Travel around Miami

The owners of the hip Darshan Café, Darshan Udvar and other establishments clustered along Krudy Gyula utca left their home neighbourhood to open the new restaurant-bar-café, Darshan Cafeeling. Ironically, the one thing missing from this café is feeling. The fantastical décor- trippy primitivist murals and oddly shaped walls – is accompanied by ‘alternative’ music. The food is decent, with pastas and Hungarian-style chicken or turkey dishes. Nevertheless, the studied coolness rings false. Perhaps time and a bigger, hipper crowd, will bring the funkier edge Cafeeling needs.

An outpost of Chicago’s in-again, out-again Italian eatery, Bice (pronounced ‘bee-chay’) is nestled in the Aladdin’s Moroccan-themed Desert Passage shopping centre. The restaurant surprises with a modern interpretation of standard Mediterranean design; the long bar under a high ceiling is an inviting place for a drink rather than a typically cramped waiting area. Eating ‘outside’ offers one the sense of a streetside café with Philippe Starck seating, but the menu is equally pricey. Choose from the expected selection of starters and pasta, but don’t miss the baked-to-order chocolate souffle.

For a time during the 19th-century, every sixth person in Sweden left for America. Many settled in Chicago’s Andersonville neighbourhood, where a museum chronicles Swedish migration and celebrates traditional holidays. St Lucia, representing peace and goodwill, has become one of Sweden’s national symbols. A procession to celebrate light in the dark of winter begins at the museum and winds through Andersonville, returning for performances, Christmas songs and a more formal programme at Ebenezer Lutheran Church.

This delicious Sunday show, aimed as much at adults as at kids, features five musicians, but no musical instruments. Directed by Paco Mir, of the celebrated comedy trio Tricicle, the show unfolds as a percussion concert that ingeniously explores the musical possibilities of everyday objects. There are two alternating versions. In ‘Bon Profit’ (Catalan for ‘bon appetit’), the protagonists are five bored waiters, who begin to tap out melodies on the crockery, while ‘Desconcert’ begins with the worrying predicament of a five-piece band who find their instruments have gone missing.

A solo recital of improvisations, classical Arabic pieces and original compositions on the oud (Arab lute).

Was the future of rock and roll born in a Texas border town? Possibly not, but storming El Paso punks At The Drive-In are doing a mighty fine job enlivening the musical present. Returning to Barcelona after a sensational gig in the city last year, their Garatge date is sure to fill up quickly, thanks to word of mouth and the success of their third album. ‘Relationship of Command’ is full of tunes that creep up on you from behind – and then hit you very hard over the head.

You’ve got to hand it to Paul Simon, he doesn’t give up easily. By now most of his contemporaries, if they’re performing at all, are doing retro showcase gigs. But the man who started out all those years ago as a Greenwich Village folkie just came out with a new album, ‘You’re the One’. It’s his 16th solo effort and marks a long overdue return to his simple folk roots. Acoustic, poetic songs of love are, after all, what Paul Simon does best.

Gillian Arthur has lived in Tuscany for more than a decade and heads an organisation called Piccolo which runs tailor-made walking tours for small groups in Tuscany. She is known for her ability to discover the people, places and unspoilt landscapes that are not always obvious to the first-time visitor. Tours are self-guided. You choose your own destination and set your own pace. Detailed instructions and maps of well-researched routes plus Gillian’s expert advice on all aspects of the area are supplied whileaccommodation and luggage transfers are arranged.

The last of a series of shows celebrating the 30th anniversary of the San Juan Evangelista Music Club brings local Gospel choir Inside Voices, regular and respected performers in jazz clubs around Madrid. British soul singer Sheila Cuffy, herself something of a veteran on the Spanish club circuit having been singing here since 1993, leads the troupe. Inside Voices are a mixture of local and imported talent and the repertoire includes many Gospel and soul classics, as well as numbers such as ‘Oh Happy Day’ and ‘Amazing Grace’.

When Dario Cecchini staged a mock funeral for the Bistecca alla Fiorentina when it was banned for BSE in March, he shot to world-wide fame. His butcher’s shop in Panzano, a tiny town in Chianti, is foodie heaven. Opera or jazz blares from the CD player, the place is full of cookery books, jars of spices, strings of garlic and chillies, he holds brunch on Sunday mornings, recites Dante and sells extraordinarily good organic meat. He also prepares meat dishes from traditional recipes.