Orta San Giulio
May marks confirmation and first communion season throughout much of Italy so we headed south for a long weekend. My girlfriend's extended family lives in the northern lake region of Italy that borders southern Switzerland about 40 km (25 miles) northwest of Milan. There are several beautiful lakes in this region including Lago Maggiore, Lago di Varese, Lago di Lecco, and of course the most "famous" due to George Clooney - Lago di Como. I have to hand it to Mr. Clooney, homeboy has good taste. This part of Italy is amazingly picturesque with the Alps to the North reflecting into the pristine waters of the mountain lakes.
Sechseläuten 2010
Sechseläuten 2010 - the right way to blow up a Snowman
Each April, the citizens of Zurich gather to watch the burning of Winter in effigy by setting fire to the Böögg, basically a snowman whose head is filled with explosives. This tradition which has been around since medieval times is similar to Groundhogs day in the US except the length of the burn is supposed to correspond to the length and strength of Summer. The more time that elapses from when the pyre is set on fire and when the head explodes, the longer and more intense the Summer will be. It's a bizarre tradition but one well worth checking out simply because watching a snowman explode into a ball of flame is definitely something different to do at 6 PM on a Monday evening.
The world’s tallest building!
Burj Khalifa
Dubai is ridiculous. It’s like Vegas with huge malls instead of casinos. Our layover to and from Australia was in Dubai so we figured - what the hell - why not stay for a day. Dubai is divided by a river which for some inexplicable reason they call “The Creek.” On one side is the Dubai everyone thinks of - ginormous malls, 5 star hotels, the only 7 star hotel in the world, the tallest building in the world, islands in the shape of the world. Everything is under construction or For Rent or For Sale. Some parts of the cities are completely "Wired" and "Tax Free".
Architecture! Architecture! Architecture!
The secret service will tase you bro...
If you are into Gothic, Baroque, and Art Nouveau architecture, then Budapest is the city for you. Everywhere you look from run-down apartment buildings to cafes with minimal sitting room there are wonderful buildings to see. Many are perfectly preserved; however, the strong influence of capitalism ensures that in a city such as this, you will eat at the fanciest looking McDonalds you have ever been to.
Surprisingly relaxing…
I spent this past weekend in London for personal and business reasons - specifically Shepherds Bush (home of 'The Who') and Soho. This post is not necessarily about where to go and what to do in London; however, we stayed at a bed&breakfast (it was actually a block of row homes that had been renovated into hotel rooms) that cost about 68 GBP which is relatively inexpensive for the city. It's in zone 2 on the Piccadilly line at the Hammersmith stop so it's not too far out.