Tourist Traffic
A French couple on a mountain path There is a certain type of French couple for whom there ought to be a generic name. This French couple — let’s call them Bernard and Eveline — are not necessarily an old … Continue reading →
The Fabric of the Cosmos by Brian Greene
Greene surveys our understanding of the nature of everything from the sub-atomic to the whole universe. He covers Einstein’s special and general relativity theories, quantum mechanics, entropy and the directionality of time. So far so good, and although some results … Continue reading →
The Voyage of the Beagle by Charles Darwin
In the early 1830’s Charles Darwin was a young man, scientifically inclined, with a general interest in the natural world and particular interests in botany, zoology and geology. He had gained a BA from Cambridge, and would have progressed naturally … Continue reading →
Walking in the Schwarzwald
Getting there Monday 24 April 2006 Easyjet flight from London Heathrow (LHR) to Basel (BSL) No. 50 Bus from airport (buy tickets from machine) to Basel rail station (SBB, Swiss Rail) Train from Basel SBB to Basel Bad (Basel’s German … Continue reading →
An Unexpected Light by Jason Elliot
Just about everything I would want to say about this excellent book is in JT’s review in the Travel Literature blog, but I will just add one thought. As a Persian scholar and someone who has travelled widely in the … Continue reading →
Thought in a Hostile World by Kim Sterelny
If you are interested in the questions central to this book – how and why human minds have evolved – but are not closely in touch with the latest academic and scientific thinking on the subject, be warned: this book … Continue reading →
Four Wheels and Frontiers by Roy Follows
For many British people there is a blank period of history covering the decade and a half from the end of the Second World War. In south-east Asia the Federation of Malaya, as it was then, gained independence in 1957; … Continue reading →
Two and Two Halves to Bhutan by Peter Steele
What do you know about Bhutan? Probably not very much, apart perhaps from it being a Himalayan kingdom somewhere up around Nepal and Tibet. Even now Bhutan is a remote and inaccessible corner of the world. There is no British … Continue reading →
Écrins 2005 – Slideshow
Écrins 2005 – Local info
Local information for Vallouise, Ailefroide, les Vigneaux Overview The Écrins region and National Park lies to the south-east of Grenoble in the département of Hautes-Alpes. Two main valleys cut into the massif. The Vénéon, in which la Bérade is the … Continue reading →