Until now I’d associated Cluny with the most powerful monastery in medieval Christendom; a monastery whose abbey church was the greatest in Europe until St Peter’s in Rome got built; a monastery whose Paris pied-a-terre was so big, it now houses the museum of Middle Ages; finally a monastery whose tentacles spread in England via […]
Down and out in São Paulo
I have commented before that by 2001 the never-ending parade of 1990s slums from Guarulhos airport into São Paulo had disappeared. That there were no more people walking to work on the motorways at 6am. That in 2002 the election of President Lula has brought some hope to the people of Brazil with its Fome […]
Semana Santa in Seville
The Semana Santa in Seville, Andalucia’s sprightly capital, is the week of religious celebrations that takes place between Palm Sunday (Domingo de Ramos) and Easter Sunday (Domingo de Resurrección) every year. It is the biggest and most renowned Easter festival in Spain; the locals know it, so prices double and treble during this period. Me, […]