On the road again…..Ramsbury, Wiltshire, Here in Ramsbury, in the county of Wiltshire, the weather is giving me a great send off to my long trip to the land of my birth. The wind has been howling around the chimney pots all night, rain drumming on the skylights, and now, at nearly noon,it is still… Continue reading On the road….
Category: Travel
Land of Enchantment
The path where I walk in the coolness of early morning runs beside a stream at the bottom of steep banks. It is water diverted from the Rio Grande River, which people who live here use for irrigating their fields. It has been here for so long that carp spawn here in spring, and the water is… Continue reading Land of Enchantment
Herefordshire and Beyond
The county of Herefordshire lies 2 and a half hours’ drive from Surrey, where we live, but is a world away. The county is only 842 sq miles, with a population of 180, 000 and a population density of 0.8/hectare. Surrey is beautiful, but a much larger county, 23,800 sq. miles, with a population of… Continue reading Herefordshire and Beyond
Tintern Abbey
Tin We cross the Severn River, the boundary between England and Wales, on our way to Tintern Abbey. Tintern Abbey lies at the edge of the Forest of Dean, one of the few remaining old forests in Britain, and we are hoping to see the “wild green landscape”, and to hear the “still, sad music… Continue reading Tintern Abbey
Syria and Jordan Part One
Syria and Jordan We’ve been back from Syria and Jordan for nearly two weeks and already it seems like a dream. In fact, it seemed like a dream the day after we returned, but I know it wasn’t. I have Jordanian sand in my sandals to prove it. I haven’t cleaned them yet, not having… Continue reading Syria and Jordan Part One
Syria and Jordan, Part 2
Syria and Jordan, part 2 At last, the promised continuation of our Syria/Jordan trip. This will only be highlights; my highlights, not those of an anthropologist, geologist, ancient historian, student of Biblical history, or anything academic in the slightest. Our guides were a bit of all these, especially the tour organizer, David Price-Williams,… Continue reading Syria and Jordan, Part 2
The National Park and the Beagle Channel
We set off in the morning in a van with Veronica and our driver. We are joined by a family of 5 noisy Germans, but Veronica, a lovely girl with yards and yards of curly black hair, has a German mother. She manages to tame the boisterous family, and so we can hear her spiel… Continue reading The National Park and the Beagle Channel
THE END OF THE WORLD
USHUAIA, 7 Febrero. Three and one half hours and 1700 miles later, we are in a different world. Buenos Aires is all glitter and thin, beautiful women and men and designer everything. Ushuaia is silver water, dark pines, snow capped mountains. The people on the plane going there are shorter, darker, more plump, and when… Continue reading THE END OF THE WORLD
A little more Buenos Aires –
We visit other parts of the city, including a very colorful area where the corrugated iron houses are painted bright green, red, yellow; any color which is available in left over paint, it seems. At least, that was the origin of the color near the dock. This is Caminitos, an area of touristy shops and… Continue reading A little more Buenos Aires –
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
We step into a warm, humid night – or morning, rather, as it is 1:00 a.m. , shaky with the fatigue of a 17 hour day, dressed in London wool slacks and cardigan (removable). Gonzalo, the man who will be our guide tomorrow, is there with a sign marked HALL. We nearly cry with gratitude. … Continue reading BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA