Admittedly travel-averse, Eugene Levy—multiple award-winning actor, writer and comedian—has come a very long way since his debut season of Apple TV+’s The Reluctant Traveler last year. Now premiering a second season on March 8, the seven-episode series spotlights Sweden, Scotland, France, Germany, Italy, Greece and Spain. It is gorgeously filmed, tightly edited, uplifting and funny: A luxurious travel deep-dive that soars with insight and smiles. Levy’s wry humor is on-point entertaining. For insider info about how this quirky and enchanting show was brainstormed and created, read my article Actor Eugene Levy On Going From ‘Schitt’s Creek’ To ‘The Reluctant Traveler’. Levy and I recently talked about the newfound joys he discovered not only on the road, but also within himself. Plus, how travel can best widen your horizons.
Picasso’s Barcelona: in the footsteps of the artist as a young man
09.02.2024 - 12:28 / theguardian.com
Pablo Ruiz Picasso was born in Málaga and spent most of his life in France, but it was arguably in Barcelona that his evolution as the most celebrated artist of the 20th century began.
The family moved to Barcelona in 1895 when Picasso was 13 and he lived and studied there for nine years before heading to Paris in 1904.
Picasso’s first home in the city was in the Porxos d’en Xifré, a large block near the port which also houses the restaurant 7 Portes. The building is across the street from La Llotja, the old stock exchange building which was home to the School of Fine Arts, which the artist attended from the age of 13.
Much of what is modern Barcelona was still under construction at the time and Picasso spent most of his life in Ciutat Vella, the old town.
There are several early works depicting locations within a stone’s throw of La Llotja, among them the Moll dels Pescadors, the basilica of Santa Maria del Mar, Barceloneta beach and the home in Carrer de la Mercè, where the family moved in 1896.
Picasso’s first studio is now a restaurant and hotel in Carrer de la Plata, and the Sala Parés in the narrow Carrer de Petritxol, where Picasso exhibited in 1901, is still in business. Then, as now, the street was famous for chocolate and pastries: Picasso and other artists would regularly pop out for supplies. Petritxol Xocoa is a good place to try them. Close by is Carrer d’Avinyó, where there was a brothel (at No 44), which may be the inspiration for Picasso’s early cubist work Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. The artist’s biographer, Josep Palau i Fabre, is among those who assert the title refers to the Barcelona street and not the French city. Picasso dismissed the theory, then fuelled the ambiguity by saying: “You must not always believe what I say.”
Such sites can be explored thanks to a new book, Picasso-Barcelona: A Cartography (Editorial Tenov SL), from which aficionados can retrace the artist’s steps around the city and visit his favourite watering holes.
Written by Claustre Rafart i Planas, a former curator at the Museu Picasso in Barcelona, the beautifully illustrated book offers a vision of Barcelona as it was then.
Its eight chapters each has a map showing the locations mentioned in the text, with a key indicating whether they still exist or are open to visitors.
Perhaps Picasso’s most famous hangout was Els Quatre Gats, the elegant bar designed by the Catalan modernistarchitect Josep Puig i Cadafalch and commissioned by the artists Ramon Casas and Santiago Rusiñol. It was inspired by the Parisian bar Le Chat Noir and sought to bring the Bohemian spirit of the French capital to Barcelona. The Catalan expression quatre gats (four cats) means “hardly anyone”.
There are many sites on La Rambla
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Though her work on Saturday Night Live keeps her tethered to New York City, comedian Chloe Fineman can most often be found criss-crossing the country to film in Los Angeles or back to the Bay Area, where she grew up. Recently, for her campaign with Nütrl Vodka Seltzer, she got to see a new place: Mexico City. “First of all, my brain still can’t understand how it’s a three-hour flight from LA [and five hours from New York], so I could meet all my friends in the middle,” she says. “And it was the most beautiful city. We saw luchadores wrestling, and the food was unbelievable. Some of the best meals in my life were in Mexico City!”
Relive The Glamour Of The Roaring Twenties At This Luxe Côte D’Azur Hotel
You may not have heard of Juan-Les-Pins, the charming seaside resort town on the French Riviera’s glamorous Cap d’Antibes. But if the brilliant blue waters, picturesque beaches, and megayachts anchored in Millionaire’s Bay aren’t enough of an endorsement to travel to this ultra-luxe destination, just look back a hundred years.
Billionaires and A-listers pay me to plan their luxury vacations. For $150,000 a year, I get them into the best restaurants and hotels in the world.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jaclyn Sienna India, the founder of the luxury travel concierge Sienna Charles . The following has been edited for length and clarity.
I Took a Group Tour for the First Time, and It Defied All My Expectations
Last year, my parents took their first-ever group tour to France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. You know, those tours where you share a coach bus with 30 strangers for a week, stop at popular tourist draws, stay in pre-arranged hotels, and go on guided city walks with bright orange audio boxes that might as well be “look at me, I’m a tourist” placards. I tried to dissuade them, offering to plan their entire Eurotrip myself, but they ultimately opted for the tour’s convenience and relative all-inclusiveness. Now they’re absolutely hooked, with two more tours under their belt this year.
Parisian Elegance In Toronto: Discover Frenchy At The Hilton Toronto
Oh la la! Toronto is in for a touch of Parisian elegance on Thursday, February 29, 2024. Frenchy, a sophisticated yet welcoming bar and brasserie, is situated conveniently in the heart of downtown within the main lobby level of the recently renovated Hilton Toronto. Crafted to be the focal point of the property, Frenchy exudes an atmosphere that seamlessly combines sophistication with a touch of cheekiness. With its effortless indulgence and uncomplicated approach, the eatery promises to be an unforgettable destination.
The Most Romantic Hotels In Paris, Europe’s Top Sleeper Trains And More Travel News
Paris has long been a city that lovers love, whether you’re proposing marriage, celebrating an anniversary, or looking for an affair to remember. To fire up the passion the next time you’re in the City of Light, Forbes Travel Guide has named the most romantic hotels in Paris—each with a view of the Eiffel Tower.
Coming together for the win
Nadia "Sparkle" Henry
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THIS ARTICLE IS ADAPTED FROM THE FEBRUARY 17, 2024, EDITION OF GASTRO OBSCURA’S FAVORITE THINGS NEWSLETTER. YOU CAN SIGN UP HERE .
The Hottest Travel Trends That Will Surprise You
This year more folks are prioritizing travel and newfangled experiences. We’re inspired by beloved television shows à la Emily in Paris to reexamine cities we’ve previously visited. Scoring tickets to see our favorite musical artists, like Taylor Swift, fortuitously opens up the prospect of flying to a different country. A rising wellness and longevity movement encourages travelers to seek alcohol-free vacations. Slower and more intentional travel—quality over quantity—is important and sustainability and eco-minded experiences are at the forefront.
Germany Finally Legalizing Cannabis: Law To Pass This Week And Take Effect In April
In a first step toward a broader legalization of cannabis, and after long delays due to strong opposition from lawmakers in the ruling coalition, Germany is set to approve the decriminalizing of cannabis for recreational use by parliament on Friday, paving the way to take effect on April 1 (and not an April Fool’s Day joke).
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There's nothing like graduating to make you want a celebratory vacation.