Blog
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Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Part 1: Ancient Sites of Amman, Jerash and Petra
Jordan. The name has connotations. To some it means the Holy sites, for example, the River Jordan where Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist, and Mount Nebo from where Moses saw the Promised Land. To others it conjures up…
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Malta
I revisited Malta with a friend. Just for a week. A trip down memory lane for both of us. Revisiting a place where you had exciting experiences in the past is not something I would normally recommend. ‘Never go back’…
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USA, Part 1: Boston
An unlikely choice for someone who generally prefers off the beaten track, but this was an opportunity to meet old friends in new places. One of the advantages with having lived and worked abroad is that you accumulate acquaintances from…
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Baltic states, Part 3: Estonia
I am on a tour of the three Baltic States. Having visited Lithuania and Latvia, we are now driving up the coastal highway north of Jūrmala in Latvia towards Estonia. Estonia is the smallest of the Baltic countries with a…
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Iceland: A nostalgic walk around Reykjavík
I am on my annual pilgrimage to Reykjavík. A city in which I have lived and loved. A musical place, an arty place, endowed also with an ancient literature, the Icelandic sagas, for example. Warm hearted people too. The weather…
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Baltic states, Part 2: Latvia
It is only about 45 kilometres from the Hill of Crosses in north Lithuania to the border with Latvia. Sandwiched between the other two Baltic states, much of Latvia is covered with forests, about a third of its territory in…
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Baltic states, Part 1: Lithuania
Summer had arrived and I was pondering which country to visit next. You know how it is. Time travels so fast in one’s retirement that summer is upon you before you realise that winter is past. In summer I prefer…
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France: Waterways of Burgundy
A gentleman I know owns a boat share and invites me to crew for him. The boat, made in Holland, registered in UK and based in France, is 38 feet long, of white painted steel with a navy blue streak…
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Egypt, Part 2
The Nile Cruise The returnees from Abu Simbel are late. Thus I partake of a placid luncheon, the sole person at the big broad table, and reflect upon my lazy flit around Aswan. But, eventually, noisy people appear, engines start…