Monday, March 24, 2014
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Rosetta woke up!!
this year is going to be filled with interesting events
let's follow everything under http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/
let's follow everything under http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/
I finally went to the Oceanário
I lived close by for so long but hadn't yet visited
the Oceanário de Lisboa
the Oceanário de Lisboa
Friday, December 6, 2013
the best beach in Portugal
the picture was still in my camera since this sommer...
but now I have it, can you recognize where this is?
but now I have it, can you recognize where this is?
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
paper sculptures
Sunday, April 28, 2013
important details
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Japan in a week
friday, in the afternoon, we arrive at Tokyo airport after 11 hours flying
after getting our JR Pass we took the train (1 hour) and finally got the hotel
where we had our first Bento box (bough in one of the many station stands)
and still took a few pictures from our 17th floor window before bed!
saturday we got up early (still jet lagged) and visited the Tsukiji Fish Market
(what an impressive amount and variety of fresh fish and seafood!)
afterwards we had breakfast and walked through Ginza's Chuo Dori
past Marunouchi and kept going towards the Imperial Palace East Gardens
where we had our first contact with the cherry blossoms (sakura in japanese)
afterwards we had lunch (nice stew with rice) and took the train to Ueno Park
there we did some people watching (there was a massive hanami party)
with food stands, improvised picknik tables and many, many japanese
we took a peek at the Tokyo National Museum and took the train to Shibuya
where we saw the Hachiko statue, crossed where millions per day go past
and stopped at the Starbucks to observe the ever moving crowd
back near the hotel we had the cheapest best sushy dinner ever!
sunday we went to the Metropolitan Government Building (not that great)
and proceeded to Harakuju (Takeshita street) and then to Omotesando
finally, we used our last hours visiting Tokyo to go to Aoyama cemetery
where we could do some quiet and people-less hanami before going back
monday morning we took the train to Takayama (5 hours with one change)
and still got to see Hida no Sato, walk in the Old Town and visit the Jinya
this was our only stay in a Ryokan with traditional dinner and breakfast
a very nice experience with many tricky shoes/slippers/barefoot changes
tuesday morning, before we got on the train to Kanazawa (2 hours)
we still had time to go to the morning market by the river (very small)
and bought sake in a traditional brewery (tasting and advice included)
in Kanazawa we headed to Omicho Market for a fantastic seafood lunch!
we walked through the old samuray neighborhood (being recovered)
and just had time to see the Kenrokuen Garden and the castle (outside)
and this night we actually had abendbrot from a "german" style bakery!!
wednesday we took the train to Kyoto (3 hours) arriving in the afternoon
after finally finding the hotel we still had time to see the Heian Shrine
and head towards Gion to see a geisha show (we went to Gion Corner)
after dining noodles we walked back through iluminated cherry blossoms
and many, many japanese with tripods and cameras, filling up the streets!!
thursday we took the bus to the western part of town (1h30m), Arashiyama
we first took a peek at Togetsukyo bridge and the nearby hanamy area
and then went to the Tenryuji temple and out through the Bamboo groves
we kept walking up to Gioji temple and had lunch in the Saga-Toriimoto area
finally a sunny day with great contrast between the sakura and the blue sky!
we kept going to the Adashino Nenbutsuji (we missed the Otagi Nenbutsuji...)
and walked some more to finally get to the Daikakuji temple (very nice)
friday we visited the eastern part of Kyoto, starting in the Nanzenji temple
and walking up the Philosopher's Path past the secluded Honen-in temple
all the way up to Ginkakuji temple before taking the bus down
to the very popular and very touristic Kiyomizudera (nice climb to get there)
we then walked north through the Higashiyama district to Kodaiji temple
we continued to Maruyama Park (massive hanami party, with food stands
and the ground covered with tatami like if it was a house or temple)
past the nicely lit Yasaka shrine, back to Gion and headed to the canal
to meet a couple of friends (also visiting) for dinner at Pontocho
saturday we did our one-day train excursion to Nara (a very rainy day...)
we walked from the station to Kofukuji temple and in Yoshikien garden
we kept walking into Nara Park, entering the Todaiji temple and Hokkedo hall
walking through the Nara Park we saw many deer (and fed them cookies)
while walking to our final destination for the day: Kasuga Taisha
sunday, before taking the train (3h) to the airport, we went to Nishiki Market
visited the impressive Nijo Castle and went through the Imperial Gardens
we slept at Hineno, right next to the airport for the early morning flight!
and monday got the plane back at Kansai Airport (driven in a nice pink bus)
Japan is a very nice country to visit with extremely friendly people
everything is properly organized (more than in Germany!) and colour coded
and, especially in the sakura period, makes for a very beatifull destination!
after getting our JR Pass we took the train (1 hour) and finally got the hotel
where we had our first Bento box (bough in one of the many station stands)
and still took a few pictures from our 17th floor window before bed!
saturday we got up early (still jet lagged) and visited the Tsukiji Fish Market
(what an impressive amount and variety of fresh fish and seafood!)
afterwards we had breakfast and walked through Ginza's Chuo Dori
past Marunouchi and kept going towards the Imperial Palace East Gardens
where we had our first contact with the cherry blossoms (sakura in japanese)
afterwards we had lunch (nice stew with rice) and took the train to Ueno Park
there we did some people watching (there was a massive hanami party)
with food stands, improvised picknik tables and many, many japanese
we took a peek at the Tokyo National Museum and took the train to Shibuya
where we saw the Hachiko statue, crossed where millions per day go past
and stopped at the Starbucks to observe the ever moving crowd
back near the hotel we had the cheapest best sushy dinner ever!
sunday we went to the Metropolitan Government Building (not that great)
and proceeded to Harakuju (Takeshita street) and then to Omotesando
finally, we used our last hours visiting Tokyo to go to Aoyama cemetery
where we could do some quiet and people-less hanami before going back
monday morning we took the train to Takayama (5 hours with one change)
and still got to see Hida no Sato, walk in the Old Town and visit the Jinya
this was our only stay in a Ryokan with traditional dinner and breakfast
a very nice experience with many tricky shoes/slippers/barefoot changes
tuesday morning, before we got on the train to Kanazawa (2 hours)
we still had time to go to the morning market by the river (very small)
and bought sake in a traditional brewery (tasting and advice included)
in Kanazawa we headed to Omicho Market for a fantastic seafood lunch!
we walked through the old samuray neighborhood (being recovered)
and just had time to see the Kenrokuen Garden and the castle (outside)
and this night we actually had abendbrot from a "german" style bakery!!
wednesday we took the train to Kyoto (3 hours) arriving in the afternoon
after finally finding the hotel we still had time to see the Heian Shrine
and head towards Gion to see a geisha show (we went to Gion Corner)
after dining noodles we walked back through iluminated cherry blossoms
and many, many japanese with tripods and cameras, filling up the streets!!
thursday we took the bus to the western part of town (1h30m), Arashiyama
we first took a peek at Togetsukyo bridge and the nearby hanamy area
and then went to the Tenryuji temple and out through the Bamboo groves
we kept walking up to Gioji temple and had lunch in the Saga-Toriimoto area
finally a sunny day with great contrast between the sakura and the blue sky!
we kept going to the Adashino Nenbutsuji (we missed the Otagi Nenbutsuji...)
and walked some more to finally get to the Daikakuji temple (very nice)
friday we visited the eastern part of Kyoto, starting in the Nanzenji temple
and walking up the Philosopher's Path past the secluded Honen-in temple
all the way up to Ginkakuji temple before taking the bus down
to the very popular and very touristic Kiyomizudera (nice climb to get there)
we then walked north through the Higashiyama district to Kodaiji temple
we continued to Maruyama Park (massive hanami party, with food stands
and the ground covered with tatami like if it was a house or temple)
past the nicely lit Yasaka shrine, back to Gion and headed to the canal
to meet a couple of friends (also visiting) for dinner at Pontocho
saturday we did our one-day train excursion to Nara (a very rainy day...)
we walked from the station to Kofukuji temple and in Yoshikien garden
we kept walking into Nara Park, entering the Todaiji temple and Hokkedo hall
walking through the Nara Park we saw many deer (and fed them cookies)
while walking to our final destination for the day: Kasuga Taisha
sunday, before taking the train (3h) to the airport, we went to Nishiki Market
visited the impressive Nijo Castle and went through the Imperial Gardens
we slept at Hineno, right next to the airport for the early morning flight!
and monday got the plane back at Kansai Airport (driven in a nice pink bus)
Japan is a very nice country to visit with extremely friendly people
everything is properly organized (more than in Germany!) and colour coded
and, especially in the sakura period, makes for a very beatifull destination!
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Thursday, February 21, 2013
fitting Ikea furniture in an Opel Corsa
recent experiency shows that the following cargo fits and
can be carried by an Opel Corsa C (including driver and passenger):
the trick is that the two sit on the same side of the car!
one BOTNE, one BESTA and a few more pices (the trunk came empty)
or one BILLY, two MOREBO doors, one BERGSBO, one BESTA,
one BESTA panel, two 1m KOMPLEMENT drawers and one more with 75cm
and a few more pieces (in the trunk and in the seats, under the furniture)
or three GORM, three GORM shelves, one BESTA and another BESTA,
one 1m KOMPLEMENT shelve and one more with 75cm
and a few more pices (I think in this trip we both sat in the front...)
can be carried by an Opel Corsa C (including driver and passenger):
the trick is that the two sit on the same side of the car!
one BOTNE, one BESTA and a few more pices (the trunk came empty)
or one BILLY, two MOREBO doors, one BERGSBO, one BESTA,
one BESTA panel, two 1m KOMPLEMENT drawers and one more with 75cm
and a few more pieces (in the trunk and in the seats, under the furniture)
or three GORM, three GORM shelves, one BESTA and another BESTA,
one 1m KOMPLEMENT shelve and one more with 75cm
and a few more pices (I think in this trip we both sat in the front...)
Monday, January 7, 2013
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Friday, October 19, 2012
painting pitfalls
as the apartment we just bought was inhabited for the last 4 years,
we decided to clean the walls and give them a new coat of paint
and here is some knowledge (learned the hard way) I would like to share!
painting colour which you mixed yourselves is easy (once you do it right)
mixing paint should be done in a transparent container
and you should mix the paint near the walls with special care!!
just to be extra safe, roll the wall as you paint the framing (better blending)
we decided to clean the walls and give them a new coat of paint
and here is some knowledge (learned the hard way) I would like to share!
painting colour which you mixed yourselves is easy (once you do it right)
mixing paint should be done in a transparent container
and you should mix the paint near the walls with special care!!
just to be extra safe, roll the wall as you paint the framing (better blending)
Thursday, October 18, 2012
buying an apartment in Darmstadt, Germany
we started by looking at the nearby real-estate agencys' sites and,
the main site we were already using for rental searches
(defining a regular e-mail alert with the new offers is easy and simple)
http://www.immobilienscout24.de/
after some months and looking at some possible candidates we found the one
almost all the requisites were there including all the critical ones!
so we went to a group visit, together with some 5 other unknown couples
we liked it so we quickly sent an e-mail the next day showing interest
I don't know if this put us in front of the competition or if there was any
but what I know is that we eventually got the apartment
we went to the bank in the meanwhile to make sure we could get the loan
we got offers from a couple of banks before we decided but, in the end
we went for the one where they spoke english... good service is priceless!
the real-estate agency contacted the notary who took care of the contract
this is not always the case, sometimes the buyer has to take care of this,
especially if it is a private to private sale (we were buying from bauverein)
the notary usually does this contract drafting service and is impartial
and the buyer usually pays for the services and production of the contract
when we got the draft we tried to make sense of it (german legal text, nice!)
but finally we decided to get a translator and interpreter (good choice!)
a simple search online and this has all the contacts: http://www.bdue.de/
before the contract was translated we had spotted some things...
but only afterwards, with the english version, we found some of the pitfalls
and we had a meeting with the real-estate agent (representing the seller)
and the interpreter to avoid any misunderstandings
at this point we were finding some very useful links and documents online:
GeneralReport.pdf
General_Explanation_of_Purchase_Contracts.pdf
German_tax_and_fees_related_to_real_estate.pdf
some websites also have some good information and forums:
http://www.expatica.com/de/buying-propoerty-germany.html
http://www.howtogermany.com/pages/housebuying.html
a few changes in the contract were agreed and we scheduled the notary
and there, as seems usual in Germany, a few more changes were introduced
once signed, the notary could ask the Land Register for the Vormerkung
which is a sort of formal pre-transfer of the contracted property,
effectively blocking its sale to anyone but you - making it safe to pay!
we also needed bank papers at this time, acknowledging the mortgage
the bank needs you to sign a contract to create an entry in the Land Register,
saying that the property is mortgaged due to your loan,
and this has to be done before the property is even transferred...
(and independently from the Vormerkung - they take different times!)
and only when the Vormerkung is in the Land Register and (important and)
the mortgage is also in the Land Register, the bank will transfer the money
first into your account and then the full amount to the seller's!
and you inform the notary the payment is done so he requests confirmation
once the seller confirms, the notary requests the change in the Land Register
but before the Land Register changes the ownership of the property,
the Tax Office is informed and the process is blocked...
until you pay property transfer tax and they inform the Land Register of this
and they finally change the property owner to you!
and only then you can say you own the property you "just" purchased
apart from the mortgage entry, which comes out only after its fully paid
the main site we were already using for rental searches
(defining a regular e-mail alert with the new offers is easy and simple)
http://www.immobilienscout24.de/
after some months and looking at some possible candidates we found the one
almost all the requisites were there including all the critical ones!
so we went to a group visit, together with some 5 other unknown couples
we liked it so we quickly sent an e-mail the next day showing interest
I don't know if this put us in front of the competition or if there was any
but what I know is that we eventually got the apartment
we went to the bank in the meanwhile to make sure we could get the loan
we got offers from a couple of banks before we decided but, in the end
we went for the one where they spoke english... good service is priceless!
the real-estate agency contacted the notary who took care of the contract
this is not always the case, sometimes the buyer has to take care of this,
especially if it is a private to private sale (we were buying from bauverein)
the notary usually does this contract drafting service and is impartial
and the buyer usually pays for the services and production of the contract
when we got the draft we tried to make sense of it (german legal text, nice!)
but finally we decided to get a translator and interpreter (good choice!)
a simple search online and this has all the contacts: http://www.bdue.de/
before the contract was translated we had spotted some things...
but only afterwards, with the english version, we found some of the pitfalls
and we had a meeting with the real-estate agent (representing the seller)
and the interpreter to avoid any misunderstandings
at this point we were finding some very useful links and documents online:
GeneralReport.pdf
General_Explanation_of_Purchase_Contracts.pdf
German_tax_and_fees_related_to_real_estate.pdf
some websites also have some good information and forums:
http://www.expatica.com/de/buying-propoerty-germany.html
http://www.howtogermany.com/pages/housebuying.html
a few changes in the contract were agreed and we scheduled the notary
and there, as seems usual in Germany, a few more changes were introduced
once signed, the notary could ask the Land Register for the Vormerkung
which is a sort of formal pre-transfer of the contracted property,
effectively blocking its sale to anyone but you - making it safe to pay!
we also needed bank papers at this time, acknowledging the mortgage
the bank needs you to sign a contract to create an entry in the Land Register,
saying that the property is mortgaged due to your loan,
and this has to be done before the property is even transferred...
(and independently from the Vormerkung - they take different times!)
and only when the Vormerkung is in the Land Register and (important and)
the mortgage is also in the Land Register, the bank will transfer the money
first into your account and then the full amount to the seller's!
and you inform the notary the payment is done so he requests confirmation
once the seller confirms, the notary requests the change in the Land Register
but before the Land Register changes the ownership of the property,
the Tax Office is informed and the process is blocked...
until you pay property transfer tax and they inform the Land Register of this
and they finally change the property owner to you!
and only then you can say you own the property you "just" purchased
apart from the mortgage entry, which comes out only after its fully paid
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
not dead yet!
coupled with low motivation to write and fewer trips,
we have been very involved in an apartment purchase deal
together with decoration planning, furniture buying, painting, moving...
but after a long absense, new posts are finally in the oven!!
keep monitoring!
we have been very involved in an apartment purchase deal
together with decoration planning, furniture buying, painting, moving...
but after a long absense, new posts are finally in the oven!!
keep monitoring!
Sunday, August 26, 2012
in the middle of the Atlantic
we arrived at the airport in the afternoon and got the rental car
and went to the hotl, to take a first look around
and have something typical for dinne in the many Ponta Delgada restaurants
the next day we left towards Sete Cidades
went up Covoada and pat Pico do Carvão (not really obvious to find...)
until we stopped in the area of the Lagoa do Canário and went down
we stayed around and did a bit of the Serra Devassa trail
with volcanic cones, craters, big lagoons and an impressive view
then we went down to Sete Cidades, but first stopping at the Vista do Rei
after a good lunch in Sete Cidades (and a new concept of pepper)
we went to the coast, towards Mosteiros and Ponta da Ferraria
back in Ponta Delgada we went to the Gruta do Carvão
and walked through an onld lava tunnel!
back in town we had again for dinner something typical from the islands!
the next day we took it easy, relaxing in the area of Furnas
where we sepnt a few hours in the warm water of the Poças da Dona Beija
afterwards, in the town of Furnas, we visited the Terra Nostra park
and then tasted the typical Cozido - what a treat!
we drove down to Ribeira Quente for a bit of time at the beach
and came back to the hotel through the Pico do Ferro (spectacular view)
we still had time to go down to the hidden Lagoa do Congro
and pass by Vila Franca do Campo and by the Nossa Senhora da Paz
from where you have a very good viwe of the famous Ilhéu
on the morning of the third day we had the whale watching boat trip
as expected we saw at least two species of dolphins
and many sperm whales, even a mother with her little 8 ton cub!
in the afternoon we went up to the Lagoa do Fogo
and came down by the Caldeira Velha and the geothermal power plant,
afterwards we were back in Ponta Delgada and went again to the beach,
between Lagoa and Sao Roque, very familliar apart from the black sand
on the fourth day we drove to the remote area of Nordeste
again passing by Ribeira Grande where we cisited the cebtral area
and there we went in strangely curvy highway,
passing through the Tea crops area (Gorreana and Porto Formoso)
after having lunch in town (the prices are much lower in this area)
we headed, along the clifs, to the Ponta da Madrugada
passing by many sunday barbeques, always with a nice view
and afterwards we came back, a long way back to the hotwl (almost 80km!)
on the fifth day we drove straight to Povoação, but on mountain roads!
enjoying the view you get if you come from the Furnas area
and, after lunch, we went to Faial da Terra
where we did a very nice trail to a beautiful waterfall
we then crossed again through to Nordeste, but on a dirt road,
passing by the highest peaks (I'm glad the car was a rental!)
on the last day of the trip we stayed in Ponta Delgada,
where we did some tours of some chirches, the harbour area
and the Forte de São Brás barracs
before we went back to the airpot to catch the plane back
I knew the Azores were amongst the most beautiful areas of Portugal!
but I didn't know this island yet, and it is no less beautiful than the others,
the advantage is it includes most of the landscape types in one trip only!
we really wat to come back, next time to the Central Group
and went to the hotl, to take a first look around
and have something typical for dinne in the many Ponta Delgada restaurants
the next day we left towards Sete Cidades
went up Covoada and pat Pico do Carvão (not really obvious to find...)
until we stopped in the area of the Lagoa do Canário and went down
we stayed around and did a bit of the Serra Devassa trail
with volcanic cones, craters, big lagoons and an impressive view
then we went down to Sete Cidades, but first stopping at the Vista do Rei
after a good lunch in Sete Cidades (and a new concept of pepper)
we went to the coast, towards Mosteiros and Ponta da Ferraria
back in Ponta Delgada we went to the Gruta do Carvão
and walked through an onld lava tunnel!
back in town we had again for dinner something typical from the islands!
the next day we took it easy, relaxing in the area of Furnas
where we sepnt a few hours in the warm water of the Poças da Dona Beija
afterwards, in the town of Furnas, we visited the Terra Nostra park
and then tasted the typical Cozido - what a treat!
we drove down to Ribeira Quente for a bit of time at the beach
and came back to the hotel through the Pico do Ferro (spectacular view)
we still had time to go down to the hidden Lagoa do Congro
and pass by Vila Franca do Campo and by the Nossa Senhora da Paz
from where you have a very good viwe of the famous Ilhéu
on the morning of the third day we had the whale watching boat trip
as expected we saw at least two species of dolphins
and many sperm whales, even a mother with her little 8 ton cub!
in the afternoon we went up to the Lagoa do Fogo
and came down by the Caldeira Velha and the geothermal power plant,
afterwards we were back in Ponta Delgada and went again to the beach,
between Lagoa and Sao Roque, very familliar apart from the black sand
on the fourth day we drove to the remote area of Nordeste
again passing by Ribeira Grande where we cisited the cebtral area
and there we went in strangely curvy highway,
passing through the Tea crops area (Gorreana and Porto Formoso)
after having lunch in town (the prices are much lower in this area)
we headed, along the clifs, to the Ponta da Madrugada
passing by many sunday barbeques, always with a nice view
and afterwards we came back, a long way back to the hotwl (almost 80km!)
on the fifth day we drove straight to Povoação, but on mountain roads!
enjoying the view you get if you come from the Furnas area
and, after lunch, we went to Faial da Terra
where we did a very nice trail to a beautiful waterfall
we then crossed again through to Nordeste, but on a dirt road,
passing by the highest peaks (I'm glad the car was a rental!)
on the last day of the trip we stayed in Ponta Delgada,
where we did some tours of some chirches, the harbour area
and the Forte de São Brás barracs
before we went back to the airpot to catch the plane back
I knew the Azores were amongst the most beautiful areas of Portugal!
but I didn't know this island yet, and it is no less beautiful than the others,
the advantage is it includes most of the landscape types in one trip only!
we really wat to come back, next time to the Central Group
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