The city of Vienna is closely associated with Mozart. When he was six, Mozart played his first royal concert at Schönbrunn palace in the presence of Austria’s ruler, Maria Theresa and the royal family in 1762. The Orangerie on the palace grounds was also the place of his musical duel with the arch nemesis Salieri (which the latter won).
When the kids of the movie Eurotrip arrived in Bratislava, they frightfully whispered “Dear sweet mother of god, we’re in eastern Europe”. Well, I’m in Bratislava today and for the record, it’s nothing like the that scene. No angry dogs, severed hands or dodgy characters.
I’ve earlier mentioned some people in the travel industry, such as Anthony Bourdain, Megan McCormick and Michael Palin. Their faces are well known from television series where they travel around the world. I’ve also written about a few authors in the Travel book section.
The hurricane Isaac is about to hit the US Gulf Coast. New Orleans is preparing for the worst, since tomorrow is the seventh anniversary of hurricane Katrina which devastated the city and caused the death of 1800 people.
I spent the weekend in Oslo. Before arriving, I wondered if I would notice any changes due to the terrorist attack last summer and the ongoing trial. I noticed banners saying “The city remembers” already at the central station, and the site where the bombing took place felt like a silent beacon.
I am currently sitting in a room in Sultanahmet, the old part of Istanbul. The Bosporus strait is within sight and the air is filled with the competing sounds of hungry seagulls and shouting minarets.
Being a movie buff, I tend to visit movie locations when I travel. As I got back from Marseille, where I followed in the footsteps of French Connection, I thought of putting together a list with some of my favorite visits during the years. Featured movies: Lost in Translation, French Connection, Lord of the Rings, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Le fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain, La Dolce Vita, Highlander, Talented Mr Ripley, Interview with the Vampire, The Beach, Rendition, Mission Impossible, Moulin Rouge, Friends with Benefits.
I recently got back from a trip to Berlin. My last time there was a decade ago, where I remember a sky full of construction cranes in the eastern parts. The city has seen some serious improvements since then and some sites had changed beyond recognition.
We often perceive travel destinations from visual impressions gathered from movies, TV and other sources. This can of course give a somewhat different view than the real one. When James Bond arrives to a city, there are always fancy cars and girls in bikini everywhere with no sign of pollution, poverty or rain clouds. As a-ha once sang, “the sun always shine on TV”.
It probably won’t come as a surprise that I enjoy traveling, and one of the best ways to get inspiration for upcoming journeys is to watch entertaining hosts embark on their adventures. Let’s forget about the overly staged amateur ones such as Matt Harding this time and focus on the professionals.
