Friday, July 29, 2011

Travelteq | Trash Canvas Messenger

Travelteq are changing it up a bit with their newest bag, the Trash Canvas. Made in Italy, it features solid canvas construction with vegetable-tanned leather, and it includes more external pockets than previous Trash models. It still has six internal compartments, four of which are zipped, including a shock-resistant one for your laptop.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Paris Eateries

Breizh, 109 rue Vieille du Temple, 3rd arr, breizhcafe.com
Buckwheat crepes, both savoury (smoked salmon, ham/gruyere) and sweet (artisanal caramel and vanilla ice cream). Make a reservation.

Café Constant, 139 rue Saint-Dominique, 7th arr, maisonconstant.com/cafe-constant
Perfectly prepared classic French dishes.
Dalloyau, 2 Place Edmond Rostand, 6th arr, dalloyau.com
From this location you can take your yummy pastries to the Luxembourg Gardens.
Frenchie To Go, 9 rue du Nil, 2nd arr, frenchietogo.com
Delicious but small spot for brunch/lunch, especially tasty sandwiches (reuben).

Ladurée,16-18 rue Royale, 8th arr, laduree.com
You have not tasted a better macaron.
Holybelly, 19 rue Lucien Sampaix, 10th arr, holybel.ly
Maybe the top breakfast/brunch spot, and it's no secret. You will arrive early. Good coffee.

Les Soeures Sucres, 33 Rue Coquillière, 2nd arr.
What you want in a French bakery.
Twinkie, 167 rue Saint-Denis, 10th arr, twinkie-breakfasts.com
Best. OJ. Ever.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

2011 Gant Rowing Race Ad

Fan va galet! Your friend from Sigtuna, Adam, is second from the left in this Gant Rowing ad. You may recognize him from the seventh pic down in the "Biarritz" post.

And here's a video from the event.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas

You shuffle with the crowd through the tunnel of multi-colored tile away from the Metro platform at the Ventas stop. At the turnstiles, the herd is sifted and then funneled up the stairwells to the street. As you emerge from the station into the dusty plaza, your eyes strain against the harsh sun and you reach for your Ray-Bans. Over the Sunday afternoon bustle, the historic Neo-Mudéjar façade of the Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas looms, the center of bullfighting in Spain since its opening in 1931.

The sun is relentless. In the dry summer heat, you find your way to the ticket line. The wait is well worth it, for not only do you buy a ticket for that day’s bullfights, but you’re helped by a gorgeous woman. In broken Spanish, you manage to buy a ticket in the sombra. Then you enter the stadium.

It’s immediately clear that you are seated among aficionados. People who, as Hemingway described, have real aficion (passion) for bullfighting. Many are old. Some smoke cigarettes or snack from plastic bags they carry with them. Nearly all settle down on their own portable seat cushions. They chat in gravelly Spanish and gesture toward the ring, the sand of which has been smoothed in a circular pattern and glows in the sun.

Over several hours, you soak in centuries of tradition, pageantry, brutality, horror, and even grace. While fleeting, and perhaps imperceptible to some, it is the latter that is most captivating.