The Pentecost is a celebration in remembrance of the Holy Spirit’s descent upon the Virgin Mary and the Apostles of Jesus and this tends to be one of the most spectacular and culturally fascinating times to be in Rome. And the most lovely of all Pentecostal rituals takes place at one of the eternal city’s most awe-inspiring buildings: the Pantheon. After a celebration of the Mass on Pentecost Sunday, a shower of rose petals falls through the oculus, or the opening at the top of the dome of the Pantheon. This beautiful spectacle is made possible by a group of firemen who scale the exterior wall of the Pantheon armed with sacks of rose petals—a sight almost as wonderful as what is to take place inside. The petals are meant to represent the Holy Spirit’s descent to earth, and watching them flutter through the haze-like light that filters through the oculus is an incredibly uplifting experience. Visitors are welcome to this event but would be wise to turn up early and seating is generally only available to those attending the mass first (even then many of these are pre-booked). At the end of mass, attendees are given a red rose, so that they ...

The Grand Place in Brussels is one of the world’s largest and most spectacular squares and is lined with wonderful period buildings. In 1971, the first Flower Carpet was created within the Grand Place by E. Stautemans, a landscape architect. A graduate of Ghent Horticultural College, Stautemans often experimented with making carpets and rugs out of flowers and he had a particular fondness for begonias. Following years of practice, Stautemans was an expert in the creation of wonderful flower carpets which had sophisticated patterns and amazing floral colours. Size became an issue which is why Stautemans decided to create the most fantastic flower carpet in Brussels, surrounded by much of Brussels’ ancient architecture in Grand Place. Each year, the flower carpet covers over three hundred square metres and involves the use of over eight hundred thousand begonias. Within the carpet design are several fountains that spout water onto the blooms to keep them fresh in the hot August sun for four days. Once the carpet is finished, the result is almost beyond what the eye can take in. The multicoloured flower carpet creates a truly incredible centrepiece in the Grand Place and within the design are often figures recreating scenes from myth and ...

Gran Premio de España or the Spanish Grand Prix is an important race in the Formula 1 calendar and is even more popular thanks to the success of the Spanish racing driver, Fernando Alonso. The Formula 1 race is held at the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona and the race is usually held in April or May. In the early 1990s, the Williams’ team dominated the races but, in 1995, Michael Schumacher stamped his authority and proceeded to win the Spanish Grand Prix a total of six times, including the years, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004. In 1996, during very heavy, rain, Schumacher crossed the finish in a Ferrari, which was the first win for the prancing horse team. Mika Häkkinen has won the Spanish Grand Prix three times and would have won it again in 2001, but his car broke down on the final lap. Fernando Alonso has really whipped up enthusiasm for Formula 1 in Spain and was runner-up in 2003 and 2005 and finally took the chequered flag for Renault in 2006.In 2007, Felipe Massa won the Spanish Grand Prix also for Ferrari and the following year, in 2008, Kimi Raikkonen won the race also for Ferrari. In ...

For over a decade, the Last Night of the Proms has been broadcast to a vast audience in Hyde Park in what is the most wonderful open air concert imaginable. It is an event that is loved by people of all ages and nationalities and enjoys a massive global TV audience. Proms in the Park is a chance for families and friends to get together for a picnic, for Pimms, and to share a unique experience. For one great night of the year, the nation is united in music and song in one of London’s most gracious and iconic parks sharing in the creative joy with thousands of people within the Royal Albert Hall.In 2009, Proms in the Park was hosted by Sir Terry Wogan supported by some of the UK’s top singing talent such as Lesley Garrett, Will Young, and the amazing Juan Diego Florez from Peru. Also in attendance is the Young Musician of the Year, Mark Simpson, and the BBC Concert Orchestra conducted by the composer Carl Davis which will fill Hyde Park with ravishingly beautiful music. Towards the end of the evening, there is a big-screen live link-up with the Royal Albert Hall and the chance ...

This year, 2009, was the thirteenth Berlin Beer Festival and it ran from the 7th until the 9th of August. Themes for the beer festival vary and in 2008 the theme was a thousand years of Czech beer brewing culture. In 2009, the theme was all about the great beer brewing country, Belgium. Of course, at the Berlin Beer Festival there are fine examples of beers from every brewing country, especially Germany, but in 2009, twelve Belgian breweries including Brouwerij Housebrouck and Ingelmunster were at the festival promoting their beers. Another of the Belgian breweries attending the beer festival was St. Louis Kriek, which was nominated as one of the two festival beers. The beer is renowned for its fresh cherries and distinctive flavour which includes the taste of almonds thanks to the cherry stones being part of the brewing process. The other nominated festival beer of 2009 was Grimbergen Dubbel which is produced by Alken-Maes and is a beer that is full-bodied and dark due to the double fermentation during the brewing process. It is a beer that is brewed by Cistercian monks who drink it from goblets. It tastes good however it is drunk! Other beers that marked out the 2009 ...

What is Queen’s Day? I guess if you are not from Holland it must be one of the strangest festivals you have ever seen. People are going wild and there are parties everywhere throughout the whole country and in Amsterdam above all. Cities, villages, and even the people are all covered in orange. Why? Why is it such a big deal? It’s the Queen’s birthday! Well actually... it’s the birthday of the mother of the Queen. Originally the celebration started out as a free market, the only day in the year when the Dutch go out on the street, and basically gather all the junk they can find in their house, and try to sell it on the market. Along with the market during the years, more and more parties were organised. Queen Juliana passed away, and along with that the original reason to celebrate as well. However, it had become a tradition for the Dutch, a national holiday. Places like Amsterdam evolved the most. There you will really find the whole city orange during Queen’s Day. Amsterdam that on a regular base attracts many tourists already, really turns into a major party on this Day. Many street concerts are organised, all ...