A week ago I had the pleasure to join a press trip organized by my friend and colleague Katja from Travelettes that led us and a group of fellow bloggers to beautiful Bordeaux. When I researched the location of the city on a map I realized that France pretty much reads like the menu of a Gourmet restaurant with Bordeaux not being the only delicacy on the list. It made me realize how much this country is about good food and drinks – sometimes I tend to forget when I just go to Paris.
I’m glad I finally had the chance to see another part of France other than the capital. It’s such a different world really. Not just because of the more Southern weather, but also because of the beautiful landscapes, the charming people and generally more relaxed vibe. When you drive through the area it feels a lot like you are in Tuscany with the charming old limestone buildings, vineyards as far as the eyes can reach lined with cypress trees and rose bushes. It really is the backdrop for romantic movies.
On our trip, we had the chance to visit a lot of places, try a lot of wine and food and discover all the special highlights of the area. It’s a place that I can warmly recommend to anybody – regardless if you are into wine or not. I certainly want to come back here – to explore the city of Bordeaux more and discover more of these incredibly dreamy Châteaux.
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by Frank | Travel
photo: Neil H / CC.
When I travel to foreign continents and get asked where I am from, my answer is often: “I am from Europe”. I never really thought about what this means until the Brexit vote. It’s not that I don’t want to say that I am from Germany (because whoever asks is probably going to demand a more precise answer anyway and I will give it). It’s not a lack of national pride; it’s more a sense of international unity within my own continent. I am happy to be German, but I am proud to be from Europe. Being born and raised in an isolated country like the GDR, the sense of freedom after the reunification was amazing.
I grew into an adult benefiting from the bond that the European countries had formed with one another after being in conflict for centuries. For me this became the status quo. I could travel, study, live and work in all of the other countries without problems, which many of my class mates actually did, going to France or the UK after school. When many of the countries even started to share one currency it became even more united. Going to Madrid or to Rome over the weekend to visit friends or just have a good time, this no longer felt like taking a vacation in a foreign country. It felt like something else…
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by Frank | Stories, Travel
photo: Chloé Desnoyers
What I like most when I go to a restaurant is to find someone truly passionate about what he does: a pastry chef meticulously preparing his macarons and giving them a perfectly smooth shape, a wine shop owner talking about wines as if he were talking about his lovers or a chef telling you how he chose his potatoes for cooking French fries that are crispy outside and just a little soft inside. I’d like to share some tips with you about authentic French restaurants, bakeries, crêperies, cheese and wine shops, and also present you French artists living in Berlin.
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by Guest Author | Art, Cafés, Charlottenburg, Kreuzberg, Mitte, Prenzlauer Berg, Restaurants
photos: Valerie-Siba Rousparast
Café and Papeterie Two and Two is one of those places that i knew i would love from the first sight. Set in the place-to-be north of Neukölln, it is surrounded by amazing burger places, international cuisine and great fast food. Nonetheless it stands out.
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by Guest Author | Cafés, Neukölln
photo: Sebastian Runge, Konzerthaus, Großer Saal
Do you like France? The question may seem a bit odd, but I always feel like people either love France or they don’t like it at all. I think the country is beautiful, the language very sexy and I loooove French movies because they are often hilariously funny and inspiring. But, I wouldn’t call myself a connoisseur of French music – not yet. Sure, I think mostly everyone heard from Louanne and I am very proud that I almost know all the lyrics of her song. But that’s mostly it – and that may be changed at the Festival Frankreich at Konzerthaus Berlin starting tomorrow. Learn more about it after the jump.
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by Olga | Music
The Spring is not only the time to redecorate your house, start a new affair, get a last-minute gym membership to prepare for summer time and to enjoy the first warm days, it’s also the time to plan your vacations and trips for the year. Of course we are not all going to be here in Berlin all the time and as we are a travel-eager bunch here we would like to give you a few recommendations of where to go in our Travel section.
Today we have an interesting urban exploring project for you that will lead you on a tour to the amazing European cities of Lyon, Antwerp, Bristol, Copenhagen, Florence, Istanbul, Budapest and Hamburg. Initiated by French footwear label Palladium the tour will follow video journalist and blogger Georgia LA from sbtv and photographer and Instagram genius Emmanuel Cole to these cities who will meet up with local insiders and discover the underground scenes and most exciting places. As you can see the tour consciously avoids the big European metropolises such as Paris, London, Rome and (well) Berlin, and instead focusses on less travelled places that are gaining more interest for contemporary travelers in recent years. We salute these choices and cannot wait to see the findings of the tour that will be published on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter all hashtagged with #palladiumexplorers.
On May 11, 2015, the tour will start in Lyon where our explorers will meet the guys from local webzine and visual agency Paperboys who will show them around in their city. The smiling gentlemen in the photo above is one of them, by the way. After the jump you can see a first trailer for the tour and get a first impression of Lyon. There will a few documentary films shot and lots of amazing photos taken. Everyone who is also traveling to or living in these 8 cities is welcome to join the project and give insider tips to our explorers and win amazing prices along the way.
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by Frank | Travel, Videos
If you’ve been to any exclusive fashion, music and art events here in Berlin I’m sure you’ve come across the delicious French aperitif Lillet. This Friday Lillet steps into the role of the embassador of French culture that goes beyond the clichées of baguettes and bonnets. With their new event series Lillet En Soirée they present young emerging talents from France to bring a piece of contemporary music culture from this beautiful country to Germany. The series starts this Friday at 22h with the charming folk-pop duo Brigitte who will perform for the first time here in Germany at the Bar Tausend. Learn more about the ladies and get a chance to win tickets for the concert after the jump!
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by Frank | Music, Party, Videos
