Events in Europe
Singularity Summit Promises to Stimulate Your Brain
August 16, 2010 by Renee Blodgett
The Singularity Summit, held in San Francisco this past weekend, is not new to me since I helped market the very first one, held in Stanford in 2006. The goal of the first Summit was to further the understanding and discussion about the Singularity concept and the future of human technological progress.
The idea over time is to improve people’s thinking about the future and increasing public awareness of radical technologies under development today and of the transformative implications of such technologies as part of a larger process.
It was founded as a venue for leading thinkers to explore the subject, whether they be scientist, enthusiast, or skeptic.
Speaking of skeptics, the last talk of the event was by James Randi, (left) who some think of as a magician, but he is also known as a debunker.
I first learned of Randi’s work at TED where he spoke several years ago. The title debunker equates to his strong and very vocal skepticism, which he writes and speaks about extensively. Fascinating as ever, Randi has the ability to draw you into his logic even if you don’t necessarily agree with him.
Brussels Sprouts a Flower Carpet
August 13, 2010 by Sherry Ott
Art in Progress – Brussels Flower Carpet
This weekend something very special is happening in Belgium. It only comes around every other year: The Flower Carpet. This Belgian tradition started in 1971 with the first Flower Carpet being laid in the famous Grand Place of Brussels. Begonias are the star flower. They are packed together one by one, 300 to every square meter of ground, (+/- 750,000 flowers). They are packed tightly (no soil is used at all) so that they won’t be blown away by the first puff of wind. They even create their own microclimate.
I’m in Brussels for the month of August so I decided to go check out the making of the carpet. It is planned months in advance, while the execution and placement of the flowers takes around seven hours. It was a stormy day in Brussels, but the volunteers were still out placing each begonia in its specified place!
To see more travel photos, check out Briefcase to Backpack’s Photo Friday!
Bruges Beer Festival
August 12, 2010 by Susan McKee
The fourth Bruges Beer Festival will be held September 11 and 12, 2010, in the historic Belgian town. It’s organized by the Bruges Autonomous Beertasters, in cooperation with the municipality of Bruges.
Some 67 breweries will present about 278 beers on the festival! There’ll be six Trappist breweries and some artisanal Gueuze blenders and brewers among the Belgian beers on tap.
At the entrance, you buy the 2010-tasting glass (15cl) at €3 plus tokens at €1.25 each (one beer = one token). Then head in to select from among the beers on offer! In most cases, the brewer will be present at his stand, ready to answer questions.
But, as they say on television Road Trips Foodies, that isn’t all! There’ll be a “Cuisine Culinair” four chefs each day preparing food especially to go with beer. Other events include carillon concerts, “beer recitations” (a sort of interactive debate) and activities for kids.
And, if you were there last year, please note that 2009 tokens can be used in 2010!
Worcester City Flower Show
August 8, 2010 by Ellen Park
So, Road Trips Gardeners, you thought there was only Worcestershire Sauce in Worcester, England! Not true. The fifth annual Worcester City Flower Show will be held in conjunction with the grand opening of Gheluvelt Park from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. August 14, 2010.
Actually, it’s more than flowers, since the organizers are calling for displays of fruits and vegetables as well as flowers, but what the heck. If you’re driving nearby, stop in. There’s lots going on all day, and admission is free. Both the mayor of Worcester and the mayor of Gheluvelt, Belgium, will be on hand.
The grand opening event commemorates the action of the Worcestershire Regiment at the Battle of Gheluvelt near Ypres, Belgium in 1914 where a few hundred men halted a major German advance and altered the course of World War I.
200th Anniversary Oktoberfest in Munich
July 30, 2010 by Susan McKee
Two hundred years ago the six days of festivities for the marriage of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen were so extraordinary that the citizens of this region of southern Germany decided to repeat the celebration annually.
Although the original festivities were October 12-17, 1810, the Bavarians decided it was too cold by then. So, to take advantage of warmer weather, Oktoberfest always begins in September. This year’s celebration is September 17 through October 4, 2010, in Munich, Germany.
The locals fondly refer to Oktoberfest as “die Wiesn” because of its location: Theresienwiese. The huge meadow was named for the bride, Princess Therese.
Because it’s a special anniversary, there’ll be an historic reconstruction of the original festival using an antique tent plus an exhibition of historical fun fair attractions. Horse races, also part of the royal fête in 1810, will be held daily. The mayor of Munich conducts the official tapping of the first beer barrel at noon on September 18. Once he has proclaimed “O’zapft is!”—confirming that the tapping was successful— those in the other tents…
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UNESCO World Heritage Site: Fortress of Suomenlinna
July 25, 2010 by M Skaffari
King's Gate
Step into a living museum, a fifteen minute ferry ride from Helsinki, the capital of Finland. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is a perfect getaway from city living and great way to take a peek into the lives of the people in the region during 18th century.
The island fortress attracts locals and tourists alike, especially in the summer time, to enjoy the peace, greenery and quaint little cafe’s half hidden in the hills inside the old fortress. It is a popular destination for picnickers with it’s hidden beaches, rolling hills, vast skies and the Bay of Finland providing beautiful surroundings for almost any occasion.
There are a few restaurants on the island. Most notable are Restaurant Walhalla and Suomenlinna Brewery Restaurant. Both are definitely worth the trip. Suomenlinna museum and Ehrensvärd museum provide a lot of information of the history and the lives of people in the fortress. There is a multitude of events organized in the fortress during the summer months of May through September. The…
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World Cup in San Francisco
July 14, 2010 by Christel Van Der Boom
In 2005, I moved from Amsterdam to San Francisco. This year, was the second time I experienced the World Cup while living in the US and it was quite different from four years ago. Four years ago, I would have missed the whole event if I hadn’t gone looking for it. Now, it’s clearly in the mainstream media. Besides the fact that the U.S. had a better team and won some games, there were a few other reasons why this soccer tournament was more popular.
Probably, the main reason for all the media coverage this year is the fact that ESPN bought the rights to all the games this year. Four years ago, only the Spanish language Univision had the right to broadcast the games in the US. On top of that, FIFA, International Federation of Association Football (aka soccer) has been promoting the sport heavily in America.
Another big difference with the 2006 World Cup was social media. On the first day of World Cup, Twitter went down more than once because around the world people were talking about it. Americans were automatically part of this global conversation. On Facebook I saw many of my friends in the U.S. post about…
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Grande Semaine Des Vins
July 12, 2010 by Susan McKee
Attention Road Trips Foodies whose twin passions are golf and wine! The Château des Vigiers has not one, but two special weeks just for you! This golf and resort in the Dordogne region of France has scheduled two festivals this summer.
The first, Grande Semaine des Vigiers et des Vins de Bergerac is July 19-25, 2010. This week includes golf (duh!) but also wine tastings (such as between the ninth and 10th holes), visits to wineries, specially-planned dinners, six bottles of wine in your room and unlimited rounds of golf on the 27-hole course. All the wines are from Bergerac, of course.
Grande Semaine des Vigiers et des Vins de Duras, the second, takes place August 16-22, 2010, with the same amenities — except the featured wines are from the Duras region.
Prices begin at 999€ per person, double occupancy. For more information, go online.
Zaragoza Spain: the Hub for Latest in Robotics This Week
July 2, 2010 by Renee Blodgett
The 2010 Robotics: Science and Systems Conference is taking place this week at the University of Zaragoza Spain. Research and development leader Willow Garage is there showing off PR2, which TMC News refers to as the most advanced personal robot in the world, PR2 is demonstrating how it can help people with their domestic chores, including folding a pile of clothes, sorting them and storing them.PR2 is not alone.
The presentations at this highly regarded conference are submitted months in advance by researchers working on algorithmic or mathematical foundations of robotics, robotics applications, and analysis of robotic systems. The final program which attendees are participating in this week, highlights the best work of its kind in every category.
300 robotics researchers from 25 countries show up and include companies like Google and Microsoft as well as universities and institutions like NASA. Displayed and demoed this week are robots outfitted with sensors that allow them to see, hear, touch and move, which will make the daily life of humans easier, help people with reduced mobility or perform dangerous tasks.
Another robot – Nao, a 58-centimeter (22-inch) tall creation of French firm Aldebaran…
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Pilchard Festival
June 25, 2010 by Susan McKee
What’s a pilchard? Road Trips Foodies can find out, up close and personal, at the Pilchard Festival! It takes place along the waterfront in Fažana, Croatia, on July 31, 2010.
Pilchard is a small oily fish, the symbol of Fažana fishermen’s festivals. The Pilchard Festival is the largest and one of the oldest. The flag of the fisherman’s fraternity “St. Andrew”, patron saint of fishermen, flies high. The local restaurants display their gastronomic skill preparing the fish for visitors.
Here’s how the Fažana tourist folks describe the fishing tradition:
In the first records from the Middle Ages Fažana is mentioned as a small fishing town close to Vodnjan, after which the sea passage between land and the Brijuni Islands was named. Fishing was one of the important activities of the locals, which engaged almost entire families. While the men went fishing, women were responsible for cleaning their nets when they returned. The locals are still keen about fishing. Even today when passing along the waterfront by the small family-owned boats in the morning hours you will often have a chance to witness such a memorable…
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