Category Archives: Foreign Parts

Schwabian Interlude 2. Arty stuff.

Posted on November 6, 2011 by John

Some of the good things about S.W Ger­many grow on vines.  They make a delight­ful light and sweet red wine one could drink all night. We were there after the har­vest, and just before the vines had turned into the … Con­tinue read­ing →

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Schwabian Interlude 1. Ferroequinological.

Posted on November 6, 2011 by John

By train to South-West Ger­many.  East Coast did well so we had a full 45 minutes from arrival at Kings Cross to depar­ture from St Pan­cras, though a new rul­ing that you can’t take hot drinks through the secur­ity appar­atus … Con­tinue read­ing →

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The Good, the Tasty, and the Damp and Muddy

Posted on September 26, 2010 by John

Cyc­ling with 35 Ger­man 13-year olds (mixed) two teach­ers and a dozen par­ents from Heil­bronn to the Hook of Hol­land.  Cycle paths or signed routes most of the way.  Idyllic cyc­ling by the Neckar and the Rhine, wooded hills, castles, … Con­tinue read­ing →

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A Most Pleasurable Transit

Posted on September 24, 2010 by John

06.00 from York, 08.55 from St Pan­cras, an easy walk from Gare du Nord to Gare de l’Est for an ICE just after 1 to Man­nheim, then a short wait for a con­nec­tion to Heil­bronn ariv­ing just before 6. Everything … Con­tinue read­ing →

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Paris

Posted on March 15, 2010 by John

Bras­serie St Louis, Musee de Cluny, Café de la Place in the Marais, Flea Mar­ket, and a won­der­ful tiny flat on the 4th floor on the Ile St Louis.  April in Paris may be mar­vel­lous, but Feb­ru­ary is pretty good … Con­tinue read­ing →

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Norwegian Interlude

Posted on November 5, 2009 by John

Golden days beside a Nor­we­gian Lake.  Long scarves of cloud halfway up the moun­tain­side in the morn­ing, sud­denly turned to fire as the sun lifts over the oppos­ite ridge.  First flakes of ice at the edge of the lake.  Frost … Con­tinue read­ing →

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There and back again

Posted on November 4, 2009 by John

Apart from the stu­pid­ity of hav­ing to stay overnight at Stansted because you can’t get there from the North in time to chekc in for a 10.30 am flight, jour­ney there went quite well.  Note how­ever, that the bed­room décor … Con­tinue read­ing →

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Larsson is almost as good as they say he is.

Posted on October 5, 2009 by John

So far, I’ve only read “The Girl with the Dragon Tat­too” by Stieg Larsson so am not fully qual­i­fied to pon­ti­fic­ate, but this Swedish thriller is bril­liantly plot­ted, the char­ac­ters sat­is­fy­ingly bizarre, though not one-dimensional, and the detail con­vin­cing.  A … Con­tinue read­ing →

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Tarjei Vesaas:Spring Night

Posted on October 5, 2009 by John

I’m always aston­ished at how Vesaas gets inside the thoughts and feel­ings of his char­ac­ters– usu­ally young people, adoles­cents. In Spring Night the main char­ac­ter, a boy, is on the brink of sexu­al­ity, without know­ing it him­self.  His older sis­ter … Con­tinue read­ing →

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Treasure Trove.

Posted on September 23, 2009 by John

The Vik­ing ship museum at Roskilde is fas­cin­at­ing, as are the rep­licas that sail on the fjord out­side, but the real Vik­ing age exper­i­ence was at the National Museum in Copen­ha­gen.  In Den­mark the Iron Age goes up to 1050AD … Con­tinue read­ing →

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