Author Archives: chosenfugue

The Scarborough Fair, a popular song by Simon & Garfunkel in the \’60\’s is actually an old English ballad.  The song is a dialogue between a man and a woman each asking the other to do impossible tasks before they can win the other\’s heart.  For example, the woman must make him a shirt withoutContinue reading “Scarborough fair, moor or less”

Bristol is a quick hour south of Gloucester, but what a difference an hour makes. In every European city we\’ve visited, we\’ve enjoyed the (usually) beautiful and vibrant pedestrian-only shop lined streets, associated with a square or cathedral or along the river (always a river in every town).  Gloucester\’s city center, however, was visually anemic andContinue reading “Bristol, Cardiff and Storm Callum”

This was written before the Word Press upgrade and it looks bad. Apologies.  Our unplanned trip to England has allowed us to visit two sites we’ve longed to see.  First was Stonehenge To get to Stonehenge we took a train north to neighboring town of Salisbury, a small town famous for the Salisbury Cathedral withContinue reading “Wonders; man made and natural”

This was done before the update to the WordPress and it looks horrible, sorry.  Our first random location worked out well. We were looking for somewhere easily accessed after our 14 hour bus ride, on the coast and a faded, Victorian seaside resort. Bingo.  A two hour layover in London, enough time for a walkContinue reading “Bonfires, Bands and Beaches in Eastbourne”

Note: this entry was imported in an older format and looks pretty bad, can’t change it. Sorry. Where to next, Schengen In visa language, “Schengen” translates to “travel math”.  The true definition is Schengen is an area  (most of Europe) where you  are allowed to stay for a total of 90 days out of anyContinue reading “Schengen”

After a record heat spell in Northern Europe, the weather finally started to change with the beginning of October, leaves were turning colors, sweaters were pulled out of our backpacks, and for a few days raincoats too.  So, naturally, after Belgium we decided it was a perfect time for a beach holiday on the NorthContinue reading “Amster, dam look out!”

Belgium held some strong allure and it was the first place we went after leaving Saarbrucken.  Was it because it functioned without a government for 541 days starting in June 2010? Was it the creep/disgust factor after reading King Leopold\’s Ghost (great book)? Rubins? The Brueghels? Belgium kind of seems like a middle child, wedgedContinue reading “Belgium, part 1”

Not sure what it was about Antwerp. The contrast of our monastic hostel room to the exquisitely tiled/painted/carved ceilings/walls/floors of almost every surface? Wide boulevards with huge, stately buildings with fingertips of narrow winding streets lined with delicately, detailed row houses? Waves of people- walking, riding bikes- there was a vibrancy with a super pleasantContinue reading “Belgium part 2”