Some people search for paradise in Berlin, some prefer to travel the world to find it. Like the artist couple Kate Bellm and Edgar Lopez. For two years they were “kidnapping moments” of beauty, passion, life and excitement around the world. Kate by taking photographs and Edgar by collecting objects and creating drawings. Now they came back to their home base and are ready to share with us their inspiring findings. Far from being traditional travel photos or documentation, they present a series of colorful fantastical, surreal and with highly tension charged imagery at the gallery space Pavlovs Dog. More impressions, the address and time after the jump.
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by Claudio | Art, Galleries
While Claudio made his Winter escape to beautiful KitzbĂŒhel I once again flew over to Norway. It was already my second visit to the Nordic country, last year I had the pleasure to visit Geilo. This year my destination was Hovden, a small town embedded into the snow-covered mountains in the center of the country.
Hovden is maybe not the most famous Winter destination, but it really surprised me in a positive way. While Geilo was clearly more family-oriented Hovden turned out to be a very youthful place with lots of cool young people, not only visiting there, but also living there. Being surrounded by this like-minded crowd of course made the whole experience much more enjoyable.
On this wonderful trip I got to know a few really nice young local people, got to taste the exquisite Norwegian cooking and made my first attempts on skis. I really had a blast and am happy to share my impressions with you after the jump along with some recommendations for Hovden.
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by Frank | Travel
We have a little confession to make. Both Claudio and I have been to Lisbon recently – not at the same time, but with the same outcome: We both have a crush on this amazing and beautiful city. Forget Paris, forget London, forget Madrid. Lisbon might not be as big a metropolis as them, but it certainly has more charme and uniqueness to it.
I was there the first time a few years ago and already got addicted to the famous pastries of Belem, enjoyed the wonderful skyline of the city from one of the many view points and marveled at the beautiful hand-painted tiles on many of the old houses. On my recent trip to Lisbon my relationship to the city got a bit more intimate and passionate. The trip was half vacation and half a press trip with Sony Mobile. And while I got acquainted with the nearby beaches of the Costa de Caparica in the first half, I got an extensive introduction to many of the interesting spots in and around Lisbon by foot, by tuk tuk, by boat and by bus in the second one. On this city tour I got to review Sony’s brand new super smart phone the Xperia Z1. Being an iPhone 4 user that has been longing to find a decent replacement for the constantly failing Apple device this was an opportunity that I more than welcomed.
But coming back to Lisbon – this city is an absolute must-go-to. If it’s not for the beaches and the amazing surfing opportunities (that Claudio took advantage of on his trip) than it’s for the enchanting aesthetic of the city and its warm and welcoming inhabitants. Oh and praise the Portuguese for speaking excellent English đ After the jump I have some photos and Instagrams that I took on the tour, as well as some special recommendations for the city.
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by Frank | Travel
The Flairettes
Combining fashion and interior design makes a lot of sense. That’s probably what the makers of Flair fashion & home had in mind when they ventured into the world of publication. The Hamburg based magazine that recently transitioned from print to online is one of those charming young publications that wants to make a difference – away from a glossy high-fashion attitude toward a more approachable and natural one. From home stories, over interior design treasures, to beauty tips and fashion news – Flair has it all, from girls for girls.
My favorite part of the magazine are the travel stories by the two adorable girls Louise and Karolin a.k.a. the Flairettes (name inspired by Travelettes, huh? đ ) They are jetting around the world from Paris, London, New York, over Puerto Rico, Rio de Janeiro, to Lissabon, Johannesburg, and Budapest. They’ve been everywhere, sharing their experience in words and beautiful pictures with great recommendation from their trips. Let’s hope their journey, as well as the rest of the magazine will keep up the good work! Some impressions from the Flairettes after the jump…
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by Frank | Fashion, Travel
A few weeks ago I went on one of the most unusual trips that I’ve ever been to. When my travel mate Katja asked me to join her for the Christening of the Italian cruise ship MSC Preziosa in Genoa I was at first a bit sceptical, as cruises hadn’t really been on my agenda in terms of travel. But in the moment I stepped into the glamorous main lobby of the massive ship I knew I had made the right choice to go and would have an exciting time.
And exciting it was indeed. Discovering this little swimming city on the sea was like walking through a little foreign wonderland with many hidden points of entertainment. The cruise ship had it’s very own aesthetic with glittering staircases, shiny ornaments and patterned carpets. It was a bit like Disney Land meets the Love Boat with a twist of Titanic. Quite impressive really, so huge and over the top. It fully embraces the kitsch and glamour in every corner. Out eyes lit up with every new sparkeling launch we stepped in, playful pool areas we passed by and luscious cake buffets we stumbled upon.
On our stay we basically indulged into every fun activity we could find, including the on-board musical, the seemingly endless breakfast buffet, and the casino. We even did bowling, played every one of the arcade games, were super excited about the 4D cinema, and both of our two nights we ended up dancing the night away in the discotheque. But what was even more impressive was the actual reason we came for: the Christining of the brand new ship, the MSC Preziosa. This turned out to be an elaborate gala event with a ballet, an orchestra, a live concert, a musical performance, several speaches by famous Italian people, a very cool symphony played by the horns of three of the MSC ships that were aligned in a triangle (the melody was from Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters), and finally the champagne bottle was smashed on the bow of the ship by none other than Hollywood diva Sophia Loren. And in the Italian spirit of “more is more” everything was topped off with a massive firework. Wow! More details about the ship and the impressions of our unusual trip after the jump.
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by Frank | Travel
One of the countries that has always been on my list of places to travel to is Norway. I’ve so far only been to Sweden, which I really enjoyed, but I had heard such nice things about Norway that I was very eager to find out how it is. So when my travel buddy Katja from Travelettes invited me to join her on a trip to Geilo in Norway I was more than happy to say yes. (Btw. it’s pronounced Yeay-low.)
With our bags packed with snow suits and thick sweaters we fly to Oslo a few weeks ago to start our trip with some nice city impressions. Oslo is a really charming city, even though it’s not that big, it seems very modern and young and has a wonderfully welcoming vibe and lots of interesting people to meet. After explosing the city for about a day we took the train to Geilo, which is pretty central in the country. Of course the journey through the landscapes of Norway was already a highlight. But of course Geilo had plenty of things to discover for us including amazing slopes, countless hiking opportunities, ice fishing, relaxing spas and much more. Enjoy my my impressions of the trip.
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by Frank | Travel
Earlier this month my travel-addicted friend Katja and I went on yet another trip into the Alps this year. After we visited South Tyrol in Italy in late summer we now made it to the North of the region situated in Austria: Tyrol – more specifically KitzbĂŒhel, one of the oldest ski resorts in Europe and known for its wealthy and often famous clientele. We stayed at the luxurious Kempinski Hotel Das Tirol which is one of many 5-star-hotels in the area. Within only three days we experienced this amazing winter wonderland from its best side with thick layers of snow, sunny weather and of course amazing food. Thumbs up for beautiful Tyrol! Enjoy my latest travel story with lots of pictures after the jump.
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by Frank | Travel
photos by Katja Hentschel
A few weeks ago Travelette’s Katja took me along on a magical trip to a place that I would normally never think of going to. With my usual travel destinations being distant and exotic places as Argentina, Japan or Thailand I was more than surprised to find this little paradise so close to our home. The flight to South Tyrol was just a bit over an hour from Berlin, but it felt like immersing into a completely different universe and after only 3 days I was madly in love with this beautiful region in the North of Italy. Enjoy my impressions from this trip with photos by Katja after the jump.
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by Frank | Travel
Sponsored Post
With their new campaign When was the last time you did something for the first time? EASTPAK is introducing their new core collection for summer 2012. I had the chance to try out one of the backpacks of the series, the GETTER in coat black. It was my constant companion on my trip to Buenos Aires when I was walking the streets to take photos of street art in San Telmo or to find the nicest cafĂ©s and shops in Palermo. Even though it is not as fashionable as my giant faux-leather shoulder bag I can’t deny the superior comfort and practicability of the backback with its numerous compartments, zippers and extra waist straps. Especially when I was carrying both my camera and my laptop this was a big relief on my trip. After the jump you can see a new mood video by EASTPAK and some of the bags of the new collection.
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by Frank | Fashion
When I walk into an airplane I always dread the moment when I come closer to my row. Will I sit next to the mom with the screaming baby, or will it be the overweight old guy who is taking up more space then his seat offers him, or is it going to be the big group of Italian tourists who are already chatting away enthusiastically. No matter what it will always feel unfair that you have no say in with whom you will spend the next hours on your side.
Quite the good idea from Dutch airline KLM then to offer  a special service to avoid any surprised with your seat neighbors. With Meet&Seat you get the chance to connect your flight with facebook and see who else is on the same plane. This way you can choose to sit next to someone who you might have some common interests with. Great! To promote this new service KLM has launched the Be My Guest campaign featuring super model Yfke Sturm and some other popular Dutch personalities that gives you the chance to win a trip to New York. Have a look at the video after the jump.
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by Frank | Videos