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Design and Art

Design and Art

There’ll be blue skies

We love aircraft here at Matouring.  All kinds of aircraft, especially those that have been lovingly maintained or restored.  And we're not alone.  You can too.  Visit the Royal International Air Show at Fairford, UK in the south Cotswolds (July 15-17, 2022), which next year will be celebrating the United States Air Force’s 75th anniversary…

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Some builders would do anything

More than 1,600 years ago, close to the southeastern coast of the Korean Peninsula, laborers were hard at work building a palace for a fledgling kingdom. They finished the foundation layer of the massive western rampart and then paused before beginning the next construction phase, a stone wall. The foundation, made from packed shells and…

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Don’t fence me in

If you live in a housing complex with dozens of units, take heart. An apartment building in St. Petersburg, Russia, (population five million) houses 18,000 people. We're all for efficiency, but we have to wonder about the logistics of managing a place like this.  Parking?  Elevators? As some people have noted, how would the wifi…

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Yangshuo, Dr. No?

Just look at that. Landscapes don’t get more dramatic than the towering rock formations of Guilin, southern China’s most astonishing natural phenomena. And in the shadows of those giant alien mountains you’ll find something much smaller but almost as dazzling – a hotel. And not just any old hotel: a true design marvel loaded with…

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The future of Play-viation

Our affiliate friends easyJet is launching an initiative to inspire younger generations to get thinking about sustainable air travel by designing a zero-emission passenger plane The airline is partnering with world-leading aircraft manufacturer Airbus, zero-emission technology start-up Wright Electric, and world-renowned designer Frank Stephenson, known for his recent innovative work on designs for electric flying…

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Aqaba job

"I last found myself here, inadvertently, in March 2020. My planned journey from the Saudi tourism hub of Al Ula to the Yemeni island of Socotra collapsed when the flight to Cairo was cancelled as frontiers slammed shut. Rather than taking that as an early sign of an impending travel shutdown and seeking the fastest…

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Chiribiquete

When people think of Colombia, it is usually of marvelous places such as Bogota, or Cartegena or Medellín - all genuinely wonderful destinations that you must put on your list. But, there is a relatively unknown part of Columbia that goes beyond into an almost magical realm:  Chiribiquete. Chiribiquete National Natural Park is the largest national…

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Don’t worry, you can’t miss it

Location, location, location.  It's all about the location and your neighbours.  It can make all the difference in the world. For example, this quaint home in the coastal village of Plougrescant in Brittany, France, dates all the way back to 1861 and was sandwiched - in an incroyable manner- betwixt two huge rocks to help…

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Stylin’

If you're a history afficianado, you'll probably know lots about your chosen area of focus.  Some of us focus on cities, whereas others focus on historic individuals or campaigns. No matter your preference, history is fascinating, especially as you learn more and put the pieces together.  History makes us who we are. The video, below,…

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The reasons four the seasons

As the seasons pass, so does control of them.  In this case, we're talking about The Four Seasons hotel chain. Bill Gates (you, um,  know him from Windows and stuff) will take control of the Four Seasons hotel chain after his investment firm agreed to acquire a stake from Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal’s Kingdom…

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SOM thing to behold

New York is, of course, a marvel.  Like so many other super-cities around the world, you never really run out of things to do, even if you live there.  And, as always, there is constant change. But, what is equally as interesting is the "hidden" places that can fascinate.  One such "hidden" place is actually…

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Bloom where you’re planted.

To many of us, this may come as a surprise, especially in this day and age of corporate efficiency. For decades, KLM Airlines have been creating miniature ceramic collectibles of Amsterdam canal houses, and they share them with loyal customers.  Each house is a miniature replica of an existing house, almost all of them in the…

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Elizabethan manner

We here at Matouring love the UK.  One aspect of the land is the sheer amount and breadth of its history.  (We have plenty of articles here on our site which you can peruse and enjoy. But, just because its history stretches back thousands of years doesn't mean that it's mired in the past.  Hardly. …

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Y’know, homophobia, Seoul style

People are people.  It feels (to us, anyway) that as the world gets bigger and, at the same time it gets smaller (social media) it doesn't necessarily get any better.  And who would know better than our LGBTQ+ friends?  And their problems can happen anywhere. This article is about how Seoul’s LGBTQ+ district came back…

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Is there a palace in Dallas?

...we're not sure, but we don't think so. But it does actually have a load of museums.  And they give culture-rich places like Austin a run for their money. And is it really that surprising? This city not only has a fascinating history, it’s also a hub for otherworldly pursuits like innovative fashion, some of…

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Steam pumped!

In the 1800s, Niagara Falls was considered the be-all and end-all of North America's pure promise and unending resources. Being able to visit was considered the trip of a lifetime. The William Birch Rankine Power Station was Canada's first major power station on the mighty river. Built in 1905 using horse-and-carriage labor, it pumped out…

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You couldn’t afford it

Concorde was the world’s most iconic airliner and one of the most technically ambitious projects in aviation history. Billions were spent on its development over a span of more than a decade. When the Concorde program was launched, it was to be the next giant leap forward in air travel. Many believed that mass supersonic…

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Mirrorfield

This Mirrorfield installation was designed within the framework of the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial development, which aims to rebuild the memories of the tragic events that happened in the area on September 29-30, 1941, the largest massacre of the Nazi regime. During those days, over 30.000 Jews were murdered by the German forces, while almost…

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