Pangea-Collection.com Blog

Most Canadians and Americans would have spent this past Friday night celebrating Hallowe’en in one form or another. Either handing out goodies to little ghosts and goblins, attending a Hallowe’en party or taking your own little ones out trick or treating.

Our friends to the south in Mexico celebrate Dia de los Muertos on November 1st and 2nd. Unesco declared the “Dia de los Muertos” festival, a “masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity”.

Dia de los Muertos is a celebration of remembering those who have passed on. In Mexico, it is a joyful and colorful celebration with rituals and traditions dating back to that of the Mayans and Aztecs.

In the same fashion as North Americans in Canada and the United States celebrate Hallowe’en, Mexican families also decorate buildings, often with an alter in honor of the spirits who are believed to return home during “Dia de los Muertos”.

Unlike in American and Canadian traditions, where we dress up in scary (or themed costumes) Mexican citizens dress up in their finest clothing, participate in parades and parties.

Marigolds, the traditional flower can be found everywhere. As with every celebration in Mexico, food plays an important role.

Enjoy a little Mexican fashion by exploring the Pangea Collection Mexican Artisan Jewelry Collection.

Last weekend, before getting stuck in the hotel room, Joe and I made our way to Sausalito for a stroll. The weather was fantastic so a perfect day for a little window shopping. We visited a gallery - Hanson Gallery and discovered an amazing artist - Daniel Merriam.

I had never heard of this artist before but he is amazing! His work takes you into a beautiful fantasy world. My particular favourite painting is the Sea Blossom, see below. I encourage you to check out his work by visiting his site - Daniel Merriam - and/or one of the galleries who feature his work. And on top of it, Mr Merriam is pretty cute!

Daniel Merriam - Sea Blossom

Image courtesy of Daniel Merriam website.

Yesterday I was flying between Toronto and San Francisco and when flying I love to watch foreign films, ones that I wouldn’t normally have access too.

On the flight yesterday I watched a film by a Canadian (so guess it’s not foreign to me) called Amal. It was a wonderful film and I’d like to share the title with you so you can seek it out.

The film is a story about a rickshaw driver (named Amal) in India who finds himself in a situation where he feels responsible for something that was actually an accident but was caused by his action. He feels guilty for creating the situation and tries everything to make it better. He is highly honorable when those around him are not. As a result of his honesty someone whom he does not know offers to give him something as a recognition, he is oblivious to this offer as a result of his inability to read.

That’s the best I can do without sharing the details, it’s a lovely movie and give you some insight into Indian culture.

Cheers
P

Hello everyone, this post is being written from the library in St-Jovite, Mont-Tremblant, Quebec.

I drove up from Toronto to Montreal on Thursday morning. I picked up Joe at the PET (Montreal) airport in the early evening and we drove to the Laurentians. Unfortunately we missed all the beautiful leaves as it was already dark.

As soon as we arrived in St-Jovite, we made a stop at the SAQ (Quebec liquor store), of course we would need some wine to go with our turkey! Stepping out of the car I took a deep breath - wow the air is sooooo fresssssh. Amazing!

Yesterday of course we could see all the rolling hills brightly coloured in red, orange and yellow. Our plan is to take a walk this afternoon possibly with a picnic bottle of wine and some cheese for sure - maybe (you have to hear Joe’s French accent saying this)?

This morning I made some squash soup and tonight or tomorrow we’ll be making our turkey dinner. Turkey breast with stuffing (there’s only the two of us so no need for a whole turkey), fresh cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes and vegetables to be determined. Yum!

Wherever you are this Thanksgiving, I wish you well and hope that you too are thankful for something in your life. For me at this moment, it is the beautiful air, great wine and food and a lovely, romantic weekend in front of the fireplace with Joe!

Happy Thanksgiving!
Patricia

October is well known as breast cancer awareness month, it is lesser known as Fair Trade month. Fair Trade can be supported by purchasing goods which are designated fair trade products and/or produced by fair trade organisations.

Another way to support fair trade is to increase awareness by reading about fair trade and fair trade producers. In a previous article the Karen Tribe was highlighted as one such group of fair trade jewelry producers. In this article, another fair trade jewelry artisan group, the Mien will be featured.

The lu Mien are heavily influenced by Chinese culture and are believed to have originated from southern China. At least a million Mien are still living in China and there are also settlements found in Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. In Thailand the Mien are mostly residing to the north of Chiang Rai or Phavao province.

The lu Mien arrived in Thailand from Laos in during the latter half of the 19th century. There are no sub-tribal groupings within the Mien population, so there is little difference in the customary dress and appearance of the group. A woman’s outfit would include a black turban and a red ruff which has the appearance of a boa even though it is sewn into the front part of the tunic’s collar. The woman’s pants are heavily embroidered and are worn underneath a black or dark blue colored tunic that extends to the ankle. The outfit is tied with a wide sash. Women and children also wear silver neck rings with chains of silver ornaments attached that extend down their back.

For the Mien handmade silver jewelry is more than an adornment, it is also a statement of status and wealth. The silver jewelry worn by a young Mien woman helps a suitor to decide on a prospective bride.
Skilled silversmiths handcraft silver into intricate chains and petite flowers creating exquisite pieces of handmade silver jewelry that a Mien bride will wear in a heavy cascade down her back.

Handmade Silver Necklace - Mien

Many fair trade jewelry etailers support the Mien jewelry artisans and in doing so help maintain the high craft skills of a justly product ethnic culture while also enabling them to earn an income to support their families.

Consider supporting fair trade artisans when you purchase products especially during fair trade month.

In our effort to support Fair Trade month, I am including some posts during the month of October on a few of the Fair Trade Jewelry artisans who create the beautiful pieces of artisan jewelry found in the pages of Pangea Collection’s website.

Today is a post on the Karen Tribe. Pangea Collection purchases pieces of artisan jewelry from members of the Karen Tribe via a fair trade organisation in Thailand where members of this tribe live.

The Karen Tribe in Thailand are in the northern Lamphun Province and they draw on their ethnic tribal background for their traditional skills and artistry working with silver.

Karen women adorn themselves with handmade silver jewelry for occasions such as New Year festivities - when they know they will be visited by young men from neighbouring villages. The handmade silver jewelry that they display denotes wealth, and in some communities the young men craft artifacts from silver to be worn by their future brides on their wedding day.

Today the majority of men do not actively practice the craft of artisan jewelry making, however women have become silver jewelry artisans in order to generate income.

There is a sophisticated simplicity in the craft designs of the Karen. The ethnic motifs and matte finish of their traditional handmade silver jewelry reflect their affinity with nature as featured in the appealing jewelry skilfully adapted for contemporary lifestyle.

Pangea-Collection.com features a collection of Karen handmade silver jewelry which reflects the highest quality craftsmanship, intricately assembled and finished. Please consider supporting Fair Trade Month and one way you can do that is by treating yourself to a beautiful piece of fair trade jewelry from Thailand.

Karen Artisan Fair Trade Silver Necklace

Today is Mexico’s Independence Day. Join us in wishing our friends all over Mexico a happy and safe celebration. Below is a brief history of the national holiday.

The history of Independence Day - The Grito de Delores:
On September 16th, 1810 a priest in the small town of Dolores, Guanajuato by the name of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla called upon the town’s people to rise up against the Spanish. This calling was the initiation of Mexico’s War of Independence. Even though independence was not achieved until 1821 September 16th has become the day of celebration. The citizens of Mexico commemorate the initiation of the war in town centres across the country on September 16th every year, the event is known as the Grito de Delores.
Mexican’s are known for their celebrations and Independence Day is no exception. Celebrations include noisemakers, flag waving and fireworks.

Of course one of the many things we love the about Mexico is the beautiful silver, artisan jewelry designs. Our friends in Taxco, Mexico who design and craft handmade silver jewelry for Pangea Collection are off today with their friends and family enjoying the celebration.

Pangea Collection will have several new pieces arriving later this week from Taxco Mexico, check back soon.

Cheers!

Vienna is one of my favourite cities. I have been to Vienna a couple of times at Christmas and I have to say it is magical.

I will write another post specifically about Vienna at Christmas focusing on the wonderful experience of the Christmas markets.

For now, the details below will provide a good guide to what I believe are some of the best things to see and do and would be great experiences regardless of the season.

I. Museums:
They are fantastic…especially:

Albertina
There is a new installation there. Really great! Not to be missed especially if you like Monet and other Impressionists. It takes you through different art styles. For this exhibit I’d recommend quite a lot of time, don’t go tired or just do part of the exhibit, it is huge!
http://www.albertina.at

Leopold
If you like 1900s Viennese art (Schiele, Klimt and Kokoschka)
http://www.leopoldmuseum.org

Museum Quarter
There are several other museums in the Quarter so pick those that suit your style.

Sissey Museum
In the Hofburg Palace. This is really wonderful and right in the heart of the city. It tells the story of Sissey, both my husband and I really liked it when we visited.

The whole palace is worth your time, absolutely stunning.

II. Palaces/Art:
The Belevedere
The Belvedere is a little further out but still in the city. We went because we like the 1900 Viennese Art especially Klimt, we did not go to the other exhibits which may have made it worthwhile. The Belevedere wasn’t our favourite. But if you like Klimt “The Kiss” alone might make it worthwhile.

Schonbrunn Palace
The summer house of the Hofburgs. This is even further out but you can take public transit or a tour bus if you are into tour groups. It’s massive, I wouldn’t recommend the full tour unless you are really into Palaces it gets a bit long.
www.schoenbrunn.at

III. Vienna Boys Choir:
We actually found this disappointing, we went to mass on Christmas Eve and the boys only come out for a very short time but are singing the whole time. It’s an interesting experience but not one we would do again. If you are really into that kind of thing it might be worthwhile but otherwise, I’d spend my time doing something else.

IV. Theatre/Ballet/Opera:
Staastoper
It will depend on the season what you might be able to attend, in any case the Staastoper is beautiful, worth a visit even if you can’t get tickets or don’t have time, I think you can still take a tour, check with your hotel to confirm.

V. Other Major Sites:
Stephandom
Gothic Church, quite impressive.

VI. Food:
Find somewhere for traditional Goulash (which is actually Hungarian) like the Cafe Landtmann.

Just a word of caution, there is still a lot of smoking in restaurants/cafes in Vienna (at least there was the last time we were there, Christmas 07).

Wein & Co
This is one of the best known restaurants in the city and may be a challenge to get a reservation. There is one in the Albertina (a good place for breakfast) and one which overlooks the Stephandom. The food is good and the view (if you have the right table) is interesting. It’s very sleek inside. Joe (my husband) felt it was a bit over-rated but still I still think it was worthwhile.

Coffee Houses
This is a must, a part of the culture. You can go to Cafe Landtmann as reco’d above or choose one of many others….like Cafe Central or Aida (Aida is a chain and there are many around the city). Landtmann is by far our fav but be careful not to sit anywhere near the smoking section (as noted above smoking is still common)!

Additionally Vienna is famous for a chocolate style cake (called Sachertorte) and apparently two cafe’s claim the credit. Cafe Sacher and Demel. They are both really beautiful and worthwhile going in and having a coffee, but honestly, the chocolate cake in France is way better. The atmosphere though it worth the wait in line. Consider the apfelstrudel instead of the cake.

Vienna has its own coffee naming system which may not be familiar to you. They have cappuccino but also melange which is a milky coffee served with milk froth on the top. There is a whole list of other coffee names.

VII. Getting around:
It’s an easy city to walk (in the inner ring) but getting a pass for public transit is highly recommended. It is really efficient and saves your feet. The transit system is very convenient. No really need for taxis.

If you plan to go to a lot of sites I’d recommend the “Vienna Card” it includes free use of transit and discounts on entry to sites/museums, well worth it in my opinion.

VIII. Shopping:
The area around Stephandom is lined with the major changes. The city is great for just wandering and you will find shops along the way.

IX. Getting from the airport:
You can arrange ahead for your hotel to send a car, get a taxi or take the “Cat” if your hotel is near the Cat, I’d recommend that route, cost efficient and easy, otherwise take a taxi because you have to get from the Cat to your hotel and if you have luggage it isn’t easy getting it on and off public transit.

It is one of the most elegant cities to which I have ever travelled, I absolutely love it. We love art and museums so you can see our list focuses on that but there are many other things to do in the city too.

Enjoy – it’s a wonderful city to explore!

This morning I was reading yesterday’s copy of the Toronto Star with my morning coffee. I often enjoy reading the World section as I have a keen interest in world cultures. The Toronto Star often picks up interesting stories on various cultures and their current situation.

The article that interested me is entitled, “Poverty is driving Maasai to cities” by Guled Mohamed. You can find the whole article by clicking on the article title.

As you may know, the Maasai are an ancient warrior tribe from Kenya, known for their distinctive dress and beaded jewelry. They are a large part of the tourist appeal to Kenyan Safaris however they make little revenue from this tourist economy which is among the top three foreign revenue generators for Kenya.

Part of the goal of Pangea Collection is to help enable artisans to preserve their traditional crafts while also achieving the art of self reliance. This is why we believe that supporting Fair Trade is important.

Before Tribal jewelry was hot on the runway, Pangea Collection was featuring Kenyan Fair Trade Jewelry.

Choose to support Fair Trade wherever possible.

A while ago I wrote a blog about travel and jewelry and while I was watching the Olympics in Beijing I just learned that Kerry Walsh of the US Beach Volleyball team lost her wedding ring in the sand while playing yesterday.

Luckily for Kerry all the volunteers after the game took metal detectors out and sifted through the sand until they found her ring. You and I may not be so lucky when we are on vacation playing beach volleyball or lying on the beach on vacation. We won’t likely have a group of volunteers to help us.

Loosing a piece of jewelry that is sentimental would be devastating and could ruin an otherwise amazing vacation. My suggestion again, don’t take any jewelry on vacation of any value. Take fashion jewelry that if you loose it, it might bother you for a few minutes or until you go to the local market and find another amazing piece of fashion jewelry.

For great artisan jewelry options for vacation, take a look at some of the pieces on Pangea-Collection.com

Happy vacationing sans expensive jewelry!