Something Wicked This Way Comes...

And it's sure to silent your merry hums! Think you can handle all that could scare? Not the Fête des Sorcières, a witch festival there! To the celebration in Chalindrey, France, you must; hurry, hurry, my friends, before all will be dust! (Or, in other words, you must check out France's annual witch festival in Chalindrey, the site of a historic 16th century witch hunt. The celebration seeks to evoke Halloween's Celtic roots, and in addition to scaring you witless, there's a haunting Celtic dance performed every Saturday night through the entire month of October!)

 

Photo credit: etsy

The Haunted

Damp. Silent. Creepy. Not usually words most associate with France, thought to be one of the world's most romantic and glamorous countries. But it certainly boasts its fair share of the macabre and horrifying! Some of the earliest Halloween traditions started in the region, and with so much history lurking in every crevice and corner, it's a wonder most visitors don't shiver straight out of their designer footwear!

Eiffel tower

Loire village Bois

Paris catacombs

Church of Saint-Catherine Bell Tower in Honfleur, France

Scene from Les Vampires, 1915

La Garangeoire, Saint-Julien-des-Landes, France

Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris

Subway entrance, Paris

* The first picture, as well as the last two, can be purchased as art prints here.

Photo credits from top to bottom: etsy.com, eyefetch.com, iphone-photographer.com, flickr.com, oliverdegabriele.posterous.com, filmsquish.com, panoramio.com, wackyowl.com, etsy.com, etsy.com

Pumpkin Black Bean Soup

Each year as Halloween creeps closer and closer, I get more and more excited to make my annual pot of Rachael Ray's pumpkin black bean soup. A little spicy, a little creamy, a little pumpkiny, a lot delicious! It's been a  Hallow's Eve tradition of mine for several years now, and I hope it becomes one of yours, too! I follow Rachael's recipe, but I've found that the pot is a bit sweeter (just a play on words dears, not literally) when you add 1/2 tablespoon of pumpkin pie seasoning, an extra dash of cayenne and an extra drizzle of cream. Try it... if you dare!