If you are reading this between noon on April 9th to noon on April 11th, I’m sitting in a chair on the Sunset Limited between San Antonio and Los Angeles. I decided to take the train for no other reason than I’ve never taken a long train trip before, and this was a great opportunity …
I have come to the conclusion that the image of Texas I have always had is wrong. Very wrong. Texas was supposed to be oil wells, cattle, pick-up trucks and guys in big cowboy hats. It’s really nothing but an endless expanse of malls, stores, walled subdivisions, and highways. Friday, I had no fewer than …
March 13 marks the anniversary of the date in 2007 when I turned over the keys to my house to travel around the world. It is the date I use to mark what I call my Travelversary. The last 11 years have totally changed my life in every way imaginable. I have been to more …
From the World Heritage inscription for the Kew Gardens: Set amongst a series of parks and estates along the River Thames’ south-western reaches, this historic landscape garden includes work by internationally renowned landscape architects Bridgeman, Kent, Chambers, Capability Brown and Nesfield illustrating significant periods in garden design from the 18th to the 20th centuries. The …
Standing on the most north-easterly mainland point of the British Isles, the wind blows continually. Offshore amongst raging waters is a collection of islands, the Orkney Islands. The North Atlantic and the North Sea rage whatever the weather. The Pentland Firth, which stands between the British mainland and the Orkney Islands, is well known for …
From the Giant’s Causeway World Heritage inscription: The site lies on the north coast of the County of Antrim, Northern Ireland, and includes the Causeway Coast extending for about 6 km between Causeway Head and Benbane Head. The Causeway Coast has an unparalleled display of geological formations representing volcanic activity during the early Tertiary period …
From the World Heritage inscription: At its height the Roman Empire extended into three continents. Its borders reflected the waxing and waning of power over more than a millennium. In what is now Germany there were several military campaigns into the area north of the Alps and east of the River Rhine from 55/53 BC …
From the World Heritage inscription for the Defense Line of Amsterdam: Extending 135 km around the city of Amsterdam, this defense line (built between 1883 and 1920) is the only example of a fortification based on the principle of controlling the waters. Since the 16th century, the people of the Netherlands have used their expert …
From the World Heritage inscription for Dorset and East Devon Coast: Located on the south coast of England, the property comprises eight sections along 155 km of coast. The property has a combination of geological, palaeontological and geomorphological features. These include a variety of fossils, a beach renowned for its pebbles and textbook examples of …