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If there were an age of etiquette, the 1950s were it.
On July 23, 1950, the New York Times ran an article on transatlantic good manners entitled, "A Primer on Etiquette for Innocents Abroad: A few dos and don'ts will help you enjoy Europe and Europe you". Below are the best excerpts, which I've followed up with my own updates for 2008:
Matt Borrello and his mother, Lucille, arrived safely today in Cairo, Egypt, for the first stop on their 18-day, around-the-world trip with EF Educational Tours.
Matt's first observation of Cairo was about the "unbelievable" traffic. He called this morning with this update:
Matt heads to the pyramids tomorrow, so stay tuned for more updates. For more details on Matt's trip, read our original post and check out our interactive map.
The Great Pyramid of Giza, the Taj Mahal, the Great Barrier Reef and the Great Wall of China.
Matt Borrello had dreamed of visiting one or two of the world's great wonders at some point. Now, he's going to see all four over the next three weeks. He embarks Sunday on an around-the-world trip, traveling to Cairo, Egypt; New Delhi, Agra and Jaipur, India; Cairns, Australia; and Beijing, China.
Matt, a regional sales manager with EF Educational Tours, was the lucky winner of an internal EF contest to travel around the world in 18 days.
The European Union currently consists of 27 member nations. Officially formed in 1993, the EU's roots date back to 1951 and the formation of the six-nation European Coal and Steel Community.
Since 2004, the EU's population and economy are both bigger than the United States'. The EU has 23 official languages, but only 15 of the 27 members use the euro as currency.
Photo: openDemocracy via Flickr
If you're visiting Paris in the next two months, the Eiffel Tower will look a little different at night. It'll look a little blue.
Starting Monday night, the Eiffel Tower will turn blue every night to commemorate France's six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union, which begins July 1.
Each night, instead of the normal orangish-yellow lighting, the Eiffel Tower will be colored blue with yellow stars to resemble the European Union flag. There are more details about the lighting and the EU from The Paris Traveler.
The Eiffel Tower also was lit blue (see photo above) on May 9, 2006, in honor of the 20th celebration of Europe Day.
And, no, this is not a hoax.
Photo: 0h via Flickr
We just came across a rather compelling list. Foreign Policy magazine, which covers global politics and global affairs, just released "The World's Top 20 Public Intellectuals."
Most of the names are relatively obscure to most Americans, including the top choice, Turkish cleric Fethullah Gülen. The top Americans on the list just missed the top 10—activist Noam Chomsky (No. 11) and former Vice President Al Gore (No. 12). Russian opposition leader and chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov is No. 18.
Most amusing selection? The top write-in candidate is television satirist Stephen Colbert.
I've long equated the year 1949 with landmark international cooperation and openness. NATO was founded that year. And so was the ISTC—the International Student Travel Confederation (which I know because I once applied for a job with that organization, noting with interest that it came into being the same year as NATO).
So it was with some anticipation that I pulled over the Transatlantic Time Travel Express at 1949 to see what the New York Times was printing about the state of Americans' travel to Europe. I was not disappointed. Below are excerpts from three articles the Times ran that year:
Wimbledon—the world's most prestigious, tradition-laden tennis tournament—serves up a fortnight of net action starting Monday.
Wimbledon is as well-known for its all-white dress code as its grass surface. Budget Travel earlier this year wrote "A Witty Guide to Wimbledon Etiquette" and also posted a primer on attending the grand dame of the Grand Slams. But you better plan ahead. Tickets for this year's tournament are sold out—unless you're willing to "queue" overnight for 1,500 show-court tickets that go on sale every morning.
And, if you do go, don't forget the strawberries and cream.
For more Wimbledon information, check out the official site and this devoted fans' site.
Photo: yvettemn via Flickr
Paris is The City of Light. Rome is The Eternal City. But what is London's nickname?
The Big Smoke. The Old Smoke. Or simply The Smoke.
It's not nearly as romantic as Paris' nickname nor as timeless as Rome's, but London's little-known nickname comes from the city's famed fog and the Great Smog of 1952, otherwise known as The Big Smoke.
Photo: Larsz via Flickr
Fast-food restaurants are never the best place to enjoy the local fare while traveling. The news yesterday proves they're also not the most economical.
Burger King's Gloucester Road branch in West London is now serving the world's most expensive hamburger, according to Guinness World Records.
"The Burger," as it's simply called, costs £95 ($186 US). The proceeds will go to the Help A London Child charity.
According to the London Telegraph, "the bling burger" features the world's most succulent Japanese beef complemented with white truffles, onion tempura prepared in Cristal champagne and Italy's finest Pata Negra prosciutto.
Check out more details in the Telegraph's video above, which also includes passers-by near the Gloucester Road Underground station tasting the costly creation.
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