Places Archives

The Jorvik Viking Festival 2015 set to be a good one for authors

January 23, 2015 by Andrew 1 Comment

The Jorvik Viking Festival is taking place in York this year from 14th February to the 22nd. The festival is always a good one, I’ve been, a chance to experience history in a way that you don’t often get to.

This year there is no shortage of good news for storytelling, books and authors. Event organisers Danielle Daglan has announced a range of great events.

Vincent Atherton kicks off the action with an event on Monday the 16th at 2pm at York Mansion House. Tickets cost £3 or £4 and pre-booking is strongly advised. Atherton is part of the festival to discuss his book “Viking Voices: The Sword of Amleth” and the effort needed to keep fact and fiction apart. The book follows Ragnald, a man who became both king of Dublin and York.

The following day, at the same location, Matthew Townend of the University of York, will be sharing fascinating insight into his new book “Viking Age Yorkshire”. This is the first ever full-length study of Yorkshire’s Vikings.

Children’s author Jeremy Strong is likely to sell out. Tickets are currently available from £7.50 per person (which includes a free child’s ticket to the Jorvik Viking Centre). Strong is at the merchant Adventurers’ Hall on Wednesday the 18th. Visitors will be able to meet the man and get books signed.

On Friday the 18th, bestselling historical novelist Giles Kristain will be talking about his book “God of Vengeance”, a prequel to his Raven trilogy, that follows Sigurd, son of Jarl Harald.

Each day there will be living storytelling taking place at 11am, 1pm and 3pm at the Vikings central camp on Parliament Street. Visitors will be able to see a Viking longship ready for war, learn about Norse weapons and warfare as well as discovering some secrets to Viking health and healing.

This year the Jorvik Viking Festival has the conclusion of the third Bloodaxe Book Challenge. The Festival organisers, York Archaelogical Trust, run this with Explore York Library Service, with the aim of getting children to read over the winter holidays. More information about the Bloodaxe Book Challenge can be found online.

In Pure Spirit

Have you ever been to the Jorvik Viking Festival? Tell us what it was like in the comments below. If not; is this the sort of history-meets-entertainment-meets-education festival you would go to if you could?

A fairy post office you can visit

January 21, 2015 by Andrew 2 Comments

This remarkable little fairy post office is a real treasure. If you’re exploring the paths in Orinda’s Tilden park then you might be lucky enough to find this special place.

The post office was create in back in December 2013. It was thought that the fairy location would not last very long. However, when the creators came back to inspect their tiny office with desk, lamp and birdcage they found it had grown.

Not only had more decorations been added – by passers by, who else? – but post started to arrive at the fairy post office. These days the creators are said to visit oten, to engage in exchanges in the mail and writing letters to local fairies and field mice.

In Pure Spirit

Do you have any fairy sites near you?

The creators of this little post office aren’t the only fairy fans on the internet. There are sites like My Fairy Tale Books which allow you to personalise children’s gifts and thousands of fairy goodies on Etsy.

Via Atlas Obscura.

Incredible photographs show nature reclaim a transport ship with a floating forest

January 15, 2015 by Andrew 2 Comments

In Homebrush Bay, Sydney, Australia you can see a remarkable floating forest. The remains of an abandoned transport ship, a 1911 steam collier, is slowly being overgrown by a forest. Humankind has helped. From 2008 to 2010 there was an effort to remove chemicals from Homebush.

These incredible photographs come from Bruce Hood, Andy Brill and Stephane & Eva. The set was first made public by This is Colossal.

In Pure Spirit

There are many other amazing photographs of nature reclaiming wrecked ships. Do you have any favourites? Why not share them in the comments below.

Really tempted by a holiday in Australia? Sites like eBookers.com and Expedia are often helpful starting points. One of my favourite travel alternatives is a site called Responsible Travel, all about sustainable holidays, where you can book trips like a Great Ocean Walk, a Head of Bight whale tour or even a Tasmania wildlife holiday.

Explore the ancient Egyptian city found beneath the waves

January 13, 2015 by Andrew 2 Comments

Two years ago the ancient city of Thonis-Heracleion was found below the waves in the Abu Qir Bay. Just off the coast of Egypt but lost for hundreds of years, scientists had no idea what they would found.

Thonis-Heracleion was founded around the 8th century BC and after a series of natural disasters it vanished completely by the 8th century AD. There was some mention of an important temple of Amun in texts but the city came close to vanishing entirely from written records.

In the watery ruins scientists also found a huge statue of the god Hapi. It once was part of the temple of Heracleion and part of the city. As it happens, Hapi is is the god of flooding of the Nile, perhaps appropriate for a sunken city, as well as being a symbol of fertility.

Want to try Egyptian magic? Start with the basic herbs, symbols and power items by visiting special stores on Etsy.

Tempted by a cheap holiday to Egypt? Holiday maker First Choice have package deals.

In Pure Spirit

What do you make of these remarkable photos? Isn’t Thonis-Hercleion almost like something out of a sci-fi movie?

Image credits: Reddit.

Very weird: Monsterous Kappa rises from the river

January 9, 2015 by Andrew 2 Comments

A Kappa is a Japanese water goblin or demon. It’s name means River-child and a local would describe it as a Yokai.

This Kappa is at home in the pond at Tsujikawayama Park near Fukusaki in Hyogo Prefecture. The head of the beast is important; Kappa’s have power while their hairless patch is filled with water.

Some consider Kappa also to be cryptids. As a cryptid it means there might actually be river-creatures not yet documented by science, that fit the Kappa description, living in Japan.

In Pure Spirit

What Kappa myths and legends do you know? Share them in the comments below and discuss with other readers.

Tempted by a holiday in Japana? Sites like Kuoni offer package deals and Expedia has a range of Tokyo breaks.

(Via Rocket News 24)

Listen for free: Be amazed at these ancient Sumerian songs

January 8, 2015 by Andrew Leave a Comment

Sumer is the original “land of the civilized kings” and was one of the first ancient civilizations in Mesopotamia. The god of beneficence, Enki, is Sumerian, as if Enlil the lord of ghost-land, Sin the moon god and even An who was the god of heaven.

Now musician Stef Conner learned how to read and pronounce several ancient Babylonian and Sumerian records to re-create their sounds. This is both art and science. The Soundcloud embed above lets you listen to the results and you’ll be amazed at how it sounds.

In Pure Spirit

What do you think? You’ve heard ancient Sumerian songs recreated from original records. Are you a fan? Have you taken any empowerment away from this music?

If you want to get back into music yourself then sites like can be a helpful starting place.

(Via Io9)

The strange salt cube natural phenomenon of the Dead Sea

January 4, 2015 by Andrew 3 Comments

Isn’t it remarkable? Normally the waves round down stones over time. That’s where sand comes from. In this case we’ve square salt cubes washing up. Salt would normally dissolve in water. Cubes caught in waves wouldn’t keep their straight edges for long.

In Pure Spirit

Have you ever been to the Dead Sea? What was it like and would you recommend it to others?

If you’re tempted by a holiday to the Dead Sea then you can check out Expedia’s city guide, easyJet’s holiday page or even Lastminute’s insights.

Totally strange local traditions

January 3, 2015 by Andrew Leave a Comment

John Green, author of The Fault in Our Stars, and host of Mental Floss takes us through some 27 unbelievable local traditions.

Are you ready?

He begins with Cooper’s Hill cheese rolling, describing how the cheese wheel can hit speeds on 70 mph, and then moves on to really weird stuff.

How weird? We’ve got monkey buffet (for monkeys) in Thailand, the Pamplona running of the bulls, baby jumping, Japan’s Namahage Festival in which demons knock on doors and Le Tomatina.

In Pure Spirit

Which weird local traditions do you know about? Any you’d recommend?

If you’re interested in reading more about strange festivals and holidays then Car Rentals.co.uk has more on the Pamplona Bull Run and Low Cost Holidays has some insight on cheap holidays in Japan.

When the clouds invaded the Grand Canyon

December 24, 2014 by Andrew Leave a Comment

This remarkable video captures a “total cloud inversion” that filled the Grand Canyon. There’s no sound. What you see, over a time-lapse, is low cloud coming in to fill the Grand Canyon, lapping at the edge and then retreating again.

In Pure Spirit

What’s the most surreal natural sight you’ve ever seen?

Looking for holidays to the Grand Canyon? You can try Expedia, Virgin Holidays or take the ethical approach with Responsible Travel.

The ice swept wonders of Slovenia

December 22, 2014 by Andrew Leave a Comment

Photographer Marko Korosec responded to a lull in the weather after a long period of snow and wind to climb Mount Javornik. The mountain in eastern Slovenia is better known for ski holidays than alien-like discoveries but it is the latter Korosec found.

The trees and towers have been encased in layers of ice. Some of the ice spikes are said to have over a 1 metre in length.