U5 subway train. To get to Friedrichschain, take the south bound U5 subway train from the Alexanderplatz station.

This really is your ticket to cheap and fantastic food and entertainment in Berlin.

Our walking tour of Amsterdam, however, offers entertainment of an entirely different variety.

The Walki-Talki.com self guided mp3 audio walking tour of Paris’ Montmartre neighborhood is now available as an iPhone app

I’m happy to announce that our Paris: Montmartre tour is now available on the App Store. Just like the London tour, the map is included in the app so that you don’t need to print a map or even have a network connection to walk this walk.

We are hard at work preparing even more walks for the iPhone, so stay tuned for the next release!

The walki-talki.com self guided mp3 audio walking tour of London is now available as an iPhone app

I’m happy to report that our London tour is now available as an iPhone app. The app version of the tour features a dynamic map, so no more printing maps! In fact, locals just might ask you, the tourist, for directions.

We designed the app with a self contained map. Therefore no network connection is needed while you are walking, so there won’t be any unpleasant surprises when you come home and get your phone bill.

London is available now in the App Store. Our other destinations will be available in the App Store soon. We are very excited about the possibilities that the iPhone opens for our tours. Stay tuned for more updates …

Jumbo Hostel, Strange but true, world architecture news, architecture jobs

The global economy isn’t so great. You may want to skimp on your next journey to Sweden and elect to stay at a hostel. Fortunately, you do not have to sacrifice on style by doing so. In fact, you can even forego the train fare to Stockholm and stay at the airport.

The new 747 jumbo jet hostel at the Stockholm airport is so innovative in design that it is being featured in architectural in World Architecture News online magazine.

Swedish architects Thomas Blom and Daniel Monsen partook in a novel design challenge when they were chosen to create the world’s first jumbo jet hostel which opened last month. Undergoing a complete overhall of its interior, the Jumbo Hostel, grounded at Stockholm Arlanda Airport since 2002, now accommodates 85 beds in 25 rooms of approximately 6 sq m. The Boeing 747 plane also contains separate bathrooms, a newly fitted seventies-retro lounge/reception area and retains many original features including business class seats and oxygen masks.

Both guests and visitors can enjoy breakfast and snacks in the onboard cafe, as well as being able to heat up your own in the jumbo’s microwaves! With rooms costing from just £28 the re-fit has turned a scrap-heap bound plane into one of Sweden’s newest landmark tourist attractions.

Soon enough, you will be able to skimp some more by taking the walki-talki.com mp3 walking tour of Stockholm. For now, enjoy the ambiance of this chic jumbo jet.

All images from World Architecture News, where you can find more images.

Yes, it’s that time of the year again. In most places where they celebrate it, it is bitter cold. Some view it as the last opportunity to party before the forty days of lent begin. Others insist that it is the age-old tradition of worshiping the Greek and Roman Gods of wine.

Whatever you think are the reasons, you ought to give serious consideration to celebrating theis magnificent party that is known as Carnival, Carenevale, Mardi Gras, Karneval and many other names. In most places, Carnival will begin on February 13 (yes, Friday the thirteenth), 2009, and end, as usual, on Fat Tuesday (i.e., Mardi Gras), February 24. The biggest celebrations fall on Tuesday the 24th, but some of the biggest parties, like Rosenmontag in Cologne, Germany, (by far the biggest celebration in Germany), are on Monday the 23rd of February.

In general, you will find plenty of partying to do at every city where Carnival is celebrated for the entire duration of Carnival: from the 13th through the 24th. In New Orleans, the parades started on Saturday the 7th of February, as a matter of fact, and gradually pick up in size and frequency leading up to Mardi Gras. In Cologne, Germany, (so far, my only and favorite Karneval location) the Fasching festivities start on 10th of February. (Actually, technically, Karneval season in Cologne starts on November eleventh, 11/11 that is, of the previous year.)   In Venice, the Carnevale starts on the 14th of February, and you can find a small introduction to the Carnevale in the walki-talki.com self-guided audio walking tour of Venice.

If you are not going to be anywhere near Venice, New Orleans or Cologne in the next couple of weeks, you need not worry. Follow this Wikipedia article to find the Carnival celebration nearest you. This festival is celebrated from Rio de Janeiro to, oddly enough, India. In Europe alone, Carnival is celebrated in approximately 20 cities in Germany, Switzerland, France, Italy, Spain and Poland to name but a few countries. Chances are that there is a party near you. Do attend one and have a great time. The current world situation is not going to provide anyone any solace, not even the smallest quantum of it.

I am happy to report that our site has been successfully migrated to a new server. All remaining bugs have been zapped, and normal sales have resumed. Therefore, you can shop walki-talki.com with confidence. And, don’t forget that we have made a total commitment to our customers. If you encounter any problems at all, use our contact form or click on the “skype me” button on the bottom of every page on our store to contact us. All questions will be answered, and all problems will be resolved. 

Thank you for visiting walki-talki.com.

Over the weekend of October 18, we received major upgrades to our web server. A few details have not yet been polished off, and as a result our store is not fully functional. Please bear with us. We will be functional again in a day or two!

Thank you for visiting walki-talki.com

Payam

• Feb 24 : Digging Up History in Prague
• Feb 7 : Edinburgh on Foot with Your iPhone or iPod Touch
• Jan 5 : Happy New Year
• Dec 10 : A Stroll Through Geneva with Your iPhone
• Nov 12 : Rome tour released for iPhone – with new features!