On the north and east ends of the city – away from upscale restaurants and swanky bars of the financial and entertainment district – is where you find the real gastronomic gems of Toronto. Locals know that outside of the downtown core is where real ethnic cuisine is crafted and enjoyed. The annual Toronto Underground Market brings together these diverse foods and celebrates the food entrepreneurs behind those creations.
Perhaps the most welcome element of travel for the seasoned globetrotter or city-hopper is that of surprise. In St. Petersburg, Russia, surprise is one of their specialties. Not just for the tourists who arrive, expecting a cold, gray Russia, only to find color and light at every turn, but also for its residents.
After decades of Soviet rule, war, and famine, during which the city’s countless museums, cathedrals, and castles were closed and covered in thick layers of dust, the blanket of darkness was lifted from the city, only to reveal buildings of the prettiest pastels conceivable.
Some of the most exciting cities are those that have their own unique aesthetic, adopting a feel at odds with the rest of their country. Barcelona for us is such a place, wildly individual and almost visually overwhelming. Famously inspired by Antoni Gaudí’s creations as well as influenced by its Catalan history, it walks its own pioneering path.
If I could pick one Scandinavian city to call home, it’d be Copenhagen. From a history of Kings and colorful buildings, to well-dressed Danes and a culture of bikes, the city has it all. I fell in love with Copenhagen on my first day there, during the Royal Boat Tour that took me through the canals. As I cruised on the water, I snapped photographs furiously from the boat, not wanting to miss any of the city’s picturesque sights.
It didn’t take me long to feel at home in Denmark. A few days after my arrival, I managed to grab one of the city’s cheap rental bikes and explored the capital on two wheels, blending in nicely with the locals. I began north, at the Little Mermaid and the Danish Resistance Museum. As the day wore on, I made my way down to the canals to take in the cheerful atmosphere of Nyhavn, sunbathe in front of the Black Diamond, observe preparations at the Royal Stables, and finish the night at the beautiful Tivoli Gardens.
Someone once told me that a photographer is a professional people watcher. I think that a good people watcher also makes a good traveler.
In 2010, during my first 4 months of serious traveling abroad, I spent a lot of time in museums, cathedrals, and art galleries. I toured in haste, like most other travelers on a set schedule. Those months tired me out. While I had been to a lot of places, I felt that I saw very little. When I decided combined my methods as a photographer with my ways as a traveler, I happily traded busy sightseeing for people watching. I finally realized that the best way to understand a place is to observe its people.
While in Oslo, I made sure to document little details as well as obvious tourist sights. Just when I thought I had seen enough of Norway’s capital, seeing Oslo as a photographer allowed me to uncover more of the city’s quirks and beauties.
This article originally appeared on Just-In-Time Travels. Get in touch with the author @tracyzhangphoto.
We’ve shown you what it was like to live in style during the time of Louis XIV. Now, an exhibition at the Musée des Beaux Arts in Arras shows you what it was like to travel in style.
The fabulous Musée des Beaux Arts in Arras has an extraordinary exhibition in its hallowed halls. Following plans to decentralise art in France, a partnership between the Chateau de Versailles, the Town of Arras and the Nord Pas-de-Calais region means that the Musée des Beaux Arts will be exhibiting major collections from Versailles and elsewhere over a period of ten years commencing in March 2012.
The “Roulez Carrosses!” exhibition is the first of its kind in France — a world class exhibition and one devoted entirely to carriages; it is also the first time the royal Berlin coaches of the Musée des Carrosses de Versailles have been loaned.
The Musée des Beaux Arts is a magnificent building and museum in its own right. The staging of this display with its wonderful carriages, sedan chairs, sleighs, paintings, and sculptures ranging in age from the time of Louis XIV to the Third Republic is breathtaking.
11 June 1775, Louis XVI recently crowned King of France journeyed across Paris in his majestic carriage. Stopping at the College Louis-le-Grand a young student offered a compliment to the King. It meant nothing at the time — a chance meeting between an emperor and a poor student but that student would become well known to the King years later. Would he remember the carriage ride, the student, a native of Arras by the name Maximilien Robespierre?
Rich decorations required the skills of top craftsmen — painters, sculptors, upholsterers, carpenters, seamstresses and saddlers, emphasizing the power of the Royals and later the power of the State.
The horse-drawn coach of the coronation of Charles X (1825), extravagant and opulent, must have been a magnificent sight — it still is. Later used for the baptism of the Prince Imperial, son of Napoleon III.
Sledging was a popular past-time at the court of Versailles, originating from the Nordic courts. In the exhibition, you can see fantasy sledges in which King Louis XV and later Marie-Antoinette were pulled over the snow-covered paths in the park of Versailles or the frozen waters of the Grand Canal.
The sedan chair, an idea imported from England was easy to handle and popular on the streets of Paris and at Versailles.
The miniature carriage (circa 1785-1790) made for the Dauphin Louis-Charles, son of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette. One of very few to survive from the Royal collection.
Funeral Coach of Louis XVIII 1824. A team of eight black horses pulled the grand and imposing carriage from the Tuileries Palace to the Basilica of Saint-Denis.
In the courtyard of the museum — a modern depiction of a coach and horses, vibrant purple against the stonework is a dynamic homage to the beautiful carriages of yesteryear.
Behind the carriage – more opulent detail
Roulez Carrosses exhibition Arras ends 10 November 2013
Website of Musée des Beaux Arts and for the Arras Tourist Information office
This article was originally published on our partner site, The Good Life France.
