travel

7 Unusual Places To Visit In San Francisco

September 25, 2018 By J.F. Penn

In many ways, San Francisco is a high-tech city, with Silicon Valley just down the road, Twitter on Market Street and Ubers on every corner.

But it also has a rich religious history and some unusual places to visit if you want to venture further than the Golden Gate Bridge.

Here are some of the places that I found interesting when I visited on a book research trip for my thriller, Valley of Dry Bones.

(1) San Francisco Columbarium

The city banned burial and cremation in the early 1900s when bodies and graves were moved out to Colma, where the dead outnumber the living. The Columbarium is one of the few places left for human remains within the city limits.

Unusual Places San Francisco Columbarium by thriller author J.F.Penn — San Francisco Columbarium. Photo by J.F.Penn

It's a Neo-classical building with a copper-domed roof surrounded by red and white sculpted rose bushes in well-kept grounds. Inside, the circular space opens out into a spacious central hall with three gallery levels filled with glass-fronted niches, each with an urn or casket inside holding the remains of a life.

The Hidden Side Of Strange And Unusual Bath, England

November 29, 2017 By J.F. Penn

I've been living in Bath for several years now, and although on the surface, it seems like a genteel little place, there is a darker side to the city – if you know where to look.

Bath straddles the River Avon in Wiltshire in the South West of England. Made famous by Jane Austen costume dramas, the city became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

But beneath the charming streets, Roman baths, and Georgian grandeur, lies a weird city. A strange Bath, a place haunted by Druids with Masonic symbols hidden in plain sight. Ley lines crackle with mysterious power along the same streets used by tour buses, and under these streets lie curses to ancient gods.

(1) Ancient curses in the Roman Baths

In the pre-Roman era, a hot spring existed in the area frequented by the local pagan population. Dedicated to Sul, the goddess of healing, the spring’s popularity drew the Romans’ attention. They combined Sul with their own goddess, Minerva, to create Sul Minerva. They built a temple to her and the resulting town became Aquae Sulis. It sounds idyllic, but excavations in the late 1970s revealed a darker side to the Romans in Bath.

Archaeologists uncovered around 130 thin sheets of metal in the waters of the King's Bath. They turned out to be curse tablets rolled into tubes and dating back to the earliest centuries AD.

Curse tablets occur across the Greco-Roman world and they fall into two categories. One group takes the form of binding curses. These were ideal if you wanted to curse love rivals or sporting competitors. The Romans were asking the gods to take matters into their hands.

The second group involves asking the gods to mete out justice against thieves and the Bath tablets fall into this category. Some of them address Sulis Minerva as the guardian of the spring. The text asks her to persecute the guilty party until they return the stolen property. Many of the tablets refer to small items stolen at the baths.

It gives a whole new insight into the people frequenting the Roman Baths in their ancient heyday.

(2) Druids, The Circus, and the Freemasons

The Circus is a gorgeous, circular Georgian terrace with three layers of classical columns. Five enormous plane trees stand in the central garden, blocking the view of the buildings and it's really hard to get a picture of the curved facade. I walk through The Circus almost every day, so it's a place I have come to love. When I wrote Map of Shadows, which opens in Bath, I started to research the area and found it has an incredible background.

Inspired by Bath's alleged druid past, architect John Wood the Elder designed the Circus by modelling its dimensions on Stonehenge. The outer circumference matches the ancient Druid standing stones, as well as incorporating the pagan circle and crescent of The Circus and The Royal Crescent just along the street.

Freemasonry was used in the design. The layout of The Circus, Gay Street and Queen Square form a key, a common symbol in Freemasonry, representing power or hidden secrets. There are over 500 carved emblems along the frieze of the columns, including serpents, stone tablets of the 10 commandments, lightning bolts, and more.

According to legend, a ley line connects Bath Abbey and The Circus, cutting along Brock Street. If that’s true, it makes The Circus the heart of strange Bath, and it plays an important part in my story, Map of Shadows.

(3) A pagan god in the Botanic Gardens

The Botanic Gardens are fantastic to visit in any season, with its ever-changing landscape of trees, flowers, fat pigeons and cheeky squirrels. I walk there several times a week and enjoy watching the seasons pass.

Detail of carvings on the frieze at The Circus. Note the 10 Commandments tablet

But there is one strange object in the gardens – a huge pagan deity carved from a tree.

William Lobb brought twelve Giant Redwoods to the UK in the 1850s. One of them ended up in Bath's Botanic Gardens and it died after contracting Honey Fungus. In 2001, the council commissioned a local artist to create a piece celebrating its life. Lee Dickson created the chainsaw sculpture that stands near the Dovecote. The 7m-tall Mankind’s Hand in Nature preserves what's left of the redwood. It helps to celebrate the Druid roots of the city.

(4) Literary inspiration and Gothic horror

Jane Austen is Bath's most famous literary inhabitant. She lived in the city between 1800 and 1809. But many overlook the short presence of an even greater writing resident – Mary Shelley.

Bath street view — This Bath street with its map shop is the inspiration for Map of Shadows

She came up with the idea of Frankenstein and his monster during the infamous evening at the Villa Diodati. Later in 1816, the writer arrived in Bath with Percy Shelley and took rooms at 5 Abbey Churchyard (now long gone) and 12 New Bond Street. When they left the city five months later, she'd finished the first volume of the novel that would make her famous.

Shelley may have given birth to Frankenstein in Switzerland, but she brought him up in strange Bath.

Charles Dickens also paid frequent visits to the city. He stayed at the Saracen's Head on a visit in 1835. Rumour has it that Dickens created The Old Curiosity Shop’s Little Nell during a stay in St James' Square in 1840. Bath's nineteenth-century social life appears in The Pickwick Papers.

(5) Angels and the dead at Bath Abbey

Close up of angel climbing down Jacob's Ladder, Bath Cathedral

The most arresting view of Bath Abbey comes at the grand West facade where angels climb stone ladders alongside the stained-glass windows, a gorgeous carved entrance doorway, and carved figures from Biblical history.

According to abbey legends, Bishop Oliver King dreamed of angels climbing to heaven in the early 1500s, and although Jacob's Ladder is a common enough motif on cathedrals, if you stand beneath the angels, you'll see some are climbing down. Are they angels – or demons?

In 2011, excavations revealed the bodies of around 6000 people beneath the floor of the abbey. Interred at the abbey until the mid-19th century, the burials stopped when they ran out of space. As the corpses decomposed, they caused voids under the stone slabs. Work is underway to repair the floor before it collapses.

(6) Ghost signs preserve Bath’s literary heritage

Ghost signs are the remnants of old advertisements painted onto walls. Sometimes the signs are legible, reminding passersby of long-gone products or local businesses. In places, you can see several signs painted one on top of another.

On Milsom Street, a building bears the ghost sign of the Circulating Library and Reading Room. The sign dates to the early 1820s and Sébastien Ardouin notes Frederick Joseph ran a bookshop at no. 43 – the building bearing the sign.

Circulating libraries found popularity in the 18th century due to the cost of books. Booksellers founded them to lend copies of the books to earn extra income. Members paid a subscription fee to borrow one or two books at a time. They were much like an early literary version of Netflix.

(7) Kennet and Avon Canal

Canal boat trip on the Kennet and Avon Canal

The Kennet and Avon Canal stretches for 140km, linking the River Avon and the River Kennet. Built between 1794 and 1810, the canal fell into disrepair after the Great Western Railway opened. Volunteers restored the canal which reopened in 1990, and I walk along it several times a month. It's one of my favorite walks, and one of the characters in Map of Shadows, Mila, lives on a canal boat.

The canal is now a popular destination for boating and it's an important site for wildlife. But we're interested in strange Bath, so if ghosts are your thing, head to the Cross Guns pub in Avoncliff. You can see the canal’s aqueduct from the gardens.

Reports tell of a Blue Lady in the women's toilets, though she appears elsewhere. She dresses in Victorian fashions and looks down to the river. Witnesses describe feelings of being watched and a sudden drop in temperature before she appears. Staff see shadows in the kitchen while patrons also see an old man in the bar. The figure of a monk sometimes appears near a fireplace in the lounge where there is a priest hole.

So, if you visit Bath, be sure to look beneath the tourist facade to the dark side beneath …

My dark fantasy novel is based in Bath. Read on if you'd like to know more.

A map of skin etched in blood.
A world under threat from the Borderlands.
A young woman who must risk the shadows to save her family.

When her Grandfather is murdered under mysterious circumstances, Sienna Farren inherits his map shop in the ancient city of Bath, England. Once there, she discovers that her family is bound up with the Ministry of Maps, a mysterious agency who maintain the borders between this world and the Uncharted.

With the help of Mila Wendell, a traveller on the canals, Sienna discovers her own magical ability and a terrifying place of blood that awaits in the world beyond.

But when she discovers a truth about her past and the Borderlands begin to push through the defenses, Sienna must join the team of Mapwalkers on their mission to find the Map of Shadows – whatever the cost.

In a place written out of history, a world off the edge of the map, Sienna must risk everything to find her father … and her true path as a Mapwalker.

This dark fantasy novel is the first in the new Mapwalker series.

Available now in ebook or print format!

14 Weird And Wonderful Places To See In Spain

September 30, 2017 By J.F. Penn

Spain is one of my favorite places, somewhere I return to over and over again. I particularly love the Sagrada Familia and the beachside tapas of Barcelona, the mountains of the Sierra Nevada, the chilled vibe of Malaga, and the cultural heritage of Granada and Cordoba.

But Spain has a darker side.

Bloody religious statues and relics fill the Catholic churches, resonant with the history of the Inquisition and the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella, who forced the Jews to convert, leave, or die. Their empire took the faith to Latin America in search of gold and converts … at any cost.

Much later, Spain suffered during the Spanish Civil War with torture, killings, and mob violence. The fight against fascism characterizes memorials around the country and still scars many of those left behind.

The deep religious and cultural history brings beauty in the strange and wonderful places that you can still visit and many writers find inspiration there. My ARKANE thriller, Gates of Hell, delves into sites related to Kabbalah and Jewish mysticism, while Dan Brown's latest novel, Origin, has scenes in Madrid, Seville, Barcelona and Bilbao.

So which of Spain's strange places should you visit?

1) Sagrada Família, Barcelona

Multi-colored columns of the Sagrada Familia

The Sagrada Família church has been under construction for over 100 years. Begun in 1882, it's estimated to be finished in 2026.

Architect Antoni Gaudí scrapped the original plans for a neo-Gothic cathedral and turned the building into a monument to Modernism. Only 15-25% of the building work was finished when he died in 1926 but his vision lives on. Two of its three major façades have been finished (the Passion and the Nativity). Work only began on the Glory façade in 2002.

The church is famous for its incredible stained glass windows and awe-inspiring towers. Inside, a forest of columns stretches into the gloom above. It really is jaw-dropping and a must visit if you're in Spain. The Sagrada Familia proved an ideal location for one scene in Gates of Hell. Click here for more of my pictures from Barcelona. Here are Morgan Sierra's thoughts on entering the church.

“An elvish kingdom, a fantasy forest of marble pillars rose from the floor separating into branches that supported the high coffered ceiling in Gaudí's unique design. The impression was organic, as if the earth had grown up into this space, reaching to meet high above them in a forest canopy.

It was light and airy and Morgan could imagine Cirque du Soleil performers in here, leaping and twisting in praise to the Creator. It was a far cry from the austerity of Gothic architecture and somber darkness of most great European cathedrals. This was all light and pattern, rippling in the evening sun. The palette of color moved across gentle pinks and blues from the Montjuïc stone to darker granite and the almost burgundy of Iranian porphyry. Light streamed in through multi-hued windows of rainbow glass, all circles and curves, caressing the flagstones as light would ripple through the forest leaves.

Stained glass windows at the Sagrada Familia

Those who worshipped the pagan gods of nature would feel at home here. The only obvious nod to Christianity was the figure of Christ on the cross under a parachute above the simple altar. But it was dwarfed by the sheer overwhelming beauty of the stone trunks and intricate design of the basilica, lifting the worshippers' spirits above their earthly pain.”

Excerpt from Gates of Hell, Chapter 6.

2) Museo de las Brujas, Zugarramurdi

Apart from the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic in Cornwall, there aren’t many witchcraft museums. But many consider the small town of Zugarramurdi in the Navarre region the centre of witchcraft in the nation’s history. The Museo de las Brujas takes visitors back to the Inquisition, one of Spain’s bloodiest periods.

torah scroll — Torah scroll from the synagogue in Barcelona, where the Jews were massacred in 1391. It was only opened again in 2002.

Monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella established the Spanish Inquisition in 1478. Heretics formed the original focus, rooting out spies among apparent converts from Islam and Judaism. In 1610, the Inquisition arrived in Zugarramurdi to investigate rumours of witchcraft. Officials tried over 7,000 people and found 53 guilty. Many now condemn the atrocities of the Inquisition, recognising the ‘witchcraft' as being simple folk medicine.

Located in a disused hospital, you can explore occult myths and legends surrounding the town. The museum aims to dispel the myths and misconceptions around witches. Exhibitions explore herbal remedies to explain how some may have confused them with witchcraft. The town celebrates the summer solstice in nearby caves and the Witch Museum takes part in the festivities.

3) Cave of the Moon, Titulcia

Titulcia lies to the south-east of Madrid, home to a bizarre underground world. Restaurant owner Armando Rico discovered the subterranean complex in 1952. The archways, medieval art and plasterwork show potential Renaissance origins, but no one knows who built the catacombs – or why.

Tunnels link a series of domed chambers where symbols cover the walls. German researchers in the 1970s thought the tunnels may have been a meeting place for the Knights Templar. It derives its name, the Cave of the Moon, from the fact some believe the central vault represents the full moon.

But researchers also found Celtic, Roman, and other medieval remains in the cave. Some visitors believe it holds psychic power while Rico believes it to represent the Earth and the moon. If you want to explore for yourself, you'll need permission from Rico to enter through his restaurant.

4) The Temple of Debod, Madrid

As weird places go, you can’t improve on an Egyptian temple in a Madrid park. Yet that’s what you can see in the Parque de la Montaña.

Many historical sites faced destruction during the construction of the Aswan Dam. The Spanish government helped saved some of these sites, including the Abu Simbel temples which appear in ARKANE thriller Ark of Blood.

Egyptian authorities gifted the 4th century BC Temple of Debod to Spain as a thank you. The single-room temple stood in the Nile Valley near the temple complex of Philae, used to worship the goddess Isis. Specialists dismantled the temple and shipped it to Spain in 1968. The site proves a popular attraction for photographers at sunset!

5) Gernika (or Guernica)

Stamp shows painting by Pablo Picasso Guernica — Stamp printed in Spain shows Picasso's Guernica

Guernica stands for devastation and loss in the annals of European history, made famous by the Picasso painting of the same name.

German forces targeted the old city during the first aerial bomb attacks on civilians and the rebuilt city now houses a Peace Museum. The museum tells the story of the 1937 bombing alongside other war atrocities, and explores conflict resolution and human rights.

The original Picasso painting now rests in the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid, and a tapestry version of it hangs in the United Nations Headquarters in New York, at the entrance to the Security Council room. A reminder of the horrors of war.

6) Montjuïc Cemetery, Barcelona

No article on weird places to see in Spain would be complete without a graveyard. You don't imagine the dead needing a good view, but they have one anyway in Barcelona's Montjuïc Cemetery. High on the hill overlooking the city, the cemetery opened in 1883. Its 57 acres have seen over one million burials across 150,000 plots and cremation niches.

Much like the city itself, the cemetery boasts monuments in classic, Gothic, Art Nouveau and Modernisme design styles. Surrealist artist Joan Miró rests here.

There's a Roman crematorium at the top of the cemetery, while el Fossar de la Pedrera lies to the west. This silent area, the Grave of the Quarry, is the resting place of around 4,000 people executed by the Franco regime. If you want to see the whole park, it can take over 3 hours to walk around it.

casa batllo barcelona — Casa Batlló, Barcelona exterior

7) Casa Batlló, Barcelona

You can’t miss the influence of Antoni Gaudí around Barcelona–he’s the king of weird sculpture and architecture in Spain. The Casa Batlló is one of the more obvious examples. The architect re-designed the facade and the interior of the building for the wealthy Batlló family.

Sometimes called the House of Bones, the lower floors resemble a giant ribcage. The exterior decoration further up the facade looks more like blood vessels. Many compare the ridged, undulating roofline to the back of a dragon.

If you enjoy his work, take a trip to the Park Güell overlooking the city. Gaudí’s former home in the park is now a museum, and you can’t miss its shocking pink exterior.

8) Museo Lara, Ronda

This private museum is one of the best weird places to see in Spain. Founded by Juan Antonio Lara Jury, the museum displays his vast collections. You'll see anything from vintage typewriters to old watches, handguns and microscopes.

But the Museo Lara is also home to the second Spanish Inquisition connection on this list. The cellar contains exhibits about the Inquisition and witchcraft. It includes torture equipment, mannequins in historical costume, and crazy taxidermy including a tarantula with the head of a bat. Perfect if you’re fascinated by the occult and the macabre.

Statue of the Angel Fallen From Parque del Buen Retiro, Madrid

9) Monumento del Angel Caido, Madrid

Cemeteries and parks play host to thousands of carved angels, but few focus on the fallen angel, Lucifer – except the Parque del Retiro.

Created in plaster in 1877, the sculptor drew inspiration from the Fallen Angel as he appears in John Milton’s Paradise Lost. The statue won a prize during the National Exhibition of Fine Arts.

The recast bronze version became part of a fountain where devils form waterspouts. Inaugurated in 1885, the statue divided opinion. Many hated Satan’s beautiful appearance though critics appreciated the technical skill behind its creation. It stands at 666 metres above sea level.

10) Capilla Real de Granada

Catholic churches often have fascinating icons, depictions of saints and the method of their martyrdom. The Royal Chapel of Granada features some of the most bloody and explicit scenes I've seen in my travels around the world, perhaps appropriate since the monarchs buried there, Ferdinand and Isabella, presided over some of the most brutal times of Spain's religious history. Gruesome stuff!

Inside the Grand Mosque Mezquita cathedral of Cordoba, Andalusia, Spain

12) Mezquita, Córdoba

This incredible building combines the beauty of Moorish architecture in the red and white archways with the ornate chapels and altars of the Catholic cathedral.

Córdoba was a hub of learning during the Caliphate over a thousand years ago, famous for the books collected by its knowledge-hungry rulers. Baghdad and the East were far in advance of Europe then, inventing the Arabic numerals and algebra still used today, along with decimal notation and the zero. The Mezquita was a mosque and later became a Christian cathedral during the Reconquista.

There are 856 columns inside, some of which become clues in Gates of Hell based on a Kabbalistic code that lead Morgan and Jake on to further adventures.

13) The Alhambra, Granada

With a name loosely translated as ‘the red one', the Alhambra contains stunning examples of Moorish architecture with a fantastical palace of courtyards inside the Nazrid Palace. Intricate geometric designs and Arabic calligraphy line the walls and the Court of the Lions seems to defy gravity with its slender columns and water features.

Book your slot early if you want to visit and try to avoid the crowds! More of my pictures of the Alhambra and Andalucia here.

14) Monastery of St Geronimo, Granada

Monastery of St Geronimo, Granada, Spain

This monastery is off the tourist beaten track and rewards visitors with a stunning chapel interior. You almost get vertigo staring up into the myriad vaults, all richly decorated.

There are also some freaky-looking relics and icons in the side chapels. Well worth a visit!

So these are some of my picks for weird and wonderful Spain – no doubt I'll add some more on the next trip! Happy travels.

10 Beautiful And Unusual Places To Visit In Venice

August 12, 2017 By J.F. Penn

Venice is naturally a strange place to visit. Rising out of the Adriatic Sea, the city comprises 118 islands, connected by over 400 bridges and walkways. Getting lost is all part of the fun though you're never lost for long.

The Doge's Palace and St Mark's Campanile are obvious tourist attractions, along with the famous Rialto Bridge, spanning the Grand Canal with its souvenir shops, stalls, and selfie seekers.

But turning away from the main thoroughfares helps you avoid the tourist crowds. You’ll find more of the real city by navigating the narrow alleys and crossing the spectacular squares.

On a recent trip, we stayed on Lido island, only a short ferry ride to San Marco. Absolutely recommended for avoiding the tourist throng! Click here for my photo album.

Get more out of your stay by exploring these unusual places to visit in Venice.

1. Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable

This stunning show by British artist Damien Hirst spans two palazzos at the Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana, and if you miss Hirst, then these venues have exhibitions throughout the year.

The entire exhibition is a single body of work, devoted to the story that frames the show. The sculptures are treasures apparently salvaged from a shipwreck 2000 years ago. According to Hirst's legend, the collection belonged to a freed slave, Cif Amotan II, who was sending his art to a temple on board the ‘Unbelievable’.

The exhibition runs until December 3, 2017. You can buy tickets online here.

I also wrote about Hirst's art, money and ambition on my writing blog and you can see more of the pictures there too.

2. St Mark's Basilica

The basilica marks the site of the Pentecost mosaic that appears in the first ARKANE book, Stone of Fire. Look up and you will see the tongues of fire coming down onto the apostles.

The basilica also houses the treasury where you'll find a collection of reliquaries. They contain the bones of various saints. We've already looked at bizarre religious relics but these reliquaries are something else. The reliquaries themselves are beautiful, made of gold and crystal.

It costs a little extra to see, but it's one of the more unusual places to visit in Venice.

3. Libreria Acqua Alta

If you're anything like me, you can't resist a visit to a bookshop. But how would you cope as a bookstore owner in a city built on water that regularly floods?

This particular Venetian store hit on an elegant if eccentric solution. They store books, maps, and magazines in bathtubs or waterproof bins. One room even boasts a gondola as a makeshift shelf.

In English, its name means ‘Library of High Water'. So every time the local canals flood, the contents rise with the waterline. Its stacks have even been known to house the occasional stray cat, keen to avoid the flooding.

4. The Flooded Crypt of San Zaccaria

Speaking of flooding, the San Zaccaria church has used the surrounding canals to its advantage. A church has occupied the site since the 9th century though the current incarnation was established in the 15th century. Its architecture blends Gothic and Renaissance, capturing the changing styles of the day.

That said, the undercroft mostly contains the bodies of local leaders (or doges) from the earlier period. The crypt is a beautiful space of columns and vaults, but the permanent level of water adds to its otherworldly charm.

The main church is breathtaking too, but this quiet crypt is one of the more unusual places to visit in Venice. If you'd like to visit, use the entrance in the Campo San Zaccaria, and turn right. A docent sits at the desk and will admit you through a mundane-looking door that belies the beauty beyond.

5. San Servolo Insane Asylum Museum

A network of small islands makes up Venice City. But a collection of other islands in the lagoon stands testament to both its darker past and its craft heritage. While Murano and Burano might attract the tourists keen to learn about glass or lace making, the other islands offer far more unusual places to visit in Venice.

San Servolo is known as the “Island of the Mad”. Opening in 1725, it acted as the city's official mental asylum for 250 years.

During its years of operation, it admitted over 200,000 patients. It closed in 1978 though the Venetian government decided it wanted to preserve the history and the documents of the hospital. They created the Institute for the Study of Social and Cultural Marginalization and reopened in its current form in 2006.

The museum is divided into nine sections, including the Laboratory, Straightjackets, and the Anatomical Theatre. As well as housing disused equipment, the archives also hold photo albums and library collections. You can see rare trees and plants in the park which originally provided ingredients for the pharmacy.

San Servolo puts a public face on the history of mental illness in Venice. Another abandoned asylum quietly rots on Poveglia Island, which is currently closed to visitors.

6. Lazzaretto Nuovo

The Venetian authorities didn't just use the islands as industrial outposts or mental hospitals. They also used them as quarantine spaces for plague victims.

The Lazzaretto Vecchio (Old Quarantine) opened in 1423 as a plague hospital, as well as a quarantine zone. In 1468, the Lazzaretto Nuovo (or New Quarantine) opened as a way station for incoming ships. Thousands of people were sent to the islands during plague outbreaks in 1576 and 1630, which explains the mass graves on both islands.

The Lazzaretto Nuovo is perhaps the better known of the two, and it’s also famous as the home of the Vampire of Venice.

It gained its supernatural reputation after a skull was discovered in a mass plague grave in 2005. The woman's skull had a brick jammed in her mouth, which ties in with old superstitions around killing vampires. This method of dispatch relates to the ‘Shroud Eater' vampires, which allegedly cause destruction while still in their grave. The brick apparently gave them something else to chew on.

The Lazzaretto Nuovo later became a defensive fort under Napoleon and it was abandoned in the 1970s. Recent restoration allowed the island to be reopened to the public. Visitors can now see maritime artefacts, as well as museums that explain the strange history of the island.

The number 13 ferry runs nearby but you'll need to make a request to stop at the island, one of the eeriest places to visit in Venice.

7. Torcello

While we're on the subject of islands, you can learn more about Venice's history on Torcello.

The city was first established here in the 7th century and some think it was occupied by the Romans. In the 12th century, a malaria outbreak on Torcello saw the nearby Rialto settlement eclipse the island as the heart of Venice. Its cathedral harks back to the Byzantine style of the era while museums on the island tell its story.

You can reach it by taking a ferry to Burano, switching to another boat once you're there. The museum and churches lie a 10-minute walk from the ferry stop. So you'll have plenty of time to admire its crumbling beauty. It's not abandoned, but it's definitely off the beaten track. Hemingway certainly loved its quiet tranquillity.

8. Arsenale

With all of these islands and canals, it's no surprise that Venice was proud of its naval power. You can visit its former shipyard in the Castello district.

The Arsenale gave birth to the galleys of the Venetian Republic during its heydey during the Renaissance period.

The site boasts exhibitions during the Biennale, but it's still worth a visit during the rest of the year. Restoration work is underway in many of the buildings and workshops of the vast walled area. The Naval History Museum is a must-see for fans of warships, but it also holds maps, weapons and gondolas.

They even hold a Bucintoro, a replica of the doges’ ceremonial barge.

9. The Jewish Ghetto

It can be easy to get swept along by the quirky charm and magical atmosphere of Venice. But the city's dark past isn't restricted to the islands of the lagoon.

The Jewish Ghetto stands as a testament to the segregation that once characterised the jewel of the Adriatic.

The Ghetto Vecchio and Ghetto Nuovo campos in Cannaregio comprise the Jewish Ghetto. It's separated from the medieval heart of the city as it was originally a foundry. The authorities could minimise the risk of damage if fires broke out.

But in 1516 the authorities decided to use this remote area to house the Venetian Jews. Rules and laws regulated their lives in the district. The bridges were even guarded at night to keep the Jews in their ghetto. There was no room for expansion so the Jews built upwards, which explains the lofty heights of many of the buildings.

Yet they hold remarkable secrets. Some of the buildings boast beautiful synagogues on their top floors, hidden from prying eyes behind simple facades. You can take a tour of these spaces, or visit the museum. As with any area characterised by persecution and cruelty, be respectful to the surrounding history.

10. Strange architecture

Venice is famous for its Byzantine architecture, often mixed with Gothic or Renaissance styles. The city is also synonymous with bridges; 72 of its 417 bridges are even privately owned. Two of the bridges (one public and one private) have no guardrail – something which would be unheard of in England!

The Devil's Bridge is accessible, so you can try crossing without falling in the canal.

If that's not enough strange architecture for you, then pay a visit to the Bovolo Staircase. You'll find it in a cul-de-sac near Campo Manin, clinging to the walls of the 15th century Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo. According to legend, the owners asked for an extra staircase, and when the architect could find no space for one inside, he simply added it to the outside of the building.

The tower is off limits due to renovation work, but you can still see it from the outside. Its spiral of arches is great for the photographers among you and the courtyard garden provides a breather from the bustle of the city. It's definitely one of the more unusual places to visit in Venice.

I love Venice and will definitely be heading back there.

Once you have ticked off the main sites, you can spend more time in the back streets and more curious places. Perhaps I might see you there …

Rebecca Cantrell On Writing In Berlin, The Hannah Vogel Mysteries And Blood Gospel

October 7, 2013 By J.F. Penn

I just spent the weekend in fantastic, artistic Berlin and while I was there, I met up with bestselling and award-winning author, Rebecca Cantrell.

Rebecca writes the Hannah Vogel mysteries, set in 1930s Berlin, and has recently started The Order of the Sanguines series with uber-thriller-author James Rollins. I loved Blood Gospel, so I was thrilled to talk to Becky about her books.

You can watch the video interview below, or here on YouTube.

In this on-location video in front of the Berliner Dome, we discuss:

Why Rebecca moved from Hawaii to Berlin, and how the city influences her writing.
What drew Rebecca to the history of Nazi Germany, and why she uses the perspective of crime reporter Hannah Vogel to explore the issues around the establishment of the regime. How the issue of gay rights in Germany became a focus based on a friendship she had back in the 1980s when she lived in Berlin when the Wall was still up. When Rebecca visited Dachau, she realized that her friend would have ended up in the camps because of his sexuality.
Rebecca's research process through original printed material and also films made in Berlin in the 1930s. She also managed to get a whole load of 1930s newspapers on eBay.
On writing Blood Gospel with James Rollins. How they met at a writer's conference years ago and stayed in touch, when the opportunity for the book came up, Rebecca was intrigued by the idea. The premise is that there is a group within the Catholic Church, the strigoi, who live on sanctified wine, when it is turned into blood through transubstantiation. So yes, it's a vampire series, but so much more than that! Here's my 5-star review on Goodreads. The next in the series is Innocent Blood, coming Dec 2013.
The World Beneath is coming soon, featuring a software millionaire who is stricken by agoraphobia and descends into the tunnels beneath Grand Central Station, NYC to solve crimes without ever going outside. Researching the tunnels was a lot of fun!
The themes that keep coming up for Rebecca include justice, as well as the stories of non-famous people behind the famous events.
How Rebecca spends her writing hours. She's a veteran cafe writer. She's currently reading Doctor Sleep by Stephen King at the moment, and also reads a lot of non-fiction historical books for research.

You can find Rebecca at her site RebeccaCantrell.com and on twitter @rebeccacantrell.

Her books are available on Amazon and all online bookstores. If you like some mystery, thriller and a touch of history, you'll love the books!

Ancient City: Carcassonne. Religious Music, Religion And Violence

June 28, 2012 By J.F. Penn

I recently spent a few days in the Languedoc region of France, mostly relaxing but also exploring the rich cultural heritage of the Pays Cathare, Cathar country.

It's an evocative place, historically and for religious reasons and I wrote a great deal in my journal about faith and violence.

During the 12th century a new type of Christianity arose in the region, characterized by simplicity of faith, clothing and way of life. The Cathars were opposed to the corruption of the Catholic Church and spread their simple beliefs among the common people, preaching the scripture in local tongue so people could understand and believe. They were against violence and had a flat structure where no person was considered above another.

But the Church couldn't allow such a threat to the established faith. Between 1208 and 1321 the Cathars were systematically hunted down and murdered, besieged in the castles of the region, tortured by the Inquisition and burned alive.

One day, I sat in the Basilique of Carcassonne's Old City and wrote these words while a male choir sang religious music. These are the notes from my diary.

“I sit in the nave, a male quartet sing. Their voices resound, praising God, soaring into the vaulted space above. They are lit by the sun through stained glass, the blood red of massacred saints, the azure blue of heaven. Why do these sounds bring delight to the soul, when the tomb of the mass murderer reminds us of the slaughtered innocents here? The veil is ripped wide between heaven and earth in places like this, where death and eternal life struggle for dominance. Doves roost in the ancient stone, wings lit by the fragility of candles. My vision is blurred by the smoke that carries prayers to heaven, in memory of the final faithful burnt alive at Montsegur.”

I love church music. When I write, I either listen to rain and storms or Gregorian chants, which evoke images of the great cathedrals of Europe, some of my greatest inspiration.

So it was glorious to listen to the music in that place and yet incongruous to do so under the tombstone of Simon de Montfort, who led the mass murder of the Cathars. His body was actually removed from the church for fear of it being desecrated later on.

The juxtaposition of faith and violence is something that I return to again and again. They seem inextricably linked.

I'm currently writing the last chapters of Exodus, the third ARKANE novel, and have returned again to Jerusalem which is perhaps the place where it collides in the most fierce manner. I don't know if Carcassonne itself will make it into my fiction, but the emotions conjured by these places and the music that echoed there remains my central inspiration.

You can sign up to be notified when Exodus is released here. Pentecost and Prophecy are available on Amazon and all other ebook stores now.

You can read more about the Cathars here. For fiction based in this region, I recommend Kate Mosse's Labyrinth.

Writing Religion, Scene Setting In Amazing Locations And More

February 3, 2012 By J.F. Penn

For the launch of Prophecy, I did an interview on GhostWriterDad, a great blog for writers. Here are 2 of the 8 questions. Click here to read the full interview.

1. Your books use aspects of religion as the basis for their stories. How have readers reacted to that?

I am personally fascinated by religion and actually have a Masters degree in Theology so I have studied in depth. It’s been a continued interest of mine and I’ve read and travelled widely to learn more. I find that religious story and myth are already deeply rooted in our society and that resonates with people even if they don’t believe in a specific faith.

From a commercial perspective I think Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code was so popular because it connected with something people already knew about. So I wanted to tap a similar theme, taking religious ideas and using them as the basis for action-adventure thrillers.

This is the Empire of the Dead. Paris Catacombs

Generally, people have taken the religious aspects as entertainment and also some education as I try to use real places and existing objects. Prophecy features the Devil’s Bible which is actually a real medieval book, and Pentecost involves a search for the bones of the Apostles, again based on truth.

I have the greatest respect for believers but at heart, I am writing fiction. Some people think the books aren’t Christian enough but I want to entertain and make you think. No preaching, more action!

3. Your books race through amazing global locations including famous churches and creepy ossuaries. Have you been to all these places and what’s your obsession with scene setting?

Travel is one of my obsessions and I have been to a lot of the places I write about over the last 20 years. Jerusalem in particular is a muse for me and I’ve been there 11 times. It’s woven into both thrillers and will return again. Certainly I’ll be needing another research trip there soon!

In writing my books, I actually start with the idea and then look at places that resonate with the theme. When I was gathering ideas for Prophecy, I went to the Paris catacombs and I knew that bones and ossuaries would be a great atmospheric thread. It turned out that the Devil’s Bible had been kept at the bone church of Sedlec in the middle ages and then I found the mummy crypt of Palermo in Sicily, both awesome locations.

As a reader, I love to learn about new places and descriptions of setting make a difference to the atmosphere of the book. In the writing process, I often plot the book by location rather than by plot on the first pass. One of the important elements for action-adventure is the movement and pacing so fantastic scene locations are critical, and amazingly fun to write!

Ancient Cities, Sacred Sites: Ossuaries And Catacombs

December 31, 2011 By J.F. Penn

Setting is incredibly important in my writing.

I often start with setting and then write a scene to fit the place, rather than the other way around. I'm primarily a visual person and the aspects of place in terms of resonance and spirituality are also important.

For my novel, Crypt of Bone, I wanted to have the theme of bones throughout the book so these places were great inspiration. For a villain who wants to kill a quarter of the world, the dead are important witnesses.

Paris Catacombs

In June 2011, my husband and I took a trip to Paris and visited the Catacombs which contain the remains of around 6 million people. By the 17th century, graveyards throughout Paris had become full up and the dead were poking from the ground. Decomposing remains were causing sanitary issues in the city at multiple locations. So it was decided to move all the bones to one location. After years of horse-drawn carriages moving the dead at night, the catacombs were full of bones. In 1810, it was decided to make the site more of a mausoleum and the bones were arranged into the designs that can be seen today.

You can see my photos of the catacombs on Flickr here and you can watch the catacombs in more detail in the video below:

Sedlec Ossuary, Kutna Hora, Czech Republic

I just had to use Sedlec as a key setting for my bad guy and his evil deeds. It's a church but such a macabre place. I haven't been in person but the images available are fuel for the imagination.

This video includes some great images including the chandelier that features in the climax of the book.

Capuchin Crypt of Palermo, Sicily

As I investigated the ossuaries of the world, I found Palermo. Again, I haven't been there myself but the amazing pictures and video online made it easy to write about. It's definitely on my list to visit! You will see how I have used many of the images in this video in my chapter set in the crypt. Rosalia Lombardo is the little girl with the ribbon – yes, she is real. I personally found the more fleshy bodies of the mummies far more disturbing than the bones at Sedlec which I have reflected in the way Morgan feels when she is down there looking for the Devil's Bible.

Crypt of Bone is available here in ebook, print and audiobook formats.

Sharing image photo courtesy Wikipedia Creative Commons