Camels Along the Silk Road
Camels have walked the Silk Road for centuries. Although no longer used to transport trade. I found some in the foothills of the Himalayas.
Saigon: In The Footsteps Of Graham Greene
Graham Greene’s The Quiet American is a homage to the Saigon that was, where Greene lived for 2 years. Despite the increasing bloodshed and imminent war, the magic of Saigon shines through as Greene explores the conflict between personal and public desires.
Fantômas — A Review
Fantômas is a French classic crime novel, written just before the First World War. It is one of the first crime novels to explore the psychology of the killer, and influenced both Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie.
Desperately Seeking Dumplings
In the Yuyuan Bazaar in Shanghai, the queue for the Nan Xiang dumplings stretches for a few streets. These famous dumplings are light and delicious, and even include a soup dumpling.
A Bird’s Nest of Prayer Flags
A bird’s nest partly made from Buddhist prayer flags which were hanging outside my house
The Dragon of Halong
The Dragon of Halong: this messenger of the gods created this magical bay as he plummeted from the sky
Quiet Thoughts in London
Sint-Janshospitaal: A Medieval Hospital in Bruges
Dating from the 12th C, Bruge’s Sint-Janshospitaal is Europe’s oldest preserved hospital, remaining in use until 1978. Now it serves as a museum housing medieval medical instruments, hospital artefacts and even a medieval apothecary and herb garden. There are works by Hans Memling including his famous St. Ursula Shrine.
Musings on a Morning Drive
Diary of a Witch Doctor: Thoughts as I drive to work and why I often have to pull over to just sit an simply be, if only for a few minutes.
A Mural in Marseille
A mural on a wall in Marseille shows the highlights of the city:, including Le Panier, the fisherman and their markets and the Basilica de la Notre Dame de la Garde .
Drought
Drought - a poem by Anne Harrison. Published in the collection Songs of A Sad Summer, available on anne-harrison.com
The Piazza Limbo, Florence
The Piazza Limbo, near the Arno in Florence, marks where unbaptised babies were once buried. Charlemagne, apparently, laid the foundation stone of the church here in 786 AD
Signs Along the Way
Some of the signs I’ve across while travelling, from joyful to simply obtuse in any language!
Finding Klimt
In the fin de siècle, the works of Gustav Klimt were seen as part of a radical new movement by the conservative Viennese.