The Munich Oktoberfest – a must see or a tourist trap?
The Oktoberfest is the biggest ‘Volksfest’ in the world, but has it gotten too big? Our author, who is originally from Munich, weighs in on the question of what Oktoberfest is all about, and if it really is the best way to experience Bavarian culture.
Venetian summer nights: Festa del Redentore
Iris takes us to her beloved Venice and offers us an insight into one of the most famous feasts of the city. Enjoy a virtual tour through the gondoliers, boats and cracking fireworks!
Suspended between Ireland’s legendary past and Star Wars future
Skellig Michael, Ireland. Not many people know the history of this island, where legend seems to impose itself and to overcome present reality.
This is how the new year is celebrated all over Europe
Seven days after Christmas and the magic of the festive season slowly comes to an end. But never fear, there is still time to throw one last big party before packing up the Christmas tree and going back to work. This party is, of course, New Year’s Eve! But how do different countries celebrate the new year? And why on earth would you need a bowl of grapes, a pot of onion soup and a ridiculous amount of fireworks?
In our Wallets
Everyone has a wallet and the bigger the wallet, the more we can put inside. Wallets are supposed to be for money but other random things can be found in there. It seems as though they are for everything. Recently our wallets have become a social issue. Everyone has started to count and recount their earnings, their costs and even pension contributions. Here are some wallets showing how they are used. What do you have in yours?
“You don’t just need a Leica, you also need a head and an eye.”
In 1914 Oskar Barnack, an employee at the optics enterprise Leitz in the German town of Wetzlar and a passionate amateur filmmaker, developed the first miniature camera that did not use glass plate exposure like other cameras at the time, but roll film. After its introduction to the market in 1924 it became a worldwide success and its compact size enabled a whole new kind of photography. Since 2014 the exhibition “Eyes Wide Open! – 100 Years of Leica Photography” has been taking a look at the culture that surrounds it and presenting the best pieces of the century in various European cities.
Wheels of Art
“I dreamed of becoming an actor. Instead I create tire sculptures.” Aghvan dreamed of becoming an actor. However he didn’t have the chance to make his dream come true in his life . He left school when he was 14 when he started to work and support his family. Aghvan’s first job was at a bakery, so being a baker can be considered his first profession. When he turned 18 he was enlisted in the army for two years. After serving he didn’t want to go back to his previous job, so he took some lessons and became a car tire specialist.
“The key to being a good photographer lies in the determination”
Photographer Gianfranco Tripodo has achieved one of the most prestigious awards in photojournalism, the World Press Photo, thanks to a snapshot that shows one of the harshest realities of the European Union: the situation of immigrants in the border city of Melilla.
A Song is a Weapon
Protest songs are common in every country. Mainly throughout the 60’s and 70’s, when rock and folk became charged with political and social statements about the world, sex, work, power, relations between people, discrimination. They call for change and denounce that which is wrong. Protest songs are especially important and courageous in countries where fighting oppression can cost you your life. And that was the case in Portugal during the 40 year period of the dictatorship that ended with the Carnation Revolution in 1974.
Building our dreams
Petros is 28 years old, and an actor in the theatre. Some years ago, after finishing his degree in Finance, he faced a dilemma: to find a job related to his studies, or follow the uncertain road of the actor. He chose the latter. We met him to understand what it means to chase your dreams.
Recent Comments