Old Europe

This booklet covers most of the known Christmas customs at this famous old seaport. It is based on the script of a radio program that I wrote and narrated for BBC Radio Cleveland in 1991 and it was broadcast on Christmas day of that year. Whitby was the port where Captain Cook, the famous Royal Navy explorer and navigator learnt his trade from Quaker shipbuilders and he no doubt experienced, if not participated in this book's customs as a young apprentice seaman.

Since time immemorial, people have passed through these misty mountains as they traveled between the Scottish lowlands and highlands. The old ways through the mountains - the Mounth passes, as they are collectively called - are the subject of this book. Twelve roads are profiled, from the Causey Mounth on the eastern coast to the Monega Pass deep in the heart of Scotland. Each route is considered from an historical perspective, followed by a guide to walking the road (or what remains of the road) today.

"The last dream of the old oak tree" on Christmas night is one of those fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen that focus on his religious beliefs and philosophy of life. Dayfly and oak tree, short and long life, days and centuries, moments and history, life and death pass by in dreams and convey the comforting message that duration alone means nothing and that short and long life can lead to happiness and fulfilment—at least in dreams.

El centro de Praga es el corazón que bombea vida al resto de la urbe. En sus alrededores se puede pasear esquivando los lugares típicos para realizar buenas compras en tiendas singulares y disfrutar del encanto de sus calles.