Celebrate (One People, Multiple Journeys)
Lonely Planet's recent release One People: many journeys rivals and it many ways outshines the now famous National Geographic pictorials. I strongly recommend it to anyone looking for some travel inspiration, plain art, or some heavy, glossy book to place on the coffee table.
One chapter I particularly enjoyed, although all of them are excellent: Celebrate. This chapter alone is probably the best to get you inspired for your next vacation.
Here are some suggestions for you, beautifully accompanied by excellent pictures:
- Venice, Italy: Carnevale di Venezia; next event: Sat, Feb 10 - Tue, Feb 20, 2007;
- Reykjavik, Iceland: The Winter Lights Festival; midwinter, annual event; 23-26 Feb (2006);
- Basel, Switzerland: Fasnacht (Mardi Gras); three-day annual event, the Monday after Mardi Gras;
- Lucerne, Switzerland: Fasnacht (Mardi Gras); three-day annual event, the Monday after Mardi Gras;
- Vilafranca del Penedes (in Catalonia, Spain); Grape Harvest Festival; Aug - Sep 2006 (annual);
- Hamar, Norway; The Gathering, one of the largest computer parties in the World;
- Dublin, Ireland; St Patrick's Day (THE St Patrick's Day Parade);
- Buñol (province of Valencia), Spain; La Tomatina - tomato fight!!!; annual event;
The chapter's only fault is that it's too short, and for a good reason; we need countless books to capture all of this World's annual festivals. The chapter does imply (on a rather poetic level) that celebration exists everywhere where people are: from football games in Europe to college graduation parties in Mexico.
Why are you still there??? GO! Europe is waiting.
