Art

St Joan of Arc is a timeless figure, a modern Boudica. It's interesting to look at the art created featuring her: the statues all over the world, the paintings. There are different interpretations of her banner, her clothing, her stature. Looking at how a subject is portrayed over time is very interesting--look at biblical figures, Greek and Roman myths, Shakespearean characters, medieval heroes and villains. 

Read

I really like the Irish Farmette--it has a mystical feel to it, a lost in the magical woods scenario that you want to find yourself in.

I love the poetry and photos of HerriottGrace, it almost makes you think of the most brilliant poems of e.e. cummings.

I love to scroll through the famous SmittenKitchen and VickiArcher, it's like a glossy magazine to think about. And CupofJoe is fun to read, they have great links. Katie'sPencilBox is really fun to look through, it's like a real life, bright Eloise style art-focused pottery barn catalogue but with even better photos, lovely.

For a buy-able pottery barn read, try Coco+Kelley, which is great, you get to see so many options--it's like reading multiple aesthetics at once, a real time saver [and fun to see!]. In the interesting reading vein, RueRude is a look at France that's neat because it's on things you wouldn't guess about daily life.

Food

Since famous Paris food blogger/chef David Lebovitz doesn't update daily, an intellectual food lover can yearn for more--and I've found that the blog EatingAsia really fills the gap. It has tons of fascinating descriptions, you learn a lot, and the photos are amazing.

The food it covers is unique and really broadens your horizons if you haven't eaten a lot of Asian food. The diversity of Asian food is amazing! In that vein, there is the Malaysia Food & Travel site. It's similarly great. There's also the really broad, big site FoodRepublic if you are in the mood to read the NYT of the food world; I love the diversity of the articles and focii.

Of course, the same applies to Mimi Thorisson, who lives in rural France--she's got an incredibly interesting, beautiful, professional blog that appeals to nature/photography lovers and food lovers. Her anecdotes are always interesting, and it makes you want to immediately travel to a rural countryside and just go on a walk. Some of the photos are NationalGeographic level work, highlighting the true beauty and variety of nature.

Carnival

From Venice to New Orleans, Carnival has begun. The holiday is pre-Lent, so it takes place mostly in late January and in February.

One great painting of the long festival is by Frenchman François Flameng [1856-1923]. I love to read NolaDefender for all the interesting New Orleans news. There are some really funny pieces as well, and a great King Cake review piece.

Dance

If you're interested in Cambodia, Khmer/Cambodian traditional dance or the Khmer Rouge period, be sure to watch HRH Princess Norodom Buppha Devi's interview on Cambodian dance. She was chosen by the famous French film director Marcel Camus to dance in his film 'L'oiseau de paradis' [1962], also called 'Bird of Paradise' or 'Dragon Sky' in English, or 'Baksey Thansua'.

There is also an interview with Sim Muntha about the costumes in Camus' film on the NYPL archive.

The photo below shows her dancing in a more ornate costume than she does in the movie Apsara [1966]. Here is more information on her work to preserve and enshrine Cambodian dance.

Art

If you love Cambodia, Khmer ancient art or Angkor Wat -- or the Tomb Raider films with Angelina Jolie -- be sure to read the excellent art record of Angkor Wat from 1927. A 23 year old French girl in Cambodia recorded in clear drawings many of the female spirits/nymphs [called 'devatas' by the French at the time or more commonly 'apsara' Sanskrit: अप्सरा] carved on the walls. It's an incredible book, with so many drawings and details it could be used by a film costumer to get a project started.

The book is called Khmer Costumes and Ornaments of the Devatas of Angkor Wat by Sappho Marchal. Below is a typical photograph of Angkor Wat, the enormous complex of stone temples and buildings in Cambodia [it's even represented on the country's flag].

A fun little film about Khmer ancient myths [in this case of Preah Thong [also named King Kaundinya I] and his eventual wife the minor goddess/naga Neang Neak [also named Soma] is Pras Toung Neang Neak. To try Cambodian traditional dance, revived in the mid-1900s by Princess Bopa Devi, watch the long dance performance of Preah Thong Neang Neak.

Kali

This Bengali woodcut of Ma Kali, the Hindu goddess, by the 19th century artist Sri Hemchandra is quite incredible [there are tons more pieces of art on Kali here]. Kālikā (Sanskrit: कालिका) is associated with empowerment, called shakti. She is the fierce aspect of the goddess Durga.

Art

For incredible Hindu artwork/paintings, be sure to look at the amazing image collection at MagicTransistor. The pieces are unique and fascinating. It's a truly awe-inspiring group of images; there's a piece on every figure and deity that draws you in, even if they weren't one you were interested in or felt a connection to.

Recently, cranberry-raisin cookies have been all the rage around here, as has Bvlgari's The Rouge perfume [this is their Fragrantica review collection]. As a big perfume blog reader, I find it strange that our senses of smell may truly be different--what an odd thing to contemplate. Oddly I am more open to the idea that many people see colors differently.

India

Some great places to see photos of India are IndiaIncredible and Vintage India [for older photos, this is a great one]. Here are some Sept. 2014 Bollywood songs, always fun to listen to and see if any favorites emerge, and the excellent song collection here to try--including the opening 2014 song Devil's 'Yaar Naa Miley' and the famous, fast older 'Munni Badnam' at min. mark 8:41, and at mark 17:36 is the very infamous, lively older song 'Sheila Ki Jawaani'.

For older, more traditional music try Anoushka Shankar - Indian Classical Raga.

The image below is Vinayaka [another name for Ganesha, with his elephant head is in the center] with his consorts in the temple, from a book by P. V. Jagadisa Ayyar (from 1920), South Indian shrines: illustrated. [On wiki images]

Relaxing

One great piece to try that includes both flute and harpsichord is German Baroque composer Telemann's [1681-1767] Nouveaux Quatuors Parisiens no. 6 - Modéré performed by a great group [be sure to listen to more of their work here: Nevermind, ie. try the slow and lovely "La Cupis" by J.P. Rameau] of Anna Besson, Louis Creac'h, Robin Pharo and Jean Rondeau on flute, violin, viola and harpsichord respectively.

Actually, if you prefer gothic, Symbolist style music instead of Baroque, try the cd Rachmaninov Songs, the piece "Vocalise [op. 34, no. 14]" performed by Joan Rodgers & Howard Shelley. Rachmaninoff [many spellings happen due to transliterating] was a famous Russian composer [1873-1943] who wrote a lot of moody, emotive, gothic E.A. Poe style music.

Many people decompress by watching dramas--the urgency and shocks onscreen put everything into perspective for you, making you feel better about whatever annoyances and worries you face. One such tv series is The Good Wife. It has become so much more than its original premise that I only wish they would alter the title to reflect it--it's one of the most moving and wrenching shows of the decade. It's very mature, and very philosophical; no one gets away free or clean. Everyone is faced with reality, the truth: of hard choices, of no answers, of no solutions or balms.

It's the new must watch, gripping show, much like True Detective was. And similarly, at first many people didn't see how incredible both were going to be. They could have slid off the rails early on, but didn't, they just exponentially grew in genius.

Food

Food is very personal and subject to time period and culture, region. Still, one can venture out and try some simple sushi, some poutine, some mango bubble tea. Two things to potentially try are falafel and almond marzipan horns [they look like horseshoes].

Falafel mix [the ground chickpeas already mixed with spices] is often in the imported food section of grocery stores, and can come from many countries. It's easy to simply bake it all in a pan instead of frying it. Falafel is a great way to add both spicy food and vegetables into your meals, and you can eat it with cucumber slices and some yogurt or sauce to balance out the spiciness. People who don't like the typical blandness of vegetables will love it.

Another interesting world cuisine find is Germanic/Bavarian almond horns. They are covered in sliced almonds and are made of marzipan in a type of almond cookie result. If you like red Italian almond cookies [shaped like a circle with a little cherry in the middle sometimes], try these. They are easy to find in local bakeries, give them a search. You may have already tried them at area Oktoberfests.

Japan

This is a great piece, and it is also a good one to start someone on Asian or Japanese art history. It's quite gorgeous--it's 'Maiko Playing Shuttlecock' by  長谷川貞信三代  ie. Sadanobu III Hasegawa [1881-1963]; related artists/schools.

French

If you read French or love food photography with a exquisite French bent, be sure to look at the amazing, almost minimalist in loveliness photographs at Griottes. It's the place for gourmets.

You can also use it to practice your reading comprehension... or just scroll to see the next set of incredible photos. It's almost like an art installation, but most of the materials are either food, things from nature or china.

Mind

Light reading is something close to my heart. I always recommend the rural French countryside of My French Country Home, which has incredible photos--they truly let you feel like you're there. Another one I always check with is the classic Paris blog from traveler/gourmet David Lebovitz.

A new one I love is Sam is Home, on fashion and lovely photographs of nature/places etc. One I was just reading is A Montrealer Abroad--they were linking to the best Montreal photography instagrams and I was hooked. The best for Montreal is Inayali, there are some excellent street/nature photos there that capture what Montreal is like.

For food photography, be sure go through Myfatguyprobs, who is a gourmet that loves Montreal. It's truly a mecca for food. A few of those photos and you're already planning your next vacation up there! If you're an urban explorer, you'll prefer Jfsavaria.

There are big, colorful city and landscape photos at LiveMontreal, they really show the great scope of the place. They're huge, excellent pieces. If you love flowers and sweet lovely photos, try Montreal360, which has quiet, intimate detail photos. GuillaumeBoily has a neat bike heavy perspective of the city.

And the song of the summer is: Tiesto's "Wasted [Ummet Ozcan Remix]", if you love dance music, edm, fast-paced stuff, this is great.

Old stories

Old books have value beyond measure--whether you read them online or you get real copies for some favorite children. Try Legends and Stories of Italy by Amy Steedman, it's online to read here, with its great, old-fashioned illustrations by Scottish Katherine Cameron [1874-1965]. The image above is of Dianora de Bardi, from the story "A Tale of Old Florence", a happy type of Romeo and Juliet story. Here's a little excerpt:

From early morning the bells had rung out. Coloured cloths and gay carpets hung out from every window. In the great square the city banners were floating in the breeze, and throngs of country-people came hurrying through the gates, all dressed in holiday attire. The churches were hung with crimson silk and velvet hangings, and a blaze of candles lit up each altar in honour of the festa of the patron saint of Florence.

Reading

Blogs are written in many styles--two that are in the anecdote, picture load category are the great My French Country Home from rural Normandy and Dry Paddocks from a nature-focused life in New Zealand.

Usually I steer clear of heavily photographed blogs, but these have photos that allow yourself to 'see' everything. It's almost as if you're there. That's a quite unique effect. They are both fun, simple reads, and the pictures elevate them to excellence.

Ancient

"Circe Offering the Cup to Odysseus" by John William Waterhouse [1849-1917] is a great example of the classic power of ancient myth and legend. The paradigms, archetypes and lessons you must puzzle from them are as interesting as speculating what really happened, and why a legend grew out of something. Part of studying pagan religions and cults is looking at history, ancient culture and other ways of thinking. It is a new lens through which to see the beauty of nature, the sea and the simple, topmost pleasures of life.

Circe [Greek: Κίρκη] was an interesting ancient Greek sorceress, also called a goddess or nymph. She used liquid magic potions and her staff [like a long straight wand] to turn her enemies, and Ulysses and his men into animals. All this is recorded in the famous ancient Greek epic of Homer, the Odyssey [Greek: Ὀδύσσεια]. Read Butler's famous translation here. Here's a neat excerpt:

"'We went,' said he, 'as you told us, through the forest, and in the middle of it there was a fine house built with cut stones in a place that could be seen from far. There we found a woman, or else she was a goddess, working at her loom and singing sweetly; so the men shouted to her and called her, whereon she at once came down, opened the door, and invited us in. The others did not suspect any mischief so they followed her into the house, but I staid where I was, for I thought there might be some treachery. From that moment I saw them no more, for not one of them ever came out, though I sat a long time watching for them.'

"Then I took my sword of bronze and slung it over my shoulders; I also took my bow, and told Eurylochus to come back with me and shew me the way. But he laid hold of me with both his hands and spoke piteously, saying, 'Sir, do not force me to go with you, but let me stay here, for I know you will not bring one of them back with you, nor even return alive yourself; let us rather see if we cannot escape at any rate with the few that are left us, for we may still save our lives.'

"'Stay where you are, then,' answered I, 'eating and drinking at the ship, but I must go, for I am most urgently bound to do so.'

"With this I left the ship and went up inland. When I got through the charmed grove, and was near the great house of the enchantress Circe, I met Mercury with his golden wand, disguised as a young man in the hey-day of his youth and beauty with the down just coming upon his face. He came up to me and took my hand within his own, saying, 'My poor unhappy man, whither are you going over this mountain top, alone and without knowing the way? Your men are shut up in Circe's pigstyes, like so many wild boars in their lairs. You surely do not fancy that you can set them free? I can tell you that you will never get back and will have to stay there with the rest of them. But never mind, I will protect you and get you out of your difficulty. Take this herb, which is one of great virtue, and keep it about you when you go to Circe's house, it will be a talisman to you against every kind of mischief.

Celtic

Maud Gonne [1866-1953] was the smart and famous Irish political figure, nationalist, activist, promoter of women's rights, revolutionary, actress, intellectual, beauty and muse of the very famous, Nobel in literature prize winner Irish poet W.B. Yeats [1865-1939]. Many parts of his work are about her or were written for her; you can read much of it here. In Irish Gaelic [Gaeilge] her name stands as Maud Nic Ghoinn Bean Mac Giolla Bhríghde. In that time period, many people began to promote a return to Irish Gaelic [there are over 6 types of Gaelic spread out all over the celtic areas of Europe].

She founded a society for women in 1900 so that they too could work for Ireland and all Irish interests and national customs and pride called Inghinidhe na hÉireann ("Daughters of Ireland"). Her work, and Yeats' poetry as well are great ways to begin learning about history, cultures and literature. The photo of her above is particularly exceptional. It draws you in of its own accord.

The eye

All over the world, cruel intent is feared--in many areas this is called the 'evil eye', or mati in Greek for example. People wear hamsa and eye charms, sometimes with the eye on the hand symbol, and often wear crosses as well, or other appropriate religious protective symbols. The Roman mosaic from Antiochia [Greek Ἀντιόχεια] in Turkey [often called 'the Near East'] above depicts the eye being taken down and defeated by a scorpion, cat, snake, centipede insect, dog as it is stabbed by a sword and a big trident on top. The Greek letters mean 'Kai Su', 'and you [too/as well]'.

Antioch was also the city where Christianity had a large, fast spreading base in the ancient world. Note on the mosaic the Greek-style wave pattern. Roman art often incorporated Greek styles.