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There really is something for everyone in October.
The Pilot team stumble their way through Germany's
raucous Oktoberfest in Munich then recuperate
on the almost-forgotten waters of  the Mediterranean
around Croatia before staring history in
the face at the re-enactment of England's famous
Battle of Hastings. Then it's off to Mexico
for the Day of the Dead festival and north
to Canada's remote island of Newfoundland.
Munich's Oktoberfest is twelve days of
craziness in which Germans throw off the shackles
of their uptight stereotype with the help of millions
of litres of beer. Justine Shapiro tries
her hand as a barmaid at this massive event but
fails; instead she joins the revellers for fun,
fairground amusements and, of course, lashings
of beer.
Bradley Cooper charters a yacht on the
Croatian Mediterranean coast and discovers
that its emerald waters scattered with over 1000
islands are still largely overlooked by  holidaymakers
wary after the civil war. He sea kayaks through
the Kornati Archipelago - one of the most
beautiful sections - an ideal way of exploring
some of the more remote islands.
English history was irrevocably changed by the
Norman (French) conquest and the country remains
obsessed with the year 1066. Justine Shapiro
visits Hastings for an authentic re-enactment
of the Battle replete with Norman and Saxon (English)
encampments and gets stuck in herself.
If you think Halloween is a big celebration,
see Mexico on All Hallows Eve. Ian Wright
journeys to the traditional Indian village of
Pazcuaro, Mexico, for a brush with the living
and dead at this ancient pagan Day of the Dead
Festival. He stocks up on sweet edible skulls
and joins a Mexican family on the graveyard island
of Lapacanda where they stage a touching all night
vigil with the spirits of their ancestors.
Well before the British appeared on the scene
another seafaring people, the Vikings discovered
Newfoundland, a desolately beautiful corner
of Canada. Bradley Cooper mounts his bike
and follows their trail through the Gros Morne
National Park where he marvels at the World
Heritage listed, the rugged results of continental plate shifts. |
