Category: Travel

Travel writings from around the world

In Finland is the Arabia ceramics producer

Arabia is not only a part of the city of Helsinki, it is also home to one of Finlands most famous maker of porcelaine and ceramic. In 1873 Finland was the Grand Duchy of Finland, an autonomus part of the Russian empire. Finland had previously been a part of Sweden until 1809 when Russia took control of the territory as part of a peace agreement with Sweden. Arabia was founded by Swedish porcelaine maker Rörstrand in 1873. It was located on a piece of land where Rörstrand was granted permission by the Russian Tsar Peter III to build a factory to produce tableware for the Russian market, the land was called Arabia hence the name of the company.

The entrance to the old factory building, there is now a Bistro in this space.

The old factory building houses a store where you can by Arabia porcelaine and also glassware from iittala, another company in the group of companies that Arabia is part of. This building also has a museum where you can follow the history of the factory and see some products, current and older ones.

This sign says in Swedish translated to English:

MUSEUM

Inaugurated May 22 1948

Planned and set up by

KURT EKHOLM

Interior design by

WERNER WEST

lighting fixtures by

PAAVO TYNELL and L. JOHANSSON-PAPE

Below is the sign in Finnish

Art ceramics/glass is part of what Arabia and the other companies in the Fiskars group make as well as tableware, this is part of the Museum exhibition.

The blue diver .

The beloved Moomin family, created by Tove Jansson in the 1930-s. She wrote the first book: “Moomin and the great flood” during the winter war in Finland, when Russia tried, unsuccessfully, to invade Finland . Tove Jansson both wrote and illustrated the Moomin books.

A typical tablesetting with Arabia Paratiisi (Paradise) series designed by Birger Kaipiainen that Arabia started making in 1969 and they are available currently as well.

The Moomin cups

This piece was designed by Michael Schilkin, Russian
born (May 1 1900 – died May 3 1962) who designed pieces for arabia .

The factory building and the new addition from across the street.

Yucatan Pink Flamingos

In the Yucatan State in Mexico lies the city of Celestun, it is surrounded by mangroves and in the open waters surrounding the mangroves you can find the Pink Flamingos.

Pink Flamingos
Pink Flamingos

The Pink Flamingos in Celestun are Pink because of their diet which is high in pigments from alpha and beta carotenoid. The richest sources of these elements come from algae and different invertebrates that the constantly feeding Flamingos ingest.

Black vultures Coragyps atratus

This area is home to as many as 300 different bird species.

A fisherman

It is not only the Flamingos that are getting their food out of the bays and the mangroves in the area. The area is full of crab tines that provide for the fishermen and their families.

I believe this is a blue crab Callinectes sapidus or in Spanish called Jaiba azul.

This is one popular catch in the area, and the crabs provide sustenance for many families in this part of Yucatan.

I think this is a Juvenile Double crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus.

SLOWMO FLYERS

  • STARRING:
  • Moth of Pai
  • Bangkok Bumblebee
  • Doves of Chiang Mai

Moth of Pai – or maybe even a butterfly…

High up in the Mountains in Northern Thailand lives a moth, it is close to the mountain village of Pai, so this is the Moth Of Pai. Moths and Butterflies are similar creatures, so the above might be a butterfly, maybe in the Pappilonidia family, but Moth of Pai also sounds better than the Butterfly of Pai… or maybe not…

Bangkok Bumblebee

In Thailand, in the big city of Bangkok, Sukhumvit area, on top of a high-rise next to small single family homes lives a Bumblebee. Sometimes the Bumblebee takes flight and sometimes in what could be nectar drunken flight, it seems to almost stall while correcting the direction of travel and trying to level out.

Doves of Chiang Mai

In the North of Thailand lies the city of Chiang Mai. The city was founded sometime between 1294- 1296 as the capital of the Lanna Kingdom and remained so until 1556 when it was occupied by a tribe called the “Taungoo”. You can read more about the history of Chiang Mai here.

CONG CA PHE – Vietnam coffe shop extraordinaire

One of the Cộng Câ Phê coffe shops in old city Ha Noi.
One of the Cộng Câ Phê cafés in the old quarter of Ha Noi.

Cong Ca Phe (Vn – Cộng Câ Phê), was started in Ha Noi in 2007 with the first store located at 17 Trieu Viet Vuong Street in what is called the French Quarter of Ha Noi (the French Quarter lies just South of the Old Quarter). Trieu Viet Vuong Street is the traditional café street in Ha Noi. The decorations in the “Cong Ca Phe” cafés can be described as hip rustic with a lot of metal and concrete mixed with reclaimed wood and a cool interior design. Of course at the center are the different, innovative and oh so delicious coffee and other drinks, and bites too for that matter.

Entrance at one of the Cong Ca Phe locations in Da Nang
Entrance at one of the Cong Ca Phe locations in Da Nang.

The name is derived by using the first word, “Cộng” of the full name of the country, “The Socialist Republic of Vietnam” Vn – “CỘNG HOÀ XÃ HỘI CHỦ NGHĨA VIỆT NAM” and THEN adding the Vietnamese word for café “Câ Phê” – that makes – Cộng Câ Phê. Read more on their website here.

Interior of the Cong Caphe in Da Nang, the bar and some of the staff.
Interior of the Cong Caphe in Da Nang, the bar and some of the staff.

Cộng Câ Phê is expanding throughout S/E Asia and now has cafés not only in Vietnam but also in S Korea, Malaysia and Indonesia. Here are the locations.

Another angle of the interior.
Another angle of the interior.
The rustic bar stools.
The rustic bar stools.
A look inside the bar with the drink making in full swing on a busy afternoon.
A look inside the bar with the drink making in full swing on a busy afternoon.
Many items at Cong Caphe have coconut cream in them, one popular items is the coconut coffe.
Many items at Cong Caphe have coconut cream in them, one popular items is the coconut coffe.
Another favorite is the coconut Cacao shake, mmm.... just superb!
Another favorite is the coconut Cacao shake, mmm…. just superb!