Nothing to do with flying or cruising south by car. Nice shit. Let’s look at it this way: by staying at home this summer, we are protecting the climate and wallet and also bringing our ecological footprint close to tolerable. The Internet takes us from our couch at home to cities that are still missing from our bucket list and to places we have been saving up for years to travel to. Money that we would now be better off investing in a decent screen and a great sound system.
Cities
We’ll save ourselves the 24-hour flight and move through Sydney’salleyways from our home computer. Need an exotic flash? From the Copacabana to the Sugar Loaf Mountain and the statue of Jesus: we’re in Rio de Janeiro. Standing in line for hours in the scorching sun? Doesn’t have to be. The city of Pompeii, buried by the Vesuvius eruption, can also be visited from home . For the members of the FACES editorial team, Zurich is just around the corner, but not for all our readers. A virtual tour changes all that.
Culture
Graffiti is not just tired talk. The coolest murals New Yorksby Banksy, Keith Haring and co. can be admired without a stiff neck. The way Japanese toilets work is probably just as difficult to understand as the associated language. We don’t even have to go to Tokyo to understand the buttons fly. Ever been thrown out of a museum? It doesn’t happen when we press our noses against our own screens to follow every brushstroke of Vermeer’s “The Girl with the Pearl Earring” (hanging in the Mauritshuis Museum in The Hague). We don’t have to climb the highest mountain in the Alps with crampons and climbing know-how. We simply sit down and let the images of Mont Blanc take our breath away.
Party
Berlin’sbouncers are tough as nails. We know how to get to the hottest clubs in the city in pyjama bottoms and Birkenstock sandals. The Cubansreally know how to party! We learn the best moves, the coolest dances and the hottest moves online. Party is more than just Bummbummbumm! The Elbphilharmonie concert hall in Hamburg makes a more authentic sound. After all, you can also dance to it. Even though the Ultra Music Festival had to cancel its live concerts, you can still get that Miami feeling thanks to the DJ sets by Marshmallow and co.
Must do
Enjoy the view from the Eiffel Tower without queuing. 360-degree panoramic views, no tourists blocking your path or elbowing you in the ribs. We will manage to tick off one of the Seven Wonders of the World in 2020 despite travel restrictions. The rock city of Petra also overwhelms us through the screen. Experience the kitschy blue waters of the Maldives! A dream that is just a click away. The world’s longest railroad line between Moscow and Vladivostok covers 9,288 kilometers. We take a seat on the Trans-Siberian Railway and embark on a real virtual adventure.
Events
Montreux Jazz Festival: 50 concerts are available for free streaming.
Coachella Festival: The who’s who of festival-goers will have to be patient. Meanwhile, we watch the documentary on twenty years of festival history.
Neuchâtel International Fanstastic Film Festival: From 3. to 11. July 2020, movie fans can click through 20 films online and give their verdict.
Burning Man: Human pyramids and exploding torture stakes are probably on hold this year. But that doesn’t stop us from dipping our bodies in color and getting high in front of the screen.