Tag: Photo

Alternative Berlin Street Art Tour

Berlin is known for its art scene and from the moment we booked the trip, I was keen to immerse myself in that side of the city. Therefore, we chose (I might have pushed!) to take the street art tour as a way to see some of the work adorning the streets of Berlin, as well as getting to see some parts of the city that we wouldn’t usually head to on a typical city tour.

Ben was our tour guide and, as the weather wasn’t great, we had a tiny tour group of 3 – great for asking questions and getting a really good discussion going about the street art scene. I was really pleased to learn that Ben is an artist himself and therefore really well placed to share his insights on the work that we were about to see.

The first couple of pieces helped to outline the two main groups in Berlin: 1UP and Bione (also known as Paradox or Berlin Zidz). After learning about some of their stunts and coverage, it was easy to spot their tags across most of the city. We’ve since spotted 1UP tags across other European cities, it’s now a regular mission to try and find as many as we can!

Tags showing well know groups: 1UP and Bione

Following this, we moved on to check out some of the incredible art work across the city. Each one was very different, but showed so much talent and skill. Slowly, I began to learn more about the street art etiquette, the styles being used and the meanings behind the artwork. Ben told us about the differences between ‘tags’ (something quick and simple, almost a signature), a ‘throw up’ (something a little more elaborate, but could still be completed quickly) and the more detailed pieces that would have taken a longer time to complete.

From the complex to the simple, each image had a story. One of the most important things I learned on the tour was the assumption that the viewer will see the art from their own perspective. I found that really interesting and it changed my view on the creation of art – it doesn’t have to be perfect to create a reaction or invoke a feeling, it just has to be.



We also discussed the permanence, or lack thereof of street art and how this might help to keep ego in check. I thought that it was a nice thought that imagery may differ over time, due to weather, other artist contributions, or may even be permanently erased, resulting in a limited number of people seeing something that had been freshly created, with the rest experiencing an evolving image.

In addition to the painted art, there was also time for recognition of the smaller art installations hiding amongst walls and street signs. These were really cool and super easy to spot once you were made aware of them. I spent the remainder of my time in the city keeping my eyes peeled for more.

I loved the tour from start to finish. Ben was a brilliant guide, so down to earth and knowledgeable – a really cool guy. He had loads of knowledge to share, making each bit of the tour come to life. As an artist himself, it really lent credibility to the information being shared and it was great to see some of their work up on show too. It was like getting a sense of the city’s culture straight from someone who lived and breathed it. By the end of the tour, I was really ready to learn more about graffiti, street art and developing my own tag!

To round off our visit, the tour ended with a visit to the incredible Urban Nation contemporary art museum. With a range of incredible art works on display, and a graffiti toilet(!!), it was the perfect way to end the trip.

I still look back at this tour as one of the best I’ve been on, and it’s encouraged me to think about seeking out graffiti tours on other city breaks. They are a great way to get to know the heartbeat of the city, and for an art lover, they tell a story about a city’s history and culture. You get to wander off the usual tourist paths and really see a different side of the city.

You can check out some of our guide’s work on Insta @bulky-savage

Transylvania Trek 1: Moeciu to Cheile Gradistei

Sat in my tent, I was thinking about the reason why I was with a group of 25 strangers, in another country, about to set of on some of the most physically demanding walks that I’ve ever had to do.

I reminded myself of the reasons. I wanted to prove to myself that I’m strong enough. Mentally and physically I can sometimes struggle. I have endometriosis and the side effects from different types of medication can be difficult. I have lots of migraines and often feel shattered. I also have my own experiences of anxiety and depression. Despite this, I wanted to prove that my sense of adventure hadn’t been overshadowed by cautiousness and fears. I want to prove that I am enough and I wanted to prove to myself that I could manage a challenge this big. That being said, it was one thing booking the trip in a moment of bravado and another thing entirely actually being in a tent in Braşov, getting ready to start an unknown adventure…..

It was the first day of my Transylvania trek. Technically, this was day 2 of the trip but our first day had been a whirl of travel, so this was our first day of actual hiking. This was supposed to be a ‘starter day’, designed to help to break us in gently  and help us to test our pace and stamina. I thought that the trek leaders might go slightly easier on us for this one…. forget that – it was tough!!

We were starting our walk at Moeciu and walking through to the ski resort of Cheile Gradistei. It was a beautiful start to the trip. Moeciu was a sunny, pleasant 14km walk through meadows with stunning mountain views as far as the eye could see. The weather was beautifully hot and we were soon taking off layers to accommodate the heat. That’s not to say it wasn’t difficult – we were all soon feeling the exertion, huffing and puffing our way up the hill. It was also clear that the pace of the walls would be somewhat quicker than I had been used to in my training. It was at this point that I discovered that I am more of a plodder than a walker!

The sound of cow-bells were never far away as we walked through the meadows, creating an unearthly soundtrack to our footsteps.

Animals seemed to be the theme of the trip, with two dogs joining us for the walk. Whilst Moft (a scraggy but excitable companion) was completely up for the 5 hour trek, his friend Charlie didn’t seem to be quite as interested, leaving us to continue on without him for the last half of the walk. Having a dog in tow was amazing for morale. Just as everyone was starting to flag, along would come Moft and our spirts were raised again and again. Although he was quite a dirty dog, everyone soon forgot the warnings of ‘don’t pet the animals’ and were quite happily stroking him and snapping pictures. There is something irresistible about a friendly dog, and he was very instagrammable too!

Some parts of the walk were fairly comfortable, however elements of the trek were really quite hard, particularly the steep climb before lunch and the twisting paths through the meadow. The path towards our lunch spot looked never-ending and it was certainly a test of determination to keep plodding upwards. Particularly when a couple of walkers going down the hill, who were much older than me, seemed to bounce down with buckets of energy, leaving me panting for breath and struggling ever upwards. At the highest point of this trek, we reached 1187m, stopping at the top to sit for a well earned rest in a circle of little tree-stump seats. It was a really positive feeling to look around my fellow walkers and know that everyone was feeling the same sense of achievement.

The way back was peppered with more beautiful sights, particularly around the hilltop retreat marked with cairns and chair swings. Even though we were all pretty tired, we still managed a race to the swings, relishing in the chance to sit down and look out across the beautiful views over the mountain range.

Our descent took us down through a steep meadow where there was no flat foothold to be found.  The entire section was carried out with angled ankles and uneven steps, making us all watch our footing a little more closely. I found myself glad of the strong ankle support in my boots, without which I’m sure that I would have ended up with an injury. The final part of the descent was down the steepest hill I think that I have ever seen. It reminded me of cheese rolling competitions and I certainly felt like I was taking part in a great cheese chase as I made my way cautiously down the embankment. Moft had no problem navigating the terrain and was waiting for the group down at the bottom, happily wagging his tail and acting like the 14k over hilly terrain was no big deal.

Heading down the hill to the ski resort was a welcome relief – particularly as people were bursting for the facilities (me included). We plonked ourselves down in one of the outdoor seating areas for the restaurant and rewarded ourselves with drinks – I don’t think that Sprite has ever tasted so good!

That first day taught me a lot about walking and about myself. I learned that I can talk to complete strangers for five hours without feeling stressed or anxious. I think that as we were talking about the reasons we were undertaking the trek and our personal circumstances, we had breezed past the small talk that I usually find so difficult. Give me an in-depth conversation and I’m super comfortable, talk to me about the weather or who won a recent TV show and I’m out. However, the whole group got to know each other so quickly and it was great to have such meaningful conversation to get us through the long walk.

I’d also forgotten the impact of sleeping in a tent. Waking up to natural light helped to reset my body clock and I found that I was more awake and ready to go much earlier in the morning (which is a bit of a miracle for me – usually my brain doesn’t wake up until later in the day). The strangest part of the day was settling down into my sleeping bag in the tent alone. Listening to the night settle in outside, I was able to rest my head and start to think about preparing myself for day 2 of the trek.

 For the full trip posts, visit the links below:

Transylvania Trek 1: Moeciu to Cheile Gradistei

Transylvania Trek 2: Bucegi Massif

Transylvania Trek 3: Castle Bran and Piatra Craiului Mountains

Transylvania Trek 4: Postavarul Massif, Tampa Mountains and Braşov

 

Another Place

I do like my art (especially sculptures; as proved here and here!), however I tend to get a bit freaked out by large statues (this post has some rather terrifying examples) – apparently it’s a thing (lots of people experience it – I promise!!). In particular, statues of people in / near water scare the shit out of me. I don’t know why. I’ve tried quizzing my parents but none of them seem to recall anything from my childhood that might have contributed to this fear – I’m not entirely sure I believe them, but so far they are sticking to their story!

With this in mind, I was a little apprehensive to visit Crosby Beach near Liverpool. Home to 100 ‘Iron Men’ as part of Antony Gormley’s public art work ‘Another Place’.

Spread over 2 miles of coastline, the statues stand at random points across the sand and water, submerged to different degrees depending on the tide.

Feeling brave, I wandered over to look at two of the closest figures. Close up, as they were proportionate to a ‘normal’ person, they didn’t feel so scary and it was actually interesting to see how the weather and water had affected each statue differently. Some were covered in barnacles, some were more mossy and others relatively untouched.

It was a sunny, bright day, packed with hundreds of people enjoying the uncharacteristically warm bank holiday weather. The shouts and sounds of people playing in the sand made the statues seem less freaky and more interesting.

That being said, the statues were actually more creepy from a distance, where the impact of so many still and silent figures could trigger the imagination into thinking they looked slightly closer than before……

I can imagine that if I was to visit on on a cold early morning, when the sounds are limited to the bird cries and sea, I would have a very different experience of the Iron Men.

The Most Beautiful Library

Paying my €8, I grumbled about the cost of a visit to, what was in fact, one room. I soon regretted my grumbles. This ended up being the best €8 I spent in Vienna by a country mile.

The State Hall aimed to be a demonstration of grandeur and power when it was first built. A show of grandeur and status. Baroque in style, it was designed to embody excess to the fullest, containing huge detailed domes and floor to ceiling bookcases.

Like something out of a fairytale, the artwork on the ceiling depicts the different types of books housed in the library – science, art, philosophy and music. A handy electronic guide highlighted sections of the ceiling and their meanings, providing a more detailed understanding of the imagery.

Currently housing around 200,00 books, the hall is two stories high, boasting huge bookcases that, to my delight, opened up to reveal yet more books in the hidden rooms behind. It was easy to imagine the secrets they might hold.

Darkened bookcases, ladders leading up to dusty tomes and ominous statues decorated the library. Person-sized globes were dotted between the bookcases. Imagine everything you think should be in a library located in a magical kingdom and this place would live up to the expectation.

As an avid reader and someone who loves nothing more than to curl up with a good book, this place captured my heart immediately. The romance and mystique of the hall was permeable from the first step over the threshold.

I was lost in imaginings of how this place would look when it was first built. Flickering candles lighting the towering rows of books, the watchful eyes of the central statues and the lone reader, curled into a semi- comfortable corner, surrounded by the familiar bookish smells, their world only perforated by the crinkle of the page.

Adding to the mythology of the hall, Gia and Atlas stand on the roof outside, holding up the globe and watching over the hall. The two huge pillars on either side of the hall, know as The Pillars of Hercules seem to push against the oppressive weight of the books, stopping them from closing in on the tiny visitors in the room below. It was as though this room, built by giants and filled with mythology had allowed the mortals to roam its halls for a day, sharing some of its dusty secrets.