Category: Travel

The Time I Sneaked onto a Night Train from Communist East Berlin to Prague

August 1972. My brother and I stood in front of the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin. We had just arrived from London on our first flight ever. The flight was cheap by 1972 standards: just £14. In 2018 pounds that’s £181 (US$230), a lot of money for us: I was an undergraduate, and my brother…… Continue reading The Time I Sneaked onto a Night Train from Communist East Berlin to Prague

Snapshots: 3 Days in LA Using Mass Transit

Last week we made a short visit to Los Angeles where we cycled, hiked, explored, and saw a show. We got around entirely by public transport. For such a car-centric city, Los Angeles has a fairly decent system of buses and trains. Many points of interest can be reached by public transport. Detail from LA Metro…… Continue reading Snapshots: 3 Days in LA Using Mass Transit

Insistence on Truth

March 2018. I was on an inter-city train racing through the countryside of southern Spain. Across the aisle was a mother and her teenage son: she was engrossed in an e-book while he was engrossed in study exercises. I needed to be engrossed in something. I wanted to close my eyes and listen to music.…… Continue reading Insistence on Truth

Travel Gear: Medications

The first time my partner and I arrived in Japan, we were stopped at Customs. Something prompted a search of our bags. Maybe the official spotted that my partner looked rather miserable with a cold.  The official found an American over-the-counter cold medication containing pseudoephedrine. It’s illegal to bring this substance into Japan, but, after…… Continue reading Travel Gear: Medications

Suica Balance

Used NFC (near-field communication) to read the outstanding balance on my Japanese Suica stored-value card: ¥421, almost four US dollars. The balance expires in 2028, but I plan to spend it much sooner than that.