Beach art
Last week, my artistically prolific mother (click on the link and go to page 34) drew my attention to the World Beach Project. Being a fan of outdoor art — think Andy Goldsworthy — I loved it. The idea is to have people around the world create drawings out of beach stones, photograph them and display them in an online exhibit through the Victoria and Albert Museum. Read more about the project in my Been Seen article.
Stockholm’s boat hostels
What’s nice about writing is that even when you want to go somewhere but can’t, you can still spend time thinking about it and come up with a creative way to share it with others. Such is my current situation with Stockholm. If someone bought me a ticket I would go immediately, but unfortunately it’s just not in the cards. That doesn’t stop me from writing about my favorite Scandinavian capital however.
Today my article on Stockholm’s boat hostels was posted over at Been Seen. There are two main boat hostels moored right in the center of town. The more famous of the two is the af Chapman, a fully rigged ship built in Britain in 1888 and once used by the Swedish Navy.
But let’s be honest… writing about Stockholm isn’t quite the same as being there… anyone have an extra ticket they want to give me?
Friday Photo: French love
I like finding hearts in odd places and this one was somewhere on a small street in Obernai…
In other news I am patiently awaiting the arrival of my new digital camera, meaning that a whole lot of Portland pictures are about to take over this blog…
Paris with NYT’s Frugal Traveler
Usually the New York Times travel section is reserved for high end vacations with equally high budgets. As much as I would like to go on Argentinian wine tasting tours, they’re not really within my price range, much like most of the stuff in the NYT. But the newspaper doesn’t completely forget about us budget-conscious types, there is after all, the Frugal Traveler. Much like The Minimalist believes that good dining can, and should, be hassle free, Matt Gross (aka the Frugal Traveler) believes that you don’t always have to have a bank account full of euros to enjoy yourself abroad.
Currently he’s taking on Europe, the continent that has recently come to be said with an ominous undertone on account of the euro to dollar rate. In his Grand Tour he’s spending 12 weeks all over Europe and working with less than 100 euros a day. New columns and videos are posted every Thursday, and in this week’s installment he writes about Paris, and opting for staying in a Parisian apartment and getting to know the neighborhood rather than oggle at the glittering lights of the Eiffel Tower. Good tips and good writing!
Biggest drawing in the world… cool even if it is a hoax
This amazing drawing was the mastermind of Swedish artist Erik Nordenankar. On March 17, 2008 he sent a briefcase with a GPS tracking device and specific travel instructions with global shipping company DHL to create this incredible image. The continuous stroke totals out to 110,664 kilometers. Pretty neat… except for the fact that Nordenankar made the whole thing up!! But you gotta give him credit for attracting a whole lot of attention for it. Learn more here.
Garance Doré
I have an undying love for The Sartorialist, so when Kristina tipped me off about Garance Doré I knew I had found a new obsession. Combine the simple shots of the Sartorialist with French flair and you have Garance Dore, a French illustrator who likes to write little snapshots about her life and fashion on the street.
Granted the site is in French, but it doesn’t mean non-francophiles can’t enjoy the photos!
L’Auberge Espagnole
I wrote a synopsis of Auberge Espagnole for Been Seen last week, I am still wanting to book a ticket to Barcelona. Actually, it’s not that I want to book a ticket to Barcelona, it’s just that I want to recapture that moment of living somewhere else and experience those feelings of being confused and ecstatic all at the same time.
To be honest, it’s the movie that I watch when I feel things have become too routine; it’s a good reminder of why we travel and all the emotions we go through when we leave and when we return home again. Plus Romain Duris pulls off being a slightly awkward, confused, 20-something oh so well, and he looks good doing it.
More French electronica
I just can’t get enough of it… this week I am addicted to M83, which works out nicely since he’s playing a show at the Doug Fir on Friday. M83 hails from Antibes, France and consists of Anthony Gonzalez. The music is a good blend of instrumentals with soft lyrics.
For the full M83 effect, it might be worth your time to check out Lakai’s Fully Flared skate video intro. Yeah, I’m not usually into skate videos, but this one is pretty incredible.
Going BPA free… and fulfilling the yippy trend
Living in Portland it’s hard not to get caught up in the save-the-world-eat-organic-all-the-time lifestyle. We shop at farmers’ markets, wear organic cotton and like to spend paychecks on things that are environmentally friendly. My editor over at Matador Trips, Tim Patterson, recently wrote an excellent article on Patagonia (the place and the apparel label) where he used a great term for this whole phenomenon: yippie. What is a yippy? A yuppy-hippy of course, a category that I and a lot of my acquaintances fall into.
Being a yippie has recently made me aware of the BPA (Bisphenol A — let’s put it this way, it’s bad for you) controversy, which subsequently led to my purchase of this trendily designed Sigg bottle. It’s 100% recyclable aluminum, which makes me feel great and all, but since when did spending more than $10 on a water bottle seem like a normal thing to do? Maybe it’s not normal, but then again it’s not really normal to have a population running around with elevated BPA levels now is it?
At least my water bottle looks cool, it’s a good example of simple but functional Swiss design and I got to use my REI dividend. Like I said: yippy.
France on $100 a day
Yes, it’s true. France on a low budget is possible. It’s all about getting out of the city and into the country. And although Parisians would love to think that they are the center of the universe, there are a lot of other great places to visit France. I have a new guide over at Matador Trips on how to work your way through rural France, scoring free room and board and the quintessential experience francaise. Check it out here.
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