Posted by Katrin on July 1st, 2007 — Posted in Art, Bars, Travel
Last year I blogged about Madrid, which has mysteriously vanished and got lost somewhere in the Matrix… Pictures and text was safely stored on my computer though, so here it is again:
Hola Madrid!
Last weekend I was lucky enough to fly to Madrid. It was my first time in Spain (if you leave out one childhood vacation which I don’t remember at all) and I felt very adventurous. Mostly because I am not used to being in a country whose language I don’t speak and it is such a weird feeling when you can’t communicate. You become very good in smiling and pointing though.
We were visiting friends who live right in the centre. The first night we went out to explore the tapas bars in their area. I might not have to stress how fantastic these were and can just leave it up to your imagination. But just in case: They were FANTASTIC! Mostly because there were only locals around us since tourists often don’t find their way into the regular living areas of a city. In the first one we had tostas which are similar to tapas but they are mostly all on a piece of baguette so you can eat them easily while standing and holding your glass of wine. You just keep ordering what you like and tell the waiter later what you had.
Then we went on to the next bar where we had our first Serrano Ham (there was lots more to come) and octopus which was delicious. It was a very buzzing atmosphere, everybody was enjoying a glass of wine and talking.On Saturday we started to explore the city. When I don’t have much time in one place I like to have just a general idea about where to go and then stroll around.
Madrid is certainly a good place to do that! Just start walking and see what lies ahead!
We also wanted to explore the shopping possibilities, after all Christmas is coming up. The inner city is very good for shopping and if you prefer to have it all under one roof try the department store El Corte Inglés. There are different ones around and if you are looking for presents this is a good place to go. We also bought a paella pan along with tapas plates and bistrot wine glasses for ourselves there.
El Corte Inglés
Hermosilla, 112
28009 Madrid
We didn’t have much luck with the weather, but that gives you just another excuse to go in somewhere and try more specialities. In the afternoon we were quite exhausted and felt like having a coffee somewhere. We came across this absolutely packed place which can be described as a tapas bar just for coffee and cakes. You stand at the bar, order your coffee and point to any of the little white dishes with a variety of cakes on them. They had a sitting room upstairs but that was full already and we were happy anyway to be in the middle of the buzz. Definitely a must-try-when-in-Madrid!
La Mallorquina, S.L.
Puerta del Sol, 8
Mayor, 2
Phone: 91 521 12 01
After having dinner in the inner city our host promised to show us two bars he liked. Both of them are quite hidden and you have to know where they are, otherwise you might walk by without noticing.
The first one was absolutely fabulous, my Dry Martini was superb and the setting couldn’ have been more amazing. It seemed to be an old theater and the bar is on the stage with a wide open space above you instead of a sealing! There was a sitting area as well which must have been the stalls of the theater once. You stand up there at the bar overlooking the rest. Who would have thought as the simple outside looked like this:
The second one was a Cuban bar which was different but very good as well. You actually had to walk into a regular appartment building and then find the bar at the first floor. Very smokey as I imagine cuban bars to be, and a very lively atmosphere. If you walk by a front door like this, it might be worth checking out the first floor:
Unfortunately I promised not to reveal their destinations, so they will remain special.
On Sunday we took a stroll in the park and headed towards the Prado Museum. It is free on Sundays and was packed in a very casual, relaxed way. I liked that but it also made me not want to stay very long because there are so many people moving around and standing in front of you. If you are in
Madrid and want to go choose another date, what you see is definitely worth the EUR 6,-!
I wanted to see Goya’s Maya which is brilliant. Or both of them I should say as you see here dressed on one and undressed on the other one. And then Las Meninas by Velasquez blew me away!
Museo Nacional Del Prado
Paseo del Prado s/n.
28014 Madrid
Phone: 91 330 28 00
And full of all these impressions we headed back home to London!
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Posted by Tom on June 17th, 2007 — Posted in Art, Travel
On a recent trip to San Francisco I had the chance to experience two different hotels. One was the usual business hotel although with a nice, young and stylish twist but the other one was a true San Franciscan delight: Hotel des Arts at 447 Bush Street.
Curiously enough the website “warned” me that the Hotel des Arts does not offer the same level of comfort than other hotels in the chain. But it was one of 5 staff picks in the Lonely Planet guide and these guys usually know their business, right? On arrival a sign told me the reception is on the 2nd floor (which I found odd until I remembered that Americans called the ground floor the 1st floor. Strange country.) Once I found my way there I was immediately surrounded by interesting, modern art. The front desk staff was friendly and explained there would be free breakfast in the mornings in room 203.
At the Hotel des Arts all rooms are painted by different contemporary fine artists (if you’re interested in buying, all art on display is for sale and starts from about $400). Mine had a green and black comic style theme to it. I found it a bit childish but actually very appealing. All walls were painted even the bathroom featured one of these quirky comic characters. The bedroom had a decent size and was equipped with everything I needed: a large bed, a fridge, a microwave (did not need that, though), a bathroom with a bath and toilet. The only downside was that the basin was in the main room. To my surprise there was also free wireless internet. But then this is San Francisco, hub to the Silicon Valley, so I guess that’s kind of expected if you want to attract the Mac geek crowd.
After a good nights sleep in Hotel Jeremyville, as my room was called, I tried room 203 for breakfast. Really funny as it actually was a normal room, only the bed was missing. On one side of the room was a buffet with bagels and muffins, coffee, tee and orange juice. I guess to make life easier for the cleaners, there were carton cups and plates so after I had finished everything went into the bin. Not exactly the best Californian initiative to help reduce carbon emission.
But apart from the environmental nonsense, I really enjoyed the hotel. Having each room painted by a different artist is appealing even though you can’t really select the art you will be surrounded by. Also a plus: the room for just $100 a night at a great, downtown location. The Hotel des Arts should definitely be on your itinerary if you like art, are a bit adventurous and own a Mac.
More things to do in San Francisco:
Hotel des Arts
447 Bush Street
San Francisco, CA, USA
Hotel des Arts
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Posted by Tom on May 28th, 2007 — Posted in Travel, Architecture
What do you know about Spain?
Most people would probably answer something like Madrid, Barcelona, Paella, Oranges and Rioja. Until recently hardly anyone would have said Valencia. This will change soon. Thanks to the Swiss sailing team Alinghi who won the 31st Americas Cup in Auckland on the 2nd March 2003. They chose Spains 3rd largest city Valencia to host the most prestigious cup in sailing and the city now continues its rise.
The capital of the Spanish autonomous community of Valencia is beautifully located on the mediterranean cost on the plain of the river Turia, surrounded by hinterland hills rarely higher than 100 metres. Traditionally the city and its 800,000 inhabitants was always drawn away from the coast with its old town located a couple kilometers inland. The 500 Million Euro investment in the new harbour will eventually change that.
What struck me the most when I recently visited Valencia (of course to see one flight of the Louis Vuitton Cup), was the combination of old and new. The old town was as you would expect it, beautiful old buildings, a buzzing nightlife and lots of tourists. But there is also the new Valencia.
In Spanish they call it “Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias” which means City of Arts and Sciences. The newly built site consists of 5 individual but still visually connected buildings designed by one of the most famous architects, Santiago Calatrava. The Valencia born Calatrava with his main office in Zurich has been heralded as bridging the division between structural engineering and architecture. In simple English: the buildings are just breath taking! I would only travel to Valencia just to see these buildings with my own eyes. Brilliant!
The river Turia links the newly built Americs’s Harbour with Calatrava’s masterpieces and the old town. But you won’t see water there as the river was diverted in the 1960s, the river bed becoming the longest park I have ever seen. Imagine living there and you have a park that goes on for miles right in front of you. This must be heaven for all runners of this planet.
I’m sure you’ll hear much more about Valencia in the near future as it probably will compete with Barcelona to become the premier travel destination on the Spanish mediterranean cost. Even more so should the Alinghi team win the America’s Cup once again, the city will then continue to be host to this fascinating event.
Valencia, Spain
39°29′0″N, 0°22′0″W
Easyjet and Clickair have daily flights from Gatwick and Heathrow.
Valencia, Spain
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Posted by Katrin on September 6th, 2006 — Posted in Travel
Every once in a while you need to break out a little. In order to do so what could be better than a short trip to Paris in order to recharge and focus again. Thanks to National Express you don’t have to pay a fortune to get there! A return ticket from Victoria Coach Station to Paris - Gallieni (both with good connections via Tube/ Metro to the city centre) costs as little as GBP 33,- and I believe that isn’t even the lowest fare.
To be honest I am not much of a Coach-Trip person, but having to watch my money a little at the time, it seemed like a good option. It’s quite an experience too! For starters now I know that you need to check in to a coach just like on a plane…
The trip went surprisingly smooth and with a good book the seven hour drive was bareable. In any case when doing such a short trip: travel light! On the way back we had to go through customs and they made us take out all the luggage. I was very glad to just have my handbag to hold on to and didn’t have to worry about large suitcases.
I was less lucky with my hotel though and therefore I can’t give you any recommendations. However, this is a good search page.
One of the reasons why I was keen to visit Paris is the fact that I am a delighted reader of Chocolate and Zucchini, a blog by a young French woman living in Paris. I wanted to see a few of the places she mentioned in her blog for myself:
E. Dehillerin an outlet store for cooking utensils. It’s absolutely amazing what they stock and you see straight away that they normally target professionals. However they are open to individuals as well and I couldn’t resist and bought two small tarte-forms.
G. Detou is a wonderful store full of everything you might need for baking. I was almost a bit sad that I didn’t have a recipe at hand with some unbelievable ingredient I might find nowhere but there. Maybe next time, for now I just enjoyed to have a look around.
For a Café Crème I turned to a small restaurant/café near Jardin du Luxembourg. Mostly for it’s likable name Au Petit Suisse:
It turned out that having only one whole day in Paris is just not enough… Well I should have known! I can definitely advise you though to return home either early in the morning or in the evening. My bus left at 1 pm and once you leave the hotel with your luggage in the morning it is a very uncomfortable way to kill time. You hardly manage to do anything fun or useful.
I was happy to return to London with a few of my favourite French products:
Bonne Maman: Galettes au beurre frais, for afternoon tea
Le Petit Suisse, for breakfast
Taillefine Equilibre, as a snack
Nestlé Dessert Chocolat Noir and Corsé, for Mousse and Fondant au Chocolat
We’ll see how long they last…
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