Memphis, with a population surpassing half a million inhabitants, is one of the largest cities in the mid-South of the USA, in the State of Tennessee. Sitting right next to the Mississippi River, in a strategic situation in the middle of the country considering its 19th century foundation and the economic activities in the surrounding areas, it soon became a transportation hub that led to its rapid development. Where there is transportation there is, of course, movement and people come together and interact. Perhaps that is why Memphis has a rich history when it comes to cultural expressions, one of our best ways to interact and leave a mark.

The cultural heritage of Memphis is so rich, that for example, when it comes to music it is linked to the Blues, Rock and roll and Soul music. If you had to actually choose a birthplace for the Blues, you would probably encounter that  Beale Street in Memphis would be a place you could not leave out of consideration, and even today some blocks in the old district are packed with clubs, restaurants and bars where musicians play the Blues as it happened about 100 years ago.

Museums, parks, festivals, attractions, sports and other interesting places and things to do are waiting for you to swap houses to visit Memphis, so we are going to help you build an itinerary in our next post because it is a long list and we have shared enough for today.

We will continue with last week’s proposal to visit cities related to two music styles that have their roots in the USA, jazz and blues. These two genres have other things in common, like their origin within the African-American communities of the southern USA, their fast expansion to other places like Chicago and New York, and of course, their deep and moving melodies that continue to captivate people nowadays.

Since last week we mostly focused on jazz, now we are going to focus our travel energies in visiting cities related to the blues. The style was born around the Mississippi River in the late 19th century evolving from African spirituals sang by slaves, ex-slaves and their descendants. But instruments came in and the songs became a melodic conversation between a man and his guitar. Yes, there is no blues without the guitar. The man would sing and the guitar would reply. The tone of the conversation was (and is) basically sad and the common theme of the lyrics: adversity.

We mentioned last week that when the blues arrived at Chicago it became electrified, but this was a few decades into the 20th century, and it was the beginning of the “Chicago blues”, but before that, it also reached other places and to them we are going to go this week. Tomorrow… Memphis. If you thought only Elvis Presley’s fan would have a reason to go there and you needed an alternative excuse to swap houses with someone in Memphis, HomeForHome, the world leader in excuses to become a swapper, will be here to provide it

We are going to finish our “More than Music” series with the Konzerthaus and the Colon Theatre. Of course, there are several other important venues for classical music around the world, and our list did not mean to be exhaustive. Maybe in the future we will find other excuses to write about the Sala São Paulo - São Paulo (Brazil), the Metropolitan Opera House - New York City (USA), the Bolshoi Theatre - Moscow (Russia), the Royal Opera House - London, (England), the Hungarian State Opera House - Budapest (Hungary) or the glass walls of the Sigyn Hall - Turku (Finland).

The Konzerthaus - Berlin (Germany) - It has had several names and it has been touched by tragedy a couple of times; the first one caused by a fire in the 19th century and the most recent one when it was torn down by the destructive power of World War II. Nowadays, it was rebuilt and now stands as a testimony of German neoclassical architecture besides being one of the best concert venues.

The Columbus Theatre (Teatro Colón) - Buenos Aries (Argentina) - Recently refurbished, erecting this truly magnificent building took twenty years and the work of three different architects. It was reopened last year accompanying the Bicentennial celebrations and the 102th anniversary of its opening.

Using classical music as the starting point, in the last couple of weeks we have given you some pretexts to search for international home exchange opportunities in several countries. Next week, we are going to let other musical styles take us on a new worldwide tour.

Last week, when we visited Vienna (Austria), we mentioned a venue that definitely deserves to be a part of this week’s list: Vienna’s State Opera. But there is yet another venue in Vienna that deserves to be in our list because besides its refinement and beauty, it is one of the best in acoustics: the Musikverein with its Große Musikvereinssaal. So, if you do arrange a home swap with a Viennese counterpart, you can find enjoyment for your ears as well.

As we mentioned, the Große Musikvereinssaal is one of the finest opera houses, and other similar venues in terms of excellence in sound are the Boston Symphony Hall, the Concertgebouw, the Konzerthaus and the Teatro Colon. So, let’s get to know a little bit about them.

The Boston Symphony Hall - Boston (USA) - One of the best in acoustics, it was designed following sound engineering principles to bring each attendant the experience of ideal sound. Maybe it is not the prettiest building but it is one of the finest sound-wise.

The Concertgebouw (Concert Hall) - Amsterdam (Netherlands) - This wonderful neoclassical building had its opening concert in 1888. We already said that all of these venues had great sound, but this one is also a delight for its refined, yet simple decoration. There are many references that list its main hall, the Grote Zaal (”Great Hall”), as one of the venues with the best acoustics. Built based only on intuition and imitating features of previously successful designs, it has been kept nearly unchanged to avoid distortion of its, of course, fragile perfection.

We will continue with the other two tomorrow, visiting Argentina and Germany.

There are buildings that are connected directly with music, and sometimes it does not matter if you like the type of performance executed in them, their majestic presence, decoration and history make them jewels that must become a part of a traveller’s tour. So, for the home swappers that like such places, this week we will present a list of music venues that go beyond music and become masterpieces on their own.

La Scala (Teatro alla Scala) - Milano (Italy) - It  is probably the opera house that has received the most renowned opera performances and its name doesn’t need to have the word “opera” included to be instantly associated with this kind of performance. The building is impressive and has a museum accessible from the foyer and an attached library. The museum halls have musical instruments, paintings, ceramic pieces, several busts and statuettes, objects related to opera history, ballet history, composers and performers. A real treat for opera lovers or people that want to get immersed in an important part of music history.

Photo by DAVID ILIFF

The Sydney Opera House - Sydney (Australia) - It is probably the single most famous music related venue in the world because it has become a symbol not only of Sydney but of Australia, and is one of the most renowned buildings of the 20th century. It is a multi-venue centre, where there are not only performance venues but also restaurants, cafés, bars, stores and even a recording studio. Thousands of tourists take the guided tours every year, which even allow people to visit the backstage areas. Not only a treat to music lovers but those who enjoy architectural masterpieces.

If you want to know more about these venues and maybe find out about performances taking place while you are there on your home exchange, please visit the following websites:

Teatro alla Scala: http://www.teatroallascala.org/en/index.html

Sydney Opera House: http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/

Cultural events and expressions in Vienna are not only related to music. Yes, you are probably going to enjoy Viennese operettas and waltzes, classical concerts, jazz performances, experimental music or even modern dance if you want, but the buildings, the gardens, the modern areas and the nightlife are all worth your attention when you plan to swap houses with a Viennese citizen.

Some of the beautiful buildings and sites that serve as testament of Vienna’s glorious past and proudly kept inheritance are:

- The Imperial Palace of the Habsburgs dynasty: Hofburg Palace
- The Baroque Palaces: Belvedere Palace and Schönbrunn Palace
- Related to the above-mentioned: the Belvedere Garden and Schönbrunn Zoo, the oldest zoo founded in the 18th century.
- The Palace of Justice
- Karls Church
- Vienna’s Ringstraße (ring boulevard): the State Opera, Burg Theatre, the House of Parliament, the City Hall, the Museum of Fine Arts…
- The Spanish Riding School with its unique Lipizzan horses: because in Vienna music has even been blended with the equestrian world.

And of course, the modern side of the city can stun you too:

- Haas House
- The Gasometer
- Many cutting-edge residential apartment buildings
- Hundertwasser House

As an end note: you cannot swap houses to visit Vienna and forget to try the irresistible Viennese combination of coffee and pastry, they are going to leave a mark on your senses that will not be easily forgotten.

For more information about interesting things to discover in Vienna you may visit:
http://www.wien.info/en/

We are going to keep our promise and take you to Sevilla, Bologna, Gent and Glasgow this week and we are going to start with Sevilla which was the first city to receive the title of UNESCO City of Music.

Sevilla is the capital of the province of Sevilla and also the capital of the autonomous region of Andalusia. Home of the graceful “Sevillanas”, a form of flamenco, its cultural heritage goes far beyond music, with palaces, bridges, impressive Gothic style buildings and fine examples of Moorish architecture near modern structures that have nothing to envy from its older neighbours. Also an exquisite gastronomy, several festivals, an excellent offer of theatre, orchestra and opera performances year-round, a quite interesting night-life and in case you are into sports you may even catch a first-class football game.

Some of the musts if you go to Sevilla:

– The Cathedral
– The Alcazar, a palace of Moorish origin, with its beautiful gardens.
– The Tower of Gold (Torre del Oro)
– Spain’s Square (Plaza de España)
– Its Museums: the Museum of Fine Arts, the Andalusian Contemporary Art Center and the Flamenco Art Museum to name a few.

Other interesting facts about Sevilla:

– Every two years, the city becomes the Flamenco World capital, an event that is celebrated with a lot of music.
– It is part of the Machado Cities Network, a net “knitted” around the poet Antonio Machado.

There are almost 130 houses in HomeForHome waiting to receive you, so if you want to discover all the magic of Sevilla in your next home swap the right partner may be just waiting to hear from you.

It is probably safe to say that music is an important part of everyone’s daily life. Millions of people listen to music everyday while they do a myriad of activities because there is music everywhere! Not only in the radio, on TV, on CDs, on the Internet, on films… You walk into a store, there’s may be music playing, you sit in a waiting room and you are going to listen to a very calm and suiting tune, in airplanes you can use music to make the flight seem shorter and more amenable and of course nature is full of music: birds singing, the wind blowing, sometimes even snow flakes falling to the ground.

When it is time to set off to your home swap you probably plan to take along your favourite play list, either in your laptop, your MP3 Player or your preferred electronic device - we are leaving out options like travelling with an extra bag of carry on for your records just for practical reasons, even though there are some nostalgic record lovers that may as well consider it

Music is going to be part of your vacations one way or the other, and for those who want to really live music during their trip there are many places where music history comes to life, places were important concerts or festivals take place, and places were you can discover new rhythms.

Such places are going to be our possible home swap destinations for the next posts, so now more than ever: stay tuned

You could get lucky and have more than savings from home exchange if you visit any of the destinations we have for you today, but if your vacation home swap is in the Summer you could also get a great tan. Today we take you to some paradisiacal places that have casinos and great beaches: Monte Carlo, the Caribbean, Goa, Macau, and Estoril.

Monte Carlo, Monaco.

Monaco is famous for four things: its monarchy, its tax system, its beaches and the Monte Carlo Casino. One of the safest places in the world, here you will find tranquillity, glamour, coast and casino.

The Caribbean

Several Caribbean nations have casinos in their entertainment offer, like Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Dominican Republic or the Virgin Islands. It is not breaking news that you are also going to find sandy beaches, crystal clear waters and a lot of sunshine in the Caribbean. If this combination is exactly what you need to warm up your body, then you know where your perfect house swap partner is.

Goa, India

Goa is a small state in India that probably has the best beaches of the Arabian Sea. It has over 100 Km (63 miles) of coast, a very interesting architectural heritage and a rich biodiversity. Quite an exotic destination to relax and enjoy.

Macau

Macau is an administrative region of China. Like Goa, it used to be a Portuguese colony and its most profitable industry is tourism. There are many cultural events throughout the year and it is a very nice place to experience the Chinese culture, even influenced by the Portuguese heritage. Musts: the architecture, the cuisine and the Chinese New Year festival.

Estoril, Portugal

We could not leave out the place that claims to have the largest casino in Europe: Casino Estoril. But of course that is not all they claim to have, to the largest casino in Europe add a unique gastronomic offer, great weather and friendly people.

We said it yesterday, this week is all about entertainment. Today we are going to show you some of the things you could expect if you swap houses with someone in or near this cities: Las Vegas and Atlantic City (we are leaving Monte Carlo for tomorrow).

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is an iconic place for adult entertainment. It is not only about poker, black jack, roulette and slots, Las Vegas has a very wide offer of stage shows, performances, sport events, and “wild” architecture - is there another adjective more accurate for Las Vegas’ architecture? Surrounded by the Mojave Desert, Las Vegas has an Eiffel Tower replica, a Castle, a Palace, its own Statue of Liberty, a volcano, a pyramid accompanied by a Sphinx replica, glittering lights and stars… Some stars that had or have shows in Las Vegas include Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Elton John, Cher, Céline Dion, David Copperfield, Criss Angel…

Going down “The Strip” on Las Vegas Boulevard you will get first hand contact with everything we have been telling you about. Are you ready for your Vegas adventure?

Atlantic City, New Jersey

Atlantic City is located in the coast of New Jersey and it has a beautiful shoreline that is an attraction in itself, but has the additional attractive that it can be enjoyed from the longest boardwalk in the world, for locals “the Boardwalk”. Other major attractions of this city are the shopping areas, the restaurants, the spas, the nightlife, water sports (mostly in the Summer), golf courses, museums and the Atlantic City Aquarium. This destination seems to have everything you need to relax, have a family vacation and why not try your luck in the casinos.

HomeForHome can bring you closer to the most fun vacation you could ever have. Register, swap and go!