Christmas – Barry's Adventures Following Retirement

**A surreal night-time image at the Christmas boat parade at Matlacha**

Last evening I experienced my first Christmas boat parade. It was off Matlacha Island in the “Sunshine State” of Florida in the USA.

Previously, I have written blog stories about Coconut Pete and the Turtle Races, and the Parade of Mermaids which originate from this speck of land (population 620) just off Florida’s southwest coast.

Not quite in the Gulf of Mexico, this small, one stop light village of Matlacha continues to warm ones heart with innovative slices of local lore, tradition, and Americana. This story is about my experience at Matlacha’s Christmas boat parade.

Continue reading “Anchors Aweigh – A Christmas Boating Adventure”

obolysk — Snowy Christmas Day at the Napoleonic Wars Memorial

A few years ago I traveled to the Czech Republic city of Brno. Within a few blocks of my apartment the story of the past 900 years of this part of the world is preserved… not only in stone but also in legends and the cultural traditions of the people there.

Brno is located north of Vienna, Austria. It is a small city of about 500,000 people and is accessible by trains and busses that run between Vienna and Prague. Many tourists just see Brno as a waypoint between these more famous places. Little did I know when I initially arrived that I would find myself staying in Brno’s old town for seven months including a frigid, blustery winter. Living in Brno provided me with a different perspective than a tourist may get.

This blog story is based on a small geographic portion of the city… my neighborhood… and the legends, history and traditions that are preserved there.

Continue reading “Medieval Dragon Legend and Brno Tradition”