IRELAND THE LAND OF MUSIC
A traditional music session on the island of Ireland is a must for any visitor – it’s a deep-rooted part of the culture of the land. It’s also no secret that some of the world’s musical legends hail from the Emerald Isle – has anyone ever heard of U2, Riverdance or Van Morrison? – so what better way to experience some true music culture than with a true Irish musician.


Kilkenny Traditional Music is run by two professional musicians, Joe Brennan and Trisha Hutton, who spend their time sharing the origins, instruments and influences of Irish music. For the two-plus-hour tour, guests will wind through the city streets of Medieval Kilkenny (and now also Waterford city) where they will be taken to some of the city’s iconic pubs and be treated to an ‘unrivalled session’.

Joe Brennan says the pair have been doing tours for the “past two years and still have fun doing it”. With a range of attendees, from families or youth to adults of all ages, Joe and Trisha will make sure everyone feels involved. They also guarantee it will be “unlike anything else you’ve been to – it’s not a concert, but there’s music; it’s not a class, but there’s lots of information; it’s not a comedy show, but there’s jokes”.

The duo can also cater private groups – just name the date and location and they’ll do the rest!

Irish people have had centuries of practice at music – legend has it that the Celtic bards travelled from village to village, trading their talents for bed and board, swapping new songs and tunes along the road, telling the stories of the people and recording them for posterity.


The smallest towns and the biggest villages throughout the island offer memorable musical experiences – you may find a céilí (an Irish dance) here, a ballad singsong there, a folk concert around the corner or a jazz festival over the hill.

It was Pete St. John who gave us ‘The Fields of Athenry’, a song so convincingly authentic that you might assume it comes from centuries back instead of from a modern Dublin songwriter, or for traditional Irish music you might think of internationally-acclaimed group The Chieftans. Is it any wonder that people come from around the world to discover the spirit of Irish music?

For an even deeper connection you’ll find fans visiting the Phil Lynott (of Thin Lizzie fame) statue off Grafton Street in Dublin, or the famous U2 Graffiti Wall where you’ll find heartfelt message from fans from as far away as Brazil or Japan. For Van Morrison enthusiasts you can walk the legend’s footsteps through the streets of Belfast as part of the self-guided tour using the Belfast iPhone application (see below).

Whatever the draw, music lovers are sure to find good craic (fun) on a musical adventure throughout the Emerald Isle.

From Tourism Ireland , http://www.discoverireland.com/

Posted by Anne Gordon on Tuesday, 31st August, 1010

FOR A WEDDING IN GLORIOUS GRENADA

The idyllic tri-island nation of Grenada is a romantic wedding and honeymoon destination, a place to live out your dream day against a backdrop of swaying palm trees and turquoise blue waters.


A destination wedding on the tropical island of Grenada takes all the stress out of planning a wedding and allows couples to focus on enjoying their special time together. Many hotels, inns and resorts throughout the Island offer special wedding and honeymoon packages which they will customize to fit each couple’s needs.

No two weddings are ever alike, as they are all designed to reflect the individuals getting married. Wedding packages will often include: transportation to and from the Registrar’s Office, ceremony decorations, bridal bouquet and buttonhole for the groom, services of a professional photographer, wedding cake and celebratory champagne.

“We warmly welcome couples to Grenada and are so pleased when they choose to spend their special day with us,” said William Joseph, director of tourism for the Grenada Board of Tourism. “We do everything we can to ensure they have a magical beginning to their marriage.”

Couples are required to arrive at least three days before their wedding and most properties will help with the necessary legal arrangements, (the cost is included in many packages). For information on planning an Island wedding and the legal requirements, visit http://www.grenadagrenadines.com/

How to Get to Grenada from Canada


Grenada can be reached via Air Canada Vacations that operates a seasonal direct flight from Toronto to Grenada (Sunday departure with easy connections from major Canadian gateways available at www.aircanadavacations.com) from December until April. AC operates year round daily flights from Toronto to Barbados (Saturday & Sunday departure from Montreal) with connections on LIAT to Grenada. Caribbean Airlines operate regularly scheduled flights from Toronto to Barbados and Trinidad with connections on LIAT to Grenada. GG Tours operates a seasonal summer charter services from July through to September with a weekly direct flight from Toronto to Grenada www.ggtours.ca, as well as Titan Tours www.titantours.com. West Jet operates a flight from Toronto to Barbados with connections on LIAT to Grenada year round.

From Grenada Tourism

Posted by Anne Gordon on Monday 30th August, 1010

PUBS OF LONDON; "PUNCH AND JUDY"

In 1974 Covent Garden's famous flower and vegetable market vacated one of London's prime pieces of real estate. 

Tops on the tourist trail, Covent Garden is now the place for trendy shops, restaurants and a great little pub called "Punch and Judy", named for the Punch and Judy shows reminiscent of my childhood.   When photographing the "Punch and Judy" pub sign recently, I had a distinct feeling that Judy in the white mob cap bore a remarkable resemblance to Sir John Major, who succeeded Margaret Thatcher as British Prime Minister in 1990!

In a big cheery bar with a wide balcony , diners at the 'Punch and Judy' have front row seats for performances put on by street entertainers in the Covent Garden Piazza.

The food is described as hearty - traditional pub fare including pies and sausage and mash at reasonable prices - and a variety of beers; Courage Best, John Smith's, Theakston, Foster's, Kronenbuourg and Beamish are all available.

Address: 40 The Market, Covent Garden, London. 
The nearest tube station is Covent Garden on the Piccadilly Line.

Posted by Anne Gordon on Thursday, 26th August, 2010.

PUSHKAR FAIR IN RAJASTHAN'S GREAT INDIAN DESERT

Few places can claim such romantic beginnings as the Pushkar Fair on the fringes of the Great Indian Desert in Rajasthan.  Legend has it that a lotus flower slipped from the fingers of Lord Brahma, the God of creation.  It floated down to earth marking the site of what is now one of India's holiest cities.

As well as being an important religious centre for those of the Hindu faith, Pushkar is also the venue for India's largest and most colourful cattle fair.  In early November at the time of the full moon, thousands of desert nomads assemble on the sandy mela with their camels, horses and cattle.

Shopping at the Pushkar Fair is not for the timid
For those tourists who love to shop, the Pushkar Fair represents the epitome of Indian crafts.  Just minutes from the Rajasthan Tourist Office's tented village where we were staying, we could buy silk carpets, hand-woven cotton durries, Rajput miniature paintings, Rajasthani jewellery, saris, hand printed textiles and brassware.  On a street milling with both visitors and vendors one does not have to approach a shop to be induced to buy.  But a warning ... don't let your eyes linger on anything for more than a few seconds and don't say "How much?" unless you have serious intentions of buying.  In the language of Indian salesmen "How much?" means "Let's negotiate", and he is not finished until a sale is made.

Sampling the local fare and entertainment
Leaving the salesmen behind we stopped at a small stall and drank juice squeezed from long sticks of sugar-cane.  James bought and chewed betel-nut and I sampled oily pastries and Indian sweetmeats.  We watched a snake charmer weaving magic with a tasselled 'punji' (flute).  From a basket at his feet, a cobra with widespread hood rose sinuously and moved to the sound of his music.

As darkness fell and the Hindus gathered for prayers, the strident sounds of the fair were replaced by bells, music and song.  Nearby at Pushkar Lake worshipers observed tradition by setting adrift thousands of leaves, each carrying a minute flickering oil lamp, and the lake shimmered in the moonlight.

Posted by Anne Gordon on Thursday, 16th August, 2010

AFRICA'S BEAUTIFUL CARACAL LYNX


The Caracal lynx is an animal of sub-Saharan Africa, north Africa, Arabia, India and the near east. With its long tasselled ears, distinctive face markings and a lithe body it is a particularly beautiful animal. It is truly a delightful sight when driving through one of South Africa's game reserves to see one of these animals leaping at full stretch into the air in pursuit of a bird in flight. With its speed and precision, birds frequently fall to its outstretched claws. Snakes should also be wary at the approach of the Caracal lynx. Reptiles are one of their culinary favourites.

Sadly, in central and west Africa the Caracal Lynx is now frequently sought as luxury bushmeat. With gourmands and their sometimes macabre quest for the unusual, ape heads and hands are also falling into that unfortunate category of luxury bushmeat.

When travelling I enjoy trying out the local cuisine, but for a number of reasons luxury bushmeat, and that includes crocodile, is not to my taste.


Posted by Anne Gordon on Monday 23 August, 2010

DON'T MISS OUT LA BELLE QUEBEC, CANADA'S EUROPEAN CITY

No funds for a rendezvous in Paris? Get your fix in Québec City and finish off the end of summer and fall, until mid-October, by touring some of Québec’s most beautiful regions. There is no better time than now to experience the magnificence of a Québec summer, beginning with Canada’s most European city.

Only a 2.5 hour drive north east from Montreal and situated on the St. Lawrence River, don’t miss your chance to get a taste of Old Europe. With its beguiling architecture, winding cobblestoned streets, hidden courtyards, and exclusive eateries, Québec City is about 500 miles from New York, less than 400 miles from Boston, and feels centuries away. Route your trip through Montreal and you have two choices for the drive: Highway 20 or the more scenic Highway 40.

After passing through Québec, continue north east to your first stop: Parc de la Chute-Montmorency. With a spectacular view of the St. Lawrence River, Île d'Orléans and Québec City, feast your eyes on the enchanting 272 ft. waterfall higher than Niagara Falls! After that comes Charlevoix.

Do you enjoy discovering charming art galleries and craft boutiques? If so, be sure to stop in the pretty little town of Baie-Saint-Paul. See for yourself why it was nicknamed le paradis des artistes (“artists' paradise”) and why artists have flocked there for years attempting to capture its legendary beauty.

Be sure to continue past the area of Charlevoix, if you have the time, to discover the fascinating Whale Route, which begins in lovely Tadoussac. Flanked by the St. Lawrence River on one side and the mountains on the other, the drive itself brings you Québec at its most sublime. If you’re lucky, you may encounter some lazy seals sunbathing on the rocks or a whale frolicking in the water.

Once in Tadoussac, take the Fjord Route that brings you to the Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean region, which is home to a majestic fjord whose breathtaking rocky walls and magnificent topography were sculpted by glaciers 10 million years ago. Whether you are travelling as a couple or with your family or friends, take the Fjord Route to encounter a variety of wildlife, from belugas and Atlantic salmon to moose, waterfowl, black bears, brook trout and various amphibians – a real “Vallée de la Biodiversité” as they call it!

Begin your journey in Québec City and discover the province's natural beauty, outdoor adventures, unique festivals and events, wine and culinary experiences as well as the cultural and heritage attractions...only hours away.

With an endless array of activities to stumble upon, QuebecMusts.com will satisfy all your researching needs by providing detailed itinerary descriptions and route suggestions to help plan your vacation to several of Québec’s incredible destinations.

To learn out more about Québec, or download road trip itineraries to begin planning your summer vacation, visit http://www.quebecmusts.com/.

From Quebec Musts, 18 August, 2010

Papuan man from the Sepik River region

THE PEOPLE OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA, LAND OF THE LAST FRONTIER

On the islands of Papua New Guinea off the north-west coast of Australia, dress or the lack of it is a distinguishing factor.  In the Highlands attire is often a bunch of leaves hanging from a bark belt to cover the buttocks and a lap lap (a small piece of cloth) in the front covering the genitalia.  A bow with accompanying arrows slung over one shoulder is not just a fashion accessory.  It completes the outfit of a modern day warrior.

But it's during ceremonies and festivals that Papuan males in particular take on a whole new persona.  For them, self-decoration is an art form, an exhibition of culture and a celebration that identifies them with a specific clan.

Huli men wear elaborate crescent shaped wigs similar to a toreador's hat.  Made from their own hair, their wigs are trimmed with yellow daisies and crowned with sprays of long silky Bird of Paradise feathers, yellow cockatoo feathers and red and yellow parrot feathers.  Faces are painted canary yellow with red accents.  Earrings fashioned from toolbox oddments, shell necklaces and a slender twig, or a two-foot long feather through a pierced nose add to their adornments.  Like the male bird when out to attract a mate, Papuan men - handsome at best - are most glorious when dressed for a sing sing.



A warrior elder from PNG's Sepik River region

 The men of the Sepik River area are equally striking. Teeth are often stained a fearsome red from a habit of chewing beetle nut. A mixture of lime and beetle nut produces a red juice that stains everything it touches and spitting streams of juice after a period of mastication is a common habit on the islands. Not quite so colourful but equally splendid with their earthy-toned head dresses decorated with feathers, pig's teeth and shells,  men of the Sepik are the epitome of the noble warrior at traditional sing sings.

Mud men from Komunwe village in the Goroka area in the Eastern Highlands are more intimidating.  They wear grotesque mud masks and sharpened bamboo claws on their fingers.  With bodies covered with a whitish clay they could be creatures from the underworld.  Their aggressive dance and shaking of clubs and spears conjures up images of imminent war.

Attending the Mount Hagen festival in August is to see Papuans at their most magnificent.  Thousands of clansmen from all of Papua New Guinea's islands gather in this small Highland town to enjoy three days of competition and fun.

For more on Papua New Guinea, its beauty and fascinating culture, watch my blog....
http://www.pngtourism.org.pg/

Images copyright Anne Gordon

Posted by Anne Gordon on 18th August, 2010.