Let's change the subject

Fiat Fatherhood - New romantic style

I am loving these Fiat ads about parenting and music, and despite not being a father myself yet, I can tell when talking to my friends how demanding and challenging the whole experience is. I also like the way the mix music and controversial lyrics to make fun of day-to-day situations.

Gotan Project - Rayuela @ Rome 2011

The Gotan Project performs one of their hits of their latest CD, Tango 3.0, Rayuela at Atlantico Rome, Italy.

Rayuela's lyrics are recordings of one of the most influential Argentinean writers, Julio Cortazar

Miro Exhibition at Tate Modern

I went to the Miro Exhibition at the Tate Modern a couple of weeks ago, and although the collection covers all the stages in the productive live of the artist -which is quite remarkable, I found extremely frustrating some of the masterpieces. I know I shouldn't look for hidden meanings in some of them but it kind of helps to understand better the artist and his/hers historic moment when you do.
I wouldn't recommend it unless you have a fascination for the artist and his work.

Visiting the London Dungeon

I recently went to the London Dungeon where I had a great time while learning about some of the scariest moments/characters of the history of London –it now makes sense why this place is considered amongst the iconic London attractions.

I particularly enjoyed the Jack the Ripper ride, as they introduce the subject with loads of facts about the infamous assassin to then take you to the pub where it is believed he used to pick up his victims. The Sweeney Todd show was also very interesting and the final moment unexpected and terrifying, a good laugh overall.

Mykonos from a hill

Mykonos from a hill
Originally uploaded by juancamilovargas

It does live up any expectations, Mykonos is one of those places where time seems to have stopped. It was quiet, white and blue... I am definitely coming back soon.

The Acropolis before sunset

The Acropolis before sunset
Originally uploaded by juancamilovargas

When wandering around the observatory in Athens, I ended up attending to a free classical concert at Pnyx hill - it was the official launch of UNESCO women on that day.

The background was no other than the Acropolis -as seen in the picture.

Athens, chaotic, busy, hot...

The Sotheby's exhibition at Sudeley Castle

Pouring vase
Originally uploaded by juancamilovargas

This exhibition presented fine pieces of contemporary art in one of the most beautiful locations, the Sudeley Castle.

The perfect excuse took us to immerse in the very hearth of the British country side, 25 pieces randomly located around the gardens of this castle from the 10th century, very enjoyable indeed!

Picnic at Kenwood House

What could be more British than having a picnic at Kenwood house listening to the National Symphony Orchestra playing the National anthem while the attendants waved the union jack flag??
It was the last of the Proms, a bit cold, a bit cheese, a bit romantic, very relaxing!

Electric milk float

I saw this super-cool electric milk float this morning and couldn't resist taking a picture! The driver was very friendly and told me they offer some online grocery shopping services, which sounded quite handy.

I will keep an eye for more of these and will take pictures when possible :)

My Europe's map (on the iPhone 4)

This is how my camera roll's places map looks like on my new iPhone 4 -it obviously imported some of the data from the pictures taken with my previous iPhones. I guess I should write a proper review one of these days, however, I am enjoying the phone and trying to take advantage of the new features of the OS update.

Dóm svätého Martina, Bratislava

Dóm svätého Martina
Originally uploaded by juancamilovargas

As part of our trip, we landed in Bratislava, which is very close to Vienna (only 40 mins by car) and Budapest (2 hours and something)...
The historic city is very small, compared to the other two, but we enjoyed its quietness! Also, our trip coincided with a music festival (Viva Vida Festival) and we were very lucky as we got to see a symphonic orchestra live in a square (they played great tunes)
A nice stop when travelling around Central Europe!

A carriage in Vienna

A carriage in Vienna
Originally uploaded by juancamilovargas

Comparisons are hateful, and after visiting Budapest, it is going to be really hard to write something unbiased about Vienna (I was probably expecting too much out of it). Basically I had heard Vienna is the best place to live these days, and you can tell as it looks very clean and organised; however, it lacks somehow of emotion, and it is also very expensive.
We stayed in a very nice hotel -mainly frequented by business people, and it was very well located... we were literally 10 minutes from Museumsquartier and same to the channel. I am sure we missed a lot of things and we should have done more research to take advantage of the city (in fact, I regret not having visited the cemeteries and had a coffee in one of those famous cafes) but we covered as much as we could during our stay.
Love the carriages and this cliche picture would be the best example of what you can expect of Vienna!

Matthias Church, Budapest

Roof of Matthias Church
Originally uploaded by juancamilovargas

Went to see the Formula 1 in Budapest (End of July/Beginning of August), and had the chance to wonder around with a couple of friends.
I loved the character of the city, it reminded me somehow Istambul, full of colours, textures and chaos.
I took loads of pictures but only uploaded few to my Flickr account, and this is probably one of the most beautiful you will find in the Budapest set, it's the rooftop of one of the churches (located at the top of one of the three hills in Buda).
Top place!