Reflected with a friend after hiking part of Bede’s Way, South Tyneside. We could have taken a photo like this almost 60 years ago when we became best friends at school.
Tag: UK 2018
Planning a Trip to Spain with Kids
Our nephews (9 and 10) attend a school where literacy skills are taught in English, but several other subjects, including math and science, are taught in Spanish. It’s a joy to see the boys use their skills. In 2016, they slipped unselfconsciously into Spanish when speaking with a server from Spain in our Edinburgh hotel.… Continue reading Planning a Trip to Spain with Kids
Madonna Writhed Here
I’m staying in an idiosyncratic 12-room hotel in the town of Ronda in Andalusia, Spain. My suite fills three floors in a tower: first floor, entrance and bathroom; second floor, sitting room; third floor, bedroom. I’m going to get a lot of exercise tonight. I’m pretty sure my bed is the same bed Madonna used… Continue reading Madonna Writhed Here
Travelling with Cultural Baggage
One of the challenges of travel is having to bring myself with me. If the trip is going to be more than passive entertainment, I have to try to erode my preconceived notions, prejudices, blindspots, and cultural programming. This week I felt shock when I first saw the scene pictured at the top of this… Continue reading Travelling with Cultural Baggage
Lisbon Airport Hotel
Tonight we’re in a hotel, 5 minutes walk from Lisbon Airport. Tomorrow, 5:00 a.m. Dwight flies LIS-AMS-MSP. Three hours later I fly a short hop, LIS-SVQ Seville.
Snapshots: Hiking the Rota Vicentina, Southwest Portugal
The Rota Vicentina is a 450 km trail system in southwest Portugal. It includes the Fishermen’s Trail along the rugged Atlantic coastline, the Historical Way that heads inland through rolling countryside, and loop trails that connect both worlds. The system is good for point-to-point hiking where we moved to a different place each day, and hub-and-spoke… Continue reading Snapshots: Hiking the Rota Vicentina, Southwest Portugal
Last Day of Rota Vicentina Hikes
Walked the Rota Vicentina trails for one final day. In the distance we could see Portugal’s most southwestern point.
The Emptiness of Social Media
In the past couple days there have been over 13,000 views of the above post in my microblog. Thirty-nine strangers have “liked” it. Typically, at this point, there would have been about 100 impressions. My microblog is an exercise in gratitude for something about each day of my life. I use Twitter as the… Continue reading The Emptiness of Social Media
Planning a Hadrian’s Wall Hike
Planned a coast-to-coast hike across a narrow part of England, following Hadrian’s Wall.