The beach is not an ashtray

We’ve been in Spain for a good few months and are temporarily residing in a seaside town called Sitges, roughly 30 km south of Barcelona. It’s a pretty little town with a quaint historic centre, beautiful churches and magnificent beaches. As the gay capital of Spain it’s a feelgood town. Sitges is a popular resort […]

All I want for Christmas

After 25 years Mariah Carey finally got to no 1 in the Billboard Hot 100 with her song “All I want for Christmas is you”. It’s great that Mariah wants love for Christmas and does not seek more possessions. Like so many of us she’s probably received a multitude of Christmas presents in her lifetime. […]

From Istiklal street to Kalverstraat: why Black Friday is so wrong

Walking through the Kalverstraat in Amsterdam during the Black Friday period it reminded me of Istiklal street in Istanbul. Rows of shops and restaurants, crowded, slow pace, bumping into pedestrians – for me an unpleasant experience and the prompt to write this article. Black Friday has roots in the United States dating back to the […]