Arts travel tips and stories. Vacations ideas, cruises spa and resorts

BMW Central Building in Leipzig, Germany, was built between 2001 and 2006. Designed by Zaha Hadid, the building already received several awards: Deutsche Architekturpreis 2005, Leipziger Architekturpreis 2005, Deutsche Architekturpreis Beton 2005, Best-Office-Award 2006 and a special award at Italian Premio Internazionale Dedalo Minosse architecture event. The exterior is not as interesting as its interiors. Among the signature elements are the 600 m long galleries where body-in-whites are transported to and from the paint shop. There a car production line passes over multilevel floor plates with platforms that function as open office spaces.
Continue reading Zaha Hadid design

Noorderlicht is an old dock place, used by 250 artists working in the fields of theater, film, media, architecture and design. The place is both cafe & restaurant and also a little getaway from the city. Especially when the weather is holding up, it’s a perfect way to spend a late afternoon contemplating your day in Amsterdam on the terrace overlooking the IJ and part of the city center.
Continue reading Noorderlicht Cafe

The Kirche St. Leopold is an extraordinary monument, which sits high atop the Baumgartner Hohe at the city outskirts. Locals people jokingly say to this splendid site as ‘Mount Lemon‘, because of the church’s shining gilded dome that beckons from afar. This new masterpiece was built by architect Otto Wagner from 1903–07 on the grounds of Vienna’s Steinhof psychiatric hospital. Planned for the use of patients, many of the church’s salient design features fascinatingly address the special concern for hygiene prevalent at the time.
Continue reading Kirche St Leopold

The Cathedral of Basil the Blessed, is a Russian Orthodox cathedral erected on the Red Square in Moscow in 1555–1561. The Monument to Minin and Pozharsky is made of bronze. Not particularly large, it consists of nine chapels, built on a single foundation. According to legend, however, it was built by an Italian architect who was blinded so that he could never create anything that was similar or equal. The St. Basil’s Cathedral, along with the Red Square were inscribed by Unesco as World Heritage Sites in 1990!
Continue reading Saint Basil the Blessed

Surrounded by 7 mountains, Bergen is an attractive town on the west coast of Norway. It is the ideal starting point for fjord tours and fjord cruises. The world famous waterfront – Bryggen with its unique architecture is listed by UNESCO as one of the world’s most significant examples of the history and culture of a medieval settlement. Today, Bryggen is a fascinating place of active workshops. Many of the remaining 58 buildings are now used as artists’ studios where painters, weavers and craftsmen produce fine-quality, original items.
Continue reading Bryggen, Norway

If you’ve strolled in the sunny Barcelona you will came across magnificent modernist buildings gaze proudly over the tree-lined boulevards, sleek furniture, elaborate tapas, chic couture and handmade chocolates. Hidden from view, there are gardens and courtyards that offers shelter from the urban rush and an intimate view of everyday Barcelona life.
Continue reading Barcelona’s Hidden Gardens

Of the hundreds of churches on the island of Montreal, Notre-Dame’s interior is the most stunning with a exquisite detail. This 19th Century Basilica is in the historic district of Montreal, in Quebec, Canada. Basilica was opened in 1829, making it the largest religious edifice in North America at the time. It is a very beautiful, interesting and cultural attraction!
Continue reading Notre-Dame Basilica, Montreal