Time Traveling to Copernicus’s “Crib” in Torun (Poland) John M. Edwards stalks the heretical ghost of Polish astronomer Nicholaus Copernicus back to his hometown: Torun, Poland. Here is a question nobody, not even Steven Hawking (A Brief History of Time) nor Erich von Daniken (Chariots of the Gods), can answer: How large is the universe? How can it be infinite if it is at the same time also “expanding”? I decided the only scientist worth … [Read more...]
Touring Napa Valley: Tasting wine where it’s made
There’s something to be said for having an affordable bottle of rosé on a Friday night – particularly one that is low in calories but still tasty – Blossom Hill is a good example. But to learn more about appreciating wine, the best thing to do is visit the country where it was made – because like olives in Greece, biltong in South Africa or surf and turf in California – it just tastes better! Blossom Hill is made in California (and a bunch of … [Read more...]
Brac Island, Croatia – July 2013
Brac (pronounced 'brach') Croatia is an easily accessible island (about 50 minute ferry ride from the city of Split on the mainland). A visit here is well worth a day trip...at minimum. For the adventurous, renting motorbikes is a must. The island has some beautiful beaches as well as more intimate private bays. Picturesque villages dot the shoreline around the island and small cut off roads often lead down to these villages or connect them below … [Read more...]
How Voluntary Work Can Change Your Life and Travelling
There are as many different ways of seeing the world as there are people keen to pack a bag and head off to explore distant shores. However, how many of these ways end in a lasting benefit to both the traveller and the place they spend time in? Wouldn’t it be great if we could enjoy travelling the planet while leaving learning something valuable as well? I discovered that this is possible when I went to do voluntary work in the rainforest in … [Read more...]
Good as Gone
Good as Gone by Douglas Corleone This International thriller is the first one of this genre by author Douglas Corleone. He has delivered a fast paced "cat in search of mouse" story that leads former US Marshall Simon Fisk across borders in his relentless pursuit of the "bad guys". A young girl was taken from her parents hotel room while they were in Paris. One small lead is all Simon needs and he is quickly led into the seedy underground … [Read more...]
Capital of Ghosts
What was Parisian-Style Boulevards, Empty Eight-Lane Highways, and Chistendom's Highest Chuch-All Dead Ending in Jungle? I was working for a magazine in Abidjan, the principal city of Cote d’Ivoire (better known as the Ivory Coast), when some co-workers and I set off on a pilgrimage to one of the strangest ghost towns in Africa: Yamoussoukro. The official capital of the country since 1983, this modern “lost city” is the architectural … [Read more...]
A Bittersweet Roman Holiday
Rome: probably my favorite city on Earth, if I had to choose only one. Our time here was emotional and bittersweet, but Rome's beauty did what it could to try and ease the pain. We planned the last month of our round-the-world trip to be mostly a family affair. We saved Italy and Austria for last, because we thought it would be comforting to see some of my relatives after being on the road all year, and because it would be a smooth … [Read more...]
How to Avoid Getting Bad Bowl Cuts Abroad
An American backpacker braves a bowl cut (almost) from a proverbial Third World barber. . . . The man in front of me, shivering in the swiveling chair, was almost completely bald with two bushy fluffs upon either side of his noggin, resembling a sad circus clown with no friends. Or, Bozo. Or, Krusty. Or, Larry from "The Three Stooges." Then The Man with the Haircut eyed himself with envy, congratulating himself on now almost … [Read more...]
Jurassic Poop
With the success of Steven Spielberg’s box-office juggernauts (“Jurassic Park” and “The Lost World”)—as well as the notable sale by Sothebys of “Sue” (the world’s most complete T-Rex) for $8.3 million--dino fever right now is downright epidemic. No surprise then that, even after the unfortunate flop of the “Land of the Lost” remake, business is booming for Boonman Poonyathiro, a Thai entrepreneur capitalizing on the prehistoric craze, but … [Read more...]
A Journey of the Senses
Ears There is a moment of silence just before an announcement. It is that quick pause when the airline ground staff takes a breath—the gap between the crackling of the PA system and the sweet voice with calculated intonation, calling on a passenger: “Paging (insert name). You are needed at gate (insert number).” I am standing inside a store, surrounded by aisles and aisles of eco-friendly school products when I heard a page. I look up … [Read more...]
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