The Halloween (2023) edition
The Halloween (2023) edition
Getting into the spirit of the season with cemeteries and mummies. Plus, an update.
Hello ~ I’m Scott and welcome to your 5-Minute Vacation for Oct. 22nd. I share these snippets of our travels in the hope that my photos and stories will allow you to go on a vicarious vacation and “get away from it all,” if only for a moment. I appreciate you inviting me into your inbox today.
Here’s the previous 5-Minute Vacation if you missed it.
‘Tis the (Halloween) Season. Last time, I mentioned Frankenstein and Dracula. Let’s continue in the spirit of the season by beginning today’s 5-Minute Vacation in a cemetery.
Living in Poland I learned that Halloween isn’t as big a deal there as it is in the States. What’s more important to the Poles are the two days that follow Halloween, All Saints Day and All Souls Day.
Votives in a cemetery in Słupsk. All Souls’ Day, Nov 2nd, is a day of prayer and remembrance for the departed loved ones. Families visit their ancestors’ graves, cleaning them up before decorating them with flowers and candles.
From the cemetery in Słupsk, let’s continue on to Hel (I recently told you about that time we went there) because I have one Hel (of an) update for you.
The local bus to Hel used to be bus 666 (I am not making this up) but, according to a London Times article1, the route number was changed to 669 after Christian groups complained about the number’s supposed association with satanism.
Why make the new route number 669? As the article’s author writes, “Employees of PKS Gdynia (the bus company) informed passengers about the change in an update about the timetable. ‘This year, we’re turning the last 6 upside down!’ they announced on social media.”
I see the ease of that solution. Still, the bus company could’ve chosen another number, perhaps taking inspiration from the American Southwest and changing the number to 66. Or perhaps another number would’ve worked. My suggestion is 665 because:
While living in Poland, a local friend came over one day. He proudly showed me his t-shirt and read the slogan to me: “665: The Neighbor of the Beast.” Funny; yes. But what I found more interesting was that even though the slogan was in English (most of the slogans on t-shirts that we saw while in Poland were in English), he felt he had to explain it to me.
Or maybe 665 wouldn’t have worked because the route would have to end in Jastarnia, Hel’s closest neighbor.
Today’s travel word, inspired by the London Times story, was discovered at a bar just down the street from our apartment in Germany.
Today’s Travel Word
Hell (German)
“Hell,” in German, translates to “bright.” In this case, I believe the sign is describing the beer’s taste, not commenting on the light levels in the establishment.
So far we’ve talked about Hel, The Beast, Frankenstein, Dracula, and graveyards. But to fully embrace the Halloween season, we have to talk about mummies.
A mummy sarcophagus in the Naples National Archaeological Museum.
On a recent trip to Naples (I’ll share more about this trip in a future postcard), we visited the Naples National Archaeological Museum. We thought the museum’s collection of artifacts from nearby Pompeii would be a good primer for our visit to said city the next day (we were right). What we didn’t know is that the museum also has an interesting collection of Egyptian artifacts. Including mummies.
I did not know that the Egyptians also mummified crocodiles. According to the information plaque at the museum, “the Greek historian Herodotus tells us that in Egypt crocodiles were feared and hunted as creatures connected to the god Seth, although, in some regions … they were worshiped as the animal form of the god Sobek. In temples in these regions, a particular crocodile was chosen, cared for, decked with jewelry, and treated with reverence until its death, after which it was buried in holy ground.
Mummies (the human type, not the crocodile type) are part of our Halloween tradition (just because we’re too old to trick-or-treat doesn’t mean we don’t still celebrate Halloween.) Our tradition is to watch The Mummy (the Brendan Fraser version), the Scooby Doo and Jonny Quest episodes that feature mummies, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, and Young Frankenstein in the weeks leading up to the frightful night. Fun Fact: Young Frankenstein inspired the title and chorus of Aerosmith’s Walk This Way.
Do you celebrate Halloween? If so, how?
The Parting Shot
Cemeteries aren’t always spooky. Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville is gorgeous in autumn (or spring).
Next time, we’ll be going to … gosh, I can’t decide. I’m not trying to trick you, I just can’t decide. So be sure to tune in next time to find out because I think (hope!) you’ll find it a treat. Until then ~
Happy Halloween!
If you are new to my photography, you can see more at scottgilbertson.com.
Bus 666 is taken off road to Hel by Kieran Gair (Thursday, June 15, 2023, 12:01 am BST, The Times) https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/bus-666-is-taken-off-road-to-hel-lvjxz9dwl