There is a map of the world in the basement of our house. Each place we’ve visited is indicated on the map by a colored pin. There are a lot of pins. They sweep confidently across Europe, from the Algarve to Moscow, barely missing a country. The eastern side of North America is equally well represented – so much…
“No, I’m not making it up. I know it sounds incredible, but that really did happen.” Over the years, these words have become a standard conclusion to any story related to my experiences in mid-nineties Moscow. The words are usually greeted by intensely skeptical, almost sympathetic expressions on the face of the listener – as…
Thank you for your message. I’m currently out of the office and will not be checking email during my absence. In case of need, I can be reached on my mobile phone. However, before you consider calling me, please be certain that the survival of the human race hangs in the balance – and that…
As we turned toward Reykjavík, a tangible sense of trepidation filled the car. The thought that we would be able to successfully navigate through an unfamiliar city and its inevitable traffic mayhem, without a detailed street map to assist us, and on to the hotel we had selected from our trusted Lonely Planet book seemed…
One day, I’ll stop going on and on about our visit to Iceland. One day, I’ll finish writing about the trip and will post the account of our final day in that magnificent country. Today is not that day. On a positive note, I do at least recognise the signs of my obsession with the place.…
I’ve had over 17,000 mornings during my lifetime, but I doubt I’ve ever awoken as cautiously as I did in the Hótel Egilsen on 9th November 2014. We had occupied a room at the top of the hotel and, lying in bed, I could reach up and touch the slanting ceiling above me; a ceiling…
With our path to the north blocked by the vast Vatnajökull ice cap, to the south by the Atlantic Ocean and with a single road to choose from, we weren’t exactly embarrassed by our wealth of direction options for our second day in Iceland. It was either east or west. Although we were only 24…
There have probably been more pleasant introductions to a country. As the sliding doors at Iceland’s Keflavík airport parted, and before we had placed a foot outside, gale force winds and driving rain attacked us from out of the darkness and threatened to send us tumbling back to the hire car desk. This wasn’t the…
A few weeks ago I posted an article about the modern flying experience and its participants. In “The view from seat 23E”, I took a mostly lighthearted look at some of today’s flying rituals and suggested ways in which we might extract some enjoyment from the whole process. But all is not well inside our…
As we drove past the Zagreb Art Pavilion for the fourth time in ten minutes, a small crowd was starting to gather. A couple of minutes later, our fifth circuit was greeted with sarcastic applause. There was barely concealed laughing. Some were pointing. Minstrels were busy composing songs. Having successfully navigated our way from the…
Journeys And 