Halloween Getaways
Darkness is creeping into the evenings that bit earlier and the mornings are slow to rouse. Leaves are turning from green to yellow and red, their grip loosening from the branches. Shops are dressed with cobwebs and pumpkins, faces hidden behind scary masks. Read more 
The True Essence of Dubrovnik, Croatia
Summer was coming to a close and I couldn’t resist the temptation to squeeze in a final week of sunshine and al fresco dining. Destination? The beautiful city of Dubrovnik. Read more
Summer Festivals around Europe
It would be easy to move from one city to another, crossing countries and continents, taking in a festival of one kind or another every day of the year. Summer is the crest of the wave, taking advantage, no doubt, of the dry fields and grassy verges on which pagodas, tents and stages are erected in preparation of a day, weekend or even week long festivities. Read more
Religious Holidays and Pilgrimages – Lourdes, Fatima, Camino de Santiago & Medjugorje
While visiting Kerala in Southern India we were invited to witness a ceremony known as Theyyam, a ritual art form, elements of which date back thousands of years. We knew little of what we were going to see, except that this was a performance with spiritual significance. The ceremony had been going on for some 20 hours by the time we tumbled out of our little minibus at 4am. We huddled together in the darkness at the edge of a field listening to the eerie sound of beating drums and high-pitched chants wondering what we’d let ourselves into. We walked through the field, ducked through some trees and emerged into a clearing dominated by a small colourful temple, before which was a large crackling bonfire. Hundreds of people surrounded the fire, men beating drums, the crowd chanting, as five men dressed only with cloths around their waists stoked the fire. Read more
