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Design and Art

Design and Art

Give me MOA

Those of us who live up here in the Pacific Northwest of North America are very lucky, in many ways.  The weather, the diversity (especially of our residents) and the history that is constantly being discovered and enjoyed. As with many other countries, Canada has a population that can be considered as First Nation.  In…

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Capetown races sing their songs

Cape Town is South Africa's crown jewel and the most European city you'll find on the continent. Founded by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, it was South Africa's first attempt at a modern metropolis, earning it the nickname "The Mother City." Cape Town is worth visiting year-round. That said, it looks different each…

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Shattered.

Perched on the hills of the Achrafieh neighborhood hundreds of meters from the Beirut Port, the 60-year-old Sursock Museum was the beating heart of Beirut’s creative scene. The country’s only modern art museum, it boasts a collection of Lebanese art dating back to the late 1800s.  But, is still rebuilding a year after the Beirut…

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High in the Spanish desert

This is for all 24x7 party people.  2022 is the year to look forward to, and Spain is the place - the Monegros Desert, Aragon, Spain, to be specific. Starting 30 July, 2022, the Monegros Desert Festival commences.  Of course there will be drinks, and music and dancing and, perhaps, nudity.  But the star of the…

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Moutarde plus tard

We would imagine that many of our readers like - perhaps even love - France, like we do.  What a place!  The variety!  The quality!  The countryside!  Paris! But here is a place that you will know of, but may not have visited - Dijon. Dijon is an unheralded French city that is worthy of…

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All you need is 1 hotel

We're always happy to talk about Canada and its many charms. In this case, we're talking about how a high-end boutique brand is expanding as we emerge from the pandemic. Recently, 1 Hotels announced new properties in Toronto, Canada, and Elounda Hills, Crete. This is the first location in Canada for the 1 Hotels, which was…

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The Princess and the Pea

Almost everyone has heard of Hans Christian Andersen.  His most famous works include The Snow Queen, The Ugly Duckling, The Emperor’s New Clothes, The Princess and the Pea, The Little Mermaid, Thumbelina and so many more. Even Disney has created movies from his work: The Little Mermaid, The Emperor’s New Groove as well as Frozen 1 and…

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NO PRESSURE: the coolest streets in the world

Havana, and all of Cuba (in our opinion) are at the wrong end of the stick when it comes to US sanctions.  The people have suffered enough under decades of embargos and bans.  Cuba is a jewel to behold. Deep in the lanes of southern Old Havana, where trailing plants and drying clothes drape from…

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Decisions: Little Island or Long Island?

We haven't been to NYC for a while.  So imagine our surprise when the B1M video (see below) about New York 's popped up for us on YouTube. Turns out that the project was not exactly the happiest of experiences, but - as they say - it is what it is.  Rising from the remnants of…

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Controversy

With the benefit of hindsight, we can look back at things that raised the blood pressure of "the people," but can now look back and wonder what all of the fuss was about. An example is Eileen Gray’s modernist villa E-1027, built  in 1929.  It resides on the Cap Moderne site.  (The Cap Moderne Association is…

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A bag tied in the middle

Every so often, a human mass movement comes along that subtly alters the zeitgeist of we humans.  It could have been the art enlightenment in the 1920's.  Or perhaps it was the peace and love Hippies in the 1960's.  But one of these movements has persisted - the Chautauqua Institute. Chautauqua was an adult education…

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People, get ready

For years there have been jokes about the "tin foil hats" people:  the doomsayers,  the mountain men, the survivalists, the crazies, the Government Plot believers.  Others would look askance at them, walk to the other side of the street to avoid them. Well, there is no doubt that mother earth is struggling, and we humans may…

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Do you want flies with that?

In 1986, Vancouver hosted the World's Fair.  An event like that is a big deal not only for the hosting city, but also for the brands that sponsor and appear in the fair. McDonald's was no exception:  behold the McBarge. The 57-metre, two-storey glass-and-metal barge was used as a floating McDonald’s restaurant during the world’s…

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Ed reviews the Brussels Autoworld museum

If you're a YouTube fan, and especially a car aficionado,  then have we got a channel for you:  Ed's Auto Reviews Ed (last name unknown) is from the Netherlands and boasts the sense of humour that typically inhabits the people of that most liberal country. Being from the Netherlands, Ed mostly features European automobiles.  But he saves…

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First, there is a tower, then there is no tower, then there is

Ah, governments are silly old things, aren't they?  Their covert missions, surveillance, collusion and hidden agendas. And their dismissal of the intelligence of the people. But here is a story that beggars belief -- the BT Tower in London.  The story of how, for over a quarter of a century, everyone had to pretend the BT…

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Nothing up my sleeve, presto!

Your flight tickets will be $550.  Your suitcase will be another $212. Give this man, Bruno, a medal. Overpacked and no room in my carry on, this is the outcome of that predicament - the travel coat: a couple meters of nylon from the Flea Market in two perfect tones of forest green, 29 carefully…

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More sabor

Tripadvisor fans (like us) get around.  They every corner of the globe to discover the newest, the wildest, the most obscure and the, well,  just plain fun. It's almost impossible to travel without eating something.  And if your budget permits, the lure of "best of" restaurants is just too strong to resist.  Here, here to…

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