Category Archives: Europe

Where Dickens Lived

Posted on February 4, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

Next week marks the official Charles Dickens Bicentennial, but commemorations have been taking place around the world for months. Now a new book by Cambridge University Professor Ruth Richardson has uncovered the real-life people who inspired Dickens’ iconic characters. Dickens … Continue reading →

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Switzerland For Free

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

How would you like to spend a relaxing week in the Swiss Alps, while avoiding the stress and tedium of international travel—and all for free ? Do you want to escape to a pristine mountain hideaway for five days in … Continue reading →

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Don’t Embark Without One

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

There’s an embarrassment of riches when it comes to urban transit apps for smartphones, as well as a pile of dreck. But it can be a daunting task choosing an app to help navigate an unfamiliar public transport system. San … Continue reading →

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Watch Your Step

Posted on January 29, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

The popular Spanish street art collective known as Luzinterruptus has created a humorous and dramatic installation that sheds light on a common urban problem. Portable hospital urinals were filled with yellow tinted water and led lights and then attached to … Continue reading →

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Would You Visit Napoleonland

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

In a baffling bid to increase tourism to France, Yves Jégo, Mayor of Montereau and Deputy from the Parti Radical, has announced plans to raise funding for a new French theme park dedicated entirely to Napoleon Bonaparte. Mayor Jégo suggests … Continue reading →

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Deutschland Joins World Book Night

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

Germany has become the third country to join the World Book Night celebrations. Started in the UK last year, World Book Night will take place this year on April 23rd and is centered on the give-away of millions of books … Continue reading →

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Hundeheit is no joke in Norwegian

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

Dog theft is an ever-increasing problem in Europe and North America. Well, there’s a solution for anxious pet owners who insist on taking their dogs on shopping trips. The clever Norwegian developers of the Hundeheit, or Doggy Den, have created … Continue reading →

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Cartography Can Be Fun

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

You won’t find any of these terrific, one-of-a-kind maps in a typical travel guidebook or in a travel magazine Many of these charming cartographical gems are created by professional artists or illustrators, but some of the most engaging maps are … Continue reading →

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Save Christiania (and own a piece of history)

Posted on January 21, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

It’s been forty years since a rag-tag coalition of Copenhagen residents and backpackers from around the world tore down the fence and occupied an unused military complex in the heart of the Danish capital, giving birth to the Freetown of … Continue reading →

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A book about a film about a journey to a Room

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

I’m a big fan of British novelist/essayist/travel writer/critic Geoff Dyer (although some of his recent New York Times Book Review columns have baffled me). So, I was intrigued by the news that Dyer has written a book which explores the … Continue reading →

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