The Fair basement originally designed by Michael Vidal, is located in the heart of Long Beach. A fun, a luxury club full of fun without having to carry you. A meter Ultra Lounge Broadlind hidden beneath the historic milestone in the East Village of Long Beach. Every inch of the ground floor is designed with state of the art for acoustical sound surprising feature our exclusive DJ for listening and dancing. Saved from “The Cave”. The only underground ultra lounge Long Beach, hidden under the historical reference point Broadlind East Village on Broadway and Linden. As you undertake your senses with an atmosphere that emphasizes the past and present. Our tickets gourmet spirits of design and service are sure to satisfy all your desires. Every inch of the ground floor is designed with state of the art sound, because of its incredible features our exclusive events and international DJs for listening and dancing.All these are available only at Michael Vidal Basement Lounge

Every inch of this way, the sexy club exudes the kind of style you want to see a super high-end resort for the rich and famous. The club is a nod to the marble beautifully executed Moroccan design, wood, glass and touches of luxury light blue across the room and the VIP area.

Ice Bar is located at 49 Pine Avenue, and offers its customers a combination of sushi and tapas in a decadent lounge. ICE occupies 7,000 square feet on the ground floor of the Historic Center in Long Beach ocean. Bringing a new chic restaurant and lounge with all custom furnishings in white leather, ostrich, modularArts wall panels, advanced LED lighting and a state-of-the art sound system. ICE was created to attract Trendsetting customers with style and passion for food and atmosphere.

A key element of the restaurant is composed of solid ice. Currently, only two in the United States, Las Vegas and Orlando. Once completed, the ICE is going to live alone in California. Customers can enjoy specialty libations in a room with walls of solid ice and ice furniture.

Got your 2010 calendar up yet? Circle Jan.28-30. Those are the dates for the Portland Harbor Hotel Annual Ice Bar.

Never been? The wear-your-woolies event is just as it sounds. Executive Chef Ear Morse transforms the hotel’s courtyard into a lounge with bars sculpted from more than 18,000 pounds of ice (that’s nearly three times the amount of hard water than last year).

Belly up (okay, you might want a layer or two of down on that belly) to the bar and order specialty martinis, wine, local beers. Then chill (literally and figuratively), while nibbling on complimentary hors d’oeuvres and listening to light entertainment.

Morse know his way around the cubes. He’s won two bronze medals in the the World Ice Sculpting Championships and a gold in the European Ice Championships.

The Ice Bar is open from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m., and admission is by a $10 donation which supports the Center for Grieving Children, Share Our Strength, and Junior Achievement.

All students of London, like me you will have either finished university or are about to so make the most of the Christmas period in London. For free: Take a trip to see the amazing lights around the city on Oxford, Bond and Regent streets, in Carnaby street and pretty much everywhere. Trafalgar square and convent garden are always worth a visit and if you feel like indulging your child like side – hit Hamleys for inevitable fun.

If you want to splash out a bit:

I myself am going ice skating at the Tower of London and hitting the ice bar for a bit of Christmas themed frivolity (and possibly a drink or two ). Ice skating comes in about 10 pounds and the ice bar is 12 pounds fifty.

Happy Christmas to all students of London universities – whether you are spending christmas back home at with parents or staying in the big smoke!!!

I was invited to the Absolut Ice Bar in Piccadilly Circus last night, to check out the new ice-cool speaker system (see what I did there?) from Harman Kardon. If you’re looking to get in your hubby’s good books, these would make a fantastic Christmas gift!

Whilst I did start to panic when I couldn’t feel my toes in the bar, it did get me thinking how cool it would be to spend a night in an ice hotel.

Check out these brrrrrrilliant bedrooms!

roomenvy - surprisingly cosy ice bedroom

You’ll never reach for the hot water bottle again!

roomenvy - not your average boudoir

Check out the giant ice candelabra in this icy bedroom.

roomenvy - ice cool headboard bedroom

Just don’t ask where they got that bedlinen!

This hotel has without a doubt got to be one of the most stylish hotels to stay in.
Although this isn’t a london hotel made of ice, but a Canadian one, it goes to show how unique some hotels can be.

Ice Hotel in Canada

The first thing that springs to my mind is how cold this place would be, and would I really want to stay somewhere like this.

The answer, well one of the pictures they publish is one with a open fire in the middle of a ice room.

Looking on their website, it shows no matter what room your in, you need to have the thickest, warmest cost you can buy, as the temp must be so cold, you wouldn’t want to be having a romantic weekend in a hotel like this, as you would both need to have so many layers on, it would end up as a “getting to know you” weekend only.

The bedrooms alone are also made of ice, so if your thinking of a wedding venue then the reception might be a nice place to consider, but the wedding night would in my own opinion would need to be at a different location, no matter how spectacular this hotel is.

If you would be interested in seeing more pictures about this Hotel de Glace, you can, they also have a virtual tour where you can see every part of the hotel, including the ice bar, which looks to be out of this world.

I think that given the choice of either staying in a london hotel, or the ice hotel in canada, I would choose the…..

maistatt Icebar

Wart Ihr schon bei der COOLSTEN Silvester Party? Beim Mitterhofer wird der berühmte “Sauschäd´l” aus klarem Eis zur Mitternachtsjause gereicht!! Wer es richtig COOL liebt, der besucht uns auf unserer Cafeterasse nach dem Jahreswechsel 2009/2010

Schnee & Eis

  Unser Eisschnitzer wird DIE Apres Ski Bar aus reinem, klarem Eis schnitzen und dann geht´s ab mit “Wodka IN ICE” und Glühwein!

..                                                                                                                                       

Sweden’s Ice Hotel is built from scratch every year. A new design, new suites, a brand new reception – in fact everything in it is crisp and new. The Ice Hotel is situated on the shores of the Torne River, in the old village of Jukkasjärvi in Swedish Lapland. 10 000 tons of crystal clear ice from the ‘ice manufacturing plant’, the Torne River, and 30 000 tons of pure snow generously supplied by Mother Nature are needed to build the Ice Hotel every year. The hotel sleeps over 100 guests, and every bedroom is unique.

Covering more than 30,000 square feet, the Ice Hotel includes an Ice Chapel, the hotel itself, an ice art exhibition hall, a cinema and last but not least, the world famous ‘Absolut Ice Bar’.

This year the Absolut Ice Bar will have been created once again. Just like the Ice Hotel, it is never the same two years running. There are always new features.

You can take part in several excursion adventures when you are in Jukkasjärvi at the Ice Hotel.

• SNOW-MOBILE GUIDED SAFARI
• DOG-SLED FROM KIRUNA AIRPORT TO ICE HOTEL
• SNOW-MOBILE FROM KIRUNA AIRPORT TO ICE HOTEL
• SNOW-MOBILE TOUR WITH LUNCH
• NORTHERN LIGHTS TOUR & DINNER
• SNOW-MOBILE SAFARI TO SAMI CAMP
• OVERNIGHT TOUR TO A WILDNERNESS CAMP
• DOG-SLED TOURS
• RAIDU-REINDEER SLEDS TO SAMI CAMP

For more details visit hubresorts.com

Klokken er 4 ish om morgnen, og Os står lent over meg.

“God Morgen” sier han med en stemme så glad at jeg ikke forstår hvordan det er mulig.

Ikke er det morgen ennå (i mine øyne), og uansett hva f.. dette er, så er det i alle fall ikke noe “GOD”.

5:00 eller noe: Os står og maser på Elias og meg. Sistnevnte har ikke stått opp enda- for ettersom man kan røyke innendørs hos Os, har han følgende ventilasjonssystem- vinduet på vidt gap i stuen. I og for seg greit, med unntak av at jeg sov i den stuen akkurat når han slapp inn all kulden- noe som gjør det umulig å komme seg ut av sengen.

Klarte det allikevel, og gikk for å tørke håret (hvis man legger seg med vått hår og håret i en strikk, så er det genialt for å fikse om morgnen). ca en halvtime etter skjema, er Os, Elias og meg i en taxi på vei mot Oslo S, for å rekke flytoget. Ettersom bilettene våre er booket litt sånn i siste liten, skulle jeg ta flyet etter Os og Elias. Nice.

08:15: “boarding completed” Great- da er jeg fremme om en time. Trodde jeg. 1 time på sete 4a. Nicess. Jeg liker SAS.

Etter 5 minutter med full stans ved gaten, hørte jeg kapteinen i høytaleren. Vi hadde tekniske problemer i motoren, og skulle vente på en tekniker. GREAT!

tja. sluttresultatet var vel at vi lettet klokken 09:00, og landet klokken 10:00, nesten en time etter skjema. Men herregud, jeg skal ikke klage- sånn er det med fly, og heller safe than sorry!

Dro så til Malmö for å loke med Os og Elias (Elias er derifra). Lang og VARM dag der, endte opp med at vi i 15 tiden la oss på gresset i en park (som var helt lovely) og sov i halvannen time. Oh yes, very nice!

Etter en lang dag (og et par drinks) dro vi tilbake til CPH og til hotellet.

masse stress, men fin dag =D

skal nå på Ice-Bar, en bar laget av is! Blir gøy, men lurer litt på hvordan dette med ekstrem kulde + meg skal gå i fylla…

patong nights at bangla road!!

beers at the hotel are relatively cheap.. but you just got to go out to experience the patong night life.

mela’s thai friend, bee, took us out for some yummy thai seafood (no pics the resto was just too dark) then for some drinks later after that. too bad he had to leave early though.

here’s bee playing a game with one the bar waitresses while waiting for the rest of the group to arrive. he figured out the puzzle so he gets a free drink.

time for some shots at the vodka ice bar.. -16deg inside!! its just a refrigerator turned into a bar lol!

i didn’t want my camera in there so i asked jeremy to take pictures of us in there from outside. there was a cctv set up to see inside the “fridge”

the next night (i think)…

i found this hillarious.. i just had to take a picture. the edge is somewhere in there.. i think.

…

Absolut Ice Bar

Brands today are struggling to maintain a strong steady relationship with the consumers they serve. While studying abroad in London this summer, I visited the Absolut Ice Bar. Ironically, the Ice Bar was one of the first places I wanted to visit in London after watching P. Diddy’s “Making the Band” during an episode when they traveled there. The Absolut Vodka tagline: “Its all about the experience” rang true as I entered the venue. The general restaurant staff that welcomed us also embodied a secretive presence about them as if to say, “I know something you don’t know.” Once we suited up in funny looking long coats, we entered the room of ice and the experience began. The room temperature was set to -5 degrees and I felt every bit of it from my cheeks to my toes! We enjoyed our “free” drink provided in glasses made of ice and sipped and shivered away.

Ice Bar London

Although we left the Ice Bar rather quickly (I believe we only lasted about 20 minutes), I walked away feeling accomplished. I experienced what I saw on TV, first-hand. Looking back on the whole experience, I admire the genius of Absolut’s branding around this venue. For starters, the buzz surrounding the location precedes an actual visit – crossing continents and country borders. Additionally, what better venue could there be for an alcohol company to sponsor than a bar serving their own alcohol? I felt as though Absolut made their alcohol more than a vodka of choice that may be available at any bar. Absolut became an experience that can only be had with top quality liquor, in top tourist locations around the world. As I enter into a world stuffed with every brand trying to convince consumers to purchase their products, I will remember what drew me in – an experience. No commercials, no coupons and no direct mail pieces did it for me this time. Experiencing the brand in a positive way, created a memory that I won’t forget.

B.O., her sister E., E.’s daughter A., and I started the day with a light breakfast at Starbucks (I ordered a cinnamon dulce latte). Then the four of us went to the Bioparque Estrella, boarded an open truck, and went on a simulated safari. E. bought about five large paper cups of food to give to the animals, and we each had a cup. There were only four of us, so somebody, probably E., was holding two cups.

View down the length of the truck.

The camels were surprisingly, shall we say, forward.

In Your Face, and Up Close & Personal

Not expecting the animals to stick their necks within the truck, B.O. had been keeping the food between her legs. One of the camels (we think it was “Brutus”, a two-humped Bactrian camel) reached in and grabbed the food right out from between B.O.’s legs, giving her a HUGE fright! Afterwards, B.O. was muttering “Brutus, stupidus, idiutus…”

Camel Grabbing For Food

A man sitting just to our right had a similar fright. He was feeding a camel, and suddenly a second camel shoved its head in the way, trying to get some food, too. Everybody became wary of the camels, who were tall enough to reach into the truck and grab food!

From left to right: me, camel (Oliva?), A., and E. Note our body language.

The giraffe was friendly, too.

E., B.O., and A. in front of whale skeleton

E., me, and A. in front of whale skeleton

Then the four of us went to a “magic town” close to Monterrey, the Villa de Santiago (here’s a description in English).

Street Scene in Villa de Santiago

There, we went to a restaurant named Los Escamoles. Here is a picture of the wash basin in the men’s room. I was informed that the ceramic used for this sink probably comes from Puebla.

Wash basin in Los Escamoles

At this restaurant, I tried a distinctly Mexican/Aztec food called escamoles.

Escamoles

This has been described variously as either the eggs or the larvae of ants. Sounds a little scary, doesn’t it? But surely you’ve eaten caviar, perhaps on sushi? Think of this as an insect caviar. I was expecting escamoles to be salty, like caviar. But it wasn’t that salty at all. In texture, it was kind of like a pasta al dente; and in flavor it had a mild, nutty taste. (This reminds me: I read somewhere that wichetty grubs are eaten as an ethnic food in Australia, and that they have a nutty taste.)

Another dish that I tried was a pepper drenched in a nut sauce, studded with pomegranate arils. This was chiles en nogada, one of the most famous dishes in México, and the recipe is from the same place that produces the nice ceramics, Puebla. The colors (red, white, and green) celebrate the colors of the Mexican flag; and the dish is available only seasonally, in August and in September.

Chiles en Nogada

E.'s daughter, A.

Later in the evening, I attended a wine-tasting event at Buké Restaurant. The theme for the evening was wines from Piedmont, Italy. Three red wines were paired with food. Here’s the announcement for the wine-tasting:

Here’s a photo of me with the two owners of Buké, Gonzalo and Néstor, as well as with Luigi Travi, the wine expert who led the wine-tasting event.

Gonzalo Palazuelos, Luigi Travi, me, and Néstor A. Leal

Luigi works for a wine importer named Enotria; I gather that they actually specialize in Italian wine.

B.O. at Buké

Afterwards, B.O. took me to an area high in the mountains named Chipinque, which is close to a famous mountain formation known as the “M”. There, we took some night-time photos of Monterrey.

Monterrey By Night

Finally, B.O. and I went to the Monterrey Koldbar (Ice Bar).

Scene in the Monterrey KoldBar

Here’s a photo of an ice sculpture of a bear that B.O. took back in June.

Ice Sculpture of a Bear

B.O. and me in the Ice Bar

Trip Summary

Last weekend I visited an ice bar in Seoul, in fact Korea’s only ice bar.  Located in a basement in Hongdae, it consists of one large room, where everything is made of ice (the walls, the chairs, the glasses, the sculptures, etc.).  Guests are provided with parkas, moccasins, and gloves.

Unfortunately there weren’t many people there, as we went rather early in the evening.  But it was still fun to experience the novelty of freezing cold weather; it’s been a long time since I was in subzero temperatures.

not a real fire : (

testing the laws of human stupidity

time to go

Last month was my birthday month and turned out to be a super-party month. There were so many occasions to celebrate that towards the end, my mind and body were left whirling.

Summary of activities:

• July 17 – Shopping the sales at Sanctuary in search for nice birthday dress and shoes. Successfully scored these beautiful tops…shoes were not happening


Green patterned top



Striped top with a Purple Border

• July 20 – Lunch with friends at Indijoe, stuffed face at buffet and then went on a long stroll to walk away the fullness.
• July 21 – Lunch with friends at Ginseng – the Chinese restaurant at Royal Orchid. Mmm…heavenly food, huge smile on face for the rest of the day
• July 22 – Second unsuccessful attempt to score some good shoes at the Lifestyle sale. Ended up buying some much-needed basics for the snubnose (shoes and socks). No shoes for me I did spot some heavenly white flats, but what I am looking for are sensible black pumps for work. So, resisted the temptation quite nicely (pat on the back for me)
• July 25 – Drinks and dancing at the Ice bar in Taj Residency. Super page-3 featured party and we had a whale of a time dancing and people-watching. A highlight was the Michael Jackson tribute break-dance feature
• July 29 – Drinks and snacks at a friend’s place followed by Bollywood ishtyle dancing at ZeroG. The DJ played some awesome tracks from Love aaj kal and Kaminey. Super- music, just did not want the evening to end.
• July 31 – Birthday lunch treat at South Indies – massive buffet spread consisting of rice, sambar, appams, accompanied with appalam and sundal. Totally yummy; sambar just like my Grandma prepares it. Will definitely take my folks here for lunch/dinner next time they come.
• August 1 – Night-show of Love aaj kal with friends.
• August 8 – Lunch and shopping with friends at Serengeti in Total Mall

Whew, what a hard-core party girl lifestyle I have been leading this past month thanks to all who made these past couple of weeks so memorable!

Enjoyed myself thoroughly but now it is back to some serious work!

Cheers,

Last week I was in Paris for doing a photo shoot with the talented and lovely Pascale Lourmand.
The shooting took place in a really cool location – an ice bar!
Yes, it was cold there, minus 18 degree but I’m sure the result will be worth it!

This photo shoot is for an exhibition called Strip Freeze
and features also other Burlesque Beauties like
Gentry De Paris, Millicent Binks, Vicky Butterfly, Chrys Columbine, Mimi De Montmartre, Agent Lynch, Cherry Shakewell and Trixee Sparkle.

The launch night will be on September 9th at the Kube Hotel in Paris (That’s also the place where the ice bar is where we had the shooting).

I can’t show you the results before the exhibition starts,
but here is a little behind the scenes picture which shows the hair and make up artist and me.

Love and Glitter,

Julietta la Doll

This is Bin It. The first of our weekly posts telling you what we have found just a bit shit recently. Or things we simply don’t like. We’ll start vanilla but sensitive readers may want to avert their eyes to this one in the future.

People nicking vodka: Its just rude. We had a case of 8 bottles of vodka delivered to us last week for an event, someone else signed for it and it vanished. Someone must of had a good weekend. Bastards.

Builders Breakfast crisps: Just plain wrong

Sarah Youngs Birthday list : Can be seen here  err… I don’t think anyone here will be participating, has no one told you we’re not 8 any more and there’s a credit crunch? I’m sure you are able to buy your own oversized sunglasses and old CDs.

Boys that lie about their age : We don’t understand this. Ellie was conned by a boy who was 28 saying he was 26. Does it really make that much difference? Thank god for Facebook stalking so we can find out the truth!

Adam: For not coming out as much as he used to, missing the Icebar and generally going to Proud instead. We think its something to do with the lack of Gin O Clock now that he has a job again. Adam – we better be seeing you tonight to make up for it! 

Looking for something to do this evening? There are a few choices.

Firstly, for those who get to a bar and spend about 10 minutes trying to think of something different to order only to settle on your usual tipple. This is for you. 

Alcoholic Architecture is an interesting installation to say the least. After Scratch and Sniff cinema what better to follow than Bompas & Parr bringing you a breathable cocktail!

The mist in the room is made using gin, tonic water and the same technology as Anthony Gormley’s Blind Light at the Hayward Gallery. The interior of 2 Ganton Street will be dressed as the inside of a cocktail with giant limes, massive straws and an unsettling soundscape created by sound artist Douglas Murphy. Visitors will be asked to don special protective suits as they enter Alcoholic Architecture. Once inside they will be able to order food from a menu that compliments the breathable beverage! 

Talk about an alternative to an after work drink!

Alcoholic architecture is open on the 16^th, 17^th, 18^th, 23^rd, 24^th and 25^th April between 17:00 and 23:00 in 2 Ganton Street,Newburgh Quarter, London, W1F 7QL. Tickets are priced at £5. Minimum age for entry is 21 years old.

Secondly, close by is the new night brought you the by Glamourous and Fabulous  DJS, Firgas and Zoe.

This Glamourous and Fabulous twosome will be spinning tunes to special cocktails, a few nibbles and the chance to win tickets to the icebar come midnight.

Not a bad way to round off the night.

2009 Otaru Snow Gleaming Festival

Continuing from my post about Otaru, I feel that the best time to visit Otaru is in the winter. In February, at the same time as the Sapporo Snow Festival, Otaru holds its own winter festival. While it may not be as spectacular, or as grand as, the Sapporo Snow Festival, it is still a very beautiful, and yet, different festival in it’s own right. There are three main areas for the festival, and it’s best to be seen at night.

Small display of a few candles

To be honest, I’m not sure why they continue to use the word “gleaming” to describe the festival. While I do agree that it describes the festival very well, and it’s a literal translation of the Japanese title, but I’d probably call it a Snow Candle Festival. The Snow Gleaming Festival itself has dozens, if not nearly a hundred different snow sculptures. All of them done by various professionals and volunteers. The festival’s sculptures also incorporate a lot of candles, which is where they get the word “gleaming”. Otaru is known for being a romantic city, and this festival definitely lives up to that status.

Warehouses along Otaru Unga (Canal)

The festival in Otaru can be seen in three main locations. One is along the canal. The canal area tends to be the busiest section of the festival. There is only one side of the canal that has a walkway, while the opposing side has a nice view of the old warehouses. This area of the festival can get very busy as most tour groups tend to come here first. When I visited the festival, they also had a group of carollers singing various songs. It was a little strange to hear upbeat songs, but it did set a good mood. While this area of the festival was very nice, the sculptures weren’t as good as the other two sections.

Sculpture of Ponyo

Another section to see sculptures is along Sakai-machi Street. There aren’t as many sculptures along this street, but they are of a better quality than the sculptures along the canal. The sculptures along the canal tend to be original ones with many buildings as a design. Along Sakai-machi, you will have a few artistic designs. In 2009, they had a family setting. Various winter animals were sculpted as a family. You would have a mother and her children, or brothers together. You will also see various different commercial characters such as Hello Kitty, Doraemon, and Anpanman. These are very popular characters in Japan, and you are likely to see more than one of each. I believe I saw three different Doraemon sculptures all over Otaru.

A real Ice Bar

The final place to visit is a park that runs along an old train track. It was the first train line in Hokkaido and the third in Japan. It is impossible to recognize in winter as it’s completely covered in snow. However, the sculptures in this section are the best of the entire festival. As you enter, you will see hundreds of candles lighting the way. It’s a very beautiful and romantic setting that can also be enjoyed by the entire family. Along the way, there are several volunteers at a few sculptures that are there to help you take pictures. This is great for couples and other groups. They usually have two candles in ice that you can hold. You might have to line up at times, but it is worth the short wait. Along the tracks, you’ll also see a few interesting sculptures, lots of flowers and candles encased in ice, and an ice bar. While the ice bar was available in 2009, I can’t guarantee that it would be available in future years. This year, Sapporo had its own ice bar which looked very cool. I wish I had a drink when I was there, but I didn’t want to spend money on it, and it was a little too cold at that time. However, if I had a few days in Otaru, I would definitely enjoy a drink or two.

Doraemon

The bottom line is, if you go to Sapporo for their Snow Festival, Otaru’s Snow Gleaming Festival is another festival you must visit. It’s only 30 minutes from Sapporo, and you can return to your hotel in Sapporo very easily. I do recommend visiting the festival in both the daytime and at night, but if you don’t have enough time, you should definitely go at night. It is much better, but also far busier, so be prepared.

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このblogは英語のblog。もし私の英語は難しい、日本語のquestionは大丈夫。

マンツーマン英会話が1時間2000円! 格安 英会話レッスンはIHCWAYで決まり!

Caros leitores, já estiveram num bar feito de gelo?

Não?

Eu já

Ice Bar

O Ice Bar é um dos muitos bares das 3 irmãs. Foi construído pelos mesmos senhores que fizeram o Ice Hotel na Finlândia.

A temperatura ambiente são uns fresquinhos -10ºC e somos obrigados a usar os casacos tipo astronauta, patrocinados pela Heineken (que é a única cerveja que servem nesse bar), também dá jeito ter umas luvas para segurar nos copos. É impossível não sentir que fazemos parte do programa aerospacial soviético e que nos encontramos na siberia prestes a embarcar rumo ao desconhecido do espaço sideral.

Para além disso, é o único sítio que conheço onde a cerveja em vez de aquecer fica mais fresca! Se ao menos fosse Super Bock…

Sunday Mirror and BBC Switch’s Zoe Griffin and Raw Material’s Firgas’ new residency at Below Zero (the Ice Bar) on Heddon St starts on April 16th.

In addition to the usual tiara wearing, disco dancing deck bothering, party mayhem we’re also adding some old skool games, competitions, cocktails and canapes.

For dress code think either science geek-chic or Hef’s games nights at the Playboy Mansion…

Anyone who tries the 2 bespoke cocktails -the ‘Glamorous’ and the ‘Fabulous’ – gets a chance to win midnight drinkies in the Ice Bar bit (along with some pals)

Join the dominoes league, play backgammon, cheat at cards or just dance your socks off…

NOTE: It’s free – bring all your friends!

(PS thank you Serato and Sennheiser *mwah*)

I really do like the laidback, if bitterly cold, vibe of Finland. Things just work. Credit cards are common tender, even for purchases as minute as a hot chocolate at McDonald’s. People are unfailingly honest. And for their apparent reticence, they’ve got this disarmingly wry sense of humour. Like so, at the airport conveyor belt -

Creative sports

The heritage of text messaging

The Finns pride themselves on so-called “Scandic common sense” that is reflected in designs everywhere. It’s hard to disagree, even if they do have ice rinks outdoors and ice bars indoors.

Ice rink

Ice bar

Play-off

Scandinavia is the birthplace of floorball, so it was really nice to see some of the world’s best players slug it out in a top-of-the-table play-off. It’s a fascinating, adrenaline-packed sport and these guys went for the jugular, but their marketing people would do well to learn from ballyhoo from the EPLs and NBAs of the world. Check out the dismal crowds.

Final word on Finland: Rudolph is easy enough to come upon, but he really doesn’t taste all that great.

Rudolph in the airport DFS

...and in a can

]]> http://mariatorressolanot.wordpress.com/2009/02/23/minus-5-el-bar-de-hielo-queenstown/ Mon, 23 Feb 2009 23:44:01 +0000 mariatorressolanot http://mariatorressolanot.wordpress.com/2009/02/23/minus-5-el-bar-de-hielo-queenstown/

Minus 5. Ice-bar. Queenstown.De -5 a -10 C. Foto: Maria Torres-Solanot