by moscerina

Photo credit: "Testaccio blues" by _mirko_ (無)

When it rains, Rome is usually the last place anyone wants to be. You can’t eat outside, unless you don’t mind getting quasi-soaked. The buses, trams and taxis seems to be in limited edition. The Vatican Museums are overrun and the Forum has a mud river flowing through it. That doesn’t mean there is nothing to do in Rome. It just means you have to be clever and get out of the historical center.

And right now, this means visiting Testaccio, the latest “really, truly Roman” neighborhood to be gentrified.

---------------------------------------------------------------- 

Cheap Flights to Rome
Opodo offer cheap flights to Rome and other world cities

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Click to read more ...

by tim anderson

On pretty much any hot and sunny day in Copenhagen (in fact, it doesn't really need to be that hot, just sunny), at certain hours of the day you'll find queues like it was a supermarket twenty-five years ago in Eastern Europe suffering a food shortage.

Alas, it's not a shortage of food that drives the crowds toward Paradis in Copenhagen, rather it's a shortage of comparably tasty ice cream to be found anywhere else in the city. Italian style ice cream. Really f#%*ing tasty ice cream.

How good would I say Paradis ice cream is?

Click to read more ...

by tim anderson

If there is one thing that can be said about the current government in Denmark, it's that they are becoming rather predictable.

Needing the proudly xenophobic/racist Dansk Folkeparti to prop up their minority/coalition government, the government has developed a nasty little habit of throwing their support behind various proposals propagating the idea of 'Danishness' (thereby helping to ward off perceived threats to whatever it is that this so-called 'Danishness' is...).

The Dansk Folkeparti loves squeezing out these sorts of legislative turds from the bowels of their parliamentary caucus, as they are the self-proclaimed protectors of the Danish society and cultural identity in parliament. And the government knows how to appease the Dansk Folkeparti.

Click to read more ...

by tim anderson

News reporters in Copenhagen, and in particular TV2 News – Denmark’s 24-hour news channel - recently had what was probably their biggest news week for several years.

It all began with a police raid of the Ungdomhus (‘The Youth House’) in Nørrebro in Copenhagen on March 1, which succeeded in clearing out the occupants of the building. The Ungdomshus had been the subject of much controversy over the previous months (and years) thanks to the steadfast refusal of those using the building to voluntarily vacate the premises.

You see, it had been sold by the local government some years before and had been used by a large number of young people for many many years (since 1982, in fact) to stage regular events and parties. The controversy basically ended with the demolition of the building 5 days later.

The aftermath of the police clear-out of Ungdomshus carried on throughout the weekend (March 1-4) - some 400-600 were arrested and plenty of demonstrations in support of the building ensued.

It was a tale of two protests, you could say.

Click to read more ...

by jnoelbell

Just when you thought you couldn't hold out any longer, Spring is finally here.

You know the smell of Spring - it’s the smell of earth warming, trees stretching, the thin hint of fresh greenery sharp in your nose. It’s so recognisable you can almost feel the sea change, pinpoint the exact day the seasons turn. A visceral intuitive knowledge. The days are longer, the scarves are packed away (but not the brollies!) and you find yourself looking for a reason to get out an *breathe*. Here are a few seasonally themed events to get you back in touch with Mother Nature and put the "spring" back in your step.

Click to read more ...

by sara bertoni

This Valentine’s Day, I avoided the typical cozy movie night with flowers and did something different. I went to the super trendy restaurant Envy in Amterdam. The occasion: The new Thomas Sabo Sterling Silver Collection unisex line.

Click to read more ...

by sabine behrman

Princess Alexandra, Queen Margrethe's ex-daughter-in-law, has decided to marry her boyfriend on March3, thus leaving the royal family for good and be reduced to a lowly Countess of Frederiksborg. She'll lose the last of her privileges, but not her annual alimony of appr. € 250.000.

However, she will have to pay about 73 % taxes. So she'll probably need a job.

The media and all their royal specialists are having a fieldday.

Some are probably terribly disappointed that the wedding is to take place without them.

And all of this almost drowned the news that Danmarks Radio needs yet another one hundred million Euro to pay for their new digs...

Photos: (above) Princess Alexandra at Odense Zoo
(below) Princess Alexandra with new beau Martin (on her left) and ex-husband Joachim (on her right). 

Photo credits: Flukedk & l&coolj 

by jnoelbell 

For all its great history, sometimes London can be very... well, traditional.

And sometimes, you just want to shake loose and do something a little different, explore (or create!) a new niche in an old city full of old things. With spring creeping around the corner, here are three offbeat activities to try, to get you off the couch and out the door - new exploits for a new season.

Looking for something a little bit retro, a little bit rock n' roll? Everything old is new again! Check out the London Rollergirls, a funky group of women who are single-handedly working to bring back the lost art of flat track roller derby.

Click to read more ...

by sara bertoni 

I still remember when, 10 years ago, Swatch was THE WATCH to have! People wanted the latest limited edition of this amazing watch and if you couldn't have it, well... you were out.

The Swatch stores in Amsterdam and Rotterdam have been recently entirely renovated and I was invited to the opening. I was really curious to see if my old loved watch could take my heart again. 

Click to read more ...

by jared bibler

I stayed one Saturday overnight in a little cluster of summerhouses, owned by my employer. It's a little ways out of town, far enough so that no city lights interfere with the stars. Just now when I went to the car to get a pen, the size and brilliance of Orion in the southern sky was almost shocking. I can't imagine how a good hit of the norðurljós must look from out here.

It's cold outside, a few degrees under freezing, and there is crunchy snow on the ground. There are a few dozen little houses clustered here looking down on a frozen lake. Down the hill from me, someone has lit a cooking fire outside and I can hear the excited sounds of little Icelandic kids playing flashlight games in the dark.

Click to read more ...

by moscerina

Apparently, I am infamously late for everything I do. Most of my friends are well aware of this issue, and either verbally express their contempt for my consistent tardiness or try to trick me into being on time by anticipating my tardiness with faux meeting times.

When it comes to business, work or anything job related, I try my best to prioritize and be punctual. Alarms are set. Clocks are tens of minutes in advance, but it still is a battle. Unfortunately, I have integrated that stereotypical Roman trait into my lifestyle. "Everyone is late in Rome," so I lazily use the excuse that I have assimilated well into the culture.

Click to read more ...

by tim anderson

Digging deeply into Copenhagen's underground electronic music scene has its rewards. It also has its challenges, since though it's out there, its extent is relatively limited - particularly the further below the surface you try to get.

Please forgive the grainy low-quality mobile phone pictures, though poor, they do capture the atmosphere of Lab rather well...

If you're into electronic sounds, the various arrangements put on by Komponent are about as deep as you can get in Copenhagen - both in terms of music and venues. At least that is my belief after 6 years of exploring. 

Komponent's usual venue of choice is Lab (site in Danish), a space that could not possibly be any less pretentious. It would take about three minutes to convert it into a motorcycle repair shop.

Click to read more ...

by jnoelbell 

Valentine's Day is a few days away - did you forget to make dinner reservations at the hottest restaurant? It's a little too late for that now, but that doesn't mean you can't still score some points in the romance department by being a little creative.

From Masquerade Balls to exotic hothouses, champagne skylines to sultry jazz - here are some last minute ideas to save you from the dog house! As of publication tickets were still available for all of the below events...

Click to read more ...

by sara bertoni

ELLE STYLE AWARDS 2007 at Energetica

The most talked about party of the Amsterdam Fashion Week was the ELLE STYLE AWARDS. And that wasn't because of their cocktails (more about them later).

The Elle Style Awards started in 2004 and are growing bigger and bigger every year. This year, they were held at the museum Energetica in Amsterdam on the second day of the Amsterdam fashion week. Sponsored by H&M, Nokia, Frieda and Nissan, the Elle Style Awards aim is to choose the best up coming styling talent of the year.

Click to read more ...

by sara bertoni

Amsterdam Fashion Week kicked off with official opening party that included a martini bar with the unforgettable cocktails. A waitress in a petticoat served champagne and white chocolate strawberries. Then, at the end of the evening, she did the rounds again with French fries for everybody. Well, I was pretty shocked about this, but hey, we are in Holland, don’t forget!

But I’m not going talk about the cocktails... What I would like to tell you about is about the location - the Westergasfabrik - because I think it's absolutely stunning!

Click to read more ...