Rome Sweet Rome - Rock in Roma 2014

Ciao Roma! Oh it was soo great to take a flight to my home country!

It's not a secret that I use to travel around to see a band or a deejay if they're not in my hometown currently. Fact is, if I am warped by a certain beat/lyric/melody I can't help it and I want to see as much as I can live to absorb the energy which that particular kind artist has to offer. For me, there's no more perfect thing to combine concerts and trips together: I have the chance to attend concerts, see different cities (sometimes, Again!) and learn some more on my way.

This time was the turn to go out from my four walls and head to Rome, to attend the summer festival Rock in Roma. Chosen artist: the absolutely very talented Paolo Nutini. I discovered Paolo's music in 2007, where I was passing through less happy days, so I was able to relief my pain by hearing his wonderful voice and discovering other huge artists. Ever since I tried to be there when he played in Switzerland, I think I was able to visit all his Swiss dates actually, wasn't a problem if at the wonderful Montreux Jazz Festival or on a single concert here in Zurich. And: hell yeah, it's totally worth it to hear this soulful babe live! You'll notice that he's a babe by hearing all the chicks around screaming like crazy ;)

I also have to admit, I've missed Mr. Nutini the last two years, even if I really was glad for him taking a break, he really deserved it after months, if not years, of touring around Europe. Since he's back and in an amazing mood, I try to enjoy it as much as I can of course.

I like it most when he plays in small venues, like it was in a club called Backstage, in Munich, early this spring: in my opinion his voice fits in this kind of intimate places. At least, it touched me a lot emotionally to be a part of this kind of concerts.
What I love about Paolo Nutini, is his simplicity into telling stories. His songs have the power to touch me deeply and I can totally feel his lyrics. Other than his first album "These Streets", which has more the acoustic touch, "Caustic Love" seems to be more grown up and has a bit of a Retro and Jazzy touch. Something that I call good old music. For me, it could become one of these studio albums that will be heared in many many years, without losing the charme.

Rock in Roma is held in an old hippodrome a little bit out of the city, which is used for different concerts and also as a farmer market during the week. The event starts in May, and has a headliner per week. As you all can imagine, the dimentions are pretty huge, so even if you are a "front rower", your darling artist will be far far away from you ;).

The concert was very relaxed, Paolo seemed to be really happy to sing in Italy, since he's half Italian. He also sang Lucio Dalla's song "Caruso", a classic in Italy for young and old. The atmosphere was a mid summernight's dream: Rome has very warm temperatures this time of the year, so it was simply magical to have some wine, sit down on the grass and listen to this beautiful voice singing. In the actual tour he re-arranged some older songs so that they fit with the vibe of "Caustic Love" - so even up tempo songs like "Jenny Don't Be Hasty" or "Funky Cigarette" have a laid back mood now. What can I say, the show ended and I didn't recongnize that two hours were gone. I enjoyed every minute of it and would rewind it every day!

Being in Rome gave me the chance to refresh my mind into monumental history. I visited Rome two times already, but it's always nice to stand in front of the Colosseum or in Vatican City, places of big stories and architectonically beautiful. Of course, Rome offers great food too! I wouldn't leave the city without having a plate of Bucatini alla Matriciana or some Meat Balls in fresh tomato sauce. A must: a glass of Sambuca after dinner, then, wander around and make a stop in a gelateria to have some homemade ice for dessert (so good, this is summer for me!).

Lucky me, I was in a good period in Rome for exhibitions. At Palazzo Cipolla, I could experience the Andy Warhol Exibition, that will end on September 28th. It's a great journey through all creative periods that Warhol had. Very interesting for me, because I've been studying art in Italy in my hometown, and Pop Art was, with Picasso's Cubism, one of the things that impressed myself the most.

Photo: Courtesy of amointernet.it

Practical Infos:

- Where to stay: Rome has plenty of hotels, but for my frequent traveller budget a bit too pricey. So we decided to take a room at the Ariana Guest House near Termini station. We had a big room with two beds, just nearby the kitchen where breakfast was served. Bathroom is shared with another room, not really a big deal. Another Plus: the owner Sergio is very friendly, gives you a good city overview and some tips.

- Getting around: Termini station is a strategical position. Every Bus starts it's journey from there and you can take both metro lines, A and B. In my case I bought a 3 days pass for 16 Euros, so I was able to get around with everything without bothering.

- Rock in Roma: Tickets can be purchased on Ticketmaster, they are around 35 Euros. The venue can be reached by metro and bus. For the return journey I would reccomend to buy a ticket for a private bus on Eventi in Bus (website in italian), since every other public bus will be full of people. Price: 5 Euros, goes directly to Termini station.

- Need a Cab?: Download the App Uber. I got lost once (yeah, it happens sometimes...). I ordered a cab in the middle of nowhere and got a driver that was wearing a suit in a chic Mercedes. It's also only worth it for the VIP experience - and they are cheaper than a cab. ;)

- Where to Eat: In the city centre, I tried the Ristorante da Robertino. I was there twice 'cause it's good valued roman cuisine. They have a little cute patio outside, perfect for summer nights. The night of the concert we opted for L'allegra Fattoria: a typical italian restaurant, with a big outside terrace and genuine kitchen. It was in 20 minutes of walking distance from the hippodrome, totally perfect located!

Ristorante da Robertino

Ristorante da Robertino

Ristorante L'allegra Fattoria

Polpette (classic italian meatballs)

Sonar (Off) 3.0

Sónar Off Week

Sónar usually Begins on a Thursday. Since it attracts an international crowd, Barcelona gets to the best promoting spots for different Music Labels. In that week the Party calendar seems to explode, there are plenty of Events everyday, and it's basically impossible to be everywhere. I collected a bit of experience during the past three years of my Barcelona visits, so I would recommend to anyone that wants to get there: inform yourself in advance!

Resident Advisor is the best site to get any Event Information and, most of the time, book directly your own partytickets. Best featured are European cities, which have the biggest density of electronic acts and Clubs. I would recommend a quick line up check and some playlist listening on platforms like Soundcloud are very helpful to discover if the music direction is the perfect one, since there are different kinds of electronic music.

The best Thing to do is starting to check around spring what Kind of Events are upcoming for that busy week. Try to get the best combination between day (mostly openair venues) and night Events. The openair venues usually are thrown on the beach (most of the time for free) or in pool Areas, so it's a nice way to hang out and have a drink with some Quality electronic Music. The night Events take place in Clubs and theatres, sometimes outside like at el Poble Espanyol, a fantastic monastery that Hosts art, activities and Music through the year. El Poble Espanyol has it's own summer Nightclub, La Terrrazza, which Hosts a good bunch of afterparties (Cocoon is one of them).

To get in the mood, I often start my stay in Barcelona by throwing my suitcase in my Apartment and heading to the beach. Barceloneta, the old fisher's district, has a big urban beach that is visited yearly by every tourist and is also the spot where locals hang around on their day off or for a drink after work.

Speaking of Drinks, I discovered another good spot where to have the perfect after beach apero the while being in the city.
This is another reason why I love it so much: I learn and discover new things, spots, Restaurants, just by Walking a lot and trying to avoid the "famous places" that I've seen anyway times before. I am in love with open air bars, oh Boy :)! Maybe it's because we don't have a Long summer in Switzerland, so everytime the sun is out, I try to get a table in a cafe outside in the sun.
Going back to the beach apero, I had the luck to step by at the Beach Garden, located on the Plaça del Mar. You have a big variety of Drinks, can also order Tapas from the Restaurant nearby and they Play electronic Music. So it's the perfect place to get in the Sonar Off mood, watch the People having a blast and sometimes, if you're lucky enough, get some free shots from Spirits Promoters (in my case, Jägerbombs by Jägermeister). This place is decorated like an Hawaiian Tiki Bar, pretty laid back; but for the ones who like it comfy, there are some Lounges to get with bottle Service ;). Definetly worth a visit to start a great Musical experience, I have already added it to my "must go list" while I am in Barcelona.

Photo: Courtesy of Beach Garden Barceloneta

Photo: Courtesy of Beach Garden Barceloneta

Off Sonar 2014 left some impressive memories back in my mind. The best parties I've visited where for sure the two Diynamic Events and the Exploited Showcase.

Diynamic is a Music Label from Hamburg, Germany. They Feature a bunch of the best DJ's I've heard in a while, like Solomun, H.O.S.H., Stimming and Karmon, just to mention a few.
They host different in-Club and open air Events, like the Diynamic Festival in Amsterdam (it happened in May. And I've missed it *sob*) or the Diynamic Neon Nights in Ibiza last year.
Off Sonar by Diynamic was one open air Party in the La Carpa Pool Complex on wednesday (day and night), featuring the all stars of the Label. Since the weather is mostly clear and sunny in Barcelona during this period, it's an absolute must to have a bunch of parties outside - it's an atmosphere I wouldn't miss anymore.
One day later, we were lucky enough to be at the night Event (tickets in advance, ha!), that taked place in a theatre (Teatre Principal) in the middle of La Rambla. There where two floors, an insane crowd in the right mood and a pretty good bar Service.
Good for me, I had a 10 minutes walk home from there, since my Apartment was amazingly located.

Photo: Courtesy of Diynamic.com and Play.fm

Exploited is based in Berlin, also Germany. I started to be interested in it since I heard Claptone (one of his most famous tracks: 'No eyes') for the first time. I am a total fan of deep house combined with singing acts or deep house remixes of Songs. Claptone did a bunch of These things so after him I discovered the Label and its other talented artists like Adana Twins and Doctor Dru, which became a classic on my everyday playlist since the first time I pressed 'play'.
The Exploited Showcase happened in a small Club Almogavers 86, named after its adress. It's a small undergroundish Club, so pretty dark inside. In my opinion the darkness expands the Feeling of being reached by the played music (no, I don't do drugs, I simply feel the music) at the most. Relaxing is the rooftop terrace, illuminated with small lights, where the crowd hangs out and rests from the madness.

For Exploited, I Chose the following two tracks to Show you how great they work:

Flyer: Courtesy of Exploited 

A few tips:

- Don't overload yourself with Party tickets: you might won't be able to attend everything. two to a Maximum of four Events should be enough, unless you want to be awake 5 days in a row. (I was, big mistake :D)

- Try to choose parties based on your taste in electronic music. Don't 'go with the flow' just because there are some famous names playing. If you don't like tech house for example, you won't do it certainly on a Party. The music tends to get 'harder' through a good soundsystem, so you will have the 'eeewww' Moment in your ears for sure, and nothing else. Just sayin' ;)...

- Take cash with you! The most venues have bars with a ticket System. You'll buy tickets based on what you want to drink (Long Drinks, soft Drinks, etc.). They accept mostly only payment by cash and the Drinks aren't that cheap as a beer in a Liquor store (usually approx. 8EUR each).

- Barcelona is pretty international, so you'll find a bunch of People that will answer in English, especially in the Hotel and gastronomy sector. Since I travel to Spain every year, I try to speak as much Spanish as I can, even if I Sound awful. I just exprenienced a lot of appreciation and kindness for trying it, so you should. A few Basic sentences will make your life out there much more easier.

- Have fun :)

Sónar 3.0

The time finally came! Since I started to book it last November, I just had one thought in my mind: "Please let it be June soon, I need to go back!". This is what I actually call a proper Sónar week addiction. In the middle of June, like every year, Barcelona turns into a big Meeting Point for Music Lovers from all over Europe.

I've attended the venue for the third time this year, and trust me, it gets different every time.
Since I had a 3-days pass the last two years, I opted to be at the opening day at Sónar, and then choose a few off parties to go with my ladies Crew.

What is Sónar:

Sónar is the International Festival of Advanced Music and New Media Art taking place in Barcelona during three days every June since 1994. The festival's activities are divided into two main locations: the recently premiered Sónar by Day, located from 2013 in Fira Montjuïc, with concerts and dj's, showcases as well as the new Sónar^+D area, the essence of which is discovering and tracking new talent and enhance professional activities; and the larger shows at Sónar by Night, in Fira Gran Via de L'Hospitalet, where the leading names in the current international music scene are staged.

Sónar^+D presents a program with a common goal: to make the relationship between creativity, technology, mobility, innovation and business more transparent and accessible. The birth of Sónar^+D in 2013 expresses a concrete commitment to Sónar's professional activity, linking creative and technology companies of all kinds.

The festival is a huge platform for musicians, DJs and visual artists to show their work to the public. There is the possibility to touch with your own hands the newest inventions related to making Music, try them out and be amazed. Most of the artists are a good variety of electronic Music acts. On the venue at night you'll get to see bands as well (like Lykke  Li and Massive Attack this year).

Reduced tickets can be already purchased one year in advance (no line up announced yet). A couple of months before you'll find some single day passes. The line up announcement usually happens in the first months of the year around springtime.

Additionally to Barcelona, Sónar takes place in Reykjavik, Tokyo, Bogotà, Mexico City, Santiago de Chile and Cape Town. New Entries are Stockholm and Copenhagen.

To give you an idea, have a look at the "What is Sónar" teaser:

Directions:

- Make sure to have a place to live that makes you both venues as accessible as possible. When I'm there I use to live in the quarter El Poble Sec (day venue: 1 metro stop / night venue: 10 min by foot to the port to the main Sónar shuttle)

- The best way to move is by public transport. There are several day/week passes that you can buy in every subway station in Barcelona

Amsterdam - Mijn liefde!

May - Month of my birthday, which means: trip to Amsterdam! After my first visit to this fabulous city a couple of years ago, it became a habit for me to come back and spend my birthday here.

I know, Amsterdam stands for the most of you for red light district, coffeeshops and getting stoned - it's so much more than that!

First of all, when I step out of the train that takes me in town from the airport, I calm down. I don't know why, but since the very first time I placed foot in this city I felt immediately inhebriated and in love. But yeah, right, I'm here to report about my weekend.

I've been in plenty of hotelrooms and even in two houseboats during my last 20 (?) stays here, so this time i decided to book a local appartment also because my stay was, unfortunately, very short. My flat, booked over Airbnb, was a few steps away from Leidseplein, the centre of the happening. I chose this spot to be close to public transportation in case I needed it, but you can reach everything easily by foot if you're not too lazy and the weather is good. I would absolutely reccomend it because you'll get the chance to walk over bridges, discover little streets and notice what happens around you.

Amsterdam Oud West, view from Apartment

For my first evening, I reserved a table at Café de Jaren. A friend showed me this place a couple of years ago, and I love to come back every time. The view over the crossing canals, especially in the evening with the bridges lighting up, is extremely charming.

View from Cafe de Jaren

Also, being in Amsterdam means for me brunchtime! There are plenty of places to go for brunch, I try a different one every year, and this time I felt like I won the lottery! I heard over Instagram, called Staring at Jacob. The name of this lovely restaurant is the fusion between the streets Jacob van Lennepkade and Staringstraat. Isn't it geniality? If you don't mind to take a little walk south of the city, go and have your weekend brunch there. The staff is extremely friendly and the interior is cute as the most places you have in town.

Photo: Courtesy of Staring at Jacob

Photo: Courtesy of Staring at Jacob

If I had more time I would have added to my saturday tour a new tattoo. Salon Serpent in Amsterdam does walk ins on Saturdays, and since I love oldschool tattoos, it's the perfect address for me! I was there in December 2012 with my brother, again in May 2013 and got my tattoos by the very talented Guen Douglas twice. Here her work on my legs:

I didn't have the time for tattooing because I was about to attend an open air event in the afternoon. Everybody knows that I am an electronic music lover, so I got tickets for the Park am See event organized and promoted by Deephouse Amsterdam (online magazine and agenda for electronic music in the Netherlands), Chasing the Hihat and Watergate Berlin. I am also a big fan of Amsterdam because of all the events happening outside from May on all over the summer: you have loads of festivals and rooftop parties. It would basically be paradise for me!
Park am See was held at the Oeverlanden, by a lake just south from the city. There were three different stages with deejays playing, activities everywhere and places to lie in the sun until sunset. I was very impressed by Digitaria's performance, since they had a live singer - it was totally magical! The decoration all over the venue was amazingly well done and the people, like always, laid back and having a dance.

I am a Deephouse Amsterdam fan since a while and I really wanna make a big compliment to them: these guys seem to work hard, and most important, they show that they love what they do! It's definetly one of the event organsation I'd love to work with the most.

The openair party was during the day from 12pm to 12am. After that, came the "after" (which I couldn't experience because of my early morning flight *sob*): the Chicago Social Club was the official venue to party through the rest of the night and make this weekend unforgettable for sure!

Flyer: Courtesy of Resident Advisor

Watergate Stage (actually IN the water!)

Park am See food court

My friend Sandra and I with funny guy ;)

To get an idea, here the video about the last Park am See:

Some other practical infos:

- Eating: another good dinner spot is Café de Klos, located right behind Leidseplein. If you like steaks and ribs, this is the place for you! I rarely had a plate of ribs like this in Europe. The staff is fun and caring, we had a few interesting conversations with them.

Photo: Courtesy of Tripadvisor

- Where to stay: Harm's apartment, booked through Airbnb, was perfectly located and sleeps two guests. For the morning coffee please have your "koffie verkeerd" in the cafes just downstairs the apartment. They have the cutest patios to sit outside and watch the city getting ready for the day.

- Getting around: weather permitting, rent a bike! It's the best way to discover the city. Just step by at MacBike and get yours for how many days you want. Otherwise, public transportation like buses and trams are good.

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria - the urban side of an island

Every year around springtime, me and one of my best buddies Paulo look for a place to escape. First, from winter, or what is left from it, and second, to recover from our long winter nightwork, that takes a lot of energy away.

This year we decided to have a look on one of the most visited tourist spots in western europe, Gran Canaria. Every person that knows me a bit can imagine that I'm not surely making the classical tourist vacation, like staying one week in the same hotel and hang around tasting its all inclusive meal plan. (not that I have anything against it - but I can do it for sure when I'm 50 and have no fantasy left)

So, decided that it will be the Spanish island, we opted for Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, aka the "big city". I wanted to live as local as possible and as far away as I could from Playa del Inglés, famous vacation spot for every all inclusive tourist. I found an apartment on Airbnb right on the beach of Las Canteras, and I mean, RIGHT on the beach! Just arrived we were welcomed by our supersweet host Marleny, who showed us our apartment: a simple one bedroom studio with a terrace. What a view! We had a big terrace overlooking the whole playa with tanning chair, table and chairs for 4 people. I think I spent the first 10 minutes on it staring at the beautiful Atlantic Ocean and just hearing what the waves had to say.

Our AirBnb Apartment: Courtesy of my Friend Paulo

The quarter of Las Canteras reminded me a lot of a smaller version of Venice Beach in California. You'll see a lot of joggers and sporty people using the common areas right on the beach to train their bodies. Addicionally, there's street art everywhere!

Photo: Courtesy of my Friend Paulo

Photo: Courtesy of my Friend Paulo

Photo: Courtesy of my Friend Paulo

Photo: Courtesy of my Friend Paulo

Photo: Courtesy of my Friend Paulo

I am a big fan of Spain since I've visited it the first time back in 2008. So tapas are a must for me everyday I spend there. Tapas are a selection of lots of regional (and non) little bites, that you can combine together so that you'll get a whole meal. I absolutely like to share a variety of tapas with my co-traveller accompained by one or two good glasses of red wine. C'mon, doesen't it sound like paradise on earth?

Wandering around the district I've spotted a few nice places, where you can enjoy exactly this type of meal at almost every time of the day. (see "Practical infos" below). Please, please, please: If you order tapas order the local "Mojo": oven baked potatoes with a variety of 2 or 3 sauces - delicious!
Las Palmas City has to offer way more than just the beach and a few graffitis. Taking a walk to the old town, there's a lot to see, especially if it comes to colonial buildings, they give to the city a kind of "down in the past" and untouched athmosphere.

Photo: Courtesy of my Friend Paulo

Photo: Courtesy of my Friend Paulo

Since I knew that we would have been staying there for one full week, I decided to explore the surrounding islands. I booked a one day ferry trip to Tenerife, the closest island to Gran Canaria (approx. 2.5 hours ferry ride). Tenerife is sweet: very similar to Gran Canaria, but with a few unique touches. The first thing I've noticed for example, was the huge flower wall right on the side of the harbour. Very colorful and already with a touch of summer, surrounding all the green trees and the park at the harbour itself.

Flowerwall, Tenerife Harbour

Another Plus that Tenerife has is the big Auditorio designed by star architect Santiago Calatrava, who also designed our little train station Stadelhofen here in Switzerland. Very reccomandable for a quick bite is also its café. This modern building is one of the most impressive things I've seen during my trip there. Surrounded only by salty water and a lot of decorated stones with handmade portraits of famous singers and bands.

Auditorio de Tenerife
Photo: Courtesy of my Friend Paulo

Photo: Courtesy of my Friend Paulo

Another must thing to do in Tenerife is a visit to the local beach. A 15 minutes bus ride away from the city centre you'll find the little town of Sant'Andres, which has the closest beach in the surroundings. Mostly visited by locals, it's a little peaceful paradise with fisher boats and one cute cuban bar (a mojito there is a must!). Spending there the remaining afternoon was so relaxing, I almost didn't want to leave!

Sant'Andrés
Photo: Courtesy of my Friend Paulo

Las Teresitas Beach, Sant'Andrés

Pracitcal infos:

- Where to sleep: Marleny's apartment on Airbnb offers the perfect accomodation for 2 people. Self catering isn't a problem since the flat has its own little kitchen. We spent a few evenings eating our own dinner on the seaside terrace.

- How to get around: Gran Canaria hasn't really a railway system. Instead, they connect the most part of the island with buses. But please don't ask on the street about buses: the locals call them Guaguas. Tickets are avaliable on the bus for 1.20 Euros per ride.For emergency or practical reasons, taxis are very reasonable priced.

- Ferries: Naviera Armas offers all ferry itinerarys and fares. Funny thing: on every ride you'll find an entertainement program (I know ferries from Italy, but they only ride you from A to B :D). On one way we had local folk music and all people going crazy (it was 9 AM!), on the other way around we experienced a bingo night.

- Where to eat: Las Canteras offers a few good tapas restaurants like Restaurante Quebeque and especially for dinner the Taperia Allende: their porra antequerana (an andaluzian soup) is simply amazing!

- Shopping: There is a big shopping centre right near the beach of Las Canteras featuring all the big Spanish brands like Zara, Pull&Bear, Bershka and Stradivarius. A big Primark store is also provided.

- Weather: The Canary Islands have a warm climate all over the year. However, it can get quite fresh during the evenings because of the ocean breeze: so take a light scarf and a sweater with you.

Cuban Mojito Bar, Sant'Andrés