I watch the sun set over the American South from my sleeper compartment. The train ploughs headlong into the night, and the clickety-clack of the tracks is hypnotic. I will myself not to fall asleep, because I know that Memphis is fast approaching.
Read more
In last week’s episode, (Part 1: Amsterdam, Haarlem, The Hague and Zeeland), we’re unable to resist the tempation of a roadside corn maze and we’re running late for an important work conference call as we cross the border into Belgium. It begins raining torrentially, and somehow, inevitably, we miss a critical turnoff to Bruges and have to double back, wasting precious time. But I still don’t panic, because we’ve booked ahead of time, and the hotel website loudly proclaimed “FREE WiFi in all rooms and public areas”. What could possibly go wrong?
Read more
The Netherlands and Belgium? They’re flat as stroepwafels, rather small and half under-water. Who’d want to go there when you could visit France, Germany and the UK? Me. The lowlands of Europe are oft-maligned yet among the best the continent has to offer. If you enjoy canals, cheese, bikes, very tall blonds or geoengineering then you’ll enjoy the Netherlands, while if waffles, apple pie, beer, chocolate or national disunity are your bag then you’d really dig Belgium. I’ll be honest- all of those things appeal to me, which is why my roadtrip through The Netherlands and Belgium was so long overdue.
Read more
Something is troubling me as I land at Kuala Lumpur late at night. It’s not nervousness at being in a new city, or wondering how I’m going to get from the airport to my hotel. I’m worried about how I’m going to get to Malacca. By the time we my driver Roger and I stop at the 2-and-a-half hour mark, palm trees all around, Roger again asking “you need piss?”, I’m beginning to wonder if we will ever arrive in Malacca. Because Malacca is where I really want to be.
Read more
Last work trip to Singapore, I thought “this time I am going somewhere I have never been before”. So I let my eyes trail north of Singapore and began Malaysia dreaming. The romance of the Malacca Straits. The Orient of yesteryear. But to get there I’d have to first fly to Kuala Lumpur- the Oriental megalopolis of today.
Read more
I’m somewhat apprehensive as we take the RER away from Paris city and towards the hire car places at Charles de Gaulle airport. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Babs has literally just stepped off a 24-hour plane ride from Sydney, and I’ve been at a conference all week outside Paris. It’s a warm autumn and I’m sweating in my suit and worn out from days and nights of business meetings. I’m feeling a tad grumpy. I’m not ready to deal with Paris traffic and furthermore, we have zero plans on where to go. But life is rarely plain sailing and travels reflect that. Besides, we’ve nowhere to stay in Paris anyway and no better plans. Throwing caution to the wind, we embark on a roadtrip across Europe through the Swiss Alps.
Read more
While other cities are frequently observed as having masculine characteristics, Paris is invariably described as being female. Sensuous, seductive, the unmistakeable city of light, love and romance, my affair with her began instantly as I first arrived off the train from Bordeaux in my early twenties. A frenzied and fertile breeding ground for the arts and novel ideas, Paris has at various times been the home of countless luminaries- indeed Honoré de Balzac went so far as to wildly proclaim “whoever does not visit Paris regularly will never really be elegant”. Severely in want of elegance, I recently re-visited Paris and fell in love all over again. If you’re in the mood for a worldly romance, you’ll need this hit list.
Read more
Last week, we ruminated over things to do in London. In keeping with the English theme, this week Alyssa James of Alyssa Writes gives us some options for London day trips – getting out of the city and seeing the surrounding countryside. There is enough going on in London to keep anyone occupied for a lifetime, but, if you’re looking for a change of pace and can only spare a day or two, here are some day trips you can make to see more of England.
Read more
“Why, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.”
— Samuel Johnson
Thus spake Johnson to his distinguished biographer James Boswell, and though the words are over 200 years old, they might equally well apply to any age. For London is and has always been one of those places where you can experience the complete spectrum of human possibility. Centre of an empire for centuries, from history to the arts to the sciences, London is a place where you can see, do, and find anything- a world unto itself. If you however, unlike Johnson, will measure your stay in London in the days rather than the years, you’ll want to quickly sort the wheat from the chaff and avoid the touristy riff raff. This list par excellence will help you decide what to check out.
Read more
Dad and I watched our TV horrified as the SUV was chased mercilessly through packed streets by police, swiping other cars and narrowly missing pedestrians. Finally, it had its tyres shot out, and it came to rest surrounded by 6 cops with guns drawn. As the guy surrendered and put his hands up out the open driver’s-side window, he was grabbed buy the police and dragged head-first out the window, face-planting the highway. “This crim thought he could get away with it,” the voiceover man said in his most badass tone. “He didn’t count on the dedication of the City’s police force.”
“Bloody hell,” exclaimed my Dad, as the “Bad Boys Bad Boys” music started. “When you go to the US, do not mess with the police. These guys are not messing around.”
But as is often the case with the USA, my expectations were opposed by my experiences. As it turned out, the police were pretty bloody nice!
Read more