Berlin! festivals, contemporary architecture, nightlife

Ok you were wrong if your guess was London. My next destination happened to be Berlin thanks to fast trains between Paris and Berlin. Then here it comes the central station...

The Brandenburg Gate is an iconic landmark of Berlin and Germany. It also appears on German euro coins (10 Cent / 20 Cent and 50 Cent).

You have to look closer to the picture next to the car... I may not look as fun as you might have used to cause I got very tired. I need a vacation :)

In the picture you see me at my favourite spot in Berlin, the famous TV tower, the Fernsehturm.. I had a chance to meet with a few other asterisks and went to a restaurant on the Friedrichstrasse. I strongly suggest schnitzel..

I met a couple from Japan and decided to visit next... Here is a picture when we took a boat in the Japanese waters.

Oh sorry, have forgotten that I am still in the Berlin blog.

More information for those interested is as follows,

The Reichstag building is the traditional seat of the German Parliament, renovated in the 1950s after severe World War II damage. The building was again remodeled by British architect Norman Foster in the 1990s and features a glass dome over the session area, which allows free public access to the parliamentary proceedings and magnificent views of the city.

Gendarmenmarkt, a neoclassical square in Berlin whose name dates back to the Napoleonic occupation of Berlin, is bordered by two similarly designed cathedrals, the French Cathedral with its observation platform and the German Cathedral. The Konzerthaus (Concert Hall), home of the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, stands between the two cathedrals.

The Berliner Dom, a Protestant cathedral and the third church on this site, is located on the Spree Island across from the site of the Berliner Stadtschloss and adjacent to the Lustgarten. A large crypt houses the remains of some of the earlier Prussian royal family. Like many other buildings, it suffered extensive damage during World War II. The Cathedral of St. Hedwig is Berlin's Roman Catholic cathedral.

Unter den Linden is a tree lined east-west avenue from the Brandenburg Gate to the site of the former Berliner Stadtschloss, and was once Berlin's premier promenade. Many Classical buildings line the street and part of Humboldt University is located there. Friedrichstraße was Berlin's legendary street during the Roaring Twenties. It combines twentieth Century tradition with the modern architecture of today's Berlin.

Paris mon amour! (don't tell me that you were expecting something else)

After my short trip to Italy, I hopped on the cheapest train (read very slow) to my next destination spot.. The city which is inspirational to almost every one and the all time hottest place for artists around the world. It's the city hosting iconic landmarks such as the Eiffel, Notre Dame cathedral, the Champs-Elysées, the Arc de Triomphe, the Basilica of the Sacré Coeur, the Invalides, the Panthéon, the Grande Arche and the Opéra Garnier among its many attractions, along with world famous museums such as the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay or the Musée National d'Art Moderne. Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you; Leipzig!!! :) Yeah, I am kidding;
Dames et messieurs, Paris...

After such a good intro, probably you expect me to really bring you Paris, hahha nice joke :)
Of course what I did over there was following the routine; the museums, cathedrals, cafes all crunched in two days... Lovely it was, as much as tiring.. You don't have much time to enjoy and that's the dilemma of any given world tourer... Leaving everything else behind, enjoy the it...

Here goes the story;

First I started with a random city walk. Look where I came across; Notre Dame cathedral where I met my friend Quasimodo who makes living on novel appearances :)

I had to ruin the picture with a red arrow marking. Hello, I am the Asterisk, remember?



After some time I came across some fellow tourists. After some friendly talk, they invited me to tour the city with them... What could I say other than yes? Below there is a picture of us in front of Eiffel...



Louvre came next... Inside the glass pyramid in front of the museum, I felt like a tomato in a greenhouse. STOP GLOBAL WARMING!!! :)



You see me on the stairs... It is easy to tell how modernistic the pyramid's style.
Louvre was unbelievable. The museum holds so many collections including spectacular paintings of artists like Fragonard, Rembrandt, Rubens, Titian, Poussin and many other exhibits including archeology, sculpture, architecture, writing it again architecture (there is a hidden city under the pyramid), furniture etc. from a period between the 13th century to 19th century.
A very hysterical, sorry historical museum where you could travel in time without any warnings :) During my very short museum visit, I not only got confused a lot, but also lost my fellow tourismo group. That's why I got out fast and ended up in a cafe where I found myself in art, thanks to the rain clouds over Paris.



And this was it... I am leaving tomorrow morning for another hot cultural spot. Any guesses?

Milan!! Bella è la rosa ma ancor di piú la viola

Having left my hotel in Madrid, I took a cab to the airport. There I decided on my next destination. It would be Milan!!!! Yess!!!

Why am I this much excited, I asked myself, because of the fashion shows? because of amazing sports teams? because of risotto alla Milanese?? because of Stream (a potential employer :))?
Maybe the answer is all but not limited to them... This beautiful city may not look alike Napoli or Roma at first glance but has a lot to offer.

Did you know that Leonardo's 'Last Supper' is here at the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie? When I watched Da Vinci code, it made me think of why he didn't simply put an asterisk if there was something to hide :) But then there would be no art, right?... Maybe it always takes artists to get rid of the asterisks... Did I ever tell you that I love art? I hear you say 'why'? Cause it makes me and my friends to take vacation :)

Anyway of course I also went to the San Siro stadium, had delicious food and tried to see that famous Milan Fashion Weeks, it was a very bad timing though. Yet I was lucky enough to attend to some other fashion show. Here are some pics from Milan and the lyrics in the title are from a Milanese canzone (I mean song) oh I have to leave before I decide to stay forever...


PS: I just liked the tram, there were so much to tell that I have forgotten :(

My first destination: MADRID - Se hablo Espanol :)

I don't know why, maybe because I heard so many good things from so many different people, I wanted to start with the capital of Spain. As I was exploring my horizon through Gran Via, Plaza Mayor, Cason del Buen Retiro, Torre Espana and Puerto del Sol, I realized that I got lost!!! Luckily I had my friend's number who's at CableVision Espana and she saved my day...
On the second day, I had a plan finally! :)

When you talk to people around the world about Madrid most will mention three of the cultural hallmarks:

1- Real Madrid
2- Matadors
3- El encierro (my translation: "bulls running like crazy")

Number 1 was amazing. Bernabeu Stadium, with a capacity of 80,000 could be packed to its capacity if the game was more than a friendly one. I will try again in a Real vs. Atletico one.
Unfortunately those people are wrong!! For attending El encierro I had to travel to the city of Pamplona in the northern Spain. Did I do it? Yes.. Was I exhausted? Absolutely... Pics probably tell you why :) Its a common characteristics of Asterisks to be unnoticed until too late. Obviously not for the bulls... I better get some rest..