Strasbourg

Going to Strasbourg during Christmas season is a unique experience – they have really nice Christmas markets there, everything is festively decorated and the architecture is beautiful to look at. It’s quite interesting that signs are bilingual – French and German, especially if you have been, like myself, in another part of France for a longer time and all of a sudden you start reading German street names again ;). The typical dish that you absolutely have to try is ‚Flammekueche‘, which is like a thin flatbread with cream cheese, ham and cheese or whatever ingredients you’d like to put on it. There are also some great shopping possibilities, tons of different shops where you can get practically everything. And we’ve also been to this one Christmas market where various European countries are represented and sell typical food or handcrafted products there – since they also had an Austrian stand, that was a chance to finally have some ‚Spaetzle‘ again…

Bad Ragaz

I worked there for a few months and I can tell you that this village in the Canton of St. Gallen is nice. You have the possibility to play golf and after a good lap you can go to the thermal spas, to relax.
The nightlife of Bad Ragaz provides you a lot of bars and a casino. Most of the bars are expensive, so an alternative is the local Pub. In this Pub you can meet friends and drink 1 or 2 or ... beers or what ever. The only bad thing is the closing time :-(.
If you need a cheaper accommodation in this village, go to the Hotel Garni Jerger. The price range is as follow: 60-180 CHF per room and night.

Visit the following links to get an impression of Bad Ragaz:
http://www.badragaz.ch
http://www.hoteljerger.sloper.ch/jerger_main.php?id=0
http://www.resortragaz.ch/de/home/?

Istanbul

It takes time to see Istanbul properly, since examples of its 2,000-year-old past can be difficult to find amid the chaos of the present. Most visitors go straight to the Sultanahmet district, the oldest part of the city, where there are at least some remnants of Byzantine Constantinople, such as Haghia Sophia (Aya Sofya), among the splendours of Imperial Ottoman architecture, such as Topkapi Palace and the Blue Mosque. Sultanahmet is, however, a ‘tourist quarter' with the usual irritations of badgering touts and crowds of people and it is not the only historic part of the city.

The city centre, including the areas referred to as ‘the old city' and ‘the new city', which are separated by the estuary of the Golden Horn, is located on the European side of Istanbul, on the western side of the Bosphorus Strait.

Shark diving in a cage

If you want to experience something really amazing but at the same time kind of scary, you should try shark diving. I went diving, well actually more snorkeling, with sharks in a cage on O’ahu, which is one of Hawaii’s islands. There are many possibilities to go shark diving all around the world in many different places.

It was an amazing experience. First you go over about 3 miles off shore with a boat and a bunch of people. After they put the cage in the water the first can get in. It is really incredible but getting in is already a little challenge. After I finally got into the cage and put my head under water to see the sharks I almost got a heart attack as in the same time a really, really huge shark passed the cage. On O’ahu you normally see Galapagos sharks or Sandbar sharks but we also had great luck as some Tiger sharks appeared which is very seldom. I tried to make as many good pictures as possible, but to be honest it didn’t quite worked out. Here are some impressions of my tour:

One Weekend In Paris

I probably don't have to convince anyone that Paris is worth a visit.
So I just assume the city is well known, spare you a long introduction and focus on what I want to convey.

Accomodation:
We were staying in a hostel, right in the 1st arrondisement of Paris, just around the corner of the Louvre. But living that central doesn't come too cheap. But 27 €/pp and night including breakfast sounded very reasonable to me, even more considering prices in Paris in general.
I was really satisfied with the hostel and we had no problems whatsoever so check it out (no worries I don't get commission (: )

Going out:
Well yes, I'm student and even during travelling I have to satisfy my "going out urge" every now and then. So here some advice on the really interessting stuff :)

Thanks to prices in Paris we only went out clubbing once.
We chose to go to the Rex Club just a 15 minute walk away from our hostel.
Let's not mention the prices, but I can tell you the music is really nice in there! (Varying program, minimal & house when we where there)
I can totally recommend this club if you're into that kind of music, but should you really do get bored in there, drinking is no option (see remark about prices above).

And if you're not really into clubbing but still like sitting around, chatting while having some beers and a nice view, grab a six pack of beer head up Montmartre and have those beers while enjoying a spectacular view of Paris.

Special Nightlife Hints for Vienna!

Apart from the pubs, bars and clubs , Vienna features a lot of special venues and parties. A very popular weekly student club is the Tuesday 4 club at the U4 club.
A club called Platzhirsch is also a appreciable place, where you have a great atmosphere and fantastic music. But if you want to experience something typical Austrian, you have to go to an "Heurigen". The "Heurige" is a pretty unique institution: It can be best described as a wine tavern, where local wine producers sell their own stuff right off their premises, often right beside the vineyard.

DUMBO, Brooklyn NY

The title may sound weird to you and you’re wondering – what is DUMBO? Well, it stands for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass, and it’s an area in Brooklyn where I used to live for half a year. I’d just like to give you an idea what it’s like to live in that area and would recommend checking it out if you ever go to New York, as most tourists never get to experience it, missing out on something really great.

The best way to get there is to just cross the Brooklyn Bridge from the Manhattan side and there you are.

Strolling around is this neighborhood is especially nice during the weekend since the locals are also out in the streets, which makes it lively but not as crowded as Manhattan.

And the flea markets, which are of the extraordinary kind with quite interesting stuff to find, take place on Saturdays and Sundays. To describe what it looks like there – I’d say it’s kind of trashy, but stylish at the same time, it's just got character...

If you’re looking for something to eat, go to Bubby’s, they offer some great brunch – huge portions btw – and the view of the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges is spectacular. Afterwards, you can take a walk in the Empire Fulton Ferry State Park, so enjoy!

"Dutch Pancakes"

While taking a nice walk around Amsterdam you will probably see some signs for "Dutch Pancakes" also called "pannenkoek". If you get any chance to visit Amsterdam you should definitely try one of those pannenkoek in the Pancake Bakery.

The Pancake Bakery is a very nice little Pancakehouse where I got one of the best dutch Pancakes I had in Amsterdam. It has an open kitchen and a great menu with a lot of different choices. You can get sweet Pancakes with e.g. banana and nutella, caramel and ice cream, syrup/sugar... but also savoury Pancakes with e.g. bacon and cheese, chicken, ham and mushrooms and so on for an affordable price. It's located directly in the center of Amsterdam at Prinsengracht 191. I really can't wait to go there again and I hope you will enjoy your pannenkoek there as much as I did. www.pancake.nl/

Marbella

Marbella-Sun-Beach-nice people.
The summer feeling in Marbella is great.
In downtown you will find shops with clothes, shoes,... in all price categories.
The best way to get too Puerto Banus is the ship from the sport ship harbor. For a round trip ticket you pay 15 €.
A good restaurant in Marbella is the Freiduria La Venus, there you will find locals and not only tourists. It is a simple but nice restaurant. The adress is PTO. Deportivo, Club Maritimo Local 3.
For a lounger on the beach you must pay 5 € per day. The positive thing is that the beach is a public one therefore you can lie where you want.
I can reommend Marbella to everybody who wants fun and sun.

From Canterbury to London

Last weekend I visited my sister who is studying in Canterbury. She lives together with 4 other students in the heart of Canterbury. The city is fantastic. There are Pubs all over the place, where you can drink delicious beer and Cider. For people who like sightseeing the Canterbury Cathedral is defiantly worth a visit. On Saturday morning we took the car of one of my sister’s housemates and went on a trip to London. The weather was lovely which was perfect for our planed tour through central London. We went shopping at Oxford Street and also passed by China town. In the afternoon we went to see the show ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’. The leading actress was Anna Friel from the TV series ‘Pushing Daisies’. At Sunday we revisited china town and had lunch in one of the many Chinese Restaurants. It was really yummy. Canterbury and London are truly recommendable.

Weekend Trip to Groningen

2600 km, 24 hours of driving through half europe... one customs control on the Autobahn, one broken bike, one broken camera, shitty weather but a great weekend out in Groningen!

By now people must have noticed that I'm really into road tripping.
Two weeks ago, I went to Groningen with a friend to meet up with some friends which had been
on Exchange with us in Macau, China!

When people think about The Netherlands most likely cities like Amsterdam or Maastricht will
come to their mind.

Groningen situated in the north-western corner of country, just 20km off the North Sea, is really worth a visit though.
So what does make Groningen special? 185000 people live in Groningen of which well over 50000 are students making Groningen THE student city of The Netherlands. Thus you can imagine Groningen offers a vibrant nightlife. Personally I can recommend the VERA club which is situated in the heart of the city. Apart from that the historic city center is always worth a visit, offering beautiful sites like the Martini tower which is the landmark of Groningen as well.

So that's been the Groningen 2009 road-trip review.
But stay tuned, soon to come:

How (not) to spend too much money on a weekend-trip to Paris &
and another exclusive reviw on a 3 day Berlin trip.

Cheers Patrik

L'Atelier des Crêpes - Reims

What would France be without the ultimate pancake (fr. crêpe) experience?

If you happen to be in Reims, go to L’Atelier des Crêpes, it’s located in the city center, but not a touristy place, the atmosphere is great there because it’s small and cosy. I have been there with my two wonderful roommates Hanna and Melanie for our goodbye dinner – although we have had sushi before – so you can imagine how good they are if we were even craving them on a full stomach!

It is located 65, rue Chanzy, they also have a homepage: http://www.atelier-des-crepes.com/

Jerez de la Frontera, Spain

My first impression of Jerez was the traffic and the one-way roads.

It's crazy :-). I was happy to have the time to drive through ths beautiful city with the small alleys in the downtown. Near the downtown I found the Sandeman Bodega and I decided to visit it because if you are in Jerez you must visit a Bodega, to try different Sherry's. At Sandeman you have the possibility to get a guided tour through the Bodega and after the tour Sandeman provides a degustation of their Sherry's. You get the guided tour in English, Spanish, German and French.

Near the Bodega you will find the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art and the Museo de Enganches.

For more information about Sandeman check out their homepage: www.sandeman.eu

Reims, France

If you ever go to Paris and would like to experience one of the surrounding areas, go to Reims!
It’s in the heart of the Champagne region and a nice contrast to Paris as it’s a rather small city with 200,000 inhabitants. Also there’s a nonstop train connection by TGV, which takes 45 minutes.
It’s a good opportunity to have a glass of champagne while enjoying a nice view of the famous cathedral – Cathédrale Notre Dame de Reims, which is to be said even more beautiful than the Notre Dame in Paris. By the way, you need to go to the tourist office right next to it to get tickets for going up to the top.
I’d also recommend to check out the area around the Place d’Erlon, where you can find lots of nice cafés, bars and restaurants.
So everyone who knows some places to go to in Reims is invited to share them with us!
Also check this out for some general information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rheims

Outlook - One weekend in Paris

Paris! French capital, city of love, namesake of Paris Hilton, cradle of the baguette, Revolution and condoms, right?
Well partly! ;)
To find out what is happening and what has happened in Paris for real and to break down stereotypes and prejudices, 2 friends and myself will endeavour in a massive 1200km road trip to provide our readers with previously undisclosed insider information!
As we are meeting up and spending our weekend with ca. 10 french friends we'll probably spent some time partying as well.
But don't be dishearted we'll return with juicy advice on where to find the party in Paris!

How to get there:
Regarding our choice to get to Paris all the way by car, I have to say that we jointly wanted to go for the cheapest available option, well aware that this road trip will take us around 13 hours.
Since I only started looking out for cheap flights around a month before this trip should take place and the fact that we've been restricted to a certain date, we couldn't find a cheaper return ticket than 170 Euros. but if you start looking a bit earlier and are free to choose a date I estimate you"ll find a return ticket for around 100 Euro (+-).
One option to search for cheap flights: www.skyscanner.net


View Larger Map

Accomodation:

One piece of information in advance, finding budget accomodation in Paris is not easy!
You'll find plenty of places regarding themselves as being budget options, but many of them are still very pricy.
After a long search we eventually decided to settle for the BVJ Louvre.
It offers dormitory accomodation for 29 Euros pp and if you're a group of at least 10 ppl you'll get a discount and end up paying 25 Euros pp.
Additionally the Hostel is located in the heart of Paris, the Louvre and the Champs Elysee are literally just around the corner, as depicted in the following map:


View Larger Map

So that's all there is to say for now.
An exclusive review will go online in the course of next week.
In this spirit, salut et a bientot!

Patrik

Amsterdam - smoker friendly bar

In Amsterdam smoking at public areas is prohibited, you are actually also not allowed to smoke tobacco in Coffeeshops (they have smoking areas there). So there is almost no possibility to smoke and maybe also drink a nice beer - even not in the smoking areas of the Coffeeshops, as many of them are not allowed to sell alcohol. A very nice alternative is the smoker-friendly bar “Barneys Uptown”. It’s compared to the Coffeshop “Grasshoper” (which also features a smoker-friendly bar) not a touristy place which tries to mainly attract tourists but a place where also locals go. There you are allowed to smoke, drink alcohol, enjoy the time in a great atmosphere and you can also get some snacks and burgers. The Bar is located near Centraal Station (about 5-10 min walk) and across the street is the Barney’s Coffeeshop. I used to go there a lot with friends and if this arouse your interest, check out their homepage: http://www.barneys.biz/

Dear Students,

Today I would like to tell you about a great town in Turkey called Alacati. You can find this city on the Cesme peninsula in the south-western part of turkey, just opposite the Greek island of Chios and on the same latitude as Athens. Although Alacati is normally a sleepy little village, where only some people from Istanbul and Antalya live during the summer months, it also happens to be the perfect windsurfing spot on Turkey's Aegean shores. The combination of consistent winds and a very safe, 500m by 400m shallow section of completely flat water makes Alaçati an extremely appealing destination for windsurfing. This attracts beginners, intermediates, speedsters and freestylers alike.

However windsurfing is not the only thing Alacati has to offer. Alacati has some very beautiful beaches with white sand stretching as far as the eye can see. Similarly its historic city is a sight not to miss, boasting an excellent antiquities market at the heart of the town and several charming bars at every corner.

Insider hint:

You can get the best cocktails in town at a bar called “Iyi” but if you crave something sweet and you are on a budget then just ask for the waffle restaurant. You will find this restaurant in a backstreet next to the antiquities market.