International Festival of Chocolate and Confectionery

Inspired by Marianna's post about chocolate, I would like to write about International Festival of Chocolate and Confectionery that took place in Warsaw some days ago. It was the first edition and the event was organized in Palace of Culture and Science. It was a great opportunity to taste the best and the sweetest in the offer of confectionery producers, as well as the best Polish pastry cooks. There were domestic and foreign exhibitors who presented a wide selection of sweets, through classic chocolates to exquisite confectionery products and chocolate pieces of art. Among the most striking examples of them was a mock railway by Janusz Profus from Wedel. There were also catwalk shows involving clothing made from chocolate, courtesy of fashion designer Agnieszka Maciejak. All visitors had an opportunity to see confectionery masters shows, exhibition showing the history and production of chocolate, cake decorating show. They also could participate in cooking workshops. The organizers prepared also something interesting and attractive for kids, like for example, the Chocolate Kindergarten. Unfortunately, I wasn't there but I love the idea. It was the firts edition so maybe the next year. On the facebook page of the festival we can read that it was really succesful and there were a lot of people who wanted to take part in the event. I'm not surprised! Everyone loves chocolate. And the chocolate with art? The perfect combination. Look at some photos. 

Wish I Was Here

Today I would like to recommend you a movie I saw some days ago. Its title is Wish I Was Here and it was directed by Zach Braff and co-written with his brother Adam Braff. The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2014. The director is at the same time the main caracter (Aidan Bloom). In the film we can also see Kate Hudson as Sarah Bloom (Aidan's wife). The genre is a blend of comedy and drama.

In some words, Wish I Was Here tells the story of Aidan, who is 35 and who finds himself at crossroads. The men has a wife and two children but he can't make a living because of his dreams. He wants to be an actor but there is no job for him and the only source of the money is his wife's job. He had also a financial support of his father but because of his illness he can't pay the school of his grandchildren anymore. The situation is even more complicated if we look his family situation (quite cold relationship with his father and brother).

I like the movie because it tells about the real life and real problems. It hasn't a lot of action, but in this case it is not necessary to enjoy. It is a drama but with some irony and lightness. The life of the main caracter is full of problems but he fights. Aidan try to find himself doing small steps to make his life better and take care of his family. It seems he really wants to be a better husbend and father but to achieve it he needs to find out more about himself and take some important decisions. I like the moments when he tries to escape from the reality and just enjoy his life with the family. Wish I Was Here has a lot of beautiful moments. Some of them are moving and some are funny. Like in real life. Everything goes, everything changes and we have to find ourselves in it.

 I leave you a trailer here. I hope you like it:) 
 

 

Some memories

Hi everyone! So, we started a new academic year. For some of us is the last one. For me too. However, my thoughts are still on holiday. I decided to make use of it and present you a nice place where I spent this summer - Málaga! I'm sure some of you (especially those who study Spanish Philology) know it very well. I had an opportunity to work there as a trainee in a Spanish school. I spent three amazing months in the city. I think I had a lot of time to know it really well and I would like to show you some of my favourite places in Málaga and in its neighbourhood. The first I chose is Alcazaba. This arabic palace was built between 10th - 15th century and nowadays is one of the most important fortifications in the history of Spain. The place is located in the city center but just by crossing the entrance you can fell like in the different century. Everything there is so beautiful! You can admire not only the palace but also his gardens and things founded there a lot of years ago. But the best thing you can see is Málaga because the place has unbelievable view of the city. Take a look at some photos. 

 

The second place is the Cathedral of Málaga. Is true that is one of the most popular and tourist places but is really worth of visit. It was built in Renaissance style between 1528 and 1782. It is very big and monumental. It is also quite ornamental but the most impressive element of its interior is an enormous organ. I loved its sound.

And finally my favourte place, a small town called Nerja located about 50 km of Málaga. I have to admit that beaches in Málaga aren't perfect but in my first week someone told me about Nerja and its wonderful coast. That was true. The beaches are very small but so charming...with rocks, plants. Now, when I think about it, some of my photos from Nerja are pretty similar to the pictures I put in my blog when I wrote about the most beautiful beaches in the world. I'm sure Nerja could compete with them. Just look. 

The list could be much longer but I chose three places you can see. Have you ever been to Málaga? Maybe you could add something to my list:)

Motivation or inspiration?

So, we have a summer! Ok, theoretically it is still a spring, but the weather in the last days suggest us something different. I think we all need it. We need the sun to get some new energy, to be happier and healthier. However, I have to admit that it is not so easy to stand it when you have to stay in the city and work or study. When it was cold people complained about it. Now, when the weather is so great people say that is too hot. People are always complaining. I'm afraid, I also do it. What can I say, human nature... But, who said we can't dream? So, if I had an opportunity to teleport myself, I would go to the beach. Maybe just for a moment during the break between lectures or after the class to feel the sand underfoot or to smell this fantastic air. But, let's go back to reality. We have to wait a bit more to enjoy it. However, as a motivation to study for the exams I decided to present the most beautiful beaches in the world. Maybe it will be an inspiration for your holiday destination. I've chosen three that are the most beautiful for me. Which one is the best for you?

Tulum, México

The name Tulum derived from the Mayan word for wall. There you can find not only crystal water, white sand and palm trees but also the ancient Mayan ruins from as early as A.D. 250. It makes this place very special and stunning. Who wouldn't like to go to this paradise?

La Digue, Seychelles

La Digue is an amazing island and oasis hidden away in the vast expanse of the Indian Ocean. Nature, biodiversity, tradition, calm, balance. I think we could find much more words to describe it, but in this case it is unnecessary. The photo tells everything...

Cala Mariolu, Sardinia

And now something more accessible for us. Although you wouldn't say, it is in Europe. It is located along the middle eastern coast of Sardinia, in the province of Nuoro. The area is full of rocks and caves. It is perfect for those who like scuba diving. Let's take a look.

Icarus

The painting I've chosen is Landscape with the Fall of Icarus. It was probably painted by Flemish Renaissance painter Pieter Bruegel in 1558, although this attribution is doubtful. Now, you can find it in Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium.

In the painting we can admire a beautiful landscape. In the foreground, you can see a ploughman working on his field on a scarp next to the sea. He's the focal point here. Lower, there is a shepherd that is looking at the sky. In the bottom right-hand corner, you can find a fisherman. In the background, there is the calm sea with some rocks, islands and boats. On the horizon, we can see mountains and town illuminated by the sun. The most invisible point is the title Icarus. You can find him in the bottom right-hand corner, close to the fisherman. You can see his legs in the water and some feathers floating around.

The composition is full of beautiful colours. However, you can see a clear division between the foreground and the background. The first one presents warm colours, for example, brown, yellow, orange. For that reason, it seems to be very distinct and deep. The second one is rather created with cold colours (blue, white, grey). It's very soft and delicate.

The painting is based on Greek mithology. It's a a story of Daedalus' son who dared to fly too near the sun on wings of feathers and wax. His father cautioned him that flying too near the sun would cause the wax to melt, but Icarus forgot his father's warning and drowned in the sea what we can see in the landscape. Despite the tragedy, all the people stay indifferent and everything continues without any change. It shows the dark side of humans nature and his tendency to be selfish. In my opinion, the small figure of Icarus can symbolize insignificance and fragility of our life. I would also say that the painting shows the traditional model of life that is very mundane and full of work. In opposition to this real world there is Icarus, the dreamer.

I've chosen this piece of art because I love its colours and the composition. However, the most important thing for me is its meaning. The painting is quite old. It has more than 450 years, but its message is still valid and current. It is also very thought-provoking. 

Hey Joe

As you may know, I'm from Wrocław and today I would like to write about the Guinness World Guitar Record that takes place in my city on the 1^st of May every year. The record is a part of Thanks Jimi Festival dedicated to Jimi Hendrix. For that reason, people play his song Hey Joe to break a record. For the first time, the event took place in 2003 and continues till today. There was 12 editions with 6 records broken. Maybe you don't know it but I play the guitar and one day I decided to participate in it! It was 5 or 6 years ago when I was in high school. I went there with a group of friends to play Hey Joe with the others. It was really great! We spent a whole day in this amazing atmosphere. There were a loooot of people that year. We had to play out of the prepared area because there wasn't enough place. There were many participants from other cities or even from other countries. I really enjoyed it! I think the Guinness World Guitar Record in Wrocław is a very interesting event that makes special the city. It attracts a lot of tourist. You don't have to take part to have fun. You can just listen a nice song played by thousands of people at the same time. However, if you want to play with the others, it's quite easy because the song isn't complicated. You just have to know some easy chords. This year the record was broken with 7344 guitarists. Below you can see a picture from the day I broke a record. Ok, it was just rehearsal:) 

Next please!

Today I decided to write about Nextbike, my new way of moving. Yesterday I signed up on the website and today I used it fot the first time. I think everyone knows somethink about it, but I suppose there are some facts you don't know yet. I didn't. Nextbike is the biggest international network of public bicycle rental system. It was founded in 2004 and now exists in 14 countries, in more than 80 cities. In Poland you can see it in 6 cities. The rules are quite simple. First, you have to register online, than pay at least 10 zlotys (later you can use this money to pay for your ride) and at the end you get a text message with your own code. Now you can start to use it! When you want to rent a bike, you just have to introduce your phone number and your code you got in the message. If you ride from 1 to 20 minutes is free, but if you exceed this time you have to pay 2 zlotys. So, if you want to ride for free you have to change the station every 20 minutes, but if you want to make a longer journey you need to pay. However, I think the price is quite ok. In my oppinion Nextbike has a lot of advantages. It's healthy, eco, fast, cheap and you can use it whenever you want (also at night when, for example, you miss a night bus). Unfortunately, the system has also some disadvantages. Bikes are not always ok. The first I took was broken. Besides, if we talk about Poznań, there are only 7 station and there aren't a lot of bicycle paths. However, I think it was a good idea and for sure I will use it sometimes.