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Monastery in Macedonia Provides Heavenly Peace
By Reb Stevenson
KRIVA PALANKA, MACEDONIA–With all due respect to singer/songwriter Eric Carmen, sometimes you do want to be all by yourself.
Maybe you've been jostled by too many crowds. Perhaps you've just learned – the hard way – that a cruise is not your bag. Or you're just a crusty old grump.
For me, it's the cigarettes. In Eastern Europe, where there are people there is a corresponding haze of smoke. At first, it's a novelty in a "remember the '90s?" kind of way. But after a week of swatting the air at coffee shops, restaurants and hotels, I long to retreat into a lung-friendly isolation cell.
St. Joakim Osogovski Monastery, therefore, is a godsend. Tucked away in the Osogovo Mountains near the city of Kriva Palanka, it is one of the most picturesque monasteries in Macedonia.
READ MORE....
I'd Kill for Bill's
56 Cliffe High Street
BRIGHTON
100 North Road
The Big Picture: Scenes from a Storybook
To anybody who pooh-poohs England on a regular basis, citing overcast skies and drizzly days, I offer this: the delightful, magical place in Lewes, East Sussex known as Southover Grange. The grounds of this circa 1572 mansion are now a glorious public garden that explodes with colour every spring. I shot this view today while I caught up with my English friend Kat in the park. We watched children happily darting about the lawn without a care in the world. It was amazing to think that kids had probably been doing just that for some 400 years!
Note the manor house on the left and Lewes Castle up in the right hand corner. Oh - and the bored teens, who probably suffer from the universal affliction of not appreciating anything at all. It’s ok, I have enough of it to cover them.
The Big Picture: Uplifting Elevator
Tonight I’m staying in Edinburgh’s brand new Hotel Missoni, which just opened last week. It’s all funky and colourful and super stylish - quite the contrast from the drab grey architecture outside. Couldn’t resist this shot in the elevator. And yes, someone walked in while I was lying on the floor. Of course.
www.hotelmissoni.com
The Big Picture: Whitechapel's Junk Hunk
I was strolling through East London (a.k.a. Jack the Rippersville) yesterday and couldn’t believe my eyes when I spied this chap who looked like he had walked into a London fog some time around 1892 and emerged from it in 2009. Wearing this retro outfit, he was standing in front of an old fashioned store organizing old books.
Was he a ghost? A jet-lag induced hallucination? An extra in a new Sherlock Holmes made-for-TV movie? No, he was Andrew Coram, owner of Beedell Coram Antiques (86a Commercial Street), which is probably more photogenic than it is shoppable.
I had a peek inside but couldn’t get much further than the front door as junk threatened to eat me alive from the feet up. Everything from loose film to portraits of dour Englishmen was haphazardly stacked every which way. So instead I settled upon simply talking to Andrew, who was just as eccentric as I had hoped. What else do you expect from a person who plucks a dirty bowler hat from a trashcan and wears it with such effortless panache?
Not Paying a Princely Sum
The classic double-decker bus drove right past the hordes of tourists and parked itself right there in Buckingham Palace’s front yard. I realize that might seem kind of redneckish. But hey, we’re talking about London’s fanciest home here.
Off the bus clomped a crew of travel journalists, most of whom are not accustomed to wearing heels (myself included).
For two hours only, we were part of the royal court, invited to a special reception with Prince Philip (that bloke who shagged Queen Elizabeth and created the quotable wonder that is Prince Charles) upon the occasion of his 88th birthday.
I was initially excited by the exclusive invitation. Then my thoughts turned to red-light blinking, siren shrieking, run-for-cover terror, as I remembered that, as a travel journalist, I possess the bank account of a travel journalist. My Balenciaga was somewhere around, oh, let’s see...(converting to British pounds here)...ZERO.
However, England’s wealth of cheap and fashionable clothing stores became this Cinderella’s fairy godmother. Some careful hunting produced this outfit, which rang in under $100. In other news, I’m relieved to report I was not arrested by the Buckingham fashion police.
Here’s a breakdown:
Dress, H&M: $40
Sweater, New Look: $30
Hat, Primark: $12
For more on my visit with The Duke of Edinburgh, stay tuned for an upcoming video...
Spoiled Alert!
Now I’m tempted to become a first class whore.
After years of lusting after transformer seats, awkward non-sleeps in upright chairs and one-night stands with various travel pillows, I finally got the chance to spend one helluva sexy night in British Airways Club World.
Though the flight to Heathrow was just six hours, I probably got about five hours of solid sleep,
Upon landing, Club Worldlies can access the Arrivals Lounge at Terminal 5, where showers, more breakfast, internet, even more breakfast and suit-pressing are available. All of which increase your chances of feeling vaguely human when you land.
No walk of shame for me this morning, baby.
The New Phrasebook
By Reb Stevenson
There was a time when terms like “passport” and “overhead bins” were as complicated as it got when it came to travel talk.
But in the last few years, a fresh generation of travel buzzwords has infiltrated our lexicon. Now you practically have to bone up on a whole new language before you pick up Conde Nast Traveller Magazine. And you thought German was difficult…
For your convenience and entertainment, The Star has compiled this short traveller’s dictionary.
Agritourism –Staying on a farm or in a rural village, often voluntarily pitching in with chores (but rarely rising with the rooster,).
Babymoon – “One last trip” taken by an expecting couple before the arrival of travel-thwarting offspring.
Barefoot Luxury – Degree of comfort whereby a Forbes 500 member will not compromise their social standing or their $200 pedicure by removing their Manolos or Italian Loafers and padding around. Read More...
The Big Picture: How 'bout dem apples?
“Stop!!” I squealed at my driver, as we sped wildly through rural Macedonia.
It took a fair bit of effort for him to do so, since our average speed was about 120 kilometres per hour (a Sunday drive by Macedonian standards).
Out of nowhere, half a dozen women had appeared by the side of the road, each manning one of these identical apple stands. I simply HAD to photograph them, which means I was obligated to buy their wares ($2 got me enough to keep the doctor at bay for a good week or so).
Gotta be honest: the fruit was mealy as heck. But what a juicy photo!
The Big PIcture: Flipping England
Three things I love:
The English Countryside
A Nice Dollop of Sunshine
Sheep that Mind Their Own Business
Speaking of which, Flip just released HD versions in Canada, which excites me tremendously. I’ve got myself the Flip Ultra HD, which I shall be testing out next week when I visit London, Edinburgh and Glasgow.