Skip to content Skip to sidebar Skip to footer

Europe

Europe

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…

Read more

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…

Read more

How old is old?

There are places in Europe that are well-known:  Rome, Paris, London etc. They're all wonderful, but you really begin to fall in love with the hidden places. One such place is Wales - specifically North Wales, and even more specifically Llangernyw.  Here there is a church that has a tree, and that tree is special.…

Read more

Ninety days is not enough

If you like Europe (we sure do) you may often find that when you visit for a long time, even ninety days (the current limit) might not be enough.  There's just too much to do. Of course, you can maximise the rules by staying within the ninety day limit, take a rest for a short…

Read more

2000 islands

You'd better get busy . . . Where more than half the country is forest, saunas have a 4,000-year history, and the world’s largest choral festival happens every five years... Welcome to Estonia. Often underestimated as being a small Baltic country sandwiched between Scandinavia and Russia, Estonia is undoubtedly so much more than that. Read more…

Read more

Play us a sea shanty

If you like to cruise, you've probably been on a few over the years.  Cruise lines are always refreshing their fleets, or looking for new thrills - such as roller coasters - while you're aboard. However, some lines opt for a more refined approach to being on-board.  One of which - Fred. Olsen lines (and…

Read more

Well, PARDON, madame

English wait staff are tiresomely polite. The French are radically rude. They’re the two stereotypes, anyway. What tourists don’t understand about ‘rude’ French waiters... They’re not being ‘rude’ – they’re being real… Is that the case?  Or is it that some patrons are annoying?  Or all of the above.  How should one handle situations…

Read more

I’ve suffered for my art. Now it’s your turn

Art is a most wonderful thing, but it also is very subjective.  Obviously, there are masters of all strains of art, and there are some are that simply strain. Have you ever seen performance art and just wondered, “Why is this art?!” You’re not alone, and deciphering performance art is not as difficult or mysterious…

Read more

Ne’er BnB

A major European destination just banished Airbnb. Will others follow suit? AirBnB has had a somewhat chequered past when it comes to the neighbours.  Most renters are polite and responsible.  But it doesn't take too many incidents for the love to sour. A recent crackdown in Barcelona portends stronger laws against short-term rentals across the…

Read more

Win or loos

Loo design has barely changed in 150 years – until now. Will people trade their privacy for the chance to find out exactly what is in their waste? For the past 10 years, Sonia Grego has been thinking about toilets – and more specifically what we deposit into them. “We are laser-focused on the analysis…

Read more

Sleeping around Europe

Germany’s green party has proposed an ambitious network of night trains across Europe, which could connect the UK with destinations including Barcelona, Paris, Copenhagen and Stockholm. The proposed network would see some 40 sleeper services operating across the continent, with routes extending as far as Edinburgh, Glasgow and Birmingham as well as London. Read more here courtesy of…

Read more

Cinque Terre choo choo

It will come as no surprise to anyone who frequents our site that we are HUGE proponents of rail travel, especially in countries where this mode of getting around is the norm.  Rail makes so much sense in so many ways. Climate change and the slow travel trend have rekindled people’s interest in train rides.…

Read more

Sit up straight

If you think a chair is simply a chair, you might be right.  But there are designers who think beyond the norm, in all walks of life.  It matters in this day of dwindling resources. Salone is the most important furniture event in the world, strongly connected to the city and the design culture. This…

Read more

You’ve tried the liquor, now try the islands

We would imagine most of you have been to Europe at least once.  And, we're confident that many of you have visited Portugal, likely Lisbon or Porto.  What a lovely, gentle country it is. But, out on Portugal's Madeira Islands, the lush archipelago far from the mainland, the North Atlantic ocean has shaped every aspect…

Read more

Yotel!

If you've been to London (or the Republic of Ireland, Russia, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and Australia) you'll likely know Yo Sushi. A restaurant chain first started in London, Yo Sushi took the popular Asia-originated conveyor belt concept (you grab the plate you want as it passes) and tweaked it a bit…

Read more

At €29 per flight, how does Ryanair even make any money?

If you've flown Ryanair, you'll know that it can be a mixed bag.  On the plus side, the prices are almost unbelievable:  how can anyone operate a jet aircraft (and all of its associated costs) with a €29 fare? On the more questionable side, some passengers feel like cattle (with the same amount of "love"…

Read more