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The suburb of Noisy Le Grand, on the outskirts of Paris, is home to an extraordinary, little-known spot, right next to the capital of France. An impressive architectural example from the era of postmodernism, “Les Espaces d’Abraxas“, was built in 1982 by the Catalan architect Ricardo Bofill.

The complex is like a city within a city and has been used as the backdrop to some of the greatest science fiction films. It has been featured in movies, like Brazil and the second part of the movie Hunger Games, and thus became popular with a wider audience.

France’s population grew quickly after the II World War, and Paris started to get too crowded, and it was also a period of increased immigration. It was extremely difficult to find a place to start a family that was also close to the city. So, the authorities decided to develop the suburban villages of Paris and create flats for the young. In 1978, one of these tasks in the town of Noisy-le-Grand was assigned to Ricardo Bofill, the Catalan architect. The aim was to mix social classes and build a theatrical landmark.

… and it was the birth of the „Les Espaces d’Abraxas”, a complex of three buildings: Le Palacio (the palace), Le Théâtre (the theater), and L’Arc (the arch). These buildings consist of 610 apartments in what looks like a surreal ocean of concrete.

The Palace is the largest part and has a heavy, but ornate form with classical elements. The building, apart from the body, has two wings. The whole thing extends upwards. Prefabricated concrete elements and cement panels were used in the construction of the palace. The cement comes in different shades.

The Theater is a C-plan building that resembles an ancient amphitheater in its form and surroundings. From street level, it is just as monumental as the palace standing to the rear. From the courtyard, it is a building with a more modern and lighter appearance than the rest of the complex. It has glazing extending throughout its height, and the green courtyard steps resemble the auditorium of an ancient theater. The architect admitted in an interview that the ‘theatre’ was intended for the wealthier section of society. In the middle of the entire complex stands a nine-storey arch. There are only 20 flats inside.

Ricardo Bofill recently stated in an interview with Le Monde that he believed he could change the city, but in the end, “nothing happened.” In retrospect, he acknowledged that these areas have suffered a lack of community spirit, emphasized by the closed nature of the structure.

Vanlife is becoming more and more popular, especially among young people who want to give up their four walls and live in a vehicle instead. Homelessness used to be the biggest fear of older people, but younger people are starting to dream about it. Why are more and more people choosing to live in cars?

Freedom

Life in a van is freedom. You don’t have to go anywhere or do anything. You can go wherever you want, do whatever you want, and be whoever you want to be. You can reinvent yourself in an instant and be a different person every day.

What was almost impossible for our parents and grandparents to do is now possible: work and travel at the same time.

The dream of becoming a digital nomad and travelling the world full time while doing interesting work and saving money sounds great. But when you gain more freedom, you lose some stability in your life, as well.

Many people like to feel safe, and for some, the most important thing is their family. If you’re thinking about living in a van but can’t go a day without seeing your parents, you probably shouldn’t try vanlife.

Work and travel can now be done together, which used to be almost impossible. Nowadays, vanlife and digital nomadism have become a way for many people to find freedom. In our world of restrictions, the idea of living a free life on the road is becoming more and more appealing.

Simplicity

Living in a van is easy. You have everything you own with you. You don’t have to drive to work and back home because your work is at home.

You don’t have to get in your car and drive to the beach and back before it gets dark. You just park your house there, put your feet in the sand, and watch the sun go down. In the morning, you can watch the sun rise.

The small amount of space you have in a van makes it easy to live there. You can only bring a certain number of things, which means you have less to choose from. If you have fewer options, you’ll have to make fewer decisions, and fewer decisions mean things are easier. The best kind of minimalism.

A CIKK FOLYTATÁSÁT A 2022. AUGUSZTUSI LAPSZÁMBAN TALÁLOD MEG (nyomtatott vagy digitális formában):

DIGITÁLIS ELŐFIZETÉS: ITT

Gone to the dogs … and having fun! Although the English saying “go to the dogs” means “to become worse in quality or character,” this is not true of Idaho’s Dog Bark Park Inn. Husband and wife Dennis Sullivan and Frances Conklin built their dog-shaped inn in 1997 and have been visited by dog-lovers from all over the country.

The couple are definitely dog-lovers themselves: they have been carving and selling wooden dogs for two decades, recreating over 60 breeds and poses of dogs. While it seems to be quite a feat to carve small folk-art style statues with a chainsaw, Dennis and Frances manage very well with dogs as small as 12.5 cm tall. Their most famous creations, however, are the two giant beagles. They were inspired by the roadside architecture popular in the early days of automobile vacation travel when travellers would often buy petrol, eat meals or stay overnight in a building that didn’t look like a building at all: the coffee pot or teacup gas stations, milk bottle shaped restaurants and the shoe and duck houses were joined by two canines.

Frances and Dennis have made sure to pick a friendly dog breed: beagles are small to medium-sized dogs, even-tempered, gentle and amiable. With the world’s most famous beagle, Snoopy in mind, it’s hard to imagine that this breed is a scent hound, developed in the 1830s in Great Britain for tracking hare, rabbit and deer. These intelligent dogs are often employed as detection dogs due to their great sense of smell and tracking instinct.

Toby is a 3.65 m tall statue, while Sweet Willy houses the Dog Bark Park Inn: the cosy bed-and-breakfast run by the family sleeps four, with a queen bed in the main section and two twin futons in the head, all decorated with canine-inspired furnishings. Open from April 1 to October 31, the entrance to the guesthouse opens from a private second story deck, and guests are treated to dog-shaped biscuits left on their pillows.

According to the owners, being in the doghouse is a good thing at Dog Bark Park Inn Bed & Breakfast. Besides being a charming escape from the ordinary, it also offers all the comforts of home, along with relaxing prairie views and starry nights from the second story deck. Idaho, a mountainous state in the north-western region of the USA, offers plenty of outdoor activities and the creators of the giant beagles are happy to help their guests pick something really memorable. Dog Bark Park has complimentary area travel literature and maps and taking a jet boat tour into nearby Hell’s Canyon or visiting a wolf centre are highly recommended. Staying at this B&B also provides the opportunity to learn about the Nez Perce Indian history and culture during a visit to the Nez Perce National Historical Park.

to carve – faragni
decade – évtized
breed – (kutya)faj
feat – tett
folk-art – népművészet
chainsaw – láncfűrész
roadside architecture – útmenti
canine – kutya
even-tempered – kiegyensúlyozott
amiable – szeretetreméltó
scent hound – kopó
tracking instinct – nyomkövető ösztön
to house – otthont adni
cosy – lakályos
queen bed – kisebb méretű franciaágy
futon – matracágy
second story deck – második szinten lévő erkély
to be in the doghouse – rossz helyzetben, bajban lenni
memorable – emklékezetes
complimentary – ajándékba adott
jet boat     – vízsugaras motorcsónak
to recommend – ajánlani
opportunity to – lehetőség, alkalom valamire

Despite still taking to the skies once a week, World War II ace Doug, who was never shot down in 67 missions into occupied Germany, including D-Day in 1944, will no longer perform aerobatics. The adrenaline seeking pensioner has put his homemade 1917 replica wartime SE5A jet, which cost him £5,000 to build, on the market and is in the process of selling it to an enthusiast in Scotland.

Stanley Baldwin was Prime Minister when Doug first went up in a plane aged three in 1926, while Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby were dominating the charts through Doug’s early years in the RAF after he signed up in 1941.

Speaking about the sale of his beloved plane, Doug, of Blackfield, Hants, said: "I will miss it terribly and it is very sad to see it go. But it is difficult to get in and out of and very hard to start. It was a brilliant plane for doing stunts and lovely at aerobatics. When you get up there turning upside down and everything it is no trouble at all. It all comes out alright in the end. It was quite a special moment when it was completed and I was so pleased. It has been super and always great fun it really was."

Doug left the RAF in 1946 with a view to becoming a commercial pilot but was told he would never fly again after suffering a brain haemorrhage in 1947. The pilot recovered and spent four years constructing his own aircraft, which he flew for nine years in the Great War Display Team.

Doug said: "The inspiration to make my own plane was being told I would never fly again. I never believed it and of course they were wrong. It was obvious I could never do commercial flying after my record of being hospital but it wasn’t very long before I started flying again and I never stopped. After my retirement I knew exactly what I wanted to do and very glad I did it. My love for planes started when I was three. I was taken to Southampton airport and taken up in a plane sitting on my mum’s knee. When I was old enough I joined the Air Force at 18 straight after my birthday. I tried to join earlier but they wouldn’t have me. Flying has been my favourite thing all my life, especially aerobatics. I don’t do any other kind of sport. Flying is quite enough to keep me going."

Former school teacher Doug has been taking to the cockpit for over seven decades and still holds all the relevant licenses – making him one of Britain’s oldest pilots. Despite giving up the risky stunts the daredevil hopes to carry on being airborne until the day he dies.

Doug said: "I plan to stop flying when I die. That is all that can stop me. My family think I am nuts but know I can’t be all that bad otherwise I wouldn’t still be alive doing it. I am not sure what I love about it so much, it is like the sailors love of the sea. When you are up there you are in charge of everything. It is great. I still enjoy it now as much as when I was younger. People who like flying when they drive to the aerodrome they get faster and faster in excitement before they get there. I still do. It is the place where I want to be – up in the air. It is just wonderful."

stunt pilot – kaszkadőr pilóta
to give up something – feladni valamit
exploit – tett, hőstett
to succeed – sikerül valakinek valami
brain haemorrhage – agyvérzés
to fail – nem sikerül valakinek valami
to force somebody to – kényszeríteni valakit valamire
despite something – valami ellenére
to take to the skies – felszáll az egekbe
to be shot down – lelőve lenni
occupied – elfoglalt
no longer – már nem (többé)
adrenaline seeking – adrenalin kereső/hajszoló
wartime – háborús
in the process of – valaminek a folyamatában
enthusiast – valamiért lelkesedő
to dominate the charts – uralni a slágerlistákat
beloved – szeretett, kedvelt
stunt – mutatvány, attrakció
upside down – fejjel lefelé
to be completed – befejezve lenni
to suffer – (el)szenvedni
aircraft – repülőgép
obvious – egyértelmű
record – feljegyzés, okmány
retirement – nyugdíjba vonulás
to join – csatlakozni
straight after – rögtön valami után
to keep somebody going – hajt valakit valami
former – egykori
cockpit – pilótafülke
decade – évtized
licence – engedély
risky – rizikós
daredevil – fenegyerek
to carry on – folytatni valamit
airborne – légi
to be nuts – bolondnak lenni
otherwise – máskülönben
aerodrome – reptér
excitement – izgalom

A multi-millionaire family has built a pirate island on a lake in their 60 acre private estate – just five miles from the historic city of Cambridge. James Challis, a member of the Dickerson family who have been established in the area for nearly 90 years, has created the amazing pirate paradise in memory of his grandfather.

Challis Island, which comes complete with a mock pub, day chalet and sun deck, has been built on a site originally bought by the late John Dickerson, who ran numerous successful businesses in Cambridgeshire. It is located between industrial lands and includes a beach with a stream, lagoon and waterfall for the family and their guests to enjoy.

The lake was created in the 1970’s, when James’ great-grandfather Maurice Dickerson’s company extracted sand and gravel from the site. After 30 years the lake had become full of silt and desperately required maintenance to sustain the wildlife that it supports. It has now been drained, dredged and levelled and the material used to form the pretend 18th century colonial island, which has been built from scratch.

It holds Georgian-style colonial buildings, which were prefabricated by a company called The Master Wishmakers and designed to look as though they have been abandoned. They include The Black Doubloon, which is a place to entertain, and Coffer’s Cabin, which is a day chalet built in the style of a military commander‘s office. Lubbers Locker is a small beach hut, whilst Dead Man’s Deck is a sun deck for barbecues built in the style of the ruins of a military post. The whole island was hand-built by The Master Wishmakers, based in Kettering, Northants, who specialise in making their wealthy clients’ dreams come true.

"We pride ourselves on our attention to detail and this is why we have worked with only the best scenic artists to add those final touches that really make Challis Island the most spectacular pirate adventure since the 18th Century," said a spokesman for the company.

Despite the island looking like a million dollars, the Master Wishmakers have used clever design to keep the cost down – and a townhouse in the centre of Cambridge would actually be more expensive.

James Challis and his family have longstanding business interests in Cambridgeshire. His great-grandfather, Maurice Dickerson, founded a haulage contractor firm in 1937 and the company was kept busy during the war carrying bombs and munitions from the Midlands to the East Anglian docks. The company also bought the site, which has been turned into Challis Island, for the extraction of sand and gravel.

"After the land had been restored, our family took it on privately and used it as their own personal recreation area and we worked on encouraging wildlife to the site," said James Challis, the owner and namesake of the island. "The lake had been left for so many years that it suffered greatly from a build-up of silt that encouraged weeds to grow and starved the oxygen out the water to such a degree that when the lake was drained, only nine small fish were found."

The island is largely covered by wildflower to help reintroduce wildlife and has now been adopted by nesting coots and swans. James said the family hopes the site will benefit greatly from its new dual purpose and will be enjoyed by future generations for many years to come. He added: "We hope that John Dickerson, who made it all possible, will be remembered through it."

pirate island – kalóz sziget
acre – hold (mértékegység)
estate – birtok
to be established – megalapítva/felállítva lenni
in memory of – valakinek az emlékére
to come complete with – valamivel kiegészülve lenni
mock – hamis, utánzat
chalet – faház
sun deck – napozóterasz
the late – a néhai
to run a business – üzleti tevékenységet folytatni
numerous – számos
to be located – valahol elhelyezkedni
industrial land – ipari terület
stream – patak
waterfall – vízesés
great-grandfather – dédnagypapa
to extract – kihúzni, eltávolítani
gravel – sóder
desperately – kétségbeesetten
to require – igényelni, megkövetelni
maintenance – fenntartás, karbantartás
to sustain – elviselni, fenntartani
wildlife – vadvilág, élővilág
to be drained – lecsapolva lenni
to be dredged – kiásva lenni
to be levelled – kiegyenlítve/felszínre hozva lenni
pretend – színlelt
colonial – gyarmati
scratch – törmelék
Georgian-style – György-korabeli
prefabricated – előre legyártott
to be abandoned – elhagyatva lenni
military commander – katonai parancsnok
ruin – rom
military post – katonai állomáshely
wealthy – vagyonos, gazdag
to pride oneself on – büszkélkedik valamivel
detail – részlet
scenic artist – díszlettervező
final touches – utolsó simítások
spectacular – látványos
spokesman – szóvivő
despite something – valami ellenére
to keep the cost down – alacsonyan tartani a költséget
townhouse – városi lakás
longstanding – régóta fennálló
business interest – üzleti érdekeltség
haulage contractor – szállítmányozó
munitions – lőszer
dock – dokk, rakpart, kikötő
extraction – itt: kinyerés, lefejtés
to be restored – visszaállítva lenni
recreation area – üdülőhely
to encourage – bátorítani, előmozdítani
namesake – névrokon
to suffer – szenvedni
build-up of silt – felgyülemlett hordalék
weed – vízi növény, gyom
to starve – éheztetni, elvonni
to reintroduce – újrakezdeni, újra bevezetni
to be adopted – elfogadva/örökbe fogadva lenni
nesting coot – fészkelő szárcsa
swan – hattyú
benefit – haszon, jótékony hatás
dual purpose – kettős cél