2013 › July

Edvard Munch Exhibition Opens In Stuttgart

by Sean McLachlan on

The Staatsgalerie in Stuttgart, Germany, is celebrating the 150th birthday of Edvard Munch with a exhibition of their entire collection of his work, the first time the gallery has done so in more that 50 years.

“Edvard Munch in Stuttgart: From the First Kiss until Death” showcases 60 works from all periods of the artist’s development. The highlight is the only surviving proof of Munch’s iconic print “The Scream.” The proof shows that Munch originally named it “Screaming.” Other works, both paintings and prints, show his enduring obsession with harsh emotions such as fear and jealousy, as well as his feelings towards women, who are often portrayed as demons or vampires like in this print titled “Vampir II.”

Munch had a close relationship with Stuttgart, often visiting the Staatsgalerie in order to promote his own work. The gallery has a long tradition of buying contemporary art and was thus able to build an impressive collection of Munch’s work.

“Edvard Munch in Stuttgart: From the First Kiss until Death” runs until October 6.

French Vintage Carnival Rides Come To NYC

by Meg Nesterov on

If you are a fan of carnival rides, history, or just good old-fashioned summer fun, take a ferry out to NYC’s Governor’s Island this summer for a festival of vintage Parisian rides and carousels. Billed as a museum meets amusement park, Fete Paradiso will open on July 13 and run until September 29, and feature 19th- and 20th-century attractions such as a pipe organ, flying swings and a bicycle carousel like the one featured in “Midnight in Paris.” To add to the vintage French feel, there will be food from bistro Le Gamin and a beer hall and event space converted from a 1900 bumper car pavilion, along with special events opening weekend for Bastille Day.

Admission to Fete Paradiso is free and rides are $3 a pop. The free ferry to Governor’s Island from Manhattan‘s Battery Maritime building or Brooklyn‘s Pier 6 runs half-hourly until 7 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday. Learn more about Governor’s Island on their website, and follow the carnival set up on Instagram here.

Photo Of The Day: Toronto Skyline

by Chris Owen on

This Photo of the Day, titled “Toronto Skyline,” comes from Gadling Flickr pool member Joe Newman who hosts Cosmic Smudge, a blog that combines his passions of traveling, adventure, writing and photography.

Want to be featured? Upload your best shots to the Gadling Group Pool on Flickr. Several times a week we choose our favorite images from the pool as a Photo of the Day.

Tips for being featured: add a caption describing the image and your personal experience when photographing it, details of the photography gear used and any tips you might have for others wanting to emulate your work.

Now, you can also submit photos through Instagram; just mention @GadlingTravel and use the hashtag #gadling when posting your images

Venice Gondoliers Should Take Breathalyzer And Drug Tests, Their Chief Says

by Sean McLachlan on

The president of the gondolier association of Venice says all boat operators in the watery city should be screened for alcohol and drugs, the BBC reports.

Nicola Falconi suggested this after a video was posted on YouTube showing a hazing incident of a new assistant gondolier who was ordered to strip naked and jump in a canal. This was just the latest of numerous reports of inappropriate, boozy behavior.

We can add this to the other scandals hitting Italy’s tourism industry, including a group of tourists being charged $84 for a few ice cream cones, dozens of baggage handlers arrested for stealing bags at several Italian airports, and the continuing decay of many of the nation’s underfunded ancient monuments.

On my recent trip to Venice, the gondoliers I saw were all behaving professionally. I have heard a few secondhand stories, however. Have you been to Italy? What was your experience there? Tell us on the comments section!

Technically, Cruise Travel Is Safer Now: Do You Care? (POLL)

by Chris Owen on

After the grounding of Costa Concordia, the world of cruise travel took a good hard look at everything they were doing in the way of safety. A comprehensive Operational Safety Review of passenger safety measures resulted in new policies that promised to address safety concerns. Those policies were adopted by members of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), which covered most of the major cruise lines we know about. Recently, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which oversees those and other cruise lines worldwide, adopted the same rules for all ships sailing, effectively standardizing safety rules for all.

Cruise lines hope that refreshed safety rules as well as a new Cruise Industry Passenger Bill Of Rights will reassure first time cruise travelers having second thoughts after safety-related events turned them off.

But seasoned cruisers who have sailed a number of times, those who were undeterred by safety-related concerns, don’t seem to care all that much and have continued sailing, as planned, without hesitation.

What about you?

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