Europe String

The Sunday Telegraph, a UK newspaper recently surveyed a bunch of popular tourist attractions around the world to see which city was the most expensive for travelers. I know this will come as a big surprise to some of you but LONDON turned out to be the biggest pound snatching town.
The paper looked at the cost of visiting 9 of each city’s most popular attractions plus the price of an open-top bus ride in London and 10 other cities around the world. In Europe, they also examined Dublin, Edinburgh, Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Cardiff and Berlin. The price for all …read more

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The highlight (well, one of several) of my recent trip to Italy was a visit to the Giardino dei Tarocchi, a whimsical, creative sculpture-filled garden created by the artist Niki de Saint Phalle. The garden is a bit of a drive north from Rome (or south from Siena), making it somewhat out-of-the-way for most tourists. But for fans of the artist’s work, the trip (and the EUR 10.50 entrance fee) are more than worth it. Check the garden’s website for opening hours and days (it is closed for most of the winter).
Photo credit: personal collection.

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Berlin is one of those cities where you could spend a month and still not experience everything it has to offer. In addition to plentiful monuments, a rich and exciting history, and countless neighborhoods worth exploring, Berlin has many excellent museums. One of my favorites is the Neue Nationalgalerie (New National Gallery), which I had the opportunity to revisit on my recent trip to the German capital.
I love this museum. The emphasis of the collection is on 20th-century European painting, with good representation from the Bauhaus, Expressionism, Cubism, and East German art.
Entry is 8 euros for adults, and includes a …read more

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Zurich’s most prominent art museum, the Kunsthaus , has free entry on Wednesdays. The free entry only applies to the main collection; special exhibits cost extra no matter which day you go.
The collection at the Kunsthaus is quite nice – definitely worth a visit if you find yourself in Zurich. European 19th and 20th century art is the main focus, with well-represented artists such as Giacometti, Munch, Picasso, Monet, and others.
The Kunsthaus is a short walk from the middle of downtown Zurich. It can also be reached by tram 3 from the main train station or tram 9 from Paradeplatz …read more

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The beautiful palace of Nymphenburg in Munich, Germany, is a dazzling example of how the ruling class lived in the 17th and 18th centuries.

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Female impressionists are in the spotlight at the Schirn Kunsthalle in Frankfurt, Germany.

This is your last week to catch Soutine at La Pinacothèque in Paris, France.
The Design Museum in London has an exhibit of the work of French designer Jean Prouvé.
March 3rd is museum night in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

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Europe is chock full of fine art, but for today’s Photo Friday I thought I’d show you one of my own humble creations. This painting was inspired by the Navigli area of Milan, a hip neighborhood with a couple romantic canals running through it. Navigli is especially known for its lively night life, and the canals are lined by outdoor cafes perfect for enjoying an evening aperitif after a day of sightseeing in the city.
See more art-themed entries in Photo Friday here. If you’re interested in seeing more of my work, you can check out my artist’s website or my …read more

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A Tinguely kinetic sculpture at Zurichhorn, on the shore of Lake Zurich. It runs daily at 6:00 PM for 15 minutes. It’s very loud.
See more of today’s Photo Friday posts.

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Go check out January’s Carnival of Travelers at Fly Away Cafe. This month’s theme is art, and there are a couple links about Europe (though not nearly enough – where are all the European bloggers?).
One entry talks about Bob Dylan’s artwork on display in Chemnitz, Germany. (Random piece of trivia for you: during the communist regime in East Germany, Chemnitz was renamed ‘Karl-Marx-Stadt’. It became Chemnitz again after the wall fell.)
There’s also an interesting post about choosing a French High School written by an expat mother. The high school systems in Europe tend to be much more specialized than …read more

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The Tinguely Fountain in Basel, Switzerland, is one of my favorite fountains in the world. There’s so much going on that I could watch it for hours.

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