The first sunbeams had touched my face whilst, in a group of volunteers, we were cutting up fruits for bears, cassowaries and other endangered species, together with other volunteers. Because of illegal wildlife trade and habitat destruction, there is a steadily increasing number of confiscated and rescued animals which need a temporary home.
On a literary level, I’m sorry but I really can’t see how the comparisons that have been made between Nora and Emma Bovary/Mrs Rochester. The other major problem I have with this book is that it has no plot - and call me old-fashioned, but I really do like a plot. About half way through, I had begun to ask myself where it was going…becoming tired of the endless monologues
We had a rapport that people remarked upon. We could talk to each other about so many things and the fact that he was 30 years older than me was irrelevant. Harvey was erudite and yet modest about it. He was a prolific reader and well-informed about art, music, history, philosophy and science. But he was also emotionally aware, a man who took women very seriously, actually a man who secretly believed women were superior to men…
It’s a great little spot, where you can lounge outside (amazingly, it was one of Munich’s rare sunny days in the month I was there, hence the number of coffee lovers basking in the sun) or take shelter under a chandelier inside. Yes! The decor is quite unique… I have to say that the cup I drank was divine. I ordered a filter coffee made from single origin beans - it was a medium roast, not too bitter, but with a taste that really lingered. Matched with the Florentine, it was a wonderful treat.
Veering away from the idea of a geometrically-designed French baroque creation, they decided to give the park a more ‘English’ feel, with a landscaped quality to it, and that’s how the name came to be, Today, it’s one of the biggest green spaces in the world within an urban setting - it’s actually bigger than Manhattan’s Central Park.
There is something wonderful about the air here. I mean, like any mountain air it’s a pleasure to breathe it in but this is somethign spectacular. I feel completely invigorated. Each gulp is simply wonderful. The water is crystal clear too and in the background loom the Alps. The colours seem so vivid today - it’s a vignette of sheer beauty…
Kampfner (himself the son of a Jewish refugee in the 30’s) makes a compelling case for why German is in the state it is - ‘responsible capitalism’. Unlike the rigid French labour market, or the deregulated British one, Germany has chosen a different path. With its keen sense of social responsibility and incredibly well-funded public services, the accumulation of wealth isn’t seen necessarily as a bad thing, but is firmly kept in check…
Maybe I’ve got a twisted psyche (or a very black sense of humour) but the first thing that occurred to me, in seeing this fine array of axes) was what good weapons they’d make if you’d really had enough of an annoying partner…and figured you’d be able to get away with them bumping them off by a quick whack on the head, followed by a thorough dismembering…
The market is a great place to buy fresh fruits and vegetables - they are a bit more expensive than shopping in a supermarket, of course, but this is the price you pay for helping local farmers. It’s also an excellent spot to hunt out specialty products - pesto with truffle, French lavender, perfumed and fruit teas, all manner of cheeses and some excellent olive tapenades…
It’s actually quite pleasing to my eye - a very unusual installation indeed. It’s about 9 metres long and a classic spiral design - all swirly and continuous - which some might even feel to be a bit of an optical illusion. I did some research before I set off - it was constructed in 2004 by a Danish artist by the name of Olafur Eliasson. In German, it is called ‘Umschribung’ which apparently means ‘euphemism…’
I still can’t quite believe it when my flight is called at the gate. I won’t be completely sure I’m off until the plane gathers speed. But the line forms and we pass through, onto the shuttle bus and then arrive at the aircraft. I take my window seat, get comfortable and lean back. Yalla Israel - I’ll miss you but it’s really time to hit the road…
When the app sounds on my phone (setting off another wail, in case I sleep through the city siren) at 3am, the routine is now predicable: I throw on the nearest clothing I have to hand, grab my phone and, without even looking for my keys, run out into the hall. I hear other doors slamming and then see the familiar faces of my neighbours…
The gold standard of travel writing, for me, has got to be Paul Theroux, whose epic train journey in the 1970′s became a best-seller in the form of his book “The Great Railway Bazaar.” Setting out from Victoria Station, Theroux took one train after another as far as the Far East, traveling through Turkey, Iran, and Pakistan, onto India, Burma and Vietnam...
Founded in 2010 by three foodie entrepreneurs, it's packed to the rafters with fresh, local produce and an enormous range of products - fresh fish, creamy cheeses, pastas, sweet treats and - of course -fruits and vegetable...and In keeping with their ethos - responsibility and sustainability - everything is seasonal...
Israel isn’t out of the woods yet but, ahead of the rest of the world on the vaccine front, the locals came out in force for Purim, the one day of the year when grown men and women (as well as every child in Israel) feel free to dress in outlandish costumes, drink more than they normally might and party like it’s going out of style.
These photos were captured in Tel Aviv’s Carmel Market, where impromptu parties sprung up in all the side streets. I wasn’t looking for the most fabulous costumes, more a snapshot of peoples’ emotions…which after 12 months of sadness, often verging on despair, looked incredibly happy…
I know the world’s eyes are on Israel, that we are the guinea pigs of Pfizer and that our data is being handed over for careful monitoring. But I really don’t care. We don’t live in a perfect world and after almost a year of exhaustion, gloom, fear, insomnia and occasional despair, I am ready to take my chances. It’s baby steps I know - it will be a long time before I can pick up my backpack and head off to South East Asia, Latin America or Europe but, nevertheless, the palpable sense of relief I have, at this point, is hard to describe.
The fact is - as he writes and as we all know - that society places enormous emphasis on social relationships and the general assumption is that the more social we are, the more well-adjusted we are. But is this truly the case? Why does a balanced life necessarily have to resolve around a significant other, children and deep friendships? Can other pursuits not meet our desires - religion, art, literature, philosophy, music,…?
Seriously, where does that leave me? Travel is my alpha and omega. It is my raison d’être. if we all have little ’projects’ in life, like baking, children, motorbikes. gardening, DIY, mine is surely travel. I’m not good at sitting still and, from a young age, have been filled with an insatiable curiosity. As far as I’m concerned, the world isn’t big enough for me to see in a lifetime…
I’ve never once noticed these strange mushroom-shaped palm trees…I’ve travelled the world and never - to the best of my knowledge - seen trees like that. Has it actually taken a global pandemic to make me observant again…observant in the way I am when I’m off in far-flung climes, seeing things that I expect to be unusual, merely because I’m travelling instead of on my own doorstep?
