Photo Friday - Banksy and the Presidential Donut

I wrote this week about the Banksy exhibition that was held in Bristol over the summer with fans coming from far and wide to see the work of the illusive Bristol-born street artist who’s made the big time.

 

This photo is one of the pictures from the exhibition that stuck in my mind although I thought it was just a kitchy bit of fun. But today I had one of those Eureka moments and got the joke (at least I think I did but maybe it’s about something completely different!)

If I say ‘Ich bin ein Berliner’ would you get it too? Or perhaps you got it immediately. Or perhaps you think it’s about something completely different. What do you think?

This photo is posted as part of Photo Friday hosted at Delicious Baby - head over to see all the other Friday Photos

Getting around in Lisbon

This is going to be one of those useful posts for those of you heading to Lisbon on how to get around the city. Like many European cities these days, I found the integrated transport system in Lisbon both easy to use and cheap to get around most of the major tourist sites.

First of all you’ll probably arrive at Lisbon’s Portela airpost and many of the articles I’ve read talk about the cost of taxis and how to get the best deal and avoid being ripped off. Some recommend that you walk to the taxi rank on the departures side, to be less likely of getting a taxi driver who will take advantage of your tourist status. Personally, if you’re staying reasonably centrally, I wouldn’t bother and just take the aerobus service from right outside the Arrivals terminal. You walk through Exit 3 and see the bus stop with the Aerobus sign. The buses go every 20 minutes from here into the city and there’s a map on the bus stop showing the route and the stops. At this point it’s a good idea to know roughly where you are going and which will be the nearest stop for you, so consult your tourist map. Once you get the lie of the land it’s straightforward as the aerobus route goes through the main artery of the downtown area via Avenida de Liberdade and ends up near the river. Even if your hotel’s not along this route, you can identify a metro stop that is along the route such as Restauradores and alight there then pick up the Metro. The aerobus cost us €3.50 and you pay on the bus. It’s worth keeping the ticket as it also gives you a discount off the sightseeing bus.

Metro in Lisbon

Metro map of Lisbon

The next thing that you need to know about is the metro which again is clean, cheap and easy to use, once you’ve bought your travel card. The one you want is the 7 Colinas card which is a travel card you get for either a day or several days and covers you for travel on the metro, trams and elevadors. We bought one for our main sightseeing day for around €7 at one of the automatic machines in every station that take both cash and credit cards. Although there were instructions in English, it wasn’t that easy to follow which card you wanted, but fortunately there was a helpful lady at the ticket office who came to show us. Once you have your 7 Colinas card, you’re away! I love the freedom of these day cards that enable you to jump on and off local transport without thinking twice - it’s one less thing to worry about when you’re on holiday. The metro system is pretty self explanatory and not huge - there are only 4 lines and they are coded with colours and symbols.

One thing I also enjoyed about the Lisbon metro was that there were tiled murals in many of the stations which made it a pleasant environment - check out these rabbits from Alice in Wonderland, or perhaps it’s some other fairy story.

One of the peculiarities of Lisbon that I might mention at this point are the Elevadores or small tram cars that climb the steep hills of Lisbon. When you see the routes on the map it seems rather peculiar until you get there and see that there’s a central flat area with steep hills on both sides and Elevadors to take you up those hills. If you don’t get the Elevador it’s not the end of the world as you can still walk, but it’s a steep climb you might not want to do more than once a day. There was an Elevador behind our hotel and we could see it trundling up and down. In fact there are two carriages and as once goes down the other goes up, with the weight counterbalancing each other. You can use the same 7 Colinas card or single tickets for the Elevadors that you use for the metro and trams.

Lastly, there are the trams, some of which are pretty old and quite a tourist attraction in their own right. The one that’s best known is the No 28, which goes from the hill on one side of the city, down into the downtown area and then up the hill on the other side to the Castelo Sao Jorge. It’s definitely the one to take to save you legs up to the Castelo but is worth taking the trip just as a sightseeing ride, although pretty busy in high season, when you should watch out for pickpockets.

The other main tram route that we took was the one from Cais de Sodre station out to Belem to see the Monastery of Jeronimus - I think it was the 15A. The tram is the main public transport out to Belem as the metro doesn’t go there. Of course there must be loads of other tram routes although we didn’t take any others, but it’s a fun way to get a feel for the city as you watch it pass by your window.

Those were the main ways we used to get around in Lisbon. If you’ve visited the city yourself and have any useful tips, do add them in the comments.

Other Lisbon articles to enjoy

An autumn weekend in Lisbon - Podcast Episode 5
The Monastery of Jerónimos in Lisbon
View of the rooftops of Lisbon

Read more travel articles at Travel Blog Home

Don’t miss out - subscribe to Heather on her travels

Review and Giveway of Eyewitness Top 10 travel Guide to Munich

On my visit to Munich just before Christmas I used the pocket sized Eyewitness Top 10 guide to Munich as my guidebook of choice and now I’ve got a Top 10 guide to give away to one of my readers too.

I often take short breaks in Europe of just a weekend in one city and I’ve found the Eyewitness Top 10 travel guidebook series from Dorling Kindersley ideal in highlighting the best things to see on a short trip, while still giving some depth on a wide range of sites that might interest visitors.

You may have read my review of the Eyewitness Top 10 guide to Lisbon, and at the risk of repeating myself, I do enjoy the Dorling Kindersley coffee-table style of publishing, with loads of colourful photos and maps throughout the book.

Top 10 guide to everything

The guide is organised along the theme of Top 10 everything, and although this might normally make for shallow reading, there’s plenty of useful detail, and when you’re short of time it’s quite refreshing to be able to focus immediately on the key things to see. Personally I would still use any guidebook as a starting point and then seek out a few local recommendations or just wander around and see where the fancy takes you. But I hate to miss anything major just because I turned left rather than right on my wanderings.

There’s also a handy fold-out map in the back that also covers the transport system, although I find I’m increasingly that I have to squint to read the small print on guidebook maps. My Mother jokes that as every year goes by the books are publishing in smaller and smaller font - they must think that all travellers are twenty-something backbackers with eyes that aren’t yet worn out by too much blogging!

Top 10 things to see in Munich

On our visit to Munich we managed to see several of the Top 10 city sites that were recommended, such as the Residenz Palace, former home of the Kings of Bavaria and the area around Marienplatz, the town square at the heart of the old part of the city. Another recommendation was the Oktoberfest, one of the most famous folk and beer festivals in Germany, but we weren’t there in October so we visited another enjoyable festival, the Tollwood Winter festival that is held on the same showground for some ethnic food, Furzangenbowle mulled wine and crafty Christmas shopping. Other recommendations in the guide would come into their own in the summertime, such as the Starnberger See lake and the castles close to Munich.

More information on Munich

The later sections of the Eyewitness Top 10 guide to Munich cover different areas of interest such as the best Markets, Festivals, children’s attractions and even Gay and Lesbian hang-outs. Then there are sections that cover each neighbourhood with a map, cafe and restaurant recommendations and extra things to see in each neighbourhood. If I had more time, I’d love to follow the recommendations of how to spend a day wandering in each neighbourhood, with recommended coffee and lunch stops and things of architectural interest. At the back of the guide there are sections with on getting around, planning tips and all the boring but useful information you might need to refer to like shop opening and restaurant hours.

Who this guide’s good for

Although there are sections on hotels and other accommodation, I’d say that this is not the best guide for someone who needs to find the cheapest hostel in a hurry - it’s more for those who have planned the practicalities in advance and want to spend their time sightseeing and enjoying what the ciy has to offer. I was a little disappointed to find that there was very little information on the Christmas markets of Munich that we’d come to see, although we found more than enough to enjoy just by walking around the central area. I was also pleased to find that the information on which S-bahn or tram to use to get to key sites was a bit more comprehensive than I found in the Lisbon guide, although the one time we tried to use the tram information, a local at the tram stop told us that it was incorrect, and directed us to the S-bahn instead.

Guide Book Giveaway

I should tell you that Dorling Kindersley kindly gave me a free copy of the guidebook for the purposes of this review, but I’ve either paid my own money or borrowed others guides in the Top 10 Series before and found them excellent, which is why I’m happy to recommend them to you. In fact, when I was in Berlin, our group had a choice of three well known guidebooks between us and this was the one we inevitably took with us, because it is such a convenient size to carry. I have noticed that although in the UK the Eyewitness Top 10 guides are priced at a moderate £7.99, when you buy them on Amazon.com they seem to be a lot more expensive.

Even more reason then to take this opportunity to enter for my giveaway sponsored by Dorling Kindersley of a copy of the Top 10 travel guide of your choice for one of my readers. To be entered for this draw, just leave me a comment telling me which guide you would like and your reasons for visiting that city. I’ll draw one of the names at random in a couple of weeks and the Eyewitness Top 10 Guide of your choice will be on it’s way to one of my readers.

To check out which of the guides might take your fancy, go to the Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Top 10 page and start dreaming of where you might go next, from London, Venice and Rome to Las Vegas, San Francisco and Toronto to Bankok, Singapore and Hong Kong I think I counted almost 50 destinations to choose from. To be entered for the giveaway, just leave a comment on which guide you’d like and why.

Other Munich stories to enjoy

Visiting the Christmas Markets in Munich - Podcast
Location and Value at Hotel Falkenturm in Munich
Bavarian Pork Knuckle at Haxnbauer in Munich

Read more travel articles at Travel Blog Home

Don’t miss out - subscribe to Heather on her travels

Friday photo - Snow on the Downs in Bristol

Although the brief cold snap in Bristol that we had over Christmas has now passed and we’re back to the usual grey skies and drizzle, I thought you might enjoy this snowy scene.

I took the photo on my way to work one morning (as I always walk to work, I didn’t have any transport problems like many people) On the Downs - the large open park in North Bristol - I passed this stand of trees. They’re a landmark beloved of teenagers in summer, who congregate under them to chat and have picnics, illegal barbeques and generally hang out. On this morning they were stark against the snowline, and I caught someone passing with walking poles who looked almost like a cross country skier.

What sort of weather are you having this weekend and what sort of weather are you wishing for?

This photo is posted as part of Photo Friday - hosted at Delicious Baby. Head over to Delicious Baby to see all the other Friday photos.

Read more travel articles at Travel Blog Home

Don’t miss out - subscribe to Heather on her travels

The Banksy exhibition in Bristol

A while back I wrote a short piece about the Banksy Exhibition that took place back in July and August 2009 at the Bristol City Museum. You may never have heard of Banksy (until now), but here in Bristol he’s big news as the Bristol-born street-artist who made the big time. There are still a few pieces around town of his that I pass on my way to work every day although most of them have long ago been rollered over by the Bristol City Council. If ever Banksy had a major exhibition it was in Bristol that he was going to find an appreciative audience.

When the exhibition opened, the first thing I noticed were the long lines outside the City Museum which I pass on my wasy to work. Being a Banksy fan, I made a mental note to visit as soon as the crowds had died down after the first few days. But the crowds never did die down, bearing in mind that the Museum is free and so was this exhibition. Every day they got longer and longer until the side road was blocked by the queue and had to be closed and signs were put up showing how many hours you’d have to wait.

Banksy exhibition in Bristol Museum

Banksy exhibition in Bristol Museum

What you need to know about Banksy is that he carefully cultivates his anonymity and no-one knows who he really is (except the other street artists he used to hang out with and my son who apparently goes to the same school) The fact that he might be next to you in the queue always adds a little frisson of excitement. Banksy still comes up with the occasional piece of street art but he now seems to have moved on to collectable pieces. There was definitely a thing going on with the Old Masters theme in these Turner-esqe landscapes and the pieces in the gilt frames that were blended in with the other 19th century artwork on the first floor.

Banksy exhibition in Bristol Museum

Banksy exhibition in Bristol Museum

I just love the humour that you find in Banksy’s work, casting a slightly mocking eye over the ’serious’ art world, like this take on a Damien Hurst spotty picture that’s been rollered over, no doubt by one of those rats from Bristol City Council that are a real Banksy trademark.

 There’s the patriotic ‘Best of British’ theme but then you realise that the little girl’s wearing a Flak Jacket and the kitchy Americana to the glory of the aerosol. Children often feature in Banksy’s street art when he uses them with irony to make a political or anti-war message. 

Banksy exhibition in Bristol Museum

Banksy exhibition in Bristol Museum

I loved the exhibition when I finally visited and it was worth every minute of the wait and I even had to go around a second time to make sure I had all the pictures. It was also refreshing to be in an art exhibition where you could take as many pictures as you liked, as Banksy’s ethos is that art is for the people.

Take a look at the Banksy Website for more of his work.

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