Monarchies · Observations · New York · Society · Humour

Delighted by the witty reply of a photographer accused of a life-threatening pursuit of Markle and Prince Harry, who have been likened to Princess Diana, cruelly hounded by the royal family

Delighted by the witty reply of a photographer accused of a life-threatening pursuit of Markle and Prince Harry, who have been likened to Princess Diana, cruelly hounded by the royal family. It very soon emerged, however, that what the attention-deficit couple had presented as a high-speed chase

Observations · Humour

This is some sort of КЛСОРДТРД!

Why do people have the means to hire ΓΔΛ ΓΔΔΟΤ for their project, yet lack the wit to call in someone acquainted with the Greek alphabet?

Architecture · Faith · London · Observations · Heritage

Former chapel of a psychiatric hospital in Redbridge becomes a swimming pool

In England, the problem of preserving an abandoned church has been solved in its own way: a swimming pool and a gym have opened inside a Victorian church. Repton Park in Redbridge is considered one of the most beautiful swimming pools in London. In 1892 the site was occupied by

Archive · Cinema · Observations · Ethnography

Hungarian wedding dress: a photo from Mezőkövesd, 1925–1930, and one from modern Hungary

A Hungarian girl in national wedding dress. A colour photograph taken in Mezőkövesd in 1925-1930, and a wedding photograph from present-day Hungary. Firstly, it is fantastically beautiful and delightful that this beauty has survived to our own day. Secondly, we have undoubtedly found the reference for the costumes

Interviews · Observations · Society · Pop Culture

Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons on censorship and political correctness in a 2016 interview

I did not bother to look into why Miuccia Prada, one of the foremost designers of our time, is being cancelled just now, but I found a 2016 interview in which she anticipated her own vulnerable position. Jonathan Wingfield sent the young Tavi Gevinson, the stylist Katie Grand and the

NB! · Art · Observations

A very interesting auction find

A very interesting auction find. Estimated at 300 euros, this painting went for 13,000, unexpectedly bringing the sale to a close on such a triumphant note. It recalls Van Dyck and Pieter Thijs. When I see sales like this, I am glad that I am not the only such

Architecture · Moscow · Observations · Nature

Criticism of Bosco Vertical in Milan and the author's advice to try Virginia creeper

Most contemporary architectural projects look far better as visualisations than as built reality. So it was with the luxury residential complex Bosco Vertical in Milan, literally a "vertical forest", which in practice turned out to be not quite so green or so mysterious. Once construction was complete, the

NB! · Monarchies · Observations · Humour

Prince Charles with a Moustache Is Something New

NB! · Observations

Good Evening

Observations · Society · Humour

Rumours that Justin Trudeau is Fidel Castro's son and his likeness to Pierre Trudeau

I recall how Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had to deny that he is Fidel Castro's secret son. And "No, Fidel Castro is not my dad" sounded none too convincing against the backdrop not only of their incredible portrait likeness, but also of the biography of

Archive · Architecture · Cinema · Observations · Paris

Security openings in the walls of the Royal Opera of Versailles at the 1961 Kennedy reception

Watching newsreel footage of the Kennedys' state visit to France in 1961, I noticed some curious openings in the wall of the Royal Opera of Versailles. What are these little squares, scattered across the different tiers of the auditorium, for? They are neither heating nor lighting vents. They are

Moscow · Museums · Observations · Heritage · Nature

Oaks up to 600 years old under museum supervision at Kolomenskoye

The Kolomenskoye Museum-Reserve preserves the remnants of Moscow's oldest oak grove. The oaks of Kolomenskoye may remember the Russian sovereigns who lived and stayed here: Peter I, Alexis Mikhailovich, Michael Fyodorovich, Ivan the Terrible, Vasily III and Ivan III. The oldest oaks of the estate are fenced