Category Archives: Europe

Magic Lantern

Posted on September 22, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

These days Prague is another victim of European over-tourism, but 30 years ago it still was a place of history and mystery. I recently saw the marvelous 1993 documentary below that has had me waxing nostalgic for the Prague that … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art, Books, Europe, Film, History, Libraries, Museums, Theater, Tourism | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Railway Parable

Posted on September 18, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Erich Kästner, Das Eisenbahngleichnis, 1931  

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Sharing is caring

Posted on September 6, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Have you ever wondered how those ubiquitous little black Moleskine notebooks got to be so popular ? Are you one of the many millions of devotees who carry one in your pocket or backpack at all times ? Well click … Continue reading →

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No fierljeppen for me

Posted on September 5, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

I was lucky enough to spent quite a bit of time in the Netherlands and I constantly marveled at how they managed to engineer a nation with so much of the country below sea level. Many of their farmers needed a … Continue reading →

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Leave the gun, take the cannoli

Posted on September 4, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

The historic southern Sicilian city of Agrigento is preparing to be Italy’s 2025 Capital of Culture and has taken a controversial stance against its infamous Mafia past. In a bid to reclaim its cultural identity, the city has banned the … Continue reading →

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une vie dans le fromage

Posted on September 3, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

The first Cheese Museum in France opened its doors in June in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. Located in the heart of the capital on Île Saint-Louis, the new museum was designed by the company Paroles de Fromagers to celebrate … Continue reading →

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Bookstore Tourism : Kyiv

Posted on September 2, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Launched this winter, “Sense Bookstore on Khreshchatyk is special since it is located in the very heart of the capital and combines books, coffee, and a permanent event space for creating new senses. Unlike our first Sense Bookstore on Arsenalna … Continue reading →

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A short description of European people

Posted on August 29, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

The chart below was created in Germany in the 18th century to describe the character traits of the various European peoples. Hardly insulting at all.

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Even a bad day of hiking is a day you’ll remember

Posted on August 28, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Exactly forty years ago on this day I was tent camping in the Swiss alps. It’s one of those indelible travel memories that tends to stick out among all of the many trips. Filmmaker Reinis Kaspars spent two weeks hiking alone … Continue reading →

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Heaven’s Gate

Posted on August 25, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

“A Society of Scoundrels” by Franz Kafka Translated by Michael Hofmann There was once a society of scoundrels, or rather not scoundrels per se, just ordinary, average people. They always stuck together. When one of them had perpetrated some rascally … Continue reading →

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