ROYAL COMMUTEMENT

You are now enabled to take the royal treatment, en route to Versailles. A service provided by the French Railways SCNF.
Bertrand Gosselin of the French state rail company, says the idea for the trains, which began running in May, came up in a joint meeting between officials from the palace and the rail line that serves it.
"We decided to make something different," Gosselin says. "Why not make something inside the trains to be already in Versailles when you take your train in Paris?"

Train Cars Transformed...

The rail cars are decorated in seven different motifs reflecting different areas of the Palace at Versailles — including the famous Hall of Mirrors, the queen's bedroom, the lavish gardens of Marie Antoinette's estate, the library of Louis XVI, the decor of a royal carriage and the peristyle of the Grand Trianon, which Gosselin notes was a private room where the king could have "some relations with women." [text from this blog]

Here are som more pics...

GET YOUR QUQUQ READY AND GO GOGO

The mini-motor home out of the box

Simply convert your station wagon into a camper within one minute
The compact camping module QUQUQ is ideal for those who love free and spontaneous travelling, without the need purchasing a motorhome. QUQUQ combines kitchen, bed and storage space in one single box. Simply put QUQUQ in the trunk and the mini-motorhome is ready for the trip. Bon Voyage!

Ingeniously simple

The QUQUQ module is thoughtfully designed and absolutely practical: So the lying surface, including 10 cm strong cold foam mattress, is unfolded in a handle. No assembling of components, no re-arranging in the vehicle. Also the kitchen with 2-flame stove, 20l of freshwater, sink, workspace and storage space are ready to use immediately and accessible at any time. Completely without conversion.

Light, sturdy and compatible

The QUQUQ box is extremely sturdy and light in weight at the same time for easily handling. All used materials such as aluminium, waterproof plywood and stainless steel guarantee long-term functionality. Should you change your vehicle once – no problem: QUQUQ fits in almost all high roof station wagons such as Berlingo, Caddy, Citan, Combo, Doblo, Dokker, Kangoo, NV 200, Partner, Tourneo, Vaneo. 

MUSTSEEMAP / KLM

Dutch airway company, KLM, surprises us with a good 'give yourself a free gift' gift.  The gift is a map you made on this KLM site, which contains tips by friends you invited. They, hopefully, share their city secrets on the city you want to visit. The choice is between some

Collect the best tips for your upcoming trip
with a free KLM Must See Map.

http://mustseemap.klm.com/ot_en/create-map/info

PARIS - LE MONSTRE DE MORETTI

Good news: The Monster of Moretti is back to visit.


The 'Monstre' is located in the bowels of La Defense, it is a sculpture and installation by Raymond Moretti. he built it in the studio that he lives in the brand new architectural 'monster' La Defense, possessed.
Les Journées du Patrimoine [guardian of the Parisian heritage] reopened the workshop and living space by Raymond Moretti, abandoned since 2005, the year of the death of its creator.

Right the chimney of the 'Monster'

Before 2005, the installation was open to the public every day

Moretti stond bekend om als ontwerper van posters

The installation seen from the balcony
(for security reasons you can not descend)
The shadows on the walls are painted

Parts are scattered on the ground

A walk in a theatrical setting

Subscribe to a visit of the machinery

Pictures made by the visitors, who to their surprise were guided as a group of six, by an expert on the history of the business district, offering everything some very passionate commentary.
More information in the blog article Condition Venus.

GIDSY GETS YOU TO KNOW THE PLACE

Ze vertrokken van Amsterdam naar Berlijn en gingen daar aanvankelijk klussen voor andere bedrijven. Maar iets zelf maken is leuker, concludeerden broers Edial en Floris Dekker al snel. En zo kwamen ze op het idee van Gidsy, een dienst die past in de trend van Etsy en AirBnB, platforms waar vraag en aanbod op een gebied bij elkaar komen. Bij Etsy vinden artiesten en makers van handwerk kopers, bij AirBnB vinden huiseigenaren tijdelijke huurders. En bij Gidsy? Bij Gidsy tref je bijvoorbeeld mensen die een rondleiding rondleiding door de stad langs belangrijke plekken van de Amsterdamse school geven, of hardlopers die anderen voorgaan op hun loopronde, of een tocht maken per Trabant door Berlijn. Mensen die iets weten of kunnen bieden hun diensten aan. Een percentage van de inkomsten gaat naar Gidsy.

Het verhaal van Gidsy luistert als een gesproken jongensboek. De twee broers zijn super enthousiast, vinden veel heel erg cool en zien met hun goede idee kans om wereldvermaarde investeerders achter zich te scharen. Ze zijn nog maar net bezig, maar de vooruitzichten voor Gidsy zijn goed. En de gunfactor is groot. Floris en Edial Dekker zijn 'good blokes' met een sympathiek initiatief. En ze geloven in de goedheid van de mens. Van het bekijken van deze aflevering van Top Names word je vrolijk. Gegarandeerd.

Hier is Gidsy

CONCEPT-TRAVELLING

Think of H. V. Morton's, Traveller in Rome. One can spend days in the Eternal City following the descriptions of this book. One  story leads to a quest through alleys in the backyard of the Piazza Navona, to finally arrive at the exact spot where the house of [OOK GIJ?] Brutus was, more then 2000 years ago. Then with the help of another book, one can follow his footsteps to the forum, to the spot where Julius Caesar was assassinated. 
Time travelling. 
Morton's book dates from 1957.  
Adelheid van Beuningen [1932] wrote Porcia in 2008. Porcia was Brutus wife. It's this book, that takes you through Rome, considering the reasons that gave rise to Brutus act. In Adelheid van Beuningen's historical novel Porcia dies at the end but she now lives on as a historical figure. 
Van Beuningen takes the reader back to Porcia's happy marriage, which was dominated by the fight against Brutus' main political rival, Julius Caesar.  
Porcia is the straightforward report of the murder and the developments thereafter.
Adelheid van Beuningen is a Dutch writer that lives in England and writes in Dutch.

Next time more on clever time travelling writers... 

GERD ARNTZ GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Exhibition: Isotype International Picture Language, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, 2 December 2010-15 May 2011

As a politically engaged graphic artist and designer Gerd Arntz (1900-1988) portrayed the world in wood and linoleum cuts. During the 1920s, he conveyed his vision on social wrongs and the rise of Nazism in Germany in his prints. He did this in such a simple, direct style that anyone - regardless of their education and nationality - was able to understand his images. This prompted the Viennese social scientist Otto Neurath (1882-1945) to ask him to design the symbols for the ’International system Of Typographic Picture Education’ (ISOTYPE). During his long career, Arntz made more than 4000 coherent, powerful and legible symbols and figures. We still see their traces around us on a daily basis: in pictograms featured on objects ranging from traffic signs to gameboys, and in information graphics.
This book displays many Isotypes and explains the system and its context. This overview of Gerd Arntz’s life and work includes a selection of his political prints and other rare visual material that was never published previously. With contributions from Flip Bool, Gert Dumbar, Mieke Gerritzen, Nigel Holmes, Max Kisman, Paul Mijksenaar and Erik Spiekermann.

Open publication - Free publishing - More isotype

M HKA

In Antwerps M HKA  now, Craigie Horsfield photographer bringing his photos to us on gigantic tapestries, made in Flandres

Craigie Horsfield, Installing his work Above the Bay of Naples from Via Partenope, Naples, September 2008, 2010 photo M HKA

Press-information [dutch] www.muhka.be/press.../PM_CRAIGIE%20HORSFIELD_NL_DEF_lowres.pdf

ARMAN

Les années soixante / soixante-dix révivent au Centre Pompidou, allez-y!



Découvrez Le centre Pompidou rend hommage à Arman sur Culturebox !

KAARTSPEL MET PARIJS

Nu is er het Plan Interactif des transports en Ile-de-France, een geweldige link voor de Parijsliefhebber. Spelen met de kaart, je lijntje laten oplichten, kijken waar je uitkomt als je... Leuker kunnen ze het niet maken.

kijk op: Plan Interactif des transports en Ile-de-France

ALLSCAPES

All sorts of landscapes are Collected on Vulgare. Enormously interesting and well photographed surroundings. Bewildering some, some reassuring ... Always inspirational!

http://www.vulgare.net/

ALLSCAPES

All sorts of landscapes are collected on Vulgare. Enormously interesting and well photographed surrounding. Some bewildering, some reassuring surroundings... 

http://www.vulgare.net/

CULTURAL GUERILLAS

Revealed to the public by the amazing discovery of the fully equiped clandestine movie theater under the Chaillot Hill built by La Mexicaine De Perforation and the trial against the Untergunther due to their clandestine restoration of the monumental clock of the Panthéon of Paris, L'UX is a Paris based clandestine organisation whose goal is to improve and restore the hidden and abandoned sides of urban inheritage.
Lazar Kunstmann, the spokesman for L'UX, relates in "La culture en clandestins. L'UX" these extraordinaries 25 years of projects from the genesis of the organisation to the trial for the clock.

Read the whole story here