Tag: thegatexperience

6 enchanting bookshops in Lisbon

@madsweets19

Portugal is a land of brilliant writers such as Lisbon-born Fernando de Pessoa and Luís de Camões, José Saramago, native of Alentejo, and José Maria de Eça de Queiroz, who was born in the Greater Porto region.

The nation’s capital, Lisbon, treasures and guards their literary masterpieces in a huge variety of bookshops ‒ some are tiny and quaint, some large and well-stocked, some ancient and others modern. We have selected six of the city’s bookstores that have a unique attraction and seduce window-shoppers and serious book-lovers alike.

Portugal’s oldest bookshop

@saracabido

Located on Rua Garrett in the Chiado district, the Livraria Bertrand first opened its doors in 1732 and is renowned for being the oldest bookshop in the country. Over the years, its shelves have witnessed great discussions on politics and literature between intellectuals who sought to change the world.

A 117-year old book club

@bedsidebookclub

The 19th-century Livraria Ferin is also in Chiado. This old-style establishment is ideal for taking refuge from the bustling local streets while you select a book and enjoy a coffee in what used to be a crypt on the ground floor.

The tiniest bookshop of all

©HugoAmaral

Nestled at the foot of the Escadinhas de São Cristóvão (steps to Saint Christopher) in the traditional Mouraria neighbourhood, is a bookshop the size of a shoe cupboard. This bibliophile heaven is a hole in the wall called Livraria de Simão and is named after the bookseller, who you will inevitably bump into during your visit.

The captivating smell of old books

@acidadenapontadosdedos

Rua do Alecrim, in the Chiado district, is home to the Campos Trindade and João Trindade second-hand bookshops, which battle to safeguard relics of Portuguese literature against being lost or forgotten. Stepping through the door is like a journey back in time.

Where bicycles and books take flight

@nunosantosmonteiro

Ler Devagar (read slowly) is located within LX Factory, Lisbon’s creative mini-city set inside an old industrial complex. It invites visitors to read and relax in a creative haven among floor-to-ceiling books and eclectic artistic installations such as a flying bicycle. Cultural magazine Flavorwire has named it as one of the most beautiful bookshops in the world.

After a busy day browsing through some of the literary gems held in Lisbon’s enchanting assortment of bookshops, make your way back to the Baixa neighbourhood in the heart of the city, where the Gat Rossio hotel is waiting to help you take the weight off your feet and enjoy a fabulous night’s rest.

Photo exhibition: Berlin according to Latin American artists

This group exhibition, composed by 10 Latin American artists, is organised by the art production company Karne Kunst and hosted by GatRooms hotel. The event will take place this Saturday 24th of March at 18:30h at Gat Point Charlie, Mauerstraße 81-82, 10117 (Berlin).

This exhibition of pictures of Berlin, taken by different artists from Latin America, explores their rich and different outlook on this city, regarding their diverse backgrounds and understandings of the world.

The artists Belén Majdalani, Bethania Medina, Briseida Corzo Rivera, Clo Catalán, Kümei Kirschmann, Lucas Dima, Mora Kirchner, Tiare Maldonado Hucke , Yamila De Pico and Unpublished historical photographs by José Giribás, suggest and expose different visions of the city we walk through every day.

Facebook event

 

 

In Easter, enjoy Ostern in Berlin

Photo: @AndreuPoison

The Easter holidays are just around the corner, and our city is looking better than ever!

We think so, anyway – and when you read about Berlin’s Easter customs and traditions, festivals and markets, we think you’ll agree with us! We have a sneaky feeling that you are going to want to make your way here soon to see it all yourself…

Ostern in Berlin

In the German capital, tradition dictates kicking off Easter week on Gründonnerstag (Maundy Thursday) with a green seven herb soup followed by Osterlamm for dessert, a sweet Easter cake baked in the shape of a lamb and dusted with icing sugar. A delicious start to the Holy Week!

Photo: @_nudels_kitchen

Don’t miss the incredible events held to commemorate the changing seasons. Celebrate the arrival of spring at the Frühlingsfest in Kurt-Schumacher-Damm, the Britzer Baumblüte in the southern part of the city, and the Kirschblütenfest cherry blossom festival held in the Gärten der Welt (Gardens of the World), or bid farewell to winter on Easter Saturday around the huge bonfires held in Britzer Garten, Spandau and Frohnau, among others.

Photo: @berlimama

The world-famous German markets liven up the squares at Breitscheidplatz, with “Mr. Bunny” and twelve huge eggs, and Alexanderplatz, which will be decorated with nearly six thousand crochet eggs.


Photo: www.tagesspiegel.de

If you prefer to take a step back in time and visit a medieval market, head for the Museumsdorf Düppel, an open-air reconstruction of a typical 13th century German village that offers traditional Easter activities such as egg painting or storytelling. You will also have the chance to savour some typical German food – the smell of freshly-baked bread is irresistible!

@kulturreise-ideen.de

Ladies and gents, we invite you to enjoy a fun-packed Holy Week by devouring a traditional green soup on Maundy Thursday, admiring the incredible colours of spring blooms at the Kirschblütenfest, bid farewell to winter with the bonfire at Britzer Garten and find the crochet eggs at Alexanderplatz.

While you are on your adventures discovering our local traditions, GatRooms Hotels will take care of the rest to ensure you have an unforgettable stay.

How to feel like a local in Berlin

Photo: @berlin.live

In a city as open and multicultural as Berlin, it is well worth diving into the local customs to make sure your stay in this unique city is unforgettable.
Take a look at our tips for authentic experiences that will make you feel like a true Berliner.

Hop on the U-Bahn

Short for Untergrundbahn (underground railway in German), a ride on the U-Bahn will provide you with an unbeatable snapshot of the local population and a better understanding of why the word “diversity” is etched into Berlin’s DNA. The U2 is one of the longest and most popular lines and it passes through a total of 29 stops on its 20-kilometre route, making it a budget-friendly way of seeing plenty of the city landscape.
Photo: @go.all.in

Grab a beer in a Späti and go for a stroll

Drinking alcohol in public is allowed in Berlin, which is why you can buy beer anywhere and everywhere and at almost any time of day and night here. You’ll find convenience stores or kiosks called Spätkauf or Späti – meaning “late purchase” – on almost every street in the city. They sell food and drinks, and are popular with locals and tourists alike.
Photo: @benjaminruhe

 

Head to the iconic Tiergarten

The Tiergarten is one of the biggest urban parks in Germany. In addition to the spectacular landscape, which is particularly breathtaking in spring and autumn, the park also houses restaurants, a zoo, a lake, canals and monuments such as the shrine to Michael Jackson or the memorial to the homosexuals who were persecuted under the Nazi regime. In the summer, it is packed with sunbathers and keen grillers making the most of the barbecue area.
Photo: @max10557

 

Wait in line for “the best kebab in the world”

Legend has it that the best kebab in the world is served at Mustafa’s Gemüse Kebap in the Kreuzberg neighbourhood. If you consider yourself a connoisseur of street food, you will probably regret not joining the queue (for up to 45 minutes, they say!) for this delicacy. The fresh ingredients, seasoning and care with which they are prepared have given these hugely popular Döner cult status.
Photo: @faimfatale

 

Hit the clubs and knock back a Club Mate

For any local, drinking Club Mate on a heavy night out is just as common as drinking beer. This caffeine-laden energy drink is wildly popular with the locals as it helps you to keep partying all night long. Some even say that it makes your hangover easier to cope with the next day…

Photo: @ge_offri

 

 

“Bosquejo de una Memoria” by Elías and Florencia Lizama

 

Chilean artists, father and daughter, Elías Lizama and Florencia Lizama, and Karnekunst present “Bosquejo de una Memoria” (Trace from a memory), which consists of deconstruction exercises, based mainly on analog photographs made in Chile, during the years 1975-1995 by Elias Lizama.

These photographs are rescued by Florencia, who plays to decipher the memory of her father and her own, through new creations that are directly or indirectly related to the main image. In addition to inviting to remember, “Trace of a memory” invites us to decipher the meaning and importance of family memory in our lives. From a political and emotional perspective, the work is created with the intention of finding new meanings in past events, in order to understand the present.

While the artistic work of Elías is developed in the field of analog photography in 35mm. format. Then Florencia writes poetry (or also called “anti-poetry”) and through collage and the intervention of photographs of unknown authors and years.

The event´s vernissage will be at Gat Point Charlie in Berlin on 24 February 2018 at 18:30. The exhibition will be open until 22 March 2018.

Join the Facebook event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/2007438009472800/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 Architectural Gems In Berlin You May Not Have Heard Of

Photo: https://www.bauhaus100.de/en/bauhaus100/contributors/members/Bauhaus_Archiv_Berlin.html

 

For a long time, Berlin has been known as one of the world’s leading hubs for culture, fashion, technology and architecture. Thanks to several world-renowned architectural schools, including the Bauhaus, the city itself has become an architectural laboratory and a magnet that attracts lovers of contemporary urban architecture from all over the world. Today, the eclectic cityscape reflects the creative experimentation that is part of Berlin’s history and new generations of artists from diverse fields are still constantly reinventing it.

To get a better understanding of this unique cultural, artistic and social phenomenon, check out these 5 architectural sites in Berlin that have inspired the work of artists for decades.

 

Bauhaus-Archiv

Architect Walter Gropius was the founder of the Bauhaus School of Design, which became the most renowned college of design, architecture and art in the 20th century, and also designed this building which was inaugurated in 1979. Today, the Bauhaus Archive is a world-famous institution dedicated to celebrating the history and influence of the original architectural school and researching and collecting materials related to it. The archive here is the most varied in the world, and includes a unique collection of furniture, ceramics, architecture, metal, photographs and theatre sets, in addition to works by illustrious teachers at the school such as Johannes Itten, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe or Walter Gropius himself.

+ info: https://www.bauhaus.de/en/

Photo: @schoensric


 
 

Jüdisches Museum

The architectural shapes and styles of the Jewish Museum buildings are the reflection of complex numbers, codes and philosophical concepts taken from Judaism. The main building, which was designed by American architect Daniel Libeskind, has a zigzag shape that some say brings to mind a broken Star of David, while others say it is more like a bolt of lightning. Inside, visitors can access the oppressive Holocaust Tower through an underground tunnel, while outside is the Garden of Exile, which represents the isolation and disorientation felt by those forced to flee the country. The Museum’s permanent exhibition recounts the history of Jewish life in Germany both before and after the Holocaust.

+ info: https://www.museumsportal-berlin.de/en/

Photo: @kennedy__page2

 

Kino International

No self-respecting visitor should take a tour around Berlin’s architectural sights without visiting Kino International. Designed by Josef Kaiser and Heinz Aust, this beautiful three-storey film theatre that stands out thanks to its Soviet-era lines was inaugurated in 1963. It quickly became an iconic part of the city’s cultural landscape. In its heyday, Kino International represented the vanguard in cinemas, with sloping ceilings and seats and walls covered with acoustic panels. Today, it is used to show select productions from all over the world and host renowned cultural events such as the Berlinale Film Festival. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1995.

+ info: http://www.kino-international.com/

Photo: @vermilt

 
 

Haus der Kulturen der Welt

Did you know that it was here at the House of the Cultures of the World that John F. Kennedy delivered the speech that included his historic faux pas “Ich bin ein Berliner”? Also known as the Pregnant Oyster for its round, gently curving roof, it is Germany’s national centre for the presentation, diffusion and discussion of contemporary art, with a special focus on non-European cultures and societies. Located in the Tiergarten park, it was opened in 1957 and has since become an international platform for theatre, dance, cinema and literature, as well as a popular venue for congresses and exhibitions.

+ info: https://www.hkw.de/en/

Photo: @saraescuderogar


 
 

Corbusierhaus

The Corbusierhaus is not just any old apartment block. Designed for the International Building Exhibition in 1957 by Swiss architect Le Corbusier, the building follows the Unité d’Habitation principle of the housing blocks he built in France in the early 1950s. The complex houses 530 apartments, which are still in use today. Since 2004, Förderverein Corbusierhaus Berlin e. V. (the Corbusierhaus Residents’ Association) is responsible for the upkeep of the communal areas and organises cultural and scientific events in the building.

+ info: http://www.corbusierhaus-berlin.de/

Photo: @daanvandenbroeck