Don’t be a Tourist in Normandy

Since the Belle Époque, Normandie has long been the weekend destination of choice for Parisians looking for a last-minute escape. The region inspired literary and artistic greats and it’s the birthplace of some of the best French delicacies of all time, like camembert and calvados. Dramatic and untouched coastlines, fresh fruits de mer, artisanal ciders,…

13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. CCCLVIII)

1. Monday Mood Dancing ladies on overhanging rock in Yosemite Park, 1890s by George Fiske. Found on Calisphere. 2. Viktoria Modesta after her burlesque show Bionic Woman at Crazy Horse, Paris Modesta was born in Latvia in 1988 where she learned singing aged six at a local music school. Due to a doctor’s negligence at her birth, Moskalova spent most…

A Surprising Compendium of Car Phones Dating back to the 1940s

Am I one of the few who didn’t realise where the name Motorola originated from? The American telecommunication company’s first commercial product was a radio made for motor vehicles in the 1930s, and in 1946, it was Motorola equipment that carried the first calls on the Bell System’s new radiotelephone service for motor vehicles. This too,…

The Mysterious Magic of Waterfalls

Waterfalls – nothing more, nothing less. This is a brief compendium of gelatin silver and antique postcards found in various archives, dedicated to one of nature’s most beautiful gifts. Maybe one of them can inspire your next adventure, or at the very least, just give your mind a cool break in the heat of summer.…

13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. CCCLVII)

1. A Village in Provence, Abandoned over a century ago The Bories Village is nestled on a low mountain in the Vaucluse region near Avignon, now classed as a historic monument, giving a priceless account of the way of life in Provence. The group of 30 stone huts, called ‘Les Cabanes’ in local parlance, include…

Inside the Beat Hotel of Paris

“I lay there on the floor, he makes love to Nanette all night, as she whimpers,” wrote Jack Kerouac, recalling the night he slept in Room 41 of a Parisian “fleabag” in the Latin Quarter that his friend and fellow poet had christened “The Beat Hotel”. Gregory Corso, the youngest of the inner circle of Beat Generation writers,…

13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. CCCLVI)

1. Extreme tree pruning in the late 1800s Found on Imgur. 2. The newly opened bookshop in the Chinese city of Chongqing The chongqing zhongshuge bookstore by shanghai-based firm X+living is located on the 3rd and 4th floor of zodi plaza. Found on Design Boom. 3. Square Ocean Waves The phrase “cross seas” refers to waves coming from two…

Van Gogh’s Gun & other Unusual Things up for Auction this Summer

In 1960, a French farmer dug up a Belgian-manufactured Lefaucheux pinfire revolver in a field north of Paris next to the village where Vincent Van Gogh spent his final days. The severely corroded gun is believed to be the one that killed the artist in July of 1890, after he shot himself in the stomach…

It’s Time You Knew about this Middle Eastern Gang of Artists

Google “famous street artists” and you won’t find these guys on the list, but Broken Fingaz ought to be on pop culture’s radar. Our first introduction to them was this mural covering the side of a building in downtown Haifa, their hometown in northern Israel. It depicts an imaginary railway inspired by a forgotten train…

Tehran’s Desert Ghost Towers look like a Zombie Movie Waiting to Happen

They look as if they’ve risen out of the desert itself in some strange, dystopian world. There are no trees, no cars, no bus stops, no parks, no playgrounds, no people. Just the towers. In a barren landscape 50km outside of Iran’s capital city, the Mehra Mer project in Pardis has been “under construction” for many years…