The Mackintosh factor

Devotees of Charles Rennie Mackintosh should not however now delete Glasgow from their itineraries. The House for an Art Lover in the city’s Bellahouston Park is a fine piece of Mackintosh art nouveau style—even though construction of the building did not start until more than sixty years after the architect’s death.

It is also worth making an excursion out of Glasgow to visit the Hill House in Helensburgh. It is just 45 minutes from Glasgow by train (with departures twice hourly from the lower level of Glasgow Queen Street station). At the Hill House you’ll see one of Mackintosh’s finest designs. It was completed in 1904, and the real draw is that Mackintosh also handled the interior designs—some visitors find them excessively stylised, but we like the manner in which grace and severity stand in counterpoint to one another.

If you have more appetite for art nouveau design upon returning to the city from Helensburgh, the obvious next stop is the Willow Tea Rooms which nowadays trade at two addresses: 217 Sauchiehall Street and 97 Buchanan Street. Neither has the original Mackintosh furnishings, but there’s still heaps of design flair—and the classic high-backed art nouveau chairs are more comfy than they look.

Art nouveau around Europe

Fans of art nouveau style will find splendid examples of the genre in cities across Europe. There are those whimsical entrances to Parisian métro stations, a feast of facades in Brussels and a too-often-overlooked magnificent art nouveau entrance hall to the main railway station in Prague.

Ultimately, though, art nouveau was a provincial movement, one that found its fullest expression not in capital cities but in secondary cities. So in Germany, look to Darmstadt rather than Berlin. In France, Nancy cuts a dash in art nouveau design.

Other cities where art nouveau architecture makes a good showing are Barcelona, Subotica (mentioned in a previous EuroCheapo post), Liepaja in Latvia, Zakopane in Poland and even Ålesund in Norway. If that last one sounds a tad improbable, there is a simple explanation. The center of the Norwegian coastal town was destroyed in a fire in 1904. It was rebuilt immediately thereafter, and remains to this day a showpiece example of coherent urban design which is full of art nouveau accents.

Glasgow may be mourning, but Ålesund is a reminder that the fire card plays two ways. Were it not for that devastating fire in 1904, Ålesund would not today be a magnet for lovers of art nouveau.

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From art nouveau to art deco

Swedish architect Alfred Grenander designed the showpiece entrance hall to Wittenbergplatz U-Bahn station (routes U1, U2 and U15). It is a wonderful piece of art nouveau design, far too good to merely dash through. One can trace how Grenander’s work as an architect developed over the years by visiting his various stations around Berlin.

Krumme Lanke (U1), built 17 years after Wittenbergplatz, is a good example of Grenander’s later work: a superb essay in art deco and one that with its curved lines and “bridge-of-a-ship” look includes early elements of streamline moderne. (Londoners might note the similarity with some of Charles Holden’s designs for the Piccadilly Line. There’s surely a book just waiting to be written: From Krumme Lanke to Southgate).

A hint of the exotic

From Krumme Lanke it is just a 10-minute walk to the nearest S-Bahn station at Mexikoplatz (S1), which as fine an example of German Jugendstil as you’ll see anywhere in the German capital. On the S1, it is just a short ride (three stops) from Mexikoplatz to Lichterfelde West, which is another flight of fancy — the S-Bahn station is in the style of a Tuscan villa.

You’ll also find Italian accents at the Hackescher Markt S-Bahn station (S5, S7, S9, S75). It’s a much fussier design than Lichterfelde West, and in our view altogether more successful. It’s a neat piece of Italian Renaissance with Moorish overtones.

Spandau station

Architect Rainer Rümmler was responsible for the design of many West Berlin stations during the second half of the last century — a period when the U-Bahn network was progressively extended. One of our favourites is Rathaus Spandau at the western extremity of the U7. It was Rümmler’s local station as it happens for he lived in Spandau. The underground platforms are a great spot to sit and relax for an hour — the space has the feel of a monumental crypt with its polished stonework, restrained use of colour and striking lighting.

Beyond Berlin

Station hopping in search of architecture and design is of course a sport not reserved only unto Berlin. We are surely not the only visitors who have ridden the Prague metro out to Rajská zahrada merely to view the railway station. This blue-themed glass structure is a striking piece of postmodern design.

The post Notable Architecture and Design in Berlin’s S- and U-Bahn Stations appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Be the first Cheapo to correctly answer the New Wave film-related questions below, and we’ll give you a handsome catalog from the exposition, “Les Marins Font La Mode—Sailor Chic in Paris,” accompanied by one sporty Sephora striped travel bag!

Stars in stripes forever!

Photo: Musée de la Marine.

That fantastic exposition of Sailor Chic was presented earlier this year at the Musée de la Marine, located at place du Trocadéro. Whenever history, art, and fashion collide, Cheapos, I am there.

But who hasn’t been touched by the bold stripes of the traditional nautical shirts of Brittany (the coastal region where the French-striped top originated)? This look not only hooked appealingly rugged-types like Picasso, Hemingway, and Jean Paul Gaultier, but also lured Chanel, Rykiel, Schiaparelli, Jean Seberg, Brigitte Bardot, and Audrey Hepburn, just to name a few.

And it continues to captivate. Why, the very shirt that Audrey herself wore in the 1956 film “War and Peace” was recently put up for auction in London!

Beyond the sea!

Beyond the doubt, this French naval history museum is still worth a visit, even though the exhibit has closed. Dive deep into its vast collection of artifacts ranging from Napoleon’s gilded ceremonial barge (with all 24 oars still intact!), the Carmagnolle brothers’ diving suit (at 800 pounds, those brothers were heavy indeed), to toy boats that once belonged to the young Louis XV! (Museum hours are 10 AM to 6 PM. Closed on Tuesdays.)

Afterwards, head to the frip-frip-perie!

“King of Frip.” Photo: Theadora Brack

After your expedition to the museum, why not set out on a quest for the perfect striped shirt of your own? Described by Hemingway as, “very stiff and built for hard wear but softened by washings.”

In the Marais, you’ll find beaucoup de Breton stripes. Get your maritime on at the boutique King of Frip (short for “friperie,” a second-hand clothing shop) at 14 rue Vieille du Temple. Its wide aisles make it a favorite sweet spot of mine.

Though smaller, the Vintage Désir down the street at 32 rue des Rosiers also has bountiful goods. You’ll find the striped booty toward the front of the store, to the left—to the left.

Now, to the quiz:

Jean-Luc Godard’s classic “À bout de soufflé” (“Breathless”) was shot on-location in Paris. In the film, Jean Seberg’s character, a budding journalist named Patricia, wears a magnificent striped dress to a press conference at the old Paris-Orly Airport. Striving to make ends meet, Patricia also sells newspapers on the Champs Élysées.

1. Name the newspaper Patricia so charmingly hawks on the streets of Paris!

2. Also, give us the name of the French store where director Godard (Cheapo at heart) bought the striped dress featured in the scene.

The first Cheapo to answer both questions correctly wins the catalog from the Musée de la Marine’s exposition, “Les Marins Font La Mode—Sailor Chic in Paris,” and a compact spiffy Sephora striped travel bag, to boot! Please leave your answers in the comments box below.

Bonne Chance! Et Bonne Année, Cheapos!

The post Paris Quiz: Blue-striped sailor style and a book give-a-way! appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Although some pieces of Danish ingenuity can be very pricey, many smaller, easy-to-pack items won’t cost all of your kroners. Modest vases, picture frames, and jewelry boxes travel well, and are useful and stylish souvenirs.

Danish house wares: Tasteful and practical

Take a trip to the Danish Design Center and the fancy shops on Amagertorv for inspiration, then head over to Magasin du Nord, Scandanavia’s first department store, at Kongens Nytorv 13. There you will find similar kitchenware and home furnishings available for much less.

If you’re planning to enjoy low-priced meals from the grocery store or will be picnicking in the Ørsteds Parken, why not dress it up with some trendy utensils? Collapsible cups and bowls and two-in-one salt and pepper shakers are simply elegant, and will be a hit back home. These pieces can be found for DKK 100 (about US $20).

While you’re at it…

Keep some Danish kroner. Hearts, swirls, and depictions of lions and crowns surrounded by a curvy typeface make for creative coinage. Not only is the fancy money fun to hand out to friends, but you can save it for your next trip. Danes have repeatedly rejected the adoption of the euro, although the government is still committed to its eventual adoption.

Also see: Our list of recommended budget hotels in Copenhagen.

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