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With over 35 churches to choose from, Sao Joao del Rei is a great place to view impressive baroque churches. The town also offers a train ride to Tiradentes that takes you on a lovely journey through the different landscapes aboard an authentic 19th century steam locomotive.
This church just outside the centre of Chamonix dominates the town and has a magnificent interior with colourful frescoes and a golden altar.
From Chamonix train station go straight ahead down Avenue Michel Croz, at the end of the street turn left on to Place de l'eglise, the church is on your right-hand side just after the town hall.
Eglise St Maurice has a simple but striking façade but go inside to see a beautifully scuplted altar and a handsome statue of Mary Magdalene with the inscription above her which reads 'Mary prays for our souls'.
There are many side chapels where private prayer and contemplation can be done, it's also so quiet inside that you wouldn't think that you were only 10 minutes away from the tourist crowds.
Eglise Saint Maurice is a 10 minute walk from the Palais de l'ile and just
five minutes from Lake Annecy
This year the procession takes place on May 1 and it is something that should not be missed as it is a glittering pageant of colour and history that has taken place since 1150.
Reputed to be a piece of cloth that was used to wipe the wounds of Christ by Joseph of Arimathea; the Count of Flanders brought it back home to Bruges.
Even if you are sceptical as to the orign of the relic - this is a great day out in Bruges with even more to enjoy than usual.
Starting off in the Burg, the procession winds itself around the city. Helpful information links may be found here
www.oldchocolatehouse.com/Links.html
Every evening around 7 o'clock there is an incredible Hindu ceremony to the gods through the five elements, which is performed by sadhus. The ceremony takes place on the main ghats along the River Ganges in the centre of Varanasi.
The walk to the main ghats through the markets is a great experience too. The main ghats are around the Dasaswamedh ghat, which is one of the oldest and holiest ghats. Here you can take a rowing boat on to the Ganges to catch the ceremony from the river. It's incredible to watch the ceremony and it was a really memorable experience of India.
It's a great way of getting in touch with the spiritual side of India in the oldest and one of the holiest cities in this amazing country.
Take a cycle rickshaw to the top of the open-air street market and walk down towards the river to find the Dasaswamedh ghat.
This small relaxed town was, for 150 years, the capital of Japan and is just 50 km and one hour from Tokyo Station. Today it draws thousands of tourists and pilgrims to its many shrines and temples.
Many suggested itineraries are available online, I have visited Kamakura about 10 times, generally with students in tow. Here is an abbreviated itinerary that is a little different.
Train to Kita Kamakura. As you leave the station stay on the left-hand side of the tracks. About one minute to Engakuji Zen Temple (allow about one hour). Be sure to visit the Bell (1301) and adjacent tea room (about 140 steps - look for sign) to the right of entrance. Next walk 250 metres south to the Jochiji Temple (on right). Small and quirky, allow 30 minutes.
Now look for the sign to the Hiking Trail to the Great Buddha (Kamakura Daibutsu) at Hase. This takes about 90-120 minutes, the trail is, at times, a little rugged and needs good hiking shoes.
After visiting the Great Buddha (30 minutes) walk to the Hase rail station and take the small, single track train to Kamakura. Now you have time to explore the shops and sites from the station along Komachi Shopping Street to the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine. Make your way back to the station for your return to Tokyo. You have experienced a little bit of the real Japan.
If you run out of time there is a youth hostel in Hase - Tel: 81-467-243390, Fax: 81-467-243390, Email: info@jyh.or.jp
Kita Kamakura:
www.city.kamakura.kanagawa.jp/foreign01_english/index.html
For more information see the official tourist site:
www.city.kamakura.kanagawa.jp/foreign01_english/index.html
Get the very detailed Hakone & Kamakura information sheet (PG-307) from your local Japan National Tourist Organisation.
I visited Northumberland as I have an interest in Christian history and I know this place has over a thousand years of it. I was keen to visit castles and other ancient monuments, and Northumberland was recently awarded top 10 tourist destination in the world which it deserves.
The religious history of the place, particularly around Holy Island was spectacular and thoroughly recommended.
A visit to La Mosquee (rue Saint Hilaire) is the most relaxing way to spend time in Paris. The mosque itself is very interesting - someone there will eagerly show you around - but the best part is the little cafe there.
You can sit outside in the garden and sip mint tea or eat sweet pastries in a calm, unhurried atmosphere. There is even a traditional hamman located there where you can have a very efficient Turkish-style bath for a fraction of the price any of the more indulgent spa hotels would charge to leave you feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the rest of Paris. A serene and peaceful environment where everyone is welcome.
I will treasure the memory of joining the St George's Day celebration in Lalibela. It is impossible to describe the feeling of mingling with the crowds of people, mainly wrapped in white, walking along the deep rock hewn corridors, kicking off the sandals and forcing your way into the church.
An earlier fantastic memory was walking along the day before and suddenly seeing St Giyorgis sunk into the rock.
A less pleasant memory was fleas in the carpets of the churches! Do take something for the fleas as they can migrate to the bedding.
Discover an oasis of calm. Go to the Beguinage, a beautiful small green and shaded space flanked by distinctive white buildings and crossed with paths. Sisters of the religious St. Benedict order have taken the place of the former beguines of the former cloistered community. Its atmosphere is wonderfully serene.
The Begijnhof is just off Wijngaardplein and has a shop, church and small museum. There are signs asking people to be silent (though not always obeyed).
The 'Church in the Rock' is the most striking piece of religious architecture in Helsinki.
The chuch was hewn from a huge chunk of granite, the walls left as jagged bedrock, into which a concrete altar was poured. The copper roof seems to float above the church as the light come from a circular window on to which the roof sits. A proper 'wow' moment.
Lutherinkatu 3, Helsinki
There are plenty of grand mosques to visit in Istanbul thanks to master builder Mimar Siman, but this small jewel of his beats them all in terms of intimacy and decoration.
The tiles are simply sensational, full of stylised tulips, carnations and geometrical shapes. It is located not far from the Eminönü end of the Galata Bridge, though it is not easy to spot the entrance , but when you look lost local shopkeepers sympathetically show you how to get in.
The advantage is that few tourists seem to find it, and you may get to look around in glorious silence.
In the alleyways about 100m to the north-west of the Spice Bazaar at the end of Galata Bridge, not to be confused with the much larger Yeni Camii in front of the ferry terminals. There are two entrances, up steps between small shops - neither of them looks like it leads to a mosque, so persist.
Leave Nice and travel east five kilometres to the delightful town of Villefranche-sur-Mer with its deep natural harbour and wonderful selection of seafood restaurants.
Note the splendid Baroque church at the top of the hill and wind your way down the medieval streets to the amazing chapel by the sea, lavishly decorated by Jean Cocteau and dedicated to fishermen in the area who initially refused to enter because of the flamboyant naked male angels painted on the walls.
If you like Cocteau's work, travel onwards to Menton to a very camply decorated registry office and a wonderful museum, containing a huge Cocteau collection.
Fabulous atmospheric ruins of an ancient city where Hinduism meets Brahamism meets Buddism. Slightly off the beaten track so not many tourists - take the bus from Hoi An.
Crumbling intricately carved temples and columns being swallowed up by the jungle. Well worth a visit.
The Cao Dai religion's colourful kitsch-like architecture mixes influences from different world religions.
Join a daily mass at noon with a congregation mostly dressed in all white. See the Divine Eye watch over a hall supported by 28 dragon-encrusted columns.
Cao Dai is a syncretist religion founded in Vietnam in the 1920s. Statues of different religious leaders including Jesus, Buddha, Confucius and Lao Tze share the altar stage.
The temple also has statues of the religion's saints including China's first president Sun Yat-sen and the French writer Victor Hugo!
Cao Dai Holy See is in the town of Tay Ninh, about 100km from Ho Chi Minh City. Easiest way to get there is to take a day tour that also includes a visit to the famous wartime Cu Chi tunnels. Visit any tour agency in Ho Chi Minh City.
A much-appreciated break from the busy streets of Hanoi, the Temple of Literature, Vietnam's first university, is one of the best examples of traditional architecture left in Vietnam.
Founded in 1070 and dedicated to Confucius, the temple is a great place to while away a couple of hours strolling through beautiful courtyards and grand halls.
Who knows, you might catch a traditional music recital and get inexplicably involved in a silly hat wearing photo opportunity as I was.
Pho Quoc Tu Giam, about 2km west of Hoan Kiem Lake.
Visit the charterhouse in Villeneuve les Avignon.
www.sacred-destinations.com/france/villeneuve-chartreuse-val-de-benediction.htm
Go and find peace and tranquility by visiting Begijnhof, a delightful group of houses once inhabited by women who belonged to the sisterhood. The houses are grouped around a central courtyard, just a step away from the busy shopping street Kalverstraat.
Fan of Gregorian chants ? Each Sunday from September to June there are Gregorian Vespers sung by the monks at St Nicholas Church, just 100 yards from Grand Central Station.
The service starts at 5pm, is open to all and free to attend. Having filled the soul, an easy two-minute stroll will take you to the Bird cafe on Zeedijk 77. Why is this tiny Thai snack bar always frantically busy ? Sit down and try the food. Then you'll understand.
www.bma.amsterdam.nl/adam/uk/groot/nicolaas.html
www.thai-bird.nl/
The church at St. Just is one of the most lovely I've visited and I've visited a lot of little churches.
St. Just in Penwith (not to be confused with St. Just in Roseland which is apparently also nice)
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