Film: Short Film of an Empty Paris

This makes me miss Paris a whole hell of a lot.

Travel: Backpacks

So I recently traveled to Italy.
I went at the beginning of August.
The absolute worst time to go weather-wise, and if you want things to actually be open.
But I had a great time regardless.

Before I left I bought two backpacks that were amazing and I thought I’d write a post about them.

1) North Face – Women’s Surge II
in black and turquoise
Features that I like:
– comfortable straps that fit my frame
– laptop compartment (separate from the main compartment)
– nice zippers that don’t stick
– tons of pockets and internal compartments (I actually use almost all of them)
– hipbelt that I can stow if I don’t want to use it (helps distribute the weight when it was really heavy carrying a ton of stuff)
– side water bottle pocket
– holds a lot of stuff
Overall I love this backpack, and once it wears out I will probably replace it with another North Face. Highly recommended.

2) Pacsafe – Camsafe Venture V16 Slingpack
in black
Features that I like:
– sits comfortably on my body
– I can sling it around to get to my camera without having to take it off
– there is a stabilizer strap to secure it from the other side
– multiple internal compartments and pockets
– side waterbottle pocket (or tripod)
– can hold a tablet / small computer (separate compartment)
– remove-able padded camera compartment
– “Tamper-proof zippers/compartments that lock or latch on to a spring-loaded metal clip thwarts pickpockets.”
Traveling to Italy I wanted a backpack that would be a bit harder for pick pockets to get into. Obviously if they were going to steal my stuff they were going to steal it regardless, but I wanted to make it a little harder. And you can choose to not secure the zippers if you want. Overall if you ignore the theft deterrent features this is still a really great camera backpack. I’m really pleased with it. I have a really nice DSLR and this is a much easier way to take it with me while I am out and about. Also highly recommended.

Travel: Abandoned Places

Another great Buzzfeed List: The 33 Most Beautiful Abandoned Places In The World

Abandoned places are so gorgeous and evoke so many emotions as well as stir a sense of mystery.

Some of my favorites:

Kolmanskop in the Namib Desert

Travel: Paris in the Snow

Place de la Concorde, à Paris, le 20 janvier

more photos after the jump.

Travel: Shakespeare and Co

Shakespeare and Company is an amazing bookstore in Paris.

I found the above video, via Bookshelf Porn, here.

While in Paris I bought a couple beautiful editions of books there.
I just love being in that bookstore, it feels like home.

Antiquarian books at Shakespeare & Co., a Paris literary institution.

Everything here encourages creativity. A tiny enclosed bureau, lined with rugs and a blue painted chair, bears the sign: “Feel free to use the typewriter for your lovely writing/creative ventures.” Notes from customers are scrawled in all languages. “A friend told me if I ever felt lonely to come to Shakespeare & Company,” one says. Visitors are so effusive that a few years ago George installed what he calls a “mirror of love”, where hundreds more scribblings are pinned, from the surreal to the touching: “Dear Granny, I would like you to come to Paris with me”, reads one. “Books insulate this nest of wandering dreams”, reads another, “there should always be a place where stories reign over commercial enterprise.”

– Shakespeare and Company, a Creative Sanctuary

Walking into Shakespeare & Co.

Opened in 1951 by George Whitman, it was originally named “Le Mistral” but renamed to “Shakespeare and Company” in 1964 in tribute to Sylvia Beach’s bookstore [the original Shakespeare and Co.].^[3] Today, it serves both as a regular bookstore and as a reading library, specializing in English-language literature. The shop was featured in the Richard Linklater filmBefore Sunset and in the Woody Allen film Midnight in Paris.^[4]
…
Its premises, the site of a 16th-century monastery,^[10] are at 37 rue de la Bûcherie, near Place Saint-Michel, just steps from the Seine, Notre Dame and the Île de la Cité.^{[10]
– Wikipedia}

On the third floor of the bookstore Shakespeare & Co. in Paris

If you’re ever in Paris and get the chance, swing by this Parisian institution. Shakespeare and Co. is home to beautiful books that cover it from floor to ceiling. A true gift to the ex-pat community in Paris.

Misc.: Tumblr

I created a Tumblr!

http://clareminnies.tumblr.com/