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micaramel · 5 years

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Artist: Lucie Stahl

Venue: The Downer, Berlin

Exhibition Title: Berlin Babylon

Date: November 17, 2018 – January 19, 2019

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Full gallery of images, press release, and link available after the jump.

Images:

Images courtesy of The Downer, Berlin

Press Release:

The period television series Babylon Berlin takes place in the riotous Berlin of 1929 – a time when the city was reeling from the shameful fallout of the First World War and was, for perhaps the first time, a world capital of culture. The insidious rise of Nazism was already well underway, with Joseph Goebbels directing gangs of brown-shirted thugs to skirmish with communists and harass Jews. The National Socialist party had won 10 seats in the Reichstag the year prior. At the same time, the city’s three opera houses were packed. Artists and writers moved in, flocking to Berlin’s bars and cabarets. Lavish parties were thrown night after night. Cocaine consumption was at a pinnacle.

Babylon Berlin has been shot – at least in part – in the eponymous city, occasionally turning contemporary Berlin’s subway stations and street corners into historical reenactments. The stage dressings perfectly befit a city that has spent the past decade rebuilding the Stadtschloss. The original 18th Century palace was demolished in 1950 and replaced by the seat of the East German parliament – a building that was itself demolished in 2008 to make way for the new, old palace. Rather than housing kings or politicians, the new Stadtschloss will be home to an extensive collection of art and cultural artifacts when it opens in 2019. This process of historical resuscitation, modification and reclamation is already familiar in Berlin, the most notable example being the Reichstag, which sports a glass dome in an ostensible nod to openness and transparency of government. Notably, before its renovation, the entire building was swaddled in white fabric by the artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude: a kind of born-again christening.

Babylon Berlin’s extras occasionally mill around on the city’s streets, corralled by PAs and prop stylists. Men in Reichswehr uniforms, who would have been demoralized in 1929, fending off putsch attempts and working at the behest of an embattled government, now lounge around, looking somewhat unfamiliar with their rifles. A handful of soldiers are called over and given instructions by people who must be their commanding officers, although they really do not look the type with their neon trainers and fanny packs.

Berlin is once again a global cultural capital with an outsized reputation in the visual arts and music – famous nightclubs and a world-renowned symphony. The city is still home to three operas. Artists have again flocked here. And, once again, social and political dissatisfaction ferments below the veneer of opulence fueled by creativity. Lucie Stahl’s photographs of the cast and crew of Babylon Berlin loafing around between takes on the empty streets of Mitte don’t state this outright, but they certainly intimate.

Intimation, implication in lieu of explicitness, is a hallowed trait of art making – allowing artworks to avoid being too ‘duh’ as well as lending a plausible deniability that could help avoid inviting public outcry or censorship. This is a quality that happens to be shared by advertising, branding, public relations and politics – often for the same reasons. Much of Lucie Stahl’s work doubles this strategy, making a kind of cross-genre mise en abymein which the show-it-don’t-say-it approaches of branding and marketing are framed within an artwork, therefore demanding to be evaluated on exceptional terms. Arguably, when someone is looking at art they are much more willing to be thoughtful and investigative than when looking at a magazine ad.

In her most widely known series, Stahl uses a commercial scanner to build compositions of consumer objects, miniatures of quotidian things, clippings and advertising. Cobbled together and often held by a pair of clay or paint caked hands – as if dredged up from the swamp of pop culture runoff – each object or grouping thereof feels like a talismanic artifact from our short-term memories. Pressed right against the glass, the murky darkness around them threatens to swallow these objects back up if they weren’t somehow being lit from our vantage point as viewers. There are sleeves of Pringles, bags of Cheetos in increasing grades of sun faded-ness and different versions of the bucolic, salt-of-the-earth genre packaging of health food. There are packs of cigarettes and rocks painted to look like packs of cigarettes; beer cans, to-go cups and bottled water. There are also clippings from magazines: ads, bits of op-eds, even glimpses of artworks, as well as the familiar graphic design of the New Yorker, Economist and Spiegel magazines. These scanned presentations are flecked with bits of dust, dirt and pollen, or occasionally smeared with something viscous that looks like it is slowly drying, out of reach behind a layer of glossy polyurethane resin. Every one of Stahl’s photographs that I have seen in person is lacquered with the same glassy resin coating. It is impossible not to equate this material sensation with looking at a screen.

This is not to say that seeing one of Stahl’s photographs is comparable to seeing an ad for Cheetos on your iPhone. It’s more like checking your bank statement on your iPhone and being forced to recount what you spend 38 dollars on at two in the morning last weekend, and remembering that you bought Cheetos, a case of Coors, a pack of American Spirits and a bottle of water for the morning. The muddy, proffering hands are empathetic – they’ve clawed back to the surface of the same swamp we’re all treading water atop. While Stahl’s work is clearly critical of contemporary life, she remains an individual navigating it. This feeling of knowing companionship became clear to me in her series that appropriates the packaging design of an alternative grain: quinoa or something. The central motif is a silhouetted farmer, alone with his scythe, among peaceful hills and a glowing sunset. The thought is absurd – I know that if I buy a bag of grain in Berlin that was harvested in South America it could not possibly be the product of a one-man operation. But pitted against Chester Cheeto, it’s convincing enough to at least give me a leg up to some moral high ground, and so, I guess it kind of works. The same could be said for her series featuring American Spirit and Pueblo cigarette branding, which laughs at the absurd whataboutism of any cigarette company claiming moral superiority, but again – it works. When branding works on us, life’s little exercises of persona-defining consumer choosiness are almost automatic, quickly forgotten and relegated back to the swamp or tossed out of a pickup truck window into the desert. Stahl picks them up and brings them back to us with alacrity.

In the lonely farmer pictures, Stahl has collaged a rough-hewn door into the side of the hill where the farmer is working. Doors and the keys to them show up in other pieces as well. They seem like invitations to step into the dim world of used and discarded things.

This world that Stahl seems to occupy is more than that, though. It is a social subconscious that extends beyond food packaging and into the mechanics of society: the oil business, bad-faith political dealing, insularity and feelings of captivity, environmental decimation and extinction. It’s not actually very inviting, but regardless of whether we enter or not, Stahl will continue to drag things up from the murk and press them against the glass.

Occasionally, things make it past the glass, like a group of ammunition boxes that the artist collaged over with clippings from hobbyist military model making catalogs. Here a bleak reality starts to be overtaken by the fantasies that drive it, although they too are rehashings of things that happened years ago. Half-painted Waffen-SS soldiers sit atop a Panzer tank, obscuring the part of the ammo’s tagline. The macabre words “Power” and “Slug” bleed through.

In another series, Stahl has made versions of Tibetan prayer wheels out of old beer cans and oil drums. The real Tibetan versions are generally inscribed with a mantra and can be held – and spun – by hand. Their Buddhist originators saw each revolution of the cylinder as one repetition of the mantra. As far as I understand, it’s like praying on hyper drive. Stahl’s versions are like nagging reminders that the world’s production/consumption cycle is on hyper drive and we are subsumed in it, so thirsty for more that we don’t care if it’s a dressed up version of something we’ve already had and cast aside. While she takes up both what we’ve discarded and what we think we desire – be they originals, historical reenactments or bootlegs – Stahl picks apart the conventions that are abused to give these things meaning. Instead, she puts them to work in service of her own worldview.

This feeling of cyclical persistence whether we want it or not permeates lots of Stahl’s practice. The play-acting soldiers in her behind the scenes photographs of Babylon Berlin and the frozen, miniature military men pasted onto a box of bullets both feel like an unwelcome return. There is the implication that we should take care before waxing too nostalgic about sitting at the precipice of a world war and unthinkable genocide. Seeing history uncannily transposed onto the present is a charged experience. The unease is only heightened by the fact that we are living in a time where xenophobia, national exceptionalism and outright racism have found a way out of their cages of socially enforced repression, onto the placards of political parties, and into our daily lives.

Patrick Armstrong

Link: Lucie Stahl at The Downer

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rfschatten · 7 years

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Resign, Impeached, Go to Jail, or what’s behind Door 4

The Trump Administration has been officially in a state of chaos since, Jan. 20th, 2017!...and the hits just keep on coming!

When the final 3 alternatives for Donald Trump are option 1) Resign 2) Get Impeached 3) Go Directly to Jail...The Trumpster will go for what's behind Door 4! A coup of our Democracy! In the case of Impeachment? Scene 1 Act 1: Declare Marshall Law, and suspend all elections (cause they are all rigged!) Then shut the "American Free Press", cause they're just Fake News and the enemy of Donald Trump...thus, the enemy of the State...and the enemy of the American People!

A Coup? Yes! more and more serious academics and politicos...including Yale University History Professor Timothy Snyder...are coming up with the same conclusion! If push comes to shove...in lieu of being Exposed or Impeached, a thin-skinned Donald Trump, in all his Trump fashion will attempt a "Putsch"! Most likely with the assistance of his 'Beer Hall' buddy Steve Bannon, coordinating things. But, like his Presidency...they 'all' expect he'll fail miserably!

Trump's assault on the 1st Amendment. Trump and Bannon's intention of removing piece by piece the 1st Amendment from American History: Freedom of the Press, and the Freedom of Speech & Expression...and he's already doing it!...by alienating our Free Press both literally, and alienating it from the Public. A systematic policy of False Information and blaming the "Fake News"...making it that more and more people everyday question's the Press!

Trumpism's deep hostility on the Press is not something new. As a child, he would not tolerate being criticized or mocked. As an Adult, Money Lawyers and lots of Money silenced his critics and his accusers. And now as King Pussy Grabber with absolute Power? Wanting to tear apart US Libel Laws to intimidate the press, cutting the press off, thoughts of eliminating Press Briefings, and forbidding coverage of Presidential Meetings inside the White House with Russian Ministers and Ambassadors...who are usually not supposed to be there, cause they're also infamously, Foreign Intelligence Officers!

Lesson One in "Politics 101 for Dummies"; It's not nice or politically wise to ever alienate your own Press, not when they can come back to haunt you some day with a swift kick of criminal exposure on your Prussian-Scottish arse! Oh, Donny!...Karma sure is a Bitch!

So! A White House meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, every Trump Administrators' best friend, the widely popular Russian Ambassador Sergei Kyslyak, and King Donald excluded the American Press...but the Orange Puppet, invited the Russian Press to join in the talks! Only hours after firing Jim Comey for investigating Him and Putin! WTF?? What an insulting slap in the Face to all Americans by Donald Trump!! A President who favors America's longtime natural enemy, its Leader, and its 'State' Press, over his own Country?...anyway you cut it...Trump's a F**cking Traitor!!

And what did Trump and McMaster show the Russians? Deeply word coded, "Classified" intelligence information to the Russians at the Oval Office. Official WH horseshit tale? First Trump & McMaster denied it, then a couple of days later, they both admitted it. Interesting! Then, you wonder why the American Press was kept out?!?! McMaster says it was perfectly correct to show the Russians the info. NO!!!! you don't show your longtime adversary or anyone else, the United States' most deeply held Secret Intelligence Information...it's called TREASON!...Julius & Ethel Rosenberg were guilty cause they sold Secrets. Trump & McMasters...they sold an entire Nation out! And despicable sold out the "Source of the Info", and the town where his cover is deeply infiltrated!! No lethal injection for the Trumpster...a "Gold" Electric Chair, with the ghosts of Julius and Ethel witnessing the end of a True Traitor!

Of course, next step for the Glory of Fascism is canceling Free Elections...it's hard to have Free Elections when everyone hates your guts! And now he's trying to convince his Kool-Aid Minions that Elections cause wide-spread fraud and crime...so it would be better just to eliminate them, altogether! And if that doesn't work? Burn the Americans' "Reichstag"...'that' psychology worked for Germany!

How ironic that comedians all joked about 2016 being "Our Last Election" and the end of Democracy! Trumpism's continuous public attacks on Judges who don't agree with his views? Yes! they too are very seriously real! And his ideas of reforming the Judicial System to conform to and execute the Trumpster's Policies and Orders...or else? Echoes of those days, 1945-1949 Nuremberg, and its hangings!...especially the Judiciary ones.

The Trumpster's lack of humor and his disdain for Comics...cause they hurt the poor baby's little feelings is more than obvious. Prosecute Comedians? For exercising their constitutional right of Free Speech & Expression to critically make lewd jokes?...while hypocritically making his own embarrassing, and now historically lewd comments all his life, along with all his despicable actions to probably everyone in this Country, and don't forget his disrespectful manners towards Vets...and really...towards everyone else! And never ever! forget his repulsive acts of mocking disabled people!

The problem? This thin-skinned narcissist is a 70yrs. old spoiled cry baby, who has temper tantrums if anyone, ever dares to make fun of him or criticize him! Donny! Donny! Donny! Hey, listen bubeleh! Grow up, learn a little, put up with it, shut up, and just live Life before your Blood Pressure kills ya!...you sure do like sh*t! Listen, Don! Don't tell anyone...being criticized by the entire world, goes with the job!...it's that part of politics where a man's real character shows who's a real leader, and who's just a real wannabee! So, you wanted to be President??...surprise!!!

And the Republican Party? An absolutely successful Castration procedure by Trump and his Goons...almost unanimously partisan, they all march to beat of Trumpism with the complete lack of "Cojones" to stand, pull up their pants, zip them, and tell Trump their bromance is over...and it's time recover their Party and the dignity of their Souls! Every single one of these spineless cowards, refuse to attend their respective community's continually angrier and rowdier Town Hall Meetings, cause they're screwing America for the Big Money, behind Door number 4!...and not a single one, is Macho enough to tell it to their faces!! Like their Grand Supreme Coward...sink America 1st and grab what you can, before you're out too! Big Shame! on the American Public to permit all of this! These "Civil Servants" are all degenerates that know exactly what would happen if that Air of Authoritarian Living settles down over this Nation...yet, they don't give a f**k!

Trump, Russia, Flynn, & Cover-ups "You can’t put in the fix by removing somebody"! John Dean knows a little bit about Scandals, Cover-ups, and Prison...18 months' worth! Take his word, America...he knows better about Presidential Politics and the Law than most other people around; “The firing raised so many questions. How can you conclude anything but that Trump knows he’s got problems? … Every move they make keeps signaling ‘coverup’...if they think they can influence the Russian investigation by removing Comey, they are naïve. I learned from my own experience that you can’t put in the fix by removing somebody.”

A Trump/Russia Investigation that every time someone opens his or her mouth, another Trump associate is connected to this whole mess. It's amazing how popular the Russian Ambassador is!...and how many people connected with The Family Trump, the Trump Corp, the Trump Campaign, the Trump Administration and all its Cabinet, Trump Business Associates, and even personal friends, knows this guy! Coincidence? Coincidences? when it's not just the Ambassador, but Russian Mobsters, Russian Bankers, Russian Business Developers, other assorted Ministers and other Russian Government Officials...including their ever present Russian "Attaches" (AKA) - Intel Agents. Every one of these Russians has had more than a casual personal contact or connections with about almost everyone ever connected to Donald Trump!...in one way or another! That's one giant "Awesome" load of trash to convict for Treason!

So many Treasonous Acts by so many Trumpsters...using a new Scandal to Cover-up an older one, is just not going to work...it'll just be another addendum to the heap of insane actions. So, it all goes back to the Trump/Russian Investigation!...and you got to start with the star attraction...Michael Flynn, and his refusal to talk or deliver his documents unless he gets a plea bargain. No problem, Mike! A Congressional subpoena for the Documents has been issued, and another one for you to testify! This tale of unraveling events is becoming quite interesting...add James Comey into this mix and expect fireworks! He's testifying again, and this time in "Closed Hearing"...certainly, classified info is going to be passed around! Sooner or later, the scandal is going to erupt like a Volcano and burn a lot of Republicans...even more, than it already has...in Capital Hill! Comey? he's demanding one final Testimony...in Public, in front of the Senate Committee.

In today's world, people don't need to read much to see what is happening, nothing is truer than natural human emotions...and body language doesn't lie! TV screens don’t lie!! The Truth is right in front of you, and you just can't hide from it, anymore!! All of Trump's own Conflicts of Interests are a mere speck, compared to this Criminal Act of Conflict of Interest: A President under criminal investigation, firing the Man who is Investigating him and the Russians? Then a Criminal Act of Treason...inviting the Russian Officials to the WH, kicking the American Press out, and showing the Russkies ultra-sensitive Classified Info??? No imbecilic horseshit tale of how Comey hurt his poor friend, Crooked Hillary, with that fake email scandal...days before the Election, and no tales of how Legal is the treasonous act of showing Highly Sensitive US Intelligence to a Foreign Government that's not even one of our Allies!...but, our Adversaries!!!

You can't hide the cover-up of Russian assistance and interference in his narrow win, anymore! Confirmed evidence suggests the Russian Government 'was' actively involved in helping Trump by a massive systematic plan of discrediting Clinton, and other types of hackings directly affecting the Election...also, the amount of Rouble Invested on their Puppet, circulated via Slush Funds and the final Money Laundering involving Trump, Russian Bankers, Putin, and Deutsche Bank in Germany! And, are still actively Involved in destabilizing our American Democracy, throughout the Country!

Changing his own story from Sessions' Recommendation...which would be considered a criminal act for violating his recusal...to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein's Advice to fire Comey. Now, that Rosenstein threatened to resign if accused of that Lie, Trump recanted that tale and changed his story all together...again! Now? he was going to eventually fire Comey, regardless of anyone's recommendation!...really? Strong Warnings from Barack Obama, when Obama and Trump met at the White House following the Elections. And from Sally Yates, when she brought him all her evidence to the White House...18 days before Trump fired Flynn.

Donald Trump has in his own ingenious way, managed to trap himself in a web where there's really no way out! What you see is a man desperately trying to hide his actions, his connections, and his timeline, from being exposed for being the person America and the rest of the World already know he really is; A little man-child who's Vladimir Putin's Puppet!

"You can’t put in the fix by removing somebody"! The Trumpster's fatal flaw?...firing people right and left like the Apprentice, all to cover up his lifelong unbelievable knack for corruption! Stupid is as Stupid Does...and the more he screws up, the louder the call for a treasonous Cover-up! But in the end, it all comes down to the Prosecution and Impeachment processes. If the GOP and the DOJ get their way, and cowardly let it all just fade away? Then, my friends...it's time to learn the virtues of Fascism and White Nationalism...and seriously become informed of its consequences!

Dear America! Avoid that "Fabulously Awesome" Kool-Aid, our President and his "Beer Hall Putsch" pals are feverishly trying to push the public to swallow!...keep away from the Trump horseshit and its addiction to that Taste of Ignorance! But most important of all...really! more important than anything else!...please! stay away from their revolting and sick Prussian Nazi world of"Schadenfreude"!! Schadenfreude; "The Pleasure or Self-satisfaction derived from the misfortunes or failures of others", and "Delighting in other people's Misfortunes", is costing this Nation irreparable damage of disrespect from the World, that will not be repaired till way after we're all gone from this Earth...yet, not too many in this Country ever think about it and/or its implications!

Americans! We're precisely at the pinnacle of the darkest moment in the 241 years of our extremely fragile Democracy! Resist and Never Surrender to Trumpism's wave of ignorance!...or accept living an Authoritarian Lifestyle!

Just remember! We, the People are stronger than any major Autocrat or two-bit Dictator could ever be!...if this Nation turns towards Fascism, it's because 'we' allowed it to happen! The fate of this shallow little worm, but, way much more important...the fate of our Nation...is in our hands!!

#donald trump #@impeachment #russiatrump #GOP #James Comey #fbi director #Scnada #Scandal #Smoking Gun #Vladimir Putin #President of the United States

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touristguidebuzz · 7 years

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How to Spend 48 Hours in Oslo, Bratislava, Munich or Glasgow

Whether you’re building an itinerary to fill a two-week vacation, or scouting weekend jaunts from your study-abroad home base, these four European cities are perfect for touching down, checking in, going out, staying up and taking off — all within 48 hours so you can make the most of those 2017 vacation days.

1. Explore Oslo on a Dime

If You’re Going to be Near: Stockholm, Copenhagen or Bergen

While you may balk at Norway’s capital because of its expensive reputation, there are plenty of ways to see Oslo on a lean budget too. And if you’re flying from the US, Norwegian Air constantly offers outrageously affordable nonstop flights to Olso (OSL) from cities like New York (JFK and EWR), Boston (BOS), and Fort Lauderdale (FLL) — always check our TPG Deals Page before you book to see if any are currently available.

Take a stroll through downtown Oslo. Image courtesy of Shutterstock.

Day One

To get around the city with ease, purchase an Oslo Pass, your ticket to the city’s public transportation as well as admission to its many museums and sights. Oslo’s main attractions — City Hall Square, the Royal Palace, Karl Johans Gate, the Nobel Peace Center, Akershus Fortress and the statues of Vigelandsparken — can all be reached on foot, but you may want to jump on a bus or tram during the chilly winter months. In the center of town, you can take part in Oslo’s cafe culture, particularly evident around the city’s harbor, which will help warm you up after a day of sightseeing. Make dinner reservations at Hos Thea, a popular restaurant that can be difficult to get into, as soon as you book your flight.

Day Two

The next day, spend some time wandering through the area along Karl Johans Gate, the city’s main street. Sample a mug of gløgg and cozy up by the communal fire. The wintry temperatures may appear off-putting, but Norwegians know how to warm you from the inside out. Putting your Oslo Pass to work, take the subway-turned-overground train to Holmenkollen ski jump; the ride through the hills surrounding Oslo makes the journey alone worth it. Once you’ve arrived, plan to ascend the ski-jump tower, where you can see the totality of Oslo, and enjoy the view of the ski jump under the sheen of freshly made snow.

2. Indulge Your Appetites in Bratislava

If You’re Going to be Near: Vienna or Budapest

Bratislava’s petite sprawl offers everything I’ve come to love about Eastern European cities: 10th-century castles, picturesque old-town squares and tiny lanes that spindle off the city center. Flying in to Bratislava (BTS) is convenient from continental European cities like London, Berlin and Milan. It’s also easily accessible by car or train from Prague and Vienna.

Bratislava is petite yet picturesque. Image courtesy of Shutterstock.

Day One

Slovakia, like its Czech Republic neighbor, produces excellent beers — the country is less known for its quality wines, but that’s what makes the opportunity to drink them even better. To sample both, stop by the LOFT Hotel Bratislava to visit its on-site brewery and the cozy wine bar serving more than 100 Slovakian wines. Or if you’d rather sip from the source, take a day trip outside the city to visit the local wineries. If you’re worried about spending your first 24 hours outside of the city, fear not! Bratislava is compact and can be easily seen on your second day.

Day Two

Looking to burn off those liquid calories from the night before, but also want to see the sights? Book a trip with Go! Running Tours Bratislava. With four tour routes to choose from, you’ll get a workout and a guided tour of the city and its many sites, including the Presidential Palace, Bratislava Castle, Slavin (a military cemetery with views of the entire city), the Old Town and Michael’s Gate. If the weather proves too cold for a run on your visit, satiate your hunger inside a cozy restaurant with traditional Slovakian food. Dishes like okše, typical potato pancakes prepared either salty or sweet; cigánska pečienka, a hamburger-like fried pork steak covered in mustard and onions and served in a bread pocket; and šmalec, a wedge of bread with pork fat and onion, will soon have you warmed up and ready for more wine. Or wash down these winter dishes with hriato, a traditional fruit-and-brandy-based cocktail made with honey and bacon or pork fat.

3. Make History in Munich

If You’re Going to be Near: Salzburg or elsewhere in Bavaria

While most tourists flock to Munich in late-September for Oktoberfest, the city has plenty to offer visitors in the remaining months of the year, too. To get there, plan to arrive in Munich via its international airport (MUC). Once you’ve arrived, take the S1 or S8 S-Bahn trains that depart from the airport for the city center. The journey to the main station at the center of Munich takes about 45 minutes, with trains departing every 20 minutes.

There’s so much more to Munich than just Oktoberfest. Image courtesy of Shutterstock.

Day One

Once you’ve dropped your bags at your hotel, you’re free to move about the city. Munich’s Marienplatz is a logical place to start your clock if you’re traveling here around Christmastime — once you’ve perused the stalls and had your fill of steaming glühwein, a dangerously delicious concoction of wine, cinnamon, clove, orange and sugar, head to your pre-booked (hint, hint) Hitler and the Third Reich Munich Walking tour. This tour, which I found on through Viator.com’s app, gives you an in-depth look at the city in which Hitler and his followers first rose to prominence and attempted to take over the country with their Beer Hall Putsch. (After he served time in prison for the failed coup, Hitler ran a strong campaign for the presidency of Germany and was legally appointed as Chancellor, a move that eventually led to his dictatorship.) Munich’s part in Germany’s dark past is illuminated by the guide’s exceptional grasp of history and storytelling. If you’re a history buff, 2.5-hour tour is well worth your short time in the quintessential Bavarian city.

Day Two

The next morning, collect your caffeinated cup of choice and head to the Englischer Garten, Munich’s largest public park. What’s so special about this green space? Not only does it have numerous cycling and running trails, as well as a beer garden, it’s also home to Eisbachwelle, a river where surfers line the banks while they wait their turn to take on the waves. This hypnotic dance of river surfers could keep you captivated for hours… just don’t spend too long here, it’s your last day in Munich! Looking to try a bit of local cuisine to round out your experience? Local specialties like roasted pork knuckle, pork roast, Fleischpflanzerl (Bavarian meatballs) and Weißwurst (veal sausage) are all great options. To quench your thirst, try the variety of different Bavarian beers available. If you want to sample some from the source, look for a local brewery like Weisses Brauhaus or Richelbräu.

4. Get Your Glengoyne on in Glasgow

If You’re Going to be Near: Edinburgh or London

How does a city go from a rough-and-tumble reputation to being voted one of the world’s friendliest cities? Simply put: “People Make Glasgow.” The city’s campaign champions the idea that its citizens are what make it such a great place to live and visit. Glasgow is accessible to visitors via its international airport (GLA), or if you’re traveling domestically via rail, its main railway station at Queen Street — a train journey takes about 50 minutes from Edinburgh and just over four hours from London.

Glasgow Cathedral is the picture-perfect place to duck out of the wintry Scottish weather. Image courtesy of Shutterstock.

Day One

Once you’ve arrived, take a stroll through George Square, which serves as the perfect meeting point for sightseeing tours or public-transportation exchanges. Hop on either of these buses to see iconic sights like City Chambers, Glasgow Cathedral, Hampden Park, the Gallery of Modern Art and the Tenement House. And don’t miss the city’s thriving music scene. From its impressive SSE Hydro stadium to smaller venues where up-and-coming artists like Suspire perform, Glasgow has something for every genre of music lover. Can’t catch a concert while you’re in town? From cheeky wee drams of whisky to handcrafted cocktails, you’ll find a variety of pubs, cocktail bars and nightclubs to keep the fun going all night.

Day Two

Getting up the next morning might be rough, but a little hair of the dog will help. Don’t leave Glasgow without first stopping by a local distillery. Glengoyne Distillery, open from 10:00am to 5:00pm each day, is the perfect place to sample the water of life before you head to your next destination. If checking out art is more your inclination, spend your time in Glasgow following the Mural Trail, an initiative that began in 2008 as a means to revamp older buildings and vacant areas that has inspired close to 20 murals across the city center. Some are temporary, making catching sight of them while you’re in town that much more unique.

Where are your favorite whirlwind European city destinations? Tell us about them below.

Featured image courtesy of Shutterstock.

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