We are excited to share a guest post by author and actress, Carol Drinkwater. Years ago, I came across Carol's beautifully-written trilogy about her experience buying a Provençal château and olive grove. The Olive Farm book led me to her book, The Olive Route - a first-hand story of the migration of this precious commodity from the Middle East into Europe. [...]
This article was published in Rennaisance Magazine, issue #55. By Shawnie Kelley Southwest France is synonymous with sensuous Mediterranean beaches, hillside vineyards and peaceful hamlets, but upon closer look, the Languedoc’s rugged landscape reveals a turbulent history steeped in religious rebellion, bloody battles and grail legend. This region, historically known as the County of Toulouse, is home [...]
Les treize desserts de Noël- or the Thirteen Desserts of Christmas- is a delectable holiday tradition celebrated throughout the south of France. An array of symbolic sweets made in Provençal kitchens is reinterpreted in recipes here by Pastry Chef Spencer Budros of German Village-based bakery, Pistacia Vera. Spencer’s festive wreath of desserts featured on this [...]
Each August, the Mediterranean village of Sète, located on a pencil-thin peninsula in southern France, plays host to the Festival of Saint Louis. The fête’s main attraction is a spirited sporting event officially known as la joute nautique – or water jousting-- during which competitors use feats of arms to attempt to knock each other off man-powered, wooden [...]
The Laurel Highlands Adventure: History and Nature in Southwestern Pennsylvania Having grown up in Pittsburgh, I took for granted the city's perfect location only an hour north of a most beautiful region known as the Laurel Highlands. During the past 10 years I've been experiencing fantastic places that were practically in my backyard, yet I only (re)discovered after moving [...]
Christmas day 1492, a clumsy cargo ship runs aground on the north coast of present-day Haiti. Emerging from the Santa Maria was Italian-born explorer, Christopher Columbus. Not exactly the Orient he was in search of, but nevertheless this “beautiful island paradise” would please his benefactors. After receiving a generous welcome from the native Taínos, Columbus promptly claimed the island for [...]
Avignon: Kingdom of the Popes “All roads lead to Avignon” or so went the saying when, in 1305, Pope Clement V moved the papacy from strife-torn Rome to a peaceful, Provencal town in southern France. This political move shifted the center of Christendom from the Eternal City to the small, papal enclave of Avignon for [...]
© A version of this original article by Shawnie Kelley was published in Renaissance Magazine, issue #64. Please do not reproduce any content without permission. On the Grail Trail Christian tradition says the Holy Grail was a cup or bowl used during the Last Supper by Jesus Christ and which, after the crucifixion, held his blood. [...]
The years following Scotland’s independence, Edinburgh Castle grew into a true royal residence. Robert the Bruce’s son, David II (1356-71) rebuilt the castle. Well-House Tower was built to protect the water supply, allowing occupants to hold out during long sieges. In 1367, he commissioned the massive L-shaped tower, now known as David’s Tower, but would not live to see [...]
One of the most recognizable fortresses in the world rears up from a volcanic crag in the heart of Edinburgh, Scotland. There is a magical resonance about the mighty Edinburgh Castle, which is seemingly buttressed by the living earth; permanently affixed to Castle Rock. Anyone trekking up the steep streets through the castle’s zigzagging terraces [...]
The Party’s Not Over The Feast of Fools evolved for a thousand years, becoming most popular in France and Great Britain, but reached into Spain, Italy and Germany. By the fifteenth century, the church had enough of the mockery and put an end to the merrymaking by deeming it blasphemous and illegal. However, by the 1540s the Feast [...]
Throughout the Middle Ages and well into the Elizabethan period, Christmas was an austere and holy season, full of fasting and stringent religious rules. By time January rolled around, people were ready to cut loose. On the first day of January, Europeans came together for a celebration known as the Feast of Fools. The Feast [...]
