Waiting for fun
What could be worse than missing your bus or train and having nothing to do but stand around stupidly fiddling with your phone? The architects at Kastelic Buffy have come up with a solution: the Story Pod, a stylish wooden house that opens up like a book and provides a place to sit and read. Unfortunately, to experience it you’ll have to go to Newmarket, Canada – a good 50 kilometers north of Toronto.
Spring taking its time? At least with these attractive items, you can beat those April showers in style!
Delicate: This elegant, dark blue women’s umbrella opens up like a flower.
Cozy: walnut-brown women’s boot with a waterproof GORE-TEX® Partelana lining.
Cool collaboration: This Stutterheim x Marni raincoat is bound to ward off bad weather.
Handsome companion: Italian leather weekender by Hackett London for people on the go.
“Valborgsmässoafton” or simply “Valborg” is the Swedish name for their traditional Walpurgis Night festival. On April 30, people light bonfires and dance around them to banish winter and welcome spring.
Culture clash
You silly egg! You flea! You meatball! Oddly enough, these are terms of endearment in China, France and Italy. A selection of choice pet names from around the world
a belly full of love
The way to the heart is through the stomach. Here’s proof: the French call their lover their “cabbage,” the Spanish, “half an orange,” the Japanese, “egg with eyes.” Oval heads are generally considered a beauty standard in the Far East.
the heart and other organs
“My heart and liver!” is a term of endearment in China. In Ireland, they say mo chuisle, “my pulse,” whereas Tibetans call their beloved “revered poison of my heart.”
animal attraction
The Germans lead, drawing inspiration from animals to call their lover a snail, sparrow, rabbit or mouse, closely followed by the French (“My doe!”) and the Italians (“My chick! My microbe!”).
If you thought beer was a beauty product, you’ll appreciate this: Visitors to the Bjórböðin Spa in Iceland relax in wooden troughs filled with barley juice, water, hops and yeast. This unusual mixture cleanses the skin and boosts the metabolism. Beer drinkers, never fear: There’s a keg of beer conveniently placed right beside the bathtub.