Without getting into too much technical stuff, I will tell you what I learned. She uses several techniques in her ads… Marketing Blackness, Celebrity Endorsement, Music Affiliation, Youth Appeal, to name a few. Imagine writing 30 pages on this. What I liked most was the Nostalgia of Mud collection — a very rastafarian/hobo influenced look as you can see here:

The paper was due about one week after I was scheduled to return to NYC, but I could not wait until then, as there was months of work. I left France for Italy and had to spend about 8-12 hours in Capri writing when I would have rather been outside swimming. The professor gave me an A-, probably because I was late for some deadlines and was out on the road. Some of the ads I wrote about are shown below:

And some more photos:

If you want to see more of France visit my flickr page.

David Bowie Is was really a large exhibit. I spent about two hours and did not get to see every detail. The audio guide does it’s best to narrate the life of Bowie, but what I most enjoyed was being able to listen to tracks along the way. There was so much memorabilia that I almost felt liked I missed out as I hadn’t been there. Bowie was really before my time. The best part was by far the notes, but in the last room were silkscreen walls with projectors displaying bowie in larger than life. What was most unique about this was that squares on the wall would fade out of projection, illuminating the wild outfits he wore to perform in. Many people were camped out here appreciating the show and the music. I would have stayed longer, but it was hard to get a seat amongst the die hard Bowie fans.

Tate Modern

It was a bit windy, but still a nice day for a walk. Along the Thames are many footpaths winding through corridors where there are restaurants, markets, Tower of London, and several other tourist attractions. I walked around North of the river, making my way South by London Bridge. I stopped to pick up a few pints of Heineken – they are best from the can after a long walk. I made it it to the Tate Modern when I decided to take a seat in the grass outside. There were a lot of people outside here picnicking, talking, and playing with the kids. One little girl had some heart shaped sun glasses on, and was playing hide and seek with her very cute adult brother. After a little while, I entered the gallery. It was nice to see some of the exhibits, but honestly the only thing on was Roy Lichtenstein: a Retrospective. There were some nice pieces, but nothing spectacular. Maybe it was the Heineken?

British Museum

The British Museum is really enjoyable if you have an interest in ancient history like I do. I noticed some of the hieroglyphics on the slab on the way in. I navigated around the museum from Egypt to Greece then Rome, and several other areas. I very much liked the Parthenon, as you can see above with the metopes, lapiths, centaurs, and the horse’s head from Selena the Moon Goddesses chariot. It says “Do Not Touch” but that is the best part. When no is looking I touch the cold stone. Maybe it will bring me luck someday. I don’t think I am even supposed to take photos, but no one stopped me.

The National Gallery

This was my second or third visit to the National Gallery. The other two times were many years earlier. This gallery is sectioned off by centuries. There are about 100 rooms that are spread out around different wings. The earlier stuff from 15-17th Century is not really my forte because it is so dramatic often depicting holy scenes from the Bible. I appreciate the landscapes in the earlier work. For example, I liked seeing what Naples and Venice looked like in the Fifteenth Century. If you start to look close enough, and have been to current cities like those, you can imagine them in their early times. It is really an experience.

I most enjoyed the 18th century stuff by Renoir and Monet. I really enjoy the colourful strokes that often make a masterpiece. It is either by series of millions of tiny strokes that make a landscape seem to be made of snow-flurries, or the Van-Gogh type with long and short strokes as in his Wheatfields. I can just stare at this stuff for hours non-stop. It is something I would make an effort to find.

There were many clubs and bars to choose from. I only had five days there, but wanted to get to about 10 clubs. The gay bars were fun, although it was snowing and they were empty two nights. I enjoyed walking around Schöneberg at night, despite the snow. It was very village-like with two or three streets lined with gay bars and cafes. First stop was Tom’s Bar on Motzstrasse, which was completely empty. I stalled there for some people to talk to, but barely anyone came. Four beers later, I meandered down the same street, stopping into various bars. It was a ghost town. There were tons of shops selling dildos, and sex toys, not to mention the XXX video booths in the back. I met this Polish guy at one of the bars. He was younger, and living in Berlin without a VISA. He told me his life story over a beer. He recommended going to Club Connection over the weekend.

There were a few days until the weekend though. The phone rings, my friend Jen is in town. She stops by my room at the Hotel Mövenpick for a glass of Prosecco. We then went to the mall where we found a German restaurant that served Schweinshaxe. We had some pints of good German Beer and talked about the weekend. Later, we went by the Sex Museum for a gag. We later decided to go to Berghain on Saturday for a drink at the Panorama Bar and some serious dancing. The DJ was playing some progressive house. It was really like hard trance, but had this echo from the wet sound created by the cement walls of the remade electric power station. It was way cool there, and we got it on with several people. The club didn’t get moving until 2 AM, when we showed up. I had a flight the next day at 4 so I could not stay until they closed – probably around 12 noon or even later.

Like I said, I spent hours walking around from West to East Berlin. I noticed the differences of the neighbourhoods, although they are subtle. In the centre, Potsdamer Platz, is under a major reconstruction. There were cranes, bulldozers and so much scaffolding you can barely see. I walked up the famous Unter den Linden where Hitler used to stage his parades. He went as far as to cut down the trees and remove any obstacles that would hinder the crowd from seeing him. There are plaques that give a narration of what happened and where. I went inside the museum Topographie de Terrors where there were hundreds of photos of the former Nazi Party and the heinous crimes they committed. This documentation centre was the site of the former headquarters of the Secret State Police, the SS and the Reich Security Main Office during the “Third Reich.” Nearby is the Foundation Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Still in the city centre, is Checkpoint Charlie where the military allowed certain diplomats to enter to East Berlin, but barred everyone else. In October 1961, J.F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s tanks faced each other here in a standoff to what almost became WWIII. There are sandbags, soldiers, and all sorts of memorabilia in the area, most importantly painted segments of the Berlin Wall. Paintings include Muammar Al-Gaddafi, Then Sein, Kim Jong-Il, Robert Mugabe, Omar Al-Basi-Ir, and Bashar Al-Assad, with the words “More Walls to Tear Down.” Other exhibits show “Next Wall to Fall is Wall Street.”

I really enjoyed the saunas and steam rooms in Berlin (or Europe in general). I went to the Apollo Splash Club as well as Treibhaus Sauna. I never realised that many of the dry saunas that I had been in, had heated rocks that were meant to have cold water poured over them. This creates steam which makes the room a sort of steam bath, not a room of dry heat. In Europe, this is called a Finnish Sauna. Anyway, they have a technique called Aufguss where a man or woman enters the room with several cups of water. Sometimes the water contains menthol, or other aromas like banana. Apollo Sauna used several different aromas one after another. They passed frozen fruit around during the hottest moments. Each session lasted about 15 minutes which is a long time in that heat. It was totally refreshing, because afterward is the cold shower. Apollo had a shower that sprays water from all angles, like a car wash. There were iridescent lights, with a button offering cold or hot water. Of course the cold water is best after the sauna. I sat two or three sessions, but the third one I was on the top seat, which is hottest. I could not breathe and asked to leave. They let me out, but after the guy who administered the water to the rocks threw a bucket of ice cold water over my head. I guess that was because I could not make it. His job was to fan his towel around the sauna while the steam rose. This adds a warm breeze to the room. I’m telling you this is a great way to detox, as well as soften up your skin. Later, in the hotel, Jen and I found a private sauna like the ones I mentioned. The hotel allowed us to use it, so we both went down there. In Europe, it is not uncommon to see people naked in the saunas…

The food is great! I enjoyed the Weiner Schnitzel most at Austria Restaurant. This place was so quaint, but very rustic and country-lodge looking. There were moose-heads on the walls that boasted large spiky antlers. The cutlet was larger than the plate – I could not believe it was so big! The meal came with a light cucumber salad, in a white vinegar dressing. It was so light and refreshing. I enjoyed a small bottle of Austrian Sparkling Wine. I left the dinner table feeling like I could run a mile, instead of passing out from overeating.

It’s checkout time and I am barely conscious from the night before at Berghain. Second surprise visit: my friend Klara stopped by the hotel. It was so weird, we only had touched base on Facebook, when she told me she was living in Berlin. She decided to surprise me in the Lobby, at checkout time. I had told her what time I was leaving early. How nice – thanks Klara!

http://toddhanlon.com/world/red-light-canal-belt-amsterdam/ http://toddhanlon.com/world/red-light-canal-belt-amsterdam/#comments Mon, 01 Apr 2013 17:09:02 +0000 Todd Hanlon http://toddhanlon.com/world/?p=833 Red Light District, Amsterdam

Amsterdam is a city in a world of it’s own. Anything goes here, so if you do something out of the ordinary, you don’t have to fear being arrested or frowned upon. The people are really friendly, most of whom all speak English. I found Amsterdam safer than many [...]]]>

Amsterdam is a city in a world of it’s own. Anything goes here, so if you do something out of the ordinary, you don’t have to fear being arrested or frowned upon. The people are really friendly, most of whom all speak English. I found Amsterdam safer than many of the other cities that I have been through in the past few years.

Strolling around the Red Light was probably the most fun that I had on this trip to Amsterdam. It took hours to find, as TimeOut was not the best guide. It gave a general area, but no specific streets. The Red Light is really confined to a few main streets, in a general area full of coffee shops, drunken horny guys, and the smell of many varying strains of marijuana. The main street in the Red Light is Oudezidjs Achterburgwal, where I found single girls dressed in lace underwear and bras eyeing and beckoning to me while walking by. There were many sex shops where you can buy toys and other novelty items. Recently, though probably from religious conservatism, new strip show places have where there is less contact with the girls. You can see many men walking around here with their wives, looking all too promiscuous. The neighborhood itself has a lot of character, especially at night when the windows are illuminated with red lights, and the streets are crowded. I very much enjoyed walking around this area drinking Heineken’s in public. I hope you enjoy the photography, as I spent some time with the Tripod and camera.

Not to give you the wrong impression, but I will write about the many coffee shops that are here in the Dam. I am not a smoker, but did get to go in to see what goes on. I had some coffee to start the day a few times from a marijuana cafe. Many of them are concentrated in the Red Light district between Warmoestraat and Oudezijds Voorburgwal. Some of the larger ones were very crowded, had gigantic vaporizer type bongs in the windows, as well as advertising the sale of specific strains of pot. Once or twice the barista allowed me to take a few pictures inside. I have some photos of the coffeeshop Hill Street Blues, Nieuwmarkt 14, as well as Greenhouse, Oudezijds Voorburgwal 191, both located in the Old Centre, on the Old Side. I also photographed many of them as I was walking around the museums and galleries.

Aside from all of that, there’s the gorgeous architecture. While taking photos, I happened to notice some of the buildings were at angles, almost as if they were crooked. Some leaned forward, others leaned left or right. I thought it was part of the psychedelic design until the boat driver told me that was so they could hoist their furniture up by hooks built on the houses. If they did not lean the houses, the swaying furniture would break their windows. Interesting, right?

Here are plenty more photos of the great Dutch Architecture:

Ok, So I was coincidentally there for St. Patrick’s Day. I really wasn’t feeling too Irish, but was walking around the Southern Canal Belt when I came to a square. There were tons of Irish Pubs, with green balloons, bar hoppers in green, and the likes of an average St. Patrick’s Day Parade. It looked like fun, despite the fact I was not wearing green. I tried to get Wi-Fi to FaceTime home, but was cut off in a few bars… I went in one, where this nice guy Beppo, from Italy was chilling at the bar. We had a few pints, and then a few more pints. We had such a good time, and drank all night. I don’t know how he made it to work the next morning at 9 AM, when we left around 3 AM smashed. Here’s the photos:

Don’t forget breakfast the next morning. Dutch Pancakes Rule! Pancake Bakery(by myself )

I have some more photographs from the boat riding around the Canals. I took a whole bunch – you get a better view of the buildings. Amsterdam is small enough to ride around. And if you live there, you can ride around by boat. For the rest of the photos: check out my flickr page at: Todd Hanlon World Photography

]]> http://toddhanlon.com/world/red-light-canal-belt-amsterdam/feed/ 0 http://toddhanlon.com/world/barcelona-weekend/ http://toddhanlon.com/world/barcelona-weekend/#comments Fri, 08 Feb 2013 20:43:55 +0000 Todd Hanlon http://toddhanlon.com/world/?p=723

Catalonian Tapas… Cava around the clock… Dancing until eight if you can…

I had to do it. I just could’t afford it though. I had all the reasons in the world not to go. Everyone told me to stay home.

I thought to myself of all of the [...]]]>

Catalonian Tapas… Cava around the clock… Dancing until eight if you can…

I had to do it. I just could’t afford it though. I had all the reasons in the world not to go. Everyone told me to stay home.

I thought to myself of all of the benefits. Mental health. Sexual health. Liberation. Culture. Depth. Higher Learning. Meet new people. Relaxation. Practice mi espanol. Thankfully, the receptionist at the hotel liked my hat, when we spoke in Spanish, and upgraded my room to a deluxe suite. The Cava was flowing all the time, with a private bar in my room, jacuzzi, as well as a gorgeous enclosed stained glass terrace overlooking the Eixample district in Barcelona.

It was only 48 hours of fun. I had little time to get used to being in Barcelona. Before I got to the hotel, I stopped at a bodega to pick up some cheap champagne, and chorizo. I got to the hotel unexpectedly awaiting a pleasant surprise. I was bumped up to a really nice suite, with a spectacular view. I stayed at the Hotel Axel, Barcelona. I usually just find the cheapest rooms on Hotels.com or some other website like ebookers.com. This time I decided to get a room based on TimeOut Magazine or some other critics. What a good idea. It really makes a difference. For $20 more you are in the lap of luxury. I loved this hotel. The spa hit the spot. I had a jacuzzi in my suite that I could drink Champagne in, while I looked out the balcony windows over the streets of metropolitan Barcelona.

There are tons of gay clubs there. The city is extremely gay friendly. At night, there are gaggles of drag queens, cute circuit boys, daddy’s, and ravers parading around the street. It was like NYC in the 90s. The parties didn’t start until 2 AM. I was unprepared. I had dinner at 10 PM, like the others, with about a bottle or two of champagne, before it was around 1 AM. At that time, I was exhausted. The boys came into the hotel bar, where the famed Saturgayz party began. They invited me to catch the tour bus outside to go the party. This was around 1 AM, when I was completely smashed. They said the party lasted until tomorrow afternoon, and that the first bus back to the hotel was at 6 AM. I could not do it, but sometime, when I am all about the party I will go back to Barcelona. The boys were very cute, as well as really warm and friendly.

The only downside to a great party like this is the underworld. I was at one bar around the corner from my hotel. I jumped out of a cab, while deciding where to go for the night. I was looking in TimeOut, who did not publish the closing times of many venues. Some close at 10, while others just start at that time. Some of the clubs listed were closed. It was hard to navigate. Anyway, I was intoxicated when I landed at this club called Punto BCN which is an opener for the nightclub Arena. I did not know all this when I got there at 11. The bar was closing, and the bartender pitied me by pouring me a last drink. Two boys instantly came over to see me. They started talking about Black Vodka, which I tried with them. Someone saw my wallet with a knot of euro in it. I forgot to leave some cash home. After the round, I left debating whether or not to go back to the hotel. Two Czech guys flirtatiously came over to me. They invited me to Area to dance and have another drink. I started to walk with them, when they wanted to take a shady alley. One of the guys came on to me. I didn’t believe him. I thought they wanted to rob me. I was drunk, so I politely declined walking any more with them. Somehow in the ten minutes we were together they put their hands in my pockets, took my wallet out, removed my cash and put the wallet back. If they did not put the wallet back, I would have been stranded in Barcelona. The thieves are really bad. They worked fast, so fast I hadn’t a chance to realize it. I lost some money.

The hotel was beautiful. I definitely recommend Hotel Axel . They had a spa in the lower level, with jacuzzis and whirlpools to soothe every muscle. It was like Disney for sore feet. There was a steamroom, gigantic pool with jacuzzi jets, heated lounge chairs and many amenities. It was the most modern, comforting hotel I have been at in years. And I have been to many hotels.