Are you going to be visiting Catalonia anytime soon? We sure hope you are because this region in Spain is truly a marvelous place to spend your summer and soak in the wonderful Mediterranean weather to enjoy! But not only that, the food in

- Pa amb tomàquet: It is a piece of toasted bread with fresh tomatoes rubbed on it sprinkled with a little olive oil and salt. You can also choose to add a slice of the typical ham or cheese; simple, tradiation and perfect! 

- Escalivada: For those who love vegetables, you cannot miss out on this dish composed by a combination of vegetables: aubergine, peppers, onion, tomatoes grilled or put in an oven. All of this elaborated of course with olive oil and a little salt.

- Canelons: Canelones in Catalonia are simply delicious, bathed in bechamel sause and layered with grated cheese and gratinned in an oven. This pasta is filled with typically cooked meat and is truly a classical dish in this region.

- Faves ofegades : A dish composed of softened lima beans accompanied with chopped onion, ham, a few herbs and of course, the essential butiffara which is a typical meat.

- Crema Catalana: And for desert you must not miss out on the famous custard with a caramaliezed coating of sugar. Delicious!

Doesn’t all of this sound tempting? It’s time to seriously think about travelling to Spain!

Have you ever asked yourself what the difference between renting and swapping a home is? The answer is as subtle as it is simple: it is the thoughtful gift that you leave for the owners of the home or the gift you find when you come back from your home exchange holidays. It is these thoughtful acts of kindness that make a home swap so unique!

If you have any doubts about swapping your home for your next holidays, don’t hesitate anymore! One of the main differences differences between renting and swapping your home is that with home exchange your holidays have more of a personal touch because you truly feel at home while being away from home. This feeling arises because families leave small gifts for the other making the whole experience more special. Unlike the little random act of kindness in home exchange, In the case of renting, the gift that you receive at the end of your trip is always the same:  the bill. 

When you swap, you prepare your home thinking about your hosts and try to make their stay as comfortable as possible. One of the ways to make them feel more comfortable is by leaving a small local gift for them, for example a typical gastronmic product of your city; this way they can start discovering the culture of your city and feel special that someone thought about them.

And when you arrive to the new house and see that the owners have thought about you and have left you a little welcome gift the feeling of great satisfaction makes the whole trip feel just right.

And what better way to discover a new country than exchanging your  house knowing that another family will take care of your home just the same way they took care of you by offering you a little welcome gift? These welcome gifts or thank you gifts are usually typical products of the region so that the other party feels directly impregnated with the new culture.

Some examples of these presents that Knok members have given or received during their home exchange experiences are wine, cheese, foie gras, champagne, exotic and local fruits, ham…

Have you thought of a welcome gift you could give to your future hosts? What surprise gift would make you happy when you arrived to your new home?

During those 3 days, we could see interesting initiatives which allow the creation of communities with goals such as sharing a car, sharing a house or flat for the holidays, sharing knowledge, sharing working space or even sharing the output of research projects.

The society and the economy asks us to think about the importance of sharing. The future must take into account the reuse of available resources; that is things that we already have or things that our neighbors or friends already have.

Photo by @_brieuc

Some of the initiatives that are already being developed in Europe are:

- You can take advantage of empty seats in your car by allowing other passengers to travel with you to the same destination, for example from Paris to Amsterdam using car sharing platforms such as Carpooling.

- You can swap your home; you can enjoy a house in a new city for your vacations while the other family enjoys your own house. This kind of initiative is promoted by Knok and thanks to this travelers will save on the cost of accommodation and will live a richer and more local experience.

-You can share knowledge in schools such as Trade School London , where the teachers can learn from the students too.

- Or you can work in co-working spaces, sharing your knowledge and facilities with others professionals who have the same concerns that you have.

The economy and the society are becoming more collaborative and if each person brings a “grain” of sand to help the growth of the process, all together we will be able to achieve better use of the resources we have available today. Initiatives such as OuiShareFest encourage us to keep this in mind every day.

Amsterdam is the best city to cycle in 2013.

At least that’s what The Copenhagenize Index 2013 says. The index is a compendium of the best cities to cycle made every year byThe Copenhagenize, an organization specialized in bike solutions that work with projects all over the world to improve the bicycle culture all over the world.

Amsterdam is definitely the city of the bikes. Over there, cycling is as mainstream as it can get. Young ones, the seniors, parents with their kids, ladies with high heels. It’s amazing how, sometimes, is even hard to walk with so many bikes around.

The canals spread around the city (there are more canals in Amsterdam than in Venice!) make the perfect scenario for a great ride. Besides that, all around town there are special lines for bikers, so, you can even get stuck in bike-traffic.

It’s worth it to rent a bike an ride around like almost every local do over there. How about pack your bags, home swap in Amsterdam and move around over two wheels?

To meet the top cities to move around with your bike, check the whole index here.

The Chocolate Museum is located in the former Sant Agustí monastery, an historic building that related to chocolate since the 18^th century: he Bourbon army was a fanatical consumer of chocolate and, according to the ordinances, chocolate was present on their menus. When the troops were in barracks, acting as garrison, chocolate was also commonly eaten. The halberdier corps, the monarch’s personal bodyguard, was enviously known as the “chocolateros”, because, as they were a pampered, elite corps, they consumed a great deal of chocolate.

The museum and provides a journey through the origins of chocolate, how it arrived in Europe and myths and realities that goes around that (delicious and sweet) subject.

Since the age of discovery in the 15th century, chocolate has played important a role in the economically and socially in Barcelona. The city’s port acted as a starting point for the sale and distribution of the product all over Europe and the first workshop that transformed drinking chocolate into a solid product is recognized to have existed in the city at the end of the 19th century.

This simple mandate is full of common sense and applicable to our everyday lives. After all, how many of us own a tent that we use no more than a week over the summer? How many of us have a slow-cooker that we’ve only ever used a handful of times? How many of us make a long car journey with empty passenger seats? And then there’s the issue of wasting space; how many of us have loft space in our homes that is only ever half-full?

Sharing as the solution to all this wastage seems obvious, but what Hervé doesn’t impart through his little nugget of wisdom, is how one can share better…

Share with friends and relatives…

Family and friends tend to be a good resource for borrowing and lending. But the fact of the matter is, if you solely rely on friends and family for sharing, your borrowing base will be pretty small. Let’s say Pete is using his power drill for some DIY on the weekend you need to borrow it. Auntie Helen’s garage is already full and unable to accommodate the snorkelling equipment you use only one week a year.

With friends and family there’s also ‘the informality factor’ that can lead to awkwardness. The tupperware collection that goes astray, the sander they claim was theirs all along. It’s not that you can’t trust them, it’s just that with people you know well you’d never make a note of where things end up.

Neighbours…

In 2009 a study by Circle Anglia revealed that people aged 65 or over were pretty likely to know their neighbours, with 82% saying they chat with neighbours regularly. Compare this with the under-25s, a mere 44% of whom said they’d talk with their neighbours. Local communities, it seems, are becoming less well-integrated. Going round to the neighbour’s place for a clichéd cup of sugar isn’t easy if you don’t know them. And asking to borrow their lawn-mower seems a pretty tall order for a virtual stranger…

Strangers?

On the face of it this may seem like the least appealing option but, thanks to developments in technology, it is rapidly becoming the best. The internet is now enabling people to connect with strangers for mutual sharing benefit in a phenomenon known as ‘Collaborative Consumption’. The small sharing base you have with friends and family – and even neighbours – suddenly becomes infinitely larger, so the chances of that drill being free are greatly improved!

Unlocking the potential of sharing

It isn’t just drills and lawn mowers that are on offer through this new phenomenon, as you’ll see from the examples below:

• rentmyitems.com: This is as simple as it sounds. Rent everything from step ladders to wedding bunting, or offer something you own for others to rent.

• sooqini.com: People share skills and expertise on this clever marketplace, where you can find everything from a PA, to someone who’ll assemble Ikea furniture for you.

• deskwanted.com: Indexes more than 1,500 coworking spaces and shared offices worldwide and is great for small, flexible businesses and people on the move.

• knok.com: A home-swap hub designed to make holidays cheaper through sharing.

• roomcentral.co.uk: The smart way to find a flat or house-mate, sharing your spare space to make some extra cash.

• skilio.com: Skilio lets you teach and learn via Live Webcam. Share skills and knowledge in their smart online classrooms.

• gocarshare.com: Allows you to enter a journey you’re planning and ride along with someone who’s going the same way. A clever way to spread the cost of ever-more expensive petrol.

• sharemystorage: With self-storage space at a premium, it makes much more sense to share. This smart storage solution is cheaper, greener and local to you.

Three reasons to share with strangers..

   -Economy – Lenders and borrowers save money by sharing.

   -Security – A record is kept of everything that is lent, borrowed and shared.

   -Environment – We all consume less and put Kempf’s instruction into practice! 

20 cities were selected to participate on the on-line public voting site and the Turkish city of Istanbul was the chosen one. The second runner up, only 439 votes behind the great champion was Lisbon, in Portugal. Want to know the top ten cities to visit (and home swap!) this year in Europe? Check it out:

#1 Istanbul, Turkey

The only city in the world to straddle two continents, Istanbul is the historic crossroads between East and West, a city that is the perfect choice for a refreshing city break.

#2 Lisbon, Portugal

The good weather and long days are an irresistible invitation to discover and experience the city.

#3 Vienna, Austria

Viennese cuisine, wine an chocolate… They all stand for the enjoyment culture of the city on the Danube. Besides that, Vienna is also globally known as a metropolis of art and culture.

#4 Barcelona, Spain

In Barcelona, you hardly choose what you want to see. It only take a short walk in Passeig de Gracia to see the top brands shops and the great houses with Gaudi’s impressive design. The sun of the Mediterranean is a big invitation to meet the town.

#5 Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Good food, nice people and great views wherever you pass by. Amsterdam is a calm, cozy city that invites you to fall in love with each canal you have to cross. And don’t forget to rent a bicylce!

#6  Madrid, Spain

Cosmopolitan, modern, big. The vibrant Spanish capital makes everyone feel right at home while providing them with some really interesting tourist attractions.

#7 Valletta, Malta

It’s not because Valletta is the smallest European capital that it makes the city less interesting. With a rich cultural and historical offering of attractions, Valetta shows her charm at each slow walk around.

#8 Nice, France

The blue sky meets the blue sea in an unbelievable landscape. That should be enough reason to meet this young, vibrant, fun and in constant growth seaside city.

#9 Milan, Italy

The city is the hub of the Italian culture and media. Fall for the typical Italian charm and elegance very well represented by Milan.

#10 Stockholm, Sweden

A city open for everyone! Stockholm is trendy, inspiring and ground braking. A place where creativity grows, and where dreams come true.

It is in the Belgium city that the largest comic museum can be found: the Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinée. There are three floors and four thousand square meters dedicated to the art of the comic. Drawings, real size reproductions, animations, roughs and other pieces related to this fun kind of art.

Besides the seven permanent collections and the other temporary exhibitions in the museum, the city offers comic art fans a street route full of walls painted with iconic characters like Tintin, Asterix and Obelix. Good food, political affairs and comics, Brussels is a cosmopolitan city full of options for everyone. Need more reasons to home swap in Brussels?

When you decide to home swap in Berlin, make sure to reserve a Sunday as one of the days of the trip. In that day, the Mauerpark (Wall Park) – which holds that name in order to be close to a large part of the former Berlin Wall – is the perfect place for a full day of fun. Every Sunday there is a flea market where it’s possible to buy almost everything: records, jewelry, accessories, clothes, antiques, even some supposedly old soldier uniforms as well. 

At lunch time, you don’t have to move anywhere, there are many stands where you can grab a bite. From the typical German currywurst (pork sausage with curry ketchup sauce) to falafels, turkish pancakes, hot dogs… The menu is usually simple, but not less diverse or tasty.

In the afternoon, the real fun begins: the “bearpit karaoke”. Everyone who is feeling like showing their hidden talent is welcome, it’s open mic time. You can just go there, choose your song and sing in front of your audience, the Berliners who are just sitting around in the stairs of the park. But make sure the weather is good! The singing party only happens when it’s sunny and warm, after all, those are the days that match the Sunday sunny day in the park.

Trevi fountain: located in Piazza de Trevi, the square is the place where an American tourist, Hayley, meets the Italian Michelangelo, while looking for the Trevi fountain. The square’s centerpiece is the Victor Emmanuel II monument which is often called the “wedding cake” or “Mussolini’s typewriter” due to its striking size and shape. Yes, it’s the perfect scenery for them to fall in love, and SPOILER ALERT, they do.

 La Garbatella: the very charming neighborhood of La Garbatella is a secret that Woody Allen gave away in the movie. Completely off most tourist radars, it’s easy to get there by metro and is perfect to stop by for a bite: you will definitely want to try one of the restaurants around.

Spanish Steps: this one is not a hidden-only-local-people-know place, but it has been the inspiration for artists and musicians for centuries and is definitely a must go in  Rome. Piazza di Spagna is connected to Trinità dei Monti on the hill above, by Europe’s widest staircase, the Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti, known to foreigners as the Spanish Steps.

Villa dei Quintili: an ancient villa outside the traditional boundaries of Rome, it was built in the course of the 2^nd century. The former luxury space still has well-preserved bath with a pool, caldarium (hot room) and frigidarium (cold room). The ruins form an incredible view and can also be the place for deep dialogs, just like the ones in the movie.

So live your love story in Rome while you home exchange!