Each year since 1985, one or several European cities are selected as cultural capitals. For this 2010, Pécs (Hungary), Istanbul (Turkey) and Essen (Germany) are the three selected cities; meaning that many events, exhibitions and parades will be held throughout the year. Pécs has up to 2,000 appointments scheduled under the topic of “city without borders.”

The mayor, Zsolt Pava said that Pécs is an exciting city “full of culture and in continuous change”. Pécs is preparing to welcome their historical and cultural heritage, develop their creative talents and dazzle the curious people like you.

With this appointment the city will oxygenate and will be realized as a tourist destination, full of cultural gems. In 2004, when Lille (France) was the capital of culture, a forest of 300  suspended false trees were installed in one of its squares with musical and light effects. It was an amazing urban experience!

They will pay a tribute to outstanding artists such as Marcel Breuer of the Bauhaus German School and to the father of Op Art, Victor Vasarely. Pécs ethnic minorities like the Gypsies, the Croats, the Poles, the Germans, the Serbs, the Greeks, the Bulgarians, the Russians and the Ukrainians also have an important place in this cultural year.

This diversity reflects the most European face of this capital. A Turkish theatre will also be held as well as a dance festival. Thousands of artists come from all backgrounds to appreciate the city as a place of encounters, imagination and fun.

There are expected one million visitors, with 30% foreigners, you can’t miss it! Book your ticket to the Hungarian capital and rent Apartments in Budapest to have a comfortable accommodation.

Sometimes the studies reveal us truly amazing things… But what’s even more amazing is the kind of studies that are being conducted. For example, who thinks of conducting a study about the feminine smell of onions and the masculine smell of cheese? Would it be that there are no more interesting studies to do?

The sweat has been the focus of some Swiss scientists. For their research, they put 24 men and 25 women in a sauna for 15 minutes. They took samples of sweat from their armpits and the conclusion was: women smell like onions or grapes and men smell like cheese.

Why to conduct this study? They try to understand how the bodies smell in both sexes to develop efficient deodorants. It is true that when someone needs a new deodorant, he/she changes it in hope to find the magic one that has it all: covers the odours, the perspiration, that leaves no white spots, that lasts 24 hours, that has a pleasant smell…

But there is a problem: this study may not be valid outside of Switzerland. The scientists explain that with other diet and different genes, the results can be altered. Switzerland will definitely be the most neutral country in the world: it won’t have any smell!

If you think this study is not very interesting, it might be for other people, who gave their bodies to the science and survive thanks to the money they charged for being guinea pigs. You should know that although they seem very Strange studies, they have a very clear objective: the money. It is not just a question of deodorant.

Why don’t you go to a sauna and analyze your own sweat? The Hungarian capital is highly valued for its thermal spas, so do not think twice, organize a trip to Budapest, and for a cheap and comfortable stay, rent Apartments in Budapest.

As winter slowly dies away and some of the first blossoms appear on the trees, it is time to look ahead to the 2010 European Summer Festival Circuit. While many of us make our plans, book our tickets and start checking the line-ups, there is still a warm place in our hearts for the festivals of 2009. One of the biggest, and arguably the best music festival on the European circuit is Sziget, held every August in Budapest, Hungary.

About the Sziget Festival
Sziget is the Hungarian word for island (you pronounce it Ts-igget), so it’s no surprise that the Sziget festival is held on Obudai - Hajógyári Island in the middle of the Danube, and almost in the middle of the city.

For six rocking days and nights (with an extra day thrown in at the beginning for Sziget-goers to arrive, make camp and generally begin getting dusty), this island is a monster of music, with multiple music stages and all genres from mainstream to techno to world music to hip-hop. There are stalls, chill-out areas, and cool extras like Vietnamese Water Puppet shows. No wonder the hippies take their kids, this place is full of forests, places to play and things to do.

Sziget used to begin on Day 1 and end on Day 6, but after noise complaints from their neighbours, festival organisers promised to cut it down to just five days. Did this wreck the fan’s experience? No way. Now, the festival ends on Day 5 but starts on Day Zero. Sneaky!

Past performers at Sziget
Sziget is known for its fat line-ups. 2008 saw Iron Maiden, R.E.M. Babyshambles, Sex Pistols, Jamiroquai, Anti-Flag, Flogging Molly, Alanis Morissette, The Killers, The Kooks, Kaiser Chiefs, The Cribs, and Pendulum take the stages. The nineties Sziget festivals boasted everyone from Iggy Pop and David Bowie to Sonic Youth, Oasis, Suzanne Vega, Lou Reed and the Foo Fighters. The early noughties saw Sziget play host to The Prodigy (who returned in 2009 – those boys LOVE their festivals), Noir Desir, Faithless, Freestylers, Placebo, Muse, The Cure, Massive Attack, Basement Jaxx and on and on and on and on.

The 2009 Sziget Experience
The Prodigy were back, and so was Placebo. Although the 2009 European Festival Circuit was a little more lacklustre than other years, Sziget rocked as hard, if not harder than it ever had. Crowd-pleaser Lily Allen gave a good performance, despite the rumours that she was becoming disillusioned by her fame and the music industry in general. Other highlights were – as always – Fatboy Slim, Snow Patrol (giving emo love to all the weepers in the crowd) and The Ting Tings, whose upbeat catchy tunes ricocheted off the main stage.

To Camp or Not to Camp
A ticket to camp at Sziget is only a little more expensive than a regular entry, and can save a lot of drunken stumbles back to the city at night. Although the festival never really closes at night, it does quieten down after 11pm when the main stage closes, so it is possible to get some sleep in a tent. The downside is the dust (it’s EVERYWHERE thanks to a hot summer and 400,000 pairs of feet stomping all over the island) and the smell of the port-a-potties by the end of Day 3. Although camping is a great party atmosphere, there are plenty of festival-goers who prefer to stay in the nearby Sziget hostel, or treat themselves to hotel rooms and apartments in Budapest. Sometimes a shower seems way more attractive than a tent.

We all know the feeling, when suddenly the butterflies in the stomach are gone, your stomach churns and you fall from cloud number nine without a parachute. No matter for what reason or motives, separations from your beloved partner can be the worst thing ever. Lovesickness, heartache, fears and company can really make your life very difficult. However, after a period of crying and hurt, little by little you get back to reality. And then, some day you run into your ex and there is still this special feeling in the air. Of course, it’s very hard to resist these good vibrations: Sex with the ex – sex with no strings attached.

These days this little trip back to the past isn’t anything new. According to the latest surveys, more than 94% of men claim to flirt with the ex-girlfriend and would like to have sex with her. Almost 22% of women confess to have already had sex with the ex. All surveyed persons confirmed that they dream of spending intimate hours with their ex partner. How so? Well, it isn’t strange to long for having sex with a person who you know 100%. In the most of the cases, sex with the ex is often better than with some unknown person during a one-night stand. We already know the erogenous zones, and what the other person likes, hence you’re just a perfect team in bed.

And what’s the best thing about all this? Well, when the cards are on the table as it were, and it’s really just about sex, then a relaxed orgasm without any sense of duty will be guaranteed. All the stress of our everyday life, relationship problems, petty jealousy, conflicts and all those things which made your relation so hard, have finally disappeared. Now, it’s the pure passion and the body of the partner what is at the centre of attention. It may sound a little bit cold and macabre, but be honest: Having unrestrained sex without thinking of an “afterwards” can be really liberating!

However, the most important aspect of this little voyage into the past is that both partners know that it is just about sex. As soon as feelings become involved and one of them is still in love with the other, disaster will strike again. Communication is the be-all and end-all: A real talking-to, the cold truth and then let’s go to bed, honey.

But perhaps a separation isn’t necessary and you can solve the little crisis with your partner. A vacation far away from everyday life could be the perfect solution. What about a fantastic holiday in the most enchanting city of Hungary? Rent the comfortable and cheap apartments in Budapest and rock your relationship!

Due to the many scientific investigations, studies, analyses and experiments carried out through history, nowadays we have the possibility to live in a modern and technologically advanced society. The interesting results weren’t only illuminating, but as well just completely crazy. Yes, you heard it right. Let’s leave the formal language apart and be honest: most of the scientists can be very freaky! You don’t believe me? Well, just continue reading, please!

Let’s start with a bit of a macabre experiment (well, basically all of them are quite delicate and not so political correct). In 1924 the doctoral candidate Carney Landis originally wanted to investigate facial expressions of humans, but he used really dramatic methods. After using different methods that got stronger and stronger, starting with chilling jazz music, firecrackers exploding at a distance of 2 metres away to the touching of strange scary things in the darkness, the test persons had to then deal the following situation. A real live mouse was placed in front of them along with a sharp knife. They were then ordered to cut the mouse’s head off! Now, you probably have the same expressions on your face as the test persons had: FRIGHT, HORROR, NAUSEA, SERIOUSNESS, and DESPERATION. Indeed, 15 of the 20 test persons beheaded the poor mice and with this experiment the scientist laid the foundations for the interesting science of obedience. What’s up, still have goose-pimples?

But there are experiments even more macabre. Robert E. Cornish, scientist of the Berkeley University wanted to imitate God in the year 1932 and tried to raise up people from the dead. With this aim, he put the corpse on a kind of seesaw and see-sawed it up and down to stimulate the blood circulation. Well, of course, it isn’t necessary to have passed your doctorate for knowing that this experiment wasn’t successful. But at least there was a horror movie of it made, “Life Returns”, - you can’t get trashier than that!

Talking about resurrections, we can go ahead with another strange experiment: three people called Jesus met in a psychiatric clinic. In 1959 the psychologist Milton Rokeach organized a meeting with three persons that thought they were the Christ for analysing what would happen in such a situation. Well, the results were very simple: one Jesus didn’t believe anything of the other Jesus, and the third Jesus just thought why the hell did he have to talk with those two strange psychopaths. It even came to a fight and the experiment had to be interrupted for safety reasons.

The list of freaky scientific experiments seems to be infinite: investigations about how it feels to hang yourself to the brain control of bulls and the experiments of the sleep-wake rhythm in a little cave isolated from the outside world. Well if the test persons are willing to participate in such experiments, it’s their choice.

Do you want to carry out your own personal experiment? What about an experiment about relaxation and interior balance? No problem, you only have to travel to the Hungarian capital and enjoy the most beautiful spa city in Europe. Rent the best apartments in Budapest and spend incredible days in some cheap and comfortable accommodation.

It has always been thought that blondes are dumb… Who has not ever heard of this topic? The image of a blonde, shallow, very cute, but silly girl is widely known. But nothing could be further from the truth! Today, the myth has fallen. Blondes have rebelled against the stigma that has always neglected and ridiculed them. Some scientists of the National Academy of Sciences of The United States and of the University of California assure that the blonde women are more determined and more aggressive than the red-heads or the brunettes, which gives them a clear advantage when it comes to obtaining their goals or going in search of work. Who are the fools now? Not the blondes!

The study also concluded that women with blond hair get more attention and that they are treated better by the people. To figure this out, the researchers examined 156 students with blond hair, and corroborated that all of them, both natural and the dyed blondes, have a more warlike attitude than women with other hair colours.

Aaron Sell, the study director, also said that California is the “natural habitat of privileged blondes” as there the golden girls “have more rights than other women.” Incredible! On the other hand, they have indicated that the better you treat a woman, the more confident she feels, and she’ll gain initiative and self-sufficiency. As a result, blondes are more inclined to be aggressive in achieving social objectives.

Ingrid Collins, a researcher of the Psychology Medical Centre in London, has contested the study assuring that the conclusions are very interesting, but unreliable since the study was conducted within a very limited group of people and should not be generalized.

Have you ever felt discriminated for being blonde? It’s over! Attention, women of the planet because the blondes are out to get us! If you do not want to lose out, run to your nearest hair salon and dye your hair blonde. And to show your feminine wiles, travel to Budapest. Find some affordable and comfortable accommodation by renting Apartments in Budapest. You will not regret it.

2009 was a great year. Finally you got to stop smoking, you made out with the hottest boy/girl in the neighbourhood and,  best of all, you lost those extra kilos until the dammed Christmas came. It is true that you had set the firm intention of not tasting a single piece of nougat but, who can resist it? It is so delicious! And overall … it is just a little bit … and another … and another. Well, it seems that someone has jumped the diet!

The Christmas excesses tend to invoice you. The Christmas menus are too abundant and if we add the appetizers, the desserts and the alcohol, they get to the point of  being excessive. The calories roam around your body happy to settle wherever they like: in the mens belly and buttocks, thighs, waist and hips of women. Our body is completely unable to assimilate so much protein, fat and toxin in such a short period of time. And if eating in excess is a usual practice at Christmas, heavy drinking also tends to accompany it.

Sure on New Year’s Eve you drank too much champagne, until you lost track of time… Well, you should know that the alcohol has a tremendous amount of calories! Watch what you drink or you will lose more than your figure.

And you’re still surprised when you can’t zip your trousers up? The strange thing is that the bathroom scales do not run away when they see you entering  the bathroom with the intention of weighing yourself after the Christmas holidays! So, what should I do now? Do you want your hot body back? Follow these little tips and your figure will come back in a few months:

• Avoid eating meat (especially the red meats): whenever you can, replace it with fish, which is much more digestible. If you do not like fish, white meats like chicken or turkey should be your main allies. And remember, always grilled, not fried! You should also avoid cured meats like salami or chorizo and other meats like pork or lamb, which are much more indigestible and have more toxins.
• I love you, green: eat more lettuce and vegetables …
• Drink herbal teas: the infusions are the invention of the century: they are purifying, diuretic and help in the digestion. Oh, and saccharin rather than sugar! Avoid coffee (it increases dehydration).
• Drink a lot of water: your skin and your body needs at least ½ litters of water a day …
• Try to have dinner as soon as possible: do not eat a copious dinner and do not go to bed immediately after dinner. Make time for a two-hour digestion, approximately.
• Move your body: the most important thing, do exercise! To do some exercise will help you to eliminate the kilos that you picked up at Christmas and will bring enormous health benefits.

And now, to celebrate that you have recovered your physical tone, get yourself a trip to Budapest and pamper your body at one of its famous spas. Rent Apartments in Budapest to find the best accommodation.

“U.S.” are two letters that Zeno Cosini wrote constantly – the main character of “La coscienza di Zeno“, an Italian novel by the Italian writer Svevo. What does U.S. mean exactly? Translated from Italian, “Último Cigarrillo” or the last cigarette, Zeno Cosini lied to himself with the belief that the cigarette he was about to smoke would really be the last one. Do you want to be like Zeno or do you definitely want to stop this habit?

Today, the pharmaceutical science can help us to give up smoking. Obviously it depends on how much you used to smoke. If you smoke more than a pack per day it will be a little more difficult. And if you have smokers around you it will also be more complicated. But maybe you can convince your partner or one of your friends to give up smoking together because you can derive more strength in numbers.

It would be helpful if you analyze which are the reasons for smoking and then analyzing the benefits you could have if you stop. Everyone knows that smoking is a very unhealthy addiction and it increases the chances of getting cancer, cardiovascular problems and premature aging of the skin. The Bodies exhibition, which attracted so much controversy and made us see in detail the human body, also showed us how the lungs of a smoker are.

It seems that all these negative thoughts and clear evidence about how bad the smoke is, are useless if the pleasure of smoking cigarettes is such that without them you think your life would not be the same. Therefore, why not try to think about how not smoking could further improve your life and what other new pleasures you could try. It may seem absurd, but the first advantage is being able to breathe easier and reduce the complications of a simple cough and if you practice a sport, you’ll improve your performance and get fit at the same time. What about your breath? You can forget the embarrassment of bad breath and save on chewing gum. Do you like a white or a yellowish smile? You’ll also save a lot of money by not smoking!

There are several techniques to help you stop smoking: nicotine patches, nicotine chewing gums, even hypnosis! But it should all be a gradual process. The best thing is to consult an expert that can help you to stop your addiction. You should also dedicate some time to do some activities that can distract you and that are not linked to the ritual of smoking. Go for a walk every day! In the mid-morning break look through a magazine instead of smoking. And it is better to go to the cinema than to go partying.

It goes without saying that a change in your everyday life would also be a very good idea. Why don’t you go for a trip? Budapest is the perfect city. It is famous for its spas and thermal baths. For a relaxing vacation, rent Apartments in Budapest and leave your cigarettes at home.

Vampires are in vogue, thanks to the popular ‘Twilight’ series, the TV show ‘True Blood’ and movies like ‘Jennifer’s Body’ with Megan Fox. Thousands of teenage girls dream about being bitten by Eduard Cullen, but the modern image of the vampire has nothing to do with old legends. A vampire was an un-dead, a bloodthirsty dangerous creature that had nothing to do with romantic love stories!

Stories about creatures who feed on human blood are as old as mankind itself. Especially in the Slavic culture, we find a lot of myths relating to vampires. Long before Bram Stoker wrote his famous work ‘Dracula’, the people of Eastern Europe already feared the ‘Upyr’ or ‘Moroi’. There are reports of people being bitten by giant bats, and the dead rising from their graves. Not so surprising, they didn’t have too much medical knowledge about the human body and if you didn’t breathe you were considered dead. Also, these ‘dead’ were buried as soon as possible out of fear of diseases. And more than once these victims turned out to be still alive and kicking!

There existed real vampire hunters, who opened up the graves if people suspected vampirism. Often they found corpses with fresh blood on them, whose hair and nails didn’t stop growing. This was seen as a clear sign of vampirism, thus a stake was hammered through the heart and sometimes the body was burned. The explanation is simple: people who were buried alive and woke up in a coffin, tried by all means to dig themselves out. Sometimes it could take quite some time before they actually died, and only a few were lucky enough to ‘rise’ from their grave (only to be murdered by a vampire hunter).

In Serbia for example, there was a true mass hysteria after the death of a certain Arnold Paole. He claimed to have been bitten on a trip through Kosovo, but he said he cured himself by eating the earth from the vampire’s grave. But after his death (he fell off a hay wagon and broke his neck), some villagers died in suspicious circumstances. They opened up his graved and pierced his heart, which began to bleed. Later they burned the corpse.

Then there is also the story of the Hungarian countess Elisabeth Báthory, remembered as the ‘Blood Countess’, who was the biggest serial killer in history. She lived in the 16th century and supposedly killed more then 500 young girls. She derived pleasure from torturing them, but her main goal was to bathe in their blood. The countess believed this would preserve her youth and beauty.

Do you believe in vampires? Without doubt, the truth is to be found in the Slavic culture. Travel to Hungary, maybe there you will find the answers you are looking for. Rent the most mysterious apartments in Budapest, and please don’t forget to bring your stake and crucifix, just in case!

Do you remember the first day of your life ? What a silly question… But it can be very useful to know what kind of energy surrounded you when you were inside your mother’s belly. Those 9 months are the basis of a fantastic new therapy, called ‘Metamorphe Massage’. Are you sure you know your body inside out ? From the nails of your toes to your longest hair ? Don’t be too sure about that, because during a session of prenatal massage, you learn a lot about yourself and your energy flow is restored. It consists of a soft and intuitive touch of your head, hands and feet. It reveals who we are, not only our memories but also our possibilities.

People are not exactly fond of feet, and even less the feet of someone else. But did you know that, just like hand reading you can also read feet ? An extremely curved foot indicates a restless soul, an adventurer. And if the sole of your foot is very flat, you’re a down-to-earth person. These are not just simplistic conclusions, we must also take into account the position of the toes, the nails, calluses and corns, the skin and blood circulation etc.

‘It is really spectacular, after the massage my energy levels were higher than ever before and I obtain peace and harmany with my body. I advise everyone to try it, the price is almost ridiculously low. Many thanks to the professional who helped us’ commented a fan on a Spanish forum. Are you curious yet? Try it yourself ! With this therapy you can find out how those 9 months in the uterus have influenced you, and made you into the person you are today. This can even happen while you sleep, without making physical contact with the body.

The metamorphic technique has its origin in the United States in the 60s, and came to Europe in the 70s and is still evolving today. Formerly it was called the “Prenatal Structure“, but since it has undergone significant changes over the years, the inventor himself, Robert St. John, insisted on the use of the new term ‘Metamorphic Massage’. Depending on your condition and your needs, you will find peace, serenity, innocence and love, and because the energy paths are cleared you are more resistant to diseases and you generally feel better.

Would you like to be in perfect harmony with your body? Cleanse your body and your mind. You can share this incredible experience with your friends or partner so why not take a trip to Budapest, the world capital of spas and resorts. Rent the best apartments in Budapest and experience the first day of your life again.