LIVING LONDON!

It is not even two months since I came to live to London but I already feel it like my own city, I feel comfortable around all the chaos thatinvolves. What I like the most of London is that it is city full oflife, there is something going on any day at any time. I come fromMadrid, a city that never sleeps, and I need to feel like there arealways people in the streets, doing their business, and I definitivelyfound it in London. Most of the buses lines are working 24 hours aday, what is always very helpful.Anyway the best purchase I did in London was my bike. It is very oldstyle, I bought it for 30 pounds in brick lane. With a bike in Londonyou save a lot of money, as transport is extremely expensive here, andI have to admit that it is quite dangerous because it is full of carsand the streets doesnt have good facilities for bikes, but it is sooomuch fun... going with the bike through all the cars and buses, myrecommendation is always to look to every direction when you areapproaching a cross or turning over a bus or a taxi.The main caracteristic of London is the diversity. It is full ofItalians, full of Indians, full of Pakistanis, full of everything! Andit is very nice because you can learn a lot of things of each culture,in the end the most difficult person to find is a person with alondoner background.It is also a very nice city to go out, you can listen to almost everykind of music in here and you cant imagine the number of plays orexhibitions that are offered. But I personally like the pubs in here,they are like a chameleon. Depends on the time you go to them you willbe able to have a beer relaxed, have a dinner (although it will not beone of the best food you have tried) or have a dance.Finally I have to say that London is perfect for the eager people,this city is full of opportunities, so it is likely that you are ableto find almost everything that you are looking for. Just not be tooimpatient, in London you will always have your chance, never stopmoving!

Carlos

NEW YORK...ISN'T IT BEAUTIFUL?

New York is both a mecca and a trendsetter. New York is dynamic, engaging and visionary. I've been living here for one year and I love the size and the energy of this city. It's a huge dense machine where everything is inspiring: the skyline from Central Park where the city meets the rivers, the dynamism of the streets of midtown, the lights along the Hudson River... New York is a urban situation with layers and layers of objects, cultures, and lifestyles; it's a melting pot of people, talents, and resources. There is a plurality and a democracy while retaining a sense of individualism. I have yet to find anything "typical" in NY because it's full of astonishing beauty and ugliness all mashed together in a beautifully gridded mess. The only typical thing about New York is that nothing ever stays the same. It's a living organism that continually reinvent itself, remaining vibrant and optimistic. Isn't it beautiful?

Camilla

PRAGA: UN BRIVIDO INEVITABILE

Davanti a te l’Orologio. A piazza Vecchia. Ha sei secoli, è vecchio, misterioso, affascinante, indecifrabile. Dal 1410 scandisce le ore, la danza corteggiatrice della Luna intorno alla Terra, i susseguirsi dei periodi astrologici, il tempo siderale, la vita dei praghesi… il tempo ha fatto di Praga una città ricca di tutto; l’ha resa matura e capace di stare al passo con la modernità, sempre memore però del suo passato; l’ha resa aperta! La città sembra essere ‘sicura di sé’ e in effetti lo è, non c’è momento in cui si smentisca. Il suo ordine e la sua tranquillità ti mettono a tuo agio non appena inizi ad aver confidenza con lei. Subito percepisci la sua bellezza. Da piazza Vecchia a Ponte S.Carlo la strada è breve, la storia è tanta. Dal ponte vedi dominare il castello, lì su quella collina, maestoso, governa la città, la osserva, osserva le vite dei suoi abitanti e dei tanti turisti. Sotto al ponte il Moldava è largo e piatto, sicuro di sé, passeggia pacato attraversando Praga, e sembra un turista affezionato che a passo lento si gode tanta meraviglia. Ponte Carlo è palco per alcuni musicisti che ti dilettano con la chitarra o con il sax, suonando per tutti brani jazz e classici. Praga è vintage, è quel moderno jazz improvvisato; Praga è antica, è quel rigoroso gotico con cui la città è nata; Praga è moderna, è ‘La casa danzante’ di Frank Gehry. Tutto questo è una miscela che si percepisce in poco tempo, non occorre viverci, basta una passeggiata. Cammini e le strade ti portano nelle centinaia di pub e birrerie presenti nella città. 500 anni fa alcune birrerie spillavano già birra, oggi è ancora così. Entri in una birreria storica e appena ti siedi mezzo litro di birra ti è davanti, una stanghetta è segnata sul tuo conto, sei pronto a bere. Scende giù veloce quella birra e non appena il boccale è vuoto, ne hai un altro davanti pieno e un’altra stanghetta sul conto. Intorno a te vecchi signori fumano avidi e sorseggiano birra, sul loro conto non ci sono mai meno di 6 stanghette; intorno a te giovani in gruppo fumano avidi, spensierati bevono birra, urlano e sul loro conto le stanghette non riesci nemmeno a contarle. La birra è l’acqua di Praga. Bevi dell’ottima Gambrinus o della Staropramen con meno di un euro per mezzo litro. La birra è l’acqua di Praga! Praga sa essere ottocentesca quando ti siedi nei locali in cui si beve assenzio. La ‘fata verde’ è pronta a farti viaggiare. E di nuovo per strada, sei a piazza Venceslao; è lunga 700 metri, sembra una via, è la piazza più lunga del mondo. Qui di notte nascono l’illegalità e la trasgressione legale, è la Praga dei cabaret, quelli per maschi. Ma la notte ti riporta a Piazza Vecchia. Praga ora è seicentesca, ci sono due violinisti che ti deliziano con il Canon D di Pachelbel. Il brivido è inevitabile. Sei conquistato. E Praga è sempre pronta a riconquistarti.

Renato

MELBOURNE. The city of art, culture and lively people.

The first time i walked down the street in the city center it was all the different art that i saw scatered here and there all over... on the side walk, the river side, on the buildings... i found it prety amazing!! It felt a bit boaring in the begining when i first arrived by my self not knowing anyone but once i had a job in a busy restaurant in southbank, got my self a flat with some house mates it all started becoming quite exiting. People are quite nice and helpful (apart from the odd ignorant australian bloke) you ask for directions and they say to u folow me im going in that direction my self and you get to know people out of nowhere! in my books that is pretty cool... The Formula1 was pretty amazing to in Albert Park... i just thought i was going to see the F1s but it was like a whole day of racing and entertainment... Mini cooper race to start with, then the V8 Holden Astra race, then the GT race with all the Porsches the Ferraris... Also air displays by helicopters, fighter aircrafts, red arows and the massive Quantas jumbo airplain doing a few rounds over the city just before the actual race... and to top it all off after the race The Who where playing (CLASS) Now that is a day for me to remember here in Melbourne...I would highly recomend it for others to come visit this City even though it is quite far out to get to...

Peter

VARSAVIA, LA SORPRESA DELL'ORDINARIO

Sorseggiare una birra resa vermiglia dal succo di lamponi, in un caldo locale sbilenco. Sede spaiate, graffiti ai muri, divani di velluto smollati e consunti. Fuori dalle finestre del PlanB, vicino alla fermata della metro Politechnika, una neve farinosa danza leggera nel vento. E restare lì, in quel bar accogliente, con la musica giusta di sottofondo e il chiacchiericcio dei tuoi amici intorno, sentendoti al sicuro, protetta.
E poi ordinare un'altra birra al bancone. Piwo z sokem. E attaccare bottone con uno che fa l’aiuto regista alla Lodz film school, quella di Kieslowski e Polansky…
Varsavia è così, la sorpresa nell’ordinario. E’ quello strano Kultur Palace mastodontico, regalo di Stalin, catapultato al centro della città come un monolite kubrickiano. Ti domandi cosa ci faccia lì, cosa sia, a cosa serva. Eppure c’è, tra le casine ricostruite della Varsavia vecchia dipinte a colori vivaci e i casermoni sovietici...
Di quelli io ne vedo tanti, ogni giorno.Studio al Collège d’Europe e vivo in periferia, in un parco neoclassico tra cerbiatti e scoiattoli.Ma, superato il muro di cinta della mia gabbia dorata, tocchi con mano un’altra Varsavia, più cruda, più vera.
Siamo a Kabaty, un quartiere per ricchi, con agghiaccianti palazzi a schiera di architettura comunista, tutti con un nome, tutti numerati, come soldatini pronti a rispondere all’appello. C’è Rosola 1, Rosola2, Rosola 3, Rosola 4…Il comprensorio più vicino al mio è Il Rosola 8, con i cortili di cemento e i vigilantes ai cancelli. Sembra di essere un po’ nel film di Rodrigo Plà, La zona. Si percepisce la paura indefinita di una borghesia tronfia e inquieta, che compra pierogy precotti al Tesco aperto 24 ore su 24, 7 giorni su 7 e manda i figli alla Warsaw School of Economics.
Varsavia è così, brutta, affascinante, incomprensibile, dai margini sfuocati. E mi piace camminare in questa sfuocatezza lungo la Vistola ghiacciata, con Chopin che mi delizia dall’i-pod e il sapore di una charlotka alla panna ancora sul palato.

Francesca

NISHIO AND THE HISTORY OF TEA

The hometown in Nishio is special product ground of the powdered green tea of the top of Japan. The history is a traditional tasting that continues from Kamakura Period old. The technique of Takumi who succeeds the tradition is smoothly alive in the powdered green tea of fine Nishio. It makes every effort, it puts with the chaozu used from old, it pulls, and it raises it. It is done in a similar way as the medicine laboratory (gunwale) used to make the Chinese medicine. Fine powdered green tea in every several microns that can be done only by 40 grams even if it pulls it for one hour with one chaozu. And, it is "Set workman. " to adjust the chaozu firmly. The technique of the tradition succeeded from Takumi to the apprentice supports a delicious powdered green tea-making. Moreover, the powdered green tea of Nishio challenges Guinness on October 8, 2006. A red carpet of hundreds of meters was paved as shown in the vicinity of Hommachi, and "Nishio large tea party" in which 14,718 people made tea all together exceeded 7520 of the pre-records, and was recognized to Guinness Book splendidly. The hometown in Nishio City is a productive center of the powdered green tea of the top of Japan. The history is a traditional tasting that continues from Kamakura Period old.

Ai

GLASGOW. RAINY, GREY, SIMILING CITY

Glasgow a rainy smiling city. It was almost one year and half ago when I first arrived in Glasgow. I still remember really clearly that evening when I landed in a totally unknown place completely alone. It was raining, dark and windy. People talked with a strong accent that sounded surprisingly weird to me when I first heard it. Well, at the beginning I would have described Glasgow as rainy and grey city, but as I started to meet people, enjoy my master and settle down, the grey city turned into a colourful, lively and vibrant place in the wild Scottish landscape. Still rainy though! The sun shines rarely but when it does, especially during spring, everything gets even more alive and crazy. People are all around, Glaswegians chill out in every green spots under the waited sun and streets become a river of people animated by bagpipers´ players. I love lay down over the grass in Kelvingrove Park relaxing, chatting with friends or simply with my book at the rhythm of some smiling tunes. Unfortunately that can happen just for few weeks over an entire year because it is usually wet and raining. Anyways, that´s good, if you think that I´m here mainly for studying. I spend most of my days at the University and with a bad weather outside it is easily to concentrate. There is always time to relax in the evening and weekends. Glasgow can offer every kind of entertainments, plenty of restaurants, pubs, and clubs where forgetting the tiredness of the working day. I became a specialist of the books and beers combination. It´s really hard to get bored and I should reckon that what amazed me most is the quantity of concerts that are here. I love music and the possibility to enjoy tons of gigs persuades me even more to like this city. I definitely don´t regret my choice of continuing my Scottish adventure after I finished the master: I work in a project that I find really interesting and stimulating, I live in a city with everything I need, internet and low price flights help me to feel close to my lovely family and friends...so what should I ask more?!

Enrica