Author: Ms. R.

Stoke Newington’s town hall is a prime example of 20th-century Art Deco design. Completed in 1937, the columns and pure white stone of the town hall made a sophisticated, yet striking, image. Within two years, however, this striking image proved an impending issue. War had begun, and it was feared the pearly building would become a target, easily spotted by bombers. While other buildings across the capital were sheltered by the darkness of enforced blackouts, it was decided that……

Read More

The National Park Service in the United States includes a number of historic battlefields. Many of these, especially the Civil War battlefields, are located near populous areas or major highways and are relatively easy to travel to.  But, the Bear Paw Battlefield, which is part of the Nez Perce National Historic Park, is in one of the most remote locations within the continental United States. In 1877, the Nez Perce tribe (also known as nimiipuu) had been relocated to……

Read More

Though this place is called the Great Emptiness Museum, you’ll find anything but emptiness here. Far south in the outskirts of the capital lies the atelier of Velikoja Pustota, who has created the lucid dream of transcendental art collections within his home. Aside from the vast amount of spiritual paintings he also built an accessible pyramid in which you can be enlightened by swimming in the built-in pool….

Read More

When this colorful church was constructed in 1913, it was distinctly more traditional. It was based on traditional Romanesque architecture, and its trim, constructed from wood from Columbia, was painted white. The rest of its features, the pillars, columns, pews, and altar were all painted in trompe l’oeil, a then-popular technique of painting an imitation wood. As the decades passed, the finishes darkened into a dark and dreary brown palette. Reverend Gerard d’Astous decided that it would be easier……

Read More

“Life is easy. Why do we make it so hard?” This is the question that drives Jon Jandai, Thailand’s self-proclaimed “happiness farmer.” In a country where more than 50 percent of the population now lives in cities and farmers face rising input costs, falling crop prices, and mounting debt, Jandai offers an alternative that has attracted more than 10,000 students: a life of self-reliance that consists of building earthen homes, learning to farm indigenous Thai fruits and vegetables, and……

Read More

Jutulholet is a surprise hidden on one of the smaller islands next to Aure, in Møre and Romsdal kommune. It is a perfect stop on your way to Kristiansund or Trondheim. Jutulholet is a huge cave hidden within the surrounding hills. Local legends say that a giant (jutul) that tried to destroy the church in Aure lived there. While he may no longer be present, you can definitely explore it, or even spend the night there! The cave is……

Read More

A wooden monument represents the original “cat lady,” noblewoman Paulina Hermann (née Lobe), who lived at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Stories are told about her as an eccentric rich woman who loved company, and travel, but also helping people and animals, especially, you might guess, cats. The wooden statue is located next to her former home, Villa Hermann, which the locals call Castle Mačkamama (translated as “cat mother”) and which is an integral part of……

Read More

This is a room filled with small toys and other categorized artifacts that have washed up on the beaches of Plum Island. There are figurines, lures, tools, goggles, a surprising number of broken heels, and more. Many fascinating and stories objects from all walks of life, all with a common aspect of their history. …

Read More

The Bakalarte Festival was first held in 2016, celebrating art and poetry in the town of Bacalar, one of Mexico’s “Pueblos Mágicos” (Magic Towns) and namesake of the renowned Lagoon of Seven Colors. Following its staging almost every year since (minus exceptions during the COVID-19 pandemic), its main legacy for the town has been over 100 murals and other pieces of street art, which have now come to define it almost as much as the lagoon. Tania Sol Portillo, of……

Read More