The world may still be gripped by a health pandemic but that has not stopped go ahead tourism chiefs in Britain’s 2nd City from looking beyond the coronavirus crisis. Marketing Manchester, the organisation that promotes Greater Manchester on the national and international stage and incorporates the tourism board and official website Visit Manchester, has revealed…
Winter is a wonderful time to visit Scotland, and offers the perfect soft and clear light to photograph the landscape and enhance its colours. There are fewer tourists at this time of year; it is a pleasure to walk in the rolling farmland and hills, and to enjoy the unspoilt beaches and coastal scenery. Classic…
The Festival of Chanukah (however you spell it in English) in addition to its historical origins, is also a celebration of the long mystical tradition in Judaism, writes Jeremy Rosen. Nothing symbolizes mysticism in Judaism today more than the book called The Zohar (Bright Light). It has become the most significant text, in terms of…
Two Britons, killed during the WW2 Blitzkrieg, rest in the pretty Flemish cemetery of Peutie, among countless Belgian ex-combatants. Former UK journalist Dennis Abbott recently put crosses on the graves on behalf of the Royal British Legion during the Armistice commemoration week in November. But he is also looking for answers. What were those two…
Our friends in Finland celebrated earlier this year before lockdown with a fast-stepping polka dance. They have sent us a timely reminder on these dark rainy nights of what life after COVID may be like when we can socialise again.
For most of Europe 11th November is remembered as commemorating Armistice Day and the declaration of peace at the end of the First World War in 1918. But in Germany, it marks the start of the “Fifth Season” or Carnival which begins at 11 minutes past 11 on the 11th day of the 11th month…
A 2nd lockdown and dark nights. No end in sight to the coronavirus crisis and winter stretching out in front of us. On the face of it, there isn’t much to be cheerful about. But one bit of much needed cheer is the ability of eateries to still offer a service, albeit of the takeaway…
Visitor attractions in Belgium face a “double whammy” caused by the ongoing health pandemic. All are having to come to terms with the country now entering the second confinement, or lockdown, in six months, with the attendant loss of income this involves. This comes after such places lost out of the lucrative Easter period when…
It is feared that the health pandemic could affect this year’s Remembrance Sunday commemorations in Belgium. The coronavirus crisis is likely to have a financial impact on the local Poppy Appeal, given that it is feared the public may well be cautious about the risks of touching collection tins and the poppies themselves. Even so, the…
The coronavirus health pandemic has wrought havoc with the hotel industry in Belgium, as elsewhere. Add to the mix travel chaos caused by quarantine restrictions and it all adds up to a nightmare year for the sector. But, thankfully and contrary to what you might think, it is not quite all doom and gloom and…
