Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Helene Grimaud - wolf woman

Helene Grimaud is a French pianist with one more big passion besides music. Wolves. She fallen in love with wolves back in 1991. in Florida, when she took her friends dog in a walk, and meet wolf. In fact, that was part she-wolf, part dog, but there was chemistry between Helene and that part-wolf.

Wolf Conservation Center

In 1999. Helene Grimaud and J. Henry Fair, her companion in that time, opened "The Wolf Conservation Center". That educational facility is placed in South Salem, New York. To be more precisely, about 80 km from Manhattan. Wolf Center is 12 hectares big, and 17 wolves live in it. 13 wolves are shielded from public, living in real nature and preparing to be returned into wild nature. 4 wolves are just like pets there. They are socialized, and they are on view to public.
At first year, Wolf Conservation Center had about 500 visitors, but last year we could see real popularity of it. About 20.000 people came to visit wolves in Center. Helene is so proud on it.

Helene Grimaud picture

And just a little about Helene - pianist. In 2006, she played concerts with concerts with the London Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, St Petersburg Philharmonic, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie, NHK Symphony Orchestra, Gulbenkian Orchestra and many others. Like she said, music and wolves are her life and salvation.

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Mikael Genberg - fun artist

Mikael fun artist

Mikael Genberg is a Swedish artist and sculptor with very interesting and unusual ideas. He designs hotels, cafes and other buildings on fun way. He is trying to mix usability and fun on original way.



Woodpecker Hotel

woodpecker interesting hotel

This unusual hotel, opened in 1998, is placed on oak tree, in city park, Vasaparken, Sweden. Hotel is 13 meters above the ground and guests must climb up with rope ladder to their room. In fact, there is only one room with one bed, so hotel is prepare for one guest in a time. Two guests are welcome, too if they don't mind share a bed. Meals are served to guests via a basket attached to a fun pulley. Woodpecker Hotel have bedroom, kitchen, veranda with hammock and a toilet. Place is interesting to tourists, so it's quite popular during the summer.



Utter Inn

Utter Inn

Another interesting hotel design of Mikael Genberg, made in year 2000. Utter Inn is placed on the Lake Mälaren in Västerås, Sweden. Hotel have two parts. One, above water and another under water. On water is little red house, where visitors can look at the lake, drink coffee and enjoy the sightsee. Three meters underwater is room for sleeping (if you can sleep in that conditions), with hard glass windows, so you will feel like you are in aquarium. Feel of adventure will make your adrenaline high, that's for shore. The guests starts the tour at the port of Vasteras. They will be taken the 1 km out on the lake Malaren with a boat. There guests shall get instructions and then they are left alone.



Cafe Koala

caffe koala for brave and weird

Since there are lots of coffee drinkers in Sweden, Mikael come to another fun idea. He made "Cafe Koala", cafe for eight brave guests. Tables and chairs are placed five meters above ground and you will have to climb up ladders first. You will get your coffee in a basket which is winched up by a rope.


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