Category: ON THE ROAD

Adrenaline and sheer rock climbing at Abuna Yemata Guh, the world’s most inaccessible church

It must be said that if Abuna Yemata Guh, one of Ethiopia's famed rock-hewn churches, were in Europe, everyone would know about it. It's turning out to be something of a theme in Ethiopia (and is probably true for other developing nations, too): mind-blowing ancient monuments and unique landscapes seem almost completely unknown to "the … Continue reading Adrenaline and sheer rock climbing at Abuna Yemata Guh, the world’s most inaccessible church →

Visiting Ethiopia’s Danakil Desert, the hottest inhabited place on Earth

In northern Ethiopia, there is a strange land of acidic colours and baking temperatures that has the reputation of being the hottest place on the planet - and believe it or not, people actually live there. After sleeping in the city of Mek'ele, known as the New York of Ethiopia for being a relatively new … Continue reading Visiting Ethiopia’s Danakil Desert, the hottest inhabited place on Earth →

In Cathar Country

I never knew this, but there's a corner of France scattered with 1,000-year-old castles on top of hills. Travel down towards the Pyrénées, into the region of Languedoc, and there is a whole area known as Pays Cathare - or Cathar Country - close to the Spanish border. And you'll immediately notice that there are … Continue reading In Cathar Country →

Autumn vibes

The coming of autumn in Paris is announced by a noticeable cooling of the air, which feels welcome after so many months of heat, and by the appearance of small piles of leaves beneath the trees which line the boulevards. There are shorter, darker evenings and the sun, though still making its comforting presence known, … Continue reading Autumn vibes →

“Condemned to drift or else be kept from drifting”; freedom of movement post-Brexit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbEr240Tfsk "Condemned to drift or else be kept from drifting," sings Youssou N'Dour, in my all-time favourite version of Chimes of Freedom. This is Bob Dylan's poetry at his best; this version gives me chills. And what a line-up! Tracy Chapman, Sting, Bruce Springsteen... More of the verse reads: Electric light still struck like arrows, … Continue reading “Condemned to drift or else be kept from drifting”; freedom of movement post-Brexit →

Notes from a Swedish island

Yes, we really are on an island. An island so small it doesn't have a name; but for this week at least, it's ours.

Itchy feet in Paris

It’s strange to think that I’ve been in Paris for just over five months now, yet haven’t written anything about my life here—at least nothing more than lists and scraps of thoughts. I wake up to the bells of Notre Dame filling the loft where I sleep. I make breakfast and collect my free coffee … Continue reading Itchy feet in Paris →

In search of the sublime, contemplating Brexit in Brittany

In one of my favourite literary vignettes, Edmund Burke, in the mid-18th century, contemplated the meaning of "the sublime" in A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful. He described it thus: Whatever is fitted in any sort to excite the ideas of pain, and danger, that is to say, whatever is … Continue reading In search of the sublime, contemplating Brexit in Brittany →

Cabins, sails, and fjords in southern Norway

This summer, I had the pleasure of spending time in the land of saunas and pine forests, of rain and water, water, everywhere, of fjords and sailing boats and tall blonde humans. It seems that every family has a cabin on an island, and a boat to get there; every public amenity functions like clockwork; … Continue reading Cabins, sails, and fjords in southern Norway →