Category Archives: Europe

Iceland in Perspective

Posted on June 1, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

I was recently speaking with a friend about the joys of traveling around Iceland and the incredible emptiness of the rugged landscape. These NASA satellite images of the island nation do a much better job illustrating my point than I … Continue reading →

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Traveling Bookshop

Posted on May 31, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Although there is a long history of traveling regional bookmobiles, La Librairie Itinérante is a unique mobile bookstore and home. Stocked with 3,000 titles, this tiny house serves as both the owner’s home and business. The peripatetic bookshop visits small towns and … Continue reading →

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Helen Keller was an anti-fascist activist

Posted on May 23, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Somehow all of the films and plays about Helen Keller managed to leave out that she was a life-long Socialist and a rabid anti-fascist. She supported groups such as the ACLU and the NAACP. On May 9, 1933, disgusted by … Continue reading →

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Airbnb AMS

Posted on May 22, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Earlier this year I rented a terrific Airbnb appartment in the heart of Amsterdam’s Jordaan neighborhood. Before I decided on the flat, I searched dozens of interesting options, but none were as unusual as the “Inkijkbnb”. This unique rental is … Continue reading →

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Support Venice

Posted on May 16, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Italian artist Lorenzo Quinn has created an enormous pair of hands emerging from the Grand Canal in Venice. The surreal installation, titled “Support”, was built to raise awareness about climate change and rising waters that threat Venice and cities worldwide. … Continue reading →

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House of European History

Posted on May 15, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

After ten years of planning, and a €55 million investment, The House of European History has finally opened in Brussels, Belgium. The new museum hopes to provide visitors with an overview of the history of Europe since the French Revolution and … Continue reading →

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Into The Unknown

Posted on May 13, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Along with the usual summer blockbuster sci-fi flicks, this year we can immerse ourselves in the entire historical genre. London’s Barbican Centre is presenting Into The Unknown: A Journey Through Science Fiction, a huge exhibition, which will take over the entire Brutalist … Continue reading →

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Goodbye, Columbus

Posted on May 10, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

My experience of Christopher Columbus’ hometown of Genoa, Italy is tainted by the memories of a cold, windy and rainy autumn day and a night spent in a drafty, unheated pensione. I hopped a train the next morning and crossed … Continue reading →

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Sweet Travels

Posted on May 8, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

All of my life I have suffered from what we in the U.S. call a “sweet tooth”. This is not a uniquely North American dental disorder—although it can lead to one. It is simply the ongoing craving for candy and … Continue reading →

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See Venice And Die (or take a number)

Posted on May 7, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

I feel very lucky to have visited Venice before the advent of cruise ships and budget airlines. During my earliest trips to La Serenissima, it was possible to enjoy the city without hoards of cruise ship passengers and daytrippers. In … Continue reading →

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