When I was a teenager, my vision of university was one of solid stone buildings, some covered in vines. The footsteps of a single person echoing from a lonely courtyard late at night. Vast libraries with wood panelled walls and statues of ancient Greeks. And new worlds of knowledge opened by brilliant professors, who would spark discussions that would rage far into the next morning’s light. None...
I’m just back from a couple weeks in Iceland, exploring remote corners of the Central Highland deserts, and just soaking up the silence and that clean subarctic air. I’ll be writing a feature about the trip for Outpost magazine, so I don’t want to say too much about it here. At least, not until I’ve cut my notes together into article form. But I would like to share a few tips that you likely...
It’s in the middle of the Baltic Sea, halfway to Latvia, but it’s Sweden’s largest island. It’s been occupied since at least the Middle Neolithic, and you’ll find rune stones, ship burials and the remains of fortified settlements. You might even find buried treasure, like the legendary Spillings Hoard, a massive 85kg pile of Viking silver dug up in 1999. The island’s walled capital was the main...
I consume an enormous amount of salt — at least, according to my wife, who scolds me each time I twist that grinder over my dinner plate for more than 3 minutes. “It’s an insult to the cook,” she says. “You didn’t even taste it first.” “But I really like salt,” I reply. “And it’s loaded with crucial minerals. Without it we would die. Do you want me to die? Well, do you…?” The conversation tends...
Many people have written the horrifying story of Auschwitz, so I’m not going to rehash it here. I encourage you to click the link above and read the history, and to read the accounts of survivors who somehow lived through these events. I obviously can’t improve upon their stories, but I want to share with you what it feels like to visit that site today — and why it’s so important to do so...
Prague is one of Europe’s most recognizable cities. It’s long been a favourite of backpackers for its low costs and cheap beer. And it’s firmly on every European tour itinerary thanks to its beautifully preserved UNESCO listed old town. Strangely enough, I had never been there. The Czech Republic was totally new territory for me. So when an opportunity came up to meet one of my oldest friends in...
I believe that a library is a sacred space, and a visit to a library is a form of pilgrimage. I try to visit historic or interesting libraries in different countries whenever the opportunity arises, in the same way that a Christian will visit important churches or cathedrals. I do it to pay my respects to the collective wisdom of our human past, and simply to soak up that wonderful smell of book...
It’s been a while since I’ve posted a new blog. But I haven’t forgotten about you… Rest assured that I’ve been hard at work on a new book and new articles. And I’m busy wading through stacks of reading and marking up maps as I plan several cool new trips for 2016. I’ll have lots to share with you in the coming months. In the meantime, I’m just back from a quick weekend trip to London, and I’ve...
I knew this place was over the top when Tomoko made the Japanese sound for astonishment: a long, drawn out, “Ehhhhhhhh?” We’d just pulled up to the gate of the villa I had rented, and we were looking down the palm-lined path that led to the house. “Yeah, this is the place,” I said, pointing to the name painted in glazed tile, mounted on a pillar. “The owner left the gate open for us, and the keys...
It’s governed by Finland but its people speak Swedish. It has its own flag, stamps, and parliament, and special trading arrangements with the E.U. And it’s halfway between Finland and Sweden, smack in the middle of where the Baltic meets the Gulf of Bothnia. But it isn’t really a part of either country. Some 90% of residents live on its large main island, which is the site of the capitol town of...