Category Archives: Europe

Soon the city fades before your eyes…

Posted on July 6, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

When you have arrived at Phyllis, you rejoice in observing all the bridges over the canals, each different from the others: cambered, covered, on pillars, on barges, suspended, with tracery balustrades. And what a variety of windows looks down on … Continue reading →

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Midnight Train From Paris

Posted on July 1, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Many years ago, when I took my first big European trip, I managed to stretch my travel budget by traveling at night by train. More often than not, I simply tried to sleep in a regular compartment, however when the … Continue reading →

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Bookstore Tourism: London

Posted on June 27, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

I have had the great fortune to spend both quality and quantity time in London’s wonderful bookstores. In fact, I have browsed 15 of the 17 bookshops featured in the video below. Compiled by Abebooks.com, the short film features some … Continue reading →

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Symptoms of Hibernating

Posted on June 25, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Anais Nin : “You live…sheltered, in a delicate world, and you believe you are living. Then you read a book…or you take a trip…and you discover that you are not living, that you are hibernating. The symptoms of hibernating are … Continue reading →

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Flamboyant Gothic Meets Street Art

Posted on June 22, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

I love it when historical and modern art forms come together, so of course this amazing project caught my attention. To celebrate the 800th anniversary of the groundbreaking for the Santa Iglesia Catedral Basílica Metropolitana de Santa María de Burgos … Continue reading →

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Rules For Writers

Posted on June 21, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

A few years before his death at age 84, the beloved novelist, critic, essayist, raconteur, and academic Umberto Eco left us a tongue in cheek list of rules for writers. Those of us with any literary aspirations would do well … Continue reading →

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Tourist Information

Posted on June 20, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Last Spring, the Vienna-based Austrian artist group Steinbrener/Dempf & Huber installed the cliffhanger — a faux tourist information booth attached to the sheer rock face next to the scenic Mirafallen in Ötschhergräben Austria. The installation was designed to underscore the impact … Continue reading →

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A Mild Case of Bibliomania

Posted on June 17, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

  In this charming video below, Raymond Russell tells the story of his bibliomania, how his book collection has grown and changed over the years, and how it led to the founding of the Tartarus Press, which has published rare … Continue reading →

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Reading Room

Posted on June 15, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Tingwall is a tiny port town located in Orkney, an archipelago off the North coast of Scotland, there a special memorial was created by a couple as a fitting tribute for Betty, a late friend who died unexpectedly. The couple … Continue reading →

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Strolling Cities

Posted on June 14, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Strolling Cities is a trippy project by Italian artist, designer and researcher, Mauro Martino,  that uses AI to generate visual poetry. The AI model trained with millions of photos of nine Italian cities (Milan, Como, Bergamo, Venice, Genoa, Rome, Catania, … Continue reading →

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