Naturelich

Cologne's Museum Ludwig is currently showing a small Henri Cartier-Bresson exhibition. The photographer who died earlier this August is famous for capturing the decisive moment. The exhibition displays about 40 vintage prints and about prints shown in Cologne in the 1970s. Unfortunately, the latter are in no good shape. Nonetheless, seeing these images is really impressive as each one tells an interesting story. You can really see the scene evolve. The exhibition (€ 7.50 fee) continues until September 12th and will be followed by an Edward Hopper exhibition starting October 9th-January 9th 2005. Hopper's works are currently on display in Basel...

Posted by Naturelich at 1:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

What a joke: I had expected sooo much of this movie but was heavily disappointed! The story of King Arthur is not half as good as the trailers promised. It's basically a slaughter all around. Even German actor Till Schweiger was never more boring. You do not need Merlin's magical talents (BTW, where did these go?) to predict the storyline. In a nutshell: Naturelich not a summer hit!

Posted by Naturelich at 11:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today I have become a member of Robin Hood's Men. An outdoor event hosted by Outdoor2Business in Germany's beautiful Eifel region.

After an enjoyable evening in Hotel Kastenholz our team had to kill a tree, cross a gorge (12 meter deep and 22 meter wide), navigate through the wilderness just with a compass, and master Robin's archery challenge. It was ten tons of fun having ended with a nice campfire:

Posted by Naturelich at 11:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today I noticed I had been bored again by the latest Still Alive desktop background. Naturelich, something fresh was required. It is called Get what you want and can be downloaded from Veer's Wallpaper site. This time, it's not the motto but rather the bloke wearing these glasses which fascinates me. Anyone willing to bet on how long this background will last?

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Today, I was finally able to buy Metallica's new single Some Kind Of Monster. I was fortunate enough to grab a copy which included the special SKOM t-shirt. Although I have not yet seen the film, the disc is wonderful and contains the following tracks:

The Buckingham Palace has opened it's doors again to the public. After 30 miuntes in a looong queue we finally made it. Naturelich equipped with a program and headphones we felt honoured to be admitted into the State Rooms of Buckingham Palace. The visit was well worth the money! Actually walking through the rooms everyone has seen to some extend on television is an astonishing and marvelous experience. Although the modesty of Her Royal Majesty is well-known, but I have to say: these rooms make you feel the power the British Empire has.

We were particularly impressed with the pieces of art: paintings by Rubens, Rembrandt, Vermeer, incredible Sèvres porcelaine and wonderful pieces of furniture. You ain't seen nothing yet! To put it in a nutshell: 12 GBP very well invested! More details on the official pages of the British Monarchy.

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The tradition started off in Paris, France in 1996. Since then, it has been Naturelich policy to visit at least one park during a weekend stay in a major city. In London it was time to take walk on the bright side in Hyde Park. The weather was beautiful and the atmosphere very quite and relaxed. A lot of people where cruising with their rented pedal boats. Others fed the birds and yet a third group - and by far the largest - enjoyed a foot bath in The Princess Diana memorial. The fountain, opened by HRM The Queen Elizabeth II. earlier this year, had been closed due to some people slipping on wet fountain stones. Someone should have told the designer that children, fast-running water and slippery stone do not mix. Not even if you pay 3.6m GBP for the fountain. Now, they have placed security guards with the duty to stop visitors from running around. Well, we'll see what the future brings...

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We have been to the We Will Rock You musical in London. It was brilliant! For a Queen fan this is a must! Even for someone not so much into the group - go see it in London - as there are plenty of hardcore Queen fans transforming this venue into a real rock concert . The crowd was singing along to the most famous songs (We are the Champions, We Will Rock You, Bohemian Rhapsody) and giving standing ovations at the end. Naturelich, we had to buy some glowing lights to participate in the grand finale - this was real fun!

On second note, be aware that the show mainly consists of the two first Best Of-albums from Queen the legendary band. Although, the song texts have been revised but not too much-you will be able to identify them easily. As my sister pointed out: it is astonishing that they were able to create a sensible story line from the most famous Queen songs. Thus, the songs really are applicable in a broader sense and we figured this is why Queen must've been successful.

There were some special moments giving tribute to Freddy Mercury - the legendary frontman and singer - and other rock icons such as Kurt Cobain, John Lennon, etc.

I will spare you further details of the story (the official website has plenty of material). Go and see it, the atmosphere was one of the best I have ever seen (although I have not been at a live Queen concert).

On a final note: the musical will come to Cologne, Germany in December 2004. If you are interested, you may want to check the official German website for additional news.

Posted by Naturelich at 11:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Capital. It's London time...

Finally - a (Fri)day off! Sight seeing and some minor shopping in UK. A nice and easy flight with Airberlin offered a good paper and a satisfying quick lunch. The Stansted Express from STN to Liverpool Street Station was still easy going, the check-in caused some minor troubles (Do not try to check-in at 9:00 am with a Holiday Inn - it is impossible. You can leave your bags - fine - but do not even attempt to do it, the staff won't like you anymore... although I have to admit - we knew it was stupid trying it).

We then went to see the Tower of London, including Tower Bridge and The Crown Jewels. Really impressive stuff! After three hours or so we went to see St. Paul's Cathedral. A big disappointment here, as the cathedral is currently undergoing enormous renovation work and we decided against spending 7 GBP per person to see only half the attraction. Good choice, as the cappucino we had nearby was well worth it. After some R&R and refreshments in our hotel we headed for Tottenham Court Road to enjoy We Will Rock You...

Posted by Naturelich at 7:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A definite dining recommendation in Basel is the Japanese restaurant Sakura (German) located directly next to Basel SBB (i.e. Basel central station). The restaurant offers wonderful Sushi and Teppanyaki dishes. Although rather expensive - as fish and especially Japanese Sushi is very expensive in Switzerland - the visit is well worth it. I enjoyed it a lot and may even become a real Sushi fan...

Posted by Naturelich at 12:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Tutanchamun exhibition in Basel is great! Although rather crowded, it is well worth the investment of 28 SFr. The Antikenmuseum Basel is showing not only pieces of the legendary Tutanchamun but also items from The Valley of Kings. I am definitely no expert in Egyptian history but the ancient Egyptian culture must have been terrific - at least for the Pharaos. I would definitely recommend to visit the exhibition to see these wonderful unique pieces of power, art and craftsmanship! The exhibition runs until October 3.

Posted by Naturelich at 11:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I will be leaving for Basel again. Return is scheduled for Wednesday evening. Second try to see the Tutanchamun exhibition. Unfortunately, I was unable to pre-order tickets, but I was assured that a 16:45 visit would be optimal to pick up tickets at the box-office. We will see...

Posted by Naturelich at 12:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

August is almost halfway through and it is time for a change in desktop backgrounds. As I have also changed my underwear today another radical step like that was naturelich necessary. Thus, I recommend to visit Veer's Wallpaper site and get the Look Alive wallpaper. A motto which definitely applies to me at the moment after a week of hard work.

Posted by Naturelich at 10:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Will Smith at his best! Today, my sister and I went into the English version of I, Robot . It is a great movie with cool action and a thrilling story. The story is not new, as it is based on a story by Isaac Asimov. For a passionate Star Trek: The Next Generation fan the story certainly reminds us of Data everyone's second-favorite STTNG character. But if we leave this aside, there is plenty of cool special effects which make for a wonderful summer movies event. See US Robotics NS-5 in a home (or movie) near you...

Posted by Naturelich at 11:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Finally! Finally! Finally!

LiveMetallica.com released all European Leg concerts of Metallica's Madly in Anger Tour. I have just bought and downloaded the show from Gelsenkirchen, Arena auf Schalke. A very dear friend, my sister and myself thought it was an excellent show, and now I can here it again, and again, and again.

This concert was special, as MetallicA played Metal Milita, a song they have never played in Germany before (and only once in Europe in 1984). So, another two hours, seven minutes and fourty-three seconds before I can go to bed. 'Tallica gives you heavy, baby...

Posted by Naturelich at 10:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After leaving Solothurn, my next stop was Basel, the beautiful city upon Rhine river. Since the weather is still wonderful (with temperatures around 33°C) there are a lot of people actually swimming in the Rhine. There has been a time when this was deemed impossible (after the accident in the Sandoz chemical plant), but this is now over. The water is almost crystal clear and the Swiss people seemed to survive their swim. At least they did not walk out of the water as mutants or anything. A wooden beach had been build on the banks of the river - an art project by local university and some famous Asian artist. At least he is said to be famous, although I did not know him (know we need to discuss if I am a good measure for people's fame and correctly you say Naturelich, he must be). So, anyway, it has been quite a workfull stay with only little sleep since the hotel had no air conditioning. But the hip crowd on Barfüßerplatz made up for this... :)

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I had lunch with two of my colleagues at the top of the Weissenstein (white stone), the highest mountain close to Solothurn. Daniel is a passionate paraglider who knows the Weissenstein inside out. So he took the chance to introduce me to his Hausberg. It was quite an interesting conversation, as the other colleague is a bee keeper. So we spend our lunch talking about our hobbies and I was able to organize a huge pot of self-made honey (1 kilogram) for just 20 Swiss Francs. More on how this stuff tastes (presumably excellent), if I get my next gemutelich Saturday breakfast.

Posted by Naturelich at 10:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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I arrived in Solothurn today, after flying with Swiss to Zurich. Sololand (as others call it) is said to have the greatest baroque city center in Switzerland. Who said this? Well, off course, you would not have guessed: a Solothurner. I do not know enough swiss cities to compare with, but I think Solothurn has a wonderful Altstadt. As I said earlier, the city was host to the Hungarian soccer team during the world championships in 1954. They were staying at Hotel Krone (see picture above). Really, a beautiful place. I enjoyed a pretty good Italian dinner in a beautiful restaurant (together with a colleague) and took a short tour of the city. Actually long tours are especially difficult in Solothurn, as the Altstadt is pretty small. But nonetheless: definitely a recommendation if you want to stay for just a day or two.

Posted by Naturelich at 9:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tomorrow, I am heading off for Switzerland (again). I am visiting Solothurn on Monday and Tuesday and Basel for the rest of the week. In Solothurn, I will stay in hotel Baseltor. I have recently learned that the Hungarian soccer team stayed in Solothurn in 1954 when they lost against the German team. The team stayed in Hotel Krone. I hope to bring a pic or two. Keep your fingers crossed...

In Basel, I will stay in Hotel Wettstein, a hotel of good quality located on Grenzacherstrasse. The weather in Basel is expected to be excellent and I hope to get to see the famous Tutankhamun exhibition in Basel's Antikenmuseum. The famous treasures from the pharao's chamber are brought to Europe again - for the first time in 20 years. The exhibition also features numerous items from the Valley of Kings. Perhaps, I will even stay a day longer to have enough time to see it all?! We will see...

Posted by Naturelich at 7:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)