Tag: the f blog

Why you need the Victorinox Spectra suitcase for your post-lockdown travels

Victorinox-Spectra

Standing at the luggage carousel at any airport around the world, the sea of suitcases on rotation in a mind-numbingly wide array of different variations of black is about the most unexciting element of any airport experience. Not to mention, the struggle of trying to find the bag that’s rightfully yours as you prise it from another tourist’s confused and equally as frustrated hands. Enter the Victorinox Spectra, latest luggage range by Victorinox, the guys who you’d know thanks to their years of dedication to the pioneering of the Swiss army knife. The Spectra 2.0 Collection combines lightweight durability in a few different, new and interesting colours. They help identify what’s yours and make it a lot easier to remove from the jostling crowds as it glides across the floor with ease thanks to its four wheels that provide an easy 360-degree range of directional motion. It’s spacious, upright, has the little strap that ties it all together inside and has Victorinox’s seal of approval and pride. It makes the whole waiting experience in the arrivals hall that much more exciting after any tiresome trip. “At Victorinox, we aim to meet the demands of the ever-changing market and to bring our consumers fresh new designs and plenty of variety,” said Dan Tarala, VP Product Strategy & Design Travel Gear. Perfect for a recent jaunt to Port Douglas with the Pullman Sea Temple Resort, the Victorionox Spectra 2.0 in Lagoon was about as big a lifesaver as the best of them. Hello check-in luggage. The Victorinox Spectra… Read More

Nicolaes Maes is the Dutch Master of the Golden Age coming to the National Gallery London

Nicolaes Maes National Gallery

From 22 February 2020, the work of Dutch Master Nicolaes Maes will grace the ground floor galleries of the National Gallery, right in the heart of London. It’ll make for what’s to be the first exhibition exclusively devoted to the man who died in 1693, taking on loans from private collections around the world. Made up of 35 pieces of work in paint and lead, the exhibition will take you on a journey through the life and learnings of a creative, considered one of the star pupils of renowned Dutch Golden Age Baroque artists, Rembrandt. What’s Maes known for? Maes was fond of works that depicted genre scenes, portraits, religious compositions and still lifes, many of which make up the bulk of next year’s exhibition. He was a pioneer of the theme of the eavesdropper; his carefully styled narratives often break the fourth wall, making the viewer a participant in the scene, as characters (often a maid) eavesdrop or point to illicit goings-on. To end the exhibition, it’ll focus on the period from 1673 when Maes settled in Amsterdam and abandoned domestic genre scenes to devote himself almost exclusively to portraits. A group of these lesser-known works will show how he brought a Van Dyckian elegance and swagger to the portraits.  The exhibition will run until 31 May 2020. See more from the National Gallery at the website.

MELBOURNE: Winter got sweeter with the igloo garden at Auburn Hotel, Hawthorn

Auburn Hotel igloo

Date night, work dinner, need a drink, or just ‘cos, the Winter Igloo Garden at the Auburn Hotel in Hawthorn is there for it – and doing it well. Caged, steel igloos fill the back courtyard of the colonial days hotel along Auburn Road, adding a haunting, but super cute arrangement to the otherwise incredibly ornate 100+ year-old hotel. It’s a trendy take on traditional outdoor dining, giving guests shelter from the cold of winter, while keeping warm by sucking back Wild Turkey‘s American Honey bourbon. A sweet treat as well as an alcoholic smack in the gob you know you want, the American Honey bottle isn’t often seen, but ticks all the boxes of what you’re after from a drink in the middle of winter. It’s warming (‘cos bourbon), but sweetened in a dangerously morish way, thanks to the honey. The Wild Turkey folks and the Auburn Hotel have even partnered with the good, bee-loving people at Melbourne City Rooftop Honey to pair with their American Honey hot toddy, espresso martini, honey julep, old fashioned – the list goes on. Igloo packages cater to those looking for something cosy and intimate in a communal dining space, with larger group sizes of up to 28 people able to enjoy private seating and cocktail events in the mega igloo. The menu, inspired by the smooth, sweet flavour of American Honey, includes a selection of cured meats and cheeses drizzled in honey, followed with dessert, a chocolate honeycomb fondue. All designed to be paired with American Honey… Read More