Ah, the romance of sailing!
Barbados is gearing up for another action-packed year with the unveiling of its 2010 Calendar of Festivals & Events. With lively music, performing arts and film festivals, as well as exciting surfing, polo, cricket, domino, golf and horse racing tournaments throughout the year, there has never been a better reason to visit Barbados.Hike Barbados – Starting in January, every Sunday through December Guests experience the natural beauty of Barbados by hiking through the very middle of its cane fields, gullies, tropical forests and coastal communities. Hikes are scheduled weekly and depart each Sunday morning and afternoon from different locations on the island, lasting three hours in duration. Morning hikes, departing at 6am, vary in intensity based on hikers’ experience levels and taste, starting with the two mile long “Grin and Bear”, the six mile long “Stop and Stare” and nine mile long “Medium” and “Fast Medium” treks. Afternoon hikes start at 3:30 p.m. and Moonlight Hikes begin at 5:30 p.m. and both follow the “Stop and Stare” route. Hike Barbados is a free activity, but gladly accepts donations to help the Barbados National Trust preserve the built and natural environment.
Barbados Jazz Festival –January 11-17Bringing some of the best local, national and international jazz performers to the stage, this annual event is popular with jazz aficionados and attracts music fans from all over the world. Concerts take place at various venues across the island.
See the full list here! Enjoy!
Our ex supreme leader, Tony Blair, had this way of giving an apology that was nothing of the sort. Being an ex-lawyer it would sometimes take some time to decode the layers of waffle to work out that what he really was sorry about was that no one realised that he, as the supreme leader, was right.
...and stay at the brand new W Retreat Vieques! Opening in March and accepting reservations for May 1, 2010 onward. This hotel is sleek & chic in design but warm and sunny with personality. Learn more HERE. 
I followed the icon and attending monks from the Georgian Orthodox church down towards the river. First they were joined by another procession and then all were submerged into the huge crowd waiting on the Metekhi Bridge.
There were TV cameras on a crane above the crowd and others posted at strategic places such as below the statue of King Vakhtang Gorgasali (see more pictures here).
The crowd around me had bunches of flowers and candles which they kept lit through out the service. This was not simple, for despite it being a lovely evening there was a bit of a breeze and one lady next to me seem to use up all her matches and had to get her candle re-lit by the help of others.
On the last day in Tbilisi I was going to head up the funicular railway to the Mtatsminda Park to get the view over the city, but on arrival at the station at the base it was clearly shut for winter.
After hearing that the cross of St Nino made from grapevine and bound by her own hair was to be found at the Tbilisi Sioni Cathedral, I tried not once but twice to try to see it.
According to Wikipedia: 
Then there was the removal of the crowns and greeting of the couples.
For those that haven't worked it out, look at what is just to the right of the street light in the top left of the picture!
As a leading blog this writer is often approached by those with a story that needs a wider audience. All too often alas this involves the supply of suspiciously cheap pharmaceuticals from Canada.
my2fish asked how I was able to find all these places, which is a good question.
One of the strange things about travelling in Georgia was seeing flags that were almost but not quite the same as England, namely white with a red cross.
On November 8, 2009, London played host to the 16th Annual World Travel Awards. 16 was the lucky number for Jamaica as they took home 16 awards including Leading Caribbean Tourist Board and Leading Destination. Air Jamaica won as the Caribbean's top airline. Read more for a complete list of winners.
Pssst! Breaking News! Delta added another flight from Atlanta to St. Kitts, that's 2 flights every week from December 23 to April 7!!
After venturing into the snow and ice of the high mountains the next day went into the semi-desert wilderness, this time to see the monasteries in the Davit Gareja site on the border with Azerbaijan.
You can see the path snaking away just below the cliffs at the top of the hill side, and to reach the caves you then had to scramble up over the rocks.
This sort of water damage is continuing all the time and there seems to be no resources to halt it. Maybe in a few years it won't be there at all.
It was another good moment to savour, before descending back to the waiting 4x4.
It is not too late to book a villa vacation to Jamaica for the holidays! Airfare to Jamaica is still decent and many of the island's finest villas are offering discounts including free nights and reduced rates. All villas have waived their normal 14 night holiday minimum rental requirement. All villas in Jamaica are fully staffed including a cook who will prepare gourmet meals with fresh, local ingredients. 
