//close up//

Last but not Least,

2010-07-01T23:12:00.000-07:00

It's been my greatest pleasure documenting the sights and sounds of this short journey.

The impromptu decision to pack our bags and go made it even more of a ride. We didn't really have plans on where to go, what exactly to do (well, except for Sonar Festival). But everything somehow just fell into place.

If you've been around us, and that little in-store programme we've had going on for the past month, you'll know the message we're trying to convey:

Go travel with an open heart and mind (don't forget to throw in a pair of trusty TOMS for good measure), and just like how mine turned out to be, I promise you it will be unforgettable.

Sincerely,
El

Barcelona : The Last One

2010-06-23T23:05:00.000-07:00

It's all been an amazing experience - the sights, the sounds and the ridiculously tasty ham.

Thank you for having me.

Barcelona : Days 4 & 5

2010-06-21T23:09:00.000-07:00

Our last few days in Barcelona and we made the most of it - stuffed our faces with food every chance that we had (razor clams, and more razor clams!), and the rest was spent soaking in the sights and sounds at Sonar Festival.

Sonar by Day was held right next to the Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona (a huge concrete space, complete with carpet grass!) where everyone gathered and danced to whatever was thrown at them - Speech Debelle, Delorean, King Midas Sound and my favourite act - Pursuit Grooves.

During meal times, all we had to do was walk out to the endless stretches of cafes just 5 minutes away - you'll never go hungry here.

Am officially obsessed with Iberian Ham (or Jamón ibérico), a type of cured ham produced mainly in Spain from cross-bred pigs. We had it everywhere we went, and this was at the famous Cafe Viena.

Sonar by Night was held at a totally different venue, off the city center. The crowd size was massive - tens of thousands of people pouring out of 4 warehouses. Unforgettable.

During Joy Orbison's set

Flying Lotus

Plastikman is the dark alter ego of Richie Hawtin. Every other person had their cameras/handphones whipped out to capture the amazing visual show - it was an experience everyone wanted to share when they got home.

One of the near closing sets by The Chemical Brothers.

Only a few hours of sleep before a plane to catch back home. What a night.

Barcelona : Day 3

2010-06-21T07:59:00.000-07:00

Visited the Picasso Museum which took up a good part of our afternoon. No photography allowed inside, but you'll probably know a Picasso artwork when you see one (out of the tens of thousands he created!).

Desigual Tricycles. What a cute idea.

Hot Spaniards, scorching sun and a cool, cool breeze - Barceloneta Beach.

Spent the rest of the afternoon (and a good part of my next 2 days) at Sonar Festival - an annual music and multimedia art festival which takes place for 3 days in June at Barcelona -

A visual feast at the Sonar Hall.

Never too late for a meal in this city.

Barcelona : Day 2

2010-06-19T12:39:00.000-07:00

Breakfast at our guesthouse. Marcelo has got music on for us, makes us thick, frothy coffee and opens up the balcony for us.

What a beautiful morning in Barcelona.

Brunch at the Mercat de Sant Josep, a food market along La Rambla (the only good thing worth seeing along that street!). It isn't the cheapest seafood platter, but it surely is the most satisfying.

You see bits of Gaudi all over Barcelona - it's as if he singlehandedly built this whole city.

My jaw literally dropped when I saw the Sagrada Familia, yet another Gaudi masterpiece. The most amazing thing about the church is the fact that it has been in construction since 1882 and the completion date is only set at 2026. Absolutely incredible.

While up on Parc Guell, we were approached by this young spanish couple to help take a picture for them. Turns out they were the very same couple sitting right behind us while on the flight up to Barcelona. What a small world!

The journey up to Mount Tibidabo took us 2 bus rides and long wait for the tram, but it was completely worth it.

Do you know that they teach mandarin in Barcelona primary schools? Thank god mine wasn't bad enough to understand what they were saying!

Wished there were more sights like these during walks home everyday.

Barcelona : Wandering About

2010-06-19T02:56:00.000-07:00

Domestic flights within the EU are a real drag. Ours from Berlin to Barcelona got delayed (again...!) and we arrived at our guesthouse 4 hours late.

Casa De Marcelo is a 2 months old guesthouse located right in the middle of lanes and lanes of quaint little shops. Marcelo used to work at the Ritz, which explains why it feels (and smells) nothing like a guesthouse.

We spent the rest of the day wandering about and soaking in the sights and sounds -

Old men and florist shops. How cute is that?

Sonar Festival 2010 - the reason why we're here!

Time for rest and rejuvenation, siesta style.

Berlin : Day 4

2010-06-16T00:03:00.000-07:00

Britzer Garten was so serene and so h-u-g-e, but we only managed to cover less then 1% of it. We "went off the beaten track", got silly on wine and ended up rolling around on grass instead.

Currywurst with a twist at Hotel Adlon - they used ostrich meat instead. So delicious!

Berlin's nightlife scene is inimitable. The panaromic views from Week End Bar and Watergate and her no-camera policy. You just have to visit them to know it.

Ever wondered how the chinese takeaway you see in movies taste like? We saw chinese takeaway everywhere, so I got my share (fried noodles) at China Box. A waste of €3 - it was so bad!

The extremely expensive Holocaust Memorial was constructed for €25 million, not before much controversies and delay. It was designed to evoke an uncomfortable experience and "aims to represent a supposedly ordered system that has lost touch with human reason". Walking through the concrete slabs was creepy - but was ridiculed by tourists (yes, not just one!) playing hide-and-seek.

Berlin has been a real eye-opener. The diverse cultural extravaganza, the edgy concrete, and the nature that is never too far away.

I already miss this place. We leave for Barcelona tomorrow, I guess that's no reason to be feeling down. Danke Schön , Berlin and I will be back for you, Michelberger Hotel!

Berlin : Day 3

2010-06-13T16:52:00.001-07:00

All the shops are closed on dead town Sundays, so we used this day to visit landmarks and parks instead.

At Friedrichstrasse.

The majestic Brandenburg Gate, one of Europes most famous landmarks. Not a fan of U2, but I wished I was there last year when they performed.

After a tireful walk (3km..!) at the Tiergarten, we landed at the Zoologischer Garten Berlin.

Have you ever seen a gorilla in person? Let alone a Silverback? The king of all primates. This one was a real show - shoving other gorillas, banging against the glass enclosures. You really don't want to mess with this fella.

The real wanderers,

The beautiful Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. It was bombed in 1943, and has since been restored and rescued from decay.

The only shopping you can do in Berlin on Sundays are probably at flea markets, and we did ours at MauerPark. Live music, made-on-the-spot pizzas, 1€ beers, stalls that stretch to a kilometer.

Stumbled onto Bearpit karaoke - which operates on a simple basis. Random people karaoke infront of a group of 1000s, people go crazy, and then everything is filmed and uploaded on the great WWW. Repeat that every Sunday.

Germany was playing against Australia this evening - and it seems like the whole of Berlin was watching from our hotel courtyard (compare this with the previous serene photo I posted of our courtyard)

Thank god Germany won!

Berlin : Day 2

2010-06-13T11:28:00.000-07:00

Bicycle lanes - will Singapore's eratic weather ever allow this? Our bike rentals only cost us 10 euros per day. A super inexpensive and simple way to get around the city.

Cycled all about Roxa-Luxemburg and Rosenthaler Platz. The Berliners really do love their vintage. You can find a second hand vintage store right next to an upmarket, established brand - I really appreciate the diversity.

Had a list of shops to visit on Torstraße, but we were only greeted by thousands of people marching on the street. Took awhile for us to figure out what it was all about. The Berliners aren't too pleased with the federal government's savings plans and so they took it to the streets.

We're Not Paying For Your Crisis.

On a lighter note, soccer fever is everywhere.

... even in retail shops!

Still in love with every bit of our hotel. They are having a band from Sweden play here today, organise alternative city tours and have the best breakfast spreads ever. What's there not to like?

Berlin : Finally Here

2010-06-11T22:26:00.000-07:00

After 30 hours of running about unbathed and unbrushed (breakdown - 11 hour flight from Singapore to Milan, 2 hours of transit, an hour and a half flight to Barcelona, 6 hours of idle there, and a 2 hour flight to Berlin - not before a 2 hour flight delay....) - am Finally here in Berlin.

While at Barcelona -

Does this wall mural look familiar? It had a little cameo in Vicky Christina Barcelona - one of my favourite movies to recite lines from. Too bad it was undergoing a minor face-lift.

Spontanous buskering duo whilst on the train to Passeig de Gràcia. Promoting their CDs - Clever!

Arrived in Berlin at night time with the sun still up (don't think it ever went down..)

Our stay for the next 4 nights

Could there be a cosier or more thoughtful lounge area then this? I love that every bedroom comes with their own selection of books.

The little courtyard up front set up for the World Cup matches - looking forward to that this evening.

The recently restored East Side Gallery

Thanks to an extremely good night's rest and one of the freshest breakfasts ever, I think we're all set to explore this intriguing city.

First stop Berlin

2010-06-09T02:09:00.000-07:00

source

Expected arrival time 11:00, Berlin, Germany.