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06

Aug

Quick! Trap a Travel Memory

by Joyce McGreevy on August 6, 2019

Travel journals are also travel keespakes that evoke your precious travel memories—the joys of the journey. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Travel memories speak volumes. But you needn’t compile volumes to keep them.
© Joyce McGreevy

How to Keep on Keeping Travel Keepsakes—and Still Enjoy the Trip

Keeping a travel journal is something that some people enjoy doing and some people wish they enjoyed doing. If you’re in the latter group, you probably own one or more beautifully bound journals, the sight of which filled you with travel inspiration—initially.

Then came the journey, and despite your best intentions to create a travel keepsake, your journal sputtered to a stop.  Why? It’s often about how we view the travel journal—that most non-stationary of stationery objects—before and during a journey.  Read more...

 

Art of Travel/Clever Ideas/Worldwide Sites

08

Jul

Summer Like a Local

by Joyce McGreevy on July 8, 2019

Public street art on Rue St-Famille, Montréal reflects the everyday pleasure of exploring the urban culture. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Wandering leads to discovery in Montréal. Murals enliven every neighborhood.
© Joyce McGreevy

The Widespread Pleasures of Montréal’s Urban Culture

No wonder jazz is a top attraction for visitors to Montréal. The largest city in eastern Canada doesn’t just reflect urban culture, it riffs on it, reinterpreting it in endless variations.

Since visiting Montréal as a child, I’ve returned numerous times, always encountering new layers to its creative nature.

Most first-time visitors stay within a compact area around the Vieux-Port (Old Port), where  cobblestone streets and picturesque buildings date to the 17th century.  Charming though it is, visiting in peak season can give  the impression that all 10 million annual visitors have shown up at once.  Read more...

 

Canada/Crossing Cultures/Discoveries/On Foot

17

Jun

The Wondrous World of Steampunk New Zealand

by Joyce McGreevy on June 17, 2019

Parade goers cheer the arrival of Queen Victoria (Pinky Agnew) at Steampunk Festival NZ, which reflects the Victorian cultural heritage and creative thinking of Oamaru, New Zealand. (Image © Liz Cadogan)

As an airship hovers nearby, Queen Victoria rolls into town for Steampunk Festival NZ.
© Liz Cadogan/@LizCadogan

Victorian Cultural Heritage
Meets Kiwi Creativity

Queen Victoria was there, celebrating her 200th birthday. Festivities included a parade, teapot races, parasol duels, and a wedding. The bride wore purple, the groom a metal samurai hat.

What is this?

Oh, I see: This is Oamaru (pop. 13,000), where Victorian cultural heritage and Steampunk creative thinking are a marriage made in heaven—a.k.a. New Zealand.

Parasol duelists and crowds enjoy Steampunk Festival NZ, which celebrates the Victorian cultural heritage and creative thinking of Oamaru, New Zealand. (Image © Janet Doyle)

Like “Rock Paper Scissors,” parasol duels involve three  moves: Plant, Twirl, Snub.
© Janet Doyle  Read more...

 

Cultural Heritage & Traditions/New Zealand/The World's Art & Design

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