Uruguayan singer and songwriter, Jorge Drexler will perform with his customary passion at Lasal, a very hip, laid-back beach bar located some 20 minutes up the coast from Barcelona. Drexler will play songs from his fifth album and the third recorded in Spain, ‘Frontera’, a work which speaks of the indignities and oppression suffered under the military dictatorship in his country. After the concert, chill-out DJs will take over.
Archive for January, 2009
De Fra Angelico à Bonnard
Mysterious millionaire Dr Rau sold his family firm to become a doctor in Africa, alternating noble causes with visits to European salerooms. Now the remarkable collection, which he has left to Unicef, goes on show for the first time. Spanning six centuries and all of Europe, the first half reveals a dramatically foreshortened ‘David Beheading Goliath’ by Guido Reni and Dutch landscapes, the tiny, intense ‘Judith’ by Lucas Cranach and the powerful ‘St Dominic’ by El Greco. The second half looks to Impressionists, Symbolists, the Nabis, Fauves and the melancholic ‘Clown in Green’ by August Macke.
Kusakabe Kimbei
This exhibition shows the private collection of Japanese photography built up by Italian photographer Benito Francia, who lived in Yokohama from 1862 onwards. Reflecting the 19th-century interest in the west for all things ‘exotic’ – a reaction to the materialism imposed by industrial society – thousands of Japanese hand-painted photographs were exported to Europe and the US. Francia’s album contains a hundred photos, all of great beauty, signed by the commercial photographer Kusakabe Kimbei. The subjects are inspired by traditional Japanese prints, including landscapes, posed shots and customs.
Australian embassy in Milan
The current address of the Australian Consulate in Milan is: Via Borgogna 2, 20122 Milano (02 777 041, Fax 02 777 04242). The direct line to the Consular Office is (777 04217). Office hours are Mon to Thurs 9 am to noon, 2 pm to 4 pm, Fri 9 am to noon.
In Rome, trains now run directly between Fiumicino Airport and Stazione Termini (Platform 22) every 30 minutes or so.
The waterfalls of Damrin
Go to Damrin. Water falls from a great height to be broken and divided by a series of dramatic black rock formations. The plant life around Damrin is evidence of Dalat?s heavy rainfall and temperate climate?amazingly lush temperate rainforest spreads up and over steep cliffs and hills. The area is not a large nature preserve in the style of US national parks, so travelers should not expect an all-day hike; however, there is enough space for a pleasant walk away from the lively chaos of Asian cities.
There is a small Buddhist shrine near the foot of the falls?the path down can be extremely slippery, but is easily managed with caution. Shaded by an enormous canopy of trees and vines that spread up the cliffside and reach out overhead, the small and simple shrine seems like a humble commentary on the relationship between nature, humanity, and the divine. The shrine also has a wonderful bottoms-up view of the falls, and even on busy days is often completely free of visitors. Local monks try to keep the shrine stocked with a small bit of incense so that travelers can pray to the Buddha. For those who plan to continue north to the capital, praying for strength and a safe journey may be worthwhile?there are still over a thousand miles of rocky Vietnamese road between you and Hanoi.
One tiny tip
Between Hungary and Croatia, all train journey seem to cost the same for return and single journeys. My Zagreb-Budapest ticket was the same price for return.
One tiny tip
Between Hungary and Croatia, all train journey seem to cost the same for return and single journeys. My Zagreb-Budapest ticket was the same price for return.
