Things to do

Notting Hill Carnival 2011. Beautifully colourful.

Posted on by cococantrelle

Performers take part in the Notting Hill Carnival in London. The annual carnival, which is the largest of it’s kind in Europe and is expected to attract around a million revellers, has taken place every August Bank Holiday since 1966. The two-day showcase of Caribbean culture in west London attracts crowds of revellers to watch troupes of dancers in exotic costumes perform on floats as powerful sound systems pump out music. Check out some amazing photos from the carnival here.

Follow in the footsteps of Amelie: Paris film locations

Posted on by cococantrelle

Perhaps the most charming movie of all time, Le Fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain (English Title: Amelie) is certainly one of the top 10. The title character (the bashful and impish Audrey Tautou) is a single waitress who decides to help other lonely people fix their lives. Her widowed father yearns to travel but won’t, so to inspire the old man she sends his garden gnome on a tour of the world; with whispered gossip, she brings together two cranky regulars at her café; she reverses the doorknobs and reprograms the speed dial of a grocer who’s mean to his assistant. Gradually she realizes her own life needs fixing, and a chance meeting leads to her most elaborate stratagem of all. This is a deeply wonderful movie, an illuminating mix of magic and pragmatism.

If you would like to walk in the footsteps of Amelie, click here to check out some of the filming locations in Paris. Click here for a map you can follow yourself. Perhaps you want to start a photo booth project, or have a gnome fetish, or like tossing stones into the canal, all can be found in Paris.

Coins in the fountain…Trevi fountain Rome

Posted on by cococantrelle

5 things to know about the Trevi fountain

  1. The most accepted explanation for the word Trevi is that it derives for the Latin word Trivium that indicates a crossing of three streets.The Roman Goddes Trivia, epithet of Diana, the greek Hecate, was protecting the streets and often her statue featuring three heads was standind at the crossings. The three streets of Trevi are Via De’ Crocicchi, Via Poli and Via Delle Muratte.
  2. The fountain is 26,30 m high. Every day it spills 80.000 cubic meters of water.
  3. The design of the trevi fountain is based on three architectural elements: a façade made of travertine; statues of carrara marble; a see reef also made of travertine.
  4. The famous rite of throwing a coin in the fountain has two main explanations. First, the Ancient romans used often to throw coins in fountains, rivers or lakes to make the Gods of water favor their journey and help them go back home safely. Second, this tradiition has been invented to raise funds for the maintenance of the fountain.
  5. Another legend says that not only who trows a coin, but also who drinks the water of the fountain can be sure to come back to Roma. Today the water of the fountain is recycled but you can still drink from the cast iron pipes located on the steps. Emprees Charlotte of Austria, wife of Emperor Maximillian celebrated the rite using a precious cup donated by Pope Pius IX.

When I last visited the Trevi we were fortunate to stay at an amazing B&B around the corner. Every day we walked past the Trevi. Be careful of the street sellers who are persistent in trying to sell you something. They can be quite sneaky. One of the best times to visit the Trevi fountain is at night. There are not as many tourists of a night. It also gives you something to do when you are enjoying that after dinner gelato!

If you can’t make it to Rome you can enjoy the Trevi in the movies ‘Three coins in the fountain (1954) and La Dolce Vita (1960). Do you know any other movies that feature the Trevi?