Category Archives: Europe

The price of popularity

Posted on January 9, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

The Shore by Rob A. Mackenzie It’s why the tourists arrive and why Time Out called Leith “one of the world’s coolest neighbourhoods”; why the sky is permanently blue and the sun flaunts the burnished stonework; why a red light area … Continue reading →

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To Airbnb or not Airbnb

Posted on January 8, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Like millions of other travelers, I have used the accommodation service with mostly positive results. Lately though, it seems that most stories about Airbnb range from negative to nightmarish. Still, Airbnb remains the most popular rental service in most markets. … Continue reading →

Posted in apps, Europe, Hotels, Maps, Tech, Tourism, USA | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

In the midst of hate, I found there was, within me, an invincible love.

Posted on January 4, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

On this day in 1960, Albert Camus, French author, philospopher and journalist, died in an automobile accident at age 46. In his coat pocket lay an unused train ticket. Camus had intense Motorphobia (fear of automobiles), and thus avoided riding … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Europe, Public Transport, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Mystery of the Big Book

Posted on December 30, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

Over the years, the photograph above has appeared on numerous blogs and websites, usually captioned as “man with large book at Prague Castle, 1940s” or “c. 1940s: Man with books.” However, bibliophiles and antiquarians have long questioned the image’s description … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Books, Europe, History, Libraries, Museums, Photography, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Breaking the Dickens Code

Posted on December 29, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

An international campaign to decipher the complex code that Charles Dickens used to write his notes has won a Times Higher Education Award, one of the most prestigious prizes in UK Higher Education. The University of Leicester, in collaboration with … Continue reading →

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Keep Books Alive In Ukraine

Posted on December 26, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

A group of writers and booksellers (Carolyn Forche, Mitchell Kaplan, Christopher Merrill, Askold Melnyczuk, and Jane Unrue) have partnered with the Coral Gables Foundation to raise funds for direct support to booksellers, editors, printers, warehouse workers, libraries and librarians, and … Continue reading →

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Christmas In Europe

Posted on December 23, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

The Christmas holiday season can be magical throughout Europe. You can experience a  flying tour of nine European nations with the video below from the National Geographic. The 45-minute-long episode gives heartwarming glimpses of places like Finnish Lapland, where half a … Continue reading →

Posted in Air Travel, Architecture, Art, Europe, Film, Tourism | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

A Ghost Story of Christmas

Posted on December 18, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

I HAVE endeavoured in this Ghostly little book, to raise the Ghost of an Idea, which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and … Continue reading →

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Psychedelic Santa

Posted on December 15, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

I have long held suspicions that all of this Santa stuff was somehow rooted in mindaltering substance use. This short animated video below explores how the Psychedelic Amanita Muscaria Mushroom may have inspired the Santa Legend of Lapland. NB: if … Continue reading →

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Library of Mistakes

Posted on December 13, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

The new Library of Mistakes opened in Edinburgh, Scotland in April of this year, moving to larger and more felicitous premises from its previous location. Like many barely financially literate folks, I would value access to a library that could potentially … Continue reading →

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