Rick's 2nd article

Piece of cake: Julbilee success

The yearlong celebration of Queen Elizabeth's 60th year on the throne will culminate starting Saturday with four days of celebrations, including a concert, a parade and a 1,000-ship flotilla through London on the River Thames. This Diamond Jubilee, is only the second in Britain's long history.  

Pt. Mugu

Introducing Düsseldorf

Source: Lonelyplanet

We conclude with this article to make sure you can talk to friends and family about this lovely city before returning home after a busy drupa 2012. Maybe some of you have another day to walk around waiting for a  flight, or this could be useful to start preparing for drupa 2016. See you all!

Düsseldorf, the state capital, dazzles with boundary-pushing architecture, zinging nightlife and an art scene to rival many larger cities. It’s a posh and modern city that seems all business at first glance: banking, advertising, fashion and telecommunications are among the fields that have made Düsseldorf one of Germany’s wealthiest cities. Yet all it takes is a few hours of bar-hopping around the Altstadt, the historical quarter along the Rhine, to realise that locals have no problem letting their hair down once those Armani ties come off.

The Altstadt may still be the ‘longest bar in the world’ but it’s increasingly getting competition from the Medienhafen, a redeveloped harbour area about 1km further south. Not only is this a feast of international avant-garde architecture by the genre’s boldest and brightest (Frank Gehry among them), the area is also evolving into a chic and sleek place to hang out after dark.

If you’re more into high-brow culture, you’ll likely more than get your fill at the many top-notch art museums and the renowned opera house, theatre and orchestra hall.

Introducing New York

Source: Lonelyplanet

New York can be anything you want it to be. It’s why countless people have pinned their dreams on the place, thrown caution to the wind and shown up on its doorstep.
If you like a day filled with culture, start with a look at some Tseng Kwong Chi photographs celebrating East Village creativity in the eighties at the Paul Kasmin gallery, before ducking through Central Park to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the current Japanese art exhibition.

Round out your afternoon with some off beat/experimental theater at the Abrons Art Center on the Lower East Side.
If you rather your city a little grittier, spend some time in the hidden, restful Trinity Church cemetery, then cross to the Lower East Side where the Tenement Museum paints an evocative portrait of early migrant life on the island. Grab a hot dog from a street cart and stroll around the recently renovated Columbus Park, watching the mah jong and domino players compete against a backdrop of basketball.

Just don’t be too shocked if your day of high culture turns into a long afternoon of chicken soup and matzo balls at a downtown diner – or if your bohemian day runs off the rails when you stumble into a gold mine, and walk out with bags of goodies you didn't realize you needed. Whatever. New York is easy that way.

It’s why visitors keep streaming in from all corners of the globe, grasping at their silver-screen visions – and finding them – but discovering plenty more on the way. If you are willing to approach New York with a combination of organization and openness, you’ll be met with some staggering and unexpected rewards.

Introducing Brussels

Source: Lonelyplanet

If ever a city could claim split personality, it’s Brussels. French versus Flemish, historic versus hip, bizarre versus boring. Full of contrasts, contradictions and intrigue, this is a multicultural equation that goes much deeper than just red tape and Eurocrats. An historic heirloom is closer to the mark. And in an age where so much is already discovered, Belgium’s capital seduces as one of Western Europe’s unknowns.

Brussels is a city of fine food, café culture, Art Nouveau architecture and the surreal. Pull up a chair and join laissez-faire locals who value the city’s casual atmosphere. Watch money go down on swish Ave Louise or buy dried caterpillars just blocks away in Matonge, the capital’s African quarter. Some of the world’s most enduring images of surrealist art were created in the nondescript northern suburb of Jette. And the architecture ranges from monumental edifices such as the Grand Place to organic Art Nouveau façades and the EU’s real-life Gotham City.Constant among all this is the quality of everyday life – the shopping’s great, the restaurants fab, the chocolate shops sublime and the pub scene extraordinary. For a long time Brussels didn’t go out of its way to impress, but its stint as Cultural Capital of Europe in 2000 saw the city dusted and polished in a flurry that brought renewed life to historic buildings and decaying streets. A new spirit, just short of cockiness, emerged, flaming outside interest and inner-city regeneration. Nearly a decade on, Brussels is looking better than ever.

Introducing Moscow

Source: Lonelyplanet

Moscow is a city of superlatives. It boasts the most billionaires, the most expensive cups of coffee and – coming soon – the most colossal building in the world.

It is also the most expensive and, according to one poll, the most unfriendly city in the world. Is it any wonder that a popular nightclub is called simply The Most?

Moscow may occupy the number one spot, but these lists hardly capture the reality – the vitality – of the capital. Free (relatively) from the strictures of censorship and hardship, Russia’s capital city is experiencing a burst of creative energy, evident in all aspects of contemporary culture. Former factories and deserted warehouses have been converted into edgy art galleries and intriguing underground clubs. World-class venues such as thePushkin Fine Arts Museum are experimenting and expanding. Tchaikovsky and Chekhov are well represented at Moscow theatres but you can also see world premieres by up-and-coming composers, choreographers and playwrights. Foodies flock to wine bars, coffee bars, sushi bars and even beer bars, while night owls enjoy a dynamic scene of exclusive nightclubs, bohemian art cafés, underground blues bars and drink-up dives.

The ancient city has always been a haven for history buffs. The red-brick towers of the Kremlin occupy the founding site of Moscow; churches and monuments remember fallen heroes and victorious battles; and remains of the Soviet state are scattered all around the city. Even history is being examined in innovative ways, as new museums broach subjects long brushed under the carpet.

The capital is even experiencing an unprecedented growth in birth rates (Muscovites are really getting busy). From artistry and history to recreation and procreation, Moscow is a cauldron of creativity. Dare we say that it is so much more than The Most?

Introducing Milan

Source: Lonelyplanet

At first glance, Milan (Milano) can appear like one of the models gracing its catwalks: great bone structure (in the shape of historic and striking new architecture), extravagant taste and no obvious soul. But Milan’s style and, yes, substance, are more than skin deep.
Milan is the engine room of the country’s economy and home of its stock exchange, yet it isn’t driven by tourism. Treasures that survived WWII’s extensive damage include its elaborate cathedral, Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper, La Scala opera house and Castello Sforzesco. What really sets Milan apart, though, is its creative streak.

Armani, Versace, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Pucci, Gucci and many more took off on Milan’s runways. Fashionistas make a pilgrimage here to shop at the designers’ flagship stores in the Quadrilatero d’Oro (Golden Quad). Boutiques stocking emerging labels, and chic concept shops also line the city’s streets, while discount outlets selling samples, seconds and last season’s cast-offs are a bargain-hunter’s Holy Grail. Milan is also the world capital of furniture and homewares (the beanbag is a Milanese brainchild), and a hub for risk-taking contemporary art. By night there’s an avant-garde theatre scene, a fabulous aperitivi scene (extended ‘happy hour’ with platters of bar food laid on) and hip, hot clubs.

The city is at its hottest – weather-wise – in August, when locals take holidays, and many places close; though it can provide a tranquil alternative to the crowded coast.

Fashion and finance aside, Milan’s other religion is, of course, calcio (football). The city is home to both AC Milan and Inter, two of Italy’s top teams, and passionate crowds pack San Siro stadium on Sunday in season.

The city also harbours some lesser-known attractions such as the Navigli’s canal-side cafés and old-fashioned gelaterie (ice-cream shops) and the funky design district of Isola.

If you take the time to get under Milan’s skin, chances are you’ll find it will get under yours too.

Introducing Rio de Janeiro

Source: Lonelyplanet

At once both a cinematic cityscape and a grimy urban front line, Rio de Janeiro, known as the cidade maravilhosa (marvelous city), is nothing if not exhilarating. Flanked by gorgeous mountains, white-sand beaches and verdant rainforests fronting deep blue sea, Rio occupies one of the most spectacular settings of any metropolis in the world. Tack on one of the sexiest populations on the planet and you have an intoxicating tropical cocktail that leaves visitors punch-drunk on paradise.

With the seductive sounds of samba as their rallying cry, Rio’s residents, known as cariocas, have perfected the art of living well. From the world-famous beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema to the tops of scenic outlooks of Corcovado and Pão de Açúcar to the dance halls, bars and open-air cafes that proliferate the city, cariocas live for the moment without a care in the world. This idea of paradise has enchanted visitors for centuries, and there are dozens of ways to be seduced. You can surf great breaks off Prainha, hike through Tijuca’s rainforests, sail across Guanabára, dance the night away in Lapa or just people-watch on Ipanema Beach.
While Rio has its share of serious problems, there are plenty of residents – expats included – who wouldn’t dream of relocating. It’s no coincidence Christo himself sits arms outstretched across the city, either.

Introducing Seoul

Source: Lonelyplanet
Having been revived, phoenix-like, from the rubble of the Korean War, locals like to call their 600-year-old capital the ‘miracle on the Han’. But as Seoul sets out with typical national zeal to reshape itself from a hardened concrete and steel economic powerhouse into a softer-edged 21st-century urban ideal of parks, culture and design, the signs are that the real miracle is currently unfolding. No stranger to cosmetic surgery, Seoul has signed up for the full face lift and lipo deal. Following on from the highly successful disinterring and landscaping of the central Cheong-gye stream comes the refashioning of the Han River parks, part of a plan to draw citizens towards the broad waterway splitting this immense metropolis into two distinct halves. As the city adopts the mantle of World Design Capital, other projects are in the works, not least of which are the Dongdaemun Design Plaza & Park, the futuristic vision of star-architect Zaha Hadid, and the eco-friendly new City Hall.
In the rush for the new, Seoul’s illustrious history hasn’t been entirely jettisoned. Restoration of palaces and Namdaemun gate is ongoing and there’s a plan to reconnect the fortress wall remains, parts of which snake over the forested mountains encircling the city that provide such wonderful refuge from the pressures of urban life. The joys of eating, drinking, shopping and general merrymaking are all in abundant evidence – from Apgujeong’s chic boutiques to Hongdae’s bars and restaurants. An old Korean proverb goes ‘even if you have to crawl on your knees, get yourself to Seoul!’ With so much going on, never has this been more sound advice.

Introducing New York

Source: Lonelyplanet

New York can be anything you want it to be. It’s why countless people have pinned their dreams on the place, thrown caution to the wind and shown up on its doorstep.
If you like a day filled with culture, start with a look at some Tseng Kwong Chi photographs celebrating East Village creativity in the eighties at the Paul Kasmin gallery, before ducking through Central Park to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the current Japanese art exhibition.

Round out your afternoon with some off beat/experimental theater at the Abrons Art Center on the Lower East Side.
If you rather your city a little grittier, spend some time in the hidden, restful Trinity Church cemetery, then cross to the Lower East Side where the Tenement Museum paints an evocative portrait of early migrant life on the island. Grab a hot dog from a street cart and stroll around the recently renovated Columbus Park, watching the mah jong and domino players compete against a backdrop of basketball.

Just don’t be too shocked if your day of high culture turns into a long afternoon of chicken soup and matzo balls at a downtown diner – or if your bohemian day runs off the rails when you stumble into a gold mine, and walk out with bags of goodies you didn't realize you needed. Whatever. New York is easy that way.

It’s why visitors keep streaming in from all corners of the globe, grasping at their silver-screen visions – and finding them – but discovering plenty more on the way. If you are willing to approach New York with a combination of organization and openness, you’ll be met with some staggering and unexpected rewards.

Introducing Shànghǎi

Source: Lonelyplanet

The most dynamic city in the world’s fastest- changing nation, Shanghai is an exhilarating, ever-morphing metropolis that isn’t just living China’s dream, but is setting the pace for the rest of the world.

Once a playground for foreign adventurers and socialites, the one-time whore of the Orient is now where home-grown tycoons build soaring monuments to capitalism and the locals party all night. But despite a past as evocative as it is notorious, Shanghai has dispensed with the rear-view mirror, pushed the pedal to the floor and is roaring towards its imagined future so fast that keeping up is almost impossible. New developments spring up weekly, while the rapidly growing middle classes work seven days a week in the hope of graduating to the big-time.

Shanghai is much more Hong Kong than Běijīng; there are no dusty imperial palaces here. Instead, European-style cityscapes and tempting, tree-lined neighbourhoods rub shoulders with the sci-fi skyline of Pǔdōng. Shanghai was where China first met the West and it’s still a frontier town, obsessed with the latest fads, fashions and technology.

But tucked between the shopping malls and the eye-popping modern architecture is the old Shanghai, where temples nestle down alleys, along with street markets and classical Chinese gardens. Shanghai is a city of stunning contrasts, where visitors can go from sipping a cocktail in a designer bar overlooking the Bund, to eating dumplings at a street stall, or gazing at a 10th-century Buddhist monastery, in the space of a few hours. Summer is hot and humid, winter can get cold, but Shanghai never stops.

Introducing Paris

Source: Lonelyplanet

Paris has all but exhausted the superlatives that can reasonably be applied to any city. Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower have been described countless times, as have the Seine and the subtle (and not-so-subtle) differences between the Left and Right Banks. Yet, what writers have never been able to even slightly reflect is the grandness and magic.

Paris probably has more familiar landmarks than any other city in the world. As a result, first-time visitors often arrive in the French capital with all sorts of expectations: of grand vistas, of intellectuals discussing weighty matters in cafés, of romance along the Seine, of naughty nightclub revues, of rude people who won’t speak English. If you look hard enough, you can probably find all of those. But another approach is to set aside the preconceptions of Paris and to explore the city’s avenues and backstreets as if the tip of the Eiffel Tower or the spire of Notre Dame wasn’t about to pop into view at any moment.

You’ll soon discover (as so many others before you have) that Paris is enchanting almost everywhere, at any time, even ‘in the summer, when it sizzles’ and ‘in the winter, when it drizzles’, as Cole Porter put it. You’ll be back. Trust us.