Posted by Jackie Hewett on Wed 13th August 2008 at 01:27 PM, Filed in Europe, August
Everyone should visit the Edinburgh Festival at least once in their lifetime! I went in my 20’s with a friend, we were pretty broke but still found heaps to do.
In 2008 the festival is going on from 8th to 31st August and there will be events to suit all tastes and pockets including:
• Classical Music
• Opera
• Ballet
• Music - Jazz,
• Theatre
• Fringe
• Street entertainment / buskers
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When you think of cruises, you probably imagine huge luxury liners, with onboard entertainment, fine dining and evening receptions. A cruise doesn’t always need to be that way though. In the Telegraph’s Cruise Channel Pamela Petro tells of her travels on an Arctic cruise in Canada’s Nunavut territory. She finds that bear spotting on a zodiac raft is certainly not your average cruise holiday.
Arctic cruises help introduce travellers to the Arctic environment, as well as allowing tourists a sobering look at the effects of global warming. You can expect a variety of interesting day trips, often including polar bear spotting, walrus watching and shore excursions among barren rock and ice-tipped mountains.
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Posted by Jackie Hewett on Sat 9th August 2008 at 01:34 AM, Filed in Europe, August
This event (‘Malmofestivalen’ in Swedish) takes place in the second half of August and is the biggest annual event in Malmo’s calendar, if not southern Sweden. Admission is free and there are many concerts (pop / rock / heavy metal / jazz and more) and musical performances to choose from in addition to an amusement park, art displays, crafts, sporting events and of course plenty of opportunities to sample traditional Swedish and worldwide food. In fact the festival kicks off with an infamous crayfish party at Stortorget. Not only will you be able to eat plenty of the tasty crustaceans, but you will be able to buy crayfish decorated bibs, plates, hats, tablecloths and many other items you didn’t know you needed (or probably didn’t)!!
In 2008 the festival is running from 15th to 22nd August and usually some 1.5 million people attend. There will be many outdoor stages and music marquees and hundreds of food stalls right in the middle of the historic town centre. Malmo has a huge main square where much of the festival is centred. The festival ends with a great firework display too.
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Do you love wandering around beautiful gardens? One visitor described Abbey House as ‘a garden that gives you a hug when you enter…and you leave with a smile on your face….’
With over 10,000 different plants, a river garden, a tearoom with spectacular views where you can enjoy a range of teas, coffee – from instant to mocha or expresso, fresh fruit juice, delicious locally made biscuits and cakes. It’s a joy to visit any time…but with the added bonus of a few days a year it’s open to Naturists.
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This is arguably on of the largest Buddhist celebrations in the world, and over one million people attend annually (July / August) – so it will be crowded! Kandy’s Temple of the Sacred Tooth was built on the edge of Lake Kandy specifically to house the left canine of Buddha that was allegedly salvaged from his funeral pyre. It is said to be the most revered Buddhist object and in 1988 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Kandy Temple
The original wooden temple was built between 1687 and 1707 but it was destroyed during the colonial wars in the 18th century. It has since been replaced by a stone temple. The tooth now rests on a gold lotus flower within jeweled caskets (so it can’t be seen) and is ‘protected’ by two elephant tusks. During the festival the tooth use to be paraded around Kandy but today it remains within the temple and a replica is paraded. The procession today still has elaborately decorated elephants, fire dancers, torchbearers, jugglers, musicians, acrobats and more.
The Parade
On the last night of the festival (10th day) millions enter the temple holding candles and circumnavigate the shrine to pay their respects making a very photogenic sight.
