Celebrity Life

Gothenburg, Sweden’s second largest city, is located by the sparkling waters of the Kattegat Sea on its western coast, and as the sole gateway to the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, it is the largest of the Nordic ports. Gustavus Adolphus, founder of Gothenburg and King of Sweden from 1611 to 1632, endorsed the […]

I’ll start with a confession: I am a complete history buff. In particular, I’m fascinated by Russian aristocracy. And while the failings and fables of…

The post The Complete Travel Bucket List for History Buffs appeared first on World of Wanderlust.

Cafe culture has long been associated with life in France but in many countries, cafes are more than places to have a libation and socialise. They have been the birthplace of major iconic cultural works.

JK Rowling penned Harry Potter in Edinburgh’s Elephant House, Hemingway wrote A Movable Feast at Paris’ Closerie des Lilas, while inspiration for international hit Garota de Ipanema (The Girl From Ipanema) came from a Brazilian girl passing by a Rio de Janeiro bar leading to the beach.

Here, we gather 5 fascinating and iconic cafes and restaurants that inspired today’s most renowned works.

The Elephant House: Harry Potter, by JK Rowling

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Without the Elephant House pub in Edinburgh, Scotland, the Harry Potter saga may not have seen the light of day. Most of the early novels of the saga were penned in this Scottish pub with a red facade. JK Rowling sat in the back room overlooking the Edinburgh castle, drafting the characters and the whole universe that became an international blockbuster when first published in 1997.

Closerie des Lilas: A Movable Feast, by Ernest Hemingway

[caption id="attachment_211117" align="alignnone" width="1024"] (Image: Closerie des Lilas)[/caption]

This autobiographical tale by Ernest Hemingway came out after the writer’s death. The novel narrates the first few years that Hemingway spent in Paris during the 1920s. It offers readers a trip through the City of Lights and its most iconic neighborhoods from rue Mouffetard, to Brasserie Lipp and the Les Deux Magots café in Saint-Germain-des-Prés.

But it’s in the Montparnasse neighborhood that Ernest Hemingway actually wrote A Movable Feast at Closerie des Lilas, a café-restaurant where painters like Renoir and Monet gathered in the mid 19th century. On a side note, Closerie des Lilas is also where F. Scott Fitzgerald asked Hemingway to read The Great Gatsby before publication.

Café de Flore: Being and Nothingness, by Jean-Paul Sartre

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If Parisian Café de Flore had been shut down, would French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre have produced all of his iconic texts? In an upper room of this historic Saint-Germain-des-Prés café, the French writer outlined drafts of Being and Nothingness, published in 1943. Not far from Sartre, at a table that faced him, his partner Simone de Beauvoir drafted what would go on to become her first hit novel, She Came to Stay.

Place du Forum: Café Terrace at night, by Vincent Van Gogh

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It’s a must see for every tourist visiting Arles in the south of France. Located on the Place du Forum, just next to Nord Pinus hotel, Van Gogh made this cafe immortal in 1888. At the time, it was called “The Terrace.” The Dutch painter set his easel on the northeastern corner of the Place du Forum and depicted the warm end-of summer atmosphere of this welcoming French café.

Veloso: Garota de Ipanema, by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes

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The most well-known bossa nova tune was written in 1962 in a Rio de Janeiro café called Veloso. Music composer Antonio Carlos Jobim and poet Vinicius de Moraes regularly met there. They both drew inspiration from a young Brazilian woman who used to pass by the bar’s terrace.

Garota de Ipanema became an international hit thanks to Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto’s adaptation in English two years later. The Girl from Ipanema, sung by Astrud Gilberto, is one of the most played songs worldwide, and the legend started in a carioca bar.

The post Iconic Cafés and Restaurants That Inspired Some of the World’s Most Renowned Works appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

A new book by Raffles Singapore’s resident historian shows he didn’t just write about history, he lived it too.

The post Leslie Danker has seen it all, and he’s now revealing the history of Raffles Singapore appeared first on The Peak Magazine.

A new book by Raffles Singapore’s resident historian shows he didn’t just write about history, he lived it too.

For more stories like this, visit www.thepeakmagazine.com.sg.

In an age where maintaining social ties is so important, The Peak delves into design to look at actual structures meant to connect.

The post Amazing bridges of the world appeared first on The Peak Magazine.

In an age where maintaining social ties is so important, The Peak delves into design to look at actual structures meant to connect.

For more stories like this, visit www.thepeakmagazine.com.sg.

Everything you never knew about chairs, from its history to interesting facts, in a free documentary released by Vitra only for a limited period.

The post Enter the little-known world of chairs, in a Vitra film available online appeared first on The Peak Magazine.

Everything you never knew about chairs, from its history to interesting facts, in a free documentary released by Vitra only for a limited period.

For more stories like this, visit www.thepeakmagazine.com.sg.

Chateauneuf De Grasse is a pleasant spot to consider when choosing an area for residence or investment and this 5-bedroom villa can be your next purchase

The post Chateauneuf De Grasse Villa is on the Market for $4.2 Million appeared first on LUXUO.