Rethinking cities #5: Madeleine scoots round town and learns that God is in the details!
The age of scooter sharing is upon us. Ever since cities like Paris started with its vélib scheme, scooters, bikes, and mopeds have been taking over cities around the world. In Paris itself, there is a strong love for vélos and the government’s scheme is now not the only choice, with several new dockless options Read more
Rethinking cities #4: Madeleine looks for cities powered by renewable energy
We like cities with clean air. It’s lovely to see the sights of the cities of the world without having to suffer air pollution or worrying about one’s health. Our hearts leap when we arrive in a city and the first thing we can feel is the clean air. Especially for us folks at Madeleine Read more
Whiz around Paris and ponder on liberty
Parisians take their liberté seriously! There is of course the history of their nation and the Declaration of the Rights of the Man and of the Citizen of 1789 being considered one of the most important documents that have shaped the world in terms of the idea of freedom for all mankind, and having in part Read more
Stormy travels into July: the “disappearing” city that needs a rainbow
July is almost upon us: ’tis the season for strawberries, summer operas, fashion shows, and Wimbledon is back after last year’s unprecedented hiatus. But in Hong Kong, the weather is stormy, the mood is grey, the summer local fruit is more lychee than strawberry (and yes some lychees are grown locally … you may even find Read more
Dispatch from London: hello grass, strawberries, “pop-up” sculpture and a world premiere
The season for the grass has arrived even if there may still be pretty pink blossoms in some places. The grass feels greener in this year when we feel extra joy about roaming the outdoors. What this means, if you are in London, is that the Wimbledon tennis season is upon us. But wait, rumours are that Read more
London and its theatres: getting together and sharing stories again!
(photo credit: Unsplash) We so miss going to concerts and theatres! (And you know, we do not think we will ever fall out of love with London’s theatres). Don’t you? It’s finally happening: London’s theatres are reopening (here is a rolling list) and we are hopeful this would be a real one (after the disappointments from Read more
Now is the month of Maying: walking, cycling, secret gardens, and velo being an anagram of love …
Many of our friends around the world – perhaps the luckier ones – are spending the month of May on vaccinations and the related worrying. Our Parisien friends in the meantime have been getting onto their bikes (or “vélos”). The talk-of-the-town in recent months have been about vélo – the French word for bikes – being Read more
“Travels” in walkable neighbourhoods
We here at Madeleine’s love walking cities – whether it’s travelling “in”, “through” or “across” those urban spaces! In fact, we think meandering one’s way across a city and running the risk of getting lost (whether armed with maps or not) is an art that needs to be recovered and rediscovered! In this year where Read more
Rethinking cities #3 – the daily commute part II: Beijing, Tokyo, Hong Kong
IV. Beijingers and Tokyoites: walkers Despite the low cycling statistics for two of the most famous cities, Paris and London, all is not lost. There are other noteworthy trends and possibilities, including an ultra-high 46% walking modal share for Paris and almost 30% for London, according to Deloitte’s City Mobility Index. In fact, we find Read more
Rethinking cities #2: the daily commute part I – from Copenhagen to Paris to London
What is your ideal city to live in? Well, it might be a good idea to start with the daily hassle of “going to” and “getting home from” work. Despite this being an unusual year when for months many of us have simply “gone to work” in our home office or a corner of the Read more