Any suggestions for a destination? or maybe a career-change?

People, I am getting tired of this travelling business. Seriously..for the past 7 years I've been constantly travelling all over Europe and Asia. Mostly for business of course but still when does this drudgery end? For how many hours do I have to get this exposure of airplane radiation? Pack and unpack the freaking luggages..wait at the passport cue..pass through security check..uurggghhh..(and this is not Ronaldo's victory roar..!!)

Well, unless I start a different career, I am afraid I have to endure this until my retirement, which is still 15-20 years away..just to give you a hint what is ahead of me for the coming months..Utrecht, Rotterdam, Frankfurt, London (twice!!), Zagreb, Llubljana, Skopje, Belgrade, Sarajevo..that is 8 countries in 4 months..and then..we're still discussing about Barcelona, Johannesburg (really?? freakin' South Africa??). 

Seriously, I am not braggin or anything..I'm just tired.. tired of doing all the same chit-chat with different persons..talking about the same shit..it's the weather, the market, the economy, the crisis or whatever...staying at the same hotel rooms..you get the idea!

But I shouldn't complain..this is what I deserve..I opted for this..when I graduated from University I didn't want to end up as a translator..speaking so many languages and translating one stupid manual after another..no, no..I wanted to see the world. Interact with people..get to know different cultures..to have that savoir faire..yeah..there you have it.
Anyways, let's talk about something else..I will leave this travelling thing to another day..I bought a new camera recently..nothing too expensive..just one I could carry around easily..not too heavy..it's a Samsung NX300 and I must say I'm quite happy with it. It came with a 20-55 mm lens kit and Adobe Lightroom software..which was a pretty good deal I think. What I likemost  about it, is that it takes great pictures and supports wifi so you can e-mail or send them directly..one thing I could bitch about is that it doesn't have the viewfinder..but what the heck..the Rolling Stones knew that already..you can't always get what you want..

Have you watched 'Whiplash'?..well, if you're into music, you should definitely check it out..it was very entertaining and that dude can really play the drums..I mean, sure he's not a jazz drummer but still..an OK drummer..the music and acting wasn't always in sync but I didn't mind..I like underdog stories..you should check it out.

I like jazz..lot of good music out there..one of the best jazz documentaries is 'let's get lost'..it is about the faboulous Chet Baker and to me that documentary is the mother of all music documentaries. It's shot in black and white but you get to see how destructive drugs can be..Chet Baker was a real addict but also one of the best jazz musicians..check out his '56 record 'chet baker sings'...brilliant..

So, no travel stories this time..just some gibberish..next time I will write you from Rotterdam..stay safe everybody!

I just want to sit on my couch like a boss and sip on my tea!! 

Düsseldorf...Altbier and japanese culture..what a combination!

Although not far away from my hometown Cologne I have to admit that I never really cared for this city while I was living in Germany. I was happy in my own little world and there was no curiosity whatsoever on my part to see the Capital of North Rhine-Westphalia. Besides when you grew up in Cologne you had to listen to all those rivalries between the cities, which are separated by 40 km along the River Rhine. Actually the rivalry between those cities started centuries ago and it was mainly a commercial conflict. But over the years the beef reached ridiculous dimensions when they started arguing whose beer was better Altbier or Kölsch or who celebrated Fasching (sort of Mardi Gras) better. It got even worse when the English declared Düsseldorf as the Capital of North Rhine-Westphalia after WWII although Cologne was bigger.
So when I went to Düsseldorf this year to spend a week for the exhibition I had mixed emotions. I stayed at the Business Wieland Hotel in the city center and I must say it was simply perfect. The staff is really friendly trying to help you with any problem that you have. The rooms were beautifully designed and it had a very good location. Breakfast was great too. I enjoyed my conversations with the receptionists as they were great guys. Always friendly. So I have only good things to say about the hotel itself and if I should ever go back that will be the only hotel where I'd stay.
Düsseldorf was pretty cold but that didn't stop me from exploring the city. The 'Weihnachtsmarkt' was great and I drank some tasty 'Glühwein', which made me forget about the freezing weather.
One night we went to a restaurant called Riva at the harbour, where the food was great although a bit expensive. But the ambience was great and I was in good company so I could not bitch about anything. The 'Altstadt' of Düsseldorf is quite nice and worth a visit but not as nice as the one in Cologne.
However, one thing that Cologne has not is a Japanese quarter. Düsseldorf has one of the biggest japanese communities in Europe, which is based on the fact that there were a lot of Japanese companies. There are some splendid japanese restaurants where people cue up at lunch time.

So overall it was a nice experience except for the one I had at the REWA grocery store across the street of the Hotel where they confused me for a thief because I took a bottle of Vodka from the liquor cabinet and gave it to my friend who was going to buy it. One of the employees saw me taking the bottle and the next moment I didn't have it anymore so he must have thought another wino stealing our liquor. He came after me with his colleague asking where I had put the bottle of Vodka, which caught me by surprise. I got mad, yelling to them that they can't accuse me out of nowhere and showed them my friend who had the bottle in the shopping basket. The clerk got all red on his face and started to blubber apologies and he disappeared to his back-office faster than you could say 'asshole'!
So..Düsseldorf is nice..nice restaurants..nice people..but KÖLSCH-beer will beat Altbier anytime, anywhere. no arguments there!

just a collection of photos..

Revisiting Dubai...

Well, boys and girls..it is time again to write something about a city that I visited last week, although I am pretty sure no one really cares about my two cents here. but I will pester you anyways and invade a little bit more of that internet space..!
So, I took a flight with Turkish Airlines again on my way to Dubai, where I arrived at three in the morning. Dubai airport is big. So I had to walk miles to get to the passport controls where I had to wait another hour along with other hundreds of poor souls looking as shitty as I did.
As soon as you leave the exit door with your luggage in your hand you will be approached by a pirate-taxi who will ask you whether you need a ride. DO NOT FALL for them as they are more expensive than regular taxis. When you take a normal taxi you probably end up paying something between 10-15 USD to the city center, The other guys will rip you off and charge you 40-50 USD. I stayed at the World Trade Center Appartments, which are rental flats. As accomodations are quite pricey here this is a rather a good alternative.
Yes sir, Dubai is darn expensive. I am not a big Mall fan but I was told that I had to see the fountain show and the Burj Khalifa there so I went to Dubai Mall, which is huge. This place was built to attract consumers. All Dubai is just about consumption. Do I like it? No, but was it worth to see? definitely. It is astonishing to see what money can buy or build. Even the regular bus stops are equipped with air-conditioning, which makes sense due to the hot climate but unthinkable in most European countries.
You don't get to see to many Arabs while you're there. The city is populated with expats from all over the world and then there is a huge indian/asian immigration. While walking the streets I even had the sensation I was walking the street in Mumbai. Of course, you did not really think that the Arabs would build all those big buildings without their cheap labor force from the Far East, right?

But if you're into luxury, hedonism and mindless-consumption then Dubai is your place to be. I really felt like hitting the barman when he charged me 15 USD for a glass of Heineken.
I did not like it that much. Would I go see it a second time? Probably not. I had the impression the city was artificial without any soul. But hey, each to his/her own.

my first job in Barcelona..

In one of my previous blog entries I wrote about the time when I moved to Barcelona and my search for a job there. As you will remember, there were some pathetic attempts to get a proper job but in the end I managed to find something through friends as a court translator at the Court of Barcelona. So, let's do something different this time and let me tell you about that period in Barcelona. That was 02-03 so quite a while ago. I will always remember the first day I entered the building, passing through security and then going to the secretary to register myself. Of course, they were waiting for me as I was requested through the translation agency and they led me to a big room where I was welcomed by some officials who explained me what the case was about. I had to translate English-Spanish and viceversa as the detained person was from the Netherlands. He was caught with cocaine inside the bus at the border and was there for his interrogation. So I waited there, with the judge, secretary and the public prosecutor (called 'fiscal' in spanish) but no lawyer was present. I found that curious then but didn't think about it much.

Anyways, the police officers brought in the Dutch, who looked a bit scared as he was looking around trying to figure out where he was. I assumed he had spent the night under arrest in a wonderful little jail room called 'calabozo', which was one floor under the court building. They sat him on a chair, the judge sat at his desk and the public prosecutor just fired away with his questions as the secretary was typing everything on a old-fashioned typewriter (no computer!), one of the police officers stood by the door and the other one left the room.

- who is your contact person here in Barcelona?

- where did you get the drugs?

- why did say that the drugs weren't yours?

- if the drugs aren't yours, how come they were in placed in your seat? 

- for this amount of drugs you are facing at least 10 years in spanish lockup. do you know that? 

I tried to translate as fast as the prosecutor asked the questions. The Dutch really seamed nervous and was in a cold sweat. I hadn't imagined that an interrogation would take place like this. In the movies, it is always the police asking the questions, you know, the detainee sitting on the chair under a lamp. It wasn't like that at all. After translating what the dutch man had to say the prosecutor started again to fire away with the SAME questions!. This went on and on. In the end I got pretty tired repeating everything back and forth. At one point, the prosecutor stopped and told the police officer to take the man back to his cell. They thanked me for my services, which was a signal that we were done and that I had to leave. 

Not bad for a first day I thought. I went to the secretary to have the receipt signed and collect my cash.