Ehrenbreitstein

Is it okay to admit feeling a little wary, when the four-year-old beside you is bouncing with anticipation? To be fair, he did hold the advantage, having experienced the same 890 meter long gondola in daylight just days before. How rightly proud he was, showing we adults the ins and outs. Thankfully there were newContinue reading “Ehrenbreitstein”

Do tell…

Seize the moment; how can you not, when exploring? Though, to be fair, perhaps one shouldn’t do it in a way that causes your friends great embarrassment.  Setting out from Nenterhausen, we drove through the loveliest villages nestled on hillsides. Each village has it’s own identity; the story goes that should two folk from neighboringContinue reading “Do tell…”

I’m game…

We are not so differant, you and I. Sure, our colorings may contrast, but the meat underneath is the same. You speak with an accent, whereas I sound imperfectly normal, yet the language of life has common threads, does it not? Like you, I need food, warmth, shelter, and love. The fun part are the differencesContinue reading “I’m game…”

Turning light into power

In the distance a very blue lake beckoned. As we drew nearer I realised this ‘lake’ was in fact acres upon acres of solar panels, poised to the sun, magically using light to create power. The modern world creates and celebrates these advances, and yet still cannot sort out how to care for our fellow man.Continue reading “Turning light into power”

Oh my goodness, Wurzburg!

There’s something special about walking to a castle at dusk, when the city below is morphing from work to leisure. Snakes of headlights work their way up valleys and into the hills, slowly dissolving as they drop off cars one by one. Meanwhile sunset and the castle lights conspire to transform the walls from authoritarianContinue reading “Oh my goodness, Wurzburg!”

Dead fish, trains, and Rothenburg.

Continuing my Germany adventure, it was time to say goodbye for now from the Braunschweig friends, both old and new. I’m very conscious that visitors can be like fresh fish; wonderful at the beginning, but after three days… Taking the train from Braunschweig to Wizburg should have been easy, despite my lack of German language,Continue reading “Dead fish, trains, and Rothenburg.”

What a place!

Braunschweig; what a place! But first, getting there can be quite an adventure. Heathrow’s Terminal Five requires a bit of stamina. Arriving early is no guarantee of making the flight. First get your boarding pass from kiosk one, then drop your bag at kiosk two. No problems there. Securities next. Jacket, pocket contents, belt, backpack,Continue reading “What a place!”

Do friends get a free pass?

In high dungeon I mentally drafted a scathing response to yet another newspaper article continuing the preposterous myth that Abel Tasman and James Cook ‘discovered’ New Zealand. Ready to write, I reread the original article, only to discover the author is a person who I know personally and deeply respect. In the past he giftedContinue reading “Do friends get a free pass?”

Who didn’t clean up?

Seventy-five pieces of rubbish litter the moon, including five vehicles. Forty-five of the pieces belong to NASA. In addition, there is a designated orbital band chokka-full of space junk. It’s known as the graveyard, circling 36,000 kilometers above earth, so that pieces don’t collide with in-service satellites. It seems we are happy to trash moreContinue reading “Who didn’t clean up?”

Flying free

Falconry. Now there’s a word to evoke images of leathered-gloved longhaired heroes, masters of round-eyed feathered hunters. Of course, the reality is different, but no less spectacular. If you’re lucky enough to visit the Isle of Wight’s falconry on a cold wet day, there’s no other tourists to hamper the conversation, but even in fullContinue reading “Flying free”