Akihabara neighborhood in Tokyo
**Okay, there are still a few days left (let's be optimistic)** until that long-awaited summer vacation arrives, but since we are non-conformists and love to travel, just finished our little Christmas break we begin to plan what we will do when the well-deserved summer break arrives. Some will opt for relaxation, others for something more crazy (see fairs and festivals in their towns) and also there will be those who opt for something more cultural -for that knowledge does not take place.
And although it is always interesting to visit the monuments that, with so much effort and so few resources, were built by those who walked here before us, it is not bad to go to the places where the great geniuses of modern times created . Those spaces where the great technological advances of our time are exhibited or those others where future geniuses devise the devices that will mark the future of humanity. geeks of the world, take note for your next vacation.
Alan Turing in Bletchley Park
THE LONDON PARK WHERE IT ALL STARTED
Every self-respecting geek has to travel to the British capital to visit Bletchley Park , recently rehabilitated. One hour from London, technology lovers will be able to get to know the place where Alan Turing and his team worked to crack the Nazi code and turn history around. A park of 20 hectares of land, with a Victorian mansion, where the father of modern computing and more than 10,000 cryptanalysts analyzed the encrypted messages with whom the troops of the German army communicated during the Second World War.
THE PLACE WHERE THE THREE DOUBLE VEES EMERGED
A whole sanctuary: the CERN . A temple to which every technology lover must make a pilgrimage at some point in his life. There emerged in 1989 the internet as we know it today . In a room of the different buildings that are in the more than 600 hectares occupied by the European Center for Nuclear Research, located in Geneva, British scientist Tim Berners-Lee created the World Wide Web . His purpose was not that you could read these lines right now, but to facilitate the exchange of information between researchers from universities around the world. Wouldn't it be exciting to sit in the chair where something like this was conceived?
A real sanctuary: CERN
A MUSEUM WHERE TO REVIEW ALL THOSE TECHNOLOGICAL MILESTONES
Stroll among chips, computers turned into authentic relics, historical machines, devices created by ancient visionaries ... In the summer plans of many geeks, traveling to Mountain View, California, to visit the Computer History Museum . Throughout the walk through this technological cathedral you will be able to see how, in a very short time, they have evolved vertiginously the electronic devices we use every day.
Garage of the parents of Steve Jobs in Los Cabos
THE BIRTHPLACE OF SILICON VALLEY
Set to trace a route through the main enclaves of Silicon Valley , cradle of technology in North America, we cannot leave out the place where for many the garage culture arose . Located at the back of 367 Addison Avenue in Palo Alto, it was in that shed that William Hewlett and David Packard began to tinker with all kinds of technological gadgets , back in 1938, to start forging the company named after the initials of their surnames. Now, in that place where HP began, visitors will see a sign that reads “ Birthplace of Silicon Valley ”.
THE GARAGE WHERE JOBS AND WOZNIAK TOOK THE APPLE
Since we still have time to plan our vacation trip, any technology lover worth their salt will make the most of their trip to the west coast of the United States and, in addition to seeing the computer history museum, they will visit the places where that the great technological empires of our time arose. Garages turned into temples where artifacts were created that changed everything. Such is the amount that it would be difficult to design the beginning and the end of the route, although that of many, especially the fanboys, would start at number 2066 on Crist Drive, in Los Altos.
It was there that Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, together with the daredevils who joined their initial team, began working on the first Apple computers in 1968. That yes, do not fool us. As 'Woz' has revealed, nothing but ideas came out of there . No prototypes or anything like that. "The garage is a bit of a myth," she admitted in a recent interview. Nothing was designed or manufactured in the home of 'iGod's adoptive parents that, in 2013, it was declared a historical heritage by the local municipal commission. A must for every 'geek' in any case.
THE ISRAELI VALLEY REPLICA
If instead of crossing the Atlantic we prefer to cross the Mediterranean Sea , we can also choose a tourist destination with technology as the main protagonist. Without garages in between, but with a similar culture and the presence of the most important firms, on the other side of the pond we can visit silicon wadi , the Israeli replica of Silicon Valley.
With its epicenter in Tel Aviv, this technology trail will take any tech lover through the cities of Herzliya, Ra'anana, Netanya or Petah Tikva . There we can see how the headquarters of large technology companies such as IBM ( who landed there in 1949 ), Microsoft or Apple mingle with the 'startups' that, if they are well stocked with ideas and projects, will end up being gobbled up by the local bigwigs. The clearest example is Waze , the application to know the traffic for which Google paid 1,000 million euros.
THE PLACE WHERE THE FISH ATE THE SHARKS
If instead of the coastal climate If we prefer a colder destination, we can set course for the technological hub of northern Europe. in the same place where was born, grew up and died one of the technological giants of the Old Continent, nokia , many other companies are trying to gain a foothold in this narrow market. Although garages are not so fashionable, the city of Espoo, in the south of Finland, could be a good vacation destination for the geek traveler to get to know first-hand the ecosystem in which daring entrepreneurs, Eager to take on the world, they give free rein to their imagination.
There you can visit the headquarters of Supercell , where the brave characters of Clash of Clans or the endearing animals of Hay Day will welcome you in life-size cardboard; or take a tour of the headquarters of Rovio Entertainment to throw the Angry Birds stuffed animals at anyone or dive into the famous ball pool where the workers of the Finnish company release tension.
THE MOST TECHNOLOGICAL COUNTRY ON THE PLANET
Among the most technological destinations in the world, the only country where anyone can become a 'digital citizen' . A little further south than Finland, Estonia has long since become a benchmark in the world of technology. Since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, its citizens have made a strong commitment to innovation. Between its borders is Technopolis , for many the European version of Silicon Valley, where skype arose and was conceived . In addition, in the plans of all technological curious, a visit to the Tallinn Institute of Cybernetics , founded in 1960.
THE PLACE WHERE YOUR SAVINGS WILL DISAPPEAR
The corner of the planet to which anyone who loves 'little gadgets' should travel is none other than the Huaqiangbei market, in the Chinese city of Shenzhen (south of Guangzhou) . Although you should think twice beforehand: in the largest technology market in the world you will find absolutely everything and reach into your pocket beyond your means.
Of course, at first you will feel somewhat misplaced. The market of this fishing village that eventually became the capital of technology it still maintains an aspect more typical of the old fish markets. With little stalls here and there in which, yes, we can find the best-selling mobile phones and tablets on the market, remote devices or very, very geek merchandising items.
Also, to get more out of our journey through Chinese soil , we will be able to visit the factories where the vast majority of the devices that we can find in the Huaqiangbei market are manufactured. In the factories of Pegatron or Foxconn, for a few years in the spotlight for its working conditions , we may not be able to enter, but with some luck we will be able to visit the headquarters of large Asian companies such as Huawei and HTC, also present in Shenzhen.
Technology market in the Chinese city of Shenzhen
A PLACE MORE SUITABLE FOR SCIENCE FICTION
Another tech sanctuary that those unable to resist temptation should not travel to is Akihabara neighborhood in Tokyo . Of course, you can not miss it. Because, unlike what happens in the Chinese market of Huaqiangbei, when we arrive at this technological enclave it will be like entering a new dimension. No small stalls where cables and parts are crowded to repair any device.
In this case, we'll dive into a world straight out of a sci-fi movie . Without flying cars (for now), but with a multitude of neons adorning the landscape. Of course, those who have already visited assure that a good geek will be able to find everything he knew and also what he had never heard of. If next summer we opt for this destination, we will have to be careful because as we enter its alleys, more and more will be the artifacts and video games without which we will not want to return home. Let it be known that the one who warns is not a traitor.
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Stroll like one more 'geek' through the Akihabara neighborhood, in Tokyo