There is Music in The Ceilings of Stirling Castle

Stirling Castle was once a Royal residence of the Scottish kings. But being situated near the border to England, it was a castle of strategic importance before that. When the Scots started to convert it into a residence, the builders included a curious code into the ceiling of the king’s bedchamber. The code was recently cracked to reveal the music hidden within. 

Lugano, The Largest Italian Speaking Town in Switzerland

Lugano is the warm spot of Switzerland, situated in the southern Republic and Canton of Ticino on Lake Lugano. The local climate is warm enough that palms and other southern plants thrive, and nestled in between in the lake and the mountains, it offers breathtaking views wherever you go. 

Temperamental Tempest on The Way to Nicosia

An outing turned adventure on Sicily. Sicily is the island at the southern tip of the boot of Italy. It is a mysterious island full of old superstitions, religions, and a language completely alien to Italian. The old gods still walk in its hills; they are (mostly) Greek gods as they colonized the island before the Romans had learnt to build boats. 

The New Year is on January 13th

In parts of Eastern Switzerland, the New Year is still celebrated on the 13th of January. New Year’s Eve, i.e. the 12th, is a festival day for everybody and schools and shops are closed. On this day, the Claus is on the loose going from house to house. 

Why Santa Muerte is an Austrian (too)

R J Evans published an article on the not quite standard saint Santa Muerte in Central America The Strange Cult of Santa Muerte: Saint Death. In it, he claimed quite correctly an Austrian influence on this strange phenomenon. As this might seem a strange connotation to many, I am following it up with information on the strange burial rites of the Austrian Imperial family.