The road to Fort William, in the western highlands of Scotland, travels along the banks of Loch Lomand and rises up through the mountains near Glen Coe. The road, and the weather, are ever changing, offering landscapes such as this one

That ever changing weather and that winding road are two reasons I choose to do this journey with Citylink, the bus service which has routes covering most of Scotland. If you’re think wait, I’ve not had the best experiences with travel by bus, I’ll say that I’ve found Citylink coaches (that’s what long distance buses are called in Scotland) to be comfortable and clean, and usually on time, and the people who run them to be friendly and professional. Traveling this route by Citylink also puts you in touch with local people gong about their travels for work, school, and family in a way taking a tour does not. There are several schedules which allow you to travel this road as a day trip from Glasgow — the trip takes about three hours one way — or if you wish, the route from Glasgow continues on further up into the Highlands and all the way to Skye in the Inner Hebrides.

Watching the landscape unfold is reason enough to travel this road. Fort William is a center for mountain adventure and outdoor activity, located between the shores of Loch Linne and Scotland’s highest peak. Ben Nevis. so there are many things to explore there, as well. Among them are an annual festival of mountain themed films, mountain biking competitions in the summer, and contemporary and traditional music in its pubs and clubs all year round.

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In the heart of any city, there are times when things take on a quiet aspect, times when a quiet view of a usually busy scene arises. That was the case with this view of Buchanan Street in Glasgow, Scotland, which for me took on a bit of the aspect of an impressionist painting when seen from the steps of the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall one winter evening.

This is a time of year when Scots across the world, and all who enjoy Scottish life, history, and culture, take the opportunity to celebrate around Burns Night, the anniversary of the birth of Scottish poet Robert Burns on 25 January. They may do this with the traditional meal of haggis, cock a leekie soup, and cranachan, or with other dishes and festivities suited to their own tastes. Burns wrote a poem famously using haggis as a metaphor for Scottish pride and independence of character, which is why the dish often turns up on Burns night celebrations.

Care to learn a bit more about Robert Burns?
Visit Scotland tells you about Burns Night, past and present
Eddi Reader sings his graceful song of enduring loveJohn Anderson My Jo, and his lively one celebrating good friendship, Willie Stewart
Emily Smith, who is from the same area of southwestern Scotland where Burns lived, has recorded a fresh look at his songs on her album called Adoon Winding Nith

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Rostrevor is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It stands on the shores of what in Norway would be called a fjord and in Ireland is called a lough, looking across the water at the Cooley Peninsula, in the Republic of Ireland. The mountains in Cooley play an important part in Irish legend and myth, as do the Mourne Mountains, which rise up behind Rostrevor. Just a stone’s throw up the road is the city of Newry, long a center of connection and commerce, a hub for travelers and traders from within the north and from across the nearby border. A bit further on to the north and west is south County Armagh, a lovely land and one that holds so much conflict in its recent history that during The Troubles it came to be known as known as Bandit Country.

Tommy Sands took in all these things as he was growing up in Rostrevor. He made the choice, as a young man, to make his way in music and to do his work for peace and healing in Ireland through that music. Across the years, he’s written about other subjects, of course, and sung and taught and brought all sides of his music, and worked for peace and connection and understanding in different lands, from the Middle East to India to North America. It is that land along the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic, and the conflicts and connections that happen there which have been the forge and center of his ideas, though. For his album Arising from the Troubles, he’s gathered eighteen songs, many he’s sung for years but never recorded and others recently composed, that speak of peace, conflict, healing, history, and hope, in both personal and political terms.

You do not have to know or care about the Troubles in Ireland to enjoy this music: for one thing, the songs stand on their own as compelling tales, and for another Sands has a storyteller’s voice and a fine knack for imagery as well. The songs themselves tocuh on unioversal themes, too.There are anthems of hope, history, and reconciliation, such as Song for Erin, and funny songs that take a lighter perspective on things, such as The Mixed Marriage. There are songs which look at the history from different sides, such as You Sold Us Down the River and Bloody Sunday, civil rights anthems such as We’ll Sing It All Over, and songs of hope for the future seen in passing moments of change and connection, such s A Stone’s Throw.

Ideas and lyrics such as these are grounded in place and circumstance, and help with the understanding of those things, even as they reach beyond them. So just listening to the songs on Arising from the Trouble, you’ll likely come away with different perspectives on Northern Ireland and the peace process there than you had before. hearing them. Reading the thoughtful liner notes, in which Sands reflects briefly on the story behind each song, will add even more to your understanding.

Sands in joined on the songs by his daughter Moya and son Fionan, both fine musicians in their own rights. Guests include others whose names you may know, among them Pete Seeger, Dolores Keane, Greg Anderson, and Arty McGlynn.

you might also like to

read about the political situation and travel in Northern Ireland
learn about another album by Tommy Sands, called Let the Circle Be Wide

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Welcome to the Carnival of Cities blog carnival, where we tour the world in a single post, via submissions from a variety of different blogs, all about any aspect of one, single city or fair-sized town.

The previous Carnival edition was hosted on Sheila’s Guide, and you’ll find the next one (January 25, 2012) there as well.

If you would like to host a future Carnival edition on your blog, please contact me at Sheila “at” sheilascarborough “dot” com. Thanks!

Off we go….

Cities in Europe

London, England Tui Cameron presents Kensal Green: a Historic Victorian Graveyard in London posted at Mental Mosaic: Even Home is a Travel Destination, saying, “London’s Kensal Green Cemetery was the first of London’s for-profit cemeteries, a group which came to be known as the “Magnificent Seven.” This beautiful garden-style cemetery is a great spot for bird-watching and taking photos, so bring your binoculars as well as your camera. If you’re lucky, you might even see a fox!”

Lisbon, Portugal April D. Thompson presents A Tasty Tease in Lisbon posted at The Absolute Travel Addict.

Berlin, Germany Carole Terwilliger Meyers presents Good Eats: Hasenecke/Currywurst, Berlin, Germany posted at Travels With Carole.

Stockholm, Sweden Lola Akinmade Åkerström presents Christmas Market in Gamla stan, Stockholm, Sweden posted at The Swedish photo blog — blogs.sweden.se, saying, “I finally hit a couple of the Christmas markets (Julmarknader) around Stockholm this week and here are scenes from one of the more popular markets located within Stortorget in Gamla stan (Old town). Here, you can pick up a variety of porcelain ornaments, festive decorations and wooden gnomes as well as dig into gingerbread cookies (pepparkakor), mulled wine (glögg), candied almonds, jams, and deli meats.”

Rome, Italy Shelly Rivoli presents Rome’s tradition of the Befana… and her trouble-shooting small broom posted at Travels with Baby Tips by Shelly Rivoli, saying, “In Rome, Babbo Natale (Santa Claus) is not the only one to pay a call to children over the holidays. The beloved witch “Befana” may also bring treats Epiphany Eve in a Roman tradition that is centuries old.”

London, England Karen Bryan presents 7 of the Best London Museums posted at Europe A La Carte Blog, saying, “London has some great museums and most of them are free to visitors.”

Berlin, Germany Nicole Blake presents Berlin State of Mind posted at nicole is the new black, saying, “A picture post about the strange things I see in Berlin.”

Cities in Asia

Singapore Alex presents Eating like the locals in Singapore posted at Hejorama.

Bangkok, Thailand Brian Spencer presents BKK Must Eats – Feasts at Jae On posted here at Perceptive Travel Blog.

Cities in the Americas

Rochester, New York, USA Koketso Ferreira (via Meg Colombo) presents Kwanzaa Family Day at the MAG (Memorial Art Gallery) posted at Rochester Arts.

Cuenca, Ecuador wandermom presents Family Friendly Activities in Cuenca Ecuador posted at WanderMom.

Asheville, North Carolina, USA Globetrottergirls presents Independence through Independents – Asheville, NC posted at Globetrottergirls.

Orlando, Florida, USA Eileen Ludwig presents SeaWorld Christmas Celebration Winter Wonderland Ice Skating posted at Freelance Tourist: Travel Tips.

Annapolis, Maryland, USA Jeremy Branham presents Annapolis welcomes me home posted at Budget Travel Adventures, saying, “Here’s an overview of Annapolis Maryland – a place that doesn’t get enough attention.”

Greenwood, Mississippi, USA I wrote Travel Post Friday: Peace and Quiet on the Tallahatchie River on Sheila’s Guide.

Fairbanks, Alaska, USA Nancy Brown presents Insider Tips on Things to See and Do in Fairbanks, Alaska posted at Nancy D Brown, saying, “I enjoyed visiting Fairbanks in the height of summer and the dead of winter. This is a unique Alaska city.”

Grapevine, Texas, USA Adam Groffman presents Hipster things to do in my hometown: Grapevine, Texas posted at Travels of Adam, saying, “Recently revisited my hometown and discovered it was actually pretty cool.”

Quito, Ecuador Tom Bartel presents Looking down on Quito – Andean Drift posted at Andean Drift.

Boulder City, Nevada, USA Kayla presents Hoover Dam posted at Adventures in Heritage, saying, “During a trip to the Grand Canyon and Vegas I stopped at the Hoover Dam, an amazing engineering feat.”

That concludes this Carnival edition, and thank you for visiting.

Please submit your (ONE, non-spammy) blog post to the next edition of the Carnival of Cities using our carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Winter may be a time of cold, crisp nights and frosty clear days, a time of blowing snow and howling wind, a time of appreciating the winter’s snow filled landscapes and of enjoying the warmth of fireside just as much. All these aspects of winter come into play in the music Helene Blum has chosen and created for her album Liden Sol.

Blum is from Denmark, so she knows a thing or two about winter. “I live in a big forest,” she says, “so I experience the soul of nature at close quarters. Winter makes a big impression. It is strong a beautiful, but it can also cause enormous difficulties if, as happened to us on a Christmas tour one year, you run into a seemingly unending blizzard between two concerts in Denmark and Germany…”

Blum has turned those winter experiences to good use, choosing texts and songs from Danish writers past and present, along with songs from Denmark’s folk tradition and melodies and songs she has written herself. The title tune, Liden Sol, whose title translates as Little Sun, is a contemplative look of winter’s quieter side sparely presented through just voice and guitar, while It is White Outside, with lyrics from nineteenth century Danish poet Bilcher and melody from Blum’s husband, fiddle player and composer Harald Haugaard, brings the listeners into a storm of snow. Julevise 1862 finds Blum and Haugaard devising a new setting for a traditional Danish song of winter, which celebrates the joys and festivities of winter holidays, both public and in the family. The remaining tracks are equally winter engaged, and equally diverse.

Blum is well qualified to handle such diversity. Drawn to music at an early age and skilled on several instruments, she chose to focus on singing, and also to follow her love of Danish history, stories , and folk tales. Bringing these together, Blum became the first singer with a focus on folk music to graduate from Denmark’s prestigious Carl Nielsen Academy of Music. Her first album won a DNA folk Grammy award, and her holiday tours across Europe as well as her festival appearances in other parts of the world are always well respected and enjoyed.

Blum’s voice may remind you a bit of of Alison Krauss or Claire Lynch, and though she sings in Danish, it’s easy to understand why audiences across Europe, Asia, and North America find Blum’s work engaging. She finds it engaging to share her heritage and her music, as well.

“Few things are as essential to me as the whole Danish treasury of song,” Helene Blum says. “It’s a wonderful mirror of our language, the times we live in, our roots, and not least, the nature we are surrounded by. It is for me an eternal source of inspiration.”

you might also want to

follow this link to hear an excerpt from the song
Glade Jul from one of Blum’s Christmas albums. I think you’ll recognize the melody
join Perceptive Traveler Brian Spencer for a winter visit to one of Copenhagegen’s icons

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