October 2008
21 posts
I. Am. Canadian.
Thanks to a friend at the Foundation for the National Archives, I attended “A Salute to the National Film Board of Canada” last night, hosted by the National Archives in partnership with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Charles Guggenheim Center for the Documentary Film. Yours truly, unfortunately, missed the reception but made it in time for the screening and...
Why Communism Sucks
We couldn’t pass up going into a couple of museums in Budapest and Prague about the Communist era, since we were in that neck of the woods. The difference in presentation between the two cities, however, was like a Steve Jobs’ presentation revealing the next generation of iPhone vs. an 8th graders’ science project about a gurgling volcano.
The House of Terror in Budapest was one...
Lights, Camera, Action!
Just as nearly every building was worth a picture or two, even the light fixtures in Europe were magnificent. Having been subject to one too many light fixtures that look like boobs, I’m really wishing I could have brought some of these back for my new apartment.
For instance, check out this grand chandelier gracing the window of an antique shop in Budapest:
Or this classic Art Nouveau...
O Giorgio, Where Art Thou?
We knew celebrities do a lot of product endorsements, especially abroad, but didn’t realize that’s how George Clooney actually finances his fabulous lifestyle. Billboards featuring “Giorgio,” as he was referred to in Europe, were everywhere in Budapest and Vienna, though we didn’t see many in Prague.
Here are a couple of examples that probably financed a rug or two...
Under Construction
So, when one goes on a vacation to European cities, one expects to see a lot of architectural marvels and what not, right? Well, we sure did see our fill of awe-inspiring churches, synagogues, and castles, though most of them were partially or wholly covered in scaffolding. I’m sure they were renovating or cleaning some facade or another, but we’ll never know what the whole thing looks...
Doors
The post is in memory of my dad who once painted a beautiful series of antique doors, some of which will be hanging in our new apartment very soon. In comparison to these doors, the one to my place has practically negative charisma, with its boring beige paint and dented brass knob and all. Womp womp.
Beam Me Up, Scotty!
While all of the cities we visited were very pedestrian-friendly, we had fun hopping on and off of various public transportation options when our feet started throbbing from all of the exploring on foot. There were subway trains, some more modern than others (a.k.a. “Darth Vader” train in Vienna):
There were cute little tram cars and furniculars (yep, that’s what...
Old and New
The best part about traveling through some of the oldest parts of Europe is seeing stunning buildings pop up on all sides. My eyes had so much to feast upon and my fingers were furiously working the cameras, much to my husband’s chagrin (this is how one ends up w/1,200 plus pictures). In particular, the most interesting snapshots occurred when old and new buildings were found standing side...