The 17th-18th of September are dedicated European Heritage Days in France. The European Commission and the Council of Europe have banded together all the signatory states of the European Cultural Convention to open the doors to all National Heritage Sites free of access to the public, including some locations typically closed to tourists. This is an excellent opportunity for you to get some unique sightseeing done on a budget. The open locations include magnificent feats of architecture and coordination between neighbouring regions and countries.

As France has over 16,000 locations listed, you’ll be able to visit historical sites, and monuments, more modern architectural wonders and places of aesthetic appeal. The European Heritage Days of 2011 are dedicated to architects, artisans and curators, in a bid to raise awareness of both environmental and architectural heritage in France. This country has a rich national history and identity that has drawn visitors from all across the world and Heritage sites are hot spots to get a feel for France’s history and development.

This is a great chance to sample the man-made wonders of France and receive an education on its history and preservation. There will be thousands of events to attend including concerts, conferences, exhibitions and workshops for children.

To get to France for European Heritage Days a P&O ferry will take you across the Channel on a service that runs multiple times a day with a low cost for you, the family and the car to cross in to France

For more information visit their website here

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Tags: France, History, P&O Ferries by Karim Beerahee
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A mixed display of Russian culture heritage will be on display in Cannes for five days this month. The Russian Art Festival will run consecutively from the 23rd to the 27th of August 2011, attendees will get a true taste of Russian cuisine as well as feast their eyes and ears on classic Russian dance, cinema, music, opera and more. You will also get the opportunity to view Russian arts and crafts as well in one of the largest events exhibiting Russian identity in Europe.

The Russian Art Festival is produced by the Foundation for Russian Culture, the town of Cannes and Cannes’ Festival. Cannes is historically a town well acquainted with Russian monarch’s, notable aristocrats and artists also ventured into France and shared fashion, ideas and culture. This festival is a celebration of Franco-Russian relations, and not just a display of a single culture but also its interactions, notably those with the French in Cannes, as you might imagine.

Here is a brief look at the itinerary courtesy of French Riviera-tourism

Exhibition: traditional art from Khassia – free
23 August Folk dances from the Caucasus
24 August Dinner & show “Russian Night- a Journey across Russia”
25 August Russian Film Day (with subtitles)
26 August Khakassian Symphonic Orchestra and traditional song + dances
27 August Helikon theatrical opera from Moscow “The Tsar’s Fiancée”

Image credit: SPakhrin

To get to Cannes for the Russian Art Festival catch a P&O ferry from Dover to Calais, running 46 times a day, approximately 90 minutes.

Tags: France, History, Lifestyle, P&O Ferries by Karim Beerahee
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With July just around the corner the city of Ghent in Belgium is preparing for its annual festival season. A trip across the channel next month will give you the chance to attend 6 different international festivals all in the same city.

Over 1.5 million people were in attendance last year for a diverse line up of events from street puppetry to jazz and jousts. The Medieval centre of Ghent goes all out to make the most of the city’s heritage with all sorts of tournaments and displays of crafts and warfare relics from the Dark Ages..

If you want to keep on going, the ’10 days off’ festival is a techno extravaganza that promises you a party that will last all the way through to the early hours. Some of the very best DJs will be coming from all around the world, as well as the UKs Floating Points and, from across the Atlantic, America’s Moody Mann.

If Techno isn’t your thing there will also be a Jazz Festival and a Boom Town Rock Festival to cater for all tastes. The entire city turns in to one large carnival, with marionettes from the puppet buskers’ festival wandering through Ghent and mixing with the International Street Theatre Festival that will be putting on open-air shows all across the city.

Tickets are available for either individual days or there is a full 10 day pass. And you won’t want to miss the night of the 21st which celebrates the midpoint of the festival with a huge fireworks display.

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Tags: Belgium, History, Lifestyle, P&O Ferries by Karim Beerahee
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Bastille Day is celebrated on July 14th each year; it commemorates the storming of the prison fortress Bastille (1790) and the subsequent celebration, Fête de la Fédération (The National Holiday) that marked the one year anniversary in 1780.
The holiday is still celebrated annually as a symbol of uprising – nobody quite does revolution like the French. The storming of the Bastille was a flashpoint in the revolution and one of the birth pains of modern society when old ideas of hierarchy began to crack with the subversion of the aristocracy.

Today, Bastille Day is celebrated with huge military parades in Paris from Cadets of the Royal Horse Artillery with international participation from Britain and Germany. As it is a national holiday in France, tourists should expect some areas to have closures, although hotspots should be fine for public transport and retail. We do recommend you make full use of a cash machine beforehand though.

The celebration starts early and throughout the day there are a variety of parties, dances, communal meals, live music and firework displays. One of the more unique traditions of Bastille Day is the Firemen’s’ Galas, where fire stations across the country open their doors to the public for a look around the stations.

Bastille Day is celebrated in French communities around the world, but for those of you wishing to pay a visit to the land of beautiful women and good food, P&O ferries’ Dover to Calais service can get you there and back at a low cost on a service that runs up to 46 times a day.

Image credit: irene

Tags: France, History, P&O Ferries by Karim Beerahee
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Today marks the 67th anniversary of the D-Day landings on the 6th June 1944, when over 160,000 allied troops were landed in one of history’s greatest seaborne invasions, along the beaches of Normandy. As time progresses fewer veterans are able to get to Normandy to pay their respects at the long silent battlefields of the early 20th Century. Historians, families of soldiers and those wishing to educate their children in the history of this continent still pilgrimage to the beaches of northern France and keep the memory of those soldiers alive.

D-day was one of the most remarkable feats of military organisation in history with international armies cooperating to simultaneously launch naval and airborne personnel along a 50 mile stretch of coast to invade Nazi occupied France.

The operation is not likely to ever be forgotten with the coast of Normandy still sporting the names of the beaches used in the military strategy: Sword, Juno, Gold, Omaha, Pointe Du Hoc and Utah Beach. Gravestones mark in military precision the colossal figures of the dead in several huge cemeteries across Normandy, and a lot of the street names in Normandy honour the units that served to liberate specific areas.

There are re-enactments to mark one of the greatest feats of the war, as well as huge firework displays to honour the sacrifice and celebrate the victory of the operation. Special showcases, tours and museum exhibits are all available to visitors. This year sees special guest speaker Congressman Robert Hurt a surviving veteran and Medal of Honour recipient for actions in WW2. A reunion tent is set up and food provided, the public are welcome to see the guest speakers and tour along the beaches of Normandy to see the landscape of a decisive Allied victory.

Image credit: The U.S. Army

P&O ferries run 46 sailings a day between Dover and Calais, if you wish to pay your respects in Normandy over the coming years

Tags: Britain, France, History, Lifestyle, P&O Ferries by Karim Beerahee
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A bit of 19th century history comes to life with the re-enactment of the defeat of military genius Napoleon at the battle of Waterloo in 1815.

In Uccle, Belgium, this June 18-20th the annual memorial of the climax of the Napoleonic wars is staged with well over a thousand participants in full period costume and fully armed repeating the footsteps of the soldiers who fought in the well remembered battle of Waterloo.

The grand opening of the event brings a peaceful demonstration of soldiering under Napoleon, and, as night falls, a spectacular light and sound show is put on across what is to be a battlefield the following day.

A village of realistic Napoleon-era shelters is set up for guests to wander through to try and capture the day-in-the-life feel of a soldier in the 1800s pre and post battle.

A visit to Uccle will offer you the chance to see the battle of Hougomont and Plancenoit collectively known as the battle of Waterloo on the final day, after the last stand the retreat to Hameu du Lion makes a great procession for you to catch a glimpse of the soldiers in post-war glory.

Finally, the arrival of authentic Napoleonic Ambulance crews with of-the-time equipment to treat the injured. A market is also installed for the purchase of any gear that takes your fancy.

P&O ferries can get you to the re-enactment of one of histories greatest battles, a ferry from Hull will take you Zeebrugge port putting you just a short drive from an epic victory.
Image credit: jf1234

Tags: Belgium, Britain, France, History, Lifestyle, P&O Ferries by Karim Beerahee
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For a chance to play the explorer and discover the tomb of a long dead King the Brussels Expo has a unique recreation of Tutankhamun’s gravesite meticulously reproduced by experts in the field, Karim Beerahee takes a look

Historic findings in the Egyptian desert of 17 lost pyramids, as well as tombs and settlements numbering in the thousands thanks to infra-red satellite sweeps courtesy of NASA. With excavations coming underway an archaeological storm is soon on the way. If just hearing about these discoveries is not enough for you, there’s a little bit of tomb investigation for you to try for yourself in Brussels.

The Brussels Expo is hosting a recreation of Howard Carter’s 1922 discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb. This recreation will allow you to step into Carter’s shoes and explore the 4,000 m² tomb with replica artifacts remade by 120 Egyptian craftsmen under close supervision of leaders in the field. The exhibit has been made identical to the original archaeological team’s findings, prescribed to Carter’s own sketches. The tombs layout as it had sat for thousands of years is in the Brussels Expo for you to rediscover.

It’s getting increasingly difficult to see some of history’s greatest artifacts, since they are being kept away for the sake of preservation and further study. With Tutankhamun’s treasures in particular, transport is near impossible so this is a great option for those of you wishing to see the iconic deathmask painstakingly reproduced amongst all the glory of an ancient King’s wealth.

Belgium is just a short drive from Calais, P&O ferries can take you there from Dover, alternatively you can catch a Hull to Zeebrugge ferry and get to see the reconstructed Pharaoh’s tomb.

Image credit: Steve Parker

Tags: Belgium, History, Lifestyle, P&O Ferries by Karim Beerahee
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This July will see the return of the annual Summer festival of Nijmegen called Vierdaagsefeesten or Four Days Festival held from July 16 to Friday 22. The International Four Day Marches is the largest marching event in the world. Civilians and military personnel undertake a four day expedition marching up to 50 Km in total. In recent years up to 40,000 people have done the walk which ends with a presentation of royally approved medals.

The march enters many different towns in the Netherlands, including Rotterdam and Utrecht, and naturally draws a large crowd. Though the marchers, undoubtedly, are in no mood to party after a long day’s walk, the tradition sees festivities known as Vierdaagsefeesten spring up all over the country.

The first march was organized for 1909 the day after the Queen’s Day festival, with just over 300 participants. It was delayed and eventually cancelled, but has been a growing tradition ever since, to the point where it is now an international undertaking.

Vierdaagsefeesten welcomes all tourists; live music is set up for free with a rock festival de Affaire held every day of the march. On the Friday of the last leg thousands of people cheer on the walkers as they cross the finish. There’s a huge firework display celebrating the close of the event, a wonderful spectacle to honour the endeavoring spirit of the marchers.

Image credit: Wiki Commons

Tags: History, Lifestyle, Netherlands, P&O Ferries by Karim Beerahee
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